#83 - The Space Galleon and ambush

 

Session Summary — Voyage Beyond the Silver Thread

Attending:

• Perra (Bill)

• Samm (Stan)

• Engee (Chase)

• Lenny (John)

• Brian was absent

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Mission Brief

Under the direction of Merl, the party departed aboard a space galleon to trace the silver thread across the Astral Sea — a path believed to lead toward the source of the Eye of Igurze.

The vessel was placed under the command of Captain Hurst, a Giff pilot. The galleon carries: three forward-mounted ballistas and a mangonel along the main deck.  

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The Ambush

While navigating the shifting psychic currents of the Astral Sea, the galleon came under attack by two Shrike-class raiders of Illithid design.

• One closed the distance to engage in boarding maneuvers.

• The other hung back, circling the fight and observing — likely under orders to record the engagement or await reinforcement.

The opening minutes saw a tense ship-to-ship exchange:
The party manned the siege engines, loosing volleys from the ballistas and mangonel as the Shrike darted through the silvery void. 

When the Shrike drew alongside, the boarding assault began.

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The Boarding Battle

A Mind Flayer Arcanist led a strike team of psionically enslaved and aberrant allies:

• 1 Mind Flayer Arcanist (CR 8, 3,900 XP)

• 1 Astral Otyugh (CR 5, 1,800 XP)

• 1 Stone Golem (CR 10, 5,900 XP)

• 1 Stone Giant (CR 7, 2,900 XP — teleported from the second Shrike mid-battle)

• 3 Enslaved Gith Warriors (CR 5 each, 1,800 XP total)

The boarding action was brutal and chaotic, spanning both decks of the galleon as psychic assaults rippled through its hull.

Early in the battle, the Mind Flayer Arcanist teleported the Astral Otyugh onto the galleon to reinforce its troops — but the creature was already wounded by Engee’s earlier strikes during the pursuit. It fell quickly once confronted by multiple opponents on deck.

The Stone Golem pressed steadily forward across the main deck, shrugging off spells and ballista bolts as it drove the front line back. Above, the Mind Flayer Arcanist directed his enslaved Gith warriors, their synchronized attacks driven by his psionic commands.

The Stone Giant, arriving mid-battle via teleportation from the second Shrike, nearly turned the tide — until Lenny engaged it directly, keeping the massive foe occupied and ultimately defeating it through sheer endurance and timing.

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Aftermath

Once the heroes began to gain the upper hand, the Mind Flayer Arcanist disengaged, teleporting back to the circling Shrike.
That ship immediately broke formation and retreated into the mists of the Astral Sea.

The Otyugh, Golem, and Giant were slain.
Three enslaved Gith warriors were captured alive — their psionic bonds fractured but not yet entirely broken.

The battle left the galleon scarred but intact, its crew exhausted yet victorious.

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Closing Scene

The three captured Gith now await interrogation — potential allies or dangerous liabilities, depending on how much of their minds remain their own.

Session Two will open aboard the still and silent galleon, its crew tending wounds while the stars ripple in the distance — the silver thread still gleaming faintly ahead.