Episode 17: The Last Baron Silversang Report

The crew rushes after the party to Dirk's train car only to find it has disappeared. The party organizes an investigation, but agrees to rest for the casters to have time to scry on Dirk and Sigrid. In the morning, Hellenbrecht reports that scrying has failed to detect their quarry. He also announces a 5,000g reward for the capture of Dirk. Mariel reports that some of the tourney workers saw Dirk's train car fly up and away in the night. With the trail going cold, and the crew's navigator possessed by an evil deity, the crew needed a sky tracker to give them the chance they needed to save Nia's lost sister. Thunderfox stepped up determined to prove his worth to his captain. He investigated the empty tracks, scanned the turned faces of the grass, studied the trailing wisps of the morning fog and revealed his wisdom, "Don't think trains can fly captain." With a cry of the rage that makes men sympathetic to the villains who kill their own henchman, the crew returned to Mariel's train car where Captain Tannit Sanguesa turned up. She reported having trouble catching up to the crew who seemed to be worse roamers than the average skyship company. She also presented Nia with Baron Niklaus' last gift, a hex crystal which had been glowing fiery red but had recently changed to soothing green. The color change was the condition Niklaus' had set for the crystal's delivery. Upon taking the crytsal, the crew felt awash with strange energy and left their bodies behind as they were transported back in time and attached to the previous crew of the Blackjack. Nia to her own father Niklaus, El to (not Max Obiko) Snax of Bee Co, Spark to (not Tarkish Min) T'Krish Meme, and Lance to (not Pelegolas) Pelial Augus. In this strange state, they witnessed Baron Niklaus final adventure.

In a hazy dream like state, the party revisits the final adventure of Baron Nicklaus, also known as Ranger with Vorpal sword obliterates celestial sky dragon, which involved accidently unleashing a moon in hell, and the rather potent power of a wish ring. Were it not for the pre-destinated death that awaited them, the baku baku colossus would have been no challenge for the party.

Tale of the Bakunawa Breakers

The famed crew of the Blackjack came to its captain

To hear how their last quest was to happen.

Niklaus let loose lament against the hidden fiend

"Friends, I have failed to halt my patron's schemes

Endless queries have led me to find

My power, my wealth and his goals intertwined.

So, my path must end to grant another's boons

A final thrust to free Krosia's moons.

For my heir, this will disrupt our master

Foil and delay whatever secret he's after.

This final gift I can leave for this devil's daughter

Her weakness, the only chance my lies have bought her."

So, he hands a loyal friend a crystal of red fire.

To be delivered when its flaming heart expires.

To his men, "Our final flight shall be steep

but down beyond the real in deepest of deeps."

Replied in one voice did sorcerer, paladin and ranger

"For our Baron: any place, any price, any danger."

So, they fled the blackjacks deck to magics pull

Down beneath the crashing waves of the oceans lull.

Before their goal the ocean floor was a muddy squirm

which when prodded birthed a core spawn worm

It rose with two giant purples of its kind

One burst from below the other came from behind.

The closest worm, Pale's magic held

while his and Snax bright blades fell

The core worm found it fared no fairer course

torn apart by Takrish and Niklaus' arcane force.

The final worm was dominated to the Baron's wim.

Turning from foe to friend, from nameless to Jim.

The fattened crew headed down into the deepest rift

into Braza's grave within the realm of myth.

The godly body lay still bloody in those depths

save a rise of its chest giving the dance of breath

The baron signaled and the sorceror rang out a gong

An answering roar proved the corpse breath wrong

as from Braza's belly the black bloody Bakunawa burst

and began devouring all light, the baron's spell first.

Off dragon scale the crews magic would slide

So, Snax took the beast in rein and began a ride.

Blades flash, spells fly and there is a divine swell

then a moon released as the beast hurtled through hell

This first flash of victory raises the crews spirits

though evil the bearer of this moon's fate inherits.

As god devourer returns from his painful exile,

the crew made the beast spew moons like holy bile.

and as each one fled it let loose shining wrath

that knocked poor helpful Jim from the heroes path

So, the dark elf became as the wind for a magical attack

and his vorpal blade went snicker snack

This opened a wound so wide in the devourers throat

out leapt twin moons from that single stroke

Alas, its energies slew poor Jim the worm

plus godslayer's thrashing left the crew worn

Bloodied, near broken the heroes hopes began to list

but the baron restored their health with his ring of wish

Pale revealed the Bakunawa was weak to thunder

and the assault magic shifted to tear him asunder.

The last of the moons was soon available for the heavens

The final count of those loosed rising to seven.

The baron and his crew had completed their quest

Victorious but still trapped in the devourer's nest.

The Bakunawa grumbled still with its eternal hunger

the crew knew its only morsels left, eachother.

So, they chose together at last to vanish

and rob the Bakunawa as the Baron's last wish.