So much for our theories about Eric and his barbarian hordes; by Bast’s whisker, I never imagined that they would be an undead army! That’s definitely a nifty trick Eric has. Who needs to get close enough for boarding when you can just launch your crew across in handy-dandy bone form?

While I may not know where Bast is anymore, I have to believe she’s still watching for me to have survived being knocked off the deck by one of the undead. Have I mentioned how much I love my rope and grappling hook? It is a wonderful piece of equipment that I will never take for granted again.

While we were not able to defeat them all, thank goodness we were able to drive them away. “Live to fight another day,” I say.

Now that we’re back on Braal, Vedis is going to report the encounter to the authorities, while the rest of us take to the bars to spread some rumors of Eric’s defeat and try and stir the rabbit out of its hole. We’ll see how strong his reputation becomes when everyone learns that a bunch of girls sent him on the run! In fact, I do believe I am inspired to song:

“There once was a black pirate ship

ran by Eric the Drip.
He threw down some bones
then ran away home,
being beaten by girls on a trip.”

Well… doubt I’m going to become a Bard anytime soon, but it will do.

After what seems like ages pass as I fill out enough forms to recreate a small forest I am finally allowed into the city records. I lose all sense of time as I search the town census for the past 85 years… till I reach for another of the large tomes on the shelf and see my companions on the other side.

“Kenari?”

I wearily wipe my eyes and realize that I’m not hallucinating like I originally thought.

“…this place is a LOT bigger than I thought.” I reply as I flip open the next book onto a nearby table. “Have you all had any luck?” I mutter as I flop down in the chair and begin to scan the long lists of names.

“Not much… we…”

Their voices fade and my eyes widen as I discover some interesting ship manifestos. “Bast bless me, I think I found him! A trace of him, at least.”

“Excellent! What is the information?” Ef Utan asks as he leans over the table. Disinterested in such things, Sapphira grabs a clerk and makes inquiries to local inns as the day has gone.

“It seems that 70 years ago he took passage on a ship from Waterdeep to the south east. If we’re lucky, he went to my home of Gheldeneth since it’s such a large seaport. If we’re not… he might have gone to Unther or Thay. I shudder at the thought of the people we’ve been at war with for ages and the red robed mage-slavers of our north. Please Goddess… let him just have gone to Gheldeneth.

May Seshet and Thoth forgive my impertinence, but libraries are so BORING! I’ll bet they rigged the sticks… I will have to keep a sharper eye on who handles them next time. Tell me again why we can’t just ask someone else who enjoys stuffing their noses in dusty tomes?

Anyway… at least my sneezing and red eyes are not for naught.

After some searching I was able to find the name that Shou monk scribbled in the dirt. Ozamata Ku Murwara (what a mouthful!) is apparently one of the Council Captains of Braal, head of the Shu Trading Company, and the Underbaron of the Yakuza clan. Well that’s just wonderful. What in the world did we do to irritate this man? Perhaps nothing… perhaps some other group is just paying him to be irritated with us? It’s entirely possible when you work with mercenaries.

It seems that this Blackrazor the Pirate from the memory crystal Veddis found was put to death on Braal many years ago. Curious, however, that Kavalox survived? If he still lives, he would be an important key to the search for the Spelljammer. Unfortunately, I doubt I am the first one to think of this. There’s no telling if his brain has already become one of those pink candies in a jar thanks to those disgusting Mind Flayers. There is only one way to find out, though. We must go to Toril and search him out for ourselves.

Thankfully I was given some brief respite from my research by one of the aides in the Seeker library who returned the items we found from the Ilithid ship. It seems I have a new toy in the shape of a Ring of Invisibility! Oh yes… I’m not giving this one up to pay for the ship this time!

While they couldn’t magically identify the hexagonal token I found in the mouth of the dead Ilithid ambassador, it seems my aide could. While not the seal I hoped it might be… the token is indeed something important. It is the calling card of Caine, a high paid assassin who just happens to be on our bounty list. Imagine that.

The Ilithids are making deals with the Neogi. Was this ambassador using the Spelljjammer as a bargaining tool, or was it his own personal quest? Or were they trying to get the Neogi to join them in the search so they could use the Spelljammer together to create their own new world order? If that’s the case… then is the fact that the Ilithid Ambassador is dead a bad thing? Unless the people who hired Kain are worse than the Ilithids… or they use the ambassador’s death to start a war of their choosing. Of course… that’s assuming someone hired Kain in the first place, and he didn’t just do it because of his own personal search for the Spelljammer. Arrggh! So many variables… so many questions yet unanswered! Goddess give me the patience to get this all straightened out in my head.

Finally, we’re ready to go!

Lenata has happily straps herself into the Helm while the others mill about, seemingly just as unknowing of what to do on a ship as I. At least I’m not alone in my lack of experience now.

An unpleasant thought strikes me and I turn to Wilhelmina. “You wouldn’t know how to fire that catapult, would you?” I ask hopefully. If there’s the off chance that we might get into ship-to-ship battle, I hope to the Gods that somebody knows how to fire it.

“Why yes, little kitten, I am well versed in its mechanics,” the Giff nods and smiles. “I could always use two others to help and learn, however.”

Who me? Shoot that thing? I am not a creature of war. Perhaps… ah hah! “Ah,” I say with a smile as I walk over to Ef Utan and clap a hand on his shoulder, “that’s what we have strapping young men on the ship for!”

“Man,” Ef Utan corrects me with a raised brow as he obviously wonders what I am getting him into.

“Ah yes… my mistake,” I say as I quickly back my way towards the outer deck. “But I am sure you’re man enough for what Wilhelmina requires!”

And with those parting words I make my way to the outer decks and nearly fall to my knees at the sight before me.

So many stars, so close to the touch… the sheer majesty of it brings tears to my eyes as I grip the rail and fervently wish that my father could be here beside me. “If only you could see, father… I’ve gone farther than I’ve ever dared to dream!”

I run the back of my hand across my cheeks to compose myself when something odd catches my eye. Everything else looks like we’re standing still… except for some odd shaped oblong thing in the distance tumbling towards us.

“Hey… guys!” I shout over my shoulder to the bridge as I point into the distance. “I think there’s a big rock or something heading our way!”

Ef Utan comes out onto the deck, squints into the distance and mutters, “That’s not a rock… looks more like a ship of some kind.”

Finally, someone is going to give us some answers!

As we walked to the back rooms we… well… I should say Vedis was accosted by what looked like a furry lizard that escaped from a dye shop. It turns out the thing wrapped around her face was her pet lizard that came from her dreams. Personally, if I could pull things out of my dreams, I’d be dreaming on a much grander scale…but there’s no telling what benefits our stony friend may have from such companionship.

We make our way to a specially shielded room, and I quickly hop into the booth and look at the bejeweled wizard with excitement while Sephira and Ef Utan take their usual positions around the room.

“All right, then… let’s get this party started!”

Gods… not another history lesson! I do my best to focus on the wizard as he drones on about entities beyond Gods and how lucky we are to be here considering where we’ve been.

“Luck is a lady after all,” I say with amusement as I glance at the rest of our party.

“And an amazing kisser,” the wizard adds with a grin.

I’m not sure what to say to that considering I was merely repeating a saying I had heard in Gheldeneth once. Bes, the patron of luck in Mulhorand, while wise to worship is not one you would particularly think of sharing kisses with; the lion skin and feathered crowns would surely get in the way.

I have to admit his talk of the World Serpent interests me though… for even in Mulhorand do we have the tales of Apep, the great serpent that lives in the celestial Nile to come to life each day and threaten Ra. Perhaps some things are so great that they go beyond the stories of priests and into the realm of universal truth?

The wizard mentioned that someone must be interceding on our behalf, because the World Serpent interceded to give a creature named Vecna powers. Who would want to help us? He mentioned three creatures: The Lady of Pain, the World Serpent, and the Spelljammer itself.

Speak of the devil and she shows up, apparently; I must remember that next time we get separated. It seems that the sorceress has a silver tongue like the priests of Set and can talk herself out of legal problems. Once again… more reason to keep on her good side, I think.

Lenata and Ef Utan are talking about us going somewhere new again… with something about grey birds and two-headed coins. I nod pleasantly as my mind drifts to what the Mimir mentioned of the Library of Thoth in the Outlands. Wouldn’t that be a Coup of the Ages if I could bring proof of such a place to the Thoth priests and their school back home? I can just imagine it now: “Ah yes, what a quaint recreation you have here… but it pales in comparison to the hallowed halls of the Gods that I visited personally.” Yes… I will definitely have to go there someday.

I focus back on my companions only to find that they’re still on the same discussion. Didn’t we decide to go, already? Why are we still here? Perhaps if I seem determined to go to the Library now, they will be more determined to go to this grey-place and we can finally get out of this dank city.

Besides, it’s as my father told me: “Even if one should blunder… at least blunder forward.”

~~

Now this is an interesting place.

Apparently our portal dropped us out of a jewelry store in the middle of a bustling town called Greyhawk. And here I thought it was the name of the plane. The city must be of note if these planar travelers have heard of it.

Lenata wants to bury herself in books, again… this time at their university. I nod again and do my best to keep up with them as we pass what looks like a much more interesting bar fight relocating itself in the street. Perhaps once we get there I can leave Lenata to her books and finally explore one of the many cities we keep finding ourselves in.

“What do you mean you’re going out? I thought you were the one who wanted to get to a library so bad!”