Game summary for March 31, 2026, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Polaris Helmsmeade (Dwarf Templar played by Peyton Harmon), Snagyndar Blackthorn (Huldran War Master played by Casey Scruggs), and Ursay (Mongrelfolk Slayer played by Paul Potter). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.
The distant shimmer of starlight revealed movement ahead—massive, serene forms drifting through the void. A pod of kindori, space whales the size of castles, swam the currents of Greyspace with ancient grace. The noble creatures possessed rows of sparkling eyes that seemed to draw in the ambient starlight. The enormous entities had no mouths. They moved through the void as effortlessly as whales glided through the seas of a world. But their peace was broken.
A lamprey ship, its hooked jaws extended, darted and weaved like a predator through the pod. Harpoon chains glinted with cruel barbs. One kindori calf bled ichor into space, trailing behind the pod, slowing. Nearby, a squat tradesman ship hung in the void with open cargo bays, nets, and tethers prepared.
A signal flare burst from the tradesman—red and gold. On board, a man signaled in semaphore: “Authorized Whaling Operation – License of House Jassan of Bral. Interference is a punishable offense.” But this was not Realmspace. Bral’s laws carried no weight in Greyspace… unless someone there decided they did.
The team debated a few moments as the whalers continued to harpoon the kindori calf. They decided they had no real moral objection to whaling and did not want to engage in battle with two ships full of crew. So, they left.
About three weeks later, Their ship lurched out of spelljamming speed. Ahead, a sleek vessel glided through the void—shaped like a manta ray, its form smooth as if grown rather than built. It moved with silent grace. Its hull glowed faintly from within, like phosphorescent bone. It turned with remarkable maneuverability, almost like a living thing. Despite its alien form, it bore a wooden deck. Dark-robed figures drifted across it, wearing copper bracers and carrying staves shaped like rudders. They chanted in unison: “The Deck is laid. The Helm is stirring. The Spelljammer shall return. Prepare thyself.”
A bald elf with a tattooed head with shimmering blue and gold runes asked them about the Spelljammer and if they had seen it. Beside him, an elegant woman with veins glowing beneath her translucent skin stepped up. She pulled down her hood in shock and stared wide-eyed at Snagy. Her blue eyes began to glow silver, and she started to prophesy. She said in a previous life he had been a member of the Spelljammer crew and invited him on their quest to find the ship. He was tempted, but the rest of the team talked him into staying with them. The woman, Chanter Thaleen of the Fourth Deck claimed she and Snagy were the manifest echo of what it yet to dock. The team tried to disengage, but the cultists, The Heralds of the True Deck, tried to sell them purple fungus wine. As the party was leaving, their elven leader told them to beware the Elven Imperial Navy. Something had them riled up. He also said the elves fear the Deck because it remembers what they did. The team flew away leaving the weird religious group behind.
A strange red shape approached—at first resembling a massive scorpion flying through space. As it drew nearer, they realized it was not a creature, but a ship. Rigging stretched from the top deck up to the tail stinger. Catapults and ballistae lined its decks, and small, muscular figures scurried about—goblins, but unlike any they had seen before. These were squat and sturdy, with powerfully muscled limbs. They were armed and eager for blood.
As the vessel swooped in, it became clear this was an armed scout ship. Its crew likely mistook them for an easy merchant target. The front “face” of the scorpion formed a sharp ram. The pincers began to move, likely controlled from within the hull. Those massive claws could rip through sails, snap masts, and even grapple their vessel. Any man caught in those crushing mechanisms would be killed instantly. The name “Burning Claw” was engraved along the hull.
The goblins opened fire. Siege ammunition rained down upon their ship. The nimble menace was faster than they were. They would not outrun it—but they might maneuver to avoid the worst of the assault, keep the claws from shearing their rigging and sails, and inflict enough damage before the goblins could close and board.
The team did everything they could to try and shake the goblin vessel. Helg cast flame strike and searing light, and the team rallied the crew. They were able to keep the goblins from swarming them; only a few got aboard. Meanwhile, the grappling claws swept across the deck trying to smash everyone.
Violence erupted on deck. The goblins were brutally strong and took an amazing amount of damage. Helg took several hits, as did Snagy. Fortunately, the team had quaffed a few potions, and Helg had cast blessing of fervor. This gave the team an edge in the fight, and the small powerfully-built goblins were slain. However, the fight was not over. Someone was inside the ship operating the flailing pincers!
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