Tied for Third Place in the Unique Ship Challenge III!
The Kov'thurn is an elvish trading ship out of the Banesun crystal sphere. Run by a wealthy priestess, the Kov'thurn deals almost exclusively in rich and expensive commodities. Dragonskin chairs, gem-studded weapons, spices, and fine elvish furniture are common cargoes. The crew is entirely elvish warriors from Banesun. The Kov'thurn has gained a deadly reputation as a pirate bane, dealing death to any pirate to dares to attack them. Many pirate ships have tried to take the Kov'thurn, but all have failed to date. The captain of the Kov'thurn, Astella, always seems to be one step ahead of the pirates, and quite often turns the tables on pirates by ambushing them.
The Kov'thurn is a standard Man-O-War, complete with central garden, with no major changes. The ship is equipped with a pair of flitters (on flight deck) and six gadabouts. When in port, half of the weapons are cloaked in invisibility spells to make it appear that the ship is less dangerous than it really is. The ship has a deep green color, highlighted with a crimson red. When in port, the crew is usually very friendly and say that they are a wandering merchant ship with no port of call. While not exactly true, it is a good enough cover story to get past local officials.
The Kov'thurn is equipped with a planetary locator, a major helm (with cloaking capabilities), and several magical weapons. The mages aboard have hidden several caches of magical items throughout the ship for emergencies. Attackers must face a harden crew backed up by powerful magics.
Astella Sunflare - NE high elf female P12 High Priestess
of the Banesun (sun cult)
Str 10, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 18
On the surface, Astella is an extraordinarily beautiful, kind-hearted, and somewhat naive young elf. Her golden hair, worn shoulder length, has a life of its own, almost floating about her head. Her puppy-dog like gold-flaked green eyes are enough alone to melt the hearts of most men. When asking for help, Astella uses a very seductive, yet innocent voice. All of this, however, is one big charade to her true nature.
The truth to captain Astella is that she is, without a doubt, one of the most evil women in wildspace. She is cruel and sadistic, enjoying the suffering of others and loves nothing more than to cause pain and agony. More than once, Astella has hired adventurers to do "simple" jobs for her. Usually, the first couple of jobs are fairly simple (deliver this package to a certain mage on Bral), but soon turn into suicide missions. Sometimes, the "simple" jobs are mere triggers for grander events aimed at causing conflict, death, or destruction (and if possible, all three). A sample mission might be to deliver a statue to a noble buyer, which is in fact, a stolen idol from the scro. A later mission might leave clues for the scro to trace the idol to the buyer, resulting in an all-out strike on the noble's estate by scro assassins. Astella would also leave clues to a beholder nation that the noble is in possession of a valuable beholder relic (the idol), resulting in them joining the action. Of course, the original delivery boys are set directly in the center of the action, caught between three very angry and powerful factions. The end result is that a large section of the city is destroyed, hundreds are killed in the crossfire, and Astella puts plans into motion to either take advantage of the destruction via inflated trade goods or to finish the place off, permanently. All the while she sits backs and watches the "fun."
Astella is a cruel and powerful woman. Her personal wealth is astounding, and she can easily afford a botched mission. Usually, her plans are designed such that even if they fail, she gains from them. She is twisted and wholly evil. While she detests personal combat, she is more than able to defend herself with a sword of sharpness +4, Bracers of AC 2, and a number of other magical items. She displays her spellcasting abilities only rarely. Her greatest possession is a magical idol of the Banesun, which allows her to regain her spells when not in that sphere.
Deburn - NE high elf male T13/M9
Str 15, Int 15, Dex 17
At 5'1" tall, with blonde hair and green eyes, Deburn appears as a typical elf. He can be very friendly and charming, somewhat in the manner of a noble gentleman. His clothing is always finely made, expensive, and of excellent taste. Most would describe him as a very cultured and learned individual.
Deburn is, in fact, Astella's most trusted agent and expert elvish thief. Deburn is in charge of securing the various items that Astella needs to set her plans into motion. While one of the greatest thieves alive, Deburn is no fool and is more than willing to hire local thieves to do his dirty work for him. Often, he uses groups of such thieves as distractions for guards while he secures the prize. He enjoys a good burglary, and gets a rush from stealing. He uses his own magic to bypass any magical defenses he encounters. He tries to avoid killing people when on a mission because of the annoyance of trying to hide the body. If there is no need to hide such bodies (such as during an attack), he will enjoy cutting a few throats. Deburn has built quite a network of agents and thieves throughout a dozen spheres, and contacts them often with "little jobs" for them to accomplish.
To aid in his missions, Deburn is equipped with a ring of invisibility, boots of speed, a short sword +3, 6 daggers of throwing, a rope of climbing, and a handful of other magical items. Deburn is not dependent, however, on his magical items and will leave some behind on some missions to heighten the "challenge."
Vainus - LE high elf male M13
Int 17, Dex 16
Of the crew of the Kov'thurn, few are as innocent looking as Vainus. He appears as a youth, just barely entering adulthood, standing only 5'2" tall. He is very spirited and the eternal optimist, always seeing the good in people. He is very good with this cover.
A loyal follower of Astella and the Banesun, Vainus can be a cruel elf. He delights in torture and knows many spells to inflict the maximum amount of pain. His youthful appearance is the only thing about him that isn't a lie. He has retained his youthful appearance, appearing over a century younger than he really is. He used this to his full advantage, allowing his enemies to think him nothing more than a simple cabin boy. They only later learn his true nature.
Vainus is equipped with a wand of paralyzation, a pouch full of dust of disappearance, winged boots, and a staff of striking. He might have other items hidden in secret holds throughout the Kov'thurn.
Kzarran - NE high elf male F5/M15
Str 17, Int 18
Kzarran does not appear as a typical magic user. With his high strength, large frame (almost 6' tall) and rugged appearance, he looks more a barbarian warrior rather than a mage. Indeed, he knows very well how to use the large broadsword strapped to his back. However, his true passion is magic, and he excels as a mage.
Like every other member of the crew, Kzarran uses his appearance as a dumb barbarian as a cover. In fact, Astella often meets with him for advice and help in the planning of her twisted plots. Though very much an evil mastermind, Kzarran prefers to keep to the background, allowing Astella to "take credit" for his evil plans. Like her, he takes satisfaction in the suffering of others.
Kzarran is armed with a flaming broadsword +3, a wand of fire, bracers of defense AC 4, a cloak of protection +3, and four daggers of throwing. Kzarran knows the creation process of many magical items, and spends his time on trips creating magical items. Thus, he could have almost any range of magical items between meetings.
The remainder of the crew are either elves from Banesun or renegade elves from a variety of ports. The elves are all wholly evil, but have been trained in hiding their wickedness. When in port, they are simple sailors aboard a merchant ship. When under attack, they become deadly pirates, using every dirty tactic known to win. Any survivors would be better dead than be at their "tender mercy."
Other Mages (6): MV 12, AC 6-8, M3-7, hp 3d4 to 7d4, staff, dagger, robes.
Crewmen (30): MV 12, AC 5, F4, hp 4d8+4, longsword, chain armor, boarding pike, longbow.
