Cartania, the City of Terranova...
Terranova was the capital of the Muldravian Empire, and one of the most important cities on the planet. The port city was busy, as always, but most of the ships were surface ships. Spelljammers had been rather scarce of late, and most of the few that were present were military. Among them was the marlin "Plight of Andromeda." For nearly sixty days the ship had travelled hard from Beacon to Cartania. The ship's commander, Delliah Ferrengal, was expecting special orders from the Muldravian council. Her passenger, Hypathia the arcane, had an audience with Charles Ventura, or Charles V, the Emperor of Muldravia.
The meeting between the Emperor and the arcane had been stiflingly formal at first. But as the meeting wore on, the Emperor and arcane became more and more engrossed in business. Hypathia was acting under the authority of the Conorg to prepare a long-range business arrangement with the Empire. With the empire's growing importance in Solaris, and the gradual breakdown of order elsewhere in the sphere, the Muldravians were moving quick to fill the void, if only to prevent the elves from taking it.
The Emperor, for his part, had been given a set of negotiating points from the Muldravian Council for dealing with the Conorg. Hypathia considered most of the demands and provisions to be quite reasonable. It wasn't long before the two were discussing delivery schedules and quantities for helms, hailing crystals, evermaps, and a variety of other spelljamming materials.
Later that night, Hypathia and Pyr retired to the quest quarters of the Emperor's palace. While the day had been tiring, it had been productive. They would resume negotiations in the morning. Pyr, as always, had been scarce all day. The lakshu had no desire to deal with politics, or so she said. Pyr had vanished into the royal gardens early in the day and didn't emerge until Hypathia summoned her to deliver some letters to a courier.
Hypathia sat back on the balcony near her room and took in the sweet, evening air. Cartania was one of her favorite worlds. She regretted not being able to visit it more often. All around her she could hear the sound of crickets. It looked like it would be a peaceful night. She started to doze.
She was awakened suddenly by screams of terror from a nearby courtyard. She looked up just in time to see a flitter crash into the main tower of the palace and explode! Within seconds guards were swarming around the tower trying to bring the fire under control. Hypathia called for Pyr, then remembered that she had sent her away on an errand. Hypathia rushed into the courtyard and offered her magical skills to help the guards fight the fire. Her dimension door proved useful in putting out the fire, but not in saving the four people who resided in the main tower.
Among them had been the emperor. His body had been burned almost beyond recognition.
An elf was found in the wreckage of his flitter. His body had been reduced to ash, but a message was found in a small metal box on his belt. The message read: "Elven Rule, Forever." It was signed by Admiral Falconbain.
The next day, The Viceroy of the Muldravian Council, Barron Stephon of Watergate, called an emergency meeting of the Council. Hypathia and Pyr were present in the guest box.
"It would appear," the Viceroy thundered, "that the Elven Navy deliberately arranged the assassination of the emperor, and made no attempt to hide their actions."
Another voice chimed in...
"Should this surprise any of us? The elves have been trying to get us into a war for the last twenty years!"
Another voice...
"How did the flitter get through our security?!? We had six warships over the city at the time of the attack!"
The Viceroy...
"The flitter had a special helm that allowed it to travel via planer gates, or that's what the investigators said."
Hypathia went cold.
The first voice...
"Whatever the case, this wasn't a random act, but a calculated attack by the elven navy! With your permission, Viceroy... I move that we grant full authorization to the fleet to attack any and all Imperial Elven ships we encounter."
The Viceroy paused.
"The Marquis of Karse has moved that we declare war on the Imperial Elven Navy."
"I second the motion!" another voice said.
"Very well," the Viceroy said. "Bailiff, place the motion on the ballot. We must settle another issue... Nominating a successor for Emperor Charles V."
The room was quiet for a few moments.
"I nominate Karl Wenseslas Ventura of Terranova," a voice said.
"I second," said another.
"Moved," the Viceroy said. "Lord Wenseslas, do you accept the nomination?"
The entire room was hushed as an imposing man in his early thirties rose from one of the chairs in the large hall.
"I accept," he said in a clear, baritone voice.
"Very well," the Viceroy said. "We will resume in one hour, to allow for individual discussions."
As the Viceroy stepped down, the room became a buzz of private conversations between the various members of the council. Most of the talks were about the actions of the elves. Charles Ventura had groomed Wenseslas to be his successor for the past five years. The office of Emperor was not hereditary, but it had remained with the Ventura house for nearly three centuries. It was accepted practice for an emperor to choose a nephew, niece, or cousin to assume to role of emperor when he or she died or retired. Few members of the council doubted Wenseslas's ability to assume to office. He was a respected statesman, with a natural ability to work with people. He knew how to delegate. Such a leader might prove useful in the coming months.
The Viceroy called to Hypathia, who was walking like a zombie into the main hall.
"Hypathia?" he called again. Hypathia turned around.
"I have arranged," the Viceroy said, "for you to continue negotiations tomorrow, with Lord Kevin LaFast. He handles most matters of budget for the navy."
"Very good," the arcane said. She couldn't believe that the elves had actually done this.
Pyr was watching her mistress, as silently as ever.
"Is their any chance that this could be a hoax?" Hypathia asked.
"No," the Viceroy said quietly. "I received a message from Admiral Falconbaine this morning. They accept the whole thing. They decided it was time, once and for all, to teach us that elves are the dominant race in space, and that we have no right being up there."
"I'll have to leave for Refuge as soon as the negotiations are finished," Hypathia said. "This could change the balance of the whole Pentiacate."
"I'll have a ship prepared for you," the Viceroy said.
"That will be fine," Hypathia said as she curtsied to the Viceroy, who responded with a bow.
As Hypathia walked through the gardens with Pyr, her mind was in knots. It was the strange helm on the flitter that bothered her. A few of the arcane trade houses had been developing plane-jumping helms, including the Conorg, but only one of them could possibly have a prototype working at this time. The fact that the elves had one of these helms implied that the navy was partially controlled by that same arcane trading house.
She wasn't about to say anything to the Viceroy or the emperor-elect. She had no solid evidence, and didn't expect to find any in the short time she had available to her. But, every fibre of her being told her the same thing: Te-Ess'Arr and the GATH had control of the Imperial Elven Navy.
Wildspace, somewhere in Refuge...
"Six hours," Merridian said, stating when the Eternal Wanderer would be leaving Refuge. Solaris would take twenty-five days to reach once they were in the flow.
The brief stop on Refuge was mainly for supplies, but Blaise had also taken the opportunity to catch up on the recent actions of the Conorg. He was sitting on the bridge, telling Merridian, Illeria and Phantom about the news he had collected. Tabatha was sitting in the window with her tail dangling close to the floor. She wasn't paying attention.
"After all that talk about closing out the GATH," Phantom said, "Conorg is now going to invest in plane technology and go into competition with them again?"
"In a word," Blaise said, "yes. There is a prototype 'planejamming' helm being tested as we speak. The design is similar to that of the grand helm used by the Mages of Thay in Realmspace."
"This new helm," Illeria said, "will allow a spelljamming craft to cross into the Astral and Ethereal planes almost at will?"
"Basically. When in Wildspace," Blaise explained, "travel time will be reduced to almost one-twentieth of current travel time, even at spelljamming speeds. In the flow, travel time will be reduced to one tenth, though it will be impossible to completely enter the Prime Material Plane when planejamming through the phlogiston."
"Why is Conorg going to all this trouble, after securing two thirds of the spelljammer market for itself and it's allies?" Phantom asked.
"Simple," Blaise said flatly. "We want to have a share of the plane market as well. Knowing the GATH, they will abandon it as well some day. We want to get our foot in the door while it is still wide open."
No one on the bridge could argue with that.
[Blaise?] Hall's voice said.
"Yes?" the arcane answered.
[Ville wanted me to tell you that the damage to the steering oars wasn't as bad as we thought. Zebart and Darian could have it repaired in less than a day.]
"Very good," Blaise said. He then paused. "Why couldn't Ville come tell me that himself?"
"He... doesn't want to spend time on the bridge," Phantom said. "He prefers to work below deck."
"No great loss," Tabatha said from the window. Everyone cast quick looks at the tabaxi.
"Tabatha..." Phantom said gently.
"I don't trust him," Tabatha said as she jumped to the floor. She landed without a sound, just like a cat. "I never trusted him, and after that incident back near Omni..."
"Tabatha," Blaise said, "Ville was being dominated by Colicor."
"I don't care," she said back. "He has always mistrusted people who were not human, and on a ship with more racial diversity than the port of Waterdeep, that simply won't do. If you ask me, I think this curse will do him some good."
"Tabatha!" Illeria said, "what a cruel thing to say!"
Merridian walked out; he didn't want to listen to this.
"Come on, Illeria," Tabatha said. "He doesn't always even trust you, and you're human. But," she paused, "you're clearly from a different ethnic group, and are therefore different."
Indeed, Illeria was from a different line of humans that Ville. Her skin was brownish in color, while Ville was very pale. Still, Illeria never considered herself anything other than a human, and to the best of her knowledge, no one else had either.
"Look," Tabatha continued, "I don't want him to be cursed forever. No one should have to live like that. I'm just saying that while he is, it may do him some good."
At that Tabatha started down the stairs. Blaise flowed her, wanting to continue the conversation. Several members of the crew had distanced them from Ville recently, but none had been as vocal as Tabatha. He wanted to know if there was more to her hostility than appeared on the surface.
Phantom wistfully watched the tabaxi walk away. Illeria noticed the look he gave the other woman, and she felt a pit grow in her stomach. Still, she had to try...
"Phantom?" she asked.
Phantom looked over at her and smiled slightly.
"You're really upset about Ville, aren't you," she said.
"Yes," Phantom answered. "We've been good friends until recently. Now, I find him hard to talk with."
He's finally talking to me, Illeria thought. But then she noticed that Phantom was continually glancing below at the muster deck, where Tabatha was talking with Blaise. The pit in her stomach grew again; she would have to confront this head on.
"Are you attracted to her?" Illeria asked, gesturing at Tabatha and wearing a forced smile. She wasn't going to let her feelings show unless she knew...
Phantom smiled, and was rather embarrassed.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked, looking out the window. "I guess I am." He then looked at Illeria. She looked miserable. He then realized what had just happened.
"Illeria, I..." he tried to say something, but the wizard walked away toward the stairs.
"I have to go," she said as she hurried out of sight.
Phantom leaned against the wall and groaned. He had no idea that Illeria felt the way she did, but even if he had he couldn't lie to her. He was attracted to another. Plain and simple. That didn't change the fact that he felt totally miserable over what had just happened.
Elsewhere on the ship, Illeria told herself that it was best that she knew now that Phantom was drawn to another, and not to her. Still, she could never remember feeling so empty.
Cartania...
Four marlin warships flew swiftly out of Terranova's harbor, to join the flotilla that was gathering above. Shortly before transferring power to the newly elected Emperor, the Viceroy of Muldravia had placed the entire fleet on alert.
News of the elves action had spread over the planet like wildfire. In the twenty days since the assassination of the Emperor, every major nation on the planet was observing the actions of the Imperial Navy. The elven federation of Olvenholt, traditionally isolationist and having no use for the navy, immediately pledged their support to the Muldravians and initiated an official alliance with their human neighbors, at least until the growing war was over.
The other spelljamming powers of Cartania were also taking up arms. The Krystentine Empire, traditionally at odds with Muldravia, at least on the ground, was mobilizing its own fleet. Even the xenophobic nation of Li Shou in the east had started to bring it's dragonships out of mothballs. The small central eastern kingdom of Pakamara had started equipping its spectacular peacock ships with various types of weapons.
The elves had noticed this build up of arms. Every now and again a ship of the Green Sash would travel into the Cartanian system, and dart around the planet's four moons in a cat and mouse game with the Cartanians. On more than one occasion these games had become deadly. A total of seven ships from both sides had been lost over the past three weeks.
Above the city of Terranova, a cuttle command stood like a floating fortress. This cuttle was perhaps the only ship of its type in active service anywhere in the known spheres. This was the command center of the Muldravian Stellar Navy. On this day the armada "Aramoth's Light" was beside it. Admiral Redwood, of the Olvenholt fleet, and his Muldravian counterpart, Caramek, were on the cuttle making final arrangements for a joint assault on the neogi base that drifted beyond the orbit of Beacon. Thanks to the martyred Cohmot, they knew exactly where and when to strike the base.
Also on the cuttle was Hypathia the arcane and her handmaiden, Pyr. They would soon be leaving the sphere. Hypathia had to reach the Conorg headquarters in Refuge and inform them of the current situation. She also had to tell them about the letter that was waiting for her when she arrived on Cartania. The letter was from Bagath the druid, in Maplegrove. An entire sphere, destroyed.
A shrike ship was nearby, ready for her use. Hypathia managed to share a few words with Caramek again, just before leaving the cuttle.
"I think there is more here than we realize, admiral," Hypathia said.
"No doubt," the man agreed, "but a conspiracy within the elven navy? They hardly needed a conspiracy to attack us like that. They have hated us all along."
Hypathia paused for a moment. It wasn't common knowledge yet, but...
"Have you ever heard of Omnispace?" she asked the admiral.
"Yes," he answered, "what of it?"
"The arcane Te-Ess'Arr, executive director of the GATH, recently had that sphere destroyed."
Camerek was suddenly in shock.
"It's true," Hypathia added. "I'm sure you'll hear more of it sooner or later, but that should tell you what Te-Ess'Arr is capable of. If he can destroy an entire sphere, then manipulating the elven navy shouldn't be too difficult for him. I'm willing to bet that he was some horrible fate in mind for Solaris."
"Why?" Camerek finally asked, still in shock.
"Because you do your business with someone else."
"He would kill over a lost market?" the man asked, exasperated.
"He does, he has, and he will again, unless people like you and I can stop him."
At that Hypathia picked up her bag and called for Pyr. The shrike ship was ready.
"Hypathia," Camerek said, "safe travel."
"Well met," she answered.
Moments later, the shrike ship, manned with a crew of eight, all of them seasoned space travelers, sped away from the cuttle and into the night.
The Phlogiston, just outside of Solaris...
Twenty-five days came and went, and the Eternal Wanderer reached Solaris without incident. The trip was so quiet that people were beginning to think that perhaps they were too late, that perhaps they would reach Solaris and find only a lifeless shell. Solaris was a very large sphere. Even Greyspace looked small by comparison. Normikon commented that he had never seen a sphere so large since visiting Darraspace some years ago. When he made the comment, he remembered Hall saying that Athaspace had been right beside that huge sphere all along. Normakon smiled to himself; Athaspace had passed right before him and he didn't notice.
At present, Normikon was on the muster deck with Blaise, looking at the enormous sphere wall before them. The ship was still moving at spelljamming speed, indicating that the sphere was still several miles away, but it was so large that it seemed to dominate everything in sight. Some members of the crew became nocuous looking at it.
Normikon and Blaise had become good friends over the past few weeks. In many ways it was a friendship so unlikely that it had to happen. Both had an enduring love for the ways of the worlds and stars. Blaise, always curious about the workings of the universe, had found a true mentor in this beholder who mulled over the birth, life, and deaths of planets.
The surface of Solaris's sphere looked like it was moving; it was frightening in its own way. It was in fact some kind of magic-eating jell that covered the entire sphere. There were legends that said the jell was a sea of tiny, sentient beings who continually tried to enter the sphere. Others said that the jell was made from the souls of wicked people who had been banished into the chaos of the flow. Whatever the case, opening a portal by normal means wasn't possible because of it. Fortunately, there were options.
"Portal, 164 degrees," Merridian called.
Onestar lifted his telescope and saw what appeared to be three pyramids on the surface of the spherewall. Belieth came up beside him and looked at the pyramids through a telescope.
"I've never seen portals like this before," Onestar said quietly.
"They can be a marvel to watch," Belieth said. She appeared to be shaking with anticipation. She was about to see her home sphere for the first time in twelve years.
"Time to the portal?" Onestar asked.
"Three minutes," Merridian answered.
Hall willed the Eternal Wanderer in position and continued to close on the three pyramids. On the main deck, Illeria prepared a spell to open the portal. Onestar wanted to try opening a portal using the Bracers of Wildspace, but sadly, that ability didn't work in the flow.
As the crew watched, a wave of soft light emanated from the Wanderer's two rams and continued to the sphere wall. The light was absorbed by the pyramids, which began to glow with an otherworldly light. Onestar glanced over at Estress, who was furiously taking notes.
"Why the note taking?" he asked.
*These portals were used by the Juna,* the illithid answered, *and they copied the design elsewhere. This is the first time I've ever seen a Pyramid portal.*
"These pre-date the Juna?" Onestar asked?
*Yes. No one knows who built them. I must admit that until now, even I doubted their existence.*
The Eternal Wanderer dropped to tactical speed, just as three beams of light appeared, connecting the pyramids. The area between the structures began to ripple, somewhat like clay. A few moments later, a huge opening appeared into what looked like a long hallway.
Hall willed the ship into the opening and into what appeared to be a long, dark tunnel. For several moments the ship moved through the darkness until finally another opening appeared in the distance, revealing a huge array of stars. The Eternal Wanderer emerged into wildspace just a few miles from a stargem. The bright light faded after a few minutes, and the crew could see Solaris.
Far in the distance, a star blazed brightly. A smaller one glowed beside it, almost as bright. Beyond the stars the crew could see a nebulae, larger than any nebulae that any of them had ever seen. Backlit by the thousands of stargems on the opposite side of the sphere, the crew just stared at it.
[It has never looked so beautiful...] Hall said. The entire crew heard him, and were inclined to agree.
"No... It hasn't," Belieth whispered.
Onestar just looked on as Crystal came up beside him.
"This is perhaps," the elf said quietly, "the loveliest sphere I have ever seen."
A smile crossed Onestar's lips as he put an arm around her. He looked again at the nebulae and nodded in agreement.
