Session Notes
Not yet played — notes will appear here after the session.
The hunt for the second piece of the Rod of Seven Parts brings the characters to the starry void of the Astral Plane. Within its silvery depths, alien predators lurk in silence and fallen gods lie in stasis. Adventurers known across the multiverse as spelljammers gallivant through space in ships powered by magic.
In this chapter, the characters search the Astral Sea for the second rod piece. The characters need to explore the wreckage of a spelljamming ship called the Lambent Zenith, then retrieve the rod piece from a dragon-like creature that guards it inside the heart of a fallen god.
Running the Adventure
This chapter begins after the characters retrieve the first piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. A character who holds that piece knows instinctively that the next piece is in the part of the Astral Plane called the Astral Sea. As Mordenkainen previously explained, the portal in the Sigil sanctum leads to the general area of the rod piece the characters seek.
Features of the Astral Sea
In the Astral Sea, time is meaningless, and creatures can survive there indefinitely without food or drink.
The locations explored within this chapter are a small fraction of what can be found in the Astral Sea. As such, the guidance here focuses on information relevant to the chapter's contents.
Air
The Astral Plane contains breathable, comfortable air. Unless otherwise stated, creatures can breathe normally.
Gravity
The characters are in an area of normal gravity during this chapter.
Movement
Though many creatures use spelljamming ships or other vessels to traverse the Astral Sea, a vehicle isn't required. In the Astral Sea, a traveler can propel themself by thought alone. A creature can move in any direction at a flying speed in feet equal to 5 × its Intelligence score.
Character Advancement
The characters should be 12th level when this chapter begins. The characters gain a level after they retrieve the second piece of the Rod of Seven Parts from the hertilod.
Power of Secrets
The characters can learn two secrets in this chapter that are applicable to the rules in "The Power of Secrets" section in this book's introduction:
- Figaro's Secret. Figaro, the tiefling first mate of the Lambent Zenith, knew about the dangers of the portion of the Astral Sea the ship was passing through but deliberately hid this information from the captain. The characters can learn his secret in area Z8 of the ship's wreckage.
- Ikasa's Secret. The blink dog Ikasa knows about another survivor of the pirate attack that stranded him and his best friend, the elf Daveras. The characters can learn this secret in area Z12 of the ship's wreckage.
Second Rod Piece
The second piece of the Rod of Seven Parts is inside the hertilod in area A2 in the "Heart of Havock" section later in this chapter. For more information about the rod and the spell this piece allows its wielder to cast, see this book's introduction.
A Doorway to Space
When the characters are ready to continue their adventure, they can step through the portal in the Sigil sanctum and emerge on the Astral Plane in the Astral Sea. Like with the first rod piece, the portal opens near where the second piece is located, but it's up to the characters to find exactly where the piece is ensconced.
The Astral Plane
By researching in the Sigil sanctum or talking with the wizards, the characters can learn the following information about the Astral Plane and the Astral Sea:
- Planar Nature. The Astral Sea is in the Astral Plane, which is colloquially known as the realm of thought and dream. Creatures can propel themselves through the plane by merely thinking about moving in a specific direction. Creatures can also traverse the Astral Plane using vessels called spelljamming ships.
- Dead Gods. Scattered throughout the Astral Sea are the remains of dead and dying gods who are here either because they were forgotten by their worshipers or slain at the hands of more powerful entities.
If the characters ask about the location the rod piece points to, Alustriel determines that the dying god Havock is near the piece.
- Havock. Havock's petrified form is hundreds of miles long and weighs thousands of tons. It once had eight legs and two heads that each held a single, unblinking eye, but as Havock lost worshipers and power over millennia, its legs and heads snapped off, destined to drift forever in the Astral Sea.
- Timelessness. Time has no meaning on the Astral Plane. Creatures on the Astral Plane don't age or experience hunger or thirst.
Into the Astral Sea
When the characters step through the portal to the Astral Sea to pursue the second rod piece, read or paraphrase the following:
You step through the doorway and enter a silver-clouded void. Lucent wisps of white and gray fog swirl in the distance among pinpricks of starlight. For a split second, you have no sense of direction. Then, you start plummeting. The silver clouds shift, and you see that you're falling toward a colossal, misshapen mass.
The characters emerge from a free-floating doorway on the Astral Plane. On passing through, the characters are subject to the gravity field that extends from the stony mass they're falling toward: the petrified body of a dying god called Havock. The characters can immediately propel themselves using their thoughts as described in the "Movement" section earlier in this chapter.
The character holding the rod piece divines that the next rod piece is located within the stony mass. The doorway is anchored approximately 1 mile from the mass's surface.
Stalkers in the Stars
As the characters move toward the mass, something follows them. Read or paraphrase the following:
Amid the clouds, two large globes of light bob toward you.
Characters can make a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a successful check, a character notices a large, anglerfish-shaped outline following each bobbing light—two hungry star anglers (see appendix A) are stalking the party. The star anglers attack immediately.
Once the star anglers are dispatched, the characters can continue on to the surface of the dying god, where the wreckage of the Lambent Zenith lies.
Wreck of the Lambent Zenith
With its navy-blue hull and golden gossamer sails, the spelljamming galleon Lambent Zenith once cut an elegant silhouette through the Astral Sea's silver clouds. Its captain, the deva Inda Malayuri, was an arcanist and emissary tasked with guiding the lost and bringing peace to tumultuous worlds. During a voyage, Inda uncovered a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts.
Using her extensive arcane knowledge, Inda harnessed the magic within the rod piece to augment the Lambent Zenith, allowing the ship to travel to the farthest corners of the multiverse in the blink of an eye.
But the Lambent Zenith's expedition screeched to a halt when it encountered a dying god of chaos named Havock drifting through the Astral Sea. The latent chaos magic around Havock twisted the ship's capabilities; the Lambent Zenith was ripped asunder, and its prow plunged into Havock's heart.
When the characters approach Havock and the wreckage (shown on map 3.1), read or paraphrase the following:
The stony mass isn't a planet or an asteroid, but a colossal creature that appears lifeless. Shattered ribs arch over the creature's mossy spine, and the air crackles with decaying magic.
Among the bones is the shipwreck of a large galleon broken into three large chunks: the sterncastle, nestled in the corpse's hip bones; the starboard section, embedded in the ribcage; and the prow, stabbed into the creature's heart.
The Lambent Zenith broke into three distinct pieces: the stern segment, the starboard segment, and the prow segment. On their initial approach, the characters are closest to the stern segment and area Z1, but they can approach the segments in whichever order they like.
The character holding the rod piece senses that the next piece is located somewhere in the ship's wreckage.
Accessing the Rod Piece
The rod piece was stored in a safe room in the Lambent Zenith's prow (area Z19). When the ship crashed, the safe room's security wards activated, and the room's doors sealed magically. To access the safe room and uncover the rod piece, the characters must first deactivate the security wards.
Ward Runes
The security wards are powered by two magical runes: one in area Z8 and one in area Z13. The runes are invisible. If a creature can see invisible objects, each rune looks like a stylized carving of a crescent moon pulsing with silver light. Casting Dispel Magic (DC 17) on a rune destroys it. A rune can also be deactivated if a creature within 5 feet of it says, "The moon sings a song for the lost."
Both runes must be either rendered inactive or destroyed for the safe room's door to open. This allows access to the heart of Havock, where the rod piece is located.
Arcane Portals
The crew of the Lambent Zenith used the magic contained within the rod piece to create portals through which the ship could travel across the multiverse with ease. However, when the Lambent Zenith approached Havock, the rod's magic mixed with the latent power in Havock's dying body and went awry. This volatile combination now causes teleportation spells and effects to function strangely in the segments of the shipwreck.
When a creature within a wreck segment casts a spell (or uses a similar magical effect) that would teleport it or another creature, instead of the normal effect, a 5-foot-diameter circular portal appears in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of the casting creature. The portal is a glowing ring filled with opaque mist and remains open for 1 minute.
When a portal appears, roll on the Portal Exit table to determine where the portal leads. If the result is where the characters already are, roll again. Any creature or object that passes through an open portal appears in a random unoccupied space in the exit location.
Portal Exit
| d6 | Exit Location |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sterncastle deck (stern segment; area Z1a) |
| 2 | Companionway (stern segment; area Z5) |
| 3 | Starboard top deck (starboard segment; area Z10) |
| 4 | Grell nest (starboard segment; area Z11) |
| 5 | Study (starboard segment; area Z13) |
| 6 | Bridge (prow segment; area Z17) |
Traversing Wreck Segments
Characters can forgo the portals and travel between the wreck segments on their own, either by walking or by flying. The segments are 300 feet from each other.
The areas between the segments contain a multitude of hungry astral predators. The creatures trapped in the segments don't traverse the wreck for this reason. When the characters enter one of these areas, roll on the Random Wreck Encounters table to see what confronts the characters.
Random Wreck Encounters
| d10 | Creature |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Two night scavvers (see appendix A) |
| 3–4 | One star angler (see appendix A) |
| 5–6 | One cloaker |
| 7–10 | No encounter |
Stern Segment
The largest piece of the wreck, the stern segment, is nestled in Havock's hip bones. A handful of stranded shipwreck survivors led by the Lambent Zenith's first mate, Figaro, are encamped on this segment.
A death slaad recently infiltrated the camp, sowing chaos and magically manipulating Figaro's mind. This drove Figaro into a paranoid state, causing him to lock himself in his quarters, where one of the safe room's ward runes is located.
Characters approaching this wreck segment can land on either the sterncastle deck (area Z1a) or in the companionway (area Z5).
Starboard Segment
The starboard piece of the ship crashed into Havock's ribcage. A small lifeboat also crashed into this area, carrying refugees from a space pirate attack: Daveras, his blink dog companion Ikasa, and a treant named Redbud. Daveras escaped the wreckage and joined the survivor camp on the stern segment. Unknown to Daveras, Ikasa and Redbud also survived and are on the starboard segment.
Wreckage blocks off this segment's lower decks from the outside. Characters approaching this segment must land on the starboard segment's section of the top deck (area Z10).
Prow Segment
The wreck of the Lambent Zenith's prow impaled the dormant god's heart. The ship's captain, Inda, is here, as is the entrance to the safe room.
Characters approaching this segment can land on either the prow segment's top deck (area Z14a) or the lower deck (area Z17).
General Features
The areas of the Lambent Zenith's wreckage have the following features:
- Gravity. The wreck and the areas around it have normal gravity.
- Lighting. Unless otherwise stated, the ambient silvery glow of the Astral Sea fills the wreck, rendering its areas brightly lit.
- Walls, Ceilings, and Floors. The floors and walls of the ship are made from faded blue wood. The ceilings of the ship's lower decks are 10 feet high.
Lambent Zenith Locations
The areas of the wreck are keyed to map 3.1.
Z1a–Z1b: Sterncastle Deck and Below
Scraps of golden sails dangle from the sterncastle's ruined mast. Two armored githyanki patrol the deck and below, silver swords at their hips.
Two lawful neutral githyanki knights named Lysan and Zastra, who served as bosuns on the Lambent Zenith, keep watch here. Characters who want to avoid the githyanki must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check. The knights notice characters who fail the check, beckoning them to approach and state their business.
Lysan and Zastra are cautious but friendly. They have a sardonic sense of humor developed after being stranded for so long. If the characters express no hostile intent, the bosuns welcome them to the Lambent Zenith and call for Ilren, who stepped in as the camp's interim leader when the ship's first mate fell ill. The githyanki explain that they haven't heard from the ship's captain, Inda, who Lysan and Zastra assume either died during the crash or is stranded elsewhere in the wreckage. Lysan and Zastra introduce Ilren to the party.
If the characters are hostile, Lysan and Zastra shout for help and attack the characters. After all combatants have taken a turn, all five sailors in the upper crew quarters (area Z2) join the fight.
Talking with Lysan and Zastra. Lysan and Zastra know the following information:
- Last Voyage. The Lambent Zenith was a sailing ship that sought to herald hope, community, and order across the multiverse. But this mission came to an end a few months ago when the ship collided with the body of a dying god.
- Strange Magic. The ship's prow was outfitted with "fancy magic stuff" beyond the githyanki's understanding. This magic malfunctioned when the ship crashed, and now teleportation magic used within the wreck is warped. Instead of teleporting creatures, the magic instead spawns a portal that leads somewhere else in the wreckage.
- Terrors of Space. The areas beyond the wreck are teeming with hungry astral predators. The survivors are too afraid of these predators to risk traveling between the segments. The camp has also been plagued recently by aberrant monsters such as cloakers, though the survivors don't know why.
If asked for specifics, Lysan and Zastra share a look before directing the characters to speak with the second mate, Kycera, in the galley (area Z3). A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that the two are uneasy about some of their crewmates. If the characters press the issue, the githyanki pull them aside and admit that the camp's interim leader, Ilren, and the Lambent Zenith's first mate, Figaro, would have more information. However, Figaro has been acting paranoid of late and refuses to leave his quarters (area Z8).
Talking with Ilren. Ilren appears as a boisterous giff—a bulky individual with a head similar to that of a hippopotamus—wearing a sleek red coat. But Ilren is a disguised death slaad who can cast the spell Modify Memory (spell save DC 15) once per day. Ilren is the reason the camp suffers Aberration attacks; the death slaad sneakily directs monsters toward the wreck's survivors and revels in the victims' suffering. Ilren also magically modified Figaro's memories and usurped power in the camp.
On meeting the characters, Ilren claims to come from a similar background: the giff is an adventurer with heroic dreams who became stranded on this wreck when his skiff crashed into Havock. Ilren claims that nothing of his skiff remains.
Ilren welcomes the characters to explore the Lambent Zenith's wreck and make themselves at home, but a character who succeeds on a DC 17 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that Ilren's jolly demeanor belies a suspicious and cold attitude. If asked about Figaro, Ilren breezily explains that Figaro is recovering from an illness but doesn't elaborate. Ilren adds that he is happy to serve as leader while Figaro is indisposed.
Ilren doesn't reveal its true form unless attacked.
Z2: Upper Crew Quarters
This room is plain yet inviting. Five sailors lounge in cramped bunks and colorful hammocks strung from the ceiling.
Five lawful good sailors from the Upper Planes (use the veteran stat block, but the sailors are Celestials instead of Humanoids) are lounging here. The sailors are indifferent to the characters but jump into combat to protect themselves and their fellows.
These sailors were lackeys aboard the Lambent Zenith. Though they can recount the ship's mission and subsequent crash, these sailors know nothing about the rod piece.
Z3: Galley and Pantry
The sound of sizzling and the smell of spices emanate from the galley. A tall orc woman in black leather armor works busily at the stove. A gold tattoo of a crescent moon surrounds her left eye.
Kycera Duskstride is the Lambent Zenith's second mate and is a chaotic good, orc assassin. A former pirate, Kycera saw the error of her ways and joined the Lambent Zenith's crew to find redemption. Now she spends her time in the wreck's galley. Though the survivors don't require food in the timeless void of the Astral Sea, Kycera finds that cooking and eating bring the restless survivors comfort.
Talking with Kycera. Kycera gladly discusses the general history of the Lambent Zenith. However, if asked about the rod piece or the security system, Kycera clams up, suspicious of the characters' motives. A character who succeeds on a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check assures her of their heroic purpose, at which point Kycera reveals the following information:
- Precious Cargo. The Lambent Zenith carried an extremely rare and powerful magic artifact. As a former pirate, Kycera helped Captain Inda design the security system to protect the artifact.
- Safe Room. The artifact was stored in a safe room at the front of the ship. During the Lambent Zenith's crash, arcane wards should have sealed the safe room's doors. The safe room is inaccessible while the wards are active.
- Ward Runes. Two runes hidden on the ship power the wards. Kycera knows one rune was placed in the ship's stateroom, but she doesn't remember the second rune's location. She believes that magic or a pass phrase can deactivate the runes. She doesn't know the pass phrase, but the captain would know.
If asked about Figaro, Kycera expresses annoyance at his seclusion; her tone belies a sense of parental concern. If the characters help Figaro and defeat Ilren, Kycera is grateful and provides all the information above willingly.
Treasure. Within the pantry are 2d4 unopened casks of aged wine, each worth 500 gp. Kycera happily allows the characters to take them, as she's concerned about the crew getting too drunk to fend off threats.
Z4: Mess Hall
Empty wooden tables and chairs fill the mess hall. In the corner, an elf man plays a game of cards.
The elf is Daveras, a neutral druid. Daveras joined the camp after his lifeboat crashed into Havock. The remains of his lifeboat rest on the starboard segment.
If the characters haven't met Ilren already, Ilren is here playing cards with Daveras.
Talking with Daveras. Though gruff, Daveras is friendly. He shares the following information:
- Missing Camp Member. Daveras's usual card partner, a halfling woman named Cirit, hasn't shown up for their games lately. Camp members said Cirit left to scout the other wreck segments, but Daveras seems doubtful. Unknown to Daveras, Cirit is actually in the Lambent Zenith's brig (area Z9).
- Paranoid Leader. Figaro, the camp's first leader, locked himself in his quarters and refuses to communicate. Daveras tried to talk to him, but Figaro used a magical device to erect an impenetrable barrier around the room.
- Personal History. Daveras wasn't part of the Lambent Zenith's crew. When his spelljamming ship, the Verdant Branch, was attacked by space pirates, he escaped on a lifeboat with his best friend, a blink dog named Ikasa, as well as a treant named Redbud, who had grown into the lifeboat's hull. The lifeboat crashed into a different segment of the wreck, and Daveras outran the raiders to get to the camp on the stern segment. He believes no one else survived.
If Ilren isn't present, Daveras confides that he noticed Figaro's odd paranoia started shortly after Ilren arrived.
If Daveras is reunited with Ikasa (found in area Z12), he is elated and happily vouches for the characters when talking to Figaro in area Z5.
Z5: Companionway
The forward end of this hallway is buried in Havock's flesh. The stern end holds two doors and two stairways leading up, and another door on the port side bears a gilded plaque that reads "Stateroom."
The port door is locked and leads to a guest stateroom that now serves as Figaro's living quarters. Due to his paranoid state, Figaro uses a Cube of Force to deter any living matter from entering his room.
A character trying to sneak up to Figaro's locked door must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity (Stealth) check to avoid being noticed. An unnoticed character can, as an action, use thieves' tools to try to pick the door's lock, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.
Gaining Figaro's Trust. Figaro deactivates the cube's barrier if he feels he can trust the characters. The barrier allows sound to pass through, meaning that the characters can talk with Figaro. A character talking with Figaro can make a DC 25 Charisma (Persuasion) check. On a successful check, Figaro trusts the characters, unlocks the door, and permits the characters to enter.
By helping the people found throughout the wreck, the party can find individuals who will vouch for them. If two or more individuals vouch for the party, Figaro deactivates the barrier without the characters needing to make a check. If only one individual vouches for the party, a character makes the check with advantage.
Z6: Lower Crew Quarters
The bunks and hammocks here are empty, and the walls are covered with colorful pieces of wood, each with something written on it.
The painted pieces of wood are makeshift remembrance markers, honoring those who died in the Lambent Zenith's crash. Each piece of wood has a name scribbled on it with smudged graphite. The survivors long ago burned the deceased's bodies on the ship's decks.
Z7: Storage
Unused rigging and dusty old sails fill this old storage closet.
Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher hear muffled shouting from below.
Secret Entrance. Loose floorboards on the room's port side can be pried up, allowing access to the brig (area Z9). Ilren recently used this passage, then attempted to hide the loose floorboards beneath a canvas tarp. A character who searches the floor and succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices the edge of the loose floorboards jutting upward beneath the canvas.
Z8: Stateroom
The stateroom is simple but elegant. The warm light of the wall sconces bathes the mahogany bookshelves and crimson bedsheets. Sitting on the edge of the bed is a purple-skinned tiefling. He stares blankly at the wall, but his posture is as tense as a wound spring.
The tiefling is Figaro, a lawful good mage. If Figaro allowed the characters into his room willingly or if enough individuals vouch for them, Figaro shakily introduces himself and is willing to talk to the characters. Otherwise, he screams and attacks. Figaro surrenders after he is reduced to half of his hit point maximum, but he still refuses to talk with the characters.
Talking with Figaro. If the characters gained Figaro's trust, he answers questions about the Lambent Zenith. He knows the following:
- Experiments with the Rod. The Lambent Zenith harnessed the conjuration magic within a piece of the Rod of Seven Parts to create portals that allow the ship to quickly traverse the multiverse. The rod piece was stored below the bridge on the ship's prow.
- Emergency Security Protocol. Knowing that the rod piece shouldn't fall into the wrong hands, the Lambent Zenith's captain installed a security protocol that sealed the rod piece's location in the event of an emergency—such as a crash. As far as Figaro knows, the rod remains in the safe room (area Z19), though that area is inaccessible due to the activated safety protocol.
- Ward Runes. The security protocol is fueled by two runes in different locations aboard the ship. Both runes must be dispelled to access the room that holds the rod piece. Figaro knows the runes are invisible. He also knows one rune is located in this stateroom, on the bed's headboard, while the other is in the ship's study (area Z13) on the wall above the desk. He suspects casting Dispel Magic on a rune would deactivate it, but the caster needs to see the rune. He also suspects the captain knew another way to deactivate it. If she survived on another segment, the characters could try to reach her to ask; if not, it might be recorded it in her notes.
Mending Figaro's Memories. Ilren used repeated Modify Memory spells to manipulate Figaro's mind. A character who studies Figaro's symptoms and succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes Figaro's glassy gaze as a telltale sign of memory-tampering magic. Restoring Figaro's true memories causes Figaro to immediately recall Ilren's deception. If the characters haven't confronted Ilren, Figaro rushes off to face the death slaad.
Figaro's Secret. After recovering his memories, Figaro remains agitated even if he confronts Ilren. If the characters ask what's bothering him, Figaro admits he knew about the dangers of this stretch of Astral Sea but didn't warn the captain, since this route was economical and Figaro believed it would be easy for the crew to traverse.
Regardless of the characters' reaction to this revelation, learning it counts as a secret for the purposes of the Power of Secrets rules in this book's introduction.
Ward Rune. The ward rune is located on the bed's headboard.
Z9: Brig
Small cells with thin iron bars line both sides of the center hallway. You hear shouts for help from one of the cells.
The shouting is coming from a couatl named Cirit, currently in the form of a halfling priest. Cirit was one of the Lambent Zenith's crew members and was present when Ilren infiltrated the survivors' camp.
Cirit saw Ilren's true aberrant form. But when Cirit confronted Ilren about the deception, the death slaad overpowered her. Believing Cirit to be an ordinary halfling spellcaster, Ilren hoped to use her to create a green slaad and locked her in the brig instead of killing her. Cirit has been trying to escape since.
The door to Cirit's cell is locked. A character can pick the lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check using thieves' tools, or a character can wrest open the door with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.
Talking with Cirit. On seeing the characters, Cirit is relieved and immediately asks for their assistance. She provides the following information:
- Ilren's Aberrant Nature. Cirit saw through Ilren's disguise. She identifies Ilren as a death slaad, an Aberration that relishes the suffering of others.
- What Happened. Cirit tried to speak with Figaro about Ilren, but Figaro did nothing; Cirit suspects Ilren magically manipulated Figaro's mind. She then confronted Ilren, but the death slaad overpowered her. She doesn't know why Ilren kept her alive, and she's not keen on finding out why.
Cirit implores the characters to help her thwart Ilren. If the characters defeat Ilren, Cirit vouches for them when talking with Figaro in area Z5.
Z10: Starboard Top Deck
The deck's flooring here is uneven, with roots woven around the planks. Jutting from the segment's fore is the wreckage of a lifeboat. Atop this smaller wreck is a stout tree with vibrant pink and red blossoms.
The tree atop the crashed lifeboat is a treant named Redbud (use the treant stat block, but Redbud's movement speed is 0 feet) that joined the crew and grew into the lifeboat to strengthen its hull. The treant nearly died when the boat crashed, but Redbud survived by sending roots into the Lambent Zenith's wreck to feed off Havock. Redbud's main purpose now is protecting the blink dog Ikasa (found in area Z11), who remains trapped aboard the lifeboat.
Interacting with Redbud. Redbud remains silent and motionless until a creature attempts to enter the segment's lower deck (areas Z11–Z13). Initially, Redbud affably discourages characters from proceeding deeper into the wreck; when pressed, Redbud claims this is to protect them from hungry parasites that have nested below. However, a character who makes a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Insight) check intuits that while Redbud is telling the truth about monsters below, the treant has ulterior reasons for keeping the characters away from the lower deck.
If the characters question the treant's sincerity, Redbud admits to the deception. Redbud explains that a dear friend is trapped below, and the treant's roots are protecting this friend from being eaten by the monsters nesting on the lower deck. Redbud implores the characters to clear out the nest, allowing the characters to proceed further only if they agree.
Z11: Grell Nest
Thick, pale roots here form two dense walls on either side of the room. Six bulbous, brain-shaped creatures with snapping beaks and barbed tentacles bob through the air.
Six grells have made their home here, feeding off hapless raiders looking to pillage this wreck segment. The grells are hostile toward all other creatures.
Redbud's Roots. The treant's roots have warped and splintered the floorboards, rendering squares with roots difficult terrain.
Redbud's roots also block the entrances to the lifeboat wreck (area Z12) and the study (area Z13), the latter of which contains one of the safe room's ward runes. Redbud moves these roots if the characters eradicate the monsters nesting below. The roots also retract if Redbud is killed or forced to relocate.
Z12: Lifeboat Wreck
A cot is shoved against one wall here opposite a desk. Sitting in the room's center is a reddish-brown dog with a leather collar studded with glowing crystals.
Ikasa the blink dog is outfitted with a magical collar that allows him to speak Common. Afraid to use his teleportation ability due to the wreck's warped magic, Ikasa remained in the lifeboat, protected by Redbud.
On seeing the characters, Ikasa excitedly bounds over and introduces himself. If the characters mention Daveras, Ikasa asks to be reunited with his old companion.
Ikasa's Secret. If the characters speak with Ikasa about Daveras, the blink dog becomes uncharacteristically morose. On further inquiry, Ikasa reveals he saw Daveras's friend, the halfling Palenna Tindertoe, escape the wreckage of the Verdant Branch after pirates attacked it. Palenna floated away from the ship using the power of her mind and likely still floats somewhere in the Astral Sea. Ikasa didn't tell Daveras, who believes he, Redbud, and the blink dog were the only survivors of the attack. Ikasa hasn't had the opportunity to find Palenna due to being trapped on the lifeboat, and he is afraid Daveras will become despondent thinking about his friend trying to survive in the Astral Sea alone.
Regardless of what the characters do on learning this, it counts as a secret for the purposes of the Power of Secrets rules in this book's introduction.
Treasure. The lifeboat's interior contains survival necessities. A character who searches the lifeboat and succeeds on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check also finds an emergency fund of 100 gp stashed in one of the desk's drawers.
Z13: Study
Books and scrolls concerning arcane subjects pack the bookshelves here. Pressed against the wall is a redwood desk, atop which are clean sheets of parchment and two inkwells.
Secret Strongbox. A character who inspects the bookshelves and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers that one of the books—a volume titled Dissertations on the Abstruse Mind—is a disguised strongbox. The box is locked, but the lock can be picked with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check using thieves' tools or forced open with a successful DC 11 Strength (Athletics) check. Inda carries the strongbox's key.
The box is trapped. When a creature attempts to open the box by any means other than the key, poisonous gas puffs out the keyhole. The creature must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or have the poisoned condition for 1 hour.
The box contains a Potion of Mind Reading and a journal. The journal belongs to Inda and contains writings in Common and Celestial regarding her experiments with the rod piece. A character who spends 10 minutes reading the journal learns the pass phrase needed to deactivate the ward runes protecting the safe room: "The moon sings a song for the lost."
Ward Rune. The ward rune is on the wall above the desk.
Z14a–Z14b: Forecastle and Top Deck
A colossal heart—part flesh and part stone—looms over this segment's top deck. What remains of the ship's prow is plunged deep into the heart, and the deck rumbles as the heart pulses. Scraps of gossamer sails dangle off the ship's broken-off mast, which is jammed through one of the doors leading into the forecastle.
The mast blocks the entrance to the navigation room (area Z16). The door to the captain's quarters (area Z15) is unobstructed but locked; the lock can be opened with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check using thieves' tools. As an action, a character can attempt a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to force the door open. A character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 13 or higher and who is standing within 5 feet of the door hears someone inside.
Z15: Captain's Quarters
In this cabin, clothes are tossed over chair backs, and open books are strewn across tables. At the back of the room stands a deva. Her right leg below her knee is a wood-and-metal prosthetic, and from her back extends a massive, white-feathered wing.
The one-winged woman is the captain of the Lambent Zenith, Inda Malayuri. Inda uses the deva stat block, except she has a flying speed of 0 feet.
Inda's right leg and wing were severed in an attack years ago. She now uses prosthetics, but her prosthetic wing was damaged in the crash. She has been trying to repair it in the navigation room (area Z16). She is determined to escape the wreck and reunite with whatever remains of her crew, though she worries the rod piece will be stolen by raiders if she leaves.
Talking with Inda. Having encountered raiders attempting to pillage the wreck, Inda is wary of the characters and pointedly asks about their motives. She is hesitant to provide any information about the Lambent Zenith's cargo—especially the rod piece—and isn't swayed by bribes or threats.
A character talking with Inda can make a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If a character offers to aid her with repairing her prosthetic wing or to reunite her with her crew in the stern segment, this check is made with advantage. On a successful check, Inda agrees to help the characters. In addition to the general history of the Lambent Zenith, Inda knows the following points of information:
- Location of the Rod Piece. The rod piece was stored in a safe room directly beneath the ship's bridge. To protect the rod piece from raiders, the safe room was equipped with magical security wards that triggered when the ship crashed.
- Deactivating the Ward Runes. The safe room's wards are powered by two runes. One is located on the headboard of the bed in the ship's stateroom, and the other is in the study, on the wall above the desk. The runes are invisible, and both runes need to be deactivated to access the safe room. Inda knows the pass phrase for deactivating both runes: "The moon sings a song for the lost."
- What's in the Heart. Inda has avoided exploring Havock. However, she's seen a serpentine monster emerge from Havock's heart.
If the characters have no way to see the invisible ward runes, Inda lends the party a Lantern of Revealing.
Treasure. Inda has a Flame Tongue shortsword and a Ring of Evasion on her bedside table next to the Lantern of Revealing. If asked, Inda is reluctant to give away the shortsword or ring but can be convinced with a successful DC 22 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Inda has a key to the strongbox in area Z13 and knows where the secret compartment holding a Spell Scroll of Flame Strike is in area Z17; she mentions these to the characters if they help her with her prosthetic wing in area Z16 or help her reach her crew in the stern segment.
As an action, a character who can reach the bedside table can try to steal one of the magic items atop it without being seen by Inda, doing so with a successful DC 19 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On a failed check, Inda sees the attempt and immediately becomes hostile.
Z16: Navigation Room
A chunk of mast has pierced the doors to the corridor and fills one corner of the room. A large bronze sphere hovers in the center of the room, spinning idly. Splayed on the table below is a wing-shaped contraption.
This room formerly served as the Lambent Zenith's navigation room. It now functions as Inda's workshop.
Inda's Prosthetic Wing. Inda's prosthetic wing sits on the center table. Inda has been trying to repair it, but while she excels at theoretical studies, she is inexperienced with practical engineering.
Characters can attempt to help Inda repair the prosthetic wing. A character must first succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check to know which joints must be reconnected. Then, the character must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to reconnect the joints; a character who has proficiency with tinker's tools makes this check with advantage.
Once a successful Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check has been made, Inda knows she can tinker with the wing enough that it will eventually work.
Inda is grateful to the characters for their help fixing the broken wing, even if their efforts are unsuccessful. If the characters escort her to the stern segment of the wreck, she vouches for the characters to Figaro in area Z5.
Z17: Bridge
This room ends in a wall of Havock's flesh, and glass shards from the shattered window litter the floor. An armchair sits on a platform toward the back of the room; below it lies a silver-wrought chair, toppled over and broken in half.
The armchair served as the captain's chair. The broken chair on the ground was the ship's helm but is now irrevocably destroyed.
Treasure. A character who examines the captain's chair and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check finds a secret compartment in the right armrest. The compartment holds a bronze tube containing a Spell Scroll of Flame Strike.
Z18: Forward Cargo Hold
Empty crates and barrels litter this deck, and a double door stands at the fore. The doors' surfaces shimmer as if trapped behind a wall of translucent silver light.
The door to the safe room is sealed by the ship's emergency security wards (see the "Accessing the Rod Piece" section earlier in this chapter). Inspecting the safe room via a Detect Magic spell or a similar effect reveals a strong aura of abjuration magic, as well as two tethers stretching toward the stern segment and the starboard segment, respectively. These tethers indicate the links between the wards and the runes in these respective locations.
Z19: Safe Room
An overwhelmingly foul stench fills this destroyed and empty room. Where the prow should be is a gaping hole leading into the putrid core of Havock's heart.
The rod piece was consumed by the hertilod lurking within the heart.
Heart Entryway. The hole in this area leads into the heart of Havock, as shown on map 3.2 and described in the following section. To retrieve the rod piece, the characters must venture into the heart and confront the monster inside.
Heart of Havock
Though much of Havock is petrified and crumbling, the god's heart still beats. Over time, the heart spawned a parasitic monstrosity known as a hertilod, which feasts on the god's residual divine power and terrorizes hapless astral travelers who stumble on Havock's corpse. When the Lambent Zenith crashed into Havock, the god's heart began absorbing pieces of the ship's prow, and the hertilod gorged itself on the spelljamming vessel's detritus—including the piece of the Rod of Seven Parts.
General Features
The areas of the heart of Havock have the following notable features:
- Foul Air. The air throughout the heart is foul. Any creature that breathes the foul air has the poisoned condition until it breathes fresh air again.
- Lighting. All areas inside the heart are dimly lit by floating orbs of pinkish bioluminescence.
- Walls, Ceiling, and Floor. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the heart are made of purple flesh. Parts of this flesh have been petrified, hardening into gray crystal, while other parts remain soft and spongy. The heart beats erratically, sending a dull pulse echoing through its chambers every few minutes. The ceilings in the heart are all 50 feet high.
Areas of the Heart
The areas of the heart are keyed to map 3.2.
A1: Entry Atrium
Beyond the shattered safe room is an oval chamber with walls of purple flesh dimly lit by pinkish, bioluminescent orbs. The air reeks of death. An opening in one wall leads to another chamber.
A character holding the first rod piece divines that the next piece is deeper in the heart.
Treasure. The heart absorbed detritus from the wreckage of the Lambent Zenith's safe room and bridge. A character who searches through the detritus and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check uncovers a gilded spyglass worth 1,000 gp.
A2: Ventricle Chamber
The walls and floor of this massive chamber alternate between gray, petrified stone and flexing muscle and flesh. Clinging to the ceiling is a serpentine monstrosity, like a skinless snake. Its long, draconic snout drips with venom as it slumbers.
The creature sleeping on the ceiling is the hertilod (see appendix A) that swallowed the next rod piece. A character can move through the area without waking the hertilod by succeeding on a DC 18 Dexterity (Stealth) check. Otherwise, the hertilod wakes when it detects a creature within 30 feet of itself and attacks.
Retrieving the Rod Piece. The rod piece is deep within the hertilod's gullet. If the hertilod is forced to regurgitate creatures in its gullet, roll a d6. On a roll of 4 or higher, the rod piece is also regurgitated and lands in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the hertilod. Alternatively, a creature within the hertilod's gullet can use its action to make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, finding the rod piece on a successful check. Once the hertilod is dispatched, a character can easily recover the rod piece from the hertilod's gullet. For more about the Rod of Seven Parts, see this book's introduction.
Caved-In Artery. A 10-foot-wide petrified artery leads from this chamber. The artery has caved in, blocking that exit from the chamber.
A character who uses an action to dig through the cave-in can make a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. On a successful check, the character clears a passage through the cave-in large enough for a Medium creature to squeeze through. Exiting the heart through this passage leads to the area above the Lambent Zenith's prow (area Z19).
A3: Flooded Atrium
The air here is humid. Pooled on the floor is black sludge that shimmers like an oil slick.
A character who examines the sludge and succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies it as Havock's blood. A creature that touches the blood immediately takes 10 (3d6) force damage. For each minute a creature spends in contact with the blood, the creature takes this damage again.
Caved-In Artery. A 10-foot-wide petrified artery leads from this chamber. The artery has caved in, blocking that exit from the chamber. Characters can clear that exit as described in area A2.
Next Steps
Once the characters have successfully retrieved the second piece of the Rod of Seven Parts from the hertilod, they can return to the portal to Sigil that floats above Havock. After the rod piece is removed from Havock's vicinity, teleportation magic within the wreck segments functions normally.