Of Mercanes and Megapedes¸ a Spelljammer Adventure
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Introduction
In the shattered and violent system of Doomspace¸ rapacious pirate factions vie with one another for the favor and patronage of the mercane arms dealer¸ Vocath. When would-be heroes from a distant system appear seeking his help to build an alliance¸ the shrewd powerbroker sees a unique opportunity. The price of Vocath's influence is small-collect on an outstanding debt. But what will the heroes do when that small task becomes lethally huge?
A Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis Expansion - What's this all about?
In Light of Xaryxis¸ chapter 8¸ "Arena of Blood¸” after rescuing Warwyck the giff in Doomspace¸ the party seeks an audience with Vocath the Mercane in order to unite a group of factions into a coalition against the astral elves. In the book¸ Vocath proposes that the party participate in a pit fight in order to garner favor with the spectating factions. While the premise of an arena pit fight is certainly exciting¸ this supplement offers an opportunity to add further complexity and nuance to the relationships between Vocath and the factions. On this quest¸ the party explores a new small "dungeon” location¸ Katch'kaht (catch-CAUGHT) XI¸ with exploration¸ a bit of mystery¸ and some high-stakes combat.
This adventure provides a personal quest on behalf of Vocath such that he feels indebted to the party and has a stronger motivation to help them achieve their goals. The adventure also ties in another one of the factions¸ to make the negotiations in chapter 9¸ "Discord and Diplomacy¸” carry more weight.
As always¸ it is up to you how much of the content you want to use. It's perfectly fine to use some parts of this supplement while discarding others¸ or simply let the ideas presented here inspire new ideas of your own. This supplement assumes a party of four to six characters of 7th level.
This Adventure Includes:
Combat. Spelljammer denizens and an epic megapede with lair actions! Exploration. Discover what happened to the thri-kreen in their asteroid base. Social. Enchance Vocath's role in the campaign and perhaps befriend an eye monger along the way? Color VTT-Ready Maps. Explore the asteroid Katch'kaht XI floating in Doomspace.
Adventure Summary
Vocath makes a deal with the party: they recover megapede eggs for him¸ and he will use his influence on their behalf to get the faction leaders to meet.
When the party arrives at the asteroid¸ Katch'kaht XI¸ they must search the surface to find the hidden hatch entrance. Once inside¸ the party must contend with a hungry eye monger named Bloatdust. In the aftermath¸ the party can find clues about an accident with the megapedes and some equipment. Later¸ the party discovers that the asteroid base has no spelljamming helms and can be taken over. In the next room¸ the party can find more details about what happened at the base¸ discovering empty canisters that were used to house the megapede eggs.
A pair of large cargo hatches in the floor leads to a massive storage bay below. Hidden under the rubble and debris is the last remaining megapede¸ fully grown¸ carrying a sticky clutch of eggs on its back¸ and violently hungry. The party must find a way to retrieve Vocath's eggs and survive the experience.
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