the Demilune
This is the story of a boat.
According to many, a madman's boat.
In the desolation which is the Dome, all trees have long been dead. Not much is known about the fate of the Old Cities and why they were sealed miles underground - trapped within the Underdark.
Perhaps the only person who could answer these questions is the Prince himself, but his secrets are jealously guarded and never disclosed.
Deprived of light, not one tree survived and the ones who have not been cut down already, tower above everything else with their bleached white skeletal remains.
Wood is a very precious commodity in the City of the One Prince - a limited resource that people need to go further and further away to retrieve, among the unknown and dangerous ruins of the past.
A hundred years ago, a dwarf by the name of Karmag Grimmsail was thrown down the Well on charges of mutiny and landed in the City of the One Prince with only one intention - getting back to the surface and sail his beloved oceans again.
The fact that not one person had ever been able to do so, including the One Prince- the all-powerful master and leader of the city - did not deter Karmag.
As soon as he spotted the immensity and darkness of Lake Onix, Karmag got into his head that if he could sail the length of the lake, he would find a way out of the Dome and have a chance to escape his fate.
Karmag made it his life's misson to build the biggest boat that was ever seen in the City's port. His task was not small.
Wood had to be painstakingly brought back from the dangerous wastes out of the city.
Karmag's Retrievers fell many of the dead leafless white trees in the area of the Lower Wastes called the Walled Moons.
Happily, the dead wood was of a qualifty sufficient for shipbuilding. Also, Karmag had managed to secure the help of the only former shipwright available in the City at the time, a man by the name of Woody Balsam, who became his second.
Karmag and Woody were unstoppable. Many lives were lost retrieving the resources necessary to build the boat as their teams of Retrievers went further and further into the Wastes to find what was needed for building their dream boat.
Payment was easy: retrievers were promised work or passage on the boat itself, a shot at salvation as promised by Karmag's visions.
According to the legend, it took Karmag's team ten years to build a decent sized, ocean going boat, and it was just the start.
Traditional ships rely on winds to propel themselves across the vast oceans. Under the Dome, the gentle heat infused air currents would never be able to carry the boat across the dark waters of the lake. Another solution had to be found.
Karmag knew from the start that to be successful, he would need to enlist a few mages in his enterprise. To cross the watery expanse of the lake, efficient and powerful spells would need to be cast to create the wind currents necessary for the long and unscertain journey ahead.
Through trading rare goods retrieved from the Wastes (mainly metals), Karmag and Woody got to know and navigate the many Enchanters' guilds of the City.
It was not long before Karmag's infectious dreams had won over two young talented wizards to their side: a youngish female gnome by the name of Lilna Sparklestitch and a hotheaded young male tiefling known simply as Keg (short for Powderkeg).
Between the four of them, the ghostly white boat was soon near completion. As well as the wizzard team of Lilna and Keg, the crew would comprise 20 oarsmen and sailors and a cook.
The boat was named the Demilune or Sharindlar's Mercy by Karmag and a short religious ceremony was held during its launch in the tranquil waters of the City's Docks.
Many came to view the boat before it sailed sails into the unknown darkness ahead. It is said that troops of the Prince's Shield had to make an appearance to control the crowds gathered up on the quays.
In the frenzy, some citizens even tried to board the ship although none managed to breach the wards, Lilna had woven around the ship.
The day the ship sailed, crowds lingered on the docks until the pale kelp-woven sails of the boat were swallowed up by the all emcompassing darkness of the Dome, with only the red lights of the Firelands on the horizon.
The Demilune was never seen again. A month after its departure, fishermen found pale driftwood floating on the algae fields of the lakeshore.
Many guessed that these were the remains of the Demilune, but no subtantial proof of its demise was ever ascertained.
What is certain is that since the Demilune, no other ship has been built in the City's docks. The fishermen's and retrievers' boats that line up the Docks are by all acounts much smaller and would be incapable of running the vast length of the Onix Lake.
Who knows, maybe the Demilune did cross the lake after all and awaits patiently for a new crew to save her from oblivion.
According to many, a madman's boat.
Mutiny and Salvation
In the desolation which is the Dome, all trees have long been dead. Not much is known about the fate of the Old Cities and why they were sealed miles underground - trapped within the Underdark.
Perhaps the only person who could answer these questions is the Prince himself, but his secrets are jealously guarded and never disclosed.
Deprived of light, not one tree survived and the ones who have not been cut down already, tower above everything else with their bleached white skeletal remains.
Wood is a very precious commodity in the City of the One Prince - a limited resource that people need to go further and further away to retrieve, among the unknown and dangerous ruins of the past.
A hundred years ago, a dwarf by the name of Karmag Grimmsail was thrown down the Well on charges of mutiny and landed in the City of the One Prince with only one intention - getting back to the surface and sail his beloved oceans again.
The fact that not one person had ever been able to do so, including the One Prince- the all-powerful master and leader of the city - did not deter Karmag.
As soon as he spotted the immensity and darkness of Lake Onix, Karmag got into his head that if he could sail the length of the lake, he would find a way out of the Dome and have a chance to escape his fate.
Building the Boat
Karmag made it his life's misson to build the biggest boat that was ever seen in the City's port. His task was not small.
Wood had to be painstakingly brought back from the dangerous wastes out of the city.
Karmag's Retrievers fell many of the dead leafless white trees in the area of the Lower Wastes called the Walled Moons.
Happily, the dead wood was of a qualifty sufficient for shipbuilding. Also, Karmag had managed to secure the help of the only former shipwright available in the City at the time, a man by the name of Woody Balsam, who became his second.
Karmag and Woody were unstoppable. Many lives were lost retrieving the resources necessary to build the boat as their teams of Retrievers went further and further into the Wastes to find what was needed for building their dream boat.
Payment was easy: retrievers were promised work or passage on the boat itself, a shot at salvation as promised by Karmag's visions.
According to the legend, it took Karmag's team ten years to build a decent sized, ocean going boat, and it was just the start.
Traditional ships rely on winds to propel themselves across the vast oceans. Under the Dome, the gentle heat infused air currents would never be able to carry the boat across the dark waters of the lake. Another solution had to be found.
The Demilune
Karmag knew from the start that to be successful, he would need to enlist a few mages in his enterprise. To cross the watery expanse of the lake, efficient and powerful spells would need to be cast to create the wind currents necessary for the long and unscertain journey ahead.
Through trading rare goods retrieved from the Wastes (mainly metals), Karmag and Woody got to know and navigate the many Enchanters' guilds of the City.
It was not long before Karmag's infectious dreams had won over two young talented wizards to their side: a youngish female gnome by the name of Lilna Sparklestitch and a hotheaded young male tiefling known simply as Keg (short for Powderkeg).
Between the four of them, the ghostly white boat was soon near completion. As well as the wizzard team of Lilna and Keg, the crew would comprise 20 oarsmen and sailors and a cook.
The boat was named the Demilune or Sharindlar's Mercy by Karmag and a short religious ceremony was held during its launch in the tranquil waters of the City's Docks.
Many came to view the boat before it sailed sails into the unknown darkness ahead. It is said that troops of the Prince's Shield had to make an appearance to control the crowds gathered up on the quays.
In the frenzy, some citizens even tried to board the ship although none managed to breach the wards, Lilna had woven around the ship.
The day the ship sailed, crowds lingered on the docks until the pale kelp-woven sails of the boat were swallowed up by the all emcompassing darkness of the Dome, with only the red lights of the Firelands on the horizon.
The End
The Demilune was never seen again. A month after its departure, fishermen found pale driftwood floating on the algae fields of the lakeshore.
Many guessed that these were the remains of the Demilune, but no subtantial proof of its demise was ever ascertained.
What is certain is that since the Demilune, no other ship has been built in the City's docks. The fishermen's and retrievers' boats that line up the Docks are by all acounts much smaller and would be incapable of running the vast length of the Onix Lake.
Who knows, maybe the Demilune did cross the lake after all and awaits patiently for a new crew to save her from oblivion.
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