Mystery solved. Backstory.

It was love.
It's always love.

The Murder eliminated the fair Michelle's Husband hoping to  woo her based on their close childhood friendship. Once Michelle was a childless widow, who stood to inherit a fair sum of money, other young aristocrats came calling. So they had to die, there was no path.

Gregorio Harmit wasn't always a priest. Once he was a young aristocrat himself.  His fondest memories are of his youth boating with his friends. Especially Michell.  She was from another wealthy family, and was in his eyes his other half.  They spent many days together in their youth, as they got older they spent a few evenings conducting secret rendezvous.

However, it couldn't last. Gregorio was from a wealthy family no doubt but Michelle was from the  upper levels of aristocracy. As is the tradition her marriage was to be arranged by her family. None of it seemed to bother Michelle, she knew the  workings of society, she had enjoyed her youth and now she had to take on the mantel of society wife. It was expected, tradition,  her duty to her family, unavoidable. Gregorio on the other had was crushed. He withdrew from society, told his family he was going to join the clergy, a calling that would force him to forget. He never forgot.
Instead he obsessed.
Born into society, even as a simple acolyte he was still a man of means.
He rose quickly through the church of Boreas's ranks. He was smart, compassionate, and  his family was well connected. Through his  connections he procured hefty donations and funding, helped build a temple on top of trade winds hill overlooking the city. A spot he and Michelle used to meet.
He had statuary built, studied herbalism, learned the rituals of divination, prayed for Boreas to help him with his enchantments. The wind could see all he learned, and the  wind could animate a stone statue if the right rituals were known. Boreas was the god of  north winds and coming winter, Boreas wanted Gregorios heart cold and it become so.

He hatched a plan:
Remove the husband, and comfort the girl, rekindle the past friendship, and regain her love.

So he used his blessings to animate the largest of his  statuary, an eagle headed man, a fierce Kengu statue. He sent it to  kill the husband, leave no trace. Kill and return to you place.

Once that act was done he asked for  forgiveness from Boreas, and  received only cold wind blowing across his sanctuary. He sent condolences, attended the funeral, blessed the grounds of Michelle's manor.

Now the suitors came out of the  woodwork. Looking for a wife or good standing, a good family and due a fine inheritance. Gregorio knew none of them cared for her like he did, they had to die as well.
Again he sent his tengu statue to do dirty work, one man dropped form a height, Another stabbed.

The others killings he had to take a more personal hand in. Clairvoyance on an a manor gate. A carriage driver affected by a blindness curse at just the right moment. A horse given bull's strength to increase it's speed almost guaranteed a young aristocrat would be run down when crossing  the avenue. Gregoria was the first to rush to the scene, a priest, helping to mend the man's injuries, but of course it was too late.

Lastly there was the poison. Not Gregorio's cup of tea. He gathered the ingredients form the fields and  tucked away spaces on Tradewinds hitt top. Rare mushrooms , and  berries form vines. He spent a great deal for poisons recipe. Bought it from a sailor who said, "We use it to kill rats on the ship." Innocent enough, and Unlikely.
Making the  food  at dinner taste  "proper" was a simple act of Thaumaturgy. Watching a man die painfully over the  next few hours was  not nearly as simple.

Each time gregorio went to the funerals, each time he would stand by Michelle's side. Deliver a eulogy, give the blessings of Boreas. Offer the comforts of an old friend. Each time he would ask Boreas to forgive his deeds, pray, and open his heart letting his god know his motivation was love. Each time the  cold winds would  blow through his sanctuary telling him his god was with him.

The deaths caused a maelstrom of rumors and intrigues, some so vastly beyond the scope of Gregorios plan that he could not help but laugh to himself. The rich families of the city lashed ot at any  group with which they might have had an old grudge. Accusations flew. Then the  leaders of those families hired a rag tag group of sailors who said they could help  find the  killer.

Gregorio watched through his clairvoyance enchantment, discretely cast on Michelle's own cameo.
When that man Kip accused his Michelle of being the killer based solely on his own sexist leanings Gregorio's blood boiled! Why were none of the other men drawing dueling pistols and teaching the whelp a lesson? Were they men at all? Gregorio would not let the insult stand.

So he sent the Tengu to deal with Kip.
The Tengu failed. In the scrying bowl, he saw the Tengu fall, he saw kipps eyes fill his vision, Gregorio was seen, they would find him.
So he prayed and prepared, using the scrying pool to deduce where the investigators were searching. He knew the wretched sun priest knew nothing, he knew those of Geb could not help them, but he knew he would be found.

When they came he was prepared to battle to the death, but in the end the priest of Thodin dispelled his wards easily , and there would be no fight. Boreas' had deserted him , no breeze blew in his sanctuary. The  air was still as he proclaimed his guilt and revealed his motives. Now it's jail, stagnant air, and a trial.

Gregorio left to wonder if this was his plan all along, or the will of Boreus and the  winter winds.

Adventures in Dairhouse.

This will be a (very) brief summary covering the last few games:

The  largest most cosmopolitan city in the lands, the oldest human habitation in the known world, Dairhouse.
Wisely the  party puts the sloop down long before entering the waters controlled by the  Alerian Empires ships and sails into Dairhouse quietly.
The party disembarked on Tradewinds isle, which is located adjacent to and connected to the city proper by a long  bridge, The group agreed that Rea Should seek out a foundry or other means to procure cannon for the sloop. THe party game her the gold to go do so, eh ventured into town accompanied by Mateo, who was to continue recruiting sailors for  the crew.
Guthar and The Master commenced researching the  ley lines that lead them to this city. Limura, Kip, and Breylin went off to find some small jobs in an effort to recoup some of the gold they just spent on cannon.

THE Master and Guthar visited the church built predominantly into the side of the  the islands only  large hill. This church it was said was the very first building built and the island and was the oldest Church of Geb in the  land. The Head brother of the church seemed stunned by the  appearance of the two men and  insisted that they seem him straight away.
The brother took The Master and Guthar to a chamber  above the dome of the  main church, where a circle of statues stand. It was obvious that the chamber was not for public viewing and had been sealed for some time.  The statues were each of heroic figures cut from simple stone but by a very skilled hand. As Guthar and the master looked around at each statue they  saw many they did not recognize, but some were of their current traveling companions and  even statues of themselves.
When asked, "how long had the statutes existed?" the old priest answered that they were put in place when the church was constructed some 300 years prior. When questioned about the sculptor the Priest shrugged and said, "legend has it it was a man named Gramastus, who was a bit of an, eccentric and obsessive, but a master of his craft."

In the meantime the other members of the  group had managed to get hired as delivery personnel taking a  wagon load of furs into the elven quarter. A price was negotiated and the wagon loaded.
It was at this time that Kip recognized his old nemesis and rival Melvin on a poster advertising "Elect Meylvin for Merchant Council." Saying that thsi pissed Kip off would be an understatement. He and Meylvin have a VERY long history , and Meylvin is why he left Dairhouse originally. To see such a Bad actor trying to go straight and get into governance infuriated Kip.

The group reconvened and  began their delivery run.
The party soon realized that the warehouse they were delivering to was in a rather  run down and  sketchy part of town. Gas lights sputtered, fizzed and became less and less common as they proceed towards their goal. They arrived at the warehouse, a disheveled looking elf was their only welcome.
The elf had their payment, but the warehouse looked closed, and Kip started to think there was something up. A quick search of the area found the real warehouse keeper, beat up and stuffed in an alley nearby. The  party  decided o negotiate with the elf, knowing now that he ha robbed the  warehouse worker and  was trying to profit of the shipment of  furs. Things soon turned heated and the elf called on his back up olan, archers stationed on the nearby roof tops.
A fight ensues with  the  party overpowering the  robbers who were clear not expecting a full fledged adventuring party. The Original bandit flees, and  his elve's quickness proves too much for Kip who flounders in his pursuit. In the meantime the warden of the warehouse who had been sleeping inside wakes up and throws open the  door of the  place only to see a full fledged battle raging in the street. He calls for the guard and begins looking for his warehouse keeper who he quickly learns was killed by the elf bandits.
The part argues with the warehouse keeper over the agreed delivery fee. Having now been shot up by poisoned arrows and generally  in a salty mood, they naturally want more gold than the original agreement. An agreement is reached however the  master uses his abilities to start fires to  set the  damp  pelts smoldering as the  warehouse keeper rolls them into the warehouse, Causing at the very least destruction of the  goods, and probably a whole lot more headache for the  warehouse keeper.
I guess that will teach him to try and run a business, and lose a friend to street violence, and you know deal with  PC's.

The party now turns it's attention to  the  old grove of Dairhouse.
The Master learned it's location back at the church and  has decided to take the whole party there.
Kip was the first to think they might be being followed and  soon they were set upon by a mighty unseen assailant. The force (Invisible stalker) seemed focused on The master whom it attacked with a single minded focus. The party fought as a group, but still the master was almost felled and had to retreat in the form of a bird just before the monster dissipated.
In the fight Kip threw a burning dagger towards the unseen beast and missed terrible sending the ball of oil and flame into a nearby refuse heap and setting the  trash and the nearby wooden slum building aflame.
The party fled the scene as the town guard and bucket brigade began to arrive, they headed for the  grove.
The party  had a few question to answer.
Such as, what was that creature that just attacked?
Why did it focus on The Master so keenly?
Why do the elves live in a slum in the  largest city of  Aleria?

Once at the grove the Master found the  remains of the one great tree of Dairhouse, and asked its permission to speak. The old tree conversed with the druid and allowed the master access to a vault and  ritual space under it's great root system. There the master used the  glowing "earth Stone" he had bought  From the Lord and lady of  Glaston Fields, Rejuvenating the Grove and allowing the ley line to flow freely again.
The master receives a vision from spirit of the earth
The vision of  two lakes with a ruined city  between them, a warlord raising armies of dead, a great Ley line nexus, and a spiraling rift of some sort.
The  Grove quickly rejuvenates itself and the Master takes a few moments to gather herbs and meditate over the meaning of new beginnings, and the grove.

Latter, back on tradewinds island the party as a whole decides that it would be a good idea to make some money. It seems paying the crew, maintaining the sloop and generally living life has started to deplete their coffers.
Kip Takes a few minutes to move about the bar eavesdropping on conversations and trying to find potential employment.
They finally settle on the plight of an aristocratic type who was in the bar meeting with a town guard captain. Apparently there has been a series of murders (most foul) targeting the young upper class. Five Dead one from each of the leading Dairhouse families. Kip made arrangements to meet with the  families. As well as to involve the the rest of the party.

Hey I guess you're in the investigation business now.

The aristocrats hold a salon to greet the group who claim to be able to help them.
Kip Negotiated some terms. (1000 Gold and  expenses.) And the party was engaged to the endeavour.

The  facts start to come out that in fact each of the families had lost one of their most promising young adults to a strange murder. One thrown from a window, one run down, one poisoned, and so on.
The Master used his abilities as a druid to speak to an old barn dog from the estate and found out that 1. The dog hats cheese and apples, 2. the dog saw a "bird man" land on the roof the night of the  murder. Limura investigated the roof and found some cracked Slate shingles that confirmed the dogs observations.

Kip insulted one of the  aristocrats from the same Family as Meylvin (the Wheldon family) by asking if their family still had dealings with the thieves guild. The man, naturally very upset at this demanded apology. Kip opened his shirt to show the scars from the time Meylvin had captured and tortured him. The insulted and honestly a bit confused aristocrat stormed out of the manor. Kip narrowly avoided having a duel on his fresh new patrons manicured front lawn.

After the salon the  party decided to return to their rooms at the inn to digest the information they had gathered and plot their next move.


(More details of who died and how will be in the next post)

The sloops crew.

This is basically a post mostly for Guthar / Fred, but every one might get a kick out of it.

Guthar has the changing task of managing the crew of the  Sloop.
Mateao will do what he can when Guthar is off meditating but at the end of the day only Guthar is the master of the crew.

Guthar can hire and fire as he sees fit.
Changes people jobs on board.
Give assignments during game day and  in between game days.
Mostly though he will responsible for keeping the crew happy and  getting them what they need so that they can perform.

A bit about crew:
The crew members are each rated from -5 the  worst, through +/- 0 an average, up to +5 the best. These modifiers will be used for any rolls made for the crew during sailing activities.
Sailors will have skills and  Guthar can tell sailors to train for particular skills.
Each sailor will have a morale which is a lose measure of their current mood and  loyalty to the ship and crew. morale will work like a passive score that can be tested, Ie: if I make a morale-check in battle and I roll higher than the crew embers morale then that crew member will break under the pressure in one way or another.

So here is the crew as it stands:
Optimal compliment is  20 sailors.
Current compliment is 15 sailors.

Mateo: +5  

Morale: Satisfied. 18

Experienced crew leader 

Roll Recruiter, Trainer.

Level 3 rouge.

Cost: Mateo Takes a cut.

• Masni:  +3 
• Younger man, smarmy, comes off as untrustworthy but  has done nothing.
• Morale: Fair 14
• Carpentry and repairs.
• Roll: Boatswain (replacing  Willhelm)
• Cost: 5 gp per month
• Leo furgrim: +4 
• older .. Grey-beard
• Morale: Satisfied 15
•  Cook, provisioner.
• Concern: Feels the  galley and storage area is inadequate for  a crew of 20.
• Cost: 8 gp per month
• Kendas: -1 
• Young, strong, bright, brutish.
• Morale: impatient 12
• Role: Young Sailor seen as one with some potential. Wants action.
• Cost: 1 gp per month
• Sung-paul: +4 From land of Min professional ocean sailor
• Roll: Rigger
• Satisfied 15
• Cost: 8 gp per month
• Leysan: -1 
• young, strong, not bright.
• Morale: Ecstatic! 19
• Role: sailor.
• Cost: 2 gp per month
• Ric-paul: +2
• Mid aged, Intelligent.
• Morale: Fair 14, Motivated by money.
• Roll Sailor
• Cost: 2 gp per month
• Kendon: 0
• Young inexperienced but a good mind for the sea,
• Morale: Satisfied 15
• Roll Sailor
• Cost: 2 gp per month
• Arddas: + 4 experienced Ocean sailor.
• Hard, unforgiving, has seen some shit.
• Morale: Fair 13
• Roll: Mate
• Concerns: The ship will need new sails sooner than latter, a set of extras would be nice.
• Cost: 5 gp per month
• Frea'o: 0
• Middle geed adventure.
• Morale: Scared 9
• Roll sailor
• Concerns, not sure what he got himself into.
• Cost: 2 gp per month
• Ria: +5 
• Female, Tall, Strong, flintlock Pistols, Not afraid, experienced ships gunner. 
• Morale: Loyal 18
• Roll Master gunner. 
• Concerns: There are no guns on the sloop. She suggests mounting no more than 9 pound guns below decks due to the sloops weak superstructure and no more than 4 due to space constraints.  She says up to a 12 pound piece could be mounted to the  fore above decks.
• Cost: 10 gp per month
• Dryt: -3
• Typical dock rat.
• Morale: Getting paid 12 
• Roll Swabby
• Cost: 1 gp per month
• Dracy: -3
• Another typical sailor for hire, has experience on merchant vessels, could be better but he's lazy.
• Morale: Also Getting paid, but not enough to get hurt 9
• Roll Swabby
• Cost: 1 gp per month
• Burniel: -1
• Experienced and world worn, well beyond his prime.
• Morale steady 12
• Roll sailor
• Cost: 1 gp per month
• Kip Hudson: 0
• Mysteriously turned up like a bad penny.
• Morale: Speacial
• Roll: sailor
• Cost: 1 gp per month
• Tinely: -1
• Not much of a sailor but he loves to fight.
• Morale: 12 on a normal day 15 if fighting
• Roll Sailor
• Level 1 warrior.
• Cost: 2 gp per month
• Ethelda: +3 
• female. Youthful but strong and willing to work, naturally good at sailing.
• Morale Satisfied 16
• Works the Rigging as Mate to the Boatswain.
• Concerns: Wants to kill Dracy  and Dryt  just because they are useless. Tinely keeps hitting on her and she's not interested.
• Cost: 5 gp per month

Total monthly crew cost:
Salary: 53 Gp Per month

Food: 30 Gp Per month

Total: 83 Gp per month.

Notes:

The expensive positions are covered by the player characters.
The Master acts as the ships navigator / Sailing Master.

Guthar acts as the quartermaster dealing with the crew.

Johann is captain. 

The crew still Needs:
5 more basic sailors.

If guns are added some of them will have to be trained by Rea as Powder monkey's.

There it is everything you ever wanted to know about your crew and more.... much more.

9/25/16 Sunday game.

Played on roll 20.

After leaving the piano shop front for the thieves guild , the  group noticed another man leave the same building when question he told the  party he was "keeping the store for the owner while he was away." After going back and fourth a bit the party let him carry on.
The mysterious man (Rik / Jason) decided to follow Limura (Chris) to the  Claymore inn where Mateo has been doing his recruiting. The master and Breylin decided to follow a scent of herbs the master had picked up earlier.  

The master discovered that the center of Torin is built around a relatively untended but also unspoiled druid grove. The master received a vision showing a fine sliver strand extending  Westward to the horizon. The druid assumed this must be another ley line weak in power. He spent time in the grove with Breylin gathering herbs and  talking, when they were about to leave The master caught sight of a a small herd of spectral elk. It seems he alone could see the Elk and he spoke to the herds elder. The elder spirit thanked him for bringing magic back to the  Ley line node in the Careth ruins..


Mateo continued recruiting  sailors for the sloop. He had reached a total of 15 recruits of varying quality. Chief among the  recruits are:

• Leo Furgim an older man but an able cook and experienced ships provisioner.
• Sung-paul, From the land of Min, experienced ocean trader.
• Arddas Another well seasoned sailor. who is also quick to draw her flintlock pistol.
• Ria, The best of the bunch she is a master ships gunner, who .

The rest of the recruits are of varying but lesser quality. (Crew quality determined on a scale of  -5 to +5 by rolling 1D10)

While recruiting a well equipped and trail worn stranger comes and asks if Mateo had seen a Gnome a Dwarf and Old man and a Priest while he ha be recruiting. The stranger offers gold for  information. Naturaly Mateao says no, and Limura get tells the guy to get lost. The new hanger on who has been hired for the crew and calls himself Kip Hudson (Rik) tries to pick pocket the stranger and fails miserably. the stranger shoves Rik and it starts to look like a bar fight is about to go down when the Stranger sizes up the situation and decides to leave.

Rik uses stealth to track the  stranger to the docks.

Limura trails Rik.

The stranger goes to a boat down on the docks  and Rik eves drops.
The  boats captain asks if he had found anything an gets perturbed when it turns out he hasn't. They are sure the  Dwarf, the  Druid, The priest, and the Gnome must have come here. the  Stranger says he will resume his search and leaves only after mentioning that the  captain may want to use his "cargo after dark."
Rik now intrigued finds a sack of flower and talks his way onto the boat by convincing a deck hand he was making a supply delivery.
Ric picks the hatches lock to get below decks, somehow he is unseen .. aka rolls his ass off.

Once below decks Ric finds mundane ship supplies and three large magically locked boxes.
He also finds a worn bag containing , a small sturdy boot, a priest's robe, a piece of black cloak and a very small jacket.

The boat captain comes out of his cabin to notice the unlocked hatch he yells at the crew draws his sword and  starts toward the hold.
From the city street Limura sees this and takes action. As the captain starts below decks Limura puts an arrow in his back.

On the boat everyone takes cover.

About this moment the  Master arrives having found Limura.

One of the  deckhands grabs an ax and charges off the  boat a crossed the dock and towards Limura.
Limura uses her long bow to gun the man down in the street, in broad day light , in-front of a shit tone of towns people.
Bells and alarms go up.
The City guards start to approach.
Limura takes flight.

The master uses produce flame to  quietly start a dumpster fire a subtle distraction.

Back on the boat the captain tumbles into the  hold where Rik is ow hiding. Rik jumps o teh guy and  snaps his neck then hides again.
A deck hand soon follows. The fellow sees the  dead captain and  decides "might as well loot the  dead captains body "
One sneak attack latter and Rik has killed him as well.

Back on the street the  guard question the master who has naturally seen nothing. Then they notice the fire, and call the bucket brigade.

Limura hides out and works he way back to the inn.

The master gets away from the guard by smooth talking and works his way to the boat here Rik is hiding. He is confronted by a deck hand and  smites the man with a tremendous thunder clap. Knocking EVERY-thing off the deck cracking the  mast and  killing the  deck hand before he hits the water.

This draws the attention of the guard who this time come with manacles to arrest the master who for the record sees the odds and decides to go peacefully. They take him into custody and begin walking up the  street away from the docks.

Limura works her way back towards the boat.

IN the mean time Rik uses a signet ring looted form the body of the guy looting the captains body

(you follow that?) to open a magically locked crate.
In the crate is a very large pissed off and  chained up skeletal dog.
In total there are two creates with skeletal dogs and one crate with a large equally pissed off skeletal vulture.
Rik has an idea and  takes the  back of clothing and  lets the  skeletal dog "smell" it then unlocks the  box. The skeleton with the scent of the master takes off like a bolt off the dock ..In broad daylight.. towards the arrested master and the guards. All hell breaks loose as the  skeleton blood hound  charges the master only for the master to turn into a raven and fly away...This scares the living hell out of any common folk on the street, and Leeds to another round of guard calling, bell ringing,  and general running screaming  from the streets and into shelter.

Limura seeing this undead dog looses and arrow that takes the creature right in the head, but does not stop it, the  stunned guards flail at it to no avail.

The master lands on a roof top and  the hound begins to climb a wall in pursuit of the master, who  flame strikes it and it falls to it's second death.

Limura charges back to the docks to see where the dog came from dodging the guards with fantastic athleticism, she arrives at the boat and kills the other two skeletal creatures

When Limura and Rik make to exit (Rik takes a moment to gather up the  articles of  clothing in the leather bag (the boot, cloak piece, priest robe and small jacket) and to  light the boat aflame because "Rik") the boat the are confronted by a well prepared group of  Guards there to arrest them.

The master who had worked his way back to the  inn, tells Mateo and Breylin to get the crew together and head for the parties ship as fast as possible.

Limura and  Ric start to parley wiht the  guards , but Rik gets impatient and shoots one whit a cross
bow.

Limura tried to charge past attacking one them disengaging. She fails and  two guards ump on her and attempt to grapple her. She avoids the grapple (twice) and  eventually squirms  back to her feet, Rik runs past the  dog pile but takes a wicked blow from a guards long sword on his way by.

A foot race ensues which Ric and Limura easily win making it to the parties ship just as it "lifts off" to the amazement of both new crew and any onlookers.
An escape from Torin was made....

When next we play the  party will be on the  ship just after leaving Torin, some where in the sky over the highlands.

This party is a glorified chaos engine.

-Mark.

Sky Forge User's Guide House rules.

House rules:

Flying ships in Aleria.

Long Long story Short.
For generations the gnomes ruled the sky with a fleet of flaying trading vessels. During the war with Orduth the Mind-flayer overlords enslaved the gnomes and used the sky ships to devastating effect. The mind-flayers forced the gnomes to pour their magical and physical energy into the sky forges that powered their vessels, killing many gnomes in the process. Near the end of the war when gnomes were becoming more and more scarce the sky ships began to fail, many were lost to crashes and a few more were lost to combat. The Mind-flayer gambit failed, with out the expertise of the gnome engineers the ships were near useless.
The technology of the sky forge was believed lost after the war.

The party rediscovered a sky forge along with the ships engineers notes deep in the ruins of Careth. Johann took a winter to piece the sky forge back together again in hopes of rediscovering a part of his people history.

What does a sky forge do?
By use of a rapidly rotating energy sphere it creates lift crossed a plain, based on the size of the forge and the amount of energy (spell slots) feed into the forge.

The lift is adjustable using the sky forge to create limited movement in any direction, however this movement is normally used for fine maneuvers such as docking and landing.

Set up and limitations.

A sky forge must be aligned and attached to the hull of it’s vessel in a very specific way so that it’s changing lift can be spread through out the superstructure evenly. The gnomes used rune covered copper conduits to achieve this energy balance.
A lay man can place and set up a sky forge only if he or she has engineering documents to work from.

Setting up a forge with out instructions no experience is a Heroic difficulty feat (DC30)

With instructions it is a formidable difficulty (DC25)

Even with With instructions and the right kind of boat (DC20)

• A successful Intelligence check is necessary to set up the S-Forge.
• If there are instructions available an investigation check vs DC20can be made to give the character advantage on the intelligence check for setting up the Sky-Forge.
• A failed set up roll means all piloting rolls are made at disadvantage.

Attaching / installing the forge:

After the forge is properly aligned the forge needs to be firmly set in the superstructure of the ship.

Any character may make a “profession” or wisdom check to secure the sky forge. The professions that might apply would be Engineer, shipwright, and carpenter.

A failed roll means the ship has disadvantage on any and all saves made when making sudden maneuvers with the sky forge.

Forge lift strength:
A forge can lift a limited amount of weight, and lift above a forges uper limit will result in the ship needing to make saves to avoid the forge ripping it’s self loose for the superstructure.

1. Class A: Sloop
   • up to 100 tons
   • cargo up to 40 tons
   • (12 known to have been built)
   • up to 50 sailors
   • unloaded top speed 30 knots (good wind, perfect conditions)
   • loaded to speed 20 knots
2. Class B: Schooner
   • up to 200 tons
   • cargo up to 100 tons
   • (6 known to have been built)
   • up to 60 crew
     • This is the class Johann found.

• unloaded top speed 25 knots (good wind, perfect conditions)
• loaded to speed 15 knots

3. Class C:
   • up to 400 tons
   • Cargo up to 250 tons
   • (4 known to have been built)
   • up to 100 crew

• unloaded top speed 22 knots (good wind, perfect conditions)
• loaded to speed 12 knots

4. Class D:
   • Up to 1200 tons
   • cargo up to 900 tons
   • (2 known to have been built)
   • One known lost at battle of Dairhouse)
   • up to 150 crew

• unloaded top speed 18 knots (good wind, perfect conditions)
• loaded to speed 10 knots

5. Class S:
   • Up to 2000 tons
   • Cargo up to 400 tons
   • Legendary, perhaps only one built.
   • Up to 200 crew.

• unloaded top speed unknown
• loaded to speed unknown

Flying A sky ship:

New skill:

Profession: Sky ship pilot. (Wisdom)

You are skilled at keeping a sky ship level and buoyant using a charged sky forge.

Sky forgets are finicky even at the best of times. The bigger the ship the harder it is to keep in the air.

Skill rolls need to be made for the following occurrences:

Weather:

Wind more than rains or snow is the nemesis of a sky ship. Sky forges can self maintain in light weather but anything worse than a stiff breeze will require the pilots attention.

1. Gusts of wind:
   1. 30 Mph gust DC 15
   2. 31 mph to 50 mph DC 20
   3. 51 mph or more DC 25
2. Strong sustained winds:
   1. DC 20 (40 mph or around 34 knots)
   2. Plus 1 DC per 5 mph of sustained winds beyond 40 mph.
      1. (A low level hurricane for example would cause checks at DC 27.)

New Skill:

Sky Navigation: (wisdom)

You read the weather to find safer routs around storms, and detect bad weather.

After a successful navigation check, the ships pilot can make their next steer check with advantage.

Failed checks represent loss of control and tipping. Unsecured people makes Dex saves or be flung about.

Failed saves have the following results.

• Roll a 1 critical fail
  • Above deck, overboard!
  • Below deck, Con save or be reduced to 0 hp and get knocked unconscious
    • A successful con save character still takes 4d6 damage from getting bounced around.
• Fail save by 10 or more
  • Above decks, Dex save or fall overboard.
  • Below deck 3d6 damage
• Fail save by less than 10
  • Above deck bounced around date 1d6 damage
  • Below deck take 2 d 6 damage.

Moving:

Forward movement can be achieved via the sky forge but it is not particularly fast.

4 knots tops:

Movement via sail:

A sky ship can be propelled like any normal sailing vessel, using sails to capture the wind.
Where as a normal ship with good wind might make 6 knots, a sky-forge ship deals much less drag, than a sea bound vessel. Speeds of 15 to 20 knots are not uncommon, with small unloaded sky-forges managing an incredible 30 knots (34.5 mph.) This makes transport via Sky Forge much faster than via normal ship.

Working the rigging and sails of a sky forge ship use all the normal skills and techniques that are used when manning normal sailing ships.

Altitude:

Each spell slot pumped into a sky forge can raise the vessel by 10 feet over the current ground height. A sky forge will maintain it’s altitude over the normal contours of the ground. The ship wills simply move up and down in altitude to maintain it’s cruising height above most hills, gulleys and natural features.
Sudden shifts, such as cliffs, or canyons my require the pilot to commit more energy to maintain altitude and still maintain forward movement.

For this reason wise pilots will often achieve a safe height and navigate following natural flat areas, such as rivers, river valleys and plains.

1 level spell slot adds 10 feet of altitude and lasts for 8 hours.

After 8 hours the pilot need only commit one level worth of spell slots to maintain altitude.

After 8 hours if no spell slots are added the spell forge slowly descends at a rate of 1d4 x10 feet per hour.

Structure:
The structure of the ship is measured in structure points.

Structure points can be considered hit points for the ship.

New skill:

sky ship repair (wisdom / Profession)

With a success full roll you may repair 1d10 + your proficiency bonus structural damage given time and materials. Emergency repairs to fix sudden malfunctions are up to the DM’s discretion.

Crashes causes 1d10 points of structure damage per 10 feet crashed above the initial 10 feet.

Anyone in a crash will take the same damage in hit point damage and may make a constitution save to only receive half damage.

Any damage that causes more that the ships total structure points divided by 10 in one blow, causes a breach in the hull.

Sky ship combat:

Ship combat will be carried out using 5^th ed combat rules, with advantage disadvantage given for clever maneuvering.

Tehre are no cannon exactly so most fights will maneuver and board affairs .

New Skill:

Sky Navigation: (wisdom)

You read the weather to find safer routs around storms, and detect bad weather.

After a successful navigation check, the ships pilot can make their next steer check with advantage.

New skill:

sky ship repair (wisdom / Profession)

With a success full roll you may repair 1d10 + your proficiency bonus structural damage given time and materials. Emergency repairs to fix sudden malfunctions are up to the DM’s discretion.

New skill:

Flying A sky ship:

Profession: Sky ship pilot. (Wisdom)

You are skilled at keeping a sky ship level and buoyant using a charged skyforge.

Gems:

A skyforge may also be fueled by gems.
Each  500 GP isn value is equivalent to 1 spell slot level. 
Gems used must be single specimens. In other words two 250 gp ruby's does not equal one 500 gp  ruby in this context.

In their heyday, gnome captains would often stich several large gems into their surcoats, so that they would have the gems on hand in case of emergency. This is especially true of rubies and Rainbow moonstone. This practice gave rise to the saying "richer than a gnomes coat" which denotes a person of high station, or great wealth.

Some Types of Gems create varying qualities when loaded into a skyforge. 
All qualities and effects last for 8 hours.

Known Gem Qualities:

Greater Gems:

• Ruby provides resistance to fire.
• useful if the sky ship indeed catches fire or if  the vessel comes under attack.
• Emerald provides a degree of  camouflage based on the  surrounding environment. 
• DC 15 + 1 per 500 GP in Gem value to detect while not moving 
• DC 12 + 1 per 500 GP in Gem value to detect while  moving. 
• Diamond Provides  a boost of temporary structure points.
• 1d10 structure points per 500 gp  in gem value.
• Garnett: Makes the ship  notably more maneuverable.
• Pilot of the  ship  gains advantage on 1d4 piloting rolls per 500 gp gem value.

Lesser stones:

• Onyx: Changes the vessel's color to jet black.
• Star Sapphire: The vessel gives off a dull light in a 30 foot radius.
• Lapis Lazuli; The vessel surface repels water vial a magical barrier coating all of it's surfaces.
• Rainbow Moonstone: As long as the sky forge is operational this stone stops any downward progression of the ship.

Other Gems may cause other effects.
Mixing gems can have unexpected and unpredictable effects.

This document will be added as we come up with more ideas.

links:

http://www.heartlandbarge.com/barge-weight-capacities-chart/

http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2012/09/are-modern-ships-slower-than-sailing-ships-probably-not/

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals/TAPA/82/Speed_under_Sail_of_Ancient_Ships*.html

http://www.gemselect.com/other-info/gemstone-list.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_wooden_ships

http://tao-dnd.blogspot.com/search/label/Hirelings

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victoria_(1859)