The Cruel Mistress
gargantuan vehicle (100ft x 40ft),
Travel Speed: 3 mph (75 miles/day)
Crew quality: 5
Crew count: 20
Actions
On its turn, the Mistress can take 3 actions, choosing from the options below. It can take only 2 actions if it has fewer than 10 crew and only 1 action if it has fewer than five. If it has fewer than 3 crew it cannot take any actions.
Unless indicated, the ship can only do each action once per turn.
Hull
17, 400 (damage threshold 20)
If the hull is destroyed, the ship starts sinking.
Control: Helm
16, 75
Turn: Turn the ship up to 90 degrees to port or starboard. This action can be used before the ship moves.
Movement: Sails
12, 125
At the start of its turn, the ship moves forward. The amount depends on how much sail is out. The speed is halved while sailing into the wind, and halved if the sails have less than half their hit points.
Adjust Sail: Set or take down sail, adjusting the speed by 10 feet, up to a maximum of 30.
Weapons: Mangonel
16, 75
Fire Mangonel: Ranged Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, range 200/600 ft, one target. Hit: 30 (4d12+4) bludgeoning damage.
Weapons: Chain-launcher
15, 75
Fire Chains: Ranged Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, range 100/300 ft, one target. Hit: 20 (3d10+4) slashing damage. Scores an automatic critical hit versus sails.
Weapons: Grappling Hook Launcher
16, 75
Fire Grappling Hooks: Ranged Weapon Attack, +9 to hit, range 30/90 ft, one target. On a hit, the target ship needs to make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or be pulled adjacent to the Mistress.
If this weapon rolls a natural 1, it explodes and deals 8d6 fire damage to all other components of the ship.
Hook
While travelling by sea, the party finds Arhitael Amberdew clinging to a piece of flotsam. Her ship (the Antelope) was sunk by the pirates and some of her crew were captured, including their VIP passenger, Alvin Cassaro, the scion of House Cassaro. Arhitael desires revenge above all else. She offers to work as crew, granting +1 crew quality upon joining. The Antelope was travelling from Elderholm to Covenant when the pirates were sighted.
The pirate ship is described as very large with red sails and a female half-elven captain who killed the captain and first mate of the Antelope single-handedly.
Finding the Mistress
A DC 18 History check, advantage with naval background, can determine that the ship sounds a lot like the Cruel Mistress, and the captain matches the description of Angelica 'the Siren'. This information can also be gained by asking around at any sailor's bar. The sailors also tell stories about the Mistress and her captain, where she never makes port and the Siren is actually a fey seamonster who snares sailors to serve under her. These stories are false, spread by the crew of the Mistress to lay a false track.
The Crew of the Mistress
The Mistress makes its home in a hidden cove among the Harborough islands.
Captain Angelica 'the Siren' nan Kiniden (stats):
First Mate Big-belly (ogre chain brute, ne): Keeps the crew in check with constant threats and degrading words.
Quartermaster Flame-fists (stats): A skilled navigator, Flame-fists was trained by the monks of the Sanctum of the Scaled Brethren.
Surgeon Floki Boombeard (stats): A mad artificer with boomdust-powered contraptions. It is doubtful how much medical knowledge he actually has.
Lucy the Fathomless (stats): The most able magic user on the ship.
In combat, the officers act as the boarding party together with some of the crew (as per Angelica's lair action).
Battle
Ship chase, preferably being chased
If the battle goes poorly for the pirates, they may try to retreat, disabling the enemies' sails and sailing away.
Loot
Should the pirates be defeated, the following can be looted:
- 3850 gold in a large ironbound chest in the Captain's quarters, the key to which is in a chain around Captain Angelica's neck
- 500gp diamond and 750gp star ruby
- If it is not destroyed, the Grappling Hook Launcher can be salvaged for use on another ship.
- Angelica wears Windsilk Leathers, and a +2 Rapier with gold filigree on the guard.
- Flame-fists uses no arms or armor, but carries a fire-proof scrollcase containing charts and maps.
- Trusty Betsy , Floki's Two-bore blunderbuss
- Pirate's Hipflask (filled with Potion of Growth ) on Floki
- Lucy has a Floating Rune (Nauthiz), that floats in front of her forehead.
Flame-fists documents
Flame-fists carries most of the ship's important documents, including its sea-charts. He also carries a letter of marque from the FTC, which authorizes the Mistress to use FTC resources in exchange for not attacking FTC-flagged ships.
There is also a collection of non-nautical documents. One is a set of detailed anatomical drawings of dragons, scrawled with notes in the margin. One is a map of some sort of tunnel system, centered on a place named Sanctum of the Scaled Brethren, although the scale and overall location is unclear. Finally, a drawing of a drow elf male whose features are quite draconic in nature.