When I was just a boy in the rigging, my captain spots a ship dead in the water near Farlnen. Beautiful elven vessel it is, not a soul aboard. We board the vessel, no sign of the crew, but it’s loaded with treasures. The sailors, they take what they can carry; but me, I’m just a boy, and I’ve heard all too much about Farlnen to see such a thing as luck. After looting what he can, my captain scuttles the ship and we watch it sink as he sails away. Late that night, the lass in the nest calls a ship on the horizon. It’s that same vessel, good as new, following us. The captain, he panics, starts prepping Zil fire he’d been saving to burn the cursed ship down. He launches six canisters, and the riggings of the elf ship are all aflame. But then, as sure as I see you now, I see a shadow amid the barrels we had left … and that’s all I see before the explosion. I’m the only one who survived, and whatever loot my captain claimed, it should be spread across the bottom of the ocean. But I tell you this, and I’m telling you true: I remember my captain holding that same golden skull you have in your hand now … and that ship behind us, it’s the same one we sank so long ago.
Many see the days before Galifar as the golden age of piracy. Riedran merchant ships made inviting targets. There was no united Galifar and the dragonmarked houses had only a sliver of the power they wield today. In those days, Bloodsail captain Vyra Eldaraen was the terror of the northern seas, and she plundered the oceans for two centuries before her luck finally ran out. With all the plunder she’d amassed, Eldaraen had certainly earned her right to undeath; she was restored as an oathbound and chose to be bound to her ship. Though other members of the Grim warned against it, she sought to continue her career … and soon enough, the Deathguard and a brave captain—Bright Lorrister, a distant ancestor of the modern Prince of the Heavenly Fleet—destroyed Eldaraen and sank her ship. But a century later, Lhazaar ships reported another clear sighting of Eldaraen’s vessel, good as new. It seemed that somehow, Eldaraen had become something more than a mere oathbound; she was truly bound to the ship itself, and just as a lich’s body reforms after it is destroyed, the Ship of Eldaraen will always return … even if no original part of the ship remains.
Using the Ship of Eldaraen
Stories of the Ship of Eldaraen vary, but it seemingly goes through stages. In some tales, the ship is actively crewed by wights and shadows, with Eldaraen herself manifesting as a wraith among them. In others (like the tale shared above), the ship appears to be empty … and in some stories, Eldaraen manifests aboard it in a form similar to a demilich. A few facts remain consistent across all tales:
- The ship can't be targeted or perceived by any divination magic. Creatures can’t teleport into or out of the ship or use planar travel to enter or leave it … unless they’re traveling to Mabar.
- The ship essentially acts as a mobile manifest zone tied to Mabar. While within 500 feet of the ship, the radius of each light source is halved; saving throws against necromancy spells are made with disadvantage; and Undead have advantage on saving throws against being turned or frightened.
- The ship carries the plunder of centuries, but treasures taken from it often bring ill luck. Sometimes the items themselves are actively cursed. Other treasures cause the victim to be tracked by the ship itself (as in the story above) or specters from its crew, or haunted by nightmares until the loot is flung back into the water. The details vary, but the treasures of Eldaraen always return to her eventually.
The Ship of Eldaraen is a powerful undead entity tied to the Bloodsail
Principality. However, Eldaraen isn't believed to be an
active member of the Grim; her ship follows its own path,
and it doesn’t appear to coordinate with the living … but
it’s possible there’s more to this than meets the eye. It
could be that Eldaraen is in contact with other Lords
of the Grim, whether communicating through sending
spells or even interacting with them in the court of
the Bone King of Mabar. Even if this isn't the case, it’s
possible that should the Bloodsails have need of her, a
living Bloodsail elf could track down the ship and recruit
Eldaraen to help her people.
Source: Chronicles of Eberron