Midnight Hammer

The Midnight Hammer is an icebreaker hired by Vess DeRogna for her expedition with the Mighty Nein from Palebank Village to Balenpost.

Description
The Midnight Hammer is a massive ship. It has a wide bow with pointed edges that are meant to hit and break through surface ice and thin glacial islands. Its exterior is reinforced with iron or some heavier, darker metal, coming to a very pronounced point that is edged outward and disappears beneath the surface of the water in front of it, meant to wedge and break any heavy ice banks that hit it. It is armed with three ballistae in a unique mixture of both elven and dwarven, having the thickness of dwarven build, but elegant runes and some sort of enchantment. They fire four-foot long metal bolts with jagged arrow points at the front and a blunt base at the back for the ballista to catch and thrust forward with.

The crew has insulated bunk spaces holding four or five beds each, but there are no passenger quarters other than the cargo hold. The ship does not have sails and is instead accelerated by a massive propeller of gnomish make. Captain Liard did not know how it worked, as the ship was bequeathed to him by his father.

Crew
The ship has a crew of ten, including:
 * Captain Kem Liard
 * Ruega Timbercall

The icebreaker was in port at Palebank Village when Vess DeRogna and the Mighty Nein arrived via teleportation. Lady DeRogna hired the ship by paying them 250 gp to transport the group to Balenpost instead of going to the ship's originally intended destination.

The now-undead Avantika boarded the Midnight Hammer along with a few deep creatures, seeking to kill Fjord and take back the Cloven Crystal in the Mighty Nein's possession. The crew and the Mighty Nein killed the creatures, but Avantika escaped with the crystal. The Nein managed to chase her down underwater and kill her, retrieving the crystal and returning to the ship.

A few days further into the journey, the Mighty Nein notice the ship is being followed by something large in the water. It turns out to be a cetus mother and her two babies. The Nein gave all of their purchased food to the cetuses, who lead the way through the ice fields in gratitude. A few days later the Midnight Hammer arrives safely in Balenpost.