The Heroes are in the small town of Thundertree, enjoying some downtime after their latest adventure. While perusing the market, they hear a whistling sound coming from up above. As they inspect the cloudy sky, they notice an object falling at great speed towards the center of the square.
When it finally lands with a thunderous clap, the Heroes see that the object is in fact a huge metal anchor, attached to a sturdy rope going up all the way to the clouds! A first inspection does not reveal any significant detail about the appearance of the anchor, but after an hour, something begins to make its descent from the clouds, slowly moving across the rope.
A basket of sorts, containing four individuals, is attached to the rope. When it reaches the ground, the Heroes and the gathered townsfolk can have a better look at the passengers. Two of them are dressed as sailors, and one of them is a giant of a man clad in full plate armor. The last, a tall man with reddish skin and an unkempt beard, introduces himself as Captain Jon Tobart, of the flying ship Skyrunner.
The captain informs the townsfolk that a terrible monster called the Ravager is about to attack their realm, and he's seeking brave souls willing to help him fight the monster. After a short introduction, the Heroes, all looking for a grand adventure, accept the invitation, and climb aboard the basket.
The contraption makes its way back up, above the clouds, until it reaches a flying galleon. There, the Heroes meet the rest of the crew, more sailors with a confused look about them, and all bearing some sort of animalistic feature. The captain shows the Heroes to their room, telling them he will give more details about their mission after they're rested.
But during the night, the Heroes realize that the ship has not only left the town, or the realm... as they look at the planet of Toril slowly disappearing among a sea of stars, they realize that they've left their world, now travelling at incredible speed through space!
When they address the captain about this, Tobart admits to have omitted a few "details" about their quest, but assures them that once they slay the Ravager, they'll be hailed as the greatest heroes of Toril! He also takes the opportunity to explain to them the nature of spelljamming (travelling at great speed across space), and a few tips about life in space and the functioning of a spelljamming helm, a magical throne powered by spellcasters infusing the artifact with their own spells.
The Heroes decide to sleep for the night, and ask more questions during breakfast. As they eat, Capt. Tobart explains to them that the Ravager is actually capable of destroying entire planets, and it is now bound to Toril, their own homeworld. When the Heroes question him about how can they ever hope to destroy such a powerful foe, Tobart reassures them: he has a secret weapon that will do just the job! Still suspicious, the Heroes continue their voyage across the stars.
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