The Ship

The Abstract Destiny is a massive spaceship that calls Star City its home base. Sometimes referred to as Star City's "moon" (at least whenever it's actually in orbit), the ship is a research vessel with a crew and research team the size of a small town, headed by one Doctor R. Schroeder. Whenever the ship has a clutch or two on its sands (which nowadays is practically all the time), the Abstract Destiny remains docked in one of Star City's Docking Bays on Deck 8. When the ship is actually in orbit, it is accessible only via smaller transport craft. The ship has smaller docking bays to receive ships of this kind (located, on the above diagram, "behind" Alpha and Bravo Bay, on the starboard side of the Destiny).

The regular decks of the Destiny are not built for creatures of overlarge draconic size, having a ceiling height of only fifteen feet. Humanoids and creatures of middling size can traverse the ship, but any creature that cannot fit the hallways that wishes to visit any other deck than the Bay Deck must submit to a size-enchantment that shrinks them to a navigable size for as long as they are aboard the ship, and wears off on its own once the confines of the ship have been left. The enchantment must then be re-cast if the oversized visitor wants to visit the upper decks again.

The decks of the ship vary in appearance depending on their purpose. The so-called "working" decks, such as the Security and Science Decks, are as clean and sterile as one would expect them to be, with nothing in the way of decoration. The "living" decks, on the other hand, like the Crew and Recreations Decks, have carpeted floors and the metal walls are decorated with framed posters and pictures, as well as set with softer lighting. The actual rooms of the living decks vary in appearance from linoleum-floored mini-gyms to rooms decorated no differently than an apartment living room.

Doctor Schroeder's office on the Crew Deck, where he receives people who have come to request a Biosynth, is a very cozy affair, as much to put possibly-nervous visitors at ease as to be the indulgence of a middle-aged man. His office-slash-study is warm and roomy, looking such that one would rather expect there to be a fireplace tucked in one wall. The carpet underfoot is wine-red, patterned with a leafy paisley design in black and faded gold. The painting-decorated walls are wood-paneled (high-quality faux) in a cherry tone and match Schroeder's desk, which looks old and executive-styled. The chair behind the desk is faux-leather, so well-used and lovingly worn that it hardly squeaks and its shine is starting to fade. There are also four plushly upholstered chairs arrayed in front of the desk, two that adapt to most humanoid forms and two that are more like long stools suited as belly- or rump-rests for most draconic forms, whether quadruped or biped.

The Hatching Bays of the Destiny used to be hangars for smaller spacecraft, though to look at them now, you wouldn't know it. Though the giant, spiraling exterior doors remain, all the machinery once used to repair and refuel small transport ships has been removed. The floors of the bays are now covered with the same mossy substance Star City uses in its own bays and are similarly webbed with buried heating vents. Viewing stands, accessed by elevated catwalks, line the interior walls of the bays. A single staircase leads to the Bay floor, half of it with steps of humanoid size, and the other with steps of draconic size.

Candidates, riders, and anyone else that requires residence must find housing in Star City, but they don't have to worry about doing it alone. Doctor Schroeder has some strings he can pull to help people get a temporary place to stay. Some people may be allowed to house in the Destiny itself in a VIP cabin on the Security Deck and allowed access to the portions of the ship that don't have delicate machinery or could otherwise be compromised by a random visitor, such as the cafeteria, gym, and other recreation rooms.

When the Destiny is docked on Deck 8, candidates enter through the "front door"--a large, dismantled airlock that opens into a long, high-ceilinged (room enough for adult dragons) corridor. Equally large, paneled doors (with smaller inserts for more human-sized visitors) to the right and left each lead into one of the ship's hatching bays; Alpha to the left, and Bravo to the right. Straight ahead, a humanoid-scale door leads into the bowels of the ship, though this door is always sealed tight. An obvious magitech intercom system set into the wall can be used to call to a security guard inside if assistance of any kind is required. It is this door which is enchanted with the ship's shrinking enchantment, which must be activated by the guard at the desk before the visitor can pass through.

The Hatching Bays are the only area visitors can explore without a security escort. All the other Decks are off-limits without special reason (such as to visit Dr. Schroeder or adopt a terigon).