Description
Approximately 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) in diameter, the Great Sargasso is both invisible and undetectable (except through the use of magic). Located in the depths of wildspace, somewhere between the Spectre and the crystal shell, the Great Sargasso follows an incredibly complex orbit that spirals around the primary, sometimes appearing to reverse its' direction, and other times accelerating off at an unpredictable angle. While it is possible to calculate where the Great Sargosso will be at any given time, the math involved can become quite complex and is beyond the abilities of the average navigator. Instead most captains plot what ever course the want, and hope to chance that they steer clear of danger.
As with any other sargasso, entering the Great Sargasso causes all magic to fail, including a ship's helm. As soon as a spelljammer enters the affected region, the helmsman at the helm will feel the lack of magic as a kind of sickening emptiness, similar to the sensation of falling. The helm will cease to function soon after, and if the helmsman remains at the helm during this loss of power, they will fall unconscious, and will remain so for a number of days. While within the Great Sargasso, the ship will continue to move in a straight line at tactical speed due to its own inertia, and will continue to drift until it escapes the effects of the sargasso. Considering the size of the Great Sargasso, and unless the ship entered at an oblique angle, it would take a ship many months, even years, to reach the edge of the magic-dead zone, meaning the crew of a ship trapped in the Great Sargasso would surely perish before their eventual escape.
Appendix
External Links
- Greyspace article at Greyhawkonline.com, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.
- Greyspace at Beyond the Moons (the official Spelljammer website)