This article is about the spacefaring company known as the Golden Blade; for the spelljamming ship of the same name see here.
"To sit at home is to wait for death. There are worlds to explore, great things to see. The spheres await us. In exploring them we live."
- Dao Ming of the Golden Blade
Overview
The Golden Blade company was a group of humans from Shou Lung on Toril in Realmspace who were inspired to follow in the footsteps of the original Shou Lung explorers who visited Chislev in Krynnspace, and were determined to map and study every world or celestial body they encountered in wildspace. They realized early on that it was unlikely that they would return to Shou Lung in their lifetimes, as there were simply too many things to see and explore.
Activities
The company’s current mission was to unravel the secrets of the vanishing world, Nehzmyth. The mystery of the disappearing planet had troubled Dao Ming, the captain of the Golden Blade, for quite some time. He had decided that it was imperative that they discover where the world went, even if it meant landing on the planet and following its course that way. However, while the crew were willing to go along with his decision, most of them weren't sure that it was such a good idea. For the moment, they had convinced the captain to follow the planet's orbit from a distance.
Ships
For the past several years, the company had made their home onboard a dragonship also known as the Golden Blade. Perhaps the single most impressive spelljammer in Krynnspace, the deep red hull of the vessel was so polished that it reflected the light of the stars, while its decks were painted an ebony black edged with silver. The ship’s sails were made of magically-strengthened gossamer through which stars and other celestial bodies could be clearly seen. Upon seeing the ship for the first time, most spectators were awestruck by its sleek design and beauty, and often stood gaping in wonder. The crew of the dragonship viewed this kind of reaction as a sign of respect, and were known to deliberately sail their ship very slowly alongside passing vessels.
Relationships
Friends
The company made it a point of meeting up with the Crimson Caravan on a regular basis, as they had standing orders with the merchants for clothes, wine, and other items from Shou Lung. Captain Dao Ming had become close friends with Ching Tao Ling, the Shou captain of the Caravan's galleon, and they often swapped stories about ships they had encountered in wildspace, rumors about local pirates, and updates on what was happening in the various spelljamming ports.
Members
The company had a complement of approximately fifty humans from Shou Lung on Toril in Realmspace, and included a mix of fighters, sages, priests, wizards, and common sailors. On the whole, they were friendly, generous, and inquisitive, and despite their natural sense of superiority, had no qualms about associating with adventurers from other races. In fact, Dao Ming made it a point of recruiting skilled explorers from other races and societies in order to expose his own crew to new cultures.
Members of the company were expected to keep themselves in top shape, and often spent hours each day honing their skills in their areas of expertise, and helping each other improve their skills in combat. They also sought to learn new skills, fighting styles, and spells from people of other cultures.