Eel ship

Eel Ship Eel ships were small and crudely designed spelljammer ships.

Description
The simple design of eel ships, thought to be an early version of the lamprey ship, granted them a dangerous appearance. They were mostly employed in planetary defense fleets, as escorts in attack missions, or as pirate vessels. Their size also made them attractive for stealth operations. If rigged for aggressive missions, it was common for eel ships to be heavily armed, to the expense of crew comfort and landing capabilities.

Early eel ships were powered by furnace helms, but by the mid‒14 century DR most had been replaced by minor or major spelljamming helms.

An eel ship required a minimum crew of four to operate, but usually was held by a crew of 10 to 12. The maximum compliment it could hold without compromising its air supply was 20 individuals.

History
In the mid‒14 century DR, the elven admiral Icarus commanded a large fleet of elven spacecraft that contained five eel ships, among other types of spelljammers. Icarus operated exclusively in Realmspace.

Rumors & Legends
The origin of the eel ship design was unknown. It was rumored that they had been designed by an insectoid race such as the thri-kreen or intelligent giant wasps. The reasoning behind these rumors was the existence of a low and narrow crawl tunnel that led to the stern of the ship, too small for humans to stand up inside.