Astromundi Cluster: Inner Ring

The Inner Ring
     "This heavily-populated asteroid belt is the heart of the Astromundi Cluster.  Antilan
outposts spital upward next to squat City-Starts, illithid embassies and dwarven mining
barracks sit side by side.  Virtually every race is represented here in some form, and trade is
fast and furious.  By universal agreement, war is banned from the Inner Ring.  The penalty
for breaking the ban would be disastrous, as every other race would turn on the offender."
...The Astrogator's Guide, page 19.

     This vast asteroid ring is two tracks thick on the Planetary Display Chart.  It would
take a Spelljammer ship two to three days just to pass through it.  The following are some
(only a small sampling) of  the various communities within this relatively peaceful region of
the cluster.

*  The Aperusa wildspace gypsies are nomadic and never live in permanent settlements, but 
Aadeththavn comes the closest to a exception.  They gather here to trade among themselves,
marry, repair ships, exchange information, and celebrate life.  The asteroid has a minimal
atmosphere, which makes life difficult for non-aperusa (treat as fouled air).  Plant life is
abundant, but secret magic keeps the air thin.  Besides the tent city, a multitude of Vagabond
and other ships, many herb gardens can be found.  Aperusa herbs are touted to be the best in
the cluster (by the Aperusa).  Many are as potent as potions and can be dried to last a long
time (1d4+1 weeks).  Only NPC Aperusa can create these herbs, but any Aperusa with
Herbalism can identify their properties.

*  Ksiyiiksksy is only one of many dozens of lizard man settlements in the Inner Ring, but it
is the largest in landmass, if not population.  The planetoid of Ksiyiiksksy is over 2,800 mile
wide (size D).  The landscape is dotted with deep lakes surrounded by swampy regions.  The
lizard men have imported many reptilian creatures on the request of their priests of Sstasa. 
As a result, the swamps, jungles and plains are thriving with herds of dinosaurs, giant snakes,
giant lizards, sea reptiles, and other monstrous reptilian species.  The lizard men live in stone
cities that have a large ziggurat temple to Sstasa at the center.  The lizard men export eggs,
lizard  and snake skins, various snake venoms, wood, rare plants and fruits, ivory, and pearls.  
Dinosaurs are used as beasts of burden and smaller ones as steeds.  They consider poaching
to be an act of war, but the neogi only react to calls of retribution if a lizard man city is
actually attacked.   One city also produces an improved Triop ship that can remain submerged
3d10 rounds before flooding.

*  The Rookery is a huge Dohwar community.  It looks like a great city of stone and glass
towers with lots of channels and water slides.  Getting about is a terrifying experience to non-
Dohwar as some of the wider slides are quite steep.  They trade for all commodities and have
extensive records on trade routes outside the sphere.  They claim to be loosing their "tail-
feathers" to the elves in transport fees out of the sphere, but in reality they have discovered a
wrinkle that opens outside the sphere-wall.  They are making the most of it, realizing that it
could close at any moment.  Patrols of Deathsquealers act as a local police force, but are
notorious to accepting bribes.  Gambling is a thriving tourist attraction in the Rookery and
establishments catering to outsiders are common and varied.  Some have the most outlandish
themes.

*  The elven settlement of Elmadur is a huge space-vine (size B) anchored to an asteroid
cluster.  The vines make the interior a virtual fortress for defense purposes.  Hidden heavy
Ballista and Catapults among the outer branches make approach by any non-elven ships a
suicide run.  The elves here are typical of those found in the sphere; greenish tint to the skin,
shaven heads, and an innate immunity to psionic contact.  Many Hadozee live among them
and assist the elves in many ways.  The Hadozee are gliders and can navigate among the
giant outer branches very quickly.  They act as scouts and weaponeers in the remote parts of
the vine forest.  [for a fair idea of that the vine world looks like, see the cover of Dragon
#175]

*  The asteroid city of Nirtheth reminds one of a giant (size B) geode in space.  This drow
city has a thick, hard crust and a hollow interior, lined with huge non-precious crystals.  One
large and four smaller tunnels lead  from the docks on the surface to the interior.  The outside
looks like a lifeless asteroid and that helps in its defense.  The inside would appear to be a
typical underdark drow city except for the extensive use of glass, quartz and crystal in the
construction of their buildings.  The drow mages have developed spells to allow them to
shape the crystal to suite their needs.  A temple to Lolth allows the priestesses to pray and
regain spells greater than 2nd level [Lolth is not native to the Astromundi Cluster].  The cities
secret location has been its greatest defense and the matriarchs are forging agreements with
the neogi to prevent their destruction should their location be revealed to the elves or human
nations.  They currently have trading agreements with the Illithids of Ushathrandra and the
beholders of Deyomad.  They use a variety of pirated ships they have captured over the years
and the matriarchs have taken to the habit of keeping Grell slaves as their personal attendants.

*  A library built by gnomes around the lair of a Fal which happens to also be a 15th level
pscionicist (or mentalist in a non-psionic campaign).  The complex of stone buildings is
guarded by gnomish weaponeers and gnomish warships.  Invaders who laugh at the gnomish
guardians of the asteroid have a very rude surprise in store for them.  The Fal has shown
them how to stabilize many of their more outlandish inventions and (most) work with deadly
precision.  The scholarly gnomes attend the Fal and maintain the library of information that
has built up over they years.  Fees for usage of the facility are expensive [1,000 gp plus any
additional sage research required, see DMG page 107], but may be greatly reduced if new
books or manuscripts are donated to the library.  Triple the chance of finding information in a
given field from Table 61 from the DMG, page 107, but all information is limited to the
Astromundi Cluster.  If information outside the cluster is sought, half [round up] the
percentage chance of finding the information.  The Fal does not receive visitors.  If
information is sought from its ancient wisdom, the gnomes relay the question and an answer
may (20%) be returned via the attendants in 2d8 days.  The Fal considers its answers very
carefully.

*  Darkhaven is a rather unremarkable farming village on an average but pleasant size C
asteroid.  The town of about a hundred Calidians is under the protected of Thalothril, an arch
lich [from Lost Ships].  He is dedicated to the cause of good and works to support those who
share his views.  He has frequent contact with traveling birdmaidens, dark rangers, bards and
some elven communities.  He sponsors adventuring groups who have noble intent, sometimes
even without their knowledge.  Thalothril has quite an extensive spell library and magical
arsenal hidden away in an extradimensional safehouse.  His home in Darkhaven is a humble
two story stone cottage with a nearby fishing pond.  The locals are quite fond of Thalothril
and perhaps a little protective when too many young adventuring types show up in town
seeking an audience with the great arch lich.  Many of the townsfolk are retired adventurers
themselves and can handle visitors who don't show proper courtesy.  Thalothril works to keep
the other races from being ground under-heel in the Antilan/illithid war, opposing the
advances of both nations whenever possible.  He is none too fond of the greedy neogi either. 
[If you can't figure out who this is a tribute to, I am NOT going to tell you.]

*  The large jungle asteroid of Meloskos generates a low-magic zone.  Magic more powerful
than third level spells will not function within a mile of this size C world.  This extends to
magic items based on their relative power.  As a result, spelljamming ships that approach
always crash.  Some ships with sails were able to make a controlled crash landing and thus
Meloskos has several primitive cultures living in the jungles.  They include several different
human tribes, scro, dwarves, grommom, furchin halflings, lizard men, wild Giltiond elves,
kobolds and a few illithids (their psionic sciences seem to be similarly reduced).  All have
regressed to a primitive state and become rather xenophobic over the decades with the lose of
powerful psionics, wizard and clerical magic.  Intertrible warfare is common, even against a
different tribe of the same species.  Meloskos is a biologically abundant asteroid, but has no
metal deposits at all.  Only the metal from the original ships are available for weapons and
even then, the humid environment rusts any left untended.  

*  Even with the ban on open warfare, this asteroid base keeps a low profile.  Secreted deep
inside an asteroid creator lies a base of Gith Pirates.  Over a thousand Gith live in this maze
of tunnels, working to keep the raiding ships operational.  Due to the scarcity of helms, the
highest level mages use Create Minor Helm spells to keep even captured rock hopper skiffs
going.  Male and female pirates share the same status in all areas, except there are more
female clerics than males, and the warlock ranks are mostly male.  Aside from wizardry and
priest magic, the Gith also research psionics to combat their number one foes: the illithids. 
Captured elven ships are prized and a special dock inside the asteroid has been isolated and
coated with Continual Light spells for the health of plant ships.  The Gith have a large kennel
that house gnashers [Monstrous Compendium Annual, Volume One] which were purchased
from the scro via neogi merchants.  Both standard and winged versions are trained as attack
beasts.  The come in quite handy against the illithids and their Varan allies.  

Other asteroids communities include:
*  A large city of minotaurs that arrived here from Krynnspace.
*  A colony of Grell which is all that remains of a failed invasion attempt may years ago.
*  A K'r'r'r nest world built so that there are no dominate gravity planes inside.
*  A Grav city-asteroid which acts as the local base for all grav mining activity in the belt.
*  A jungle asteroid that is home to many tribes of Grommam and the being they worship as
their demigod; a humanoid (gorilla) gargantuan.
*  A extensive private estate of an aged Reigar who specialized in crystalline lifeforms. 
Voldonispace crystal spiders are only a part of her collection.
*  A group of strange looking newcomers to the sphere that practice a primitive culture.  The
Sesheyans form Dragon #251.  They were captured by neogi slavers and brought to the
cluster where they made their escape with the help of the Calidian Hidden.
*  A Giff military academy that trains warriors of any species (who can pay) in various styles
of combat.  
*  A giant space vine anchored to an asteroid.  It was planted and cultivated by elves who
were killed out by scro raiders using insectare spies.  The plantworld is now home to a
colony of xixchil.
*  An underground temple complex to Setltain.  The high priestess is a greater medusa.
*  A large asteroid with lots of high outcroppings (mountain ranges) inhabited by several
tribes of kendu.
*  A city built on the bones of a vast space beast (size B) now inhabited by a mixture of
races including illithids, neogi, intelligent undead, antilans, beholders, scro and drow.
*  A Thoric whaling station where Kinkori (and other space beasts) are processed.
*  A lizard man tribe that have taken up residence in the hollow carcass of a dead
gammaroid.
*  An illithid community consisting of those who have fallen out of favor with the elder
minds.  These illithids come here to escape the Antilans and their own kind.
*  An antilan farming collective that relies on slave labor.  
*  An large asteroid nation of humans from an unknown sphere.  They are unremarkable
except that about one in ten male children transform into minotarus when they reach puberty. 
Minotaurs are common among their crews. 
*  An isolated asteroid upon which rests the ruins of an ancient Wizards Collage from before
the Second Cataclysm.  [Use the Collage of Wizardry supplement]
*  A small asteroid with a town that was once the workshop of a group of tinker gnomes. 
Their creations turned on their masters due to some catastrophic accident (gnomes, go figure!)
and is now only populated by Autognomes who believe they are real gnomes.
*  A water world inhabited by spelljamming bullywugs.  They have many giant types of frogs
as guardian animals.


Random Asteroid Communities

Table 1a, Major Races, d20
01          Antilans
02-04     Calidians
05-06     Dwarves
07          Elves
08          Illithids
09-10     Lizard men
11-12     Neogi
13          Thoric
14-15     Varan
16-17     Mixed, reroll 1d4+1 times
18-20     Minor Race, see Table 1b

Table 1b, Minor Races, d100
01          Arcane
02          Beholder or Beholder-Kin
03-05     Dohwar
06-10     Dracon
11-12     Elf, Drow
13-18     Giff
19-24     Gnome
25-27     Grav
28-30     Grell
31-34     Grommam
35-39     Hadozee
40-46     Halfling, Furchin (Complete Book of Gnomes & Halflings, page 275-77) 
47-50     Half-Elf
51-57     Human, other (Aparusa, Orientals, Voldoni refugees, etc.)
58-59     K'r'r'r
60          Oortlings (SJR2, escaped slaves from Illithid larder colonies)
61          Plasmoids (60% DeGleash, 40% DelNoric, never together)
62-63     Pirates of Gith
64          Reigar 
65-70     Rastipede
71-72     Rakasta (from the Red Steel setting)
73-75     Rock Hopper
76-79     Scro (95% hostile, 5% have turned to the teachings of Munigur)
80-81     Spacesea Giant
82-84     Undead (intelligent and not always hostile)
85-88     Xixchil
89-94     Mixed, reroll 1d4+1 times on table 1a.
95-00     DM Special (races from other settings that have found their way into the cluster and
are now trapped)

Table 2, Type of Community, d12
01          City (population > 1,000)
02-03     Town or Village (population < 1,000)
04          Ship Facility
05-06     Mining Facility
07          Large Farming Community
08          Small Farmstead
09          Trading Outpost or Waystation
10          Private Estate
11          Temple Complex (Note: priests of non-native deities can only receive spells greater
than 2nd level if they pray for spells in a temple dedicated to their deity.  Still, most temples
will be to native deities.)
12           DM Special (Game preserve to a wealthy merchant, underground complex, monster
lair with charmed slaves, pirate hideout, etc)