Twilitespace: Lagorth

Hello.  This may seem a little anti-climatic, given the two recent
wonderful fiction posts, but here's the first world in the little sphere
I call Twilitespace.  Basically, though I "finished" Twilitespace months
ago, I've decided to go back and completely redo the whole thing. 
Worlds are changing to be more detailed, believable, and more unique. 
For example, Lagorith here started off as a fairly standard lava world
with firenewts, salamanders, azer, and lava oceans (*yawn*  Sounds too
much like Sirion or Hethla (no offense to that author!:)).  Now, I've
altered things a bit, getting rid of the lava oceans & replaced them
with seas of acidic water...:)  Hopefully, I'll have all of the worlds
of Twilitespace re-written eventually, and new worlds added to "fill in"
the gaps:)  Next, the Sun's Girdle!

Lagorith
Planet Name:		Lagorith
Planet Type:		Spherical earth (mineral?) body
Planet Size:		D
Escape Time:		3 turns
Satellites:		none
Distance from primary:	40 million miles
Day Length:		75 hours
Year Length:		90 days
Population Analysis:	Azer, fire newts, red dragons

	A heated dwarf of a world, Lagorith is littered with a few large, rocky
continents.  This world is 2000 miles in diameter, with only minor polar
flattening, mainly due to the slow rotation of the planet.  In all, the
equatorial circumference is roughly 6400 miles, as is the polar
circumference.
	The core of Lagorith is probably a sphere of superheated but solid
metals, notably iron and nickel.  Surrounding that small, heavy core is
likely a thick mantle of semi-liquid metal and magma.  A thin crust of
granite and basalt caps the upper layers the fiery mantle.  Roughly 50%
of the planet is solid land, while the rest being covered by an ocean of
a fiery substance called Smelt and seas of highly acidic water.  The
thickest landmass is probably about 50 miles thick, but most of the rest
of the planet, particularly the areas under the oceans, is less than
half that thickness.  The larger landmasses are stable, but smaller
islands are constantly sinking into and rising with the tides of the
various oceans.
	The most unusual feature of Lagorith is the icy ring that surrounds the
planet.  The ring is some 3000 miles from tip to tip, but is only 400'
high.  The ice chunks are magical, and completely drain the heat around
them.  The ice chunks are about 35' in diameter, but some reach almost
100' in diameter.  The cores of these icy chunks are a space variant of
the brown mold, absorbing the heat around them.  Though the space of the
ring should be hot enough to set fire to wooden ships in minutes, it is
arctic cold.  Several ships, mostly metallic barges from the nations of
Lagorith, drift in the ring caught totally unprepared for the coldness
of the area.
	Water exists on Lagorith, but all of it is extremely acidic.  Erosion
is mainly carried out mostly along rivers and shorelines, but wind and
lava flows are also very important erosion factors.  Volcanic activity
is fairly high on Lagorith, and the planet has at least one hundred
active volcanoes.  These volcanoes can build themselves up rapidly, but
most often destroy themselves long before erosion can wear them down.

Climate and Weather 
	A thick, reddish atmosphere shrouds this world.  Heavy clouds of carbon
dioxide and methane cloak about three-fifths of the world.  The
atmosphere is about 25 miles thick, and the upper 10 miles of that is
poisonous to humanoids.  The lower atmosphere has enough oxygen and
nitrogen to be breathable, but is heated to 120 degrees at 'sea level.' 
The heated atmosphere alone can cause burns and inflict small amounts of
damage.
	There are strong winds searing the planet, but little precipitation or
storms can be found.  The water of Lagorith has an unusually high
boiling point, and rarely evaporates even in the heated climate.  Rain
showers of "acid rain" are rare, occurring only once a month or so, but
can be very deadly to those not prepared for them.  Anyone not native to
Lagorith caught in such a storm will take d6 points of damage per turn
exposed to the rain.  The natives of Lagorith have adapted to the acidic
water and can drink it normally.  Oddly, "normal" water is poisonous to
them.
	The more common type of precipitation on Lagorith is the firestorms
unleashed by volcanoes spewing vast amounts of heated ash into the
methane clouds.  The ash falls upon the nearby countryside, burning
anyone caught in such storms.  Treat as the firestorm spell, but have
areas of miles but inflicts normal damage.  The storms can last up to 5
days.

Appearance from Space
	Lagorith appears as a perfect reddish sphere with a glowing ocean of
Smelt and another ocean of blue-yellow water.  A bluish ring surrounds
the planet, but the moon cannot be easily seen.  Clouds of dark yellow
swirl about the planet in a fashion similar to normal clouds on Oerth or
Toril.

Continents 
	There are three decent sized landmasses that can be distinctly called
continents dividing the two oceans.  Each is a slab of granite, basalt,
and heavy metals.  The closest distance between the two oceans is about
700 miles.  The Acid Sea is the larger of the two oceans, covering
roughly thirty percent of the planet.  The other is the Smelt Sea, and
is much smaller and resembles an inland-sea rather than a true ocean. 
It covers only twenty percent of Lagorith's surface.
	Each of the three continents is covered with endless mountain ranges,
vast deserts, numerous volcanoes, and even a few forests.  The forests
are most common along the coasts of the water ocean and river valleys
that drain into that ocean.  The deserts surround the fiery Smelt Sea,
and are usually devoid of life.  Volcanoes are more common around that
ocean, and the area is riddled with mountains.  Water, as acidic as it
is, is rare in this region.
	Volcanic tubes lace the mountain ranges, providing homes for many of
the planet's inhabitants.  Most of these tubes are linked together in a
vast network of tunnels that allows access to almost any location on
Lagorith's surface.  However, these tubes sometimes flood with lava or
water, and are most inhabitants will not travel deeply within them. 
Whole tribes have been wiped out when a tube flooded unexpectantly with
lava.

Life Forms 
	There is a surprising amount of life on Lagorith.  The fiery Smelt Sea
the favorite playground for fire  elementals, which never travel far
from a gate that randomly opens and closes to the elemental plane of
Fire.  Fire bats and flame swallows are also commonly found over the
oceans, nesting on cliffs that line the shoreline.
	The three large continents are home to a wide variety of heat and acid
resistant life forms.  The plants of Lagorith tend to resemble species
found on Ethwold, but have adapted to the harsh environment.  The most
common form of tree resembles a palm tree, but its bark is rock hard. 
These trees range in height from 12' through 45' tall.  Their leaves
appear metallic and are designed to allow water to flow off them when it
rains.  Water is absorbed through ground roots that are very capable of
filtering out the acid.  These trees grow in thick forests in the river
valleys surrounding water-ocean, but are rare elsewhere.  The mountain
slopes and open fields surrounding that ocean are covered with a
brass-colored grass that appears to be miniature ferns.  Larger
specimens of the plant dot the landscape, with some plants reaching 10'
in diameter.  The plants thrive in the hostile environment of Lagorith,
but cannot survive anywhere else.  All attempts at transplants have
failed to date.
	Animal life is not common on Lagorith.  The dominant species of prey
animal is a type of rodent with a yellow-brown thin fur coat.  There are
ten distinct species of this rodent, with the largest standing three
feet tall at the shoulder.  Most are much smaller, averaging the size of
a mid-sized dog.  Predatory animals are less common, and are inclined
along reptilian lines.  The fire variants of toads, snakes, and lizards
are the most common predators on Lagorith, but a few packs of hellhounds
haunt the land as well.  These predators can handle almost any sort of
meat, but will eat off-worlders only if desperate.  Such food tends to
give the animals terrible stomach problems and even food poisoning, and
they have learned to avoid it if possible.

Guide to Groundlings
	There are few sentient races on Lagorith, all of whom, obviously, are
heat resistant.  In all, there are four sentient species.  The azer,
fire newts, and red dragons haunt the deep valleys and steep mountains. 
All of the continents are inhabited by them, as are many of the large
islands.
	The last race of intelligent creatures inhabits a golden island shaped
like a 25-mile wide coin that drifts in the Smelt Sea.  This island is
inhabited by fifty or so efreeti.  They are very unusual for their kind:
they pursue a life of peace and tranquility.  Because of their great
power, they are left completely alone.  The fire newts and salamanders
tribes that live in the area have learned to leave the efreeti alone
after no less than ten failed invasion attempts and countless lost
raiding expeditions.
	The peace the efreeti enjoy is an island is a sea of war and chaos. 
The other races' chief desire is to wipe each other out and claim the
planet as their own.  The fire newts, however, are greatly divided and
scattered.  Most live in the deserts that surround the Smelt Sea, while
only a few clans have crossed the mountains to dwell in the forested
valleys.  The largest clans, particularly those with kings, claim the
areas nearest volcanoes and spread throughout the mountains.  The
mountain dwelling fire newts are technologically far superior to their
cousins that have been banished to the barren deserts.  The mountain
clans usually center around a primitive citadel with links to
underground passages.  Most of the mountain clans have weapons stolen
from the azer, and thus have a military advantage over their
desert-dwelling cousins.  The desert clans, on the other hand, are
smaller and much more widely dispersed.  Their weapons are very crude,
usually stone spears and hand axes.  Chiefs may own azer weapons, but
such weapons are very rare and treated as religious relics.  The
mountain clans usually have one to two hundred adult male warriors and
double that number in females and children.  The desert clans are on
average much smaller, with but twenty to fifty adult male warriors and a
like number of females and children.  The desert clans are no match for
their brethren dwelling in the mountains, but on occasion a great leader
will arise among the desert clans that will unite them in a war against
their kin.  The end result of these crusades is usually a weaker
mountain clan is destroyed and replaced.
	The largest fire newt clans are ruled a great king, who often command
the hordes of two to five other nearby clans.  The kings rule from the
strongest citadels and command small armies that constantly wage war
against each other.  There are nine clans large enough to be ruled by
kings, but that number is not static.  At times, the number of king-led
clans are double that amount, and at other times half that.  Each king
rules a clan of maximum size and own the best weapons available to their
race.  The fire newts have few skills and craft few items.  They have no
agricultural skill, nor do they craft anything other than crude weapons
and simple tools.  As a result, the bulk of their population is not tied
to the land or a particular craft, promoting a high number of warriors. 
Almost every adult male is trained to use a weapon, and no child is
allowed to survive to adulthood unless it passes strict rites of passage
to prove its worth as warriors.  Because of the almost constant warfare
in an effort to gain territory and political power, the overall number
of fire newts is much lower than the land could support.  The constant
inter-racial warfare is also the primary reason why the azer were able
to establish themselves centuries ago when they were weak, and the
reason why the fire newts have been unable to destroy the azer nations. 
The fire newts will probably be forever divided into petty tribes, never
able to achieve more power than on a local level.  
	On occasion, small clans of fire newts will flee to the coastline of
the Smelt Sea, where they try to escape the fury of larger clans.  These
coastal clans have developed the ability to create small catamarans out
of rock, which they use to sail the Smelt Sea.  They seek out unclaimed
islands to establish themselves in a place devoid of enemies.  At least
five clans have established themselves on a handful of small islands and
now have small navies of catamarans.  These clans use their navies to
raid the nearby coastal villages and even to raid each other.
	Every decade, when the stars are aligned correctly, the surviving fire
newt kings will attack every clan they can in an effort to secure
slaves.  After a season of constant slave taking, the kings will journey
with their army and slaves to Geyser Mountain, where they present their
slaves to the red dragon council that dwells there.  The dragons judge
each king based upon their slave taking skills, and the king deemed the
greatest warrior and leader is allowed to enter the Great Hatching
Chamber, where he creates a cocoon-like egg about himself.  After a six
months, the egg hatches, and the king emerges as a new red dragon
hatchling.  The new red dragon has a 50% of becoming female during the
chrysalis process, but no red dragon can reproduce naturally.  The
dragons allow only the strongest kings join them so that the resulting
dragons will be the most powerful and vicious members of the species. 
The new dragon will grow for fifty years before it reaches adulthood and
its maximum size of fifty feet long.  Upon adulthood, the dragon will
seek to carve out a new territory among the mountains.  Some take
command of small clans of fire newts, while others join the council. 
All are territorial and defensive of their chosen lair.
	The azer, on the other hand, are nearly the polar opposite of the
hordes.  They have a stable system of bureaucratic government, and have
allied their five nations into a single alliance.  They own a sizable
crescent of coastal land around the water-ocean and have erected three
small cities.  Each city owns a small fair amount of territory, and is
supported by a number of smaller towns and villages.  Each city is an
individual nation, while the other two nations are in fact loose
alliances of towns and villages.  One is an archipelago of tiny islands
that acts as a stopping off point between nations, while the other is an
agrarian nation that dominates a linked series of fertile valleys.
	The azer have long fought against the other races of Lagorith, and have
driven most hostile races from their borders.  Despite a generation of
peace, the azer remain vigilant against future invasions.  All
settlements are defended by high granite walls and maintain strong
watches.  The streets are narrow and easily blocked, while most
structures are built with defense in mind.  All windows are arrow slits,
with crossbows hanging on hooks next to them, and doors are built of
solid iron.  The towers along the town walls mount catapults to hurl
deadly missiles at approaching enemy forces.  Though almost all azer
towns have only three to seven hundred citizens, all adults are trained
to use weapons.  Crossbow training is mandatory, and preferred melee
weapons include battleaxes, warhammers, and spears.  All are crafted
from a black iron found on Lagorith that is extremely durable.  Treat
all azer weapons as +1 to damage due to this metal, while some weapons
may have a second +1 bonus due to craftsmanship.  Such weapons are sold
to off-worlders for extraordinary prices.  An axe with a +2 bonus to
damage recently sold in Greyspace for 6,000 gp.
	The azer cities are fairly small when compared to cities on other
worlds, but huge to the residents of Lagorith.  Granitespire and
Diamondbeach are the smaller two of the three cities, each with 4,000
residents.  The largest city, Goldspire, is the azer's primary trading
post and has 6,000 residents.  All of the cities have thick granite
walls that soar in upwards of 100' in height.  Most of the buildings of
the cities are sturdy towers five to ten stories tall.  The tallest
buildings mount ballista on their roofs and difficult to assault. 
Architecture is similar to azer towns, but the cities are, if anything,
even more heavily defended and are nearly impossible to invade.  Never
in azer history has one of their cities been seriously attacked.
	Each city has a large fortress-like build set aside as a governmental
building.  These buildings are magnificent constructs of stone and
glass, soaring above the highest towers.  While their exteriors are
impenetrable fortresses, the interiors are filled with offices of
bureaucrats, armories, art galleries, barracks, and living quarters for
the royal families.  Azer kings are all directly descendant from the
first azer king.
	In addition to the governmental palace, each city sports a small dock,
which support the city's small flotilla of stone galleons, which ply the
Acid Sea trade routes.  Each city has but a pair of warships, mainly to
defend against those fire newt tribes that live on the Acid Sea and to
protect azer merchant ships against marauding spelljammers.  Though
there have been few pirate attacks against the azer as the Acid Sea
alone provides enough of a deterrent to most pirates.  With undoubtedly
the largest ships on Lagorith, the azer are the undisputed master of the
Acid Sea.  

Resources and Trade
	Though this world is a venerable treasure trove of metals and
gemstones, it is virtually untouched by spelljammers. The fire newts are
highly xenophobic, and will attack (or flee from) spelljammers on site. 
The hordes of  fire newts can never be won over by "outlanders," and are
distrustful of everyone.  The efreeti prefer isolation, and will warn
away anyone who approaches their island.  Those that persist will be
destroyed.  Only the azer would trade with spelljammers, but their
cities are too small and will-hidden to be seen from orbit.  Even if a
spelljammer does discover the azer cities, they must overcome the azer's
natural distrust of outsiders.

Ports of Call 
	Though the azer have no spelljammers of their own, they do allow ships
from other worlds to dock at their cities.  They allow no spelljammer to
land anywhere else but the ports, as they would view it as an invasion
attempt.  The azer are distrustful of strangers, and only a handful of
long-time merchants have managed to win their confidence.  Though the
azer cities are equipped with water docks, the acid of that water would
eat away any ship that is bold enough to attempt a water landing. 
Instead, only land-landing craft are capable of setting down.  Though
each city has a special field set aside for spelljammers, the field at
Goldspire is the largest and most advanced.  It can easily land, unload
and load up to four spelljammers of decent size.  The fields at the
other cities are half as big.  None of the azer settlements are capable
of repairing any sort of spelljammer.
	The azer will trade metal goods, weapons, armor, tools, and artwork for
food, glass, rare or exotic stone, and luxury goods.  Though early
merchants were able to take advantage of the azer general naive
knowledge of other worlds, but the azer were fast learners.  They
quickly discovered the true value of their merchandise, and are now
shrewd bargainers.  Merchants now must work hard to get good deals, but
the profits from such trips are such that trade is in no danger of
drying up.

History 
	Lagorith has a long and sorted history.  It was first discovered and
colonized by lizardmen several thousand years ago.  The lizardmen viewed
the planet as a perfect penal colony to dump off convicted criminals. 
The practice ended when the lizardmen fell from power, and the convicts
were condemned to eternal imprisonment on Lagorith.  Eventually, over
the centuries, the convicts adapted to their environment, evolving into
the distinct specie of fire newts.  The fire newts constantly warred
with each other, and as a result, have lost almost all of their oral
history and even their technology.  Later, when the ancient empires
where exploring the spheres, gates were accidentally opened to Lagorith,
allowing the creatures to escape to other worlds.
	At the height of those empires, a large dwarf clan crashed on Lagorith
and became stranded there.  In desperation, the dwarves called out to
the gods for help.  Helius, the god of fire and innovation, heard their
plea and altered the dwarves so that they might survive and even thrive
on the hostile world.  The Azeer clan, now altered to survive on
Lagorith, settled in along the coast of the Acid Sea and would
eventually rise to become the most powerful nation on the planet. 
Contact was recently re-established between traders from other worlds,
who now use the cities of the azer as hubs for trade.  The azer have no
desire to leave their world, considering it their homeland.

Other Considerations
	In orbit around Lagorith is a single moon of black obsidian.  It is
nearly invisible and difficult to find.  With a diameter of a mere 84
miles, it is small enough to be overlooked by virtually everyone. 
Because of this isolation, the dwarvish nation of Araufaern, the Great
Home, has established a fall back citadel here.  This citadel, known as
the Black Hammer, has been built into the side of a mile-wide crater. 
Black Hammer has a garrison of 200 mountain dwarf warriors, who defend
the citadel against all attacks.  In the event of attack, the citadel
has two squidships, fully rigged for battle, to help drive invaders
away.  The squidships were stationed here both to defend the citadel and
to protect vital dwarvish trade routes between Lagorith and the Girdle.
	The remoteness of the moon of Lagorith has attracted a second minor
power, a group of fire elementalist, who established a school of magic
here.  It is here that the fire elementalists train new recruits and
keep the bulk of their lore and magical items.  The dean of the school
is an 18th level fire elementalist, who is served by a staff of 8 lesser
elementists (levels 7-12).  Roughly 20 students are training here at any
one time (levels 0-7).  In addition, there are many more staff members
(support personal), five obsidian golems, and many servants.  The school
is serviced by a vipership, which makes regular supply runs as well as
transporting students and staff to and from the school.

-- 
Night Druid