The Nation of the 3 Lilies 3: The 3 Lilies

The 3 Lilies:
The 3 Lilies are the three main, large asteroids of the nation.  Each
is a jungle covered, hot, wet, swampy asteroid with a “native” lizard
man population (native means as far back as their history goes they’ve
lived there, they may have arrived from somewhere else in their
prehistory at the DM’s desire).  At least, they were.  Sucking Mud has
had most of its trees cut away to build housing and supply other needs,
like fires and ship-building materials.  Watery Bog is following in
this path, or would be if it weren’t for the resistance of some of the
locals.
     Sucking Mud:  Sucking Mud is the largest of the Lilies in terms of
lizard man population and has the most political power in the nation
because of this.  There is no other intelligent native life to compete
with the lizard men on Sucking Mud which has allowed the population to
grow nearly unchecked.  This has led to severe overpopulation which has
created two complementary situations:  an expanding military (navy and
marine) force as lizard men seek to escape the desperate overcrowding
of their home and a significant political push to colonize everything
possible in the area (and expand the nation).  Barren asteroids are
already being terraformed if they have an atmosphere to allow the
introduction of plants and animals.  This drive to expand has led to
the charting and exploration of every asteroid in Lilies space,
including cataloguing atmospheric and other conditions.  Those with
good atmospheres all have some amount of introduced plant and fungal
life (and probably small insects and necessary animals like worms and
spiders).  Those lacking water have had large chunks of ice towed to
them in order to provide it.  Only asteroids lacking atmosphere, with
deadly atmosphere, and that are frozen have not had some work done to
begin their terraforming.
     Sucking Mud’s population supports the primary shipyards in the
nation, where bloatflies, turtleships, and waspships are regularly
manufactured and repaired.  The lizard men have also dismantled and
examined nautiloids, dreadnoughts, deathspiders, and mindspiders; the
ships of their enemies, the illithids and neogi.  The shipyards have
repaired most common designs of spelljammers, including squidships,
tradesmen, hammerships, and dragonflies.
     Unfortunately, Sucking Mud’s chronic overpopulation has also led
to a number of problems.  Besides troops for the nation, ships, and
mercenaries, it has no exports.  In fact, it cannot even support itself
and imports food and raw materials.  The native pottery trade is self
sufficient but smiths who don’t directly support the ship building
industry are outlawed to preserve air as the asteroid’s air supply is
overwhelmed and already fouled.  Among the large contingent of troops
and ships stationed here (this is the primary naval base in the nation)
are a large number of hurwaeti to help maintain the desperately fragile
air supply.
     Watery Bog:  Watery Bog is the largest of the Lilies in size but
is not nearly as great in population.  The asteroid is still thickly
covered in jungle broken only by large ponds and lagoons over much of
its surface.  The lizard men of Watery Bog have always had to battle
the native bullywug population for space and their rivalry is intense.
The bullywugs have been prevented from gaining access to spelljamming
technology but that’s about all.  They have a strong priestly force
among their numbers and use traps and captured weaponry to protect
their lands and terrorize border settlements of lizard men (they even
have catapults and ballistae).  Since the lizard men started cutting
down trees to fuel their forge fires the normally friendly local
grippli of the asteroid have allied with the bullywugs against the
lizard men.  A large contingent of marines guards the lizard man held
territories against attack and a constant blockade of wasp and
turtleships ensures no smugglers arrive to trade with the bullywugs and
grippli.  Despite this presence the bullywugs are a significant threat
and control most of the asteroid, limiting the lizard men to one end on
either face.  Suggestions ot consolidate the lizard man population on
one face of the asteroid and then clear that face of enemies, leaving
the other side to the bullywugs and grippli, have always ended with
arguments over which side to abandon and refusals by the populace of
both sides to move or be moved (the issue is becoming so divisive that
the council’s two religious members are usually drawn from different
faces of the asteroid now).  Other ideas, such as spelljammers used to
locate bullywug villages and track and warn of raiding parties have
failed due to the thick jungle canopy.  For now the lizard men are at a
stalemate, able to import and equip enough marines to hold off their
foes but unable to effectively attack the bullywug-grippli alliance
without incurring massive casualties.  With more and more Sucking Mud
lizard men looking to immigrate, however, the government may be forced
to accept such a hurtful war in order to make room for expansion.  And
there are rumors that the bullywugs are not just becoming trickier and
bolder but also more powerful and numerous.
     Watery Bog produces the finest weaponry and armor in the nation.
Its artisans are skilled at leatherworking, alchemy, weaving, woodwork,
and forging of all sorts as well as combining the disciplines in armor
and weapons production.  Watery Bog exports more than just military
equipment.  The lizard men are self sufficient in terms of food and raw
materials other than metal.  They produce a small excess of food, most
of which is consumed by the military forces stationed here.  A number
of delicacies, including both fish and bugs were originally only found
here of all the places in the nation and connoisseurs still swear by
the original stock.  The constant warfare also produces some of the
best marines and tacticians in the nation, making a disproportionately
high number of the military’s leaders natives of Watery Bog (around
45%).
     Swamp Mire:  The population here has the least interest in leaving
of all the Lilies and maintains much of their traditional lifestyle
from ages past.  Submerged and mud hut villages still hide under the
thick canopy of the asteroid’s environment, which is more accurately
described as overgrown swamp than jungle.  The natives limit their
export of trees, despite heated demands from the representatives of
Sucking Mud, ensuring their environment is preserved.  They also export
large amounts of food from controlled fish hatcheries and aquatic farms
(Swamp Mire crabs, crayfish, and freshwater oysters are all considered
the best in the nation), giving them a disproportionate political and
economic influence.  Silk is another major export along with papyrus,
reeds, rushes, and cattails.  Swamp Mire has the finest and most
prolific sailmakers in the nation and have reduced all others almost
exclusively to repair work.  Swamp Mire sails come in a variety of
types but their silk sails are the most valued as they will not
naturally decay and so can be indefinitely stored (even on a wet lizard
man world or ship) as well as being exceptionally strong.  They do a
lesser business in rope of all sizes and types.
     Swamp Mire is not entirely idyllic, however.  Just as the jungle
monsters still prowl the non-lizard man controlled areas of Watery Bog,
so too do they moved unchecked on Swamp Mire.  Additionally, there is a
native tasloi population and it is not friendly to the lizard men.
Some of the tasloi villages have even learned to train carnivorous
apes.  Unlike on Watery Bog, however, the tasloi are not allied nor is
there active, all-consuming war between the two peoples.  Raids and
harassment are constant from an asteroid-wide perspective but these are
not coordinated or meant to destroy populations or force villages out.
Instead they are about disputed territory, poaching, or simply
hot-blooded youths.  Such raids are initiated by both sides but the
lizard men have learned to defend against the few more radical tasloi
villages and independent bands.  With their access to superior weaponry
and significant reinforcement, as well a standing military, the lizard
men definitely have the upper hand.  The populace is not interested in
exterminating their neighbors nor driving them to unite in genocidal
warfare as on Watery Bog (this is a good thing since the tasloi are
tree-dwellers and have the advantage of position).


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