Dragonmorne: another moon for DMs

Hey guys,

    another drag & drop moon for DMs to add to their universe...this time a
world where a circle of dragon sages.

Adam



Dragonmorne

Planet Name: Moon of Dragonmorne

Planet Type: Sphere earth body

Planet Size: C

Escape Time: 4 Turns

Satellites: None.

Distance from Primary: 150,000 miles*

Day Length: 20 hours

Year Length: 25 days*

Population Analysis: Dragons, mix



            This well-known moon is located off the beaten path of most
spacefarers.  Despite this isolation, it sees more than its fair share of
travelers, especially adventurers who are in need of sagely advice.

            Dragonmorne is located around orbit of an air or water world.
It is about 250 miles across, with a large lake the shape of a dragon's
claw.  The lake is aptly named the Dragonclaw Lake, and is surrounded by
hills and forests.  To the north of the lake is a small range of old
mountains, where most of the dragons keep their lairs.



Climate and Weather

            Dragonmorne has a temperate climate.  The summers are warm while
the winters are mild.  Rainfall is plentiful in the mountainous and hilly
areas, which are forested, while the grasslands receive far less rainfall.
Severe storms are rare, but do on occasion sweep through the grasslands.
The hills are less vulnerable to these storms.



Appearance from Space

            From afar, Dragonmorne is a green orb with few distinguishing
features.  Dragonclaw Lake is visible from orbit, and is the landmark most
spelljammers use when searching for a place to land.



Continents

            None.  The moon lacks oceans or seas, and most of the surface is
either verdant forests or wild grasslands.



Native Creatures

            Herd animals are the most numerous creatures on Dragonmorne.
There are dozens of species of hoofed animals, several unique to this moon.
They wander the grasslands, grazing in endless herds.  The dragons native to
Dragonmorne feast on these creatures, having hunted down most large
predators so as to make sure there is enough food for themselves.

            Humans have imported a number of creatures, mostly rodents and
birds, but few manage to find a niche and simply die out.  Rats are a
problem in the human areas, kept under control by house cats.

            The forests are a mix of pine, oak, and shadowtop trees.  The
grasslands grow to a height of six feet during the summer.



Guide to Groundlings

            There are several towns of humans, elves, halflings, hadozee,
and other spacefaring creatures.  Most of these towns cluster around
Dragonclaw Lake where they can take advantage of trade with spelljammers.
Surrounding the towns are farms and fields, where food is grown locally.
Generally the towns have mixed populations and there are few conflicts
between the various races.

            Without question the dominant species of Dragonmorne are
dragons, specifically a group of dragon sages that settled this moon about a
century ago.  They call themselves the Sages of the Gilded Scroll and are
famed throughout the Known Spheres as sages with few peers.  Even the
Seekers look upon the Gilded Scroll with awe, and the two are on good terms.

            The five most prominent members of the Gilded Scroll are:



Mornlym - old electrum dragon

            This noble dragon is the nominal leader of the Gilded Scroll.
In his wanderings, he met many other dragon sages, and it was his idea to
band together.  Mornlym's goal is the preservation of knowledge and to
further it with the greatest dragon minds in wildspace.  Mornlym is an
expert in the fields of the planes, magic, spelljamming theories, and
planetology.



Nabalzyreph - venerable greyhawk dragon

            Nabalzyreph is the oldest and wisest dragon of the Gilded
Scroll.  He also enjoys the company of humans and demi-humans best, so the
other dragons generally let him deal with natives and visitors.  Nabalzyreph
has specialized his studies to culture, history (wildspace, Oerth, and
dragons), and artifacts (history, powers, and impact they have on history).



Angkarderegh - mature adult emerald dragon

            Raised by elves, Angkarderegh was already a trained sage by the
time she met Mornlym.  She was enthralled by the idea of a circle of dragon
sages, and after only a little convincing joined Mornlym.  Angkarderegh is
specialized in the studies of psionics, gemstones, magic items (particularly
swords), and golems.



Valoselden - adult brass dragon

            The youngest member of the Gilded Scroll, Valoselden is an
adventuresome brass dragon that traveled wildspace as long as she can
remember.  It was her idea to find a world to settle down and establish a
library from which the dragons can dispense wisdom (not to mention selling
their sage services!).  Dragonmorne was not her first choice, as the weather
is too wet for her tastes, but so long as she keeps her lair dry, she's
happy.  Valoselden is an expert in the fields of metallurgy, art, and
religion.



Balacalaun-tu - old t'ien lung (celestial dragon)

            Before Mornlym formed the Gilded Scroll, he traveled to Kara-Tur
to explore that land.  During his stay, he made friends with Balacalaun-tu,
as both enjoyed the acquisition of knowledge.  When Mornlym formed the
Gilded Scroll, Balacalaun-tu petitioned the Celestial Bureaucracy for
permission to join them.  After some paperwork, his superiors allowed
Balacalaun-tu special dispensation to depart Kara-Tur to join up with the
Gilded Scroll (the bureaucrats realized that having a member on a powerful
order of dragons might prove useful).  Balacalaun-tu is specialized in the
fields of alchemy, unusual flora and fauna, and liveworlds of all kinds.



            These dragons are merely the wisest and most prominent of their
kind; some have brought their families to Dragonmorne.  In total, there is
somewhere between a dozen and a score of dragons living on the moon.



Resources and Trade

            The towns of Dragonmorne are self-sufficient, requiring little
from other worlds.  The natives, however, have a fairly low standard of
living, and remain barely in the Bronze Age.  Worked iron must be imported,
but most of the tools are made of copper or bronze.  There are few weapons
for sale and no armor beyond simple leather.  The dragons will settle any
dispute that cannot be handled by the local magistrates, so arms and armor
are generally unnecessary.  Utilitarian weapons, such as knives, daggers,
and bows, are common.

            The primary export of Dragonmorne is knowledge; namely, the
services of the dragon sages.  Travelers come from across wildspace to buy
their services, which are comparable to other sages.  The advantage of using
the dragon sages is that the dragons tend to be far more knowledgeable than
human sages, and have more contacts as well.  The non-dragon residents make
their livings off of selling services to visitors, such as inns and taverns,
or to the dragons, such as building lairs and maintaining libraries.
Whatever luxuries the natives have are bought from visitors, usually
bringing bribes to appease the dragons' enormous egos.



Ports of Call

            There is about a score of towns around Dragonclaw Lake where
spelljammers can set down and dock.  From there, they can tell the town's
mayor that they wish to hire the services of one or more of the dragon
sages.  Go-betweens are used to contact the dragons, who decide if they want
to take the job or not.  The process takes about a week's time, during which
the townsfolk encourage travelers to patron the town's inns, taverns, and
local markets.  Visitors are treated well, as they are an important source
of money for otherwise poor townsfolk.  If the travelers become dangerous,
the dragons can be called upon to drive the danger away.  The townsfolk don'
t have much worth stealing, anyhow; certainly not enough to risk the wrath
of a dozen or more dragons!



History

            Remote and with little arable land, Dragonmorne has remained
uninhabited for centuries.  It was settled only 100 years ago when the
Gilded Scroll decided to establish a library-world of their own, where they
could discuss things in private and research uninterrupted.  Once
established, they informed their friends in the Seekers where they had
settled, and to direct those seeking their advice to the moon.  The
non-dragon settlers arrived soon afterwards, as servants, librarians,
go-betweens, and others who saw profit working for dragons.



Satellites

            None.  Dragonmorne is a moon without moons of its own.