March Moon of the Month: Lisimba

It's March, so thus its time for a new Moon of the Month!!!  This time your
favorite Druid of the Night explores the dry moon Lisimba, the world of
sphinxes!

Lisimba
Planet Name: Lisimba
Planet Type: Earth
Planet Size: C
Escape Time: 2 turns
Satellites: 1
Distance from Primary: 250,000 miles
Day Length: 20 hours
Year Length: 30 days
Population Analysis: Sphinxes, humans

 This moon can be found around any world that is relatively warm.  It sees
little spelljamming activity, although it does not necessarily need to be in
a remote part of wildspace.  Travelers that do come to Lisimba seek the
services of the Egyptian gods.
 The Sebak Sea is the most obvious landmark.  It twists and turns, dividing
the land into two.  There are six ranges of mountains, all rocky and low.
Mountain forests offer shade from the hot sun.  There are few other
landmarks to distinguish one vast sweeping plain from another.

Climate and Weather
 Lisimba is marked by hot, sweeping desert dunes, sparse grasslands, and
many sparkling oasis.  The sky is always clear, rarely broken by a cloud.
Temperatures are hot and dry.  Water is provided by morning mists, which
deposit thick droplets of water on vegetation and rocks, or condense into
ponds that disappear by late afternoon.

Appearance from Space
 From afar, Lisimba is a sandy-brown orb highlighted with streaks of light
green vegetation.  A thin, sapphire ring of atmosphere surrounds Lisimba.

Continents
 The land of Lisimba amounts to roughly three quarters of the surface area
and is divided by thin seas into two continents.  The larger continent is
Raa in the western hemisphere, while the smaller continent Horis is in the
eastern hemisphere.  The Sebak Sea divides these two continents, but not
completely.  Wide land bridges join the two continents.

Native Creatures
 Gazelle, zebra, and giraffe all are native to Lisimba.  They migrate from
grassland to grassland in herds numbering several score.  Once every year
the countless herds converge at a mating ground.  They graze on the tall
grasses, palm trees, and thickets.
 The sea and rivers is the domain of crocodiles, hippos, and many types of
fish.  In the deepest part of the seas dwell massive crocodiles, creatures
that rival dragons in size and ferocity.  Such monsters are rare legends and
may have magical abilities.

Guide to Groundlings
 The dominate creature on Lisimba is the sphinx.  These creatures are far
more sociable than elsewhere in the Known Spheres, forming prides of 10-40
members that follow the herds.  A pride will have one dominate male who has
several wives.  His family will include his sons and brothers and their
wives.  Note that family might not be entirely blood related; an androsphinx
might consider a criosphinx as his brother, or have adopted a hieracosphinix
as his son.  Family members are extremely loyal to one another, bypassing
any lines between different species of sphinxes.  An unusual aspect of the
sphinxes is that 1 in 20 is a priest of levels 3 to 18.
 Serving the sphinxes are the shadki, a brass-skinned, bronze-haired breed
of humans said to have been forged by Ptah himself.  The shadki are charged
with maintaining temples, tend herds, and handle other manual labor that the
sphinxes cannot do on their own.  While the first generations of shadki were
barely above golems in terms of intelligence and independence, each
generation has been smarter and more independent than the last.  They have
finally achieved a level of intelligence equal to that of standard humans,
but have not quite gained the will to take Lisimba for themselves.  The
sphinxes privately fear that the day is coming that the shadki will rise
against them in bloody war.

Resources and Trade
 This minor world has resources enough to sustain the natives without need
for trade.  Still, ships that come to Lisimba can sell various luxury goods
(the sphinxes seem to have a weakness for silk garments and pillows designed
for them) in exchange for food, water, and temple services.  The temples are
the reason most visitors come, for it is said that the Egyptian gods pay
particular attention to the priests of Lisimba.  The costs are fairly high,
but have yielded good results in the past.

Ports of Call
 There is one large city on Lisimba, Raha-Re.  The city is famous for having
a temple for each and every god in the Egyptian pantheon, even evil deities
such as Seth.  All priests are sphinxes, while laborers are shadki humans.
The city sits in a large bowl valley, with the temples forming a wide arc
along the nearby hills.  Every year, the city grows to fill the entire bowl
as sphinxes come from across the whole moon for two weeks of trading,
rumor-mongering, arranging marriages, and most importantly, prayer.  At the
end of this time, the sphinx tribes disperse.

History
 It is not known how or why the sphinxes came to Lisimba.  They have existed
on the moon for scores of generations. They have always held a close
relationship with the Egyptian pantheon, such that Ptah created servants for
them.
 From time to time the Egyptian gods will choose a sphinx as his or her
personal champion and send them on a mission to some distant world.  Upon
completion of the mission, the sphinx returns to Lisimba and is rewarded
with gifts.  It is a great honor to be chosen as a champion; those sphinxes
that survive the arduous missions often rise to rule the largest and most
influential families.  Past legendary sphinxes include Taubma the
Pharaoh-Ridden, Haidu the Windhunter of Mulhorand, and Hauk'ken the Sword of
Seth.

Satellites
 The moon of Lisimba is a very small orb the hugs very close to the world of
sphinxes.  It is barren and lifeless.  It does have a unique quality;
whenever an Egyptian god has chosen a sphinx to be his or her champion, that
deity's hieroglyph appears on the moon.  If the sphinx returns triumphantly,
the hieroglyph glows bright gold for a period of one night, then fades away.
If the sphinx perishes, tears form trailing the moon as all of Lisimba weeps
for their fallen brother.