Moon of the Month: Myser, the Flayer Resort

Hey guys,

sorry about the delay, been heck-busy.  Anyways, here is Myser, the Flayer
Resort.  Its a world where there are so many geysers, it has created
permanent cloud cover.  A perfect haven for illithids, of course! :D

Myser
Planet Name: Myser, The Steaming Moon, The Flayer Resort
Planet Type: Spherical Earth
Planet Size: B
Escape Time: 1 turn
Satellites: none
Distance from Primary: 300,000 miles
Day Length: 15 hours
Year Length: 40 days
Population Analysis: Mind flayers, aboleth

 Myser is a warm, humid moon that can be found anywhere.  It is best located
orbiting an outer planet, the moon kept warm by internal heating and portals
to the elemental plane of fire.  A mind flayer world should be located
somewhere close to this moon.  Myser has a foul reputation, due to its
inhabitants.
 This moon is noted for countless geysers and hot springs.  Some geysers are
very high, up to 500' high, stark cauldrons of boiling water.  The steam
rises from the geysers rise into thick, obscuring clouds.  Rays of sunlight
rarely piece the cloud cover, leaving the moon in near total twilight.
 About one third of the land is stable enough to walk on.  The rest is
rendered unstable and dangerous due to the geothermic activity.  Anyone that
walks on unstable land risks falling into an unseen pool of scalding hot
water.  Fortunately stable land is marked by trees and plants; the hot
springs and geysers kills off anything near it.  The whole moon stinks of
rotten eggs.

Climate and Weather
 The endless geysers, hot springs, and mud pools create an enormous amount
steam.  That steam rises into sky to become clouds that cover the whole moon
in an unbroken blanket.  The clouds blot out the sun, casting the whole moon
in twilight conditions.  Rain is quite common; it rains in any given place
at least once every other hour.
 Myser is always hot and extremely humid.  Treat conditions on the moon as a
hot jungle or rainforest.

Appearance from Space
 The unbroken cloud cover of Myser gives the moon a blank white façade.

Continents
 Although Myser has no true oceans, it does have large, shallow seas fed by
hot springs.  Consequently, the water in these "hot seas" is quite acidic,
poisonous, and boiling hot.  The seas divide Myser into three landmasses.
The largest is Yellow Heights, while White Rock and Steam Fell are smaller
islands.  In many places, it is possible to wade from one island to another,
if one is immune to acid!

Native Creatures
 Whatever native wildlife that once thrived on Myser has been long since
destroyed.  The mind flayers have imported ortlings and bred them to resist
heat.  The ortlings act as a ready supply of food for hungry resort patrons.
The near-mindless creatures are allowed to roam wild, as if they were goats
or other herd animals.  Other beasts imported by the mind flayers include
intellect devourers (used as hunting dogs) and a breed of flying ray used as
mounts.  A favorite sport is to release a thinking being (a human or other
like creature) into the wilds, and hunt him down.  The longer and more
torturous the hunt, the higher the mind flayers value the trophy.
 Flora includes various evergreen trees and ferns that thrive in twilight
conditions.  The trees are not immune to the poisonous effects of the
geysers, which can quickly kill off nearby trees.  The moon is dotted with
dead forests, killed by the geysers.

Guide to Groundlings
 The undisputed masters of Myser are mind flayers and their aboleth allies.
The foul creatures use Myser as a resort of sorts, with hot springs for them
to relax and enjoy themselves.  The mind flayers dwell on the surface in
small cities centered on hot springs.  The cities are marvels of stone, with
hot and cold running water and many luxuries most can only dream of.  Mind
slaves of all races serve the mind flayers' every need and want.  The
depravity the slaves are forced to endure is beyond the comprehension of
most thinking beings.
 The aboleth dwell at the heart of Myser.  The geyser moon is an experiment
of sorts to them, as they have created a miniature paradise for themselves
in the depths Myser.  These aboleth are immune to the hot, scalding waters.
The goals of these creatures, as the mind flayers have learned, is to either
create new moons or transform existing moons into mirror images of Myser.
In doing so, they hope to create an empire for themselves, one of
environments hostile to all other life other than themselves.  The mind
flayers, of course, are eager to learn the aboleth secrets for themselves,
and likewise transform worlds into hellish landscapes unsuitable any but the
mind flayers and their slaves.

Ports of Call
 Myser has two significant ports, both owned by the mind flayers.  The
largest and older of the two ports is roughly translated as
"Scalded-Brains-Torment".  It specializes in mineral baths that have a
rejuvenating effect on mind flayers.  Each day of bathing either removes one
harmful effect (such as a disease) or heals the mind flayer as if it
received a cure serious wounds spell.  "Scalded-Brains-Torment" is popular
with injured or diseased mind flayers as well as those looking to relax in a
boiling hot pool of water.
 The second port, translated as "Hunt-In-The-Steam", specializes in
providing "sport" for mind flayer clients.  For a nominal fee, the patrons
can send thinking beings out to be hunted, as if they were foxes in a
fox-hunt.  The more resourceful and capable the hunted, the better the
trophy is.  More than one adventurer has met his grisly fate being hunted
down on Myser by mind flayer huntsmen.
 Although not a port of any sort, the aboleth do maintain their own city at
the very center of Myser.  It floats in a pool of boiling hot water in a
large, lightless cavern.  The city, translated to "Threat-Unseen", has
magical properties to protect the inhabitants from steam and heat.  Of
course, the protection extends only to the boundaries of the city, so any
slaves that attempt to escape are killed by the deadly steam and boiling
water.  The city is a large sphere with towers rising into columns that join
with the roof of the cavern.  There are hundreds of aboleth and thousands of
slaves in "Threat-Unseen".

History
 This moon has in the past served as a home for tribes of ogres, goblins,
pirates, and even beholders.  About the time of the Unhuman Wars, the moon
was cleared out by gnomes and their hired giff mercenaries seeking to make
use of the abundant geothermal heat for a new type of mill.  The mill was a
failure, and the gnomes sold the moon to the mind flayers to recoup their
loses.
 The mind flayers quickly set to work molding Myser to suit their needs.
The gnomish port was dismantled, but the foundations were structurally
sound, so were reused for new buildings of mind flayer design.  Hot spring
baths were installed, creating a luxurious retreat for the wealthiest mind
flayers.
 Soon after the mind flayers settled in, they discovered the aboleth
dwelling at the core of Myser.  The two constantly feuded through psionic
duels, but such conflicts never erupted into true violence.

Satellites
 Myser has no moons, but there are always 2 nautiloids in orbit acting as
picket-ships.

Adam