MotM: Evertath

Greetings MotM fans,

must appologize for the (month-late!) delay; things have been very busy for
me lately.  Things are better now, so I give to you Everath, the Moon of
Eternal Midnight!

Evertath
Planet Name: Evertath, Moon of Eternal Midnight
Planet Type: Spherical Earth
Planet Size: C
Escape Time: 2 turns
Satellites: 1 ice ring, 2 moons
Distance from Primary: 1,000,000 miles
Day Length: 48 hours
Year Length: 160 days
Population Analysis: drow, trow

 Evertath is an odd moon.  A medium-sized planetary size C, violet-colored
orb of 660 miles, Evertath is under constant twilight conditions.  It orbits
a world far from the sphere's sun.  The great distance separates it from the
planet it orbits, meaning that this moon has a long cycle.
 This moon is relatively unknown outside of the circles of the Elven Fleet,
and the drow.  For good-aligned drow, this moon has become somewhat a
legend, a refuge against the ravishes and hatreds of their evil brothers.
Many seek passage to this moon in search of sanctuary.  A small trickle of
good-, and even neutral-, aligned drow arrive every year.  These drow are a
good means for player characters to learn about Evertath: such a drow could
purchase passage aboard the characters' ship.
 The Elven Fleet is not so sure about what to do about Evertath.  Though it
is a moon of their enemies, the natives have cast aside their evil goddess
and have taken the path of redemption.  Many believe it is a trick; others
believe that the drow are really returning to good.  Many want to believe
that Evertath is real, that there is hope yet for their wayward kin.  Only
time will tell who is right.

Climate and Weather
 Evertath is a temperate world, with little variation from pole to equator.
By all rights it should be a much colder world, but ancient magic, probably
of drow or elven origin, keeps the temperature at a fairly even and
comfortable level.  There are seasons that range from warm summers to cold
winters.  Seasons are uniform across the moon; when it is summer in the
north, it is also summer in the south.  During the deepest part of winter,
there is usually a two-week, world-wide blizzard.  This is the known as the
Nights of the Wolf, and is usually marked by people hunkering down in their
homes, not venturing forth until it passes.  In recent years it has become a
time of celebration, holiday, and rest.

Appearance from Space
 Evertath is a deep velvet orb in the night sky, difficult to detect.  Seas
of midnight blue cut the land into continents that are dotted with
mountains, forests, deserts, and open plains.  There are no ice caps, no
tundra lands, or jungles.  Lighthouses shed enough light for cities to be
located from orbit, but are otherwise invisible from orbit.

Continents and Landmarks
 There is one large, cool ocean that snakes across the moon, dividing it
into three significant land-masses.  The largest is barely a continent and
is named Riztrinolil.  The land is bisected by two mountain ranges, dividing
the continent into four broad regions.  Riztrinolil is a land of forests and
plains, with good farmlands in the lowlands.  Most of the population can be
found on this continent.  The second landmass is a large "spray" of three
very big islands leading away from Riztrinolil.  These lands are the domain
of the trow, who retreated to these islands to carve out a living free of
drow tyranny.  Wilderness dominates the lowlands while settlements can be
found in less habitable areas.  The trow believe that by keeping to the less
desirable areas, they are less likely to be discovered.  The last landmass
is the Dinor'Ryne, a large island opposite of Riztrinolil.  Few settlements
can be found here, as it has always been a backwater wilderness.  It was
largely abandoned two millennium ago when the platinum mines ran dry.
 There are many moments and ruins across the moon's surface.  The most
interesting is the Web of Lolth, the largest temple of that foul goddess.
In its heyday, it sprawled over a mile, with a web-like network of walls and
towers.  At the heart was a grand cathedral with arching ceilings and
endless murals of betrayal, chaos, and murder.  The Web has since fallen to
ruin, as it was the sight of the Final Battle, a thousand years ago.  Only
the occasional monstrous spiders still dwell here; its halls still echo with
the wails of suffering and sacrifice.

Native Creatures
 Centuries of drow rule has twisted whatever wildlife that once dominated
the planet into a cruel mockery of itself.  Dominate monsters include
displacer beasts, giant lizards, wyverns, owlbears, black unicorns,
nightmares, harpies, all manner of monstrous spiders and scorpions, and like
creatures that match the tastes of the drow.  Many plants are likewise
monstrous, devouring the careless and feasting on their blood.
 The natives have only recently attempted to hunt down these creatures and
"restore" the moon to a more natural state.  Unfortunately, nobody knows
what the "natural state" of Evertath really is, so their efforts will likely
result in a new natural balance that reflects their views and beliefs.
Creatures imported and protected by the natives include "twilight" unicorns,
owls, moon wolves, cooshees, elven cats, white stags, and moonstone dragons.
After several generations, these creatures are starting to take hold over
many habitats, driving the monstrous creatures into smaller and smaller
territories.

Guide to Groundlings
 The primary residents of Evertath are the drow.  Unlike drow elsewhere in
the multiverse, the drow of this moon are good-aligned, hate spiders, and
are welcoming of visitors to their world.  Evertath is one of the extreme
rarities in the Spheres: a place where worshippers of Eilistraee won.
 As a rule, the drow are good-natured and pleasant.  They welcome strangers
from other worlds in their inns, their taverns, and their marketplaces.
Rarely are they welcomed into a drow's home, however.  Although not strictly
forbidden, an outsider entering the private home of a drow is strongly
frowned upon, and can cause the drow to become colder and less welcoming of
the offender.  The truth is that under the overly friendly façade, the drow
are still drow.  A thousand years of peaceful rule has not yet erased the
scars of many millennium of Lolth domination.  A drow's home is considered
her most private sanctum, where she goes to mediate to control the violent
urges within her.  Dwellings are small, multi-story buildings reminiscent of
stalagmites.  Rooms are compact, giving a sense of claustrophobia that the
drow seem to enjoy.  The lowest floor is always an underground cellar for
storing wine and food.  Above this is a functional area, with bedrooms above
that.  At the summit is a meditation chamber, spartan and the walls painted
with images that put a drow's mind at peace.  Drow will typically use this
room for one hour a day, more if they feel violent urges setting in.
 Evertath is ruled by a theocracy, with priestesses of Eilistraee presiding
over the masses instead of those of Lolth.  They provide spiritual guidance
to the masses, own a good deal of property (mostly through donations or
property confiscated from the Fane of Lolth), and have the power to choose
the King of the Drow.  Lin'Welvithra Zaulyl has been crowned King.  His
servants are the Phaerdril, sword knights dedicated to the defense of
Evertath.  They are an army with one purpose: to defend their homes against
the incursions of Lolth, goblin-kin, and any other threat.  Their numbers
are small, but are quite potent.  The lowest footman is armed with
quasi-magical drow weapons and armor, while noble knights are armed with
potent magic items left over from the time when Evertath was a more violent
and evil place.
 Other than drow, there are few other races.  There are scattered pockets of
halflings and goblins, although these communities are tiny and very
reclusive.  They distrust strangers, and are likely to drive any trespassers
away with torches and pitchforks.  By far, the most numerous race behind the
drow are the trow, a strange mix of human, halfling, drow, and goblin
features.  The trow are likely the result of centuries of breeding amongst
the slaves, although the drow did not have organized breeding programs.  A
trow is typically a short creature, about four and a half feet tall with
ash-gray skin and blonde to white hair.  They are wiry creatures with large
eyes and a weakness to bright light (-1 to all rolls while in light brighter
than a strong lantern).  Trow are generally farmers, herders, and laborers,
tasks they excel at.  Centuries of enslavement have left them a largely
ignorant and feeble-willed.  Freedom has done little to change their lives,
other than the whips have been removed from their backs.

Resources and Trade
 The old trade agreements with creatures like illithids and duergar have
long ago vanished.  Building new trade alliances have proven a difficult and
tedious process.  Few are willing to trade with creatures known for their
treachery and malice.  Despite this, trade has returned to Evertath through
new trading partners with various human trading houses, Gaspar Reclamations,
and even the Sindiath Line.
 Evertath is a fairly rich world, which is why the drow were attracted to it
in the first place.  It has numerous caches of potent magic items left over
from the drow wars, many so-called sroomyards, and plentiful veins of
platinum.  Earthy drow wines are the most popular export, for which the drow
import everything their small world cannot produce on its own.  A much
less-known trade is a black-market of magic items.  Secretly, some drow are
exporting some of the more dangerous items off-world, mainly just to get rid
of them.  This practice is extremely frowned upon as misguided at best, but
those involved are not harshly punished.  In some ways, Evertath is a
minefield of unused weapons and dangerous devices with great destructive
potential.  Dealing with these problems is a hazardous occupation, one that
some would rather dump on someone else.

Ports of Call
 There are ruins of about a dozen port cities across the surface of the
moon, and another eight like ruins deep in large caves and at the bottom of
extinct volcanoes.  These ruins are stark witnesses of the wars and
destruction that ravished Evertath a millennium ago.  All were once mighty
cities with majestic harbors and magnificent buildings.
 There are six habited cities left, some built on the ruins of older cities.
None are as large or as powerful as their predecessors.  Growth and
prosperity has been slow to return to these cities, a painful process of
rebuilding that is constantly interrupted by the unearthing of some ancient
horror from the past.
 Spelljammers will find themselves welcomed at the ports of Zesuit, Hriir'
Ghuanvyil, and Spirhrysisstra.  There are no port fees; the drow are in no
need of the money.  Duties on imported goods rate at about 5%.  Some goods
are not taxed at all, to encourage trade.  Any money raised is used to
maintain the docks and reclaim docks that have deteriorated after centuries
of neglect.  All of the cities are on the surface; the Underdark of Evertath
has been all but abandoned.  Only monsters and a few tiny villages of drow
holdouts can be found.
 There are limits to what can be bought on Evertath.  Drow-made weapons and
armor are usually not for sale.  Standard equipment can be found at the
listed prices.  Some lesser magic items can be bought, while more potent
magic can only be had through the thriving black market.  Many drow dream of
selling off some artifact for an outrageous sum of money and then live like
princes on pleasure moons.  Though rare, some have made this dream a
reality.  Unfortunately for the rest of the Known Spheres, the devices they
sell are often very destructive and are the source of much misery and death.
 Another port of interest is Castle Irreyl, a fey place that guards a great
cavern to the Underdark.  This place is a secret place for the drow, where
they have been quietly building up a fleet of "Ghostwing" Men-O-War.  A
Ghostwing is statistically identical to an Archaic Man-O-War, except that
the wood thrives in twilight conditions.  These ships glow with a pale
violet light not unlike the effects of a faerie fire spell.  There are four
of these craft hidden at Irreyl, protected by an army of 500
Eilistraee-loyal drow.  The drow are building these craft for the eventual
inclusion into the Elven Fleet, a dream of many in Eilistraee's clergy.
These ships are a closely guarded secret, as the drow do not want them
discovered until they have convinced the Fleet to allow them to join.

History
 Up until about eleven centuries ago, Evertath was a typical worldlet of
Lloth-worshipping, spider-kissing drow.  They had long ago conquered surface
of the moon, throwing the human, halfling, and goblin residents into
slavery.  Without a common foe, the drow eagerly turned upon each other in
bloody massacres and endless terror.  The situation grew worse with each
passing day, leading to unbridled chaos.  This led the priestesses, nobles,
and the mightiest of the drow to a "final battle" that would decide who
would rule.
 The final battle was indeed a terrible thing, as fell and titanic magic was
unleashed, treachery abound, and drow slew drow in a bloodbath.  Vast armies
of summoned creatures were called forth to do battle, which they did
all-to-well.  In fact, no drow that participated actually survived the
battle; indeed, the final hours were simply a mob-scene as the summoned
creatures fought one another until they returned to their home planes or
wandered off.
 Following the battle, the surviving drow found themselves without
leadership.  Into this void came the priestesses of Eilistraee, offering a
new way of life, free of terror and death.  Although they encountered
resistance at first, the simple truth was that the drow were tired and
battle-worn.  The temples to Lolth were cast down as the drow embraced their
newfound faith in Eilistraee.
 Not long after the fall of Lolth, it became obvious that the priestesses
could not handle all the tasks of ruling the drow, so they established a
monarchy system.  They believed that drow, as chaotic creatures, required a
strong leader in times of trouble.  After all, monarchies were popular with
all elven races, so the priests adopted one for their people as well.  Thus
far the system has worked; there have been few conflicts between the
interests of the Crown and that of the Church.  There have been three kings
thus far; the first was King Vicshalee Illiamdiin, said to be the Son of
Eilistraee.  He ruled for about five centuries, and did much to turn
Eventath from a world of horrors to a place of beauty.  Vicshalee died in
his sleep, and was replaced by Qilryn Vornzyne, a warrior and devout
crusader in Eilistraee's cause.  His reign lasted twenty-two decades, ending
while he was on a crusade on another plane fighting against minions of
Lolth.  The crown then passed to King Lin'Welvithra Zaulyl, more of a
pacifist and defender than crusader.  King Zaulyl is a cautious, protective
individual, who guards his people as a father would guard his beloved
daughter.  He does not look for war, but fears that war will find him, and
has been preparing for that eventuality for the last seven decades.

Satellites
 The Elven Fleet runs a small outpost high above Evertath.  This is Uthitas
Tylialua, a Man-O-War-style ring with 5 "spokes" and has a crew of 200
elves.  The base was built to "keep an eye" on the drow after they converted
to Eilistraee, as the Fleet does not entirely trust their dark cousins.  Two
Men-O-War, the Thalen and the Elrethire, have been assigned to this outpost
as well, with orders to make sure the drow do not take an interest in
spelljamming.  They are unaware of the Ghostwing Fleet; discovery of such a
fleet would put the commander in a bad position, to decide between the
wholesale massacre of a seemingly reformed race and hawks in his own fleet
that would rather see all drow, no matter their disposition, eradicated
without mercy.
 Another artificial satellite is Sundered Webs, the remnants of a failed
drow-neogi alliance from a time when neogi were all but unknown in the Known
Spheres.  The wreckage of eight deathspiders are tangled in a massive space
web, sprawling over several miles.  It is believed that the drow and neogi
attempted to betray one another, and the neogi were the losers of that
double-betrayal.  Since that time, the tangle of ships and web has become
the favorite haunt of a hive of phase spiders, which have developed magical
abilities.  Each creature has the abilities of a 5th level wizard, and can
cast spells by silent will.  The drow left the ships be, as a perfect
reminder for those that would double-cross the drow.

Rouges Gallery
King Lin'Welvithra Zaulyl: A master of the sword and the spell, King Lin'
Welvithra is fanatically loyal to the clergy of Eilistraee, loyalty that is
only matched by his vow to defend Evertath to the last breath of his life.
He is a tall drow, almost the height of a human, and has a long, drooping
mustache.  He owns many magic items but does not abuse his power.  If he has
a flaw, it is that he prefers isolation to welcoming off-worlders, which
bring with them the potential for enemies and other dangers.

Qualnbryn: Not all were pleased with the rise of Eilistraee.  A single, very
young priestess of Lolth had survived.  Qualnbryn held little power or
influence, and was forced to wander from city to city to gather followers.
She founded the Nation of Midnight Bane, dedicated to returning Evertath to
its previous, chaotic state.  Qualnbryn hunts for powerful relics that will
allow her to summon Lolth's avatar and bring about a new Age of Darkness.
Age has reduced this once beautiful woman to a crumpled old hag, but that
has only intensified her plotting and hatred.

Vlonylnue: This firebrand of a priestess strongly believes in liberating
drow elsewhere in the Known Spheres.  She is young, charismatic, and
idealistic.  At times she comes in conflict with the more conservative
members of the clergy, who advocate strengthening their homeworld before
making aggressive moves elsewhere.  Vlonylnue is not so patient, and has
tried a number of tactics to get her message across.  Her current plot is to
try to forge an alliance with the Elven Fleet and convince that organization
to allow good-aligned drow to enter.  Thus far her proposition has been
politely refused, but she continues to seek out allies to make her dreams a
reality.