MotM: Nine Plate, the Sandwich Moon

    Bleh, mental note: next time I get the insane idea to do a moon this
fragg'n complicated again, bang head into wall until the idea goes
away...this is probably THE most complex moon I've done yet (nine
pages!...somehow, fits...:D )

    Anyways, here's this month's Moon of the Month, Nine Plate.  Got the
idea at work one day, of a "stacked" world.  I really liked the idea,
especially the planar symbolism, so I deeply tied it to the Outer Planes.
Enjoy! :)

 Nine Plate
Planet Name: Nine Plate, the Sandwich Moon, the Planar Moon
Planet Type: Flat Earth
Planet Size: D
Escape Time: 4 turns (Special)
Satellites: 2 ice rings
Distance from Primary: 1,450,000 miles
Day Length: 24 hours
Year Length: 400 days
Population Analysis: Humans, demi-humans

'A particular moon' is often said when Nine Plate is mentioned. Sailors
refer to it as the Sandwich Moon, in reference to its layered appearance.
Sages, particularly those that peer into the secrets of planar travel, name
it the Planar Moon, given its ties to the Outer Planes. It is most commonly
called Nine Plate.
This moon appears as a stack of flat earth worlds, each 150 miles thick.
Gaps of 150 miles separate each plate. The diameter of each plate increases
from the poles to the equator, with the plate on the equator having the
greatest diameter. Starting from the poles, the diameter of the plates are
500 miles, 1,000 miles, 1,500 miles, 2,000 miles, and finally 2,500 miles
for the equatorial plate. This gives an overall appearance of a sphere.
Enormous pillars join the plates, with the single largest pillar at the
center, running from pole to pole. Gravity on Nine Plate is a tricky matter;
each face of each plate is considered "down", so one can stand on any face
of Nine Plate without fear of falling hundreds of mile to a messy fate.
Likewise, gravity will eventually shift so that the length of the pillar is
considered "down". This change is quite gradual, and difficult to notice.
Nine Plate is called the Planar Moon, and for good reason. Be it a quirk of
nature or the meddling of planars, Nine Plate is deeply tied to the Outer
Planes. Each of its sixteen faces corresponds to an Outer Plane, while its
central pillar is believed tied to the seventeenth Outer Plane, the
Outlands. Planar creatures are found in abundance; although bound to the
confines of Nine Plate, they move about the moon freely. They meddle in the
affairs of mortals to a degree not seen elsewhere in the Known Spheres.
Portals to the Outer Planes are not unknown, and the natives freely traffic
with creatures from those strange realms.
This moon presents an enterprising DM the opportunity to mix Spelljamming
and elements from the Planescape campaign, all the while keeping the action
on the Prime Material Plane. It also represents an excellent place to make
contacts with important natives of the Outer Planes, such as high-ranking
Celestials or members of the Planar Factions. They also can come into
conflict with any one of the many villains of the Planes, such as high-rank
baatazu, tanar'ri, and like creatures. Also note that Nine Plate assumes a
Planar setup as defined by the Planescape Campaign setting, using names and
creatures from that setting. Thus, devils are called baatazu and the Seven
Heavens are called Mount Celestia.

Climate and Weather
Overall, Nine Plate has a temperate climate, with a few tropical areas.
Climate is very piecemeal, almost without rhyme or reason. Steaming jungles
end suddenly in dry deserts. Some areas, particularly in the Lower Plates,
are quite cold, even polar. Glachar has the moons' only glaciers and tundra
plains.
Weather varies from layer to layer. On layers aligned with chaotic planes,
the weather can be extremely unpredictable, sometimes producing normally
impossible weather (snow-tornados and rain that falls from the ground into
the sky). Layers aligned with lawful plates have much more predictable
weather, with regular cycles of rain and sunshine.

Appearance from Space
Nine Plate appears as a misty orb with seventeen broad bans cutting across
its horizontal plane. There are nine earth plates, which are brown or green
in color, and eight sky blue, green, or white gaps filled with air. It is
possible to see straight through Nine Plate through the air gaps. There is a
double set of cloud cover - clouds that cover each individual earth plate,
and a thinner layer of clouds that surround the whole globe.