The DragonFlow Part 1B: The Geonomicon of LinkSpace Part 1

Sorry it took so long for the post, with the holidays and all.


The DragonFlow Part 1B: The Geonomicon of LinkSpace Part 1

The History of LinkSpace

I thought that before I get into the planetary layout, it was necessary to 
bring up a little sphere history.

As mentioned before, LinkSpace was previously known as SeptimusSpace.  
Septimus was the name of a powerful magical entity of alien origin.  Some 
tales say that Septimus was human; others claim it was Illithid or even 
Reigar.  That knowledge has been lost in time.  However, what is known is 
by some is the legacy of Septimus.

Septimus created a powerful artifact, perhaps at the cost of its own 
existence.  This artifact, simply named after its creator, has the ability 
to control the natural properties of a crystal sphere.  This includes 
controlling the inhabitants of the sphere as well!!  The initial intent of 
the Septimus was thought to be for defense of SeptimusSpace, as portals 
could be shut off, the sun could grow cold, the stars could wink out, and 
the planets become invisible.

The Septimus has since been found in the hands of various inhabitants of 
the sphere.  An Illithid had it for a while and caused the sun to dim to 
what it deemed as an appropriate level.  A band human priests laid claim 
to it and changed the constellations of LinkSpace.
But the most recent owners of the Septimus have been the Arcane.  The 
Arcane, ever mindful of their business, used the Septimus to make visitors 
to the sphere more comfortable.  The sphere temperature was changed to a 
comfortable level, and the aesthetics of the sphere changed to accommodate 
a variety of artistic tastes.  And lastly, the Arcane used the Septimus to 
make all the visitors to the sphere feel like they were at home here.  
After all, the more comfortable and happy the buyer, the easier it is for 
them to part with their valuables.  To dissuade questions about Septimus, 
the Arcane made sure that the residents now referred to the sphere as 
LinkSpace-"A Link to the Dragon Flow."  This was nearly a thousand years 
ago.  

This all happened of course before their trading post in the asteroid belt 
of Nonous was destroyed.  The Arcane living there were all found murdered, 
and the Septimus was gone.  Since then however, if anyone has used the 
mysterious Septimus, it has not been noticed by anyone within the sphere.

The Geonomicon of LinkSpace

Standard System, Sun Primary, 5 Planets in counter-clockwise orbit

The Sun: Size G Spherical Fire Body
1. Nonous: Size C Spherical Earth Body with Asteroid Belt
2. Decundus: Size E Spherical Water Body with 1 moon
3. Pertius: Size F Spherical Air Body with 9 moons
4. Lulnano: Size E Spherical Air Body  
5. Ko-Neju: Size C Spherical Earth Body with 2 moons

The Sun
Spherical Fire Body
Size G
5 Planets with 12 Moons
No known population

The Sun is the LinkSpace primary orbital attractor fixed at the center of 
the sphere.  It burns a bright yellowish-orange and provided extreme heat 
to Nonous and comfortable temperatures as far as Decundus.  In light of 
the meddling of the Septimus by the Arcane however, all of the planets now 
boast comfortable temperatures.  
No expeditions have been launched toward the sun and no research has been 
documented since the time of the Arcane control of LinkSpace.  It is 
thought to be a stereotypical Fire Body.

Nonous
Spherical Earth Body
Size C
Asteroid Belt
Human, Humanoid, Demi-human Settlers

In the past, Nonous was blasted by the heat of the Sun and was nothing 
more than an acrid void world.  The Arcane changed this however by using 
the Septimus to give the planet a breathable atmosphere and protecting the 
surface from the heat of the sun.  This means that the inhabitants of 
Nonous are in great danger, for if the Septimus was destroyed, the planet 
would revert back to its natural conditions and everyone on the surface 
would likely perish.
Controlling an entire sphere the size of LinkSpace turned out to be quite 
a task for the Arcane, and as such they decided that it may behoove them 
to acquire some assistance.  They quickly found that the Septimus only 
influenced the inhabitants of LinkSpace and had no control over non-
natives to the sphere.  Thus, they decided to alter Nonous in order to 
accommodate this assistance.  They offered the inhabitants of Decundus 
great tracts of land on Nonous including free transportation to the 
surface in exchange for the settlers' employment with the Arcane.  Many 
poor men rounded up their families with promise of a good job and prime 
real estate and took the Arcane up on the offer.  They found the earth on 
Nonous to be rich and fertile, but strangely bereft of native fauna.  The 
men and women under the Arcane employment worked jobs ranging the full 
scale of spaceport employment.  Many became privateers for the Arcane, 
guards and watchmen, sailors on Arcane merchantmen vessels and dockhands.  
Others became innkeepers, entertainers, cooks and maids, all for the 
comfort of the Arcane's guests.  After the Arcane had lost control of 
LinkSpace, most inhabitants turned to farming and communal living.

On Nonous, temperatures are tropical to temperate and there is an 
abundance of water and plant life as well as animal life.  Note that the 
flora and fauna are all not native to the planet, but instead the water, 
plant life and fertileness of the planet was a direct result of Arcane 
meddling, and the animal life was introduced by the settlers.  Primarily, 
the surface has rolling plains and small forest outcroppings, all nestled 
in valleys surrounded by craggy peaks.  Summers are very mild and winters 
are more chilly and rainy rather than bitter cold.
This is only the climate near the settled areas however.  Beyond the 
reaches of the village farmlands and woody overgrowths, one finds a 
desolate wasteland of coarse sun-blasted dust and harsh desolation.  It is 
not known if this is because the Arcane never bothered to enhance the 
surface of the planet where they didn't install life, or if Nonous is 
beginning to slowly revert back to its original conditions.

Government on Nonous is typically up to the individual villages' tastes, 
but law doesn't vary much.  The inhabitant hierarchy is primarily 
matriarchal, most likely a throwback due to the number of widowed women of 
Nonous after the Arcane empire's destruction nearly a thousand years ago.  
At that time, women outnumbered men by over 100 to 1, but it is more like 
a 10 to 1 ratio now.  Societies are typically Neutral to Chaotic Good 
overall and are mostly made up of a ruling democratic council, with one 
vote per female villager of age.  Villages are usually made up of at most 
a few hundred farmers and tradesmen and are of a fairly typical medieval 
technology.  Some of the larger settlements are organized into a feudal 
system much like Decundus with serfs pledging fealty to ruling 
baronesses.  With a total human population of less than a million, this is 
definitely the rare case.

NPCs of Nonous

Baroness Marie-Nicolette Boissel

The direct descendant of a high class Arcane prostitute, the Baroness and 
her ruling family is the closest thing Nonous has to royalty.  She is a 
beautiful and elegant widow who longs for power and finer things in life.  
It is said that her ancestor fled from Arcane persecution with much of her 
master's fortune.  Now her family resides in the grandest keep on the 
surface of Nonous, overseeing the simple folk of the Boissel Barony, who 
number less than 5000 souls.  She knows nothing of the Septimus or the 
danger the inhabitants of Nonous face, but can be easily persuaded with 
promises of real power.  She openly desires to rule over all of the 
inhabitants of Nonous as the Queen of their fist royal family, but lacks 
the support of almost every ruling council and baroness.  Although not 
inherently evil, she is quite naive and unworldly.  She could prove to be 
a valuable ally and source of capital for anyone who can put up with her 
condescending demeanor and frivolity.  She is well aware of spelljamming 
and has frequent contact with her sister Mariette-Therese, who is a rich 
merchant of the asteroid Veron in the belt of Nonous.  Her chief advisor 
and her cousin Ninon, rules the baroness' military force, which number 200 
women-at-arms. 

Arondi Wolfe

Arondi is a swashbuckling ranger who patrols the wastelands of Nonous with 
her band of adventurous companions.  Much like a female Robin Hood of 
sorts, she keeps an eye out for marauding bands of goblinoids who prey 
upon the communities of Nonous.  
She travels with one man in her party; Ialicus, her consort and a druid 
who has suspicions about the true history of Nonous, but as of yet has not 
discovered any evidence.  

Chieftain Tazokk Maur
 
The Arcane never minded what race they employed for their base in orbit 
above Nonous, and as such hired many less-scrupulous humanoid races.  
After the Arcane were destroyed in LinkSpace, most of the surviving 
humanoids banded together into raiding parties and began to prey upon the 
weak of Nonous.  They have continued this existence to date, and Tazokk is 
the most powerful of them all.  Commanding a force of over 2000 nomadic 
goblinoids, Tazokk is a half-orc/half-hobgoblin war chief powerful enough 
to frighten his followers into obedience.  Tazokk is cunning and 
intelligent, and would make a bitter enemy.  He hates Arondi and her small 
band and has promised her killer a position as his right hand man.  
Perhaps due to a hint of human blood within him, he has a fondness for 
history and tales of the past.  He knows that his ancestors were delegated 
to menial tasks in service of the Arcane, although he doesn't know who the 
Arcane were or why they were here, only that they were brutal emotionless 
slave masters, at least in Tazokk's eyes.  He also knows that it was in 
part due to his ancestor's rebellion that the Arcane were slaughtered.  
Tazokk knows about the "faceless one" who helped to destroy the Arcane, 
and that it only wanted one particular artifact in return.  The employees 
of the Arcane could share in the rest of the Arcane fortune.  In truth, 
Tazokk does have a rightful claim to his share of Nonous' wealth and land, 
but few inhabitants of Nonous will admit to this.

Rucibiel, the Witch of Tephel Peak

Rucibiel's ancestors made off with much of the Arcane magic after their 
fall almost 1000 years ago.  Since then, her family has protected and made 
use of the powerful magics they inherited.  Although Rucibiel has the 
power to control much of Nonous, she instead chooses only to subtly aid 
the good people of the valley.  She is a kind and generous old woman, but 
who was barren, and as such is the last of her line.  She will sometimes 
come in contact with visitors to Nonous, typically in the guise of a tiny 
orphaned girl who begs for copper.  In truth, she is searching for an heir 
to her magical fortune; someone who is a wise and kind-hearted sorceress, 
but is young enough to be trained in her art that she can take as an 
apprentice.  Rucibiel knows most everything about the Arcane, including 
about their fall and about the strange artifact that "created" Nonous as 
it is today.  She has spent much of her life researching Nonous and 
attempting to find a way to preserve the life settled there.

Enexin

Enexin is the sole "survivor" of the Arcane.  He is an intelligent undead 
who retains his former knowledge and personality.  Little is known about 
Enexin, other than he is frequently found near Nonous and it's asteroid 
belt.  He commands an ancient Whale Ship named "The Exodus" and an 
entirely undead crew.  It is said he seeks news of the Septimus's location 
and will pursue anyone who has this knowledge with reckless, unyielding, 
relentless abandon.  He never tires in his pursuit and his ship never 
seems to need to change helmsmen.  It is rumored that he also retains much 
of his former wealth and magic.  At well over 1000 years of age, it is 
possible that he is the most powerful being in LinkSpace.

I'm out of time, so stay tuned for the next part, including the belt of 
Nonous.

As usual comments are more than welcome.  

--Blackmaer

"Carnage is the answer. That is what we will make them pay with. They will 
pay with their lives. Just like the blue men did."
    
                              -----Tazokk Maur,speaking  of Arondi's band.

"Humiliation is the answer. That's what we'll do. He'll pay with his 
shame. His men won't respect him if he's dressed like that."

                              -----Arondi Wolf, speaking of Tazokk Maur.