Moon of the Month: Mystryl's Harbor

Hello everyone,

    Adam (Night Druid) is having difficulties reaching this list, so he's
asked me to forward this along.

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> Just in time for my birthday, here's March's Moon of the Month!  This time
> we explore Mystryl's Harbor, a moon founded by survivors of the Empire of
> Magic, Netheril.  In effect, it's a moon in which a creative DM can use
> material from the Netheril boxed set without having to run an Arcane Age
> campaign!
>
>
> Mystryl's Harbor
>
> Tiny (C) Spherical Earth
>
> Climate: Temperate
>
> Orbital Position: Outer Lunar
>
> Day Length: 18 hours
>
> Year Length: 120 days
>
> Native Races: Humans, gnomes, orcs, wood elves
>
>
>
> This orb of a moon shimmers like a green jewel in the night sky. The
various
> verdant greens is broken by scattered smudges of brown and white, likely
> snow-capped mountains, and a single azure northern sea.
>
>
>
> Mystryl's Harbor is a modest earth world. Most of the landscape is open
> prairie, broken occasionally by hills, mountains, forests, and even dusty
> badlands. It has an overall diameter of a little over 700 miles. The
largest
> body of water is but only 200 miles wide at its widest point.
>
>
>
> A somewhat remote moon, Mystryl's Harbor is home to a survivor state of
the
> once-mighty empire of Netheril.  Though a shadow of the empire that once
> spawned it, this moon is the best preserved example of Netherese culture
> anywhere.  A council of mystics governs the use of magic to ensure that it
> is not abused as it was in ancient Netheril, so that the people may avoid
> another catastrophe.
>
>
>
> Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and wet. Higher elevations
> are often buried by several feet of snow. Seasons last only 30 days
because
> of the moon's short year.  The lowlands see more seasonal variations than
> the upper elevations.  Abundant rainfall ensures that the growing season,
> while short, is very productive.
>
>
>
> Landmarks
>
> Icefringe Sea: This small, ever-icy inland sea in the northern hemisphere.
> Its waters are largely undisturbed, as only a handful of fishing vessels
> keep to sheltered fjords. Silkies, seals, and narwhales have all been
seen,
> as well as many white dragons that haunt its depths.
>
>
>
> Wildspell Point: Long ago, this small mountain was the scene of an
enormous
> spell-battle between an army of wizards and an army of sorcerers.  So much
> chaotic magic was unleashed during the battle that the very fabric of
magic
> was torn asunder, leaving the entire area riddled with wild magic zones.
> Any magic used in the area has a 50% chance of turning wild, making
> spellcasting in the area chancy.  Spellcasters avoid the area, which serve
> as a refuge for those that have reason to fear from wizards.
>
>
>
> Hallowbough Forest: This thick, dark forest of oak, birch, and shadowtop
> trees is notorious as a haven for orcs and fell monsters.  Attempts to
clear
> it out have failed utterly, as even the trees resist any effort to drive
the
> monsters out.  It is an evil place, where witches and hags rule over
> monstrous hordes.  All towns within a day's ride of its boundaries are
> heavily fortified, as raids are commonplace.
>
>
>
> Native Creatures
>
> Natural animals are rare on Mystryl's Harbor while dire animals of all
sorts
> are much more common.  Likewise, magical and unusual monsters are
> commonplace, the result of centuries of magical experimentation by
wizards.
> Most of these unfortunate creatures are hunted down and destroyed, but all
> too many elude destruction.  Creatures with spell-like abilities are a
> growing problem in the wilderness.
>
>
>
> Guide to Groundlings
>
> The primary inhabitants of Mystryl's Harbor are humans, wood elves,
gnomes,
> and orcs.  Humans and gnomes dwell in towns and cities in the plains and
in
> the foothills.  Orcs claim the caverns under mountains, and war with the
> elves over the forests.
>
>
>
> Use of magic is very important to the natives of this moon, regardless of
> their race.  Those that cannot cast at least a handful of low-level spells
> are regarded as peasants, and barred from all but the lowest work.  True
> spellcasters able to cast spells beyond a few simple tricks are rare.
>
>
>
> The humans, gnomes, and elves live in towns and small cities surrounded by
> pastoral farmlands and small forests.  Every town has one or more wizard
> towers; part of a town's prestige is the number of towers it has.  The
most
> powerful wizards take their towers into the sky, using powerful spells to
> craft ever-levitating towers in memory of the floating cities of old.
>
>
>
> The people of Netheril of old had an ill reputation as arrogant and
deadly,
> a memory that has all but faded.  Even still, the people of Mystryl's
Harbor
> still bear some shame at the cataclysm they once caused.  The populous is
> very conscious of the abuse of magic.  A secret police force of powerful
> wizards enforces strict rules about what spells can be used.  Extensive
use
> of combat magic, particularly that which causes damage to surrounding
> landscape or buildings, can result in banishment or death of the offender.
>
>
>
> Resources and Trade
>
> This moon is not especially rich in resources; the sources of food,
metals,
> and gemstones are sufficient such that they need not be imported in great
> quantities, but not great enough to create a surplus to export.  Scroll
> scribing is the single largest industry and the moon's main export.
Potion
> brewing is only slightly less of an export, and various other magic items
> are sold as well.  The moon imports spell components and exotic materials
> useful in crafting magic items.
>
>
>
> Ports of Call
>
> Mystilune (metropolis, 75,000): The capital of this moon is the
many-towered
> city of Mystilune. Enormous white towers rise high into the sky, held
aloft
> by arcane magic. It is a center of learning, trade, and art. There are no
> less than eight academies of arcane magic in this city. The nickname of
this
> city is the "City of Scrolls".  Through use of powerful magic, a trio of
> ring-like deepwater lakes was excavated around the city to create one of
the
> finest spelljammer docks anywhere.  Almost anything can be found in the
four
> markets of the city, from the mundane to artifacts of long lost empires.
> Troublemakers are warned that the city is well-patrolled and has a navy of
> almost twenty warships.
>
>
>
> Jannatown (small city, 10,000): The agricultural hub of this moon,
Jannatown
> sports several windmills and storehouses for grains, barley, and rye.
Here
> the harvest is ground into flour to be shipped to other cities.  It has a
> levitating loading dock so that flying ships can pull along side to be
> loaded with the next grain shipment.
>
>
>
> Tychaven (small city, 8,000): The primary income of this frontier city is
by
> way of four large gambling halls, brothels, and numerous tiny shrines to
the
> goddess of luck, Tyche.  The place has an ill reputation as an "anything
> goes" place, where one can quickly lose their fortune, their lives, and
even
> their souls.
>
>
>
> History
>
> The history of Mystryl's Harbor truly began a little less than two
thousand
> years ago, in the cataclysmic destruction of a distant magical empire
known
> as Netheril.  Following the destruction, refugees fled by every means
> possible, including spelljammers.  A fleet of such ships escaped the
> Netheril's ruin, guided by an "echo" of the now-dead goddess Mystryl.
That
> echo lead them here after a harrowing voyage, which they named Mystryl's
> Harbor in her honor.
>
>
>
> The survivors quickly discovered they were not alone.  Two other survivor
> fleets arrived as well, one of elvish Man-O-Wars, the other orcish
> Scorpions, also following the echo.  The orc fleet was larger, but was no
> match for the combined might of the elves, humans, and gnomes.  The battle
> was fierce and left the orcs stranded.
>
>
>
> Following the battle, the survivors discovered the source of the echo,
> inside an abandoned temple of Mystryl.  Inside was a surviving avatar of
the
> goddess who called herself the White Sorceress.  She blessed the
survivors,
> and chose from there number seven to be leaders and wardens.  Afterwards,
> she bid them farewell, and the survivors set about rebuilding their
> civilization.
>
>
>
> Since that time, the survivors grew from beggar refugees to a powerful,
> spelljamming civilization.  All that time, the Seven and their arcane
> enforcers have kept vigil over the abuse of magic, at least on their
world.
>
>
>
> Satellites
>
> Amaunator's Watch: A large castle built on a circular disc of solid
granite
> 500 yards in diameter.  The castle has facilities to support its fleet of
> ten warships and more than twelve hundred soldiers.  Wards have been
placed
> around the castle to protect it from hostile races such as neogi,
illithids,
> and orcs.
>
>
>
>
>
> Bibliography
>
> Spelljammer: Dungeons & Dragons in Space
>
> Netheril: Empire of Magic


--
Grrr, arg.