Maj Space: Hermes - latest hack

This is my latest hack at Hermes in Maj Space, with an eye to
making it a more interesting place to visit.  Quite a lot more
work needs doing, in particular more unusual herbs need defining.

Thoughts?


Hermes - 13/Aug/06

First planet in MajSpace.  About the size of Maj's moon, Selene. 
Tide-locked to the sun, Ra, frozen on the 'darkside', baked dust
on the 'sunside'.  The only habittable area is the strip where
the two sides meet, the 'greenbelt', where a variety of humanoids
live, with some cities of elves and dwarves (no humans, except in
the last fifty years).  While things are mostly peaceful, there
are occasional skirmishes over access to water.  Fire giants live
furthest out towards the sunside, Frost giants futherest out
towards the darkside.


Geography

The geography of Hermes is craters, nearly flat plains and abrupt
ranges of mountains, and there is little moderate landscape, like
gentle rolling hills, or foothills.  The deeper craters collect
water, or ice on the darkside, and that is where people tend to
live who are not on the greenbelt.  The only real use of the
mountains, away from the greenbelt, is mining.

There are no reports of any significantly inhabbited Underdark on
Hermes, maybe because the life that would normally produce air
down there works differently on Hermes, and produces unbreathable
air.  Someone who was prepared to travel, presumbly without
breathing, into the depths, to bring back (living) samples of
this life might be well paid.


Resources

Hermes is of interest mostly for rare medicinal plants which grow
differently in the energies that come from a planet so close to
the sun, probably modified by the filtering of the atmosphere,
and maybe strange elements in the soil or planetary energies. 
There are also supposed to be strange gems to be found on the sun
side, 'sun stones', and on the dark side, 'dark stones', which
supposedly can be enchanted to store and yeild magical power. 
The giants allegedly use these as ritual objects, but the
occasional reports of fireballs and cold blasts might suggest
that some have more practical uses for them.

Traders from Maj, Selene, or even from out-system, will pay well
for the rarer plants, and a premium if they are correctly
harvested, which may be possible only at certain times of the
year, or with special techniques.  The true mandrake, which will
kill whoever uproots it unless they are very careful, is one
example, as it halves the magical costs of making things like
homonculi, or making potions that restore the dead to life; one
root is typically worth at least 25 gp.  There is also bloodroot,
the fresh roots of which must not be touched by bare flesh, or it
draws blood without breaking the skin (1d4+1 HP), but which if
fed animal blood may be used to halve the magical cost of most
healing potions; one (fresh) root is typically worth at least 150
gp.  There are many other varieties.


Recent History

Most recently a dwarven miner, who some claim was both very drunk
and charmed, is supposed to have admitted that the dwarves mine
mithral, apparently both somewhere on the sun side, and on the
dark side.  This has provoked a frenzy of interest on Maj, and a
'Mithral Rush' seems to be starting.

In fact, the dwarf wasn't a dwarf, and he wasn't drunk (or
charmed), but was in fact an agent of one of the empires on Maj
(GM's decision as to which), attempting to divert attention from
the operations elsewhere in Maj Space.  Unfortunately, the
dwarves actually are mining mithral, and they are looking really
hard for someone to blame about their secret getting out!


Interesting Features

Sky Barges

These are ancient, oar-less and sail-less barges, appear to be
made of heavy beams of near-indestructable wood which is at least
as tough as iron, and have no obvious means of support, typically
flying between fifty and five hundred feet (their maximum) above
the ground.  There are two varieties, those which continuous
zig-zag across the greenbelt, from darkside to sunside, then
back, and those that fly for one day on, then one day off, as
they rest.

The barges fly at SR 1 (17 mph), MC D, and are typically flown by
spellcasting elven barging families, that have operated them for
generations.  There appears to be a particular skill to operate a
barge which is related to piloting a spelljamming helm, but is
not quite the same (a 1pt skill deals with the difference). 
Whatever powers the barges does not seem to drain the
spellcasting capabilities of the operator.  If a barge does not
visit both the sunside and the darkside during one day then it
can only operate for one day out of every two.

Ziggurats

These are ancient beyond anyone's memory, including the oldest
writings of the elves and dwarves, and are regularly placed along
the centre of the greenbelt, about every hundred miles, so that a
hundred of them ring the planet.  They appear to be made of solid
granite, and do not have any obvious openings.

Magic which has been used to probe them says that there are no
voids within, but attempts to damage the stone by magical or
physical means does not seem to work - adamantite tools of the
greatest enchantment just bounce off.  Weather seems to affect
the stone, as much as granite ever is, but magically summoned
weather effects have no obvious effect.

There is in fact only one ziggurat, so to damage it you would
need to simultaneously attack the same place on all one hundred,
at once.  They are afterlife gateways, and spirits from all over
Maj Space travel more smoothly to their appointed places via the
Ziggurats of Hermes.  From the Astral Plane they can be seen as
one ziggurat, reaching from the Prime Material, through the
Astral, to where the Astral joins the Outer Planes.  Spirits can
be seen walking up the sides, towards their Outer Planar
destination.  If the ziggurats were destroyed it would cause a
massive disruption across the planes of Maj Space.

Those who know what they are doing can use the ziggurats for
travel around Hermes.  Touching a ziggurat and using a Dimension
Door spell or effect will move the user and as much as they can
normally carry with them to one of the two adjacent ziggurats,
and they will be safely displaced on arrival so they do not
arrive inside anything, and are not injured.  If a Teleport is
used instead then movement can be to any of the other ninety-nine
ziggurats on Hermes, and again it will be safe.

Touching a ziggurat, saying a ritual phrase of respect for Hermes
(or any travel god) in any language and using a Blink spell or
effect moves you and up to one touching Medium creature per three
of your caster levels to the Caduceus.  There is a 2nd level
non-standard arcane and divine spell Caduceus Door which opens a
10 ft. by 10 ft. doorway in any ziggurat, for three rounds, to
Caduceus, and has as a required focus a small stone ziggurat.


Caduceus

Caduceus is a mystic hospital and trading place of unclear
location, it seems somehow between.  It can be reached from many
places on the greenbelt on Hermes, most obviously by using the
spell Caduceus Door on a ziggurat (see above), but also by
attempting to Dimension Door, Teleport, or even Pass Wall to or
into any ziggurat; other magical attempts to enter a ziggurat
will similarly work.  When you leave Caduceus you reappear at the
place you entered, safely displaced if needed to prevent
reappearing inside solid matter; no magic is needed to leave.

Caduceus is in fact between the planes, and can be considered a
transitive plane between life and death, and the place where the
ownership of a coin is just as it passes from a customer to a
trader.

The Market

Caduceus has an immense, in fact indefinitely big, trade hall,
which is reached by taking the left-hand passageway at any
entrance, rather than the right-hand one, which leads to the
hospital.  Commerce is king here, and the stalls are permanently
lit from above by diffuse light from the misty ceiling, about a
hundred feet up, which shows goods clearly and to good effect.

There are usually stalls selling almost anything, including food,
drink, cleansing facilities, and secure places to sleep, at rates
comparable to inns.  Fresh water is freely available from water
wagons, and waste mysteriously vanishes after a short while. 
Entertainers walk the market, or stop and perform.  A very wide
range of goods are available, and the prices can be assumed to be
either 'standard', or competitive, typically varying by up to
plus or minus ten percent from standard.  For many years this was
just used by the local elves and dwarves, with the occasional
giant, but now people come from all over Maj Space.

There is a guard force, paid for by a two percent levy on all the
trade, who wander around looking for organised attempts at theft,
shoddy goods that are over-priced, or gross mis-representation. 
Repeat offenders may be ejected from Caduceus, and have to pay a
fine before re-entry.  It is suspeced that divine forces direct
the guards to the most blatent offenders, and ensure that the
guards stay honest.  Really good thieves (five or more ranks in
Bluff) who use confidence trickster techniques, rather than
pickpocket, snatch and run, or distraction thefts, seem to be
overlooked by the guards for some reason.

Attempts to fight, injure, or charm or influence (except by
skill) others (including poisoning attempts) in any way causes
highly amusing (to others) slipping and tripping, and inflicts on
the attacker non-lethal damage (assuming they are not immune to
this) equal to the damage they would have inflicted if their
attack succeeded.  This applies to all less than divine beings,
irrelevant of ther magic resistance or magical defences,
including undead and constructs.  There is nothing to prevent
attempts at theft, except by violence.

The trade hall is often willing to employ people to act as
guards, at standard rates, with free board and lodging, as long
as they are sufficiently skilled (five or more ranks in Spot, at
least five ranks in Appraise and in Sense Motive), and understand
that their job is to prevent rather than cause trouble.  Smart
guards who keep their ears open can learn all sorts of
interesting things in the trade hall.

The Hospital

Caduceus has an immense, in fact indefinitely big, hospital,
which is reached by taking the right-hand passageway at any
entrance, rather than the left-hand one, which leads to the trade
hall.  Healing is what this place is for, and if that is not
possible, an easy exit from the world and an escort to the
appropriate afterlife.  This is a place of changing, pleasant,
light, soft breezes from no particular direction, the distant
sound of birds, wind in the trees, or the sea, whatever is most
restful or suited to those needing healing.

Patients are in groups in open buildings or woods if this suits
them, or in individual rooms or groves, and can move between
these as needed.  The physicians are concealed by a bright light,
and their voices cannot be distinguished (nor can any other
feature; even True Seeing fails), though their speech is
translated into whatever language is required.  Nursing is done
by invisible servants, who also do all the fetching and carrying.

Patients and staff are as protected from harm as anyone in the
Trade Hall is from violence, though the effect instead of falling
is a brief loss of concentration; the non-lethal damage is the
same.  Invisible porters will escort out of Caduceus repeat
offenders, and a fine will need to be paid before re-entry is
allowed.  The insane or those otherwise not responsible for their
actions will be treated with understanding, and gentle but
sufficient force to restrain them.

While the hospital is there for the purpose of healing, they are
very strong on payment, though this can be deferred, on occasion
to service in the hospital before entering the afterlife (for
example as an invisible servant or porter, or even physician). 
This means that those who are healed and avoid payment cannot, as
long as they are still in Maj Space, enter the afterlife or be
restored to life, except at Caduceus, until their debt is paid. 
If an attempt is made to restore them to life away from Caduceus
a brief spoken or written message will appear on their body,
along with a complementary indefinite Gentle Repose effect, until
their period of service is over.

Sometime those who can reach Caduceus but cannot pay for
treatment are treated anyway, but they are clearly given to
understand that payment is deferred.  If their treatment is a
gentle passage out of life they then serve the hospital,
typically for at most a few weeks, two months at most, before
escort to their afterlife.

Note that while the hospital is willing to restore the dead to
life, they will always speak to their spirits first, and discuss
whether in fact it would suit them more to go on to the
afterlife.  They can do this here far more effectively that
standard spells would allow elsewhere.  If the spirit decides to
stay dead (no pressure is applied to choose this) then no charge
is made and they are escorted to the appropriate afterlife.

The hospital is willing to employ healers and priests of any
religion on its staff as physicians at standard rates of pay,
with full board and lodging thrown in free, as long as they are
sufficiently skilled (five or more ranks in Heal, at least five
ranks in one of Profession (alchemist, apothacary, herbalist,
healer or other suitable), capable of 2nd level healing spells);
a healer kit is made available for the use of all staff.  Staff
who do alchemy work for the hospital will be paid standard market
prices for all potions made.

The spirits and master spirit which run the hospital watch staff
to ensure that they are competent and honest.  Priests are not
allowed to discuss religion with patients, in particular those on
the point of death, and this restriction means that many clerics
will not work at the hospital.  Priests are however allowed and
given the ability to escort the spirits of the dead of their
religion to their afterlife (they remain anonymous cloaked in
white light while they do this).  The ability to do this is one
reason some temples assign their priests to the hospital, even
given the restrictions.  If suitable priests are not available
more generic psychopomps do the task.

Medicinal Trading

There is a area to the right on entering the Trade Hall where
there is trading in medicinal goods.  All the standard ones are
typically for sale, as are both the special raw herbs of Hermes,
and unusual healing prepartion made form these.  There are also
trades ready and willing to purchase these herbs.

There are a number of non-standard items:

Amulet of Gentle Repose: is a black onyx amulet with a copper
backing made from copper pieces, which contains a pinch of salt. 
This acts as a Gentle Repose spell for the purpose of preserving
a corpse or severed body part, or the like, for one day per the
amulet's caster level.  GMs using the Undead Option should note
that this is effectively the same as the Amulet of Zombie
Preservation.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Create Wonderous Item, Gentle
Repose; Market Price: 2,000 gp; Weight: -.

-- 
Dreamer
dreamer@??????.?????.??.uk
http://www.romsys.demon.co.uk/