Entry in the SJ Settlements Contest.
A relatively average farming asteroid in the Empire, Caster's Summit is named for the small rise close to the center of its "topside". The rise is little more than a minor hill but among a people where few have ever seen a true mountain it is referred to as one. The Summit's name comes from the fact that it is an excellent spot to "fish" for scavvers from, something that occurred more frequently in the past. Fishing for scavvers usually entails taking a sturdy rope of sufficient length to leave the air envelope and attaching a grappling hook with some sort of meaty bait on it. Scavvers in the area are drawn to the meal and can then be lured or dragged into the air envelope and engaged with missile weapons and spells.
Caster's Summit is only about 5 miles wide (diameter) and while generally round it is irregularly shaped at the edges. The edges are only a few feet thick while the interior thickens to several hundred yards (modern viewers would equate to the view to a traditional flying saucer where the summit forms the cockpit). The asteroid is irrigated and has several small fruit trees and bushes and even a vineyard in addition to the "port" settlement, scattered houses and storage buildings, and fields of crops.
The asteroid's social center is the "port". The port is simply a small collection of buildings including the tavern/boarding house (this might also be thought of as the garrison since it's where the colonial marines stay). The other buildings include store houses and a few dwellings. The local shrine of Ptah (run by the local potter, a middle-aged hm C1--uses the merchant kit from PO:S&P--named Tersius Suli) and potter's shop is also located here and, surprisingly enough, the most important person on the asteroid, the half-elven druid of Rillifane Rallathil Erents Snowbuilder (D4--uses the village druid kit from CDHB and has wildspace/asteroid fields as a primary terrain), lives here along with his half-elven wife and 3 children (though Bethany--W1 using academician kit specializing in nature lore--thinks she may be pregnant again). The official head of the town (the appointed bailiff) is also the tavern owner Laurents (hm F2 using soldier kit, a retired colonial marine that walks with a limp from a training accident) though Erents is the true "person in charge" (as much as he hates it) and Laurents is controlled by his domineering wife, Bolinda (hf F0 with merchant kit from PO:S&P, Ch 16--due to strength of personality as her large size and middle age makes her plain rather than pretty). The docks are small, only able to handle the wreckboat, a dragonfly, and a hammership at most at one time (though ships that can land on the surface and aren't larger than a wasp can land in the town square if needed without angering the locals--landing in a field is sure to do so if tried). Beside the docks is mounted a medium ballista that's kept servicable along with a pile of ballista bolts kept under a tarp beside it (as some have pointed out, what use is a tarp on an asteroid where there's no rain?).
The settlement is overseen by a small colonial marine garrison under the command of Sergeant Tolver (hm F3/former W1 that uses the soldier kit from PO:S&P). His second-in-command is Corporal Tuigi ("Twiggy"; hf T2 with the cutpurse kit from CTHB though her thief skills have suffered from neglect for a -10% penalty on all of them), a former cutpurse that joined the colonial marines to find a better life and ended up marrying a (local) farmer. Her husband is the farmer that maintains the vineyard. A gm F1/T1 has recently transferred in and two hm F1s (all three use the soldier kit) round out the "command". In addition to the dockside ballista the marines have a wreckboat powered by a nonmagical engine with a medium ballista mounted on it that they keep in servicable condition.
Services: A typical small farming asteroid, Caster's Summit has little to offer visitors. The only manufacturing they have is ceramics (mainly through the potter) and some weaving, though they have to import materials for the latter. The colony survives by selling food and purchasing what they needed from traveling merchants. The druid provides what aid he can with the crops and magically produces water for the asteroid (not enough to sustain it but an important supplement) as does the cleric of Ptah.
Population: Most of the population is human though 2 other families (besides the druid's) of half-elves are also present as is a family of halflings that immigrated here from a nearby halfling colony several years ago (that colony is becoming overpopulated). An old, lame hadozee also works on the asteroid acting as simple labor for anyone that needs it. In return the community as a whole sees to his simple needs. Chickens, domesticated quail, a dog, mice (field mice are a serious nuisance, hence the importation of cats a generation ago), cats, bees (several colonies are raised by the druid to help with pollination and provide honey), earthworms, and other common bugs and insects make up the remaining fauna of the asteroid. Rillifane Rallathil is the primary religion despite the make-up of the population.
Defenses: In addition to the wreckboat and stationary ballista the asteroid has a few other means of defense. The ship's mage of the local patrol vessel has cast a half-dozen magic mouths at points on the docks to warn of known attackers (one warns of neogi, another illithids, etc.) in return for honeycomb that is a component for that spell. None of the colony's three wizards (the third is a hef W(D)1/T1) know any offensive spells but Sergeant Tolver does have shield and keeps it memorized, figuring it's easier than always wearing his well-maintained chainmail (brigandine, leather, and studded leather are the other armors on the asteroid, each suit being owned by various individuals) and more accessable in an emergency. Laurents' dog is a grizzled hound fully capable of holding its own in a battle that he keeps around "just in case some lazy sailor gets rough", even though few sailors ever drop by. Finally There are four other retired colonial marines (other than the ones already noted) on the asteroid and most of the colonists have trained somewhat at using their farming tools as a militia. The colonists are not unaware that neogi raids in the region, while rare, do occur on occasion. Note that there are no other spellcasters in the colony than those noted though Erents and Bethany are teaching their children what they know and there are a few other adventurous youngsters among the population (most of whom will undoubtedly end up settling down as simple farmers like their parents).
Threats: The field mice eating food stores and the occasional upset neighbor are the most common dangers on Caster's Summit. Neogi, illithids, and other slavers (there not being enough of valuable to make this colony a worthwhile target for other types of raiders) are the greatest danger. The usual sorts of threats that the colony worries about are wandering creatures (usually occasional groups of scavvers) and the possibility of a ship with a bad air envelope refreshing it here. They are well-enough equipped to deal with these threats, the ballistae and wreckboat making excellent scavver defenses and the crops refreshing any bad air brought from another source.
Note: Caster's Summit is in an outer but better populated area of the Empire and so has a small group of colonial marines assigned (rather than a full squad--but then the colonial marines are usually undermanned). The marines are actually feeling overstrength right now as they have 2 NCOs (due to personnel shortages having only a corporal assigned here would not be unusual even if it doesn't adhere to regulations) and a 3rd trooper has recently transferred in. Patrols in the area are relatively frequent and a naval base is located nearby ("nearby" being a relative term that refers to within a few days travel through the asteroid field by spelljammer--in this case 2-3 days though the colony is not at the outer edge of the patrol zone either). The presence of a local druid is also relatively rare but otherwise this colony is pretty average for a minor farming settlement.
