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This asteroid, known as Miraburg, is located in a dense asteroid field, such as the Grinder. Its overall shape is an elongated disk, tapered at the edges and rising to rugged hills in the center. It measures about 15 miles along the long axis and 8 miles along the shorter axis. A gravity plane bisects the widest area of the disk. It rotates around the long axis through the gravity plane once every 35 hours. This long day takes a while to get used to: give characters who have been living here between 2-7 local days a -1 to all tasks requiring concentration, due to fatigue.
Most of the surface of Miraburg is covered by a dense forest. Deciduous and evergreen trees make up about equal parts, but tend to grow in separate areas. These trees are supported by the asteroid's proximity to the system fire body. The deciduous trees sprout leaves as the asteroid swings closer to the "sun," and drop the leaves as the asteroid moves away. Water is provided by clouds and small water bodies that fall into the rock's gravity envelope from the asteroid field. Runoff forms small streams that flow to the gravity plane and out of the envelope. Miraburg is large enough that it can sometimes sustain its own weather, with small clouds and storms forming, especially over the central hills.
This forest naturally sustains a fair bit of other life forms. These may be encountered by travelers. Allow a 20% chance of an encounter every 3 hours.
2d10 2 Buzzjewels (10-60) 3 Infinity Vine outbreak* 4 Choke Creeper (Carnivorous plant) 5 Lynx, Giant (1) 6 Space Owl (1), just stopping off for a while 7 Skullbirds (2-5) 8 Stargazer** (1) 9 human lumberjacks from town (2-16) 10 Feral Sylvan Giant Space Hamsters (2-12) 11 human hunters from town (1-12) 12 druids (1-3) see below 13 ordinary mammal or bird (deer, squirrel, crow, etc.) 14 Giant Sundew (Carnivorous plant) 15 Sleek, wild (1-10) 16 Wryback, wild (2-7) 17 Ankheg (1) 18 Skunk, Giant (1) 19 Gullions (10-100) 20 Alchemy Plant (1)
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Infinity Vine Outbreak: occasionally a bit of infinity vine lands on Miraburg and begins its usual explosive growth. However, a species of grasshopper lives here that finds the Vine delicious. Soon after Vine starts growing a swarm of insects gathers around it. The vine grows for a while, but eventually enough insects arrive to eat faster than it can grow. Outbreaks last 1-6 hours and affect an area 100' to 600' in diameter. |
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Stargazers: there are only 2 of these beasts on Miraburg, one on each side of the asteroid. They seldom stray from the rocky highlands. If this encounter is rolled outside the hills, reroll. The climate has been too wet for their lightening to cause any large scale forest fires, but Coline (see below) is concerned that if there were to be drought the Stargazers could end up incinerating the whole asteroid. Mayor Silver does not know of them yet, or he would insist on hunting them down. |
Elves lived on Miraburg during the first Unhuman War, and probably a long time before that. They built little in stone, and signs of their habitation are very rare. During the war, contact with the colony was lost and the orbit of the asteroid changed, for unknown reasons. A large humanoid troopship stumbled across the asteroid and overran the colony, but was itself stranded. Over the following years the humanoids were gradually wiped out by native beasts. Whatever these beasts were, it seems that most have left or died off over the centuries.
Nine years ago Zithir Silver was prospecting for an asteroid to settle on, when he found this one. He invested most of his personal fortune in establishing a colony, and declared himself mayor. He recruited workers from other spelljammer communities. Seven years ago, an Arch Druid heard of Miraburg, visited it, and determined that druidic protection was necessary for this special ecosystem. The Great Druid of wildspace for this sphere agreed, and directed Druid Coline to gather her followers and go to Miraburg.
Located on the asteroid's edge, in a small valley. Surrounded on land side by a 12' wooden stockade with catwalk. A large stream flows into the valley and through the town. Four towers house medium ballista at the corners of the stockade, and a bell tower is located in the town square. Architecture is predominantly wooden, with 1 and 2 story houses. Population is about 340.
Businesses include 3 inns (below), 4 rooming houses, a brothel, a moneychanger, a paper maker, a weaponsmith, a blacksmith, 2 general suppliers, a sawmill, and a shipyard. The town imports food and manufactured goods, and exports timber, herbs gathered from the forest, paper, and ships (rarely).
The inns are the Top Inn (fine rooms and drinks, but so-so food), the Petrified Parrot (rough dive, but decent prices), and Kyro's Victuals (exceptional cooking, but the rooms are lousy).
The town has gravity plane docks for up to 10 vessels. About 5 ships could land in the flat grounds outside the town. Landing in the gardens or on the transient lumberjacks' tents will not make a ship any friends. Docking fees are 3 gp per ton per local day. There is a head tax of 5 gp per person, but this is only enforced if undesirables show up (dracons, humanoids). There is no air tax.
Due to the abundance of raw materials, ship repairs are done here at a 20% discount. The shipyard is equipped to build small ships (up to 50 tons), but has not had much business.
There is a small chapel to Pholtus (or your local favorite LG/LN deity) here. The priest, Angus Brightlash (cleric 5), is enthusiastic about establishing the religion here. There is also a priest of Ralishaz (or substitute trickster/luck deity) named Stochast (specialty priest 3) hanging around. He has no temple, but seems to support himself gambling with the lumberjacks at the Parrot. Rumor has it there is a secret shrine to Nerull (death god) around somewhere.
The town is defended by 20 men-at-arms. One can be found on watch at the docks, one in the bell-tower, and one at the land-side gate. There are 5 shifts of 7 hours per day. The men-at-arms also serve as town guards. They are also the crew for the asteroid's "navy," a single squid ship.
In addition, a militia of about 200 able-bodied adults can be raised. About 50 can be called out within minutes of a threat, they being the long-time residents who take the biweekly training seriously. The remainder are newcomers or transients who take longer to organize.
Next to a tree overlooking the town is a life-sized statue of a wizened old human woman. She is wearing simple robes and a serene expression. Her left arm is wrapped around an oak tree. The oak has grown over the arm somewhat, and her lower legs are embedded in the ground. The growth of the tree suggests that the statue has been there about 200 years. Legend has it that she was a great wizard who tired of life and petrified herself there, and will revive if the asteroid is threatened. The statue radiates a mild Alteration magic.
Near the town is a network of logging roads and semi-cleared forest. Nearest the town the woods are quite sparse, but the logging grows less intensive farther away. This less intensive use is the result of Coline negotiating with Silver. During the daylight hours hired men move around felling trees. These are then transported back to town. Mostly this is done on large horse-drawn wagons, but in difficult terrain a ship may be hired to pick the trees up. So far, logging only occurs on the same side of the asteroid as the town.
Directly opposite from the town is a huge starfly mother-tree growing in the gravity plane but attached to the rock of the asteroid. Small streams on both sides of the asteroid flow into the roots of the tree, then around it into space. During summer, the tree launches vast numbers of starfly fruit.
When the druids found the tree, it already contained a large natural hollow. They gently shaped it into the core of the temple, a vast chamber crossing the gravity plane. Gossamer leaves form the windows, filling the room with green-gold light at all times. Branches in the gravity plane intertwine to form a sort of altar in the center. The druids shaped several other rooms for living space. There is also the Dark Shrine, a secret chamber used for (rare) living sacrifices.
This sacred site is becoming a pilgrimage destination for wildspace druids. There is a 10% probability of 1-6 being present. There is a disconcertingly high likelihood of high level druids (level 12+) passing through with Transport Via Plants (GM's discretion). Wildspace elves are also rather taken with this plant, especially shipwrights who work with the starfly: 5% probability of 1-10 elves.
Either Coline or one of her followers is present here at all times. All have used Animal Friendship on one or more small animals, who can serve as sentries against intruders. In addition, they convince at least one big predator to hang around nearby, where it can be summoned to defend the temple. Roll d6: (1) a giant lynx, (2) skullbirds, (3) wild sleeks, (4) an ankheg, (5-6) a giant skunk. They do this with a combination of Speak with Animals and bribery with food.
Zithir Silver (Human male, age 42, married (wife: Ellie Silver), alignment N with NE tendencies, level 0, Dex 7, Int 15, Cha 14, appearance: overweight, bearded, scar on forehead, wears blue and grey silks)
Founder and mayor of town of Miraburg. He owns the docks, the shipyards, and the sawmill. He claims to own all land on the asteroid, though the legality of this claim is murky. This is all thanks to his share of his family's ancestral fortune, made in silver mining. He tends to stay out the way of his operations, as it was his clumsiness that earned him the scar on his face in the sawmill a couple of years ago. His dream is to make a metropolis on Miraburg to surpass Bral, with himself as prince and ruler. The first stage is to fully exploit the timber resources. But secretly he fears the druids and the power they worship.
Coline (Human female, age 44, divorced, alignment N, level 12 Druid, Wis 17, Cha 16, Con 15, Str 7, AC 10, THAC0 13 [scimitar], hp 51, appearance: 5' tall, dark skinned, curvy, wears yellow and green robes) Gear: Dagger +1, Scimitar +2 [very lightweight], Marble Elephant-Asiatic. Abilities: spells 6/5/5/3/2/2 [fond of Transport Via Plants and Charm Person or Mammal], shape change 3/day)
Born in the Touv region of Oerth, her intense devotion to nature eventually brought her into contact with the rare druids of that area. They took her to Dragon Island, the center of that religion in Greyspace (IMC), for training. From there, a mission took her into Wildspace, where she has remained. Her previous marriage to another druid produced her two children, daughter Nkosi (age 24, living on Dragon Island) and son Ntuli (age 13, living with her). She is concerned about nature on Miraburg, and feels honored by the assignment to protect it. However, she feels if it comes to direct conflict with those who want to exploit the forest, her side would eventually lose. Therefore her strategy is to offer guidance in how to harvest the resources with maximum harmony. She is also anxious about other threats which could come against the sparsely defended asteroid.
Coline ought to have 3 followers, but only has 2 low level followers: Ilka, 2nd level human female, and Hoa, 2nd level half-elf male. This fact has been a constant source of friction between her and the druidic hierarchy.
