Entry in the Unique Space Station Contest.
1.8 miles by 1.3 miles by .77 miles earth body
Shackle is the name of a uniquely located Chainmen trading post.
Located in the interior of a large asteroid, Shackle floats in the
phlogiston. It lies along a minor and rarely traveled flow near a
major sphere. This location keeps it little known except to those who
have business here. Additionally hallucinatory terrain and similar
illusions protect the asteroid by making those who stumble across it
think they've encountered a lifeless rock.
Shackle is much more than a lifeless rock. It contains docking areas
for vessels of all types and sizes, businesses that deal in
spacefaring related goods, and a central market where slaves are
traded. It has its own police force, its own navy, its own governing
body, and its own economy. Shackle is basically a big market. Slaves
are the primary trade goods but anything else necessary for ship life
is available also: supplies, weaponry, ammunition, equipment,
weapons, armor, materials, ship parts (rigging, netting, lines, keels,
oars, etc.), and ship stores. Markup is only about 10% above normal
price on most items though magical items, weapons, ammunition, armor,
and common equipment do not suffer this penalty.
Shackle trades with anyone. Neogi, groundling nations, beholders,
illithids, Chainmen, Tenth Pit, and Xenos (most Xenos are more
interested in money than in exterminating all other races, selling
other races makes them feel superior even if they disagree with
selling humans to "lesser" species) all come here to buy and sell
slaves. Hurwaet do not come here except as slaves due to the presence
of their hated enemies (neogi, illithids, and beholders). Elven crews
aren't allowed here either as they may be IEN spies. An occasional
elf captain or member of a crew will generally be dealt with
suspiciously but will not be turned away. Dracon do not come here
(their herds don't trade in slaves) except as slaves. Scro do not
trade here (their desire for secrecy before the war and their attempts
to dominate the spaceways during it cause them to stay away originally
and later to be unwelcome). Most other races have at least some
unscrupulous members who are willing to trade in slaves. Those who
know about Shackle may come here as long as they are willing to follow
the rules. Of course, most any race may be a slave.
The Laws of Shackle:
Shackle has several laws, each enforceable by death or enslavement
(of course). The laws are what keeps Shackle from turning into a
nightmarish place, with neogi and illithids running wild in the
corridors, feeding on and enslaving other races, beholders fighting
their wars, and everyone else doing their best to get ahead of the
competition. Guilt and sentencing are determined only by Jaarot but
he uses a few basic rules to make all his determinations. These are
called the sentencing laws and are the first two of the Laws of
Shackle. Finally Jaarot, as the founder of Shackle, can create any
new law as he sees fit and apply it to any situation in any way he
sees fit, including retroactively. Any creature that is enslaved has
all their possessions (including slaves) confiscated by the
authorities (Jaarot picks through them before auctioning them
off-station personnel get first chance to buy items before they hit
the general auction block).
1) Any living creature (undead may not be on the station) of ogre size
or smaller (basically) may be sold on Shackle except giff, syllix
(they've had trouble with these breeding before), and creatures that
are dangerous by their very nature (i.e. nilbogs, beholders,
cockatrices, rust monsters-dangerous to commerce equates to dangerous
to people, disenchanters, etc.). Further plant and fungi species may
not be sold in the auction or stored in the station slave pens (this
is due to the limits of the items used to control slaves, in short
those who wish to sell such creatures must control them and sell them
on their own).
2) Offenses that endanger the population or commerce of Shackle
(rather than just individuals) or are directed at the rulership of
Shackle are punishable by death. Likewise offenders that cannot be
sold as slaves (under law 1) will be punished with death. The parts
of any offender that is slain will be auctioned off. Those parts that
cannot be sold will be destroyed.
3) Slavers owners/keepers/overseers are liable for their slaves'
actions. If the slaves' actions weren't too severe and can be shown
to have been caused by a slave that got out of hand monetary
recompense is sufficient to prevent legal action (basically the
offender pays off the aggrieved party so the law doesn't have to get
involved, overcharging such payers is considered theft-see below).
4) Physical, mental, spiritual, magical, and emotional assault on
slaves or free individuals is not allowed.
5) No slaving may occur on Shackle (this includes sneaking on others'
ships and trying to attack each other just outside Shackle itself).
6) No slave may be freed while on Shackle (this prevents slaves from
suddenly saying they were freed by their masters and generating
confusion).
7) Slaves are the property and responsibility of their owners (a slave
left in the slave pens must be fed by his owner and the slave may be
slain or abused by the owner at will).
8) All slaves will be restrained at all times while on Shackle.
Slaves for sale will use Shackle restraints, personal slaves will be
controlled by their owners (thus the owner may use magic, guards, a
slave master, personal influence and similar methods to control his
slaves).
9) No slave can have personal property. A slave is property and a
slave's property is the property of its owner.
10) No stealing.
11) No provoking a confrontation (kender would have a real problem
here).
12) Ships in dock are not part of Shackle except as they endanger
Shackle.
13) Everyone must pay their taxes.
14) The only auction is the station auction (private deals and bidding
wars and auctions on ships are still permissible, however).
15) Waste goes in the Pit. Only approved waste may go into the Pit.
16) No one is exempt from the law (except Jaarot and those he chooses
to let get away with things, obviously).
Shackle Taxes and Fees:
The government of Shackle recognizes its unique situation (in more
ways than one) and charges fees appropriately. This is in addition to
its sales of supplies of all sorts for vessels.
Air Tax: 2 sp per ton per day; +20 gp per ton initial fine for fouled
air; +100 gp per ton initial fine for deadly air
Docking Fee: 2 sp per ton per day
Slave Storage Fee (for those who put slaves in the Shackle slave pens
but not into the Shackle slave auction): 1 sp per day (slave will get
water but owner must still provide any food-alternatively owner can
pay an additional 5 sp per day to have the slave fed)
Guide Boat: 25 gp (this is not mandatory but there is a 500 gp plus
repair expenses fine for any ship that doesn't use a wreckboat guide
and crashes into the docks or side of one of Shackle's entries/docking
areas)
Towing: 1000 gp per day (this is for ships towed to another crystal
sphere-usually done for furnace powered vessels that run out of power
while at Shackle-as the price of a wreckboat tow into Shackle is the
same as the price of a wreckboat guide even if the vessel isn't
powered; maximum limit of 55 tons can be towed)
Waste Disposal: 5 gp per ship (this fee covers the ship for the
duration of its stay and must be paid, no matter what)
Auction Fee: 2% or 1 cp, whichever is greater (this fee comes out of
the price for any slave sold at the Shackle Auctions, it is the fee
for using the station provided auctions)
Stall Fee: 1 sp per day per plot
Shop Fee: 2 gp per month per section (months are 30 days, use 4 gp
per month if using 2nd Edition monetary charts where 10 sp = 1 gp)
The Slaves and the Slave Market:
As noted under the laws any creature below a certain size that is not
inherently dangerous can be sold on Shackle. While this means it is
primarily a slaver port most other creatures can be purchased here
also, whether it is directly from the seller's ship or in the shops
and stalls of Shackle itself. Creatures that are sold in the Shackle
auctions must be controlled by the Shackle authorities. The
authorities use two new magical items that they've apparently
purchased from the Arcane to control slaves. They appear to have a
limitless supplies of these items, shackles of pacificity and collars
of damping. Both the shackles and the collar are applied to any
creature that is to be auctioned at the Shackle auctions or spend time
staying in the Shackle slave pens. The items will be left on the
creature for the duration of its stay.
In addition to the base run auction Shackle also rents out areas of
the market to those who would do their own selling, whether it is
slaves or food. Each plot is a 20' by 30' area that costs the renter
1sp per day. Multiple adjacent plots may be rented subject to
availability at the renter's desire (it is not unknown to have one
salesmen move to make room for another that wants adjacent plots,
however). One may also rent a more permanent store in the station
itself. At any time several stores are free for rent. Each store has
a 20' x 20' main room with an equally large rear area that is usually
used for storage, as a living area, etc. Each shop costs 2 gp per
month to rent though again, adjacent stores ("sections") may be rented
that are connected by adjoining doors. There is no such thing as a
residence on Shackle (except for station personnel) so anyone wishing
to live here must rent a section, even if they don't intend to set up
a business.
Slaves are generally sold in tiers of prices based on the creatures'
race (the price range of each tier should be set by the DM to reflect
the economics of their campaign). Of course exceptional specimens and
pitiful specimens will often fall outside these tier ranges. Very
young individuals usually are sold in the same tier as adults (as they
can be trained) whereas very old specimens tend to have one tier less
value. Individuals with skills (gem cutter, classed
warrior-gladiatorial slaves and guards are in demand like any other
skill, silk weaver, etc. makes no difference) that have been
identified will rise in value one tier for each skill. Any creature
that can operate a helm (psionic, spellcaster, innate magic, etc.)
also gains one rank of value (a spellcaster may thus gain two ranks
depending on the level of class skill) unless they are rastipedes,
which gain two ranks of value. For classed creatures the level of
skill may increase them be more than one rank of value as both a
skilled individual and as a helmsman (if appropriate) if sufficiently
high (DM's discretion). The general slave tiers, by race are as
follows for the most common species:
1) tasloi, halflings, humans, gnomes, kobolds, goblins, xvarts, orcs,
hobgoblins, hadozee, neogi, xixchil, dohwar, rastipedes
2) norkers, gnolls, bugbears, grommam, lizard men, dracon
3) ogres, hurwaeti (due to their innate ability that allows them to
refresh air and operate some helms)
4) dwarves (hard to acquire in both space and on planets due to where
they live and the large clans they live in, also tend to be good
fighters and skilled miners or easily trainable as such), trolls
(tough and regenerate)
5) elves (the elven fleet protects elven groundling nations and elves
in space making elves much rarer as slaves than otherwise might be
expected, also elves have a variety of uses based on things such as
exceptional beauty and the longest lifespans), ogre magi (innate
abilities that are highly useful and allow them to operate some helms)
Other species are of course sold and many slavers aren't above
raiding groundlings for slaves (in fact this is often one of the
easiest ways to gather new slaves) but they aren't commonly sold at
Shackle (depending on the sphere they may be much more prominent in
the local slave markets). Such rarity may even drive up the price on
an unusual species. Note that system means a beautiful elven female
in her prime may well be sold by an illithid who will profit enough to
buy several kobold slaves (if all he's interested in is labor and
food) but those are the rules of a free market.
Areas of Shackle:
The Entries: Shackle has three main entries, each large enough for a
deathspider (with its grappling ram arms pulled in tight) to maneuver
through. There is not a lot of extra room, however, so that an elven
armada, should one attack, can't get in. Several dual ballistae, set
back in caves in the wall and concealed by hallucinatory terrain
spells, guard each entrance against unwanted guests. The wreckboat
crews are extremely skilled at moving all manner of vessels through
each entry to the docks associated with it without letting them touch
the walls (and thus possibly be damaged). They do this by using
signals and semaphore (they have both as some ships can only read one,
they prefer signaling as it is faster) to direct the vessel as they
either trail or lead it into port (they prefer to lead). No ship, no
matter size, may enter Shackle at a speed greater than 1 SR without
being fired on by the ballistae. Larger vessels tend to enter at even
less speed than this so as to avoid any collision.
The Docks: There are three sets of docks, each located at the end of
one of the entry tunnels on Shackle's gravity plane. Each set of
docks can hold at least three deathspiders (the largest cavern can
hold six at once). If the docks become full those ships that can land
on land will be told to land on one the cavern's ceilings though many
do anyway, at least after unloading their cargo (if it's not a walking
cargo). Such vessels have the right to return to the docks to load
cargo for their voyage out. Docking fees remain the same whether
one's ship is at the docks or not (some captains choose to float on
the gravity plane away from the docks for security reasons).
The Pit: The pit is simply that: a large pit located on one side of
the gravity plane. All organic waste is thrown in the pit as nowhere
else is legal for its disposal (those arriving at Shackle are informed
how to get to the pit and that this is true though most choose to
simply pay the Dock Workers' Guild to take care of such matters). The
pit is always overseen by two human workers who are their to ensure
nothing is illegally disposed of in the pit but they are easily bribed
to look the other way. This is because of the Pit's inhabitants.
Jaarot somehow recruited three otyughs to live in the Pit, consuming
the waste. The otyughs, in turn, telepathically communicate any
infractions of the law to Jaarot when he makes his daily visit so that
he can deal with the offenders. Note that poisons (most of which the
otyughs are immune to anyway) may not be disposed of in the Pit unless
they are water soluble. This is because all liquids in the Pit slowly
drain through the porous rock into another cavern below (closer to the
gravity plain) where it collects. The priests of the Temple of Hades
then pump the water out into barrels and purify it to be resold to
ships in port or consumed by those currently in residence.
Slave Pens: The Shackle slave pens are a series of large, secured
rooms located close to the market where those slaves destined for
auction are kept (the slave pens will also keep any other slaves
anyone desires them to for 1 sp per day). Several smaller, individual
cells also exist for those who resist the powers of the shackles of
pacificity. All slaves are shackled hands and feet and wear a collar
of damping at all times. Slaves are sorted by tags with unique
symbols. Records are kept corresponding to each tag that tells the
seller/owner and all known information about the slave. Though aided
by several other slave overseers, Brog the ogre is complete master of
the slaves while they are in his pens. He is not abusive (damaged
goods bring less money and his pay is based on how much Shackle gets
from the slave auctions) but he is forceful and will shove a slave
that doesn't move fast enough for his tastes. He is aided in his
tasks by several guard dogs that will only obey him and Jaarot. The
dogs are well trained in herding slaves and making sure they don't do
anything they aren't supposed to (such as freeing each other) but are
nonhostile most of the time (they won't take orders from the other
overseers but won't attack them as long as they don't do anything out
of line either). If they do attack they will only attack until called
off or until the offender ceases all offending actions (including
fighting back). They may be ordered to attack anyone as Brog and
Jaarot desire.
Market: The market is a large cavern where slave auctions are held
and individuals can rent space to sell their own goods. Auctions are
held once per day at noon, each day. A large water clock located in
one wall of the market, behind the auction block notes the time that
the entire station goes by (there being no day or night in the
phlogiston). The movement of the slaves to holding areas behind the
auction block one hour beforehand also signal the time for anyone
present. The market is always functioning 24 hours a day and if the
supply of slaves is great enough the auctions may continue 24 hours a
day (rotating auctioneers, of course). Likewise especially valuable
slaves will generally cause additional bidding, increasing the time it
takes to finish an auction. Slaves are sold based on their
appearance, known skills and attributes (including gender and race),
and age. Anything known along these lines must be present at the
auction for the consideration of those bidding. Lying about a slave
is considered theft as is attempting to drive up the price by bidding
on one's own slaves (though this is sometimes overlooked, especially
if the original owner ends up buying his own slave).
Shops and Residences: Shackle is honeycombed with tunnels with
various sections lining each. A surprising number of these sections
have come to be permanent businesses and residences for regular
travelers or permanently resident merchants (though there are always
free sections available for new businesses and residents to move
into). Station personnel live in their own area separate from all
others that only authorized personnel are allowed in. Guards ensure
no one else enters. Some businesses, such as inns, taverns, and
boarding houses, do not conform to the standard area configurations
that are set up and so are allowed to have non-standard areas. Any
modification of Shackle itself (excavations of any sort) must be done
under the guidance of station engineers (and is usually performed by
magic or slaves). Anything else would be theft (as the station
doesn't get its fees for the area used). Despite this several of the
permanent residents have altered their back rooms by adding a secret
storage area or adding a little extra space (Jaarot knows this but
it's not worth his time to inspect long term residents for such
violations and in truth he doesn't care as minor violations keep them
happy and resident-and tax paying). No one has tired to get around
the station excavation requirements for large excavations in a long
while as the engineering oversight is free, only the work itself costs.
Businesses/Merchants:
Nolek's: Nolek is a rastipede mage (LN(E) rm MU4 I18) who sells
supplies. He sells mostly ships supplies and some personal gear but
the main features of his business are that he sells minor magical
items and spell components. Each has a heavy markup over what they
would be available at in the spheres but they're worth it. Nolek is
scrupulously honest (the rumor is he once crossed Jaarot) and always
reveals the exact quality of anything he sells. Among the minor
magical items he sells are a few potions (healing, extra healing, and
sweet water with an occasional potion of water breathing) and minor
items he enchants himself. He has a number of cantrips he uses at a
customer's request and several spells. Most notably he will use
wizard mark (marking an item for identification), magic mouth
(protecting it or turning an item into an alarm system), continual
light, knock (opening locked boxes and the like for customers), and
Nystul's magical aura for clients willing to pay his prices (his
prices should be standard spellcasting prices for the campaign plus
10%). Less often he is called upon to use wizard lock, ESP, or
comprehend languages for a client. Nolek is not the only spellcaster
for hire nor the only spell component dealer on Shackle but his
absolute honesty, convenience (everyone needs ship supplies), and
personal guarantee of quality have made him the best known. Nolek
uses several orc slaves (all charmed) as guards and to carry large
items. He is open from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday but desperate
customers can rouse him by banging on his shop door. He charges only
5 gp for such emergencies.
The Neogi's Spit: The Neogi's Spit is an infamous tavern and inn.
It is named for the fact that it will serve any race whatever they
desire. This fact and the generally poor quality of everything they
have once led a patron to ask (loudly, so all could hear): "What is
this stuff, neogi spit?" and from that time forward the name has stuck
until now it is the official name of the business. The Neogi's Spit
has changed hands several times since it was founded and the current
owners are several investors including the giff platoon that serves as
Shackle's police force. The Neogi's Spit is only noteworthy as the
best known place to get into a fight on Shackle without getting in
trouble. As several off duty giff guards are usually here they keep
the mayhem down to a low ebb. What makes the Neogi's Spit such a
popular dive is that its prices are moderate, in line with that of
most ports, even if what's provided is low quality (or as one patron
put it, "Extremely low to the lowest quality."). The Neogi's Spit is
open at all times and uses male and female slaves of various races
(all controlled magically) as servants. Their services may be
purchased on a more personal basis for those who desire it.
The Armory: The armory is a dwarf run and owned shop that deals in
all manner of adventuring and personal supplies (everything the DM
wants to allow from the PHB and any other source the DM feels is
reasonable). The owners are a small family of spacefaring mountain
dwarves led by Hammer Steelsplitter (LE dm F9). Little is known of
the insular family except that for some reason they can't return to
wildspace and must live in the phlogiston. Their prices are extremely
high (up to double the usual prices) but their quality is always the
best (at Dm's option some items might get +1 on certain saving
throws). The Armory doesn't utilize slaves but the family keeps it
open at all times.
The Arcane Drop: The Arcane Drop is just what one might think, the
local outlet for Arcane goods and services. No arcane has ever been
seen here, however, so some people remain suspicious of its claims to
contact with the best known merchants of space. Whatever the truth of
the matter the drop carries a minor helm, a major helm, and a crown of
stars for sale on the premises at all times along with a portal
locator, a passage device, and two planetary locators. Anything else
one would like to purchase (up to whatever limits the DM decides the
Arcane have for acquiring and selling items) has to be ordered.
Orders take a minimum of a month to arrive but are always whatever was
agreed upon (the usual Arcane reputation applies). The Arcane Drop is
run by a Tred Supter (LE hm F6) who can be contacted for a purchase
only between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 12 noon to 4 p.m.
The rest of the time he is off and even if located he will not discuss
business. Tred is under Jaarot's protection and has some sort of deal
worked out with Jaarot for the collars and shackles the station uses
on slaves. What the deal is isn't known but Tred lives in the station
personnel area and the Arcane Drop doesn't pay rent. No one who's
ever stolen a shackle or collar from the station has ever been able to
do business with the Arcane again until the item was returned or
replaced. Both collars of damping and shackles of pacificity may be
purchased from the Arcane Drop with the usual one month delay. The
Arcane Drop charges only standard Arcane prices for any item it sells.
Station Services: Station Services is just what it sounds like,
services provided by the administration of Shackle itself. Jaarot
(naturally) owns station services but has appointed Yusemi, a young
bushi (NE hm bushi5) to oversee its operation. Yusemi followed his
family's tradition of serving in the military of a Shou noble though
he always wanted to be a learned man. One day the noble gave one of
his younger sons a dragonship to serve the Emperor and the family and
crewed it with several trusted retainers of which Yusemi, with his
knowledge of math and writing, was one. The noble's son soon went
rogue along with the crew, however, and became slavers. Thus it was
that Yusemi eventually came to Shackle while still not pleased with
his lot in life. After getting drunk and telling a nearby listener of
his desires and skills before passing out he awoke to find himself in
the employ of Jaarot and Shackle Station. Jaarot put him to work
using his skills and in return paid him enough that he could buy all
the books he could get his hands on (not many, out here). Yusemi is
aided by several other personnel in running Shackle's sideline
business. Station Services is the main source of water for ships,
people, and businesses. They also deal in large quantities of low
quality ship's food (at the usual prices) but have several competitors
in this field. Other items dealt in include minor magical items (e.g.
rings of protection+1, potions of healing, etc.) and light sources.
The magical items are mainly used as furnace fuel by those who use
furnaces while light sources are a basic requirement for life on
Shackle. Shackle is lit by both the glow of the phlogiston and the
light of various molds and fungi that grow in areas of the station.
However this light is often insufficient, there are areas where even a
cat wouldn't be able to see well enough, despite the phlogiston, to
get around. The problem is much more severe for most races.
Continual light stones and lanterns, continual faerie fire sticks, and
glowing globes (see FOR4) are the main light sources sold here (cold
light fungus can be harvested from within Shackle but this form of
illumination isn't very popular on-station). Continual light items
are the easiest and the cheapest while providing the best light but
many races have problems in such bright light. As such they require
lesser sources of illumination. Continual faerie fire sticks (sold in
stick form so they can be easily used to read by) are a good
compromise, giving beneficial light without being so bright as to
offend most others. In fact this is the most common form of
illumination used by station businesses on their signs and outside
their shops (within the illumination generally reflects the intended
clientelle). Glowing globes, though expensive, are by far the most
popular (and least common due to their cost) light source available on
Shackle. The globes follow or stay in one place and will increase or
decrease illumination on command. Finally Station Services also sells
basic ship equipment including repair supplies, boarding pikes,
ammunition, grappling hooks, extra rigging, etc. Station Services is
open 24 hours a day but purchasers must arrange for their own
delivery. The Dock Worker's Guild usually has several bands waiting
to immediately fill any customer's needs.
Mounts: Another simply named business, Mounts is a one of a kind shop
on Shackle. Just as the name says, Mounts deals in any sort of mount
that is available and falls within station guidelines. The proprietor
is an ugly young high elven mage who goes by the name of Starider (CE
ef MU17 I17 Ch6 Cm4 (2 to high and grey elves)). Starider's history
is not known (she is actually past middle age). Starider is never
mean or cruel (except with her quick and vicious wit) and is kind to
all living creatures, even people. Since she was born ugly and
reviled, however, she feels she has no obligation to the laws of man
or gods and is completely amoral. She was a groundling mage when she
killed a young elven noble that angered her and she was forced to
flee. With the IEN and bounty hunters on her trail and no knowledge
of spelljamming (other than what it is and that it exists) she was
forced to find a hide away and Shackle was it. Starider still has no
knowledge of or interest in speljamming and keeps to herself. Her
already blunt, pale features are often altered with color cantrips for
unusual effects. She has no true tatoos, however, and will not alter
the color of her eyes (it interferes with her vision). Starider deals
in eggs, young, and even trained adult species of any sort that can
serve as a mount. She's been known to carry wyverns, griffons,
manticores, great swans, and most any other creature at one time or
another (including the mundane horse or mule). Creatures with breath
weapons of any sort (e.g. dragons, chimeras, and giant striders)
violate the station's laws but she can sell them while they are still
eggs. Unknown to most of her customers (but known to Jaarot as it was
required so she could deal in some creatures) she has a small chamber
that will hold any egg placed in it in perfect stasis so she can keep
eggs around longer. Prices for any sort of mount will range from 2-3
times (or more) for the usual price for such a mount in that
condition. Starider opens Mounts from 12 midnight to 12 noon and
takes every eighth day off. Starider keeps 7 elven slaves around as
works. She and all her slaves are skilled animal handlers.
Planar Church of Hades: The Planar Church of Hades is the only
religion with a true temple present on Shackle. Several other
religions including Tou Mu, Set, Ptah, and the Planar Churches of
Hell, the Abyss, and Acheron have shrines present on Shackle. The
Planar Church of Hades is not only notable for its size but also for
the fact that it is part of the administration of Shackle. The Church
receives free rent and certain supplies (such as water) in return for
services performed for the station. Among these services are the
purification of water and creation of more water with their spells.
They oversee slaves in the slave pens and will heal any that are
injured while in the pens without charge (as they are under the
station's care at that time). The Planar Church of Hades patterns
themselves off the Night Hags of Hades itself. They see themselves as
the ultimate dealers in souls before they pass beyond while the hags
deal in souls that have left life behind. They also preach that
anyone who dies in the phlogiston cannot go on to the next life
without help and that they, as the merchants of souls, collect these
souls to sell to the highest bidder. The temple was founded and is
overseen by Jaro Soultether (NE hm C8 W18 Ch15). Jaro appears the
epitome of a sleazy merchant. He is served by over 50 lesser clergy
(mostly acolytes but some higher level of which the most powerful 3
have reached 5th level). Whenever spells above 2nd level need to be
regained Jaarot arranges to have the clergy taken to the nearby sphere
so they can pray for new spells. At least two acolytes are on duty at
the temple at all times.
The Dock Workers' Guild: The name of this business is very
misleading, though it provides personnel to haul, load, and unload
equipment. The misleading part of the name is that the "workers" are
actually slaves. The slaves are formed into bands and shackled
together (with normal, though strong, shackles) and placed in the care
of a "foreman". Foremen are equipped with whips, saps, and clubs, all
of which they are expert in the employment of. The Guild is run by
Har Longtusk (CE ogrem 7HD) and his three sons (CE ogrem 7HD). At any
time at least one of them will be in the office, ready to take orders
(and payment) and send a band out. Low prices and fast, reliable
service have given them a monopoly on Shackle (though some stores
offer delivery for their goods). Guild bands are strategically
stationed at other places in Shackle (such as on all the docks) for
convenience. Bands also roam the station, collecting waste for the
pit. Anyone who wants a band to deal with their waste need only leave
it outside their door. The foreman will note who left something to be
collected and bills will be collected at the end of the month (the
same service is provided in the market and at inns but payment is up
front in these cases).
Shrine of Ptah: The Ptahians maintain a small shrine on Shackle. The
shrine is run by Ellean, a young cleric of Ptah (N hf C5). The shrine
of Ptah is notable mainly as a place to hire helmsmen as all clergy of
Ptah who arrive on Shackle stop by. Ellean will hook up any potential
clients with any available Ptahians. In addition clergy of Ptah (not
lay worshippers) may stay at the shrine for free. Finally Ellean has
one more secret that she doesn't share with anyone who is not also a
member of Ptah's clergy, she possesses a sanctuary of Ptah that allows
clergy of Ptah to regain 3rd-5th level spells. Whenever she needs it
recharged she arranges for another Ptahian to take it to the nearby
sphere for recharging (as the helmsmen for 3 of Shackle's defense
ships are all members of Ptah's clergy this isn't much of a problem).
The Shrine is open at all times and even if Elleen is not present
there are usually one or two worshippers of Ptah around who will take
messages (whether lay worshippers or clergy).
Dock Master: Each of the docks has a dock master. This is simply the
tax collector for that dock, not a separate business. Each dock
master (there are more than three so each dock can always have one on
duty) is aided by several other Shackle employees in carrying out
their duties. The dock masters are notable since everyone arriving at
the station must see them. Each dock master is at least a 3rd level
warrior (sometimes people get rough when you try to collect money from
them).
Vessels:
In addition to any visiting ships there are always squidship, a
galleon, 8 wreckboats and two waspships present. These vessels makeup
Shackle's own fleet. The 8 armed wreckboats typically act as tugs,
maneuvering ships into the asteroid through the narrow entryways. The
wreckboats all use nonmagical engines, ones that will not ignite the
phlogiston. The other four vessels are meant mainly for defense in
case of an attack. The squidship has a major helm while the galleon
and one waspship have minor helms. The second waspship is powered by
three orbi. All Shackle's ships have rigging and thickened hulls.
They are of standard configuration but carry twice the usual load of
ammunition for each weapon. Their crews are mixed races, mostly human
but a few gnomes (nontinker), halflings, and lesser humanoids (goblins
and orcs) round out the crews. The crews have practiced enough with
their vessels to be considered trained in their ship type but only the
wreckboat crews are crack (as they work on those vessels everyday).
Those who approach Shackle will be allowed as far as the air envelope
to replenish their air without interference (Shackle would rather
remain secret than worry about a little easily replenished air). If
they land on Shackle or start flying around it, searching, the fleet
will deploy and signal them to stand down to be boarded. Those who
fail to comply are destroyed. Those who are boarded are searched and
either enslaved or sent away based on who they are (slavers will even
be invited in). The proper way to approach Shackle, known to those
who do business here, is to use signaling or semaphore to ask to be
met. A wreckboat will then fly out to meet them and, for the
appropriate fee, lead them inside. Without the fee they may still
enter on their own and will be pointed to the entry they are to go to.
Police:
A platoon of 43 adult giff (plus offspring) live on Shackle and act
as its police force. They maintain order, keep the visitors from
trying to kill or enslave each other, keep the slaves in line, and act
as marines on the station's defense ships if required. At any time at
least 20 giff are on duty, patrolling the station corridors,
overseeing the docking chambers and market, and monitoring the slave
holding area. The platoon consists entirely of marines (using the kit
from the Complete Spacefarer's Handbook if kits are used) whose unit
weapons are morning star (primary), arquebus (stored due to being in
phlogiston), and footman's flail. The giff, like all giff
mercenaries, don't care about the business their employers are
involved in as long as they're paid. Over time, however, they have
begun to enjoy working with the slaves and inflicting pain. They tend
to be overly rough with anyone who gets out of line out of pleasure
now, rather than simply being unaware of how much abuse others can
take. Their alignment is slowly shifting from LN to LE.
The giff are an excellent police force as they are generally
respected by all just based on the reputation of their race and
everyone knows they can't be induced to betray their employers (the
more crafty and pessimistic patrons have discovered that minor
offenses might be overlooked for the proper inducement, however).
They are not, however, the only station guards. Other troops are also
employed by the station though in general they are assigned only to
specific posts (the giff, due to their recognizability, are the
station's roaming guards).
Defense:
Shackle maintains several ships for defense along with its police
force of giff. The true key to its defense in the event of an attack,
however, is the presence of several powerful individuals. Most
notably among these are the spellcasters. The illusions set up by the
illusionists keep most away from the barren rock, except perhaps to
refresh their air envelopes. After that the first line of defense is
the fleet. Those who get past the fleet and try to enter Shackle run
into other problems. Illusions can be thrown up to screen the entries
and those not fooled by such tactics will have to get past any of the
various wall spells, all of which may be used to block an entrance.
Further dual mount ballistae guard each entry route and will be backed
up by spellcasters lobbying deadly spells, meant to destroy ships and
crew. Those who don't get the hint and continue on will be labeled
invaders and everyone present at Shackle at the time will join forces
to help defeat them. As Shackle's inhabited areas lie under over a
hundred feet of solid rock no one is very worried about any sort of
bombardment from above. Small corridors (generally big enough for one
to two giff abreast) do lead inside from the surface, though each is
protected by hallucinatory terrain and magic mouths laid close to the
exits into Shackle's interior.
New Magic Items:
Collars of Damping: The most important of the devices used for slave
control by the Shackle authorities and worn by all slaves held in the
port slave pens is the collar of damping. This item is actually a
torc that is fitted to the slave (it adjusts to fit any creature
between jermelaine and hill giant in size when the command word
"resize" is spoken while holding it to the neck of the creature it is
to be placed upon). The collar of damping acts like a normal
spelljamming helm does to a spellcaster's spell abilities but it also
does this for psionic and innate magical abilities. Thus it is
effective in preventing illithids, ogre-magi, and arch mages from
using any of their powers while worn and for 12 hours after it is
removed. The collar can be placed on and taken off one's own neck
(the ones used by Shackle have a lock bar that prevents the latter)
but may not be resized by oneself. XP: 100 (1st Edition, unable to
be fabricated in 2nd Edition); GP: 2500
Shackles of Pacificity: Shackles of pacificity are single shackles
that can hold any limb, from a grell's tentacle to a spider's leg.
Each shackle will resize to hold a limb as small as a jermelaine's arm
to as large as a frost giant's. Each shackle also has a long chain
coming from it with two rings attached. The first ring, midway down
the chain, is meant to hold multiple shackles together for one
creature while the second, at the other end of the chain from the
shackle, is meant to connect lines of shackled creatures together.
The shackles can be opened and closed and strung together or
disconnected by anyone not shackled with any shackle of pacificity.
Shackles of pacificity cause creatures to become docile, acceding to
any commands given and accepting any abuse without complaint.
Creatures with magic resistance (but not elves) are affected by these
items as though they were magic from a 10th level caster. Only one
magic resistance roll is made each time the shackles are put on (1
roll per shackle). The shackles cannot be broken though the chains
can be. Only creatures of at least 22 Strength have any chance of
breaking a shackle chain. This chance is equal to their bend bars
roll -50%. The shackles themselves cannot be removed by the wearer in
any fashion except the loss of the limb they are attached to above
where the shackle is attached (the shackles are made to hold any limb
so they will not slide off even if the limb gets smaller the closer to
the end one gets). The shackles only work on living animals so
vegepygmies (being plants), myconids (being fungi), and undead are
immune to their effects. XP: 300; GP: 5500
Personalities:
Jaarot, hm F12: hp 78; AL CE; S 15; I 13; W 12; D 15; Cn 16; Ch 16;
Cm 10; proficiencies: spacemanship, sail manipulation, balance,
phlogiston navigation, wildspace navigation, blind-fighting, dog
training, bastard sword double specialization, pike, dagger, club,
footman's mace, javelin, harpoon; crown of void, bastard sword+3,
dagger+2 +3 vs larger than man-sized creatures, chainmail+3
Jaarot was already a very successful slaver and captain of his own
ship (the galleon that is now part of Shackle's fleet) when he
stumbled across the asteroid that is now Shackle. Upon investigating
he found the perfect place to set up a spaceport. Three large
chambers, each with its own outside entry, already existed on the
gravity plane making excellent interior docking areas. A honeycomb of
passages and moderate sized chambers ran throughout the rest of the
asteroid, perfect for dwellings and businesses to set up in. Jaarot
left his cargo of slaves and a few crewmen to oversee them and
traveled on to contact his superiors in the Chainmen and tell them
about the station he'd founded. He also picked up some more slaves
and supplies to continue work on the station. That was over 20 years
ago and the rest has been an adventure. Jaarot fought off an attack
by a "clan" of neogi soon after the station opened and has no further
trouble with them. He convinced the Arcane that Shackle was important
enough to place a permanent sales point on, even if it didn't warrant
the presence of one of their own. At the same time he convinced them
to supply him with the shackles of pacificity and collars of damping
the station uses. While most believe the Arcane keep him in unlimited
supply the truth is he just has access to a huge quantity of these
items. The true coup, though, is that the Arcane still own the items
but allow them to be used by Jaarot's station. He has convinced (at
first brutally) beholders to accept the station as neutral ground in
their wars and all the while has kept the PoTs, Company of the
Chalice, IEN, and other organizations opposed to slaving from
discovering Shackle's existence. In short Jaarot has turned Shackle
into the slaver's version of Bral. Jaarot himself lives simply. He
keeps little in the way of personal goods, wearing most everything he
owns (sword, dagger, and armor) whenever he's not in his small
quarters. He keeps a deactivated crown of the void in his quarters as
his only other important possession, a possession he keeps extremely
secret, just in case.
Trentin, hm MU10: hp 25; AL NE; S 8; I 15; W 9; D 13; Cn 11; Ch 13;
Cm 10; proficiencies: alertness, plant lore, foraging, local history
(his home, as decided by DM), horse riding, swimming, staff, sling;
spellbook: read magic, detect magic, shield, alarm, comprehend
languages, dancing lights, protection from evil, magic missile, wizard
mark, unseen servant, sleep, continual light, wizard lock, magic
mouth, Melf's acid arrow, Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter,
scare, web, knock, know alignment, fly, water breathing, tongues,
protection from evil 10' radius, monster summoning I, wind wall,
Melf's minute meteors, wall of ice, Rary's mnemonic enhancer,
extension I, monster summoning II, wizard eye, sparkburst, wall of
iron, wall of stone, wall of force, contact other plane; bracers of
defense AC 4, staff shod in cold iron and silver (1/2 damage to
creatures only affected by cold iron or silver), sling, 10 sling
bullets, wand of conjuration, ring of mind shielding
Spells: 4L1, 4L2, 3L3, 2L4, 2L5
Trentin was a groundling conjurer (he considered himself a conjurer,
in 2nd edition terms he was a generalist mage) who angered several
extra planar beings he was dealing with (namely 3 pit fiends and a
balor). At that point he was forced to find someplace to hide. He
got the answer from a maralith tanar'ri and so learned about
spelljamming. Trentin cannot go back to any sphere as the outer
planar beings hunting him would easily locate him. So now he works as
one of the peacekeepers of Shackle. Trentin likes his new life. He
owns several slaves that do everything for him (the main reason he
went into conjuring), he's always accompanied by several guards to
assure his safety when at work, and he's the most powerful mage on the
Shackle staff. Trentin's main duty is to cast wall spells over any of
the main entrances into Shackle if needed to slow an invader (Jaarot
knows this simple tactic wouldn't be enough to stop an invader that
can deal with everything else Shackle can bring to bear). Secondarily
to this he helps deal with problem situations by casting spells in
support of the guards. Finally he also uses his magic at Jaarot's
direction to help the station in other ways such as creating continual
light items to sell and wizard locking doors to areas Jaarot wants to
control access to. Trentin is supported by two gnome illusionists in
his duties, Zidtvole (NE gm Ill8 I18 D18) and Heltz (NE gm Ill6 I16
D18) that lay most of the illusions that help defend Shackle.
Brog, ogrem: AC 5; MV 9"; HD 4+1; hp 32; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 or by
weapon+2; AL CE; THAC0 15; whip, staff, iron bands of Bilarro,
halberd, chainmail, club, morning star, footman's flail
Brog is in charge of the Shackle slave pens. He is aided in this
duty by several other station workers but no one doubts that he is
king and the slave pens are his domain. Brog always goes about well
armed, including a whip curled at his belt but he doesn't actually
know how to use it (beyond lashing people with it) so he rarely does.
He just keeps it for show. Jaarot gave him the iron bands of Bilarro
so he could subdue unruly prisoners without injuring them. He is well
aware of their limitations and won't use them on opponents that might
damage them. Brog is more immediately aided by a large number of
guard dogs that he and Jaarot raise. Jaarot is a skilled dog trainer
(he used to use them to control slaves on his ships) and ensures the
dogs he trains will only obey himself and Brog (obeying him if Brog
and he disagree). Any extra puppies are sold to anyone who wants
them. The use of dogs to control slaves has created a new fad among
slavers and now more ships are following Jaarot's example. Brog is
not cruel or inhumne to the slaves under his control but he doen't
mind doing a little shoving to get them to move faster.
Platoon Commander Bollon, giffm F6: hp 44; MR 10%; AL LE; S 18/94; I
10; W 12; D 9; Cn 16; Ch 13; Cm 10 (applies only to giff);
proficiencies: spacemanship, balance, zero-G combat, wheellock pistol
(NWP), armorer (s.s.), morning star specialization, footman's flail,
arquebus, wheellock pistol, battle axe; giff armor, morning star, 2
wheellock pistols, box of powder and shot for 10 wheellock pistol
shots, footman's flail, battle axe+1
Bollon is the commander of the platoon of giff that serve as
Shackle's primary police force. Bollon knows his platoon is nowhere
near enough to maintain true law and order on Shackle but they seem to
be enough of a symbolic presence in the main areas to keep things from
getting out of hand. Bollon stores the platoon's pay, hoping to save
enough to buy a great bombard ship from the Arcane. Bollon is also
always on the lookout for more giff mercenaries willing to join the
platoon as he realizes he needs the added numbers. Unfortunately he
rarely finds any as any unemployed giff are quickly hired on Shackle.
If kits are used in the campaign Bollon uses the marine kit from the
Complete Spacefarer's Handbook and should have the additional
proficiencies of boarding pike (NWP) and pike.
