I had intended to make all three of the other leaders halflings, probably worshippers of Yondalla. I didn't want to make them clerics so there wouldn't be too many of them as NPCs and when I had little inspiration I didn't detail them because I absolutely hate things that detail important political figures, people no PC will ever meet or care about. Instead I wanted people more down to earth that PCs are likely to run into.
Note: This write-up specifically places this settlement in the Astromundi Cluster and uses 1st Edition AD&D stats. Any conversions must be done by the DM choosing to use the setting elsewhere.
The Isle of Lahross, as it is [now] known to locals and outsiders, is named after the halfling "mayor" that first met with the Calidian explorer/traders that discovered the settlement. The locals weren't entirely unused to spelljamming, they'd just always lacked the magical engines to get beyond their own cluster of asteroids. They have always (at least as far back as they remember) used a number of creatures as well very devices and non-magical means of propulsion to travel between Lahross and the neighboring asteroids they mine, farm, and raise herd animals on.
The [native] inhabitants of Lahross are dwarves and stout halflings. This, and the fact that the isle sits on the border of the Inner Ring, has kept the isle safe. While halflings have a reputation for being easy prey in much of the sphere, dwarves have exactly the opposite reputation, enough so that those who might wish to overrun the area have chosen not to. The fact that the generally peaceful Calidians were the first to discover the area and introduce its inhabitants to "proper" spelljamming (as well as telling them of the many dangers of the wider sphere), certainly hasn't hurt either.
Since being introduced to SJ the locals have reacted well. They've taken to much more serious training of their militia, established a [previously unknown] standing guard force, sought out allies, including joining the Calidian confederation, and purchased ships, helms, and better weapons and armor and learned how to maintain them (and make effective use of them). They've also forged strong trade ties with several nearby communities, though they've been picky about which ones they've chosen to deal with. Elves, dwarves, Calidians, gnomes, halflings, dohwar, and lizard men are all generally accepted here. Humanoids, neogi, illithids, Varan, and Antilans are not welcomed, though Antilans are usually tolerated. No Thoric ships have ever dropped by, though the locals know of them and would welcome any that did.
Lahross is simply one of a small collection of asteroids, several of which have atmospheres. Over time all the asteroids have been seeded with life and made viable and the locals, though primarily dwelling only on their central asteroid, have long traveled to and utilized the resources of the neighboring asteroids (in many cases actually making them viable by purifying poisonous air and adding water to dry, barren areas as well as breaking up rock to form soil). Lahross itself has a 68 hour day as it lazily spins in space but its neighbors vary from day lengths of 18 to 120 hours long. All have pleasant atmospheres, though some seem to be perpetually inundated with certain odors (manure and smoke being the most notable, depending on the asteroid). Water can be found on all of them, including standing pools of it and, sometimes (such as on Lahross), in streams and brooks. Weather is always pleasant due to the cluster's location and little movement means that few asteroids ever eclipse others. This does, happen over time, however, and two asteroids with atmospheres currently receive all their light through magic, mirrors on other asteroids, and luminescent lifeforms (especially certain mosses and fungi).
The inhabitants of Lahross control several nearby asteroids as well as the Isle itself, where their main dwellings are. They are an industrious bunch with dwarves working hard underground and stout halflings primarily populating the surface. The dwarven dwellings, other than lacking defensive design, look much like dwarven halls everywhere. Forges, temples, shrines, markets, shops, living quarters, taverns, public baths, meeting halls (for the guilds), and other typical structures are found throughout the dwarven area. An ingeniously constructed sewage and water dispensing system based on heat and pressure is used to ensure the dwarven areas are clean. The water is heated by the same forges the dwarves use for crafting and smelting, their large cisterns lying behind the fires themselves. This water is also used by the halflings above for similar purposes and is collected in large basins that are regularly drained, with the contents being used to fertilize and water gardens and crops. The dwarven halls are well lit, mainly magically, and aren't dank or gloomy as most visitors would expect. Glowing fungus also illuminates some areas.
The stout halflings primarily dwell in, under, and around large trees that grow on the surface (particularly making their homes amid the trees' root networks). They dwell in burrow-style houses as well as more typical houses made of stone and baked bricks. Roofs are almost universally of sod unless they are used for gardens. Halfling craftsmen typically work outside, with seamstresses working alongside cobblers and potters in the open air.
Before the Calidians made contact with the locals, they lived simple lives of hard work and much free time and play. All adults were trained in fighting as scavvers and other threats were not unknown but militia drills were informal, infrequent, and did not concentrate on defending the entire settlement (or on space battles, defending other asteroids, or defending the entire cluster). Catapults were unknown but an overly complex form of light ballista was used in a few places against krajen and other large threats. Several large, complex, multi-ballistae was used to hurl items from one asteroid to another but these (and the older light ballistae) have been removed with the new technologies and magic available to the locals.
Problems were primarily of the usual sort, simple civil disagreements, children misbehaving, occasional thefts (interestingly, on Lahross it's dwarves who developed a reputation for having thieves among their numbers rather than halflings), and, of course, random monster sightings--which sometimes turned into attacks. Life was so simple, in fact, that the idea of many types of crimes and certain social structures, especially slavery, were completely unknown. Money existed but was little used, with the community looking out for all its members and sharing being the rule rather than greed (see religions, below, however). Guilds existed but they weren't cutthroat, ruling guilds, instead they were places for those of the same and related professions to gather, test each other's skills, and trade new techniques. Government was likewise informal with the ranking priests generally providing all needed government.
Now the locals take militia drill very seriously and have worked hard, including hiring outside experts, to learn to fight in space and to conduct a coordinated defense of any and all of their asteroids. To augment them defensively they've constructed a large stone fortress on Lahross itself and equipped it with ballistae and catapults (despite the recommendations of a giff sergeant they found bombards and greek fire projectors too hazardous and refused to mount any). These weapons are now manned at all times by a capable standing force of local troops and plenty of ammunition is stored nearby. Policing is a very real concern and the local guard forces spending as much time watching over the populace as they doing watching for external threats. Visitors are always given less credence than locals in disputes but the people are still fair-minded and as a group will not take advantage of others simply because they aren't from Lahross. They are particularly wary of spies, infiltrators, and saboteurs, however, and will not allow even so-called free Varan to leave ships they may have traveled here on. Likewise, no Antilan vessel may stay for longer than 3 local days (Antilans riding others' ships are allowed to stay as long as their vessel does but may not emigrate here for any reason). Money and trade has real and powerful meaning now and the various guilds have gained in both prominence and power. A civil government has grown up beside the old religious structures and shares power with them, though the old churches are still given great respect and have a great deal of influence in all matters of local life.
The government is a single unified governing council of local elders (all still dwarves and stout halflings) who select as guard captain, a militia commander, a governor, and a mayor from among the populace. Usually selections are held annually, with changes rare, but this is not codified, nor are most laws, regulations, and fees. The exception being taxes, tariffs, docking fees, and the like. Since the community owns the local vessels, trade runs require the renting of the vessel or space on it, which also has a set fee.
The guard captain is arguably the most powerful person in the Lahross government. He is not only in charge of the standing army but can declare martial law and is in overall charge of all military operations. The militia commander reports to him when the militia is called up for service and he informs the militia commander about how many of the standing army ships and weapons will be available for the militia to drill on. He is in charge of policing duties as well as both the fixed defenses of the Citadel and the fleet's deployment and operation.
The militia commander's job is to oversee the training and equipping of the militia, its formation into units, and to act as its commander whenever it is called upon. The militia commander has a full time job and as such is usually chosen from one of the more martial clergies or the standing army. Militia commander is a stepping stone to guard captain for those who are ambitious and capable.
The governor is there to provide civil leadership when the council is divided or it is not felt that the council needs to be called upon for a decision. Quite simply this position exists because the local elders recognized that they could afford a committee overseeing everything and that sometimes a single person would have to provide the unity of leadership and action necessary for things to get done. The governor often acts as a simplified version of civil court judge or sheriff, mediating simple disputes between locals and overseeing certain other government functions, including maintenance of public areas (but not the Citadel or any ship or armaments) and all tax collecting and spending (careful records must be maintained of tax and fee collection and use and they must be reported to the council for review).
Despite the title, the mayor is actually primarily a judge. He hears disputes involving outsiders (a category that includes most of the local immigrants) as well as criminal complaints of all sorts. He has the power to order the militia and guard forces, including their appointed leaders, in the pursuit of his duties and overhears complaints against them that don't go to the council (or aren't quickly settled by the governor's intervention). Of all the positions, only the mayor and the militia commander existed before the Calidians first found Lahross and it was the mayor of the time, the halfling Lahross, that they named the asteroid, settlement, and people after, taking him to be the local leader (or at least most influential person). Since the establishment of trade what was a relatively informal position has become a full-time, formal post.
The local standing military consists primarily of dwarves and a lesser number of stout halflings, most having some affiliation with the more martial religions of the colony. The standing forces are generally equipped with chainmail, a spear or pole arm, crossbow, shortbow, or sling, and a shortsword, hand axe, battle axe, mace, or hammer. Bucklers and shields are available to all, though not all choose to carry them most of the time. They are trained to operate the large weapons the community uses as well the ships. Duties rotate from the Citadel, crewing ships, and police duties (including guarding the docks to prevent rowdy visitors from causing trouble, thieves and spies from slipping in, and people from getting irate when told to pay their fees and taxes) with none specialized in or always assigned to any particular duty. In addition to the locals there are a few others in the guard, including mercenaries they hired to help train them who've stayed and some immigrants. Non-locals in the guard currently include the following races: giff, half-elf, hadozee, gnome, dwarf, human, halfling, and hurwaet. Non-locals tend to be more specialized than the locals and are employed according to their skills and preferences as much as possible.
The militia is made up of all adult individuals of any race living on Lahross, whether local or immigrant (and remember that a family can be immigrants for generations here), are required to be part of the militia and train with it. Training occurs for one half local day (in both darkness and light times) every eight days. All militia members are equipped with studded leather armor, spear, buckler or shield, and hand axe or shortsword. Many are also equipped with a missile weapon, usually a bow, crossbow, or sling. Clergy of various deities may be trained in alternate weapons, especially the club, staff, and mace, in order to meet the strictures of their deity. Those who wish to provide their own equipment may do so. All militia equipment (not including items members provide for themselves) is stored in militia armories except when in use. All items are maintained by militia members and those that are damaged or broken through negligence or foolhardiness must be replaced by the person that caused the damage, otherwise the community will replace them. Militia members don't specialize either so everyone gets trained on the basics of formations, maneuver, handling a ship, operating a catapult and ballista, and so on.
Lahross currently maintains two minor helm equipped swanships for trading as well as 12 lanceships for defense. Only 4 of the lanceships have magical propulsion (minor helms) and two will accompany any swanship that goes on a trade mission. The locals looked carefully at a variety of other ships but didn't like the configuration of tradesmen for use trading (not to mention the swanship was built to halfling and dwarf scale rather than the human scale most other ships are designed to) and found the lanceships simple and cheap enough for them. As time has gone on, however, the military has looked at purchasing a hammership for dealing with larger threats as well as hauling more cargo. All ships are standard configuration. Other types of ships were too complex or had bad reputations (e.g., squidships are often associated with illithids and Varan). Lahross, as well as several individuals, also own flitters that they commonly use for travel between the local asteroids. The community owned ones are used for hauling fertilizer, garbage, compost, used water, fresh water (back to Lahross), food and produce, and so on. If someone wishes to use them to haul their private goods they must be rented. None has a helm or other magical propulsion.
It should be no surprise that the dwarven and halfling pantheons are the primary religions on Lahross, though some other powers are represented. Not all the powers are seen in the standard light locally, either. The local religions are divided up into the old faiths and the new faiths, the difference being whether or not the religion could be found here before the arrival of Calidian explorers.
Moradin: As the head of the dwarven pantheon Moradin is well respected on Lahross by both halflings and dwarves. He has always been identified with dwarves, as their patron, but his clergy have worked closely with Yondalla's and more than one halfling has made offerings to him in hopes of influencing a local dwarf or in thanks for dwarven aid. Moradin's clergy have typically been leaders of the local militia and this has not changed with time. As a god of craftsman he has always been identified with stoneworking and forging locally and has been revered by both dwarves and halflings in this role. His clergy have typically been very influential in the local guilds dealing with such things though as secular power has grown there have been many members who have tried to lessen this influence (in favor of their own or that of their friends). Dwarven males are all christened in Moradin's church, signaling their entry into adulthood. As a leader and ruler, Moradin's clergy have been called on many times to be mayor and are now called upon to fill any of the four appointed positions.
Berronar Truesilver: Berronar's faith of healing, family, and faithfulness has not lost any of its power. Both dwarves and halflings respect family and she is the epitome of the good dwarven mother and faithful spouse. Berronar's clergy have generally been healers and midwives who are otherwise uninvolved in local politics. With the arrival of the Calidians and the changes to society they have helped form a midwives guild but otherwise operate much as before.
Dumathoin: As protector of mountain dwarves, Dumathoin used to be the closest Lahross had to a martial deity, though the martial aspects of many of the other local deities have been recognized since the community has expanded its awareness and dealings. As well, Dumathoin has always been associated with mining, underground construction, engineering (the church hired the dwarven engineers that helped design the Citadel and worked closely with them), and gem cutting. Gems have always been very rare and highly prized among the locals and to this day every local gem cutter is a member of Dumathoin's clergy. Dumathoin's clergy have had a similar problem with status among the guilds to Moradin's but the introduction of more martial powers to Lahross and the increased notice of the martial aspects of other local deities has hurt them as well.
Vergedain: Vergedain has always been seen on Lahross as a deity of both the dwarves and halflings and this has changed little since their introduction to the wider world. His followers have always been deal makers and were responsible for the informal guilds that existed locally as well as the settling of minor disputes, something they are still called upon for, generally in preference to the governor. With the establishment of true trade, however, they have truly come to the fore and both their power and wealth has grown. As deal makers and merchants they are well respected throughout the community and the fact that they reach out equally to all races has quite a bit of appeal (true priests can only be dwarves or stout halflings, however). Among the local dwarven churches, with the exception of Abbathor and Dugmaren Brightmantle, Vergedain's is the only church to accept clergy of the opposite gender as their deity (i.e., female).
Sharindlar: Sharindlar's position as a goddess of romance, beauty, and simple fun naturally fit well into the local culture before the Calidian's arrived. Since Lahross has become aware of the wider sphere (and the wider sphere has become aware of Lahross) this hasn't changed much, though people seem to have less time for Sharindlar and more time for Vergedain. Many people always viewed Sharindlar as a dwarven aspect of Sheela Peryroyl and this hasn't helped, as most visitors find the surface dwelling halflings and their surface holy sites more accessible than those of a subterranean dwarf. Sharindlar's clergy haven't worried overly much but have been petitioning for special, mandatory holidays to ensure things don't get worse.
Dugmaren Brightmantle: Dugmaren's church has always been a very small one, though the records they kept of times immemorable as well as charting seasons and cycles across years and centuries was always well regarded. Literacy was universal on Lahross due to their efforts and still is, among those born here, due to their alliance with Vergedain's church. The need for scribes and record keeping and secure record storage has only increased as commerce has increased and true laws have been set down. Thus this church has experienced a small explosion in both numbers and prominence and has even formed a scribe's guild that includes not only scribes but those who make paper, ink, and other materials they use. Additionally the church has found something else of interest. The elves introduced them to the Seekers and many of Dugmaren's most devout followers have whole-heartedly adopted the organization as their own (they've even made Lahross one of the few places in the sphere that recognizes the Seeker's symbol and has a Seeker repository). Dugmaren has never been viewed as a dwarven god locally, even now. His clergy locally are limited to dwarves and stout halflings, even though he has some [new] human and gnomish followers on Lahross. The faith has looked back at some of their early records that made no sense before they were introduced to what lies beyond their asteroid cluster and can now place many of the things they have been introduced to, including other races such as neogi and illithids. They, guided by their records, are a prime reason for the local injunctions against various groups (of course, the stories of other travelers and what locals traveling elsewhere have seen has provided a lot of support as well).
Abbathor: The dwarven god of greed and avarice has been the patron of crime and thieves on Lahross for as long as anyone can recall. His cult has always been underground and secretive and cells often popped up spontaneously before they could be tracked down by true members of the church and indoctrinated into the true faith. In short, Abbathor and his followers were the local boogeymen. The faith has never been identified with any race, and even now is the only one of the old faiths that accepts priests of any race (that is accepted on Lahross, that is). The introduction of the locals to a wider world and the rise of secular structures and power has been a major boon to the faith, though they continue to remain secretive and their cults hidden. First they are no longer such boogeymen, as the locals now know all about the very real evil lurking in the rest of the sphere. They would not be accepted by the locals, anyway, but the name Abbathor is dying out along in old bedtime stories to be replaced with Antilan, illithid, slaver, and neogi. The Abbathoran are perfectly happy with this as they find ever more converts and individuals to corrupt. Now that the ambitious have places to turn other than the various other churches, Abbathor's church has grown quickly and quietly as has its secretive influence. Abbathor's dwarven clergy are all taught about his particular hatred for Dumathoin, just as Dumathoin's clergy are about his rivalry with Abbathor but this obviously makes much less difference to them as neither deity chooses to explain.
Yondalla: As leader and patron of all halflings, Yondalla has always been revered on Lahross as well as being clearly a halfling deity. Her followers have long worked closely with Moradin's to lead the community and keep strife from developing. Now, with the wider world intruding, both faiths have faced very similar challenges as well as becoming more identified with the military and defense. Lahross was a devout follower of Yondalla (and cleric if the DM so chooses) and the position of mayor has been one that frequently filled by her most faithful. With the expansion of the government she has been called on more and more but, not having been so tied to the guilds, her faith has not suffered some of the same problems Moradin's has. They have worked hard to maintain the sense of community among the locals, of any race, however, and to keep alive old traditions. In some ways they have even fought other faiths, as they've sought to maintain the old traditions without introducing a lot of new ones that would lessen the meaning and importance of any particular tradition.
Cyrrollalee: Cyrrollalee has always been closely identified with craftwork, especially weaving, sewing, tanning, and other crafts that didn't involve the earth and ores (traditionally associated with Moradin and Dumathoin). Her faith has really shined as one that promotes friendship, however, though the changes wrought in the community have caused many of her clergy to worry that this is slowly being lost and greed, division, jealousy, and status are becoming more powerful instead. Her aspect of protection has also come to the fore which has been a major boon for the faith but also caused some confusion among the clergy who find the traditional values at odds with their deity's other aspects. How can they preach on love and harmony as well as martial preparedness and military might, they ask. This duality has caused a severe identity crisis in the faith. Finally, to add to all these woes, whereas Cyrrollalee has long been seen as a god of both halflings and dwarves, she is now coming to be identified purely with halflings, lessening her influence over the dwarven population of Lahross (this is actually being caused by the activities of dwarves among Abbathor's faithful who see her being removed from the dwarves of the population as making their own jobs of conversion easier). Cyrrollalee still accepts both dwarves and halflings locally as clergy, however, and has tried to add others races, though so far none have joined.
Sheela Peryroyl: As the goddess of nature and agriculture Sheela's faith has never been stronger, though the faithful have had to work hard to ensure the community doesn't forget the former and simply wipe out whatever's in the way of expanded fields and grazing pastures so they can increase their produce and make more money. With the expansion of trade the need for prime trade goods, such as food, has only increased and surpluses are now not only a convenience but a necessity for sustaining that trade. Sheela's minor aspect as a goddess of beauty and romance has somewhat been eclipsed by the increased need for protectors of nature and better agricultural produce. She's always been identified as a goddess of both the dwarves and the halflings, with Sharindlar being seen as a dwarven aspect of her that caters to differing dwarven standards of beauty. As such she accepts both dwarves and halflings into her faith locally. With most farming and herding always having been done by the halflings of the community, however, and this continuing to be true, she is being viewed more and more as a halfling only deity.
Urogalan: The halfling god of the earth has always been a minor deity locally, mostly prayed to by potters and farmers hoping for good fields. He is also looked upon by local halflings when they choose to build or alter their dwellings. His faith has thus always been small, only a little larger than that of Dugmaren Brightmantle, and it has been relatively unaffected by the introduction of the outside world into the community's life. Urogalan is seen as the halfling counterpart to Dumathoin locally, not as a multi-racial deity.
Clanggedin Silverbeard: The introduction of Clanggedin to the community should be no surprise in such a war-torn sphere as the Astromundi Cluster, especially one in which dwarves are recognized as the pre-eminent mercenaries (or at least as having the pre-eminent mercenary companies). Clanggedin's missionaries arrived soon after they heard of Lahross and its dwarven population and they quickly made converts as the locals grew more and more worried b the stories they heard of the world beyond. Clanggedin's missionaries were so successful, in fact, that they were able to move on within a few years as the local church already had a solid foundation and several new clerics. Clanggedin's faith has been strong ever since, though it doesn't enjoy the widespread influence of Moradin's or Dumathoin's. Most dwarven members of the standing guard forces offer prayers to Clanggedin and his priests are the single most numerous of any faith's among their ranks.
Corellon Larethian: It may seem odd that an elven faith is found in a community of stout halflings and dwarves but this is due to a missionary cleric by the name of Illithral Trueblood, a half-elf who is also a Seeker and [secretly] a member of the elven navy. Illithral was born to a human woman but his father, a sailor in the elven navy, adopted him and raised him among the elves. He has no idea if his father is his true father or merely an adopted father and doesn't care. He is loyal to his [elven] people and has gladly accepted the assignment of watching and gathering news in the Inner Ring while at the same time being able to follow his religious calling as a priest of Corellon to convert other half-elves. He has joined the Seekers as a partial cover and has gained some influence (and access to much information in the community and passing through it) by introducing the local church of Dugmaren Brightmantle to this organization. Illithral is one of the most respected outsiders on Lahross as well as one of the few mages, which has garnered him a great deal of influence indeed (the council and other local leaders often seek his advice when they are dealing with something they feel is "non-godly" magic). Illithral takes his duties to his god at least as seriously as his duties to the navy and provides free healing to elves and half-elves who aren't acting inimical to his people or his god's teachings. He will also heal those who aid elves and elven interests for free and is an ally and contact (but not member of) the PoTs due to his hatred of slavery, especially with elven slaves being so highly prized. He has managed to convert a few half-elves who are local or passing through and is on good terms with all the others in the community or who visit frequently. Illithral also ministers to hadozee and has an acolyte among the local guard forces (a hadozee C1/F1 of Corellon).
Arvoreen: Arvoreen's adoption by the local halfling population mirrors Clanggedin's adoption by local dwarves in many ways, though his missionaries did not arrive as fast and gained converts more slowly. Arvoreen's faith is respected highly in the community and his clerics are the second most numerous in the standing guard force. His followers have looked even more to the militia drills than the guard forces, however, and have found many halflings willing to listen to them. Since halflings do most of the farming and herding, and farmers and herdsmen are harder to defend than miners safe in a shaft, it should be no surprise that Arvoreen's faith has particularly grown among those halflings who are often on the neighboring asteroids. Arvoreen's faithful have even introduced the guardian class (see Dragon #129).
Brandobaris: Brandobaris's faith came to Lahross the way it so often spreads: with a wandering, adventurous priest. It caught on among the young and adventurous local halflings and continues to have most of its influence and followers among this population. Some of its members settle down but continue to remain loyal followers, happy to dream of adventure while others join the guard or seek to crew the swanships. The fewest, but most favored, travel far and wide, however, and some even return to Lahross to tell the [generally tall] tales of their travels and inspire others of the faith.
Ptah: This ubiquitous faith has naturally sent missionaries to Lahross ever since it was found. The local faith of Ptah mostly ministers to travelers rather than locals and it has an especially hard time competing with the local craft faiths. Still, Ptah's faith is accepted alongside the others locally and even respected since it can so often assist in disputes with human visitors.
A large number of guilds are found on Lahross, a very large number for a community this size. Some even compete with each other since there are no laws preventing there being multiple guilds of the same type or granting particular power over non-members to any guild. Instead guild advise is sought on matters pertaining to the guild's area of influence and guild's have whatever power over their members those members give them, though no guild can force anyone to remain a member for any set period of time or deny them the chance to leave the guild. A few guilds of use to the DM are listed below. Additionally there are a few other groups present on Lahross that the DM may wish to make use of. These are also listed below.
Shipwright's Guild: Referred to as the Shiphandler's Guild until a few years ago, this guild covers everything there is to do with spelljamming ships. They make them (they can make lanceships and swanships), repair them, load them, unload them, and maintain them. They can modify simple designs (tradesmen, hammerships, etc.) as well as lanceships, swanships, and shrikeships with the standard modifications and can install and uninstall standard sorts of helms. The Shipwrights are led by a local and made up primarily of locals (it is, in fact, against guild bylaws for a non-local to be in charge) but it still has the largest number of non-local (and non-dwarf and non-halfling) members of any guild on Lahross. It is also the only guild the Ptahians have any amount of influence in and they work hard to maintain and expand it. Guild prices are high (at least 5% above average for any sort of skilled labor) but their work is done fast, efficiently, and well (average times and workmanship, though the DM might note that they also performed all the little extra touches like sanding and such).
The Seekers: Made up primarily of Dugmarenites and in many ways de facto led by Illithral Trueblood, the Seekers here are a vibrant community, even though they don't get to do much seeking themselves. Nevertheless, they are happy to collate, categorize, copy, archive, translate, interpret, record, examine, preserve, and distribute [copies of] knowledge and artifacts of all sorts. Of course, unless the item's being donated to them or the item is going to another Seeker conclave, there's a price for any of this. A price greater than simply letting them have a copy. It should be no surprise, therefor, that like the other guilds, this one does have members who make offerings to Vergedain, at least some of the time. The Seekers on Lahross are hard to distinguish from the local scribe's guild but they have made sure, through their bylaws, that they are two separate organizations. Which includes having two separate guildmasters. The head of the Seekers on Lahross, since Illithral introduced the Dugmarenites to it, has always been a cleric of Dugmaren Brightmantle. A number of Brandobarans are also members of the Seekers and both churches get along with the Seekers very well.
The PoTs: The Pragmatic Order of Thought in the Astromunid Cluster is a growing organization, though it's hard to tell due to its disorganized nature. The PoTs aren't much of a force on Lahross but the locals are certainly sympathetic to their cause and the view this as a good place to try to relocate freed slaves (especially halflings and dwarves) as well as a good trans-shipment point. Locally, the church of Brandobaris is the most directly involved with the PoTs since a number of its members who have traveled elsewhere joined the organization during their travels. They can rely on limited assistance from the Ptahians and Illithral but prefer not to ask those who aren't members of their organization for aid if they can help it. Of course, they know Illithral is a good way to get rescued elves, half-elves, and hadozee to other communities.
The Company of the Chalice: The Company of the Chalice sent one of its members here among the mercenaries the locals originally hired to help them in order to scout out the place as a potential base. Though the report definitely didn't meet their needs they have found maintaining agents on Lahross in order to pass information along has been helpful over the years. As such they ensure they always have an agent here, usually among the dock workers or mercenary guards.
The Bright Spheres: The Bright Spheres is a guild of magic-users and illusionists who banded together not only for economic purposes (selling their skills) but also to establish a school to train new mages and illusionists. Things never quite worked out but the organization refuses to quite die, though the rare meetings are held irregularly and there is no true formal structure. Obviously, this group is made up of those races that can be illusionists or magic-users and so includes no locals. Anyone arriving at Lahross seeking a magic guild or to purchase magic (other than that provided by the gods) is directed by locals to the gnome Beeny Sandflair, a minor illusionist and the current "guildmaster".
The Guild of Mead and Honey: This guild gets its unusual name from the fact that the members don't actually make honey ("bees do") and they don't actually make mead from honey ("Sheela provides"). What they do do is raise bees, harvest honey, ferment some of it into mead, and sell all of it, as well as other bee products like beeswax. And all at a very nice profit. Probably due to the use of honeycomb and beeswax in so many spells as material components, this guild has also become the closest thing there is to a spell component supplier on Lahross. As such its members are always collecting and purchasing odd nick-nacks that they think might be useful in some sort of spell. Over time they have learned exactly what most of the components of common minor spells are and how they need to be prepared so they can usually provide these quite easily. Of course, this is a guild, not a store, so it may take a few days to contact all the guild members to see who has what and in how much quantity. The guild has a very simple rule about selling components that's carefully followed as well: never to an Antilan. If they ever need a quick consult on components both Illithral and the Dugmarenites are happy to oblige (for a few minor components).
The Seamstresses Guilds: There are currently four guilds for seamstresses, tailors, weavers, and tanners on Lahross, though probably only three are of interest to the DM. That's because the fourth refuses to make sails or other items for ships and sticks just to clothes (and not armor, either). The other three guilds do produce sails and armor (specifically one guild produces only sails and armor, exclusively, another produces leather armor, sails, and clothes, and the last produces padded armor and clothes--and they also make special cloth for writing on). The guilds compete ferociously for business but refuse to lower their prices. In fact, the compete heavily on quality while slowly increasing prices over time. As such cloth goods like clothes and padded armor that they compete on cost 5% more than usual, leather armor (including studded leather and brigandine) cost 10% more than usual, and sails cost 12% more than usual. However, these items are also of extremely fine quality and high durability so the DM should assign each some sort of bonus (such as a saving throw bonus, longer life if the DM measures the life of items and has them wear out over time, etc.). Apparently as part of their competition the guilds also change their names frequently to try to sound more prestigious (though not necessarily more pompous) than the others so captains who stop in regularly ask for individual members of the guild rather than trying to find the guild by name (after all, by now a different one of the guilds might be using the same name as the other they really want was using the last time they were in port, if the name's even in use at all). Of course, most locals no longer pay attention to the names of any of these guilds any longer either, unless they are a member of one of them.
The Ropemaker's Guild: At one time the Ropeweaver's Guild, but not desiring to be in competition with the various seamstresses guilds, the ropemakers changed their name (don't ask why they aren't called the gaffer's guild, this is apparently taken as an insult locally and are fighting words, especially to guild members). The ropemakers make also sorts, sizes, and types of ropes and items made from ropes (nets, bags, harnesses, etc.) for anyone that wants them. Generally, that means for ships. Along with their other stock they make certain to always have on hand a large supply of sturdy rope nets so ship captains can outfit their ships with protective netting (standard ship modification). Tow ropes for towing salvaged ships, barges, and such are also very popular.
The Guild of Ship's Weapons: While the Shipwright's Guild makes and repairs rams and other parts of vessels, it is this small guild that has specialized the manufacture and repair of ship's weapons of all sorts, including greek fire projectors and bombards. They can repair, replace, or sell new any typical size ballista, catapult, or jettison to anyone desiring one and will work with the Shipwright's Guild to install turrets as desired by the customer (it takes both guilds to do turret work). The guild uses several worked-out mineshafts on some of the surrounding asteroids for storing dangerous ammunition as well as testing many of the weapons they produce. They are always interested in getting their hands on new types of ship's weapons and have purchased at least three mindspider and two deathspider grappling rams in the past as well as several other unusual large weapons.
The Starchart Guild: Actually a sub-guild of the Scribe's Guild, the Starchart Guild buys, copies, makes, sells, and corrects starcharts for all the Astromundi Cluster. When purchasing new charts they assign a much more reasonable value if there is a log book to go with it, since this helps them determine the chart's accuracy. Their prices are reasonable and their work above average.
Weapon- and Armor-smiths: In addition to several minor guilds, weapons and armor are sold and produced by families on Lahross. Sometimes these families are halflings (such as most that sell bows and corssbows) while many are dwarven, and a few are dwarven and halfling families that work together to produce goods and sell under the same name (this is most common with items like spears where the shaft is made of wood and the point is forged metal). The competition is nothing special and prices are about average, though shopping around can find examples of perfectly good items both a little higher and a little lower than average. Cheap, crude weapons cannot be found here and exceptional works will only be sold (or given) to those who are trusted--in other words primarily only locals.
All the notable local sites are on the main asteroid, Lahross, which has both the town and the docks. Surrounding asteroids are mined, farmed, and/or grazed on but visitors are not allowed on these and instead must head to Lahross itself or leave the area. Lahross is a nice asteroid, covered in fields and woods of especially tall deciduous trees (the lack of seasons means they always have their leaves, however). There is one set of docks for commercial vessels, lying on the gravity plane, and some other docks for other local vessels, whether private or community owned.
Docks: The main docks are built to handle tradesmen, men-o'-war (elven ships dropped by regularly but infrequently), hammerships, wasp ships, dragonflies, and other diverse ship types. This is where visitors arrive and depart and the area is carefully fenced off with a large berm that has only one entry, right past a guard house that is used for collecting taxes and fees.
"Town Proper": Beyond is an area that looks like most any other human settlement, complete with a shrine to Ptah and rooming houses for sailors who'd rather not stay aboard ship while in port. While most establishments are owned by locals, primarily immigrants live here full time. Of course, many locals have gotten used to coming here, especially when a new ship arrives in port. There is even a market area that has become the primary market on Lahross, even when there are no ships in port. Guard patrols are frequent here and usually in numbers (4-8 depending on time of day and how rowdy things seem to be--such as if a ship has just arrived and the crew is trying to drink the port dry).
The Citadel: This large, squat fortress was designed by dwarven engineers expert in designing fixed fortifications (foreigners who were hired for this purpose) and built by locals under their guidance. It is large, solid, and well armed with catapults and ballistae. Troops man its weapons at all times (though usually not in full crews so rate of fire will be reduced) and keep a careful watch for new ships and space creatures coming into sight. Fixed mirrors as well as two semaphore poles are maintained for signaling to distant ships (Lahross's own more often than visitors) while several large horns allow the alert to be sounded across the asteroid. At any time it's likely that militia training is occurring on at least one of the weapons. Inside the Citadel there are armories and food stores as well as shrines to tall the martial deities locally followed. An additional area under the Citadel has been added, an area that is the only full temple of Clanggedin Silverbeard on Lahross.
The Holy Places: There are a number of shrines and temples to all the gods worshipped locally on Lahross. A few, however, have places of worship that should be specifically noted. Unless otherwise noted all the dwarven deities have at least one full temple underground on Lahross and the halflings deities have temples on the surface. Abbathor is an exception with no temple at all, merely shrines, as befits his secret cult. Arvoreen and Brandobaris also lack any full-size temples. Ptah has only a shrine, located in town near the docks. As the only faith with a shrine in the visitor's area Ptah's clergy are usually the first to respond to any trouble (except for any clergy that may be among the guard forces on duty). If their services are required they are compensated by the town, who will generally make miscreants or their captain pay for the healing in turn along with any other fines. All day and all night, one of Ptah's four clerics on Lahross keeps the shrine open, though at mealtime they may step out, leaving a sign with a universally recognized symbol for waiting on the door.
Corellon's shrine is the only shrine besides Sheela Peryroyl's holy groves that is actually inside a tree. The large tree was purchased by Illithral after he became accepted locally and he had the dwelling altered to fit his height (and, incidentally, the height of most of his guests). Illithral usually finds out about visiting ships before they can dock in time to make his way down to the docks through both local friends and some children he pays to keep him informed of such events. He always greets ships with his holy symbol displayed openly and usually in simple robes denoting his office as a cleric of Corellon. If he sees elves, half-elves, or hadozee among the visitors he will use a dancing lights spell to light the way toward the shrine before calling out to them, offering them free room and board at the shrine (so he can try to convert them). He is always willing to host clerics of other elven gods but will not try to convert those who are apparently clergy of some other deity and will not host clergy of non-elven deities. The shrine itself has a number of warding magics on it, including magic mouths that will warn others away when Illithral is not home and wizard locks on the doors.
Guild Halls: Most of the guilds don't maintain separate halls. Many meet in shrines or temples to favored deities while others meet at a local tavern or restaurant or even at someone's house. Without weather to interfere, meeting in open fields are common as well. Still, some guilds do maintain offices and everyone who's a member of one or more guilds will display a symbol of the guild(s) they are affiliated with at the entrance to their shop. Most notably the Shipwright's Guild maintains an office next to their drydocks (which is close to the commercial docks) and representatives of the Starchart Guild, Guild of Ship's Weapons, and Ropemaker's Guild can all be found here. The members of the various seamstresses guilds have been banned from the docks area except when making a delivery (or picking up) and no one at the Shipwright's Guild will suggest any one of these (or a member of one) over any of the others, even when married to a member of one of the four. Anyone looking for Seekers will be sent to the Starchart Guild representative at the Shipwright's Guild office, who will arrange to have someone lead them into the dwarven tunnels (fortunately there are many convenient entrances all over Lahross and the dwarves like spacious tunnels so ceilings average 12' high) to find the temple of Dugmaren Brightmantle, the headquarters of the Seekers. Those looking for the Pragmatic Order of Thought will strike out unless they manage to catch the ear of one of Brandobaris's followers (who all know about the PoTs, even if they aren't one) or ask Illithral. Those seeking the Company of the Chalice will generally be told simply that that operation doesn't make runs to here as locals will assume it’s the name of a merchant company. Illithral knows about them but not more than they exist and what their aims are (at the DM's option he may even know where there's a Company base elsewhere). Only if the Company's agent overhears them will they get anything more, though that will all be veiled questions by the agent to determine their purpose in asking. No matter what the agent believes about them and their questions, they will not gain any actual information or even confirmation such an organization exists.
Mayor's Office: As the effective magistrate of the asteroid it is possible the DM will need to know where the mayor's office is. It is located in an aboveground building away from the docks and the visitor's area of town just beyond it, i.e., it's in the halfling area of the asteroid. The building is not flashy and has been standing for a very long time. Creepers and vines grow over it where dirt hasn't been piled up and planted with sod, flowers, or vegetables. Inside there area few small meeting rooms, a latrine area, and a larger meeting room where the council meets. The small meetings rooms have mostly been converted over time into the offices of scribes and record keepers and at least four armed guards are on duty inside at all times (usually halflings since they make less noise when walking around). The mayor generally uses the conference room for convenience since he might have a number of people waiting for their turn as well as several spectators. Activities here are informal in all but the most serious cases and there are usually a couple Vergedainan around who will try to help disputing people come to an agreement before they get to the mayor, though by this point that's usually a failed option. Sometimes they can even arrange agreements in minor criminal matters that only require a fine, but in these cases they charge for their services and the parties involved had better be able to pay them and the fine immediately or they will be unable to prevent the proceedings from continuing.
Below are provided some stats and notes on prominent locals for the DMs use. Dms with access to Dragon #129 are encouraged to make the dwarves dwarven clerics and Sandar Tumbledown a guardian rather than a cleric/fighter.
Beeny Sandflair, gnome male I3/T3: AC 6; MV 12"; hp 17; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL N; THAC0 20; S 13; I 18; W 18; D 18; Cn 17; Ch 15; Cm 10 (11 to gnomes); proficiencies: spacemanship, spelljamming, rope use, wildspace navigation, potter, painting, shortsword, club, dagger; spells: 2L1, 1L2; spellbook: cantrips of DM's choice, read illusionist magic, detect illusion, spook, wall of fog, change self, detect invisibility, hypnotism, alter self, detect magic, magic mouth
Equipment: dagger, thieves' tools, money, painting supplies, clay
Notes: Beeny had everything going for him when he went out into the world and he did well for himself, for a time. Then Beeny saw too much of the world and he decided to find a nice, quiet place to stay. Somewhere he wouldn't have to watch his companions be eaten by neogi as he hid and watched. Beeny is very effectively retired now, though he doesn't mind training others in stealth or illusion-craft to pass the time and make some money. He lives simply and has become the "guildmaster" of the Bright Spheres magic guild simply because no one else wants the job. Since the guild doesn't do much anyway, it's a perfect job for him. When he's not being guildmaster (which is most of the time) he's spending time with his Brandobarin friends, warning them of the horrors and dangers of the wider world before they try to go out in it, or working at his simple job as a potter. Using cantrips he's been able to achieve some unusual affects and his pottery sells well. He likes to decorate his pots by painting them with [peaceful] scenes from his travels.
Bushel Onestone, dwarven male C2/F2: AC 10 (unarmored), 4 (armored); MV 12" (unarmored), 9" (armored); hp 17; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL LG; THAC0 19; S 16; I 12; W 15; D 9; Cn 14; Ch 9 (10 to dwarves); Cm 8 (9 to dwarves); proficiencies: religion (dwarven), spacemanship, healing, zero-G combat, blind-fighting, blacksmith, footman's mace, hammer, battle axe, throwing axe, hand axe, morning star; spells: 4L1
Equipment: chainmail, medium shield, iron holy symbol of Clanggedin Silverbeard, vial of holy water, footman's mace, hammer, battle axe, 2 throwing axes, morning star, money
Notes: Bushel has a problem, he has too big of a heart. As a cleric of Clanggedin Silverbeard he traveled with his mercenary brothers into battle with a number of foes but too often he couldn't kill them, instead incapacitating them or knocking them out. His fellows finally gave up on him and named him "Bushel Onestone, the dwarf who only has one stone left in his bushel basket" before they exiled him. Bushel has kept the name to remind himself of his failure. He now works as a mercenary in a port where he expects to never have to do any face-to-face, lethal fighting ever again. When he's on duty he looks like a walking armory and the very sight of his hulking, 4'10" frame rolling down on them has been enough to make giff blanch and lizard men flee. Despite the appearance, though, Bushel is still a very nice, friendly, helpful person. He believes in his god and enjoys the thrill of battle he just doesn't like killing humans and demi-humans (he has no problems hacking down neogi and spitting goblins, however). It's simply too much empathy. Bushel is a good source of realistic, unaltered tales of what the world beyond is like and the DM should use him as such if the PCs take the time to befriend him. He was involved in several small campaigns and traveled to and through a number of ports during that time so he can easily offer the PCs information on areas they've never been to before. More importantly, if they're willing to accept his foibles he could make an excellent recruit for their crew or even a loyal henchman. For good friends and the chance to be accepted and travel he'd gladly quit his job with the local guard forces.
Illithral Trueblood, half-elven male C4/MU4: AC 10 (unarmored), 4 (armored); MV 12" (unarmored), 9" (armored); hp 18; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; SD protected by protection from cantrips at all times; AL CG; THAC0 18; S 14; I 16; W 18; D 12; Cn 10; Ch 14; Cm 11 (10 to half-elves); proficiencies: religion (elven), spacemanship, spelljamming, healing, swimming, wildspace navigation, footman's mace, club, staff, dart; C spells: 5L1, 4L2; MU spells: 3L1, 2L2; spellbook: cantrips of DM's choice, read magic, detect magic, charm person, feather fall, mending, dancing lights, wizard mark, write, jump, spider climb, grease, comprehend languages, erase, identify, wizard lock, magic mouth, detect invisibility, Leomund's trap, preserve, bind, protection from cantrips, continual light
Equipment: chainmail, medium shield, silver holy symbol of Corellon Larethian, 4 vials of holy water, footman's mace, walking stick (functions as a staff in battle), pouch of 18 darts, money, books (including blank and partially full ledgers of notes, most of which eventually end up in elven navy hands, replaced by more blank ledgers)
Notes: Illithral is not only a missionary cleric of Corellon Larethian, on Lahross to convert half-elves and hadozee to Corellon's faith, he's also an agent of the elven navy who keeps his eyes and ears open for news they would be interested in. Among these things he keeps a log of what ships stop in to port when, what they purchase, what the crew make-up is, what they purport to be carrying (easy to verify since he has access to the customs inspection logs), where they are supposedly coming from and headed to, and all the other incidentals that might be of value. He also gathers information through his Seeker contacts, namely the local Dugmarenites, some of which has been quite interesting to the elven navy. Illithral is calm, courteous, and never loses his temper. He has accepted that the universe will never be perfect but as long as he has his god, his faith, and his duty he knows he can make a positive difference for both elves everywhere and Corellon and that drives him. He is very personable and enjoys nothing more than sitting and chatting about nothing while enjoying a warm afternoon or cool evening. Illithral is also the most prominent person on Lahross that is also very well traveled and very worldly. It is this combination of factors, as well as his knowledge of magic that has caused him to become well known, well liked, highly respected, and consulted by a wide range of groups. Though not exceptionally handsome, his exotic looks have gathered him a number of courting ladies of several races, most of which he tries to avoid by spending time locked away with the Dugmarenites (he's not interested in any romantic liaisons with non-elves and finds female dwarven facial hair particularly unsettling).
Illithral maintains a protection from cantrips spell on himself at all times for not much more reason than he can. He always has one or two dancing lights spells, preserve, cure light wounds, protection from evil, detect evil, detect magic, know alignment, and detect charm memorized at any time.
As a final note it should be made clear that everyone on Lahross considers Illithral an elf. They know, intellectually, that he's not, but he acts like an elf, talks like an elf, lives like an elf, looks like an elf (he maintains his appearance carefully to highlight his elvishness as much as possible), and in every other way, besides a little blood, is an elf. Thus PCs looking to find him or talking about him with locals may become easily confused as everyone refers to him as an elf while they, as foreigners, see him as half-elven.
Larkis of Ptah, human male C3: AC 4 (armored), 10 (unarmored); MV 9" (armored), 12" (unarmored); hp 25; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL N; THAC0 20; S 13; I 12; W 17; D 13; Cn 17; Ch 15; Cm 13; proficiencies: religion (Egyptian), spacemanship, healing, wildspace navigation, club, footman's mace; spells: 4L1, 3L2
Equipment: chainmail, large shield, silver holy symbol of Ptah, 4 vials of holy water, footman's mace, money
Notes: Larkis is the highest ranking priest of Ptah currently stationed on Lahross. He also has three acolytes (C1s) to aid him with his duties but he feels like he's been exiled here. There are few real local Ptahians and most people who seek him out just wanting healing or some sort of blessing. He would much rather serve as the assistant to a more skilled cleric with a large congregation of people who truly respect the power of his god. It doesn't help that he sees another foreign missionary, Illithral, get a great deal of respect and have many friends. He feels he's being punished or is perhaps cursed, though naturally he can't go to a cleric of another faith to handle the matter and he's the highest ranking cleric of Ptah here and he can't remove it. All this has caused him to become melancholy and moody which hasn't helped people's image of him or his god. He's stuck in a downward spiral that's hurting himself and his mission and may soon start to interfere with his faith.
In order to make money, he always has at least two cure light wounds spells memorized.
Naddy Oakroot, halfling male T2: AC 9; MV 12"; hp 9; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL NG(C); THAC0 20; S 12; I 13; W 13; D 15; Cn 10; Ch 16; Cm 13; proficiencies: appraising, shortbow, shortsword, others up to DM
Equipment: money (very little)
Notes: Naddy, or Mad Nad, as he's known behind his back locally, is the most enterprising merchant on Lahross. Or at least he's working the hardest at it. Unfortunately his many great schemes have often gone awry or never gotten off the ground. It's not that there's anything fundamentally wrong with them, just that he lacks the resources (especially money and respect in the community) to accomplish them. For instance he still has the nets he purchased (not nearly enough before his funds ran out) to try to start a scavver breeding operation (only edible kinds of scavvers, of course). He'll sell them cheap (1/2 price) to help fund his current venture if anyone wants to buy them.
His current venture is attempting to set up an export business from Lahross to one or more nearby trade centers. Unfortunately he and all the other natives of Lahross have no idea how to do this (since they never have). He is intimidated by Illithral and too nervous around the elf to ask him for help but some visitors to Lahross might just have the answers he seeks. If only he can get together enough money to buy them a few drinks to talk about it over…
Naddy knows a few things he needs. A market for what he's selling, locals who've agreed to sell to or through him, some way to transport the goods (this is another area the PCs could come in as he realizes he'll have to hire trusty ships to carry his goods since he can't afford his own craft, yet), and seed money (perhaps the PCs would be interested in investing as well…). He figures any large enough port will provide his market, especially once he knows what goods are usually in demand there. As for locals, he'll get back to that one. What he doesn't realize yet is he needs agents in these ports (since he hasn't thought of dedicated trade agreements with other merchants yet), someplace to store his goods when they get there, someplace to store them on Lahross until he's ready to send a shipment, knowledge of the import and tax laws of anyplace he's shipping to, knowledge of not just what sells where but for what prices, knowledge of seasonal price shifts, knowledge of who's buying and why (if you find out a port's selling lots of weapons but not that it's selling most of them to a certain mercenary company that's gearing up to ship out by the time you get your goods there the market will have dried up), and so on. PCs who are looking for a crew member or hired hand who just wants to visit the ports they stop in would find Naddy a willing and helpful addition to their ship.
Captain Nordek Stonesplitter, dwarven male C10: AC 2/-1 vs. missiles; MV 9"; hp 58; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL LG; THAC0 14; S 15; I 14; W 16; D 14; Cn 17; Ch 9 (10 to dwarves); Cm 11 (12 to dwarves); proficiencies: religion (dwarven), spacemanship, stonemasonry, mining, blind-fighting, healing, footman's mace, club, hammer, staff-sling; spells: 6L1, 6L2, 3L3, 3L4, 2L5
Equipment: silver holy symbol of Dumathoin, banded mail, footman's mace of disruption, medium shield +1 +4 vs. missiles, 2 vials of holy water, 4 hammers, money
Notes: Nordek is loyal to his god, his people (i.e., dwarves), his community, and his job, in that order. A powerful, martial cleric of Dumathoin he was chosen as the guard captain because of his dedication to duty, experience, and no nonsense way of handling things. He is not jealous of other's authority or position and is happy to pass things on to the mayor and governor that aren't his responsibility. He believes fervently that the standing guard is there to prevent the militia from having to be called up so he works with the militia commander to ensure that if the militia is called up, they will be ready (because whatever it is, it's going to be nasty). In short, Nordek is perfect for his job. He doesn’t try to throw his weight around or increase his power. He respects others and is happiest when he and his people have nothing to do but practice and train. When he's needed, though, he takes charge and handles the situation, either directly or through subordinates. He wears his armor and carries his weapons as a badge of office (his mace actually belongs to the church and his shield is an heirloom) and since he's always on duty, whenever he's encountered he's wearing them. If PCs ever get on the wrong side of the law and Nordek is forced to act personally the DM is encouraged to pull out all the stops. By this time they've probably killed or incapacitated several of his people and he's not interested in whether or not they survive. He will use everything he has to take them out and take them out quickly, even if it means ordering a couple lanceships to start peppering them with ballistae bolts while he drops spells on them.
Sandar Tumbledown, halfling male F3/C3: AC 3; MV 6"; hp 27; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL NG; THAC0 18; S 16; I 11; W 18; D 9; Cn 16; Ch 16; Cm 12; proficiencies: religion (halfling), spelljamming, wildspace navigation, spacemanship, zero-G combat, s.s. farmer, sling, shortsword, spear, dagger, hand axe, club, horseman's mace; spells: 4L1, 3L2
Equipment: splint mail, small shield, sling, pouch of 20 sling bullets, hand axe, shortsword, spear, horseman's mace, iron holy symbol of Arvoreen, 4 vials of unholy water, money
Notes: Sandar is an older halfing and was a farmer until several years ago when he converted to Arvoreen's religion after a scavver ate one of his children. Now he strides around proudly in his dwarf-forged splint mail and commands a mean lanceship. As the captain of one of the lanceships with helms he is not only a key defender of Lahross, he's also a way for the DM to introduce PCs to the settlement as he could meet them in a distant port while his ship, Arvoreen's Dagger, is accompanying one of the swanships on a trade mission. Or perhaps they happen across the PCs in trouble and he decides to help out. Sandar is professional and business-like when on duty and guarded around strangers (like all the natives of Lahross) but amiable when off. He is easy to get along with, though he's a little touchy about the slight paunch he's starting to develop. He's absolutely reliable in a fight but won't risk himself, his ship, or his crew needlessly when Lahross needs them so much. He is very loyal to his native colony, though, as the Lahrossians say, he has "a bit of Abbathor in him", meaning that he's a little greedy. He won't betray the colony for it, whether directly or indirectly (such as selling information about its inhabitants, defenses, or trade deals) but he's not above buying some stolen items to take back to sell at a personal profit or even bringing a few minor items that have "gone missing" on Lahross with him to sell for certain acquaintances back home when he's traveling. If the opportunity and benefits are right and he can leave his duties in good order (not abandoning his ship in a distant port) he would even be up for a little adventuring. He most wants a magic weapon, something that will help him defeat the monsters and enemies that he has to be ready to deal with every day, and a chance to acquire one could motivate him to join a band for a short time. Since his children are all grown he feels he has the time to spend on such excursions but he'll never leave Lahross or his wife for too long.
Turlok Summerstone, dwarven male C6/F3: AC 10; MV 12"; hp 43; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon; AL LE; THAC0 18; S 17; I 18; W 18; D 13; Cn 19; Ch 11 (12 to dwarves); Cm 8 (9 to dwarves); proficiencies: religion (dwarven), spacemanship, spelljamming shipwright, catapult repair, ballista repair, bombard repair, jettison repair, greek fire projector repair, spear, shortsword, hand axe, heavy crossbow, throwing axe, footman's flail, hammer, club; spells: 5L1, 5L2, 3L3
Equipment: silver holy symbol of Abbathor, 3 vials of unholy water, tools, money
Notes: Turlok is a member of the Guild of Ship's Weapons, the local militia, and, secretly, Abbathor's church. He has learned the skills of a warrior to hide his cleric skills, which he will only use to aid other Abbathoran, and then only in private. Turlok has slowly been getting into smuggling and through the cult has made several contacts to assist him. These include members of the Shipwright's Guild, guards, and tax assessors that inspect and evaluate the value of goods brought to Lahross. He is careful in how he approaches others as well as who he approaches and prefers to only deal with locals or immigrants he knows are Abbathorans or to deal with outsiders, who rarely have as much respect for the local laws. Turlok is also fairly well connected within the cult, though he is far from its most influential member or highest ranking priest. He is not interested in such things, instead he is a true follower of Abbathor, greedy and avaricious to the core. Through the cult he can contact local and distant fences (local fences are those willing and able to sell goods from other communities locally---the only skill the cult lacks is a gemcutter), assassins, pirates, slaves, smugglers (other than just the few he deals with), and other unsavory sorts. Of course, there are fees involved. And not just for him, every person in the cult he has to pass the information through expects a cut and none will be willing to take less money than the next person in line that they'll have to contact. As such, propositions like hiring an assassin or some pirates can become very expensive very quickly though simple fencing and smuggling is much cheaper.
