Planet Name: Ethwuld
Planet Type: Spherical earth body
Planet Size: E
Escape Time: 4 turns
Satellites: 3
Distance from primary: 100 million miles
Day Length: 25 hours
Year Length: 370 days
Population Analysis: Human and humanoids
A fairly small, mostly ignored world describes Ethwuld fairly well. It is slightly smaller than Oerth and has less land to dwell upon. Most spelljammers tend to skip over the planet, but interest in this world is again on the rise.
From space, Ethwuld is a beautiful blue-white orb, peaceful and delicate appearing. Roughly three-fourths of the sphere is water, giving the whole world a blue tint. The blue is streaked and highlighted by white clouds in great swirling patterns. There is less energy in the atmosphere, so the hurricanes common to other earth worlds are absent here.
Ethwuld is a world in transition. Numerous kingdoms have fallen and risen recently, and those that dominate today could be slaves tomorrow. In ancient times, it was the cradle of the world-spanning Crux Empire, but that empire has long fallen to dust.
The atmosphere is a standard, run of the mill nitrogen-oxygen mix, breathable to all standard races. The atmosphere is surprisingly calm and placid. Violent hurricanes are rare, but gales are just as common as on other worlds. Though tornadoes can form, they are fairly rare. Gales do ravish the tropical regions of the planet on a fairly regular basis. Storms are usually quick but destructive. Blizzards and flooding storms are rare, hitting any given region perhaps once a decade or so.
Ethwuld is a fairly cool planet. The Temperate Zone is very large, and the sub-tropical zone is also large. There is no true tropical zone, as the weather at the equator never stays warm enough to be considered as such. On the other hand, the poles are not as cold as other planets, and lack a packed ice cap. Instead, choppy and treacherous seas replace it. One can easily sail right over either pole, but the trip would be extremely dangerous. Great icebergs do form, but they are mostly underwater with tiny surface caps (makes polar trips even more dangerous).
Ethwuld appears as a sphere of blue overlaid by white. A handful of fair sized continents dot the surface, as do thousands of smaller islands. A blanket of air, a shield against the deadly void and the rare meteors that target Ethwuld, protectively encases the planet.
Ethwuld has four medium sized continents, spread evenly throughout the world. The continents are located in the temperate and tropical zones. None lie under the polar icecaps, but a small part of the northern most continent does lie in the polar zone and has a very large glacier upon it. Between the continents are thousands of islands and island chains.
Life is abundant upon Ethwuld. There are many growing forests, which teem with life. There are few deserts on the planet, and even those teem with life. Ethwuld has a profusion of natural creatures, with mammals predominating.
The intelligent life forms include the usual mixed bag of humans, demi-humans, and goblin-kin, as well as giants and dragons. However, humans are by no means the most dominant race, as several human lands have fallen recently. Here, more than on any other world, the various races are roughly equal in power.
Humans and Demi-humans dominate this world, with the usual scattering of goblins, giants, dragons, and many other races. Nation states dot the landscape, but none are truly dominant. There is a great deal of true wilderness surrounding most of the nations. Wilderness is more common than civilization. If there is a true master of Ethwuld, it is nature itself, as whole empires have disappeared with the living memory of many a dwarf.
For a mid-sized earth world, Ethwuld is surprisingly rich in resources. Metals, food, gemstones, wood, cloth, and other goods are found in abundance. However, when compared to the treasure troves of the sphere, namely Lagorith, the Sun's Girdle, and Chaos, Ethwuld is a poor world indeed. Yet, each individual region has it's own value on certain goods, depending upon what resources are readily available. Food is the one commodity that is always found in abundance; the world-wide population is much lower than the land can support, so there is almost always a surplus of food. The type and quality of food varies from region to region.
The city of Ravenheart, a large city on the northern continent, is a common stopover for spelljammers. It readily imports minor magical items, luxury goods, and especially weapons and armor from space. It uses these new weapons to combat the goblin-kin and monsters of the north. Ravenheart offers finished goods, metal works, jewelry, food (especially fish), and fine wool and cotton garments.
The Middle Lands, also on the northern continent, consists of the Kingdoms of Volva, Lefton, and Rulagar, as well as the Elvish Plateau, are widely varied in the goods and services they offer. Volva is mostly a rural kingdom that offers food, textiles of all types, and fine jewelry and artwork. Lefton is a land of half-elvish merchants, with a large fleets of merchant ships (mostly water craft), bringing products from around the world to the middle lands. In addition, Lefton exports raw minerals, food, wood, and fine weapons. Of the middle kingdoms, Lefton is the most open to spelljamming and has started building a fleet of such craft. The Elvish Plateau offers many fine elvish tools and weapons as well as the finest woods available, as typical of elvish lands. Rulagar is known for exporting magical items and fine mercenaries. All of these nations will import almost any product imaginable (value of such goods varies widely with each kingdom; i.e. weapons are less valuable in Volva than in Rulagar).
Nechuka is the sole remaining human oriental state. As such, its resources include fine gem-inlayed jewelry and pottery, silks, fine woods, furnishings, and fine woods. Nechuka is quick to import weapons and armors of all sorts, which are needed to combat the horrors that now stalk Ching-Tu. Sellswords and spellcasters are all highly valued, and are paid highly for their services.
Though these lands are the most important in terms of spelljamming trade, there is a growing market for spelljammer merchants on the other continents.
Spelljamming is not of major importance on Ethwuld. There are no special ports for spelljammers, but a handful of ports allow most spelljamming vessels to land and conduct trade. In some areas, spelljamming is fairly well known, at least as far as political leaders and merchants go, but the general population knows little to nothing about travel between the stars.
By far, Ravenheart is the most important spelljamming port. It actively welcomes spelljammers, and does not require them to land in far out in the ocean and sail in like so many other cities. However, they do require that water-landing ships land outside the harbor and sail in; direct vertical lands are not permitted (one too many accidents have occurred by landing in such a manner). There is no special open field for land landing ships, but there are a few fields outside of the city where a ship can rent space from local farmers. Docking fees are a flat fee of 5 gp per day, no matter the size of the ship. There is no special tax for spelljammers (in other words, the people don't charge spelljammers for breathing). There is a tariff for all trade goods entering the city, which amounts to 3% of the total value of the goods. There is no tariff for goods exiting the city. The low taxes brings many traders back time and time again.
The second most important space port is the city-state of Lefton. Founded centuries ago by half elves fleeing persecution in Rulagar, it has become one of the largest concentration of half elves in Twilitespace, if not Known Space in general. Spelljammers are welcomed, even encouraged, to trade at the inland city-state. A nearby river-fed lake is ideal for spelljammers, as it has over a dozen piers for such craft. Taxes are a fee of 1 sp per every 10 feet of keel length and 2.5% of all goods traded in the city. As Lefton is a major merchant nation, Lefton has available almost all goods found throughout the entire Middle Lands at reasonable prices. This convenience is a major draw for spelljammer traders, who don't like to make long distance journeys to secure goods that they want. Lefton's merchants have built a small fleet of ten to twenty tradesmen classed spelljammers for purposes of trading with other spaceports. The nation itself owns a fleet of three squidships and a hammership for defense purposes.
What attracts spelljammers to Lefton, in addition to the ease of convenience, is the large number of inns, taverns, and festhalls. The merchants have a number of these establishments built around the city, but strategically located such that the "bad elements" that they tend to attract are kept away from the general public. Thus, shore leave for spelljammer crews is highly sought after. Of the many goods offered by spelljammers, only slaves, drugs, and poisons are illegal by Lefton's laws. The city guard is pretty good at breaking up smuggling rings, but this has not stopped agents of the Chainmen, Tenth Pit, and the neogi from trying.
The easternmost human spelljammer port is Chuka, capital of Nechuka. Once, Nechuka was a very minor border state of the much larger empire of Ching-Tu, but that empire crumbled and is now a desolate land. Nechuka took over as the chief eastern space port, and now the port of call for all dragonships of the sphere (now roughly 10 ships, down from 20 fifty years ago). Chuka has several docks for spelljammers and an open, flat field where land landing ships can dock. All ships that dock here must pay a fee of 2 sp per foot of keel length. The docks have been prepared for vertical landings, as the Sword Sea can be rough and storm-ridden. The tariff for all imports is higher than normal, at the 5% rate. Traders and travelers do have access to the city itself, and are not confined to their ship (unlike so many other oriental states). The people don't worry about the space travelers carrying some horrific disease or are hideous monsters. Then again, the land was considered barbaric during Ching-Tu's height, so the people are not as insular or paranoid as Ching-Tu was.
The second largest continent is located on the equator, and is dominated by the mighty Crux River. This river, which is over a mile and a half wide most of its length, drains almost the entire continent. It was once the birthplace of the ancient Crux Empire, which reached its zenith over eight thousand years ago. It was an ancient land, where kings ruled as gods and massive stone monuments. At its height, it is said that it had many gates to other worlds the Empire conquered, and ruled an empire that spanned much of Known Space. However, the empire fell many thousands of years ago to outside invasion. During that invasion, a catastrophe befell the Crux Valley, destroying the entire civilization. The valley itself has recovered from that devastation, but is now inhabited by a nation of dragons. Humans have vanished from that nation, but the legacy of the Crux Empire survives. The few deities that survived the catastrophe are again dominate in the sphere, and ruins to this once great Empire have survived.
Today, the Crux valley is a dangerous land of dragons and monsters. Adventurers journey to this land to sift through the ruins in search of treasure. Most die in these expeditions, but those few adventurers that do return come back with treasure enough to make them kings. Rewards such as these bring adventurers back time and time again.
The other tropical continent is not much smaller than Crux. Unlike Crux, which is mostly arid, Talons is a lush jungle land inhabited by great lizards of all kinds and a brutal race of lizardmen. Not much is known about this land, and no one travels to it. It does, however, have a major impact on the rest of the sphere. Once every century or so, the stars align for a month. During this time, the shamen of the lizardmen open a portal to other lands or worlds. The destination of this portal is random, and can be any world or land in the sphere. When the portal is opened, hundreds of the lizardmen, who are reputed to stand 8' to 10' tall, pour through to raid the surrounding countryside. These raids are extremely destructive; some kingdoms have fallen because of them. At the end of the month, the lizardmen return to their home with the booty stolen from the other worlds. They never stay; somehow, they are tied to their land. Frightenly, the time of the next raid is drawing near.
The lizardmen of Talons are called the Qar, and have the following statistics: Int low; #APP 3-12; AC 4 (3); MV 6, Sw 12; HD 7; THAC0 13; #ATT 2; Dmg d12 (bite), d10+6 (club); Sz L (8'-10'). Roughly 50% of the Qar have strength equal to that of an ogre; the rest are as strong as hill giants. In battle, they use massive spiked clubs that only creatures of their size and strength can wield. They protect themselves with shields constructed from the backs of giant turtle shells. When raiding other lands, they do so on the backs of Spikebacks, a distant relative of the triceratops. These creatures have the following statistics: Int animal; #APP 1; AC 2/6; MV 9; HD 16; THAC0 5; #ATT 3; Dmg d8, d8, d12; Sz H (24'). Spikebacks are so named because their backs are covered with a row of bony, sharp spikes that cause 2d10 points of impaling damage upon anyone so foolish as to jump on their backs. The Qar use harnesses when riding the massive beasts. The continent of Talons may have other beasts, but since few explorers have journeyed there and lived to tell about it, almost nothing is known about the land. What little information that sages do have was gained from survivors of Qar raids.
A small archipelago of islands boarding the southern extreme of the southern temperate zone, the Land's End Islands are inhabited by a race of winged elves. Their islands are storm tossed, rocky, and lined by cliffs. The elves became trapped there untold centuries ago when a small fleet of ships were blown off course. They have since adapted to the land by magically fusing eagle-like wings to their bodies. The islands are now the home of a magical kingdom of elves, who are famous for the glass cities built into the faces of cliffs, wondrous artworks of glass, and their flying ships. The flying ships are used to trade with distant lands a world away, but these craft are not spelljammers. Instead, they use variants of the spells levitate and fly to move their craft. The mages of this realm are noted as being very powerful, and the land has a fair number of archmages. Spelljammers are welcomed, but encouraged to keep visits short. The land is protected by the Elvish Fleet, which keeps a Man-O-War on duty near here.
The largest continent, Wildfar is noted as being one of the least populated. It is located in the southern hemisphere, with its western end south of the Middle Lands, but separated by continent and ocean. The eastern end of the continent stretches on for an unknown distance. Only a small portion of the western half is inhabited by kingdoms of elves, dwarves, and men. None are noted as major stopping points for spelljammers, but elvish ships make infrequent trips to Northfair, the largest kingdom of elves on the continent. The Sindiath Line keeps an office in this kingdom, and there's a 10% chance to catch one of its Men-O-War there. Most of these kingdoms are young; the realms that existed before them were destroyed a thousand years ago during an age of chaos and terror that tore across the entire planet.
The bulk of the continent to the east is open wilderness. Deserts, forests, prairies, and mountains abound, but little of this land is claimed. The primary inhabitants are a breed of humans that have regressed towards primitive apes. They are completely covered with hair, have longer arms than normal, and have started developing an ape-like face. Once, they were human barbarians, but they cast down any sort of tool or technological improvement ages ago. Thus, they began to regress, become more savage and feral with each passing generation. Today, they have no language above simple grunts and body language, use only sticks to gather food, and live in trees. Though shy, they are more than capable of defending themselves against attack. These savage creatures are sometimes mistaken for the sasquatch, but the two are different creatures.
The closest and smallest of Ethwuld's moons, Lunithi appears as a giant, red orb. Surface features and clouds can easily be seen from on the ground on Ethwuld. Blue lakes and a few green patches break Lunithi's red surface, where forests survive. For the most part, Lunithi is a desert planet. It's deserts contain a red, sandy soil that most plants cannot take root in. Still, a few hardy cacti dot the landscape, which provide nutrient for insects and small rodents, who in turn are prey for scorpions and red sand snakes. The deserts have little to interest anyone.
The small tropical forests are far more interesting. Teeming with life, these jungles are sometimes used as hunting grounds for bored adventurers. Many nearly unique plants blossom in these forests, most of which are related to the cacti. All of the plants are capable of surviving on little water, many able to draw it out of the atmosphere through their small leaves. The plants of Lunithi are short and stubby, with a maximum height of 15' and have only a few, small leaves. In many ways they resemble a cross between palm trees and cacti, but with smaller leaves than ordinary palm trees. The largest animal on Lunithi is a small deer; the largest predators are coyote. Unless one is in need of food, water, or air, ships simply do not land at Lunithi.
Interestingly, a few explorers report ruins buried deep in Lunithi. However, the overall remoteness of the moon and the little treasure that has been recovered has kept most serious adventurers away.
The second moon of Ethwuld is the largest. It is a cold, blue-white sphere of jagged mountains and shallow seas. The land is rugged but not harsh. The moon has a white, rocky surface. All plants that grow upon its surface have pale leaves and trunks. Tree cover is not great, so while the forests are vast, they are not thick. The seas are shallow and prone to freezing easily. The deepest sea is only 1000' deep. The mountains, on the other hand, are tall and jagged. Several long ranges cut the land into a variety of regions. Many of these mountains are volcanic, spewing white rock and ash over the mountain.
This pastel realm is home to many faerie elves and a race of white-haired dwarves. These peaceful races keep mostly to themselves and avoid conflict. There are no large cities on Ruinthi, only small elvish villages and dwarvish citadels. The largest settlement is a mere 500 residents and most are half that. The overall population is low. As can be expected, there are no spelljamming ports, and it is difficult to find ports for any watercraft of any sort. However, the Sindiath Line keeps a small port here where they dock a Man-O-War. The port has a population of 500 elves and can handle up to three ships at a time.
Another rugged and forested moon, Celenthi is the best equipped with spelljamming facilities. Over the centuries, more than a dozen nations have used Celenthi as a base, either for trading with Ethwuld or as a staging point for explorations deep into Twilitespace. Several bases have been abandoned, and have been adopted by adventurers. The only major base left is an Elvish Fleet base, where the Fleet keeps a detachment of ground troops. The base takes the form of a large castle atop a craggy hill surrounded by thick, tall trees. Known as Silverspires, this castle has a garrison of 600 marines, 45 hadozee scouts, and a wing of 24 eagle-riding skymen. The castle is supported by a network of a dozen elvish villages and a town or two. All of this is owned by the Fleet. The largest settlement is Naien, which is capable of handling many trade ships. Many elvish, dwarvish, and even human traders make stopovers here, bringing in food, clothing, and other supplies and leaving with woods and full money pouches. The Fleet maintains a patrol of two cutters here.
There are no less than twenty abandoned bases on Celenthi. Only four have been claimed by various groups. The rest are up for grabs. A typical base consists of a docking facility for 2d4 ships of 10-70 tons each. Near the docking facilities is a collection of buildings. These buildings will always include a small keep of some sort, a stable, a blacksmith, and a lumber mill. Most are hidden by the advancing forests, but can be cleared and claimed by anyone.
