Type: Torus of 12 flat earth body
Size: E
Escape Time: 4 turns
Satellites: none
Distance from Primary: 260 million miles
Day Length: 36 hours
Year Length: 35 months
Population Analysis: Humanoids and monsters
One of the more unusual worlds in wildspace, Rizzen has the overall shape of a gigantic torus, roughly 12000 miles across and about 4000 miles thick. The outer edge of the torus is dominated by one unbroken range of mountains. The mountain range is very extensive, over 2,000 miles across in some places. Evenly spaced across the mountain range are four circular valleys, each at least 3,500 miles across. The equatorial mountain range skirts around these valleys, defining their edges.
Rizzen rotates on an axis that runs through the center of the hole. It makes one complete rotation every 36 hours. The planet also wobbles on it's axis, such that every part of the planet receives at least some sunlight every day. The inner parts of the torus receive the least amount of light, usually only an hour a day. Due to the limited light, the plant life inside the inner edge of Rizzen are small and stunted, adapted to the conditions well.
The atmosphere of Rizzen is thinner than what is considered normal, about four fifths as thick as normal. This has little impact on off-worlders except causing them to become exhausted quicker than normal. An interesting aspect of Rizzen's atmosphere is that it has a uniform thickness up to an altitude of five miles, then thins quickly. Thus moving through the mountains of Rizzen is much less dangerous than on other worlds where the thin air at the tops of the mountains kills more travelers than monsters.
The four circular valleys are much higher than the surrounding lands. All are at least two miles above the lands below, but might be higher because there has been no attempt to determine the heights of the valleys. The mountains around the valleys are the highest on Rizzen, some at least eight miles high. Each valley has a unique climate and terrain, with no apparent explanation. One of the valleys is arctic, while the next valley is almost tropical in climate.
An interesting feature of Rizzen has been found by dwarves digging in the valleys. They have discovered a deep layer of impenetrable metal. Breaks have been found in the metal, leading to a vast chamber, a mile in diameter, that encircles the whole world following the planet's 'equator'. The walls of the chamber are entirely metal and smooth, as if worked. The dwarves have explored most of the tunnel, and have plans to colonize it. They hope to create a fortress of surpassing strength and defense.
Rarely, when the planet is closest to Thaoul, the mountains surrounding the valley experience several long earthquakes, strong enough to shake the valley but not strong enough to cause structural damage. These earthquakes occur at high noon and last at least ten minutes. There is no explanation for this phenomenon.
Rizzen has a varied climate and weather patterns. The majority of the planet has a temperate climate, with warmer weather around the outer equator and colder weather on the inside edge of the torus. The lower valleys of the equatorial mountains are kept cool because of breezes from the colder upper peaks forces the hot air into the surrounding hills and plains.
Water is common on Rizzen, and as such rain is common. Most areas experience rain at least twice every three standard weeks, enough to support many vast forests. A few areas receive almost no rainfall, and are thus deserts. The two largest deserts, the Jackel and Scorpis deserts, are both rocky and largely barren of life. There is no ocean on Torus large or warm enough to generate hurricanes, and the strongest storm could be classified as a strong thunderstorm. Tornadoes are uncommon but when storms generate tornadoes, there are many of them and they last twice as long as tornadoes on such worlds as Ethwold and Oerth.
The four mountain valleys have varied climates, more so than the lowlands below. Two are so warm as to be tropical, while another is a temperate rainforest and the last is an arctic tundra with a central glacier. The high mountains that separate the valleys from the rest of Rizzen also cut them off from the weather that affects the lowlands.
From orbit, Rizzen is a gigantic deep green torus with four circular mountain valleys along its outer rim. The mountains surrounding the valleys are gray in color and very high, enclosing circles of color and life. Each valley has a unique appearance, from thick green tropical valleys to the white and purple arctic tundra valley. All valleys have spiraling cloud patterns, centered at the middle of the plates and thinning at the edges. The tropical valleys have a double spiral cloud pattern, with an upper spiral of high thin clouds and a lower spiral of thick storm clouds, both in opposite directions.
The oceans on Torus are not large enough to divide the land into discernable continents, but between the mountains and oceans, four distinct areas can be classified as 'continents.' The L'kiel Ocean defines the first two areas, the wet valleys of Wuen, south of the Ocean, and the lush hills and barren desert of Kathe, north of the Ocean. Wuen is dominated by a gigantic Lutinia forest on its eastern side and the Triple River Valley at its center. Kathe is a land of wide prairies, rolling hills, and dry, rocky deserts. The Bag'kell Ocean separates the second two regions of Phalius to the south and Shealt to the north. Both are wild regions, home to countless monsters and predators.
The valleys are too small to be considered continents, but each is defined as a separate region on Rizzen. Two of the valleys, Kalas and Tynolor, are actually small kingdoms on Rizzen, while the Boiling Valley and the High Tundra are almost entirely uninhabited.
Rizzen has a native ecosystem of many different types of herbivores and predators. Most are recognizable to natives of other worlds, with a few unique species. Likewise, plant life is familiar to space travelers, with oaks, pines, and ash trees dominating. The bronzewood and ironwood forest of the Dragonmist Uplands are the most impressive in the sphere.
The most common animal is a family of antelope-like creatures. There are at least fifty individual species of antelope that roam the plains and forests. They migrate across the whole of Rizzen in search of good grasses. The herds are constantly on the move, as herds of ten million or more beasts quickly devour the local grass. From above, a migrating herd appears to move like water or marching ants.
Other common animals include a vast variety of birds, reptiles, wolves, bears, fish, and rodents. Birds of prey include owls, hawks, and a few rare giant eagles.
Many of the native animals, particularly predators, have been rendered nearly extinct due to the introduction of hundreds of monsters and unnatural creatures created by Raer sorcerers. The arrogant mages used Rizzen as a testing site for the many hybrid creatures they created, unleashing the monsters on the native wildlife to see how well their creations fare against other creatures. Unfortunately, they left many of their creations behind to breed true and supplant native predators. Because of their carelessness, the Raer have thrown the entire ecosystem of Rizzen out of balance, as prey have no defense against the ruthless magical predators. Over hunting have starved many native predators out of their former ranges.
Though there have been many hundreds of magical creatures dumped on Rizzen, not all have breed true, and some are extinct. Of the surviving creatures, griffons, wyverns, and owlbears are the most common. Other prominent creatures include winter wolves (in the High Tundra), gnashers, giant insects of all kinds, displacer beasts, and harpies. Virtually any sort of monster can be found here, and many of the monsters found on other worlds were created here by Raer sorcerers. Fortunately, after many centuries, the intelligent inhabitants have begun to fight back against the monsters and have driven some back from small areas of this world.
There are a fair number of sentient creatures that call Rizzen home. Civilization, however, is a novelty. There are only three surviving cultures that can be considered civilized, and a number of nomadic or barbaric societies that follow the migrating herds of antelope. Even the most powerful of the civilized states live in constant fear of the many monsters that stalk the borders of their lands, and even the most powerful must maintain constant vigilance least their lands be overrun by hideous beasts of nightmares.
Each of the major societies is detailed individually below. Note that over nine-tenths of Rizzen is unclaimed by anyone and could still hide many small enclaves that choose not to or cannot communicate with space travelers or the other inhabitants of Rizzen.
By far the largest single state on Rizzen, the Hueid Empire is a nation of centaurs. The centaurs are related to those of the moons of Thaoul, but the Hueid centaurs are almost half again larger than those of Thaoul. They dwell upon the banks of the Uflen River, where they raise bountiful crops of fruit, vegetables, and wheat. The upper reaches of the Uflen River drain a hilly region where the centaurs raise herds of goats for milk and wool. Away from the river and its tributaries, many nomadic tribes wander the lush meadowlands between the Jackel Desert and the Wyvern Prairie. As many as twelve million centaurs call this land home.
The capital of Hueid is the garden city of Ryzil, the single largest city on Rizzen. From that city, Emperor Tkiellon, a great warrior in his own right, commands the empire. He maintains a fairly small army of about ten thousand centaurs, all drawn from the nobility. It is considered the highest of honors to serve in the army, and thus reserved solely for nobles. The army finds itself constantly battling the monsters at Hueid's borders, particularly against the wyverns to the south. They don't dare enter the mountains north and east, where dragons, giants, and manticores dwell in great numbers.
The empire is wealthy, trading richly decorated rugs and furniture with spelljammers. They are eager to acquire gold, gemstones, and superior weapons and armor. The merchants that call this land home love to haggle, such that not haggling is considered a dire insult upon the merchant's skill and abilities. Merchants cannot deal with foreign coins by law, and direct foreigners to the local money exchanger. The most popular coin is the fel, a copper piece twice normal size, that is stamped with the profile of the current emperor. In the empire, the fel has the same buying power of a silver piece.
Another interesting facet of Hueid culture is manner they handle disputes. If a centaur has wronged another, the victim may bring the matter before a magistrate. If found guilty, the offender must serve a term of indentured service to his victim, which can be as long as many decades. Richer families can substitute another of their direct lineage to replace the offender. Many younger sons and daughters have been sold into virtual slavery through this system, as those serving as indentured servants have almost no rights. Many centaurs have found their way into service of spelljammer captains through this system.
Magic is strictly controlled by a sect of mages. Having a mage in the family is considered a great honor, and noble families may boast several. Most have little actual power, rarely rising above 6th level or so. A Circle of mages, perhaps two hundred in all, who control all things magical in Hueid. They range in power (levels 10- 15), but all are very skilled spellcasters. Their magic is unusual, likely using magic created by the ancient Raer sorcerers. Though they have many combat spells, many are largely ineffective against the monsters at Hueid's boarders, and thus magical expeditions into the wilderness has all failed to date. Though many of the mages of power serve in the Circle, there are dozens of other mages equally powerful that obey the laws of the Circle but are independent of that body of mages.
The Hueid have very little interest in building a national fleet of spelljammers. Such ships are too expensive for them, and the red dragons north of the empire have a nasty habit of destroying any spelljammer that encroach on their mountain holdings. Some of the richer merchants have purchased several spelljammers for trade purposes, but as of yet, there is no national navy of spelljammers, nor are there plans to build one. The Hueid have little interest in engaging in imperialism, given their numerous problems back home.
Ancient, by any standards, is the Realm of Kcreeal. The history of this land is so long that it is nay impossible to recount it. Records rarely date past a millenium or so, as local wars, reuse of scrolls, rot grubs, and moisture has claimed most of them. Stone tablets, ancient and half ruined, offer the greatest insight into Kcreeal's origins.
Kcreeal is a unique land in the Known Space, a realm of lizardmen and their kin. Unlike their more primitive relatives, the lizard folk of Kcreeal have a fairly advanced feudal society. The lizard lords dominate the valleys carved by the many warm rivers of the realm. The rivers are the main means of transportation for the lizard folk, who leisurely swim up and down the slow flowing rivers. The dry hill tops are often left bare or forested, as the lizardmen have little interest in settling or farming them. Instead, the lizardmen are goat, sheep, and deer herders, letting their vast herds wander the hills. Villages and towns are all built along the rivers. There are perhaps as many as twenty five million lizardmen inhabiting the valleys and the lands called Kcreeal.
The undisputed rulers of this land are the same race of troglodytes that inhabit the Sun's Girdle in Twilitespace, except the Kcreeal troglodytes are much more advanced and intelligent. They rule from a series of riverside castles, stout fortresses of stone and crystal of incredible strength. Elder magics were woven into their construction, making them resilient against the forces of nature and man. Even the worst earthquake will not affect the castles' walls. Of particular note is that there are no land-accessible gates on any castle. Entrance is through heavily guarded flooded tunnels or by flying up to the turrets. The troglodytes make use of gigantic wasps as mounts, riding them into battle high above the valleys and hills. Most of time, the troglodytes sun themselves on the battlements, lazily enjoying life.
Below the troglodytes are the varanids, a small but dangerous minority that haunt the hills and highlands. Most are skilled craftsmen, makers of armor, weapons, and all things metal. They are also excellent goldsmiths, carving figurines of such detail and skill that they have few rivals. Yet, the varanids are very skilled as warriors, capable of rending a human or centaur with ease. More active than the troglodytes, the varanids keep to themselves, unwilling to socialize more than needed. The most noble and strongest of their kind join the Diamondbacks, the lizard kind's version of a knightly order. The Diamondbacks are widely scattered and serve as mercenaries throughout the whole realm. The greatest of these warriors join a special order within their ranks that maintain a fleet of wasp warships, which are used in times of war to defend their skies. In peacetime, the wasps are trade ships, travelling to other spheres in search of long forgotten enclaves of lizardmen. Though considered savages by many travelers, the Diamondbacks are surprisingly civil and cordial with other races. They enjoy trading their goods almost as much as fighting, displaying their great artistic skills. Insulting a varanid's craftsmanship usually results in a fight, but well traveled varanids are less likely to take offense.
The lower castes of Kcreeal include iguanid herders and fishermen, brutish crocodilian laborers, and even a small minority of sleek from Torrent. Considered serfs in the lizardman system, these lesser lizard folk combined make up the vast majority of population. They are kept in line by their religious beliefs that hold the troglodytes as the servants of the gods and thus lords of the land. Other than the rare wars in which vast armies of crocodilians are gathered to lay siege to another lord's castle, they have few duties. They hunt the massive fish schools that dwell in the rivers and tend the endless herds of sheep and goats. The crocodilians are used throughout the land as laborers, and are quite skilled as stonemasons and architects, despite their otherwise low intelligence. Sleek fill out the society as weavers, artists, and other like crafts. An unusual aspect of these serfs is that they are tied to a river or one of its tributaries, not the land itself. Thus if a lord is cruel, those lizard folk tied to a river with more than one lord can relocated to a kinder lord. However, many of the shorter rivers are commanded by a single lord and thus there is no escaping his domain, cruel or not.
Technically, there are three kings of Kcreeal, one for each of the major rivers and their countless tributaries. In practice, there are no kings. Each lord has complete command of his domain and answers to no ruler. Though the varanids answer to no one, they gladly sell their services as mercenaries and craftsmen to any lord who meets their demands. War between individual lords is not uncommon, but the lizard folk are a slow, patient people. Nothing is done in haste, and most wars are low simmering affairs that might take decades to fight out to their conclusion. Such wars have little to no impact on the realm as a whole or the lands around them because of their slow pace and non- destructive nature. Thousands of lizard folk may die in such wars, but the actual damage is hardly noticed.
Finally, mention of the Dragon Bayou must be made. A feral and savage land, the Bayou is a gigantic swamp at the end of the trio of rivers that drain Kcreeal. To this land the lords banish criminals and those that displease them. The Bayou is thickly inhabited by those that hate Kcreeal, and many of the savage tribes within would dearly love to invade and overthrow their lizard folk relatives. Constant warfare with one another, however, keeps their numbers low and their overall power weak. Many of the petty bandit lords here would dearly love to acquire a spelljammer, believing it would give them great power. Travelers are warned to avoid the Bayou at all costs.
The vast plains of Rizzen are the stomping grounds of countless tribes of centaur nomads, relatives of those in Hueid. Wild and untamed, the centaur nomads have little use for civilization. Each clan has one hundred to a thousand members, including women and children. Clans band together into tribes, often with twenty or more member clans. These tribes live violent lives, having to fight nearly every day of their lives for survival. Endless battles with monsters, other tribes, and the civilized regions result in short lives for the centaurs. Rarely will a traveler find a hardier or more rugged race than the nomads of Rizzen.
The majority of the nomads are skilled warriors. They can be fighters (barbarian, berserker, and wilderness warrior kits), rangers (beastmaster, guardian, and pathfinder kits), priests of Solran, Isha, and animal lords, and rouges (Skald and scout kits). Because of their hard lives, an average centaur is at least 2nd level by the time they are juveniles and older veterans at of 5th level or more. It is not unusual for the clan champion to be 9th level or higher. All centaurs have constitution and strength scores of 11 or higher.
The centaurs are deeply religious, worshipping a number of animal lords as deities. Each centaur has an animal spirit guardian, who protects and guides the centaur through life. Ancestor worship is also very popular among the centaurs who often seek advice from their long dead ancestors. Whenever a centaur seeks advice, they use a powerful herb to create smoke that puts the centaur in a deep trance. The centaur then enters the dream realm, where he may meet with ancestors, his guardian animal, or even other centaurs who are asleep. Such journeys are taken seriously and cautiously, as it is easy for a centaur to loose his way and become forever trapped in the dream realm.
The centaurs survive on a diet of deer, nuts, berries, vegetables, and roots. They make use of all parts of an animal, using bones as building material, decorations, and even to craft weapons. Certain bones can be used to make arrowheads as strong as iron arrowheads but lighter and sharper. Hide armor is most common.
Many centaur clans wander the lands of known as the Cannite Downs, Windrunner Plains, and Lutinia. Clans are rarely encountered elsewhere, but a few scratch out a miserable existence of the Griffon Steppe and Dragonmist Uplands, where they are preyed upon by the fierce predators that give those lands their respective names. Every two years, the land of Wuenmoot is flooded by tens of thousands of centaur clans, who trade with each other, the lizard folk of Kcreeal, and the merchants of Hueid.
Centuries ago, a large nation of dwarves came to Tyrspace to serve the Raer as craftsmen and builders. Paid handsomely for their services, the dwarves built many wonders now scattered throughout the sphere for their Raer masters. So handsomely were they paid that they ignored Raer cruelties upon their subjects, and became much hated through the sphere. Dwarvish enforcers, known for their quickness with the lash, were even more hated, and the whole race became known as the K'horel, the lashmasters. When the Raer fell from power, the dwarves were left behind to suffer the brunt of retribution by centaurs, minotaurs, and everyone else who suffered under the dwarvish lash. Most of the hundreds of clans were destroyed utterly.
A few clans survived the massacres and fled to this remote valley, finding a hidden refuge to hide from their numerous foes. For centuries they etched out a miserable existence, plotting their revenge. They kept to the forest floor, tunneling clanholds into cliffs and under hills, hidden unless one knows exactly where to look. In the twilight of the jungles the dwarves hunt, using trained jaguars and leopards to seek out prey. The harsh life has kept the overall number of dwarves low, and the vast majority of the valley is completely uninhabited and unexplored. The dwarves have only a few, hidden forges throughout the valley. The majority of the population are hunters and gatherers and unskilled in crafts. Metal weapons are rare and highly prized.
Recently, the dwarves have discovered a tunnel that run under the center of the valley. Though they have only explored a portion of the tunnel, but they eventually hope to use the tunnel to create an impregnable fortress, from which to launch raids of revenge on their enemies. They hope to one day exterminate or enslave all other inhabitants on Rizzen and rule, as they believe, as the chosen masters of Tyrspace.
The name of this valley is nothing more than a memory of a long fallen empire. An age ago, an elvish realm ruled the sphere from this valley. Their numbers were not great, but they had few enemies. The lizard folk rarely left their lands, and the dragons were not numerous then. The elves were scholars and artists, well-schooled in the arts of magic. Their swords proved too few and their numbers too small to defend against an invasion of goblins, and their realm vanished in less than a decade's time. The capital was never found, vanishing without a trace. The valley today is inhabited only by faeries, unicorns, and dragons. They speak little of the lost kingdom, instead tricking travelers into leaving the valley.
A sparsely inhabited realm, Urg'zun is the land to which the goblins settled after the destruction of Kalas. In death, the elves had extracted a terrible toll from their adversaries. The goblin fleet was entirely destroyed and thousands were left stranded. Pursued by vengeful lizard folk, the goblins fled the Kalas valley and were driven west, finally settling in the wide stretch of land nestled between the Forest of Fangs and the Scorpis Desert. Hunted by endless predators and monsters, the goblins survive still but do not prosper.
Rizzen is a vast world with a very small overall population. As such, it has almost limitless resources. There are rich veins of iron, silver, gold, gemstones, nickel, and copper in the mountains, but are largely inaccessible because of the dragons, giants, and other monsters that haunt the higher lands. Veins of lesser size and quality are found in the hills along with stone quarries and herd lands. Forests yield rich woods, herbs, and animals to hunt and trap. Mages and spellcasters find the many monsters a bountiful resource of materials that are useful in spellcasting and crafting magical items.
Though many of the cultures on Rizzen are aware of spelljammers, they rarely deal with them. Ships are rarely welcomed in the villages and towns. Prices are always much more than normal to discourage direct trade. Local laws rarely protect the rights of off world merchants.
Spelljammer merchants who have spent much time on Rizzen have learned that the best time to trade is at Wuenmoot, where every two years traders and merchants from around the world converge for two months of hard bargaining and dealing. Temporary tent cities are erected along the most popular trade routes. Literally anything available on Rizzen can be found on sale during the Wuenmoot, and a shrewd merchant can find the best deals. Spelljammers are welcomed during the height of the trade season, bringing exotic goods from ports around the Known Spheres. Such goods command high prices among the wealthiest of the merchants. Exports from this world include rugs, furniture, spell components, art objects, supplies, and a variety of rums.
Until the time of the Wuenmoot, there is but one active spelljamming port on Rizzen, the Hueid capital city of Ryzil. The centaurs are eager to trade with spelljammer merchants, but as noted above, have little interest in building their own spelljammers. Port fees at Ryzil are 2 coppers per foot length of ship and a tax of 3% on all transactions. The tax collectors use the money to improve the docks, repairing old piers and building new ones. The waterfront bars are especially rough and rowdy, as the worst elements of the empire find their way here. Humans, elves, and even non-Rizzen centaurs need to be wary in the dock district, as many larger centaurs like bullying and dominating creatures smaller than themselves. The smaller centaurs native to the moons of Thoaul are the favored target of street bullies, who like using their larger size and bulk to torment any centaur foolish enough to get into a fight with them. Woe be the outlander who is charged with indentured service to a bullish Hueid centaur.
During the Weunmoot, any large cluster of tents is a potential trading post. All a spelljammer needs to do is set down and begin trading. There are no taxes or tariffs during times of Weunmoot, and fighting is taboo. Natives, both centaur and lizardmen believe that violence during the Weunmoot earns one eternal damnation by one's ancestors. Spellcasters capable of containing and banishing foes are highly prized during this time, celebrated with free food and rum.
Rizzen is dotted with hundreds of dimensional portals, most one way off Rizzen, to other worlds. Some sages speculate that these were created by the Raer, while others claim that the portals predate the Raer, possibly a creation of the lizardmen. Regardless, the portals have unleashed countless creatures, most of them the twisted creations of the Raer, on a dozen or more worlds. The spread of such creatures as owlbears, manicores, harpies, and many other such cross-breeds is blamed on these portals.
