This well-known moon is located off the beaten path of most spacefarers. Despite this isolation, it sees more than its fair share of travelers, especially adventurers who are in need of sagely advice.
Dragonmorne is located around orbit of an air or water world. It is about 250 miles across, with a large lake the shape of a dragon's claw. The lake is aptly named the Dragonclaw Lake, and is surrounded by hills and forests. To the north of the lake is a small range of old mountains, where most of the dragons keep their lairs.
Dragonmorne has a temperate climate. The summers are warm while the winters are mild. Rainfall is plentiful in the mountainous and hilly areas, which are forested, while the grasslands receive far less rainfall. Severe storms are rare, but do on occasion sweep through the grasslands. The hills are less vulnerable to these storms.
From afar, Dragonmorne is a green orb with few distinguishing features. Dragonclaw Lake is visible from orbit, and is the landmark most spelljammers use when searching for a place to land.
None. The moon lacks oceans or seas, and most of the surface is either verdant forests or wild grasslands.
Herd animals are the most numerous creatures on Dragonmorne. There are dozens of species of hoofed animals, several unique to this moon. They wander the grasslands, grazing in endless herds. The dragons native to Dragonmorne feast on these creatures, having hunted down most large predators so as to make sure there is enough food for themselves.
Humans have imported a number of creatures, mostly rodents and birds, but few manage to find a niche and simply die out. Rats are a problem in the human areas, kept under control by house cats.
The forests are a mix of pine, oak, and shadowtop trees. The grasslands grow to a height of six feet during the summer.
There are several towns of humans, elves, halflings, hadozee, and other spacefaring creatures. Most of these towns cluster around Dragonclaw Lake where they can take advantage of trade with spelljammers. Surrounding the towns are farms and fields, where food is grown locally. Generally the towns have mixed populations and there are few conflicts between the various races.
Without question the dominant species of Dragonmorne are dragons, specifically a group of dragon sages that settled this moon about a century ago. They call themselves the Sages of the Gilded Scroll and are famed throughout the Known Spheres as sages with few peers. Even the Seekers look upon the Gilded Scroll with awe, and the two are on good terms.
The five most prominent members of the Gilded Scroll are:
Mornlym - old electrum dragon
This noble dragon is the nominal leader of the Gilded Scroll. In his wanderings, he met many other dragon sages, and it was his idea to band together. Mornlym's goal is the preservation of knowledge and to further it with the greatest dragon minds in wildspace. Mornlym is an expert in the fields of the planes, magic, spelljamming theories, and planetology.
Nabalzyreph - venerable greyhawk dragon
Nabalzyreph is the oldest and wisest dragon of the Gilded Scroll. He also enjoys the company of humans and demi-humans best, so the other dragons generally let him deal with natives and visitors. Nabalzyreph has specialized his studies to culture, history (wildspace, Oerth, and dragons), and artifacts (history, powers, and impact they have on history).
Angkarderegh - mature adult emerald dragon
Raised by elves, Angkarderegh was already a trained sage by the time she met Mornlym. She was enthralled by the idea of a circle of dragon sages, and after only a little convincing joined Mornlym. Angkarderegh is specialized in the studies of psionics, gemstones, magic items (particularly swords), and golems.
Valoselden - adult brass dragon
The youngest member of the Gilded Scroll, Valoselden is an adventuresome brass dragon that traveled wildspace as long as she can remember. It was her idea to find a world to settle down and establish a library from which the dragons can dispense wisdom (not to mention selling their sage services!). Dragonmorne was not her first choice, as the weather is too wet for her tastes, but so long as she keeps her lair dry, she's happy. Valoselden is an expert in the fields of metallurgy, art, and religion.
Balacalaun-tu - old t'ien lung (celestial dragon)
Before Mornlym formed the Gilded Scroll, he traveled to Kara-Tur to explore that land. During his stay, he made friends with Balacalaun-tu, as both enjoyed the acquisition of knowledge. When Mornlym formed the Gilded Scroll, Balacalaun-tu petitioned the Celestial Bureaucracy for permission to join them. After some paperwork, his superiors allowed Balacalaun-tu special dispensation to depart Kara-Tur to join up with the Gilded Scroll (the bureaucrats realized that having a member on a powerful order of dragons might prove useful). Balacalaun-tu is specialized in the fields of alchemy, unusual flora and fauna, and liveworlds of all kinds.
These dragons are merely the wisest and most prominent of their kind; some have brought their families to Dragonmorne. In total, there is somewhere between a dozen and a score of dragons living on the moon.
The towns of Dragonmorne are self-sufficient, requiring little from other worlds. The natives, however, have a fairly low standard of living, and remain barely in the Bronze Age. Worked iron must be imported, but most of the tools are made of copper or bronze. There are few weapons for sale and no armor beyond simple leather. The dragons will settle any dispute that cannot be handled by the local magistrates, so arms and armor are generally unnecessary. Utilitarian weapons, such as knives, daggers, and bows, are common.
The primary export of Dragonmorne is knowledge; namely, the services of the dragon sages. Travelers come from across wildspace to buy their services, which are comparable to other sages. The advantage of using the dragon sages is that the dragons tend to be far more knowledgeable than human sages, and have more contacts as well. The non-dragon residents make their livings off of selling services to visitors, such as inns and taverns, or to the dragons, such as building lairs and maintaining libraries. Whatever luxuries the natives have are bought from visitors, usually bringing bribes to appease the dragons' enormous egos.
There is about a score of towns around Dragonclaw Lake where spelljammers can set down and dock. From there, they can tell the town's mayor that they wish to hire the services of one or more of the dragon sages. Go-betweens are used to contact the dragons, who decide if they want to take the job or not. The process takes about a week's time, during which the townsfolk encourage travelers to patron the town's inns, taverns, and local markets. Visitors are treated well, as they are an important source of money for otherwise poor townsfolk. If the travelers become dangerous, the dragons can be called upon to drive the danger away. The townsfolk don' t have much worth stealing, anyhow; certainly not enough to risk the wrath of a dozen or more dragons!
Remote and with little arable land, Dragonmorne has remained uninhabited for centuries. It was settled only 100 years ago when the Gilded Scroll decided to establish a library-world of their own, where they could discuss things in private and research uninterrupted. Once established, they informed their friends in the Seekers where they had settled, and to direct those seeking their advice to the moon. The non-dragon settlers arrived soon afterwards, as servants, librarians, go-betweens, and others who saw profit working for dragons.
None. Dragonmorne is a moon without moons of its own.
