This orb of a moon shimmers like a green jewel in the night sky. The various verdant greens is broken by scattered smudges of brown and white, likely snow-capped mountains, and a single azure northern sea.
Mystryl's Harbor is a modest earth world. Most of the landscape is open prairie, broken occasionally by hills, mountains, forests, and even dusty badlands. It has an overall diameter of a little over 700 miles. The largest body of water is but only 200 miles wide at its widest point.
A somewhat remote moon, Mystryl's Harbor is home to a survivor state of the once-mighty empire of Netheril. Though a shadow of the empire that once spawned it, this moon is the best preserved example of Netherese culture anywhere. A council of mystics governs the use of magic to ensure that it is not abused as it was in ancient Netheril, so that the people may avoid another catastrophe.
Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold and wet. Higher elevations are often buried by several feet of snow. Seasons last only 30 days because of the moon's short year. The lowlands see more seasonal variations than the upper elevations. Abundant rainfall ensures that the growing season, while short, is very productive.
Icefringe Sea: This small, ever-icy inland sea in the northern hemisphere. Its waters are largely undisturbed, as only a handful of fishing vessels keep to sheltered fjords. Silkies, seals, and narwhales have all been seen, as well as many white dragons that haunt its depths.
Wildspell Point: Long ago, this small mountain was the scene of an enormous spell-battle between an army of wizards and an army of sorcerers. So much chaotic magic was unleashed during the battle that the very fabric of magic was torn asunder, leaving the entire area riddled with wild magic zones. Any magic used in the area has a 50% chance of turning wild, making spellcasting in the area chancy. Spellcasters avoid the area, which serve as a refuge for those that have reason to fear from wizards.
Hallowbough Forest: This thick, dark forest of oak, birch, and shadowtop trees is notorious as a haven for orcs and fell monsters. Attempts to clear it out have failed utterly, as even the trees resist any effort to drive the monsters out. It is an evil place, where witches and hags rule over monstrous hordes. All towns within a day's ride of its boundaries are heavily fortified, as raids are commonplace.
Natural animals are rare on Mystryl's Harbor while dire animals of all sorts are much more common. Likewise, magical and unusual monsters are commonplace, the result of centuries of magical experimentation by wizards. Most of these unfortunate creatures are hunted down and destroyed, but all too many elude destruction. Creatures with spell-like abilities are a growing problem in the wilderness.
The primary inhabitants of Mystryl's Harbor are humans, wood elves, gnomes, and orcs. Humans and gnomes dwell in towns and cities in the plains and in the foothills. Orcs claim the caverns under mountains, and war with the elves over the forests.
Use of magic is very important to the natives of this moon, regardless of their race. Those that cannot cast at least a handful of low-level spells are regarded as peasants, and barred from all but the lowest work. True spellcasters able to cast spells beyond a few simple tricks are rare.
The humans, gnomes, and elves live in towns and small cities surrounded by pastoral farmlands and small forests. Every town has one or more wizard towers; part of a town's prestige is the number of towers it has. The most powerful wizards take their towers into the sky, using powerful spells to craft ever-levitating towers in memory of the floating cities of old.
The people of Netheril of old had an ill reputation as arrogant and deadly, a memory that has all but faded. Even still, the people of Mystryl's Harbor still bear some shame at the cataclysm they once caused. The populous is very conscious of the abuse of magic. A secret police force of powerful wizards enforces strict rules about what spells can be used. Extensive use of combat magic, particularly that which causes damage to surrounding landscape or buildings, can result in banishment or death of the offender.
This moon is not especially rich in resources; the sources of food, metals, and gemstones are sufficient such that they need not be imported in great quantities, but not great enough to create a surplus to export. Scroll scribing is the single largest industry and the moon's main export. Potion brewing is only slightly less of an export, and various other magic items are sold as well. The moon imports spell components and exotic materials useful in crafting magic items.
Mystilune (metropolis, 75,000): The capital of this moon is the many-towered city of Mystilune. Enormous white towers rise high into the sky, held aloft by arcane magic. It is a center of learning, trade, and art. There are no less than eight academies of arcane magic in this city. The nickname of this city is the "City of Scrolls". Through use of powerful magic, a trio of ring-like deepwater lakes was excavated around the city to create one of the finest spelljammer docks anywhere. Almost anything can be found in the four markets of the city, from the mundane to artifacts of long lost empires. Troublemakers are warned that the city is well-patrolled and has a navy of almost twenty warships.
Jannatown (small city, 10,000): The agricultural hub of this moon, Jannatown sports several windmills and storehouses for grains, barley, and rye. Here the harvest is ground into flour to be shipped to other cities. It has a levitating loading dock so that flying ships can pull along side to be loaded with the next grain shipment.
Tychaven (small city, 8,000): The primary income of this frontier city is by way of four large gambling halls, brothels, and numerous tiny shrines to the goddess of luck, Tyche. The place has an ill reputation as an "anything goes" place, where one can quickly lose their fortune, their lives, and even their souls.
The history of Mystryl's Harbor truly began a little less than two thousand years ago, in the cataclysmic destruction of a distant magical empire known as Netheril. Following the destruction, refugees fled by every means possible, including spelljammers. A fleet of such ships escaped the Netheril's ruin, guided by an "echo" of the now-dead goddess Mystryl. That echo lead them here after a harrowing voyage, which they named Mystryl's Harbor in her honor.
The survivors quickly discovered they were not alone. Two other survivor fleets arrived as well, one of elvish Man-O-Wars, the other orcish Scorpions, also following the echo. The orc fleet was larger, but was no match for the combined might of the elves, humans, and gnomes. The battle was fierce and left the orcs stranded.
Following the battle, the survivors discovered the source of the echo, inside an abandoned temple of Mystryl. Inside was a surviving avatar of the goddess who called herself the White Sorceress. She blessed the survivors, and chose from there number seven to be leaders and wardens. Afterwards, she bid them farewell, and the survivors set about rebuilding their civilization.
Since that time, the survivors grew from beggar refugees to a powerful, spelljamming civilization. All that time, the Seven and their arcane enforcers have kept vigil over the abuse of magic, at least on their world.
A large castle built on a circular disc of solid granite 500 yards in diameter. The castle has facilities to support its fleet of ten warships and more than twelve hundred soldiers. Wards have been placed around the castle to protect it from hostile races such as neogi, illithids, and orcs.
