“A particular moon” is often said when Nine Plate is mentioned. Sailors refer to it as the Sandwich Moon, in reference to its layered appearance. Sages, particularly those that peer into the secrets of planar travel, name it the Planar Moon, given its ties to the Outer Planes. It is most commonly called Nine Plate.
This moon appears as a stack of flat earth worlds, each 150 miles thick. Gaps of 150 miles separate each plate. The diameter of each plate increases from the poles to the equator, with the plate on the equator having the greatest diameter. Starting from the poles, the diameter of the plates are 500 miles, 1,000 miles, 1,500 miles, 2,000 miles, and finally 2,500 miles for the equatorial plate. This gives an overall appearance of a sphere.
Enormous pillars join the plates, with the single largest pillar at the center, running from pole to pole. Gravity on Nine Plate is a tricky matter; each face of each plate is considered “down”, so one can stand on any face of Nine Plate without fear of falling hundreds of mile to a messy fate. Likewise, gravity will eventually shift so that the length of the pillar is considered “down”. This change is quite gradual, and difficult to notice.
Nine Plate is called the Planar Moon, and for good reason. Be it a quirk of nature or the meddling of planars, Nine Plate is deeply tied to the Outer Planes. Each of its sixteen faces corresponds to an Outer Plane, while its central pillar is believed tied to the seventeenth Outer Plane, the Outlands. Planar creatures are found in abundance; although bound to the confines of Nine Plate, they move about the moon freely. They meddle in the affairs of mortals to a degree not seen elsewhere in the Known Spheres. Portals to the Outer Planes are not unknown, and the natives freely traffic with creatures from those strange realms.
This moon presents an enterprising DM the opportunity to mix Spelljamming and elements from the Planescape campaign, all the while keeping the action on the Prime Material Plane. It also represents an excellent place to make contacts with important natives of the Outer Planes, such as high-ranking Celestials or members of the Planar Factions. They also can come into conflict with any one of the many villains of the Planes, such as high-rank baatazu, tanar’ri, and like creatures. Also note that Nine Plate assumes a Planar setup as defined by the Planescape Campaign setting, using names and creatures from that setting. Thus, devils are called baatazu and the Seven Heavens are called Mount Celestia.
Overall, Nine Plate has a temperate climate, with a few tropical areas. Climate is very piecemeal, almost without rhyme or reason. Steaming jungles end suddenly in dry deserts. Some areas, particularly in the Lower Plates, are quite cold, even polar. Glachar has the moons’ only glaciers and tundra plains.
Weather varies from layer to layer. On layers aligned with chaotic planes, the weather can be extremely unpredictable, sometimes producing normally impossible weather (snow-tornados and rain that falls from the ground into the sky). Layers aligned with lawful plates have much more predictable weather, with regular cycles of rain and sunshine.
Nine Plate appears as a misty orb with seventeen broad bans cutting across its horizontal plane. There are nine earth plates, which are brown or green in color, and eight sky blue, green, or white gaps filled with air. It is possible to see straight through Nine Plate through the air gaps. There is a double set of cloud cover—clouds that cover each individual earth plate, and a thinner layer of clouds that surround the whole globe.
Each of the nine individual plates that make up this unusual world is a planet in and of itself, complete with its own continents and landmarks. Additionally, each face of the seven inner plates can truly be considered its own individual world, and even the central axial pillar is its own world, for a total of seventeen worlds. This, of course, relates to the exact number of Outer Planes. Not surprisingly, each layer relates to an Outer Plane, and shares the characteristics of that Plane.
Starting with the north-most layer and heading south, the layers are: Grainlund, Manydales, Wildlund, Ar-Morndin, Everesti, Mannia, Hartgard, Ru, Githzinium, Bonemaw, Fellmarch, Baazulund, Sunderlund, Thundermarch, the Tarlands, and Glachar. Grainlund has a hemisphere-like shape, and like Glachar, is considered wholly independent without sharing with another layer. Manydales and Wildlund share the next plate south. Ar-Morndin and Everesti are on the next plate down. The Kingdom of Mannia and the Fjords of Hartgard are on the next plate. At the equator is the plate that holds Ru and Githzinium, and is also the largest single plate. Under Githziurum is the plate that bears Bonemaw and Fellmarch. Baazulund and the Sunderlund share the next plate south. Thundermarch and the Tarlands share the last plate before Glachar, the southern pole.
Grainlund is the breadbasket of Nine Plate. Nearly continuous sunlight blesses this part of the world with a year-round growing season and phenomenal plant growth. Crops are harvested every four weeks. Many tiny fiefs dot the land, ruled by gentile lords. Grainlund is most closely aligned with the Plane Eyslium.
Manydales has much in common with Grainlund, if a bit wilder and less tame. It is a land of cottage industries such as textiles, toy-making, and cabinet-making. Gnomes and halfling shires are found in abundance. This layer shares much in common with Bytopia.
Wildlund is an untamed wilderness of forests, jungles, mountains, moorlands, and the like. Settlements are unknown, leaving a land ruled by wild animals and monsters. Without question, Wildlund is most closely aligned with the Beastlands.
High mountains and deep valleys mark Ar-Morndin, where dwarves are found in great numbers. Their citadels and fortress-like cities are a sight to behold, where dwarves achieve a level of craftsmanship almost unmatched anywhere else in the Known Spheres. Mount Celestia deeply influences this layer.
Almost the polar opposite of Ar-Morndin is Everesti, the Feylands. Virgin forests and pristine seas are found in abundance. The dominate creatures include elves, nymphs, dryads, treants, korreds, centaurs, and like creatures. The fey lords of Arboria hold sway over the land.
The Kingdom of Mannia is a peaceful land of lawful knights, paladins, and magic-users. Both the Harmonium and the Knights of the Chalice are welcomed, as are any lawful-good knights and paladins. The Kingdom rules over the whole layer, making it one of the largest kingdoms on Nine Plate. The King of Mannia looks to Arcadia as the model for his orderly kingdom.
Much of Hartgard is stormy seas and stark mountains, a harsh land that breeds harsh people. They share the land with many monsters such as giants and trolls. The lords of Hartgard border between hero and villain, bravely fighting monsters but at times leading blood-thirsty raids into other lands to carry off loot and slaves. Ysgard is most influential on this layer.
The orderly Empire of Ru commands the upper half of the centermost, and thus the largest, plate. Choked by bureaucracy, the Empire has remained stagnant for centuries, neither growing nor diminishing. The current dynasty has ruled for the last thousand years. Needless to say, the gears of Mechanus hold sway over this hidebound society.
Opposite of Ru is Githziurum, a misty, chaotic land ruled by a branch of the gith family known as the Githzuni, who are closely related to the githzerai. Centuries ago, an expedition by the Githzerai managed to conquer this layer and they molded it to suit their needs. It serves as an excellent forward base to continue their war against the mind flayers in wildspace. Obviously, the chaotic plane of Limbo has a strong influence on Githziurum.
Goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, and bugbears have overrun the battlefields of Bonemaw. If Bonemaw was once beautiful, it does not show it now, for the industry of the orcs have turned it into a wasteland of stripped forests and blackened skies. Little has survived, as the people are either slaves to orc masters or long dead and buried. This miserable layer is much like Acheron.
The Fellmarch is another victim of the hordes of Bonemaw. Once the orcs and goblins had stripped that land of everything of value, they marched to the other side of the plate to plunder Fellmarch. The wars were bloody and destructive, leaving few survivors. Those that did survive were left as little more than empty shells, or murderous individuals that would cut their own mother’s throat for a slice of bread. The madness of this realm brings it close to Pandemonium.
The Blood War between the Baatazu and the Tanar’ri has many fronts, and the bloody Empire of Baazulund is one of them. The Empire is deeply aligned with the Baatazu, ruled over by a monstrous king that is said to have the wings and fire of a pit fiend. It is a cold, harsh land where the peasants are little more than slaves, worked hard to support a vast army that wars constantly with Sunderlund. Baator puts much of its influence behind the Emperor of Baazulund, who must prove himself via victories, to retain that support.
To counter the Baatazu, the Tanar’ri have taken a keen interest in Sunderlund. Much of Sunderlund is open plains, where fierce nomads war with each other. Every few generations, one tribe will rise in power and displace other tribes, forcing them into Baazulund. Such wars are bloody and destructives, constantly eating away at the strength of that empire. Many quietly whisper that sooner or later, the empire will not have the strength to survive the next invasion. Obviously, Sunderlund is influenced by the Abyss.
The Thundermarch is a savage, untamed wilderness of steaming alien jungles, horrid monsters, fuming volcanoes, and endless earthquakes. It is not a realm for the weak or faint of heart; the natives are primitive savages that fiercely guard their territories. The volcanic furnace of Gehenna is the power in this land.
Opposite of the violent Thundermarch is the Tarlands, a festering swamp of sinking mud bogs and tar pits. Nobody travels to the Tarlands willingly; the air is foul, and the very land itself tries to consume anyone that treads upon it. Like Carceria, the Plane that this land is aligned with, the only inhabitants are prisoners.
At the southern pole is Glachar, a world of frozen tundra, glaciers, and ash plains. Deep crevasses, all but invisible until one falls into them, are everywhere. Glachar is a land of death, where the undead hold sway, ruled by ruthless liches. Glachar holds much in common with the Gray Wastes, as both are lands of the dead.
Through all of these worlds runs the World Pillar. The Pillar is solid from pole to pole, with huge caverns cutting through the plates to create a long, unbroken road that joins all sixteen layers together. The road is fiercely guarded and patrolled by the Lords of Neutrality, sixteen powerful characters who command enormous personal wealth, armies, and potent magic. The World Pillar is closely aligned with the Outlands.
As each plate is an individual world with diverse environments, there are literally hundreds of species on each layer. Any standard creature can be found, as well as creatures normally found in the Outer Planes. This, of course, can lead to a dizzying variety of creatures on each and every layer, a mix of creatures from both the Outer Planes and the Prime Material, as well as wholly new creatures with aspects of both.
The creatures, per layer, that are most commonly encountered are as follows:
The folk here are famed for their close connections to the Outer Planes. Plane-touched are a common sight, and even many planar races walk the streets openly. Celestials are most commonly found on the “Upper Plates” (those in the northern hemisphere), while fiends haunt the “Lower Plates” (those plates in the southern hemisphere. Thusly, the influence of these Planars can be felt in the common folk; those in the Upper Plates are generally good and heroic, while those in the Lower Plates are evil and villainous.
The dominant players are divided not by race but by Faction, be it Planar or Spelljammer. The role of the Factions are detailed below, where they might be found, and the local leader that sees to the interests of the Faction on Nine Plate.
The Fellmarch is a suitable home for Black Cabal members to spread their beliefs. The very nature of the faction makes it difficult for them to spread, but for the war-shocked people of Fellmarch, the Black Cabal is an appealing, although fatalistic, world-view. The Black Cabal recently lost their leader, and have not yet chosen a new one.
In the bleak lands of the Fellmarch, the Tarlands, and Glachar, the Doomguard find fertile ground for their beliefs. Their power is such that they have a citadel in the Fellmarch, Darkstone, and hold sway over several settlements. The lord of Darkstone is Finx Dayslayer (NE hem F5/W7) who is the nominal leader of the Doomguard on this moon.
The Dustmen can be found almost anywhere, usually in large cities, where they manage the mortuaries. They are not well liked, but provide a valuable service in the disposal of the dead, so they are tolerated. Each individual mortuary has its own caretaker; there is no overall caretaker that commands the Dustmen on Nine Piece.
The ideals of the Fated are popular with the warlords of Hartgard. Many warlords, particularly those that enjoy raiding, slaving, and slaying for sport are some of the Fated’s strongest supporters. There is no particular leader in the ranks of this order, with each warlord considering himself the head of the Fated on the moon.
The Empire of Ru has been a haven for the Fraternity of Order for several centuries. Members enjoy prominent positions as bureaucrats in what they consider a utopian society. There is no overall head of the Order here, but all consider themselves beholden to the government of Ru. This sometimes translates into loyalties to system of bureaucracy, not to the Emperor, which has caused them no end of trouble in the past.
The Free League has little influence over Nine Plate, as it has not made an effort to spread to this moon. Those that would join this Faction are drawn instead to the Pragmatic Order of Thought, so the Free League remains a rare sight. Still, its members work well with the POTS and at times, it there is little difference between the two.
In the lawful kingdom of Mannia and the Empire of Ru, the Harmonium is welcomed. The hardheads provide security for Portsberg where they have a recruiting office in that city. The strict chain of command goes up to Lord Chu Lawhammer (LN hm F8) who is responsible for deploying hardheads throughout Nine Plate.
In many quarters, the Mercykillers are seen as reckless vigilantes, lose cannons, rarely tolerated. They can operate with impunity in the chaotic layers, but keep a lower profile in lawful layers. To some, the Mercykillers are a source of justice for those that cannot find justice by other means, so in some quarters they are given shelter and aide.
The Society of Sensation is openly popular in Everesti, which is natural given the Sensates popularity in Arboria. The organization operates in Ar-Morndin as well; many dwarves, finding wealth alone unsatisfying, have turned to the Society to experience…more. The Sensates operate in secret in Ar-Morndin, but openly in Evereseti.
Factions lacking a noticeable presence on Nine Plate include the Athar, Believers of the Source, the Revolutionary League, the Sign of One, and the Xaositects. In the past, these Factions have been quite strong on the moon, but over time either lost interest in it or suffered other setbacks.
Likewise, the organizations of wildspace have taken a keen interest in Nine Plate, and have established their own presences on the various layers of the moon.
The Company of the Chalice has for decades been expanding their influence over the nobility of Ar-Morndin and the Kingdom of Mannia. There are now more than seventy knights loyal to the Chalice all across both layers, including humans, half-elves, and even some dwarves. Grand Knight Phelot Uth’Tor (LG hm Pal14) sits at the head of the order on this moon, and owns the Gold Dragon, a dragonship heavily modified into a warship.
Opposing the Chalice is the Tenth Pit, which operates out of Baazulund. They act as the royal navy for that kingdom, which roughly translates into legalized piracy. The overall size and nature of the Baazulund fleet is a state secret. It is known that lesser baatazu, especially abishai and barbazu, serve as shock-troops and cornugon officers are not unknown. High Admiral Bael Banesail (LE hem F12) commands the entire Baazulund fleet as well as the forces of the Tenth Pit. He is a tall, lanky, and utterly vicious man with a cruelty streak a league wide.
Although not generally well-respected, the Pragmatic Order of Thought (or POTS) is active on Nine Plate. It operates a number of safe houses for freed slaves and actively fights piracy around the moon. Their main opponent has been the neogi as of late; the small lords are attempting to establish a presence on Nine Plate, and the POTS are determined to prevent that from happening. The Order’s local commander is Captain Tparus Chainbreaker (CG hm F10), a former neogi slave who is most famous for leading a mutiny that overthrew not one, but four deathspiders and over 700 slaves. He operates out of a secret base in Manydales.
Longfang mercenary groups thrive on Nine Plate, particularly on the Lower Plates. These groups operate largely independently of each other, with no central leader. It is not uncommon for two Longfang groups to be fighting on opposite sides of a battle. Indeed, there are often fierce rivalries between different groups, who are often at each others’ throats. Longfang hiring practices are quite lenient. It is not unusual to find goblin-kin, monsters, and even fiends serving in Longfang squads.
The Elven Fleet is known to hold several bases in Everesti, including docks, fortresses, and hidden outposts. Several lords in that realm own their own spelljammers, which the Fleet can call upon if the need arises. If necessary, the Fleet can easily raise two dozen Men-O-Wars in a week’s time, and in times of true peril, they can call up to four dozen such craft and a half-dozen Armadas.
Many of the cities of Nine Piece thrive on trade. They serve as trade links between wildspace and the Planes, and goods from both can be found in abundance. A higher than normal number of ships can be encountered here, as the moon is a major trade hub. Local navies also add to the number of ships, from the warships of Ru and the Elven Fleet on patrol to raiders out of Hartlund and Bonemaw.
Nine Piece’s mundane resources are typical for a standard earth-world. It has an abundance of more fantastic resources normally encountered on the Planes, such as green steel, viper trees, and crystal trees. As such, wizards in search of spell components and rare materials for enchanting magical items are drawn to Nine Piece like bees to honey. Material components are big business on this moon and a major reason, outside of access to stable portals, that people come.
On the moon where the Planes meet Wildspace, trade thrives. There are hundreds of small ports that welcome spelljammers, ranging from small towns to great cities. Some, particularly on the Upper Plates, are places of trade and commerce, where an honest merchant can earn hard coin. Others, mostly found on the Lower Plates, are dens of pirates, smugglers, thieves, and buccaneers.
In the Empire of Ru is by far the largest spelljamming port, Portsberg. The city is enormous, built on an island in the middle of a vast lake. The town has several hundred piers for spelljammers as well as many portals to the Planes, most to the city Sigil. A down side is that there is a complicated set of tax codes and tariffs in place. Luckily, there is available an army of lawyers to fill out all the paperwork, for a small fee of course.
In Everesti is the city of Sylinesti, the only city on the entire layer. The port is enormous, rivaling Portsberg in size and scale. Several large canals cross the city with sections large enough to land even a hammership with room to spare. Elven merchants and those that have dealings with elves are welcomed, as is the Elven Fleet. The lord of the city is Celyddon Eveningaze, said to be an eladrin, possibly even a Tulani. Little is known about this enigmatic ruler, other than he is beloved by the people and has strong ties to the Elven Fleet.
The Sunderlund is home to the third largest spaceport, the city of Port Femur, a sprawling den of depravity and piracy. It might be easier to say that Port Femur is truly several smaller towns, ruled by vile press gangs of cambions and lesser tanar’ri, that happen to be located close enough together to be considered a single city. There is no unified government; rule is by sword point. The black markets of Port Femur are very extensive and profitable. It is a rough-and-tumble place where even the cautious can lose his life.
The last major hub of spelljammer trade is the Dock, an Arcane-run port on the central pillar. More accurately, it is Arcane Spelljamming Dock #19, but locals just refer to it as the Dock. It is a huge place with the best dry docks on the moon and facilities to handle any ship shy of three hundred tons. It is a bustling city, with many shops specializing in the sale of material components, exotic goods, and magic items. The Arcane employ giff guards by the company to keep the place secure and safe. Lawlessness and crime are not tolerated. Anyone caught breaking the law is sent shown the nearest portal to the most unpleasant slave mines in the Lower Planes.
For as long as the multitude of suns has burned, Nine Plate has existed. Local legends claim that the moon acts as a sort of counter-weight to the Outer Planes, one of perhaps many anchors from the Prime to places like Limbo and Baator. Without Nine Plate, the locals claim, the Planes would drift, and contacts with the Prime would be lost. Of course, most graybeards dismiss this as superstition and braggart lies.
Although Nine Piece has always had connections to the Planes, the situation has rarely been stable. It has at least twice been host to Blood War battles, which more resemble world-wars than a battle. The last battle left no less than eight layers devastated, the recovery of which took generations. An even worse disaster came when slaads overran the Thundermarch and spawned tens of thousands of new slaads.
On the flip side of the coin, the Rise of Ru has had no less than eight dynasties in its past, the latest one coming to power a thousand years ago and ushered in the longest running time of stability for that empire. Even as other layers burned in wars and chaos, Ru has remained a solid anchor of peace in the moon, aggressively defending its borders against any intrusions.
Although Nine Piece lacks proper moons of its own, it does have two small rings of ice and dirt. The rings are lightly settled with small villages that thrive on selling ice to passing spelljammers.
The influence of the Outer Planes can be felt in the very land itself. Some lands, such as those of Ru, can remain unchanged for thousands of years, kept in check by the powers of Law. At the same time, chaotic layers like the Tarlands, change almost on a whim. Powerful, planar creatures freely roam all of the layers, kept in check only by each other and bizarre rules that they must abide by. For DMs seeking to send his campaign into the Planes, Nine Plate is an excellent place to begin that campaign. Here, players can get a feel for a Planescape campaign without abandoning the Prime.
Here is a small sample of the non-player characters that can be found on Nine Plate.
High Admiral Bael Banesail: A tall, lanky individual with several deep scars and an eye patch over his ruined left eye, Bael is a ruggedly charismatic individual. This wild, uncontrollable pirate has killed more men than he can count, and has stolen enough treasure to field a fleet of a dozen hammerships. Bael accepted his admiral’s commission as a “retirement post”, as he is getting on in years. This merely means that he has grown crafty and sly in his activities, instead of relying solely on his reckless bravado.
Captain Gordraug Heruel: A rising star in the Elven Fleet, Captain Gordraug commands the Man-O-War Wolfstar, on regular patrol in the space around Nine Plate. His reputation as a pirate-hunter has grown. Gordraug is well-respected by his peers and those that serve him.
