The lizard man Nation of the Three Lilies (this name is a translation, the reference is to an early lizard man leader and explorer who compared the inhabited asteroids to lilies in a pond) sits in a large asteroid field. The nation started as an alliance and then joining of three large asteroids inhabited by lizard men. From that base the nation has grown, inhabiting and terra-forming the asteroids in its territory and increasing its population, including adding non-lizard man citizens. The Three Lilies themselves form a sort of triangle that was the original boundaries of the nation and still encompasses most of its territory. When the nation first came into existence there were no other inhabited asteroids within the triangle.
The Nation of the Three Lilies is governed by a council of representatives, one each from Sucking Mud, Watery bog, and Swamp Mire, the Three Lilies. Sucking Mud's representative is a hereditary king. Before they entered space Sucking Mud's population had already been united under a single ruler. The king still has absolute authority over local Sucking Mud matters.
Swamp Mire is ruled by a council of elders, one from each tribe (village). Each tribe has its own way of selecting its elder and the elders select a representative from Sucking Mud's population (to date, always from the council of elders) that is its representative to the national council until the council of elders decides to choose a replacement (by law, this cannot be for at least two years, however, to avoid annoying the other members and preventing any action). If the representative is a member of the council of elders, they must resign their seat on the council of elders (their tribe sends a replacement) to the representative (they can choose to refuse the position, though this has never happened).
Watery Bog is locally led by families (which run back to the ruling families of powerful tribes before the lizard man population was united), each of which controls an industry. They, in turn, meet together to make larger decisions, leading to a sort of hereditary guild rule. Additionally Semuanya's church has two representatives and the local marine and navy forces each send an advisor. This group chooses a representative for life to the national council. In practice, they either choose someone from outside their own number and families or a member of Semuanya's church to represent them (whenever someone from Watery Bog enters the church clergy they must give up all family affiliation—this is a matter of pride since the church was instrumental in uniting the lizard man population peacefully so they take this very seriously). Watery Bog is the most likely to have a representative that is a member of the clergy (in fact, their current representative is).
Other colonies govern themselves locally but no allowance for them to join the national council has been made. The halfling colonies have made no request to do so and none of the lizard man colonies has the political or economic power to force the issue. Since the government and nation have stabilized in their current arrangement (and three representatives prevents stalemates on decisions) it is unlikely things will change even if a powerful colony arises and wants a seat.
All standing military forces fall directly and completely under the control of the national council, though individual colonies are expected to arrange their own militia and police forces. These may be called to national service in time of need, of course.
The military consists of a single command structure over 2 branches. That is, the navy and the marines have a single, unified chain of command (there is no distinction between a naval and marine officer, with any officer being given command of units of either type and the highest ranking officer always being in charge, no matter which branch of troops they are assigned to command at the time). Marine units consist of 6 person claws led by a Ssruk (or corporal). A Klaktar (a sergeant) is in charge of a sword consisting of 2 claws and a Lkrik (a lieutenant) is in charge of a spear of 2 swords. 4 spears make a shield which is led by a Ssluk (a captain). An army (all the marine forces in a single operation, base, or colony if larger than an extended shield—6 spears) is led by a Sspoth (a general). The navy employs turtleships and waspships. A wasp has a marine claw, a Lkrik captain, a Klaktar first mate, and a crew of 7 sailors. 2 shamans of Semuanya are also aboard to act as helmsman and chaplain. A turtleship has a marine sword, a Ssluk captain, a Lkrik first mate, 2 or 3 shamans of Semuanya, and 20 or 21 sailors. Shipboard weapons are the concenr of the marines, who crew them, though any good ship captain has his sailors and marines perform a minimum level of cross-training. A naval base or fleet of at least 8 ships is commanded by a Nokt (a grand admiral). A Sspoth will command any smaller fleet with at least 2 Ssluk captains (i.e., with at least 2 turtleships). Fleets less than 8 ships with only one turtleship are commanded by the Ssluk captain of the turtleship and those with no turtleship have a Ssluk admiral assigned.
Minimal equipment for a marine is a medium shield, quive rof 6 javelins, pouch of darts (usually 15-30 darts/pouch), and a personal weapon (generally morning star or long or broad sword). Sailors generally have a personal weapon (often a hand axe or shortsword) and the ship will have a supply of bucklers, darts, javelins, and boarding pikes for close actions. Ssruk and above will have armor, if they so desire (studded leather, leather, brigandine, or chainmail).
The Three Lilies are the three main, large asteroids of the nation. Each is a jungle covered, hot, wet, swampy asteroid with a "native" lizard man population (native means as far back as their history goes they've lived there, they may have arrived from somewhere else in their prehistory at the DM's desire). At least, they were. Sucking Mud has had most of its trees cut away to build housing and supply other needs, like fires and ship-building materials. Watery Bog is following in this path, or would be if it weren't for the resistance of some of the locals.
Sucking Mud is the largest of the Lilies in terms of lizard man population and has the most political power in the nation because of this. There is no other intelligent native life to compete with the lizard men on Sucking Mud which has allowed the population to grow nearly unchecked. This has led to severe overpopulation which has created two complementary situations: an expanding military (navy and marine) force as lizard men seek to escape the desperate overcrowding of their home and a significant political push to colonize everything possible in the area (and expand the nation). Barren asteroids are already being terraformed if they have an atmosphere to allow the introduction of plants and animals. This drive to expand has led to the charting and exploration of every asteroid in Lilies space, including cataloguing atmospheric and other conditions. Those with good atmospheres all have some amount of introduced plant and fungal life (and probably small insects and necessary animals like worms and spiders). Those lacking water have had large chunks of ice towed to them in order to provide it. Only asteroids lacking atmosphere, with deadly atmosphere, and that are frozen have not had some work done to begin their terraforming.
Sucking Mud's population supports the primary shipyards in the nation, where bloatflies, turtleships, and waspships are regularly manufactured and repaired. The lizard men have also dismantled and examined nautiloids, dreadnoughts, deathspiders, and mindspiders; the ships of their enemies, the illithids and neogi. The shipyards have repaired most common designs of spelljammers, including squidships, tradesmen, hammerships, and dragonflies.
Unfortunately, Sucking Mud's chronic overpopulation has also led to a number of problems. Besides troops for the nation, ships, and mercenaries, it has no exports. In fact, it cannot even support itself and imports food and raw materials. The native pottery trade is self sufficient but smiths who don't directly support the ship building industry are outlawed to preserve air as the asteroid's air supply is overwhelmed and already fouled. Among the large contingent of troops and ships stationed here (this is the primary naval base in the nation) are a large number of hurwaeti to help maintain the desperately fragile air supply.
Watery Bog is the largest of the Lilies in size but is not nearly as great in population. The asteroid is still thickly covered in jungle broken only by large ponds and lagoons over much of its surface. The lizard men of Watery Bog have always had to battle the native bullywug population for space and their rivalry is intense. The bullywugs have been prevented from gaining access to spelljamming technology but that's about all. They have a strong priestly force among their numbers and use traps and captured weaponry to protect their lands and terrorize border settlements of lizard men (they even have catapults and ballistae). Since the lizard men started cutting down trees to fuel their forge fires the normally friendly local grippli of the asteroid have allied with the bullywugs against the lizard men. A large contingent of marines guards the lizard man held territories against attack and a constant blockade of wasp and turtleships ensures no smugglers arrive to trade with the bullywugs and grippli. Despite this presence the bullywugs are a significant threat and control most of the asteroid, limiting the lizard men to one end on either face. Suggestions ot consolidate the lizard man population on one face of the asteroid and then clear that face of enemies, leaving the other side to the bullywugs and grippli, have always ended with arguments over which side to abandon and refusals by the populace of both sides to move or be moved (the issue is becoming so divisive that the council's two religious members are usually drawn from different faces of the asteroid now). Other ideas, such as spelljammers used to locate bullywug villages and track and warn of raiding parties have failed due to the thick jungle canopy. For now the lizard men are at a stalemate, able to import and equip enough marines to hold off their foes but unable to effectively attack the bullywug-grippli alliance without incurring massive casualties. With more and more Sucking Mud lizard men looking to immigrate, however, the government may be forced to accept such a hurtful war in order to make room for expansion. And there are rumors that the bullywugs are not just becoming trickier and bolder but also more powerful and numerous.
Watery Bog produces the finest weaponry and armor in the nation. Its artisans are skilled at leatherworking, alchemy, weaving, woodwork, and forging of all sorts as well as combining the disciplines in armor and weapons production. Watery Bog exports more than just military equipment. The lizard men are self sufficient in terms of food and raw materials other than metal. They produce a small excess of food, most of which is consumed by the military forces stationed here. A number of delicacies, including both fish and bugs were originally only found here of all the places in the nation and connoisseurs still swear by the original stock. The constant warfare also produces some of the best marines and tacticians in the nation, making a disproportionately high number of the military's leaders natives of Watery Bog (around 45%).
The population here has the least interest in leaving of all the Lilies and maintains much of their traditional lifestyle from ages past. Submerged and mud hut villages still hide under the thick canopy of the asteroid's environment, which is more accurately described as overgrown swamp than jungle. The natives limit their export of trees, despite heated demands from the representatives of Sucking Mud, ensuring their environment is preserved. They also export large amounts of food from controlled fish hatcheries and aquatic farms (Swamp Mire crabs, crayfish, and freshwater oysters are all considered the best in the nation), giving them a disproportionate political and economic influence. Silk is another major export along with papyrus, reeds, rushes, and cattails. Swamp Mire has the finest and most prolific sailmakers in the nation and have reduced all others almost exclusively to repair work. Swamp Mire sails come in a variety of types but their silk sails are the most valued as they will not naturally decay and so can be indefinitely stored (even on a wet lizard man world or ship) as well as being exceptionally strong. They do a lesser business in rope of all sizes and types.
Swamp Mire is not entirely idyllic, however. Just as the jungle monsters still prowl the non-lizard man controlled areas of Watery Bog, so too do they moved unchecked on Swamp Mire. Additionally, there is a native tasloi population and it is not friendly to the lizard men. Some of the tasloi villages have even learned to train carnivorous apes. Unlike on Watery Bog, however, the tasloi are not allied nor is there active, all-consuming war between the two peoples. Raids and harassment are constant from an asteroid-wide perspective but these are not coordinated or meant to destroy populations or force villages out. Instead they are about disputed territory, poaching, or simply hot-blooded youths. Such raids are initiated by both sides but the lizard men have learned to defend against the few more radical tasloi villages and independent bands. With their access to superior weaponry and significant reinforcement, as well a standing military, the lizard men definitely have the upper hand. The populace is not interested in exterminating their neighbors nor driving them to unite in genocidal warfare as on Watery Bog (this is a good thing since the tasloi are tree-dwellers and have the advantage of position).
Two asteorid colonies, Corn Cob, and Dry Barley, have been settled by outsiders. Soon after the nation's forming halfling settlers asked to establish a colony on a relatively arid but fertile asteroid near the center of the area contained by the three Lilies themselves. The lizard men immediately saw the benefits of peaceful people producing in an environment most lizard men would not enjoy. Given the need for food, and taxes to support the new fleet, the lizard men could find no objections. Corn Cob was settled immediately. Not everything has been easy, but the halflings of Corn Cob have prospered and export large quantities of staple foods. After an early neogi raid and the consequent disruption of and harm to production, the lizard men stationed a waspship permanently at Corn Cob along with a unit of marines. The ship has since been upgraded to a turtleship and the marines to a full shield as Sucking Mud becomes more reliant on outside produce.
Dry Barley is a more recent colony established under basically the same conditions as Corn Cob, though it lies closer to the edge of the nation. The majority halfling population includes about 20% humans and the original mayor, a high elf, is still mayor. Most of his half-elven descendants by many wives mistresses and lovers still live here (by contrast, Corn Cob has a 100% halfling population, not including the lizard man troops). The mayor's secret is he's an IEN agent, placed here to keep an eye on national politics. Dry Barley's position and population has made it an ideal supply base with patrol ships stopping by frequently. The sector commander bases his ships out of Dry Barley but he's an active commander and is rarely in port. Given its location and large docks, Dry Barley is also becoming an early port to stopover at when entering the Nation of the Three Lilies. As such, requests for 2 full time customs wreckboats have been made by both the mayor and sector commander.
More than two decades ago a ragtag group of hurwaet stumbled on the nation of the Three Lilies in their flight from beholders. After learning a little about the nation they asked to be given several of the asteroids that were being developed for colonization. In return may of their able-bodied people would join the Nation's military and they would take over much of the work terraforming those same asteroids. Given the hurwaeti's abilities and the situation on Sucking Mud, the agreement was made. The hurwaet and lizard men get along well and value each other. Almost all the able-bodied, mature hurwaeti serve in the navy or marines (with most of those stationed at Sucking Mud and rotations to their peoples' asteroids where the others serve—until rotated to Sucking Mud in turn) and the hurwaeti asteroids have the most diverse life of any of the terraforming projects the nation has begun (the hurwaeti work to improve their asteroids daily while the navy has to try to track the progress of many at once as well as dealing with other matters).
Some additional colonies have been formed by the nation's lizard men. The colony of Rogue Star is on a water world asteroid where the lizard men have imported great lilies, floating seaweed and algae colonies, and wooden platforms to live on. Initially it was hoped the colony would become wealthy exporting fish but imported species haven't done well against the natives and overfishing (especially of early on when imported species were trying to establish themselves) has severely hurt production. Sharks and other large, dangerous fish still dominate the asteroid. The depths hide a secret the lizard men still don't suspect: a lone eye of the deep that somehow ended up here. The colony's population is poor and most are looking to emigrate. With reports of recent illithid sightings in the area, it may be that they get their wish sooner than they'd like.
Spear of Ogron (named after a legendary goblin artifact wielded long ago by a great goblin chief of the same name, the spear is lost if it was ever real in the first place) is on a lightly coniferously forested asteroid that's colder than most lizard men prefer (45 degrees F at night to 62 degrees F in the day) but not harsh. The lizard men have taken to controlled logging of the asteroid and have pushed back the primitive, stone age goblins that once inhabited the entire surface. Now the goblins survive only underground and in the areas that have been cleared or are not yet under assault for timber. They are still primitive, tribal, and superstitious but have gained some modern weapons as well as experience in how to fight their more advanced, numerous, and powerful foes. The lizard men have considered hiring dwarven mercenaries to wipe all the goblins out and will probably do so when they become a significant annoyance. The lizard men maintain a single small port town complete with wooden palisade and ditch as well as a logging camp that moves with the loggers. From space it's easy to see what areas were logged when as the forest is encouraged to grow back as the loggers move on. Oxen drag logs along the single road that always leads from the logging camp to the port and lizard men guards keep them safe.
Stump Bog is a moor, a thickly swampy asteroid with plenty of bogs, sinkholes, ppols, rock outcrops, ponds, and streams but primarily scrub plant life. It is hardly ideal but it is able to support a population as well as not having any native intelligent life or large predators. Located relatively close to Swamp Mire and in the nation's interior, it was only natural that it would be colonized. Small communities dot the asteroid, exporting little but also relatively self-sufficient.
Green Hearth was a grassy, hilly asteroid supporting a few small stands of trees. The lizard men thought it ideal for farming but soon discovered the ground was too rocky. The asteroid was already home to small animals (field mice, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, and a single variety of small hawks were the largest) and had no native intelligent life so it was easy to import sheep. The lizard men have all but irradicated the foxes and hawks. They cull the sheep herds, exporting mutton and wool, as well as trapping rabbits for their fur and food. Since there are no predators there is no need to tend the herds and the small asteroid's populace seems lazy to visitors as they have little to do much of the year.
Two Claws was one of the earliest attempts at terraforming. Originally it was a rocky world inhabited only by bugs with lichens, mosses, algae, and small fungi at the base of the food chain. The lichens and masses had long since broken down a thin layer of soil but with no plants to take root, things never went any further. The lizard men immediately introduced a large variety of vines, weeds, and bushes that would produce food and even some birds and small mammals as well as small frogs and fish to inhabit the local ponds. This led to several discoveries. The main ones are that most of the asteroid's pools are linked by subterranean waterways and that it takes a long time to turn rock into soil. The lizard men of Two Claws live like hermits, scattered about where they can fish a waterhole and raise a garden. They export little and the asteroid cannot support a larger population. The locals are hardy and stubborn, and aren't about to abandon their colony, however.
Sand Trap is simply an asteroid completely composed of sand. Few plants can grow in sand (this is sand, not dirt or soil) but some have adapted to do so here. Small animals live here, among the scattered plants and sands. The sand sucks up all water that falls on it so the plants run roots all the way to the core of the asteroid, tapping the reservoir. Some suggestion has been made that most of the plants of the asteroid are now one, their roots having grown together deep in the core. Water can also be found on the surface in pitchers and pools made by plants to attract animals (many such actually have stable populations living in them). The lizard men have found many ways to use these plants, turning them into rope, paper, and a thick, fibrous cloth that can make a plant-based substitute for leather armor (when unhardened the cloth is still stiff enough to grant AC 9 but baking makes it as good as hardened leather). This material is strong enough to have many uses and the ability to weave it together makes it ideal for applications where leather is desired but the necessity of sewing pieces of leather together makes it weaker or less practical. The plants are also very nutritious and rapidly regrow as long as they aren't completely cut away (or have their roots severed). The asteroid does have danger, however, as quicksand forms randomly on the surface and disappears just as quickly (new areas of quicksand can develop in as quickly as two hours and will remain for 12 hours-8days). For man-sized and larger creatures, even the normal sands are hazardous, acting as a slow sand (a slower quicksand) unless the person keeps moving. To combat these threats the lizard men weave huge mats to live on that cover an acre or more and are secure to sturdy plants (the mats leave holes for existing plants in the area to grow through). This limits the area that new plants can take root in, however. The asteroid has swallowed more than one spellajmming vessel over time, all of which are presumably crushed and lying at the core now.
The last of the new colonies is another terraforming project. Semuanya's Hearth was undoubtedly settled too soon but population pressures on Sucking Mud forced this anyway. The asteroid has some dirt and soil and there is a rock core. Water was brought in the form of small ice asteroids and a variety of hearty weeds and scrub plants as well as insects and other small animals added to make an ecosystem. The asteroid had been transforming nicely, with small trees, bushes, and vines growing beside the streams and ponds that are the center of most of the local life. Unfortunately, the ecosystem was neither stable nor strong when lizard men overran the asteroid. Semuanya's Hearth is poor, with no real exports and it still imports food under government aid to survive. Young lizard men usually leave to join the navy or marines as soon as they are old enough but many return when they decide to have a family or grow too old for continued service. The colony is not only a drain on government resources but also in worse shape than Sucking Mud with an atmosphere so foul that it kills many young and old lizard men. It has become the primary reason for not allowing early colonization of the other asteroids under terraform.
Two separate dwarven citadels (Clan Ironbender with a 455 ton citadel and Clan Steelspire with a 670 ton citadel) are employed by the nation to mine the raw materials they need from the many asteroids in the nation's territory. The relationship is a beneficial one as the lizard men are not skilled miners and don't enjoy the work but can get the processed ores cheaper than buying them. The dwarves don't have to worry about supplies or attack as their employers are obligated to provide for all their supply needs and have assigned several ships to defend each citadel and its operations. The lizard man demand for raw materials has increased to such an extent that neither clan even produces its own weapons and tools any longer, instead getting them from the lizard men. While few weapons in use are of lizard man make with lizard men defending, the mining tools the dwarves use are now all lizard man made (and while of good quality cannot compare to dwarven made items). Each clan is known to possess at least one crown of the void or similar magic to enable their delving of void asteroids. Naturally, they are keeping all details secret.
