Bral
The Rock of Bral is a bustling, cosmopolitan city built atop (and within) a massive asteroid that floats freely through Wildspace, the starry void beyond the skies of mortal worlds. A haven of commerce, intrigue, and adventure, Bral is both a port of call and a neutral ground for travelers from countless worlds and spheres.
Overview:
- Location: Drifting in Wildspace, orbiting a small, uninhabited planet or wandering between systems depending on the campaign
- Population: ~10,000 permanent residents (humans, elves, dwarves, giff, mind flayers, and others)
- Government: Ruled by Prince Andru, a hereditary noble supported by merchant lords, guildmasters, and the Bralian Navy
- Economy: Trade, piracy, shipbuilding, mercenary work, magical research, and everything in between
- Tone: Vibrant, lawless in places, a mix of high fantasy and swashbuckling space opera
The Rock of Bral is a singular place where the mundane meets the magical, where political intrigue, space piracy, and interstellar adventure coexist in an ever-shifting balance. For those who can navigate its complexity, the Rock offers fortune, freedom—and no shortage of danger. Whether you seek power, secrets, or simply a berth to call home in the vastness of Wildspace, Bral awaits.
Demographics
- Bral is neutral ground: No open wars are allowed on the Rock, making it a haven for spies, emissaries, and fugitives.
- The population is incredibly diverse—races and cultures from distant worlds coexist here out of necessity and opportunity.
- While there is law and order, it's flexible: bribery, duels, and back-alley deals are commonplace.
Defences
- Bralian Navy: Small but formidable, tasked with defending the Rock and maintaining peace. They crew spelljamming ships and skywatch towers.
- Private mercenaries and faction enforcers often supplement the navy's power.
- Fortifications and magical wards protect the Rock from pirates, space beasts, and rival claimants.
Districts
1. High City:
The seat of power and privilege, home to palaces, embassies, noble villas, and the Prince’s Castle. Well-guarded and politically charged.
- The Royal Court of Prince Andru governs here.
- Wealthy merchants and foreign dignitaries live in luxury behind well-guarded walls.
2. Middle City:
The beating heart of Bral, where trade and daily life thrive. This area includes the main marketplaces, guild halls, temples, taverns, and inns.
- Grand Market: Bustling with exotic wares from dozens of worlds.
- Temples: Dedicated to deities from many pantheons, including celestial, planar, and forgotten gods.
3. Low City:
A rough-and-tumble area full of adventurers, dockhands, pickpockets, and worse. Law enforcement is lax, and danger lurks in the shadows.
- Docks: Spelljamming vessels from across Wildspace berth here, and the area is constantly alive with travelers and cargo.
- Taverns like the Laughing Beholder (run by an unusually sociable beholder named Large Luigi) serve as neutral ground for deals and diplomacy.
4. Underside:
A lawless, gravity-inverted underworld filled with tunnels, smugglers, and secret labs.
- Many forbidden experiments and necromantic studies occur here.
- Mind flayers, neogi, and doppelgangers are rumored to dwell in hidden chambers.
Guilds and Factions
- Prince Andru: Ambitious and calculating, he balances diplomacy and tyranny.
- The Arcane: Mysterious merchants of spelljamming helms, often untouchable by local law.
- Thieves’ Guilds: Multiple groups vie for control of the Low City and the Underside.
- Elven Imperial Navy: Maintains a diplomatic presence and watches closely for signs of extraplanar threats.
Geography
The Rock of Bral is shaped like a long, flat-topped asteroid roughly a mile in length. The upper side of the rock is where the city sprawls across gravity-anchored buildings, towers, streets, and plazas. The underside is riddled with tunnels, mines, secret labs, and smuggler hideouts—less glamorous but no less vital.
- Gravity plane and air envelope encase the rock like any spelljamming vessel.
- The day/night cycle is often artificial, using magical lights or lanterns suspended above districts.
- Many refer to Bral simply as “the Rock.”
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