The Rock of Bral
Bral is a city built on an asteroid. Its inhabitants, who hail from many worlds, typically refer to Bral as "The Rock". There is no other place quite like it in Wildspace.
Unfortunately, Bral is a city with more than its fair share of criminal activity. Although the streets are generally safe, a great deal of racketeering and extortion goes on underneath the deceptively still surface. Every shopkeeper pays some amount of “insurance” to one or another thieves’ guild. Every captain who puts in with an illicit cargo requires some assistance in getting his wares to market. These roles are filled by a small group of powerful people collectively referred to as the Underbarons of Bral.
Serious crimes, such as arson, can be reported to one of the city’s three magistrates, who preside over the Low City, the Middle City, and the High City, respectively. If the magistrate concludes that the situation warrants their attention, the Magistrate's Watch is dispatched to investigate and take offenders into custody, if necessary.
Reporting crimes is voluntary, and many folks don’t bother to do so, since the resulting investigation and legal proceedings are likely to take up too much of their time.
The ballistae are in special universal mounts to fire in any direction (even straight up!) and have the range of a light ballista (6 hexes). The towers themselves contain counterweight mechanisms to aid in the reloading of the weapon, bringing the rate of fire to one bolt every round. Each tower also contains a store of 50 heavy crossbows and several hundred bolts. About 15 militiamen operate the ballistae, and the rest arm themselves with crossbows or great shields to cover the crossbowmen. The crossbowmen are trained to fire in volleys of 25 and their usual formation is in spaced, regular ranks in order to present the most powerful concentration of fire.
The palace is not fortified per se, but it does have a concentration of seven ballista towers and it is walled against ground assaults. The strongest point topside is the Donjon, a walled keep commanding the Middle City. Although it is primarily used as a prison, there is also a garrison of Regulars stationed there. No less than six medium catapults are mounted in the sheltered turrets along its walls.
The Underside is much more fortified than the topside, with a powerful base for the Navy in the caverns and the sprawling Citadel for the defense of the Rock. The Citadel can house up to 2,000 soldiers and civilians in time of war and contains vast reserves of food and water. One of the strongest fortresses in Wildspace, the Citadel serves as the primary barracks for the Regular Army. Several catapults, bombards, and modified ballistae make shipboard bombardment a risky proposition at best for an attacker. More significantly, the Citadel has several batteries of bombards that are reserved for such emergency situations.
In addition to the formal defenses, 10 bombards are hidden around the Rock in excavated entrenchments. Most of these are located on the Edge, protecting the flanks of the fortifications. Bral possesses a thorough civil defense system in the form of tunnels which are located in various places throughout the Rock. Few citizens are more than a couple of hundred yards from deep, secure shelter.
You will quickly learn that one of the most important rules of survival in Bral is to avoid entanglements with the guilds. Each has its own agenda, both open and hidden, and most are powerful enough to brook no interference with their greater plans. The faceless dead, found every day in the jettison, are evidence enough of this. If you are wise, you will avoid embroiling yourself in the endless cycle of intrigue and double-dealing that marks life in Bral.
Welcome To The Rock!
- Captain Mahaxara Khal, Royal Guard
Life On The Rock
Welcome to the city of twilight, the city of thieves, the city among the stars. Founded by pirates, Bral is now a prosperous city of rogues and merchants, adrift in the vast realms of Wildspace. Its docks are crowded with graceful ships, its streets are teeming with intrigue and adventure, and its population includes shining heroes and dark villains. The Rock of Bral is a haven for any adventurer with a quick wit and a dash of greed—opportunity only awaits the hand bold enough to seize it!Bral is populated by an outlandish collection of traders, rogues, mercenaries, pirates, nobles, and entrepreneurs. Generally, law enforcement is sporadic, which means that order is an elusive concept. Most folks who call the Rock home adhere to two principles: mind your own business whenever possible, and enough gold can fix anything.
Keeping Order
General lawlessness prevails in much of the city, but that’s not to say that order doesn’t exist. Simply put, most citizens police themselves. No city watch patrols the streets. Tavernkeepers hire muscular folks to break up fights and toss out drunkards. Market vendors trust their own eyes to spot shoplifters. Every person on the Rock is expected to have enough sense to hang onto their purse and not be taken in by a swindler.Unfortunately, Bral is a city with more than its fair share of criminal activity. Although the streets are generally safe, a great deal of racketeering and extortion goes on underneath the deceptively still surface. Every shopkeeper pays some amount of “insurance” to one or another thieves’ guild. Every captain who puts in with an illicit cargo requires some assistance in getting his wares to market. These roles are filled by a small group of powerful people collectively referred to as the Underbarons of Bral.
Serious crimes, such as arson, can be reported to one of the city’s three magistrates, who preside over the Low City, the Middle City, and the High City, respectively. If the magistrate concludes that the situation warrants their attention, the Magistrate's Watch is dispatched to investigate and take offenders into custody, if necessary.
Reporting crimes is voluntary, and many folks don’t bother to do so, since the resulting investigation and legal proceedings are likely to take up too much of their time.
Defences
A key part of Bral's defenses lies in the system of fortifications that protect the city. While it would be impossible to wall the city itself, or at least pointless to do so, there are several strong points of note: the ballista tower system, the palace, the Donjon, and the Citadel on the Underside. The ballista towers are scattered along the edge of the Rock, guarding the city. There are nine sites scattered throughout the city, each consisting of a hexagonal, 25' stone tower. The weapons mounted on the roof are modified heavy ballistae built especially for the city by dwarven engineers (although the gnomes really wanted the job).The ballistae are in special universal mounts to fire in any direction (even straight up!) and have the range of a light ballista (6 hexes). The towers themselves contain counterweight mechanisms to aid in the reloading of the weapon, bringing the rate of fire to one bolt every round. Each tower also contains a store of 50 heavy crossbows and several hundred bolts. About 15 militiamen operate the ballistae, and the rest arm themselves with crossbows or great shields to cover the crossbowmen. The crossbowmen are trained to fire in volleys of 25 and their usual formation is in spaced, regular ranks in order to present the most powerful concentration of fire.
The palace is not fortified per se, but it does have a concentration of seven ballista towers and it is walled against ground assaults. The strongest point topside is the Donjon, a walled keep commanding the Middle City. Although it is primarily used as a prison, there is also a garrison of Regulars stationed there. No less than six medium catapults are mounted in the sheltered turrets along its walls.
The Underside is much more fortified than the topside, with a powerful base for the Navy in the caverns and the sprawling Citadel for the defense of the Rock. The Citadel can house up to 2,000 soldiers and civilians in time of war and contains vast reserves of food and water. One of the strongest fortresses in Wildspace, the Citadel serves as the primary barracks for the Regular Army. Several catapults, bombards, and modified ballistae make shipboard bombardment a risky proposition at best for an attacker. More significantly, the Citadel has several batteries of bombards that are reserved for such emergency situations.
In addition to the formal defenses, 10 bombards are hidden around the Rock in excavated entrenchments. Most of these are located on the Edge, protecting the flanks of the fortifications. Bral possesses a thorough civil defense system in the form of tunnels which are located in various places throughout the Rock. Few citizens are more than a couple of hundred yards from deep, secure shelter.
Guilds, Societies, and Orders
Bral is a city of countless factions and shifting alliances. The streets are crowded with swaggering mercenaries wearing the devices of any one of a dozen employers. Rogues, bearing secret tattoos or the brands of their guilds, seem to leer from every alleyway. Even the most innocuous shopkeeper seems to be fronting for some larger organization.You will quickly learn that one of the most important rules of survival in Bral is to avoid entanglements with the guilds. Each has its own agenda, both open and hidden, and most are powerful enough to brook no interference with their greater plans. The faceless dead, found every day in the jettison, are evidence enough of this. If you are wise, you will avoid embroiling yourself in the endless cycle of intrigue and double-dealing that marks life in Bral.
Geography
The Rock of Bral is roughly 1 mile long and half that in width and depth, oriented front to back, with a leading edge and a trailing edge. A gravity plane bisects the length of the Rock, separating it into a topside and an underside.
The city of Bral is spread across the topside. On the trailing edge rises the High City, which includes the royal palace of Starhaven and its grounds, the noble estates, and Lake Bral. From there, the geography of Bral slopes down toward the Middle City, the financial and mercantile heart of the city. At the leading edge of the Rock is the Low City, an area populated by folk of modest means and the businesses they patronize. New arrivals at Bral typically disembark at the Low City’s docks.
The Underside of the Rock is off limits to the general population and not part of the city per se. It is where Bral’s military forces are based. Most of the ground on the underside is used to grow crops to feed the populace. These fields are tended by convicted criminals who are housed in barracks and guarded by soldiers.
The interior of the Rock, which stretches half a mile from the surface of the topside to the surface of the underside, contains a network of caverns and tunnels. Built by pirates and smugglers, this dungeon is home to one of the Underbarons of Bral and is frequently used for clandestine meetings.
The city of Bral is spread across the topside. On the trailing edge rises the High City, which includes the royal palace of Starhaven and its grounds, the noble estates, and Lake Bral. From there, the geography of Bral slopes down toward the Middle City, the financial and mercantile heart of the city. At the leading edge of the Rock is the Low City, an area populated by folk of modest means and the businesses they patronize. New arrivals at Bral typically disembark at the Low City’s docks.
The Underside of the Rock is off limits to the general population and not part of the city per se. It is where Bral’s military forces are based. Most of the ground on the underside is used to grow crops to feed the populace. These fields are tended by convicted criminals who are housed in barracks and guarded by soldiers.
The interior of the Rock, which stretches half a mile from the surface of the topside to the surface of the underside, contains a network of caverns and tunnels. Built by pirates and smugglers, this dungeon is home to one of the Underbarons of Bral and is frequently used for clandestine meetings.
History
The Rock of Bral has not always been the trade center that it is now. In fact, humans have been living here for less than 200 years. Most residents of the city have little or no idea of the history of the place; only the most learned scholars and mages would know about anything before the reign of House Cozar. Even if such a sage can be found, he is likely to demand quite a sum for the trouble of his researches.
The current population of the Rock has occupied the asteroid for only a small fraction of its inhabited history. The oldest and most superstitious Bralians insist that the city is destined to be razed by the return of some previous owner. So far, no one has appeared to press a claim.
Expeditions into the caverns and tunnels beneath the Rock's surface have revealed both illithid and beholder artifacts, but no member of either race now admits to any past presence on the Rock. However, the evidence would seem to indicate that the mind flayers had an outpost on the Rock about 800 years ago. The beholder artifacts are more recent; in many places supplanting the illithid constructions. Scholars have concluded that the mind flayers were exterminated by a powerful beholder nation which was in turn wiped out in the perpetual race wars of that evil kind.
More recent dwarven excavations and construction have also been found in the tunnels. These ruins appear to be about four centuries old. Oddly enough, not a single dwarvish tomb or message has been left to memorialize these folk. Homeswere found with pots still on the hearth, their meals unfinished. Forges had partially finished sword blades laid across their anvils, as though set down for only a moment. A clan of dwarves numbering at least 200 simply vanished without a trace.
The dwarves were apparently the last inhabitants of the Rock for some time, although the elven navy occasionally stopped by to replenish air and water. No one else had permanently colonized the Rock until the pirate Bral founded his base here, 170 years ago.
The Rock was rediscovered by Captain Bral, a notorious pirate in need of a secure hideout. Ignoring the rumors of "haunted space" in the area, he selected the Rock as an ideal lair. Air and water were plentiful, and he seeded the topside and underside with trees and crops. The caverns that form the modern docking caverns were his first home.
A charismatic leader and brilliant tactician, Captain Bral soon assembled a small fleet of corsairs known as the Black Brotherhood. A town grew up around the port as more people and races came to settle and to build. Many were rogues and thieves, but some were merchants and entrepreneurs. The Rock was a lawless town of endless revelry and unchecked duelling.
Bral himself came to a bad end, leading a raid of five ships against a groundling city. Although the raid went well, the elven fleet was waiting for him in orbit. Eight men o' war attacked and only one ship of the pirate flotilla escaped. Bral himself perished as his vipership, the Starwind, fell in a glorious blaze to the world he had just raided. In honor of the great pirate, the citizens threw a wild wake and promptly named the city for him. The city became known as Bral, and its asteroid as The Rock of Bral.
For almost 60 years after Bral's death, the Rock remained largely unchanged in character. The city grew slowly, climbing up the topside from the old pirate lairs. No one tried to impose order on the town, and most people were content to live that way. The pirate captains ruled the city by popular consensus.
This was a captain named Cozar, a clever and ambitious man who sensed that times were changing on the Rock. He saw that the days of the pirates were numbered, and he acted. Cozar systematically and quietly bought every square foot of land on the Rock. Those who opposed the partitioning of the Rock into lots were simply bought out, with promises of free leases continued in perpetuity to their descendants. Some powerful or influential holdouts were granted land ownership privileges, forming the basis of the city's later nobility. In a matter of months, Cozar owned the Rock.
Then he evicted any pirate who could not produce a legitimate business or lease. There were several clashes, but most of the townspeople were tired of the endless brawling in their carefully built ale houses or inns. Many sided with Cozar outright, and the crafty pirate captain had his own crew to fall back on. The other pirates were forced to accept Cozar's generous terms or leave. The pirate turned prince produced a Royal Charter with which he claimed lordship over the Rock and set forth the basic rules under which Bral would now be governed. Thus House Cozar was born. By the time of Prince Cozar's death, Bral had been tamed.
Whatever else might be said about Frun, he knew architecture and engineering. The prince delighted in the expansion and rebuilding of his father's palace. His greatest projects, the Citadel and the Donjon, proved to be superb fortresses, although they sorely taxed the royal coffers. Frun's foresight saved the city several times during sporadic raids.
During Frun's rule the neogi first surfaced in the Rock's sphere. A neogi trader who put in and demanded to see the prince was kept waiting for more than a week. It was finally insulted and driven off the rock by Frun's order, since Frun found the creature too arrogant for its own good. The neogi returned about six months later with a small fleet of its kinsmen and an abandoned dwarven citadel, bent on demolishing the Rock. The citadel was dropped on the Rock, leveling a part of the Middle City, but it did not wreck the city as hoped. The neogi left in disgust, and Frun promptly seized on the demolished quarter as the perfect site for a festival ground.
Frun died as he had lived, collapsing in the middle of a soiree commemorating Cozar's birthday. His sons, Calar and Andru, were left with the unenviable task of restoring the royal fortunes.
After securing his throne, Andru launched a thorough inquiry into the circumstances of Calar's death. In time, a powerful Gnderbaron was accused of collaboration with the illithids and sent to his death, along with a small group of his closest henchmen. It was never made clear why the Gnderbaron would have wanted Calar, an ineffectual and uncaring prince, removed from the throne, but the evidence uncovered in Andru's investigation was irrefutable. If any Bralians had doubts about Andru's role in the whole affair, they wisely remained silent.
Andru is a serious, intelligent man who is often compared with his grandfather Cozar. He has struggled to reestablish the power of the royal house of Bral. During the 15 years of his reign thus far, Bral's army has doubled in size and its navy has tripled. The government is returning to the role of regulating commerce and of maintaining law and order in the city. Some feel that Andru's rule heralds the end of Bral's lawless period, but most of the citizens feel that a little peace and quiet would be a welcome change.
Though his place on the throne is secure for now, Prince Andru is merely one player in a maze of political intrigue. He has a host of agents and forces loyal to him, but he must act with consideration, since he has opponents who would rather see Bral ruled by a more ineffectual leader or by a council that could more easily be influenced. Andru maintains his strong base of support because he is a serious and intelligent person—often likened to his grandfather, Prince Cozar , in this regard—and he isn’t easily intimidated.
Ancient History
The history of Wildspace and spelljamming is an arcane subject of which little is known to be factual. Many races preceded the current spacefaring races into Wildspace; the thri-kreen flourished in space before most human societies had even mastered agriculture. Rumors persist of an elder race whose symbol was a three-petalled flower. In any event, mankind is a very late arrival in Wildspace.The current population of the Rock has occupied the asteroid for only a small fraction of its inhabited history. The oldest and most superstitious Bralians insist that the city is destined to be razed by the return of some previous owner. So far, no one has appeared to press a claim.
Expeditions into the caverns and tunnels beneath the Rock's surface have revealed both illithid and beholder artifacts, but no member of either race now admits to any past presence on the Rock. However, the evidence would seem to indicate that the mind flayers had an outpost on the Rock about 800 years ago. The beholder artifacts are more recent; in many places supplanting the illithid constructions. Scholars have concluded that the mind flayers were exterminated by a powerful beholder nation which was in turn wiped out in the perpetual race wars of that evil kind.
More recent dwarven excavations and construction have also been found in the tunnels. These ruins appear to be about four centuries old. Oddly enough, not a single dwarvish tomb or message has been left to memorialize these folk. Homeswere found with pots still on the hearth, their meals unfinished. Forges had partially finished sword blades laid across their anvils, as though set down for only a moment. A clan of dwarves numbering at least 200 simply vanished without a trace.
The dwarves were apparently the last inhabitants of the Rock for some time, although the elven navy occasionally stopped by to replenish air and water. No one else had permanently colonized the Rock until the pirate Bral founded his base here, 170 years ago.
The Pirate's Haven
The Rock as it is known today traces its roots back to roughly 170 years ago, when the eponymous Captain Bral established a pirate refuge here. The asteroid became a haven for thieves and cutthroats, and among them a few merchants and entrepreneurs set up shop. Even in a climate of lawlessness, the place evolved into something resembling a settlement of citizens.The Rock was rediscovered by Captain Bral, a notorious pirate in need of a secure hideout. Ignoring the rumors of "haunted space" in the area, he selected the Rock as an ideal lair. Air and water were plentiful, and he seeded the topside and underside with trees and crops. The caverns that form the modern docking caverns were his first home.
A charismatic leader and brilliant tactician, Captain Bral soon assembled a small fleet of corsairs known as the Black Brotherhood. A town grew up around the port as more people and races came to settle and to build. Many were rogues and thieves, but some were merchants and entrepreneurs. The Rock was a lawless town of endless revelry and unchecked duelling.
Bral himself came to a bad end, leading a raid of five ships against a groundling city. Although the raid went well, the elven fleet was waiting for him in orbit. Eight men o' war attacked and only one ship of the pirate flotilla escaped. Bral himself perished as his vipership, the Starwind, fell in a glorious blaze to the world he had just raided. In honor of the great pirate, the citizens threw a wild wake and promptly named the city for him. The city became known as Bral, and its asteroid as The Rock of Bral.
For almost 60 years after Bral's death, the Rock remained largely unchanged in character. The city grew slowly, climbing up the topside from the old pirate lairs. No one tried to impose order on the town, and most people were content to live that way. The pirate captains ruled the city by popular consensus.
Cozar's Rule
Even as Bral continued to grow, the city was changing. About 100 years ago, there came a time when the majority of the citizens were not pirates any longer, but merchants and tavern keepers who lived off the looted gold spent in their establishments. With these permanent residents came increased tensions between the pirate crews and the shop owners. Most pirate captains laughed at the "lubbers' wailing." One did not.This was a captain named Cozar, a clever and ambitious man who sensed that times were changing on the Rock. He saw that the days of the pirates were numbered, and he acted. Cozar systematically and quietly bought every square foot of land on the Rock. Those who opposed the partitioning of the Rock into lots were simply bought out, with promises of free leases continued in perpetuity to their descendants. Some powerful or influential holdouts were granted land ownership privileges, forming the basis of the city's later nobility. In a matter of months, Cozar owned the Rock.
Then he evicted any pirate who could not produce a legitimate business or lease. There were several clashes, but most of the townspeople were tired of the endless brawling in their carefully built ale houses or inns. Many sided with Cozar outright, and the crafty pirate captain had his own crew to fall back on. The other pirates were forced to accept Cozar's generous terms or leave. The pirate turned prince produced a Royal Charter with which he claimed lordship over the Rock and set forth the basic rules under which Bral would now be governed. Thus House Cozar was born. By the time of Prince Cozar's death, Bral had been tamed.
Frun's Rule
Cozar's son was not the man his father was. During the 35 years of his reign on the Rock, the city flourished and grew threefold. Unrestricted trade drew the great companies and houses of a dozen spheres to the Rock, all to Bral's profit. Frun did not have the strength that characterized Cozar and he allowed the authority of the crown to slide, nearly into nonexistence. He concerned himself only with the accumulation of wealth and comfort.Whatever else might be said about Frun, he knew architecture and engineering. The prince delighted in the expansion and rebuilding of his father's palace. His greatest projects, the Citadel and the Donjon, proved to be superb fortresses, although they sorely taxed the royal coffers. Frun's foresight saved the city several times during sporadic raids.
During Frun's rule the neogi first surfaced in the Rock's sphere. A neogi trader who put in and demanded to see the prince was kept waiting for more than a week. It was finally insulted and driven off the rock by Frun's order, since Frun found the creature too arrogant for its own good. The neogi returned about six months later with a small fleet of its kinsmen and an abandoned dwarven citadel, bent on demolishing the Rock. The citadel was dropped on the Rock, leveling a part of the Middle City, but it did not wreck the city as hoped. The neogi left in disgust, and Frun promptly seized on the demolished quarter as the perfect site for a festival ground.
Frun died as he had lived, collapsing in the middle of a soiree commemorating Cozar's birthday. His sons, Calar and Andru, were left with the unenviable task of restoring the royal fortunes.
Calar and Andru
Frun's eldest son was prince Calar, a decadent man who took after his father. Spoiled and pampered his entire life, most people assumed that under his rule the royal house of Cozar would eventually pass into insignificance. This was, however, tragically erroneous. Six days after taking the throne, Calar was found in the jettisoned rubbish trailing the Low City. Prince Andru, Frun's second son, stepped up and assumed the throne. He was a man cut from a different bolt of cloth than his father and brother, a quiet leader who seized the reins of power within hours of Calar's death. Calar's wife protested, claiming that her young son Aric should inherit his father's throne but Andru, firmly entrenched in power, altered the rules of succession.After securing his throne, Andru launched a thorough inquiry into the circumstances of Calar's death. In time, a powerful Gnderbaron was accused of collaboration with the illithids and sent to his death, along with a small group of his closest henchmen. It was never made clear why the Gnderbaron would have wanted Calar, an ineffectual and uncaring prince, removed from the throne, but the evidence uncovered in Andru's investigation was irrefutable. If any Bralians had doubts about Andru's role in the whole affair, they wisely remained silent.
Andru is a serious, intelligent man who is often compared with his grandfather Cozar. He has struggled to reestablish the power of the royal house of Bral. During the 15 years of his reign thus far, Bral's army has doubled in size and its navy has tripled. The government is returning to the role of regulating commerce and of maintaining law and order in the city. Some feel that Andru's rule heralds the end of Bral's lawless period, but most of the citizens feel that a little peace and quiet would be a welcome change.
Though his place on the throne is secure for now, Prince Andru is merely one player in a maze of political intrigue. He has a host of agents and forces loyal to him, but he must act with consideration, since he has opponents who would rather see Bral ruled by a more ineffectual leader or by a council that could more easily be influenced. Andru maintains his strong base of support because he is a serious and intelligent person—often likened to his grandfather, Prince Cozar , in this regard—and he isn’t easily intimidated.
Tourism
HISTORIC ENCLAVES
The Rock has several neighborhoods that started as enclaves for immigrants who arrived in large groups. Since then, many of these neighborhoods came to overlap as they merged into the roiling expanse of the Low City, though the name and a bit of the character of each remains. Three of these neighborhoods took root in areas immediately adjacent to the docks:The Burrows. This lively, friendly community of halflings stands ready to greet new arrivals to the Rock by offering fresh bread, cookies, flowers, charming gift baskets, and directions.
Dwarven District. Many dwarf crafters live in this Middle City district, and their handiwork is second to none.
Gifftown. Many of Bral’s giff residents reside in or near Gifftown, gathering in taverns to swap stories of their accomplishments. Gunshots ring out from time to time as giff challenge one another to games of marksmanship.
Population:
12,000
12,000
Alternative Name(s)
The Rock, The Asteroid City
Type
Asteroid
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Characters in Location
Related Reports (Primary)
Official D&D Sources:
SpelljammerOther Sources:
Fandom
Spelljammer 2e Rock of Bral