The Rock of Bral

Description

The Rock is a roughly ovaloid in shape asteroid in the cluster known as of the Tears of Selûne, about 1 mile long and half a mile thick on its other two axes. The gravity plane runs through the center lengthwise, such that the Rock has a top side and a bottom side. The city of Bral is located on the "upper" side. The "bottom" side is government property owned by the ruling prince and is used for agriculture and contains hangers for his fleet. Transit from top to bottom is dangerous over the sides, as the territory that intersects the gravity plane is sheer cliffs, so it is mostly done through a series of tunnels through Darkbral or by transport ship
Fresh water on Bral is provided by Lake Bral, a huge chasm plunging deep enough to pass through the gravity plane. The lake is periodically filled with fresh water harvested from ice asteroids. Under normal usage, it needs refilling every 4–7 years. The water is treated with animal cultures and waste-eating monsters to keep its waters pure for drinking.
Oxygen and food are produced by vegetation on the lower side of the asteroid. Most of the work tending the fields and groves is done by convicted criminals as part of their sentence. Also on the underside are the Vanes, enormous sails crafted from the wings of a radiant dragon. The sails allowed the Rock to be steered slightly as is needed to correct its orbit.

History

Bral is probably the most cosmopolitan city in Relmspace, putting it's groundling cousins to shame in the variety of lifeforms that inhabit it. The city is named for a charismatic pirate captain that settled the "haunted" rock as a lair to stash his loot and resupply his fleet. The settlement outlived the brash commander and as each generation passed the settlement grew, and slowly transformed from a raucous shanty town to actual port with all the amenities of civilization. While it was still a pirate town, the winds were changing and a astute captain named Cozar felt them. He quietly bought up every square inch of the Rock and when he was done was able to name himself Prince. He then bribed his allies and most fierce opponents with titles and appointments, transforming the asteroid into a Kingdome in the matter of months.
No settlement outgrows it's founding though, and over the five generations of House Cozar's rule the kingdom has fallen back to near anarchy. The last ruler, Prince Frun, was a man of decadence and appetite. Under his incompetent rule courtesans and advisers were able to carve out their own power structures, and siphon the imperial coffers into questionable ventures. Much of the day to day ruling of the city fell to local Guilds and strongmen, who operate protection rackets, with only the most serious of crimes (true or not) rising to the attention of the local magistrates. Frun's rule ended with him drinking himself to death in response to the arguably self inflicted Neogi's Gift catastrophe.
Frun's youngest son Andru assumed the crown after a second family tragedy. Six days into his elder brother Calar's reign he went missing and his body was subsequently found spaced within a load of refuse. Andru immediately proved his competence, Rebuilding the Grand Market the Neogi had destroyed, commissioning every ships from every yard on The Rock to rebuild the outdated navy, and lowering taxes to attract businesses from both other spheres and other planes. For the first time in generation, things are starting to improve.

Society

While the Prince is investing in public works and rebuilding the dilapidated city, the crown is still not in control of the populace. The Guilds still are the defacto rulers for anyone who lives in their territory, and impose "taxes" to pay for protection and other civil services. Most disputes and crimes are handled by the Guilds in accordance with their own rules, with the Royal Guard only getting involved in the most serious of matters or ones that effect residents of influence. Commoners that run afoul of the guild that runs their locality find themselves dragged In front of the royal magistrate on trumped up charges and sentenced to work in the fields on the underside.

Laws

Not much is outright banned on Bral, and that which is can be readily found on the black market. There are the usual laws on assault, murder, theft, and property damage; but their enforcement is ordinarily handled by the Guilds and is never reported to the magistrate. There are a few explicit laws the Royal Guard takes special interest in and will pull jurisdiction on.

• Slavery is illegal. Indentured servitude is legal with the proper paperwork
• Creating or owning Undead is illegal. Owning the materials or knowledge to do so is not
• Magic users who summon/bind extraplanar life are responsible for their actions
• Kender are not allowed permanent residence. They must be registered upon arrival and escorted at all times by their crew. Their captains need to put up bond to cover any property their Kender absconds with prior to being granted docking rights.
• No consumption of sapient lifeforms

Type

City

Population

12,000

Alternate Name(s)

The Rock

Districts

Hight City
Middle City
Low City
Darkbral
Underside

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