R.P.G. Spelljammer Sandbox - Part 4 - Astra Arcadium

 

The northwest quadrant of space is the ancient and forbidding worlds of the elves.  Astra Arcanu, or derogatory referred to, elf space, is a hierarchy of species that include not just them, but their minions that mostly see the elves as gods.

A History dating back to the Beginning 

 

It is frequently believed the current elf space is only a fragment of what it once was.  At the dawn of existence, they are believed to have been catapulted to this universe from the fey realm.  When approached to why, it often is explained by a single word: curiosity.  These first spelljamers were everywhere, including places where common sense should have prevailed.  In fact one of these “ancient foleys” convinced them to needed to make the universe better and safer.

Using ancients magic & their own mastery of space, they seeded world after world.  The species were born the “age of seeding” are uncountable and unrecorded, for the most part, but there were a lot of them.

But all things must come to an end.  The elves ran into something that put them in a fight that broke their overall power across space and forced them to their current boundaries.  Because it was so long ago, it is unknown whom this power that broke it, but the most common believed culprits are demons, devils or illithids.  Still, it was stable and the elves continued their exploration and meddling throughout space until they ran into a species that was close and a potential threat: humans.

1^st Contact and war within Astra Byzantium

 

First contact between the elves and the human empire was a complete disaster.

The elves immediately mobilized their armada and went on the offensive and forced the human empire to fight a defensive war.

It was believed it was a matter of when, not if, the elves would raze Astra Byzantium to the ground.

Then a plucky band of adventurers with Star Empress Theodora special backing did...well something.

Nobody is quite sure.

What is known is that the Elven Armada was brought to its knees at the Battle of Broken Wings.

The elves are beside themselves and while they are still a power to be feared, they are incredibly irate over the experience and still can't believe they were defeated and accuse Star Empress Theodora of consulting with fiends to stop them.

Most people believe this is merely sour grapes.

 

Government

 

The elves are a deeply spiritual, highly ritualized but balanced with a curiosity to know and a discipline to know more.  Their elite nature makes the a sort of Platonic Philosopher Kings:  discussing and debating just about any topic for extended periods.  There is a debate chamber on each planet to discuss how to proceed on a case-by-case basis.

To connect these fragmented communities are the legendary elven Armada.  Their crews can be described as part explorer, scholar, merchant, and soldier all rolled into one.  The elves have celestial docking stations that give them great for refueling, communications and overall logistics.  Nobody wants to fight even a small patrol of these seasoned spelljammers.  The council of admirals, while technically subordinate to the elven government’s below, have a great deal of flexibility in how to interpret orders.  Standard Operating Procedure in war is orbital bombardment followed by deployment of troops en mass.

Society

If you are an elf, life is swell.  It is a life or privilege where song, dance, philosophy, and harmony rule the day.  They encourage their children to be clever and devious, but with a need to be patient and fair…from a certain point of view.  Afterall their long lifespan gives them a unique perspective that gives them the right to steward their domain.  They enjoy paradox and humor and have developed both to a masterful act.

Elves have a unique perspective on the gods. Having spent millennia on the Astral Plane and wild space, some factions of elves have taken to the practice of theogenesis, creating their own gods artificially. Some will deify a specific individual (such as a ruler), and some focus on a philosophical concept (Truth, Wisdom, Destiny, etc). Artificial gods will start out being worshipped only by the people creating them, but sometimes their worship will spread outside their initial confines. 

However even the might elves cannot do everything alone.  Elfspace is filled with client species that owe their existence and/or livelihood to the elves.  These castes fulfill roles that the elves consider beneath them. These are creatures created from the plants, insects and even from the fey world.

Client Species

 

The normally timeless hierarchy has been threatened by the end of the Battle of Broken Wings.  The death of the mighty and ancient elf Maglubiyet has caused open rebellion and a complete restructuring to compensate.  The Goblinoid species rebelled against the social structure and many emigrated to Astra Byzantium.

Unfortunately, the elves have a weird psychological message embedded in their psyches. There is a magic word that one says changes them from pretty good people to monsters. This is giving them a bad reputation. Queen Theodora of Astra Byzantium has set up a Brain Trust to break this subconscious programming.

Bugbears:

Big strong, but surprisingly stealthy, they were raised to be the assassin’s and saboteurs of the elves.  Those that switched sides have found a new lifestyle that they are surprisingly good at: that of nanny.  In fact Bugbears are considered prestige servants in Astra Byzantium.

Goblin:

They were used as manual labor of all sorts in Astra Arcadium.  Despite their small size, or perhaps because of it, they were often used as ship’s crews and are often pressed into service.  Treated poorly by the elves, this has caused the Great Goblin Drain where more than any other species.  While often considered lowly, they have more opportunities for progression in Astra Byzantium.

Hobgoblin

Hobgoblins were the NCO’s of elven armies and usually acted as straw bosses in both the field and in space as they are well disciplined and organized.  However, they were at the forefront of the great rebellion against the elves and have enlisted by the score in Astra Byzantium.  They're often Garrisoned on the far side of the empire to avoid setting off this trigger.

Kenku

The kenku are a subspecies of aarakocra. They first arose thousands of years ago on some of the "trap worlds" that Elves have to deter space-vikings and other interlopers. Many of them have ended up on the ships of those freebooters as space-vikings themselves. They also aren't actually cursed -- they don't have the capacity for speech other races do.

Rastipede

They are the merchant caste of Astra Arcanium and are they are a matriarchical species obsessed with "The Queen's profits."  This adds a need to be questionable in their dealings and miserly in general.  If a Rastipede does not make their quarterly earnings, there is a chance they are slain and then animated until their debt is fulfilled.  Necromancy is a common spellcaster as it is a way to cut down expenses if used properly.  It also means read their contracts carefully.

Thri-Kreen and Xixchil

Thri-Kreen are the soldier and marine caste and are aggressive on behalf of their Elven Benefactors.  Their multiple arms and overall aggressive bent make them a nightmare on the battlefield.  They are fans of Nietzschean thought and are obsessed with self improvement, Every so often a Thri-kreen is augmented with magical bio-augmentation into an aggressive killing machine known as a “Xixchil.”  The Thri-Kreen are also responsible for minding the various insectoid war machines used in softening a world before the Elves land to finish them off.

Wilden

These folks made of wood are treated by the elves as a living embodiment of nature and are highly respected.  They are pampered, but also often used as base components for many of the more elaborate spelljammer vessels.

Areas and Phenomenon of Note

 

Embassies

These circles of stone dot space far outside their territory. It's all part of the Star Road Initiative. Every embassy acts as a star gate allowing their ships to travel quickly across all space. It's one of the reasons they are so darm hard to stop: An armada could quite literally be anywhere and at a moment's notice.

They are used by the elven expeditionary force (or EEF for short) that take advantage of this star road system to drop behind normal security, contact forces and make them amenable. Its most notorious member is the legendary commando Jassin O. Duskguard whose rag tag team has at least 3 full-fledged gods slain that we know of (for crying out loud).

Space Vines

The species of giant vine that the elves grow all of their spelljamming ships from is normally carefully cultivated and only grows large enough to reach from a planet's surface to wildspace. However, there are stories of one plant (or more?) that was mutated by an unexpected massive dose of wild magic, now capable of growing rapidly and bridging Wildspace between planets. The fruits from this vine can form self-propelled vehicles of various sorts from carts to spelljammers, that will seek out new places to seed themselves, and try to harvest anything organic in the area for nutrients.

Trap worlds

These are asteroids filled with hostile insects and plants that often have lures that look like easy pickings.  They are floated into locations and often lie dormant until triggered. 

 

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