alpharaposa (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alpharaposa) wrote2009-02-10 07:08 pm
alpharaposa) wrote2009-02-10 07:08 pm
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Busiest port in the Dwarven homelands
While sitting at work today, waiting for our network to have its outages resolved, I had a thought struck me. I mentioned it on Twitter so I wouldn't forget it, but couldn't go into specifics there because of the 140 character limit.
It occurred to me that a good name for a Dwarven town in AD&D would be Wort. I even had a good place to put such a town. I have a little crystal sphere sketched out under the 2nd ed Spelljammer rules, and I haven't yet located a significant Dwarven stronghold anywhere there.
In any case, Wort is a town at the edge of some hills on the most typical of the several planets in the system. It's surrounded by grain fields and known for its beer. It makes LOTS of beer.
The reason is simple. Dwarven ships in Spelljammer are literally powered by creativity. Dwarves get an asteroid and go to work, and all that sculpting and mining and smithing creates magical motive force. In order to keep moving, the dwarves must work constantly, until the asteroid is completely worked over and hollowed out and there's literally nothing more that can be done to it. At this point, the dwarves pack up their forges and tools, load them onto a new asteroid, and start all over again.
However, it is very difficult to grow grains on what is essentially a mobile art project. Any plants growing there would be temporary, valued for oxygen production, and likely potted. So, how would a crew of 500 strong (or more) get their beer?
Thus, the town of Wort. Practically unknown to humans or elves of the world where it sits, but valued by every dwarf out sailing the empty skies of Wildspace. At least in this little sphere.
It occurred to me that a good name for a Dwarven town in AD&D would be Wort. I even had a good place to put such a town. I have a little crystal sphere sketched out under the 2nd ed Spelljammer rules, and I haven't yet located a significant Dwarven stronghold anywhere there.
In any case, Wort is a town at the edge of some hills on the most typical of the several planets in the system. It's surrounded by grain fields and known for its beer. It makes LOTS of beer.
The reason is simple. Dwarven ships in Spelljammer are literally powered by creativity. Dwarves get an asteroid and go to work, and all that sculpting and mining and smithing creates magical motive force. In order to keep moving, the dwarves must work constantly, until the asteroid is completely worked over and hollowed out and there's literally nothing more that can be done to it. At this point, the dwarves pack up their forges and tools, load them onto a new asteroid, and start all over again.
However, it is very difficult to grow grains on what is essentially a mobile art project. Any plants growing there would be temporary, valued for oxygen production, and likely potted. So, how would a crew of 500 strong (or more) get their beer?
Thus, the town of Wort. Practically unknown to humans or elves of the world where it sits, but valued by every dwarf out sailing the empty skies of Wildspace. At least in this little sphere.
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And beholder ships are just scary. O.O
I think a good computer RPG in a Spelljammer setting would end up focusing on the various ports and ships and discoveries, with the space travel part a question of having food and air enough to survive the time and any chance encounters.
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"That's no bar...that's a space station!"