Low City

Considered by those in the know to be the best Shou style noodle house on the Rock of Bral, The Burnt Tail looks decrepit and dingy from the outside. A ramshakle affair built in the days of the first influx of Shou to the Rock. Simple tables and an nondescript decor are unimposing, but the quality of the food is fantastic.

The name comes from a Shou legend of a salmon that leapt so high out of the water that it impressed the gods themselves. The gods reached out and touched the salmon’s tail burning it into gold.

A regular spot for Etsuriko Chi’ason Toraneko, who inherited half ownership from Ozzy upon his death.

Most ships approach Bral at the asteroid’s leading edge, where a set of wooden docks extends into Wildspace to provide berths for new arrivals. Caverns at the gravity plane have been cut into the Rock’s edge and turned into storage areas. Many of them are fitted with hoists used to transport cargo to the warehouses topside.

Bral Port Fees

Dock Fees: 1 sp per ton per day

Air tax: 2 sp per ton

Fouled: 100 gp fine

Poisoned: 500 gp fine

Replenish ship’s water: 1 sp per 5 tons

Longshoreman’s Guild 6 sp per day+ 2 sp per worker (2 per 5 tons of cargo)

Before leaving ship’s must schedule a departure time and destination with the Master of the Docks’ office (#100). Ship’s not scheduled to leave are intercepted by the wreckboats of the Customs officers or one of the Royal Bralian naval vessels which is always on picket. Pursuit of vessels leaving is not usually very enthusiastic but the vessels description is added to a list for “incoming” vessels to watch for.

Arriving vessels are met at the docks by Customs officers and harbormasters, where they must pass a customs inspection.

The following Items are illegal to import into Bral without a Royal License:

Undead other then Skeletons or Zombies

Living puddings, oozes, or slimes of any type.

Infinity Vine.

Slaves.

Greek Fire, Smokepowder, other incendiary substances

Weapons.

Poison.

Bral also imposes a tax on all trade goods, 5% of the fair market value. “Trade goods” are defined as goods “obviously intended” for resale on Bral or elsewhere. Each crew member and passenger on a vessel is entitled to two bags worth of “personal effects”. Customs Officers interpret this to widely varying degrees. The tax is import only.

Referred to as the drydock, the shipyards, or simply the yards, this large, flat area along the leading edge is where ships are built and repaired.

This prosperous tavern is owned and run by Large Luigi, a locally famous, lawful neutral beholder. Luigi has encyclopedic knowledge of all sorts of topics, and he’s more than happy to share information with just about anybody. He is a civic-minded, well-liked citizen who has no political ambitions. His tavern is rarely troubled by bullies or thieves.

Bralian ale is the best in the Known Spheres... 'Course, it's not Bralian, but then I suppose nothing is. Best part o' living in Wildspace is choosing from the very finest groundling lagers. And I'm sure we're all appreciative of somebody's care in their brewing.

— One spacer regular on the selection of drinks in the Laughing Beholder and beyond.

LARGE LUIGI, THE PROPRIETOR OF THE HAPPY BEHOLDER, IS DELIGHTED TO MEET NEW PATRONS

The tavern stood in the Low City part of Bral, near the Docks. It lay in the heart of a wedge-shaped block of buildings neighboring Shou-town, defined by Dock Street, Dragon Street, and Eel Street. It stood behind the Griffon Company headquarters.

The Low City’s marketplace is much smaller and shabbier than the Great Market of the Middle City. Most of its structures are rickety stalls where small merchants peddle their wares. Though it draws its clientele mostly from the surrounding neighborhoods, the Lesser Market also attracts new arrivals, fresh from the docks, who are looking for a bargain or perhaps for something more sinister.

Mercanes (see Boo’s Astral Menagerie) recently established a presence on the Rock by taking over an unmarked, inconspicuous building near the Lesser Market. The place is occupied by a small staff of agents who act as an intermediary between the mercanes and those who want to do business with them. Such business typically involves the purchase of spelljamming helms and other magic items.

The mercanes don’t advertise their involvement with the facility, nor do they visit the agency very often. When they do, it’s usually to conduct business with a particularly wealthy or influential client.

Of all the taverns on Bral, the Rockrat has the reputation of being the most dilapidated and filthy. Its only concession to decoration is a few hanging pieces of damaged nautical gear. Its owner and proprietor is a friendly, foul-mouthed wererat named Maya.

This small group of highly capable combat specialists and spellcasters makes a living by hiring themselves out to capture or kill formidable Wildspace creatures. Typically, they are hired by an individual or a business whose welfare (financial or otherwise) is threatened by a monster that has defied less potent attempts to remove or subdue it.

From time to time, Xenotermination, Ltd. takes on temporary members, who are sought out because they have a particular talent. Anyone who wants to offer their services, on either a permanent or occasional basis, is welcome to visit the building where the present members of the group house themselves.