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Ginsel

Greyspace

"A kind word and a knife in the back get you more than a kind word."
- Ginsel aphorism

Overview

Ginsel is a crescent-shaped planet, resembling a sphere out of which a large bite has been taken. The two points of the crescent are the north and south poles of the world, which rotates around an axis running through the poles, making it look like it wobbles wildly through wildspace. When Ginsel is viewed edge-on, it resembles a perfect crescent moon. When viewed face-on, however, it looks like an ellipse. Gravity and atmosphere continue around the inner face of the crescent (known as the "Bite"), as well as around the outer surface. The edge of the “Bite” is sharp and regular, as though the planet had been cut with a sharp knife. There are no settlements along the edge (called the “Brink”) because most inhabitants find it too disturbing to look at. Actually crossing the Brink is even more disturbing, because the two faces of the planet meet at an angle of more than 90°, yet both planes appear flat when standing on the surface. The sudden change in gravity on crossing the Brink is drastic enough to make most people nauseous. It is impossible to fire an arrow or throw a missile weapon with any accuracy across the Brink. Ginsel's gravity is similar in strength to that of Oerth.

Ginsel's atmosphere extends some 20 miles (32 kilometres) from the planets’ surface, and is slightly richer in oxygen than that of Oerth, meaning that fires are larger than on the primary. Climate on Ginsel is very similar to that of Oerth, ranging from subtropical at the equator to cold temperate at the poles. Along the outer surface and within the Bite, weather patterns are much like those of Oerth. Along the Brink, however, weather is much more violent, with high winds and lightning storms along the rocky edge. Weather and temperature vary depending on the seasons, but it is important to remember that a Ginsel year is 180 months long, so each season lasts almost four Oerth years.

From pole to pole, Ginsel has a diameter of almost 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers), with a surface area of just over 3 million square miles (7,8 million square kilometers), of which 25% is water. Ginsel has much the same range of terrain and geographical features as Oerth. There are oceans, mountain ranges, swamps, even several small deserts. However, the majority of Ginsel’s surface is covered with rolling grasslands, gentle hills, and expansive deciduous forests. It is a beautiful world, untroubled by earthquakes or other forms of volcanic activity. It has a very faint magnetic field, just strong enough to allow for compass navigation.

Ginsel has four major bodies of water. The Palema Sea, which is the largest body of water and is located on the planet's outer face. The Mountainfast Sea is the largest body of water on the Bite, and second largest overall, with the Bluepath Sea coming in a close third. Walrest Lake, the world's' largest body of freshwater, is located on the outer surface and is known for its large deposits of diamonds and emeralds located in the lake's shallows. There are several mountain ranges on the outer face of Ginsel, though the world's largest mountain range frames the northern end of the Mountainfast Sea, and is known as the Seahold Range.

Inhabitants

"All truths are half-truths."
- Ginsel aphorism

Ginsel is home to more than three million humans, with smaller populations of other humanoids thrown in for good measure. The world is divided into more than two dozen political entities, including kingdoms, principalities and city-states. They range in size from the largest, the kingdom of Yendoril which covers about a quarter of the Bite, to the smallest, named the Duchy of Snyex, which is basically a small town with a population of 10,000 inhabitants, surrounded by a stretch of farmland.

The various nations are relatively advanced and sophisticated, and are at about the same level of development as the more civilized nations on Oerth. The nations of Ginsel are constantly embroiled in diplomatic and political conflicts. With less than one-sixtieth the surface of Oerth, Ginsel is not a large world, which makes for intense competition over territory.

While nations occasionally go to war for new land, or some other less tangible benefit, the conflict usually stays well below the level of all-out warfare. Countries prefer to compete economically and diplomatically, and endeavor to force a rival into a crushing trade deficit, upset its relationships with its neighbors and humiliate its leadership in the eyes of everyone else on the planet. Absolutely anything goes in these covert wars: suborning or assassinating members of a rival government, signing treaties with other nations (and then breaking them), interfering with trade – all are considered acceptable. Any ruler who does not take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself would be considered unfit to rule. Lasting allegiances do exist, but only when both parties have more to gain by keeping to the treaty than by breaking it.

The more rugged areas of Ginsel, located near the poles and along the Brink, are home to various monstrous creatures. Ankhegs and bullettes are relatively common, as are otyughs, purple worms and various species of giant beetles. Undead of various types are sometimes encountered, but they are much less common. Sometimes these monsters stray into inhabited regions of Ginsel, but this is rare.  Most of Ginsel's nations have standing armies with orders to exterminate on sight any monster that wanders into populated territory.

Trade

"The best way to keep your word is never to give it."
- Ginsel aphorism

Trade is the life-blood of most of Ginsel's countries. Because of this merchants and traders are highly respected in most lands. Throughout Ginsel, merchants and traders enjoy wealth and prestige well beyond the comprehension of the common class, and in some lands are only slightly less influential than the ruling class.

The merchants and traders of Ginsel are known throughout Greyspace – known, respected, loved, feared and hated in equal measure. The merchants of Ginsel are reputed to be the most persuasive humans in existence. According to a joke making the rounds in many spaceports, a Ginsel merchant can convince you to cut your heart out and give it to him, and then make you pay for the privilege of bleeding. Throughout the universe "as canny as a Ginsel merchant" is high praise among traders.

Most of the more important nations on the face of Ginsel are spelljamming aware, and have at least one city that they describe as a spelljamming port. For most this is largely self-aggrandizement. However, a few of these so-called ports have the facilities spacefarers look for when they make landfall.

  • Tarvin - The capital city of the kingdom of Yendoril, Tarvin is the largest city on Ginsel. It is located on the Bite, along the shore of the Mountainfast Sea. As well as being arguably the most important spelljamming port on the planet, it is definitely the busiest. Vessels from throughout Greyspace and from other crystal spheres are frequently seen in its natural harbor, or resting on the landing fields outside the city’s walls. Yendoril has its own trade-fleet (based at Tarvin), but these vessels number fewer than two dozen. So many off-planet ships land at Tarvin that the city has developed a healthy spelljamming infrastructure – visitors to Tarvin usually have no trouble locating supplies, repairs, or even potential crew-members.
  • Gord City - Located on the coast of the Palema Sea on the outer surface of Ginsel, Gord City has a population of less than 20,000 inhabitants. Smaller than Tarvin, but still a major port, Gord City has facilities for ships to make both ground and water landings.
  • Costepen - The third most important spelljamming port is, surprisingly enough, the town of Costepen, capital of the nation of the same name. A relatively small town, with no more than 15,000 inhabitants, Costepen is one of the richest nations in terms of natural resources. Its strong economy depends almost exclusively on trade, and the merchant families who run the city enjoy dealing with off-planet traders (largely because they consider them easier to fleece). There is no nearby body of water, so only ground-capable ships can land.

Appendix

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