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This article is about the planet Reorx, if you are looking for the god of the same name see here.

Reorx is the second planet orbiting the Sun in the crystal sphere known as Krynnspace.[1] It is a size D spherical earth body that is almost completely covered in steep mountains and deep chasms, and has one moon named Ora.[3] The planet Reorx is named for the deity, who is rumoured to live at the centre of the planet.[2]

"The world Reorx is our god's anvil."
- Steelfoot Graybeard, legendary dwarven leader[4]

Overview[]

Reorx is almost completely covered with sheer mountains and deep chasms. Along the two tropical zones, the mountains are covered with lush vegetation, including tall palm and date trees. Although rain is frequent here, the only bodies of water are streams and shallow, narrow rivers that run down the mountains and into the chasms below. Heat evaporates much of the surface water. The tallest mountain on Reorx, located in one of the the tropical region, is always cloaked in clouds and the vegetation is so thick and thorn covered that traversing the mountain is perilous and rarely considered.

Just south of the equator, the mountains appear flat, as if they were hacked off with a giant axe. These level mesas, barren and dotted with small boulders, are the planet's only deserts, a sharp contrast from the tropical regions nearby. In the temperate zones of Reorx, the mountains have ground-hugging, alpine vegetation and are easier to navigate, as trails have been carved into them over the past few decades. Clinging to the lower reaches of the mountain ranges are vast forests of pine and birch. Most animal life in this region remain in the forests, where it is easier to find cover from both predators and the weather.

The poles are mountainous, although it is ice, not rock, that is responsible for the surface formations. The ice fragments project like spiky fingers pointing to the heavens. They are a breathtaking sight as the sun rises or sets behind them, glowing as the wind whistles through like chiming bells. The view is rightly famous among spelljamming travelers, who hover in their ships near the poles, safe from the frigid gusts and the icy temperatures.

Beneath the surface are numerous sharply graded, labyrinthine tunnels that bore through the mountains and the mesas in the tropical and temperate areas. Like an ant hill, the passages wind about and interconnect, serving as both a workplace and a home for the dwarves and gnomes who mine the regions. Nearly all of Reorx is rich with a variety of ores, including iron, copper, silver, and gold.

Near the equator, temperatures are warm and the climate is tropical throughout the year. Rains are frequent and there is no chance of snow. About midway from the equator to the poles lie the tropical zones, where the temperatures begin to cool. The summers are warm and the winters pleasant, and although it does snow, the heavy, wet flakes rarely accumulate or persist longer than a few days. However, the closer to the planet's poles the colder the climate becomes. The summer's bloom shorter, the winters loom longer, and the snow accumulates several inches at a time and stays for weeks. The poles are covered in icecaps, and the harsh winds that whip across them make them desolate and forbidding.[3]

Inhabitants[]

"Minerals we mine, the fruit of Reorx we harvest. Plentiful be our blessings on this world."
- Ironhead Graybeard, dwarven leader[4]

Reorx is primarily inhabited by dwarves, gnomes, mindflayers, and humans. There are no elven communities on the planet, and those who visit are generally encouraged to make their stay a short one.

Dwarves[]

There are dozens upon dozens of dwarven communities scattered throughout Reorx, with one king to oversee them all. Nearly all of these boroughs are underground yet close to the surface, where the dwarves feel most comfortable. Each community consists of between 50 and 300 dwarves, and operates up to 4 mines, depending on the number of working adult dwarves. Every community has a leader, and all the leaders within roughly 300 square miles (483 kilometers) meet once a year to discuss their mining operations, the threat posed by the mindflayers, and to feast. The dwarves are protective of their mines, but they accept the presence of nearby gnomish communities. However, the dwarves are ever-alert to make sure that the gnomish mines do not cross into established dwarven territories.[5]

Gnomes[]

On Reorx, the gnomes operate fewer mines than the dwarves, but they are extremely efficiently run. While the gnomes accept the presence of the dwarves, and while the nearby communities often celebrate together, the gnomes do not brook interference from their neighbors, and they are ever-alert to make sure the dwarven mines do not cross into established gnomish territories. The gnomes are industrious, single-minded in their efforts to mine the mountains, and close-knit. The only facet of the mining operation they share with the dwarves is when the refined ores are taken to the spelljamming ports and sold. The gnomish communities range in population from 200 to 300 individuals, and each community is headed by a small council of retired miners, who report to their king, who lives near the mines in the tropics.[6]

Tinker gnomes[]

There are also colonies of tinker gnomes on Reorx. These colonies, which range in population from 50 to 400 individuals, are located in the temperate and tropical lands along the foothills of the mountains. The tinker gnomes have elected not to build their homes beneath the earth, instead they relish the mild, pleasant climate. Rather than mine, they have become farmers and crafters, using the land and the plants to their advantage. They trade food, hand-crafted furniture, household tools, and clothes regularly with their subterranean kin and with the dwarves. Some of the ore they receive in exchange is fashioned into weapons and edged farming tools. However, the bulk of the ore is made into assorted gadgets (that tend to annoy and frustrate their neighbours). Their more favorably received inventions include mechanical ore washers, beard detanglers, and bug swatters. The more irritating devices presented to the miners are quickly made inoperable. Although the tinker gnomes have been encouraged to live many miles from the entrances to the subterranean dwarven and gnomish communities, they are quick to seek sanctuary with their kin when mindflayers threaten their homes. The tinker gnome communities recognize one overall ruler, although each borough has its own form of government.[6]

Illithids[]

"Something lurks deeper than our mines. Creatures crawl beneath our feet, their purpose black and their hearts even blacker."
- Grimlether the gnome, mine foreman.[4]

The most sinister of the Reorx communities are those of the mindflayers. These fearsome creatures, who initially immigrated to Reorx on spelljamming ships, have established homes deep beneath the surface of the planet - and far below the mining operations of the dwarves and gnomes. The Reorx mindflayers operate slaving operations in their tunnels and caverns, bending captured humans, dwarves, and gnomes to their wills. For this reason, the dwarves often hunt mindflayers. Although a few decades ago there were only about a dozen mindflayers on Reorx, they now number more than 400 individuals as their population has increased to manage their profitable slaving enterprise. The bulk of these slaves are humans, who are easier to capture than dwarves or gnomes. In the past several years, the mindflayers have concentrated on breeding their human slaves, and selling their offspring off-planet.[6]

Humans[]

The humans of Reorx are numerous, primitive and less organized than their counterparts on other worlds in the sphere. Scattered throughout the world, the primitive humans live in small communities of no more than 50 individuals, ruled by the strongest warrior. Organized into nomadic tribes, the humans migrates across the land in search of food. The humans do not trade with either the dwarves or the gnomes, out of superstitious fear. In all fairness, neither the gnomes or the dwarves have gone out of their way to associate with the Reorx humans, since they consider them savages compared to the off-world humans they are used to trading with. The native humans are easy prey for the mindflayers who lurk below the surface and attack human communities at night.[7]

Dragons[]

Reorx has a significant population of dragons. There are green dragons in the forests of the temperate areas, black dragons in the wet, wooded tropical lands, a few blue dragons on the desert-like mesas, and white dragons at the poles. There are a smattering of metallic dragons as well, including copper, bronze, and brass dragons who keep the activities of most of the chromatic dragons in check. Fortunately for the dwarven, gnomish, and human communities on Reorx, the population of the chromatic dragons is low enough that they don't pose a significant threat. Unfortunately, there is a notable population of red dragons who live high in the mountains throughout Reorx. The largest of these, believed to be a great wyrm, resides on the tallest peak in the tropics. The presence of these dragons keeps both dwarves and gnomes from exploring high into the mountains. Although the dragons tend to keep to themselves and usually dine on mountain-dwelling beasts rather than the dwarf, gnome, and human populations, red dragons especially have been known to raid ore wagons bound for the spelljamming ports, taking the silver and gold, but leaving the iron and copper behind. A few of the gnome communities have begun leaving offerings of refined gold and silver for the resident dragons in the hopes that the dragons will leave them alone.[8]

Trade[]

Reorx has several spelljamming ports in the tropical and temperate regions. The largest, however, sprawl across the desert-like mesas, where the naturally flat terrain makes for ideal landing areas. Although each port is protected by a combined force of at least a dozen dwarves and gnomes, the ports located on the mesas are protected by twice as many fighters to defend them from the blue dragons who lair on the mesas. The dwarven and gnomish ports are open to nearly all races, except mindflayers and neogi. Dwarves and gnomes are greeted heartily, humans and giff are accepted, and elves are welcomed by the gnomes and mostly tolerated by the dwarves. Ships crewed by mindflayers and neogi generally land elsewhere on the planet, where they trade with the resident mindflayers, and quickly leave.

The ports were designed by dwarven engineers and built by hand-picked dwarven and gnomish craftsmen. The tinker gnomes were not allowed to participate in their construction. The ports are sturdy, built of stone and specially treated wood to last for centuries. There are no surface buildings at any of the ports, both because the gnomes and dwarves who maintain the ports prefer to live underground and because it lessens the chance of being eaten by dragons.

Each port is operated by an equal number of gnomes and dwarves, since neither race wanted the other to have a port exclusively for their own use. Each port is managed by a port master, a position usually filled by a dwarf, who has three assistants: two gnomes and a dwarf. There are usually eight laborers who load and unload ships and a guard force. When there are no ships in port, both gnomes and dwarves work to improve the facilities.

Visitors to ports are usually treated warmly by the gnomes and stoically by the dwarves. They are allowed to wander anywhere on the planet and are offered guided tours of the mines, but they are cautioned about dragons and told not to venture too far beneath the earth because of the planet’s “malicious deep-dwellers.” Dwarves and gnomes rarely tell visitors about the population of mindflayers, fearing it might keep visitors from returning to Reorx. All visitors are treated to a mug of fine dwarven ale and are allowed (and encouraged) to purchase additional mugs at the port’s tavern. Each port has a tavern, and it is always busy, whether there is a spelljamming ship in port or not. There are at least two ports of tinker gnome design, and are a garish collection of disorderly buildings, doodads, discarded inventions, and eye-popping decorated trees. Usually only the bravest or most foolish spelljamming crews land at these ports, though there are a few “regulars”, like the giff, who are fascinated by the gnomes’ creations.[9]

Satellites of Reorx[]

Reorx has a single moon named Ora, or the Hammer.[2]

Ora[]

Main article: Ora

Ora is largely unexplored and virtually uninhabited. Although the moon can easily support life, no one has tried to make a home there until recently, when a colony of dwarven miners arrived, hoping to establish a new mining operation.[10]

Appendix[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Concordance of Arcane Space, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Krynnspace sidebar, pages 74 and 76
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), chapter 4: Known Spheres, pages 87-88
  3. 3.0 3.1 Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, pages 16-25
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), sidebar, page 22
  5. Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, page 17
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, page 19
  7. Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, pages 19-20
  8. Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, page 20
  9. Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, pages 20 and 22
  10. Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Reorx chapter, page 16

Connections[]

Krynnspace
Celestial Bodies of Krynnspace
The Sun (Primary) | Sirrion | Reorx | Krynn | Chislev | Zivilyn | Nehzmyth (or Shinare) | Stellar Islands
Additional Astronomicals of Krynnspace
Clouds of Freezing Vapor | The Black Clouds
Constellations of Krynnspace
Branchala | Chemosh | Gilean | Habbakuk | Hiddukel | Kiri-Jolith | Majere | Mishakal | Morgion | Paladine | Sargonnas | Takhisis | Zeboim
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