Barbuda is a planet in the Spelljammer campaign setting. This size C spherical water body resembles a planetary sized tropical sea with hundreds of randomly floating islands.[1]
Overview[]
Barbuda is a world of breathtaking blues and greens, streaked with thin clouds of the purest white. Sunlight often reflects off the oceans, appearing as sparkles of gold against the azure seas. Barbuda is a tiny planet, about 750 miles (1,207 kilometres) in diameter, and its axis is inclined very slightly to the plane of its orbit, meaning it has seasons.
Barbuda has a breathable atmosphere, and has numerous islands made of rock and coral. Some islands float on the surface of the ocean, while others drift several hundred feet below the surface. These islands drift randomly around the face of the world, never coming closer than a mile (1.6 kilometres) or so to each other, and never colliding. The water that makes up most of the planet is salty, but not extremely so. The core of Barbuda is a small ball of hot iron about 5 miles (8 kilometres) in diameter, which heats the depths of the water planet, while sunlight heats the oceans nearer the surface.
Barbuda resembles a planet-sized tropical sea. Water temperature is constant, regardless of depth, and averages about 82°F (28°C), and doesn't fluctuate significantly from summer to winter. There are gentle currents, and occasional upwellings of water from nearer the core of the planet. These currents are sometimes slightly warmer than the surrounding water. Air temperature ranges from about 90°F (32°C) during the day to 70°F (21°C) at night. There is only a little temperature difference between summer and winter, and between the poles and the equator.
Barbuda has clouds, but they're usually very high up and scattered. The only time that cloud cover is complete is during a storm, gale or hurricane. Barbuda is renowned for having among the most beautiful sunsets in known space. Winds on Barbuda are most frequently gentle, although rarely great storms blow up. Precipitation is rare all year round, and always takes the form of warm gentle rain (except during storms and hurricanes, when it becomes warm heavy rain).
Barbuda has almost one hundred islands floating on the surface of its planetary ocean, and about as many drifting several hundred feet below. Most of these islands are very small, however: no more than a couple of hundred feet across, with some as small as a score of feet in diameter. Only one is significantly larger: a cigar-shaped island called Domina, which is three miles (4.8 kilometres) long and 1,500 feet (457 meters) wide at its widest point. The islands that float on top of the ocean seem to be made of rock, covered in a layer of coral. Those that float below the surface are almost exclusively made of coral, and drift slowly around the ocean.[1]
Inhabitants[]
Barbuda's oceanic life is very prolific. At the bottom of the food chain are many species of plankton. While these tiny creatures can be found anywhere within several hundred feet of the surface, they are most plentiful in the warm currents that meander through the ocean. Greater concentrations of plankton lead to greater populations of small fish that feed on the tiny creatures, so these warm currents are also home to a great profusion of darting, colorful fish. These small plankton-eating fish are food for many species of predatory fish, up to and including sharks. On Barbuda, virtually all fish, even the largest sharks, are brightly colored. Barbuda is also home to a great variety of plant life. Most plants take the form of sea weeds that grow on the underside of the surface islands, or all over the subsurface islands. In general, the marine ecology of Barbuda is little different from that of any terrestrial tropical ocean.
Most of the islands that float on the oceans have at least some plant life: grasses and reeds, mostly, although most have at least some trees. These plants give the islands a lush, green appearance. Many of the smaller plants, and almost all of the trees, bear brightly-colored fruit. The islands are home to creatures that eat that fruit. There are many birds, and small mammals that fill the same ecological niche as rats. Larger animals are found on only the bigger islands. The largest and most dangerous species native to the islands of Barbuda is the banderlog, a mischievous, green skinned primate resembling a baboon.[1]
Barbuda has two native aquatic sentient races, the sahuagin and the sea sprites, while the large island of Domina is home to a small family group of couatl, or feathered serpents.
The Sea Sprites[]
The Sea Sprites, a type of nixie, are Barbuda's most populous race by far. There are many thousands of these tiny creatures, living in family groups throughout the oceans of Barbuda. They usually make their homes in coral caverns within the underside of floating islands. Generally fun-loving, they have absolutely no interest in anything that occurs outside their watery environment.
Until the discovery of Barbuda, it was thought that sea sprites only existed on the planet Oerth. To this day, some sages argue that the sea sprites of Barbuda must have been transplanted somehow from Oerth. The sprites themselves deny this: their own legends state that they were created on Barbuda through the will of the gods. This explains why, even when given an opportunity, sea sprites will never consider leaving their home world.
Sea sprites are reclusive, and will generally interfere in the actions of others only if they believe those actions represent a danger to the ecology of their home ocean. It's a documented fact that a group of half-orcs came to Barbuda and started to fish the oceans with great drift-nets. It's also a documented fact that, when a supply ship came to Barbuda two months later, there was no sign of the half-orcs. Their ship was found, run aground on a floating island, and completely abandoned. Although the sea sprites refuse to talk about the incident, tiny crossbow bolts of sprite manufacture were found in the deserted ship, suggesting that the sea sprites had a lot to do with the half-orcs' disappearance.
The sea sprites and the sahuagin are implacable enemies. While the sprites are, in general, easy-going about other races as long as they don't disrupt the fragile ecology of the shallows, the small creatures will attack and kill sahuagin on sight. The sahuagin know this, of course, and rarely venture into the shallower waters except in groups. There are probably enough sea sprites on Barbuda for them to totally exterminate the sahuagin, but this is unlikely to happen since this would be completely contrary to the nature of the tiny creatures.[2]
The Sahuagin[]
The sahuagin live in deeper water, congregating around the submerged islands several hundred feet below the surface. The larger of these submerged islands support sahuagin cities, each housing several hundred of the nasty creatures. There are often territorial wars between the sahuagin of different islands. While the sprites wouldn't consider a war of extermination against the sahuagin, the converse isn't true: the sahuagin would like nothing better than to rid the oceans of the sea sprites once and for all. Fortunately for the sea sprites, there simply aren't enough sahuagin to make this possible. The sahuagin know they're outnumbered, and so limit their activities to occasional raids into the shallows.[2]
The Couatl[]
The Couatl living on Domina are a relatively recent addition to the ecosystem of Barbuda. Nobody knows exactly where the feathered serpents came from, or why they settled on this planet. The couatl themselves won't talk about their place of origin, or their reasons for leaving it; all they'll say is that Barbuda seems to be the perfect place to live. The couatl are on friendly terms with the sea sprites, and sometimes help protect the tiny creatures against the sahuagin. The feathered serpents have much the same protective attitude towards the environment as the sprites, and so the races get on exceptionally well.[2]
Spelljamming[]
The Sahuagin[]
The sahuagin of Barbuda know that spelljamming technology exists, presumably having learned of it from the half-orc drift netters before the sea sprites eliminated them. Sahuagin can breathe air, at least, for short periods of time, and so could theoretically make use of spelljamming vessels, as long as they were set up with a central pool like those used by lizardfolk. There are certain tribes of sahuagin who have ambitions of acquiring spelljamming craft, modifying them to meet their own requirements, and putting into space. Of course, the sea sprites will do what they can to prevent the sahuagin from getting the ships they want.[3]
The Couatl[]
The couatl are aware that the sahuagin want to acquire spelljamming technology, and agree with the sea sprites that this would be a bad thing. Thus, the feathered serpents will do what they can to keep the sea devils from their goal. Whenever a spelljamming vessel enters the atmosphere of Barbuda, there's a good chance that at least one couatl will fly up invisibly to examine it, and try to determine what its intentions are. For themselves, the couatl have absolutely no interest in spelljamming. They're not "marooned" on Barbuda, by any means, since they can use their plane shift ability to leave any time they want to. Spelljamming visitors can almost be guaranteed of help if they're attacked by sahuagin, both because of the couatl's nature, and because the serpents want to keep spelljamming technology away from the seadevils.[3]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Nigel Findley, SJR4 Practical Planetology, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Barbuda section, chapter 4 Water Bodies, pages 30-32
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nigel Findley, SJR4 Practical Planetology, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Barbuda section, chapter 4 Water Bodies, page 31
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nigel Findley, SJR4 Practical Planetology, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Barbuda section, chapter 4 Water Bodies, pages 31-32