Glyth

Glyth
Basic Information
Crystal Sphere	Realmspace
Type	Planet
Size Class	E
Shape Class	Spherical
Type Class	Earth body
Satellites	The Rings of Glyth Haven Mingabwe Polluter
Satellite of	The Sun
Day Length	30 hours, 30 minutes
Year Length	360 months
Population Summary	Mind flayers, various humanoid races
Orbit Distance	1,000 million miles (10 days)

Glyth is the sixth planet in orbit around the Sun in the crystal sphere known as Realmspace. Known as one of the Five Wanderers by the natives of Toril, this size E spherical earth body has a large planetary ring and three moons.

Overview

The surface of Glyth is charred and burnt as fires regularly sweep across the land, destroying whatever new plant growth has managed to take root, leaving isolated woodlands and small forests dotted along across the planet. The atmosphere is so foul with smoke and other particulates that it reminds visitors of a charnel house or a dead forest after a severe fire.

The ambient temperature on Glyth is quite warm, but the constantly raging fires have almost destroyed the planets' atmosphere. There are frequent rain storms which remove a lot of the lingering smoke particulates, but the rain is somewhat acidic in nature. Those who wander into a rain storm without protection are liable to suffer mild burns. Similar to other planets, the poles are covered in ice caps. However the ice is contaminated and the poles are currently uninhabited. A sage who specialised in studying mind flayers once drilled into the ice, and discovered that the illithids have only been on the planet for about a century or so.

Twenty percent of the surface is covered by vast seas of a gelatinous substance high in water content that is the only source of drinking water available to the inhabitants of this planet. If the gelatinous substance is consumed, it satisfies thirst as if a similar volume of water had been drunk. The substance never becomes brackish nor does it freeze at low temperature. The gelatinous oceans are surprisingly uncontaminated, even with the foul atmosphere and the resulting acid rains. Tests conducted by a sage found that any particulate matter that landed on the surface of a gelatinous mass sank through the substance without being absorbed or dissolved, and eventually settled at the bottom of the mass. The sage theorised that anything that landed on a gelatinous sea was eventually sucked down to the bottom, where it would be crushed by the mass of the substance sitting on top of it.

Inhabitants

The illithids of Glyth reside deep underground within numerous cities which compete with each other militarily and economically. The humanoid races that survive on Glyth have all been enslaved by the illithids, to serve at their beck and call. The illithids also enslave any non-illithids who land on the planet: “Land on Glyth and become property” appears to be a rule of thumb.

The mind flayers remain safely within their subterranean cities while their work-numbed slaves are sent to the surface to gather what resources remain or to wage war on rival cities. The illithids carefully burn off extraneous plants to limit possible hiding places for runaway slaves. The forests that remain have been purposely kept pristine and are used as ranches, known laughingly as Skull Sod, where humanoids are selectively bred to produce superior offspring to cater to mind flayer culinary gourmands.

While oortlings have been selectively bred on the Rings of Glyth for generations, the ranchers and breeders on Glyth have decided on an innovative approach to producing superior 'skull cattle'. When a humanoid is born, they are placed in a creche where they immediately begin the process of learning. This program of enforced learning continues until the humanoids reach maturity, at about 18 years of age.

At this point the humanoids are tested to assess their intellectual progress and their physical brain capacity. Those who are within the top five percent are removed from the herd and rewarded with the right to breed (which in itself is used to motivate the young skull cattle). The bulk of the humanoids are sold on to other illithids for consumption, while the lowest five percent are retained by the ranchers as food for themselves and their staff.

Those humanoids who have been granted breeding rights are remarkably intelligent, but are at the same time extremely docile and strangely indifferent to what happens beyond the forests. They are encouraged to produce as many children as physically possible, and only when this is no longer possible will they be sold as brain food. Until then they will continue to be educated and those who show some aptitude may actually be tutored in the use of magic (although their spell selection will be carefully monitored). The humanoids believe that the mind flayers are a race of altruistic teachers who are preparing them for new lives amongst the stars.

The Free Thinkers Union

As with any tyranny, there are rebels who lurk in the shadows and seek to overthrow their terrible masters. On Glyth, these freedom fighters are portrayed in the same light that orcs and kobolds are on Toril – as destructive vermin who deserve only a quick and sudden death. Known as the Free Thinkers Union, these freedom fighters (or terrorists if you prefer) lurk deep beneath even the most remote illithid controlled tunnels. These humanoids occasionally conduct raids into illithid held areas in the hope of liberating as many of their brethren as possible.

Having realised long ago that they faced certain death at the hands of the illithids no matter what they do, the members of the Free Thinkers Union are determined to do what they can to free their people before their inevitable demise. It is believed that there are several hundred members in the Union, but this is mere speculation. What is less difficult to surmise is that they must be reasonably successful, considering how desperate the illithids are to determine their location so as to exterminate them.

Trade

Each of the various illithid cities and factions own and operate their own dry docks to house their spelljamming ships. These docks are defended by slave-guards who warn their masters when an unidentified vessel approaches the docks. Usually warrior-slaves are sent to destroy or capture the invading vessel, but their overriding concern is to prevent the unknown vessel from damaging the docks. Often, the illithids will leave a seemingly unattended and unguarded vessel lying in the dry docks, but this is merely a ruse intended to lure runaway slaves and enemies into approaching the ship so that they can be captured and their brains eventually eaten.

Very few beings willingly trade with the illithids of Glyth, especially since their reputation is so well known in Realmspace. This means that the illithids most frequently trade amongst themselves: however, illithids of a particular faction or city will refuse to trade with their current enemies, even if it means losing out on a great deal.

The illithids of Glyth trade in 'skull cattle', humanoids that they have bred for food. Often they barter for new stock in an effort to improve on their own through a process of selective breeding for which the breeders of Glyth are rightly famous. Another popular commodity are spider monkeys, which were originally captured in the jungles of Toril. They are raised within the equatorial forests, and since their introduction many have managed to escape, driving up the price for their brains to near parity with that of a humanoid.

The illithids do trade with non-illithids, usually to purchase additional slaves. However, the illithids frequently engage in piracy, especially since they embarked on an ambitious ship building program and are always looking for more spelljamming helms to power them.

Satellites of Glyth

Glyth has a large planetary ring which orbits the planet at its equator. The planet also has three spherical moons, named Haven, Mingabwe, and Polluter.

The Rings of Glyth

The Rings of Glyth is a planetary ring system composed of four rings.

Haven

Haven is the first moon of Glyth. This size A hollow asteroid is an illithid naval base and serves as a neutral meeting ground for the warring factions of Glyth.

Mingabwe and Polluter

Mingabwe is the second moon of Glyth, and forms a binary system with its own moon, Polluter.

The World Born Dead

Atropus, the World Born Dead, drifts through the gulfs of space, searching for worlds to consume and life to erase with its gruesome touch. The size of a small moon, the elder evil resides deep within the emptiness between worlds, and as it drifts it constantly samples the emptiness for any signs of life. Once it detects a living being, it ever-so-slowly moves towards its distant prey.

Drawn by the widespread death and destruction meted out by mind flayers of Glyth, the sinister moonlet circles the tapestry of night, masking its approach behind the belt of debris forming the planetary ring around the planet. While the illithids wage their interminable wars, Atropus draws ever closer, seeking to descend on the planet and wipe out all life, leaving Glyth an empty husk.

Appendix

External Links

• Glyth article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.