| Just Surviving Gravity's End [Site] Copyright © 1999 by Torsten Bernhardt Location: Dothion Ruler: There is no formal ruler of Gravity's End, but Yanaxith (Pl/male aasimar/B9/Cipher/NG) does his best to keep things running and ensure that food and supplies reaches the often absent-minded researchers here. Bytopia isn't the most welcoming plane for a bard, even one as industrious as this, and Yanaxith has to work hard at perfecting his performances and music to get the respect he thinks he deserves. Thankfully, the work that he does for the community at Gravity's End doesn't go unappreciated. Special Conditions: Being at a point equidistant from both layers of the plane, there is no gravity here, and things have a tendency to float about a bit. Newcomers have difficulty moving about, despite the rungs and handles that are embedded in the walls for their use. Spellslingers, here for the first time, are often thrown off by the gravity-free conditions. They must save vs. dexterity when they cast a spell with somatic or material components to cast it properly; once a mage has made two saves in a row he is able to cast further spells without difficulty. Description: Long ago, a mage whose name (but not her barmy reputation) is lost decided that she would begin to research flight spells. Not content to try them where having an unexpectedly short duration might mean death, she came to Bytopia looking for a site directly between the two layers, where gravity ceased to exist. She found a spire that extended nearly halfway between Dothion and Shurrock, and used magic and dwarven engineers to extend the spire to the actual center and build a home there. Between bouts with bub she managed to make several important discoveries, and her reputation grew until other mages with similar interests in flight magic (and, often, bub) arrived and attached their own kips to the spire until eventually an entire community of mages lived together in a research-oriented community. Tinker gnomes with an interest in flight inventions also arrived on the scene some time ago, but the gnomes and mages have little to do with one another. Today, Gravity's End boasts a population of roughly a hundred mages and apprentices and a dozen or so tinker gnomes. A few inns and taverns have been built onto the structure, which has spread out along the no-gravity zone and now appears to be a large mushroom in shape. Several large enclosed spaces are available for testing spells and constructions safe from the ni'iath, and mages jockey for time in them. Travel from the base of the spire on Dothion to the very top is much simpler now that Yanaxith has managed to buy a pinnacle zephyr from Snail Outfitters. This easy mode of transport to the top has allowed a small tourist industry to grow around the mages' activities, and staying at the inns at the edge has become popular of late. Militia: The large number of mages in the place means that it is well defended against attacks, even if the defense is a bit disorganized. The inaccessible location of the site also prevents most land-based attackers from mounting an assault in any real numbers. Just in case anyone does actually try to invade, Yanaxith has a dozen or so hungry ni'iath in a kennel that he can release to wreak havoc among the invaders. Services: All sorts of flight-based magical spells and items, usually fully operational, can be found here, and the site has become one of the most important places for mages to meet on the plane. Some adventurers come here to train for expeditions to gravity-free places. Current Chant: Some mages are almost ready to try their latest spells and get the entire site to lift from its base and fly around the plane under its own power. They are fairly sure that the spell will have an adequate duration. | 
