Rock of Bral

The **Rock of Bral** was one of the asteroids making up the Ring of Siberys which orbited Eberron. It is one of the greatest merchant spaceports known to any of the races of the multiverse.

## Description

The Rock was roughly ovaloid in shape, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) long and half a mile thick on the other two axes. The gravity plane ran through the center lengthwise, such that the Rock had a top side and a bottom side. The city of Bral was located on the "upper" side. The "bottom" side was government property owned by the ruling prince and contained hangers for his fleet.

The edges of the Rock were steep and dangerous to climb, so it was challenging to traverse from one side of the asteroid to the other without using a tunnel to pass through. Rescue stations were placed along the edge to recover unfortunate souls who might fall into the gravity plane and begin to drift out into wildspace.

Fresh water on Bral was provided by Lake Bral, a huge chasm plunging deep enough to pass through the gravity plane. The lake was periodically filled with fresh water from harvested ice asteroids and was treated with animal cultures and waste-eating monsters to keep its waters pure for drinking.

Oxygen and food were produced by vegetation on the lower side of the asteroid. Most of the work at tending the fields and groves was done by convicted criminals as part of their sentence. Also on the underside were massive vanes, enormous sails crafted from the wings of a radiant dragon. The sails allowed the Rock to be steered slightly as needed in its orbit.

## Government

The Rock was ruled by Prince Amic, grandson of a bandit king named Captain Cozar, but several other factions wielded power as well.

## History

The Rock had changed hands many times in its history. The original inhabitants of the rock are unknown, but cavern expeditions into the center of the asteroid revealed artifacts belonging to the Giant empires of Xen'Drik - this would suggest that the giants of Eberron developed spelljamming technology tens of thousands of years ago during the Age of Giants. Whether they were the asteroid's original inhabitants or not, the ultimate fate of these space-faring giants is unknown; but it is likely that they escaped the destruction of their civilization on Xen'Drik.

Further expeditions have found evidence indicating that mind flayers lived in the Rock at some point during the Age of Monsters, and beholders more recently than that. Scholars believe that the beholders had exterminated the mind flayers and that the beholders had destroyed themselves in infighting. Neither the illithids nor the beholders have any records of their past settlements on the Rock... unless they are simply hiding that knowledge for some reason.

After the illithids and beholders, a clan of about 200 dwarves from another world seemed to have settled the Rock. They left no tombs or memorials and seemed to have vanished without a trace, with pots still in the fireplace and blades still on the anvil. After this, a civilization of Astral Elves used the Rock as a recreation station, but they, too, eventually abandoned it. Other oddities from throughout the planes have been discovered on the Rock, though these have been explained by the presence of an irregular portal to Syrania's Immeasurable Market.

Captain ir'zharn, a Githyanki space pirate, "discovered" the Rock of Bral several centuries ago.

* History from https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Bral but is a rogue gith pirate
* Stunned by the beauty of Eberron in all it's glory, ir'Zharn refused to leave
* Established the Rock as a minor outpost for the Githyanki - a place for their children to grow of age, and a place of beauty for gith elders who no longer wish to remain ageless.
* Prince ir'zharn ruled remarkably fairly for a former pirate, and the city thrived and grew as a legitimate center of trade, as trade turned out to be more profitable than piracy.
* Nondetection of the Ring of Siberys caused them to be disconnected
* Failed to breach the planet itself - some foul magic prevents outsiders from entering Eberron
* Discovered an Arcane spelljamming helm, as well as a
* A beacon was constructed to broadcast their location outside the nondetection of the Ring of Siberys

ir'zharn: "recall agony"

ir'Bral: "pain of beauty" "homecoming"

## Rumors & Legends

Within the entire of the Rock of Bral were a mazework of tunnels and dungeons, the ruins of the asteroids various previous inhabitants. These extensive caverns had never been fully explored and almost certainly held ancient artifacts and monsters.