What is the Rock of Bral?

Located deep in Wildspace, the Rock of Bral is a large asteroid dominated by a single city known as Bral. It is a mile across and overflowing with thieves, pirates, merchants, nobles, traders, adventurers, and all other manner of strange characters who call this rock home. The Rock is split in half, with the city on the ‘topside’ of the asteroid, and military and criminal-farmers on the ‘underside.’

**Spelljammer: Adventures in Space**, 2022 Wizards of the Coast / Robin Olausson

This city is a hub of trade and commerce, and not just legitimate trade. It was a city originally founded by pirates, and pirates are still an overwhelming part of its population. While outsiders may think it lawless, it is not without rules that govern how it operates and they don’t take a gentle hand to those who disturb the peace on the Rock. That said, most inhabitants don’t bother to report a crime so as not to waste their own time, unless it is especially heinous or threatens the city.

The Rock of Bral, while perhaps the most popular, is not the only asteroid city in Wildspace. There are many others, some larger, many smaller, but few as widely known or traveled to as the Rock of Bral.

History

Originally found in Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (1989), the Rock of Bral is given a full deep dive in the Spelljammer: Rock of Bral (1992) sourcebook. After that, the city doesn’t see much light again until the release of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (2022) when the entire setting returns back to Dungeons & Dragons.

The Rock of Bral was originally the home of the great pirate, Bral, who ruled the city until his death. However, the Rock of Bral was around before Bral took control as a lawless pirate haven with no kings or rulers. It wasn’t until pirates were no longer the sole population, but rather included merchants and traders, that Bral took, by force, the reigns of leadership.

Bral started his rule 170 years back and, when he passed away, there was no singular ruler. Instead, various pirate captains helped to maintain what passed for rule and order on the asteroid. It wasn’t until the population started swinging more to merchants and tavernkeepers, and away from piracy, that a pirate captain, Cozar, took over the rule of the city.

Naming himself Prince Cozar, he defeated many competitors and ruled until his death when his son, Frun, took over. Frun was a terrible ruler, only interested in hedonistic pleasures and his only true legacy is the arena that bears his name. When he died, rule passed to his son, Calar, who died within a few short days into his rule, and rule passed to Calar’s younger brother, Andru.

Six years have passed since Andru has taken over and Andru has worked hard to reclaim the power and authority that had been yanked away from the ruler of Bral during Frun’s time. This power was taken by various pirate captains, guild masters, and thief lords, but bit-by-bit has returned to Andru.

An Outsider’s Perspective

Lawless crooks and blatant piracy. That’s the word you’ll hear from many who visited Bral and quickly left. However, those who visit Bral often claim that the city is as safe as any other major city… for those savvy enough to understand city life.

Outsiders need to stay on their toes, keep their wits about them, and a hand on their purse. So long as they aren’t naïve or blatantly cause harm to others, they’ll have an easy enough time in Bral. That said, some people believe that Bral has no rules or no consequences, and it is for those people who will soon find the Magistrate’s Watch bearing down on them. At that point, they will be brought before one of the three magistrates who will determine their punishment, if any.

Spelljammer: Rock of Bral,1992 TSR Inc. / Wizards of the Coast / David O. Miller

A Native’s Perspective

Mind your own business. That’s the first word of advice a native learns on Bral. The second bit of advice they learn is that enough gold can fix anything. Life on the Rock of Bral is orderly, for a settlement with few laws, so long as you keep those two principles in your mind.

Those who claim Bral as their home span the gamut, from pirates and brigands to merchants and nobles. Bral attracts all manner of sort, but so long as they can get on with limited laws and oversight. Inhabitants need to be able to look out for themselves, or have enough money to pay people to look out for them. Even then, loyalty is cheap and rogues are likely to switch employers at the drop of a hat.

Life on Bral is lawless, but there is order in the disorder. Inhabitants police themselves, keep an eye on their neighbors, and don’t stick their noses where it doesn’t belong (or else it’ll get cut off). While not everyone is a conman, the people treats it as a rule that everyone else is looking to one up everyone else. The only people you can count on are those that are in the same guild or house as you, and even then, you better keep an eye on them too.

With all that said, there is a sense of honor in the city. The destitute and poor over in the Low City are not preyed upon by the more powerful (too much) and there isn’t a murder every day on the Rock. Life functions like most large cities, just with fewer people relying on someone else, like the city watch, to solve their problems for them.

Atmosphere

The Rock of Bral has a completely breathable atmosphere of fresh air, an atmosphere that Bral keeps a strict eye on. Because it is home to over 12,000 people, and is on the smaller side of asteroids, it must take care with how many ships it allows to dock with foul air.

For the people of Bral, the air is free. For ships that dock, they are charge 2 sp per ton of the vessel. However, if a ship docks with a fouled atmosphere, they are charged a 100 gp fine, and if a ship docks with a poisoned atmosphere, it incurs a 500 gp fine.

Since the Rock of Bral is small, it must maintain a careful balance between the people who need to breath and the limited vegetation in the noble gardens and the various farms on the underside.

**Spelljammer: Adventures in Space**, 2022 Wizards of the Coast / Ralph Horsley

Traits

Travel to the Rock of Bral

Depending on which edition you are playing, the Rock of Bral could be in any number of places. In fact, in the second edition, the Rock of Bral can be set in any crystal sphere, like Krynnspace, Torilspace, or even your own homebrew location. In fifth edition, the Rock of Bral isn’t given a set location beyond Wildspace and in the Astral Plane.

As the Rock of Bral can be moved to any Wildspace system that the GM wants, it could be as easy as teleporting to arrive (so long as you reside in the same system as the Rock of Bral). However, the main way most people arrive at the Rock of Bral, especially if they are from a different Wildspace system, is by spelljammer.

**Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space**, 1989 TSR Inc / Wizards of the Coast / Diesel

Traversing the Rock of Bral

Walking across the Rock of Bral is as easy as walking across the world. The gravity line splits the ‘topside’ from the ‘underside’, and almost everyone lives on the topside. Traders, merchants, bars, and more can be found on the topside, and there is almost no reason to head through the tunnels that criss-corss the asteroid to reach the underside.

That said, plenty of thieves utilize the tunnels as easy ways of traveling without being spotted by the Magistrate Watch or anyone who wants to impose some order on their illegal activities.

Locations

**Spelljammer: Adventures in Space**, 2022 Wizards of the Coast / Marco Bernardini

Topside

The ‘topside’ of the Rock of Bral is dedicated almost exclusively to the city of Bral. It is broken into roughly three districts, the High City, the Middle City, and the Low City.

High City

The High City is where all the nobles reside and contains the personal residence of Prince Andru, Starhaven, a massive structure of gleaming stone. Below Starhaven’s glistening walls is Lake Bral which supplies the fresh water for the city, but must be refilled every few years. Along the lake’s edge are the noble estates, due to the size of the asteroid, only a few dozen such estates can exist and only the wealthiest and most powerful in Bral can ever hope to have such estates.

Middle City

Where the bulk of the population resides, the Middle City holds neighborhoods for the affluent and wealthy, as well as those who can barely afford to live outside of Low City. Traders and merchants flock to this district in the city to sell their wares, especially in the Great Market located almost in the exact center of the Rock of Bral. For outsiders, this is the place to be as it is safer than Low City, though still has a fair number of pickpockets, cut-throat merchants, and dangerous gangs.

Low City

Said to be the beating heart of Bral, the Low City is home to the docks, warehouses, and an almost limitless number of taverns, bars, alehouses, shops, crafters, and more. This section of the city never sleeps, with merchants making deals, thieves constantly looking for their next mark, and the docks seeing spelljammers come and go at all hours.

Underside

Covered in sweeping farmland, at the center of this ‘bottom’ side of the asteroid is a citadel that the military uses and houses dangerous criminals. No one is allowed to live on the underside and is under the sole purview of Prince Andru. If anyone is found here that doesn’t belong, they are quickly apprehended and assumed to be spies attempting to bring about the destruction of the Rock of Bral. The only people allowed to be here is the Bral Navy, Magistrate’s Watch, farmers, and convicts who work the fields to pay off their sentences.

Interior

A half-mile thick, the interior is coated in tunnels that connect the topside to the underside. The tunnels were already part of the rock when they were discovered, but they have been further built out by pirates and thieves, creating a twisting labyrinth that is easy to get lost in. Outsiders who stumble into these tunnels without a guide often disappear. A rumor swirling through the city is that a mind flayer Underbaron has a secret lair within the interior and is attempting to fully infiltrate the Rock of Bral by implanting Bralians with intellect devourers. Little to no proof has been found.

Factions & People

Prince Andru

The current ruler of the Rock of Bral, Prince Andru has achieved his position by being ruthless. While no one thinks he killed his father, Frun, it took him less than a week to seize on the opportunity of his father dying and to kill the actual heir, his brother, Calar. In order to escape blame for Calar’s death, Andru blamed it on a group of malcontents and had them arrested and killed. Many believe that these ‘malcontents’ were actually responsible for Calar’s death in that they did do the deed, but it was by the order of Andru and their deaths was Andru cleaning up loose ends.

Prince Andru keeps a very loyal and tightly controlled group of advisors. They help him ensure that no one tries to rise up against him, even from within that close circle of advisors. He does this by pitting them against each other, rewarding those who serve him well, and keeping close tabs on each of them at all times with his spy network.

The Noble Council

Prince Andru does not rule the Rock of Bral with unchecked power. While he holds a tremendous amount of power, and wealth, he is not the only person who rules. Nobles, who largely reside in the High City, have immense wealth thanks to their past ancestors or their own wit, and they can use their wealth and power to move against Andru and enact their own will on the city.

It is a constant power struggle between the Prince and these nobles, many of whom are at odds with each other.

Aric Cozar, Troublesome Nephew to Andru

As the son of Calar, the rightful heir to the throne of Bral, Aric was next in line to the throne before Andru stole that seat from him. His continued existence is a problem for Andru, especially as Aric is planning on one day revealing Andru’s plot against Calar and prove that he was responsible for Calar’s death.

Because of that, Aric is a bit of a hermit, rarely letting anyone into his home or even leaving his residence. He has survived multiple assassination attempts and his ultimate goal is to avenge his father’s death and retake the throne.

The Council of Captains

Some say that the Council of Captains are the most powerful group on the Rock of Bral. The council is made of any captain, company, or house who owns 5 or more ships, and owns land on the Rock. While they are mostly focused on Trade, their representatives can sometimes be called together to enact change in Bral, but it takes a very unique event to do so and they are not likely to work together again for a long time.

Most on the council aren’t actually the captains or leaders of the house themselves, but rather representatives who are willing to deal with the politics that comes with being a member of the council.

Underbarons

For better or worse, the Rock of Bral wouldn’t be the same without the four Underbarons who control almost every facet of crime in the city. The most well known Underbaron is Ozamata Ku Murawa who is not only a powerful Underbaron, but also sits on the Council of Captains as the leader of his house’s affairs in trade.

While most think of Underbarons as evil and cruel, only half of that is true. Meredin Sandyfoot and The Juggler are good-aligned, even if their enterprises are focused on gaining wealth through stealing. They seek to protect their communities, Meredin the halfling community, and the Juggler, minstrels and swindlers.

The last Underbaron is located within the interior and goes by the simple title of The Unknowable One. Many speculate that they are a mind flayer who is less focused on petty crime and more on turning the Rock of Bral into a mind flayer colony.

Encounters

Bombards - A rival asteroid has decided they’ve had it with the Rock of Bral and is waging an all out war against the asteroid. Over a dozen warships have been sent to destroy the asteroid and the Bral Navy is conscripting almost everyone to help defend the city.

Lost Minds - People have been acting strange, lashing out at friends and even attempting to attack nobles. Some suspect that these people are being controlled by the mind flayers and that they are beginning the first stirrings of a revolution against Prince Andru.

Prince Aric - Signs and posters have been popping up all around the city claiming that Prince Aric is the true prince, not Prince Andru! These posters and signs are torn down as soon as they appear, but more and more are appearing. The issue is that Aric has not been seen for over a month and no one is sure if he is even still alive or who is putting up the posters.

Trapped in Ice - During a typical refilling of the lake, a creature trapped in an asteroid of ice has finally been released after eons trapped. It has claimed the lake as its new lair and has been slowly attacking any one who goes to the lake by themselves. With people suddenly disappearing, tensions are rising, just as one of the water pumps has broken down and the team sent to repair it has disappeared.

Resources & Further Reading

Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space (2nd edition)
For a brief synopsis on the Rock of Bral in AD&D.
Spelljammer: The Rock of Bral (2nd edition)
For a detailed look at the places and people of Bral.
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (5th edition)
For an updated synopsis of the Rock of Bral in the current edition.

The GM Is Always Right

Spelljammer: The Rock of Bral

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Jun 18 Spelljammer: The Rock of Bral