Two possible candidates for the identity of the Invaders are put forth here: the Vodoni and the Scro. In both cases, it is assumed to be a `pacified' sphere, one well behind the lines of any current military actions. Even if the Invaders Empire has collapsed elsewhere, they could maintain their current degree of control here for another 50 - 100 years.
VODONI:
In this (original) version, Dragonspace is Vodoni occupied Golotspace. As such, it is administered by various puppet leaders answering to Vodoni `Breeders' (nobility). While there are some Vodoni `Enforcers' in this sphere, most are elsewhere - Enforcers are front line assault troops, and this is a behind the lines garrision posting. Hence, most of the Vodoni troops in this system are normal humans (fighters of 1st-4th level). (The Vodoni Empire is assumed to be hard pressed elsewhere).
Prior to the arrival of the Vodoni, lycanthropes were all but unknown in Dragonspace (Golotspace). Since the Vodoni takeover, though, the wolf-man enforcers have become creatures of whispered horror- every now and again some sadistic breeder will drop off a few dozen of these creatures and let them wander about, pillaging and slaughtering at will. However, the vast majority of the enforcers are kept confined to a handfull of locations: the Cleared Lands of Suynama; Cronus, Uranos, Westport, a few remote islands of Dragonworld (Golot); and the major garrison at the asteriod world Zephyr.
Finding a means to destroy the enforcers and avoid being infected by them is a major concern of the Rebels. Actually, they do have a partial solution to the later: a compound (involving small amounts of dissolved silver and traces of tabaxi? blood) does provide partial immunity to being infected (+4 to saving throws), but is also hazardous to those taking it (save versus poison at +4 or die). The breeders have heard rumors of such a substance but tend to discount them. Incidently, the tabaxi and lizardmen of Suynama are immune to the enforcers lycanthropy.
The Draconic Challenge: In SJA4 `Under the Dark Fist', Vulkaran assumed control of Golot after winning a single personal duel with a single draconic champion. I deviated from this in that each side - draconic and vodoni - each put forth twelve champions, of whom Vulkaran and the red dragon he defeated were simply the most prominent. Vulkarans other champions were captured monsters and unique enforcer breeds - but at the end, Vulkaran himself was the only survivor from either group. Heavy duty propaganda since then turned this into a one on one duel.
I also deviated from SJA4 in that only part of Golot (Dragonworld) is under direct draconic rule - the reasoning here being that Golot is an entire planet, with differing cultures and governments in differing parts of it. I took this into account with Regia and Southreach: The Vodoni breeder tasked with taking over the former saw no need for a costly invasion, instead merely exploiting divisions within an already stressed society, and the latter had far to small a population to worry about.
If the Vodoni empire has collapsed, then Golotspace is one of several spheres still held by the Vodoni (with a council of breeders running the overall empire). Other spheres the Vodoni hold onto include Gorthspace (no local opposition), Lostspace (likely to be overlooked and too valuable to be abandoned), Passarspace (totally controlled industrial powerhouse that is too heavily fortified and widespread to be easily conquored), Vergonspace (not really under vodoni control, but being manipulated by the breeders for use as `expendable allies' in the next war), and Zalanispace (barely held by the Vodoni through through sheer stubborness). It is assumed that with Vulkaran gone, Vodonispace and Vodonikaspace have either revolted or been liberated, as have Kofuspace and Kra'akenspace. Salzarspace and Thasiaspace were only marginally under Vodoni control in the first place and would almost certainly be abandoned by them. With regards to Dragonspace, a priority of the Vodoni would be making certain that the locals did not learn of the empires collapse elsewhere.
People - Vodoni
General Kral - Overall Sphere Commander/> Mage 7/Fighter 15/> S:17 I:15 W:8 D:15 C:15 Ch:14; HP:82; Thaco:6; AL:LE
Short squat shaven headed General Kral is the son of a voydani Breeder who sought to drill his offspring in the arts magical rather than the arts martial. Eventually, Kral got his way, joining the voydani officer core and rising through the ranks via a combination of bravery and ruthlessness. Kral's appointment as Sphere Commander here two years ago was one of the last things Emperor Vulkaran did before engaging his ill fated venture against the crystal spheres of known space. Kral, for his part, was disgusted to learn just how much his predecessors had `botched' matters here: to his way of thinking, Regia, at least, should have been fully conquored and absorbed into the empire long ago rather than remain a puppet state. He initiated a massive crackdown (against the advice of the other senior Vodoni here) to `correct' this matter, only to trip off a massive new rebellion - and then had more than half his forces here recalled to fight in other spheres.
General Kral spends most of his time at Zephyr.
Fadia - Vodoni Female, Chief Mage/> Mage 20/> S:14 I:18 W:9 D:16 C:10 Ch:8; HP:40; Thaco:14; AL:LE(NE)
Short, dumpy, and just plain ugly, Fadia is the offspring of two Breeders (vodoni nobility) and very nearly a `native' of this sphere - her parents brought her here as a child, and save for two or three trips (the longest lasting less than a year) she has remained here ever since. Fadia oversee's the Invaders magical programs in this sphere; her pet project being an attempt to create a `improved' breed of Enforcer. After decades of breaking up the local mage circles and studying their spellbooks she has little but contempt for the native wizards, seeing them as backward and superstitious. As a result, she dismisses all reports of teleport gates, cures for the vodoni breed of lycanthropy, ect. She dreads her vodoni rivals learning that she was never acknowledged as a Breeder by Vulkaran and Mongrelle, and hence isn't really a `true noble'. She spends much of her time at Zephyr, but can also be found at secret labs on Suynama, Golot (Dragonworld), Hecate, and Carci.
Rasine - `Chief Advisor' to Regia/> Mage 3/Thief 12/> S:11 I:16 W:15 D:15 C:10 Ch:18; HP:38; Thaco:15; AL:NE(CE)
Olive skinned, black haired, suave and persuasive Rasine hails originally from the vodoni lower classes - something he keeps carefully concealed, along with his minor magical ability. Rasine had a long career as an independant operative on the home world before being caught and inducted into the vodoni intelligence service. In that ruthless agency he thrived, eventually rising to his current post, which he has held for more than thirty years. It was Rasine who selected (and disposed) of each of the past few Regian Emperors. Rasine preferes Regia to remain a puppet state; for were it an integral part of the empire his personal influence would be far less than what it is now. Because of this, he greatly resents General Kral, going so far as to contemplate the mans assassination.
Iadia - Female Vodoni, `Chief Advisor' to the Metallix League/> Thief 5/Mage 14/> S:11 I:17 W:13 D:15 C:11 Ch:16; HP:29; Thaco 16; AL:LE(LN)
Attractive and charming, Iadia often wears a ornate wig to better blend in with the locals. Long exposure to the natives of Golot in general and the Metallix League in particular have softened her attitudes somewhat (to the delight of Margarita). She might actually side with the locals against the vodoni under the right conditions.
General `Lash' Lokor - Male Vodoni, Planetary Commander, Suynama/> Fighter 7/Mage (Transmuter) 11/> S:17 I:17 W:10 D:16 C:11 Ch:11; HP:50; Thaco:14; AL:LE
Shaven headed and tatooed like all his kind, General Lokor is a utterly typical Breeder - if there is such a creature. He earned his current post a decade ago, rising to the top mostly because most of his superiors got themselves killed (by the locals) or transferred off. He wants off Suynama very badly himself, partly because he knows this is a very easy world to get killed on, and partly because he thinks that he, and not General Kral, should have been made sphere overlord - an `oversight' he plans on `correcting' someday.
SCRO:
The Scro could work as Invaders; they are certainly organized and disciplined enough, but there are several problems that would need to be addressed in order for this to work. Prior to the arrival of the Scro, humaniods (other than a few small tribes of goblins and kobolds in service to Sinaliel) were unknown in this sphere.
1) Magic:
While excellent warriors, the Scro are somewhat deficient in the degree of magic assumed to be possessed by the Invaders - their expertise at magic is actually inferior to that of the locals! This could be compensated for in two ways:
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First, allow at least some of the Scro warpriests to attain higher levels than allowed for in the compendiums (say, up to 12th level as mages); and
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Second, have the Scro be allied with some evil human group such as the Tenth Pit or Long Fangs - some of whose members would have formidable spellcasting ability of their own. This is consistent with the other available material on the Unhuman War; there are several references to human mercenaries employed by the Scro. As an alternative, the Tenth Pit or Long Fangs could be the Invaders, using the Scro as mercenaries. Depending on just who was in whose employee, either or or both might view itself as the true rulers of the sphere.
2) The Scro-Elf issue:
The Scro are on what they see as a holy mission to eradicate all elves everywhere. On Dragonworld, a major focus of their actions would be to eradicate the elven realm of Sinaliel. A possible solution is that the Scro have shifted tactics since loosing much of their force in direct assaults, perhaps resorting to `bio-warfare' (disease?) or long term infiltration instead. In any event, they would be certain to have major bases of operations as close to Sinaliel as they could manage. Also, they would make every effort to eradicate all the elves and half-elves outside of Sinaliel; any such would be in hiding (still, it is possible for some devious Scro commander to attempt to lull the elves by not persecuting members of that race outside the borders of Sinaliel). Finally, if the Scro are not the actual Invaders, but simply `hired muscle' in the employee of the Long Fangs or Tenth Pit, they could be under orders from their bosses not to attack Sinaliel just yet.
3) The Draconic Challenge:
Scro are tough warriors - but probably not tough enough to go up against a dragon and win. In order to have won the challenge, the Scro would have had to have come up with monsterous champions of their own - perhaps secondary or tertiary Witchlight Marauders?
People - Scro
`Warlord' Ratak - Scro (Orog) Male, Sphere Commander/> Fighter 13/> S:18/03 I:12 W:13 D:14 C:17 Ch:13; HP:103; Thaco:8; AL:LE
The veteran of long fighting in other spheres, `Warlord' Ratak holds his title on the shakiest of grounds - he was the senior surviving officer among the remnants of three badly decimated scro fleets that rendezvoued at at this sphere some three years ago for repair and refit. Upon surveying the status of the sphere, Ratak became alarmed in the extreme: sheer tactical and strategic nescessity required a secure, controlled base of operations - not this mishmash of free planetoids and `puppet' states. Why, after more than a century, his incompetent predecessors hadn't even managed to eradicate the elven realm of Sinaliel! To correct these matters, Ratak initiated a massive crackdown - which in turn tripped off a massive rebel revolt, culminating in the destruction of many of his remaining spelljammers. To make matters worse, other senior officers from the three fleets he assumed control over have been turning up, demanding their posts back. So far he has killed three of these arrogant incompetents, but it is possible that the next one may kill him instead...
`Morgana' - Human Female, Senior member of the Tenth Pit/> ex Thief 3/Mage 19/> S:10 I:18 W:8 D:15 C:11 Ch:12; HP:40; Thaco:14; AL:CE
Pale skinned and black haired with aristocratic features, `Morgana' (not her real name) commands a special group of Tenth Pit sorcerers working for the the Scro - for their own reasons. Hailing originally from the slums of some backwater world (something she keeps a complete secret) Morgana accepted this assignment after barely escaping with her life elsewhere (and murdering the other top candidate for the job). Much of her time is spent scheming with the other members of the Tenth Pit, a fact that worries some of the scro leaders. She has complete and utter contempt for the locals spellcasting ability, systematically debunking all reports of a massive teleport network, ect.
`Minister' Kraji - `Chief Advisor' to the Regian Emperor/> Fighter 5/Thief 10/> S:15 I:15 W:15 D:15 C:15 Ch:15; HP:39; Thaco:16; AL:LE
Finely dressed and groomed, Kraji walks with a slight limp - the result of being crippled in battle in another sphere long ago. His very cleverly escaping capture despite his condition brought him to the attention of Scro intelligence, who recruited him as a spy and diplomat. Eventually posted here, Kraji rapidly realized that the scro simply did not have the numbers or the resources needed to completely dominate this sphere, and became a leading member of the scro faction that had created this spheres network of puppet states. He thinks that Overlord Ratak is a pompous idiot who is going to cost the scro all that they have so painfully won here; in desperation he is contemplating his superiors assassination.
`Minister' Cavat - Scro Male, `Chief Advisor' to the Metallix League/> Fighter 5/Thief 5/> S:16 I:14 W:13 D:15 C:15 Ch:12; HP:35; Thaco:16; AL:LE(N)
`Minister' Cavat lacks the spark and fire one normally associates with the scro; that and a tendency to talk and scheme rather than fight made it almost inevitable that he would wind up in the equivilent of the Scro diplomatic corps. He earned his current post more through seniority and pressure by the locals than anything else; in truth the locals pretty much control him.
General Thaz'ek - Scro Male, Planetary Commander, Suynama/> Fighter 11/> S:18/77 I:10 W:12 D:10 C:16 Ch:11; HP:93; Thaco:10; AL:LE
An aid to the former sphere commander, General Thaz'ek was sent here as `punishment' for his `lax treatment' of the locals by Warlord Ratak. While he would like nothing better than to pound Ratak to a pulp, he knows that the Warlord is a better fighter than he is, and so devotes himself to managing things on Suynama. Currently, he is trying to shift operations away from conquest and more towards creating a stable base of operations - a scro groundling `kingdom' in all but name. So far Ratak has been too hard pressed elsewhere to object.
OTHER OUTSIDERS
While there has been little spelljamming travel between Dragonspace and other, better known crystal spheres, Dragonspace is not utterly unknown outside the Invaders domain. With enough searching, diligent scholars could probably unearth quite a few accounts of past expeditions to this sphere.
The Elves:
Perhaps as many as half a dozen ships of the Elven Imperial Fleet have visited Dragonspace over a period of perhaps a thousand years, the last such just before the start of the first Unhuman War. They established cordial, if somewhat distant contact with the elves of Sinaliel, apparently finding the `native' elves atheism somewhat unsettling. At any rate, the elven fleet never made any serious effort to establish any sort of permanent base in Dragonspace, and appear to have deliberately `forgot' about this sphere in the chaos following the first Unhuman War. Still, reasonably accurate, if dated, charts of the sphere can be found at Lionstone and other Fleet bases, along with accurate, if somewhat sketchy descriptions of the various worlds and cultures as they were then.
The Gnomes:
A number of gnomish spelljamming vessels have wandered into Dragonspace over the past millenia or so. About half the gnome arrivals were off course explorers (or simply off course); though one gnomish fleet of more than half a dozen badly overloaded Sidewheelers (apparently evicted from some more civilized region) placed small colonies on Regia and Bel. Charts and sketchy descriptions made by some of these explorers turn up now and again at various gnomish bases and colonies, such as Ironpiece.
The Lizardmen:
None of the lizardmen elsewhere in the known spheres seem to be aware of Dragonspace - the lizardman fleet that settled on Suynama actually came from Lostspace, fleeing the `Final War' which decimated that sphere a millenia ago. What happened to the ships that brought the lizardmen here is unknown; for once on Suynama the lizardmen never left. It is possible that somewhere on that jungle world lies a large cache of spelljammer helms - or they might all have been destroyed centuries ago.
Others:
A handfull of other spelljamming explorers have entered Dragonspace down through the millenia. Less than complete charts and descriptions made by them can be found in the archives of the Seekers, Pragmatic Order of Thought, the Great Archive of Cresent, ect. Some sages may have combined these accounts with available gnomish and elvish information to produce more comprehensive descriptions.
