vid

Ec

rY

KARNATH
Human History Bhruu History Luumun Keeh Aalsemun Bhruusil Cheeqhun The Outer Plan& Kmath Defenses System Log

n d e v

ELDALA

DEWI
Ww
Today

18 20 Belatu 22 T ~ Dreth E Commonwealth 23 cadros 26 Ameethon 26 The Co-Orbitera 29 Carldwan 32 W o n 35 wan 36 Bran 36 llrlanrhod 36 36 pwvtl Intarnatlonal Relations 37 CommDnweakh Defenses 40 W m Lon 42

18

History Culture clash DanWell Village of the Falls %v!dl

Rive1

Stellar Relations system Lon

91 91 91

VIERON
At W a r Corazdn de Fuega
%&a

93

w r y

Algedras Jeh The Uninhabited Planets svstem Lon

WCHUS

93 97 101 103 106 107 108 109

TALBOTT
Conn&ucnon Begins W Steam Ahead Henan Blahora The Foucalt Asteroid Belt Thorn Shipyards . % e m Lag
"ha Plannarn

btw

43

111
111 111

43 43 46 47 48 49 49 50 52

Prehistory History Today Government Economy Iron Minlng Y e l l o ws k y Empty Space Qchus Defenses

svstem h i

Welcome to Star Compendium:Sy~fems of the Verp, an accessory for the STAR'DRIVE' campaign setting and game. Wheiher you'r the h . F I N l T Y 5 rol of its stars, you'll f i n d to STAR'DRNE or e rial to build your campaign! both expansion of information and whola new star systems for EXplOI'E.

be based. There are d e a s CrmCePning tha Verge-based

NEW TO STAR*DRIVE?
The year is 2502, and huma ger and bigger chunk of the has made contact with innum as men and women divide great powers of the day: ste hundreds, wan thousands, of star systems. The Verge is a region of the frontier that has attr ed e share of their interest. lar real estate, the Verge b colonists before humanity's great civil wars dissolved all contact. %day, more than a century later, the stellar nations have returned to their lost colonies, firm ' ward their intent children to hring hackthe int
~

w&

to lake advantage tiI the major m a n t i l a treffic to h d a tham travut$a the reuion clip. And thanks - at , a aood -

to ~ E E W&heir starships.

ry. A few mentions of mate &Equipment Guide and

ribed in the Arms ac&aaory make those accessories a good idea,

NTRODUCTI0 N
ate a setting and backst

bu;~o;q~;T,,R*DRIVE

various colonies try to deter-

should taksZittle

tion is similar%

In this first section

.the attention it receives. First just a term to describe a

The Verge is a funny place, thanks to and despite all

THEFUTURE
"What does the future hold for me?" is a iestion that nal precogni every sentient-excepting a few exc tives-asks itself. For Vergers, daily news stories pose the question collectively. For many, it's enough to be a Lison, a citizen of the Regency, or even a freeperson of Penates. There is no state beyond that of their own world, no starspanning giant, that can pretend to govern their lives, after all. To their advantage, the average Verge government is too concerned with supporting it5 people and a growing sea of immigration to concern itself with man aging the minutiae of its people. Small colonies may not have any sig nificant form of leader ship beyond a mayor or colonial council, they also lack for any protaction against any threat, human or otherwise. As A r r i m pour in their money and their people and their desire to control virgin territory however, many Vergers have come to realm need for something to done. In some; this inspires support of pollti. cal interest groups or E wen Aemari8t ... ,groups such as Concord Free 'L, 'n others, this leads 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 !giance to a single steuar MI irp( the Orion League, StarMech, iat they hope will play the role of uniting leader. The debate public forums! open Grid nets, and t lounges on every straet corner. Whet, eventually, will the Verge becomi
'

specific region that happened to lie on the edge of a wide nebula, now "the Verge" has become vested with all sorts of meaning, all manner of interpretation, and all types of ambition. More than any other frontier, it reigns supreme in the minds of stellar nations as the frontier. The media can be blamed for some of that, as both newsnets and entertainment studios have focused on the Verge as a means to portray either a place of danger or merely a locus for representing anywhere that's not in settled Old Space. The attention of outside seems actually to act in competitive, building cycl The aggression that mal peoples of the Stellar Flit share makes them look fi opportunities to compel and the Verge is a llke place a near neutral grou over which to express the grievances. So when 01 group becomes involved the Verge, it can encoura! activity from another or mc tiple others, who themselvi, spawn off additional cor', petitors: a chain reaction, vicious circle. That's not to say that for i the interested pafties,.,lifefi Veraers - has become som how easy in the years s i n 1
,

rn

2497. Although their peoplm the s olved here% an nere w e ouma6 borders, no stellar nation has any illusionr about the Verge's ultimate slgruhcance. At bsst, E f e w billion people t i n in the Verge, and the regor could easily fit inside the confines of the s m a l l e s t stellar nation several times over. Supportq and defenduig the burgeoning population of the Stellar Ring demands a l l of the stellar nation's resources. The crumbs that fall to the Verge fmm Old Space are just that: a mere fraction of a single percent of the total governmental expenditure. So the Verge stumbles on. Maybe if a single nation such as the nearby StarMech Consortium- or even the illustrious Concord-had the ansrm free to devote itself fully t o developing the Verge, it might someday achieve a measure of interstellar significance. It's stin possible. Today, however, the Verge consists of hundreds of mostly independent enclaves, largely bereft of $rung ties to one anothar or anyone. Likm it DF Mt,
change.
B P a f l l l i b

\!I

In m

----

m nc

GALACTIC CONCORD

Concord's to oversje as it sees fit-at least until such a time as it decides to incorporate the Verge, or any st into the brudars of a stallar nation. The Concord's real power to govern in the opw tq ,any number of challenges, however. S V&ga pkdates the Concords own existence so many bf i

daim to administer the w e ,under pmvisions agreed to in the h a t y of Concord As open space, the Verge is the

a at least, the Concord is the state that has legal

1 .

of a pr@--- to form a special pmt'ct8rata' wMh greaterindRpeadw e to W M mway lnternelly and w b n Be&g pawars. The Verge governments would have locally but would be ultbn&dy renponsible to the. cOf4Clrrd prcltedOl'Rta'R adnIluistratlon. ffS R model found In both t$e Orion League and the h m d itself, and for a bas mdirit I@ mmess in these two stallar
11p)~ reporter speaks

htth

TECHNOLOGICAL WINDFALL
mivers who come to the Verge wither under the communications blackout that plagues the region. Life without a drivesat seems unbearable to them, cut off not 1ust by hours or days, but weeks or even months. nYg parties have indicated an mterest in changing the situation. Only a f e w months ago, VoidCorp announced its generous plan to contnbute three funchonal, if used, drivesats to Cornvale, Oberon, and Algemron. They could be deployed within a year. Despite any misg~vings that some may have about VoidCorp or its mohves, the gdi is so impressive, so mcredble, that It can't be refused. The Galachc Concord, despite its lunited resources, as been pressed in the l a s t year mto promising the ~nshuchon of a few mobile space stahnns "quipped with drivesat platforms. They would function k e the fiFh&oW although Wth b m g S u a r z m for a hundred or so and only 25 light-year stardnves. Hans call for beginning their consiruction next year with the first activahnn m early 2504 and continuing with one every six months una the last is delivered m 2506. Assunung all goes well with the two irutiahves, the Verge could be a Merent place to live m only five years. It will also mean an estimated 25% reduction I infotradmg, but the number of small Verge ~lonies mhates infotrading won't be disappearing anyUme soon. Hw, the arrival of unproved commu-'cations should atbad more immigrants and more sources from the Stellar Ring, bringing a rise in all irms of economic growth.

with it, make more likeIy its entrance anta thtl'vprp poHtlcal erena wmeday.

the

papie

of

vprge

A NEW BEG INN IN^

b r
the tdaa of a new leaderahip from the Stellar h ' t worth dismsing, much less mna~daring.After &,the Vergere didn't ai@ thfs Rmty of Concord, no matbu w h a t it Jaime to aceompllsh. They weren't i n a d to the algnin~ Oi tMe magnificent treaty, and their interests weren't
man^

avm li it in represented by e 888311-

QaoSofllldMdual V i Q E SyEtaRq plmm, and mlm.iiw?

h b & O t t h X l t h e SOlUUDnh w m new stat^ as the Verge ht haw a t b p t e d to dn. The pnliUcal will an incr~dlbl~ much Ilke the CDncord itself, dmply doesn't exkt Verge. Instea& cartain proponeofs of urdficetlrm what i s sup&aUy a simple recomrnendaUm: repreemm the laqest and moet hetn of the Verge worlds, and make it R government. Thay're spa&, of d m ~ . Iheidea ~elpes the lsrnr~ of how much p m r the & R R ~ V &&ad lhbtnphar H a l e ahnuld haw, or R Y B ~wan&. Hala h an autos 88 b m t he haa a flrm wasp of ths rplne of B u lG Ltbmal-ded Vaqers wondar at dDms hat the Nlrent &d& CltlZenS haw and be d d to a UV w e r s should a
P#EIIl,

d humanity, and no m wan@ to support a fourteenth atEllar net& espedally not the already-overworked Galactic Concord. For m thing, symp~th~tk Cmordans such as Thaw haw notad, the Treaty of Concord, humauttfs new covenant, contains M provisim for the ~ R R ~ ~ I Iof I a new stellar n a t l o a Moreover, the prewnt o m wouldn't allow a new government to rise up and dhplaca or even appropriatathtexwngw8tsintheregion. If you listen to conaptracy hounds, the p ~ ~ t ~ s oftpm s erful Stellar naUona may not matter much at d. Paranoid or prnphetlc, these chdaric f e w say the externals, reprewntfng some collection of hostile aliena, wlll have their
enjoy. T h d d stlu haw to deal with the rest

Others askwhet kind Of Status SDch R VRrga State would

in bsooming invnlvad in Verp ktaddip m m o g l than he & & ' h RE the hedsr Of OllR D f b

~verarise.lhbtnph~rHaledeniclstbathe hmaster.

own voica in the deciding the R W ~ E of tomorrow. I n thib future, the Invo~vammtof humann in W t e d to that of prey for the predator, food for the famished, or slave to

2497, no serious competltion &ad to chalenge Bluefall's amlnence in the region. fithoueh n m r irrlcidy recognized as anythhg more than another cdov, dluefall formed the nexus for Verge culture. when the Regency announced its posftlon on an Issue,many fDflowed iut of course, and others at least hed to teke it into account With the return of the stellar natlons, Bluefall has both liminished and grown in importance. Many colonies can ook to other sources for resources, aid, and supply. Thy :an also look elsewhere for the opinions of an innuential At the same t i m e , howmr, Bluefall has f operations for most Arrivar pcditiant to deal with a stellar natinn'a chid epresentatives, they often come to Bluefall to do it. iegancy dossn't want to jwpardlze that special status

'he block& of the syd

@ I

aid

navy lake wlza

readola,bclthinvrss&sad

no Dther reesonable optlon for meeting ordars, they haw no choice but tu R-C the probtmhg. N&m ta

~ f who i tend to come to this m m ars tho are h u m d m Ahtarin 'terrorists.' Luclrlhu:The Federal StdB Of MgRIlWO

I
I

rnake appearances. The sole exception ia fhe ~IU

I!
a h d l be h i m . %day both contlnue to bad^ with but the two e t a b of Akpnuon, ltke the s t e l l a r which they are Wd, haw become concerned about radieal pdt'dcal fwrms.
d a c t a d Gahrlrdteg. Mnst of these am r-aa
crfAlt$rlnsUradolthe dvil war or lDoklng lor a place to hide, i n the l a a t h years Spes has fulfllledthe sem~ mle I o cd b
~~BWIIUUB,

1 !

hure F fm Gaivin'a sacurltg farces ta cnn&red

whose depar

as

STflTE OF THE VERI

IABLE I5 INTERSTELLAR DISTANCES (CONTINUED)

Ras
r i d

rqds

W I
Ea

Tan
Tlb

Tar

ThF
Ip
~ s i s

m
0

X
Y
0

43.65 57.33 63.18 45.91 65.05 53.41 21.14

Algennrm Jhw calesgue

&&er

wets

GlW

Cmtiv&

coulomb

DQWi

Maria

-12.8 -14.71 -19.52 23.85 28.14 7.24 29.74 -31.58 -16.11

238

42.45 71.45 78.45 51.93 87.76 48.37 60.7 3598 44.03 51.49 77.67 53.96
&lala

Endnmar

Z 0 -24.59 -31.56 5.62 41.12 19.33 5.26 34.98 19.44 -15.36 7.88 -14.44 32.33 -19.42 -21.4 17.1 -1197 -36.18 -7.78
-22.07

50.02 63.13 90.65 73.39 4188 68.81 37.66 59.23 50.15 68.38
~~~~

lbal 31.98 61.31 68.18 5022 64.42 55.54 40.32 19.35 57.29 52.14 58.41 64.5 26.73 38.06 63 62.19 33.81 53.08 38.11 65.37 42.86 57.64
3753 41~flR

22.9 5221 59.16 38.54 66.59 42.12 43.51 35.45 40.79 35.2 62.06 43.9 42.59 42.78 70.67 61.02 27.119 49.02 20.19 46.34 31.46 54.43

-7.04 9.88

31 59.7 66.31 49.83 65.9 54.5 4781 29.66 53.76 45.01 66.96 54.95 40.68 39.68 711.38 68.85 22.61 48.34 28.54 56.36 40.56 62.79 43.44 28.42 16.65 48.49 25.36 59 0 36.05 65.49 3487 39.77 21.07

T a l 22.53 32.26 3.12 42.19 32.53 5632 34.3 55.41 59.04 31.6 51.72 48.96 52.37 13.44 4326 59.02 27.92 20.24 26.33 44.66 24.94 50.75 23.42 33.25 38.08 51.18 55.34 53.01 34.87 43.21 64.36

__

31.26 25.26 40.52 33.63 47.38

14RR .

16.77 28.44 42.18 21.31

56.62

-4.2

-- 1.72s .

M 4 4 W 43.11 33.12 &eta 67.51 53.81 iplasmmn 73.14 60.92 rgm 63.88 30.59 ~ESW 65.16 72.91 [header m.19 32.47 GInju 58.93 24.23 Cmivak 38.93 42.81 coulomb 69.12 40.47 Dawi 53.72 53.49 Diana 78.25 31.23 Eldala 63.71 64.74 ldmnar 51.64 28.12 nad 39.2 56.61 ~ol$lone 73.84 60.28 Hammer's 82.72 25.75 'natlus 17.73 64.07 vnalh 45.54 71.18 !mllus 36.96 51.01 aukbrnu63.79 66.43 Ccoub's 51.48 38.75 widen 76.29 25.64 mun 51.77 34.64 ica~ 44 43.33 31.27 ihlot o 63.47 btmka 63.47 0 dmny 37.77 51.52 sord 70.34 23.68 16.65 48.49 OStDke 51.07 12.56 ikldmie79.98 1227 0d 38.08 51.18 I S & 50.95 44.54 ~dril 8.52 67.1 rhbe 38.48 31.39 a b s a 25.26 40.52 me 28.44 42.18 mdkr 36.31 65.09 rhus 73.2 60.94 m n 69.18 43.46 odub 67.21 15.77

60.62 32.33 37.77 51.52 0 69.62 25.36 41.23 68.06 55.34 44.78 39.15 23.54 33.63 21.31 54.04 89.95 76.22 47.25

fftn *id 25.9 47.79 52.43 6181 59.88 67.82 3122 4114 68.5 80.79 34.41 41.39 24.5 31.89 50.64 32.63 56.67 62.23 40.1 50.83 65.44 4821 66.35 19.6 38.14 27.25 80.28 60.02 77.32 22.31 38.45 29.35 53.33 48.66 68.64 44.59 59.57 63.08 28.61 36.18 18.88 71.73 52.69 80.4 71.93 63.28 83.87 63.49 42.18 EB.62 79.59 61.75 78.59 48.7 34.33 512 30.9 33.41 25.32 30.63 30.95 44.17 47.75 2321 47.36 m.34 51.07 79.98 23.68 12.56 1227 68.62 41.23 68.06 0 28.93 22.36 59 36.05 65.49 2893 0 29.52 2 2 . 3 6 29.52 0 4321 64.36 3.01 58.29 392 58.04 73.68 5453 83.43 48.62 22.0'3 20.81 48.53 47.38 14.98 28.28 56.39 56.62 13.25 30.79 59.37 71.29 36.87 56112 79.73 46.9 69.79 6001 64.34 36.37 61.m 44.46 47.28 36.36 51.31 19.96 24.47
31.37 45.84 38.5 36.47 34.17 19.85 40.81 34.9 62.63 17.18 49.99 20.92 2865 75.53 51.4 3512 81.29 58.84 20.76 70.32 31.52 57.98 71.96 69.64 30.91 75.55 33.12 39.31 64.29 3249 60.36 36.96 33.35 30.84 74.36 33.39 W 8 61.73 37.25 54.14 83.29 54.53 2 2 . 6 71.15 46.04 58.61 52.27 36.3 44.56 45.75 47.12 64.65 79.23 69.32 50.8 87.8 51.42 38.16 398 26 43.25 53.41 55.82 6 . 6 15.71 44.75 2 22.62 71.73 49.12 11.88 58.95 29.81 41.69 81.99 45.78 37.51 57.76 38.48 18.1 49.28 11.26 ~0.95 852 38.48 44.54 67.1 31.39 44.78 39.15 23.54 58.29 73.68 48.62 39.77 -. 21~07 2 1 1 . 7 - 2 -39.2 54.59 20.81 58.04 83.43 48.53 31 37 45.84 38.5 0 58.44 2859 58.44 o 42.91 28.59 42.91 0 45.66 2724 2413 28.69 33.77 11.87 31.96 44.77 43.98 61.88 79.02 68.58 43.88 75.74 53.21 52.06 8952 33.28 28.28 56.39 36.47 45.66 27.24 24.13 0 22.34 4538 63.44 56.04 44.3 30.79 59.37 3417 28.69 33.77 11.87 22.34 0 35.65 69.56 56.68 44.85 32.53 51.02 34.79 39.4 43.34 26.68 42.85 44.33 30.15 50.08 60.21 37.96 43.25 25133 36.47 ~ 1 . 9 176.23 53.96 52.02 37.12 20.65 64.29 77.48 69.67 61.41 83.39 61.66 28.18 6249 46 69.54 39.33 23.75 40.67 80.41 82.91 6688 63.31 55.09 28.74 35.48 37.48 61.36 5.24 25.72 73.9 55.96 35.63 19.4 67.47 61.95 17.04 47.83 47.78 21.19 64.54 51.05 36.12 74.67 58.44 32.59 50.51 32.18 64.84 51.42 29.26 4251 30.34 1889 38.97 ~2.88 45.62 36.31 732 69.18 65.09 60.94 43.46 54.04 89.95 76.22 71.29 46.9 3637 GI37 69.79 61.03 56.02 60.01 44.46 79.73 64.34 43.28 19.85 40.81 3 4 . 9 31.96 6188 43.88 44.77 mo2 75.74 4398 68.58 53.21 45.38 63.44 56.04 35.65 69.56 56.68 0 58.25 51.96 58.25 0 23.5 51.96 23.5 0 74.03 76.36 59134

Yan 43.02 66.69 74 39.21 87.27 33.87 39.68 40.69 39.6 61.66 46.08 69.68 31.16 68.58 75.57 37.37 70.05 82.49 57.36 7324 49.35 38.63 49.07 36.75 w.21 15.77 47.25 36.36 5131 19.96 24.47 62.63 52.08 fi9.52 3326 44.3 4485 74.03 76.36 59.04

m
0

-30.5 2622 Garad 27 Golfstrme 27.23 hIlUd6% I -13.3 ' 18.72 Kamath 16.74 l,ldlus -327 t-iadmm -27.3 Mdh&5star 4.01 M0ridEn -13.6 ObEViil 13.24 [Iscar 44 -4.81 PalFml 30.51 P@ly+mb -0.4 2.54 Rnslnv 14.88 Remat Ratrast 18.72 Rwnke 5.68 Spkkrhh -4.01 TalkuU 14.36 Talsk -14.31 Tendril 36.24 MVim 1.35 Thalass 25.43 llneeb 5.81 lkmther 8.63 23.82 V h 4.12 Yrmduh -3.59

-14.52 -16.86 -9.02 -18.74 -3.55 -23.54 1126 6 23 9.43 -42.26 m M J -10.47 2.77 -3981 37.88 2835 8.21 18.36 16.66 -272 -31 19 -18.08 6.71 30.44 -1824 33.10 -35.14 22.64 -7.86 -34.22 1.29 7.31 33.82 11.41 10.77 19.66 18.53 -37.7 -31.84 -11.19

9.31 1.11 27.64 26.35 21.19 9.91 24.02 33.12 -17.31 -6.119 8.44 17.48 16.12 IO21 25.31 -24.78 -13.39 41.38

?O

L5

'AU

0.

. LO

r.n

5.

&

the hatches and hide under Llson, they

Hopefully,

n m r have to fhd out.

help a full twcl we& before they make the call, nr be tu hold out for that long.

HAMMER'S STAR
olony-compared to the @an&o f AB@ indepandent Boreelins on I& surface, for tha &ate to forge ties with other ,l n reahy, the Galactlc Concord ckhna anyway, and the Verge own ohannals to d d with them-

the &age inhabitant rd spee. htheimore, them's the dandestlne Bfforte of stellar natlm lo m g g l e a m into that clvll war-arm6 that thsy Hammer's star qwbm a p Borealins haw e q m s a d the the bugs pay thab next viait to Alg&on eleln by and settte that p o i n b Utth dvil war f o r m r . man: Tha Branch C&m rd M c e Ethics haa made

GETTINGAROUND
Gattlng from place to place can pome a d t For hemes, travel can become an annoyance challenge of the &ry. Evan if they haw ready accwa to a sterahip, ifs juat as M l y that the v e ~ ~hau e l a sterdrive capable of only 5 or at best 10 ]reht-year &ad&. lkybg to cruse the Verge can be a FOCW of month at such a rate-not very satbfactary for b a a in a hurry. h r MWI'S, SDmE BBfSB, tha Bvw IIlOl'B aggrawtlng. In the StellaF &,tranapDltstlrm is far eardar to w m by. When ~ U ' C Baurruundmd by hundmda rd worlds each wtth population in the billirms, ife easy to slrpport a ddapedtranapDltstlrmi n d w . I nthe typicel q n h n ofthe each day will nee a damn nreo depertures o f annmerdelpeeswger &pa and anrrther dozen bulk cargo craft. lb B O ~ B extent, there'a rurthing to be dom about it. Vergers might wish for such regular and dapandable emIce at that -orb, but tbe m n c m i c l reallties of the lesspopulated frWw rneke thet unrsallstle Far much of their travmle, Vmgm hew 110 choice but to bearme accustmned

m,

For heroes, thrs is m r

HITCHING A RIDE

Eomafemtuarwlththa

bywkchawreller

1 - -

.-

When hearing the words "relic" or "artifact" in connection with a place in the Verge, the average person is likely to think of the bizarre objects found in the Skyward Caverns of Tendril or in the Glassmaker ruins of Mantebron Yet for visitors to the Dewi star system, the term "relic" has a new meaning. Historically, it could be applied to the dying star Dewi. Today, it's also rightfully given to the system's primary inhabitants, members of a lost but not forgotten culture: the Dreth Commonwealth. The star system consists of a relatively simple grouping of nine planets orbiting a single orange KO star, Dewi. Although Dewi sheds less light, heat, and energy than does Sol, it's SI inner planets, Belatu and Cadros, with intolerable heat and drive off whatever atmosphere they might have had, rendering them into arid rocks. Amaethon, the third planet, and Caridwen, the fourth, form a pair of gas giants that managed to evolve in the star's ring of habitability Meanwhile, the Jovien worlds of Gwydion, Dylan, and Bran and the rocky icewarlds of Arianrhod and Pwyll round out the dark and cold mpema of space, a s far a s 26 AU from the so&rc&dflltdp@#$tI$ heat and light. With only such planets to fill it, the Dewi star system

Commonwealth, thereby adding a strong element of legitimacy to a people struggling to sunrive.

EXPLORATION
After the First Galactic War( the Dreth Commonwealth, much like the Anarchist Union and the Free Kyrena Society, turned its focus inward. Whrle many of the other stellar nations seized the peace dividend to expand their frontier tmritories, the Commonwealth paid attention to its domestic issues and internal differencefi. It wasn't until 2335- a full twentythree years ",a<, t 1 ' only eleven years before GW2 was to begin, that leaders in the Commonwealth began to demonstrate an interest in expansion, including the cul tivation of a site somewhere in the Verge. Ironically, t h i m about the same time that most stellar nations began to curtail their colonization expenditures as tensiona in thr c'-'l-- Ring increased. Not every cmzen of the Commonwealth, howwer, had the same interest in stnctly intbrnal mitters. A large gmup of salf-funded Dmth#led lay a youthful but magnetic h a Kanar made their wav

around both Amaethon and Caridwen BF

of the independent-mmded e thousand D&th laft from a

an &is perpendicular to the typical &g grdwth toward Hammer's Star and the Wlaeus of the gilaxy-past Ariinar toward Coulomb.

he Stellar Ring happy about spread new8 of his success.

rst Dreth settlements

rI

,.

'

I
\

WMne to a culture mggllng lo be t r u ~ to Its rwts and yet stili reinvent Itself, thn Dewi is witnmlng the riaing of a new day for ita inhabitants. The o n l ~ quediim is e x & what wu1 emarge. Who wtll be in charp?Is them any hnpe for a u n h d svstem, and wlll the Cammmmalth evm h e up to be even a shedow of its former glory?

cornmanwealth?

as the bwchtst Union, Utopia Nmv!, and e m the

The G a l e & Concord hersby recrrgnfzs the independence and smrei5ty of the New h t h Commonwealth, snle authnrfty w i t h the conhex of Dewi star system
Amazing as the p r o d a m a h was, inspiring jealousy in numerous systems-Oberon, Rolemy, and Coulomb, to name only a few-the wording of the legal proclamation inspired a whole new round of debate. Since the Concord officially acknowledged the Dewi settlements as the New Dreth Commonwaalth, it opened wide the possihilty of other related claims. At h t , many Dreth hoped to claim reparabns for loms suffered during the Second Galactic W a r . Yet the Eeaty of Concord had put aside that contentlous IEBUEin the interast of peace. Still, k e w a older treaties, signed between the old Commonwealth and numerous stellar nations, that the Concord had just allowed the possibility of reinvigoratlng. Most notably, ulis includes the Compact of Expansion, sealing an alllance now more than 150 years old.
'I SYSTEM Allu4wn
Dayi

r o HELL WITH THEREST OF

The Dreth enjoy a sinbar advantage that very few of the independent-minded systems of the Verge can daim In 2497 the &&on, a &er i n the servlw of the Galactic
THE

GALAXY

y s t e m .The Concord had been Concord, arrived in Dewi s y s t e m and Dreth occupation of it before infDrmed of the s the M o n i t o r even left Kendai, and the poulton was dispatched to rMew the situation. From aboard the Monitor, Michael " h a v e & p e d Concord ambassador Mred 'Ibma!ds [Hm/Concord/DTO8) and Concord Administrator Lodiri ha Tiras (FVConcorUMW-10) the task of analyzing the Dreth culture and determining its readiness to enter the galactic fold.

TABLE
B.Iptn
Dewi
,s

Euidmn
Dayi

G 1 (0.39 gl R5 (650rem/hour] A0 (vacuum)

W (0 atnl

Class 5

Dewi

:e

H4-5 (400-3600 C1 0.0033 AU

6,440 kin 3.47 hours 3.47 hours 0.0"

E1 (0.24 gl R3 (45 rem/day] AD [vacuum] PO (0 atnl H4 (145' C)

0.28 AU

Glass 4

C l m5 62 (1.07 g) R2 (8.2 redwk]

8,264 kin

0.77
0

72.44 hours 2.10 1.37

I

60.5 days

A1 IHz, He) P5 [gas @ant) H2 (-24.4" C] 0.64 AU 120,200 km 187 days 25.57 hours 14.2" 1.1 1
1 8

Class 5 62 (1.00 g] R1 (7.5 r e d p ) A1 IHz, He1 P5 Isas giant1 H1 (-71" CJ 0.80 AU 58,840 km 261 days 25.53 hours 14.2' 0.22 10

G 1 (0.57 g] R3 (45 rem/day) A1 (Hz, He1 p5 (E= @ant) H1 (-161' C] 2.38 AU 66,100 kin 4.11 years 14.51 hours 38.0" 0.1 1 14

Dewi Class 5

Bw*dion

w Dewi

A1 (Hz, He1 P5 (gas giant] H1 (-171' C) 3.64 AU 49,500 ! a 7.76 years 11.5 hours
0.0"

h n Dewi class 5 Class 5 62 (0.88 g) 62 (0.SS gl R3 (67 redday] RZ (15 r d w k l

ArtnrhDd
Dayi

pwru
Dewi

A1 (Ha, He) P5 (gas @ant) HO (-221' C l 14.05 AU 37,500 km

58.88 years 29.5 hours
0.0"

0.23

0.32
6

5,405 km 79.83 years 153.6 hours 65.7" 0.13

0

GO (0.06 gl R3 I34 remldayl A0 (trace) W (0 atm) HO (-228" C] 18.54 AU

class4

GO (0.05 g1 R4 (400 r d h r l A0 (vacuum) P5 (0 a h ) HO (-232" C) 26.10 ALI 3,660 Irm 133.34 years 59.1 hours 35.0" 0.17 0

Class 4

'

Even other Concord offtdels seamed tekan aback at the 'andma's box that the two rnpreesldatlves had opened Y e t irme of them seamed wilhnn to overturn the dadrdan, and an it rdood untll ullimately r&d by tha Galactic Court in 2500.Moreovar, few of the stellar natlons seemed to flnd it worth their w k to aballrb the puhliE-relatlOns disastsr that would d t f r m trying to StrOngaFm the last basUon of Lhth sodety. Of course, erne reprewntaUve of the Concord m d to express disapproval by permanently Administrator %RE end h b a d o r Torn& to this distant c o m e r of spew, suapendhg what lockad 0 be p~misfng carfor both of them. hst what m i r e d the Concord delqatas to eo fawr the lreth waa and ramaf~open to wetlon. Sutwly TDmSkie

le@ enhanced fo&caUow n m the q u b doa't pee% set an obstade to

f r o m to 300,000 Mlometars. Lam cmantrata heated pcan lkk o m Bainhq the planst another f @ w lhDusaMf
dec&rnegnetlcrdoIme.

Dewi

TI
E d & w a r i h k Yet pl wudacs (W about 500,000

their pmclama~~n. then? Torn& was, before lnin&~ the Concord, a RLgrmmor, and many balleve that he harb o d a e r n e of @ about l i his natlon'e cooparaUon In the W a of the old Commonwealth. Mhers scoffed at the
.i&n of a Rlgunmor, awn one who C ~ D ~ toElcdn the C ~ n c dh , m SO h e d a~CUM~NIW.A mcmared doc& t h e infamous ' t o h d with the rest nf the galaxy' nemo lbma!ds addressed to Tiras-may reveal that kmakls simply hoped to cause trouble. Tiran' mowanone have nwer been explsined, deepite ier conUnued presence in the star system. For m m infor natlon on the Concord and other stellar net lo^' presenta vithtn the Dewi star ayntm, eee 'International Relatlona' atmr tn thls chapter.

m,

k a first &&I to appr--. B e h chrtatensd It with the lame of a fire-god and the spithet 'today I found all the bas of Hsll.' On the day& of Belatu, the te4nperatuFe tanc werages in excees of 3000' C-wugh to rander i b swam e giant ocean of li&d matals and compounds. For the sdwtlala could be vhlle the planare interior cooled long ago, today the supece contains all the heat the planet could want, and more. FREEDOM PAID D ~ ~ m Bel& e d stanrl8 in its lest davs-h astrrm~mlcal tsrms. Like moBt plan& eo clone to t k k pmnts, it has

- = e ' . "

planetquake. 6ut mmthess m m m n mn't pnrfad A s h gle mMa!a can lead to dssth ll~lB h t u 'Ib date, mr tblrly researcham have lwt their h. Staffsd by about a h h d m % m U a b , the Belatu lbatlon IS kqely forgotten among the apuP naws and curran! evants of the Dreth The only UM I It draws aththu to W is in the rare instance of e dfredaglka near the p W by ow of Dewl's e& lares. It has kppened four l i m a the 8Latlpn's crmsbvetnn, and ea& tlrne tha h r & has sunrhred age,

M now tha tides on BeWs r n b stretch and twist the jlanet an the half newer to the star feels e greater pull than the distant half. Withtn a &n year5, ro&y Belatu wlll be torn lo places by the stress of Dewi'B g a v i t p : wltb each pwdng month, an average of h e or SIX significant (6.0 or 9ghm m d a on the venerable FUchter scale] quakes odc tha planefa surface. Milder quakue and afterahucka iceur h o s t day, B~lah's shakw, m hey we called, meIarOdy of 8 wa$r owm

Commrmw
Board @RE]. T ~ ede E apowm l m whan

h w far a mHd contlnerdsl d a c e a n d numerous solid

henwhile, Belath perpetual nQhbida IS cool emwh to

THL, PRETH COMMONWEALTH

For the pmgress of sentient life werywhere, the rnonstmsdy known as IrOdCq r n d be expunged froin the g a l q ' -Joshua Kanar, September 2388
The Dreth Commonwealth, for all intents and purposes, is io more. It is one of many stellar nations whose eatence 1s a political state came to an end in the middle years of GW2 at the hands of Fligunmor naval vessels and the treachery of VoidCorp. Yet the memory of great days and Ireat dreams lives on. Through music, p o w , and stories, he Dreth remember. On Dreth worlds occupied by their lated enemies, in marginal settlements of Dreth in :oncord space, and in a small system at the edge of iuman space, the Dreth remember.
ienerally, the development of the stellar nations followed .me of two courses. Either a corporation, government, or private individual sponsored their creation, as is the case with the Thuldan Empire, VoidCorp, and the Orlamu Theocracy, or the nation formed through consolidation, confederation, or conquest. Various forms of this model can be found in StarMech, the Orion League, the Nariac Domain, and the former Dreth Commonwealth. The Dreth Commonwealth occupied space that includes most of present-day Insight and some sectors within the Rigunmor Star Consortium. But before the Dreth Commonwealth existed, there was only the planet Dreth, colordzed by several hundred thousand people in the latter h a l f of the 22nd century. The original expedition was sponsored by one of the nations of Earth that had fled to Jupiter's Ganymede after the formation of Earth's six superpowers. But by the time the Dreth colony was up and running, this nation had been absorbed into the European Union, one of the same growing superpowem of the Sol system. The loss of a patron didn't worry Rachel Dooley, the prime minister of Dreth at the time. After all, the colonial star system contained a rich new home and room to grow. The colonists had found no fewer than three beautiful, Earthlike (Class 1 1worlds within the h i a r y star system; Dreth was only one of them. Over the next few decades, the colony grew and expanded under Dooley's enlightened leadership. She championed a great number of freedoms and personal liberties for the inhabitants of Dreth, allowing local leaders to address most needs without national intervention. Attracted by the prospects in the region, thousands-and eventually millions4 additional immigrants made their way to the Dreth star system as well as nthers nearbv.

HISTORY

As the largest colony, it fell upon the Inhabitants of Dreth to t a k e a leadership role in the area. They formed a confederate state, first including all settlements in their star +em and eventually an expanding radius of star systems. Officially, the Dreth Commonwealth came into extstence, recognized as a colonial government by the %rran Empire, in 2258. Meanwhile, since the Dreth had no strong ties badt to Earth, none of Commonwealth's neighbors saw the Dreth Commonwealth as a force of oppression. By the star+ of the Fint Galactic k , the Commonwealth had grown to include almost two hundred colonizedstar systems in its sphere of influence, and thousands more unsettled stars within the region of space it could claim as its own. The seat of government had been moved to Adalcus, closer to the center of Dreth space. Yet entanglements with the increasingly aggressive b a n Empire had bred a strong suspicion of centralized government into the Dreth d u r e and body politic. Even as the Commonwealth gmw in size, its individual systems and planets offered up less and less a&ty and responsib&tyto the mal government Meanwhile, more than a century of independence had begun to mold the Dreth character. Where once the people of this fledgling stellar nation had little in common, some shared cultural t r a t t s began to emerge among them. The first and most important of these was a dnve for the p e r fection of the individual. The Dreth became enthralled with the notion of personal achievement, and the socieiy gave birth to this new philosophy, akin to humanism, but inviting itself to all sentients in the egalitarian Commonwealth. Just what that idealistic quest meant depended on each person's own desires. Some strove for athletic perfection, others intellectual, and still others looked to reform whole sodeties and find new ways to enhance cooperation among peoples and maintah the greatest possible individual freedoms. Outside of the Commonwealth, foreigners often characterized the Dreth as dreamers and romantics, with all their talk about perfection of the body and spirit. For the Dreth, however, perfection was all about action, and no dream of bettering oneself or the world was worthwhile unttl put into motion. Now leading one of the ten largest stellar nations, Sean Barnes, Dooley's successor, became actively involved in the coalition to oppose the Terran Empire, joining the Thuldan Empire and others to combat Earth-based v a n ny. Victorious, the Dreth Commonwealth nonetheless sustained heavy losses throughout GW 1, not only against the Terran Empire, but during occasional skirmishes with both of its neighbors:VoidCorp and the Fiigunmor Star Consortium. Connick with these two nations were a = I,* ! prophecy of the terrible days to come.

SdmUfic P i o n e m Commntee-the same organizwn that has &en 2488 dDnated &m of dollars each year to thn BRB-hald a preas canferpncs on F s d . W e expres% hy hls rBmarfrs in a caraiul end diplomatic m , Geoffrey Blgge @ i m / M D T O - 4 ) charpd that the BRB had not lived up to I ~ E pledg~ of complete and kea dl~clog u p ~of data. Spedfbdy, the Awbin c h m d that long etretchw of s e ~ m blackout y during the first two months of the year ware being usad to cover secret solar &sung. Big5 haa p d that evidence of the BRBe clandestine a w t y Is forthcomkq, end ha 8xp& thet wlthrmt fmmedlate and complate access to BRB data, b i ~ backare and munemw othern will withdraw the& suppal of the mamrch fad&. LBslie A d a r ~ ,speaking for the Em, dwted any mngdolng and invitnd the Austrins and any concerned parties to an unwal cohrence on the surface of Belatu The rare opportuuity to viait Balatu haa already done much to wln local and interstellar opiniDn f a v n r the ~ hgth sdantlsts. Aa a result, m o s t of the other BRB contributors have remained neutral on thls issue while thmy look forward to attanding the Belatu Crmference, to be hdd in Odober of yaw. Tha m t is scheduled to coincide with the appearance of comet Mald-Adams, a mqrazer that will pass thrmqh the narrow wlndow batween Ealatu and D w i , then BWQ around @ddy and head out into deep space. At presant, more than a hundred gwdn have accepted the invitation to witnegs the majesty of a Btar at such do@ range.

I n

Mw

ACCWATIOB of 2502, a spDkeepars~nfor the Awtrln-Ontls

M I L T MINIM
The exidmnca of tons of m d , much of it fn a relathrely PUR sla$ betwsm quakes, preeents a ternptlng targat for e new form of **ni the Dewi efar svstan.At

present, not wen any of the s$llar netlons has pinneered the means to extract deb, and effldently the valuable molten mlnsrals frcun Balatu, b u t that hasnt stopped i n d w Mal teams from s d of the New Dreth states k w affmnpnng it. Evmy few months or so, a b a m of anginaera arrives on Bdah ready with some new schema. A recent PNJBU i n v o h the raptd co&g and seizuFe of a section of the metal ocean using ~ x p ~ m s h suparmplant n s v s t m mounted on large kahtera. Tractor beams and m n explosives have been used to pull or blast the valuable m e t a l s away

forge in Belatu's cauldron.

rom the surface to waiting shtps. With each p m ittempt, the pioneers step closer to profitability; they also ah the attention of observers f r o m the Stellar Ring who night seek to purchase or copy the ingenuity that the Deth

MAE~HON'S

IOR

Moono

CADROS
:or all of the condibons that would make it m e likely to ;upport life-a nonmolten surface, protection from radiation md geologic stabulty, among others-Cadms has won Me of he attention that Belatu has. I t ' s still inhnhospitable, but in a m cnnvantional fashion.Givan the presence of the more :omfortable moons of Amaetbnn and Caridwen, Cadros leans destined to an hsi@flcant and h d y existence.

APTHON
Mween the two Jovian ..--..la of Amaethon and Caridwen Ies the heart of the New Drsth Commonwealth. O f course, ieither of the two $ants draws much attenth for themiahres. At best, they reprasent abundant smcas of hydm[enfuel and a few Mbk gases. Instead, interest in the sysem focuses on the lunar bodies orbiting the gaa @ants at the heart of Dewi's habitable band

irrelevant asteroids that fell into Amaethnn's g r a w well. Even the largest of this gmup has a diameter meaauring no more than 500 kilometers amoss. At the other end of the spechum, five of the m o s t massive have enough mea to hold onto atmospheres of t h ~ own. l Penance, one of these and the dosest to Amaethon, suffers forever under the skong electromagnetic flsld of Amaethon. Moreover, much like the planst Belah, it is alowly being torn asunder by the gravity of tts parent Other uninhabited moons of A m a e h n include Cherbnurg, the second moon, and N~LUIS, the asvmth. Like Penzance, they only see use as sourcen of m n a U mlning concerns, as the absence of stgnlficant heavy metrrla on these worlds make them none too attrsctlw for davelopment h r b o u r g , in addition, has seen some BctMty as the Galactic Concord has made it an oWaal base of operations in the system. The Concord maintains a singh small domed town on h b o u r g . Both the ambassador and the -ator spend m o s t of their tlme on F m e n d wurklng closely with the New Dreth gweFnmsnt

A total of twenty-eight nalural satellites have b m Utled moons by Dreth ashnnomers. Of these, more t h a n half are

W I POPULATION 4,s 3 0,523 SENTIENTS

Ran 91% Orion Thddan

Rigunmor Solar VoidCorp Concord
nuell

Orlamu

9%

0% Nariac 0% Insight 3% Haiire 0% Borealin 1% StarMech 0% Independent 90% Dreth 85%)

Austrin

Mechalu Fred

Sesheyn

Tsa Weren

64'

2%

kymg to survive on the surface of Belatu is a short-lived exercise in foolishness. Follow the standard loredm d e s using the iRAPH system (see Chapter 3: Gamemasters in Action in the Gmemasfer Guide)).On the dayside of the planet, xireme H5 (Inferno]conditions prevail. Only on the coolest center of the nightside does the planet dip down into H4 onditions and temperatures below 500' C. With skill checks every phase to avoid damage, at a cumulative penalty, ven characters in hard e-suits will be dead within 30 seconds, long before the problems of radiation can come into 1hy. Even starships navigating this dose to Dewi must be careful. Landing an unmodified vessel on Belatu's cool side is ic!q given the planet's high rate of revolution around the star [one orbit about every 2 hours), requiring a lavigation-system navigaLhn skill check at a +2 step penalty. Exposure to temperatures in excess of 3000O C is dane r m to starships not specifically designed to handle such conditions. For each hour that a vessel spends within Belah's rbit exposed to the sun, each of its comparhents suffer 2d4 wound points of energy [En) damage. Meanwhile, the vesel's armor will slowly be eaten away by the constant heat. Each hour permanently subtracts 1 point from the armor's ffediveness. A shipyard can repair the vessel, but only if it survives the trip back to safer dimes. If a hero wants to customize a vessel spedically to survive super-Inferno conditions, it's possible to modify a ship sing technology of the day so that it can survive temperatures of up to 5 , 0 0 0 ' C with regular maintenance. Installing u c h systems cost 20% of a vessel's total durability and '1,000,000 per 10 durability points of the ship.

"ALLTHE FIRESOF HELL"

b
I

I'

I I
THEDREW COM~ONWEALTH COUNCIL

THECO-ORBITEFU

I I I

I
I
I
I

F r m Lousanne's or A r b ' sur$ce, the R!prlmm thrllHng and man a little scary. ' b y can watch 81 their ektsr moon dmes in to only a fsw thousand l d b m t m , fillhgthe day and night behe the affhangs ! a wmpk and the pursulng m o m l m s velodty and i t a qunrry b tens along. Newcomars to the mons, BVBR if ulpv updef. stand the gravltlc mechanics perfectly, can't hdp fdag a b t namua about the q d a r near-mad. It's imnic that the fraquent prmdmlty behrvean thm two moon8 hasn't resultsd in b e rdatbns and hang bo& betwarn the Dr& Uv!q on tham A t thelr cheat point, a sealed h a r c d b r m the dtst8nm behrmen the twn

*,

i
I

s a w s wtthout the need for a spaceahtp of any klnd % ! beyond the economic tr& and BxdLengs of woda that one mtght axpea, the two moon8 share ltttla ebsa

LOUSANNE

''I
1

%!.
I 1
. .

I
I I
i

DVENTURE

HOOK:

AT THE BEHEST OF THE NEW DRETH COMMONWEALTH

Despite the best hopes and dreams of many Dreth, their coallaDn government stiU has trouble rallying behind all but a few Lwes. One of the passions thev do ahare, though, invokes harassing, antagonfifng, f humiliating, or in any way opposing the interesb o the interstellar giant VoidCorp. Yet few have accused the Dreth of outright stupidity; even as they want VoidCorp to h o w who has hurt it, they need to protect t h e i r assets and their modus operand. So the Dreth are clever enough to use hlind operatives, freelance agents, and wen crimhak in their efforts. The heroes, h l y unknowns, fit the bill. No one said that a quest for perfection didn't occasionally mean gettlng

mw

The heroes are contacted, either by a regular agent or

dirty.BACKGROUND

through a mutual acquaintance. Thereafter, a prospective employer invites the heroes to a meeting tha~ can occur in the Dewi system (in Chelt, for example] or even in some other star system Introducing himself as Jeff Lakons, the human male claims to reprasent the October Corporation, a travel booldng company that owns several shuttlecraft in the Verge. The October Corporatlan is owed several miuiOn dollars by the moon-state of Lousanne, and Lakons has a writ demanding that Bastone Apple appear before an independant Concord court on Bluefall. Ths hemes' talents are required as bounty huntars to deliver Apple, who has refused to ~ ~ 1 8 w e the p summons of a civil court. A shuttle will await them on the Torpoint spaceport to make a quick e d t Layer of deceit are being used here. On the d a c e , LakonS story stands up to some checking. He does work for the October Corporation, and the writ he possesses seems to be in order, as even Administrator 'Eras could confirm. As delicately as possible, encourage the heroes to accept the &ion. The next stage of the adventure invalves going to Lousanne and, essentially, Iddnapping Pitme Minister Apple. You can play up this segment as much as you desire, with advanced reconnaissance, polltical intrigue i n v o w the moon-state's bureaucracy, and possibly even the presence of other moon-states. Ultimately, the heroes should find their mission challenging but not beyond their abilities. W i t h Apple in tow, the heroes return, as planned, to their shuttle w a i i i n gt o take t h e m and their charge to Bluefd There. waitinu for t h e m ,is a m u 0 - of more than a dozen ! & I ~&hers. The' heroas are m e +

and charged with kidnapping. After a few hours or even daw in holding with only some short questioning sessions, the heroes are told another story. The writ they have is a fraud, and the Concord has no record of the civil court action against Lousaune or Bastone Apple. The Dreth offer a deal:Mscwer the real some of this job and t e d y against him, and the Dreth Cornonwealth wiU drop the charge of Iddnapping. Ray up tbis offer as a tvpical little-fish-for-bigfish legal drama. Now, the heroes m u s t invmgate their former employer, only to discover that Jeff h n s and the October Corporation are both fictional entities. However, after some careful digging and taking to witnesses, the heroes can discover that the October Corporation ts a holding of Transtats Industries, a hm subsidiary of VoidCorp. Now e w y b m g seems explainad, and the heroes can evenluaUy identifv the man they met as leff Lakons es none ather than VaidCorp executiva and deputy ambassador Om23 23KIK [Jeffrey Rogers).Then they can either go after OPE23 or take thelF t e m v and evidsnce to the h e t h and t h e Concord Either way, they've been duped again-or rather, f r o m the stari. The man the heroes met at the start of the adventure wasn't really OP823, but a Dreth impersonator. The whole adventure hopes to frame OB23 and VoidCorp, and the use of the heroes minimized risk of discavery and increases their believability as vdtuessas.

SUPWRTING CAST For t i & adventure, you'll need to create atatlstics for Bastone Apple, OP823 23KIK, and, most importanUy a dozen nr so personal guards [Combat Specs) for the former. OPE23 23KK i s a Diplomat (Free Agent) Remember, the Drath won't ba p u h g up a hardfought rssistance during the i n i d stage of the adventure They want the hemes to succeed in kidnapping Apple, and their sacurUy forces may either be in on the conspiracy or diskacted from orders on high during their watch. Apple himself will play the role of wounded and lost while the characters have him. As for OP823, his surprise at the hemes' accusations is not feigned. To be clear, he's probably been involved in operations and crimes that merit thls treatment, but for once he's innoceni o f h e charges. It will be up to the heroes to discover this and then decide what to do w i t h him

en. Today, as Ferrand has grown more and more w t h g to embrace a single powerful nrliryr g 0 t the rift hss gmwn. Daphne Rtce (Hf/DrethiT0-6) and Man CoreUa rarely a p e on issues, and the two haw had heated puMc exchanges. For Corella, it may be m e l y an fssue of ambition and the primacy of Ferrand; if the politics of the k m h t ever truly leaned fully back toward the old Dreth Commonmalth, Bodmln would naturally edipse h a n d , For Rice, such a goal doasnit represent M appeUte for power, but tha chance for a Drmth cultural reinvesUture. But BVB~ she can't dose the doors to the star and the frequent Influx of immigren$ and new ideas. Nor would she Iruly want to. But for her, the oft-argued need for unfficatlon only masqueradee as a maam to sabotage the possihutty of a vibrant Dreth Gammonwealth. In t r u t h ,Rice bBh~~e that 5 ceding additlord rights to a new g o v m e n t will only lead to corruptton and htehctual dtshonasty.

LAUCESTON
Lauceston, by all rights, should have attracted just as much attention and colonization as any of the six other moonstates. Settled in the midst of the decade of revolt, Lauceston netted the fewest number of Dreth colonists, with only a few thousand choosing to cloister themselves l n the m o o n ' s light atmosphere and gravity lbday, the bend has

continuad, and at 68,000,Lauceston has n more than a dv, Tilbrlburn,to hold its p&tlcm. Legally, Leuceston has E& power and votlng euthorltv within the Commonwealth Coundl. In redity, Annette Mayeskl (Hf/Dreth/FA-6), a formar jpurnalist who did corraspondance work on d swm o f the moonstatss, warms her bench in most of the monthly conferences without saying more than a word. The attentlon of the Drmth Ccnnmonwealth seldom turns to Laucaston, and thet suts m o s t inhebitants of Laucaston just h e . POMcally, the colony follows its neighbor Bodmin h most t h k q ~The . small populatlon i~ oriy known for a lndinatlon for mattam martial; once upon a the, the old k & Commonwealth planet "burn hosted mora than e d m m m of the reaeons that Lauwston mttttary youth academies. O has n m grown Is t h a t its children oftm t&a service with the Dreth Commonwealth's smallnavy, and even after years of peace, they seldom return to their hrmw homes, choosing a life h the Bters or on another moon.

The fourth moon of Cadimn casts it^ S ~ B Soutward, forwer gazing into the dtstant corners of the star n p t m and beyond. Astronomically,lbrpoht's status an the furtharmost settled world is raletlvely insignificant; only a few mtnfon

kllrrmstera separete lbrpoint and Laucaston, and indeed a )owmy of ody a couple of hours separates lbrpoint and F m a n d during a COrJunetlnn. psychdo@~ally and politicalIv, however, lbrpo!d~statue as Dewl s y s t e m ' s vanguard has rarely been open to qumon. The Dr& Cmnmmalth'~d e supmport, e m o r t capable of cap~tal ehlp repairs, nrW lbrpoint. So it's not e surprl~e that mllttary and m a l c o d e r s cultivate h ~ d ~ b i w~th p s the gwenment of Tnrpoint, even if their privab lqdtiee Bttach than to another moon-state (sea 'Cmnmnnwealth Defenses'belowl. The paopl~ of lbrpnint, once &bitan$ of a h t DF& colmy named Marglow, have experienced the greatest drrvelopment and c h q e of ell of the b a t h populations. 'RMpeople of the orb$d Marglow were hown for q u i e t inhspectbn, not Unwre the people of Bodmh In the lest century, the people living in the dty of Afterglow and its atarpml have bacDmR mnre extoveFted and more interested in the polfttd climate of the g a l q around them. MDst Dreth attribute the change to an affllclion that has shuck all Commonwalh aodety to some axtmk the abandonment of the q u e s t for a more vieble intarsteltar sod@ in which the Drath can live alongaide people of VeriDUs s t e l l a r nations. hstmd, the Bath of lbrpnlnt have grown more interested in a purely Beth-based rslationshlp with nearby s y s t e m . Over the years, U has always basn the people of lbrpolnt who have agitated for the expansion of space under
~~OnWsd SWW&@f. th

rent seven? Untll recently, the possibility of comprodse on this m e was low; of late, it's more Illrely. Currently, the Dreth Commonwealth supports coloni~s in the Tarsis and the Gilex qatsmn, with plans to expand I$ sphere of Innume. In some sense, t h e deslre to expand emerges from e compstltive spirit The Dreth quest for perfacUon didn't fail to Consider the kU@lUg n a b Of F i V h S between peaph, settlements, and nations. Since mod of the most powerful nations of tha Verp-the Regency of Bluefall, the Common Council of Alaundd, the United &on %tR, and others-demonstrate thalr power through expansion, so must the Drath Commonwealth follow h e i r example if It wantu to be taken seriously 88 a power in the region. The people of lbrpoint have been at the forefront of these new colonization attempts. The Ltquid, one of the Dreth cruisers that has hiatnridy given loyalty to Spinner and lbrpoin\ is the only miner to leave the Dwvi star -em on re&r patrols of nearby star systems. For months at a m e , the tlgufd disappeam to watch over settlemen$ that would otherwise be largely undefended aqalnet the adVEllCe# Of Cl%&& CW UnSaUpllhB h"erS SRRldng to copbnl 3 system of their o w n e t h encourage dslthrough the Afterglow starport. The b tors and merchants arriving in their space to StDp at the port to regiElter their vessel's presence and dear customs. Each moon-state has a small staff aboard the port and has the authorlv hsre to offer viaas and passes to poinis in he system. All the typical mnverdences of a o tm center, Concord chancary, and c u s t o m center are onboard.

THELI~RQLOW Surrlwm M o s t of the traffic into and out of the Dewl qatam comes

The Commonwealth shava n!a of in the DBwi ayateq but Altte Spinner (Hf/Dreth/DTO-Ei]has pushed for numerous colonization attempts in nearby star
systems. The cost of serlous effoh to expand makes the rnoomtates leery, and thsre's h y s the question of how to admWster the new colony: Will e single moon-state rul~ the

GWYDION
A common msdum-aked gas giant, Gwydion poaseeses a gas doud of hydrogen and helium in Its outer layas, water and ammonk in Its lnnar layers, and at Its depths e moltan

colony, or Win the C o d have sway?WiU additional colonies expand the recognized moon-states beynnd the cur-

TABLE 4: CARIDWEN'S MAJOR MOONS

Bmlmh
clagsz

Caridwen

R2 (16r d w k ) A2 IN2, 021 P1 (04a h ] H2 (180 0

42.8

G1 (0 73 g l

0.24 ALl 6 270 km

32.1 ho& 1 3 . 9 ' 1.07

daw

L0Uent.n Candwen class 2 GI ( 8 4) R2 (13redwk) A2 [Nz, 021 P2 ( 72 a b ] H2 (16" C) 0 37 AU

m
Caridwen

7035 h 83.2days 3 . 4 day5 22.4" 1.18

F i 3 (19ran/day) A2 (Nz, 021 P1 (031 a h ] H2 (-5" 0

0 74 AU 7380 h iii days 15.5hours 4.30
0.97

Qms 2 62 (0 96 g]

:APACITORS

MATTER?

rolled out of Dreth assembly lines. "After a l l , ' quoting one Thuldan legionnaire, 'can a more developed rifle do more damage or shoot farther?' The answer is no. But improved weapons do promise longevity and reliabdity. Dreth capacitors increase the clip size of any energy weapon (personal, ranged, or heavy) by 100%. For example, armder d e powered by a Dreth lanthanide capacitor can fire sixteen shots before decharging, instead of the normal eight. In combat, that can mean the difference between running empty or shooting the enemy. If nothing else, it saves the effort of frequent reloading. Similarly, a Dreth accumulator (1 dwab&ty point system) aboard a starship can retain a charge of 20 power factors instead of the normal 10. Unfortunately, few Dreth shipyards still stand A small, privately held shipyard on !des builds a few scouts and traders every year, but mostly does just repairs. Of late, demands for Dreth tech have led its owner to build a few dozen capantors every year for off-planet construction, but the design plans and engineering techniques remain a Dreth secret As for reliabiliM Dreth capacitors are much less likely to fail. If using the 'Weapon Failwes'de (see Chapter 3: Gamemasters in Action in the Gamemaster Gd..], ignore any result of 'Jammed' or 'Out of ammo' for a firearm powered by a Dreth lanth cell. Similarly, in ship combat, if a system failure targets a Dreth accumulator, allow the compartment to make a second durability chedt; with a success, the system failure is ignored. High demand and the diminished number of Dreth manufacturers have raised the price of Dreth technology. [ultiplythe clip cost (or accumulator system cost) by five times.

A few of the more careless soldiers and mercenaries of the Verge mocked the sudden interest in the technology that

have nsither a crushing gravity nor a high density. Long ago, such cloud layers were a popular place for crlrrpnals and pirates to hide. The &engh of a N e d Dreth MV,today augmented by occasional Concord presence, has made Gwydlon considerably lass appealing as a hiding place.

DYLAN
Sornetlme in the last thousand years, 111 interesting cosmic event-a collision wit Id, cornet, or wen one its minor moons. Since then, the planet has been surrounded by a cloud of dust and ice that is slowly coalescing into a ring system In another few hundred years, hlan will possess rings as developed as Saturn's or even famous Callin's (in the Borealis Republic's Agralne sptem]. Then, h l a n may be a fashionable t o m stop or image for poster producers everywhere. For now, Dylan remahe undeveloped

muchllketheSp~inthEals$m,thedmld~ had suffldent -tu attract much of h s p h a r e , not eventhe mmpamthdy t t h onas Bmund typical [3ass 1 m d s . Wtatmrmatker mi&haw bearme an strnosphere inetead iiw in a thhlaym of water andmethane ice on the rnckyplanet's surface. Thb, and the dust the m o m has mlleaed, form a lapr several meters deep, w w b g much of the planet

BRAN
The flfth of five gas g i a n t s in the system, Bran barely makw the grade. It stands just on one side of a critical graviiy baraly able to retain a hydrogen atmosphere. Forhmately for Bran, the solar wind is considerably weaker out in the distant reaches of the solar system, dowing the smallest of Dewi's gas giants to preserve its status. Of all the gas @ants, Bran ts the most Ukely to see mlneral prospecting someday. Its relatively low ratio of common gases (hydrogen and helium] to r e m compounds makes it an attractive target for someone to develop.

Some outsiders speculate that t h e Thuldana may well leave the Dreth as they are-friendly allies-and move beyond this edge of what's generally considered the Verge tu w a n d in a new direction. I f that is true, a starport here in the DBwi star system could be an advantageous tool for the Thuldans to embark upon their exploration. It would

l'hddans mahtain strong ties to its sucwsmr state. Moreover, with all the generosity that the Thuldan Empire haa shown to the Commonwealth, the Dreth Coundl could hardly refuse the request of a Thuldan ambassador to rent the uae of Pwyll-at a contract rate of several trillton Concord dollars over the ten-year span of the lease. In February the Thuldans began cowtructing a superport, capable of refitkg and repaking capital ships, at Pwyll. I b allay any fears, Dreth inspectors and obaervm will have a permanent statlon at the PwyU starport, able to watch and report on the comings and going of Thuldan

The reason why the Dreth Commonwealth leases rights to Pwyll,of all places, to the Thuldan Empire eeema clear. The most constant of the old b e t h Commonwealth's allies, the

PWVLL

d w and M

d t q Cl'aft

a h repreeent a slurdflmt chanue in standard knpsrial prrliacal doctrlne, which for years has focused on Bxtending ita contml of the Stellar Fhu and the core of hum-, rather than expandtng 8s borders ihrauuh natural

sland than the cham sla$ of & a h i n t d y Thanks to the indepdnce prodamatIan of 2497, the Dayl sss$m has ramainad whoUy frea of fordun fleets, fomtgn tmops, and wen 'advisors'frmn the Stellar Ring. It cannot, though, wrnplatnly r e m i$slf from their frit&. Trade, f m ons thinu, has meds the stellar nations interasted in dealing with the system. W i t h seven habitable worlds preaent and aavmal &n inhabitants, the manufachukq base represented here cannot be iunnred i t ' s rrdnute when compared to any first or even second world of Old Space, but ham on the frontier Dewl is one of the top ten d a c t u r i n g centera. Moramr, with the collapse of the old Dreth Gmnnunwsalth, many of t$ beat tadrnologies and s d & advanma w e lost, captured or dmlrqwd in a scorchedearth p&cy before they could be acqulred by the Commrmweelth's cnnqum. Drs(h aupmmnduaar technolosy and L$ ofktmt of lenthaaida capadtar tach have kspt their & y DYBT the years and wen today mtpdmn the best that &Mach or any other naUnn's hdwlrias havs to d h

h the ~~mpltadties of DFeth pnlib, r & t m with the a l a r far SaSlSr to Imdernstlrms and other f o r m power^

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSems of the the a a of *e~ f h g &r the ravSecond Galactlc Wac M I&. it eesm rn
&ly that drhresats may arrive in the Verge t h r q h the b e n e v h a of V U , which has o f b d to d e h drive& to cm?ivalq obemn, and Algwnrnn But ire unlorely e VoidCcup drivesat will be seen ham anytime noon A pant fmm the h&ht goVERlmEnt sBBms more m y Many Dreth live in Ensight ~pm, and thq actively atd that nation in oppoahg the further expansion of VoldCorp Innuanc~. Negahtinm CmrtiMe with Insight reprasentativm, but ham racently r&d the stage of 'when' rether tban 'If! By all estlmatsa, the two partlea will agree on a delivery data smnetlrne in latn 2503 or early 2504. As for the Thuldans, the progress of Inseer nagoaatlons has made the h u e moot; Stiu,the Empfre's delegatton to the CDmmonweaHh has made no s e a t that it would be willing to Hnance a & m e t h e e nhauldthe bqahhgwithLLS1ghtfail

Unhttmatelg for the hhebltanta of the Dewl sy8Bm (as well as moat othar system in the Vergm), drlvssat htatlaUon6 a m excepbndly expansha. Spread over the of human-explordspace, C o n c d resources can't tadtle the problem here. 'Ibo much effort was into rehulldtng and

I
'*

ALONE IN THE DARK

Tha Dswi star -em is one o f the many aptems in t h e Verge that does not as yet posaesa e drivaspace canmuni@ann relay atation Communicatlona to and from the sgstern rely on infDtrading starshlpe to carry dl fmnE of data: pmnal m a s s a g e s , business communiques, fiaandal reports, news, and entertalnment. Only in the ram htances-at most, m e or twice in auivanyear-whanthe Lf&buso happens by does the q%hm have full and elmoet tmmedlate access to the interstellar Grid. Almost a l l of the data traffic to the Dewl system c a m s h o r n the Awls q%hm's &weat and Grid. Given the dilepIdatad condition of networks there, the ni!uatton far the DBwi system is gVBn wnm by comparison Tha Dwtqaimm, like meny othm, has appeaiad to the GalacUc Concord to construct a drhraspacs crmnunicatians

preaence to encourage nwcDnfrmdatiDnel powth and excharge. An embessy has bean opened on Ferrand, the fourth moon of Amasthon, c-nang ita gPowlnu -e as the capital and leader of the sewn CO~IIII~S. For Brian Coda, t h e placement of the embassy demonstrates that therest ofthe galaxy cnnnidarahimthe de factoleadar of the New Dreth Commonwealth. h u c h as the rest of the galaxy cares, hta presurnptton may be correct Even so, e well Concord Blzlfidal envlmnmwt has bean cmnpletsd an barrenand akks the wwnd m o m o f Amadwn Thfg follows what seems tub are& hmd of the hncord to &abM a d foothold in Vag ~wh&mronap~nmm,or~atatlonAsin therest ofthe b , the CDFmrd 8$1ionhmw !a mtnnmmm m d at a & dlstanca immthewd-populatedcdonk lh Concord tlauaenies manly a fmvvedaintha system, and thesa ars mDsup ccuritlrs and kensptir$. Most of the time, the dInngEst OlnCDrd lntbry p m e n c a in the qmtmn !a a e m t or an w d d w w d , and wen thesa atay n d y long EmDughtoredurrgethafr B t e F r m v e s a n d c m m n m mwfth

As l~lswncord has twunuauy oennao me n u m tu &rnattanelralathnainthe Dawisystmq i t h also h r g d a

km,

I
RWl@)'

mads 6bVthSD have availshletarrkwytobargain m.lbmakls them e c d u y m, ~vanlaaw~mmtofthe~ntarac~u~withthe~to and ~ a sthalr . irdersste Anothar taak fur Admfntstrator Was Is to the VoidGFp sxecutlvw daty o f all visitors to the Dawi system, Arriver or Verger. ble, VcddCo The Concord ie the n a t d agancy for travelers to ea& bayon r e b e or aid tu the want of a dispute. The m e t difficult red came to date involved the exh-adtthn of a VoidCwp drawnnore Ehpl~~ who p had the tameritq to leave hlmsd vulnera- b h s . bla to h t h dtlzens and their gDvarnment
haW b w E&d,
Of

and m a t

the at&

ll&M

STELLAR NATIONS With any chance of really m v i n g tu atailed by the Concord and public opinion, repraaantahs of the stellar nations have had to adopt a different tack aa they hope to exploit the Dewi s y s t e m and tts lnhabitante. Indeed, moat h w e in the s y s t e m represent small indepandant corporations from the S t e h Ring, wing about the businese of trading c o m m ~ dto i~ andfmm the Drath in the system. Eventhe offldal repraaentethres of hdgn states seem m e ialersatsd in inhading with ths Dreth economy rathar than steldng any clams of Soverslgnty. Mher fartore beyond the economic one make thta star system interesting to stellar natlrms. Cast off on one e l yh r m c h t n e uncrowded edge of the Verge, DEWI ie a k point for future exploration and colordzatlon-a charactariatlc more often assodated with the Hammer's Star spbm Of c o m e , that's why the CSS has settled here. Thanke to t h e Galacac Concord's inferventton, there has been r e l w little orgardzed acbvity on t h e part of stellar natlm tu the Dewi systsm Plus, as Drath representattw-9 address foreign mWatPra and dds@w they are qutdc to damand racognltlon as represantaths of the Naw Dreth C o m m m a and to demand the recorntion of any previously negotiated agreements. Drath succa~~ in thta regard can I &be described aa mixed. A# tolerant 88 the stellar natlnns ham hem to the thy republic, most haven't been sager to Indulge tu renewed prarniaaa of auppoat, m u t u a l defense, and bade guarantew. If for no other raaam, the ddEg&S of the stellar Ring are b a t h to demonstrate tw much favor to the Dreth &CE it could matB &rder q a e tatlone in pthar Verge cobnlas and gllvenmenta. Thus, the s t e h natlnns have chosen a frl~ndly,helpful

THE THULDAN E M P R IE

Mhly structured space. The

M a & , and exprwsd headd rewste

p o d has little chance of

Thuldans b e
mdr on the Duter shes
dsgadoFs,

Dawi system has y a to becoras dear. '&& pdinlwithth@N~~DrlrthCommonwaalth,whilestilldeny- exsmpltflad wwtn th Drsth thmnw ing any Dffldal rasponsibiltty or obligation. With a d packagee, h b p m e n t programs, and favorable economic agrssmanb, ~tallar natlnns as varlad as the Drion hap,

BDIRI

BA T i m

i rl

est, the Dawi sy5tem has netrar been &on& infhranced by another o f the Verge gwermnen$. Buelnass and trede with AB@, Algemmn, and even more distant Tsndrll haw been stabla for decadea At the samu time, relatlrmsbehrvaan Dewl and mat of the spgtems have m r been pwttcdarly warm. Why have the Dreth and other Vergers hed such a aitflcult Ume g%lUng h the eark days comph is
immcDmpetinginter~of~arnatlrmskaptmany -..le

VI Q I m rertul and pppd81la from any of the ma

UOUU ~

edd status amon# many of the S t a h ndt~render It ImInune to IndepEIdRIlt or recently, the return to the b q a of nation assets-espedally thope of cnntlnued ag~ression in Hamma's Star smd SxtSl'Ud spedes 8pparentiy have inagassd the nsed for d h n s e
~ J as I

m?

B u t

fensive rekg (Me !hptar 4: he VW in the SPARI)RIIR:campatp 1. AB hm been the w e for decades, the b6ckbone of the mkmlntz' by four military cruhrere, m b of the ecmd G d a e t l c W~F. The U & , ths ddsst crash ah a d V e $ r m h d on lbrp&t, t v p l d y @ow8 k Sass0 of LDlleat Meanwhtle both
sy~t

one of the fsw star

w&,

meetkg d e d by the V e p Cwfedaration in rfmponse to the d~strudbn of Hammer's Star-and the continuad cooln888 betwean Dewi and the rest of the Verw is sxplalnad.

' I
i

' I

COMMONWEALTH DEFENSES The other dtsedvantaa that the remota ems

Verge d e r under is the need for organized de armaments and streteglee.

oast only a small defense f c m nummen and wmm, mont of whom double as mnetaba and peace o f f l c e r a The rxuhere also play e Wor role in the internal polltlcs of the Dr&h moon-statm. While they've nwer been in actual military aetlans, the fad that each o f the e e to one of the Dmth moon-states
8xplnM & & I

mar space. CoreUa, for mmple,

hlB cruisers.

andthousandmore
smheyam to take some d w h t i n b&@g a few

unlikely to &E&&

seshsyana, dtlzens of the

Voidcmp,i n turn,has re
e avatlable r a m for s

axchanm of e d d c , mil-

t h e Dretb Cmnmonwedth
affordha them status of mhistem of culture from the state of V&Corp. The tactic is not .;uithout smne mmedic value 8s & infant s-anu are greded as 'Honorahla Mhistee of 14th-CentuFy R and the k . The Galactic Concord apparently hasn't found time to rule on many to believe that it may never deal direct-

ADVENTURE H THESEEHEYAN h l U r O A
As noted in the sfdebar The Sesheyan
way that the bath cast gleeful spte et granting dtizansbip to hundreds, even

the Mtsoms We Dreth state, and has dedded steps to remedytherittuetipnbydsringthe

assault mew to find the seaheyam and

gmund "S8sheyan Railmad' too perilnus to @averse.

such rescued reiugees, these three teered to assist their still-enslaved

only begun. Mer imrsstigatlon, they should begin to

I

I
its protocols, and its endorsament by the Dr ernment, the VoidCorp sesheyan agents ere tion to strike.
I

BACKGROUND

way fmm Tmdril to Dewi.Unbelolownst to the heroes,

I
stops along the way [with the Gamemaster dmfres). Llmvdul until the hreaches TkrEIs,
88

/"

!
I

,
/

I
( I

m t s lheir arrival The W W ' to dock with the EImysrand m e

1
who can datm to be'part of skneihing the Dreth once had,
and sUU dream of.

Nluuncok~~
Galactic Concord and the New Dreth Commonwealth to sign a decade-long lease for the use of the planet Cedros. While the requset ahowledged the relative worthlessness of the planet, it is dear that the NarIacs are &ply desperate for e place to call thel own in t h i s reglon. The Dreth Commonwealth Cound's reply waa swift and &&They immediaisly forbade the of any t in the Nariac colony or government colony COnflneS Of the Dewl Star System or any System reco@zed BS part of the New Dreth Commonwealth. 'The puppets of VDidCorp &d have no dominlon hare,' read the press release. Nariec diplomats q r e s s e d outrage at the accusation and the public means by which it was delivered While not q ~ c t l n much g SUCCRBS, they plan to appeal once again to the Commonwealth, and to the Concord.
LQUID TO DRETH COMMONWEALTH: 'THE P H A N T O MS H I P S ARE BACK" Last w e e k interplanetary travelers heard an interesting call on a public radio frequency. A young man's mice C ~ trough, R and in squeaky and excited re@sters pror h -E

Somaone w l h e radio transmitter dedded to play aniuSgd joka, and t h e government w-d jnvestlgete the improper USB of publlc ChEMElS.

zens, the Nariac Domain made an offldal request of the

Uaimlng an insufferable

forthright and dlrect deallngs with other cultures and spedes, the heal, including AdmhWrator mas, generally exercise e great deal of diploma!lc @&pmtte. That wasn't the case at a Dreth elate diMer earliar thin week, thrDwn at the behest Of RBverd 8RshVan mlnlsters ture who wished to express their thsnks t Commonwealth. Soon after being served, AchWsirator &as became pale and rose Io excuue herself, only moments before CI Lapto the ground, h d y regurgltallng the contents -. sesheyan dining. It makm for spectacular viewing, evedally glven that I t ' s one of very few holnrecor heal, as e local n m outlet put it, 'tossing her %as was taken to a ne& hospital and released later that Bvening h e health AE for the ~asheyans, they seemed sad, but not offended; AdmWtrator Ttres already made the humornun sugge-n that she hopes to by egah, and this tlme avoid the bidngbl firworks.

ADMINISTRATOR T i w NAUSEATE BY SESHWAN CUISINE While many AdmMskatore have become known far the

Located about three light-years away, the W star s y s t e m houses the most populous mtflernent of the New Dfsul Commonwealth outside o f Dewi. Like the other four small sdements set up by the Dfsul (Thorn Malova, Sobel, and Goddard], little attention IS given to the Tarsis system. Arrivers mostly ignore the t i n y system untl a r m c e of note or population of size can be found Vergers have enough to concern themselves with, and t h e I3ralh Commonwealth's rate of growth has languished, concerns about the Dreth kig spreadkg rn a shpikmt arm have diminished Some eight thousand sentients, mostly Dretb, live on the worlds that &t lhts, an M4 star. Most of i h %dwell ~~ on Kliot [G3/FlZ/AZ/P3/Hl], a large, cool Class 2 world thars the best Tamis has to offer of .As early as the settlement of the Dewi q-stmn during the Interbellum, the s y & m drew tbe a u m h of Dreth Dreth forerunners explored Tarsis and Dewi simultanemly.The choice was made to colonka Dswi instead of l W s because of the vibrancy and stability of so many near-Earth m o m . Now, that hiice seems to nrperslng itsell, with the population of Tarsis growing faster than that of Dewi Much of that QT&, though, c o w from independents and unpatriated Vergars looldng for a safe place to maka a new start. Industry on mot is slowly growing. The heavy metals so abundant in the p h d a nvst invite e x p b i i n ~ and the Commonwealth has put out a call, at the bktence of Mta Spinner of Torpoint, for skilled and prnksional manufacturing experts. The move is sure to irritate Arrivers and stellar nations that want more Verge systems as merts for their own goods and as places to grab raw resources, not Verge systems as SOUPCRSof competition.

TARSIS SYSTE

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Especially when it's an artificially generated ignorance, a conspiracy of silence created by sentient minds. Such was the case with Talbott. Only a few months ago, the only people who could readily reveal the star Talbott were a few stellar cartographers and astronomers working in the Verge. Today, thanks to the leadership of four pioneers, that has all changed. hople from Alaundril to Spes have heard the name Talbott and its crowning echiavement, Thorn. It's understandable that Talbott went ignored by humankind for generations. The dull red star, an M9classed dwarf, has little to recommend it. The star itself is only barely worthy of the name. Moreover, none of its planets ere inhabitable. They're light worlds, too; any valuable minerals or heavier elements lurk deep within the I : 1 planetary crusts, making it too expensive to mlne them. All of thaee conditions mede Talbott the ideal lowtion for a secret operatio Neither Vergers nor Arrive came to Talbott, and whi no one was looking, fffl clever industrialists bu Thorn 5uperpol.t Shipyar in ten short years. And no that the galaxy knows of I existsnce, the system w never"be Wd 9 1 4 ! $ $ m f l P 1 from the S d a r e and tl Regency to private entrepr news and pirates wants piece of the action.

expansion. A century later, the Nariace d struggle to cetch up with the achievements of othera After T a l b o t t left his namesake,no one made starfall to the system-or made a record of thair trip, at Isast-for 156 yaars.

THE AMBITIOUS

PLAN

wealthy-mechelus

In 2489,the destruction of the Silver Bell colony in Hemmer's Ster ehpok the people of the hrge. It was shortly after evmt that an enterprising-and

businssewoman named copil Temma put together a plan to build a second shipyard in the Verge that could produce capital-class ships. It wasn't hard to foresee a future of struggle between Virrgrps and whoever had attacked Hammer's Star. This level of tension proved even more true oncE the Arriwrs began to show up after 2497. "'uggle demanded the ttnunmt3 of war, even
,'atbs. In the 26th wn-

. z

HISTORY

aged no return visit to zhr four hop asteroid belt. Thmwwere dozens of colonization or exploitation w i t h i i th

which to build effectively

'.. .. "'.",
,

. . > - ..e, ,:.' *: : ;

',

M wealthy a# % m u mI lave been, she estimated that she had leas than 5% 0. mney she would need to p t the project r o b g and the conatructlon of the Shlpyard~ underway. So % m a began doing SOIIUWI# B ~ R WM already known for: getting invwtmvl and ~ E F ~ I Rto ~ S sham the capital costs and the profits. She began lntervlewlne likely individuals, ho&# private conferences with many of "le rich and famous in the Verge "he flrst pmon h a bro )i Lindeberg.

At the time, hieberg s m d as the VPof Shlpyar Operatlona at Ion Productions, t h e Alaundril-based corpo r d o n that would be Coptl Tmma's competitor. W i t h a single &actton, h a grabbed a brilltant manager and technlcal expert and dealt a severe blow to Scott Wluiammon's company. Deliwring that blow pleased Lindaberg, who had hls own remow to dislike hls CEO. h j i Lindeberg didn't bring more than a cmph of t d b dollars in wets. What he had instead was the h l a d g

rABLE 5: TALBL B1.dnnm Talbott Class 4 GI (0 60 g) R2 (2 redwk) A0 [vacuum) W (0 a h ]

. . SYSTEB
Frml Talbott class 5

HO (-214' C l
1.05 AU 18,740 km 878 days

9.0h o r n
31 3" 0 41

8 21 years 14 2 hours 8 1" 0 16

I
I

r r r m ~VAN ~ ~ DER KADE SHAREHOLDER, THORN INDUSTRIES

I I

CON 10 PER 10 Durability: 10/10/5/5 Action check: 13+/12/6/3 #Actions: 2 Move: sprint 18, run 12, walk 4 3eaciion score: Ordinary12 Last resorts: 1
A l l h
Acrobatics-def 14/7/3 d4s/d4+ 1s/d4+2s Laser pistol' 14/7/3 d4+lw/d6+lw/d4rn '-d4 base situation die

I I F X 11

(01

WIL 12

(01

En/O

L1/0

Ddm~ns

h o r : none

(LI),none (HI), none [En)

skills Athletics [E]; Awobatics [ll]-defensive [14J Zen-g [14J. Modern [ll]-pistd[14h Vehicle [ 111-space 1141; Stamina [ 101-endurance [lZ]; Business [ 12]-corpurate [14J a u t [18]; Knowledge [12]-cumputer [13J languaga: Standard [15h System Operation [12];Tacks [El-space [14]; Awareness [12]-intui17m [15]; Sbeet Smart [12]criminal [IB]; Deception [lO]-bl~iff [ISJ bribe [lSJ gamide [IZ]; Interaction [lO]-bargain [IZJ charm [lZJ inbmidate [lS];Leadership [lO]-cumand [lZ]. This Solar has witnessed every turn of fortune the verge can offer. A decade ago, he called seven pirate &ips his own; a bounty on his head made him more than worth a million Concord dollars-even before the Vergers knew what a Concord dollar was. Yet his personal fortune easi l y eclipsed that meager sum, and after making a !ding in piracy he decided to go legitimate. He paid off certainly bounty hunters, bribed a few legislators, and made a public apology. Suddenly, he was a respectable businessmen w o r h g for Redman-Smith 'hading Corp. Van Der Kade can't deny that Emma has a good eye f o r d e n t She wanted snmeom who could get things done, and she realy didn't need to !sow the details of how it got done. Even better. In the early days, Van Der Kade served as the company CFO; his real job was to keep t h e flow of supplies running into Talbot % * , his job is more nebulous. He's on the Thorn Board of Directors with 5% of its stodr But his real job is to act as the head of a corporate counterespionage unit That makes him the enmy of men like Stefan Galouni Van Der Kade derives little pleasure from his work these days, and he longs for the excitement of a new endeavour. He stays for one reason: Sometime along the way, he fell in love with Copil Temma. He has never told her. But in watching her for five years, he has also divined !met, and now he keeps both hers and his.

CONSTRUCTION BEGIN?

the W supply shtp landed onD&Ue, an aatamid thatwas to s m as the conshcthn team's h a a d p ~ a r h war the

l
x

Human

97% Orion Thuldm

TALBOTT POPULATION 18,878 SENTIENTS

11% 6% 5% 9% 6%

Auswl
NariaC

Orlamu Fltaunmor Solar VoidCorp Concord

Alien

7% Insight 1% Haiire 5% Borealin 6% StarMech 13% Independent 19%

T""
771

8%

Mechalus. Fraal

Sesheym

3%

5% 39% 12%

radiation w u l d p r m prohtbitive to life. With an average temperature hsverlng only 80 degrees a b m absohta m, Hanah ia a frcnen and weless ball of rock glezad &at ITA& heve been an atmwphm.

KOJI LINDEBERG VP, THORN INDUSTRIES

,d 18 human T.eh O p iTR 11 f+11 INT 13 1 0 1 IEX 10 i+ij WIL 9 ioj ON 10 PER 10 lurability: 10/10/5/5 Action check 13+/12/6/3 #Actions: 2 love: sprint 20, run 12, walk 4 leadion score: Ordinary/Z Last resorts: 1
U(PdrS

m i d i E Bledrmnrs, d fmIbswSrairrce lrnd

~DDtncmm~~d.l\lmoet
& 8 1 F 8 ,

BLACKMORE

and W S r B a I i y M dlrerreasDnt0 vl8y

focus on proving the Thorn ShipyaMis profitable. h e 88 aaterrdds have i n common a dark skp, with t h e MB oji Lmdeberg, they say, runs a tight ship. Probably t ngle greatest reason for Thorn IndMes growing sucdun g h 1.74 W awqc None ofthem have an ainmphera, 3 s in the Verge marketplace, Lmdeberg served Ion WhtChiE M t s L l l p m & mnstdarlnethatthe ~ m e e s u r e s lrodudions and Scott Wiamson well-until Copil Temma Lmly 1,000!dlmmtm m % andmdmesses 1 less thanhalf of e ,ea!ized just what an asset Lindeberg was. With years of lunarmaas. Ittakapjwl rn5yeers for an as$rnldkl cornqerience in yard management, Lindeberg might have pie$ w & ~ T a l b ~ ; t apaceyards h e keep ~ p ~ Zen the only man in the Verge capable of g * on the hnaar a b of astmtdsbyorbbg at the re rojed o f the Thorn Shipyards.

k n n a led the Bxpeditinnto focus on the smaller rocka and u t for secrecy, planetoids of the Foucault ABtamid Belt not j but for ease of we. No ship bullt or refit at the Thorn shipyards needs to negotiate the dangars of abnoaphsnr entry or waste fuel acbiwim~ escape wludty. Thorns advertisement to ths Verge makes just such s e h g potnb-bahs aimed hatght at the Alaundrll yards. Foucault Is a fairly dispersed belt without a 5sat deal of valuable minerals or m e t a l s to recommend It Metals can be foun4. hut W m i n l n g OCarrsyetinthe belt. The sblpyards need refined metals and dura&& not raw iron, copper, or alumirnrm orme. h a wants to m d SUJl re5naries somwhe nearby and decrease her CorporeMons dependence on outelda sounes, but for M W she has to

W i t h the dearth of an interasbg planet

THEFOUCAULT ASTEROID BELT

in the svsteun,

mm ch pistol 12/6/3
Infanrar m o r : none

named-brawl 12/6/3

d4+ls/d4+2s/d4+3s d4+lw/d6+lw/d4m

I H

(Lo,none (HI), none [En)

ikik

,thletics [ll]; Unarmed [Ill-brawl [lZh Acrobatics IO]-zero-g Its]; Modern [lO]-pistol 1121; Vehicle IO]-& [llJ land [llJ space [14J,. Stamina [lo]; miness [ 13]-corporafe [16h Computer Science [ 131; nowledge [ 13]-lanpage: Sfandard [Ifi]; Navigation i h Physical [ 13]-physjCs l31-sysfem [14J drivespace I1 f 1fih S y s t e m [ 13l-engineering [ZU]; Technical [ 131 -howledge:sfarship cons&uction [ZZ];Administration +management 1131; Awareness [9]; Interaction IOl-bargah [lZJ charm [lZ]; Leadership [lO]-impire !4].

DEUU
Deline, not tha shipyards, snrwdas home to the first humans to live in m o t ! ,and the loneiy estmdd remains home to mogt vishrs t0 the klbott ayatam that dont wurk $rThOm W R cCllpOra$ hOU&lQ W I l p b X S S heve baeD hllh bib the estemid%chnically*dto masrarddmcw of m h m , thEfI-8 batter kMwn Mw as the moet Ovqlrlced acmdatlrms tnthe Verge. Amom ltttle b i than ~ a mffin andwwl Justas few a m d W cps$ upwards of8400 per
spew and pay about the m e amount-par

nfetd

q l m l e m suwdv -gokUp the ChOIEa b mdh.

But no man is perfed, or can work under perfect conitions. The strain of bringing the shipyards online so ffit, and producing vessels so quickly, has worn hard I Lindeberg. Of late, hes forced into the role of crisis ianagement; not a day goes by when he doesnt have I respond to one emergency or another. Most of them em from Thorn itself, and while Lindeberg could once tribute it to w o r h g the kinks out now hes begun to ~ubt whether hes done the good job he was hired for. :ost people believe that he has; hes the miracle workthat keeps the place going. All the same, hed defi,tely love the chance to relax a bit-or find a capable ;sistant or two that could take some of the workload off oi his hands

ZL.

. . .

Albert Van Der Kade daimed ZeHr as hls annual bonus i n 2499. Since than, he haa reladed hls parsDnal m i d e m there and mounded It with tmms, guarde, and msora. When it cmm to in!m&n~, Zeflr m y ba b e t b defended than the shipyards themselves. Knowing a p o d tbjng whanthq saw it, most of fhe Dther mclm exBcutlves, ld*i$nma WdBrWk mrnrad from Delllle to Z & . Van Iler Hade lilc8s It thatwq tw;hi8 intsF nal sacurtty teams flnd it e a s to watch o m fhe hpurtant company leadere whw thay'm eathared h one piece.

CHORN SHIPYARDS

'i........

I
c

A dlstant gravltk scan or radar pulse of WS aecticln of the system might never reveal fhe shipyards to be awthiq mom than another of the Foucault Belt'sml8Bhapm mcka.

x.

CMAPMAN-CW TRADER Irhnents: 6 D m 24 ver Retlng: a ACE: 1 Mpp Speed: 2 AUhour Berthing: 6 crew

>ant:Plasma cannon (turret] 4/8/16 Mm d6+2w/d8+Zw/d6+lm En(e)/A 35: StEdti7 shierd, Stardrive mmbler Light neutmnlte (0dur) d6 0,d 6 (W, d6-10 ter: Good computer ww,Good dedicated battle, navigatlrm, business, defenses, and sensor computers
Hyparmagnetic angins Mass reactor rated for 10 power factors 5 ughkyears per starfau 5: Security (0dur]
5:

Command

Stedth &nld (2/2) Multiband radar (O/O) Mass &@or (1/0] EM detector (010) Radio transcshrer (0/1) Reentry capsule [O/Ol Aiflodc (om)

srtnrIRp/hl C d deck [O/O]

Engtneerlns

Good computer cow (2/0) HypsnnagWc englne (416) Autosuppart unit (011)

E4/14/7

AdarY

Weapon#
C r e w

Autosupport unit (011)

Stardrive scrambler (1/2) crew quark5 (1/0)

8/8/4

rill,

Autocargo (2l.2)

la p.1. I ~4~BwePfm %e )

cannon 0

4/8/16

Damese En [e] d6+2w/d8+2w/d6+lm

with a steatth sMd and a stardriv~ s ~heratha shtp os or vmere its gdng. AU the tedfnolow do= le& sen the chepmaato those to whrrm the d, bit's abmy q s k m and busy governmmt
3d

BIssessuchthblgs.

listcrtstforths

1 , 0 0 0 .

-&cturine

not lrlcl* WfiahnrRr brlbss or docrequired to hdktaie its p&, is

I I

T A R G ~ C L A SYSTEM SS DEFENSE BOAT

hmpartrnents: 8 4aneuver Rating: -1 :mise Speed 2 AU/haur

Dur: 40 Acc: 3 Mpp Berthing: 12 crew

h e n t : Plasma cannon turret En[el/A h g e : 4/8/16 Mm d6+2w/d8+2w/d6+lm aunch tube w/ 15 missiles (15 PLA) lefenses: Good damage control h o r : Medium neutronite (4 dur) d6+1 [Lo, d6+1 (HI), d6 (En] :omputer: Good computer core, Good dedicated battle, engineering, navigation, sensor, and tactical computers hgines: Induction engine lower: Mas5 reactor rated for 20 power factors lrive: none latches: Security (0 dur)

w
-

Cnaplulmmll

Command

s y . 1 . m@u/Rw) hp Good computer core (2/0) 12/12/6 2 Marginal computer core (O/O)

-2

Engmeering 1 Engineering 2

j-6

Engineering 3

7-9 Weapons 1 10-12 Weapons 2 13-16 Crew 17-20 Crew

2 Multiband radar (O/O) Mass detector (1/0] 2 EM detector (O/Ol 2 IR detecior (WO) 2 Radio transceiver (0/2) 2 Laser kansceiver (0/2) Mass transceiver (111) Good damage c m l ( 2 / 2 ) Reentry capsule (O/Ol Airlock lO/O] Mass reactor (4/"] Autosupport unit (O/l) Mass reactor (2r) Induction engine 15/51 Stabilizer [1/0] Autosupport unit (O/l) Mass reactor [W] I Induction engine (5/5] Stabilizer ( 1/O) Autosupport unit (0/1) Plasma cannon in turret (4131 8/8/4 Launch tube and magazine (4111 W8/4 Crew quarters (l/O] 2/2/1 Crew quarters (I/@ 2/2/1

mis is Thorn's entry into the potentially lucrative system-defense marcel While tensions in the Verge remain high, systems look to defendmg heir own territories. "be Taqeclass system defense boat is designed o fill that need. It is not fitted with a stardrive, but it can be carried to lther systems aboard larger craft As yet, f e w orders have been placed it Thorn, a situation the executives hope will soon change.

Fate never intended the h t h @em for humanity Yet its man and for tha last 167 have proven their tmcity, thak matiVitY, and their CaPdtV for Thdw made the of I h m a t h a re* if not P & @ , home. That's not an uncommon p a r a h of pmgrem in the Verge, but here that m-leggad march thrmtens to trample over a four-lageed destiny. The K a t h system consists Of a sing10 F5 P w St= orbited bu 13 mckv Worlds. InterestinglX none of its many planets attracted much material out of the giant molacular cloud during the early avolution of the system. As a result, they never accumulated the gravity to hold onto tha lighter gases (hydrogen and helium] when Karnath ignited and its solar wind blew the remainder of the cloud into the distant reachas of space. Most of these planet am nothing mora t h a . barren chunks of roc cast a d d in the :-*planetary void, bi

'

tem wma written by the ~ p l o y g e sof v o ~ c o r pThe . of the Intarballurn wara good ones for the cor. poralion: P b f i b had m Wprmedmtad high and rgvmtlea sontimed to rise in naw markets throughout explored apaca. VoidCorp institutad many n m programs and r a y vgnturga a s a result. T&g p r t in the a@oration of the Verge bec&,-,g the p a ON (deleted),who funded numw of unknown reaches of the frontier. D~
years

EXPLORATION The early yews .ofhwnan hiatpry in the Harnath sys-

. tations of success fare high. Long-distance etronomy had revealed dozen planets cire white star, anA -I' appeared tarre! ather than gaseous. U any y n t p had a reasonable harica'of possessing a hab:abb world, b t h did

uniqua characteristic
the now-classic scenario of colonization,aban

it and decided its fate.

resettlementj the history of othen, Such as complicated and unique. From the anthropocentric, perspective, the greatest potential value-is tlers had no idea what th know that tl beyond their : k in the S

santii

The

nath

The VoidCorp team had prepared well They'd secretly observed and fistened to the npedse' NstDms and lan-/ guage. They even wme nose filters. But it wes M use. Despite hours of psychologically tested dialogue, the first conference with a poup d lifeform vex 885792 ended p m Y , at least f r o m the pmpecthrs of M5422 4SnOK, now Chief ExecuavS of the Karnath I)welopmant D M o n . T h dtsplaw of power and descriptiDne of fantasac opportunftim offered by the cpmpanv went e n wd a~ in any

r L

TABLE 6: KARNATH SYSTEM

bani
Lvlnnurn

Gravity Radiation Atmosphere

Pressure

Planetary Class

Dewi

Heat Orbital Distance Diameter Year Day

Axial Tit

Densltv # Satellites

G 1 (0.47 g) R4 (100 remldavl A0 (vacuum) W (0 a h ) HO-4 (400" C) 0.24 AU 5,580 h 45.3 days 198 days 4.90
1.07 0
= + n

class 4

lMvun
Dewi Class 4

Adamnun Dewi

GI (0.63 g) R3 (50 redday) A0 (vacuum) W (0 a b ) H4 (300' C) 0.48 AU 6,812 k m 128 days 34 days 49.4" 1.18 0
Mnchun Dewi class 4

class1 GZ (0.99 g)

cIass1

62 (1.04 01)

Dewi

1.07 0

G 1 (0.47 g) R4 (100 r d d a y ) A0 (vacuum) PO 1 01 HO-4 (406' C) 0.24 AU 5,580 h 45.3 days 198 days 4.90

Class 4

G 1 (0.63 g) R3 (50 redday) A0 (vacuum) W (0 atm) H4 (300' C) 0.48 AU 6,812 h 128 days 34 days 49.4" 1.18

..

1
I
! I

PREVIOUS REFERENCES ine Karnath star system was lnboduced ln me STARIDRIVE campagn semng wth a short descnphon of its hlstory and its two most sigmhcant worlds (see Chapter 4: me verse] The Bhruusil chapter m the Alien CDmpendum accessory provides addhnal lnformation on three species that hve on the world of Bhruusll.the bhruu, the blackworm, and the razorcat Gamemasters and players may want to revlew these references and keep them handy, thffi --%on assumes such lnformation is availP-

view the mlsrdDn as only a partlel succeaa. To be sure, the ,,lanks natural baaerlstlap lt a d d h

rehearsal. The allens couldn't CDnCeal th& awn.y81 whe the &tlE C8IllR bhhd hd word f o r a mobile community, plural a standard ellen Intagretton compact, he No amount of parsueaton could hts

lyq

wtthln VoidCq (which would c o m to c d It treason). More and more of Its w h t Employees gave away secret informatlm and sabDtaged important plans. A s the decades rolled by durlng GW2, aven Voldbrp couldn't remain unaware of data le& and internal strains; a number of h&ht agmte c m u under suspidm Must of them fled to distant c o r n of space as e m as thay felt e cqoratlon's heavy naza. By 2440, h@hi lsiiders d that wan reloca!hg to a distant planet in the S t e k uldn't h a p them safe. So they Matad a plan to thalr r e b e e s fer away, where they could never ha by v o l d c q axkactlon and intmTogatIon l88ms.

k h .

that

the &Id Ilves'

wq had to

&.

and the Kern& star syatemhad a Wod chenca to bemm a new canter of innuence which the mrporatlon c d b d & there no magical pmmpijm to a 2 ' :ank for MS422 45DO& no chance to paFaosl the famous l"95 431w0, creator of the Seaheyan Compact The mfhdve he had lo @ the pliens nnvlda that @Id agrsemmt, whl* would 'mI@Overr demristr* their -lete under h ' and thS @@la reSp8d Of the ?&llerMm. % ehe tried agein. Followinn precedsnt, she ordered the quiet %anCmn"dtha &at moup d naUvw BO they could not mtamhte further attampa. A aawnd darancm ww

COLONIZAIION The Inesara dspartad from VoiaCorp space late in 2448 and arrived gafBIy in b t h a faw months lab. Pcawrvingthe WqUerade Of behf lp'd VoldCoFp EmplOyeeS, the inSrar m aeabd a conventant flm: Mwhe the SEtanS of VCP 8 0 2 4 W could be hsrnessed as s0lcUers in ti-& coslly war. from D r f m blarnw to pmmet m n the deto I E 'W and a source Of dadem Informaurn The reoccupatlon of knm Statlrrn prow8ded peacefuihut h ' E chenges.f l & ! h U with nath'B P O W latlun of the planet u n d w a drama& reved. It helpad that the beers brought plenty of now flltem and botrlas o f &-freshanante-the dscadas hed daw nothing to altw the noisoms odor of bhruu hides. The Ineeers the sweet taata Of the &at Wen communicattons with ' ellen wedes.
~~~

I
i

By most human measurements, the precontact b h u existed in a civilization roughly eqcuvalent to the human Stone Age (E 0). They had mastered fire and the basics o f domesticatmg lesser animals. Without agriculture, though, they resembled a humanity predating even the Stone Age. For the inshments of VoidCorp visiting the Verge, t h i s merited the V M classification, indicating only subsentience. External measurements can't quantify the development and accumulation of bhruu knowledge. With an intuitive reasoning ability that rivals anythmg humanity has to offer, the bhruu hold discussions on the nature o f chemistry, medicine, and asbonomy that place them solidly in the Age of Reason (PL 3). Indeed, among the largest abhaala, the Inseers coming to Bhruusil found signs of a budding economy and a structure of coalitions that eventually became the Council of Ubhruusa.

The +age of the bhruu proved quite accessible to humans and &er spades, and it can be mastered with three sklu ranks in Knowledge-Jmguage @hu). The language follows cprtain ccinvmficms tor names of places and things, though these are slowly decaying Mth the lntrodudhn of many Gatactic Standard words and human names for themselves and their universe's placss. The f o m are snme bask rules. tend to prrmounce vowel-&e sounds for a long beat of two to three seconds. Thus, many transliterated h h m ~ words have double vowels. Individual hhruu names end in -ak.Names for peoples or spedas end in a double vowel. Planet unes end in -un. Bhruu language has 110 'v" or " f ' eounds, h e to the structure of the bhruu mouth. When attempting to pronounce such sounds in Standard,hhruu tvpicaUy produce a"d'or 'b' sound instaed (feeding to
he," 'vine,' and 'fine").

~ N G U A G E OF THE

BHRUU

.
.

: - _ . _ . . . . >WR... . -

__

end laneueee biundars, staahurek m m p d e serhua me% sage. He wamdtha bhrw that thay muldn't Mthe hui@ butthey addn't a h d to a n p the powerlulhangers &her. lhey muat felen lntemt in lcdllin# thin odd mncapt of 'stellar natk~'butdedlne any agresmenls far the moment Now that the bhruu haw learned more about VoidCorp, iweddv from the Inseers decades later. thdve canonized

hother bhruu lagend has garnered interest from h m resident on and visiting the planet Like m o s t legends, it's told among d the abhaala; unllke most, the detalls of this story vary liffle from one abhaal to the naxt The conslstency is remarkable, a w n what good storyttellers and prevaricators the bhruu are. The story tells that when the first lurites [tha bhruu word for humans, IiteraUy 'people of the m o o n ' ) C ~ to R Bhrua the bhruu did nut know how to react. Many of the oldest stories had pradided the possibility of other sentlent life, but also warned that differences between bhruu and nnnbhruu might be R SOWCR of connid. So, when Voidcorp arrived, the first bhruu to see humans nacted hesttanfly h t h R fduwhg days, ac ~ m al euna to thehhq vrslang many of the ahhaale before they had metth~ delegetlon h m V o i d C q . He sp& in the of the bhruu, &ell badly and with many min grammq calhg himself sb5lCrak ('sharp grass). D q l t e hls m u $ l I l us o d gaffeB

~ I D C O RDESIGNATIONS P

for rritlttary craft) and VCT, for

ships in the Verge. e protested the behavior

other sptms for brief tedly warned VoidCorp

fortress shsps of unquesIf the Concord can have

ininternalmamag with other natlons,

al satellites.Asteroids

y wed name may appe

UNzl

fraal

DRZ 65 weran UNZ 97279 t'sa vM885732 bhruu

the subject other than

that prides itsalf on state-of

old reccrds take Utne to be

it hasn't taken VoidCnrp

Irm

discwered, or in some we^ help identified bp a spedw code. Determining each code ts depends on the species' indivi example, multcdular, r on. ' b o factors can be

organisms [A),

and unknown life forms (LIl also have

As

weu, you Can use thesa dwi#momwhensver

other humanoid sentients) and bhruu dont share ltfestyles or common sentiments-yet. The dlffersnces between human and bhruu still seem greater t h a n those of many other sentiant spedas in !amn space, and most of the abhaala live by traditions that havent changed in centuries, out of either ignorance or COMdOuB re)ection of humanity. Only the o c c e s i d scream of a stership or skycar flying above violates the Illusion. On the other hand, abhada living near Kansas Station or other colonies of offworlders seem a different spedes altogether. Thav use tehology extansiwly, cuetam deslgned by frlendy Inseers to fit b h u be&, jam, or horns and be manipulated by foot, tall, or tongue. Theyve larply r e d i t i w instead keeping to abandoned the nomadic t Bhusils tamperete equator where thsy raise crops on farms. Apiculture and mgation have extended what the unification of the abhaala began; an abundance of food and resouma means mora laiaure, culhrrd advancamwit, and wen travel. These bhruu are learning the advanced sdences:subatomlc physics, eleciromagnetlcs, and graivity n w into tha Gravity Age has begun induction. Thair e Meanwhile, the rest of the Karnath system, largely ignored by Insight and Wted only by the bhruu &naghation, haa m s s e d other visitors, both naw and old
VoidCorp executives, wide wondering at the lack of communication with the new colony on Bhusil, did not uncwer Ils heachery d 2496 and the resumption of contact with the Verge. While aboard the Monfinc VoidCorp representatives protected strungly agalnst thla r o w theit of star systems.They had pad for the exploration of the Harnath m e m and the construction of h a s Station on Bhruusil. What right did anyone have to unlawfully seize VoidCorp property? bight, in turn, made if clear that thousands of Inseers lived on Bhustl, which representad its largest colony in the Verge. To fordhly remow cplonlsts who had been living there for the l a s t 50 yeara would be reprehemible, given the Concords effltude toward self-determination. Undersecretary Michaal T h a p made the call for tha Committee on Verge Integration. B h d , he concluded, had bewme a planet of Insight in accord with the in& pendence of Insight r e c o w e d by the Rem of Concord However, since the rest of the had M development by Insight, VoidCory preserved i$ more general claim. b i g h t ratained only Bhruusil and the free right of psaeage in and out of the Bvstsm In addition,Iuaight had to pay reparetione of over 100 miUlon Concord dollars, adjusted for the inflation of many yaare. The arbitrated agreement made M one happy. W come, VoidCorp refused to recognize the independence of h i g h \ and Inseers on B h u d were apprehensive about the appearance of VoidCorp vessels in the ayxtem. Some crit-

RETURN OF THECORP

ice of Thayne observed that il m i g h t have been better to grant ownership of the system wholly to either of the two stellar natirms rather than leave Karnath divided end a source of future struggle. While not ecatatlc with the results, VoidCorp took what it could get. Ships sped toward the b a t h -ern and immedietely began patrols to demonstrate VoidCorp owner&@ ( to harass Insight craft). Swn after, a development taam arrived and set up operattons on Lheerghun, the fifth planet. Just ovar twcl thousand VoidCorp employees have relocatmd to the system since 2498. I b everyones surprise, the last two y w s have passed wlth ramarkably few confrontations between Insight and VoidCorp in Karneth A few VoidCory & @ s capteins bluster and bully h Q h t vessels into r a n d o m inspections, and a few computer systsms on Chearghun mysteriously fatl on occadon.For two stallat. n a t i m that ofim seem to be in a state o n has astounded even of undedared m,the low-keyW Concord obeervers. Some credit the peace to a p o k y of reform withtn VoidCorp.Others say that leaders o f both p a r ties, especially the condliatay Planetary Adminbkatoc Heoren DeValk, haw been fmed to deal with the unpleasant f a c t of each others mistarm, and the difficulties of m g a colony l e m no t h e for ~ a s t ~ h connia d Om oplnion m athlbutes it to lrmgstandlng tradition: Insight and VoidCorp worked together in the pa& and in the right drcum9tances the two could Stlu profit h each other. Only tlma will tell. Karnath has slipped h o a h the Concords grasping hgars. With resources siratched so tlghtly awom the Verge and its many growing star systems, the Concord has found it imposslbl~to devote the neceeaary expanditurea and parsonnel to every place it might k a . In Karnath, for example, Concord Administrators recommandad the CordrucUan of a permansnt base and frequent patrols of the m e m ;diplomats who feared turmoil here agreed But it didnt happen. Even the good offices of Mlchael Thayne can pry only eo many Concord dollars loose from the Gala& Consulate, and Dther commitmen$ in the Verge took precedence. As a result, the only OW Concord pranence here for the last e w d yeam has been a singls Field Adminlskator. At present, this is Chae Soon-bok fHNConcdDCS-6). There WM t h e short viait of fallow Admhis!~atnrM e n Grant and Dr. Aiusz W a s d w their survey mission, aome three years ago. Rumor also holds that a number of Concord InvaaUgetlve Bureau (CIB)agents work in the system. The Cmmd mteslon in the Hprneth spbm is obsarvatim Without additid aaaata, ifs all that -@ator Soon-bok (and the CIB operativae, If they exid) can do. She has eight years of qeriance under her belt as an

L...- _.. H E

CONCORD

ring it to . . . - .-Uon worlds k e Catslog, Earth, or nearby Bluefall and Sues. that statmnent mi& be hm, but not when considering-the rest of our galaxy's plan&. Bhruus~l IS one of the few worlds where man and women can walk freely wihut the need for any technnlogy

human settlers. Within 20 degrees of latitude, though, that changes. whters canditlons are inhlereble, with temperaturea avaraeg 5 0 ' C. Iha bhruu, with thetr thwt coata of hair, can tolerat~ these wiut~rs "hay have been ]mown to surv~vein polar weather as cold ea -100" C for up to a week at a tune, h w h they don't appear to enjoy the experience. Indeed, they took pains to explatn to the Inseers that b u travel thousands of &meters with the turning of the ~ a e ~ not a ~ because of the cnld, but In search of fresh g r a terrlto~ ry. I t ' s B h r u d e long orbit that lets them mow m s 8 the planat a! all between ssa~ons. The WgMPam of B M - I M ~ Ypsdand~, thanks to a rather high gravity and bht ratnfaU-b n u h e c t to

to to rial remn mjow summem sadly tolsrated with only the flhdest clothing. The wjnters there are freeling and expose the unsheltmd to some risk, but temperatures don'! reach below -30" C or so-aady tolerated by htdy

h given the planet'e median temperature of 11 'C, ~ t a

1
I"
I I
I

path drews the m e t a n ~ r yrmnwh fmm the Coundl of Ubkuusa. A f e w ubhruuaa haw wen thrsatmed violenca.

out; mDst of the p W e rain falls in itu equatorial maas. Ire elso sub@ct to nwrgrazing, and ubhnrusa tradillPnaUy spend much of their time monttorinPlg the condltton of the mmaudrq lands, s d n g out patrols dozens of kllometerS frpm the main body. m c u h x e and light indushy we changbg same of them tradltlrms (see below), but terrdcmlng of$m the greeted oppprtunity for -e, probably Wth e p a a alteratirm in Bhrud'e orbit m r the c o m e of decades. Another form of terraforming Is aiready in prograss on cheargh!m, and BVW liberal-minded Inseers occaeionally raise the lsrnte in publtc dobate and when tddq with bhruu. Of d the polidetl that Insight conalders on E h d , hanging tha p W s natural

'*COUNCILOR"MEENH A~~AAL
CON 15 PER 8 Durability: 15/15/8/8 AcUon che& 12+/11/5/ Move: sprint SO, run 4 4 walk 6 # A c U m : Reaction score: Ordlnary/2 Last resorts:

D M9

m 12

[+I1 (0)

INT 11 WIL 13

I+21

[+I1

Altda
charge'

14/7/3 Zd4+ls/2d6+ls/d6+lw L I ! 14/7/3 d4+3a/d4+2w/d6+3w L I ! m a 14/7/3 d4+ls/d4+lw/d6+2w L11 9mm ch plstol 9/4/2 d4+lw/d6+lw/d4m HI/ ' M u ~ l r u nat hast 10 meters to c h m p M a y make one trample and one $ 1 1 attack par actinn; tail can OILY targets behlnd and wllhin a 2-meter radius.

hmplez

Tnc ABHAALA
DaspHe the lIlgllSiona of humanity, hhrrru sodel orgenlzhtion hasn't changed mu&. The mod elgnlfkanl aiteratirm c ~ m in e prahbtoric Urnas, when the bhruu moved from the marhu'u-basad atruchtre to the abhaal 8Vsten-1. ir Bight to tun de Eaeb yew, an ebhaal aite in crm to elect its ubhmus. An Pbhaal'e 81 moot comas at t

Dd.mn

Armor: d6-1 (LlJ,d4-2 (HI), d4 [En)

Unarmed [12]-hrawl[l4]; Modern Flanged Weapons [! Movement [lS]-traffhlazfng [17]; Stan& [15]-endwmce [lq;Knowledge [ll]-mmpufer (1: lgvuege:Bhruu [14J language: Standard [14L. Syste ration 1 1l ] - c o m u n i c a ~ ~ [14J. ~ s Admini&& -bureaucracy [f4h Awareness [13]-fnluition [li we [ E ] : h h u [srl, etlquella:Cnncord [t xuw [ai-ultarvlew [iaL. ~eadership(81.

skitl.

; I

The legendary figure of Sta among the bhruu.Humans do a s p e d senrlce to an ab

- - -.EClAL

HoN-..

annual c o d , during as members. They can exp protection when h t e the grafns when sick. One u n f m t e consequence may be that the ahheel's enemies and competitcin become the new member's enemies too. Fewer than a hundred humans have e v ~ f been so chmm by an u b h u s . The most basic instances have involved resming an abhaal f r o m s e v m weather, plague, or famine.More s i m t l y , some of the i n v e n m of bhruu-capable technology were e d d y rewarded with this honor, as were the architects of the Amughu fiver plain's irrigation system. In accepting ! h e honor, a n d h r u u is thencef addressed by bhruu with an -akenclttic attache his or her name. No nonbhruu has ever en lead a marhu'u, although a c e r m y as spectators. In rare nonbhruu abhaal members have partidpated in murid discussions, medab those erlna an abhaal's split

bhruu or marhu'u-are som

Bhruu cyberlimb [Ordinary)~; nanocomputer ( 0 h i d COKEI

ghruu T~cimology' for

g m ; wirsles~ NU&
details.

Meenh abhaal Is unique for its embrace racy as well as its interest in the greatw among the stars. Implicit in this h a c k is a wi!hgnne! to innovate on the tradiiional bhruu sodel akuctm. i t ' s not surprising that femefes ipate more hdly in the a W s Itll be some time yat before the Nee& h c t a fama ubhruw, but when that day cmnes,Lheesmak would be prime candidate. InquMive and unwillingto tion as an excuse for faolish behavior, sha pokm voice in the ebhaal's weekly rnesthp. Her lai ict has made her less popular among the e s t a b W in the commttnity, though, so & e ' s eager m , d her own horizons until the 'cha@ug of the guar1 She spends as much tlms as she can Meningto CDnCm - - - m u n i c a ~ and watchiq halovtds, and would l a ing more than to go into space and see firsthand tl ders of which she has only heard
q e s

.""

I-

ed the 'new ways' are m o r e reslstant to predators and are smwing m y The result: a population explodon Over the laa 30 years, these abhaala doubled their size every decade or so and broks into pleces at an equal rate. Rarely, an abhaal may split due to internal connia or a dash of p e r onalltles. The exposure to new ideas and new opporhIIIlties 186made this sad event more mmmon in the last 30 years. Slowly, this rend is reversing. The need to divide was Jnce dictated by M t e d grazhg grounds and the loglstlcal challenges in moving several thousand bhruu together over long distances. lbday, with greater food supply and communicatim technology, many abhaala have grown without the need for division. Tradition dictates that an ahhaal split when exceeding about 10,000 h u ; now, the largest of them, Kaanh abhaal, numbers over 30,000.

Roaming far from the modern ideL __ the Kaanh are the baditionallst attitudes supported by the Luunh abhaal. The hunh wander over Bhruds surface from the tolambla dimate Mis in the extrema south to fust north of tha planetary equator. Without the permanant hwne e n f w d by the Kaanh abhaal, the Luunh have only a helf-dmw m~dset campsttes to call thah own-thosa and all of the gmlw grounds that hlstnrlcally have been thnbs. The b h u of Luunh ahhaal mn't radtcale or t a r r m , nor are they nao-LuddHw of any !dnd. h ! h the ubhruw

LWNH

When humam say "the ahhaal,'

r--

-NH

-----

--.

of a few abhaala who follow the ways, WUW& (Om/Independant/DCS-4,) hasn't forbidden h@ bhruu from using Inslght technology or cyber p a r ,Indeed like mod ubhruusa with an interest in planetary poMcs, Bahluurak has undergone surgery to implant a BubdeTmal c o m u n cations l i n k under his mtghty jaw. Perhaps because of the Luunh'e mndaratirm and its raputatton as an energetk abhaal with a young leader, tha conservative ahhaala allow Bahluuwk and the Luunh to act as t h e i r voice. It helps that the Luunh ahhaal's grazing lands on the Heerhil plateau have become the subject of dhpute between Insight and the bhruu (see 'The Heerhil "below). Privately, Bduurak has littla I m for humanlly, despik the hbgs they have done and can do for the bhruu Meetings with Planatary Administrator DeValk have convtnced him that t h e Insem, for all their t a l k of an e h t ened and free future, are j u s t as territnrlal and competltiva as the rest of t h e stellar nations they daim to deplore. On t h i s distant little corner of space, it's hard for Bahluurak to distingutsh betwaen the f~Iendiy parmtap Insight offers and the absolute dominion that VoidCorp is kmwn for. Aftar all, once the b h u give up their somignty to a f o r eign state, who h c n o w s what will happen? Tha bhruu have little enough say in the g a v m t of their m l d now, and as Insight citizens they'd l t k @ have lass.

'

ipend their lives surrounded by humanity and its wondersvhtch are no longer wonders to them.. Kaanh and human armlands along the Amughu river have grown to overlap. Wdren of the abhaal are taught by both humans and rhruu in the uses and advantages of technalogy. W e still r o w ,many of them choose to install N U a h and other tern of cyberware (see ghruu Technology' below), all to ielp them batter learn about and deal with what their i h u s , Raahlak, c& 'the future of the b h u , for better n worse." Because of its &e, R a m has instihtad some unconmnttonal methods to govern his abhaal, unprecedented in its long history The seven females in his personal marhu'u \eve become hls lieutenants, referred to as 'sububhruus' n a combhation of Standard and Bhruu that's common iear Kansas Station. The abhaal's annual councll in the par followlng his dedsion saw a close election, but none iince. Contention between the mates, or bLrtween their will md RaahlaKs, is n m allowed to become public-hey peak with his voice. The Kaanh ahhaal is one of the oldest,tradng its genealigy through stories that reach back to t h e legendary times of Luumak and Aaleemak. Despite the abhaal's obviously liberal leanlngs, its ubhruus commands a great deal of respect in the Council of Ubhusa. It doesn't hurt that the Council m e e t s on Kaanh lands. While intellectually aware that not all bhruu are as opennhded or liberal as those of Kaanh abhaal, Inseem can i d l y forget that elsewhere Mruu have different, more mmrvattve ideas and f o l l o w the andent ways without change. But here, near where the humans live, b h u of Kaanh abhaal seem like Strange relatives, much like the fraal or mechalus, intelltgant friends in a lonely cosmos.

hanh.Not only the largest by population, the Kaanh ahhad ms the most contact with outsiders, both humans and the h e r sentient species of the Verge. B h u of the Kaanh

e referring

to the

WhlletheKaanhr uunh I d i f f d from one another, they fall easily w i t h the range of &andads set over the centuries. Inalght observers, alwaye known for their perceptfve if @r!q eye, point to the M a d abhaal as a model of the poasible future. The Meek broke away from the Chuunh abhasl (see below) thrae years ago, creating a fourth ahhaal withln the heady farmed region near the jolning of the Amughu and the Gheemee rivers. At only a thousand bhruu, the Meed i s one of the smallast abhaala on h d - b u t that's up from around five hundred at its start What makes the Meenh abhaal unique is its embrace of human-atyle politics. Aageeak, its u h u s , has become known for contlrmd y seeking the opinion of hls bhruu when maklng dedstons of algnlficance. Weekly "town meetlngs'have bacome

E N H

iIi
'
I'

i f
i , i
1 %

Bhruusll Planetary Map

FAUNA

The B a v d of tall pans d l ~lawudea provide mtenence to bhruu and

b
E W I

to

TheFe'a M shor@e of predators and parasites that rely on e herbores in a m e way ar anoh. Throe n a t h sped= haw epecld interest to outrddars.

Environmsnt: class 1 G R A P H GZ/RI/AZ/P3/H Encounter Chance: Possib G m p Size: 3-12 (3d4) Organization: Flock Niche: Carnivore Intelligence:High-order animal a

uawl, and ita w w e

HEAVENHAWK GAME DATA

STR 7 (d4+5] DEX 15 (d6+11) CON 8 (d4+6) Durability: 8/8/4/4 Move: walk 4, fly 60 Reaction score: Goo&
Attacks

INT 4 (Animal 8 or d4t.j WIL 14 (d6+10) PER 2 (Animal 6 or d4+41 Action check 17+/16/8/4

SAS

STAVON

Talons Bite

15/7/3
10/5/2

d4+2s/d4+2w/ d4w/d4+2w/d4+4w

LI/O

+3 resistance modher vs ranged attacks +2 WIL resistance modifier vs. encou h o r : none (LI],none WI), none En]
..

~~~~

. .

SkilL

Athletics [IO]-climb [ l & Acrobatics [15l-fLght [ZUJ.

Stealth [15]-shadow [lq,sneak [lSL Awareness [14]-intuitiop 1l.W na lnva e [14]-tracJ

!ment [E],

inn 1161-

l i s BIG SECRET m a diseasa that runs rammany areas of t h Stellar ~ Ring: He Isn't what he pretends to be. Fifty years ago,
Id DeV& had been assigned
its independence; Isate was one of the many worlds that flodted to its banner. U h o w n to DeValk, the Inseers there had planned the m m for years, and

career bureaucrat, had no real a dangerous revolt against his for-

somehow with more

l a n d bhruu WE daaer touether than ever, and in this t rtles have something yo be prrmd I
L

r-

P
?

of disorganization. M o s t Verge inhabitants enjoy a rather independent axhitsnce, and that regional effect d y exaggerates the anarchlc tendencies of Inseere. Bhruusil is an exception. Planetary Admintstrator Haoren DeV& chosen for his demonnlrated competence in the f life Stellar b g , is old m h to remember the skict way o under VoidCorp. While his @le o f govmmlng hss nothinu on the draconian syetem of the megacmporetion, it i i rdgnificantly Werent from the free, h s t anarchic way into which Inseers of many Stellar b g planeta haw ssttlsd. At present, around 100,000 Inseera live on bud, along with a few thousand other humans and non-native alien sentlents. No standhg legisletlive or representative body exists on BhruusiL Gwsrning such a small population follow a simple munidpal-style organization. Haoran acta as administrator, ta!dng his cuss in lewtion and legal affatrs f r o m Ineight itself. Most governing on B h r u d happens within the Grid'# discursive pathways. The moment an Inseer has an idea about a new way to do somethfng or, more o h , disapproves o f DeVawB exemtlva decisions, anyone in the system can read his or her statement in moments.An entire IegIslaUve session's proceedhgs can be compressed into a sinb day of argum~nt, counterarw e n t , and rebuttal. And without the slownsss of interstellar communications, conversation and dlsputes can be resolved quic!dy [wanif not to everyone's satiafactlon).

In practice, while any h e r [or wan an A m h r or Verpr) can add to the pubhc debate, mDst don't take the tlme to read emyfhhg, muchlsps comment Faverthan a hundred seniten$ a m rec-d 88 r e & ctmmanMorn, each withhis or hac ownemall body of adhamts a n d h . Thus, wan t h e PlanAdminielrator can't ignnr~ anderaus speaker on a whim; much of his tlme must be apant rallying his own suppnrtara or mollifvine t h oppcliiltlmL ~ While they have no offldal mls, these a n d crftlrs bridge the gap betwsen jDurnallst and Bmremment functionary Indeed, many of them have anme powitbb the admh!&atiive bureaucracy on Bhnnull and fake orders f r o m DeValk-wen 88 they poat their ophlor~ for d l to me e moment later. It's qutt~ eaay to create sn unreel% tered shadow program to deltwr the Insem's b#hg prom while t h e author basks in b h f d namdaawess. The worst case for DeValk is dealing with them anonymous a m
wi

StarUrg in 2500, a group o f Inseem began a ea& of damning comment&e on the pnlldss of the DeValk admhishtion. Obvious bhruu sympethlzsre, the "RRelw Dudts' [ao known for thek Grid shadowa) mica StFenUDus objection to the 'obessdm with exphilation' d thn Iuaight government on Bhruusil. Mom and more of the plrmet is

many & o r b end say, Tlnd what you need there:

ERGHU

j!
i

'

Phase I of the projact released dozens of tailors microbes, many still in some stage of r e s a d and tent&, into the planet's ahosphm. Mast of them died immediately. A fmv of the sodium-basad microbes, though, bonded with chlorina to form salt and reproduced geomatricdy.The microbes, whose cdlnatlon is now sealed as propriety informationby OP412's division, haw already reduced ths hlorlna content of Cheerghun's atmosphere by almost hal' ialt, the chief byproduct, litters much of the planSUI face lika a thin layer of e m . C m t estimates hold that within three years, t h e last of the chlorina will be gone, leaving Cheerghun only a shadow of whet It onw wan. The raport describes, in a fooinote, the predidable r e s u l b on Cheerghun's indigmow Me. Extant Me has been reduced by 60%; slightly higher m o r t a l i t y rates among the Bora ME forms should quiddy carry o m to the fauna.Within a yea no native llfe will be present on Cheorghun Some say that the mport is a lie m e a n t for the executhres, thai it's not possible for the microbes to be so successful. M h m agree, but claim the r e p d ~ dupbdty w a s meant to t Inseem on B h d and p r o d them into offa~~Iw LA that VoidCorp could teke to the Concord. A third voice says it's all h e , but w m of unforesam CUIISRWIK~~ from tha uncontrded microbes, clalmiq that chlmlne gas will nniy betha first to fall Salt may be harmless, b u t what of sodium permdde? How much bleach can VoldCorp stand? Only a few people are h a position to v d y the report, and theyre not taWng. Its h a d asserllon~ should be m y to c~nitnnwith a singla ~ ~ & m s h i p or even a telescope based on Bhruusfl. However, patrol craft forbld approach to Cheerghun by any non-VnIdCorp VESEE~.And since 2500, the InsInht admlrWaU.on on Bhruusfl hasn't daesed date from public telascopea that viaw Cheorghm AdmWskstor DeValk refusas to comment on t h e Isnun. M e a ~ ~ h t lStage e, 11, oxygen crust mbing, has bagm on Cheerghvn. The first processing stations have h e a d y been built to release oxygen fmm the crust i n t o the planet'a h a p h a r e .

CHEERGHUN POPULATION 14,092 SENTIENTE

H~~~
97% Onon Thuldan Orlamu Solar VoidCorp Concord 3Y o Sesheyan Mechalus Fraal
RigunmOT

0% 0% 0% OYo 0% 0%

Austrm

Nariac Insight Hatie

0%
2%

97%
83%

Alien

0% 0% Boreah 0% StarMech 0% Independent 1%

7%
ao/o

T'sa Weren

1Y O

1%

half of VnldCorp Employees the syslem. The c o ~ structlon of protected housing proceeds slowly 011 Cheerghun-sdentlfic endeavors have higher priarity than the COmfOfl Of hPhyRBR

the

Beyond Cheerghun, mother sight planets slowly wind around Karnath. Mostly md, Maless, and airleffi rodis, only a few have attracted any intorest. Following traditbn b e a d y entabllshed, the h e e m gave the honor of namfng these distant worlds to the h u , who before technology could never eea them with the naked aye. In bestowing hair namas, Saaklhlak, a formor ubhruw, conUnwd the custom of commemor bhruu legand.
Meachun in the prototypical outer a spherical rock with a dead core surrounded by a thiD l a p of watar and ammonia lea. No one has vialled Meachun since VoidCorp resurveyed the sptm In 2498. M e a w an ubhruus of Kaanh abhaal, was the first chieftain to reach a peacaful accommodamn vdth the humans visiUng E h r u d Raahlak, the currant ubhruus, sometimes gazes up into tha Wht sky, holdnu for the m 1 b l e planet as if 8
I$ oblong shapa, probGhiikuns only m i ably the result of a codslon millennia ago. The bhruu dirtsb a d the planet for Ghllkalg. an intelligent but mjs8hapen bhruu who dasertad his abhaaL
s t d y recefve VMOne of t h e two deso h e , this claes 4 m l d became h u m to a StarMech refuel-

'HE

OUTERPLANETS

tor on Bhruwfl. At presant, it demonstretea d y mlnlport capadty (see &ptm 1: .!&pu&p Hay in the StUShtp accessory). It has no ablhty to repalr capldal ships and can't wen handle mare than a few acoub or light freightare. The sole advantage that the starport enjoy# is being in orbit For ships without induction mgtnes or planetw thrusters (or with crew unwjlling to descand planstelde) lt'e the only choice, and damagmd vassels am often d e r not ratreatbig to a planet's surfece. VoldCorp reapacts the rules of space and the Concord. Any vessel in need of rapaim in the Karnath q m t m can q e d at laast smergancy w e i r s at the starport, up to and indudlng a tractor tow to the &anon.

lng LIUIPOS~ in 2500. A lonely lmle padport Waf$ the arrival of StsrMsch wssds, and three wan lmdhr Btewards put in

II

named fnc her h none of thoee Charectmsth. least on Ruurmun, Inseers mutter, you couldn't d' e m .From e distance, the dusty pay wnrld appeam cairn, but ita cratered sldn says othe
I
UN

I
strang& i n

the event of Bulepmdmt attack (uiminat or pirate) or evm an ornanlzad by a stellar natltln or

Ef8n6lvE

is fairly

/I

i
I

AWENTURE HOOK: MUCH ADOABOUT THE DOCTOR

The gift of cybertechnology provided the bhcuu with the power to share in the marvels of the ZGth-century g M . For good or ill, w~lution didn't steer t h e m into the humamid model that dominates the stars around them.W i t h o u t assistance, they could never really partidpate in a culture forged by and for humans. Technology promises to answer evolution's shortfalls. Fitangly enough, the chief archltect o f hhruu neuralinterface technology is a mechalus, herself a living example of the merging of neuron and sllicon. Dr. Iko Ma, now the chief cybemgeon of Hadrian Hospital, designed m o s t of the bhruu cyber gear; implants based on her designs are the only ones available. In the last few weeks, certain mnts have begun to suggest a massive deception at work. Could the doctor's engineering marvels conceal a plan to control bhruu against their will?
At the last Council of ubhruusa, several attendees experienced blackouts (or c l a i m to have). These ubhruusa say t h a t they have no memory of the events of the Council, although numemu6 obsenrers saw them there, even making speeches dedaring their opinions on various issues. In a similar circumstance a week earlier, a group o f outcast bhruu males led a parade b o u g h Hensas Station, kiddng and bleating all the while. They came and went without an axplanation. The youths denied o s t their partidpation later under questioning; m observers aitributed it to the Mruu's playfulness and propensity for lying. Now the bhruu leaders are beginning to wonder. One thing shared by all these individuals is that they have gone under Doctor Jeta's knife; each has cyberware of the latest fashion. Through a connection w i t h one of the abhaala or Insight bureaucrats, the heroes are approached and asked to investigate the phenomena. I n t e n r i m with the subjects don't prove much; they remember nothing, and physical examination of them or their cyberware reveals that everything is working perfectly. None know of any enemies who would seek to destroy or manipulate them. Ths ubhruusa brought no special agenda to the last Council, and them's no discernable pattern to their activities. Maybe the events can be explained as psychotic or schizophrenic episodes-mass hyshria. Lead the heroes on the wild-goose chase as long as they can stomach it They'll probably become quite frusbated, but before theyre done, make sure they
interview the good doctor. Though she presa cordial exterior, Dr. Jeta reacts poorly. She doesn't want the heroes examining her axperimental data m her notes on bhruu technology. It% pmpriekry information, she claims, and other than flatly w g any involvement, she refuses to discuss the subject This may raise suspicions, and the hemes will have to dedda whether or not to atlempt wme examinetion of the doctor's data against her will-by force, stealth, or duplidty. MeanwMe, Dr. Jeta beglns her own imrestigation, !mowing that the bhruu cybertechucbgy has a fatal flaw. Bhruu neural connections work differently than the mechalus and human templates she began with. I t ' s posslble to manipulate the intafaces that designed to cause a biofeedback loop: ator can not only communicate with the their cybmare, but elso take aontrol of them Dr. Jeta has concealed this i n f m t i o n because she knows the h a r m it could cause the bhruu, and now she know who discovered the secret. At some point the doctor's investigation will with the heroes' own. Together they should be able to locate the culpritan Inseer student at Staahurak Studio who stumbled onto the problem and explaited it for IS own amusement. No malice was intended, and to date bs pranks have been harmless. In the end, t h f s plot exposes more t h a n it solves. The hemes will have to he both clever and lu keep any word of the flaw f r o m going public problem is, both Inseers and the hhruu h f v e adopted have a natural aversion to secrecy. Without that secret, though, much of the bhruu population, especiaUy those dosest to humanity, are at risk of ~lcplaita tion by anyone with a radio and a c bhruu benefit so much f r o m the& cyberw long a6 110 one k n c n o w s of its Achilles' h incident Meanwhile, Dr. her labs, desisning cybe out this flaw.

BACKGROUND

If you need to expand on the state for I)r.Jeta, start f r o m the Amazing Doctor tamplate in chaptar 6: H h e Supporhg Cast in the G m m a s t e r Guide Durmg the c o m e of their investigations, the h e s are likely to

SUPPORTING CAST

encounter technicians, doctors, and students. Use tah Ordimry end Good Doctor and Technician templates in the Gamemaster Gufde. Encounters with bhruu can be handled using the information in the Alien Compendium accessory.

VvWa intsrstellar obserrrers contlnue to marvel at thr, relathre hammy betlveen Iusieht end Voidcorp, the people of the Kamath t r y s h haw local c p n c m that are a n y t h g but harmordous. The bhruu, havine ieluned ths art of w-ar and i$ in&vnm&, Uueetan open mbenion should their world be despotled. Thsn thara's the ubiquttous presence of uncoa$nlIed hseara . . . .
I N E bNOlR fbSlaN!

YSTEM b 0

Long coluurrr~nua popular Inseer, perhaps RVEII owmen to bacnme hutery Admlnlstrator, spsdd Managar b h e La~h has raslgned her post w x p e c t a ~ Without . comment, she boarded a shuttle that would taka kar to ARM and from there to Btere unknown. In a public stabment, Admirdakator DRV& d d , 'It i s with deep rsgret that I say uo&ya t a Specid Manager Len& on behalf of all Bhrwd. It goes w i t h ! sayhe that in wor!dng togsther for the last few yma, WE had become dose frlenda I hope that ehe can work Out her p R r 6 d f d Y issues and that 1c m

Dark rumors m m m d Lenb's redgnatton. According to her dose frtends, ths dedsion comes at a cnmpiale surme.Only a day before she s p h of long-term plans for the c u l m .And why didn't she even atop to say farawell to the peopls 8he h d and worked with for years?
"TWELVE DUCKP CONDEMN
WATER PIAN

E DRETH PRESENCE The New Dreth Commonwealth and Insight are nearing an agreement that may have an impact on Bhruusil's and-based defenses in the near future. In December 2501, representatives from both nations met at an mdisclosed location for a week of intensive diplon iegotiations. The primary topic of the talks was the SLdus of Dreths living in Insight space. The New Dreth Commonwealth, based in the Dewi @em, claims to be the legitimate government and iolitical heir to the now-defunct Dreth Commonwealth, lestroyed by its erstwhile ally VoidCorp in GW2. Dreth erritory was located in the region of space that now ncludes Insight territory. Insight was the second stellar lation, after the Galactic Concord, to recognize the suc'essornation to the Dreth Commonwealth, a move that urprtsed many political analysts considering the soverNignty issue over former Dreth space. Many of these nalysts concede that Dreth assistance was likely key to xiight's independence; Dreth commandos made strikes ,galnst key C31 (command, control, communication, and itelligence) sites during the secession. Even VoidCorp dmits that Dreth terrorists committed "numerous crimal acts of sabotage, assassination, and theft' in support f Insight's treachery. Many of the Issues s u r r o w h g the disposition of the dreth in Insight space are nearing an agreement. Dreth demands that ethnic Dreth in Insight space be given the opportunity to migrate to the Verge has met with supprisingly little resistance from Insight. Once the New Dreth negotiators withdrew their demand that h g h t financially assist e h c Dreth, h g h t resistance evaporated. What has resulted is little more than a token agreement, since Insight has to do little more than allow free emigration. As this has been an Insight legal policy from " i inception, Insight does not appreciably lose any more ian it might have already. StiU, the agreement, should it be signed, symbolizes to other stellar powers the two nations' willingness to put aside their individual interests favor of an alliance beneficial to both. If the agreement is signed, it will mean an exchange assets in the Verge. The New Dreth Commonwealth ..ill gain much-needed computer system upgrades and communication infrastructure development, and Insight --ill see the addition of a company of Dreth light infantry I its B h u s l l colony in the Karnath system. Dreth light i l l and toughness. They infantry has a reputation for & will serve principally as cadre in the development of a ilitia on Bhruusil.
~ ~

'I

.i

For d of the science of humanity and the species it hae befriended, tt'e alarming that a

waterfd 1 1 was whih h and his p6rtnar w m sdmir-

WEE peeed by the ayetam. A faw to tmhnical problems, but mod ret

the edautwdr E x p o d to h S hpd il"EVOCEb1y

her weren companion, made no mentton of .anything EEpECidly note-

~ V the E

chance to sxplore lie mysterious history of @well and its people. edly, their interest is wants to know &ut what the edanweir

WB

i: These statimtiu3 d e c t a nonprofessional e hunter Uvine and workina i n one of O a n d s v

I uaia - L ~ I I W Ioama

(2d4+4] 1NT9 (2d6+2] (2d4+6] WIL 10 (3d4+2) CON8 (Zd4+3] P E R 8 (de+$ Durability: 8/8/4/4 Action chack 11+/10/5/2 Move:Run 18, run 12, wslk 4 #Actions: 2 Reaction score: MargmaVl bionic enmrqy points: 4

D M 11

STR9

hamistry: Series I Environmsnt: Class 1 GRAPH: GZ/Rl/M/P3/H2 Biome: Temperate and 0quat0rial~0nes Encounter Chance: Unlikely Group Size: 1-6 (d6) Organization: Communal hierarchNiche: Advanced hunter

Atluh Unarmed' 9/4/2 d4s/d4+ls/d4+2s LI/U Rifle' 12/6/3 d4+2w/d6+Zw/d4+lm HI/O '+d4 haw situstion dis %nt tha edsnwuir muskata as the .30 bolt rifle described in Chapter 9: Wenpons and h o r i n the plavsr's Handbook

imnery and violence. The MdEnt tales of such shlfe are repeated on traditional occasions beslde ornate heplaces.

NOBODY'S PLAYTHINGS
%ddyhars!'&d one of t h e first Ctmcordahs to meet the &IW. While re6arring to a fsllmK sentient as a humen cblkrs doll Is fhougfRless d Impolitic, irs understandable. Bady am& and ahlitell, a typical edanwe is ahumanoid h e body 1s ccwmdWithpiu& russet-md fur. onlythe five hgers, two oppoppsehle thumbs, and palm of each hand have qosedSkhL Ihebuahyta4dusuallyshlpedwithmdand white, reaches anywhm from .3 to .7 metw fnlength.It's not espadeuy d w ; t h e edEanveir workwiththsir nimhle hands. 'Ibner fur of pale white or cream covers the edanwe's face m p t for the m d e , which is dark red; the f a d f u r darkam with age. An sdanwe's face is marksd with stipes that roughly correspond to the location of egebrmrrs on a human, though their ability to convey expression is limltsd. The lips are thin and often fail to conceal sharp white teeth-the sdanweIr enjoy a mostly carnivorous dlet. S m a l l , m o b i l e round e m perk up on either side of the head. The bright, curlous Byes are especially keen; edanweir g a h a Btep bonua i n any Awarenw check hvolvha vision.

t I m h t t s . 3

Armor: none &I), none (HI), none ( ! k J

+I resistance m o d i f i e r vs. rangad ana& +2 resistance modifimr vs. psioNc attacks

sldb Alhletics [9], Unarmed Attack [ S I ;Modern [llJ-rlfle Movement [E]; Survival [E]; Hn~wledga [SI; Awpnnsss [1O]-parception [ f Z J Reaolvs [It+mmtal [ I f j . Investigate [lOl-tred 1121. Interaction [ Tmlapathy [8]-mtscylO).

Urbanizetlon, tvplc@ a &end of progress, is t h bane ~ of tlme the peopb of D a n d have er fn dtpor town, somethtng col-

-&nary

[la.

TABLE T : ELDALA SYSTEM

p . a a n l l

Planetar Gramty RadiahoI Atmosphere Freseure Heat Orbital Dlstanci Diameter Year Day Anal Tdi
Density # Satelhtes

Eldata

lhklh Eldata

e2 (0.85g] R1 (2 r d y 0 0 r ) A2 (Na 021 P3 (0.9 atm) H2 (5' c]

1.20 ALI 11.053 Ion 457.8 days 28.2 hour5 34.5'

[3ass1

G2 (0.94g] R3 (1 6 redday] A I RIz, He1 P5 (Elm m t 1 H1 (-157'C) 4.06 AU

20.4hours 9.10 0.21
22

aasB5

m o oh

zis

0.98

L 1 1 _

gather in the longhouses to celebrate the community It's a ;time for feasting, music, and storytelling, when the edanweir give thanks for prosperity and remember the dark past Traditional tales are redted on this day to reinforce the lessons of historyand folly. Kiallale was the elder of a prosperous villq long before the secret of black powder, when edanweir d lhunted kitiete with spear and bow. The kitiete were plenw and fat, and Halide's village grew with each passing year. So many were they that not one, but t w o gems were born there, and Hahale took t h i s as a sign of favor f r o m the Powers. Even then the warnhgs of the Powers had long been sung around the fires, the madness in trymg to touch the ends of the wld. But Kialiale in his pride forgot the ancient songs and invited his neighbon to join the blessings of his village. He showed them larders bunrting with meat, and ldtiete hides enough to dothe and sheltar five tlmes his people's numbe "ha valley where he lived was wide and warm, th winters gentle, his people plump and at peace. Wale's sweet words persuaded his neighbor! and their elders convinced their people that th ancient peril had passed, that surely the Powel meant for the mmrrmnity to grow and W v e togeit er. And so they bmught their villages to the wid v+, built new homes, and joined their heartsong with their prosperous neighbon. Klaliale's heart was closed to the wsrnfngs of th seers, who reminded him of the Powers and sang i the dcwnfall of pride in f e d notes. He pointed t the crowded, bustling valley and k happy peopli 'Surely," he said, 'the Powers only warned u against taxing the prosperity of the land. They nevE meant for us to stay fragmented across the world.' But as the days passed, the heartsong grew mor slrident and its music grated in the thoughts. Ther w m harsh words, disputes over small things, an t then over large ones.A hunting party fought over i kills, a Ehild turned against her mother, th guardians aimed their guns at one another. And the the kitiele lek The winb cold came down, mor harsh t h a n any in memory The seers sang in tear of the Powers' wrath, end W a l e in his fury struc ode down. The chtld diad at his hand With that the song broke. Hand and gun wer raised by neighbor agabs! neighbor, and bloo f l m d like the D d a U through the valley c W a l e . And at the end there was only Klaliale wit the reproachful song of the dying seer echoing in hi heart and hts dead people plied llke the a m around him. Then the winter fell upon him.

AN EDANWE LEGEND G n Songmeet Day, the midwinter festival, vtUages

L h expectancy for edmweirhoveas near shtyyears lmder the bRit condfbns. MDst &weir don't rmhthatandwt age, hav+ngeucnrmbed either to smne aceldeat m anv of a nunhar of natural Adolascence & amund age twehrs, but an e h h ' t ttmugh~ of as fully mature be$m he ordm
reachssnineteen para af age. !%mwi r

AS

IT~JFE

modernmecudne andardieglng genBiwnlal&, c o d doctorshape to double or wenkiple ltfe mpradsndes. Edanvdr generally mate for l i f e ,usually not More the age of twenty I t ' s m for a bereaved edamnre to take a EECO~ p h r , although not unheard of. S i x months atter conception, the female sdanwe gives birth to one or t w o children. Despite the fur, edanweir are not mammelian; they m u s t nourinh thair young with grmmd-up msats and

at^^^^^^^^^^^^

are cnnsideredndd-

You may allow playnrs to mature edanweir h m a s at your d~~crntion. An ~danwe hero can choose fmm any professinn other than Mindwaker, though he or she is a psinnic talent with the Tdqmthy-contact slall.Rae broad SU for the ~danwsir am Athletics, Movement,

Knowledge, Awarsneme, RREII~VR, and Intaractlon. Because Of th& E I d She,SdanWRh mUat have suits, m o r , and other such equipment custom-built, doubling the cod of any such item It's possible that, with a linte td~ring, ths, could squnezs into dothi or equipmnnt mnant for t'sa. EdanWRh heroes must obss~vs the following Ability score minimums and rr&lnlJm!x Edanwair begin with no familiarity With 26thcentmy technology [for nxample, Vehids Opnrationor Computer Scimce), but can quickly lssrn such advanced &lln any time after hero mation T o find edanwm on the interstabr s m e would be rmnarkabla; only vnry special indhidualn chooaa to Ysnture from Eldala.. Curirms though they may be, D a n d is all the edanwsir have am known and moat remain psychologically unprnpmd to givn it up. Edanwnir hemes must abide by the nstrictiDns of thalr WRdeS, hChlding the psychOlO@Cd affR& Of crowds and, paradmdeally, lanellness. They would have to mdure being pointed out aa b i z a r

4/15 6/15

STR

D M

4/13

CON

INT

4/14

8/14

WIL

4/12

PER

Though they no longer even pause to consider that part of their psyche, edanweir naturally tend to bond They f o r m strong psionic links-especially to one other individual-and this connection is what h a t e s lhpisk hoping to learn the edanwe tongue. Edanweir have a rudimentary phonetic language, but at least half of any conversation is telepathic. Isolation is devastating as a result, akin to a human losing both hearing and sight. Other t h a n this p ~ y chic connection, the edanweir have no special talent for mindwal!dng, although Concord Mindwalkers believe that the ability is latent within them as much as among other sentients. Those fantastic mental bonds are disastrous when an edanwe is immersed in a mass of his or her own h d . The individual is pulled apart by so many confiicting connecbns, and the fabric of the community is shredded. Suddenly the spoken language, which the edanweir never needed or fully developed, is the only communication tool available. To disappear this way from the community, even while m o u n d e d by its erstwhile and likewise exiled members, is demonically frustrating. Ultimately, it sparks madness and violence. If an edanwe is mposed to either isolation or cmvnhg, he or she must make a succeesfd Resolve-inenta/h skill chedc each day to prevent the onset of ffl effects, with bonuses or penalties depending on the severity of the conditions. The change in behavinr h ' t sudden, but it will gmwworse the longer the edanwe remains in the harmful r;ituation. Lately there have been unconfirmed but alarming suggestions that some humans with no previously dem-ated talent for mindwaking have been able to join this mental community after lengthy association with edanweir. With the Gamemaster's permission, a non-mindwaking hero who spends more than a week among the edanweir may make Resolve-mental resolve s ! d checks each week after the first. A successful result indicates he or she has joined the edanweir psychic community-with all the positive and negative effects noted above. The Concord denies the possibility but has nevertheless whisked away those few who claim to euddenly under stand the edanwe language, perhaps for xenolinpktic study, perhaps for a more sinister reason. No one can say whether two humans could share thoughts after bonding with the edanweir this way, but the potential is unnerving. Who knows what would happen if this power could spread through humanity?

BOh

mo$.For b i r pllmithre ~IICSB~OM, this meant prechewhg their children's fond, but modern households contaln appmpopllate food-prepmailon implemanis.
EdanW& BBBm drhren to embelllah their EBVhllUlOIlt Evwythtug h t h e mst muudane tool to the c m n m d lqhousa is ornatdy c a m q painted, or a c h e d with decoretlve pat$nns drawn from n a & learn, b e , animal farm. Evan their bladr-pnwxb rifles, p d wsapcmtr uemd for both hunting and debnee, eprtrt wood an^ lnlaid with deli cat^ carving. Thair usual garment is an h i d e r e d vest of &ht and varfed c h . Central to the livelihood of the edenwelr are the huge, &bobeas$ d e d M e & . Ae the CaribDU and buffalo WBFB to Old Earth's nmnadk h m r s , BO too the kltlete p d e nearly all the edmweira needs: meet for fond, htden for shelter end &thing, bone and hfor tools.R 'I E ~ I I day of each ~ B W ' S huntirq season, b o n g fs dedicated to the bea& with dramat~c p d m a and gay decorattonu around the villages. This Is elso the tradntd date for l m to pledge themaehres to each obr.

THEARTor Lmna

CULTURE CLASH
R 'I E Dutcrrms of 8 chance meeting Wlth a p~up of mdanwdr is rmprediaabls. Many edenweir mmalnQllorent of the plwBllDB of allens on thei rm d l and 80 react with alwnb the

a human head-and tha faster tha tad thrashes, the more w response is w e d by a twttch of the tail lllabrs wuhout tails have learnad to mlmic these eeeturap with m n ann bahind the back. when m d h g and p-, edaoweir bow sllphtly, exbndfng m a hand to the ground and c o W g the mouth wi& the other, WMB k a e p m the tall vislble. This neshm is rathar mora dlfflah for the taillass to imitate, and th& atbmpb sometimes cauw the edarwrair to break into loud hissinp. But a h n b g 88 the sound is t o newc 3, tt'e n a h g tu be afraid d-only adanwe laughter.

iutense the emoilom An M

IAL

ION

of hnaliness that leads to salf-destruction, crowding puehes edanwelr into a furious rage. The Ilmlt is different for each edanwe; some can tolerate the proximity of several hundred, othars no mora than fifty or 80. On awrage, the population of an edanwe settlement numbers a hundred or fewer. One phanamwon can't be axplained by Concord sdentis$: Edanweh haw mportad M effd from spa* many daw aboard a Concord autser, murounded by mora than a thousand humms. "he dent h r y is that Um telapethlc ltnk is far waakar h,...,m edanwalr and ohm spedaa lhsm withln thelr m.

one another [see 'Edarweir Bonding'a b m ) , and flnd t F u ~ dluda a h o d atate. They pIty [and don't really uudar&e&) eentien$ wha apmd Uwir Ladetme e l m .For edarwa& ' i n community' i s more than j u s t comforttngtt's aesentlalto survival.. Forcedisokdlonm;uallyresultsfn Um edanwe's &e. Evan the worst offendm agalnst adenwe law or matan& whefhm of their own epedes or 8nothar, me navm laft alone. Death is f a r kinder.

Y a t deepit8 theh nand to share thelr existence wilh 0tham,edanweh can't endure the press of bodies and

widehi separated villages llnked only by the mqe of radio warn. B u t b@ this Is the ov&d!ag commuolty, tha 'world-dia@,' whtch follave a slmpla mnunurh! sgstena whila tha edauwair respect one aMther's bmmdar& and privacy, the fruits ofthelrlabor am a d b l a to m r p a That includes everything from guns ta food to lumber, with & & i p s transporting needed supplies between W a I I m Only a few spsdalilems, such as the ram r a b and airshqr~, are reserved tor the alders' u88. Ikrmhdy adauwdr h a d from dags to In

Village of the R l l s
1

-+

For the most pari, though, bavel over Danwell is resiricted to elders who have survived their fiftieth winter (the Eldest] and have advice to give in times of need. navel between villages also spreads concepts between the communities, lin!dng the people in a way that mere radio bansmissions cannot.
PuRlmcOrr It's been well established througtL observation that the unique edanweir bonding is strongest in pairs. The bond has been observed between hunting partners and childhood friends. Very rarely, it even crosses genetic barriers and links individuals of different species. But most often the strongest bonds are formed in mated couples. A month ago, a few privileged Concordans, including Adminisbator Steven Hood, had the honor of witnessing an edanweir wedding. Unlike the elaborate marriage rites of many sentients, this was a small fundion with no obvious religious trappings. Only a dozen guests appeared, including one of the Eldest, who conducted the brief ceremony. At its conclusion, the couple ritually touched brows and twined tails in a physical demonsbation of their psychic pairing. Then, without further ado, the furry humanoids dashed off to a private location outside the village. An elder informed Hood that they would return a few days later, at which time there would be a community feast in celebration of the children to come.

-.

The c m m of the e d a w d s psionic link is fln;t and foremost a consensual one. While M one i s WET let alone, foxmg one's way into anothds mind is not tolerated lb the edanwelr, such an inbumon is far mora serious than ba@q into a horns mvited; it is a vlolaiior~ so hmdamental to be obscane The edanwe word 1s inmsh, 'defilement," and it dates badt to the fearful tune of the Others' appearance on Danwell. The mysterious externals mindwalked into the entire population, not only harvesting the most pnvate thoughts but fordng their own alien objectlves on the helpless edanwew, Their invasion transformed the cornmdty into something vile, and the resulting psychological damage drove many edanwew mad. Mewesh is one of the few capital crimes under the edarweir's sbaightforward legal system;anyone pradcing the defilement is lulled m e h a t e l y . Thus,the Concord requres any Ihdwalkers wihng Danwell to swear an oath that they d not engage in any form of uninnted mental contad with edanweir. Anyone violating that stricture 1s subled to 0 ce, with M appeal possible.
--#

As mucn as me enanweir respect their elders, they save thew humblest reverence for the Md-seers, called the

OF THE ANCIENTS

IANWELL

POPULATI

878 SENTIENTS
Human 94% Orion Thuldan Orlamu
0%
I

Austrin

Solar VoidCorp Independvt ' Alien 6% Sesheyan Mechalus Fraal

Rigunmor

I I

Borealin StarMech

Nariac Insight Hatire

1%
0% 0%

1%

1% 1%

8%

Other

74% 11%

Administrator Hood hopes to commence a census c edanweir as soon as possible. Educated cyesse place their population somewhere between three an four hundred thousand, divided among many tiny vil lages. Hood is concerned about the relatively lou population count; among any other sentients, th~ edanweir would have to be considered an endan gered species Meanwhde, whde all the Concordan agree the census should be done, no one has volun teered to trek over frozen ground to do

; I
1

' j
9

I j
i
!,,

these ill-tempered g i a n b haw already deimed a few human lima-and uncounted edanwelr. The edanweir hunt the slxlegged bovine aeetures for fwd and hide. Humans h d Idti8te sweet to the taste-at least u r d it's heady saltad in edanweir meat larders. The edanweir haw learned well how to hunt the Idtiste, able to brhg one down 81 300 mater# with their m q u ~ t a rlflas. sinr;e a !dtiebis able to charg~ such a dtstanca in under e minute, only 8lcperiencsd hunt!3rs go after such game, as t h r first sh& usually bring one d m

Those horns and howas ere nDthing to be triDad wtth.

VILLAGE OF THE

FALLS

The edanwe sdemant nearest the Downfall, c a b d the Village of the Falls by the Concord, is M e mom than a hunttrq camp. Deeplts ib small populetlrm, it has m m d an ontact between the Concord and the age is located nnly e few Idl~metm~ from . Also nearby is a fiat area of rock where

THEDOWNFAL
Rlehtfulhr dm&d as one d the meet breathtaklne natural wOndnre in the Verge, the ~ o ~ n f a repriman@ ll well the beauty af Danwall. The h w d d Is e wstacfd
when, to look, it h visi& from low orbit. But to
an tnland eea plumma d f and diepmo into mist bel f a h h completely obscured by watsrs is deafsnlng, almmt d m
edarrws village nearby and

"TH

Downfall have gKpresmd b a r n s a taurlal area. Sn

ritual wherein thme arnong them riming maka a flnal trek 8, the watars upstream o

w&, d803318 convardm-if necessary, manufacturedemerpancy p u b the Conconi's c r v l s w out of Eldala That day, pF921 d d safze t h e dream that hwem on the mind of awry ambftlous VuidCrrrp managw when ttiay Hrst heard of thr, adanweir. Somatlme when the Concord @'t looking, they C R II wnd down a negoUaUom team to
b w e l l and repeat hlstorvs seehevan succwe stmy.

Commander nnlm/ConcorUDTO-141, a wren Bxperlenced in naval tadlcs. C~mmandar Tavlk han a w e d the Concord mhce BharUy after its inception. Unfortunately, the Concord's represantathree have l e d that the l e ~ d O qh m may be cluwr than they think Mer dbcwering the wnrdrege of thrse b a t h ships, and remlizhg that they had completed a star& bmdt in under 121 hours, the Concord was w r y keen to &cover what had happened. UnfoI.tunately for them, one of the people responsible, Gabriel C o r n , wag not all that InterDated in a t a m around, and the othm, the e h w g hunter Tlelal, either cannot or will not tall them what happened.

in size, Rival hesn't atgected ~ v e n a prataxt of intareat. About the only thbq WE uaed for locally Is as a navlgaUon beacon far those arrMpe near the e d p ofthe Llttle or M explomtlm ofthe gas @ant andm environment has been under-

%vk&e

distant c

gvstem

SYSTEM LOG
the hot destinat~m of the moment, to the unhepptnese of I$ inhabitants and the fruatratim of the Concard.

STELLAR REUTIONS

hath. relallonal?p mtabbhed wlth any of the stellar The splrltual bond between the adanweir, especially the one between somn of the edanwak andant sentience expressed in thdr child-wm, r m t m of the Cwhnir. Rlgrlmages of the h ,the Cmd has declared the q ~ -wtth Hattre taa-e barn q u a r to any but h m r d vsgsels and p m d fatthful have alreedy begun to eseemble on Haven and a w to wnt, there am fust under 200 C p d popla harm, fir&, and it won't be long before the Concord will h contact I Q U m , and ~ o h g l s t s . deal with thmands of sentien$ b i n e to touch the divine. E L U N M I C R----E Concord has let b h d , day-tpdayauthm~tgover There's somet,, vwy strange , b a une of 'kkath'e orce the qclllrentlna. moona-it ahddn't be there. well-mitad to his Early sumys of the Eldala aptem reveated the usual d y acqutred law 5dcs of satellites about b& fts gas @an&, btlt Uey had andaxpertenceindiplo- listad only twenty-one muons d r c h g b v k a h (me been vary helpful in the W- Conwrd'e mad recent ~~amln~tion of the a y s b turned up . The edanwsir haw come to anrdhar, whose nxkitenca has been c d n n e d by lndc b 88 e quiet, calm man who thtnke before he peadent obwrvatlon. Rls ~ a a g ta miss unremarkable Thay do not understand his mluctance to daal ~ ~ o f ~ ~ ~ t t h i a ~ h but resped his wiahee. Jupiter's Io] with a h h albedo-it's hard to b a h auyrme wlth tha Tu Hood%me& ha Beeke to learn as much as he can could warlook It. ehntt the adanweir b a h a o p w any f d relatbrm Rumors abound, A popular opinion Is that the 'Othem' with thal leedarahlp. Untll then, he prefers to m i d caw- mentlonad by the edanwl nmar left Eldala but ramatnad iug any @e where It m@ht causa Irrevocable ham He is ham to observe the qe$m Wth the mhdof the Concord, aware that Admhbtretor &la has entrusted hlm with a they abandoned their hidden base, whkh MW hibla. p a t mrqrnnsibility, onB bettsr suited, perhaps, to a more Mar all, ttiay sey, who c d d make a whole m a m simply mlor DffldsL Hn wants to rapresent t h e Concord well in its vanish? The scientlflc c ~ m m u n l t y d a d e s thia idea It's an with the people o f Danw~ll. Brmr of the or~@al surveym, thq hbt. Look how many e aptm, the Concord has e slrgle nulser, naw m o m turnad up around the worlds of the old Earth the flagshtp for a squadron of smaller a a f t q&m BS datectlm imprmd. This one, they say, te interguaranuna.The cruiser Is c o r n

The & e

. . .
~ a n

ADVENTURE HOOK: OPENEYES

There are many m y s t e r i e s among the edanweir, but none are so affecting as the rn&&we% @&. The experience of contact with one is unforgettable; the few sentienis who've undegone it speak in terms of 'andent will' looklng out from the chlld'seye Though there are only a couple of such neem in each generation, they are quickly recugojzed by all the edanwe cornmunitles. Haw this happens has not been p r d y observed, though Concord xsnopsychologists speculate that it is Recursor relic' and that the ed able to detect its emotional rasonance. The reverence in which the ed children normally keeps nonnative sentients f r o m himding. But nwv, an unhappy d i w m s h c e has given wtsiders the chance to learn about and even parlidpate in the search for a n
that the & & w e % M e n i is not in this wmmw. The people wait for word hum the rest of the plan& But methiog is wrong. NDwhare am on^ the reportQ *ges and camps is there any sign of the new seer. The other s e m are growing agitated-% ale gmws dlm'is their only thought It turns out that one of the hunting camps hasn't yet reported in. This group had leit some mmdhs Barlier for the wilderness bordering the retmalhg southern glaciers; the last radio cornmunicetion wasmom than 20 days aago, but this isn't unusual for an isoletad h u n m community Now, hPwwsr, attempts to mise the camp by radio have been unsuccessful Sane disaster has apparently befallen them-and the new seer, who m u s t have been barn since their departure. "his is an opportunity for the heroes to impmve Concord relations with the edanwetr, by helpkag out in the planetwiae search for the mlsang party The airship that bmught the & & w e % $ab& is ready to begin the hunt, and given that the nalure of the disak ter is unknown, the edanweir are w i h g to enlist the

BACKGROUNB The heroes are part of a first-contact that's recently begun working with llelai's Qnall hunthg group, remrding native lege to yet more medical tests. As hemes were brought into the presence of the rnehlafinwek yak& to be judged. They passed-though the medical experk learned nat to ask me than o m about exmining the seer. At one point during the interam,the contad team bacame aware of a cantral thought. It was not verbal but more of an impreadon, a feding of increased b h t and wisdom. The comminity was a m of tt too, evtdently, for when the seer had finished, the Elder spoke: % eye is opening: Every t a i l twltEhed in d e n t acknolwedgsment Tlelai eqlrdns to the heroes that when a new , mahlebnwe% yah& is bran, the ather seeffi are instantly in community with the child They can't tell where he or she is, though, so a call goes out to a l l the settlements to search for the n e w seer in their midst. Already the E l d e r ' s second is sending out radio m m p to the other c o m m ~ a while s tha Elder himself retires to the central hall of the lanuhouse. The search for a new seer follows ancient tradition.

heroes' essiatance. What sort of disaster befell the hunthg settlement is up to the Ga~mmaah. Perhaps the &eating glaciers kiggemd an earthquake that stranded the party and knacked out raciio commuuicatlrms. Maybe enragad ldtiete took out most or all of the hunters, leeving the chtld virtuany unprotected in the wiidmnesa. It's g v ~ l l possible that smnething uncanny cut them o f f from their kin, such as e previnusiy unlolown Remsur a d a c t or a hidden outpost of the Others. whars w o r t a n t is empheslzioe the bond the edanweir amid the eximnn 1 envimnlnen% perhaps hinging the muniv in the process Thta can be
Uanwall-centered campaign, ties between the adanweir and protect this fragile world from interference by other stellar nations.
$UPPORT#NG CAST

I '

You% probably need mom detatled trdwnaaDn about the Eider of the ccmmunity as well as the crew o f the The youngster doesn't immediately demonstrate airship. Base these on the general edanwe stats, b u t extraordinary powers; they are discerned and dened fully through a telepathic probe that only the Eider may conduct a f t e r ceremonial pre The first-contact team is forbidden to watch ,but observe several nursing mothers enter and leave the longhouse. There aren't many candidates, and after a relatively short tlme the Elder emerges to announce
give the

Elder extra Interaction specialty skills (such as cham] as well as the Leadershlp broad sklu Minor Concurd functionaries can be generated as needed fmm the templates in chapter 6 : me S u p p m g Casr in the Gemmeastm Guide.

Sixty days. In just over sixty days, everything that Arrivers and Vergers took for granted about the Vieron star system ha5 become meaningless. Well, not everything changed. Vieron remains an F9 stw just as when first surveyed. Its ten planets continue in their predictable orbits. Corazon de Fuega IS still Vieron's secand planet and the focus of interest despite conditions adverse to life. In the broadest terms, human nature and the covetousness of stellar nations haven't gone anywhere. The change that has since May 2502 is due entire kroath. Verge colonies have reported occasional kro skirmishes and raids o more than a decade, attackers never lingered one spot for long. T defenders either mana to chase off the kro spheres and assault troo or they were destroyed, was the case in t Armstrong and Croi colonies. A thousand Vieron' still in the system attest to a change in tactics. The other thous might agree, but they w the first y & t p q ; N pr, ably not the Iwb . . . '1
5

neyears of the T h d h o

THEFIRSTOCCUPATION

a century, went poorly for everyone. The Sothvec people had no love for their new and violent insur. genw went on for decades, overtime, though, he latiom of nddan and Sothvec laborers began mingle, to put it delicately. Faw Th&lans had the genetic to the con&tionsj too many hbrins w B assigned ~ to duty tours on Corazlin, and the government sent too faw

~lasting nearly ~

s, to their conquero Then came the newal of the war with e Galvinites in 2461 st over half of the itarins on Corazbn, e best soldiers there, rned home to fight.. t behind were the

d down or who had en born and grown p i n the system. So the ccupation, whose me grew less a1 ss fitting each pasg year, officially came pulation began to we

The Sothvec colonists who cam

describe

themselves,

't as united in spirit as it accusations of favoritism ee cities of Corazon mariculties. Of the three, Jaen

colonists on Corazbn never

or bring to heel the

were found. Since this

E
than B hlstorid footnote, yet the

the fall of the Kendai

hideous environment and S great obstacle and the other a surrender in under a yeat

The Vieron star system was introduced in the STAP,*DRIVE campaign setting. See the "Vieron' section of Chapter 4; The Verge for a brief outline of the system's history and the nature of its single colonized world, Corazbn de Fuega. A description of the alien species known as the kroath is found in the Ewternals chapter of the Alien Cnmpendium: Creatures of the Verge accessory. Gamemasters and players may want to review these references and keep them handy; this chapter

vious REFEREI

3LE
IlIIbllM

hEA

lTtM

Vieron

64 (2.41 g) R3 (14 r d d a y ) A0 [vacuum] W (0a h ) H4 (143' C l 0.60 AU 7,340 km

161.8 days 20.2 days

clam 4

33.4" 4.18
1

Vieron class 3 64 (4.4 gl R2 (4 redwk) A3 (N ,021 P4 (734 atn) H3 (94" C) 1.20 AU 15,340 km 457.8 days 5.8 hours 20.1" 3.67
0

eaz6n

AludlM

Vlemn [3ass4 61 (0.63 gl RZ (7 radwk] A0 ( m u m ]

EMuru

HZ (114 q 1.45 ALI 8,888 km

5.2" 0.9 1 3

(0 aim]

608.0 c l a p

14.8 hours

Vieron class 4 63 (2.04 g) R2 (9 d w k ) A0 [vacuum) W (0a h ) HZ (-90 CJ 1.68 AU 4,288 !an 758.3 days 7.67 hours 13.6"
6.03

mradw

Vieron

62 (0.83g) RZ (14 r d w k l A0 (vacuum) PO (0a h ) H1 (-51" C) 1.89 AU 4,200 km 904.8 days 6.45 days

class 4

Fimimnm

Vieron

63 (1.47 gl R4 (187 re&) A1 IHZ, He1 4.54 AU 107,024 km 9.23 years 10.43 hours 33.7" 0.18

class 5

p5 Isas slant1 H1 (-132O C]

Vieron class 5 64 (2.57 g) R5 650 rem/hrl A1 He1

p5 (gas @ant1

sdda

Malm& Vieron
class 5

omVieron
class 5

&,

H1 (-190" C] 10.10 ALI 146,200 km 30.6 years 15.83 hours 48.1"

0.22 21

64 (2.90 4) 62 (0.89 g l R4 (245 rem/hr) R4 (381 r e m h ] A1 IHz, He1 A1 Mz, He1 P5 (gas giant] P5 (gas @ant) HO (-203" C) HO (-210" C] 14.22 ALI 19.18 ALI 126,400 km 58,100 km 51.1 pars 80.1 years 9.89 hours 37.1 hours 18.3" 38.5"
0.29
""

65.0' 2.51 0

Vieron

class 5

0.20

A1 IHz, He1 P5 (gas giant) HO (-220" C] 30.06 ALI 44,200 km 157.1 pars 39.83 hours 9.1" 0.46

G3 (1.29 g) R4 I290 rem/hrl

SOTHVEC INDUSTRIES
Sothvec Industries was a business conglomerate that formed soon after the production UI me first stardrive! Following the examples of VoidCorp and the Rigunmor Star Consortium, this collection of agriculture and livestoc business interests funded colonies on a number of worlds. As the 23rd century saw the expansion of humanity an human governments in space, Sothvec Industries profited from a power vacuum w i t h i n its areas of interest an became a potent force. Its business leaders made steady profits and never saw a need to change. Yet nothing boun Sothvec's diverse peoples together in any signhcant way; without some unifymg ideal or vision, they had no rea ;on to stand together, and it was easier for many to accept the Thuldans rather than resist and be destroyed. Th last Sothvec systems formally surrendered to the Imperial navy on September 19, 2356. The Empire would accq mly unconditional surrender, so on that day Sothvec joined three stellar nations in Thuldan oblivion. Former Sothvec citizens still live today, but under the flag of the Empire. Occupation troops emure loyalty to th Emperor, and slowly the Sothvec culture has disappeared. Unlike the lingering memory of other stellar nations, sud = the Dreth Commonwealth and the Sultanate of Fomalhaut, the Sothvec way of lie seemed to dry up and blov 3way like so many dead leaves. About all that Sothvecs are remembered for now are some of the original compa xfs advances in adapting Earth-based animal species to life in space and on alien worlds. Should a player wish to create a Sothvec, treat the hero as an independent with a -1 bonus to all Animal Handlin! ; ! d l checks. Most of the gal^ will consider him or her a citizen of the Thuldan Empire.

The people of Algeciras and Tavira wept, prayed, and vatted for their end. A few fled in skycars to the mines or he barren countryside. Days passed, then weeks. Finally, h a rare moment of courage, the manager of Algeciras flew in a skycar to Ja6n with some of his police. Staring through its bansparent dome, he sent images of aliensuniversally recognized as kroath-wandering the strew without a human in sight. He also reported a dozen 3meter green spheres. A few minutes later, several of them row into the air and ended the manauers bansmission. Little changed over the next several weeks. TILG Vieronites cringed within the two domed settlements they had left. Each week, scouts risked their lives flying by J a h to confirm that the krnath were still there. The Viemnitas watched in surprise as the invaders dug in, setting up forfifications, watch towers, and embankments. Such defenses werent needed against the pathetic force that the Vieronites u s t e r , and the Concords information about the could m kroath bad never mentioned this behavior.

IMPERIAL HEROICS
Meanwhile, the Storm D l s y raced to carry word to the 01 side of what had happened. With three starfalls, its 101,

liga 9 is a dull red dwarf star (Verge coordinates: .45/-3.53/-1.543 around which three lifeless rorlds orbit. The Galactic Concord records no settlemts in and no claims to the system; in fact, no one i believed to live there. The Thuldans know better. s sole value is that it lie5 a mere 3.88 lightRiga 9 ear5 from Aegis-a star system in which the huldans have a definite interest-and the Empire .ikes advantage of t h i s . TheRegency government and the Galactic Concord might protest a fleet of mhuldan cruisers gathering at Aegis, but they can do ltle about warships lurking in a nearby system The Thuldan navy deploys vessels carefully round Riga 9. Starfall detectors in Aegis can sense lip movements in the area, and the Regency lready suspects that Riga 9 has been visited by 3pital ships. A few starships are always present, ut there are typically never more than a cruiser or YO, unless the imperial military command orders a uildup prior to engagement in the Aegis system.

---I / /

THETHULDAN LEGIONS
For more than a century, the Legions were the pride of the Empire. Sadly, as the bitterness of defeat and the expectations of more losses sunk in, the Thuldan Legions lost both their heart and their legendary valor in battle. In the years since, Emperor Regist has made it a priority to restore the Legions' esprir de carps. In the last decade, he instituted the use of ancient Roman ranks. In addition, each unit was assigned a standard-bearer. I t ' s strange to encounter todafs Thddan Legions, equipped with fine 26th-century gear but calling themselves by outdated names. These take some getting used to, especially for those used to more modern rank structures. Arough comparison of Legion ranks follows.
Legate Bibune Prefect Prime Centurion Centurion optio Rindpal General Colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Sergeant Corporal

For the time being, naval ranks in the Empire remain unchanged.

!.

~tnrsl J
,
3 4

ULDAN

LEGIONN~

d
r.

n
0

it

e
e

s m 12 (+I1 INT 9 DEX 9 (01 WIL 10 CON 12 PER 8 Durability: 12/12/6/6 Action c h e k 13+/12/6/3 Move: sprint 20, run 12, walk 4 #Actions: 2 Reaction score: Ordinary/Z Last resorts: 1 Flaw: Code of Hono llltadrc Unarmed-power 13/6/3 d4+ls/d4+Zs/d4+3s LI/O Short sword' 12/6/3 d4+lw/d6+lw/d6+3~ LI/O 9mm ch pistol 9/4/2 d4+lw/d6+lw/d4rn HI10 llmm ch autorine2 12/6/3 d6+lw/d6+3w/d6+lm HI/O 'b e a +d4 base slluamn die for skill chedrr;.
Use e -d4 base Sihiatlm dle for skill che&.

numan Combat Spec

Defnws Body tank: 2d4+1 [LI), 2 d 4 f l (HI), 2d4 (En) Cerametal shield3:+2 & I), +2 (HI), +2 (En)
See h &Equipment Guide.

SkiUS Armor [12]-powered [13]; Athletics [12]; Heavy Weapon [12]; Melee Weapons [12]; Unarmed [12]-power 113 Modern [9]-rifle [IZ]; Vehicle Operation [9]; Stamin [12]-endurance [14]; Knowledge [9]-& aid [IU]; languagt ~ u l d a i i[IZJ language:Standard 1111; Awarenes? Resolve [IO];Interaction [E].

SERVANTS OF THE EMPIRE

This information describes a typical Legionnaire o Coraz6n, but can be used for any Legionnaire encountered during play. Three of those on Coraz6n carry a Hz 160 13mm charge macbine gun (if you wish to use these, se "Other barge Weapons' in the Arms & Equipment Guide Jher-ranked Legionnaires add Tactics and Leadersbi
4Aitinn.l

*.nGc in

militonr .&I.

i).

_-

^.

s
E

T Compartments: 4

1 MANTICOI

Maneuver Rating: 0 Cruise Speed: 1.5 AU/hour

Dur: 20 Acc: 2 Mpp Berthing: 18 crew12 passengers

Armament: Mass cannon Defenses: Deflection inducer, jammer Armor: Moderate neutrontte (2 dur) d6+1 [LO, d6+1 (HI), d6 (En) Computer: Orrllnary computer core, Ordinary dedicated battle, navigation, and sensor computers Engines: Induction engine Power: Mass reactor rated for 10 power factors Drive: None Hatches: Security (0 dur]
Roll
Compdnunt

1-4

Command

5-7

Engineering Crew

j/

.\ I

6-12

13-20 Cargo
W a L h q m Dah

SpIm~@ur/PawJ Dur Command de& (O/O] 8/8/4 Mass cannon (213) Jammer [0/1) Deflsction inducer (1/2) Multiband radar (0/01 Radio transceiver [0/1) Reentry capsule (O/O) Airlock (O/O) Ordinary computer core (1/0) lnduction engine (2/2) 12/12/6 Autosupport unit [0/1) Mass reactor (4P) Crew q~arlers[3/0) 0/8/4 Passenger suite (1/0) Autocargo (410) 1/8/4

System Acc Range Mass cannon 0 5/10/15

m) %e

LI (p) d6+2s/d6+lw/d6+3w

Damage

Actions 3

Commodore Render's personal shuttle was converted from duty on the

line eight years ago. The imperial line of pestilenceclass cutlers is slowly being phased out of sewice, but the commodore made extensive modificatioms to the vessel's componenb, removing two weapon systems, in order to make room for plenty of crew and cargo space. Generally,it takes only a crew of three to operate the vessel.. The rest

of the crew space is reserved for Render's personal aides, seconds, and the escort of Legionnaires she carries with her. bically, that's on' five or so 50ldiEr5; when she came to the surface with most of the %I Cum'hnents infantry contingent, she had no idea how fortunate the decision would be. Even though the 52 Legionnaires were stadred up within the ManLhre like cordwood, they fit well enough for the short journey. That makes the Manticore a likely tool for Render to deliver her Legionnaires to the battlefield.

IUU

reduced to 1.49. When en gin^

icand

third 1

eromte ec

must dsd with e perfsd wel$ltless, zero-g Bllvfronment The haat regulatorsthat cool the dome ara filled with gas at temperatures near absolute zero. An a rwult, the thlrd level in @te cold (consider it an H1 environment).
N l -

Just m r 50% of the food that the Vlemnftes need corns from vegetables and prhnitive plantn p w n wit& the1 own dome. An addiUonal5% of thab dlat in actually pro defended than T a w vlded by plan& natlse tu Corsz6n Though these may be typically bunk here, primitive and off w no p e t advancement in c h a r y arts. they contain pro(elne and vitamias that humant can WR. b the serdnr mtlttary nfficsr, but The hydroponic fadlltles w m n m r lntanded to be t h anca or the rank to f r d y m e only food eource for the Vieroniba. Outalde traders b r w t food tu Corazbn each month and tu& away metals from Algadres's mima. The reduced bafHc of late has put pressure on the c o b q h g h anergmy s ~ p p l supplemar t~~ the hydroponic foodstuffs to pruvide e r n e margin of safeh Exinthg supplies am Batimated to last about f @vanthe currant number of mouths In feed Th THULDAN SPACE FIGHTER Vieronitas and Thuldana hope that a relief forc Dur: 10 will have arrived by then, but secratly fear the the limits of their food aupply may have little tc Acc: 3 Mpp Maneuver Rating: -1 h e Speed 2 AUhour Berthing: 2 crarv do with thEb d V d Gabor Ferenc [Hm/Independent/NP), 81 appotntee of mayor Lavy,is in charge of th~ Armament: Plasma cannon Defenses: DeUection inducer hydroponic bay. Armor: Moderate neutronite [I dur) d6+1 (LO,d6+1 [HI), d6 @ )I
Computer: Marginal computer core Engines: Microinductor Power: Microindudor rated for 4 pr-Hatches: Standard (0 dur)
RoU 1-6
Cmnpmhont

flnd. Surroundad by volcanic dangere, ii'e elso &ER to the largest depoeits of heavy metela on the planet, thrown up from the depths of the mantle by Bary tedwic fnrcm. The htmal sbucture of Alpdran reflects thls d t f h n c e in purpose. The lower lml in m d y cargo space, pmvid-

duetrlas bullt Algedras in the

'-&---

---*-.*'-+--

Command

7-20

Engineering

Srtanu@ur/Powl Command de& (0/01 Plasma cannon 13/31 DeUection inducer (1/2) Multiband radar (O/O] Radio bansceiver (0/1) EM detector (O/O) Airlock (O/O] Reentry capsule (O/Ol Marginal computer core [O/O) Microinductor [4/*) 10/10/5 Accumulator 11P ] Autosupport unit (0/1]

Hlbnpnn Data

Acc Range (Mm) %e Damage Actions Plasma cannon C "/8/1F (e] d6+2w/d8+2w/d6+lr "

a few hundred armed and armored companions. The kroath own Ja6n now, and if anyone survived their assault, they've never been seen by human eyes since. Render posts scouts as close to Jabn as she dares, and she'd very much like to insert a few Legionnaires into the dome to get a look around. h theory, that shouldn't be too difficult. When they came down to J a b , the kroath paid the city little respect, blasting JA~N numerous holes into the dome's walls. There are rents as Citizens of Tavira and Algedras looking to relax couldn't do wide as 6 meters that would still offer ways to sneak in, if better than a visit to Imly Jah. The last of the three setnot for the pakolling b a t h and the spheres that lie just tlements to be built on Corazbn, Jabn profited from the outside the dome when not flying in raids or missions. qerlences of engineers end designers building on the difAs a result of those tears in the dome, Jabn's internal ficult planet. Externally, it's of nearly equal size and s t ~ ~ c envimnment differs little from the outside. Temperature, h i s dome, though, was a lux- atmosphere, and heat are those of the surface, and radiature to the other cities. Within t ury and opulence that couldn't be matched elsewhere on tion leaks in with the air. About the only thinp that s t i l l the planet. Jabn had the best technical crew, the best work in Jahn are the gravity generators; apparently the machinery, and the most comfortable living space of any of kroath also prefer a lower gravity than 4.4g. One Thuldan the domes. Unltke Tavira and Algedras, its gravity generplan calls for the destmction of Jabn's gravity generators, if ators never experienced the occasional failure or malfunconly to annoy the kroath. It's an expensive and irreversible tion. Even its hydroponic facility was rumored to produce dedslon, but a small sacrUhce in the greater scheme. better-tasting food. For all these reasons, more Vierunites came to live in Jabn than anywhere else. trn 'Ibday, though, vklthg the planet's jeweled city is the last An estimated 200 kroarn spend most of their time inside thing that a Viaronite would wish for-at least, not without Jahn, going about tasks that Vieronites might find eerily

When in full operation, . i mines can pry several kilotons of raw ore daily from Corazun's surface, but that rate has declined to a hundred kllograms or so. M o s t of the mining population has been conscripted to patrol the dty, shore up its defenses, or join the s!drMshing parties that venture into the outlands.

iccesn points within the dome. Rahm than walng batches, the lcroath a h w small partlee lo p&ate the dome and ambush them i n tts bate w b a t h haw tered corridors and buildings. A f been seen lur!dng i n its halls, apparentb WaWne for the chance to throw theIIME1WS into combat b a t h leadership has to bs idsntlked by the human Inhebitan$ who ipg not cartah it axlsts. In fact, the !math do Ba8wBr to a :ommunicate and come tu reaooned dadmlon~ III their own. Zhe cornmandm dlracb the ratds md smutlng patrols end nrch&a$s Jatds Isfensee. Individual unit leaders haw some p to coordinate small those units wouldn't without the cnnunandm. Nth& it Isn't the ubinate source of their orders-it recehres dlracthres zom a greater authorltg-lts rem& would raduce the kroath's effeetlveness

! I

1 '
1
i
I

r I

THEUNINHABITED

PLANETS

[ass cannon 0

Arc R a n g e j h ) Damage AI 5/10/15 LI Ip) d6+2s/d6+lw/d6+3~

r
3 -

1a&@&
~

Marcurfim world, Inhm is ttde-locked to the star and, speaking, doomed. The systm's tMr& fourth, and flfth worlds, all located tn or new a more habitable band, m a simply unluc!q 5aviUc harmonica allowed these three small &em atakdhty, but because of thelr mall @e, atmaaphere they had

+ ,

J o v h ges @ante fill the dietant reaches of the system, where the wBRnth and gravity of Viernn be@ to taper off. W vin &e and mw,aach the outer
gradually whctlng hydropn, helium, and the

&my cmnet-thw protect@ the settled h e r system.

rmnr: d8+2 0,d6+2 (HU, dE+2 [En) iotech Gel: Heals 1 stun and 1 wound point per phase; if koath i s rendered unconsc~ous or if any mortal pomk have been lost, the gel becomes a powerful and and destroys both the koath and the armor.

wh

Although the dvittem of the h a t h dominate the d local n m servers, the rest uf the Verge is only now alowetmut what's h e p p m in V i e r o ~ The Galactlc d out when the sfarm O&y arrived in A@; the CIB, Star Force, Martnes, and Adminbtretors all received updates. Much of the rest of the Verge la blithely WBWBPE of the !math threat; untll mom is known, the Concord h e n tu a v d the damage that e panic could

SYSTEM k G

rmor 1121-paversd [16L Athletics [lZI-thmw [13]; [dee [lZ]-powmd [16L Unarmed [lZ]-brawl [16]; [odern [13]-@ [14j rifle 1181; Stealth [13]-meak 1 6 1 ; Vehicle [13]-space 1161; Movement 1141; Starmna 41-endurmce [18l resist padn [16]; Knowledge 2j-language:fioath [lSJ. System Operation [ 121; xtics [ 1Z]-infm@y [lf i l . Awareness [1O]-percpplion fZhLeadership [lo].
he !math commander in the Vieron system is a very innidable opponent, both as the leader of hundreds of

math and personally, when it becomes involved itself. ir decades, this kroath has accumulated battle experiIce against humans and other spedes. Battle is its life; it s no memories m knowledge prior to its genesis and ining the kroath campaign. The first step towards defeating the !math might be to !move their commander. However, given its armor, rage power, and high skill scores, this external should ise a significant challenge to an entire group of heroes. le kroath commander bears the SCRE of many battles 1 its green bioarmor; Commodore Pfender and nturion Model continually fight against its extensive oowledge of tactics.

U n k the Thddans, the Galactic Concord has elected to try a mors manawed and careful come. No ehip stnca the S b c n n May has p t emerged f r o m Viamn, so the Concord sent two m u $Into the outer edgn of the syetem to repod their flndlnga when neaher returned, the Concord w a n at and fs d l undecided on how the loss of cnntect with Vieron has rebed Concord m i h y rsadiness throughout the re@on. The T h d d a n Empke, despite 1$ flew prodamat b s , is i n a a i d a r atate. N&er alar natlon wants to write off the Vergers of Vieron, but neithar do they want to risk m c a lnaval WE& in the W t star m e m .

CRUSE.

f-

A,,cNTL.,

H a , .

..UST

SOMEONE!

I
. ,'
,

The Vimnites cherish the Thuldans as their saviors. It's taken for granted that, should they m v e the next few months and push the kroath out, the Vieronites would happily become a protectorate of the Emplm. That does not mean, of course, that they completely trust the imperials. They've heard too bad things, and history records too many stories of the Legions' aggression. So, even as mayor lsaac Levy b o w to every one of Commodore R e n d e r ' s orders, he keeps his own secrets. One of these lies within Tavira's hangar bay. Several months ago, a rundowndrive trader descended to Cwazbn for repairs. While the ship's crew visited Jah, the technical staff want to work disessambling the venerable old tradeship. By May, the work was half complete, and the trader's components lay strewn all about. Then came the kroath, and the crew in Jabn Is presumed dead. The tech crew services the Thuldan space fighters during their r e d a r shift, but Levy also has them w h g after hours on the trader. Now, as the ship beto come together, he just needs the control chips that the ship's captain took with him to J a k

ly that the kroath will haw bothered to scavenge the inhabitants' personal behngings.

Somehow the heroes stumbled into t h e Vlaron syst e m ,and like everyone else here, they have no way to get out Maybe they booked a civiltanpassage and Vieron was just a way station to somewhere eke. Their ship was lucky to make it to Coraz6n; most strays don't. Prior to this adventure, they may have worked with the Legionnaires in patroh or defensive actions; at any rate, Render would quickly recognize a group of heroes as another asset she can use. And so would mayor Levy. Levy's been reluctant to use any of hw people for this mission-irs obviously risky, for one thing, and few of them possess the skills to have a c h a n c ~ He also doesn't trust the Legionnaires; he fears that with a dnveship, they may either make a quick exit from the system or dedde to use the reassembled trader in dangerous mUitary engagements. As to whaf Levy wants it for, who knows?Maybe it's for his own escape, sending a message out, or even for use 88 a relief ship to transport out 50 or so of the youngast or weakest noncombatants. The heroes' mission ts oMous: Go to !math-held J a b and search the bodies of the dead for the lost trader captain, or the captain's personal quarters on first level of Jah's dome. Levy bellews it unlikeI

BACKGROUND

Whether or not they return with the u s , Commodore Render will be waittng for the heroes. Her scouts observed their pen&ation of Jab's b e , and sbe wauts to know why they went in without telling her. What's worth faking nuh a riak?

rwfing exp&nce for those that survive.

d t y isn't impossible for a small party or tacttcal team. Indeed, the kroath somtltimes note the entrance of snall groups but don't inkfere-ai feast, not until the inhders are safely within the dome. Once they're inside, let the heroes sea j w t how impossrble b i r mission i s .J & s mwh in ruios, and h d b g even a spa& individual's quarks, let alone a few tiny control chips, will be l i k e loo@ for the proverbial needle-without being able to burn the ha@ac! mely scales inchlde encounters with kroath ( d c h will i n & htding and hghting); attempting to activate the disabled dty computafto find the Caphbl'6 QW&I'S; and POSsihly UShg the captain's comm gear to home in on hts body's positirm. There are several ways to resolve the adventure, depending on just what tasrible machinations yat want the kroath to orcheshgte in pwr campaign Wha !amw what the heroes could d i s m and feel mmred to do?Anvthingcanhappen: Perhaps one of thatr Mrmher is captured and must be rescued Maybe t h e h rlrscmrer OW ofthekrt&hto be the crmvertedshlp ~ a p tai4 now inthe service of the Theymuldalsa stumble on akeasurekm of discarded human jewelry, handheld electmnic devices, p d r e e k a n d the control chips. Howsvar you play & tfiough, the flnd escape h J a h should be

As noted in the 'Jabn' section above, getling into the

6 n U l N G n E R e ' 0 THE EASY P A R T

SUPPORTING CAST For this adventure, you may ward to fill out the persnnality of mayor Levy, nonprofessional though he is, and determine hia scores in skills such as Interacbn-dm or evan Deception Should the drive trader m e inta play, you can use the trader-dass starship template provided in 12: V&cles of the Playm's Handbonk or one of the plans in chapfar 3 : Sips m d Rscl: lw in the Starships accassmy. Gnce the hemes enter Jaen, you'll probably need tha kroath statistics f r o m the h a k chapter in the &en
Cmpmdh.

When people speak of the lost colonies of the Verge, no place comes more to mind than ?).thus. Many Verge systems, with rightful indignation, deeply resent the patrons that abandoned them. Verge worlds had, at most, a couple of decades to establish themselves. After that, they were suddenly left on their own, abandoned. Perhaps if they had seen it coming, more Verge worlds would have been prepared. As it was, dozens of settlements withered up and died. The others, larger and better-equipped, fell back on trade within the Verges confines. Even if they didnt fully trust one another, Vergers came to rely on other Vergers. The forgotten souls of Tychus did not gain such a benefit. Ignored even by their closest neighbors, they had no one to help them. Today, no one can blame them for their bitterness or their eagerness to embrace the greater Tychus is a cwl star som s m n op eight bUon yea& old-a K2 still in the prime of its stellar life. This orange

As for the other sentients of the g * , none of them fraal had yet to have a emb stars that would lead yet to evolve into
Yellow Skyhas of the planet
B the subject of legend. Denizens

ancient past of the

lecture about the In the last five Verge and many biologiets, x e n a c h a d o giws zealots have alt come to Yellow Sky to find-or make up-the truth. The Ancientist religious movement is only the most famous and numerous of the newrs
*

:*HISTORY
Orismu Captain Victor KhbstL led the first exploratory expedition of

Yellow

Sky,

has

bean

But the science of Stoneburners

then 50 million

.A

They Y m e r seen again. Resumably destroyed in one of tht ahmishes of GW2,no record of their e&tence remains after the starfall 'at Qchus. The commtssinners on Hopewell had no due to their colontsts' fateeven whether the ships ever got their people to where they were going. Hopewell's prelate sent a vessel out in 2350-but it too disappearad into the war's maelstrom and was never seen again. Then the concerns of war took over, and Orlamu neutrality was shattered by raids from

The Qchus s t a r system was introduced in t h e STAR.DRIVEcampaign setting wlth a short desnlptlon of its history and its two most stgniflcant worlds. The Alten CompenrUUm adds additional information on spedes living on Yellow Sky. Gamemasters and players may want to review that information before reading over t h t s section.

PREVIOUS REFERENCES 1

a sodety deprived of the technology d rebed upon. Jectricity provided by steam power or the burning of mod hasn't proven perfectly rehable, and wid an lrlamu municipal ma55 reactor m v e 5 next year, the l l d i o n won't improve. Thanks to the arrival of sx bulk transports w c e 2497, le colonjsts' i m m e h t e needs have been met Medical upplies and instruments were the h t to a r r v n hniiaghg gene thmapy and advanced mehcal ireatn lave resumed on the planet; just about every atizen Ieen visiting a physidan once a month for examinabon nd the mihtion of a steady medical program After ladical needs, the Orlamu hegan to deliver m e s , maputers, technaloglcal components, and the like. , the b d g n Orlamu p h i l a n h I& paid tUe alterhm to w a r n i n g s about the troubled nature of hipping in the Verge. F I & half of the ships hmmd fnp ).Ehus never afifved; thus the restoration of 2lith-cm-d !chnology to Y h Sky i s far b h d schedule. T h a t . spe& t m among the emallar a g r i d u d communies outside of MountflluminahoR but wsnwitbmthe dty E mlnnjsts corrtirme to rely on methods and sciences nrwted and nnprovjsed dwhy the h g Silence A m c e of m o r e widespread modernuatmn has been [e steady influx of m o r s to Yellow sky. Most visitors rrive with money to spend Concord dollars used to buy W e s in Mount lllumination can in turn buy from other erge worlds those goods that the coloni& need. Until a lore complete revjsirm of the Yellow Sky infrastructure, le technology rise depends on the tourism jndwfq
if

l d y the people of Y e l l o w Sky can attest to the problems

TECHNOLO

THE

RI!

I
I

As for the Wamu colrmlats, the emotim ranged from bb&f to jw. Of the Ori#bd EolOnlsts end thefF &Rd iesoendants, forced to live without modern rnsdlclne or intlaging gene therapy, had passed eway. The fourth and bfth generation of colonlsts wera now in their prlm~,and many of them had abandoned thou& of rn leaving. That chanued in 8n instant. Amlief shlp arrived a couple of monthslater to provide emergency supplies, t h a h to a generous donamn of the Concord and the Theocracy. More shlps began to come: other Vergere, other bedera, and journaltsta who wondered whet Me i n the m s t isalatad syatam WM like after SO lorq bleanwhb, mom than five thousand colonlata seized the first oppoFtunity to get out, in 2497 departing for Bluefall or parts beyond, happy to have hurnanttfe oft-spokensf propeas at thrdr firlQerups.
ulaUon of Y B t l r n r Sky atabllized at around 25,000. Many of the colDntSta knew nnth4nu of life

DOWNINTO YESTERDAY
n ! 2500, e m h d lip reseanhers, and B pair of first succassful expedltim to sites down in the c h b t h 8 h report o fh i s ftrat expedtlm p

dwdy healed over.

patron, the Y d w Sky sstflsment ~ l a j s u taw ltkdy to

the TheOtXaCy to 588 human and YpBpBn pop the Concord would BtBp in.

rcS

terrifying

cal on the 2498 New Year, back intD tha fold, h itB mvar,mora tfran reached

Yellow Sky, the product Theocracy and banevalant Verge c

frea aid taperad off, to be replaced a by steady !low of mer

BRING ON

THE

BELIEVERS

ugh Held hockny match,and for the first tlme In days, one of the COIUII~R phyddaru saw work Word of the Stoneburners and their miredous d a c t raced outward. Naws of the wonder cure edanded to systnma of the Verge and bwnd, it dldnt m a w that back on

Retaf enjoya a spectacular popderity emang both colonists and visitors. lb handle daily rnatt~rs,hlemlst minieters visit with many f a d e n of the cohny, oftan spending the ni~ht. They stay touch this way and keep the faith amon# the h c k Retal ale0 f m nurnarnu ad hoc commltteee that often tak~ on a M e of thelr OWR. The commtttees have only EE much p w r to anforce their recommendatlona as Red grants them, but the& pubhdy-

H w Q , and MWng Ctmmiftaes ham mora daily lives of the colon!ab.

1
D !

BLACK
tCCINE

VIRUS, N C

fuat because of ib mor$lihl rate, peed wuh whtcb the "LB actn h e

cdmne ph@d

durees; h e s and Weus appe

ard attempts to mnhw

! : : I

i j
I
I

' I ! ,

'

humans. All in all, some Illumtnatlon each week. Game !nfarmatlon on

I

I
~

lank. Even the appltcatlon of these agents has & limited

What wtth tha int

deepest valleys. About the only advice vlrolo@ts c m offer

re& of s m e meteoric

me hlghlanda of Yeum 5

created e m agn as a . Much of the rest of

(Including ths b k k f m .MDst of these

RftBr

ation, Mount Illumination proper takes up only about 100 square kilOmBtBrS. Most C O ~ O n i s t Backnowledge the dty to be where farming begins, outside a rectangle 8 etera wide and 12 kilometars long. The &hmI& d to follow a township modal, spreading out rather Most of the buildings are one story in

:liff into the haze of green. wtth a relatively smd popu-

s can gaze down th

nce betwean tha rural

ncss, occupying only a cousurround themselves with

onlsadtyof

grs the

from

t a l , but this sheet often displays complex decoration.

ab.

the

Thisbeltel after a I

cues. Government butldinga, Orlamu businesses, and wealthier co~onistshave colored thdr bddinga in rich specba remhiscent of the displays of light seen only when

WB

bleached; these o h n display peinted mur& or kea-

a ship enters or leaves drivesp~ce.

center of Mount I u ~ t i o n ' s first dozen bddngs, the Oramtst lemple *as up some 33 iefght, ma!dng it e d y the tallest b d d l q in th
h ~ a the r

Unmne

or the glory of the DMns Unconadau, maps itself in a cloak of badittonal black. The h p l e , a tower 121 matm m a &de et iarrows to a mere 11 m&m wide et ita h t b s a t otal of eight etarlas compose t h e lemple. The l m lev& :ontalns the wide congregatton hsll that'a u e d for both

Ls an

Ne

YELLOW SI
Human
95%

POPULATIOI 28,211 SENTIENTS

1% 2%
AUStrin
..

81% 1% Solar 3% 0% VoidCorp Independent 3%

Rigunmor

Thddan Orlamu

Orion

Nariac Insight Hatire Borealin StarMech Concord T'sa Weren Other

0% 0% 4%

3% 0%

1%

Alien

Sesheyan Mechalus Rad

5%

0% 2% 2%

0%

The most recent census, taken in January of 2502, emerged from a directive of the First Prophet to study the colonial status of Yellow Sky before making a final detemination of its relationship with the greater Theocracy. Demite the claims of some exolorers and relimous

hl

I
1

Water im't eapedally common on Y e l l o w SICY. half of he planet's water table is lodted up in the mershee and

ands needs filtration befm it can bn usmi for drin!dnn. On he ~OSIUVE slde, t h ~ 8rst Swimming pooh on Yebw sky, Hhenwer they WE bdt, w o n ' t mad much in the way of a
lialnectarrt

EMPTY SPAC~

! 1

m w is, relatively spa-, a cwl star. B e c a wo f their :old climas and lack of mlnaral m biological r e m & , the w e h r e other worlds of y e h sky hew been ignored bv ientient Me. Not E V B ~ the ancient StDneburnsrsappeared to lave found the planets intemtin~; several photographic ~lnreys &ow 110 sips that anyihQ we#ever built on the other plane$. m e sole other place that receives some at$ntlon is t h ~
711ttmNeld a thtn halt nf astarnids Inrated in orblt between

fellow Sky and pale Tun, the thlrd planet Tha admids, llke Y e l l o w 5kv, have rich deposits of metal. The Theocracy preserves i$ daim to the belt as It daes to tha ~BSI of the qst~rn, but does nothing abmd the occasional prospector i o h g through the belt looh41 for mtneral richas.

._ .._. . - ___

__

__

Stoneburner Site Map

I
/

...

(1

After only 4 hours of use (continuous or otherwise), the device becomes nonfunctional until rehuned to this altar for

her, the first light to strike the stone for untold years cage contains a dimensional horror (see the CumpeniiItu~~]. Assume that @st about any interf with the cage releases the horror. After leaving this b d d n g , the heroes meet a second dimensional horror that now patrols t h i s site. This be a fierce battle; the dimensional horror, with

ergize the device. (Yes,

if the healing artdad of Mount to its site, it too could be apower a S t o n e h e r artifact

what is unclear. beyond No recognizable antennae rise abov ing's mof, so thls will not be immediately

with stars

and planets.
be likely lines of terriBsent fleet movements.

TMS building consl~tsof a single central

interstellar war in t h k region.

h i c displays, once again non1

icline f o m the 30-meter long floor. farthest end, some 6 meters wide, is a black stone 1.4 meters t a l l .On the top o .4 m) circlet of red metal lies, gl
an artifact of the Stonebmers. Refer to the rules in Chapter 1 smemastsr Gb&. The artifact has the Amazing power Star Transceiver, enabling instantaneous psionic mmiunicaiinn within 500 ly The device has an extreme xiant of the Mental Instabiltty drawback, requiring Resolve-menfd resolve skill &e& (with a +3 step penalty) of all nonpsionic sentients in a radius of 25 inters anyilme the device is used (see the effects listed the Gamemester Guide).

a See the illustration of the spatial rift earlier in this chapter. The room's center appears as just such, once the on of controk and ingenuity of the input is made. (Use a complex skill check with eith or a Technical Science rtal rift cipens for 3 minutes before dosa d dimensional horrors from ere on Y e h Sky Where does the rift lead? rge or in human space, thars for sure. in is a whole new adventure, one sure to eventualIv center on findino a wav home from an unfriendlyplaca

d to ad as a security and monitoring station, some form o fe t n bay, or a communications room

f'

1
Thing don't always stay the way people want them to. After years of relative safety, the highland colonists have found their way into one of their own darkest nightmares. i.rrilpr nl Mnum hmmahon's s m a l l hospitiil w~thourwarn mg. Ii tlirii ~iriiriwlid 111 i!vmcrate twenty lour panents, SIX of h e hospital stall and foiir pnhcr! officcrs thm rushed to hi! sceiie This fi the second attack by a hensional horror ever conliriiiud iii ilir Iiiyt1liu111~ dthniigh iumors 01 ;ittack. nt the rural larms have crculated lur ycars n ~ i h i ~ a 111 ti~ ttw l trt:~itnitmt nl it.; cituens and s p e c i a h g in h e care 01 those sullrriiir~ friiiii il black lever. the Mount Illumination hospital had iiii d d t ~ i L w ! ; iiiir even a security s t d l Tliu attack brought a horriole death to h e mnstly mcapacitated patleiit;, iiiiliiilinl~!hi! L;iirini~s xunoarchaelo

THIRTPF~R MURMMDIN Meum ~ ~ l N A l l O HN WAI Unly thrm wwk;iiyii rl iiuiiei~siuiial horror appeared in the

on behalf of his sponsoring organization, the prestigious Orlamu Broohgs Foundation, have prevented him from completing his research. Hh survey team entered the lowlands two weeks ago for a ten-day excursion. They are four days overdue and have not answered any radio messages sent to their basecamp. A search-and-rescue team left a day ago, but have not yet reached the basecamp. An encounter with local fauna has slowed their progress. One of the SAR team was badly injured in the encounter with a "briar rat,' an extremely territorial, vaguely rodentlike creature. The team leader has not yet derided whether to return the entire team to Mount Illumination or to split it up, sending part of it back as escort for their injured teammate and continuing the search with the rest.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Relate Petal has instituted a program designed to assist her people on Mount Illumination improve their technological skills. Dismayed at the problems encountered thus far by the tlrlamu tsch teams sent to assist them, the prelate has decided to call for assistance from other Verge systems to complement the efforts of the Orlamu. Tretal has requested out-of-date technology and kaining from other Verge systems. Her request went through the Bioraairr M I ~ I N ~ Verge Confederation. She was careful to word her request An Urlamu biologlst studymg means of improving the as one designed to add to the Orlamu assistance, not achi:rrilis Uial caii he grown on Yellow Sky IS mmg say ally to replace it She admits freely that many of the people of Yellow Sky simply have not developed the technoloml authoriues. Ur. Ticrsuri Wliytc w i p~ ~ uf a survey ti!iiiii tliiit ventured lnto the lowlands 10 study the flora of logical education required to make the jump to modern tnat part 01 the t ~ i i i ~ p l i Or i ! ~ Whytz was interested in equpment and methods. snirlylnq I ~ P '~mt:ti~ structiuc : uf the plank there. The prelate welcomes those who wish to assist, but cau11 IS almost an acodcnt that nr Whylr d L ~ i i : ~ ~ v e Iae ~ I tions that the market for this epuipment and know-how will III~IIIE; 01 unprovlng the Veld 01 hghland wulis Pruicipally not likely prove lucrative, as her people are nut rich. She does promise a modest compensation, the hospitality of an ecolog@ by pruli!~siiiii nr Whyw .;hunhlerl onto an iiliiii t l i i i t i:oiilrl add 20 303 10 the veld of agricultural Mount Illumination, and the eager support of the people of land in the upper biosphere. Unlurtunately, tiu; duties here Yellow Sky

David Eckelberry

he STAR*DRIVE~ Campaign Setting sweeps ALTERNITY~ game adventurers into one possible future: a bright galaxy shining with humanity's accomplishments but cursed with all of its flaws. The galaxy's attention centers around the Verge, a region a mere one hundred light-years across that is home to thousands of stars awaiting exploration by heroes. T h e Star Compendium brings to life more than a dozen of those star systems. This accessory includes:
An updated map of the Verge, accompanied by an OVEW~EW of the state of the region and its future, as well as a primer on

how the Verge coloNes relate to one another, and a discussion d natives get from place to place.
t six systems, fleshed out to the level of

book, offering systems in the STAR'DRIVE a mixture of settled worlds (Karnath and Dewi), lost colonies 1, fledgling outposts (Talbott),and virgin
Adventure hooks and opportdties to entertain, challenge, and reward the brave and the clever.

+32-10-23-32-11
,,
, . , . /

Visit our website at www.tsr.com

U.S.521.85

CANW1.95