Library Data

Boilingbrook

• Starport – A
• Size – 9 (14,400 km radius)
• Atmosphere – C (Insidious. Full hostile environment suit required on surface.)
• Hydrosphere – 9 (90% boiling sulfuric acid.)
• Population – 7 (70 million)
• Government Type – 5 (Feudal Technocracy) (Allegience: Capital of the Hinterworlds Alliance.)
• Law Level – 1 (Body pistols and explosives prohibited)
• Tech Level – D (Above Imperial average)

Fluid Hydrographics, Pre-Industrial, High Technology

While the surface is uninhabitable, at altitude, the temperature and pressure are “normal,” though mainly composed of carbon dioxide.

All cities are floating structures known as “floaters” that drift freely around the planet. They are buoyant; they weigh less than the surrounding atmosphere, and their interior air mix has a high proportion of helium to help with that. They do not use gravatics.

Each floater is independent, but they have a global parliament.

The rotation of Boilingbrook is slow and doesn’t match the sleep patterns of most of humaniti, so they have adapted by having an “early day,” a “late day,” and an “off day.”

The planet is known for producing “floating cities.” Many high-tech worlds have “cities” designed and had their cores built here. There is a thriving tourism industry of sophonts who come to see the factories that produce these cities.

Boilingbrook has long desired to be free of Imperial influence and has taken advantage of the Imperial Civil War to form the “Hinterworlds Alliance.” They are actively recruiting more systems to join their Alliance. (The Alliance was initially called the “Joint Economic and Defense Initiative.”)

Fugitak

• Starport – C
• Size – 5 (8,000 km radius)
• Atmosphere – A (Exotic. Requires full environmental suit or better.)
• Hydrosphere – 0 (None)
• Population – 2 (100 officially, 1,200 unofficially including “temporary workers”.)
• Government Type – 7 (Balkanized. Multiple “homesteads”, each of which is self-governing.) (Alligence: Independant)
• Law Level – A (Personal posession of weapons is prohibited)
• Tech Level – 8
• Desert, Hellworld, Low Population, Dangerous, Non-Industrial, Amber Zone

Life on Fugitak is very controlled, even for off-world visitors. All activities (in the main colony) occur in specific places at specific times. (Outlying Homesteads are considered private homes.)

For some reason, the locals deeply distrust computers and robotics. All records are kept on paper.

There are fines for even minor disruptions or infractions. Some have speculated that this is the colonies’ primary form of income.

Much of the actual income of Fugitak is from the sale of exotic chemicals (mostly ammonium sulfides from the atmosphere), but there is a thriving community of artists on the planet as well. Mineral formations react in exotic ways with the atmosphere, and these are collected and worked into abstract art pieces. There is a small demand for art of this type.

Gimisapun

• Starport – A
• Size – 0 (Asteroids)
• Atmosphere – 0 (None)
• Hydrosphere – 0 (None)
• Population – 0 (Officially there are only six, who are paid employees. About 40,000 people live on ships that are technically “independant”)
• Government Type – 0 (The official population are employees. Unofficially things are run by a council consisting of the owners of the ships in-system.) (Alligence: Independant)
• Law Level – 0 (Mostly visible as pervasive advertising everywhere)
• Asteroid belt, Vacuum world, Non-Industrial, High technology.

Despite the designation, there is no actual “belt.” There are, however, three pairs of Trojan Asteroids near each of the three Gas Giants. All mining operations occur there.

The government is a group of “Fleet Admirals.” They are the people controlling the more prominent ships or fleets of ships within the system. The actual “population” are the “Fleet” employees who serve as liaisons to incoming ships and other polities.

((OOC: The Imperial Atlas and Traveller Map show Gimisapun as having a much larger population, but I am using the Hinterworlds supplement that was published in Challenge Magazine #39 for this setting.))

The locals distrust technology, stemming from spending so much time in a vacuum that any disruption could be fatal. They especially distrust gravitics, to the point that they have prohibited any woman from giving birth in artificial gravity. There is a moon of one of the gas giants where all women are required to go after becoming pregnant, and they must remain there until giving birth. All of the artificial wombs in the system are on this moon.

Gashuumi

• Starport – B
• Size – 5 (8,00 km radius)
• Atmosphere – 2 (Very thin, tainted; requires combo filter/respirator mask)
• Hydrosphere – 7 (70% Water)
• Population – 7 (90 million)
• Government Type – 6 (Captive Government; owned by Tlianke)
• Law Level – 9 (Posession of weapons prohibited outside of ones home)
• Tech Level – 7
• Non-industrial

Gashuumi’s oceans are partially covered with floating mats of fungus. These fungi release spores into the atmosphere, drifting until they find another patch of moisture to sprout in. Unfortunately, this includes the lungs of most sophonts. Fungal infections are common, and filter masks are required when outside of sealed environments.

The fungus does provide the major economic export of the planet. Huge barges harvest the fungus and reduce it to raw organics that are exported to serve as the base stock for fabricators elsewhere.

When Gashuumi was annexed by Tlianke, it managed to secure a minor concession. The locals have set up any number of “resorts” on the planet exempt from the usual Tlianke surveillance, but these resorts were limited to only the tech level that Gashuumi had at the time of annexation. This has not proved a limitation as sophonts can bring whatever they want into the Resorts; the limit only applies to the technology used by and available at the Resort itself. A surprising percentage of the local population can be found in one of the Resorts at any given time.

Outside of the Resorts, the Gashuumians value their privacy. There are few large cities, and most towns and homesteads are widely scattered. The locals are not isolationists and are often happy to meet and speak with Travellers.

Girar

• Starport – B
• Size – 6 (9,600 km radius)
• Atmosphere – 4 (Thin, tainted; requires filter mask)
• Hydrosphere – 5 (50% Water)
• Population – 7 (30 million)
• Government Type – 6 (Captive Government; owned by Tlianke)
• Law Level – 6 (All firearms except shotguns prohibited)
• Tech Level – 9
• Agricultural, Pre-Industrial, Military Rule, Puzzle World, Amber Zone

Tlianke forcibly annexed Girar some decades ago. There is remaining resentment among the population, but Tlianke Security (TliSec) keeps any unrest in check.

Within the last few million years, there was a collision between two moons of Girar, creating what is now known as the “Glitterbelt.” Multiple ice fragments and other debris orbits the planet. Continuous flashes of reflected light from the belt have an almost hypnotic effect on sophonts looking at it, though the locals have learned to ignore it.

Objects from the belt are still falling to the surface, mainly in the equatorial latitudes. Few people live there. Most of them are “Glitterfall Miners” who scavenge what they can from the fallen pieces of rock or ice.

The constant “glitterfall” leaves contaminants in the atmosphere, both from particles burning up and from the debris thrown into the air from impacts. A filter mask is required to prevent inhaling the particles.

Kupakii

• Starport – C
• Size – 6 (9,600 km radius)
• Atmosphere – 5 (Thin)
• Hydrosphere – 4 (40%)
• Population – 3 (9,000)
• Government Type – 5 (Feudal Technocracy. Technically independant, but considered an Imperial Client State due to the Scout Base) (Allegience: Was Imperial, is now Hinterworlds Alliance)
• Law Level – 2 (Portable energy weapons prohibited)
• Tech Level – A (Galactic Community)
• Low Population, Non-Industrial. Imperial Scout Base present

Kupakii has a narrow equatorial zone where temperatures are mild. Otherwise, the entire surface is frozen.

Their main export is a lichen that grows on the surface of the ice. It is a highly desired spice that is mildly euphoric and slightly addictive. However, the locals will all deny the “addictive” part. Still, all food served in-system has some amount of the spice in it, enough that some off-worlders find local food completely unappetizing.

A large portion of the locals resents the presence of the Scout Base. The population is aware of the “Hinterworlds Alliance” and is seeking to join it as soon as possible.

Even though the atmosphere is breathable, most cities are built underground in the permafrost layer (and most of them are still considered “cold” by most off-worlders).

Tlianke

• Starport – B
• Size – 6 (9,600 km radius)
• Atmosphere – 6 (Standard)
• Hydrosphere – 4 (40% surface water)
• Population – A (20 billion)
• Government – A (Charismatic Dictator) (Allegiance: Tlianke Concord)
• Law Level – 9 (Posession of weapons prohibited)
• Tech Level – C (Imperial Average)High Population, High Technology

Due to its high population, life on Tlianke is tightly controlled. Most of the population live in arcologies housing tens of thousands of people and clustered into one of a few dozen cities. This maximizes the amount of arable land used for agriculture to support such a vast population.

The government controls all aspects of the population’s lives, from what careers they pursue, who their mates are, and even how many children they must produce. This is all in the service of maintaining their population.

All citizens wear “oculars;” eyepieces in front of one of their eyes. All access to computer networks or anything else is through these oculars, which provide a “heads-up” display at all times.
The oculars also allow the government to monitor what their population is doing all the time.

All citizens also wear jumpsuits coded with their occupation and social status.

Tlianke has territorial ambitions within the Hinterworlds and has annexed multiple colony worlds, both officially and unofficially. They see the Imperial Civil War as an excuse to further their aspirations. They are angered by the sudden appearance of the Hinterworlds Alliance. They are working with some “questionable” allies to continue their expansion.

Venad

• Starport – A
• Size – 4 (6,400 km radius)
• Atmosphere – 2 (Very thin/tainted. Filter + Respirator required.)
• Hydrosphere – 1 (10% surface water)
• Population – 6 (3 million)
• Govenment Type – 2 (Participating democracy) (Alleigance: Third Imperium)
• Law Level – 1
• Tech Level – B (Low Imperial Average)

Non-Industrial, Non-Agricultural, Poor, Hellworld

Venad exists only because of its location, because of Trade. As the primary gateway between Imperial space and the Hinterworlds, a massive amount of Cargo and Freight pass through Venad’s Starports every day. The majority of the population lives in the Startowns surrounding the main and two secondary Starports.

The atmosphere is hot, dry, and filled with blowing silica dust. Because of this, the inhabitants do most of their business via the local network instead of meeting in person.

Individual buildings are pressurized, but there are no domes over the cities. All buildings have airlocks.

The locals distrust most off-worlders, especially Imperials. They are unhappy over what they consider the “Imperial Occupation,” which started some decades ago. The Imperium took Venad from the Ral Rantan Federation using the excuse of a disruption of Trade to support their war. The Imperial Civil War has led to increased calls for the end of the “occupation.”