Isotope

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

@GreivousKhan@Drunken Conquistador@Sigma@Flagg@Pepperm1nts@Ozerath@Legion02@Polybius@FrostedCaramel@gorgenmast

Possible map I made up:



Thoughts?

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

@Pepperm1ntsMakes sense. Moreover there's no reason to have a bona-fide Vacare as a ships navigator either. Just somebody with some level of void sensitivity. A mid to low grade psychic would probably do.

Mayne we should set it up that a minority of people are void sensitive, of those some have limited powers, but true Jediesque Vacare are the minority among the minority and are watched closely? Or they were.

I'm open to it.

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

Yeah, I'd prefer we restrain ourselves a bit in terms of scale. Even a hundredth of the galaxy has somewhere in the order of a few hundred million stars. Since we're going for starlanes I'd prefer we be 'small'. I'd be willing to put somewhere in the order of 40-50 systems on the map, admittedly because more would look like a mess and take forever. If anyone has doubts, remember that realistically a single system could support quadrillions of people. No setting attempts to get scale even remotely realistic because it's bad for storytelling.

Maybe only a minority of systems are connected to the starlane network, but from time to time Vacare could find new lanes to previously uncharted systems so the network is always expanding inside and out?

How about it ya'll?

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

Hm.

If I get time today I'll see what I can do about a map if everyone is OK with that. I'll edit it to your needs.

The question is whether to make it like this:

But a tad bigger, limiting the available systems to a relatively small number. In this scenario only a select set of systems are connected by stable starlanes and we can count them.

Or this:

Where the scale is huge, but the map is vague and far less useful for strategy. Only the largest starlanes would be on the map and massive areas of space with thousands or millions of systems would just be glossed over.

I'm partial to the first method, but it's up to you all. Of course, that's only if you even want a map.

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

I'll wait c:

This is going to be fun. Love our player base, all the coolest cats of NRP.

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

@PolybiusAre you going to kick off the IC btw? Maybe a post detailing the coup/massacre by the Junta on the capital and the royal survivors fleeing to all ends and declaring themselves emperor or empress? That is if we're still going for that idea.

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

I had the same understanding as @Drunken Conquistador. Some conquests and sectors were entrusted to landed vassals, others fell under the control of centrally appointed governors. How territory was managed or distributed would depend on the Emperor in question. Doubtless there have been both centralization and decentralization efforts.

As for Vacare the int check listed them as having some precognitive and telekinetic powers. That said I'd rather we go for a nuanced interpretation of void powers with the door to greater expressions left open.

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

Posted an updated sheet. Lots of new info there.

EDIT:

And just for confirmation we agreed FTL is as follows right? (note I added some fluff)

Superluminal, or faster than light, travel became possible upon discovery of the 'void' and the attainment of supernatural powers by human beings. While the drive that allows a vessel to dip 'below space' and skip along the boundaries between our reality and the void in a sort of limbo is a purely mechanical device, it is impossible to navigate this halfway space without a supernatural element. This is because the boundary between limbo and our space seems to weaken in the presence of specific gravitational field interactions, and as a result fluctuating 'star lanes' exist hopping from gravity well to gravity well and terminating at around the edge of the heliosphere of the average star. These fluctuations seem to follow no physical laws and as a result only Vacare, sorcerers who can sense the void itself, are able plot a course along the star lanes. Attempts to navigate the halfway space without Vacare have either resulted in a ship being ejected into the interstellar medium, far from any help, or into the void, where nobody knows what happens to them.

Of course, trusting a Vacare can be difficult. The invention of the cognition engine has, in a way, given the rich and powerful the option of cutting the sorcerers out for the first time. It was found that the cloned brain of a Vacare, if left to grow in a natural span of time, could be interfaced with a ships system and used as a sort of navigational bio computer. The process of making a cognition engine is far from perfect and occasionally a cloned brain will simply show no psychic potential, but to cut out the middle man? Many purchase cognition engines for the security it gives them.

Then again, for the Vacare themselves there is another option. A risky, foolish, insane option. The most powerful of the sorcerers have debated the possibility of ignoring 'limbo' and plotting a course through the void itself. No star lanes to worry about at all. It is theorized that only an extremely maneuverable ship could make such a journey... Under its own merits. What is to be found in the void is hard to even theorize, but for a truly powerful, and wise, Vacare perhaps a quick zip through that plane would be possible.

In summary,

-Edge to edge
-Vacare or Cognition engines to navigate starlanes.
-Spooky void
-Powerful Vacare could try and bypass starlanes by zipping through the void itself, taking the time to stay there would be suicide... Right?

To accommodate @GreivousKhan here it's said that entering the void itself is basically suicide unless you're a super Vacare and quick about it, but who knows what's out there? Maybe something could lend a helping hand ;)

Tell me if that fluff needs adjustment, Khan, Flagg, Ozzy, Ploy, Googer, etc.

These Dark Stars - IC is open -

The Seft Trust

Governing Body and Leaders:
Governing Body:
The Trustee as designated by the original will is the sole ruler of the Trust and determines the use of its assets beyond what is mandated by the original will. The original will is the document that formed the Seft Trust, and while the one who wrote it is long forgotten its basic tenants are simple:

-First, the Trustee shall manage the assets of the Seft estate.

-Second, the title of Trustee shall pass from its holder to their eldest child upon the death of the holder. If the deceased Trustee has begotten no children the title will pass to the lineage of the eldest sibling of the former Trustee. Should that eldest sibling still live they will inherit the title, otherwise it will pass to their eldest child. Should these rules ever fail to designate a Trustee or there be a legitimate challenge to the ascension of a Trustee under these rules then all members of the Seft family related to the departed Trustee within three generations will vote on a new Trustee.

-Third, in managing the assets of the Trust the Trustee shall appoint three advisors from among the family. If a Trustee looks to transfer by sale or otherwise more than 15% of the estates valuation then a consensus among the advisers may overrule them.

-Fourth, 5% of all profits made by the Seft Trust are to be divided among all members of the Seft family related to the current Trustee by three generations.

-Fifth, All genuine members of the Seft family with the Seft name are to be provided an education and reasonable medical care by the Trustee.

It should be understood that the Trustee manages the Seft estate, but technically lacks the authority to declare or enforce laws. However, the defacto nobility status of the family has permitted them to rule their space in a manner similar to that of an imperial governor or landed noble. Few challenge the edicts of the Trustee, though they carry no imperial legitimacy.

Leaders:
Trustee of the House of Seft, Hadrian Peter Seft
Advisor of the Trustee, Amelia Julia Seft
Advisor of the Trustee, Lucius Paul Seft
Advisor of the Trustee, Maximus Ben Seft
Heir Apparent of the House of Seft, Sabina Mary Seft

Home System:
The System of Akamar:
The Palace: The palace is set of two counter rotating O’Neill cylinders home to the Seft family. Enormous open spaces, truly extravagant estates, and luxury only the ultra rich could ever think up are all present. For fewer than a hundred thousand, including all the employees, concubines and retainers, this structure is a land of milk and honey beyond imagining.

City One: City one is set of two counter rotating O’Neill cylinders home to roughly six million people. This city is where the richest of Akamarians live. Lush gardens, princely estates, and every amenity the wealthy can buy are enjoyed by its populace.

City Two: City two is set of two counter rotating O’Neill cylinders home to roughly twenty eight million people. This city is where middle class Akamarians make their living. Green spaces, spacious apartments, perfect weather and more are enjoyed by its people. It’s what most living on conventional space stations could only dream of. It’s people are bankers, accountants, small business owners, and more.

City Three: City three is set of two counter rotating O’Neill cylinders home to roughly sixty nine million people. This city is where working class Akamarians sleep when not working around the system on shifts. Living conditions are tight, but no more than some planet bound cities. To call city three home is to be one of the throng who work all around the system. Shipwrights, miners, mechanics, and more all find a comfortable if not ideal life here.

City Four: City four is set of two counter rotating O’Neill cylinders home to roughly one hundred and seven million people. This city is where the poorest Akamarians live. Tightly cramped, devoid of green space, and with some buildings tall enough for the gravity to be just the slightest bit lighter, City Four is the megacity hell usually only the planet bound get to ‘enjoy’. The better off here commute around the system to work the least desirable jobs whether they be, janitorial, service, or others of the same sort. The truly poor who came to Akamar with nothing looking for opportunities and got stuck at the bottom either don’t work or fall into gangs. City four is a Seft possession, but managing its population is left to the strongest criminal elements so long as relative order is maintained and tribute is paid.

Farm One and Two: These stations are enormous hydroponic greenhouses and research stations. The systems food is grown here, from exotic animals to the common potato. Small enough to be able to use artificial gravity these stations appear as enormous cubes in space.

The Yards: There are more than a hundred of these odd looking half station half scaffold shipyards in Akamar. The number and size of the ships each one can produce varies, but all are at work providing the empire with the vessels that keep it connected.

The Eight Rings: These large torus stations are set up to provide shore leave and anchorage to the empires crews and ships. On the inside of each ring is a small city, and in the middle is a tower studded with zero g docks. These docks are equipped for light repair and above all a safe place to store ships and crew when they’re not needed or between deployments.

Assorted factories, mining facilities, and other small stations: The Akamar system is dotted with thousands of minor stations all owned by the Seft family and all playing a part in their wealth. To count them all would be a herculean task and often entire stations with hundreds of staff can be 'lost' for weeks in paperwork; often to the determinant of those who work on them.

Primary Resource:
Industrial and manufacturing capacity.

Armed Forces
(Leave this blank until the main IC thread is up with details about the technology available k thx.) kay

Imperial Assessment
It is impossible to be certain of just how long ago the Empire first added Akamar to its borders, but records suggest that the star system first became notable a millennium past. Those records mention Akamar only in passing, referring to it as a burgeoning waypoint trading system that had been the victim of a Xeno raid. In the past thousand years it has progressed far beyond that early assessment. No longer ‘burgeoning’ but fully developed and ever expanding, Akamar is undoubtedly the largest center of manufacturing in its sector of space.

While the system may reside in a sector of space under the purview of one of our esteemed governors, it is under the de facto control of The Seft Trust. This is because the system lacks any notable planetoids beyond a smattering of rocky debris around the star that has, for whatever reason, never coalesced into a proper body. Every major settlement in the Akamar system is a space station, and without fail, from O’Neill Cylinder to mining rig, every man made structure in the system belongs to the Seft Trust. The wealth and influence this has permitted the family exceeds what would be tolerable save for the fact that they have been steadfast supporters of the throne throughout their long history. Moreover, removing the Trust would undoubtedly cause catastrophic damage to the valuable anchorages and shipyards in the system.

The Seft Trust, much as the name suggests, is organized as a trust. Some long forgotten scion of the family set up a trust that, regrettably, was arranged in such a way as to make the family hereditary nobility in all but name. The designated Trustee is always the first child of the last Trustee, and the whole of the family is set up as an indefinite beneficiary. While they engage in the kind of hedonistic degeneracy one would expect, it should be said the Seft family is very near to a non-actor politically. Certainly they have considerable influence, but rarely is that influence used to do more than ensure the seemingly endless flow of resources that feed the Akamar systems foundries and manufactories.

That being said, the Trust should not be underestimated. Like any hereditary system the Trust is at the whim of whoever inherits it, and the day may come when a sitting Trustee breaks tradition. Luckily the sheer scale of the infighting present in the Seft family would make removing a Trustee easier than it otherwise would be if the family made any attempt to present a united front. Still, in managing the Trust manipulation should be favoured over force. Akamar has the facilities to construct whole fleets given time, and while the IA benefits from this now if insurrectionists were able to gain the Trusts favour the throne could be faced with a well-armed rebellion.

For now though, the Seft family is indulgent, quarrelsome, and above all loyal. So long as an Emperor watches over them history suggests they will remain so.

These Dark Stars

Sweet