Campaign Aspect: Who’s really running things?

WOODSTOCK

After the death of the prophet Dy-lon, who taught peace and harmony with nature, civil war broke out when there was no obvious successor. No one could live up to him. Centuries late, all still revere Dy-lon but disagree on the other teachings. The world is split into regions controlled by different sects.

Except for the religious elite, the people are poorly educated and fed of a diet of religious teachings, entertainment, and a mild drug (Hazia). They mistrust outsiders not of the faith, but fight about what is the true faith.

There is no real war here, and they are rabid environmentalists who manage and reuse their planet’s resources. However, the different factions are very political. Espionage and assassination are standard practices. Many successful or unpopular leaders end up “Going to meet with Dy-lon.”

RAGNAROK

Ragnarok is a mineral rich world but is contaminated with heavy metals. In order to survive, the population lives in large domed cities. Each of these cities are run by a family (Clan). Each of these clans contributes to the small standing army. They are restricted in the number of household troops they can have in their city, to get around this restriction they often hire out groups off world to gain military experience and bring in income.

Their primary source of income is from mining but they are also renowned for their starship manufacturing.

NEUE HELVETICA

Neue Helvetica controlled several systems in the cluster before a cataclysmic collapse left its homeworld an abandoned, mutant-infested wasteland. Most Neue Helveticans now cling to the moons of its biggest gas giant, Tell, clad in armored personal Mobile Environments and a bewildering variety of uniforms, behind seemingly-impregnable defenses of spacefaring nanogremlins and atmospheric EMP generators. Neue Helvetica has the best slipstream tech and highest bandwidth in the cluster outside of Xyzzy. That and its religious adherence to neutrality have made it the cluster’s financial hub, and many believe that it secretly controls other worlds through shadowy conspiracies, cached technology, and software backdoors.

GREENLAND

The ironically named “Greenland System” is a vast collection of small, barren planets and pesky asteroid belts, still much unexplored. Its residents are miners and explorers, with a few free traders trying to supply them all. Rule of Law is somewhat spotty, and many pirates inhabit the outer reaches of the system. The areas around the Slipstream points are the most valuable and the most orderly.

One node, Clarksville, is run by a small corporation — Newstar — which has extensive trade connections to other systems. The other node — Terra Del Fuego— is organized by a syndicate of powerful , family oriented businessmen, who also have extensive — though less official — trade connections in other systems. 

One of the system’s best assets is its easy connections to other systems and its lack of government interference.

Conflict occasionally occurs.

EDEN

Eden’s warm waters make it the tourist destination of the Azure Cluster. Ancient ruins add more charm — and attract fortune hunters. Land is scarce, but artificial reefs and city-sized rafts abound.

There are three other habitable worlds, but making a living is so easy on Eden that nobody (except the most desperate) lives on them.

XYZZY

The methane-breathing Xyzzy haunt their system like inscrutable ghosts. They can appear anywhere, buying odd bits of art with vacuum diamonds. A colony of artists lives on the moon Zork, but fears occasional purges.

The Xyzzy are never seen in solitary, and almost always in groups of three or more.

It’s unclear if they always resided in the cluster, or were only discovered (or revealed themselves) after the Collapse.