Gabiluzbad
[Lancer] Hey plurk it's been a while since I made a Lore plurk and this one is gonna be a little different. I'm going to talk to you about the Cygni Star System
Gabiluzbad
timeline
Gabiluzbad
The Big Five
Gabiluzbad
NHPs
Gabiluzbad
Minor Factions
Gabiluzbad
Mech Catalog
Gabiluzbad
Union and Utopia
Gabiluzbad
Harrison Armory
Gabiluzbad
Karrakin Trade Baronies
Gabiluzbad
Now, you won't find anything about the Cygni system in the Lancer rulebook because I made it up
Gabiluzbad
As the setting for a campaign I'm going to run, eventually
Gabiluzbad
So let's talk about that a bit. Ply a bit of background
Gabiluzbad
The Cyngi system is actually three stars
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Alpha, Cygni Beta, and Cygni Gamma
Gabiluzbad
They are in a loose orbit with each other, but are still several light weeks apart
Gabiluzbad
Far enough for each to have it's own planetary systems, but not so far apart that it's impractical to travel between them via Nearlight Drive
Gabiluzbad
All three form the territory of the House of Starlight
Gabiluzbad
A particularly wealthy great house of the Trade Baronies
Gabiluzbad
Their seat of power is Cyngi Alpha, so lets talk about that for a bit
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Alpha is a medium sized yellow star fairly similar to the star Cradle orbits
Gabiluzbad
While it has a number of planets, only two of them are habitable. Cygni Alpha 2 and Cygni Alpha 3
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Alpha 2, AKA "Aman", is a brilliant, wet world of shallow seas and small islands
Gabiluzbad
For centuries, it was choked with industry as commercial fishing and mining operations spread across the world, but the current Baron who I really need to come up with a name for, started a massive project to clean the planet up and turn it into a paradise world a few decades ago
Gabiluzbad
It's a gorgeous world, now. An endless tropical paradise.
Gabiluzbad
It's also one of the most expensive places in the galaxy to live
Gabiluzbad
No one poor lives in Aman
Gabiluzbad
The Baron's personal retreat is hidden away there
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Alpha 3, AKA "Beleriand", is a large rocky world and home to some four billion souls.
Gabiluzbad
Glittering metropolises spread from great stormy seas to mountain peaks.
Gabiluzbad
The people there are strong (1.2G will put some muscles on you), proud, and border on arrogant, used to living in one of the single richest worlds outside of the core.
Gabiluzbad
There are even rumors that Union is considering building a Blink Gate in the system, which would be HUGE.
Gabiluzbad
But probably not for a few more decades. Union has a lot to do
Gabiluzbad
Beleriand has a large rocky moon called Eriador (about 70% the size of Cradle's moon)
Gabiluzbad
Wait, shit
Gabiluzbad
Aman is further from the sun than Beleriand
Gabiluzbad
BECAUSE
Gabiluzbad
Eriador is the home to the most ambitious project the Baron has undertook
Gabiluzbad
A Dyson swarm
Gabiluzbad
It's been in production for years, but once it gets going it'll provide functionally infinite power to the entire star system
Gabiluzbad
The inauguration ceremony, where the first trickle of power will start flowing, is due to happen in the very near future
Gabiluzbad
(This ceremony will, in fact, be happening concurrently with the first session of the campaign)
Gabiluzbad
So overall, Cygni Alpha is a pretty nice place to live
Gabiluzbad
but let's talk about Cygni Beta
Gabiluzbad
Cyngi Beta is a much larger star than Cygni Alpha. A bright blue giant of a star. Cyngi Beta 1 through Cygni Beta 5 are rocky wastelands, blasted to nothing by the intense heat of the sun. No one lives there
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Beta 6 is inhabitable and is INTENSELY industrialized
Gabiluzbad
The entire planet glitters with mining operations. Orbital elevators work endlessly, lifting immense amounts of refined metals and minerals into space so as to supply the endless needs of Cygni Alpha's industry.
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Beta 7 is a much more pleasant world, and has been pretty much entirely turned over to agriculture. It also feeds Cygni Alpha's endless maw
Gabiluzbad
Both of these worlds are ridiculously productive, but are also undergoing a period of unrest, as the Ungratefuls work tirelessly to organize the workers and to sabotage Baronic interests
Gabiluzbad
And finally, Cygni Beta 8
Gabiluzbad
A gas giant
Gabiluzbad
It is home to dozens of little space stations and habitats
Gabiluzbad
which are mainly focused on siphoning various rare gases for industrial use
Gabiluzbad
Mainly Helium 3
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Beta 8 is most well known, however, as the final home for anyone who annoys the Baron but is too important or well connected to just have killed.
Gabiluzbad
Well meaning eccentrics, mostly
Gabiluzbad
mad scientists, incompetent politicians, unbearable military officers, etc
Gabiluzbad
It's the ass end of no where
Gabiluzbad
Or it would be, if Cygni Gamma didn't exist
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Gamma is a red dwarf that is currently roughly between Alpha and Beta
Gabiluzbad
They form a kind of flat triangle
Gabiluzbad
like so
like so
Gabiluzbad
Cygni Gamma's planetary system is sparse. It has one large terrestrial world, called "Hades" by the locals
Gabiluzbad
Of which there are few
Gabiluzbad
Hades was originally supposed to be a competitor for Cygni Beta 6 in terms of mining operations. The planet is home to a ridiculous amount of radioactive elements
Gabiluzbad
which any advanced civilization can find a use for.
Gabiluzbad
The problem was that radioactives make it expensive to maintain a colony there
Gabiluzbad
And that the REST of the system was just an endless swirling mass of asteroids
Gabiluzbad
The largest could almost be dwarf planets
Gabiluzbad
The asteroids of Cygni Gamma are home to mainly two kinds of people
Gabiluzbad
1: desperate asteroid miners hoping risk it all on one last try for the mother lode
Gabiluzbad
2: Space Pirates
Gabiluzbad
The chaotic orbits of the millions of asteroids make it a difficult place to patrol, and the star's location make it a prime location for anyone who wants to raid the shipping between Cyngi Alpha and Cygni Beta to have their headquarters
Gabiluzbad
Hades is largely abandoned by the House of Starlight, leaving the entire system as a hive of anarchy and chaos
Gabiluzbad
At some point, the Baron wants to deal with it, but there are always more pressing projects
Gabiluzbad
It would be a long and expensive campaign to actually clear the system out that you can't really afford when you're trying to build a stellar megastructure
Gabiluzbad
I hope that gives you all a sort of vague idea of what kind of situation you'll be getting dumped into
Gabiluzbad
There are rumors of odd things going on in the Cygni system, but nothing anyone can prove
Gabiluzbad
But it's probably fine