Ross Charter Library Data

Aeitle Sakh. Aslan name for Reaver’s Deep sector.

Akuusir Cluster. A string of 32 systems connected by jump-1 distances, located in Ruih, Akuusir, and Danvers subsectors of Dark Nebula. The Cluster notably contains several primitive Human populations that culturally identify with the Aslan. The entire Cluster fell within the Buffer Zone established by ancient Human and Aslan treaties, but the Solomani Confederation has recently absorbed 27 systems despite protests from neighboring Aslan clans.

The drive to incorporate Akuusir Cluster worlds was driven by local Solomani Party activists and the ambitions of Satwor (DARK 2610), rather than the Confederation government itself. Economically, the Cluster presents little more than a burden to the Confederation, with most economic aid apparently wasted on corrupt or inept planetary governments. The entire population of the Cluster is some 530 million. Although the Cluster has several reasonably habitable worlds, only a handful possess early stellar or better technology levels: the highest TL in the Cluster is 11. Twenty-six worlds are limited to pre-stellar tech levels or less and thirteen of these have only industrial tech levels or less.

Perhaps more concerning, Solomani Security has had great difficulty negotiating the incredibly complex, tribal rivalries within the Cluster as various local warlords vie for influence. Culturally, these worlds feel little connection to Terra or the Solomani movement, and more affinity to the Aslan; many such worlds have proven very difficult for the Confederation to assimilate.

Militarily, the Confederation Akuusir Cluster Fleet is a fairly small naval force headquartered at Satwor. The independent Aslan worlds of the Buffer Zone are not perceived as a serious threat, so the Akuusir Fleet mostly consists of patrol vessels with anti-piracy and occasional world-building missions.

Angle (DARK 3005 A977223-A). Low-Population, Twilight Zone. A Solomani Confederation system located on the Spinward edge of the Urartu Cluster in Akuusir subsector of Dark Nebula sector. The mainworld is relatively unattractive for settlement, being tidally locked to its M2 V primary and possessing a standard oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere tainted with highly toxic sulfur compounds. The system hosts a joint Confederation Army and Naval base.

Aslan Border Wars (-1118 to 380). Series of conflicts between various Aslan clans and Human systems as the Aslan expanded toward already-settled Human territory. The Aslan achieved jump drive late (-1999) and proceeded to expand into the available territory in their region of space. Contacts along their trailing border necessarily resulted in friction with the Human systems in that region.

Because the Long Night was already well underway by the time the Aslan encountered humans, there was no central Human government to resist Aslan attacks. Since there was no united Aslan authority either, the sides were fairly matched, and numerous small wars erupted between Aslan clans and Human splinter states, with alliances among the various powers constantly forming and dissolving.

The border between Human and Aslan space remained relatively constant, with a few systems changing hands after each war. At this time some clans also launched raids into the interior of the former Imperial domains, where they conquered and settled worlds as much as 40 parsecs beyond the border.

Once the Third Imperium expanded into the region circa 200, its superior organization and technology gradually put an end to the Aslan threat.

Aslanic. A language commonly spoken by Humans in areas of Dark Nebula, Reavers Deep, and Magyar sectors. Aslanic is a patois of Trokh, utilizing Trokh grammar and morphology, but with a phonology more suitable for Human vocalization. Aslanic arose during the Long Night and soon spread across human communities within Aslan space. The language does not employ gender-specific rules and contains many Terran loanwords. Most Aslan can follow a conversation in Aslanic, and to nonfluent humans it sounds much like Trokh. Use of Aslanic generally indicates low social status, but Aslan tend to be far more tolerant of faux pas made by Humans speaking Aslanic.

Baconan (DARK 3104 C574534-7). Agricultural, Non-Industrial. A Solomani Confederation system located on the Spinward edge of the Urartu Cluster in Akuusir subsector of Dark Nebula sector.

The Buffer Zone. This refers to Reaver’s Deep sector, which was an area of particularly heavy fighting during the Aslan Border Wars. The region became a demilitarized zone as a result of the Peace of Ftahalr in 380 Imperial. However, similar agreements were reached in Dark Nebula and Ustral Quadrant sectors, and the term is sometimes extended to include those, too. The Buffer Zone has never been a truly peaceful area, and is currently characterized by racial tension and sporadic clashes between Aslan ihatei and Solomani settlers.

Charted Space. The region of space inhabited by humans and thousands of other races, both major and minor. Charted Space encompasses 128 sectors and more than 80,000 worlds. Exploration has suggested two conclusions. First, there is life everywhere. Worlds naturally spawn their own lifeforms, and many produce intelligent races. Second, nowhere beyond Charted Space has intelligence produced the jump drive that makes interstellar travel possible. Worlds are full of life: space is empty.

Colcan (DARK 2805 B9C5268-9) Fluid Oceans, Low Population, Military Rule. A Solomani Confederation world located in Akuusir subsector of Dark Nebula sector. A hostile mainworld with an incredibly corrosive atmosphere composed of helium gas, with very large quantities of ammonia and methane. The Confederation established a joint forward operating base in orbit in 967; the attached starport section is operated by the Confederation Navy. The planet’s surface is occupied only by a small team of scientific researchers working for the Confederation Army.

Dark Nebula (Aslan: I'aheako). A sector of Charted Space located rimward of Reavers Deep and spinward of Magyar. Dark Nebula has 487 worlds with an estimated population of 936 billion. The highest technology level is 14. The Aslan Hierate controls over 235 worlds while the Solomani Confederation controls over 109 worlds. A larger buffer zone of independent worlds is located in the coreward center of the sector. The independent worlds bear every possible attitude toward each other and their larger neighbors. Two small federations, the Ulane Hierate in Earle subsector and the Gerontocracy of Ormine in Akhlare subsector, complete the tally.

Notably, the sector contains Kusyu (DARK 1226 A876A76-E), the homeworld of the Aslan, a major spacefaring race who consider I'aheako part of their Tyeao Eakh (Ancestral Worlds) region. Dark Nebula also features the eponymous large molecular cloud that sprawls across Khtoiakta and Yohkui subsectors.

Elahkilr (DARK 2203 A676757-8). A non-aligned Aslan world of the Akuusir Cluster, located inside the Buffer Zone of Ruih subsector of Dark Nebula. Elahkilr is controlled by the independent Hraiiyeeiyea clan, and the planet is a pre-industrial, agricultural world orbiting a G8 V primary. The system straddles the intersection of some minor and feeder trade routes running from Reavers Deep into Dark Nebula, and the Class A starport handles about 6,000 displacement tons of cargo and 300 passengers per week. A small shipyard is run by the Hraiiyeeiyea. Despite the relatively modest status of the mainworld, the Third Imperium, Solomani Confederation, and Tralyeaeawi clan all maintain small diplomatic missions at the highport.

Ftahtuak. Aslan name for Ustral Quadrant sector.

Himitt (DARK 2206 C764630-3). Agricultural, Non-Industrial, Rich. A non-aligned Aslan system located in the Akuusir Cluster in Ruih subsector of Dark Nebula sector. The coveted mainworld was settled by Rule of Man émigrés between -2200 and -2100 and became an important Human colony world. The expanding Aslan absorbed the system by -300 along with the rest of the cluster. The mainworld eventually came under the control of the Kairloa clan, which sharply limited Human access to technology and drove many Humans offworld. When Himitt fell within the buffer zones established by ancient Aslan and Human treaties, the Kairloa became an independent clan and retained their ancestral world. The Kairloa center of power on Himitt is the downport at Wakh Hrea, but outside a handful of fortified settlements the world is essentially lawless. Only a small remnant Human population remains onworld, and Aslan and Human brigands are said to haunt the sweeping badlands and ancient ruins scattered across the planet’s surface.

World Map Grid
World Name (and UWP) Himitt C764630-3	Subsector and Sector Location of World Ruih/Dark Nebula
Date of Preparation 093-1098	Hexagon Scale (km) 1,005
IS Form 8-E	Size 7 World Map Grid

Hisol’i. Aslan name for both the Solomani people and Magyar sector. Reportedly, Aslan initially mistook the sector as containing the Human homeworld.

I’aheako. Aslan name for Dark Nebula sector.

ihatei. Aslan term that literally means “second son,” but idiomatically means “landless,” that is, an Aslan male from a family that does hold land, but who cannot hope to inherit that land. Since such males often choose a military career as a way to glory and land, ihatei is also used idiomatically to refer to a clan’s troops. With the development of starflight, ihatei became the vanguard of Aslan exploration and conquest of space.

Iouo Interstellar Yards (IIY). A major Solomani shipbuilder in the spinward areas of the Confederation. Based on Iouo (MAGY 0624), IIY maintains some 13 Class A shipyards and 17 Class B yards in Magyar and Dark Nebula sectors. Founded centuries ago, IIY was originally a shared Aslan/Human concern that gracefully blended Solomani and Aslan elements into superior starship designs. However, the Solomani Confederation government intervened in the corporate structure, forcing the Aslan ownership out to the detriment of the company. Despite these setbacks, IIY remains renowned for its innovative and elegant designs.

Linate (DARK 3204 A200544-E) [Amber Zone] Hot, Non-Industrial, Vacuum, Locked Satellite, Dangerous. A Solomani Confederation system located in the Urartu Cluster in Akuusir subsector of Dark Nebula sector. The system occupies an advantageous position on a main trade route running coreward-rimward along the spinward edge of Confederation. The mainworld is a desolate moon orbiting Seba, a gas giant that orbits the G1 V primary at 0.7 AU. Seba is surrounded by a particularly large magnetosphere that traps charged particles, which in turn form intense radiation belts of widely varying size. The TAS has issued an Amber Zone for the system due to the navigational hazard created by these belts.

Peace of Ftahalr (380). The landmark series of treaties between the Third Imperium and four major Aslan clans, which put an end to the Aslan Border Wars. The final treaties established a buffer zone about 30 parsecs wide between the Imperial border and the region of Aslan control. There has been no war since then, although the Solomani have violated portions of the zone and incorporated it into their boundaries.

Satwor (DARK 2610 A867632-A). An important Solomani Confederation system located in the Akuusir Cluster in Akuusir subsector of Dark Nebula. Satwor is a rich, temperate garden world and agricultural producer, locked in a close, resonant orbit with Thouma, its M3 V primary. The planet rotates three times about its spin axis for every two orbits about Thouma, resulting in each Satwor day being 38 standard days in length.

While Satwor was sparsely inhabited by Humans and Aslan for millennia, in the early 800s settlers from Column (DARK 3202) established a small onworld colony devoted to promoting Solomani ideology to the indigenous Human populations of the Cluster. The colony grew steadily and drew Solomani activists from as far away as Magyar sector. These activists were able to use Party connections to raise economic and technological support from throughout the Solomani Sphere, rapidly uplifting Satwor to early stellar technology levels. The world constructed a Class A starport and established a small, Party-subsidized shipbuilding concern, Satwor Yards. Solomani activists also pressed for Confederation absorption of the Human worlds of the Akuusir Cluster.

Satwor is currently ruled by the World Party Governing Committee, which promotes rather extreme Solomani-libertarian policies. And although Satwor has only 9.72 million inhabitants, the government harbors outsized ambitions: the world has acquired a few Rim War-era warships, including the Degen, an old Yamamoto-class cruiser. Using its significant technological edge Satwor has claimed several nearby worlds, including Meskok (DARK 2308), Mosarelel (DARK 2407), Springflow (DARK 2510), and Fonfado (DARK 2606). Thanks to Party influence, Satwor hosts a joint naval and army base that coordinates Confederation military activities throughout the Cluster.

Tlaukhu. This term refers both to the 29 most powerful Aslan clans and their 29 representatives who meet continuously on Kuzyu (DARK 1226) to arbitrate interclan disputes and set common policies. In theory, their decisions bind only the 29 themselves, their vassals, and those who request arbitration; in practice, they affect other clans by developing new technology, changing trade routes, starting or stopping clan wars, and so on.

To remain within the 29, a clan must be independent, and have sufficient population, wealth, and firepower at its disposal to be a credible member. A clan leaves the council when it fails to meet these criteria, or when its power wanes to the point where it must become another’s vassal. Only 19 of the current 29 have been members since the Tlaukhu’s inauguration; the others have replaced previous clans in this way, and some of the positions have changed several times.

Trokh. The common language of nearly all Aslan. Trokh is difficult for Humans to pronounce, split into gender-specific dialects, and weighty with formalisms. A holophrasic language that uses one word to encompass the meaning of an entire sentence, Trokh makes extensive use of metaphor and simile, and words whose meanings depend heavily on context. Proper pronunciation of vowels has often proved the most difficult aspect of the language for Humans, as some are pronounced while inhaling rather than exhaling.

Trokh was previously the trade language of the Tlaukhu and developed into its present form over 4,500 years ago on Kusyu (DARK 1226). The language is tightly controlled by the Tlaukhu, and remains almost entirely free of offshoots, local dialects, or corruptions.

Magyar has several communities of Trokh-speaking Aslan and Humans, though the language is generally suppressed on Confederation worlds. Despite this, traders bound for Dark Nebula, Canopus, or Reavers Deep sectors value having fluent Trokh speakers aboard.

Wang (DARK 2506 D789899-2). Rich, Pre-High Population. A Solomani Confederation system located in the Akuusir Cluster in Akuusir subsector of Dark Nebula sector. The mainworld orbits its K3 V primary in the habitable zone and is broadly compatible with Human life. Seas cover 84% of the surface, with most land concentrated in a single southern continent. Wang was initially settled by Terrans by -1500, but captured by Aslan before -300. Like many other worlds in the cluster, the Aslan allowed Human technology levels to regress to pre-industrial levels. Wang fell within the buffer zones established by Human and Aslan treaties, and Aslan onworld presence gradually diminished as Solomani interests in the region grew. The native Human population has a very low tech level and retains many cultural influences from the occupation, including the Aslanic language. Most of the world’s population is concentrated in a series of coastal cities but the interior has many wild and lawless areas. Graceful, Aslan-style sailing ships ply the seas of Wang, while caravans work the crude trade roads. The downport is located at Yooi, the largest city. In 1054 the Solomani Confederation deposed an indigenous world empress, Saeae Zui, and replaced her with a provisional government overseen by Solomani advisors.

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