Exploring the Conarium Expanse
Premise: Current year is 8,850 years since
the dawn of the era of spacetravel, roughly, but usually called the year 3,200 of the Old Karthan
Empire. The Old Karthan Empire could be considered a region of space in the
unexplored frontier far from the Pact Worlds (so typically base travel to this region is at least 5D6 days).
The Conarium Expanse
The Conarium
Expanse is a region of space in the Frontier of the Galactic Rim (the Vast in
Pact Worlds terms). Its dominant human controlled system is the Enkannu system,
which was the first colonized world in this expanse.
The Conarium
Expanse was first found by human scouts and settlers approximately 1,100 years
ago, but little headway was made due to the dangerous nature of local uncharted
space and hostile local species. Enkannu is the heart of the human center of
trade and commerce, providing a support network to roughly one hundred
colonies, but the expanse has over three thousand unexplored or contested
worlds.
Rumor is
that those who dwell too long in the Conarium Expanse develop a form of
enlightenment, a “third eye,” followed by a revelation of madness. This is
where the name comes from. In truth, few regard this as a risk, but claim that
the closer you get to the center of the expanse, dominated by a dense cluster
of suns claimed by the Dominion, the likelier you are to “go strange” while
traveling in the Drift.
Long cut off
from the rest of humanity save for some treacherous trade routes, few have
adopted the old ways of worship. Other gods rose to prominent belief in the
Conarium Expanse, and include Pegara,
the old goddess of luck who was worshipped by the first explorers in the
region. There is also Samathros, the
god of well being, Tythor who is the
god of conflict and Deremondre, the
goddess of technomagic. Kayhindrel, an
obscure nonhuman deity of travelers has long been adopted in this region as
well. Golgothra, the Ysoki deity of
wealth and abundance, is also incidentally popular among those seeking wealth.
Stories
exist of even older, darker alien gods. There are five old Star Gods as well
that are said to exist in the void beyond the Outer Rim, but are believed to
have long ago destroyed the forgotten cradle of human civilization once called
Enzada.
The Old Karthan Empire and the Orion
Expanse
The Old
Karthan Empire is located in the Orion Expanse, which is located some distance
away. Between Conarium Expanse and the Orion Expanse is the Serpentine Nebula
in the Ophidian Expanse. Here lie the star kingdoms of the Vesk, who conquered
this region thirteen centuries ago, splitting the Karthan Empire in half. The
part that is located in the Galactic Rim includes the Conarium Expanse.
The Drift,
the mechanism of star travel is considered semi-divine, and the nature of
technomancy and the solarians is a given. The origins of these powers is lost
to time, but many religions and strange beliefs have risen on dozens of worlds
as a result. The most noteworthy is the Church of the Techno Union, which is
the official religion of the Old Karthan Empire. The Techno Union espouses the
belief in the First Sun, which they consider a monotheistic deity of creation,
and believe the source of all magic and power in the universe.
The Old
Karthan Empire is called such because after the sundering by the Vesk, dozens
of smaller regional powers grew up in single worlds, systems and clusters. Only
the Conarium Expanse lacks any true central authority, due primarily to the
threat of the Outer Rim races such as the Drow and the elder beings called the
Deh Nohlo of the Dominion. The existence of the Nether is also strong in this
region, with light-year long nebulae bleeding the abyssal nether into realspace
from the Drift. Periodically an empowered noble of the Karthan Empire seeks to gain
power and prestige by finding a new, safer passage to the Outer Rim and to then
conquer the colonials in the region.
One such
noble, Duke Kalas Atrophion has
recently established a beachhead on Sorovas, the closest world in the Karapath Expanse edgeward along the
Conarium Expanse. There he is now exploring the uncontrolled region to seek
control, even as his private army conquers the local planets of the Karapath
Expanse in the name of the empire. His eyes are set on Conarium Expanse though,
and it is believed that he thinks there is hidden power there kept by the
Dominion which he seeks for himself.
Notes:
1. "standard" or classic fantasy race options exist, but are not really indigenous to any region discussed (Old Karthan Empire or Conarium Expanse). So they can be viable PCs but I won't have to worry about imagining ancient galactic star empires of elves, which seems to be the trigger for my anachronistic meltdowns. In fact in this universe I kind of like the idea that elves may only come from the Pact Worlds, or be a relic race that doesn't take well to technology and space so are exceedingly rare as a result. Only drow seem to thrive.
2. The Conarium Expanse is the "frontier of the frontier" and seems like a good way to put the PCs in a SF/fantasy setting with lots of potential for limited tech resources and difficulty escaping to safe planets in a pinch.
3. I'm fully embracing the idea that there are ancient star gods. I am implying this is the same galaxy that Enzada exists in, which is fine with me because A: Enzada was built from ground up to be a Pathfinder campaign originally, and B: the underyling plots of that fantasy setting strongly imply that it's been meddled with by ancient aliens, star gods and a supreme AI who is responsible for the creation of most deities. It allows for possible cross-over with a campaign setting that embraced the underlying fantasy/sci fi principles behind Pathfinder and now Starfinder, so requires no shoe-horning.
4. Why are Deh Nohlo fully statted out in Starfinder but Neh-Thagglu are only referenced? I love the brain collectors and need to convert them ASAP!
Anyway, I'm planning the next game for Starfinder to happen soon. I am also starting a "family night" of gaming using Starfinder. It will help my wife and I teach our son how to game in a tight group with the infinite patience of parents...heh....
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