Verrantin Sector

The Verrantin Sector is a large sector of space in the central Skelow Trade Federation, and one of the original STF sectors, when it was smaller and much less developed. Like the other STF sectors, it has been built up and developed over many generations of hyperspace travel, with additional pathways added for convenience, access to resources, and in some cases, access to further sentient species like the Skelash. The Verrantin Sector is located one sector coreward of the Den'omu Sector and one sector galactic east of the Abni-S'zaelyn Sector. The sector directly coreward is the Klutch Sector, according to spacefarer reports, though there are no connecting portals between the two regions of space as yet, as there are no stars or other anchoring points close enough together to link them.

The sector is named for the Verrantin, a founding member species of the STF, whose planet Verran orbits Verosa, a star centrally located in the Verrantin Sector map. Verosa acts as a sort of hub, with hyperspace pathway "spokes" following off from it in all directions, as it is the originator point for the much of the sector's development. The star Lasha can also now be found on the portal map, thanks to the efforts of Verrantin, Kwee, and Skelow spacefarers, properly connecting the Skelash people to the rest of the STF. Lasha can be found along the galactic eastern edge of the sector map; beyond it is a region of space known as the Dark Reach, where there are few stars close to one another, and the only hyperspace pathways are long and turbulent, occasionally collapsing entirely on travelers. Hyperspace is unusually choppy and alien in this place, doing uncommon amounts of damage to warp shields. As stars and their gravity often work as stabilizing anchor points for hyperspace connections, the lack of stars makes the linkages between hyperspace and real space far thinner, thereby making hyperspace much more inimical to real space matter.

Verrantin and Kwee names for stars are almost notoriously unhelpful; even the well-known name for their home star, Verosa, is a Skelow star name. The Verrantin have typically short, blunt, descriptive names for stars that work for them (Big Blue Star, Big Red Star), while the Kwee will elaborate upon that name with a very long, generally unusable, name of their own (Big Red Star That Is at the Tip of the Constellation Shaped Like a Trowel). As such, the STF has standardized on Federation Skelow or Kalurian-originated names for all portal stars in the sector, as well as some important non-portal stars, for use in navigation and government documents.

## Constituent Stars

Verosa: Home star of the planet Verran, where the Verrantin and Kwee people first evolved. Verosa was visible to Kalurian astronomers for hundreds of years before they took to space, and it is named for one of these ancient astronomers.

Tisaret: Named for a glass bauble worn as jewelry on parts of Kalur, this bright white star has a glassy, sparkling appearance due to the particular composition of reflective gases in the Tisaret system.

Shekazem: Essentially meaning "firebird," though the bird here is a kind of raptor, a fierce hunting bird similar to a falcon. The Shekazem is a legendary bird in Kalurian stories, and it is used as a symbol of profit, competition, and success. The star itself is red-orange and shimmers through its gas shroud like fire, brightening and dimming during observations.

Majalen: Named for one of the original Flotilla founders, this star got its title from starfaring Skelow exploring Verrantin space. Though the hyperspace pathway is easy to traverse now, in the past it was nearly collapsed and incredibly dangerous, so coming out safely at Majalen was a real feat of hyperspace navigation.

Lasha: The home star of the Skelash, where their planet Lashdora can be found. Lasha is the Skelash's name for their own sun, and literally means "us-sun" in the same way that Lashdora means "us-world."

Barhenyel: Meaning "ruby eye," this star is a large, smoldering red giant.

Hishamhos: Hisham's Star. The naming rights for this star were auctioned off when it was discovered, and a large banker's guild made the purchase, naming the star for a founder of modern the Kalurian banking system.

Talastem: Meaning "ship's prow," this star is part of the pointed prow of a ship in a Kalurian constellation.

Rinklei: Meaning "purple bell," this light blue star has an unusual lavender-like color when viewed from Kalur due to its thick gaseous halo, and it is therefore named for a Kalurian meadow flower.

Vaithasan: The naming rights for this star were auctioned off when it was discovered, and an entire province on Kalur made the purchase, naming the star for a renowned Kalurian literary figure who originated in their capital.