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Gordian Veldt

Spoiler WarningThis article contains references to or details of key events portrayed in *These Sundered Stars*. To return to the home page, click the image to the left.

The Gordian Veldt is an area of space located within the borders of the Empire of the Queil.

In 2270, a Queil military operation was launched in the Gordian Veldt to apprehend two of Project Centennial's rogue Centurion probes, namely Centurion 56 and Centurion 72. The Queil forces used experimental anti-Centurion munitions. The AlTime News Channel subsequently reported that the Centurions had been successfully destroyed, leading to the experimental munitions being deployed throughout the territories of the Trifold Union.
Andar Prime

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Andar Prime is a planet in the Andarra system, and the capital world of the Andarran species. Its climate included snow-filled valleys and biting winds.

Andar Prime was the location of several monasteries belonging to the Order of the Ninth Plane, including the Threshold of the Ninth Plane, which would later host events and negotiations of great significance to galactic politics. These events included the signing of the Trifold Union. Representatives from the Ele Dominion would typically travel to such meetings via their diplomatic flagship, the 'Arrowhead'.

As the Empire of the Queil began to voice its concerns regarding the arrival of Project Centennial’s Centurion probes in its territory, the Trifold Union summoned the project’s Curator, Endelle Stroth to meet with them on Andar Prime. The aim of the summit was nominally to find solutions to the increasing volatility in the galaxy, but Stroth feared that it would prove to be more of an admonishment for her recent actions to foment such volatility. Press sources were present on Andar Prime to observe the meeting, which once again took place at the Threshold of the Ninth Plane. They recorded Ambassador Rayan Tiller’s reasurance that the member states of the Trifold Union were committed to ensuring the safety of all galactic citizens.

New and prospective adherents of the Aneth Fracture begin their journey to the Fracture’s home, in the Halls of Aneth on Kollian, from Andar Prime, where the splinter first broke away from the Order of the Ninth Plane. This path is known as the Pilgrimage of Aneth, and is navigated using a pocket credol.
Alther

Spoiler WarningThis article contains references to or details of key events portrayed in *These Sundered Stars*. To return to the home page, click the image to the left.

Alther is a young female citizen of the Coreworlds and a former employee of Motherlode Mining. She joined the corporation in order to see more of the frontier, following the discovery of Astrum-36 powered faster-than-light (FTL) travel. However, she grew disillusioned with her work when she was assigned to mine Astrum-36 at a Motherlode compound on a barren, rocky planet.

Alther wears a Motherlode Mining spacesuit which does not fit her correctly. She works in a group with Drace and their intern Umi, who speculated that Alther really left the Coreworlds in order to kiss an Eldori. Alther refuted this suggestion. Drace often refers to Alther by the nickname “Al”.

Sometime later, Alther left her work with Motherlode Mining to become an agent for the ARK Mandate, along with her colleagues Umi and Drace, aboard the starship *Venture*. In this capacity, she was assigned to retrieve specimens of endangered flora and fauna from the surface of the planet Forsaken Eighty, in the Derth Cluster, which was about to be consumed by a local black hole known as the Voiceless Scream. Alther speculated that the singularity got its name from its resemblance to an all-consuming mouth, though she also conceded that it could be seen as an impassive eye.

Alther felt a strong sense of dread while on Forsaken Eighty, but also considered her role in the ARK Mandate preferable to “serving soup” on Motherlode Prime. By this time she had grown accustomed to her colleagues wisecracking, but was surprised by Drace’s sombre comments as the team departed the doomed planet.

As an ARK agent, Alther wears a hazcon suit and carries a logbook which she uses to track and identify the various specimens her team is assigned to rescue. She is capable of reading stellar coordinates and plotting them against star maps. Aboard the *Venture*, she is responsible for monitoring the starship’s rudimentary sensor suite, and successfully identified a limpet launched by the Galactic Liberation of Wonder when it attached itself to the *Venture*’s hull. Under threat of their starship’s destruction, she subsequently navigated the starship to new coordinates provided by GLoW. Later reports of the incident held that the *Venture* had been destroyed, with Alther and all others aboard killed as a result. The loss was commemorated at a small memorial ceremony on Aglostarros.

However, though presumed dead in the Coreworlds, Alther and the other crew of the *Venture* were in truth taken to GLoW’s headquarters, where Alther agreed to join the organisation after talking to her guide, Emret, about the Sceptre of Viriath and its history.
Exne

Exne is one of the fictional protagonists of the Xun opera *The Fall of Exia*. They are the lover of Inx, the opera’s other leading role, and must face the complications that come from Inx being a scion of a rival noble family. Over the course of the opera, Inx and Exne struggle to remain together amidst both inter-familial turmoil and the ongoing siege of their home, the city of Exia.
'Heartbreaker' Bomb

The so-called ‘Heartbreaker’ Bomb is a device of mass destruction developed by the Viriath Imperium. The Bomb was most notably used to induce a nuclear cataclysm which split the planet Orakle into two halves, rendering the surfaces of both hemispheres uninhabitable wastelands of ash and rock.

Historians speculate that this use of the ‘Heartbreaker’ was an act in one of the Imperium’s frequent ideological schisms.
Erea Drace

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Erea Drace is an inhabitant of Aglostarros, in the Coreworlds, and as such is a citizen of the Coreworlds Conglomerate. She is the wife of Orin Drace, a former Motherlode Mining employee who became captain of the ARK Mandate starship *Venture*.

After the *Venture* was apparently destroyed at the hands of the Galactic Liberation of Wonder movement, Erea attended a small memorial service on Aglostarros for the starship’s fallen crew, including her husband. At the event, she directly addressed the Aglostarros University Museum, calling on the institution to end the ARK Mandate, despite its good intentions.
PEOPLE

# Index of Communities and Individuals

* **Civilisations & Public**
	+ Andarrans
		- **Aneth Fracture**
		- **Order of the Ninth Plane**
			* + Magister Xin
	+ Coreworlds Conglomerate
		- * + Ambassador Rayan Tiller
		- **Aglostarros Professionals' Union**
		- **Aglostarros University Museum**
			* Curator
				+ Baroness Dorn Oramande
			* Night Guards
				+ Garrad
				+ Thide
		- **ARK Mandate**
			* + Orin Drace
				+ Umi
				+ *Venture*
		- **Coreworlds Cultural Fund**
		- **Coreworlds Intelligence**
		- **Coreworlds Transport Authority**
		- **Rentholme Expedition**
			* + Draik Rentholme
			* Zoologists
		- **University of Aglostarros**
			* + Professor Argil Stroth
				+ Vice Chancellor Donior
	+ Ele Metanation
		- * + El-Deen
				+ El-Endelle
				+ El-Ineol
				+ El-Jevier
				+ El-Krellos
				+ El-Q'rokar
				+ El-Sona
				+ El-Sondur
				+ El-Zell
				+ Elkre
			* Ele Congregate
				+ Artisan
				+ Builder
				+ Conductor
				+ Speaker
				+ Warrior
			* Ele Shapers
			* Excision Teams
				+ El-Dreefi
				+ El-Morior
				+ El-Murth
		- **Foros Cluster**
		- **Tuyen**
		- **Vildarne Exiles**
		- **Xyll**
	+ Empire of the Queil
		- * + Empress Harke
		- **Keeseed Farmers**
			* + Arl
		- **Princes of the Queil**
			* + Prince Aster
		- **Queil Mlitary**
			* + High Marshal Akonite
				+ Planetary Monitor Torth
			* Queil Talons
			* Queil Watchwardens
				+ Corporal Talla Thrake
				+ Twil
	+ Union Defence Alliance
		- * + General Stele
	+ Vassal Territories
		- **Dooth**
			* + Tungrin Tarei
		- **Dothroi**
			* Dothroi Mining Companies
			* Dothroi Religious Adherents
		- **Eldori**
		- **Krolir State**
		- **Kyrrest Nebula**
			* + Senator Stuur
		- **Rimbalan Bloc**
		- **Iniir Protectorate**
			* + Governor Stroga Noph
	+ Viriath Imperium
	+ Weru
* **Corporations & Private**
	+ AlTime News Channel
		- * + Merran Ward
	+ Batar'Xi Aradogs Home
	+ Bright Aura Gem Therapy
	+ The Family Oramande
		- * + Baroness Dorn Oramande
				+ Col
				+ King Naith Oramande II
	+ FTL League
	+ Galactic Liberation of Wonder
		- * + Alther
				+ Challe
				+ Emret
	+ Galaxy One Hundred
		- * + Ellex Kor
	+ Gridlock Transgalactic
	+ Intrepid Tours
		- **Resort Worlds**
	+ Kersh Aggregates
	+ Montreau Conservatory
	+ Motherlode Mining
	+ Surt Logistics
	+ Veldt Star Industries
		- * CEO
				+ Ardus Lyn
	+ ViCorp
		- **Crystal Cerite Miners**
			* + *Lodestone*
				+ Shift Manager Allard
	+ Xunne Operatic Players
		- * + Ellex Kor
				+ Xille Tenser
* **Unaffiliated**
	+ - * + Erea Drace
				+ Mr Ellan
				+ Exne
				+ Mr Fezius
				+ The Foths
				+ Aler Genn
				+ Inx
				+ 'KilJaron'
				+ Krane
				+ Mak
				+ Immus Omn
				+ Dr Elin Reush
				+ Tena
* **Deities**
	+ Dothroi Pantheon
		- * + Dothor
	+ Unknown Pantheon
		- * + Estir
				+ Lerucia
				+ Zius
Inkdrop Telea

The Inkdrop Telea is a flower native to the planet Xunne, in the Xu system within the Drakonwing Expanse. It is used by the gel-based Xun people to produce dyes for their ceremonial Itela wraps, and as such is able to render a wide variety of colours and shades, including maroon, sky blue and mossy green.

Unusually, something in the atmosphere of Xunne negates the colour yellow, meaning that Teleas are incapable of producing any yellow shades.

As the title suggests, Inkdrop Teleas were featured prominently in the Xun opera *Teleas in Bloom*.
Skrot

Spoiler WarningThis article contains references to or details of key events portrayed in *These Sundered Stars*. To return to the home page, click the image to the left.

A Skrot is a small, rodent-like creature native to the planet Aglostarros, in the Coreworlds.

Skrots are viewed as pests by the sentient denizens of Aglostarros, and have a penchant for chewing through power cables. They can often be found in dark and relatively undisturbed spaces such as the archive levels of the Aglostarros University Museum. Cables nibbled by skrots are the main source of false security alarms at the Museum, and the Museum’s night guards are responsible for repairing any damage caused by skrots.

Night guard Garrad believed he was responding to a false security alarm triggered by skrot activity when he rediscovered the Project Centennial command console in the lower levels of the Museum.
Gridlock Transgalactic

Spoiler WarningThis article contains references to or details of key events portrayed in *These Sundered Stars*. To return to the home page, click the image to the left.

Gridlock Transgalactic is a paramilitary private security firm based in the Coreworlds. It became infamous for causing massive collateral damage when a shootout involving its operatives resulted in the burning of large swathes of farmland on the coreworld of Gil Tol, an incident which was widely covered by the media.

Following the commercialisation of FTL travel, Gridlock Transgalactic rebranded itself and attempted to distance itself from past failings, in the hopes of a “second chance”. The company was hired by the tour company Intrepid to defend its customers from attacks by predators and neighbouring sentients on resort worlds throughout the Conglomerate Exploration Zone and its frontier. The deal was valued at ⍺500 million, which was unprecedented.

Gridlock Transgalactic is not the only private security organisation of its kind active in the galaxy, and analysts have predicted that its engagement by Intrepid marks the start of a trend of armed organisations moving into the CEZ.
Combi-Cleaner

A combi-cleaner is a compact, vertical unit capable of effectively cleaning and drying a single humanoid being. It is by no means luxurious, but is commonly employed by travellers on long-distance interstellar flights, due to its minimal space and electrical requirements.

Veldt Star Industries' *Estir*-Class Starships are sold as standard with the plumbing necessary to install a combi-cleaner, but the acquisition of the cleaner itself is the buyer's responsibility.
Lerucia-Class Starship

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The *Lerucia*-class starship is a model of starship produced by Veldt Star Industries at its shipyards in the Coreworlds, for purchase by citizens of the Coreworlds Conglomerate.

The starship is part of the Pantheon Collection, the first ever range of starships to be capable of faster-than-light travel. As such, the *Lerucia*-class comes with an AIM Drive installed. It is also easily customisable and accommodates a variety of the upgrade modules produced by Veldt, much like its predecessors in the Nomad Collection.

Along with the rest of the Pantheon Collection, it was unveiled by Veldt’s CEO Ardus Lyn at the company’s 2267 Keynote Conference, at its headquarters on Ourinia.

The *Lerucia*-class is marketed as a starship for use in commercial and public transit, with seating to accommodate a large number of passengers across multiple decks. It is named after the deity Lerucia.
El-Phyyr

El-Phyyr (pronounced "el-fear") is a planetoid located within the El system, deep within the Ele Dominion. It orbits the star El at a much greater distance than the Ele capital world of El-Kera.

El-Phyyr is inhospitable to life and is characterised by its almost entirely homogenous terrain of slate-grey silicate particle dunes. Though devoid of flora, fauna, surface water or tectonic activity, the planetoid somehow retains a thin but stable atmosphere which is breathable by most sentients. This anomaly implies that El-Phyyr may have been much more geologically active in the past. Scientists of the Ele Metanation also theorise that subterranean ice may be found around the planet's polar regions, but this has not yet been investigated.

The freezing desert of El-Phyyr comprises a naturally cool and dry environment with plenty of space and few hazards, which makes it the perfect location for the Ele Dominion to safely store its perishable goods for later distribution. As such, the Ele maintain several large-scale storage complexes on El-Phyyr which, due to the lack of solid ground on the planetoid, are designed to remain stable atop the dunes through the precise application of counterweighting and a malleable base platform. These structures are known as silos, and accommodate everything from food and drink to medical supplies such as the Haven-Calex 93 vaccine, plants and other valuable biological matter. The silos, overseen by a skeleton crew from a central watchtower, require relatively little energy to run due to El-Phyyr's already favourable climate.

In the year 2270, the former Curator of the Aglostarros University Museum, Endelle Stroth, and her mentor among the Ele, El-Q'rokar, travelled to El-Phyyr aboard an unknown Ele cargo transport in order to practice certain abilities associated with membership of the Ele Metanation. El-Q'rokar reported that they had a friend on El-Phyyr who would accommodate both of them.
Dothor (System)

Dothor is a star system located deep within a spiral arm of the galaxy known as the Drakonwing Expanse.

The system is best known for the Dothor Lightfields, a broad asteroid belt located at a substantial distance from the light of Dothor, the central star.

The Dothor system is inhabited by a native people known as the Dothroi, whose homeworld is the planet Ordoth.

The Dothor system is named for its central star, which is in turn named for a deity of the Dothroi.

The Dothroi regularly traverse the Dothor system, with several mining companies operating among the Lightfields and shipping minerals from the asteroids back to Ordoth.

Centurion 87 visited the Dothor system as part of Project Centennial.
Oramande (Irin)

Oramande is a planet located in the Coreworlds, and one of the founding member worlds of the Coreworlds Conglomerate.

Originally known as Irin by the planet’s indigenous peoples, Oramande was renamed by the Family Oramande, who came to rule the planet as monarchs for many years. The royal family, led at the time by His Highness King Naith Oramande II, later abdicated all but their ceremonial duties on the planet, in line with the demands of their citizens. This left rulership of the planet Oramande in the hands of a democratically elected government, while also rendering the world a founding signatory of the Conglomerate Charter. This two-week transition of power has become known to Oramande’s citizens as the Grave Ascension.

In recent years, as the Family Oramande’s lingering influence on the politics of the Coreworlds Conglomerate has come to light, the people of Oramande have campaigned to restore the planet’s original name of Irin.
Kalamus Devastator

Spoiler WarningThis article contains references to or details of key events portrayed in *These Sundered Stars*. To return to the home page, click the image to the left.

The Kalamus Devastator is a highly experimental piece of military hardware developed by the Empire of the Queil, capable of inflicting damage to organic matter to an unprecedented degree of both potency and scale.

The Kalamus resembles an unmarked, octagonal box with eight anchor points designed to secure the device in place. When activated, a cylindrical core extends from the top surface of the device, revealing a launch system for multiple waves of nanometrically-sharpened needles, each of which contains a core of radioactive material. Using a complex magnetic propulsion method, the Kalamus rapidly ejects these needles in a 360-degree arc covering up to a ten-metre radius. The exact details of the injuries inflicted by the device are redacted from the archives of Project Centennial.

High volume payload weapons such as the Kalamus Devastator are outlawed under the terms of the Trifold Union. Centurion 67 determined that the device was being developed by the Queils in an unnamed, covert facitlity on the planet Yvyr, in the Tempest system. The Kalamus appears to draw inspiration from the planet’s constant nuclear blizzards which are anathema to biological beings. Though the research facility was destroyed following Centurion 67’s visit, it is unknown whether the Kalamus Devastator remains in use by Queil military forces.

Following the Centurion's discovery of the Kalamus Devastator, many in the galactic community began to wonder why the Queils had continued developing such weapons in secret. The Devastator became the focus of such inquiry, with the Queils stating that they sought to prepare the Trifold Union for the necessity of ethical warfare, which AlTime News Channel analyst Merran Ward dismissed as a lie. Meanwhile, the Kalamus Devastator also received some ridicule in the song *Devastate Me, Baby*, by the popular Dooth musician Tungrin Tarei.
Eldori (Civilisation)

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The Eldori are a species of sentient insectoid beings native to the planet Eldori, on the Galactic Edge. Their first language is Eldorian.

The Eldori were encountered by employees of Motherlode Mining seeking to mine Astrum-36 from their planet’s surface. These miners referred to the Eldori as “aliens” and “bug guys”.

Motherlode Mining intern Umi joked that his colleague Alther had left the Coreworlds because she wanted to kiss an Eldori. Alther refuted this suggestion.

The Eldori sent a small delegation to a diplomatic summit held at the Threshold of the Ninth Plane on Andar Prime, at which the Trifold Union was created. The Eldori were a minor civilisation compared with the Coreworlds Conglomerate and the Empire of the Queil. Like the Dothroi and the Rimbalan Bloc, they only sought to protect their own interests and didn’t have the inclination or resources to acquire more territory. Following the establishment of the Union, the Eldori became one of its Vassal Territories.
Dothroi Mining Companies

Certain members of the Dothroi civilisation own or are employees of mining companies.

These capitalist enterprises operate throughout the Dothor star system, but focus on mining the asteroids of the Dothor Lightfields and shipping the various minerals recovered back to the Dothroi homeworld of Ordoth, where such resources are scarce and in high demand.

The Dothroi companies mining the Lightfields frequently come into conflict with the more religious members of their civilisation, who claim that the asteroid belt is a magical ward created by the deity Dothor, after whom the local star and system are named. These conflicts sometimes result in major outbreaks of violence.
Dothor (Deity)

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Dothor is a deity worshipped by certain members of the Dothroi civilisation, as part of the Dothroi pantheon.

Dothor is the namesake for the star around which the Dothroi homeworld, Ordoth, orbits, as well as the system itself.

The Dothroi write myths and scriptures about Dothor. Some believe that the Dothor Lightfields are a magical ward placed around the Dothroi civilisation by Dothor.

When visiting the Dothor system as part of Project Centennial, Centurion 87 was unable to find any evidence that the deity Dothor truly exists or ever previously existed.

In the year 2267, Veldt Star Industries unveiled the Pantheon Collection, its range of faster-than-light starships. The family model in that range was named the *Dothor*-class, after the deity.
Centurion 67

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As part of Project Centennial, Centurion 67 visited the planet Yvyr in the Tempest system, within the Empire of the Queil. There, it endured the planet’s ceaseless radioactive blizzards to reach a secret Queil military facility where the Kalamus Devastator was being developed.

Upon arrival, the Centurion was instructed by watchwarden Twil to turn away, but insisted on entering as it was “seeking knowledge”. In doing so, the Centurion tore away the gates of the facility, breaking its environmental seal and causing Yvyr’s nuclear snowstorms to tear through the interior, apparently killing everyone inside.

It is possible, though not certain, that Centurion 67 may have been monitored or controlled by the Galactic Liberation of Wonder movement during its visit to the facility on Yvyr, as Aglostarros University Museum Curator Endelle Stroth had recently provided the movement with backdoor access to Project Centennial.
Spacesuit

Spacesuits are worn by crews of Astrum-36 miners operating on planets with no atmosphere or a toxic environment, such as those in the Motherlode Prime system. They provide oxygen and life support to the wearer, but are often uncomfortable to wear. Mining corporations such as Motherlode Mining often produce their own branded spacesuits bearing their company logo.
Queil Diplomatic Codes

Queil Diplomatic Codes are a form of digital signature used by high-ranking government and military officials in the Empire of the Queil when communicating with other civilisations. Each user has a unique code which accompanies all their correspondence, and serves to confirm the identity and legitimacy of the sender.
El-Sondur

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El-Sondur is a member of the Ele Metanation and a resident of the city of Korus, on the capital world of the Ele Dominion, El-Kera. She is a former citizen of the Coreworlds who once lived on Aglostarros before joining the Metanation. She has two young children who are twins, including El-Sona. She has a calm voice, and wears robes like most Ele.

In 2270, El-Sondur shared an apartment building with Endelle Stroth, the former Curator of the Aglostarros University Museum. The two of them regularly participated in hearty communal meals and discussions together, along with other neighbours such as El-Jevier and El-Ineol. Stroth and El-Sondur often checked in with each other, both in person and telepathically, to make sure they were feeling alright.

When Stroth first successfully used Ele thought-threads to travel instantaneously to her apartment from the planetoid El-Phyyr, one of the personal connections she focused on was her friendship with El-Sondur and her children. Upon successfully arriving on El-Kera, the sound of El-Sondur's children playing in the building's courtyard was one of the first sounds she heard.

After learning that the Centurions of Project Centennial had developed a pseudo-paranoia which was driving them to attack the Ele Metanation, Stroth dedicated every hour of her days to finding a solution. When she missed the Feast of Elforsht on one occasion, this prompted El-Sondur and El-Sona to visit Stroth in her apartment. They encouraged the ex-Curator to balance her work with self-care, a gesture of which Stroth was very appreciative.

While preparing to depart El-Kera and return to Aglostarros in order to halt the Centurions' encroachments, Stroth met with El-Sona again and told her to thank El-Sondur on her behalf.
Bio-Paste

Spoiler WarningThis article contains references to or details of key events portrayed in *These Sundered Stars*. To return to the home page, click the image to the left.

Bio-paste is a consumable supply of nutrients and energy designed to be used as an alternative to conventional foodstuffs in emergency situations. Its exact contents and production process are unknown to most citizens of the galaxy, but it is reviled for its unpleasant taste.

A bio-paste generator/dispenser is installed as standard on most starships, including Veldt Star Industries' *Estir*-class starship, as a last resort for spacers who find themselves isolated and low on rations. When fleeing the Coreworlds for the Ele Dominion in 2270, former Aglostarros University Museum Curator Endelle Stroth feared she would have to make use of the *Looking Glass*'s bio-paste supplies, after almost a month of continuous travel and with rations running low.
Celebration of Performing and Televised Arts (COPTA) Awards

The Celebration of Performing and Televised Arts (COPTA) Awards are an annual event hosted in the Coreworlds, celebrating the best performance media pieces of the year.

In the year 2270, drama *The Sorrows of Kor'Tor* led the COPTA nominations, which were the subject of a 22-page special feature on the AlTime News Channel. As part of this coverage, AlTime hosted an interview with Immus Omn, the Iniir director of *The Shadows of Kor'Tor*. The event ultimately saw *The Shadows of Kor'Tor* win a large number of awards, however director Omn themself was not recognised. This led Omn to demand that COPTA do more to recognise talent from the Vassal Territories.
Derre's Auction House

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Located on the planet Ortekk in the Coreworlds, Derre’s Auction House is a renowned venue for the trading of rare artefacts and antiquities retrieved from the frontier and the Conglomerate Exploration Zone.

Derre’s typically produces a brochure with details and descriptions of the items on auction, but does not habitually disclose details of transactions to the public after they have been completed, or comment on those deals. Prospective buyers often employ proxies to attend Derre’s and bid on their behalf, such as those from the Montreau Conservatory.

Derre’s was once the venue for the auctioning of the Compass Rose Cerite, a specimen of Crystal Cerite well known for its uniquely perfect crystal structure and unusual red, purple and yellow-gold colouration. The auction process lasted for two hours and was widely considered to be the action house’s most hotly contested item since it was founded, with the crystal finally selling for more than ⍺200 million.

The auction house was also implicated in the illegal looting of ancient star charts during a mercenary attack in the Qana system, as the charts were later put up for auction at Derre’s. Unsurprisingly, the management of Derre’s declined to comment.

The Galactic Liberation of Wonder movement called out Derre’s Auction House within the text of their Manifesto, in asserting their belief that the wonders of the galaxy should “remain in [their] proper place,” rather than “in the auction houses of Ortekk.”
Nefish

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A Nefish is an iridescent fish commonly found in the crater lakes of the planet which became known as Forsaken Eighty, in the Derth Cluster. However, when Forsaken Eighty fell under the sway of a local black hole known as the Voiceless Scream, analysts from the Aglostarros University Museum indicated that the planet’s ambient temperature would have risen by more than 10ºC as it was drawn closer to the singularity, rendering it uninhabitable to the Nefish and substantively all other forms of life.
Goroc

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A Goroc is a heavily-built ungulate creature capable of growing up to 20 metres tall, with antlers broad enough to provide a habitat for birds and insects.

The Goroc dominated the ecosystem of the planet which became known as Forsaken Eighty, in the Derth Cluster, until the planet fell under the sway of a local black hole known as the Voiceless Scream. Analysts from the Aglostarros University Museum indicated that, as the planet was drawn closer to the singularity, its ambient temperature would have risen by more than 10ºC, rendering the world uninhabitable to the Goroc and substantively all other forms of life.
Aqua Slush

The Aqua Slush is an aquatic-themed iced beverage with a high sugar content. The drink is exclusively available at the Oramande Aquarium on Aglostarros.

Early in the year 2270, the Travel & Leisure section of the AlTime News Channel ran a promotion offering its subscribers a coupon for one free Aqua Slush when they attended the Oramande Aquarium.
High Marshal Akonite

High Marshal Akonite is a member of the Queil species, and the highest ranking member of the Empire of the Queil’s military forces, second to Empress Harke herself. Akonite’s entry in Project Centennial’s database has been redacted.

Following an alleged attack by the Krolir State against the Queil throneworld of Quen, in which the experimental Martyr Protocol software was deployed to remotely manoeuvre the starliner *Morithe's Promise* to protect the planet's surface from a barrage of missiles, High Marshal Akonite gave a statement to the AlTime News Channel. He confirmed that membership of the Trifold Union did not preclude the intent of the Queil to defend their homeworlds. This led many to believe that the Krolir State's attack had been a false flag operation to prove the ongoing need for Queil experimental weapons development.
Grave Ascension

The Grave Ascension was the name later given to an historic two-week period of political transition on the coreworld of Oramande. The Ascension first saw the planet’s ruling monarchs, the Family Oramande, become founding members of the Coreworlds Conglomerate as signatories of the Conglomerate Charter. This formally marked the planet’s entrance into the wider interstellar community of the Coreworlds. Immediately following the Charter’s signing, His Highness King Naith Oramande II declared that he and his family would abdicate all but their ceremonial duties to the people of Oramande, instead leaving the rulership of the planet in the hands of a democratically-elected government.

The former monarch received praise for his bloodless surrender of power in line with the will of Oramande’s citizens. However, even following the events of the Grave Ascension, the Family Oramande continues to exert political influence throughout the Coreworlds and now the Conglomerate Exploration Zone.
Gil Tol

Gil Tol is a planet located in the Coreworlds. Its topography includes grassy plains which are the habitat of the mammalian Katoo.

Zoologists from the Rentholme Expedition named the Desert Katoo, a small, rodent-like reptile native to the resort world of Morithe in the Conglomerate Exploration Zone, based on its striking visual similarity to the Katoo found on Gil Tol. However, there is no evidence that the two species are in any way related.

Gil Tol was the site of a disastrous shootout involving operatives of private security contractor Gridlock Transgalactic, in which large swathes of farmland on Gil Tol were burned. The company was keen to distance itself from this failing.
"Galactic North"

The Theory of Galactic North is a thesis penned by explorer Aler Genn, based on his experience among the navigators and cartographers of the Weru in the Genn Archipelago.

The paper proposes the concept of “Galactic North” and other corresponding cardinal directions. Genn argued that if, like the Weru, all transgalactic pilots adopted a standardised map of the galaxy, points of interest could be mapped out as though corresponding to compass points on a terrestrial map. In this schema, the Empire of the Queil would occupy much of the ‘northwest’ segment of the galaxy, the Coreworlds Conglomerate and its Exploration Zone would span from the ‘west’ to the ‘south’, and the Ele Dominion would cover functionally the entire ‘eastern’ half of the map.

The level of standardisation required for Genn’s vision to function was such that, in practice, the idea of the ‘Galactic Compass’ never gained popularity.
Estir (Deity)

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Estir is a deity known to the people of the Coreworlds.

In the year 2267, Veldt Star Industries unveiled the Pantheon Collection, its range of faster-than-light starships. The single-person model in that range was named the *Estir*-class, after the deity.
Dirit

Dirit is the second largest of three moons orbiting the planet Tyriss, in the Goh III system in the Medial Ring. Along with its sisters, the larger Tyr and smaller Urse, Dirit orbits the resort world elliptically.

Approximately once a year, Dirit and Urse pass close enough to each other that small particles of rock and dust break off from each moon, forming a beautiful but harmless meteorite shower in the skies of Tyriss.
Opalescent Ven-of-Tuyn

Opalescent Ven-of-Tuyn is a flowering plant native to the planet Tuyn, located in the heart of the Ele Dominion in close proximity (astronomically speaking) to the El system. The plant derives its name from its petals' iridescent colouration.

The Opalescent Ven-of-Tuyn has long been cultivated by Tuyn's native society, the Tuyen. As such, when the Tuyen became one of the first civilisations to encounter the Ele species and become part of the Ele Metanation, a specimen of Opalescent Ven-of-Tuyn was gifted to the Fields of Elkre, a botanical garden located in Korus, on the Ele capital world of El-Kera.
Shift Manager Allard

Allard is a male citizen of the Coreworlds. He is employed as a Shift Manager by ViCorp, the company responsible for mining Crystal Cerite from the surface of the planet Harthoe, in the Serpentis Spiral Arm of the galaxy. His job requires him to wear a shield suit. As part of his role, he leads a team of miners which includes Zell, with whom he communicates via a comm network.

Allard is typically very successful at harvesting Crystal Cerite, which Zell claims he scoops up by the bucket. Allard refers to the tiny Cerite-producing insects Ceritians as his “little co-workers”, a turn of phrase which amuses Zell.
Excision Team

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An Ele Excision Team is a specialised unit within the Ele Dominion's small military force, drawn from members of Ele society who have chosen to wear the Warrior mask. The specific purpose of Excision Teams is to quickly locate aggressor beings who risk harming or corrupting the Ele Metanation or their fellow Ele, and contain these beings within antipsychic cages, severing their connection to the thought-threads of others.

Once miscreants are contained, the Excision Team extradites them to a safe distance outside the Dominion, from which their connection to the Metanation cannot reform. The planetoid El-Ridiin is a popular staging ground for this extradition, as it is close to the border with the Coreworlds Conglomerate's Exploration Zone.

In the year 2270, after receiving a dispensation from the Ele Congregate, an Excision Team comprising warriors El-Dreefi, El-Murth and El-Morior travelled to the conservation world El-Saire. There, they hoped to capture one of Project Centennial's Centurions for analysis, to determine what was causing the probes to unilaterally attack Ele populations. El-Dreefi and El-Murth acted as a scouting party to determine the Centurion's location, after which El-Morior used thought-threads to transfer in and trap the drone in an antipsychic cage. This appeared to pacify the drone, and it was subsequently brought to El-Kera for study.
Queil Astronet

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The Queils use an interstellar data network known as the Astronet to communicate throughout the Empire, via a series of orbital waystations. The purposes of the Astronet include the sending of vast amouts of data at high speed across the Queil Empire’s territories, and the linking of every starship in Queil space.

One Astronet waystation was briefly established above the planet Forsaken Eighty in the Derth Cluster, but it was later removed when it became clear that the world was doomed to fall into a nearby singularity known as the Voiceless Scream.

The Queil experimental military software Martyr Protocol is designed to be closely integrated into the Astronet, such that it can gain access to and remotely commandeer any starship travelling within the Empire. This could include taking control of a ship’s propulsion, weapons and life support systems.
Elen

Elen is the native language of the Ele species, originating from the planet El-Kera in the heart of the Ele Dominion.

As of the year 2270, the Ele still converse in Elen and are also capable of speaking in Andarran Standard, however their affinity for the Ele Metanation means that they typically prefer to communicate telepathically. In this way, they can be sure that their intentions and any nuances are clearly understood.
Refel Biscuits

Refel biscuits are a food item commonly produced and eaten by members of the Ele Metanation, within the borders of the Ele Dominion. They are characterised by their crunchy texture and their liquorice-sweet taste.

Much like haal juice, beanbread and vielwine, refel biscuits are a staple of the food and drink served at the communal Feast of Elforsht.
Kollian

The planet Kollian is notable as the location of the Halls of Aneth, in which the Aneth Fracture now resides and provides sanctuary and protection to anyone who completes the Pilgrimage of Aneth and wishes to do good in the galaxy. For unknown reasons, Kollian is notoriously difficult to reach without undertaking the Pilgrimage, which makes it an ideal location for the Fracture and a number of charitable organisations, including the Batar’Xi Aradogs Home, to shelter.

Kollian’s outer crust is riddled with caves and tunnels, some of which pass under the Halls of Aneth. Certain of these tunnels house the headquarters of the Galactic Liberation of Wonder movement.
Gilberry Vine

Gilberry Vines are plants commonly found and cultivated on planets within the Coreworlds. They produce gilberries, edible berry fruits used in a number of Coreworlds culinary dishes. Curiously, gilberries on the vine are not blue in colouration, despite the prevalence of the "Blue Gilberry" cultural trend.
Argil Stroth

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Argil Stroth was a Professor at the University of Aglostarros, and the great-grandfather of former Aglostarros University Museum Curator Endelle Stroth.

Argil is best known for his thesis *On Adaptive Programming*, a paper which proved foundational to the development of self-evolving but non-sentient software in the Coreworlds. In the paper's abstract, Stroth wrote that "programming is the art of writing rules that cannot be broken, knowing that they will eventually be bent."

The concepts put forward in *On Adaptive Programming* were a formative part of developing the adaptive survival subroutines installed in Project Centennial's Centurion probes, and this led to Argil Stroth's recruitment into the Project team on a permanent basis.

In the year 2270, after learning that the Centurions' increasing paranoia resulting from over a hundred years of ongoing threat analysis and adaptation was causing them to lash out against the Ele Metanation, Endelle Stroth wondered how her great-grandfather would react to learning that the probes had developed genocidal intent. She surmised that a lot of Argil's work in preparing the probes for their hundred-year voyage would be based on "guesswork" that was "close enough".
"Gilberry Delight" (Tab-Ration)

"Gilberry Delight" is a common flavour of tab-rations, a range of meal replacement tablets developed and patented by ViCorp. Like all tab-rations, "Gilberry Delight" tablets resemble one-centimetre circles for oral ingestion.

"Gilberry Delight" is distinguished by its blue colouration and its artificial flavouring, which emulates the taste of gilberries. The tablets' colour and flavour combination references the "Blue Gilberry" cultural trend which has enjoyed enduring popularity among citizens of the Coreworlds.
Mr Ellan

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Mr Ellan lived in an apartment building on the planet Aglostarros, in the Coreworlds. He was neighbours with the Aglostarros University Museum night guard Garrad. Mr Ellan owned a deli which was near the apartment building, and which was a favourite of Garrad’s.

Following the commercialisation of faster-than-light travel, Mr Ellan closed his deli and relocated to the Conglomerate Exploration Zone, where he provided catering services to colonists.
Doresh Daar

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Doresh Daar is the star of an unknown star system located within the territory of the Ele Dominion.

Early in the year 2270, a dogfight between the *Looking Glass*, starship of former Aglostarros University Museum Curator Endelle Stroth, and bounty hunter Tren Krellos, piloting the *Gunmetal Gyre*, unfolded in close proximity to Doresh Daar. Krellos used the light of the star to mask his approach as he attacked Stroth, temporarily blinding his opponent until the windows of the *Looking Glass* could polarise. The confrontation ultimately ended with the arrival of the Ele starship 'Arrowhead'.
"Citrus Chillen" (Tab-Ration)

"Citrus Chillen" is a common flavour of tab-rations, a range of meal replacement tablets developed and patented by ViCorp. Like all tab-rations, "Citrus Chillen" tablets resemble one-centimetre circles for oral ingestion.

"Citrus Chillen" is distinguished by its orange colouration and its artificial flavouring, which emulates the combined taste of citrus fruit and roasted chillen, a traditional dish in the Coreworlds.
Colony Habitat

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A colony habitat is a prefabricated living space commonly deployed by the Coreworlds Conglomerate onto the surface of newly-discovered planets in the Conglomerate Exploration Zone. Multiple colony habitats can lock together to form a facility for settlers to live and work in while being sheltered from hostile environments. Colony habitat modules are available in a variety of sizes and configurations.

Upon visiting El-Kera, the capital world of the Ele Dominion, former Curator of the Aglostarros University Museum Endelle Stroth estimated that the planet's strange obelisks are about the size of an average colony habitat in circumference, although their height is much taller, even reaching above El-Kera's skyscraper-tall trees.
Coreworlds Transport Authority

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The Coreworlds Transport Authority is a public sector organisation serving the Coreworlds Conglomerate. It provides and regulates transport on and between the various planets of the Coreworlds.

After Veldt Star Industries’ unveiling of its new Pantheon Collection of faster-than-light starships, at its 2267 Keynote Conference on the planet Ourinia, it was reported that the Coreworlds Transport Authority placed a substantial order for the starships, along with ViCorp and Surt Logistics.
Conductor (Ele Congregate)

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The Conductor is one of five members of the Ele Congregate, the governing body which represents the Ele Dominion in political matters of interstellar scale. The Conductor is believed to be a member of the Ele species, and is so named because it wears and represents the Conductor mask, one of the five traditional Ele masks.

The Conductor convenes with its fellows (the Artisan, the Builder, the Speaker and the Warrior) in the Halls of the Ele Congregate in the city of Korus, on the Ele capital world of El-Kera.

In the year 2270, the Ele Congregate summoned former Aglostarros University Museum Curator Endelle Stroth to address the fact that Project Centennial's Centurion probes, having entered the Ele Dominion's borders, were attacking Ele without provocation. The Conductor initiated this meeting by rhetorically inviting Stroth to guess at its purpose.

After an Excision Team had successfully detained a Centurion on the conservation world El-Saire and brought it to El-Kera for study, the Ele Congregate reconvened with Stroth, who reported that the probe's survival programming was causing it to perceive the Ele Metanation as a constant cyberattack. At this meeting, the Conductor encouraged Stroth to deliver her report, despite her obvious fear.

After reviewing Stroth's findings, the Congregate met with her again in a small orchard outside the walls of Korus, where they asked her to return to Aglostarros and stop the Centurions from the Project Centennial command console in the AUM. During the meeting, it was the Conductor who stated outright the task Stroth would be required to undertake, which she accepted.