Forsellis

Rogue Trader: Drake Dynasty
GM
Adam
Dynastic Power
Character Level: 31,250 XP / Rank 8
Profit Factor: 43𝖕
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Lord-Captain Drake Navigator Primus Mordecai Arch-Millitant Winter Astropath Solarus
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Aurea Albion Hound of Albion • Abhorrent Fortuitous Purpose • Penance of Iocanthos
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"By the Throne, would you look at this! Barely a stone to fly around, no xenos, no grav-tides, nothing. There's money to be made here, lads. Easy money. " -Rogue Trader Markus Forsellis

Near the Coreward end of the God-Emperor's Scourge, bathed in the faint, flickering, bruise-colored light of the distant Void Dancer's Roil, lies the small and unassuming Forsellis system. Centered on the star Forsellis, a brilliant blue giant of immense size and power, it was first charted by the Rogue Trader Markus Forsellis nearly one thousand years ago. It is sparsely inhabited for its size, has little in the way of resources, and no known archaeological or anthropological sites of interest. Its one habitable planet, Damaris, lies halfway between the star and the vast ice fields at the edge of the system and is home to a relatively young and burgeoning Imperial colony. The rest of the system consists mainly of gas giants, barren rocks with trace atmospheres and the aforementioned ice fields, a treacherous, ever-shifting expanse of ice asteroids the size of moons that ring the system like a wall.

Beyond this wall lies a wide-open space free of serious navigation hazards like asteroid fields or heavy gravity tides, meaning the system is quite easy to navigate once clear of the ice fields. This easy navigation has turned the system into something of a trading hub, which has allowed Damaris a higher standard of living than would otherwise be possible in such a backwater location. While the inner system has been exhaustively charted, and the planets close to Damaris surveyed for any available resources, the system does still hold secrets. The ice fields, known colloquially as The Frozen Reaches, remain largely unexplored due to their treacherous gravity tides and the ever-shifting ice. What little is known about them revolves around the super-massive gas giant Skadi that broods at the outer limits of the Reaches, holding close any secrets it may possess.

Sadly, the peace and quiet enjoyed for generations of Damarais is about to be brutally shattered. Savage Orks have massed on the borders of the system, banding together in the wilderness of the Reaches for an assault on Damaris. Calls for help from the Planetary Government have gone largely unanswered, and rumours are that even the Imperium has abandoned the people of Damaris to their ugly fate at the hands of the greenskins.

Damaris

(Main Article: Damaris)

A rarity among the howling desolation of the void, Damaris is a world based on great aspirations and driving ambition. A medium-sized planet of rolling hills, low mountain ranges, and small but incredibly deep seas, Damaris is blessed with numerous valuable resources. Although a colder world with oversized icecaps, the equator is highly temperate and vast stretches of the equatorial regions are given over to agriculture and the production of foodstuffs. The seas are full of edible creatures that are highly in demand throughout the Expanse as well as the Calixis sector, and many valuable ores and precious gems are ensconced in the world's ancient, wind-worn mountains. The planet boasts a remarkably modern infrastructure for such a relative backwater, with power and running water more common than not and a generally efficient transit system of roads, ornithopter ports, and maglevs connecting the capital city with the numerous outlying communities, manses, agricombines, and commercial and industrial complexes.

Agri-combines concerned with growing food and cultivating livestock dominate commerce and industry on Damaris. However, while many Damarans till the land, the planet also boasts a strong mining industry that produces millions of tons of raw and refined ores for export to other systems. There is also a small but respected ship-building industry centered at the Bulwark, Damaris' orbital defense station. While Damaran shipwrights lack the skills and technology to produce warp capable ships, their small craft and inter-system ships are sturdy and well-made, adhering to ancient and respected designs. There is also trade between Damaris and nearby worlds, facilitated by Rogue Traders. Damaris exports ores, foodstuffs, livestock, and ship components in exchange for luxuries, vehicles, and durable goods from throughout The Cauldron, and levies heavy tariffs on any imported agricultural products.

The Burning Ones

Orbiting close to Forsellis are the Burning Ones; Ignus, Aestus and Aduro. These small, lifeless rocks have been blasted clean by the immense heat and radiation produced by Forsellis. They have trace atmospheres made of toxic gasses and where their surfaces aren’t parched, super-hot deserts, they are covered in seas of molten lead and copper.

While they have been surveyed from space numerous times, few people have bothered to set food on their hostile surfaces. It is assumed that they are rich in precious ores and other resources, but the cost and danger of extracting them from the planets has kept the Burning Ones largely unexploited. For now, Damaris is content to mine its own surface. However, if an enterprising individual or organization came along with the Thrones and technology to mine the worlds, it might be worth a great deal.

The Frozen Reaches

Standing at the edges of the Forsellis System like a wall millions of kilometers thick is the treacherous ice field known as The Frozen Reaches. A dangerous, ship-crushing maze of vicious gravity tides and numerous other navigational hazards, the Reaches are largely unexplored and assumed to be uninhabited. Composed of countless ice boulders ranging in size from a few inches to hundreds of kilometers across, the Reaches stretch to the limit of sight in every direction, the ice glittering in the wan blue light of the distant star like previous stones on black velvet. What lies hidden in the cold fastness remains a mystery, as even the brave sailors of Damaris Flotilla refuse to take their patrol ships in for a survey. Those who have entered the Reaches and returned to tell the tale, mainly Rogue Traders, pirates, and madmen, report only one item of interest, the massive gas-giant Skadi.

Skadi

Hidden deep within the ice fields of the Frozen Reaches lies the mysterious planet called Skadi, a super-massive gas giant more than one hundred thousand kilometers across. Those who have seen the reclusive planet say it’s a dark cobalt-blue color that seems to glow with a mellow internal luminescence. Some report vast multi-hued rings, others a constellation of moons of varying size, and still others say it doesn’t exist at all. Despite the varied reports, what all agree on is that the mysterious planet is almost willfully erratic, never in the same place twice, is nearly impossible to reach, and quite possibly an open gate to the Warp. The truth is difficult to separate from rumor when it comes to Damaris’ retiring neighbor, as no more than a handful of men have actually seen it with their own eyes and lived to tell the tale. Whatever treasures or horrors Skadi might be hiding will have to remain a mystery for now, as no one in the Forsellis system or the surrounding systems possesses the courage or the will to hunt it down.