Looking for a datachip that will tell you the exciting things you never knew to ask about the galaxy and it's myriad inhabited worlds? Well, look no further! The Quick and Dirty Guide to the Galaxy was written for you! No more looking through old and boring datafiles for something to do, or dry travel guides filled with the same useless advice; we bring you all the points of interest about every planet* in the galaxy, and even give travel tips for those planning trips!
*This guide does not actually include data on every world in the galaxy, but instead includes data on all the worlds in the galaxy that TravelCorp felt worthy of a listing
GurpForge: Quick and Dirty Guide to the Galaxy (72 Edition)
Last edited by rydi on Tue Jul 22, 2008 5:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Threading the Gerbil since 1982
Any relation to The Guide?
That which is not dead can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
Aterna
BASICS
Aterna, the jewel of the Acanthus sector, is a recent addition to the Galactic Federation, coming under full member status only 200 years ago. It is an M class world, and is the fourth planet orbiting its single sun. Aterna came to the attention of the federation 475 years ago during the Skolian uprising (see HISTORY below), and since then grew to full member status through their invaluable aid, quickly becoming both a political power, and a popular tourist spot.
FLORA & FAUNA
The like most technically advanced worlds, Aterna’s ecosystem has been highly altered by industry, warfare, and resource depletion, but much of the damage, even the mass extinction common to industrial era growth, has been reversed by the incredible technology employed by the private citizenry of Aterna (See TECHNOLOGY below). Biodiversity is high, matching statistics for far less technologically developed worlds. Species characteristics are similar, according to files, to many species once present on the now barren planet Earth (See entry for EARTH), which is quite an oddity. Of particular interest to tourists is the southernmost continent, which though mostly an icy wasteland, also holds a dense jungle region inhabited by many of the world’s prehistoric species, and savage natives that never developed the technological sophistication of the other Aternans.
Aterna also possess an inhabited moon and several other planets in the sector have seem to be active, but the Aternan government encourages tourists to avoid them.
PHYSIOLOGY
Aternans are, as a whole, a very healthy people. Their diets and medical care are tailored to individual needs, and they seldom show the signs of age before a century of life. They range wildly in height, with individuals as short as a meter, to many over three meters tall, though the average is around 2 meters. Dexterity and strength vary wildly, though most are possessed of fairly dexterous hands or other manipulators. Aternans are perhaps most famous for their innate abilities however. Virtually every Aternan possesses some innate “super” ability (upon first contact only a small portion of the population possessed these abilities, but due to interbreeding there are now only a small minority without powers), the nature of which are not yet fully understood. While the fanciful tales of godlike Aternans flying through space are clearly false, many Aternans are nonetheless possessed of very powerful abilities. Psionics, magic, and variant physiology resulting a capacity for incredible physical feats, are all fairly common.
While the exact mechanisms behind these powers are unknown, it is though by many Federation scientists that they result from some sort of genetic predisposition toward control of quantum probabilities. Whatever the case, the fact is that nearly the entire population of Aterna is capable of feats beyond the hopes and dreams of nearly every galactic citizen. This both fascinates and frightens people, and while many look on Aterna with wonder, some worry that that kind of power could lead to another conflict, one that would dwarf the Skolian Conflict in both scale, and loss of life.
SOCIETY
Aternan society is possibly one of the most unique in the galaxy. Though a democratic government does exist on Aterna, it has very limited control over the actions of its people, and instead functions to maintain the infrastructure of the society, distribute food, and maintain the environment. The highly independent, individualist people of Aterna are free to do as they wish, with only basic principles, such as “do not harm others” serving as laws, and interpretation of those principles by judges voted into office every 10 years. Government officials are elected as well, serving for 5-year periods and working to organizes and maintain infrastructure of the society, but they do not make decisions regarding law or social issues. Instead, they inform the populace of issues and present bills, which the public then votes upon.
Birth rates are low, possibly as a result of the Aternan’s unique physiology (see PHYSIOLOGY below), creating a very low population density. Visitors touring one of the three cities accessible by off-worlders find that they often outnumber the natives by more than 3-1 in some highly trafficked areas. The low population likely aids in the maintenance of the loose, individualistic society, and according to interviews with Aternans, makes the jobs they do more rewarding and valuable, as in some regions, even sanitation engineers are deemed “irreplaceable”.
Despite being a largely free society, stratification does exist, but in a manner common to worlds in which biological differences aid specialization in a given task (see entries for PSYCHIC; MARLACK IV; COLAH 17A; BIOLOGICAL STRATIFICATION). As each Aternan has some special ability, the government, and family members, generally guide a young Aternan into a roll that will maximize the utility of their abilities and place them under the apprenticeship of someone familiar with both the young Aternan’s abilities and their intended job.
The basic social unit of Aterna is the family until adolescence, at which point young Aternans are placed in a fostering program which teams them with others of their age group under a specialist in development and education. Under their professor’s tutelage they learn to control their abilities, are taught societal values, and are given a well rounded education in mathematics, language, science, history, and social interaction.
The average work week on Aterna is 20 hours, so visitors should expect little of the hustle seen on many other technologically advanced or economically capitalist worlds. The standard attire is a simple unitard made of various stretchy materials (sold at tourist shops; the QDGG recommends the slightly more expensive suit made of “unstable molecules” as it is highly durable and breathes very well) that leaves little of the body to the imagination, so visitors with societal or religious aversion to such things might think twice about vacationing here.
Aternan names are interesting, and worth noting here for several reasons, the most important of which is that they often give a hint as to the nature of the individual being spoken to. While young, parents give their children names, often whimsical or affectionate, that do little to describe the individual. Family names are not used; genealogical records are maintained only by government computers. When Children turn 15, they are allowed to pick a name for themselves, with the aid of their parents, friends, professors, and mentors. The name chosen is usually a descriptive name that embodies the role they intend to play in society, and the traits that most define them. Naming day is one of the most important occasions in a young Aternan’s life, and is often seen as a transition into the adult world. An Aternan’s naming day is almost always marked with a celebration. Less commonly, older Aternans may change their names, often as a result of some life altering event that they feel changed them in some fundamental way; these second naming days are somber affairs, though many guests still arrive to recognize the change.
HISTORY
Aterna first came to galactic prominence during the Skolian Conflict 475 years ago, in which the shape shifting Skolians attempted to take control of the entire Acanthus sector, and from there moved out into the rest of the galaxy. The Skolians had capitalized (see WikiHistory entry on the subject for more detail) on the long standing Pax Galactica to infiltrate every level of Federation society, and overnight were able to take control of key military and political objectives. But the Skolians did not plan for resistance from non-federation sources, and when they attacked Aterna, expecting an easy conquest of a material rich world, they inadvertently made an enemy that would lose them the war.
It is unknown whether the Federation could have withstood the Skolion assault without Aterna, but what is known is that it would have been a much more costly war. The Aternans were able to provide means of detecting the Skolians, and destabilized their hold on the Acanthus sector enough to allow Federation forces to overwhelm them. The special gifts of the Aternans also helped turn the final battle of the war in favor of the Federation, with boarding actions by Aternan soldiers taking out many enemy vessels.
Since the end of the war, the Skolian Conflict has become something of a cultural myth amongst the Federation, and is often aggrandized. Veterans of the war, and their descendants, tell of the great battles, heroic deeds, and incredible exploits. They even tell stories of immensely powerful Aternans flying through space and ripping apart Skolian cruisers with their bare hands. Stories such as these, though clearly impossible, fueled the fantasies of the galactic public, leading many in the federation to call on the government to pursue further contact with Aterna, and its possible incorporation into the Federation.The next two hundred years saw tentative relationships grow between Aterna and the Federation, as the two cultures learned of each other, and found that their ideals were in fact compatible.
275 years ago, Aterna officially became a member world of the Federation. Since then it has become a powerful force in galactic Society. Several Aternans, a disproportionate number some would say, hold positions of authority within the Federation, up to and including one individual in the seat of vice-president of Magical Safety and Security. The technology of Aterna is truly original, and multiple corporations vie for access to the many brilliant Aternan engineers and scientists. Even entertainment has been influenced by Aterna, with several popular artists, musicians, and actors hailing from there.
Despite its full member status, Aterna allows only limited exploration by non-natives, citing environmental and cultural issues. But despite, or perhaps because of, this limited interaction, the galaxy is still extremely interested in this world and its strangely gifted denizens.
FAMOUS PEOPLE & ORGANIZATIONS
Ultraman and Captain Freedom (signed the Treaty of Skolos); Sparkler (rock musician in the midst of her 12th comeback tour as of this writing); Dr. Wyrd (Federation Council of Magical Safety and Security vice-president); MM&JW Law Firm (pro-bono law firm defending poor defendants galaxy wide).
TECHNOLOGY
Aternan Technology is, in a word, odd. Though the government is known to posses the highest levels of technological advancement, the society as a whole functions barely above a nuclear age level. The scientists and engineers of Aterna, while certainly some of the most gifted in the galaxy, seem to work together very little, and there are seldom any attempts at standardization, resulting in devices based on wildly different principles, some of which Federation scientists spend years puzzling over, that often end up doing the same thing. The only real commonality to Aternan technology is its individuality. Each piece of high-level technology is as much a piece of art as it is a tool, and many collectors purchase such pieces, not for use, but for display.
BASICS
Aterna, the jewel of the Acanthus sector, is a recent addition to the Galactic Federation, coming under full member status only 200 years ago. It is an M class world, and is the fourth planet orbiting its single sun. Aterna came to the attention of the federation 475 years ago during the Skolian uprising (see HISTORY below), and since then grew to full member status through their invaluable aid, quickly becoming both a political power, and a popular tourist spot.
FLORA & FAUNA
The like most technically advanced worlds, Aterna’s ecosystem has been highly altered by industry, warfare, and resource depletion, but much of the damage, even the mass extinction common to industrial era growth, has been reversed by the incredible technology employed by the private citizenry of Aterna (See TECHNOLOGY below). Biodiversity is high, matching statistics for far less technologically developed worlds. Species characteristics are similar, according to files, to many species once present on the now barren planet Earth (See entry for EARTH), which is quite an oddity. Of particular interest to tourists is the southernmost continent, which though mostly an icy wasteland, also holds a dense jungle region inhabited by many of the world’s prehistoric species, and savage natives that never developed the technological sophistication of the other Aternans.
Aterna also possess an inhabited moon and several other planets in the sector have seem to be active, but the Aternan government encourages tourists to avoid them.
PHYSIOLOGY
Aternans are, as a whole, a very healthy people. Their diets and medical care are tailored to individual needs, and they seldom show the signs of age before a century of life. They range wildly in height, with individuals as short as a meter, to many over three meters tall, though the average is around 2 meters. Dexterity and strength vary wildly, though most are possessed of fairly dexterous hands or other manipulators. Aternans are perhaps most famous for their innate abilities however. Virtually every Aternan possesses some innate “super” ability (upon first contact only a small portion of the population possessed these abilities, but due to interbreeding there are now only a small minority without powers), the nature of which are not yet fully understood. While the fanciful tales of godlike Aternans flying through space are clearly false, many Aternans are nonetheless possessed of very powerful abilities. Psionics, magic, and variant physiology resulting a capacity for incredible physical feats, are all fairly common.
While the exact mechanisms behind these powers are unknown, it is though by many Federation scientists that they result from some sort of genetic predisposition toward control of quantum probabilities. Whatever the case, the fact is that nearly the entire population of Aterna is capable of feats beyond the hopes and dreams of nearly every galactic citizen. This both fascinates and frightens people, and while many look on Aterna with wonder, some worry that that kind of power could lead to another conflict, one that would dwarf the Skolian Conflict in both scale, and loss of life.
SOCIETY
Aternan society is possibly one of the most unique in the galaxy. Though a democratic government does exist on Aterna, it has very limited control over the actions of its people, and instead functions to maintain the infrastructure of the society, distribute food, and maintain the environment. The highly independent, individualist people of Aterna are free to do as they wish, with only basic principles, such as “do not harm others” serving as laws, and interpretation of those principles by judges voted into office every 10 years. Government officials are elected as well, serving for 5-year periods and working to organizes and maintain infrastructure of the society, but they do not make decisions regarding law or social issues. Instead, they inform the populace of issues and present bills, which the public then votes upon.
Birth rates are low, possibly as a result of the Aternan’s unique physiology (see PHYSIOLOGY below), creating a very low population density. Visitors touring one of the three cities accessible by off-worlders find that they often outnumber the natives by more than 3-1 in some highly trafficked areas. The low population likely aids in the maintenance of the loose, individualistic society, and according to interviews with Aternans, makes the jobs they do more rewarding and valuable, as in some regions, even sanitation engineers are deemed “irreplaceable”.
Despite being a largely free society, stratification does exist, but in a manner common to worlds in which biological differences aid specialization in a given task (see entries for PSYCHIC; MARLACK IV; COLAH 17A; BIOLOGICAL STRATIFICATION). As each Aternan has some special ability, the government, and family members, generally guide a young Aternan into a roll that will maximize the utility of their abilities and place them under the apprenticeship of someone familiar with both the young Aternan’s abilities and their intended job.
The basic social unit of Aterna is the family until adolescence, at which point young Aternans are placed in a fostering program which teams them with others of their age group under a specialist in development and education. Under their professor’s tutelage they learn to control their abilities, are taught societal values, and are given a well rounded education in mathematics, language, science, history, and social interaction.
The average work week on Aterna is 20 hours, so visitors should expect little of the hustle seen on many other technologically advanced or economically capitalist worlds. The standard attire is a simple unitard made of various stretchy materials (sold at tourist shops; the QDGG recommends the slightly more expensive suit made of “unstable molecules” as it is highly durable and breathes very well) that leaves little of the body to the imagination, so visitors with societal or religious aversion to such things might think twice about vacationing here.
Aternan names are interesting, and worth noting here for several reasons, the most important of which is that they often give a hint as to the nature of the individual being spoken to. While young, parents give their children names, often whimsical or affectionate, that do little to describe the individual. Family names are not used; genealogical records are maintained only by government computers. When Children turn 15, they are allowed to pick a name for themselves, with the aid of their parents, friends, professors, and mentors. The name chosen is usually a descriptive name that embodies the role they intend to play in society, and the traits that most define them. Naming day is one of the most important occasions in a young Aternan’s life, and is often seen as a transition into the adult world. An Aternan’s naming day is almost always marked with a celebration. Less commonly, older Aternans may change their names, often as a result of some life altering event that they feel changed them in some fundamental way; these second naming days are somber affairs, though many guests still arrive to recognize the change.
HISTORY
Aterna first came to galactic prominence during the Skolian Conflict 475 years ago, in which the shape shifting Skolians attempted to take control of the entire Acanthus sector, and from there moved out into the rest of the galaxy. The Skolians had capitalized (see WikiHistory entry on the subject for more detail) on the long standing Pax Galactica to infiltrate every level of Federation society, and overnight were able to take control of key military and political objectives. But the Skolians did not plan for resistance from non-federation sources, and when they attacked Aterna, expecting an easy conquest of a material rich world, they inadvertently made an enemy that would lose them the war.
It is unknown whether the Federation could have withstood the Skolion assault without Aterna, but what is known is that it would have been a much more costly war. The Aternans were able to provide means of detecting the Skolians, and destabilized their hold on the Acanthus sector enough to allow Federation forces to overwhelm them. The special gifts of the Aternans also helped turn the final battle of the war in favor of the Federation, with boarding actions by Aternan soldiers taking out many enemy vessels.
Since the end of the war, the Skolian Conflict has become something of a cultural myth amongst the Federation, and is often aggrandized. Veterans of the war, and their descendants, tell of the great battles, heroic deeds, and incredible exploits. They even tell stories of immensely powerful Aternans flying through space and ripping apart Skolian cruisers with their bare hands. Stories such as these, though clearly impossible, fueled the fantasies of the galactic public, leading many in the federation to call on the government to pursue further contact with Aterna, and its possible incorporation into the Federation.The next two hundred years saw tentative relationships grow between Aterna and the Federation, as the two cultures learned of each other, and found that their ideals were in fact compatible.
275 years ago, Aterna officially became a member world of the Federation. Since then it has become a powerful force in galactic Society. Several Aternans, a disproportionate number some would say, hold positions of authority within the Federation, up to and including one individual in the seat of vice-president of Magical Safety and Security. The technology of Aterna is truly original, and multiple corporations vie for access to the many brilliant Aternan engineers and scientists. Even entertainment has been influenced by Aterna, with several popular artists, musicians, and actors hailing from there.
Despite its full member status, Aterna allows only limited exploration by non-natives, citing environmental and cultural issues. But despite, or perhaps because of, this limited interaction, the galaxy is still extremely interested in this world and its strangely gifted denizens.
FAMOUS PEOPLE & ORGANIZATIONS
Ultraman and Captain Freedom (signed the Treaty of Skolos); Sparkler (rock musician in the midst of her 12th comeback tour as of this writing); Dr. Wyrd (Federation Council of Magical Safety and Security vice-president); MM&JW Law Firm (pro-bono law firm defending poor defendants galaxy wide).
TECHNOLOGY
Aternan Technology is, in a word, odd. Though the government is known to posses the highest levels of technological advancement, the society as a whole functions barely above a nuclear age level. The scientists and engineers of Aterna, while certainly some of the most gifted in the galaxy, seem to work together very little, and there are seldom any attempts at standardization, resulting in devices based on wildly different principles, some of which Federation scientists spend years puzzling over, that often end up doing the same thing. The only real commonality to Aternan technology is its individuality. Each piece of high-level technology is as much a piece of art as it is a tool, and many collectors purchase such pieces, not for use, but for display.
Threading the Gerbil since 1982