DJachroum Asteroid
The Free Station of Djachroum
Its strategic location in the Kandah Gap undoubtedly makes Djachroum the most important junction of the Reach. Under the guidance of its enigmatic Akbar (Rakiv Fatiman), the station has taken on the role of Reach’s capital and is its uniting force. This has not escaped the attention of the larger factions such as the Consortium and the Legion who seek to grow their presence and influence. Djachroum itself has a small militia, the Purple Guard, which patrols the station and the surrounding area and keeps the peace (mostly). For larger assignments, freelancers are often hired, and the station can thus muster considerable firepower in a short time.
Ever since the old asteroid station in the Kandah Gap was rediscovered more than 30 years ago, it has had a dominant role in the Rimward Reach’s culture and politics. It is to Djachroum that desperate skippers set off to do their deal of a lifetime. Free thinkers, poets and mercenaries flock here to start a new life and leave old worries behind. Djachroum symbolizes the hope for a better life, unlimited opportunity or a second chance. But the road to fortune is never easy, and the Reach is a much less forgiving place than the prosperous civilization of the inner system.
Djachroum is not a lawless station, but here there is no justice and life here is often violent and unforgiving to newcomers who do not know how to navigate its society. Many seekers of fortune fail, and they are lucky if they end up in the temple cave slum or dreaming away in some cheap orpor parlour.
Djachroumi are generally hardened and cynical and easily distinguished from new arrivals, or Wabas as they are called (roughly translated as "leaf chewers", a derogatory word for Zenithians from Kua).
It is also to Djachroum that spies, assassins, and agents flock from the whole Horizon, exchanging information, performing dark deeds, and making unholy covenants. Under the Akbar's leadership, the station is largely free from power-struggles of the other factions and that combined with its relative vicinity to Coriolis makes Djachroum one of the Third Horizon's most important spy nests. Above it all, the Founder's spirit hovers, the people who once built the station and then disappeared, seemingly into nothingness.
News
There are three main sources for news on Djachroum: The Bulletin, The Station Council and the Red Spider.
The Bulletin as the Consortium's official news agency has a permanent correspondent on Djachroum, who also draws on several freelancers. Agency news is mainly factual, a little stiff in its delivery and gives the audience a sense of being independent and objective. However, the Bulletin’s (and Consortium’s) Kuan interests occasionally shine through and often conflict with the leadership of Djachroum, especially when it focuses on the Akbar's problems or perceived failings of the administration.
The Station Council is the Akbar's official voice at the station and does not pretend to have any journalistic ambitions, spreading propaganda and practical public service messages without placing major demands on their audience’s intellect. The station council always writes the Akbar's version of the truth, which does not necessarily match what actually happened.
The Red Spider is a legendary reporter who writes anonymously about everything that the Bulletin or the Station Council does not address - and then some. The Red Spider has a penchant for juicy gossip, hot romances and scandals and is more than happy to publish names of people based on nothing but conjecture, rumours and hearsay. The Red Spider is not driven by any obvious agenda in the same way as the other outlets but apparently has no major enthusiasm for diligent source checkin and might publish baseless gossip that apparently reveals widespread conspiracies and corruption.
Government
Politics, Law and Order
“Djachroum is the Akbar and the Akbar is Djachroum”, so the saying goes that the guards love to share with newly arrived wabas. As long as anyone can remember, the man known only as Akbar has ruled Djachroum and it is hard to overestimate the importance of the great leader for the prosperity and political power of the station in the Reach. Yet he is largely invisible to the inhabitants and keeps away from public events. On the rare occasions he ventures forth, the leader never leaves the dark sedan-chair he travels in. Why the Akbar doesn't want to show himself is of course subject of keen speculation, but even when discussing this in among friends in hushed voices, the conversations are kept short and cryptic - nobody wants a visit from the Purple Guard and generally, the population is satisfied with the state of things. The Akbar knows that the power of the station is dependent on the inhabitants' self-image as a free and unconquered people. As long as one does not violate any of Akbar's commandments, one is free to live one’s life as one wishes on Djachroum.The three-headed Station Council manages the station’s daily business. The Council consists of:
- The priest Kubar Nariman - known as one of the founders of the Five Doctrines (see section on religion) and for his unmatched collection of iconic relics from the whole Horizon. Nariman's origins are shrouded in secrecy, wicked gossip believes that the pious priest was once a simple prospector who lost his crew, and found the icons, in the darkness of the Kandah cloud.
- The Nasar prince Mahbod Gulbanû who, from his alabaster palace in the Captains’ quarter, controls large parts of Djachroum's trade and contracts with the Free League. Stubborn rumours claim that Gulbanû’s wealth is largely built on birr from the prospector clan Yimon's cash register. If that were true, it would be nothing short of scandalous, considering Djachroum's alliance with the Nomad swarms in the Marrab conflict.
- Sefraim Kann, the last member, and the most feared of all of them, is the commander of the Purple Guard. His reputation as bloodthirsty sadist may be exaggerated but after the massacre of the apostle Kamran and his disciples, no one is keen to put this to the test. The commander is said to have a great weakness for baria ballads and often visits the Governor's Palace’s Great Hall. Some say tears run down the warrior's cheeks when Sani Sowal sings.
The Abkar reigns supremely on Djachroum, but he is no tyrant. The station's laws are few and draconically applied but otherwise leave inhabitants of Djachroum to live their lives in peace. Akbar's commandments, as the station's most important laws are called, are absolute and cannot be appealed. Prohibitions include the use of heavy weapons, sabotage of life support systems or the space port, entering forbidden areas and the use of certain words. Anyone violating such a commandment cannot expect mercy. The militia, or Purple Guard, are the Akbar's lawmakers and guardians. The organisation is more than 400 strong and maintains the Akbar’s rule in the station. An exception is the Machine Hall, where the mysterious Machinists themselves maintain the order. A third of the militia is traditionally nomadic in origin and selected from among the best warriors of the three swarms.
Industry & Trade
The remote location of the Reach makes trade with the inner system extremely lucrative. Most settlements and bases are not self-sufficient in advanced technology, spare parts, and some unusual components. The exceptions are few, only some of the free colonists in the asteroid clusters consider themselves fully self-sufficient.
In addition, there is always a need for luxury goods for the wealthier residents. In the Captain's Quarter of Djachroum, extravagant parties are not uncommon with delicacies and above all, meat products served, with both fashions and produce imported from the inner system.
The vast distances within the sector of the Lady of Tears, which correspond to those in the entire inner system, are also an advantage to those transporting goods within it. The ships from the inner system arrive in Djachroum and then return straight away. Countless free traders take over their cargo from Djachroum and distribute goods between the many different asteroid settlements, relay bases and research enclaves. Free traders usually travel in convoy, preferably with lighter escort ships belonging to one of the countless free companies that are drawn to the Reach, attracted by the escalating Maghdan conflict and the increasing Corsair activity. Some free companies take on work from both sides and it is not uncommon for Free traders who refused expensive escort fees to fall victim to corsairs allied to the would-be protectors.
History
Just over three centuries ago, the area near the Kandah cloud was colonized for the first time. An asteroid station was built next to the cloud, and all around, smaller outposts sprouted. The identity of these intrepid colonizers and their reason for settlingin such an inhospitable place is still a matter of dispute amongst academics. Yet, an even greater mystery is their sudden disappearance.Archaeological investigations show that the first colonists vanished from the area virtually overnight. They left behind a band of stations and abandoned ships that are a monument to a bygone civilization.
Following their disappearance, the Rimward Reach was once again forgotten. For a long time, only smugglers went all the way out to Transshura, building small bases to hide beyond the long arm of the law. Over 30 years ago, the Foundation sent a deep probe to the area. The sensor data surprised the researchers on Coriolis. Readouts that had been interpreted as a common asteroid cluster turned out to be a series of advanced shipwrecks.
What happened next would decisively shape the future of the Rimward Reach. The Consortium decided that the find was not important enough for a fully funded expedition and decided to grant permits and funding for private expeditions to the areainstead. Two cutters - Holy Amesia and Volos - left under Captain Antoli Djachroum and soon found the remnants of a former civilization that had once thrived in the Reach. When the expedition rediscovered the asteroid station on the edge of the Kandah cloud, it was quickly claimed by Captain Djachroum and declared free and independent from the Consortium and other factions of the Third Horizon. Since that day, the Reach has been a popular with wreck hunters, prospectors, and dissidents.Shortly after the re-colonialization of the abandoned space station, a group of prospectors belonging to the Free League discovered the existence of a previously unknown mineral in the Kandah Cloud. At first it was thought to be Selidium, a substance used in the construction of graviton projectors. However, this new substance proved to be much more potent than Selidium. The precious mineral was named Maghdan after the researcher Ariste Maghdan and caused a veritable gold rush among Kuan prospectors.
Over the ensuing years, the Rimward Reach filled with fortune seekers. The asteroid station, now called Djachroum, became a natural hub and gathering place for all new arrivals. Swiftly, the Foundation also established an astronomical research station and an archaeological unit and when the treasure hunters and ruin looters swarmed the area, the Legion was called in to patrol. To establish a base for their patrols and to project their power close to the Maghdan deposits, they also built a smaller research and service outpost for the Legion, the base known as
Thalus.
Tourism
Culture
One might think that a station like Djachroum would have a poor cultural life, but then one would be wrong. In fact, Djachroum has a disproportionately great number of writers, poets, musicians, and artists. Many have moved away from prosecution, debt, or unrequited love to start over in the Rimward Reach - with mixed results usually, but it makes for a varied colony of artists here on the edge of the system.
Music and Musical Theatre
Music is serious business for the Djachroumi. Maybe it is not surprising that the two dominant music styles are extreme in their emotionally charged expression. Baria is the favourite genre of all lonely prospectors, sad and mournful ballads that deal with lost love, shipwreck, and the whims of the Icons. Its biggest star is Sani Sowal, the “Rose of Diachroum”. Her performances at the Governor's Palace are always sold out and Sowal's many romances are the hot gossip at Shamble's cafes. Other popular artists include the glamorous Aounorra from Coriolis and the Mahanla Sisters from Mira.
Kabbah, on the other hand, is a dance-focused and tempo-rich music with roots in the native cultures of Kua, the Sogoi. The music is extremely popular at Djachroum especially thanks to the Governor's Palace which has become the obvious centrepiece in Djachroum's raucous nightlife. Popular kabbah artists and groups are Hala-hall, Moffutser and Djachroum's own pride Manja Gahn.
In the Cave of the Hanging Bridges you can find Miss Sawas Theater, where ritualized Musical Theatre pays tribute to the rediscovery of the station. The plays praise Antoli Djachroum, the Akbar and the Rimward Reach in general and mock fake and petty Kuans to the riotous applause of a usually alcoholised audience. It is not uncommon for food scraps to be thrown at the stoic actors who have the misfortune to portray Kuans, a role often given to destitute and newly arrived wabas. Despite the residents' scepticism towards everything beyond Transshura, the Bulletin series “The Plantation Owner's Daughter” is immensely popular on Djachroum. Every evening, people gather around the holo-modules – from young trendy folks to aged and gnarled prospectors - to follow the family’s misfortune and quietly make fun of Kuan habits.
Literature
There are plenty of failed writers and poets on Djachroum. In the Shambles’ basaar, visitors can buy poems in their own honour for a few birr, or for a larger sum hire a writer to write a whole biography. Cheap tag novels are popular with the station's population and the writers are happy to supply stories about heroic nomads who trick greedy agents from the Colonial Agency. There is a considerable market in derivative fiction, taking characters from holo-novels and weaving new stories – and unlikely relationships - around them.
In recent years, an anonymous street poet known only as “The Poet” has become hugely popular, especially in the station's poorer neighbourhoods such as Ral-Kham. The Poet's subversive poems appear on house facades and cave walls and have a clear edge towards Akbar. The Purple Guard has arrested a number of imitators but so far the Poet has escaped their grasp.
According to stubborn rumours, the great and notorious folk author Mazelman is on the station incognito. Of course, this has fired up curious correspondents and enthusiastic admirers. Is he working on a sequel to the masterpiece "Stories from a Bygone Era"? A considerable sum of birr from the Bulletin awaits anyone who finds the answer or even records an interview with him.
Holidays and Festivals
The Night of the Lights Once every cycle, the Night of the Lights is celebrated, the most important holiday on the station. The Djachroumi light silk lanterns in the Cave of the Hanging Bridges and let them float up towards Sky Light in the roof of the cave. This act marks the beginning of a three-day party in great Antoli Djachroum's honour and pays tribute to the rediscovery of the station and the repopulation of the Rimward Reach. The Night of the Monkeys The monkeys are Djachroum's jesters and leprechauns. They were there when Antoli Djachroum arrived at the station and despite several attempts to eradicate them, no-one has succeeded. Some believe that the monkeys are the Founders themselves, who got tired of the hard life in the Rimward Reach and changed their shape to please the Dancer. Once a year when the Dancer’s segment begins, Djachroumi gather to celebrate the Night of the Monkeys. The festivities might even beat the Night of the Lights and the Cycle celebration, if not in scope then in madness. During the Night of the Monkeys, nothing is considered forbidden. People dress up in extravagant costumes, fornicate and intoxicate with all sorts drinks and substances. The Akbar closes the space port during that night and no ships arrive or depart Djachroum. Thus, most ship crews join the throng with their joyful and beautiful young men and women (and some who are less so). During this night, the Purple Guard patrol carefully, as it is said that some of the sects in Ral-Kham are making plans to find people for their blood sacrifices among the revellers. The Crickets Festival At the beginning of Merchant's segment, all the Rimward Reach invades Djachroum as the Crickets Festival is celebrated. The name alludes to the nomads’ swarms using bio-sculpted crickets to detect radiation storms. No radiation sensor can beat a cricket in its sensitivity to radiation. During the festival, bio-sculpted crickets are sold in small cages and given away to others as tokens of good luck and happiness during the next cycle. In cycles gone by, they were just released in the Caves of the Hanging Bridges, until the Akbar banned this particular practice because some crickets managed to get to the crops where they caused great damage.Religion
As in the rest of the Third Horizon, religion is an important part of the daily life of common man in the Rimward Reach. Except for some recent colonists, the people worship the nine Icons, though sometimes with other names and faces than the usual ones. Liturgy & Worship The devotees at Djachroum worship the Icons daily. Usually this happens at home, but many also gather in one of the Icon temples or prayer alcoves, which are scattered around the station and along the winding stairs in the Cave of the Bridges. The official liturgy focuses on major events, such as marriage, sacrifices in the course of the year, and seeking blessings for important undertakings or travel in general. Every little temple is looked after by a priest, usually an Abba or Shirim, who takes take care of the temple and lives there. Visitors' gifts and donations are their livelihood. There is no single large association of all the priests, but the largest temples have formed a kind of canon, the “Five Doctrines”. This group provides official liturgical advice and has occasional contact with the Church of the Icons.Geography
The asteroid station is split into two parts by a deep ravine, Eskalom’s Rift. The origin of this chasm is unknown but according to scientific analysis it first emerged just over three centuries ago, around the same time that the Founders disappeared. Beyond the gulf rests the remains of what was once part of Djachroum, Gemini Station. It is rumoured that the Founders' unsavoury spirits still haunt its abandoned halls. Both Eskalom’s Rift and Gemini station are offlimits according to Akbar's commandment. Although the station population loves to tell stories about the sites, these laws are closely followed.
The only people on Djachroum who have any detailed knowledge about these forgotten parts are the mysterious and shadowy Machinists, station technicians from the depths of the machine halls who control the ancient machines that control Djachroum's life support systems. The halls are also off-limits and few Djachroumi have ever seen a machinist.
The tunnels are the pulmonary veins of Djachroum. In the almost completely gravity-free tunnels, residents move about freely, while aging cargo platforms slowly trundle big loads along the elevator tracks. Newly arrived wabas also use the cargo lifts for transport. Nasar (wealthy Firstcome traders) and better off residents prefer to travel the tunnels incomfortable and often richly decorated grav shuttles.
The tunnels are mostly well maintained, from the well-lit Captain's Tunnel to the dark holes leading down to the machine halls. At regular intervals there are sector locks that are normally open but are always ready to close in case of pressure drop. There are several side alleys in the main tunnel with smallshops and residences, creating a lively commercial neighbourhood. The Heavens Tunnel, which leads to the cultivation areas and farms, is partly overgrown by branches and stevedores prune these from the elevators on a daily basis. The Temple Tunnel features several prayer alcoves, but they are not often busy during the night watch.
Imports: Medicinal products, ice cream, spare parts, luxury goods, meat
Exports: Bionic derivatives, Maghdan ore. Gravity: 1 standard gravity in habitats
Exports: Bionic derivatives, Maghdan ore. Gravity: 1 standard gravity in habitats
FOOD IN SWARMS AND ASTEROID FIELDS
Life on small ships, in narrow asteroid bases and as wanderers between oxygen oases is hard and precarious. It is essential to make full use of all resources and spaces, which can also be seen in Djachroum's many windows boxes and roof plantations. Even in the smallest nooks and crannies, spices, runner beans, vegetables and small fruit plants are cultivated. This need to be self-sufficient with hydroponic plants and smallscale cultivations has also led most Nomads and colonists towards vegetarianism. Many look with disgust upon the consumption of meat, which is so foreign to them that it equates to a cultural taboo.PRICES IN THE REACH
The Reach counts as an Ordinary environment with certain elements of advanced technology, especially in the form of medical equipment, bionics, and cybernetics. Advanced technology is only available from some contacts in Djachroum. Some bionics (vacuum organisms and protective sculpts such as “weatherproof” scales) are common in the Reach, especially at Ahalimm.Maps
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Bridge town / The cave of the hanging bridges (Djachroum)
The pounding heart of Djachroum is the huge cavern in the middle of the asteroid called the Cave of the Hanging Bridges. The sight that meets newly arrived wabas when they enter the cave for the first time is incomparable. -
Djachroum asteroid (Rimward reach - Kua system)
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Djachroum Space Port (Rimward Reach)
The Space Port is Djachroum’s connection to the outside world and the reason that the station flourishes. The port is conical in its structure and made up of different cargo rings where ships of different sizes can dock and load. The rings are partially open to vacuum but are protected by strong ED fields. Basically, all cargo to the Rimward Reach passes through Djachroum, so the space port is a hub of activity. Transport in the space port uses exos or the gravity elevators that run along vertical struts that circle the funnel of the port like spokes, descending slowly towards the tip of the port.
Population: 12,000 residents and approximately 2,000 visitors. Mostly prospectors and their crew.
Faction Alignment: Free asteroid station that does not recognize any faction as governing.
Law and order: secured by Akbar's men in the Purple Guard. The Space Port is the domain of the Free League boss, Sayar Mashmet.
When the great Kuan Astronomer Maehad the Elder named it thus, he saw it as an area of “empty dust without value", and there were not many who ever argued with that description. Today, the region is seen differently. It features one of the most valuable resources in the Third Horizon and the absence of a single dominant faction makes the area a tempting proposition for individuals with a shady agenda.
Faction Alignment: Free asteroid station that does not recognize any faction as governing.
Law and order: secured by Akbar's men in the Purple Guard. The Space Port is the domain of the Free League boss, Sayar Mashmet.
Type
Outpost / Base
Population
12000
Inhabitant Demonym
Djachroumi
Location under
Included Locations
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