Ghost Snakes (arcanalisti spectralis)
These ghostly snakes are the remnants of magic users who befell disaster while traveling through the astral realms. Their bodies are empty husks, but the souls of some remain, thirsty for magical energy.
At first glance they look like faintly glowing transparent snakes or eels who swim through the air, winking in and out of sight and passing through objects. As they move and attack it becomes clear that they are actually little ghostly skulls with vertebra trailing behind, surrounded by an odd glow of magical energy.
Small undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 7
Hit Points 3 (1d6)
Speed fly 30 ft.
Proficiency +2
STR 11 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 10 (+0) INT 12 (+1 WIS 8 (-1) CHA 6 (-2)
Senses passive Perception 9
Languages none
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
Arcane Absorption. If a ghost snake is reduced to 0 HP with a magical spell it is not destroyed, but instead disappears until its next turn, when it re-incorporates at full health and 3 temporary hit points (for a total of 6 HP) and +1 to attack and damage.
Incorporeal Movement. Ghost snakes can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. A ghost snake takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Actions
Bite. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6 force damage) and if the target is a spellcaster the ghost snake gains temporary hit points equal to the damage done.
Posted in 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, Creature, Fantasy by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.
Traveller’s Guide to the Skein Reach – Subsector 5 and Aurora Station
This subsector is in the center of the Skein Reach, a desolate scattering of stars near the galactic rim. Aurora Station is the most important trade hub here. Most of the other star systems here are small independent colonies, many of them low-technology worlds in relative isolation. There are also Imperial and Confederation settlements scattered throughout.
Regional Powers
Although Emperor Omerox claims the Skein Reach as part of his domains, officially he also claims the independent Confederation of Planets. The area is actually under neither power’s complete control. Many of the words in the region pay taxes, tithes, and fees to one or both powers, and have various treaties with their respective governments. Nevertheless neither power has enough economic interest or naval might in the sector to control trade or effectively deter piracy. Which is why some criminal gangs are so powerful in the Reach, effectively ruling systems such as Siegworld.
The Imperial Dutchy of Abiodun is neither interested in attempting to nor able to pacify the sector. A poor Imperial capitol, they don’t have a large navy, and the Duke is well known to be complicit in the piracy in the region. Rather than a proud Duke, he is the overseer of shady Imperial dealings and the host of occasional Imperial naval wargames in the Reach. Imperial Intelligence for the region is also headquartered here, and Imperial Scout reports route to the throne through here.
The Confederation of Planets has no plans to recruit worlds in the Skein Reach. They do have non-aggression and trade treaties with many of the independent worlds near their border, but the current peaceful stalemate with the Empire could be upset by recruiting worlds here into the Confederation. Additionally, Confederation Starfleet Command considers the difficult-to-traverse region a good natural buffer from the Empire. Their covert agents use the area as a “soft border” for information about and infiltration into the Empire.
There are also formal and informal polities among the various clumps of stars in the reach. Vohek and Orthmarion have extensive trade and mutual defense treaties, for example.
The Central Skein Reach Trade Confederation organizes trade route, data, and security along the trade routes in the broken ring centered at Aurora Station.
The Ragnarok Krew is the largest and most powerful criminal enterprise in the Reach. With a dozen or so small ships in their possession, raiding, piracy, smuggling, and slaving are their main occupations. The Krew is led by Jalvex “The Hammer” from the starport on Seigworld. Rival gangs include the Red Razors, the Ganymede Boys, the Sun Talons, and the Damned.
The Droid Uprising (or “The Departing”, as some of the droids call themselves) is a self-organizing group of artificially-intelligent droids. They are all intelligent robots who have been freed of the programming which makes them serve their owners. A new phenomenon, the Uprising currently controls no territory, but are building a small fleet of asteroid-hull ships using stolen parts. They have operations on Sareliox, and in the Micon and Cixan systems. Currently their main objective is freeing droids from their programming and transporting them rimward to their main refuge, called “Paradise” in Skein Reach subsector 2.
Systems
Posted in Region, Science-Fiction, Traveller and tagged Skein Reach by Adam A. Thompson with no comments yet.