Byss and the Deep Core

Part 1: Byss

By Rodney Thompson (with special thanks to Dan Wallace)

Planet Type: Terrestrial
Climate: Temperate
Terrain: Lakes, plateaus
Atmosphere: Breathable
Gravity: Standard
Diameter: 21,600 km
Length of Day: 31 standard hours
Length of Year: 207 standard days
Sentient Species: Humans
Languages: Basic
Population: 19.7 billion
Species Mix: 98% Human, 2% other
Government: Dark side theocracy
Major Exports: None
Major Imports: High technology, processed foods, weapons
System/Star: Beshqek System

Description

The mysterious planet Byss lies at the heart of the Imperial holdings in the Deep Core. A pleasant resort world used by Emperor Palpatine as a personal retreat, Byss was once a lush and fertile planet that was used as a lure to attract willing followers to settle in the Core. Over time, the Emperor's dark side energies slowly corrupted the world and transformed it into one of the most powerful dark side sites in the entire galaxy. An eerie blue-green sunlight bathes everything on the planet in an unusual glow, contributing to the overwhelming strangeness of the world. The planet itself is something of a myth, built up to pique the curiosity of those who have heard of a mysterious paradise planet ruled by the Empire. With tranquil scenery, low geological activity, exceedingly mild seasons, and the feel of a luxury resort, the surface of the planet appears to be the perfect place to live, which is exactly what Palpatine wants its inhabitants to believe.

Approaching Byss from space makes it abundantly clear that this is the true stronghold of the Emperor. An entire sector fleet is spread throughout the Beshqek system, with a ring of Star Destroyers encircling the planet itself. A web of sensor arrays known as the Gauntlet Scanners crisscrosses the entire world, continually monitoring IFF transponders, security codes, and other forms of authorization for anyone showing even the slightest signs of forged documentation. The Star Destroyers in orbit have standing orders to open fire immediately on anyone identified by the Gauntlet Scanners with full and lethal force. The Byss Security Zone, as the space around the planet is known, is completely off-limits to anyone not authorized by the Empire in advance. A METOSP (Message To Spacers) makes it clear to any travelers entering the system that the Empire tolerates absolutely no trespassing in the area surrounding the dark world.

History

When the Empire forged boldly into the Deep Core under Emperor Palpatine's decree, the Emperor quickly chose the planet Byss as his personal resort world. When the Imperial claim to the Deep Core was established and loyal followers flocked to the new frontier, Palpatine made sure to draw the most eager and blissfully ignorant nobles and leaders to Byss. Once the populace had settled into their new lives in an Imperial utopia, the Emperor initiated his true plans for the world. Slowly but steadily, he used his dark Force powers to enslave the people on the world and drain their life energies to fuel his own vile experiments.

The Emperor's death brought little respite to the people of Byss. Within months, the Emperor inhabited his clone body and began the rebuilding process. For years, Palpatine simply focused on building up his own power and preparing to strike at the New Republic. The shipyards of Byss worked day and night producing massive battlestations such as the Galaxy Gun and vast warships like the Eclipse-class and Sovereign-class Star Destroyers. Around the planet Byss, a marshaling of military forces took place unlike any previously seen in the history of the galaxy. The renewed war against the New Republic was short but devastating.

Several deaths and reincarnations later, the Emperor and Byss were finally defeated. Using the planet-destroying weapon known as the Galaxy Gun, the Emperor struck out against the forces of the New Republic again and again. Seizing control of the Eclipse II, the Emperor's flagship, the New Republic forces -- led by the heroic actions of the droid R2-D2 -- sent the massive capital ship crashing into the superweapon. The resulting explosion devastated not only the remnants of the Imperial fleet in the Beshqek system but also resulted in the collapse of the planet itself. After years of serving as the dark heart of the Empire, the planet Byss became little more than a cloud of rubble.

People

Almost mindless under the oppression of the Emperor's dark side influence, the people of Byss find their life energies constantly leeched off during the Emperor's evil machinations. The Emperor encouraged the spread of rumors that Byss is a paradise worthy of only the most loyal servants, but the truth is that the Empire whisked its inhabitants away to the Deep Core world after being personally selected as the most useful to the Emperor's plans. While most of the inhabitants live their lives in almost a dreamlike state on the seeming utopia, with even their communications to families on other worlds censored to maintain the mystery of the planet, many others have been brought to the world to carry out the Emperor's wishes. Servants of the Imperial war machine toil until exhaustion building starships and droids, while bureaucrats and businessmen ensure that the financial aspects of the Empire continue to cover production costs. There is almost no one on the entire planet whose life doesn't revolve around making the Empire function in some manner.

Many Core noble families have a presence on Byss. Remaining close to the Emperor at all times is one of the few ways to curry favor and keep informed about Imperial decrees, so a few brave and foolhardy nobles risk living on the dark world each year. However, nobles tend to be a little stronger willed than other inhabitants of Byss and are merely cowed rather than brainwashed. Of course, a heavy military presence is felt everywhere on Byss; no street corner is without a stormtrooper, no landing pad without a TIE Fighter, and no public place without at least a few ISB agents keeping an eye out for potential traitors.

Locations

Descriptions of several key locations follow.

The Emperor's Citadel

Also known as the Imperial Citadel, this complex houses the personal quarters and offices of Emperor Palpatine. Contained within the Citadel are the Emperor's throne room, a vast cloning complex, dark side alchemical laboratories, libraries of dark side tomes, and other facilities that are part of the Emperor's sinister plans. Deep within the citadel, the Emperor performs grisly experiments on all forms of life, including sentient beings, in order to expand his knowledge of the dark side; it was in the citadel that the Emperor crafted his Imperial Sovereign Protectors and the Chrysalide rancors. In the bowels of the citadel are a number of chambers where the Emperor trains his dark side Adepts and a select few Inquisitors and delves deep into the secrets of Jedi and Sith holocrons. The Emperor also used his personal throne room during his plot to seduce Luke Skywalker to the dark side, and kept the tanks holding his own clone bodies close at hand in order to make it that much easier to resurrect himself.

Gauntlet Scanner Stations

Several Golan III defense platforms that serve as coordinators for all the space traffic around the world float throughout the field of scanner satellites around Byss. These space platforms are in place not only for orbital defense (providing support fire equal in volume to some capital ships) but also as a place where Human officers can oversee the daily operation of the Byss Security Zone. Each station houses a number of TIE Fighter squadrons and defensive forces to add to the fray if any naval force is ever foolhardy enough to try and attack the planet, as well as control systems for allowing starships to land on or depart from the surface of the world. These stations are one of the few points of vulnerability in the Byss Security Zone, though it would take a highly trained force with no fear of death (or worse) in order to capture one. As has been proven before, the Emperor has no remorse about ordering the armada to blast a compromised station out of existence.

Imperial Freight Complex

The Imperial Freight complex is the likely one of the most heavily guarded spaceports in the entire galaxy. Serving as the primary spaceport of the planet Byss, the freight complex is where independent starships and Deep Core Haulers offload their cargoes and take on exports. Additionally, all civilian traffic not directed toward a private residence goes through this freight complex for security purposes.

The complex is a massive structure that resembles the major spaceports of the galaxy. In addition to docking, refueling, and repair bays, there are several levels of restaurants, clubs, and cantinas designed to give weary spacers a place to cool their heels without venturing too far out into the surrounding city. The freight complex is also the only place you're likely to find beings not affiliated with the Empire directly, and a place where more than a few smugglers and outlaws can pause while on Byss. Every tramp freighter pilot, bounty hunter, and spacer must also have some form of Imperial clearance, whether it comes in the form of standing independent shipping contracts or Deep Core Security Zone authorization. The Imperial Freight Complex is a towering structure capable of accommodating thousands of freighters and some larger starships and is one of the only places on Byss that resembles any of the rest of the galaxy.

The Eclipse

In construction for almost as long as either Death Star, the Eclipse is a massive capital ship orbiting the planet Byss. Almost unimaginable in length and unparalleled in firepower, the Eclipse is the largest Star Destroyer ever built, dwarfing the Super Star Destroyers and bearing within its arsenal a superlaser capable of cracking the crust of most planets. The interior of the Eclipse resembles the interior of a Star Destroyer, but also contains docking bays and repair facilities like those found on space platforms. An orbital battlestation in its own right, meetings between the Grand Admirals and other important business of the Imperial Navy take place in one of the many war rooms aboard the massive capital ship. The Eclipse is a permanent fixture in the skies above Byss, an imposing visage and display of the Imperial Navy's might.

New Starship: Hunter-Killer Probot

The Arakyd Viper probot is a relatively common sight throughout the Empire, but the hunter-killer probot seems more like something out of a warped nightmare than an evolved probot design. Arakyd took the outer appearance of a probot and expanded it to the size of a capital ship, then completely redesigned the interior to function as a starship capture and detainment platform capable of patrolling the skies above Byss for extended periods of time. Hunter-killer probots feature a number of tractor beam projectors that drag wayward starships into one of its many docking bays where they are held until an Imperial officer in charge of the probot can determine the appropriate course of action. Internally, the hunter-killer probot is completely autonomous and houses no living crew members.

Weapon: Ion Cannon (2); Fire Arc: Any; Attack Bonus: +7 (-1 size, +4 crew, +4 fire control); Damage: 4d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB -2, S/M +0, L N/A.

Weapon: Quad Blaster Cannon (2); Fire Arc: Any; Attack Bonus: +3 (-1 size, +4 crew); Damage: 4d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB -2, S +0, M/L N/A.

Weapon: Tractor Beam Projector (1); Fire Arc: Any; Attack Bonus: +11 (-1 size, +4 crew, +8 fire control); Damage: Special; Range Modifiers: PB -6, S -4, M/L N/A.

New Starship: Shadow Droid

In the waning days of the Empire, when it became difficult to have expendable starfighter squadrons patrolling the planet Byss each day, the reborn Emperor Palpatine turned to a design originated by Umak Leth for pilotless starfighters. Though other craft of this nature had been used in the past, the shadow droid was a cybernetic starfighter boasting a weapons payload heretofore unseen in automated attack craft. Additionally, due to the unreliable nature of normal droid starfighters that lacked the creative thinking and on-the-fly tactics of a normal fighter pilot, shadow droids were directed by the biologically-maintained brains of dead TIE pilots that had been twisted by the Emperor's dark side alchemy to obey unquestioningly.

Shadow Droid
Craft: Imperial Shadow Droid
Size: Diminutive (6m length) Crew: 1 (Skilled +4)
Hyperdrive: None Initiative: +8 (+4 size, +4 crew)
Passengers: 0 Maneuver: +10 (+4 size, +4 crew, +2 engines)
Cargo Capacity: None Defense: 24 (+4 size, +10 armor)
Consumables: None Shield Points: 60 (DR 10)
Cost: Not available for sale Hull Points: 100 (DR 10)
Maximum Speed in Space: Ramming (9 squares/action)
Atmospheric Speed: 1150 (19 squares/action)

Weapon: Ion Cannon (1); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +14 (+4 size, +4 crew, +4 fire control, +2 engines); Damage: 4d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB -2, S/M +0, L N/A.

Weapon: Concussion Missile Launcher (1); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +10 (+4 size, +4 crew, +2 engines); Damage: 8d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB +0, S/M/L N/A.

Weapon: Laser Cannon (2); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +14 (+4 size, +4 crew, +4 fire control, +2 engines); Damage: 4d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB +0, S -2, M/L N/A.

Weapon: Proton Torpedo Launcher (1); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +14 (+4 size, +4 crew, +4 fire control, +2 engines); Damage: 9d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB +0, S/M/L N/A.

Weapon: Repeating Blaster Cannon (1); Fire Arc: Front; Attack Bonus: +10 (+4 size, +4 crew, +2 engines); Damage: 6d10x2; Range Modifiers: PB -2, S +0, M/L N/A.

Adventures

The adventures described in this section are meant for GMs only. If you're a player, stop reading now!

Lost Among the Converted

A wealthy noble family from Alderaan contacts the party with a desperate plea for help. Their daughter was lured to the planet Byss by the Emperor's offers of wealth and luxury for his loyal servants that relocated to the Deep Core. Her family is not willing to give her up to the Emperor so easily and offers the party 15,000 credits to go to the planet and rescue her. The noble house will provide BoSS registrations and Imperial clearance to get them onto the world, but locating the young noblewoman is another problem altogether. It seems that she has become the newest apprentice of one of the Emperor's Dark Side Adepts, Savuud Thimram. The party has a chance to apprehend the noblewoman as she travels to the Imperial Citadel each morning for her lessons in the dark side, but must contend not only with the forces of the Empire but also her blossoming Force abilities.

Escape from New Order

While spending time on the planet Byss, the party finds themselves the victim of some exceptionally bad luck. Their ship is confiscated and their security clearance is revoked, causing them to become fugitives of the law on one of the most heavily controlled worlds in the entire Empire. Fortunately for the party, a special pleasure cruise has arrived at Byss to allow a number of new servants of the Empire to disembark and join the throngs of citizens living on the Deep Core world. The party may choose to infiltrate the ship's crew and flee the planet, but not before a meeting with Commander Varen Medis, an Imperial agent determined to ensure that no troublesome criminals escape the Empire's justice. Convincing the rest of the pleasure ship's crew is one thing, but bluffing past an inspection by a devoted Imperial officer is quite another.

Allies and Antagonists

The characters described in this section are meant for GMs only. If you're a player, stop reading now!

Savuud Thimram

A trusted student of Emperor Palpatine, Savuud Thimram is one of the resident Dark Side Adepts that work in the Imperial Citadel. Thimram sees that the Emperor's orders are carried out quickly and efficiently, and is feared and obeyed by all the servants of the Empire. While not as influential as even the Inquisitors, Savuud Thimram has learned to manipulate the dark powers to get what he wants. The son of a wealthy noble family on Chandrila, Thimram was whisked away to Byss by the Emperor once he sensed the Force potential in the young man. Over the years, Palpatine warped his student with the powers and teachings of the dark side, and the end result is a loyal and sinister adept who acts on behalf of his dark master whenever called upon.

Savuud Thimram: Male Human Force Adept 5/Dark Side Devotee 7; Init +0; Defense 19 (+9 Class); Spd 10 m; VP/WP 67/10; Atk +4/-1 melee (2d8, force pike) or +8/+3 melee (1d3, punch) or +8/+3 ranged (by weapon); SQ Dark Side Talisman +2, Force weapon +1d8+1d4; SV Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +13; SZ M; FP 3; DSP 6; Rep +4; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 14.

Equipment: Dark side talisman, force pike, robes.

Skills: Bluff +6, Disguise +5, Gather Information +6, Hide +7, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Dark Side Lore) +11, Listen +5, Move Silently +6, Read/Write Basic, Read/Write Sith, Search +7, Sense Motive +8, Speak Basic, Speak Sith, Spot +6, Survival +4.

Force Skills: Affect Mind +8, Drain Energy +8, Drain Knowledge +8, Empathy +6, Enhance Ability +4, Enhance Senses +8, Farseeing +7, Fear +10, Force Grip +6, Force Lightning +6, Force Stealth +5, Force Strike +6, Illusion +13, Move Object +9, See Force +9, Telepathy +7.

Feats: Force-Sensitive, Iron Will, Skill Emphasis (Drain Energy, Fear, Illusion), Stealthy, Weapons Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, primitive weapons, simple weapons).

Force Feats: Alter, Aware, Control, Dissipate Energy, Force Whirlwind, Mind Trick, Rage, Sense.

A brash tramp freighter captain from Bakura, Dana Galvason is one of the lucky (or unlucky) members of the Fringe with clearance to travel through the Deep Core Security Zone. Though the lucrative Imperial contracts pay well and keep her on the right side of the law, Galvason's rebellious streak also ensures that she's running from the Empire almost as much as she works for it. No lover of the Empire, Galvason is not above smuggling in Rebel agents as long as her role in their infiltration remains a secret. Having heard the whispers that the Emperor's servants can draw information from the minds of prisoners, Galvason requires significant compensation for taking such risks, though the Alliance gladly pays her what she asks for in order to make use of her legitimate access to the Emperor's throneworld. Galvason is a grinning, devil-may-care woman with strange tribal-looking tattoos under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose, and she pilots a modified YT-2000 transport known as the Bakuran Blade.

Dana Galvason: Female Human Scoundrel 6; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Defense 16 (+2 Dex, +4 Class); Spd 10 m; VP/WP 29/13; Atk +5 melee (1d3+1, punch) or +6 or +2/+2 ranged (3d8, heavy blaster pistol) or +6 ranged (3d4, hold-out blaster); SQ Illicit barter, Lucky (2/day), Precise Attack +1; SV Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +4; SZ M; FP 1; Rep +1; Str 12, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 14.

Equipment: Comlink, datapad, heavy blaster pistol, hold-out blaster, YT-2000 transport.

Skills: Appraise +4, Astrogate +7, Bluff +8, Computer Use +6, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +5, Forgery +6, Gamble +4, Gather Information +8, Hide +5, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (Deep Core) +8, Listen +3, Move Silently +6, Pilot +11, Profession (tramp freighter captain) +5, Read/Write Basic, Repair +6, Sleight of Hand +4, Speak Basic, Spot +3.

Feats: Gearhead, Headstrong, Heroic Surge, Skill Emphasis (Pilot), Spacer, Starship Operation (space transport), Weapons Group Proficiency (blaster pistols, simple weapons).

We'll visit Empress Teta, the wealthy hub of galactic civilization in the region. It's a city-planet of urban sprawl and carbonite mines -- and perhaps a secret society of dark side sorcerers.

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