Latest revision as of 21:54, 5 September 2022

Leria Kersil System
Sector	Kuat Sector
Galactic coordinates	43,40
Planets	2
Moon	None
Asteroid Fields	None
Space Stations	4
Population	Approx. 5 million
Controlled By	Galactic Empire

Return to Kuat Sector

The Leria Kersil System is one of the seven systems of the Kuat Sector. Though part of the core worlds, Leria Kersil has always remained low profile and out of the way of galactic politics. Both planets of the system were colonized millenia ago, but their wealthy owners have remained its exclusiveness. The mystic and mysterious kabal of Lifebringers, the so called life-witches, surely have something to do with this as well. In fact by far the wealthiest influential beings in Leria Kersil are these Lifebringers. Judging by appearances all Lifebringers are human females, but little else is known about the source of their power and whether or not these beings are indeed human. Their appearantly limitless wealth buys off any further prying into their nature and the formal judicial backing to guarantee it.

Imperial Port Authority

Intergalactic travel through the Leria Kersil system does not require specific permission.
Port Authority status of planet Leria Kersil: Open
Port Authority status of planet Telil Menin: Restricted, permission required

Tuatha Dé Danann

Tuatha Dé Danann Station

One of the premiere trading stations in the Kuat Oversector, Tuatha Dé Danann Station is a gemstone of the Leria Kersil System. The station is owned by the mysterious Lifebringers who reside on the planet below, but is managed by the Tuatha Trading Authority, a corporate entity known for its ruthless bureaucracy and screwed business tactics.

Tuatha Dé Danann started out as an orbital customs station. Visitors to Leria Kersil were required to dock and have their ships and cargo throughly scanned as well as endure a rigorous and often invasive background check. The entire planet is classified as a sacred world by the Lifebringers and thus protected from outsiders who would seek to profit from its abundant natural resources or turn its temples into a tourist attraction.

Tuatha Dé Danann gets its name from ancient texts of the Lifebringers, meaning "Folk of the Danu". The Danu is said to have been a powerful being capable of regenerating life in other beings. Aboard the station itself, one will find various levels of commerce. Typically a representative of the Galactic Empire works in tandem with the Tuatha Trading Authority to track and oversee the buying and selling of goods. Even though well within Imperial space, the station often acts as a neutral entity, removed from Imperial Code of Laws and oversight. This has allowed the station to thrive, enticing organizations from all corners of the galaxy to come and trade.

The staton also boasts one of the most flexible and streamlined exchange rates in the galaxy. The Tuatha Trading Authority have perfected transactional computer systems, allowing seamless transfer of goods and services at almost breakneck speed, no easy feat for a corporation known for its bloated bureaucracy. The shrewd trading managers spent years renegotiating Imperial taxes and fees, getting them to some of the lowest in the Core Worlds. Only the Out Rim Territories can boast lower transaction fees due to the stiff competition between cartels.

A Risk Worth Taking

Enje Halorum at an undisclosed Asteroid Station in the Outer Rim.

Trade is undoubtedly the lifeblood of the galaxy and with so many hands in the honey pot, there will always be those who seek to get rich quick. One such story is that of Enje Halorum. In the 14th year of the Galactic timeline, there was unrest within the galaxy as the Galactic Empire was in intense negotiations with Syn of the Eidola Pirates for the ransom of Seele who was Executor to the Throne. Syn had succeeded in capturing Lord Seele on Ylesia. No one knows why Seele was in Eidola territory, but the distraction was everything Enje Halorum had been waiting for to move forward with her plans.

Enje was a smuggler and slicer who had spent the better part of a decade working various contracts in the Outer Rim, primarily out of Hutt Space and more specifically Nar Shadda. Most of her contracts involved slicing into station mainframes, gathering information on employer enemies, and smuggling rare goods and sometimes illegal substances in and out of the heavily patrolled Core systems. She'd become quite skilled in her work and was known as someone who always succeeded in getting the job done quickly and efficiently. One of her most famous jobs was rigging an explosion at the newly minted Galactic Museum. During the grand opening gala on day 121 of the 14th year as some of the donations were being shown off by its curator and museum educator Ms. Kassira Talsh, a rare YT-2400 suddenly burst into flames, almost ruining the ceremony and burning up the entire station with everyone on it. The details of her contract are top secret, but many believed the owner of the YT-2400 had pissed off someone among the Eidola Pirates, who had hired Enje for the job.

During the kerfuffle between Syn and the Galactic Empire, Imperial space was in chaos, preparing for anything and leaving many stations previously protected, unguarded, including the Tuatha Dé Danann station. Enje had been monitoring the trade flow through the station for some time, using her contacts in the Leria Kersil System to report irregular transactions. Over the course of the previous year, there was a consistent spike in the amount of berubian gems being traded at the station. The rare resource was rumored to be coming from the planet of Leria Kersil itself, though how it was being extracted under the watchful eye of the Lifebringers was a mystery. Enje knew that working highly hazardous contract jobs would eventually end up with her captured or dead and the appeal of that was thin at best. Her only chance at an early retirement was a big job and a shipment of berubian gems was exactly that.

She boarded her ship the Paladin, a YT-510 she had acquired as payment for a contract she completed for the Zann Consortium many years before. She spent the better part of two days reconfiguring the hidden cargo compartments and testing her defensive ionic guns. The ship wasn't built to go toe to toe with larger ships, she was meant to paralyze and disappear. Arriving in the Leria Kersil System, she quickly hailed her contact at Tuatha station to ensure everything was in place. Her contact had detailed the days events including the exact location and docking bay in which the berubian gems would be exchanged. Everything had to go perfectly. Her contact would pass her the electronic key card that she would need to slice to the exact specifications of the restricted docking bay. She had previously acquired some knockout gas grenades from an arms dealer who owed her a favor in order to knock out any mercs that may have been hired to guard the cargo. After the guards were subdued, she would sneak aboard the shuttle and retrieve the crate of gems. There was a 16 level digital coding system she'd need to slice through to access the safe which stored the gems. Not only did the code protect the cargo, but a heat signature and pressure sensor were also in place. It would not be an easy job. She had ten minutes from the time the guards were out till a station patrol did a routine check-in to ensure everything was going as planned. Enje planned to be out in eight.

Protected cargo of berubian gems.

Everything seemed to be going as planned. The gas dropped the six guards who stood at the base of the shuttle, even dropping a seventh hidden just inside the ramp. She made her way to the cargo hold, easily slicing through the main doors. The safe however proved to be tricky. She discovered upon inspection a fail safe mechanism newly installed. She'd only have one chance at slicing the code correctly or an alarm would sound, alerting the entire station. She checked her time and worked methodically, her forehead dripping with perspiration. Success. The code granted access and she quickly donned a heat regulating cloth to shield her and the safe from temperature changes. She grabbed the chest of gems, using a weighted block to keep the pressure plate from triggering and was out of the restricted bay with a minute to spare.

Enje couldn't believe her luck. Her body was bursting with excitement. This was a huge score, but she wasn't in the clear until she was far away from Imperial space. Quickly boarding the Paladin, she secured the gems in her custom cargo hold and made for the Outer Rim, hoping she didn't get stopped for an inspection. Relief settled over her as she entered into Hutt space. It was over. No more suicidal contracts, no more waiting around praying she got paid. It was sandy beaches and all the carbon freeze cocktails she wanted. It was in that moment of blissful thought that everything went to hell. Within a matter of minutes her ship was disabled and she was being boarded by former members of the Hutt Cartel. Someone had sold her out and she knew it was her contact from the Leria Kersil System. No one else knew enough details about the job. If she wasn't executed, she'd have her revenge. The raiders cut a hole through the blast doors protecting the cockpit from the rest of the ship. Enje tried to fight them off, snapping the neck of one Roadian, but was outnumbered and a stun gun to the head put her out cold.

When she awoke she found herself stripped of her gear, blaster and sprawed on a hot desert planet with no civilization in sight. Death would have been kinder. She was gemless and shipless. It would be three days before she reached a small outpost and another month before she recovered from her debacle. For Enje Halorum that early retirement that was so close she could taste it turned into another five years of seedy contracts before her second ship, the Fervor was shot down by an Imperial Star Destroyer during a raid on a pirate holdout. Enje never got her revenge.

Planets

Leria Kersil

The vast savannah of Leria Kersil.

Leria Kerlsil is a planet in the Core Worlds, part of the Kuat Oversector. It's classified as a type 1 breathable atmosphere with standard gravity. The planet rotates in 22 hours around its Axis and a year consists of 302 local days. Its population is almost entirely human with a few Lifebringers or so called life-witches.

The planet allowed a Refugee Relief Movement settlement shortly before the Clone Wars, but only by wealthy single men. It was said the life-witches courted the men, seducing them out of millions of credits and using their offspring as a worker/servant class. Some other brief visits were often filtered through the strict custom regulations of the Tuatha Dé Danann station, even before it became the trading gemstone it is today. These unusual immigration laws caused only a few to pass emigration status into Leria Kersil and as a result the natural beauty of Leria Kersil was maintained, leaving a practically pristine planet. The Lifebringers would later deem the planet scared, limiting visitors further and warding off any unwanted prospectors or business dealings outside the Tuatha station.

Leria Kersil's climate is warm and arid and due to the horizontal tilt of its Axis, causing it to be devoid of seasonal changes. Though dry, the planet isn't entirely without water, but its mostly gathered around the planets poles that exist in a perpetual state of winter. Clouds are created due to melting snow and ice along the edges of the polar caps and winds blow them to the equator, providing the small amounts of rain the planet enjoys.

On The Hunt

In Year 16 of the Galactic timeline, the planet was selected to host the Innaugural Imperial Regional Government Hunt. The event, exclusively for the officers of the Empire's Regional Government branch, was for them to engage in friendly sportsmanship hunting activities. The winner was determined by being the one who collected the most trophies, biggest trophy, or biggest hatchable egg to be displayed in one of the Empire's Zoos.

First Prize Winner Ben Camden

Slashrat's native to the Leria Kersil savannah.

With a total of eight trophies and one egg, Ben Camden took home first prize, Murdock Tagge collected the biggest trophy (the fur of a fully grown bantha bull), and Wummer Malephar found the biggest hatchable egg, that of a slashrat. The slashrat, lovingly named "Wummy" was hatched and now lives in the Imperial Zoo on Kuat. Wummer Malephar, Norrec Morussian and Azhrarn Amaratha finished first in the team contest with a total of thirteen throphies and two hatchable eggs.

After the event ended, Moff Azhrarn Amaratha formally decreed that henceforth, Leria Kersil would be a protected nature reserve dedicated to the study of flora and fauna. The strange restrictive immigration laws are still maintained and the development of industry is banned on the planet. Hunting is permitted, but is strictly regulated by the Imperial Government. Only a limited number of permits are issued by Kuat sector officials each year and poaching or hunting beyond numbers and species detailed on the permit are illegal activities and violators are severely punished. These laws were negotiated with the planets natural inhabitants, The Lifebringers, who control the flow of personnel to and from the surface. It was one of the few concessions made by the Lifebringers when negotiating with the Galactic Empire as to the planets place within Imperial space.

The Rivin Settlement Houses, also know as the "Research Facility Onyx", is a facility dedicated to researching Leria Kersil wildlife and plant life. Since its founding, "Onyx" has collected an impressive amount of data on local flora and fauna as well as numerous holorecordings of some of its unique animal species. The research facility boasts some of the Empire's brightest botanists and biologists. "To study in such an untouched word so centered in Imperial space is a rare privilege," says Dr. Renu Garett, head of the Imperial sample collection team.

The Lifebringers

Ilumaria Deloran - Lifebringer

No ones knows for sure how long the Lifebringers have inhabited Leria Kersil. There are many theorists who believe them to be the original inhabitants, others who believe they found their way to the planet from the outer reaches of space and a further select few believe they immigrated from the Empress Teta System thousands of years ago as decedents of Krath priests.

The ancient texts of the Lifebringers are kept under heavy guard by the Circle of Watchers, a soldier cast made up of men. All Lifebringers are women and only small fragments of their history have passed outside their confines from lip to ear over the generations of their existence. Tuatha Dé Danann, the orbiting station within the system gets its name from stories of a powerful being named Danu, who was said to have been able to extend the life and even prevent the death of lifeforms. Those limited few who have had the privilege of interacting with a Lifebringer have reported magical auras, unnatural healing, and even life draining capabilities, none of which have been truly confirmed. The Lifebringers keep mostly to their secluded temples among the savannahs that span the planet with the exceptional occasion in which they travel to Tuatha station to advise the Tuatha Trading Authority.

The most information we've gathered about the Lifebringers comes from an Imperial botanist named Dr. Lorn Augustas. Lorn was one of the earliest botanists to be transferred from Coruscant to Leria Kersil in order to work at the newly minted Onyx Research Facility. Dr. Lorn had express permission from the Lifebringers to observe a rare species of invasive plant known as plagueweed, that grew around one of their sacred temples. An ambassador and representative of the Lifebringers, Priestess Ilumaria Deloran was assigned to Dr. Lorn during her travels to the temple. At first, there wasn't much communication between the two as it appeared to Dr. Lorn that Ilumaria was simply present to ensure the doctor didn't venture out of her designated research zone. Overtime, through weeks of one sided conversation, Dr. Lorn was able to slowly get small bits of conversation out of her observer.

The two spoke briefly at first over walks within range of the temple grounds. Dr. Lorn was fascinated by the information about local fauna and flora Ilumaria seemed to possess. She was extremely eloquent and expressed ideas that only the most experienced botanists could have formulated. It was apparent that the Lifebronger priestess was considerably intelligent. Months into their conversations, Dr. Lorn inquired as to the origins of the religious group and what it was they actually worshipped. Ilumaria illuminated some small facts. Her own knowledge about their origins was kept limited by the archpriest who was the only one allowed to study some of the most ancient texts in their libraries, but what she did know was that their priest class came from a long ancient line of magical practitioners. When Lorn mentioned the Force, Ilumaria hinted that there are many names for such power, but that it was something one could only experience to understand its true nature.

It would be safe to say the two became friends during Lorn's time studying near the temple. She had deduced that plagueweed spread quickly around the grounds due to an impossibly highly nutrient rich soil. The soil was so rich, Dr. Lorn had requested permission to take a sample back to the lab in order to study further in hopes that it could be replicated for use within Imperial farming communities. Her request was denied, but a small token of trust was bestowed by Ilumaria to Dr. Lorn in the form of a rare tour of the temple interior.

A Rare Fate

Lifebringer Temple

No outsider had stepped foot in a Lifebringer temple with the exception of the men who were taken as concubines by the priestesses and developed into a worker caste. Dr. Lorn knew what an incredible honor this was and she immediately reported her great fortune to Imperial Intelligence and promised to keep an open eye for anything that would further their knowledge of the religious zealots. Upon entering the temple, Lorn was humbled by the incredible carvings that covered the majority of the interior walls. The language escaped her, but she was smart enough to know that it was very old. There were depictions of a long line of priests who passed down powerful secrets to the next generation. As she was led deeper into the halls of the temple, she started to feel strange, tired almost, as if her strength was failing. At first she worried that perhaps her continued exposure to the plagueweed, which was highly toxic, was the cause, but the deeper they went she began to feel things she'd never experienced. It was if the very will to live was slowly being siphoned from her body.

Sensing something was seriously wrong, she turned to leave, excusing herself with the reasoning of feeling quite ill. Ilumaria insisted it was just a natural, unexplained effect of the temple, but Lorn wasn't convinced. She marched back towards the entrance, but Ilumaria didn't follow. In fact she didn't insist further, only watched Dr. Lorn fumble towards the temple entrance. Just before Lorn exited, she turned to take one last look at the temple and her companion. It was then she saw something that to this day she believes was a trick of the mind. Ilumaria seemed to be transforming, her skin paling bone white, the veins in her temples pulsing purple to the surface and her eyes hot like the sun. It was enough to drive Dr. Lorn to run. She ran and ran until she could no longer feel her legs and her muscles cramped, not stopping until she was clear of the temple.

Dr. Lorn only spoke of what she saw to a handful of her fellow scientists. Her reports to Imperial Intelligence and ISB were brief, exclaiming she was only given limited access to the temples interior and relegated to the outer sanctum. Imperial Intelligence briefed and further interrogated Dr. Lorn for hours, but failed to discover any additional information. Dr. Lorn was transferred to an outpost on a fridged planet to spend her days studying crystal formations in local cave systems. She died of hyperthermia only years later when her expedition team was caught unawares in a blizzard only kilometers from her facility.

Telil Menin

    RESTRICTED FILES......

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    TELIL MENIN FILE #867.........

The rough arctic tundra of Telil Menin.

Compared to its lush neighbor; Leria Kersil, Telil Menin is a cold, rocky, barren planet. It's classified as a type 1 frigid, but breathable atmosphere with a gravity just below standard. The oxygen in the atmosphere is created by lichen, shrubs and other small plants that require little nutrients and sunlight. A day on Telil Menin lasts 26 hours and a year consists of 369 local days. Only one outpost is known to exist on the planet itself, an Imperial communications bunker. The outpost was created to help monitor the flow of traffic in and out of the system, especially in regards to the Tuatha trading station. Traders from all over the galaxy filter in and out of the system, so enhanced scanners are needed to process the considerable amount of ship tagging. Systems analysis isn't the sexiest job within the Empire, which means those stationed at the outpost are typically Imperials who haven't performed their duties well in the past.

Many of the operations are automated, which means the Imperial personnel have significant down time on their hands. This downtime caused a group of troopers stationed at the outpost to invent a dangerous game called, The Steps. The rules are simple, a person or persons, depending on the participants will see who can walk the furthest from the station before initial signs of hypothermia set in. There are only two requirements to play the game: a 100 credit buy in for bets and the participants clothes. All would be players strip down and face the brutal cold in their birthday suits. Needless to say, many Imperial personnel at the station have seen their fair share of the inside of a bacta tank. The commanding officers turn a blind eye to this tomfoolery, because they too understand that without these games and others like it, life at the outpost would be considerably difficult. Imperial inspections were rare, allowing a lot more flexibility than typical work environments within the Galactic Empire.

Mirage of Darkness

Mirage Temple

Captain Ketter was working through his end of day reports, getting ready to send them off to his commanding officer, when one of his lieutenants burst in blathering nonsense about Trooper TK-6142 discovering a set of ruins during his routine patrol in the Northern sector of their operational range. The lax temperament of the outpost often gave way to hoaxes or jokes and this seemed no different. Captain Ketter looked at the reports and decided a little amusement at the end of a long grueling day was just what he needed and followed the leutenant to the outpost barracks. TK-6142 was still shivering from his patrol, the old imperial scout vehicle being poorly insulated at best. The trooper said he went slightly outside his normal scouting route and almost crashed right into the side of a rock formation jutting from the snowy surface. The winds has been especially brutal as of late, making it difficult even for the electronic scanners to punch through the limited visibility. The Captain encouraged him to continue and the trooper spoke of a moment of clearing in the weather where he thought he saw large unnatural objects. Moving closer through the snow he described what he assumed was some sort of ruin, frozen in time. Pillars as black as obsidian and a large black statue barring what appeared to be an entry way leading into the rock.

There was a unsettling feeling that blanketed the Imperials in that room as TK-6142 told his story. The wind gusts and the blinding snow caused the trooper to shield his eyes for only a brief second and when he turned back, the ruin was no longer there. Hints of civilization past on Telil Menin would be an unprecidented find. Captain Ketter knew a discovery like this would be his ticket off the fridged planet with a reassignment somewhere warmer and more important. Over the next several weeks, scout patrols were sent to track and investigate the ruins, but they were never found again. Sometimes returning scouts swore they saw the obsidian pillars in the snow, but just like TK-6142 they lost visual only to never see it again. The Captain tried to search reports as to whether the Lifebringers had temples on Telil Menin, but was never able to confirm or deny such a fact. Ketter soon called off the hope for discovery after a few incidents caused some of his scouts to never return. Captain Ketter still operates the lonely communications outpost on Telil Menin to this day.