MgT 2E - Spinward Marches 1 - The Bowman Arm.pdf

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S P I N WA R D S M A R C H E S 1 : T H E B O W M A N A R M
CRED
Marc Miller
S
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
WORLDS OF NOTE
THE BOWMAN ARM
SYSTEM PROFILE: WALSTON
ADVENTURES ON WALSTON
ADVENTURING IN THE BOWMAN ARM
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CLASSIC TRAVELLER
Loren Wiseman, John Harshman, Frank Chadwick, Darryl Hany,
Winston Hamilton, Tony Svajlenka, Scott Renner, Doug Poe,
David MacDonald, Wayne Roth, Paul R. Banner.
MONGOOSE TRAVELLER
Author
Editor
Martin J. Dougherty
Matthew Sprange
Layout and Graphic Design
Will Chapman
Interior Illustrations
Amy Perret
3D Model Design
Sandrine Thirache
Special Thanks
Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Loren Wiseman
Traveller
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INTRODUCTION
The Bowman Arm is a section of the Spinward Main
running through District 268 of Spinward Marches
sector. It lies beyond the Imperial border but links the
outposts of Five Sisters subsector with the rest of the
Imperium. The Bowman Arm is subject to cross-cutting
agendas and the influence of several powers, making is
a dangerous place and one where adventure is never far
away.
The Spinward Marches Sector has relatively little
significance in Imperial affairs, except that it is the
Imperial border with the Zhodani Consulate and also
with certain Vargr states. Lying fully 44 weeks’ transit
from Capital by Express Boat (a little less by Jump-6
courier, but not much), and separated from the Imperial
core by the upper claw of the Great Rift, the region is
considered to be a fairly unimportant backwater that
serves as a convenient buffer against the Zhodani.
However, the Spinward Marches were also the origin of
Admiral Olav Hault-Plankwell’s bid to become Emperor.
The last thing Emperor Strephon wants is another Civil
War, so the government of the Marches must be strong…
but not too strong.
As a frontier, Spinward Marches sector is more troubled
by piracy and raiding than other areas of the Imperium,
and to this must be added the influence of foreign
powers or their sympathisers. The Navy is doing all it
can to maintain order on the spaceways but a recent
upsurge in piracy, smuggling and general lawlessness
has the available naval assets overtaxed. Some of the
slack is being taken up with mercenary and even Scout
Service vessels, but things are unsettled at best.
The most troubled regions lie of course along the
Imperial-Zhodani border, where tensions still run
high. The Sword Worlds subsector is also unstable at
present… or more accurately ‘as always’. Internal Sword
Worlder politics sometimes spill over into conflict with
the Imperium or its allies in the Darrian Confederation
even when the Sword Worlders have not unified against
their neighbours.
Relations with the Sword Worlders have improved
somewhat lately, to the point where some Imperial
investment has been permitted on the four ‘Reserve
Worlds’ maintained by the Sword Worlds Confederation.
These ‘Metal Worlds’, Steel, Mithril, Bronze and Iron,
remain Sword Worlds territory but for the first time
Imperial companies are being permitted to operate
there. It is not obvious what the implications of this will
be in the long term.
T
R
A
V
E
L
L
E
R
THE SPINWARD MAIN
The Spinward Main is a vast chain of star systems
sprawling across the entire Spinward Marches sector. It
provides a Jump-1 link to Deneb and Foreven sectors
and links some of the most prominent worlds of the
sector: Regina, Mora, Lunion and Glisten. Much of the
Main is underdeveloped, but still large numbers of small
merchant ships make their living freighting or engaging
in speculative trade along the Main. By long tradition,
heading in the direction of District 268 (broadly
spinward-rimward) or along the Trin Arm (trailing-
rimward) from Regina is ‘Down the Main’; the opposite
direction is ‘Up’.
The Spinward Main forks in several places. An arm
of the Main diverging at Biter in the Sword Worlds
subsector allows access to the Sword Worlds and
ultimately the territory of the Darrians, but this is not
considered part of the Main by Imperial traders as it
passes through the potentially dangerous territory of the
Sword Worlds Confederation. Another divergence takes
place at Caliburn. The Collace Arm leads rimward from
there, diverging again at Talos. The Collace Arm proper
winds onward through Collace and finally terminates at
Froin in Five Sisters subsector. The Glisten Arm heads
trailingward into Glisten subsector and contains more
than half its worlds.
The Bowman Arm meanders to spinward, to the edge of
Foreven sector. It links the handful of Imperial worlds in
Five Sisters subsector with the rest of Imperial territory.
This arm sees much less traffic than the more central
parts of the main, though since the end of the Fourth
Frontier War there are big plans to open up District
268. The Bowman Arm will be an important part of this
expansion.
T H E B O WM A N A R M
Traffic on the Spinward Main is varied. Small tramp
freighters wander along it or ply a short section of it
under contract. Many such are Subsidised Merchants,
an ideal design for this kind of work. Larger vessels work
segments of the Main, but these tend to be Jump-2
or higher vessels which can move quickly between the
more lucrative ports of call on and off the Main. Most of
the sector can be accessed by a jump-2 ship using the
Spinward Main, so vessels belonging most of the larger
shipping firms can be encountered somewhere on it.
It has long been suggested that, with suitable
investment in ports and supporting infrastructure,
the Spinward Main could help the Marches become
an economic powerhouse with internal trade facilitated
by a web of large and small shipping concerns centred
on the Main. The money has never been available,
and the need is not at this time perceived since the
Marches are a backwater of no great importance in the
wider Imperium.
DISTRICT 268
Although opened for Imperial expansion in 941 in a
decree made by Empress Margaret II, District 268 has
seen little investment in the years since. Imperial firms
and traders are moderately active in the subsector,
but the only real Imperial presence until recently was
at Mille Falcs and the Scout base at Mertactor on the
trailing edge of the subsector.
Since the end of the Fourth Frontier War the situation
has changed a little. Some investment has been
forthcoming and the apparent removal of the Sword
Worlder threat to communications up the Spinward Main
has encouraged more traders to enter the region. The
development of the Metal Worlds in neighbouring Sword
Worlds subsector is widely considered to be a prelude to
Imperial economic conquest of the region.
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The main power in the region is Collace, a pro-Imperial
world which hosts an Imperial Scout base and has
applied to join the Imperium. Other worlds are less
keen to see the Imperials extend their influence into the
subsector, and some are openly hostile. This has led to
some unrest and acts of sabotage which, while difficult
to pin on anyone, are obviously part of a conspiracy to
slow down Imperial investment.
One major opponent to Imperial expansion (and to
Collace) is the Trexalon Technical Consortium (TTC),
which has long had links with the Sword Worlds.
Wisely staying out of the Fourth Frontier War, Trexalon
nevertheless profited from Imperial distraction and
gained some ground in its ‘cold war’ with Collace.
Trexalon wields a lot of influence among the worlds of
the region; some of it due to friendship and economic
ties and some of it of a more strongarm nature.
It is probably not coincidence that several merchant
ships have been attacked in recent months. Some such
attacks have the hallmarks of typical pirate activity,
but others seem to be nothing more than senseless
destruction – or else deliberate commerce raiding. The
Imperial Navy is not in a position to make much of a
response to the problem, which is gradually worsening
as time goes by.
Despite the troubles, Imperial corporations and
entrepreneurs are gradually filtering into the district.
There are many opportunities to be exploited by those
with the wit and the courage to do it. It seems likely
that the near future will be turbulent in District 268.
NEIGHBOURING REGIONS
To spinward of District 268 lies Five Sisters subsector,
which is mostly Imperial territory. Development of
District 268 will eventually provide a more solid link
between the Five Sisters and the rest of the sector, but
for now the enclave is rather isolated. Two worlds within
the subsector are of particular interest: Andor and
Candory. These are Droyne worlds, and are under Red
Zone interdiction by the Imperial Navy. Droyne ships
are allowed in and out, but others are kept away unless
they have a special permit which is said to be next to
impossible to obtain. The reason for the blockade is not
publicly known, but the Droyne use of psionics may be
a factor.
To spinward-coreward lies Darrian subsector, home to
the Daryen people, a human minor race. Long Imperial
allies, the Daryens are constantly at odds with the
Sword Worlders, and have generally fought against them
alongside Imperial forces. The Daryens once possessed
a very advanced technology, but have been in decline
for many centuries.
Directly coreward is Sword Worlds subsector, home the
Sword Worlds Confederation. The Sword Worlders have
little love for the Imperium and have fought against it
at times, but at present relations have thawed a little.
It would not take much to reverse this position however,
especially as power shifts in the internal politics of the
Sword Worlds Confederation.
Lunion and Glisten subsectors, to trailing-coreward
and directly trailing respectively, are entirely Imperial
territory and contain several highly developed worlds,
naval bases and major industrial centres. These
subsectors are the jumping-off point for expeditions into
District 268, and will be the main markets for its goods
once investment is complete.
The region to rimward of District 268 (Menorial, Egryn
and Pax Rulin subsectors) is sometimes termed the
Outrim Void, or just the Outrim. It lies beyond the
Imperium, other than a few outposts, though there
are numerous Imperial client worlds and multiworld
states in the region. Pushing further to rimward-trailing
leads to the Great Rift, a wide region with few stars
and therefore a natural barrier to interstellar travel.
To spinward-rimward along the edge of the Rift lies
a region of independent worlds and then territory
belonging to Aslan who have crossed the Great Rift
in search of new territories. Their traders and
mercenary ships sometimes enter Imperial space
through District 268.
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