The Drinaxian court and government
King Oleb XVI – Patron, monarch and increasingly credible claimant to a restored Sindalian realm. He gave the Travellers their privateering role and has been consistently delighted by their successes – piracy, diplomacy, territorial gains and state-building alike. He has a genuine fascination with advanced technology, particularly Tech-World robotics and most especially the Hive Queen model. He knighted the party in the Most Exalted Order of the Eclipsed Black Star at the end of 1105. More recently, Orpheus/Heart of Darkness has been reclaimed in his name, with Oleb presenting himself as successor-in-exile to the Dragon Emperors of Sindal. He enthusiastically celebrated the victory over Hroal Irontooth, while being persuaded to know nothing publicly about the stolen Martin II.
Princess Rao – Probably the most consistently important political NPC. Pragmatic, intelligent and much more strategically minded than her father. She sees the Travellers’ mission as Drinax’s last gamble, va banque, against eventual Aslan destruction and has repeatedly used them for diplomacy, intelligence and covert operations. She sent Basemath Mondrane into the Torpol Cluster, arranged the highly sensitive Iuwoi/Hteilotorl mission through Joachim Streussen, supported closer relations with the Vespexers, and was delighted by the party’s state-building. Most recently she agreed to circulate the forged Imperium-Aslan treaty anonymously, which frightened a dozen systems towards Drinax despite damaging relations with both the Imperium and Hierate.
Prince Harrick – Oleb’s resurrected son and Rao’s political counterweight. Harrick originally argued that Drinax itself was doomed and that its population should abandon the irradiated world for Asim rather than pursue Oleb and Rao’s grand restoration. He remains much more sceptical of the party’s empire-building. His unusual status as a man who genuinely died and was technologically resurrected has subsequently become politically invaluable on Clarke: the Progressive Psychopomps regard him as the fulfilment of prophecy and have invited him to become High Psychopomp. Harrick has made provision of a proper scientific/medical research vessel a condition of accepting – hence the party’s interest in stealing Nafir’s Spark of Life.
Lord/Admiral Wrax – Conservative guardian of Drinax’s precious military resources. He was furious at the early risks taken with the So Much For Subtlety, regarding the Harrier as effectively the kingdom’s irreplaceable military inheritance. Harrick had to calm him down after one particularly heated confrontation. He remained sceptical of the Travellers’ activities even as their successes accumulated. The captured corvette Slightly Bent has subsequently been provided to him, giving his Star Guard a proper modern fighting ship. This has, at least, softened his expressions of his concerns
Scholar Voha – Drinax’s foremost Sindalian historian. His research into Captain Envai’s account of a lost Sindalian base began the chain of clues that eventually led the Travellers through Pandora and TR 2523 to the Heart of Darkness/Orpheus Base. In other words, one apparently academic conversation ultimately produced one of the greatest strategic discoveries of the campaign.
High Dockmaster Baumgartner – Nervous custodian of Drinax’s tiny naval infrastructure and emotionally attached to the Harrier. He fusses over So Much For Subtlety, inspects her for damage and implores the Travellers not to wreck her.
Lady Hil, Duchess of Oghma – Senior court figure who has taken an interest in Penelope, offering advice on dress, etiquette and political alliances and proposing to take her under her wing. She offered to act as Penelope’s entrée into the more sophisticated politics of the Floating Palace, if she were allowed to “smooth off the rough edges, my dear.”
Kasiyl – Exiled Aslan prince living at Oleb’s court. Thus far principally a court contact – notably sharing a contemplative conversation with Timaeus – rather than an active political player.
Chieftain Gralx/Galx – Leader among the Vespexers and Armstrong’s contact. She supplied the first important Vespexer recruits – Ilya Tarko, Volodymyr Patraev and Phoebe Cross – while warning that the Vespexers’ population pressures and relationship with the Crown make recruitment difficult. The party subsequently helped bring several more tribes into loyalty with the Crown.
Recurring members of the Travellers’ extended crew
Patrick Steward – The recovered steward droid who rapidly evolved from comic domestic servant into one of the campaign’s most distinctive NPCs. Patrick is obsessive about cleanliness, dress, etiquette, cuisine and the standards expected of his employers. He transformed the Lady Luck, arranged proper clothes before the Rose Pavilion dinner, took the destitute Vi Lon under his metaphorical wing, and worries about what dockyard workers do to his upholstery. He is also capable of surprisingly useful strategic observations. The later Patrickswarm made up of copies of Patrick (Patrice, Patricio, Paidraig etc, one for each ship) was deliberately ordered with spyware so Patrick could monitor the fleet – unfortunately Tech-World appears to have been receiving those reports too, much to Patrick’s chagrin when he found out.
Krrsh – Former captain of Misery’s Company, originally one of Ferrik Redthane’s pirates. After the disastrous attack on Daniel Vlaw’s Sarcomond, his crew mutinied, beat him and abandoned him on the Chamax-infested Sindalian station at Borite. Rescued half-starved by the Travellers, he immediately betrayed essentially everything he knew about Ferrik, Miria, Theev, its landing codes and secret fuel dump. He has since become thoroughly embedded in the Drinaxian pack. He asked that his former shipmate Arnara Rrax be spared, participated in the attack on Redthane, has repeatedly piloted ships including the Mercifuge and Shinkiro, and acted as bait in the brilliant cutting-out of the PRQ System Defence Boat Defiant. Personality-wise he is flamboyant, attention-seeking, absurdly confident and a devoted and evangelical Tiznee Zazzle fan. He once spent seven hours playing the same song to Sharyl and later staged a Vargr mythological epic using the ship’s droids. Most recently, at Hilfer, he has actually ended up in command of the So Much For Subtlety and bluffed the authorities into letting the ship refuel and leave by inventing a knighthood for Captain Eddy Kkidir.
Sharyl K’zinti – Huge Aslan – vast even by Aslan standards at eight feet and eight inches! – originally serving aboard the Cicendai. Disgusted by his captain’s surrender, he volunteered to join the Travellers as a marine. He rapidly became one of their most formidable combatants and their informal boarding instructor. His response to Krrsh trying to establish dominance was essentially amused acceptance before physically demonstrating why challenging a looming Aslan is unwise. He trained the Vespexer boarding parties, has led assaults and personally carved through numerous opponents. He is also an Outcast, something respectable Aslan notice immediately. His long-term arc has now become significant: Timaeus offered Drinaxian military support to win him land, and Sharyl chose Ergo as the world he wants to claim. He proposes to visit Kteiroa, gather a warband, conquer Ergo and swear a life-debt to Oleb in return, creating a rimward bastion for Drinax.
Vi Lon – Former PA/member of an Acrid Union delegation sent to Theev to hire mercenaries. The rest of her delegation was murdered and she survived by sheer luck, becoming destitute and nearly being forced into prostitution before Eric and the others intervened. She joined the Drinaxians, requested combat duties rather than hiding during battles, and subsequently became a useful administrator and recruiter. She has spent extended periods on Drinax recruiting Vespexer personnel and helping build the manpower behind the Shadow Fleet.
Vas Silverfur – Uplifted gorilla, pilot and former pirate captain. Originally wanted a quieter life after piracy but was recruited on Theev after Goorp persuaded him to accept Deanna’s astonishingly confident promise that they’d soon have more ships. Which, inconveniently for sceptics, proved completely true. He has since become a trusted fleet captain, including command of the Janel Torsk/Grey Area and Mercifuge on various occasions.
Goorp – Uplifted chimpanzee engineer and Vas’s companion. Goorp explicitly wanted excitement and therefore found the Travellers enormously attractive employers. His first contribution was enthusiastically joining the fight to rescue Vi Lon. He remains Vas’s engineer and was most recently operating the Mercifuge with him during the Martin II operation.
Arnara Rrax – Former Redthane crew member and old shipmate of Krrsh. Krrsh specifically asked that she be spared because she was a good engineer who had supported him in the past. The party honoured the request during Redthane’s destruction and she joined their expanding organisation.
Ilya Tarko, Volodymyr Patraev and Phoebe Cross – The original trio of Vespexer recruits. Ilya and Volodymyr were effectively population-pressure exiles; Phoebe left voluntarily and had previous pirate experience. They became the nucleus of the Travellers’ increasingly formidable Vespexer military establishment. Volodymyr helped abduct Leff Roister on Theev; all three participated in operations against Ferrik. Phoebe also knows the Reach’s pirate scene unusually well.
Tug Wilson – Recruitment/administrative figure working alongside Vi Lon, particularly on finding and training Vespexer manpower. He has also travelled with the fleet on logistics/trading assignments.
Rog Blake and Tarsus Rhodes – Fleet personnel/captains who appear primarily in the growing Shadow Fleet’s operational assignments. Tarsus was recruited at Palindrome and piloted the Phlebotomist; Blake later captained the Shinkiro during its Hilfer piracy/scouting deployment.
Pernik Loy – Expensive but highly skilled civil engineer hired specifically to solve Hilfer’s water/infrastructure problems. He was dispatched to Hilfer to assess what would be required to make the devastated desert world’s infrastructure viable – part of the party’s strategy of winning planets through development rather than simply diplomacy or conquest.
Intelligence network
Basemath Mondrane – One of the increasingly important off-screen NPCs. Former colleague of Deanna from her naval career, now effectively the Travellers’ spymaster/roving intelligence recruiter. She has established agents across multiple worlds, investigated PRQ preparations during the Acrid conflict, exposed their intended counterattack, and developed the growing Drinaxian HUMINT network. She was also given the tip that PRQ maintenance chief Geraldo Antiquo might be a GeDeCo agent and instructed to blackmail him if it proved true.
Loren Els – Junior civil servant in Blue’s capital recruited by Basemath. He has become a valuable source on Blue’s alarming military expansion, uncovering a fleet far beyond what the planet can afford, mysterious “Special Continuity Funds”, unidentified advisers and plans for a future troop carrier.
Fa Roysopp – Petty criminal and second Drinaxian agent on Blue. She exists as an asset but has not yet been activated.
Arret Karn – Pourne lowport loadmaster recruited by Basemath. Largely ignoreds, so a low allegiance so far, but useful enough to report interesting ship movements and cargoes, including mercenary patrol craft travelling rimward.
Major pirates
Ferrik Redthane – First major campaign antagonist. Former member of Admiral Darokyn’s organisation who broke away and assembled his own gang. Ferrik led the attacks on Clarke and Torpol, using Janel Torsk, Mercifuge, Misery’s Company and Phlebotomist. His growing ambitions involved modular planetary-assault capabilities rather than simple ship piracy. The party systematically dismantled his organisation: rescued and recruited Krrsh, killed Miria, seized Mercifuge, tracked Ferrik to his Palindrome moon base, breached it and rejected his offer to join forces. Ferrik claimed Darokyn was secretly an Imperial spy but was executed before he could prove it. His corpse ultimately became an orbital warning beacon over Clarke.
Miria Silverhand – Ferrik’s lieutenant and girlfriend, captain of the Mercifuge, and bitter enemy of Krrsh. Sent to Theev to obtain protection for Ferrik from a major pirate lord. The Travellers painstakingly tracked her through Theev’s surveillance network to a wreck in the scrapyard. When defeated she apologised to Ferrik and detonated an explosive hidden in her cyberarm, killing herself and nearly killing Timaeus. Her robotic pinky was subsequently presented to Darokyn over dinner.
Admiral Darokyn – One of the Lords of Theev and a major pirate admiral. Ferrik was formerly one of his people; Darokyn put a bounty on him after their falling-out. Darokyn quickly recognised that the Travellers’ mysterious Sindalian Harrier was probably Drinaxian and suspected Oleb was up to something. He offered another 2.5MCr for Ferrik and his gang and paid promptly after inspecting the corpses and battle evidence. Ferrik’s last allegation was that Darokyn is secretly an Imperial Navy intelligence asset. That remains unresolved.
Petyr Vallis – Charismatic, badly maimed pirate leader on Theev. His family died escaping enslavement by the Glorious Empire, leaving him with an intense hatred of Aslan. He regards himself as fighting the future conquest of the Reach rather than merely pirating for money. His men attempted to break into the Harrier and were executed by the Widows after escalating to lethal force; Vallis subsequently apologised and offered the Travellers membership of his organisation for 20% of their takings, primarily attacking Aslan targets. His analysis of Aslan expansion was sufficiently cogent to make the initially alienating Vallis rather more persuasive.
Hroal Irontooth – Aslan pirate lord and one of the Lords of Theev. Initially encountered when he offered to sell Miria’s location for Cr100,000. Much later he orchestrated an elaborate attempt to seize the Martin II, coercing Henshaw through threats against her daughter and using Salvesdes as a psionically conditioned killer. His fleet included the Meatgrinder, Sasquatch, Dancing Spider and other vessels. The Travellers eventually joined an Imperial squadron in attacking him at Exe. After an extremely destructive battle, the Meatgrinder was boarded and Timaeus killed Hroal personally with his arc-field sword. One of Hroal’s iron teeth was taken as a trophy.
Margaret Blaine, “Terror of the Spaceways” – Legendary centenarian former pirate admiral and one of the party’s most useful mentors. She hired them to recover personal property from her former ship Cicendai and taught them her philosophy of piracy: discretion, deception, minimal violence, intelligence networks and disappearing before retaliation arrives. She approved mildly of their early efforts and later recommended Lenard Stoyer as a fence in Arunisiir.
Hteilotorl and the Aslan
Prince Hteilotorl – Iuwoi noble and one of the most important diplomatic NPCs. Initially hidden under the pseudonym Ergneuel after the disastrous Ihatei expedition to Arunisiir. The Travellers were paid to smuggle him back to Tyokh by a deadline, eventually discovering that he was travelling there voluntarily to be executed because his failure threatened the political survival of the Iuwoi clan. He suspected that “Uncle” Koalea, his father’s old friend and intelligence specialist on Sink, had betrayed the expedition. Hteilotorl belongs to the Fellowship of the Black Lotus and behaved throughout with considerable honour. The party ultimately developed plans to give him a territorial holding under Drinax instead – a model which has subsequently inspired Sharyl’s Ergo ambitions.
Tiyaheio – Aslan living on Hernon’s Claim who secretly sheltered Hteilotorl. He arranged the formal dinner at which the Travellers met the prince. His daughter was less capable of concealing her feelings about what had happened on Arunisiir.
Koalea / Ehfyohoikoaleai – Iuwoi clan intelligence agent on Sink and old friend of Hteilotorl’s father. Hteilotorl regarded him as an uncle, but came to suspect that he betrayed the Black Lotus expedition to Arunisiir. Still an unresolved figure.
Shinahei – Eldest son of Lord Ekaft of the Shino’hake clan on Arunisiir. Approached Sharyl seeking communication with his clan. His father considers the current Aslan oligarchy on Arunisiir pathetic and believes mass clan reinforcements could allow him to conquer the planet outright. Deanna promised to forward the message and deliberately intends not to do any such thing.
Hahehake – Absurdly grand Aslan oligarch of Arunisiir, encountered being hauled about on a gold-plated palanquin/cart by human servants. Demanded that the Travellers bow and then decided he wanted Deanna’s stunner claiming it looked amusingly primitive (but in fact because he greatly wanted it). She gave it to him.
Clarke
Keeper/Psychopomp Malos – Cheerfully macabre Clarke official originally encountered during the Redthane investigation. The party’s success helped his advancement to Psychopomp. A Progressive, he supports Harrick as the prophesied resurrected High Psychopomp. He later provided the lead that exposed Ksar’s massive preservation fraud. When shown proof that poorer corpses were secretly being burned, he was genuinely horrified and helped bring Ksar down.
High Psychopomp Ksar – Leader of Clarke’s Conservative faction and opponent of Harrick. Publicly defended traditional preservation and condemned Harrick’s technological resurrection as an abomination. Secretly presided over a gigantic corruption scheme in which around 14% of required preservation fluid was never purchased and roughly 200 poorer bodies a day were being incinerated while the money disappeared. He maintained two wealthy families on Torpol. Exposed by the Travellers and sentenced to the Long Sleep – preservation until the resurrection of all the faithful at the End of Times.
Acrid and PRQ
Elizabeth Zhong – CAUMAW leader who first approached the Travellers about the deteriorating situation on Acrid. She wanted Drinaxian support for the inevitable revolution. Following the successful coup she became Chief Secretary of the Acrid Politburo and immediately sought Drinaxian membership/protection. She then had to confront the less glamorous problems of revolution: crewing the captured SDBs, keeping trade flowing and preventing economic collapse.
Dmitri Volkov – Vespexer Senior VP of Security for PRQ. One of the company’s negotiating team after the revolution. Particularly interesting because he is himself Vespexer. Eventually lost his temper during negotiations and effectively threatened to have the Travellers assassinated.
Rafe Calderón – PRQ Executive VP for Asset Risk & Recovery. Ultimately took control of negotiations and reached the face-saving settlement by which PRQ effectively surrendered Acrid while publicly presenting the transaction as an orderly commercial divestment.
Maris Kade, Harlan Beckett and Anika Voss – Remaining senior members of the PRQ negotiating delegation: Legal Services, COO Argona and Stakeholder Alignment respectively. Collectively attempted increasingly generous ways of persuading the Travellers to abandon Acrid before accepting defeat.
Sir Volan haut-Teizil – PRQ Head of Sector Operations who later publicly announced the sale of Acrid to the Drinaxian Investment Trust as a strategic corporate decision, successfully putting a respectable investor-relations gloss on PRQ having been militarily and politically defeated. PRQ shares actually rose.
Geraldo Antiquo – PRQ Acrid Division Chief Maintenance Officer, anonymously alleged to be a GeDeCo agent. The party passed this to Basemath with instructions to verify it and, if true, blackmail him into putting key SDBs into maintenance during the planned coup, which he did.
Martin II crew and conspirators
Captain Torsa – Captain of the Martin II. Proud, vain, insecure and extremely susceptible to flattery. He is obsessed with completing his mission to Tyokh because of its implications for his career and consistently disregards the reservations of his crew and the much more capable Commander Jagad. Penelope immediately antagonised him; Deanna subsequently mastered him by treating him with exaggerated professional respect. He insisted on continuing with the damaged ship rather than awaiting proper repairs and was ultimately persuaded to lead the attack on Hroal by appealing to his ambitions. His ship, meanwhile, was diverted to Pandora and stolen from underneath him.
Commander Mari Jagad – Executive officer of the Martin II, scarred during the engineering disaster. Highly competent, suspicious and substantially more sensible than Torsa. She vented the engineering section after the explosion, saving the ship at the cost of most of its engineers. She repeatedly argued for waiting for proper repairs and objected formally to the extraordinary access Torsa granted the Drinaxians. She later provided the tactical briefing for the Hroal operation.
Felmar – Dead engineer whose sabotage nearly destroyed the Martin II. Secretly attempted to alter the jump solution to deliver the ship to Hroal’s ambush in Exe. Was having an affair with Mechanic Talis and promised her wealth and a new life.
Mechanic Talis – Felmar’s lover. Confessed the affair to Parsifal and identified Salvesdes and Henshaw as Felmar’s associates. Later murdered aboard the diverted Martin II by Salvesdes while he was “cleaning house.”
Launch Pilot Henshaw – Coerced conspirator. Hroal had located her daughter on Lilgan and threatened to kill her unless Henshaw helped divert the ship. Confessed to Parsifal. Later killed by Salvesdes.
Marine Salvesdes – The most tragic of Hroal’s agents. Already mentally unstable and clearly subjected to external psionic conditioning. His surface thoughts revealed suicidal and homicidal impulses connected with Irontooth. When the ship unexpectedly arrived in Pandora rather than Exe, he apparently assumed the plan had succeeded and murdered Talis, Henshaw and at least one other marine before attacking the Travellers. Anastasia eventually soothed and manipulated him into believing everyone was dead and persuaded him to enter a cold berth. He is therefore still alive and in Drinaxian custody.
Astrogator Osha – Dolbergian replacement astrogator. Secretly paid to attach a sophisticated monitoring dongle to the treasure vault, apparently connected to a Tech-World operation. Desperate for money to correct a hereditary condition which could see her socially ostracised and forbidden to reproduce. She remains alive, currently in cold sleep with the rest of the Martin II crew.
Purser Vaughn – GeDeCo asset aboard the Martin II. Paid to smuggle a spectacularly convincing forged Imperium-Aslan treaty into the secure vault at Tech-World. Anastasia and Parsifal successfully manipulated him into believing Parsifal was fellow GeDeCo operative “Wolf”, thereby obtaining the treaty. Alive in cold sleep.
Jen Laral – Popular young marine and emerging informal leader among the discontented crew. Considered organising a deputation against Torsa and was later overheard among crew verging on mutiny. Anastasia has sounded her out about employment by Drinax.
Marine Commander Harc – Senior marine whose badly installed cranial jack caused agonising headaches after every jump. Parsifal permanently fixed it, earning enormous gratitude. Harc suspected psionic interference aboard the ship and confided this to Parsifal.
Second Engineer Polo – Overwhelmed engineer desperate for outside technical help. Later became convinced the Martin II was cursed and joined the increasingly mutinous conversations against Torsa’s insistence on continuing.
O’Leary and Ilin – Hard-drinking crewmen who provided much of the party’s early intelligence. They hated Torsa and resented Jagad for venting engineering despite knowing she saved the ship. O’Leary later appeared among the increasingly rebellious crew.
Lyra Vane – Assistant steward who accidentally saw Vaughn’s forged treaty and concluded the Martin II might be on a secret mission to betray the border worlds to the Aslan. Her innocent observation was the clue that exposed the GeDeCo operation.
Imperial Navy
Captain Johann Burghof – Captain of the Gazelle-class Arshad. An enthusiastic professional naval officer who admires the Drinaxians, particularly their cutting-out of the Defiant. He revealed the existence of a loose brotherhood of serving and retired Imperial officers around the system of Empire who see Drinax as a potentially valuable anti-Aslan bulwark. Burghof was instrumental in turning Hroal’s attempted ambush into an offensive operation and appears a potentially important Imperial ally.
Captain James – Captain of the second Gazelle, Komodo. Along with Burghof pushed Torsa into accepting the operation against Hroal. Komodo was subsequently destroyed in the battle.
Dr Nafir and the current science plot
Dr Izikai Nafir – Parsifal’s great professional enemy. Nafir allegedly plagiarised/betrayed Parsifal early in his career and has left a trail of other disgruntled former collaborators. Captain of the science vessel Spark of Life, he has travelled as far as Deneb and the Spinward Marches collecting scientific talent. He presents as smooth, charming and extraordinarily successful across numerous disciplines. His collaborative computer system supposedly multiplies the productivity of scientists aboard his ship, while he holds a suspicious number of patents. He attributes his rise to continuing the work of his dead collaborator Dr Jans Trask. Most ominously, Anastasia could not read his mind at all, but could do so later. The Travellers pursued him from Blue across several systems to Tech-World, intending to obtain his ship for Harrick and settle Parsifal’s grievance.
Dr Jans Trask – Nafir’s former collaborator, supposedly tragically dead since 1100. Nafir says his work honours Trask’s memory. Given Nafir’s history of appropriating collaborators’ work, this is conspicuously suspicious.
Dr Lira Venn – Young scientist recruited to Nafir’s incubator programme. The Travellers exploited her decision to rent out her apartment to obtain information about Spark of Life and arrange Anastasia’s tour.
Dr Kessarin Jaal – Another scientist aboard Spark of Life, apparently much less enthusiastic about Nafir. Anastasia attempted covert psionic contact but received no response.
Sela Marrin – Long-serving pilot/astrogator of Spark of Life. Has travelled with Nafir across much of Charted Space and appears loyal to him.
Dr Jali Astor – Nanotechnology researcher on Tech-World dedicated to finding a solution to the nanite infestation devastating Neumann. She believed she was close to a breakthrough when a containment experiment catastrophically failed. Rather than consuming her, the nanites infected/transformed her. Security footage showed her moving with impossible speed, glowing red eyes and apparently saying “Immortal Protector”. She seized Nafir’s Spark of Life and fled towards Hilfer.
Lemuel Vinus – Astor’s young laboratory assistant from Neumann. Injured but not infected in the accident. He genuinely admired Astor because she was trying to save his homeworld. Parsifal persuaded the understandably nervous Lemuel to accompany the Travellers by assuring him the expedition would be “perfectly safe” and contain “no danger at all.”
Sigismund Olafson – Dr Nafir’s very professional ex-military bodyguard, conspicuously equipped with expensive cyberware. Accompanied Nafir when he joined the pursuit of his stolen ship.
Other important allies and contacts
Provost Falx – Torpol official/starport administrator who originally supported the investigation into Redthane. The Travellers’ success helped earn him promotion. He rewarded them lavishly on their triumphant return and is now a solid pro-Drinax contact.
Rachando – Drinaxian bazaar operator/fixer and early contact. Received the original Red Breeze sample and subsequently acted as a market for the Travellers’ less legitimate acquisitions.
Robert Fennick – Torpol fence with conspicuous facial reconstruction. Bought the party’s stolen Red Breeze at an excellent price and later provided intelligence leading to Daniel Vlaw and Krrsh.
Lenard Stoyer – Arunisiir fence recommended personally by Margaret Blaine.
Lady Yemar – Ruler and effectively owner of Palindrome, herself a former pirate. Extremely well informed about the Travellers’ morally ambiguous activities. Uses the wealth of Palindrome to pay for enormously expensive medical treatment for injuries caused by chemical attack. Hosted the dinner at which several important political contacts converged.
Prince Grehai– Self-proclaimed heir of Sindal and suave political operator. Calls Oleb his “Brother in Sindal”, advocates strengthening the Aslan frontier and offered roughly Cr330 million for the Harrier. He remains very interested in what Oleb is doing and represents a potentially important alternative Sindalian legitimacy claim.
Hink Tabreja – Oghman king/warlord/raider, surprisingly educated at Tobia Institute of Technology. Understands perfectly well that Oghma’s raiding economy is unsustainable but believes himself trapped by his population’s expectations and the need to capture skilled slaves simply to maintain TL9 technology.
Gamaagin Kaashukiin – Captain/Mistress of the mercenary cruiser Retribution. Highly knowledgeable naval warfare enthusiast who repeatedly exchanges intelligence and tactical ideas with the Travellers. The party later hired Retribution for three months at Cr2 million/month to defend Acrid. She remains one of their strongest professional military contacts.
Captain Halet Tovrim – Pourne Bureau of Investigation officer. Initially recruited the Travellers to investigate the mysterious Hiver craft, improving Drinax’s standing on Pourne. Later revealed that he was romantically involved with smuggler Arlena Vey and begged the Travellers to prevent her walking into a police trap without revealing his involvement. They successfully drugged her into missing it.
Arlena Vey – Member of Pourne’s Slatejack Crew and Tovrim’s lover. Unknowingly saved from a police sting when the Travellers drugged her and several innocent drinkers into unconsciousness.
Samuel Kegii – Elderly semi-retired Scout commanding Sam’s Leaky Bucket. The Travellers repaired his disassembled manoeuvre drive after his Aslan passengers were abducted. He later repaid the favour by knowingly acting as a decoy in the Hteilotorl operation despite being told it was dangerous.
Antoine Marais and Quiet Foyle – Survivors of the Bugle Call, attacked by the mercenary cruiser Bayern. Marais is stubborn and combative; Foyle was badly wounded. They refused Timaeus’s offer to become pirates after experiencing piracy themselves, but agreed to work as legitimate traders aboard Lady Luck.
Billy Garret and Sara “Tinsel” Garret – Father and daughter rescued from the Hellspawn. Billy is a heavily cybernetically augmented former criminal debt enforcer from Attee, intensely protective of his daughter and deeply dislikes space travel. After rescue he requested a private conversation with a pirate who had mistreated Sara and returned a few minutes later dragging the unconscious man.
Pleasantly Complex – Llellewyloly former Finance Minister of Lilgan, pushed into retirement by a xenophobic government. Set off travelling to find excitement, was kidnapped by pirates, then rescued by the Travellers: people he correctly – if pedantically – identified as probably also pirates. Intelligent, financially sophisticated and potentially useful.
Less prominent NPCs
Alexeis Rabahn – GeDeCo manager on Marduk who hired the original party to destroy the drug laboratory and deliver the narcotic sample to Drinax. One of the very first patrons.
Daniel Vlaw – Bitter Asiman captain of the Sarcomond. Hates Drinax because he fled Asim after Oleb’s conquest. Repelled Krrsh’s attack using concealed pop-up turrets and inadvertently supplied the clue that led the party to Borite.
Thaddeus Azad – Palindrome security minister and old school friend of Timaeus. Helped recruit desperately needed fleet personnel.
Tuk – Solitary K’kree proprietor of an excellent vegetarian cafe on Theev. Clearly rather odd by K’kree standards, but memorable and friendly.
Dern Vass – Cyborg salesperson for Dietler Fabrication Services on Tech-World. Consulted regarding replacement/repair of Drinax’s ancient Sindalian fabricators.
Joachim Streussen – Trader and Borderland Alliance member who acted as intermediary for the Iuwoi contract and explained the extraordinary lengths being taken to intercept Hteilotorl.
Amaldae – Brusque Vargr CEO of Eanzuearrgzoerraer Freight & Brokerage on Gibraltar Station. Contract agent who revealed that the mysterious “cargo” was actually Hteilotorl/Ergneuel.
Mr Carnac and Mr Cheng– Professional-looking investigators hunting Hteilotorl as an alleged war criminal. They had significant resources, surveillance drones and people around Gibraltar Station/Hernon’s Claim. Their ultimate employer remains significant and unresolved.
Captain Gani – Master of the crippled Western Fire, rescued by the Travellers after another suspicious encounter with the Bayern. Offered future assistance.
Pharos Etimos – Tanith under-minister for defence encountered while trying to hire troops against Ihatei incursions. Useful future political/military contact on Tanith.
Hral and Gila Zafnen – Elderly owners of the Fafnir, with old suspicions of piracy but no outstanding warrants. Gila immediately recognised what sort of people the Drinaxians were and provided useful information about the Martin II vault. Their subsequent movements around the treasure ship affair intrigued the party to the point of suspicion.
Yan and Bucket – Human Scout and his long-suffering robot companion. Yan drunkenly calls himself the saviour of the Martin II because he carried news of the disaster towards Imperial authorities. Bucket appears considerably more perceptive and noted oddities in Yan’s supposed route.
Aparo – Tech-World starship-parts salesman who displayed an intense interest in whether the Martin II would reach Tech-World. He later offered the Travellers Cr3 million for 20ml of Torsa’s blood. Almost certainly acting for one of the conspiracies surrounding the treasure ship, but exactly which one remains unresolved.
“Clamps” Hargrove – Civilian welder repairing the Martin II. Found Hroal’s screamer beacon attached to the hull and, rather wonderfully, didn’t report it because he thought it was funny.