Starships and Territory

Like the Xenowardens and Raxilite, the Varjag of Yggdrassil use living starships. Early Varjag stellar explorers used seed pods from Yggdrassil, reinforced by its leaves, with an outer lacquer shell. The ship itself provided life support needs, but was quite fragile. These early vessels used First Drives, passing through the realm of the fey and back into the mortal realm. They were dangerous, but effective. Soon Varjag explorers spread to the reaches of interstellar travel, but always returning home to the World Tree and it’s planets. They established trade and conflict both in the fey realm and the mortal. However, it wasn’t until they made a certain discovery that they began claiming territory outside of that home. 

One of the major focuses of Varjag interstellar exploration was to learn more about Jormungandr, the creature incubating in the star of their home system. They wanted to learn more about it’s species and life cycle. In order to do that, they had to find it’s relatives. They found the first signs of what they were looking for when they discovered a massive molecular cloud nebula. It was primarily formed of complex ethanol, methanol, and vinyl alcohol molecules, and had a massive stellar nursery more than 500 light years across with entire star clusters forming inside it. The nebula was teaming with life, as much as any habitable world the explorers had ever visited. Stellar Protozoa, Schools of Oma, and even a form of spaceborn algae and other plant-like life. And, as they explored the region, exactly what they had been searching for: Novaspawn. Their resemblance to the creature incubating in the Yggdrassil’s star was uncanny. 

The explorers sent word back home and a great endeavor was begun. The Varjag claimed the entire nebula as their territory and set out to defend their new border and learn everything they could from the region. Much of their modern technology, starships included, was developed from things they learned in the nebula. They went on to lay claim to and defend other similarly composed nebulae they discovered. 

Modern Varjag starships are grown from a cutting of Yggdrassil, rather than a seed pod. THe cutting is grown in special nurseries developed in the alcohol nebulae. The branches are shaped for the starship it is to become. An Algae discovered in the nebulae bonds to the branches and grows into hardened walls as durable as any starship’s bulkheads when treated with special substances developed by Varjag biotechnicians. The energy transferring properties of Yggdrasil allow it to act as conduits to move power throughout the ship, while the ship itself provides much of the life support needed by most humanoids. The end result is a biomechanical hull ready to be built into one of the Varjag’s iconic starships. All varjag starships start out this way, usually built around a small range of sizes. Their larger starships even began in that smaller range of sizes, but as they age and survive, Varjag starships grow. The largest Vajag vessels are also their oldest, having survived for millenia. One secret the Varjag will never share with the rest of the universe: those ancient vessels learn and evolve: they are alive and they keep themselves an interstellar food chain. 

Seeds of Yggdrassil

Some of those massive and ancient Varjag starships have a capability not shared with any other ships. When the crew designate a planet they would like to step foot on, since the ships that can do this are too large to land on the surface, it launches a seed into the atmosphere and down to the surface. This seed has a hyper accelerated growth rate, and within 6 hours grows from the surface, up into orbit, and back to the ship it was launched from like a massive vine. The stalk has its own subjective gravity, and those who travel up or down it find that it only takes a few minutes to traverse its entire length. It is capable of supporting even colossal vehicles and creatures, allowing the Varjag lucky enough to crew such a vessel the ability to easily transfer cargo, or invade. 

When the ship and its crew are ready to depart, the vessel easily separates from the stalk without any issues. The stalk collapses, both shrinking in size as if whatever magic was allowing its existence was returning from wherever it was drawn, and also parts of it burning up in the atmosphere. The ashes drift down to the ground and promote new growth of native species of plant life with the residual magic left over. A single use of this isn’t going to change a dessert into a jungle, but generations of use can. 

Game Mechanics

This is an “Other System” that can be installed on any huge or larger Varjag starship. It takes 5 BP and 0 power. 

Nebula Fold Gates

As part of their effort to solidify their claim on the alcohol nebulae, the Varjag have “confiscated” Fold Gates they discovered and relocated them to their nebulae. They have mapped out entire networks of the ancient relics, and have multiple of them hidden in the branches of Yggdrassil. They can move vast amounts of people, ships, weapons, and/or cargo between their home system and their nebulae. The Fold Gates effectively allow these far distant locations to be a single territory without traversing any other faction’s territories. 

Since no one yet has the secret of Fold Gate construction, the Varjag are prone to confiscating any fold gates they learn about and relocating them into their territory. They have learned a great deal about the ancient devices, including how to reprogram them to incorporate them into their network, and how to exclude any gate they don’t control from that network. It is possible they have a greater understanding of the technology than any other civilization, but they are still far from unlocking the knowledge needed to produce their own facsimiles of them. 

Starship Design and Traditions

There are two basic archetypes of Varjag starships. Grown or Carved. 

Those grown from cuttings of Yggdrassil are family starships, often passed from generation to generation, until they grow into massive clan starships. These are often referred to as Totem ships as they tend to show symbols and iconography significant to the family and its ancestors. 

The other type of Varjag Starship is carved from stellar rock or ice. Once these ones slip their moorings and take flight they rarely change save for damage repair and maintenance. They stay as they were made. These are commonly called Runic Ships. 

The Totem Ships are much more widely known, as they are the traders and raiders that venture out into the wide galaxy. 

The runic ships make up the dedicated military vessels used to defend Varjag Territory. They range in size from small fighter craft and shuttles to massive miles long juggernauts. While the smaller runic ships might be redeployed to new locations through the Fold Gate network, the largest runic vessels almost never leave their territories. This is because most Runic starships lack FTL drives of any kind. 

While most Totem Ships use drift engines, it is almost as common to find First Drives, or even Constellation Orrerys on older, larger totem ships. Often the users of those other drives simply regard the paths they have to take through the multiverse as their rightful trade routes. 

Varjag Starships favor heavier torpedo use than most other interstellar powers. This stems from the tradition that each weapon should be made personal, and few things are more personal than a controlled projectile slamming into your enemy before exploding. Each torpedo fired is given a treatment of scrimshaw that details a past victory, or merely the family iconography. 

Also common are ramming prows for the same reason: making the attack personal. Their ships make almost no use of drone technology, regarding that as the most impersonal way to conduct battle you could ever take. 

The Average New Totem Ship (BP 93 of 95):

Tier 3 Biomechanical Transport 

Speed: 12; Manueverability (Piloting -1, Turn 7)

AC 16; TL 16

HP 115; DT 0; CT 14

Shields Basic Shields 40 (forward 10, port 10, starboard 10, aft 10)

Attack (Forward) Mining Laser

Attack (Turret) Light Torpedo Launcher, Light Torpedo Launcher 

Power Core Pulse Green (150 PCU); Power Generated 150; Power Used 197 (122 with drift engine shut down)

Drift Engine Signal Basic, Drift Rating 1

Systems Basic long-range sensors, Good crew quarters, Basic Computer, Mk 3 armor, Mk 3 defenses, Standard, Standard hull

Standard Expansion Bays 2 Cargo hold, Surveying Sensors, 2 Guest Quarters; External Expansion Bays 5 Cargo hold

Complement minimum 5, maximum 6

Runic Gunship

BP spent 497 of 500

 

Tier 15 Shuttle 

Speed: 12; Manueverability (Piloting 1, Turn 2)

AC 28; TL 26

HP 110; DT 0; CT 17; Ablative Armor  (forward 100, port 100, starboard 100, aft 100)

Shields Heavy Shields 420 (forward 105, port 105, starboard 105, aft 105)

Attack (Forward) Light Ramming Prow, Flak Thrower, Light plasma Torpedo Pod (Array)

Attack (Port) 2 Light-Blade Hull, Light plasma Torpedo Pod (Array)

Attack (Starboard) 2 Light-Blade Hulls, Light plasma Torpedo Pod (Array)

Attack (Aft) 2 Light Plasma Mines, Light plasma Torpedo Pod (Array)

Attack (Turret) 2 Light Torpedo Launcher (Array) 

Power Core Pulse Prismatic (300 PCU); Power Generated 300; Power Used 306

Drift Engine None, Drift Rating 0

Systems Ultra long-range sensors, Common crew quarters, Mk 10 duonode, Mk 3 armor, Mk 3 defenses, Standard, Pure adamantine hull

Security Systems Anti-hacking systems, Biometric locks, Tier 10 Computer countermeasures, Tier 20 Heavy Antipersonnel Weapon, 

Standard Expansion Bays Quantum Defender, Surveying Sensors, Telelith Matrix

Other Systems Consciousness Uplink Drive, Data Net, Observation Sensors, Powersap, Virtual Intelligence tier 15, 

Complement minimum 1, maximum 4

This gunship is overgunned. Usually the Light Plasma Mines are kept unpowered and are only deployed when needed. 

As you can see, when the Varjag expend the resources to build a Runic Starship to defend their territory, they spare no expense.