Midgard, the Moot Hall

https://mythology.wikia.org/wiki/Mi%C3%B0gar%C3%B0r

Starfinder RPG World Stats

Name: Midgard

Nickname: The Moot Hall

Diameter: 1x

Mass: 1x

Gravity: 1x

Atmosphere: standard

Biomes: Any terrestrial

Day: 24 hours; Year: 365 days

Midgard is a planet much like earth, with all it’s biomes and regions. The ideal habitable planet. In the Yggdrasil system Midgard is a place of meeting. A Crossroads of sorts. It is the traditional location of Moots. It is a place to seek out arbitration for grievances. And sometimes it is a battleground. 

Many of the Varjag consider it to be the heart of their civilization. While it is not the seat of power, thanks to its status as THE place of meetings among the varjag, it is valued across their civilization. It is the one place all varjag can be counted on to rally in defense of regardless of any other factors. 

Possibly the most notable organization on the planet is the Vinland Cartographers Guild, and organization dedicated to mapping out the paths through the various FTL capable dimensions, and building a single cohesive map that aligns all paths. Their work is highly classified, and bears some of the highest protections. Only a member of the guild can even read their maps, but their operatives are considered some of the best navigators in the known universe. 

Theme: Vinland Guild Cartographer

You are an agent of the most secretive, and prestigious navigator organizations in known space. You have access to their charts and maps, but bear a responsibility to report information about your travels back to the guild. 

Theme Knowledge (1st Level)

You are obsessed with astrogation and charting the unknowns, and have committed to memory almost every related tidbit of knowledge you’ve ever come across. Reduce the DC of Pilot checks to navigate by 5. Piloting is a class skill for you, though if it is a class skill from the class you take at 1st level, you instead gain a +1 bonus to your Piloting checks. In addition, you gain an ability adjustment of +1 to Intelligence at character creation.

Master Navigator (6th Level)

Navigating comes so naturally to you that it takes no significant time or effort for you. Each day of downtime may be spent doing either the Plan Route or the Manage Course downtime activity in addition to any other downtime activities you choose to engage in.You can not do both in the same day.

Instant Analysis (12th Level)

When filing the Science Officer role on a starship, if the starship is not equipped with a Surveying Sensor expansion bay, they may act as if the ship was equipped with Surveying Sensors, even on ships with no expansion bays. If the ship is equipped with Surveying Sensors and the cartographer is in the Science Officer role, they may spend their action in the helm phase to give the Pilot a bonus to any piloting checks made to deal with space hazards equal to the sensor’s normal bonus. 

No Creature Unknown (18th Level)

You have studied the denizens of the realms your starship might travel through, and know what behavior can tell them that you aren’t a threat, aren’t food, and various other simple messages. Living Starships that don’t belong to a faction that is automatically hostile to your ship start with an attitude one step closer to friendly than they normally would. This does not give you the ability to otherwise communicate with them, only to present a sort of “body language” to them. 

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World stats for those who play that one 2d6 based scifi RPG whose name no one can use

Midgard ???? A867A71-FAP AgDeGaHiHtIcInRi           A 611 Vj 

Note: The Varjag really have 3 levels of government. 7 is the most common, representing the familial or clan structures that govern much of varjag society. Government code E could be more appropriate if your game will be dealing with the fact that an actual god lives in this system, though not on Midgard itself, though he mostly lets the clans govern themselves. The varjag also have a 3rd layer, their defense forces, which act cooperatively to defend all varjag interests, and are mutually supported by all the clans. This defense force may be represented by a government code of 5 instead.

Muspelheim of the Yggdrasil System

Name: Muspelheim
Nickname: The Star Forge
Position: Closest Planet to the Sun
Diameter: 1/3rd
Mass: 333,000x
Gravity: 1x
Atmosphere: Toxic, Radioactive
Biomes: Rocky, Mountainous, Volcanic, Void
Day: 4 hours; Year: 90 days

Muspelheim is an odd planet. It’s not native to the system, making it one of 2 planets that aren’t. It also, in the strictest technical sense, is not actually a planet, but is a star. Technically, Muspelheim makes the Yggdrasil system a binary system. 

The primordial Ymir brought Muspelheim to the system. Originally it was the core of a star on the brink of collapsing into a black hole. Modern experts don’t understand how it was done, but somehow, once it was in place, the star core had its gravity edited until it had standard gravity. The new planet had an unimaginable density, and would have destabilized the system without this “gravity editing,” but instead it exerts no more gravitic pull than a normal planet it’s size. 

The side of Muspelheim that faces the sun is super-heated past the melting point. Some of the exotic ores are even burned into atmospheric particulates. This leaves the atmosphere, a former solar corona, as not only extremely radioactive, but also toxic to breathe as well. The molten ores cool and re-solidify on the night side of the planet, only for the cycle to repeat. The planet itself is almost a perfect smelter. 

Residents of Muspelheim reside in a massive space station spanning most of the planet’s night sky. It’s orbit keeps it in the planet’s shadow, protected from the fury of the sun. Harvesters race back and forth to and from the edge of night and day to harvest the molten ores before they cool again. The rapid, 4-hour day-night cycle is the source of this haste. The day-night terminus is the only viable harvesting area on the planet.

The station itself is not only residential property, but it is also one of the largest manufacturing facilities in known space. It will process the raw materials harvested from the planet below all the way into finished products. 

The station itself is actually made up of thousands of independent, modular sections that can and do separate and rearrange their positions. Each modular section has scheduled movements that allow the whole station to reconfigure itself by moving and rejoining different sections as demanded by it’s manufacturing needs. Each section is not only mobile, but capable of teleportation as well. 

The station is defended by a massive, linked array of teleportation beams and fields of mines, making it a difficult target for anything to attack. 

Muspelheim Modular Space Station Section

Tier 20 supercolossal Base Ship Space Station
Speed: 4; Maneuverability (Piloting -1, Turn 3)
AC 30; TL 30
HP 1950; DT 15; CT 90
Shields Superior Shields 600 (forward 150, port 150, starboard 150, aft 150)
Attack (Aft) Warp Puck Bank (Limited fire 3, mine (2), transposition (2)), Vortex Mouth Mines (7d12, Limited fire 3, mine (3), vortex)
Attack (Turret) Twin Mega Teleportation Beam (2d20x10, Teleportation (3)), Heavy Laser Net (5d6, Point (+12))
Power Core Titan Ultra (1200 PCU); Power Used 1001
Systems Basic medium-range sensors, Luxurious crew quarters, Basic Computer
Security Systems Reconfiguration System
Expansion Bays 25 Base Cargo Holds, 5 Medical Bay, 4 Brig, 3 Arcane Laboratory, 3 Tech Workshop, 3 Science Lab, 3 Synthesis Bay, 1 Surveying Sensors, 5 Elite Combat Training Facility, 5 Amenities, 5 HAC Recreation Suite, 5 Vault, 5 Industry, 10 Conference and Meeting Rooms
Other Systems Data Net, Observation Sensors, Solar Shield Channel, Space Station Framework
Squadron Systems Auto-flight module, Data Link, Focus-fire Algorithm
Complement 150-100,000 Crew; 500,000 Civilians

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.

 

 Natives of the Yggdrassil Star System

The idea for this star system first came to me soon after Starfinder was originally released. Giants are one of my favorite things from fantasy settings, and it wasn't until more recent Alien Archive volumes that the Starfinder team added those giants into the game. 

My goal was to give them a real home, kind of like Elves got, rather than just making them yet another refugee from Golarian. I studied Giant myths from a bunch of cultures and settled on Norse mythology, because it was almost entirely giants. The gods were giants, their opponents were giants, their rivals were giants, and even their predecessors were giants. My plan is to eventually work other mythologies into this one, but to star with, I needed the star system, and I needed the people who live there. 

With that journey in mind, I present to you the Varjag, a race of giants that have a similar spectrum from the traditional d20 fantasy giants (IE fire giants, stone giants, etc.) but rather than linking them to basic fantasy elements, I felt it was best to link them to their birthplaces in the star system. This decision was also informed by the mythology. Jotunn are after all residents of Jotunnheim. 

The Varjag are meant to represent in a single species all the residents of Norse mythology, even the humans. I decided my vikings could be their own species instead of being human, and like their gods, and all the giants they have to worry about, they call came from the same root, and have similar potential. 

Some of the decisions I made about each group might surprise you, and I welcome comments and ideas for other ways to go, because I think it's great to allow exeptions to the rules, and all your ideas could comprise the exeptions that could arise throughout the averages represented in the rules below. 

I hope you all enjoy.

Varjag

Humanoid (Giant)

Size: Most Varjag are medium sized, however like many biological creatures, they grow to fit their environment. In the case of a sentient speice with that trait, their environment encompass all the places their experiences have brought them. In game mechanics, this is represented by gaining size as you gain levels. Up to level 10, Varjag are medium sized. Above level 10, they grow to large size with a space and reach of 10 ft. At level 20 they reach huge size and gain a space and reach of 15 feet. 

Speed: Medium sized Varjag have a base speed of 30 ft. Each additional size category above that increases their base speed by 10 ft. They gain a climb speed equal to half their base movement. 

Senses: Varjag have Darkvision 60 ft,, Low-light Vision, and Blindsense (Scent) equal to half their base move speed. 

Ability Score Adjustments: +4 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Int, -2 Wis

Abilities: 

Thrown Weapon Experts - The traditional weapons of the Varjag, taught from one generation to the next, has always been thrown weapons. At the dawn of time it was large rocks, but as the weapons of war advanced so did their chosen weaponry... but the tradition of muscle-powered ranged weaponry always remained. Varjag are always proficient in any thrown weapon or grenade (including improvised thrown weapons, but not Grenades or weapons with the “Throwing” fusion). At 3rd level they  gain weapon specialization for those weapons.

Hardy Adaptation - One of the evolutionary advantages Varjag possess is the ability to burn away afflictions. Their body and immune system simply attacks impurities voraciously. Sometimes this burns away the health and life of the Varjag before medical help can be found. More often than not though, this results in poisons or diseases that would last days, weeks or longer being burned out of their system in minutes. Any time a Varjag has to make a save against an effect that will apply (or advance) an affliction track, they can roll twice and take the better result. Any affliction with a frequency greater than 1 round affecting them has its frequency set to 1 round. 

Morphic: Varjag gain one additional trait based on where they were born. 

Starborne - Those born on the Egg of Jormungandr, the star of the Yggdrasil system are considered both blessed and cursed. They seem to be utterly without fear. In reality they are born with only the fight half of the fight or flight instinct. When one of these Varjar suffer the effects of a fear ability, rather than the normal results, the Starborne Varjag expresses that fear in an attack frenzy against the object of fear. They must use any weapon, or improvised weapon to destroy the object of their fear, and cannot stop until the effect ends or the target is destroyed or killed. This leads many from this world to master a variety of weapons and even unarmed combat, regardless of which class they become.

Treeborne - Those born on the world tree Yggdrasil are born with an unquenchable wanderlust. They spend their lifetimes travelling from planet to planet in the system as nomadic traders, raiders, and/or entertainers. In zero gravity they gain a fly speed of 50 ft with perfect maneuverability as long as they are adjacent to a structure they can use to guide their movements, like a wall, ceiling or floor. While in such a position they gain immunity to the off target and off kilter conditions. Many treeborne Varjag become Envoys. 

Muspelheim - The most dangerous of the planets due to heat and radiation of the nearby star, and the pollution from the industry built on the world. Those born to this nightmare landscape gain a bonus on saves against radiation and inhaled poison affliction tracks equal to the stage they are on in that track. Many enhance their bodies with colonies of nanites to help them survive and earn the reputation as craftsman the world has earned. Those who do almost invariably become Nanocytes. 

Midgard - This is a fairly mundane world compared to the rest of the system. And while it’s  inhabitants are not the artisans or magical powerhouses the other world’s produce, they are some of the craftiest, cunning, and imaginative Varjag. Any skills that use this character’s key ability modifier gain a +1 bonus and any use with a base DC of 15 or less may be used even untrained. Many of the Vargar born on this world become broadly skilled Operatives valued across the spectrum of their society. 

Asgard - This world is a focal point of power. A convergence of leylines from across the entire universe focuses on this planet. Some are so powerful they are visible to the mundane eye even from orbit. Those born here are intimately connected with that magical power. They may use Detect Magic and Token Spell at will. Many go on to become mystics, especially with the Allfather mystic connection. 

Vanaheim - There are very few differences between this world and the First World. One of those is that while the First World is untamed, Vanaheim is organized into gardens and orchards. Those born here are born with an innate sense for how things are meant to grow. They gain medicine and life science as class skills. If they already are class skills they gain a +1 bonus racial in each. Many Varjag born here become Biohackers experimenting in their own gardens and orchards to create new medicines or intoxicants. 

Jotunheim - Though a persistently arctic world, Jotunheim is full of life. Though it is almost like that life is as frozen as the world. Varjag born on this world potentially live much longer than others, doubling the range of each age category. They also automatically stabilize when dying, and remove any bleed effects the round after they start. Most Jotun become soldiers.

Niflheim - Niflheim is a chaotic place caught between the eternal storm named The Well of Hvergelmir and the singularity Ginnungagap and constantly battered by stellar impacts from the ice belt Elivagar. It is the source of all water in the system as chunks of ice are drawn off to other planets. Those borne there, like the world they are from, are connected to the universe in more ways that most understand. Mysticism is a class skill for them. If they already have it as a class skill they may also gain acrobatics as a class skill. If both are class skills already, they gain a +1 bonus in each. Many become Witchwarpers, developing the ability to make sense of their chaotic home. 

Spaceborne/Elivagar - Also known as Belters or Spacers. These Varjag are born with an instinctive understanding of the movements of celestial phenomena. Piloting is considered a class skill by them. Any check to navigate in space, or any check to deal with Space Hazards gets a +2 racial bonus. Many of these Varjag become Solarians. 

Alfheim - Alfheim lies too far from the system’s star to get enough light to be habitable. To alleviate this problem those Varjag who settled on this world used the magics within Yggdrasil to put a portion of the star’s corona around the world. That light is then reflected and refracted through the crystalline structures all over the planet. This has given those Varjag born here an instinct for the manipulation of light. Any lasers fired at them are treated as if they have cover and concealment from them. Many born here become technomancers, specializing in hologram spells and other illusions. 

Svartalfheim - The exterior of the artificial world is home to Varjag who are born with an innate sense for the imperfections around them. That is why that world is kept so rigidly perfect. They may select one profession skill to gain a +2 racial bonus in. Most Varjag from this world become vanguards, with their affinity for entropy. 

Nidavellir - The hollow interior of Svartalfheim is called Nidavellir by those who are aware it even exists. Those born there lack the same capacity to grow as the rest of their species. Instead they grow denser, their flesh hardening, as they grow in power and experience. They always remain medium sized. Any time they would increase in size, permanent or temporary, they instead increase their constitution score by +2 for the duration they would have increased in size (at 10th and 20th levels these bonuses are permanent, but otherwise use the duration of the effect that tried to increase size). Those born in this interior world also quite often develop an affinity for the machines that help run the planet, becoming Mechanics.  

Helheim - This world is a place looked down upon by the rest of Varjag society. It is part prison world, part retirement home, and part hedonistic carnival. Some say it is the home of the living dead, meaning warriors who should have died in battle but grew old and infirm instead. Some say it is the prison of the living dead, meaning those who were cast there because they were found honorless and betrayed their clans. Some say it is the playground of the living dead because those who visit it’s carnivals abandon themselves to vices while they are there, and can’t truly be alive until they return. And some whisper that it’s ruled by the actual undead. Conspiracies abound about the place, grown from ancient traditions. One thing is sure though: those born on this world might as not exist to the outer planes. Any ability or power based on alignment passes them by as if they don’t exist. Their alignment cannot be divined by any means. They are immune to alignment based damage. They ignore all equipment restrictions based on alignment. Etcetera. Some even whisper that their souls simply return to Helheim to be reborn, because the afterlife doesn’t recognize that they ever existed. It doesn't help the consiracies that many born here dabble with necromancy or undeath.

Bonus Content: Xenometric Androids - Varjag

The only androids that have been made in the image of the Varjag came from Helheim as well. The traits they gain as Xenometric Androids are the Thrown Weapon and Helheim traits. They do not gain the size, speed, senses, or Hardy Adaptation traits other Varjag get. Varjag Xenometric Androids are treated as any other native of Helheim. 

 The Yggdrasil Star System

Artist Hoai Son Nguyen at https://sonnguyen.artstation.com/

The Sun - the egg of a primordial Novaspawn, the inhabitants of the system call Jormungandr. When it neared it's hatching time, in order to stave off the nova that would result, the Allfather, the primary diety of the system, grew the tree around the egg preventing the hatching as long as the tree remains. 

The Tree - Sustained by both the Novaspawn egg, and planar energies drawn from the planets of the system. As long as it remains, the sun survives, and the egg remains unhatched. 

Tree Branches - Branches reach out from sun towards each of the planets. When a branch reaches the planet, they enter a portal at the point they would meet the atmosphere. Each planet specifies planes of existence they are aligned with. 

The Realms of the World Tree

The first thing any explorer would note about this system, other than the giant plant dominating it, is that the orbits of the planets do not share the same flat plane like most solar systems do. Instead, the planets in this system orbit the sun like the electrons orbit an atom. 

Muspelheim - Closest Planet to sun. Vertical orbit, Z axis. A burnt, volcanically active rock, similar to mercury in that it's too close to the sun. Is aligned with the plane of fire. Has sparse, but poisonous, radioactive looking clouds. Not only is the surface covered in industry, but much of the near orbit is covered by a massive space station stretching across the planet, just far enough outside the atmosphere for it to maintain a stable orbit, but covering almost a quarter of the planet.

Midgard - 2nd planet from sun. Earth-like planet. Closer to earth than any of the others. Aligned evenly with all inner cosmology planes.

Asgard - 1 of 2 planets that share being 3rd from the sun. Horizontal orbit, x/y axis. One of the habitable planets in the system. This one is distinct because of the leylines running across it's surface, so powerful they can not only be seen visually, but seen from space. Otherwise earth-like with many biomes. Aligned with more with the astral, shadow, and ethereal plane than any of the elemental planes. 

Vanaheim - 2 of 2 planets that share being 3rd from the sun. Horizontal orbit, x/y axis. This world would be Asgard's twin. Opposite of it in the same orbit, always with the sun between them constantly. Same leyline effects. It has slightly different planar connections though, being more connected with the Fey realms than the astral plane.

Jotunheim - 4th planet from sun. Imagine earth, but in winter 100% of the time. A frozen planet, but in the habitable zone. Rocky and Watery, but less heavily forested biomes. It has military structures so large they can be seen from space. Aligned mostly with earth and water planes. 

Niflheim - 5th planet from the sun. A Jupiter-esque gas giant. One one side it had a single massive eternal storm, but opposite of it on the other side it has a hole, like a giant whirlpool in the atmosphere that might just be a tiny black-hole-esque singularity. This planet is also a "Comet catcher" and as such, it's core has been struck so hard and often that it has left a trail of chunks of ice in it's orbit similar to an asteroid belt, but icy rather than rocky. The planet is heavily aligned with the plane of water, and has a frozen, icy core. Visually, I'd like it to feel like a gloomy place. 

Elivagar - The Ice Belt sharing Niflheim's orbit, constantly colliding with that gas giant, and simultaneously being restored by it. The gravity of the other planets pull some of the icy rocks out of the belt towards each planet, where they eventually break up in the atmospheres supplying most of the water in the solar system. 

Alfheim - 6th planet from the sun. Vertical orbit, Z axis. It's been magically terraformed to juxtapose just enough of the sun's corona around it, just outside the atmosphere, to allow the planet to develop as if it were in the habitable zone. It is a colorful place with large amounts of crystalline deposits throughout the planet, causing the light it steals to bounce from reflection to reflection, changing with each one. It is most heavily aligned with the fey realms, but also carries a strong alignment to the plane of air. 

Svartalfheim - 7th planet from the sun. This planet is the ultimate expression of terraforming. It is wholly artificial, but constructed out of natural elements (it's not a huge machine). It is however perfectly symmetrical in all ways, with perfectly measured land masses, 4 moons that are perfectly synchronized, and even the movements of it's tectonic plates are scheduled and never deviate from this perfection. It is hollow however, and all civilization on the planet is actually deep inside it. This planet is heavily aligned with the plane of earth and air. 

Helheim - Furthest planet from sun. This planet's orbit is the horizontal plane, the X and Y axis. An Ice Giant like Neptune or Uranus. Largely unnoticeable except for one thing: It is strongly aligned with both the plane of water, the plane of shadow, and the plane of fire. 

Another time I will tell you about the people who call this star system home, including their playable stats. 

Headcannon: Placing Eberron in My Universe

Headcannon: Placing Eberron In My Universe

Eberron has been my favorite setting for a long, long time, ever since I fell in love with Xendrik playing Dungeons and Dragons Online many years ago.  The more I looked into the lore of the place, the more I liked how it was put together.  Lately, though, I’ve been playing the more science fiction Starfinder. I’ve wanted to place Eberron somewhere in the universe I am playing in for the players to stumble across.

For the longest time, I wasn’t sure how to go about it, but after Keith Baker’s blog post on reaching the stars from Eberron, the ideas started forming. My ideas approach it from the outside-in rather than the inside-out.  Seeing as I have not-a-single-thing to do with Wizards, all of this is just my headcanon for how Eberron fits in a larger universe.  With that said, I am going to try to present it all without contradicting the established lore.

So, the first question:

Where is Eberron?

It’s already established that Eberron is a material plane of just that one solar system, with one planet, one sun, and 12 moons. If I am going to both keep that intact and also add it to another universe that has its own already established material plane with tons of planets and solar systems, then they have to be separated somehow. My solution for this is to take a page from the Oathbound setting.

Oathbound is another realm separated from the rest of the universe because it was specifically designed to trap and hold a deity.

The Eberron system is removed from the normal material universe because it’s progenitors were building a separate material universe for themselves. We all know what went down between them, but after that, what had been a joint project between 3 gods became a prison for the “survivors” despite that not being the place’s original intention. As the Realm of the Forge in Oathbound, the Eberron material plane is a god-trap.

So, basically, it’s nowhere.

How do you reach Eberron?

It is impossible to reach Eberron from the normal material plane. Reaching it requires using a starship’s plane-shifting engine during a coterminous event at a location that has a star pattern matching at least one of Eberron’s constellations. The reason this works is that the “Drift” engines in Starfinder pull a bit of the universe into the “drift,” Starfinder’s Hyperspace. A coterminous event is already pulling part of the universe into another, though.   So using the engine during one reverses the process, pulling something into the material universe, at least for the duration of the coterminous event.

By doing that at an alignment of stars that match the pattern of Eberron’s boundary stars, it pulls one of those boundary markers from Eberron into the normal material universe. The starship performing this maneuver can then board the boundary marker and be pulled into Ebberon’s space when the event ends and the boundary star returns.

Note that the “Boundary Stars” of Eberron aren’t suns like stars in the normal material universe are. They are unknown objects that mark the limits of Eberron’s material universe. The ritual I made up and detailed above simply uses one of them as a sort of ferry.

What are the Boundary Stars?

The Frontier from the movie
The Last Starfighter

Each Boundary Star exists both in its spot in the Eberron universe and also in a place outside/between all universes. It draws power from The-Place-Between. Together they delineate the boundaries of the material universe of Eberron inside that place between universes. Each is basically an automated space station though, a techno-arcane marvel made by the hands of 3 gods, the ones whose bodies now liter this material realm. If someone could access them from the Eberron side, they could use them to transfer out of the Eberron realm into the normal material universe nearly at will. Each is massive and could house numerous starships docked internally. They are covered in draconic runes that change and shift as the remains of the three progenitor dragons tumble around the space. Since no one has ever been to see them, no one knows what they say.

The stations not only act as boundary markers but as mentioned before, they draw power from the place between universes. Not just to power themselves, but they act like lenses, focusing that power into the center of the plane. The power itself comes from the energy released when a universe collapses and returns to the between state. 

Arrah, the Sun

The point where each Star-station focuses that power is Arrah, Eberron’s sun. Each station is programmed to reduce the output of its power transmission when anything lies between it and its focal point, the sun. That prevents any of the star stations from burning Eberron’s surface to ash and is why the stars are dim on the night side. Meanwhile, on the dayside, the focal point is so bright, you cannot make out the star stations themselves, only the focal point, the Sun.

Arrah is formed by the focal point of all the stars in Eberron’s sky, focusing together on its location. They focus power transmitted from the place between universes, which comes from the energy released from collapsing universes. It is essentially the burning ashes of dead universes. Fire is fire though, and can provide warmth or destruction regardless of its source. That process results in an extremely stable sun that can nevertheless dim and brighten depending on the number of things intervening between it and the star stations creating it.

The Planes

Since Eberron’s entire cosmology was formed artificially by the progenitor dragons but was essentially unfinished, it evolved from its original state to where it is now. The planes surrounding Eberron’s material plane form a framework out of tension and counter-tension between planar forces, which help prevent it from collapsing on its own. The planes each pull certain dominant forces into themselves and collect them together. That not only determines what they are made up of, but it creates a vacuum that leaves certain other planes devoid of those things. Irian and Mabar are classic examples of this. One formed from the light of Arrah, the other from the vacuum of its absence.

Of course, the Astral, Ethereal, and Shadow planes have a different nature entirely. They are essentially the framework that holds the cosmology both together and apart. However, even the Ethereal and Shadow planes exhibit the same opposing tension between them.

Now each plane was also constructed by one of the progenitor dragons and reflects that origin. However, they originally never were meant to be any more than the paints used to create the material universe. Each filled with its own colors. The progenitors fell to their fates before that could ever be realized. Instead, each has evolved in the ages since the progenitors fell into what it is today.

The Moons

That brings us to the nature of the moons. Like everything else in the Eberron system, they are not normal moons. Have you ever played with colored lights? Shining them onto the same space changes the colors you see. The moons of Eberron have a relationship to the planes like the lenses projecting the colored lights. Only the place they project them is onto Eberron. This combination of projected forces is why Eberron’s dominant planar influences are constantly shifting. Why conterminous events occur. It might take centuries of study to understand how they work fully, but they are responsible for why Eberron sustains life despite otherwise just being a dead husk.

The Sybaris Ring

The rings formed from Sybaris’ body are not merely the source of magic in 

Eberron. If the moons are lenses projecting planar energies from the planes, the rings act sort of like a graphics engine combining the projected images smoothly into the orderly pattern familiar to the mortals of Eberron. That prevents harsh projections from the moons from causing drastic and unpredictable changes to the world as they orbit. That is the vestiges of Sybaris’s will and care for the Eberron system it was making with its fellows. The magic produced by the ring is a byproduct of this process.

The residents of the rings are sentient living spells that have formed entire civilizations. If there are other residents, they are either very well hidden or long dead. That strange civilization is a post for another time, though.

What is Eberron like now?

Eberron itself and Khyber beneath it will have changed in the centuries between the last war and any scifi setting it became part of. Here in my headcanon, to make life easier for me, all the major political powers are still in place. What has changed, is that after the space race Keith described in his blog, the residents of this small system began learning more about their home. 

Eventually, through a journey of innumerable conflicts, and the guidance of the Gatekeeper druidic circle, most of the planes of Eberron are part of a shaky multidimensional alliance trying to figure out a way to escape the confines of the prison the progenitors made. This coalition is lead by a strange alliance between the Pit Fiends of Shavrath and House Deneith. Their primary competitors for power is a tense partnership between The Twelve, Houses Cannith and Orien, and the Quori of Dal Quor. Droaam is working directly with the Gatekeepers and Houses Kundarak and Ghallanda to help secure the whole of the planet against the forces that refused to join this alliance. 

Belashyrra, The Delkyr Lord of Eyes

The opposition has four major components.  The forces of Mabar whose hatred for life seeks to consume everything. The Delkyr of Xoriat have never relinquished their goal to remake the world in their image. Khyber and its Overlords who still seek to dominate everything and are unwilling to let any of Eberron’s residents slip through their grasp. Surprisingly the fourth is Daanvi who believes escaping the delineated boundaries of Eberron’s universe would constitute a violation of the whole of the natural order. 

That’s what I have for now. I still have a lot of holes to fill in and questions to answer. If you were considering using this, what questions would you want me to answer next?

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