The Cleaved Helm

The Sword Worlds and Surrounds

"The smallest of . . . governments is 'the federation.'  It exists because it is small, and communication time allows either government from a central authority, or representative government.  In any case, a federation which grows too large for fast communication soon fragments due to internal friction."
 — Marc Miller, "Dealing with the Concepts of Empires"

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Worlds of the Space Vikings

Sword Worlds | Entropic Worlds | Rim Stars | Darrian Worlds | Pilgrim Frontier  | Sepireld Frontier  | Danuuz Frontier  | Ginnungagap Rift

The Sword Worlds

Black Bull blazon of Sacnoth (Original image served by Ugens Horoskop)

All of the Sword Worlds are located on a single main and the astrography of the region has been influence by original settlement patterns along this main.^*  The trace of worlds along the main from Gram to core-spinward through Tizon, then looping around to Morglay, is known as "The Horseshoe."  The four worlds nearest to Gram along the Horseshoe — Joyeuse, Colada, Tizon and Hrunting — were the first to be colonized after the original settlement of Gram and are known as the "First Colonies."

The six worlds along the main rim-trailward from Gram through Tyrfing and Sacnoth then turning rim-spinward to Narsil form the "Far Leg."  The first three worlds — Tyrfing, Sacnoth and Excalibur — are part of the "New Colonies," settled in the second major wave from Gram.  Core-trailward from Tyrfing and Sacnoth, along the main from Beater (originally Galatine) coreward to Dyrnwyn, is the "Dyrnwyn Spur," including Hofud and Durendal.  These worlds — except Beater, which was held in reserve — made up the balance of the New Colonies originally settled from Gram.

The Sword Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

A third wave of colonization along the Horseshoe from Gram settled the three "Horseshoe Colonies" — Isenfang, Haulteclere and Morglay.  Beyond Isenfang lies a minor rift and the worlds of the Coreward frontier.

Also in this era, the remaining three worlds of the Far Leg — the "Far Colonies" of Orcrist, Anduril and Narsil — were settled from Sacnoth, as well as the three "Rim Colonies" — Beater, Sting and Biter, the nearest of the "Rim Stars" along the main rimward to the "lost colony" of Caladbolg and beyond to the worlds of the Rim frontier.  Trailward from Biter another trace of the main runs into the Trailing frontier.  These are regions ripe for expansion in the Space Viking era.

Rim-spinward from Tizon, beginning with Kunoniḱ, are worlds farther along the main which had been settled by Darrians before the arrival of the original Sword Worlds Founders.  Core-spinward from Hrunting along the main into the Entropic frontier are the four "Entropic Worlds," originally settled by ancient Darrians and now under the unsteady leadership of Entrope which managed to survive the collapse of ancient Darrian civilization.  These regions are increasingly a source of conflict in the Space Viking era.

^* Some details of Sword Worlds astrography are informed by the "Stellar Geography" Library Data entry in GT31, p. 99.

^† While Haulteclere and Morglay (and therefore presumably also Isenfang) are identified as being "owned" by Gram in the Sacnoth Dominate era (see GJ0725, "The Sacnoth Dominate"), the off-world control of these worlds during the Gram Hegemony was likely ended by the Dominate and a more typical vice-regal relationship established.

The Sword Worlds Surrounds

The Entropic Worlds

The Entropic Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

The Entropic frontier is an inhabited region core-spinward of the Sword Worlds, named for the world Entrope.  Beyond this region is Zhdantian space.  The Entropic Worlds — Entrope, Ansehelm, Irka and Wynstan — lie along the Entropic spur of the main to core-spinward of Hrunting.

Entrope was settled by ancient Darrians and the abandoned colony managed to survive the collapse of ancient Darrian interstellar civilization which followed the mysterious Maghiz, though initially with substantial civilizational regression.  More recently, Ansehelm and Wynstan have been settled by the Entropeans, with material and technological assistance from the Darrians.  In recent decades, Entrope has also been exiling dangerous criminals — and political dissidents — to Irka.  (GJ0829, "The Sword Worlders"; GBJ1, p. 40)

The Rim Stars

The Rim Stars (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Beyond the Rim Colonies lie the remaining Rim Stars, a sometimes dual-band of systems curving to rimward along the main to the "lost colony" of Caladbolg.  Not formally explored before the Dominate's Rim Frontier Exploring Expeditions, little was known of these systems as most ships transiting between the Sword Worlds and Caladbolg only stopped long enough to conduct wilderness refueling at a gas giant or, in rare circumstances, by using often-frozen water on a world's surface.

The Margadsson Expedition was the first Exploring Expedition to conduct formal surveys of the Rim Stars, naming Lodestone, Vanaheim, Mithril, Igliim, Skofnung and the Caliburn Belt — traditionally understood to be the last of the Rim Stars, as the rimward main splits at this system into spinward and rimward traces.  Nyord and Nidhog were named by the the Damsgaard Expedition while Bergsrå was named by the Namsmann Expedition which explored the Trailing Frontier.  Mithril, Igliim and Bergsrå have been identified by the Sacnoth Dominate as candidates for potential settlement.

The Darrian Worlds

The Darrian Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

The Darrian Worlds are located along the main which extends spin-rimward from the Horseshoe at Kunoniḱ and includes the worlds of the Darrian Cluster.  With both societies wary of the other there has been no formal exploration of the Darrian Worlds by the Sacnoth Dominate.

Many Dominate traders visit Kunoniḱ and Tĭrẏugḣ but the sparsely-populated worlds Nosyĕ, Zġazĕńḋ and Zeŕmoń — none of which have gas giants for wilderness refuelling — make trading with the more populous worlds of the Darrian Cluster beyond — Rorĕ, Yĕnġranġĕ, Lĕmḃĕrẏ, Yeliḿ, Rogeť, Końdaŕya and Myŕ, the Darrian capital — a challenge.

Few Sword Worlders have ever visited the sparsely-populated worlds Tĕrańḋ and Yĕgḣrań.  Zḃumĕ sometimes serves as transit point to the Darrian Cluster, via deep space jump from Narsil — though travel to Daŕyeń, the mysterious Darrian homeworld, is discouraged.

The Pilgrim Frontier

Spinward Trace Worlds

Rim Frontier, Spinward Trace Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Beyond the Rim Stars, the worlds of the Spinward Trace of the Pilgrim Frontier were first explored by the Margadsson Expedition, which reached as far as Welsung.  The Bowman Expedition explored further along the Spinward Trace to Surtursild, encountering the Lungefisking at Curtana.  The Tygalfsson Expedition explored as far as Rømer and Sansamha, encountering the Leddyring at Quernbiter.

Zulfikar is the only world along the trace identified as a potential candidate for colonization (due to its hospitable ecosphere) though the difficulty of conducting wilderness refuelling at Angurva — and perhaps too its proximity to the Darrian Worlds — would make settlement a challenge.  The Bowman Belt has been identified as a potential source of metals exploitation.  Nagelring has been identified as a potential source of radioactives and heavy metals.

Datrillian has plentiful water but its very thin atmosphere renders most of it as surface ice, making the system's single gas giant the more attractive source for wilderness refuelling.  Sekvens has a similar ecosphere but no gas giant — its peripheral position along the trace makes it an unlikely future destination.  Likewise, the lack of a gas giant in system or surface water at the similarly positioned Sacho also makes it an unlikely future destination.

Rimward Trace Worlds

Rim Frontier, Rimward Trace Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Beyond the Rim Stars, the worlds of the Rimward Trace of the Pilgrim Frontier were first explored by the Damsgaard Expedition, which reached as far as Graban and Lydia in the Hoding Cluster (returning via Mistelten and Elisabet).  The Khaasira Expedition also surveyed the Hoding Cluster and explored further along the Rimward Trace to Nothung.  The Acharya Expedition explored as far as Gullinbursti where the Rimward Trace splits into Spinward and Trailward Spurs.

Hoding, Tranchera and Dallia have been identified as candidates for colonization due to their hospitable ecospheres.  Sauvagine has been identified as a potential source of chemical compounds but its corrosive atmosphere will make exploitation difficult.  Lauf has been identified as a potential source of metals and minerals, especially because of its low gravity and extensive ice deposits.

Rimward Trace, Spinward Spur Worlds

Rim Frontier, Rimward Trace, Spinward Spur Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Rim Frontier, Rimward Trace, Spinward Spur Worlds
• Dommer (Judice)
• Corrougue (Collace)
• Eriksen (Tarsus)
• Forlade (Avastan)
• Vallmo (Pavabid)
• Balmung (Trexalon)
• Sotobosk (Motmos)

Rimward Trace, Trailing Spur Worlds

Rim Frontier, Rimward Trace, Trailing Spur Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Rim Frontier, Rimward Trace, Trailing Spur Worlds
• Kusanagi (Mertactor)
• Medham (Mille Falcs)
• Grænse (Egypt)
• Kára (Callia)
• Overnålen (Overnale)

The Sepireld Frontier

Trailing Frontier Worlds

Trailing Frontier Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Trailing Frontier Worlds
• Dragvendel (Tenelphi)
• Sepireld (Sprielle)
• Zhenya (Zaibon)
• Albattar (Adabicci)
• Yanick (Ianic)
• Halef (Derchon)
• Lævateinn (Lunion)
• Schritt (Shirene)
• Chrysaor (Carse)

Coreward Trace Worlds

Trailing Frontier, Coreward Trace Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Trailing Frontier, Coreward Trace Worlds
• Xochitl (Capon)
• [Resten]
• [Gorram]
• [Quiru]
• Skalle (Skull)
• Garrincski
• Colding (Cogri)
• Hrefna (Heroni)

Trailing Trace Worlds

Trailing Frontier, Trailing Trace Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Trailing Frontier, Trailing Trace Worlds
• Skræp (Sharrip)
• [Gandr]
• [Drolraw]
• [Strouden]
• [Pimane]
• [Tivid]
• Duale

The Danuuz Frontier

Coreward Frontier Worlds

Coreward Frontier Worlds (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Coreward Frontier Worlds
• Hart (Choleosti)
• Svavasorm (Vilis)
• Danuuz (Garda-Vilis)
• [Zeta 2]
• Aroundight (Arkadia)
• Snyrtir (Stellatio)

The Ginnungagap Rift

Ginnungagap Rift Worlds

Ginnungagap Rift (Modified from The Traveller Map)

Ginnungagap Rift Worlds
• Dainslaf (Saurus)

• Flamberge (Tavonni)
• Lyusing (Asgard)

• Fafnir (Ficant)

• [Arba]

• Loki (Lanth)

• Bordbjerg (Victoria)
• Vismand (Sonthert)

• Gyllir (D'Ganzio)

• Dakota (Ylaven)
• Áleifr (Ghandi)

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