Freelance Traveller

writeup by Joel Benford

Kerin's Tyr 0620 B575775-6 Ag 320 I F8 V

Geography

Kerin's Tyr is a small to mid-sized world of thirty million sophonts, primarily agricultural, with government split into several states. Local technology peaks at level 6 (early jet aircraft, primitive computers, antibiotics, radio). Law levels are moderate, ranging up to level 5 (no concealed firearms) in the richer states and down to "not much law" in the badlands.

Gravity is around 0.6g. The planet's surface is about 50% water. The planet has three main inhabited landmasses and a fourth "Great Arctic Wilderness" of ice and largely-uninhabited tundra stretching down from the north pole. Even on the inhabited continents, there is still a lot of wilderness remaining unexplored.

The air is a standard oxygen-nitrogen mix of readily breathable pressure, but the local flora does produce a pollen which is injurious to those not acclimated. The locals can ignore it, and resistance develops in a few months of gradual exposure. But new visitors will need to wear filter masks or risk periods of breathing difficulty which incapacitate them for a day or two at a time. There are drugs which help, but they may have side effects as bad as the pollen itself.

Governments

There are four main nations on Kerin's Tyr: The Kingdom of Harven, The Confederation of City-States, the Grand Theocratic Republic and the Liberty Alliance.

The smallest of the main continents is governed by the Kingdom of Harven (Hereditary Oligarchy, Law level 5, Tech level 6). This is the most populous state on Kerin's Tyr by a good margin. The Kingdom is reasonably well-ordered and organized, and welcomes offworlders. It maintains a large spaceport at the capital (Tersberg), which sees considerable traffic coming down from orbit. It exports a great deal of foodstuffs and natural products; mainly grain, vegetables, fish from the coastal fishing towns, and hardwood from the abundant forests.

The Confederation of City-States (Balkanized, Law Level 2, Tech Level 5) is a loose conglomeration of independent cities scattered across the eastern side of the largest continent (the western side is frontier). City governments vary hugely, ranging from elected councils to hereditary nobles, military groups, and almost any other municipal governmental structure that humans have tried. A steam-powered railroad system links the cities, most of which operate small spaceports (Type D). The Confederation has no central government or capital, but each city-state sends representatives to squabble aboard a "parliament train" that travels between the cities. Little is ever settled, and politics in the Confederation is a constantly-shifting web of alliances, embargoes, sanctions and even outright conflict.

The cities nominally maintain a joint armed force and a small 'wet' navy to counter the Kingdom of Harven. These forces are little more than political footballs and they do not interoperate very well. Most cities have militias with TL 5 small arms.

The third continent is shared by the Grand Theocratic Republic and the Liberty Alliance.

The Republic is actually quite democratic (Representative Democracy, Law level 5, Tech Level 6). Only initiates of the ruling Church of Stellar Divinity (whose faithful venerate stars as gods) are allowed to stand for election, but that's pretty much everyone. Diplomatically, the Republic is rather stiff-necked and insular.

The sole spaceport is located at an isolated "Star City". Star City is considered holy, but ships' crews are not permitted to leave the "Offworld Enclave" (not holy). Only those of sufficient "purity" - i.e. those who the theocrats don't think will cause trouble - are allowed into Star City proper where the pilgrims will come into contact with them (and gawk).

The Liberty Alliance (Tribal Government, Law Level 2, Tech level 3) is a collection of nomadic groups, small settlements and two city-states. It is home to most of the world's Vargr population. These groups have absolutely nothing in common except a desire to ensure that the Grand Theocratic Republic does not expand into their territory. Armed clashes have occurred, and for a long time guerrilla warfare was common as the Republic attempted to expand its territory. An uneasy truce now exists.

Warne Highport

The port is a private venture, owned and operated by Venture Ports LIC, with Imperial subsidy. A class B orbital starport is quite grand for a planet of thirty million that would have a hard time putting an explosive rocket in orbit. But most Jump-2 traffic passing through the Shanape Linkworlds cluster arrives or departs via Kerin's Tyr. And since the system has no gas giants and there's no water on the other planets, visiting interstellar ships must either come to the main world for hydrogen fuel or waste time finding ice asteroids. So the starport sees a fair amount of trade passing through.

There's probably a story as to how a classy orbital housing sixty thousand got built around a planet like this, and somebody probably didn't want it told. But that was over a century ago, and Warne Highport has seen better days. It is now rather seedy and run-down, with the air of a lively if rather disreputable market. The port is considered neutral ground, so merchants from the various nations of Kerin's Tyr often come to the Highport to conduct their business. Goods are usually shipped direct on-planet.

Traffic through the port is a mixture of tramp traders and regular services plying the cluster, Jump-2 vessels crossing the rift from the Reaching Arm, and Tukera Lines vessels heading in to Sentry for refit (or back out again).

Laws are liberal (level 2) and rather informally applied. Order is kept by Portside Security, a private security force that seems to believe that court cases are a needless waste of everyone's time. Minor infractions usually result in a "spot fine" payable in cash or personal possessions, or in on-the-spot justice administered with shock batons. Crime rates are fairly low.

A platoon of Imperial Marines is stationed at the Highport, protecting the Imperial trade mission and the residence of Baron Marie Iskuulii, the Imperial noble assigned to the world. The Baron makes regular visits to the nations of Kerin's Tyr, and meets with ambassadors on a regular basis. She has no desire to live on the planet.

For port security and traffic control, Warne Highport operates a force of 10-ton light fighters to back up its inspection cutters. The latter are unarmed, and crewed by professional if unenthusiastic personnel drawn from the Portside Security force.
Six 200-ton System Defence Boats are also deployed to provide immediate defence of the port. Their mercenary crews are long-service professionals. They are reliable and skilled, and so far have rebuffed all efforts by various on-planet groups to bribe them.