[Pluton Zone] The Rajash

Most inhabitants of the Pluton Zone would never have cause to encounter one of the Rajash in their lifespan; those that do almost always meet one of the Rajash serving as one of the Myrmidons of the Dominion of Greater Kras, elite commandos and guards that have served the nobles of House Jayaan for uncounted centuries. One of the clans of House Jayaan, Jayaan-Kherit, is actually composed of Rajash (the result of a series of tumultuous coups and juntas several hundred years ago) and the Baron of Kras, Taiphur Jayaan-Kherit, is Rajash. The signature weapon of the Rajash, and by extension the Myrmidons, is a bronze-handled falcatta, which serves as a weapon, survival tool and a symbol of the Rajash culture.

The Rajash have a warrior culture, they are reputed to be fearless and to always honour vows; little is known of their ways as they will not speak of it with non-Rajash, and their origon and homeworld are unknown.

The Rajash appear to be exceptionally tall, slender, brown skinned and black haired human males; they usually possess a wiry musculature and fine features. In actuality they are a hermaphroditic transhuman species (possessing both sets of generative organs) capable of fertilizing or being fertlizied by other Rajash with all of the attendant implications. All Rajash have two names (with attendant identities), their Warrior name and their Mother name. Usually a Rajash will use their Warrior name, but while pregnant or raising young the Rajash will use their Mother name and live a completely different lifestyle than that of a Warrior.

Pluton Zone Miscellany - The Karcery Institut

Karcery Institut
Karcery is one of the few inhabited worlds of the Pluton Zone that is not part of it's general feudal society, instead operating as a strictly regimented organization, managed by KEAB Authority (Karcery Elder Advisory Board). Karcery is infamous for its Institut Troopers, squads of mercenary sorcerer-soldier fanatics, conditioned from birth to be unafraid of death and utterly loyal to the terms of their commissions. These commissions are tightly regulated by the KEAB Authority, which operates independently from the feudal lords of the Pluton Zone while still maintaining restraint with their commissions in order to avoid unduly destabilizing it's civilization. Institut Troopers wear black uniforms with discrete silver skull insignias; its is said that they are ritually married to a skeleton, and thus death itself, upon graduation from the KEAB Authority conditioning academies. Troopers are raised in military units from birth in these academies.

The Pluton Zone II

Concept: The Pluton Zone is a space sandbox designed to facilitate "Space D&D"; there are space- and planet- monsters, treasures and "dungeons," as well as a feudal frontier society and some vaguely-defined & Dune-inspired "space magic" to justify the occasional Space Sorcerer and Space Cleric. People fight with space swords due to both some vaguely Klingon/Barsoom-ian space warrior society traditions as well as practicalities involving space ship hulls and systems.

The Pluton Zone is humanocentric, the presumption being that aside from occasional Vancian "Inscrutable Indigenes" or extra-weird NPCs, the sentient population of the region is entirely human-based. Society is dominated primarily by aristocratic Houses that command the majority of Pluton Zone's military and mercantile assets; these Houses are led by sundry Lords, Barons, Archdukes, Princes and the like dependent upon the status of their House, their lineage, and their holdings. Those audacious enough to declare themselves Kings or Emperors have been set upon and destroyed by the rest of the Houses for both their temerity and the implicit threat to the liberty of these Houses by such aspirations. Many Houses have complex liege and vassal relationships with other Houses.

At one time in the past the society of the Pluton Zone was occupied by a staunchly middle class democratic capitalistic homogeneous society, but things collapsed a long time ago and callous space feudalism emerged.

Tourism from the more "civilized" core zones are a major industry for safer worlds; the tourists marvel at the quaint customs and barbaric splendor of many of the societies with many taking advantage of the looser legalities and flexible regard for human rights of these worlds.

The Pluton Zone

The Pluton Zone is a sandbox setting for "Space D&Ds" that I'm toying with; the primary inspirations are space-feudalism, Jack Vance, Dune and Flash Gordon.  What follows are my rough initial notes; obviously the names need a lot more polish, and I haven't even touched upon the varied idiosyncratic space-aristocrats, The System Barons!

THE PLUTON ZONE

Located between the Esatern limb of the Feudal Sectors and the Arallu Void this region is suffused with dark gases and dust, the remnants of several systems destroyed in antediluvian aeons. Many of the stars are lurid purples or reds in hue. The initial Stellar Explorers who surveyed the Pluton Zone discovered several indigenous Human societies.

Primary Systems

ARASH - dim, small, white star.

ARASH-VUGL - large, metal-poor, cool, foggy, rainy, planet of dismal oily gray fens and bogs inhabited by oversize invertebrates. Their are rich deposits of petroleum in the muddy crust of of Arash-Vugl, House Akand operates drilling rig colonies.

EREBUS - trade hub, capital, where the system barons meet, neutral ground; local laws prohibit firearms, energy weapons and armor in common regions; sulphurous cloudy, windy, boulder ridden ochre and rust wastes; cold, dry; some mines.

KARCERY – prison world, produces soldier-sorcerer-fanatics

KOROS-ZON - ultraviolet desert; valuable minerals

KRAS – bloated, pale, dim yellow star

KRAS-MOLOKT - cold plateaus with foggy fungal hell jungle pits between

LABROS - amazons; steppes; shaggy titanic beasts

LYOTAN - dim ocean world; drifting vegetation mat-islands

PRIOTHERIA - endless scathing cold winds and broken red mountains; rubble