GUIDE Founder
[SIZE=9pt]OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Intent: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]To codify a hyperlane created during the height of Moross Crusade's reign in the Outer Rim systems.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Image Credit:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Hyperlane Plot Image self-created[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Canon:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Links:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Divine Providence: A Meeting of the Wilds[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Moross and Fringe leaders convene for Peace Treaty talks, designating this unaligned planet as a safezone between the two.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Divine Restoration: Dominion of Manpha[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Moross clears Manpha of darkside pestilence, shoring up an alliance with the locals for trade of goods and supplies in exchange for Morossi protection.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The Crusade Has Come - Dominion of Kinooine[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Moross declares war on the pirate pestilence around the Kinooine system, taking over their base of operations and effectively scattering pirate resistance, clearing the way for safer travels through nearby systems.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]War - What is it Good for? Absolutely Nothing - Invasion of Sillken Asteroids[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Drawn by rising Vong numbers towards Wild Space, Moross leaders make the decision to head off The Hoarde before it gets too close to their own holdings. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but this marked a major turn of tides with the inclusion of the Protectorate as allies against the Vong and an opening to move further into Vong space, towards Aurum.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Unexpected Bonus - Dominion of Q27[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - After stumbling upon the uncharted planet of Q27, Moross finds themselves hailed by an unknown who presents himself as the keeper of this secret place: Jorus Merrill. Talks were had, veiled threats were made, but an agreement is found: Moross will help protect this secret in exchange for Jorus’ guidance in implementing Silk Holding’s HALCYON systems as well as safer transit and evac routes through Moross territories.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Strings of Fate - Dominion of Aurum[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Following the lead of the missing Aesir Inari, Moross arrives to Aurum in force to take care of the Vong scourge implanted on the planet. After defeating their foes Moross moves forward with plans to rebuild and turn Aurum into a hub of trade and travel.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The Pantheon[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Moross leaders convene to discuss the plans of officially plotting a hyperlane route through their territories. (Thread unfinished/posts lost? I swear we had more here...)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]You Live in the Apartment Next to Mine? I Had No Idea![/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Leaders of Moross and Protectorate convene to discuss a non-aggression pact and combined efforts to wipe the Vong Hoard out. Their next target of Oberon is chosen.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Moross Dominion of Yuuzhan’tar[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Far less of a dominion and more of an eager genocide of Vong. The Crusade effectively wiped out the vong Hoard with this final blow to their territory in razing Yuuzhan’tar to the ground. This opened up safer passage through space previously occupied by the merciless vong numbers and allowed free travel to Ceto and Aurum.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]If You Want to Play with the Big Boys You Have to Have the Big Toys[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - KDY CEO and Kuat Soverien Lorelei Darke sends an envoy of KDY’s best engineers to assist Moross with the creation of their very own orbital drive yards over Ceto and mobile drive yard plans over Kinooine. This establishes Ceto as a major waypoint for Moross trade and economy.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Silk Holdings Marketplace Purchase[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Loxa Visl, Ambassador of the Moross Crusade, makes contact with Silk Holdings to arrange purchase of their HALCYON systems to be installed at Ceto, Exocron, Terminus, and Kinooine.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Silk Holdings HALCYON Space Train System[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Ceto Engineering & Technology Operations (CETO)[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] - Tier 5 Shipwright company based out of Ceto, formerly Moross Shipwrights. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]HYPERLANE INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Hyperlane Name:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Crusader's Way[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Hexes Crossed:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] 21[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Start Coordinate:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Keskin [G-44][/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]End Coordinate:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Hollowend [V-54][/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Route Points:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Keskin, Manpha, Kal’Shebbol, Exocron, Aaris III, Arcadia N-30, Oberon, Ceto, Aurum, Hollowend[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Speed: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Low[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Accessibility: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Crusader's Way is a publicly accessible hyperlane open to any and all travelers mucking about in the Outer Rim. Plotted during the rise of the Moross Crusade who one occupied and ruled a large swathe of Outer Rim systems, the lane accommodates trade and traveler alike, though not to the same intensity and concentration as some of its neighboring routes such as Corellian Run or the Rimma Trade Route. Crusader's Way was meant to connect the tails of the major hyperlanes that ended in the Outer Rim in order to bring greater trade opportunities to those systems that fell beyond their reach. Planets such as Ceto could now readily connect with major trade hubs such as Kal'Shebbol by use of the Crusader's Way, as well as extend their reach more easily to the core without having to travel the uncharted bleakness of Wild Space.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Route Hazards:[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] Crusader's Way, at Moross' peak, was a well-established and monitored trade route maintained by the Crusade's vigilance for safety from the various hazards and dangers of the Outer Rim. Military patrols had been common, rest stops were well-stocked and guarded, and the routes were routinely cleansed of pirates, creatures, and debris. After the fall of the Crusade the route suffered a great deal of disrepair and abandonment. Many rest areas were quickly commandeered by outlaws and pirates, becoming locations of turf wars between groups. A large portion of the hyperlane passes through current ORC space - the lane is inconsistently maintained but averaging on “good” travel quality. Overall, it’s not unusual to encounter mynock swarms, space worms, passing asteroids and space debris, pirates, anomalies, and all manner of things one might come to expect of a hyperlane left to the devices of fractured groups. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Rest Stops: [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]Historically, there were three major, well-stocked, maintained, and guarded rest stations along the route. These stations still exist today, likely under the purview of current-day system powers or rogue groups. Through ORC space one can expect to find lots of off-the-path waystations for rest and refuel while the head of the route that falls within First Order space is heavily patrolled and strictly maintained.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]GUIDE Founder’s Log[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #752[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]In my time spent well beyond the borders of the Mid Rim I keep hearing tell of a strange name. Moross. It began when we met the end of the Rimmer Trade Route, on the trade-hub planet known as Kal’Shebbol. We had stopped to rest and refuel, wondering the best way to plot our route out to Ceto and two new potential investors. Galactic lane charts showed only scattered, minor lines - a network of routes that looked more like a tangle of shoelaces than something worthy of direct travel. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]We met a Mercenary named Hazel Scheler here - she suggested taking the older “Crusader’s Way” hyperlane put into place by an old empire of religious zealots called Moross. She was in a hurry and couldn’t speak more to it, but kindly forwarded the plotted route. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Why isn’t it listed on the Galactic maps?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]What’s more, how did she know about it?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #764[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]I’m beginning to have my suspicions about the quality of this route. It’s old and unmaintained and has taken us through some of the most backwater portions of space I’ve ever seen. Beyond Exocron we were forced off-route by a wayward debris field. Remnants of some space battle, I imagine. I’m a little worried about the security out here; there’s a great deal of nothing for long stretches of our journey. Gabe isn’t worried, he says the wreckage looked old. Years old. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]I’ve begun to do some digging. I want to know more about this Moross.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #786[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The more I search the curiouser I become. Moross was a nation of religious fanatics, lead by what they call Aesirs. Living Gods. Their crusade began at Excocron where they established themselves as a mighty power and turned the planet into a paradise. The stories say that Neth, the Keeper, was capable of changing the weather and shaping the lands to suite his needs. His power brought great prosperity to the people there, drawing followers from near and far. His Priests preached from the Book of Moross, speaking of divine providence and equal measure. They spread the word to systems far beyond the capital, reaching as far as the core where they offered sanctuary to people on Corsucant suffering from the war between the Sith and the Republic. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]The influx of pilgrims was so great that they were forced to expand their capital. A book was given to every man and woman. They fed and housed families, educated the ignorant, trained the weak, found a job for every able body. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]It sounds impossible and wonderful. I’ve got to get my hands on one of those books.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #802[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]I can’t be sure if I believe what I’m reading. The Moross religion spread like wildfire throughout the systems of the Outer Rim. Making good on their promises of salvation and redemption, they had pilgrims lining up at missionary outposts begging to join. Moross expanded tenfold within a few years through a series of strategic military excursions and diplomatic talks. They began flourishing in many ways but feeling the growing pains in many others. Outer Rim systems are dreadfully far apart, and though they established power across a broad range of systems they were having trouble keeping and maintaining order. This area of space was known as a wellspring of Pirate bands and Outlaw gangs, but they faced an uprising of Vong under the banner of The Hoard as well. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Moross waged war on both, catching the attention of other large powers nearby. The Fringe Confederacy, the Protectorate, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Though mighty, they were only a small fraction of the size of their neighbors. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Mmm… seems they established open trade and a non-aggression pact with the Fringe Confederacy and, at some point much later on, with the Protectorate as well. No concessions were made with the CIS. I wonder why that is.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #817[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]I’ve found my first clue to the story of this strange hyperlane. There are HALCYON Space Train systems integrated into several of the planets that once resided within Moross influence. I remember seeing the one at Exocron as we passed by but I had no idea what I was looking at. These systems must have been used to establish easier transit between their systems. Silk Holdings public records show the HALCYON systems implemented at Exocron, Kinooine, Terminus, and Ceto. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]There must be a connection - did Moross institute these? Let’s hope someone at Ceto knows. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #820[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]We’ve finally arrived at Ceto and I’ve had a chance to take a closer look at the HALCYON system. This one’s been very well maintained - it looks like a jewel sitting over the crown of the orbital shipyards. This place reminds me a great deal of Kuat - but what’s this level of industry doing all the way out here? It seems so out of place.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #821[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]My meeting with the President of Ceto Engineering & Technologies Operations turned out far more fruitful than I could have expected. Mr. Sixsmith was a man who arrived to the Outer Rim at the tail end of the Moross reign, just a few years before the Netherworld event. He’s very familiar with their hyperlane and as I suspected Ceto system takes great care of the portion that runs through their system. They even maintain a refuel station between here and the end of the lane. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]He says the hyperlane was a project many years in the making, and only possible once the Vong scourge spinwards of the Morossi territories were wiped out. The implementation of the HALCYON systems were instrumental to the creation of the hyperlane and provided the means to industrialize this backwater planet. Once transit between Ceto, Exocron, and Kinooine had been standardized, the rest of the hyperlane fell easily into place. It marked the first major lane in recorded galactic history that connected the end of the Corellian Run to the Rimma and Hydian Way and beyond, allowing the Outer Rim planet territories safer, faster travel, greater trade possibilities, and stronger economies. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]It was in his opinion the Magnum Opus of the Moross Crusade and marked the height of their regime. I’m inclined to agree.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Strange, though, how sad he seemed to become when we spoke further on the subject of Moross’ decline. Though their people had flourished they suffered heavy losses during the wars against the Vong. The hyperlane completion came only a short time before the Netherworld event, and given how dispersed their numbers were throughout the stars the Moross Crusade was hit hard. They suffered catastrophic economic setback and due to the loss of over half their militia they were forced to convene with their allies in the Fringe. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Seems overnight the great religious wildfire of Moross had burned out, its embers scattered to the nethers. It happened so quickly I now understand why the lane isn’t marked on galactic maps. Its flash of use and popularity happened during one of the greatest galactic cataclysms of history - no one was paying attention and, likely, no one really even knew.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Entry #827[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]We’re on our way back along the route. Mr. Sixsmith offered me his records of Moross to add into the GUIDE databanks, including the official routed path of Crusader’s Way and it’s major refuel stations. He says to watch our travels and that many areas of the lane pose risk. With as far as we’ve gone so far with the GUIDE I know we still haven’t seen everything there is to encounter. Sixsmith spoke of mynock swarms, roving asteroid fields, pirates and smugglers. He said if we’re lucky when we pass by Aaris III we might catch a glimpse of an Aing-Tii ship appearing out of black space. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]He said the Outer Rim Coalition seems to be managing their portion of the lane well enough, but they’re a motley crew according to him, with a low budget and a laissez faire sort of way. They maintain it with cheap and second-hand beacons, and frequent little waystations. They mean well but they’re limited. I can appreciate that. He warned to take care when entering First Order space - he didn’t think they knew of the lane but if they did he said it was likely well patrolled and partitioned with bureaucratic tape. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Apparently CETO must not do a whole lot of business out that way.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Sadly he was unwilling to part with his copy of the Book of Moross but he said if I looked hard enough, asked around at the major trade ports, I’d eventually find someone that would be willing to sell me on it. He said the Morossi people haven’t lost faith that their Aesirs will return them to prominence again someday.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=9pt]Wouldn’t that be a sight.[/SIZE]
