Jedi Archeologist
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To codify a location on Vandor.
- Image Credit: x
- Canon: x
- Permissions: Roble Manufacturing
- Links:
- Spaceport Name: Fort Ypso
- Location: Vandor
- Affiliation:
- Classification: Standard Class
- Population: Moderately Staffed
- Accessibility: Tucked into the mountains of Vandor, Fort Ypso is constantly buffeted by snowstorms and blizzards, making the logistics of flying in and out more difficult than it would be expected. However, Fort Ypso's location is hardly a secret, and those who want to travel there are able to do so easily.
- Traffic: Moderate
- Description: One of the oldest settlements on Vandor, Fort Ypso has long been the gateway to the world of mountains, ice and snow. Built into the mountainside and constantly buffeted by snowstorms and blizzards, it is a wonder that Fort Ypso has survived for as long as it has, what with its hanging bridges of metal and wood and buildings hanging precariously on cliffsides. Yet, despite all the odds, Fort Ypso is actually considered to be quite safe -- and that may be why it is such a successful space port.
A favored place of smugglers and gamblers due to its low regulation compared to nearby starports, Fort Ypso attracts merchants and spacers of every variety. Vandor has limited economic activity, but Fort Ypso does see a healthy a trade, mainly an exchange of exported animal products and mineral resources in exchange for heavy machinery, advanced technology, foodstuffs, and other products purchased by those who live on Vandor. Given Vandor's location as a border world of the Confederacy, Fort Ypso is also used as a warehouse by larger shipping companies for foreign shipping products.
The spaceport is built on two mountains; the larger and more prominent, referred to as the North Mountain, houses the spaceport's hangar bays, docking stations, and dwellings. Fort Ypso's landing pads, warehouses, and hovertrain transportation stations are located on the smaller mountain, referred to as simply the South Mountain. Traversing the two mountains is done by a series of bridges, as the distance between the two is that of only a small canyon. These bridges feature railing, lighting, and are carefully maintained to prevent ice from forming which could lead to fatal falls.
Founded by the Ypsobay Trading Company, Fort Ypso and the Company nearly went under during the times of the Old Republic. The company managed to scrap by, but the result was many of the original dwellings and the spaceport's Lodge being sold and repurposed. Rebuilding over the centuries, Ypsobay has now managed to see steady growth, which has been invested into the infrastructure of the spaceport.
North Mountain
- The Lodge: The main social area of Fort Ypso, the Lodge serves as a rough-and-tumble saloon of the spaceport. Containing a gambling hall, droid-fighting arena, hostel, and a resident band, it was a favorite of smugglers, adventureres, and locals of Vandor alike. Gamblers seek for their fortune at the historic and popular sabacc table, where players from across the galaxy come to just compete in. In fact, its estimated that five percent of Fort Ypso's revenues come from its sabacc attraction alone.
- Mountainside Hangar Bays: Built into North Mountain, the hangars bays of Fort Ypso offer the best protection from the elements of Vandor. Magnetically-sealed blast doors prevent from even the strongest snowstorm damaging ships inside. There are both communal and private hangar bays, with the rates for private hangar bays much more expensive than communal ones.
- Docking Stations: Built along the ridge of the North Mountain, Fort Ypso's docking ports are utilized for ships that are too large for either the hangar or the landing pads, or are not built ina way that they can traditionally land. Ships are tethered to the station through the use of tractor beams to prevent the wind or Vandor's other elements from blowing them off into a fiery inferno. Ships docked here do suffer the worst of the storms, but so far no serious damage has been dealt to any ship at the docking stations.
- Cliffside Dwellings: A number of dwellings and other buildings used for a variety of private purposes are installed along the cliffs and faces of the mountain, connected by an intricate network of bridges similar to the ones that connect the two mountains. Lanterns and hanging lights provide illumination, making the spaceport from fair look as if the mountain was dressed up in fairy lights.
- Landing Pads: Out in the elements, the landing pad are reserved for larger craft that cannot fit in the hangar bays or for those who cannot afford the much steeper price that comes along with the safety from the wind and cold. Situated on the South Mountain and immediately off of the mountain-connecting bridges,, and their size and rates very depending on the amount of protection they have from the winds, limited though it may be.
- Shipyard: Fort Ypso offers limited shipbuilding and repair facilities, mainly for freighter-sized craft. It is most often used to properly weatherize craft that would suffer in Vandor's harsh conditions otherwise, but it has been used for shipbuilding purposes (mainly for Vandorian locals). The shipyard is rather run down and is nowhere near a top-notch facility like some other worlds in the Confederacy.
- Warehouses: Taking up the most space on the South Mountain, the warehouses are used by a number of private firms and corporation, large and small, to store goods coming in and out of the Confederacy. Using Vandor as a half-way point for shipping, most of Fort Ypso's traffic comes from manufacturer's storing their wares. Firms located on Vandor, farming its animals or mining for resources also use the warehouses to store shipped products.
- Armed Forces Garrison: The headquarters of a small contingent of forces from the Confederate Armed Forces, the garrison on the South mountain serves as headquarters for all Confederacy military assets present on the planet, which is minimal during the busiest of times.
- Hovertrain Station: The Hovertrain Station is used to transport goods and people through the otherwise nearly impassable Vandor mountain ranges, and the Fort Ypso station is one of many in Vandor's hovertrain network. Recently, the aging hovertrains have been replaced with new models from Roble Manufacturing, specially weatherized to resist the cold of Vandor.
SECURITY
Low: Fort Ypso features a small garrison from the Confederacy Armed Forces, including a squadron of fighters and patrol frigate, but the garrison is more concerned with protecting the spaceport's wares than policing its streets and as such usually absent in most of the North Mountain in general, in particular the Saloon. As such, petty laws are hardly enforced and it is not uncommon to see fight or brawls break out, although they are usually broken up as quickly as they begin. It features no weapons emplacements or shields, and would be poorly defended in a chance attack.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Fort Ypso is one of the oldest settlements on Vandor, dating back to the days of the Old Republic. Founded by Ypsobay Trading Company as a waystation and depot in the Outer Rim, but the company fell under hard times and as a result had to sell much of the original structure in order to stay afloat. These buildings, like many of the resident dwellings and the Lodge, would become privatized and repurposed from their original function.
As the power of the Old Republic waned, the new Galactic Empire began to establish a growing presence on Vandor and Fort Ypso in particular, using it in a much similar way as Ypsobay; a depot for logistics in the Outer Rim, particularly the transportation of the valuable Coaxium fuel. However, the Empire never truly had a full grasp on the planet or the spaceport, and illegal activity and syndicates were rampant over the planet.
As the Empire fell, Fort Ypso became a private affair once more as Yypsobay reclaimed full control over their holdings. After the establishment of Frosthall as the ruling seat of the world, Fort Ypso and the company swore subservience to House Layne and as such the spaceport and Frosthall are very much interconnected and rely on each other. The company would continue to upgrade and expand the spaceport for the better part of eight centuries, even working to maintain it during the aftermath of the Gulag Plague. As trade began to grow once more between star systems while the galaxy recovered, Vandor joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and Fort Ypso once more was under the ownership of an intergalactic government, establishing a Confederacy garrison for the defense of the spaceport in case of attack.
Altogether, Fort Ypso is a place of adventure and intrigue, a gateway into both a colder world and a larger galaxy.
