Mawite Legend
Port Sorrow
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out the Brotherhood's occupation of Rhand and provide an invasion target.
- Image Credit:
- Top Image: Cirith Ungol concept art, by Karatker Design Studios
- Holding Pens: Udun Slave Pens, by spherco on Deviantart (account deactivated, pic from Pinterest)
- Landing Pads: Citizen in the Temple concept art, by rich35211 on Deviantart
- Space Elevator: Titanfall 2 concept art, by Danny Gardner on ArtStation
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Brotherhood of the Maw, Rhand
- Spaceport Name: Port Sorrow
- Location: Rhand
- Affiliation: Brotherhood of the Maw
- Classification: Standard Class
- Population: Heavily Staffed
Accessibility: Rhand boasts no actual cities, so Port Sorrow is one of the few obviously-inhabited locations on its haunted surface. Situated among craggy mountains and the decaying ruins of the extinct Rhandite species, it sits on cliffs beside a high peak, built into the mountainside that looms above a great plain of ash and dust. Its location is not secret, and can easily be detected through listening to comm chatter, following the steady stream of orbital traffic, or using basic scans for heat, power, or life forms. A huge skyhook looms above the spaceport, making its location obvious from orbit. Getting in is somewhat more difficult, as the port is heavily guarded by turbolaser batteries, electrified fences, and hordes of cruel marauder guards who attack outsiders on sight.
Traffic: Congested. Port Sorrow is a major hub of the Brotherhood slave trade, and bulk freighters full of sentient cargo are constantly coming and going. While a great deal of this cargo is transported to and from orbit by the local space elevator, plenty more of it is flown in and out directly. There is also a constant stream of freighters ferrying other cargo necessary to this cruel Mawite industry, specially food from Lao-mon and Tiantang, giving the slaves something to eat while they are processed and distributed. The port is particularly bustling after a major Brotherhood conquest or raid, but anytime individual crews of Mawite pirates and raiders capture living prey, there is a good chance that they will bring the new slaves here. This keeps the skies busy.
Description: Port Sorrow is the first piece of Mawite territory that most of those captured by the Brotherhood ever see. The spaceport, built atop the crags of one of Rhand's many jagged mountains, is part holding facility and part distribution center. While those deemed strong enough to be processed into slave-soldiers are brought to the various tribal planets, to be inducted into the armies of individual warlords, those deemed too cowardly and weak to fight are instead transported here. Shaved, shackled, and tattooed with luminescent slave marks, these prisoners spend days to weeks in the port's holding cells before being shipped out to the various farms, mines, and factories operated by the Brotherhood. Conditions for these prisoners are grim indeed.
Holding Pens: Much of the outer reaches of the spaceport, built onto archaic Rhandite ruins, are taken up by crowded holding pens for those captured by the Brotherhood. A series of ramshackle cages and rusted cells bolted to the ancient stonework, these cells are crowded and filthy, with dozens occupying a space that could comfortably accommodate ten at most. There is rarely room for anyone to lie down to sleep, and shock whip beatings are doled out to anyone who talks back or resists. Few slaves actually die of neglect, though, despite the filthy conditions; the Mawites are not wasteful, and monitor their captives carefully. The goal is to keep them exhausted and downtrodden, not maimed or killed. Slaves are fed a nutritious mix of slimy gruel, spiked with a bit of alcohol to keep them off-balance and compliant.
SECURITY
High. Because it hosts easily four times as many slaves as marauder guards and sees constant atmospheric traffic, Port Sorrow is well-defended by necessity. Its winding streets are full of scanner checkpoints, using sensors to ensure that no unauthorized slaves - marked by their luminescent tattoos - are passing through. Several heavy turbolaser and missile batteries defend the port, watching the skies for any attack from above - particularly an attack on the vulnerable space elevator. Squadrons of Thornwave and Doomsayer starfighters are on constant patrol in the atmosphere and low orbit, often shooting at rock formations to alleviate their boredom. In a pinch, the local Knyght garrison and their Divine Eagle starfighters can be called in to assist.
The teeming marauders here are heavily armed with both lethal and nonlethal weapons, and use them freely.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Before the rediscovery of Exegol, the ancient Sith planet which became the new Mawite capital, the Brotherhood centered their operations on the shadowed world of Rhand. The local Sorcerers of Rhand had barely developed the planet, keeping to the ancient ruins of the now-vanished species native to Rhand. This allowed the Brotherhood to expand freely over much of the planet's surface, building new structures to support the industries vital to their dark crusade across the galaxy. Foremost among these structures was Port Sorrow, the planet's only major spaceport - and the center of the Mawite slave trade.
Without the industrial capacity to mass-manufacture labor droids, the Brotherhood relied heavily upon slave labor, and a large percentage of those slaves came through Rhand. The port was built to accommodate the constant comings and goings of pirates, slavers, and conquerors who brought in a steady stream of new captives. From there, the overseers and Heathen Priests parceled out the slaves to the various Mawite worlds, bringing forced laborers to the fields, mines, and factories where they were most needed. Even when the Mawite capital shifted, Port Sorrow remained an important logistical hub.
In fact, Rhand - more centrally located in Brotherhood territory than Exegol - only intensified in its importance to Mawite supply lines. As conquests and raids ranged further and further, and the Brotherhood built ever larger ships and stations, it became necessary to expand the port with a huge space elevator. This construct allows ships too large to enter Rhand's atmosphere to efficiently load and unload cargo - both living and otherwise - at Port Sorrow. The addition of the space elevator cut down somewhat on the port's congested air traffic, and allow it to operate on a much larger scale, fueling the Mawite war effort.
Despite the teeming slaves, there has never been a successful rebellion. There is nowhere for escapees to go.
