Zhdant (world)

Zhdant/Gaval (Zhodane 2719)
Classic Era (1116)	A6547C8-F Starport A Excellent: Starship Construction, Overhaul, Refined fuel Size 6 Medium (9,600 km, 0.60g - 0.81g) Atmosphere 5 Thin Hydrographics 4 Wet World 40% Population 7 Moderate (80 million) Government C Charismatic Oligarchy Law 8 High Law (controlled blades) Tech Level F High Stellar (anagathics)
See also	UWP
System Details
Primary	K0 V
Planetoid Belts	1
Gas Giants	1

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Jump map from Travellermap.com

Zhdant is an agricultural world.

• As an agricultural world, this world is a near-ideal environment for producing quality foodstuffs of plant, animal, and other forms. Quality foodstuffs are a major export commodity for this world.
• This is a temperate world, with a climate of pleasant, average temperatures, considered to be an ideal or near-ideal environment by many different sophont species.
• This world contains an archaeological site with suspected high-tech remnants of the now-vanished Ancients precursor race.
• This world serves as the sector capital with the considerable extra trade and prestige associated with that role.
• This is a "high technology" world with technology achievements at, near, or over technology standards for Charted Space.
• It is a member of the Zhodani Consulate in the Gaval Subsector of Zhodane Sector.

• This world has a nearby Naval Base, usually associated with military starships.
• This world has a nearby Military Base, usually associated with military ground forces.
• The Imperials call the world "Zhodane" and its subsector "Gaval". In an oddity of Charted Space cartography, the Zhodani do not object to the Imperial designation for the subsector, as it is a close transliteration of the Zdetl name for the region, Qaval. The term "Zhodane" is also colloquially applied to Zhodani-dominated space as a whole.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Zhdant has a solitary primary star.

• It is an orange main sequence named Pliebr.

Monostellar System

Zhdant Monostellar System

Star Name	Hierarchy	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temp (K)	Luminosity (Sol)
Pliebr K0 V	Primary	Main Sequence		0.88	5170 - 5270	0.63928
	Unit	Diameter	Min Distance	Hab Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0038	0.0663	0.78 - 1.4	0.38	3.8
	Orbit #	*	*	3	1	5

System Data

The worlds of the system have been surveyed. They consist of:

• Zhdant, the mainworld.
  • Viepchakl, its moon.
• x3 secondary rocky worlds.
  • Adrablsish, a tidally locked inner system vacuum world.
  • Pliantshotl, an inner system vacuum world.
  • Emkachdraf, a vacuum ice world lying in the far outer system.
• Dlemstiats Tsiaqr, a relatively sparse planetoid belt.
• Brovlekal, a single large gas giant.

Mainworld Data

The mainworld orbits within the star's Habitable Zone.

• It orbits at a distance of 0.769 AU
• It lies just within the zone's prime H region.
• It receives moderate levels of stellar energy.

• The world orbits inside the stars Jump Shadow.

Mainworld Size (S)

Zhdant is a Meso World between 8,800km and 10,400km in diameter. The world has a standard gravity between 0.6G and 0.8G. The horizon will appear about 4.4km away.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

Zhdant has a pressure of 0.43 to 0.70 atmospheres. The Thin Atmosphere does not require survival gear although it may be hard on sophonts not accustomed to it.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

Zhdant has 35-45% of its surface covered by liquid water. There will be a number of small seas or one larger body of water. Wilderness refueling is possible.

• Despite its status as a temperate agricultural world, much of the continental interior is cold and dry.

The highlands of the Dleqiats desert. The mountains produce a rain shadow, creating an extremely arid environment.

Satellites:

Zhdant retains a small very marginally habitable trace atmosphere moon called Viepchakl.

• Viepchakl: UWP Y410000-0 Ba
• It orbits once every 40 Zhdanstial, or once every 45 standard days.

Viepchakl rising over the Shivvajdatl mountains.

Eclipses

As Viepchakl moves around Zhdant, it periodically eclipses Pliebr, the star.

• Pliebr occupies less than 0.7 arcseconds in the sky, wheras Viepchakl occupies about 0.9 arcseconds.
• Partial eclipses occur regularly, with light levels dropping dramatically as Pliebr is partially hidden by the moon.
  • During partial eclipses, a "diamond ring" effect may be visible, with the star standing on Viepchakl's limb for many minutes.
• During a full eclipse Viepchakl completely obscures the star, plunging Zhdant into darkness.
  • A full eclipse can last for up to an hour, though most are far shorter.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

A simple map of Zhdant, showing the division between land, water, and icecap.

Native Sophont (NIL):

Zhdant is the homeworld of the Zhodani.

Native Lifeforms

Abundant native life occupying every available ecological niche. Its metabolic functions drive the process of atmospheric renewal.

• The continental interior is generally arid. Its ecosystems are relatively sparse.
• In wetter coastal regions there are dense forests and jungles, rich with life.

Native species include the following:

• Abrstia: An analogue of Terran chickens but with fibrous feathers, which can be woven into cloth.
• Dzhayak: A large flying carrion eater, native to the Dleqiats Desert.
• Kredl: An analogue of Terran cattle.
• Velzjaq: A winged predator native to Dleqiats' eastern desert.
• Yonchobo: A slow but reliable draft animal
• Zjipyli: An unusual animal native to swamps, possessing air bladders and colour-change ability.

The Noql have been raised by Zhodani in dammed streams since ancient times. However, fossil records do not show the species before 300,000 years ago; the Ancients brought it to Zhdant.

History & Background (Dossier)

Zhdant is the capital of the Zhodani Consulate and the homeworld of the Zhodani people.

• The system has been populated for at least a quarter of a million years.
• The resources of the system are being thoroughly exploited.

The system is bustling. There is a considerable amount of in-system activity.

• There are multiple orbital and surface facilities.
• Commercial vessels arrive and depart constantly
• Commo is buzzing with chatter and signals. Communications are in Zdetl.
• Multiple navigation beacons are active.
• Vessels regularly travel among the other worlds and moons that make up the system.
• Naval vessels are active in the system.

Note that social data, though frequently updated, may be out of date: additional groups may now inhabit the system and maintain their own culture, forms of government, and systems of law.

• Verified updated data is constantly sought.

Unlike the capitals of other empires, Zhdant is largely divided into the estates of the members of the ruling Zhodani council, making the world's population unusually low.

Starport (Sp)

Zhdant has a Class A Starport, an excellent quality installation which includes all the expected amenities including refined fuel for starships, brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing annual maintenance, overhauls and other kinds of repair, and construction of both starships and non-starships. Most ports of this classification have both a Highport and a Downport.

While Zhdant was at one time the shipbuilding hub of the Zhodani Consulate, it has since ceded most large-scale industrial endeavors to other worlds.

• Some minor shipbuilding and post-launch refitting does still take place here.

World Population (P)

Zhdant has a population of 80,000,000 sophonts (tens of millions).

Within society, Zhant'ad are granted a certain degree of physical mobility.

• For the most part, they remain within one geographical region.
• They are, within certain limits and with the approval and support of the Zhobrdievl, able to move to other estates, fiefdoms, or territories.
• This is most often done to ensure that their skills and abilities are appropriately employed.

Demographics

• Humaniti: 95%
• Addaxur: 5%
• Other: less than 1%

Urbanization

Multiple large urban centers are surrounded by smaller satellite communities.

• Inhabited areas are dotted across the world.
• Large regions of the surface of the world remain as wilderness.

The turbulent waters of the Qiknavra sea.

World Infrastructure

Extensive infrastructure.

Principal Languages

• Zdetl

Technology Level (TL)

Zhdant possesses a Technology Level of TL–15 or TL-F in Hexadecimal Notation.

• Common Communication technologies for this TL include: Meson Communicators and Pseudo Reality Communications.
• Common Power Generation technologies for this TL include: Miniature super-batteries, improved collectors, and advanced Fusion+.
• Common Transportation technologies for this TL include:
  • Land & Water: Advanced gravcraft.
  • Air: Advanced gravcraft and speeders.
  • Space: Advanced gravcraft and G-Carriers.
  • FTL: Jump Drive-6.

Government (G)

Zhdant is controlled by a government that most closely matches a Charismatic Oligarchy, similar to a charismatic dictatorship in that a larger group has asserted their right to rule. The ruling group has complex rules of succession, permits social mobility (including into and within its own ranks), and is broadly supported by the population, unlike many other forms of oligarchy.

• The government has features of a Civil Service Bureaucracy and Feudal Technocracy.
• The Oligarchy is not self-perpetuating but fed from the bottom; the bureaucracy exists to ensure all levels of society are well cared for and supported.

Military

Approximately 200,000 personnel.

Local Law (L)

Zhdant has a high law level with laws covering many areas of interactions of people, corporations, and the government. A few worlds with this law level may be Amber Zones. Any interaction with the judicial system requires an Advocate trained in the local legal system. Law enforcement is present almost everywhere, either as people or via technology. Legal proceedings can take weeks to months to resolve and involve a dozen or more people. All blade weapons and firearms, and anything more destructive, are typically regulated or prohibited.

World Timeline

• 300-420: the First Survey charts the system.
• 995-1065: the Second Survey charts the system.
• 1065: the Second Survey is published.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• John Harshman, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman. Library Data (N-Z) (Game Designers Workshop, 1982), .
• J. Andrew Keith, Marc Miller, John Harshman. Zhodani (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), .
• GURPS Traveller
• David L. Pulver. Alien Races 1 (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), .
• Don McKinney. Zhodani (Mongoose Publishing, 2011), .
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science
• Author & Contributor: Jeff Kazmierski
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS