Abyss Rift
The Abyss Rift is an astrographic feature lying within the Spinward Marches.
- It is a rift area of low stellar density.
- It is not widely known of, except by astrographers and local starship captains.
Description (Specifications)[edit]
The Abyss Rift is a region of lower stellar density principally lying within the coreward-trailing quadrant of the Spinward Marches. It has a reputation as a place where strange events and mysterious disappearances occur.
- The region measures an average of 8 parsecs spinward-trailing by about 12 parsecs coreward-rimward.
- It is a significant obstacle to interstellar trade and commerce, restricting the movement of lower jump-rated vessels.
It lies within the Imperium.
It is rumored to contain a curious space-time anomaly.
A simple chart of the Abyss Rift region, showing a widely accepted definition of its borders, right:
- The location of the supposed space-time anomaly is marked by a blue circle.
Boundaries[edit]
Note that the exact borders of the Rift have never been precisely defined and are currently "best guess".
Seasoned astrographers continue to squabble over its precise physical dimensions and properties, quoting figures and values relating to the average density of the interstellar medium, emissions from within the region it covers, and a dozen other considerations. Despite years of heated debate a consensus has not yet been reached and different astrographic surveys repeatedly give it different boundaries.
History & Background (Dossier)[edit]
High cargo capacity, low jump rating vessels move along the Mains and Clusters of the Marches, carrying vast amounts of goods and commodities between their member worlds. Jump-2 and Jump-3 feeder routes work their ways around the various voids and rifts that dot the sector, linking the trade routes.
Seven systems lie within the Rift's currently accepted boundaries. Three of these are called the core worlds, all with travel advisories: they are Sonthert, Victoria, and Ylaven. Their Amber and Red Zone statuses are taken as further evidence by locals that the rift is a bad place where strange and awful things happen. Interdicted Victoria is widely believed to hold an Ancients site.
- The Rift is also likely to contain a number of dark, frozen, starless rogue worlds and wandering icy planetoids within its depths, but none have ever been officially charted or catalogued.
Jump Bridges[edit]
Some have suggested that one or more Imperial- or corporate-controlled Jump Bridges may lie within the Rift.
Jump Bridges are locations within empty hexes that contain caches of fuel and supplies. They allow lower jump rating vessels to bridge gaps between distant worlds by providing a halfway point. The hexes these caches lie within are truly vast, and without exact coordinates to jump to within them a vessel could end up with empty tanks in empty wilderness, perhaps light-years away from any hope of rescue.
Where they do exist, Jump Bridges are heavily guarded and access is not generally granted to those without the correct credentials.
- No jump bridges are known to exist within the Rift.
Old Spacers' Tales[edit]
Some Terran observers have called the Abyss Rift the "Bermuda Triangle" of the Spinward Marches, recalling the mysterious oceanic region on their homeworld. The rift has, over the centuries, been associated with disappearances and gained a reputation as a place where unusual events occur.
The rift has been the site of several notable ship disappearances over the last half millennium and a substantial amount of lore has built up associated with them. Curious jump related phenomena have been reported in the rift for centuries, often by reliable witnesses. Scouts plying the X-boat route between Lanth and Ghandi report events such as receiving radio signals in jumpspace or "someone on the hull, trying to get in".
It is suggested that the rumored space-time anomaly is centered around astrographic hex coordinates 1917. Some believe it to be a Space Sargasso, lying at the center of a larger shoal region that interferes with drive performance.
Incidents[edit]
The ship of the pirate, Bathomew de Clark, was lost in or near the Rift. His vessel was carrying the art piece, Ssinth'i at the time.
Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)[edit]
This astrographic feature is found in the following areas:
Charted Space – Third Imperium:
World Listing[edit]
Comprehensive Second Survey data for all worlds associated with the Abyss Rift is available.
- The primary source material for all data is Traveller Map.
- Other sources may differ: some elements of the data may be contradictory or incorrect.
- Data is occasionally updated as new information becomes available.
AAB library archives contain expanded data about the following systems:
Note that some Second Survey data, though only 40 years old, may already be out of date.
- Scouting missions gathering reliable, verified data can receive substantial payment.
References & Contributors / Sources[edit]
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- Rob Caswell. MegaTraveller Journal 1 (Digest Group Publications, 1991), pages 22-30.
- Loren Wiseman. "Lost Treasure Ships of the Abyss Rift." Challenge 44 (1990): .
- Loren Wiseman. "Fated Voyage." Challenge 46 (1990): .
- Loren Wiseman. "Demon Dark." Challenge 58 (1992): .
- Dave Nilsen. The Regency Sourcebook (Game Designers Workshop, 1995), pages 41, 46.
- Martin Dougherty. The Spinward Marches (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), .
- Colin Dunn. Library Data (Mongoose Publishing, 2011), page 2.
- Martin Dougherty. Behind the Claw (Mongoose Publishing, 2019), pages 10, 63, 67, 69.
- Martin Dougherty. Whispers on the Abyss (Mongoose Publishing, 2024), page 121.
- ↑ Fan-created speculative rift map: non-canon.