Ikon (world)

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Alien Moon 105c-0 Small.jpg
Ikon/Tsahrroek (Empty Quarter 0208)
Milieu 1116
C553AC7-C
StarportC Routine: No Construction, Major Repair, Unrefined fuel
Size5 Medium (8,000 km, 0.40g - 0.57g)
Atmosphere5 Thin
Hydrographics3 Wet World 30%
PopulationA High (10 billion)
GovernmentC Charismatic Oligarchy
Law7 Moderate Law (no firearms)
Tech LevelC Average Stellar (robots)
See also UWP
style="width: 220px; height: 250px;"
Jump map from Travellermap.com [1]
System Details
Primary K5 V
Worlds 12
Gas Giants 3
Planetoid Belts 0
Cultural Details
Government Charismatic oligarchy
Law Level Moderate
Cultural Extension AC5C
Army Size (BEs) 120000
Economic Details
Technology Level 12
Economic Extension
F9D+2
ResourcesFExtremely abundant
Labor9High (1 billion)
InfrastructureD Comprehensive
Efficiency+2Good
Importance Extension 2
Resource Units 46,880
GWP (BCr) 3,510
World Trade Number 5
Trade Volume (MCr/year) 9,010
Starport Details
Classification Class-C
Port Size 5
Building Capacity (Tons) 12,000,000
Port employees 2,070
Port passengers (annual) 33,200

Ikon has a scarcity of water and a relatively sparse atmosphere. The system has a population over 1 billion sophonts. It is a member of Julian Protectorate in the Tsahrroek Subsector of Empty Quarter Sector and in the Rukadukaz Republic. This world hosts a Military Base for support of military ground forces. 40% of the world's population is the Major Race Vargr. Less than 10% of the world's population is the Minor Race Bwap.

Astrography and Planetology[edit]

No information yet available.

Ikon has a solitary primary star.
Ikon
Solitary K Type.jpg Type Category Mass (Sol) Temperature (K) Luminosity
K5 V Main Sequence (Dwarf) 0.7 4300 - 4440 0.28697
Unit Diameter Safe Distance Habitable Zone Jump Shadow M-Drive Limit
AU 0.0065 0.0444 0.56 - 1.01 0.65 6.5
Orbit #  *  * 2 2 6
Remarks None

System Data[edit]

No information yet available.

Mainworld Data[edit]

No information yet available.

Mainworld Size (S)[edit]

Ikon is a Meso World between 7,200km and 8,800km in diameter. The world has a standard gravity between 0.4G and 0.57G. The horizon will appear about 4km away.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)[edit]

Ikon 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)[edit]

Ikon has 25-35% of its surface covered by liquid water. It has a few small seas. Wilderness refueling is possible. Water for the inhabitants will be recycled.

Mainworld Geography & Topography[edit]

No information yet available.

Native Lifeforms[edit]

No information yet available.

History and Background[edit]

Since Ikon is a Vargr–dominated non–Imperial system on the wrong side of the Lesser Rift, few Imperials grasp the system's significance to the Vargr Extents. To the Julian Protectorate, Ikon is the Rock of the Sector: not only a powerful economic and cultural force within the Protectorate, but also the focus of Star Legion defended strategy.

World Starport[edit]

Ikon has a Class C Starport, an average quality installation which features amenities including unrefined fuel for starships, some brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing maintenance and other kinds of repair. Ports of this classification generally have only a downport, unless this is a trade port or system with an hostile environment mainworld.

  • Vargr starports reflect the variety of Vargr architecture, with many disparate styles of building, each having their own unique ornamentation and gaudy colour scheme, and all competing for the attention of the onlooker. Emblems for the major shipping lines and port facilities abound.

World Population (P)[edit]

Ikon has a population of 10,000,000,000 sophonts (tens of billions).

World Demographics[edit]

Demographically, around 52% of the population is Ikonaz Vilani, 38% are Ikonaz Vargr, and around 9% are Bwap. A trace amount of non–Ikonaz humaniti, descendants of the Imperium, makes up the remaining 1%. Generally, the Vargr are somewhat wealthier, and have an unconscious air of superiority vis–à–vis the Vilani. The best estimates fix Mixed Vilani at 0.03% of the population.

World Languages[edit]

Linguistically, the world has several contending languages. Julian Anglic, the official language of the Protectorate, is used among the elites for interstellar trade and commerce, but the culturally dominant Ikonaz -- with its dual pronunciation forms (for both human and Vargr Ikonaz) -- is the official language of Ikon and the Rukadukaz Republic. Major local languages include Gvunkkone, Ourmakten, Kr’ra’ogovtzarr, and Ukazk: local humaniti, in addition to Ikonaz Vilani, may also speak Modern Vilani, Transform (the dialect of Antares), and NuLingo (the old slave tongue of the Impservers, closely related to the Old Imperial Anglic of seven centuries ago.)

Most Ikonaz Vargr despise Vargr languages other than their own: local scholars are more likely to know Old High Vilani or Ancient English than a single word of Vuakedh (widespread among the Vargr of the Protectorate) or Evrgoer (the most common Blood Vargr tongue of the Lorean Hegemony.) Several Ikonaz Vargr traders have some command of these languages, but they will pretend ignorance in polite company. Whenever possible, Ikonaz Vargr prefer to use portable translators or robots instead of filthing their tongues with the babble of the lesser Vargr.

Urbanization[edit]

The planet itself is home to 10 billion sophonts, but looking at the planet's nightside from orbit, one would be hard–pressed to spot any of the usual constellations of city lights. Even the floating cities that naturally dot the sky of a TL-14 world are largely absent. Instead, the land surface of the planet is covered with symmetrical, elegantly designed formal gardens on a heroic scale. Where the determined gardeners couldn't get anything to grow, they shifted rock and ice into complex patterns and sophisticated curves. Even the mountains are chiseled, shifted, and blasted into a type of visual poetry that pleases the Ikonoaz.

Instead, almost the entire population lives undersea, with 80% living in extremely advanced cities next to the flooded, abysmal gashes left after the Event occurred. Snuggled close to the highly automated mines and refineries that cover the undersea gashes, these magnificent cities are the pride of the Ikonaz race. Typically, an Ikonoaz undersea city starts out as a dome or a cylinder, of a height no less than 80 km in height. Within the megastructure are several mushroom–shaped 'platform cities': soaring between 6 and 10 km into the air, they are topped by a round 'platter' with a diameter of about 5 km. The platter has its own dome which ascends a height of 2 km, holding a series of buildings averaging 500 m and 800 m in height. Between 10 to 40 of these 'platform cities' are enclosed inside the massive dome. The space between the platforms is usually used as forests or gardens, but the area may also be turned over to urban development.

World Technology Level[edit]

Ikon possesses a Technology Level of TL–12 or TL-C in Hexadecimal Notation.

  • Common Communication technologies for this TL include: Holovision, Personal Global Communications, and advanced Translators.
  • Common Power Generation technologies for this TL include: Increasingly advanced fusion plants and advanced fuel cells.
  • Common Transportation technologies for this TL include:
  • Ikonaz Vilani wealth has been the powerhouse of Ikon's technological elevation. While Ikon retained TL-11 throughout the Long Night, and slowly gained TL-12 during the first Imperial century, it was mainly Ikonaz Vilani corporations (and reverse engineering skill) that pushed further progress. The Julian War era's TL-12 rose to TL-13 by c. 300, TL-14 at c. 550, and to an unsustainable TL-15 in the late 600 before slipping back to TL-14 in the early 700s. It slipped further to stabilise again at TL-12 by 1100.

World Government[edit]

Ikon is governed by a Charismatic Oligarchy, like a charismatic dictatorship in that a larger group has asserted their right to rule. The group will likely have better rules of succession than a single dictator and may last longer, or may transition to a non-charismatic dictatorship.

  • While planetary governments rarely last a year in office, the form of government -- a Charismatic Oligarchy -- remains the same. Moreover, governments rise and fall with little or no bloodshed, with the new government often retaining elements of the old.
  • As the low level of the starport hints, most of Ikon's wealth is kept on-planet. This has been a successful strategy for the world, allowing its largely Vargr population to live in the kind of peace and comfort only dreamt about in most of the Extents. However, this unVargr–like introversion comes at a major political cost. Most of the money used to run the Rukadukaz Republic comes from Ikon, and Ikon indirectly contributes a significant percentage of the Julian Protectorate's annual budget... but its say in deciding how that money is spent is a good deal less than you'd expect.

Governments of Ikon have included the following (listed chronologically, list is greatly incomplete):

  • Circa 114: Steel Bond of Ethou
  • Circa 119: Uekfavgrovbr' Syndarchy
  • Oatheingthue Starnet, the 106th interstellar Ikonaz government
  • Circa 195: The Thali A'okfonkun
  • Circa 330: ThreeHalves Bodyguard
  • 332: United Parliaments of Ikon
  • 352: Second Interstellar Brinkoegzi Hierarchy
  • Lucky Paws Generosity Commission
  • Three-Crown Monarchy
  • Circa 723: The Association of Good Wolves
    • Having inherited large numbers of now laid-off workers from previous governments, this government encouraged the emigration of the working (i.e. Irilitok Vargr) classes -- going so far as to subsidise 70% of the cost involved.
  • Circa 859: Mnoushfar Wisdom Council
  • Circa 933: The Fellowship of Nobles
  • Ikon Collective of Progress
  • Circa 990: Ikonok Llirrusukh
    • As of 990, the "Ikon Collective of Progress" had collapsed, replaced with the Ikonok Llirrusukh. This was an unstable network of business interests, tribes and clans, research federations, and entertainment figures.
    • The Ikonok Llirrusukh controlled 85% of the mainworld, one–third of the Ikon system's planets and moons, as well as most of two external mainworlds and their systems: Kuell (Empty Quarter 0206) and Suezkha (Empty Quarter 0305). (Another colony world, Guezdhe (Empty Quarter 0511), declared independence in 977 and made it stick. Before independence, it acted as the starship dockyards of Ikon, a lucrative position it retained in its new role as equal partner.)

World Military[edit]

No information yet available.

  • Pirate risk: None. There are only various tax collectors in various uniforms -- admittedly, very neat, clean, and well–pressed uniforms. Instead of worrying about pirates, Travellers should work on avoiding being 'taxed' more than once.

World Economy[edit]

Ikon is roughly three to four times wealthier than the rest of the Empty Quarter, combined. The closest contender, the Imperial Client system of Tokitre (Empty Quarter 1411), Imperial Pamushgar (Empty Quarter 1537) and Lazisar (Empty Quarter 1233), and the Lorean system of Zuethun (Empty Quarter 3007), all fall short for various reasons. Of the four, Zuethun has the greatest potential to challenge Ikon someday, simply because it alone of the four (barely) avoids classification as a desert world, and avoids spending vast sums merely to feed herself.

Unique and valuable compounds were available from the oceans of Gulimizuurkush (later called Ikon), and even though the world was lifeless, its physical and electro-chemical profile required very little alteration to accept imported life forms -- almost as if Gulimizuurkush was already 'prepped' to accept life. When the Vilani first colonized the world, they followed the typical pattern of settling in river valleys and rich fertile plains. The need for workers to live close to the undersea mines acted as an impetus to establish underwater settlements on Gulimizuurkush, with the land above used for ore processing.

Trade Data[edit]

No information yet available.

World Culture[edit]

Culturally, Ikon is the heart of the Vargr/Vilani cultural synthesis followed by billions of Vargr. Because pro–Vilani Vargr have a more unified culture than others of their species, the arts, philosophies and sciences of Ikon allow the system to punch above its already considerable population and financial weight, leading to its other nicknames:

  • "The Light of Vargr Civilization" (Ikonaz Vargr: "Vgra'ougovkrroerradz"),
  • "The Ikon of the Extents" (untranslatable Anglic pun: an approximate Ikonaz Vargr equivalent is "Ghegk Roa Rronkghoegz")
  • "The Hope of the Quarter" ("Aekhoutra'oug" - a name of mystical/poetical significance among the Ikonaz Vargr, much like Columbia for the Americans, Yamato for the Japanese or Avalon for the English.

Historical Data[edit]

Ikon serves as the homeworld of the Ikonaz Vargr. Practically all Vargr within the Rukadukaz Republic are descended from the Vargr who conquered the riches of Ikon in -1711, near the end of the Vargr Pillaging. Unlike most Vargr cultures, the conquerors of Ikon were generally willing to let the Vilani be, so long as they could get the important titles and collect the taxes. Over time, the Vilani culturally overran the Vargr overlords, reshaping the local Vargr to what they are today.

It is well known that Ikon was shaped by a sophont species which lacked jump technology. First, it was deeply scarred in an Event that occurred about -10,200 Imperial. The Event shattered the northern hemisphere of the planet to a depth of 1000 km, about a third of the way into the heart of the planet. The level and nature of the shattered crust and mantle suggests an impact with a large object moving at near–superluminal speeds. Soon afterwards, between -9,000 and -10,000 Imperial, the world was extensively terraformed, with a bulked–up atmosphere, the stabilization of the world’s mantle and crust, and the transport of an ocean's worth of water to the world. However, development of the world stopped abruptly at about -9,050, before lifeforms was introduced. The identity of the 'worldshapers' remain unknown to this day.

The conflict known as "the Civil War" (117-119) lowered Ikon's tech level briefly from 11 to 10.

The Antares Pacification Campaign brought in numerous refugees from Imperial persecution to Ikon.

The Julian War (175-191) saw numerous attacks on Ikon, all of which failed in breaking the homeworld of the Ovaghoun Vargr.

The fall of the United Parliament government on Ikon led to the birth of the Anarchical Age. Ikon's atmosphere was declared tainted in 400.

The Thertziraakh undersea megalopolis failed, and 19.9 billion sophonts died soon thereafter. This was the catalyst for many changes on Ikon. The last of the famous A'grangrigk-style undersea cities was finished in 744.

At 700 Imperial, Ikon's population peaked at 300 billion sophonts, at TL 15.

Heavy Ikonaz (Ovaghoun Vargr and Vilani) emigration from 725 to the 770s, and a second wave, from 820 to 860, was the primary means of lowering the population.

Population aging also worked to half the population every 50 years for a time - this was no longer true, as of 993 Imperial.

After 80 years of work, the industrial taint of the atmosphere was declared removed in 807.

World Timeline[edit]

No information yet available.

UWP Listing[edit]

UWP Changes (all dates are Imperial Calendar)

References and Contributors[edit]

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