Silk (world)

Silk/Sapphyre (Dagudashaag 2440) Milieu 1116 C554377-9 Starport C Routine: No Construction, Major Repair, Unrefined fuel Size 5 Medium (8,000 km, 0.40g - 0.57g) Atmosphere 5 Thin Hydrographics 4 Wet World 40% Population 3 Low (7 thousand) Government 7 Balkanization Law 7 Moderate Law (no firearms) Tech Level 9 Early Stellar (fusion)
See also	UWP
style="width: 220px; height: 250px;" Jump map from Travellermap.com
System Details
Primary	K9 V
Worlds	11
Gas Giants	3
Planetoid Belts	0
Cultural Details
Government	Balkanization
Law Level	Moderate
Cultural Extension	3259
Army Size (BEs)	0
Economic Details
Technology Level	9
Economic Extension	821-1 Resources 8 Moderate Labor 2 Low (700) Infrastructure 1 Extremely limited Efficiency -1 Average
Importance Extension	-1
Resource Units	14
GWP (BCr)	0
World Trade Number	3
Trade Volume (MCr/year)	0
Starport Details
Classification	Class-C
Port Size	0
Building Capacity (Tons)	0
Port employees	0
Port passengers (annual)	0

Silk supports a population of fewer than 10,000 sophonts. It is a member of Third Imperium in the Sapphyre Subsector of Dagudashaag Sector and in the Domain of Vland. Silk, as a member world of the Third Imperium, holds the estate of an Imperial knight, a member of the Imperial Landed Nobility who acts as an Imperial representative to the world. This world contains an Imperial Scout Base, capable of handling Scout Service starships and personnel. During the Long Night this world was named Iram Ar.

Astrography and planetology

Silk is a member of the Dagudashaag Main. Specifically, it is part of the namesake Silk Road Branch.

Stellar Data

Silk has a solitary primary star.

Khri
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	K9 V	Main Sequence (Dwarf)		0.59	3850 - 3930	0.15775
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0057	0.0329	0.41 - 0.78	0.57	5.7
	Orbit #	*	*	2	2	6
	Remarks

System Data

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

• The mainworld.
• x7 secondary rocky worlds.
• x3 gas giants. The largest is named Ijei.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

Despite a planetary hydrographic percentage of 48.17%, less than 15% is found on the surface, most of this in or around the Q'habora Sea. The rest of the water exists below the surface in massive caves. Only at the planetary poles is the temperature sufficiently lenient to allow permanent Human habitation. There are almost no seasonal changes on Silk, and temperatures remain reasonably constant from month to month

The only settlement of Silk is on the edge of the Q'habora Sea, with most of the buildings built over water. The city has a network of canals for local transport.

Native Lifeforms

Three radically different families of native life exist on Silk. The equatorial desert is home to burrowing echinoderms, heavily armoured. The Thorn Barrier region (home to spiny flora, between the deserts and the inhabited region) is home to a variety of invertebrates, with the dominant group being mollusc-like. The regions around the Q'habora Sea are dominated by large arachnid or insect analogues.

Tao'l Spider

The most important of the native animals. Each modern Tao'l Spider is a genetically altered three-meter long creature specifically bred to produce particular patterns of silk cloth. Each spider produces the same pattern throughout their life. They can produce up to 75 centimeters square of cloth per day, weaving their single thread with each of their 800 minor legs.

History and Background

The world is ruled by five ruling clans, collectively know as Lao. Each clan is independent of the others and has absolute power over their indentured servants (and collection of Tao'l spiders), who must rely on their ruling family for everything.

Silk is primarily known for its exported Tao'l-silk. A spider producing a successful pattern can sell for up to MCr2.5, since each spider can lay up to 8,000 eggs during their lifespan, each hatching also producing the same pattern as their mother.

Visitors to Silk should note that there is no extrality, and must swear a temporary allegiance to one or another of the Clans in order to buy food, lodgings, or anything else from their host.

It is popularly believed that the first established settlement on Silk occurred with the crash of a slave transport sometime during the early part of the Aakhri Empire's expansion. According to legend, the Captain Qi Lui Ch'en, with the surviving members of his crew, established order amongst the freed slaves and marched them all into the more temperate polar regions where he established the first city, known only as Xi'ahan. The Aakhri worked alongside the former slaves to build Xi'ahan, and were apparently recognised by them as their rulers. During the next thousand years some sort of disaster befell Xi'ahan, destroying it utterly, and the survivors moved to the edge of the Q'habora Sea. It was this second settlement, Kheul, that was discovered in -66 by ships from the Tai'Pan Trading Houses of Argi.

World Starport (Sp)

Silk 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.

Kheul-Doar-Rha is primarily a trade port with few concessions made for passengers, yet is in the process of becoming a prime, if exotic, tourist stop-over.

World Population (P)

Officially, 7,000, but this only counts males of the leading clans. The true population is many times greater.

By strict custom, only 100 adult male Lao are permitted on-planet at any one time.

World Languages

• Cantonese
• Galaach
  • Galanglic is only spoken on Silk by Port staff.
  • Aarani is spoken amongst the poorer people, but there are no translation facilities or translator programs provided on-planet for this language.
  • The ruling clans, the Lao, have a tendency to speak their own family tongue in public in an attempt to prevent others from understanding them.

World Technology Level (T)

Silk possesses a Technology Level of TL–9.

• Common Communication technologies for this TL include: Fiber optics and satellite communication and data networks.
• Common Power Generation technologies for this TL include: Early fusion power.
• Common Transportation technologies for this TL include:
  • Land: Ultra high-speed trains and early grav vehicles.
  • Water: High efficiency sailcraft, multihulled seacraft, improved artificial gills.
  • Air: Tiltrotorcraft, exotic VTOL's, PARWIG, and rocket-assisted suborbitals.
  • Space: SSTO spacecraft, early military spacecraft (System Craft), and interstellar STL starships
  • FTL: Prototype Jump Drive-1.

World Government (G)

Silk has a Balkanized Government. There is no central world government. The world has several governments competing for control of the world. These may be allies, cooperating, competitors, or at war with each other.

Overall planetary decisions are generally decided by a Council representing the five main land owners: the Lui Ch'en, Han Wu, Jin Qi, Qui'ndao and Hualiu Si clans. Collectively, these are the Lao.

Inter-clan rivalry has always proved a major stumbling block in the planet's development. The only surviving attempt at full clan co-operation is the Silk Travel Advisory Service, which was formed in 975 to prevent excessive duplication of bureaucracy from killing the fledgling tourist trade.

World Law

Silk has a moderate law level with laws covering many areas of government and interaction. These laws are simple enough that most people can act as their own advocate, though for serious issues a professional is recommended. Law enforcement officials will be present, but not in great numbers. All firearms, and anything more destructive, are typically regulated or prohibited.

Law enforcement, which is run as a commercial concern, is primarily to prevent acts of crime against the ruling classes and their visitors.

World Economy

A local currency, the Kuai, is used extensively on-planet. The Kuai isn't traded on the interplanetary markets and can only be purchased or exchanged on Silk.

World Culture

Lao are generally sparing in their use of direct physical contact. Norms of etiquette do not differentiate between visiting men or women, but locally this is not reciprocated; under no circumstances should a Clan female be approached or talked to by male visitors.

Diet

In all the districts of Silk, insects form 95% of the natives' protein intake.

• Khuel is best known for its hot, spicy dishes but is also famous for its refined and varied flavours, enhanced by medical herbs and flower petals.
• Doar cuisine is characterised by its variety, the freshness of its ingredients, and its delicate sauces and seasonings. Because of Doar’s location at the heart of a fertile delta, fruit, vegetables and seafood are mixed with the more common insect protein.
• Rha boasts of having Silk's most distinctive cuisine. Influenced by its position on the coast, the region abounds in a selection of edible mudworms and shelled insects. Dishes from this region are lightly and delicately seasoned.

References and Contributors

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 Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Jae Campbell. "Library Data: Sapphyre." Signal-GK 07 (1993): 18. via HIWG
• Jae Campbell. "Port of Call: Silk." Signal-GK 07 (1993): 4.
• Marc Miller. First Survey (Imperium Games, 1996), 84.
• Jae Campbell. Encyclopaedia Dagudashaag (Signal-GK, 2017), 324.