Mithril (world)

Mithril/Sword Worlds (Spinward Marches 1628)
Classic Era (1116)	E568000-0 Starport E Frontier - no facilities Size 5 Medium (8,000 km, 0.40g - 0.57g) Atmosphere 6 Standard Hydrographics 8 Wet World 80% Population 0 Barren (0) Government 0 No Government structure Law 0 No Law Tech Level 0 Pre-Industrial (primitive)
See also	UWP
System Details
Primary	F4 V
Planetoid Belts	0
Gas Giants	1

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Jump map from Travellermap.com

Mithril is a barren world with no overt population, government, or law level.

• This world could be populated if anyone had an inclination to do so...
• It is a member of the Sword Worlds Confederation in the Sword Worlds Subsector of Spinward Marches Sector.

• This is a cold world with an overall climate that is at the lower temperature range of human-congruous sophont endurance.
• This is a "Reserve World" with restricted access, either to protect the indigenous lifeforms, to protect available resources, preserve pristine and idyllic real estate, or other reasons.
• Mithril is a member of the Spinward Main.
• It is one of the Metal Worlds.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stellar Data

Mithril has a solitary primary star cataloged as CN4335688.

• It is a white main sequence.

Mithril has a solitary primary star.

CN4335688
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	F4 V	Main Sequence (Dwarf)		1.38	6550 - 6670	3.08729
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0143	0.1457	1.58 - 2.75	1.43	14.3
	Orbit #	*	0	4	4	7
	Remarks		None

System Data

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

• The mainworld.
• x6 secondary rocky worlds.
• x1 gas giant.

Mainworld Data

Mithril is a terrestrial world orbiting an F4 V star, referred to as CN4335688, at a mean distance of 2.60 AU. Unfortunately, this orbital distance gives the planet a low average surface temperature despite its energetic primary. The ice caps are extensive, and even the equatorial lands have a climate like that of northern Scandinavia on Terra. In actuality, the water which covers the surface of Mithril is mostly ice; ice-caps cover both poles, and much of the continental land mass is under a mantle of ice and snow.

Mithril orbits just within the star's Habitable Zone.

• It lies within the zone's colder outer H- region.
• It receives relatively low levels of stellar energy.

The world has a slightly eccentric orbit – at its closest approach to the star during the 1,303 standard day-long local year (consisting of 1,105.7 Mithrilese days of 28 standard hours, 17 minutes each), temperatures climb high enough for a growing season that supports plant life. The local biosphere has adapted, and "ephemeral glades" containing a wide variety of plant and pseudoinsect species will grow and die over the course of a day or two when conditions are right.

Mainworld Size (S)

Mithril 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)

Mithril has a pressure of 0.71 to 1.49 atmospheres. A Standard Atmosphere does not require survival gear and will likely be easy for most sophonts to breathe.

• It experiences very low temperatures.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

Mithril has 75-85% of its surface covered by liquid water with a few large continents and extensive islands. Wilderness refueling is possible.

• Open water is littered with icebergs and pack ice.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

A simple map of Mithril showing open water (blue), the glacial caps (white), flatlands and rugged terrain (tan), and uplands and mountains (brown).

• The starport is marked by a red cross.
• The outlines of continents and landmasses buried below the ice caps are depicted. These regions are far more rugged than the flatter sea-ice.

Native Lifeforms

Mithril supports a range of native life occupying a wide variety of ecological niches. Its metabolic functions drive the process of atmospheric renewal.

• Native lifeforms are cryophilic - they thrive in very low temperatures.

Local species include the Calamander (a small but aggressive burrow-dweller known for stealing objects), the Snow-Worm (a gigantic, mindless, near-mythical filter feeder), the Raucuss (a noisy bird-like flyer), and Crystallice (tiny but lethal organisms that burrow into the bodies of other creatures and hijack their genetic makeup in order to reproduce).

History & Background (Dossier)

Mithril is listed in astrogation directories as having no population, government, or law level; this is not entirely true. Mithril was one of the group of Metal Worlds held in reserve by the Sword Worlds Confederation for future development. To support that claim, a rudimentary Starport (type E, little more than an administration building next to a paved area) was maintained, along with a port warden responsible for establishing sovereignty. Formally Mithril thus has a population of one, as well as a form of local governance and laws, but with no way to enforce that law away from the administration building, the Scouts choose to ignore it.

When the Border Worlds were formed in 1111, the Metal Worlds went with them. The port warden was replaced by one appointed by the Border Worlds, but otherwise things remain the same.

The University of Sacnoth is a proponent of the "Early Aslan" hypothesis, which includes the claim that Mithril was the site of an Aslan settlement or outpost centuries before the Imperium began its expansion into the Spinward Marches. This is based around the discovery of allegedly very old Aslan artifacts on the world, though they are currently in the possession of a private collector and are not available for detailed analysis and study.

World Starport (St)

Mithril has a Class E Starport, a frontier quality installation with few expected amenities. There is unrefined fuel for starships and a limited variety of ship provisions. There is no shipyard of any kind, but there may be parts and technical support for doing minor services and repair. Ports of this classification generally consist of a downport.

World Population (P)

Mithril is a Barren World with no sophont population. It may still possess lifeforms.

• A Warden is resident at the starport.

World Technology Level (T)

Mithril possesses a Tech Level of TL–0.

• The world has no technological base.

World Government (G)

Mithril has no government or ruling authority of any kind.

World Law (L)

Mithril has no law level. No laws of any kind are enforced.

Trade Data

• Importance: -3 (very unimportant)

World Economy

• Resources: 2 (very scarce)
• Labor: 0 (none)
• Infrastructure: 0 (non-existent)
• Efficiency: -5 (extremely poor)

World Culture

• Heterogenity: 0 (none)
• Acceptance: 0 (none)
• Strangeness: 0 (none)
• Symbols: 0 (none)

World Timeline

Major events that have affected this world and the wider region that it lies within:

• -420: Terran-descended humans flee the Old Earth Union through the Aslan Hierate.
• -399: The fleeing humans found the first settlement within the Sword Worlds region.
• The Year 0: the Third Imperium is founded.
• 300-420: the Imperial First Survey charts the system.
• 589-604: First Frontier War.
• 604-622: the Imperial Civil War.
• 615-620: Second Frontier War.
• 624: the Imperial Express Boat Network is established.
• 852: the modern Sword Worlds Confederation is formed.
• 979-986: Third Frontier War.
• 995-1065: the Imperial Second Survey charts the system.
• 1065: the Second Survey is published. Information about the system becomes widely available.
• 1082-1084: Fourth Frontier War, also known as the False War.
• 1107-1110: Fifth Frontier War.

Original Data

(Editor's Note: the original data detailing the world's orbital distance places it far beyond the point where any water can remain liquid on the surface. As such, within the Mainworld Data, above, the information has been reworked to match the current understanding of the habitable zones of F-type stars – the region around such a star where liquid water may exist. The original data is provided below.)

Mithril is a terrestrial world, orbiting a powerful F4 V star. Unfortunately, Mithril orbits at a distance that gives it a low average surface temperature despite the heat of its primary. The ice caps are extensive, and even the equatorial lands have a climate like that of northern Scandinavia on Terra. Only the planet’s 2,486-day year (2,109.5 Mithrilese days of 28 hours, 17 minutes each) allows for a long enough growing season to support plant life. The local biosphere has adapted, and “ephemeral glades” containing a wide variety of plant and pseudoinsect species will grow and die over the course of a day or two when conditions are right.

Mithril is an average-sized world measuring 8000 kilometers in diameter, with a standard atmosphere and water covering 80% of the world surface. In actuality, the water which covers the surface of Mithril is mostly ice; ice-caps cover both poles, and much of the continental land mass is under a mantle of ice and snow. Mithril's temperature rarely goes above freezing, as it orbits CN4335688, its F4 V primary, at a distance of 4.10 AU. Only the 2,486-day year allows for a long enough growing season to support plant life.

References & Contributors (Sources)

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.

• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches (Game Designers Workshop, 1979), 16-17.
• Marc Miller. Across the Bright Face/Mission on Mithril (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 6-11.
• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches Campaign (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), 18-19.
• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 94-100. (UWP only)
• Rob Caswell. "Domain of Deneb: Sector Data." MegaTraveller Journal 3 (1992): 47-58. (UWP only)
• Dave Nilsen. The Regency Sourcebook (Game Designers Workshop, 1995), 44-45. (UWP only)
• Martin Dougherty, Neil Frier. Behind the Claw (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), 72-73.
• Paul Drye, Hans Rancke-Madsen, Robert Prior. Sword Worlds (Steve Jackson Games, 2004), 22-73.
• Mike West. The Spinward States (Avenger Enterprises, 2008), 109. (UWP only)
• Martin Dougherty. The Spinward Marches (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), .
• Martin Dougherty. Mission to Mithril (Mongoose Publishing, 2018), .
• Martin Dougherty. Behind the Claw (Mongoose Publishing, 2019), 89-92,96-97.
• Martin Dougherty. Sword Worlds (Mongoose Publishing, 2020), .
• External Link: GURPS Traveller News Service SJG