Zephor (world)

Zephor/Corelian (Theta Borealis 0911)
Classic Era (1116)	E772383-5 Starport E Frontier - no facilities Size 7 Medium (11,200 km, 0.70g - 0.94g) Atmosphere 7 Standard (tainted) Hydrographics 2 Dry World 20% Population 3 Low (7 thousand) Government 8 Civil Service Bureaucracy Law 3 Low Law (no automatic weapons) Tech Level 5 Industrial (mass production)
See also	UWP
System Details
Primary	M2 V
Planetoid Belts	1
Gas Giants	0

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Jump map from Travellermap.com

Zephor is a low-population hellworld with a population less than 10,000 sophonts struggling to survive in an inhospitable environment .

• Hellworlds often offer daily, and sometimes even hourly, life-threatening situations to their inhabitants.
• It is a Non-Aligned world dominated by indigenous Sophonts located in the Corelian Subsector of Theta Borealis Sector.

• This is a "low technology" world with technology competencies well below standard for Charted Space.
• This die back world was once settled and developed, but the inhabitants have either died off or left, leaving behind the ruins and remnants of their civilization.
• It is the homeworld of the Tshini.
• It was the homeworld of the (extinct) Zephora.
• 100% of the population is composed of Tshini.

Description (Astrography & Planetology)

Stellar Data

Zephor has a solitary primary star.

• It is a red main sequence named Zeph.

Zephor has a solitary primary star.

Zeph
	Type	Category		Mass (Sol)	Temperature (K)	Luminosity
	M2 V	Main Sequence (Dwarf)		0.44	3470 - 3560	0.0565
	Unit	Diameter	Safe Distance	Habitable Zone	Jump Shadow	M-Drive Limit
	AU	0.0041	0.0197	0.25 - 0.48	0.41	4.1
	Orbit #	*	*	1	1	6
	Remarks		None

System Data

• x1 Mainworld, orbiting the star at 0.36 AU. It has an orbital period of 118 days 22.5 hours.
• x7 rocky secondary worlds.

Mainworld Data

Zephor orbits within the star's Habitable Zone.

• It lies within the zone's prime H region.
• It receives moderate levels of stellar energy.

It has a very slow rotation period: one local day is equivalent to 7.6 standard days (approximately 1 standard week).

Mainworld Size (S)

Zephor is a Meso World between 10,400km and 12,000km in diameter. The world has a standard gravity between 0.7G and 0.9G. The horizon will appear about 4.7km away.

Mainworld Atmosphere (A)

Zephor has a pressure of 0.71 to 1.49 atmospheres. While a Standard Atmosphere does not require survival gear this atmosphere also contains an unusual taint such as disease, a hazardous gas mix, pollutants, or sulfur compounds which requires the use of a Filter Mask. Some taints may require more protective equipment. TL–3 or more advanced survival gear is required to settle this world.

• Temperatures during the 90 standard hour-long day are high.
• Temperatures plummet during the 90 standard hour-long night.

Mainworld Hydrosphere (H)

Zephor has 15-25% of its surface covered by liquid water or ice. There may be a few small seas. Wilderness refueling is possible. Water for the inhabitants needs to be imported and extensively recycled. These worlds are Hell Worlds or Poor Worlds depending on their atmosphere.

Mainworld Geography and Topography

Much of the planetary surface is racked by earthquakes and active volcanoes. Streams of lava, noxious gases, mud and ash pour into great fissures rent by tectonic instability. There are labyrinthine tunnels and caves, upon which much of the native life depends. Water is scarce.

A map of Zephor, the mainworld of the system, showing major bodies of water, large landmasses, and major highland regions.

• Far more detailed maps are available locally.
• Verified updated charts are constantly sought.
• Detailed survey data commands premium prices.

A basic map of Zephor.

Native lifeforms

Extensive native life. Its metabolic functions drive the process of atmospheric renewal.

The environmental damage resulting from destructive warfare has reduced the biosphere considerably.

There are three major classes of fauna on Zephor:

• Cathcar: Identified by their double heads, these animals have an exoskeleton that increases in thickness the larger or older the animal is. Attached to the body are four double-jointed limbs. The smaller species are social, largely for defensive purposes.

• Hexisea: These animals tend to be flight-capable or derived from flying ancestors. They are noted for having four visual receptors and four audio receptors consisting of deep canals leading to a hearing mechanism inside the head.

• Xanthina: This class of animals can be recognized by their lizard-like appearance, exoskeleton of thick, porous skin, large head, tail and four legs. Although a few animals of this class have hooves, most have claws. Quite a few Xanthina have skin-change characteristics to blend with their background, making them almost impossible to see. However, the chameleon-type species do tend to emit a very strong, putrid odor, due to their glands' excreta.
  • The native sophont species of Zephor derive from this class of animal.

History & Background (Dossier)

Zephor is a backwater that sees few visitors.

• Information about the system is limited.
• The resources of the mainworld are being tapped.

It is the homeworld of the Tshini.

• The majority of the surviving Tshini have departed Zephor for a new world known as Tshi.
• The Tshini's relocation has been aided by the Kingdom of Peladon.

Zephor was the homeworld of the Zephora, a sophont species believed to be extinct.

• Remnants of their civilization can be found across the world.
• The Zephora used any advanced technology they could acquire.

Note that social data, though only 40 years old, may be out of date: previously undocumented groups may now inhabit the system and maintain their own culture, forms of government, and systems of law.

• Verified updated data is constantly sought.

The Zephora lived in structures made of misma (a material similar to Terran wood), in cities upon the planet's surface. The Tshini preferred the darker regions of the caves and tunnels lacing the world's interior. Rivalry and bickering between the two societies eventually resulted in a technological arms race and open hostility. During a major war, a Zephora zealot with good intentions and bad technical information instigated a nuclear exchange. The Zephora died out in the cataclysm or its aftermath; the subterranean Tshini survived, albeit just barely.

World Starport (St)

Zephor 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)

Zephor has a population of 7,000 sophonts (thousands).

• This is a Low Population World and the population would be too low to sustain itself without a little outside assistance. This may represent the home base of a sizable but mostly transient population such as the base of a major starship expedition, the last generation of a dying colony, the first generation of a new colony, or a large outpost that will probably evolve into a colony if not stopped.
• The population is almost entirely composed of Tshini (representing less than 20% of extant members of the species).

Urbanization

A few small urban areas surrounded by satellite communities.

• Outlying areas have a few isolated structures or compounds.
• Almost all of the surface of the world is wilderness.

There are ruins and remains, mostly TL–4 or lower, dotted across the world.

• These are the remnants of the Zephora civilization.
• Most are situated upon the slopes of the least active volcanoes; little remains besides oddly-shaped, bulbous areas punctuated by gaping holes.

World Technology Level (T)

Zephor possesses a Technology Level of TL–5.

• Common Communication technologies for this TL include: Telephone, radio, and television.
• Common Power Generation technologies for this TL include: Electricity, hydrocarbon internal combustion, and the most fundamental atomic energy.
• Common Transportation technologies for this TL include:
  • Land: Ground cars or automobiles and tracked vehicles.
  • Water: Large ships and submersibles with steel hulls.
  • Air: Early aircraft including seaplanes and very early unmanned rockets.

World Government (G)

Zephor is governed by a Civil Service Bureaucracy. The leadership of the government takes another form (democracy, dictatorship, oligarchy), but the bureaucracy leadership influences policy. The government leadership may select the bureaucracy leadership, but not its membership. Usually the governmental leadership is divided, or incapable of setting policy, and the bureaucracy provides a stabilizing influence. This ruling bureaucracy may be the full government bureaucractic apparatus or a section with limited jurisdiction but considerable influence, like the military.

World Law (L)

Zephor has a low law level. There are few laws, covering only important areas. There may be few or no law enforcement officers, the expectation is citizens will bring law breakers to the attention of the Judicial system. Legal proceedings will be fast, with few people involved. For interactions outside of the framework of the laws, cultural norms dominate. Machine guns, other automatic weapons, portable energy weapons, and other military weapons, body pistols, explosives, and poison gas are typically regulated or prohibited.

Trade Data

• Importance: -3 (very unimportant)

World Economy

• Resources: 5 (scarce)
• Labor: 2 (hundreds)
• Infrastructure: 1 (extremely limited)
• Efficiency: -5 (extremely poor)

World Culture

• Homogeneity: 1 (monolithic)
• Acceptance: 1 (extremely xenophobic)
• Strangeness: 2 (typical)
• Symbols: 2 (very concrete)

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)

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

• Bill Bledsaw. Mission to Zephor (Group One, 1980), .
• Bill Bledsaw. Theta Borealis Sector (Group One, 1981), .
• J. Andrew Keith, Marc Miller, John Harshman. Aslan (Game Designers Workshop, 1984), IBC. (sector named but no further data)
• Peter G. Celella, James Holden. Solomani & Aslan (Digest Group Publications, 1991), 50, 51. (sector named, dot map provided)
• EXTERNAL LINK: Goerge.com
• Author & Contributor: Jo Grant of CORE (generated data)
• Author & Contributor: Graham2001
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS