The Horrors to Come

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"That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die."
_The Necronomicon.​

 

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MARK II AUTOMATIC CONQUEROR

"SLAUGHTEROID"

AFFILIATION
Automatic Conquest Corps.

MANUFACTURER
Agorax.

CLASS
Battle droid.

LOCOMOTION
Bipedal. POWER SUPPLY
Rechargeable power cell, 96 hour duration.

SENSORS

• 2x photoreceptor.
• 2x audio pickup.
• 1x sonar scanner.
• 1x heat sensor.
• 1x motion sensor.

SIZE
Height - 1.8 meters.

COMPOSITION
Pseudokiirium and inoxium.

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

• 1x integrated encrypted comlink.
• 1x computer interface plug.
• 1x reader socket.
• 1x holoprojector.
• 2x spotlight.
• 2x vibrobracer.

DESCRIPTION​

To be added.

LEGALITY​

To be added.

INTENT​

To be added.

ADVANCED TECH​

To be added.

 

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MARK I AERO-CONQUEROR

AFFILIATION
Automatic Conquest Corps.

MANUFACTURER
Agorax.

CLASS
Battle droid.

LOCOMOTION
Repulsorlift. POWER SUPPLY
Rechargeable power cell, 96 hour duration.

SENSORS

• 2x compound photoreceptor.
• 2x audio pickup.
• 1x sonar scanner.
• 1x heat sensor.
• 1x motion sensor.

SIZE
Length - 3 meters.

COMPOSITION
Pseudokiirium and inoxium.

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

• 1x integrated encrypted comlink.
• 1x computer interface plug.
• 1x reader socket.
• 1x holoprojector.
• 1x spotlight.
• 1x Blaster cannon.

DESCRIPTION​

To be added.

LEGALITY​

To be added.

INTENT​

To be added.

ADVANCED TECH​

To be added.

 

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AGORAX​

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SYSTEM

Agor.​

GRID COORDINATES

U-15.​

REGION

Outer Rim/Wild Space.​

HYPERLANE

N/A.​

ROTATION

24 standard hours.​

TERRAIN

Ecumenopolis (planet-wide city).​

CLIMATE

Temperate.​

GRAVITY

Standard.​

INHABITANTS

N/A.​

RESOURCES

Kiirium, zersium, naturally-occurring hydrocarbons.​

TECHNOLOGY

Advanced.​

DESCRIPTION HISTORY GOVERNMENT CULTURE SATELLITES

• 
  
  - DESCRIPTION -
  
  

  

  
  "Shining Agorax, 12th wonder of the Galaxy. Long may its master reign!"
  _Unknown ancient traveler.​
  
  Agorax, a name to excite the historian, and to set the treasure hunter's mind alight with legends of treasure buried by the ages. Great mausoleum to the dictator Agorander, resting place of the ancient conqueror's final secrets, its location lost in the course of the great catastrophes that ripped Agorander's empire apart. Never conquered by foe, or again seen by friend.
  
  Such is the legend of Agorax. Picked as the capital of his empire during its first great period of expansion, an undeveloped colony world when first chosen, Agorander decreed that Agorax would be the shining centerpiece of all his works. Built literally from the ground up, the planet's surface was encased in a sprawling megalopolis, an urban concentration which would only later be surpassed by Coruscant and Alsakan. The dominant architectural style incorporated bold, streamlined, monolithic designs, predominantly built in protosteel and ferrocrete. This motif in later years would go on to inspire architects of the late Republic period, culminating in the iconic Art Republica style.
  
  
  Spoiler: NOTABLE LOCATIONS

  1 2 3 4 5

  • 
    
    - TRANSPORTATION NETWORK -
    
    

    

    
    Highways of Agorax.​
    
    Agorax, unlike cities of later periods, was dominated primarily by surface traffic, mainly in the form of pedestrians, groundcars and ancient ground-effect hover vehicles. As a result, the planet's surface was dominated by vast ceramacrete arteries which formed the backbone of the global city, augmented by subterranean rail networks, moving pedestrian slidewalks and air transportation hubs.
    
    
    

    
    An intersection on Agorax.​
    
    Agorax's transportation network was a marvel of computerized centralization. All forms of transport were subject to remote commands by a central control brain, which organized traffic patterns to maximize efficiency and prevent accidents. The flanged control pylons which propagated the transport brain's signal could be seen at every intersection; when slaved to this signal, even personal vehicles could effectively navigate themselves, freeing passengers from the task of operating the vehicle except in emergencies. At the time, this system was considered the most advanced of its kind then in existence.
    
    
    

    
    A spaceport landing field.​
    
    In addition to airfields and rooftop heliports, Agorax is linked to space by a series of vast spaceports, located across the planet. These monolithic constructions were designed with reinforced permacrete surfaces and handling structures suitable for the enormous rocket ships that constituted most spacecraft in those days. Sometimes sprawling over dozens of square miles, they were considered some of the most important locations on the planet, and were universally well guarded with ubiquitous aerospace defenses and security garrisons.
    
  • 
    
    - UTILITIES -
    
    

    

    
    The Intelligence Spires.​
    
    In addition to the transport control brain, other, similar systems controlled global utilities, communication, administration, law enforcement, surveillance and countless other functions which allowed the city to run smoothly. The various control brains were housed in great crystalline "Intelligence Spires," which dominated the planet's administrative district. Similar computers, housed deep underground in hardened bunkers, provided redundant backups to the planetary network, in addition to even more powerful machines that helped to administer the whole of Agorander's empire.
    
    
    

    
    One of Agorax's great fission power stations.​
    
    Agorax was powered by a network of ultra-safe, highly efficient fission power stations, positioned across the planet and housed in vast radiant cooling towers. Another marvel of their day, they were designed by Agorander's scientists to provide power for millennia without refueling, and a miniaturized version of the technology provided power for the dictator's war droids.
    
  • 
    
    - COMMERCIAL & CIVIC DISTRICTS -
    
    

    

    
    A commercial district on Agorax.​
    
    Agorax's organic population enjoyed a high standard of living, benefiting from the fruits of a vast interstellar empire. The planet was home to enormous commercial districts, where could be found goods and services from across the known Galaxy. Huge factory works could also be found, most located deep below ground, which constantly churned out the products of the empire's science and industry.
    
    
    

    
    A typical public park on Agorax, prior to the collapse of the empire.​
    
    Similarly, the planet held countless public museums, monuments, parks and other civic conveniences, built to enrich Agorander's subjects.
    
    
  • 
    
    - THE WORLD BENEATH -
    
    

    

    
    The underworld of Agorax.​
    
    Deep beneath the streets and towers of Agorax's surface, the planet's wonders continued. Layer upon layer of vast artificial caverns honeycombed the not naturally porous crust of Agorax, the upper levels containing buried transport and utility infrastructure, while deeper down were automated factories, shipyards and research facilities that once powered Agorander's empire, and his mighty war machine. In the event of an enemy assault, the planet's - indeed, the empire's - defense could be run from deep bunkers, and the entire population could theoretically be moved into well armored and well stocked shelters capable of outlasting a siege of decades.
    
    None of these shelters seem to have ever been used, at least none that have been found so far; those few outsiders who have penetrated the depths of the underworld have reported strange, fleeting shadows that are not likely to be droids, however. Deadly guard automatons also prowl the underworld, of course. Unsettling reports from explorers who have braved the underworld report that some of the shipyards and factories they have discovered show signs of activity much more recent than whatever catastrophe befell the surface. The entrances of giant, sealed chambers have also been discovered, although they resist all attempts to open them; some have theorized that they contain vast stockpiles of battle droids and warships, intended for Agorander's reconquest of his empire but never put to use.
    
    
  • 
    
    - THE SEAT OF POWER -
    
    

    

    
    The Ziggurat of Agorander.​
    
    The single largest, most imposing structure on the planet, the Ziggurat of Agorander was a sprawling palace complex which sat at the heart of the administrative district, surrounded by the crystalline Intelligence Spires and the lesser offices of organic officials. The great Ziggurat was in fact built around an enormously powerful and complex Central Administrative Computer, through which the cyborg Agorander could directly "interface" with his empire. In addition to the computer, of course, the Ziggurat contained many wonders, including menageries, collections of the dictator's many trophies, Agorander's personal laboratories, sport arenas, harem chambers, simulation rooms, stately pleasure domes and of course, the dictator's court chambers and throne room. The Ziggurat was administered by a staff of droids, as well as specially bred slaves representing all the myriad races of the empire.
    
    
    

    
    The court chambers of Agorander.​
    
    Below the Ziggurat were rumored to be Agorander's personal dungeons, where suffered his enemies in long torment, awaiting the mercy of death only if it pleased the dictator to grant it. Also rumored were Agorander's personal treasure halls, wherein the most choice wealth of his empire was collected.
    
  
  Agorax in the present day is a mysterious world, remote and unknown to most navigational charts. Despite the march of time, the planet retains much of its imperial grandeur, to an almost eerie degree in fact. The vast majority of Agorax's urban landscape still stands, automated systems continuing to function, with robotic workers seeing to maintenance and repair of the infrastructure and buildings. The trains run, the slidewalks move, even the myriad storefront and banks of vending machines appear to still be stocked and awaiting customers, although their wares are badly out of date.
  
  There is one glaring omission from this scene, however.
  
  Of the billions of sentient beings who once called Agorax home, there is no sign. Despite being carefully kept by the machines built to maintain it, the city shows little evidence of organic life, aside from the greenery and small animals in the public parks. The vast majority of the planet is as empty and silent as the tomb it is widely believed to be.
  
  But just because Agorax is dead does not mean that those who set foot upon its cursed surface are not observed. Electric eyes and ears are everywhere, reporting back to something that watches, waits, and does not let those who visit its world depart alive...
  
  
• 
  
  - HISTORY -​
  
  According to all available records, Agorax was first colonized by order of the dictator Agorander, over 2,000 years before the rise of the Republic. Located as it was in the heart of the Diktat's Veil nebula, the planet was naturally isolated from the Galaxy at large, reachable only via a single stable hyperspace corridor which was kept a closely guarded secret. Established as the capital of Agorander's growing empire, the planet was built up by droid and slave labor into a global urban complex, replete with grand architecture, monuments to the diktat's glory and an administrative infrastructure suitable for ruling over an entire Galaxy. This was in keeping with the ambitions of the man who commissioned it; Agorander had sworn that the stars themselves would obey his will, and indeed, seemed well on the way to making good on his promise.
  
  For over 250 years, Agorax served its intended purpose. Agorander's empire grew larger by the day, and seemed like it would indeed engulf the whole Galaxy. From the laboratories and factories of Agorax, the engines of war and conquest were turned out in staggering volume; Agorax itself was protected by some of the most powerful defensive works of its day, and was indeed veiled from the rest of the Galaxy by the natural barrier of the nebula it sat at the center of.
  
  This proved no defense at all against the fate of Agorander's empire.
  
  Historians disagree on the details of the collapse of Agorander's empire, but the broad strokes seem to be an economic collapse caused by unchecked military spending, followed by a series of revolts across the frontiers of the empire that subsequently swept inward. Despite a withdrawal of imperial forces to the district around Agorax in an effort to reinforce the core of the empire's power, internal strife rocked its remaining worlds.
  
  And then, one day, Agorax vanished.
  
  Historians believe that Agorander's capital broke out in riots of its own, which caused Agorander to panic. In an apparent act of spite, the dictator was said to have broadcast a command code across the vast network of hyperspace beacons that linked all corners of the empire. This network was essential for long-range hyperspace travel in the days of Agorander; navicomputers were the size of a light freighter, and cost as much as a mid-tier planet's quarterly GDP, making them highly uncommon in anything but huge military vessels. Agorander's command, which had been hard-coded into every single beacon he had commissioned, caused most of the network to self-destruct, plunging much of the empire into isolation. Agorax, which was accessible only via a specific, highly secret hyperspace corridor through a deadly nebula, was lost to the wider Galaxy.
  
  What happened on Agorax after the destruction of the network, no being can say for certain. Surviving period accounts of Agorax tell of insidious defenses meant to punish an invading force, defenses which may well have been turned on the planet's population by an insane and desperate leader. As there seems to be no sign of a living population today, it is sickeningly probable that Agorander indeed unleashed these horrors on his own people, turning Agorax into a tomb for billions...
  
• 
  
  - GOVERNMENT -​
  
  In the days before its isolation from the wider Galaxy, Agorax was governed by as a dictatorship, at whose absolute command sat the leader Agorander. In practice, the day-to-day management of the planet - and the empire of which it was capital - was carried out by a technocratic elite, aided by various forms of - for the time - sophisticated machine intelligence. Scholars believe that Agorax, and Agorander's empire in general, made significant use of administrative automation, to a degree many governments even today would consider irrational.
  
  In the present, Agorax's organic administrators appear to be long dead, wiped out by whatever madness consumed their leader at the end. The planet-wide city currently appears to be run by some sort of malevolent machine intelligence, ever watchful for intruders and quick to attack them, but still diligently maintaining the infrastructure in a functional state, although the system's actions seems almost like some sort of autonomic response, rather than considered acts. Meanwhile, vast amounts of power are drawn to Agorander's ziggurat, the apparent source of the control signals guiding much of the planet's machinery, from all corners of the global power grid.
  
• 
  
  - CULTURE -​
  
  Agorax once had a vibrant, diverse culture, molded by Agorander himself to incorporate what he considered the best aspects of his empire. With the organic population long extinct, however, only vague records of that culture remain, with Agorax being entirely administered by ancient machinery serving no apparent master.
  
• 
  
  - SATELLITES -​
  
  Agorax is orbited by no natural satellites larger than small asteroids, although it is ringed by countless artificial ones. The meteor-pocked hulks of aerospace traffic control stations, refueling platforms, freight marshaling yards, communication and sensor satellites circle the dead world below. Some have even survived in more or less functional condition.
  
  Although Agorander's empire predates the known usage of planetary shields, it does have a robust network of orbital defense platforms, most buried in nickel-iron asteroids and equipped with energy weapons that would be considered fearsome even today. The network seems to be entirely automated, controlled by hardened defense computers located deep below the surface of the planet below; the defense platforms and their droid piloted pursuit rocket squadrons can be evaded with some skill, however.
  

- INTENT -​

To create Agorax, the lost capital of Agorander's empire. This place, a sort of deserted, Buck Rogers version of Coruscant populated exclusively with ancient guard droids out to destroy all invaders, would be a unique role-playing location, especially with its wealth of pre-Republic tech and other artifacts. Reaching Agorax would be an adventure in and of itself, with players forced to brave the hazards of the Diktat's Veil nebula.

Agorax would be very hard to find, let alone reach, given how long its exact location remained lost. However, I intend to run a story arc with one of my characters, Irma Kinton, which revolves around finding the location of Agorax and going there. After the events which will unfold from there, Agorax's location will slowly start to become more broadly known, giving others an excuse to know the location and visit for reasons of their own.
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