Welcome to the Para-Imperium

Stories about the Para-Imperium setting. WordPress page at www.paraimperium.wordpress.comWriter's FA http://www.furaffinity.net/user/zarpaulus/ SoFurry https://zarpaulus.sofurry.com/ Main blog (mostly random crap) http://zarpaulus.tumblr.com/  Patreon at http://patreon.com/Zarpaulus

[para-imperium]

The Hyades Cluster

The Hyades, the closest star cluster to the original Core Worlds, was naturally an early target of Federation colonization. Even before the Federation Charter was signed, a magsail was boosted from the Alpha-Proxima line towards the Hyades. After the Secession War on Schwartzwelt was resolved the surviving rebels were loaded onto a torchship bound for the Hyades. And as the wormhole network was…

[para-imperium]

Sail Crash - Adventure Module for Sale!

I wrote the first of hopefully many adventure modules designed for Scavenger: Caches and Prizes, with some maps I drew in GIMP. In this adventure, the Scavengers stumble upon an irradiated freighter that leads them to a Federation transit station that was once part of a whole network of magnetic sail craft. And it's been reactivated. You can buy it on my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/stellar-sail-159478137

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[para-imperium]

Crepusculum: Planet of Twilight

Crepusculum (Twilight): X555772-3 (No spaceport, Mars-sized, thin atmosphere, 50% water coverage, tens of millions of people, balkanized, low law level, Steam Age) A planet within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, 0.1 AUs in this case. Originally tidally locked, Federation terraformers could have sped up its rotation to Terran standard but decided to try something new. At present the…

[para-imperium]

Kailyn's Armory

My Traveller character Kailyn in the middle of the kind of armory she'd like to have. Maybe once they bring in a decent haul... Art by Jen Pallante.

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[para-imperium]

Space Pirates

So-called "pirates" were somewhat rare during the Federation era, though as they expanded and the Guard started to become spread thin incidents became gradually more frequent. But during the Collapse thousands of ships fled the Core Worlds only to be turned away by unsympathetic local governments that found themselves overwhelmed by the sudden severing of the wormhole network. As these refugee fleets grew increasingly desperate they increasingly found themselves joined by former Federal Guard detachments that had similarly been cut off from their supply lines. As they did what they needed to survive, a symbol spread among the fleets, carried by laser and QComm, displaying their dire situation and the tools they needed to rectify it...

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[para-imperium]

Federation of Parahuman Species Flag

The flag of the Federation of Parahuman Species. The yellow, orange, and red circles represent the three stars of the Alpha Centauri system. The navy blue is the dark of space, and the silver background is the House of Silver. The motto translates from Old Esperanto to "Unity, Security, Harmony." I'll admit I had a little help with the final design (thanks Grace).

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[para-imperium]

WorldAnvil

I’ve started copying articles from this site over to WorldAnvil, a website designed specifically for developing and sharing worldbuilding projects for authors and gamemasters. So far I’ve got the timeline, history, core cultures, notable star systems, and technology. I’ll probably add some of my prose fiction too. You can follow the project using the RSS feed or open a free account on…

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[para-imperium]

Parahuman Space WorldAnvil

I started a WorldAnvil page for my Para-Imperium or Parahuman Space project. I'm in the process of copying over the lore from my old Wordpress site and in the Scavenger rulebook. Check it out at: https://www.worldanvil.com/w/parahuman-space-zarpaulus

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[para-imperium]

GenAsI

The General Assembler Intellect, typically installed on fabricators, is but one example of the many varieties of Persona programs that were ubiquitous at the height of the Federation. Intended to be usable by users with a wide range of skill levels and backgrounds, they instead proved so aggravating that the majority of professionals preferred “manual” controls. Ideally, when a Persona is…

[para-imperium]

Felis et Canis ch. 3

The Slipstream continued on its path through empty space as if nothing had happened. But onboard, the small crew were making preparations. As the pirate ship began to burn and maneuver closer to the Slipstream, a badger and lion were busy tying a crude armature to the inner airlock. “Are you sure this’ll work?” Orlando inquired. Kailyn snorted, “we lost so many men to these things at the pole,…

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[para-imperium]

Felis et Canis ch. 3

The Slipstream continued on its path through empty space as if nothing had happened. But onboard, the small crew were making preparations. As the pirate ship began to burn and maneuver closer to the Slipstream, a badger and lion were busy tying a crude armature to the inner airlock.

“Are you sure this’ll work?” Orlando inquired.

Kailyn snorted, “we lost so many men to these things at the pole, they are effective.”

“Yeah,” the badger admitted. “But that was in gravity. How do you know it’ll work in null-g?”

“Springs don’t rely on gravity,” she tweaked a spring stretched taut between the lever and a brace.

“Hey,” Jarlan called over the intercom. “Our visitors just cut their drive and switched to cold jets. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes at most. If you want to see them visually, head on up to the bridge.”

Kailyn flung herself across the room to the hatch, and slammed into the opposing wall as a result. More carefully, she reached for the handholds built into the wall and hauled herself into the cockpit. There, Jarlan pointed to a monitor showing a menacing black shape outlined against the stars. Even visually she could make out the ship’s oversized engines on its long, narrow hull. A white canine skull in front of a pair of crossed femurs slowly came into view as the ship rotated.

“I think it’s pretty safe to assume they’re pirates now, don’t you?” Jarlan noted.

“That’s a Corsair-class pocket frigate,” Kailyn identified the craft. “I thought they were all decommissioned?”

“Apparently this one found its way onto the secondary market,” the vulpine replied. “Unless your people are doing some “off-books” work.”

Kailyn snarled, “it was your people who hired pirates to raid our shipping.”

“Privateers,” Jarlan corrected. “And I was considering joining the program but they discontinued it after the war.”

Kailyn continued to scowl at them, but reminded herself that they needed to prepare for combat. She turned back to the ship’s survival locker at the back of the cockpit. Two narrow rifles stood in their racks. “Are those really the only weapons on board?”

Jarlan drifted past her, stopping deftly at the doorframe of the locker and pulling one rifle loose. “The demilitarization team took all the accelerator guns. We’re lucky they added this civvie survival kit.” Flipping the gun around they attached a gas canister to the stock and rummaged carefully through the ammo box. “Better use flechette rounds, they’ll probably be in suits.”

The lioness checked her body pistol, cursing herself for not bringing anything larger.

A soft *thud* resounded throughout the ship. Jarlan returned to their console and flicked through several screens in quick succession. “They’re launching harpoons.”

Kailyn nodded and drifted towards the iris valve. “Any indication which airlock they’ll be entering through?”

“It could be either the cockpit or the cargo bay,” Jarlan answered. “Maybe even both at once depending on how many of them there are.”

“Which would you say is more likely?” Kailyn inquired pointedly.

Jarlan thought for a minute before answering, “the cockpit. They’ll want to neutralize the crew before they start taking cargo.”

Kailyn nodded in agreement. She picked up one of the lever apparatuses and set it on the cockpit airlock. Then she carefully strung a thin wire across the doorway (Recon: 6+2+1=9, Success). Another harpoon thudded into the hull and the three crew/passengers of the Slipstream moved to take up positions around the iris valve on the stateroom side.

Jarlan flipped on a screen in one of the stateroom deck walls and set it to a video feed of the pirate ship as it drew them closer with its harpoon lines. Small objects detached from the Corsair-class and flew slowly towards them. A quick zoom-in showed them to have humanoid shapes. “Guess they’re taking a space walk instead of forcing a dock. I could blast them with the sandcaster before they land.”

“Then their compatriots will just blast the ship full of holes and salvage the pieces,” Kailyn retorted.

“You’re the expert on asymmetric combat here,” Jarlan grumbled in response. A couple minutes later the airlock sounded an alert. A space-suited figure drifted in front of the control panel, an accelerator rifle slung across their front, pulling at the mechanical controls. Behind them, half a dozen more pirates clung to the hull with magnetic grapples. Each of them bearing the same skull-and-bones emblem on their dark blue spacesuits.

“That airlock can fit, what? Three people?” Kailyn inquired.

“Four if they squeeze in,” Jarlan replied. “Let’s hope that trap of yours takes out at least one of them.”

The outer hatch slid open on the screen and the pirate who’d been working on the control panel crawled through, followed by two more. The outer hatch closed again and the hiss of pipes pumping air into the lock reverberated through the ship.

Jarlan, Kailyn, and Orlando carefully arrayed themselves around the hatch, each clinging to a different wall as they brought their weapons to bear. Orlando glanced nervously around, eye settling on Kailyn’s small pistol. “Are you sure you don’t want a bigger gun?” he inquired, gesturing to his rifle.

“This tiny thing has more recoil than your air rifles,” the lion pointed out. “I’ll take one of their gyrojets after we kill the first group.” She checked her magazine one last time. “Really we should all pick up their guns.”

The inner airlock finally opened and a pirate lunged forward.

Initiative:

Trap: 13

Pirate 1: 10

Jarlan: 9

Kailyn: 9

Orlando: 8

Pirate 2: 7

Pirate 3: 4

The spiked lever trap swung into the lead pirate as they ran straight into the tripwire (DMG:5+1=6, -6 Protection=0), knocking them back into the airlock and embedding itself in their suit. Jarlan squeezed off a shot at the pirate (6+4-2=8, Success. DMG: 6+5=11, Knockdown. -6 Protection=5, END 7-5=2). Kailyn shot her pistol at the same pirate (5+3+1-2=7, miss) but missed. Orlando’s shot (3+2-3-2=0) went wild as the recoil sent him reeling.

Another pirate still in the airlock leveled their rifle around their stricken companion, flares shot out of the sides of the barrel as the miniature rocket inside ignited and streaked out at the exposed badger (6+4+1=11, effect 3. DMG: 2+2+1+3=8. END 7-8=-1, DEX 7-1=6). The third pirate followed up on the same target (6+2+1=9, effect 1. DMG: 5+3+5+1=14. DEX 6-14=-8, STR 7-8=dead), skewering him in the chest.

The lead pirate managed to rip the spikes free, tearing out a chunk of their suit in the process. Glaring, they blasted a gyrojet at Jarlan (2+1+1=4), which sailed harmlessly between their ears and ricocheted off the wall behind them. Jarlan shot a flechette in response (2+2-2=2), and immediately ducked under the hatchway. Kailyn popped off another bullet at the front pirate (6+6+1-2=11, effect 3 DMG: 3+2+3=8, Protection-6=2. END 2-2=0, unconscious 1D minutes).

The second pirate launched themself through the iris valve and shot at Kailyn (3+1+1=5), only for it to go wide. The third pirate cranked the lever to close the airlock, shouted “fuck you!” and fired two rockets at Kailyn (4+3+1=8, DMG 2+1+6+1 double-tap=10. END 5-10=-5, STR 12-5=7, unconscious).

The lioness was knocked loose from her perch, a hole in her shoulder streaming blood. Jarlan watched her drift, then turned to Orlando, hanging limply in the air, and then to the pirate on the stateroom deck aiming their rifle at them. Ears drooped and tail tucked between their legs, Jarlan dropped their rifle and let it drift away. “I surrender.”

The pirate behind Jarlan lowered their rifle, “you surrender huh? Was that spike thing your idea?”

“No,” the vulpine claimed. “But I’m the captain, you’ll need my bio-signature to transfer the ship to your control.”

“I’m sure our hackers could unlock it eventually,” the pirate’s hand drifted towards a revolver at their hip.

“This was a military ship, if you try hacking in the servers will wipe themselves and you won’t get our data.” Jarlan objected.

The pirate paused, “what data.”

Jarlan glanced over at Orlando’s limp body, and Kailyn was bleeding but still twitching. “If you let me treat my passengers and drop us off safely, I’ll give you the coordinates to a Federation wreck.”

—

Kailyn blinked, her eye was having trouble focusing on the multi-colored figure in front of her. Were they friend or foe? She began to tense her claws before recognizing their voice.

“Oh good you’re awake,” Jarlan exclaimed with relief. They waved a medical scanner over her body. “I was starting to worry that I’d lose both my passengers.”

The lioness noticed an ache in her shoulder and tried to turn to look, but a sharp pain stopped her short. Kailyn fought through the fog of pain as she realized the implications of Jarlan’s comment. “Wait, what happened to Orlando?”

The vulpine’s ears drooped, “he… didn’t make it.”

“Damn,” the lioness tried to look around the room, it resembled her own stateroom, but the walls were adorned with posters depicting the star system, across which a pristine courier ship like the Slipstream but thirty years newer streaked, followed by the D’kaarjy company logo. “Is this your cabin?”

“Yeah,” Jarlan admitted. “The pirates wanted us in one place while they…” they made a sweeping gesture. 

Kailyn started to growl in frustration at Jarlan for surrendering, but another thought rose to quash it in despair. They’d been doomed from the start, there had never been any way for them to prevail. And now she couldn’t even achieve an honorable death. All she had to look forward to now was an undignified execution or ransom back to her pride. “Did they say what they planned to do with us?”

“I offered to give them the coordinates to that wreck Orlando spotted,” Jarlan explained. “In exchange for our lives.”

As Kailyn considered what they could do next, the cabin’s wall-mounted monitor came on and the scarred visage of a hyena with a crude prosthetic eye appeared. “So, while we’re loading our new cargo, how about we discuss what’s going to happen to you two?”

Kailyn lunged towards the screen, provoking a twinge of pain in her shoulder. “And whom might we be speaking to?”

The hyena snarled in response. “Captain Yrar of the Meteor Reaver, and you’d be wise to show me some respect missy! Seeing how I literally hold your life in my hands.”

She heard a click off to the side and carefully turned to see a pirate standing in the doorway, a short-barreled revolver held in their spacesuit’s glove. Kailyn studied the gun for a few tense moments, evaluating how effectively it might kill the both of them before she could do anything. Maybe she could take the pirate out if she sacrificed Jarlan, but then the other pirates would kill her for sure. She had no choice but to concede, for now. “My apologies.”

“Well,” Year nodded. “I’ve been thinking of what exactly to do with you. We normally don’t take prisoners, too much trouble you know.”

“We had a deal,” Jarlan protested. “I give you the coordinates and you let us live.”

“Those were the terms,” the pirate replied. “But how do I know whatever is in that wreck is actually worth your lives? So allow me to make a small amendment.”

Kailyn slowly turned to glare at Jarlan again.

Yrar continued, “we take all your cargo, leave you two on your ship with Smokey there,” their guard tapped on the doorframe. “And when we get to the wreck you can test it for defenses. If you live I’ll let you sign on to my crew or dump you in an escape pod, your choice.”

Jarlan stared anxiously at the screen, “what do you mean by “test?””

Yrar let out a disturbing chuckle. “So, it turns out that those coordinates you gave us weren’t exactly unknown. You see, there’s this little Belter legend. Ever heard of Jin’s Fall?”

Jarlan’s ears shot straight up, “that’s where we’re going?”

“Guess you should have done your research,” Yrar grinned, showing a set of metallic teeth. “Captain.”

“What?” Kailyn inquired with trepidation. “Is Jin’s Fall?”

“Just some space myth,” Jarlan tried to reassure her.

“Oh, it’s no myth,” Yrar interjected, holding up a weathered memory chip. “I happen to have a first-hand recording of their last transmission. How about we give it a listen?”

There was a click as he slotted the chip into his console. A few moments later a burst of radio static came over the line.

“I’m approaching the structure,” a soft voice called amid the static. “It looks like an unfinished habitat. There’s this big hole in the ring but it doesn’t look damaged. I don’t see any docking ports, maybe I can tether myself in the hole.” After several agonizing minutes of silence Jin spoke again, “almost in there, just…”

They were cut off by the sound of several large objects crashing around, followed by a long, wordless scream. After another crash the recording cut out entirely.

Yrar laughed again, “all that was found of Jin’s ship were a few little bits of scrap.” He popped the chip out and flipped it about in the air. “So, do you agree to my new terms or shall we toss you out the airlock now?”

Jarlan seemed frozen with indecision. Kailyn knew that it was a bad deal, but maybe they could still iron out a few of the fine details…

[para-imperium]

Scavenger's back in print at DriveThruRPG, finally.

Scavenger: Caches and Prizes - Joel Kreissman | DriveThruRPG.com

Scavenger: Caches and Prizes - Thousands of years in the future, the Federation connected dozens of stars with its wormhole network. Coloniz

There's also a greyscale version on Barnes & Noble's website, as well as on the one site we all hate but you can't be an indie author without.

[para-imperium]

Scavenger Back in Print!

Scavenger: Caches and Prizes is finally in print again at DriveThruRPG. There's also a slightly cheaper B&W version at Barnes and Noble's site, as well as you know which site.

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[para-imperium]

Now available in print.

My new roleplaying game based on the Para-Imperium setting I’ve been developing for over a decade and the Cepheus Engine is finally available in print! The book contains a complete game that is fully compatible with other Cepheus and Traveller products.

Wanna play a wolf-person pirate or a Skiltaire belter? With the modular phenotype designer you can build whatever “race” you want to play.

With an expansive campaign setting that covers thousands of stars you can choose one of four pre-made star systems or roll up your own!

Salvage the wreckage of a fallen Federation or make a living your own way in one of the many successor states striving for the stars!

Go to DriveThruRPG to buy Scavenger: Caches and Prizes for only $30 in print, or get both print and PDF for just $2 more!

[para-imperium]

Scavenger Now In Print!

My new roleplaying game based on the Para-Imperium setting I’ve been developing for over a decade and the Cepheus Engine is finally available in print! The book contains a complete game that is fully compatible with other Cepheus and Traveller products. Wanna play a wolf-person pirate or a Skiltaire belter? With the modular phenotype designer you can build whatever “race” you want to play. With…

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[joghost]

Beasts and Bloodsuckers 19

GO! Go now! Read more at https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Joanna_Ghost_Hunter/ First volume in print at Fenris.

Art by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/herbiegrimm/ Writing by me, https://www.patreon.com/Zarpaulus or https://ko-fi.com/zarpaulek

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[para-imperium]

You can get my furry sci-fi RPG based on Traveller in color print now for only $30USD

https://legacy.drivethrurpg.com/product/533464/Scavenger-Caches-and-Prizes