The Twenty Currents Cluster

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Introduction

This campaign setting exists in the Spelljammer™ "fantasy in space" universe. In Spelljammer™, every 'solar system' is it's own little universe, enclosed in a crystal sphere. Between the crystal spheres is an area called the flow. Magical devices are used to travel between planets in a sphere, and between the spheres themselves. While designed for GURPS, this setting can be used with other game systems suitable for Heroic/Space Opera campaigns.

The 20 Currents Cluster is area of space far separated from the normal areas of the Spelljammer universe. Here there are no Tinker Gnomes or Neogi, and the nearest Imperial Elven outpost is a minimum of 9 months travel away. There are well over 500 crystal spheres in the cluster, each of which contains an average of nine inhabitable worlds.

Within the cluster, space is controlled by various nomadic tribes. These tribes are primarily based on the Russian steppe tribes, with additions from the Vikings, Celts, and Gypsies (and possibly others). The Arcane maintain their role as master traders, standing apart from all the tribal disputes, trading freely with all sides, never interfering, and allowed free passage anywhere. Beholders and Illithids (Mind Flayers) have spelljamming 'kingdoms' in the area, and are not usually members of any of the nomad tribes. Arcane and Beholders are NPCs. Illithids may be PCs.

Most tribes are dominated by one particular race, but have members from a wide variety. This is due to the nomad habit of 'raiding' (stealing) children to be brought up in their own culture. Raided children grow up as second-class citizens in the tribe, but (with luck and skill) can form their own families and septs. Historically, none has ever headed a tribe, but it's possible one could.

Relationships between the tribes themselves vary on a case by case basis.

The tribes' entire culture is based around spelljamming (travel in space). Tribes trade among the groundlings, raid for what they need, or provide special services (like metalwork to a stone-age culture). All members of a tribe live in space: men, women, and children. A tribe may be spread across several crystal spheres, but most members of a family and clan will be in one place.

The members of a tribe consider themselves superior to groundlings because of their access to spelljammer technomancy. They divide themselves into spell-users and warriors. Spell-Users are responsible for manning helms (the magical device used to travel in space), teaching, child care, and "light work." Warriors are responsible for navigation, general ship repair, combat, and "heavy work." Both divisions (having different names depending on the tribe) participate equally in arts, crafting, leadership, and negotiation. Some tribes are segregated by sex. Most are not, but there still tend to be more females in the spell-using role, and more males in the warrior role.

The basic nomad unit is the clan. A clan accepts the leadership of a single Lord (also called Admiral, Chief or Prince), and may break into two or more clans if its members disagree on the best leader. A clan typically travels together, though they may separate for short periods. They will have at least one homeship (90-100 tons, unarmed) or, for clans with large numbers of dwarves, citadel (100-700 tons). Further major helms are evenly divided among man-o-wars (50-60 tons armed), dreadnoughts (90-100 tons armed), and more homeships. Minor helms are primarily used on corvettes (40-50 ton fighting ships), but a few are often placed on smallships (4-5 ton fighters).

Clans are divided into septs, which are in turn divided into families. In general, ships are manned by multiple families in a single sept, but may be manned by multiple septs where a sept is particularly small (or large). Sept leaders are titled Captain where they control a single vessel (excluding smallships), or Commodore where they control multiple vessels.

In theory, each clan owes allegiance to a King (High Lord, High Admiral, Khan). In practice such allegiance varies with skill and power of the King and Chieftain involved. Tribes are better distinguished by their common language and culture.

Economics

The economy of space is unusual. Most things can be easily traded or raided, but I'm not sure what drives the internal nomad arrangement. The nomads, however, are not total parasites of the groundlings. (Perhaps I should say mostof them aren't, the slave-holding tribes tend towards that.) They build their own vessels, manufacture and repair weapons, and have the skill to decorate and adorn themselves and their ships.

Prices in the cluster are given in ounces of gold (z). An ounce of gold equals about 1 AD&D® gp or 20 GURPS $.

Magic

Helms: There is always a shortage of Spelljamming helms. The nomads are always willing to buy (and use) as many helms as the Arcane (who are the only source for manufactured helms) are willing to sell. An Arcane will be willing to take orders for helms (minor = z100,000, major = z250,000, payment in advance), but it will be a minimum of six months before a new helm can be delivered. This keeps the price of helms up, and tends to keep them out of the hands of groundlings.

Other Arcane devices: Accelerators (z45,000), Passage Devices (z10,000/ton of vessel), Portal Locators (z5,000), Planetary Locators (z2,000), Spell Reflectors (z1,000,000+?) can only be purchased from the Arcane. Nomads are rarely willing to sell the ones they have, and cannot manufacture more. These items are rarely found on ships of less than 90 tons.

Items enchanted with Continual Light, Flight, and Hawk Flight are common. As are items that produce food, water, and air.

Magic weapons are also very common, but they tend not to be very powerful. Items with a single +1 enchantment are the most common, and items with multiple +1 enchantments can be found fairly readily. +2 items, however (most of which have multiple enchantments), are very difficult to come by.

Scrolls are are easy to come by as long as they don't store more than 12 points of fatigue. Potions with a creation time of less than 4 weeks are also easy to find. Sellers, however, will never be willing to sell more than one to a party at a time.

Dimensional Storage devices have a tendency to burn out after too many passages between wildspace and the phlogiston, and are thus nearly nonexistent.

Powerful ancient items exist, but are often unpredictable in their effects.

Currents

The Bubble Twist:
Cabin View:
Devils Handbasket:
Dreaming:
Flip's Traverse:
Glittering Path:
Heaven's Note:
High Repute:
Humility's Child:
Long Stretch:
Orange Road:
Prosperity Flow:
Risen Froth:
The Shear:The most dangerous current, full of eddies that can toss a ship in unpredictable directions.
The Slice:
Stagnant Circle:
Subsidence Line:
Torture's Ally:
Talker's Alley:
Washer's Vortex:

Spheres

Emptyspace

This sphere lies in the center of the cluster, at the conjunction of six of the major currents: Glittering Path, High Repute, Long Stretch, Prosperity Flow, The Slice, and Talker's Alley. Emptyspace is the same as the Dark Sphere.

Giffspace

Firespace

Helmspace

Tribes

Afwye: Halflings, clothing of living plants, aversion to unliving tools
Ahdahl: Human & Selskin
Gevantli: Giff & others
Hahng: Gorreck. Flying spears
Kleekitee: Toraz
Konsak: Humans
Murfel: Humans, Dwarves & Gorreck, controlled by undead
Parthash: Selskin
Quarkern: Humans
Qurkaz: Dwarf
Tornearo: Humans, distinctive facial and body tattooing
+more

Within each tribe, each clan (average 25 per tribe) will typically muster around 40-50 ships. 10% will be unarmed and 90-100 tons (usually Mammoths or Whaleships). 10% will be armed 90-100 tonners. 10% will be 60 ton Hammers or Scorpions (occasionally Man-O-Wars). 50% will be 40-45 ton Squidships, Dragons, or Turtles. The remainder (20%) will be 5 ton mosquitos, deerflies, or needleships. Overpopulated clans will lower the percentage of 60 and 5 ton vessels, while wealthy clans will raise the percentage.

Major Races: Beholders, Dwarves, Elves, Giff, Gorrek (Ape-Men), Halflings, Humans, Illithids, Lizardmen, Selskin (Intelligent Octopi, legless, 4 "arms" (8 tentacles), capable of flight), Toraz (Pterodactyl-Men).

There are some elven clans, but no tribes dominated by elves.

The Kingdoms

Giff Kingdom
Beholder Kingdoms
Illithid Alliance
Kingdom of Fire
Kingdom of the Helm
N'Ferra Confederacy

Special Items

The Staff of Saint Zirana: This staff is a holy relic of the Goddess of Life and Health Vannora (Freya). All of its powers are sanctity based. It projects an area of high sanctity and life-aspect mana (-1 FT healing spells) for 10' in all directions. This area also has the effect of an Astral Block. The bearer gains the Unfazable advantage, and rank 3 resistance to magic and disciplines. Upon command the staff will shed light with an effect identical to sunlight in a 150 yard radius, except that it is not as bright and will not blind. Once per day this light can be focused into a bolt which does 5d damage to a single undead, or recovers 5d fatigue on a living creature, ignoring all damage resistance and affecting immaterial entities. When used upon animate unliving objects or disembodied spirits the staff does +1d damage. The possessor of the staff gains +3 strength, +4 health, +2 hit points and +5 fatigue and is immune to all drain and steal spells and similar effects. Additionally, the possessor gains a +1 bonus to staff skill, and a +2 bonus to all athletic skills. The staff can be used to cast Minor Healing, Turn Zombie, and Walk on Air spells with a skill of 20; and cast the Bravery spell (at range) and Counterspell (Drain and Steal effects) with a skill of 15.

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