Halcyon:
The location of the Sweet Rayne Inn where we will be meeting on Feb 23rd at 5:00 p.m. It is at the furthest civilized regions of Earth’s reach; a 2-month voyage by dirigible space ship.
It is subjected to constant hurricane level storms. For any give spot on the planet, once every 2-3 months the eye of the storm passes over it, and it is sunny for 90 minutes then the storm resumes. This is why the planet has the name Halcyon. The terrain is marshland with lots of plant life and shrubs, but no tall trees.
Halcyon Greeting:
On Earth you may be met with “Hi. How are you?” The equivalent to that on Halcyon is, “Another fine day of misery, eh?” The typical response to this greeting is just a nod of the head and a slight grin.
Halcyon wildlife:
There are pure white “rhinos” that have diamond tipped horns. There are extremely rare birds with brightly-colored, perfumed feathers that women across the galaxy want for their hats. And perhaps most prized of all is the peltanore wildcat which has a pelt so dense that it can keep out any cold. Extremely wealthy tourists charter expeditions through the One-Shot Adventures Company and come from earth to hunt these exotic animals and collect their treasures.
Fogarite:
A mineral unique in all the galaxy, to Halcyon. It can be mixed with any other substance, and it makes more of that substance. It sells for considerably more than gold. It is extracted through subterranean mining operations run by the Magnum Corporation.
Earth:
The most populous planet in the galaxy. The home of all the tourists. Everyone on Halcyon was from earth within at least the prior generation. Earth contains the city, Space Port FaltIron, which is the primary port of shipping to/from Halcyon, and the home of Davey Rockett’s original Sweet Rayne Inn.
Halcyon Planetary Council:
The government of Halcyon. Much like a town council. Mostly honest. An elected position. Chaired by Councilman Truitt. They recently voted for a pay cut for the Lawmen.
Magnum Corporation – Miners and businessmen:
They mine fogarite and sell it to Earth. They are hard workers, they make good money. They are as respectable as anyone else, and more so than most. The President is Rahn Cooper.
Scientists – Members of the Fogarite Conservation Society:
The scientists have lived on Halcyon doing research for several years. They preach that the mining of fogarite is causing a destabilization of the weather patterns because fogarite has some kind of mitigating effect on the terrible storms on Halcyon. They want to shut down the mines which would make it economically infeasible for anyone to continue to live on Halcyon. This organization is headed by the very outspoken, Dr. Ricktophen.
One-Shot Adventure Company:
Dane owns and runs this company. He provides safari-style adventures where very rich tourists can hunt exotic animals. This brings tourism credits to Halcyon.
Lawmen:
The police of Halcyon. Hard working. Mostly honest. Mostly looking out for others. The laws are a little more relaxed in this far outpost than they are back on Earth.
Performers:
Entertainers looking for a more exotic lifestyle than allowed on Earth. They are generally adventurous and fun to be with, but mostly they are looking out for #1. They are somewhat indifferent to anyone other than fellow performers, though they’ll “put on a show” and pretend to be a friend of any tourist with money. Headliner: Miss Violet Marie Hammond of London!
Tourists:
Very rich people from Earth who come to Halcyon to hunt the exotic animals with the One-Shot Adventure Company. Some may have a proclivity to indulge in other indiscretions that are more difficult to acquire on Earth.
Pirates:
Pirates that go by the name of The Lost Boys provide all transportation of goods and people between Halcyon and Earth. No normal Federation shipping company has the grit required to fight off the bandits and other impediments that work against reaching Halcyon. They don’t live on Halcyon, nor any other planet. They live on their ship.
Another pirate ship has recently landed on Halcyon. No one knows anything about this crew.
Mob:
Rumor has it that there is a mob who traffics a drug called “R-40” through Halcyon.
R-40:
A highly addictive and illegal drug made from distilled Quantum Ejector Coolant. Once ingested by a human it is not detectable. When ingested, it causes a “high”, much like the Red Dye #40 that is used to poison people back on Earth. Some people respond with hyperactivity, others respond with a dulling of the reflexes and a “slump-on-the-sofa” type of calm.
Credits:
Everything is bought and sold with credits. These are in the form of Signed and dated IOUs.