[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

As mentioned in the planetary empires in inquisitor thread, a world I use as a base for my inquisitor setting is Velterax III. An Idea i had was to make the background stage a communal activity. The original plan was an eldar maiden world/desert world on the eastern fringe, captured by the ultramarines during the great crusade. The natives were uncompliant but elusive and remain to this day. Xeno raiders from early in the planet's history (Rabid Inteligent Veltraxians)roam the deserts. 1 half of the planet was so tainted that orbital bombardment commenced and blasted the tainted half to dust. Currently, the tau empire is attacking the velterax system, the Al Bhanshkav (natives/terrorists) are mounting more raids and the eldar are attempting to take the planet once more. Now it's up to you.

[MarcoSkoll]

While the idea of a community project is interesting, this isn't really one. Because ultimately, we're not going to have anything to do with the end result, you're basically just asking us to design your world for you. I don't have problems with suggesting the odd idea or discussing concepts, but there comes a point where you're asking for too much of my time/ideas.

Also, even if people are willing to help, I think you could find this will produce a very non-coherent end result. Too many cooks spoiling the broth, so to speak.

[DapperAnarchist]

There are already various communal Conclave concepts - the Carthax Sector and its various subsectors (such as my own Keltani subsector) being the stand out one. Take a look at the Chronicles, perhaps something of use might be there.

[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

Ok I will do it myself then, but I thought it was a nice idea.

[RobSkib]

Ok I will do it myself then, but I thought it was a nice idea.

It is, but it already exists, and on a much larger scale - The Carthaxian Conclave (as mentioned above) is a thousand thousand Conclave communal campaign worlds.

That said, your planet sounds like it has some excellent backstory, and plenty of hooks. Write up a little more about it, set up a distress beacon that might attract the attention of Inquisitorial agents in the system, post it up in the Carthaxian Conclave thread, and who knows who/what might stumble across your planet...

[MarcoSkoll]

Indeed, community projects are a good idea, but the problem here is that what you're doing isn't really a community world - it's ultimately your world, and I wouldn't want to use it for something that would mess it up for you.

The Carthax sector works because it's a big enough sandpit that people can write plots of world destroying scale without stepping on other people's personal sandcastles, but it does mean they are still all in the same sandpit and can build sandcastles together if they want.

~~~~~

Write up a little more about it, set up a distress beacon that might attract the attention of Inquisitorial agents in the system, post it up in the Carthaxian Conclave thread, and who knows who/what might stumble across your planet...

Not to be a nay-sayer to him writing for the Carthax sector, but as Carthax is in the Segmentum Pacificus (exactly where has never been said, but I personally imagine it's a little to the galactic west of the Sabbat worlds), it's a little bit out of the way for the Tau to be launching a full assault.

[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

To follow the progress of my Velterax III project, go to my site herehttp://velterax3chronicles.blogspot.com/

[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

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Write up a little more about it, set up a distress beacon that might attract the attention of Inquisitorial agents in the system, post it up in the Carthaxian Conclave thread, and who knows who/what might stumble across your planet...

Not to be a nay-sayer to him writing for the Carthax sector, but as Carthax is in the Segmentum Pacificus (exactly where has never been said, but I personally imagine it's a little to the galactic west of the Sabbat worlds), it's a little bit out of the way for the Tau to be launching a full assault.

Maybe there is a warp portal that links to the Carthax sector from the Eastern fringe and that is why the tau want it.

[MarcoSkoll]

That's actually a pretty interesting idea.

I'm not sure about the idea of "a warp portal" (the idea of Stargate like portals or wormholes is more appropriate for the Webway than the warp) but it could be that Velterax is a warp hub, sitting on one end of an exceptionally fast and stable warp passage. A good Navigator can make the journey in an astoundingly short time, and the passage is even usable (if not quite so quickly) by the psychically blunt Tau.

Of course, this would also result in the system being quite a major space port, but perhaps one of the other worlds in the solar system serves that purpose.

[Ynek]

I'm not sure about the idea of "a warp portal"

I agree in a roundabout way with what you're saying. From my perspective, warp portals are typically portals to the warp, not a portal to another location in realspace. So, for instance, enslavers create warp portals. Daemons might use warp portals to gain access to the material plane. Chaos marines might be inclined to travel using warp portals. But "stargating" from one end of the galaxy to another sounds more like a webway (whether it's an Eldar gateway, or one of the truly ancient ones that were constructed by the Old Ones. The latter might explain why the gateway has been forgotten by the likes of the Eldar, and why it is now open for exploitation by the likes of the Tau.), or perhaps a necron teleportation gateway. (As per the second Ciaphas Cain book. He calls it a warp portal, but the idea of necrons using warp technology never really sat right with me. The necrons predate psykers, and the warp as we know it. When the necrons were young and developing, the warp was a calm ocean with no ripples or currents. It was the creation of psykers that turned it into the turbulent storm that allows FTL travel. I like to think that necron teleportation gateways, monolith portals and personal teleporters use entirely realspace based tech, but I'm getting sidetracked here.)

It could be that Velterax is a warp hub, sitting on one end of an exceptionally fast and stable warp passage. A good Navigator can make the journey in an astoundingly short time, and the passage is even usable (if not quite so quickly) by the psychically blunt Tau.

Of course, this would also result in the system being quite a major space port, but perhaps one of the other worlds in the solar system serves that purpose.

Sounds very similar to the Levitus gulf stream, which connects the Cadia system to the Levitus subsector, which lies several lightyears from the fringes of the Imperium. This is, of course, where most of my games are played, as the region's isolated geography gives us a lot more freedom in various regards. The gulf stream is a one-way trip, however. Going from Cadia to the Levitus subsector takes virtually no time at all, but the return journey can take years. For this reason, it is not considered to be athreat to Cadian security, since things can only enter the gulf stream aperture, rather than come out of it.

Just in case that offers any sort of inspiration....

[DapperAnarchist]

That sounds intruigingly similar to my aforementioned Keltani subsector, linked to the wider Carthax region by a one-way warp route called Ariepate's Path, but surrounded by a highly dangerous warpstorm - so though close in straight up light years, the outward journey is drastically difficult.

[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

I think it could be divided into 2 areas, one going one way (from the velterax system to carthax) and one going the other way (from a different area in carthax to another system in the velterax sub).

[MarcoSkoll]

It doesn't necessarily need to be two warp passages. Just thinking of the warp as a three dimensional ocean with currents that can be utilised to speed your passage is a far too rational way of imagining it.
The warp is really, really freaky, and has only marginal correlation in time or space to the material universe. As such, while every point in real space has a mirror in the warp, two points can be a very difference distance apart in the warp to in reality.

So, fast passage might be as a result of warp currents (allowing faster travel in one direction), or it might simply be that points that were huge distances apart in the real world aren't in the warp (faster travel in both directions).

I prefer the idea of only a single passage, because while one passage connecting two sectors quite so far removed is theoretically possible, one conveniently going in each direction starts to sound a bit contrived.

But overall, the idea of such a warp passage leading around the edges of the Segmentum Tempestus and out into the Eastern Fringe has a lot of potential. It provides the reason for your Tau assault and an excuse for when people want to use Tau in Carthax based games (although said Tau are probably still carried to the sector by bribing Imperial ship captains for passage, rather than trying to run an Imperial blockade with their own ships).

[Inquisitor Octavian Lars]

That does sound better, I will add it to my next blog entry

P.S have you read it
Really
Oh you have, good