[Pirates of Drinax] Coreward Hierate clan map

[paltrysum]

UPDATED, including feedback. Reduced the Ahroay'if's presence and changed the color scheme a bit.

I put together this graphic to help give some clarity and character to the region of the Hierate that factors into a Pirates of Drinax campaign:

https://ibb.co/mdauPq

I used travellermap and information from Pirates Book 2 to put it together. I haven't produced a key for the nebulous backgrounds behind the planets, so here's a makeshift one:

• Orange: Multi-world clans or split control
• Blue: Tlaukhu control or vassal
• Green: Single-world clan control or vassal
• Red: Imperial client state

Comments are welcome. If anything seems off or inaccurate, please let me know. I'd like to make it the best tool it can be for the players.

 

[Baldo]

In recent centuries, trade with the Imperium has made the Tlaiowaha even richer. Their Ahroay’if vassals have also grown rich and powerful, and *fat and lazy*, on their cut of the profits.

I doubt the Ahroay’if clan controls the worlds once owned by the Glorious Empire in Goertel subsector, they have lost the will to fight long ago (just ask Kasiyl :wink: ).

 

[NOLATrav]

Not running Drinax right now but that is a great map! Cheers!

 

[paltrysum]

I doubt the Ahroay’if clan controls the worlds once owned by the Glorious Empire in Goertel subsector, they have lost the will to fight long ago (just ask Kasiyl :wink: ).

Great comment. Assigning a clan to control worlds like Hliyh and Eilaeah is tricky. Here are some things we know about the Ahroay'if from Pirates Book 2:

• They are the vassals of the Tlaiowaha, a Tlaukhu clan that has delegated its power to the Ahroay'if in the region.
• They're the "dominant clan in the Tlaiowaha sector; rapidly rising in power because of trade with the Imperium."
• Tyokh is dominated by the Ahroay’if clan.
• The Hkaaiheir clan (who reside on Keiah) says the Ahroay'if clan are "fat and weak," and have lost their warrior tradition.
• "The Tliaowaha/Ahroay’if axis has benefited hugely from the trade, and both clans have gained influence in the Tlaukhu and Ya’soisthea respectively."
• Ahroay’if escorts meet Imperial convoys at Tech-World and hence exert extraterritorial responsibilities beyond the Hierate borders, helping provide the infrastructure for the Hierate Trade Route.
• They run the Company of Grandmotherly Kindness. "The trading arm of the Ahroay’if clan, this company also has significant investment from the powerful Syoisuis and Tlaiowaha clans."
• "The Ahroay’if control or strongly influence more than a third of the worlds in [Tlaiowaha] subsector. Their power is based on trade, and the Ahroay’if have a vested interest in preserving the peace."
• "Stohyus is the homeworld of the Ahroay’if, a vassal clan of the Tlaiowaha and one of the richest worlds in all the Ya’soisthea." This world is just rimward of the Glorious Empire.

And here's the quandary: travellermap lists Hliyh as governed by a "single multiple-world clan." If that's not the Ahroay'if, I'm not sure who it would be in Tlaiowaha subsector. The books are quite clear that the Ahroay'if dominate and the presence of another "multi-world clan" would seem to contradict that. It's tricky trying to marry the Mongoose data to the travellermap data, but I think it kind of fits.

You also have the travellermap placement of some Tlaukhu in interesting and provocative locations on the map. For example, on Hrahraiu, right next to the Glorious Empire, you have a Tlaukhu dominated world said to be controlled by the Seieakh, Akatoiloh, and We'okunir clans, three clans famous for the level of cooperation they engage in with each other. Hrahraiu is said to be considering the idea of exterminating its freed human slaves while Hliyh and Hteakya seem to be trying to either deport them or incorporate them into society. Could it be that the Seieakh, Akatoiloh, and We'okunir are making some kind of a power grab in the region? Maybe teaching the upstart Ahroay'if a lesson of some sort? Perhaps putting the Ahroay'if into a difficult situation like this, effectively making them try to exert their power in a war zone when they have little appetite for war is exactly what the Tlaukhu wants to do.

In any case, Thanksgiving week time off has given me an extraordinary amount of time to work on little details like this so there you have it.

Not running Drinax right now but that is a great map! Cheers!

Thanks, NOLATrav!

 

[Baldo]

And here's the quandary: travellermap lists Hliyh as governed by a "single multiple-world clan." If that's not the Ahroay'if, I'm not sure who it would be in Tlaiowaha subsector.

Travellermap is the official Source Of Truth™, but its raw data often need some creative adaptation. Never checked the meaning of the various AsMw, AsVc, AsTv, etc. etc. codes, but if Hliyh *must* be an Ahroay'if world because of the AsMw code, why Awaweaw (book 2 p. 197, an Ahroay'if world for sure) has a AsTv code instead?
However, it's also true a horde of ihatei may have conquered Iliyh and later joined the Ahroay'if, a là Eoiw (p. 199) and Earlyu (p. 197), therefore validating your point. The possibilities are endless, and my opinion is only one more theory .

 

[Old School]

Great stuff, thank you!

We haven’t really delved into the hierate and we need to. My players keep finding other things they want to blow up. Need to have the King summon them home for Ibatei! soon, but that means I need to wrap my arms around Aslan politics first. Thanks for the head start!

 

[paltrysum]

Travellermap is the official Source Of Truth™, but its raw data often need some creative adaptation. Never checked the meaning of the various AsMw, AsVc, AsTv, etc. etc. codes, but if Hliyh *must* be an Ahroay'if world because of the AsMw code, why Awaweaw (book 2 p. 197, an Ahroay'if world for sure) has a AsTv code instead?
However, it's also true a horde of ihatei may have conquered Iliyh and later joined the Ahroay'if, a là Eoiw (p. 199) and Earlyu (p. 197), therefore validating your point. The possibilities are endless, and my opinion is only one more theory .

Point taken on Awaweaw. The theorem would go if Awaweaw, an avowed Ahroay'if world, is classified AsTv, all Ahroay'if worlds should be classified AsTv. I agree. But I think we can assume that the authors did not consult travellermap with any degree of accuracy when constructing their story. Therefore we're left trying to match it up in a way that makes sense if we so desire. Still, I'm coming around to your way of thinking: The Ahroay'if are said to dominate over a third of the worlds in Tlaiowaha, not Goertel where I have arbitrarily given them a few worlds to govern. I should consider having a different, as yet unnamed clan controlling Hliyh and Eilaeah, which as you pointed out might be controlled by a more warlike clan. I do like the idea of the upstart Ahroay'if being challenged to overextend themselves into a realm that's beyond their abilities, though. Gotta think about this one.

In any case, thanks for the feedback. Good things to think about.

 

[DickTurpin]

These are the descriptions used by Travellermap. I hope this helps.

• Code - Description
  AsMw - Aslan Hierate, single multiple-world clan dominates
  AsOf - Oleaiy'fte
  AsSc - Aslan Hierate, multiple clans split control
  AsSF - Aslan Hierate, small facility
  AsT0 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Yerlyaruiwo (1), Hrawoao (13), Eisohiyw (14), Ferekhearl (19)
  AsT1 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Khauleairl (2), Estoieie' (16), Toaseilwi (22)
  AsT2 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Syoisuis (3)
  AsT3 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Tralyeaeawi (4), Yulraleh (12), Aiheilar (25), Riyhalaei (28)
  AsT4 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Eakhtiyho (5), Eteawyolei' (11), Fteweyeakh (23)
  AsT5 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Hlyueawi (6), Isoitiyro (15)
  AsT6 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Uiktawa (7), Iykyasea (17), Faowaou (27)
  AsT7 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Ikhtealyo (8), Tlerfearlyo (20), Yehtahikh (24)
  AsT8 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Seieakh (9), Akatoiloh (18), We'okunir (29)
  AsT9 - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu control, Aokhalte (10), Sahao' (21), Ouokhoi (26)
  AsTA - Tealou Arlaoh
  AsTv - Aslan Hierate, Tlaukhu vassal clan dominates
  AsTz - Aslan Hierate, Zodia clan
  AsVc - Aslan Hierate, vassal clan dominates
  AsWc - Aslan Hierate, single one-world clan dominates
  AsXX - Aslan Hierate, unknown

 

[paltrysum]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I think the following is an improvement:

https://ibb.co/mdauPq

I reduced the Ahroay'if's presence greatly, which I think more accurately reflects the author's intentions. I changed the color scheme a bit (please see the updated first post in this thread for the changes), leaving more flexibility for anyone who wants to use it to insert their own clans or customize it.

As Baldo pointed out, Ahroay'if worlds seem to be marked with the AsTv (Aslan Tlaukhu vassal) code. So to be consistent, I only assigned one world directly to them. Their presence is noted on other worlds where they are competing for control since they are said to own or influence one third of the worlds in the Tlaiowaha subsector (the right side of the map).

Additional feedback always welcome. Collaborating on things like this is fun.

 

[Baldo]

Your map is definitely MORE useful than those from The Source Of Truth™, I hate those (AsEtc. x 20) codes Travellermap uses.

Two more things:

1): The various "Vassal Clan" planets in Tlaiowaha subsector (and beyond, maybe) could become "Ahroay'if Vassal Clan" worlds with no loss in realism. After all, "The Ahroay’if control or strongly influence more than a third of the worlds in (the) subsector", the Htyowao are Ahroay'if vassals and Oiwoiieaw (code Vc) is Ahroay’if-ruled (book 1, p. 266-267, Kteiroa).

2): Just a quibble. I'm NOT a fan of that "OUTRIM VOID" you placed 2 parsec coreward of Khusai, what about a "DRINAX CHAIN" between Kteiroa and Hilfer/Paal, instead?

 

[paltrysum]

Brilliant ideas, Baldo. Incorporated and the above links updated. Thanks, again!

The players are going to love the "Drinax Chain" idea. They are of course working to rebuild the kingdom and the presence of that text sort of presages its rebirth.

 

[steve98052]

When travellermap data differ from another source that I want to use, on matters of allegiance, I tend to assume that the source that I don't want to use is the way someone claims things are, but not necessarily the way they are.