This chapter is a navigation guide for the book itself. It explains how chapters are organized, how to read a location entry, what zone classifications mean, how to interpret jurisdiction and hazard codes, and how route notation works in this atlas. Read it once before the Gazetteer. Return to it when a field in a location entry needs clarification.
Chapter Map
| Chapter | Contents | When to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| One: Introduction | Atlas scope, audience, companion books, and information accuracy | Orientation before starting |
| Two: How to Use This Atlas | Entry format, zone codes, jurisdiction codes, hazard ratings, route notation | When a field needs clarification |
| Three: Reading Sectors, Routes, and Relays | Spatial framework, zone types, slipstream corridors, relay coverage, permits | Before running travel or planning a campaign region |
| Four: The Major Power Cores | Irnan, Funtari, Shoiyan, Jaziri, and Antaean interior systems | When operating inside a recognized power's space |
| Five: Disputed Borders | Meridian Verge, Red Marches, Glass Frontier, Khatar Line | When operating in contested frontier space |
| Six: Unclaimed Systems | No Man's Land, outer volumes, survey-only systems | When operating beyond reliable authority |
| Seven: Freeports and Smuggler Havens | Independent stations, clan ports, gray-market docks | When the crew needs a port without a flag |
| Eight: Phased Relay Network | Relay infrastructure by zone, coverage tiers, dead zones, alternatives | When communication matters as much as navigation |
| Nine: Habitable Worlds | Settled worlds with economies, populations, and infrastructure | When the crew is landing rather than docking |
| Ten: Stations, Belts, and Dead Colonies | Orbital stations, mining belts, failed settlements | When the job takes the crew off a planet |
| Eleven: Hazards, Anomalies, and Dark Gaps | Navigation hazards, stellar phenomena, known dark regions | When the route has a problem on it |
| Twelve: Trade Routes and Cargo Pressure | Primary trade corridors, cargo demand, contraband patterns | When cargo is the point of the session |
| Thirteen: Sector Gazetteer | Full location entries for every named system, organized by zone | The main reference section |
| Fourteen: Atlas Hooks and Complications | Ready-to-use complications keyed to zones and locations | When the GM needs a fast complication |
| Fifteen: Atlas Quick Reference | Zone codes, entry fields, route fields, relay tiers, hazard ratings | At the table |
| Sixteen: Index and Attribution | Full index, legal notices | When searching for a specific name |
Reading a Location Entry
Every named system in this atlas uses the following format. Not every field appears in every entry: newly charted or rumored systems may have partial entries where survey data is incomplete.
#### [Location Name]
*[Zone or Region], [Jurisdiction]*
[2-3 sentence atmospheric description in present tense.]
**Population:** [number, range, or "transient"]
**Approach:** [Close, Standard, or Far]
**Economy:** [primary activities]
**Authority:** [who controls this and how visibly]
**Docking:** [scale limits, fees, restrictions]
**Notable:** [1-3 specific, gameable details]
**Hooks:** [1-2 brief adventure entry points]
Location Name is the commonly used name for the system or primary body. If a system has a secondary common name or local term, it appears in the atmospheric description.
Zone or Region tells you which zone classification this location belongs to and, if it sits inside a power's space, which power claims it.
Jurisdiction describes who actually controls this location and the nature of that control, using the codes defined below.
Population is an approximate figure for the permanent or semi-permanent inhabitants. Transient populations at trade stops and relay stations can far exceed the resident figure.
Approach is the system's Approach value: Close, Standard, or Far. It states which Travel Band a ship occupies when it emerges from the standard exit arc and how long the outermost leg takes. A Close system puts an arriving ship at Long with no Extreme leg. A Standard system puts it at Extreme with a two-Interval outer leg. A Far system puts it at Extreme with a six-Interval outer leg. When an entry carries no Approach value, use Standard. The Travel Band, Cruise, and Approach rules are in the GM Guide chapter Routes, Travel, and Communication.
Economy lists the primary activities that keep this location viable. Multiple entries mean multiple significant revenue streams.
Authority names the controlling entity and characterizes how that control manifests: whether it is light-touch, bureaucratic, military, clan-governed, corporate, or religious.
Docking covers what a ship can expect when requesting berth: scale limits (what size ships can fit), basic fees, and any restrictions worth noting before arrival.
Notable gives one to three specific details: an unusual feature, a recurring complication, a named faction presence, a piece of infrastructure, or a condition that changes how the location functions.
Hooks gives one or two brief adventure entry points keyed to the location's specific pressures and populations. These are not full scenarios. They are the opening sentences of problems.
Zone Classification System
Zones are the atlas's own geographic and political classification, used consistently across all chapters regardless of what any power calls the same region on its own maps.
| Zone Classification | Definition |
|---|---|
| Power Core | Dense interior systems where a major power maintains full administrative presence, functional legal systems, regular patrol coverage, and complete relay infrastructure |
| Frontier | Systems adjacent to a power core where that power holds recognized authority but administrative presence is thinner, patrols less frequent, and infrastructure less reliable |
| Frontier Contested | Systems where two or more powers maintain overlapping claims and neither fully controls the space; includes disputed lanes and mixed-population zones |
| Disputed Corridor | A named zone between power borders with its own character, neither formally belonging to one power nor clearly independent |
| Unclaimed | Systems outside any recognized power authority, lacking functional governance, with infrastructure that exists only where someone chose to build it |
| Dark or Dead | Regions with no reliable slipstream corridor access, no functioning relay infrastructure, and no established population; some have been charted, some have not |
| Meridian Verge | Special classification for the launch frontier: a small neutral circular zone where the Irnan Directorate, Funtari Confederacy, and Jaziri Caliphate meet, governed by treaty rather than any single power |
A location may belong to more than one classification layer. A system can be in Frontier space of one power while also sitting within a named Disputed Corridor; the entry will note both.
Jurisdiction Codes
The Jurisdiction field in each entry uses the following shorthand codes. These appear in italics directly under the location name.
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Full | A major power holds complete administrative, military, and legal authority here; enforcement is routine and consistent |
| Nominal | A power claims this system but physical presence is minimal; the claim is real but not reliably enforced |
| Contested | Two or more entities claim overlapping authority; who is actually in charge depends on who is in dock |
| None | No recognized governmental authority claims or controls this location |
| Variable | Authority shifts depending on corporate contracts, clan agreements, or current military presence; the entry specifies who holds it now |
| Treaty Neutral | The location operates under a multi-power neutrality agreement; no single power may station military assets without mutual consent |
| Corporate | A private corporation holds operating authority, typically through a charter, concession, or contracted security arrangement |
| Clan | A Funtari clan holds authority, operating under Confederacy recognition but with local clan law as the primary enforcement mechanism |
| Independent | The location governs itself through a local authority structure not affiliated with any major power |
Hazard Classification
Hazard ratings appear in system entries where navigation, environmental, or social conditions create consistent elevated risk. A location may carry more than one hazard type.
| Hazard Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| H1 Minor | Routine precautions sufficient; experienced crews handle without incident |
| H2 Moderate | Competent crews manage with preparation; inexperienced crews may face complications |
| H3 Significant | Requires skilled navigation, appropriate equipment, or local knowledge to cross safely |
| H4 Severe | Serious risk of ship damage, crew injury, or navigation failure; requires specialist expertise |
| H5 Extreme | Ships enter at high risk of loss; no reliable safe passage exists under ordinary conditions |
Hazard types include:
- Navigation — corridor instability, seam drift, saturation, forced-entry risk
- Environmental — stellar radiation, debris fields, unstable gravity, atmospheric hazards on approach
- Communication — relay absence, communications shadow, jamming
- Patrol — high military or customs interdiction; legitimate ships may still face significant delay or inspection
- Piracy — documented predatory activity by criminals, raiders, or privateers
- Political — crossing into or through this location creates legal or diplomatic complications regardless of cargo
Route Notation
Slipstream corridors between systems are referenced throughout this atlas using a standard notation. Full navigation rules are in the Vehicles Manual; this section covers how routes are described in atlas text.
A route reference reads: [Origin] to [Destination], [Class], [Stability], [Travel Time].
For example: Port Meridian to Merrow Gate, Lane, Established, 2-4 days.
Class values are Thread, Lane, Spine, Grand Channel, and Fracture. Thread routes support small ships only. Lane routes support ordinary civilian traffic and patrol ships. Spine routes support heavy freighters and military groups. Grand Channel routes support capital fleets and major trade flows. Fracture routes are unstable or damaged streams with unpredictable capacity.
Stability values are Established, Maintained, Frontier, New, Fading, and Lost. Established routes need no Astrogation Trial under normal conditions. Maintained routes require routine navigation. Frontier routes require a Astrogation Trial. New routes are newly discovered and difficult to locate reliably. Fading routes are losing coherence. Lost routes are no longer safely accessible.
Travel Time is the typical duration for that corridor, expressed as a range. Superior slipstream drives may reduce this. Degraded drives, adverse conditions, or corridor saturation may extend it.
Where a route's relay status is relevant, it appears as a separate note: Relay: Active, Relay: Damaged, Relay: Absent, Relay: Intermittent, or Relay: Censored.
Survey Accuracy Tiers
Entries and route records carry one of four accuracy tags where survey status is relevant. Power core systems do not typically carry these tags; their data is assumed to be current and verified unless noted otherwise.
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (Surveyed) | Firsthand survey data from a documented expedition; physical conditions verified at source |
| (Charted) | Navigation data exists for this system but no formal ground or atmospheric survey has been conducted |
| (Rumored) | Existence and approximate location known from pilot reports or secondhand accounts; conditions unverified |
| (Classified) | Survey data exists but is held by a power or corporation and has not been published; the entry reflects what can be inferred from public information |
A route may be established for navigation while the destination remains only rumored. That distinction matters when planning a mission.
The Meridian Verge: The Most Detailed Zone
The Meridian Verge receives more detailed treatment in this atlas than any other zone. Its location entries are longer, its route records are more complete, and its hooks are more developed.
This reflects its role as the default campaign launch region. A GM starting a Void Drifters campaign in the Verge needs enough specific detail to run sessions without additional prep. That detail is here.
GMs running campaigns in other zones can use the Verge entries as a model for the level of detail they can develop in those zones using the hooks and complications in Chapter Fourteen.