Come on Down to Intestinal Farms.....

Farm Encounter - This is a sample encounter set on Butchersworld (SGG pp 144 - 150), presented in relatively broad strokes for combat, exploration, negotiation, and (possibly) manifestation.   Halloween is a perfect time to visit Butchersworld. 

The base structure was what remained of (liquid-gaseous) hydrogen-helium refilling station; at some point some desperate survivor, native or crashlander, made some valiant long term effort to run this area into a viable place to survive, or “live.”

It failed. But it’s legacy persists. The structure has been invaded and repurposed countless times now. At present it would appear to be overgrown but otherwise (higher) lifeless. Ancient Martian plants, roots, and vines, creep, grow, and enfold the remains now.

In fact it has recently been invaded and “conquered” by a young, sociopathic psion who has only in the last months learned the secrets of Carnokinetic manipulation. After parting ways with the accomplished master, the creator of the discipline, they came to this place, an epicenter of food networks rich with life, to concentrate, to practice, and to rest.

On approach to the camp, voyagers will note what seems to be an immense (3-4m wide) circular winding scarlet tent that seems to corkscrew in on itself from the outside. The structure is about 300m across from one side to the other at it’s widest point.  The “Tent” is a length of intestine animated by reprogrammed disassembly nanites, animated and controlled by The Farmer; a psychokinetic who has specialized in the manipulation...of meat. Carnokinesis

The Farmer (1)  Init +2; Atk   PK Blade +3 melee (1d8 + 3), mini bone saw +1 melee (3d4), PK Blast+5 ranged (3d6+4); AC 11; HD 4d6; hp 22; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP Psychic, Carnokinesis; SV Fort+2, Ref +3, Will +4; AL C.   Carnokinesis – Manifesting die is 1d20 +4, they have up to 10 ability points that they may brainburn in the course of any given encounter. See Carnokinesis

The Farmer is most likely to regard any intruders or interlopers as, quite simply, another source of building materials. i.e. Meat.  If there is necromancy, the visible un-dead, or some kind of necromancer at play, they will be the first targeted by the Farmer. Primarily to make use of but also to eliminate any rivals to their “storehouse of materials.” Parties made up primarily or completely of artificial or inorganic life will find the Farmer to be furtive and uninclined toward interaction; indeed such a group might well be able to search the entire place without harassment or encounter (with the Farmer) if they are a large, well armed, or visibly robotic enough group.

Surrounding the “farm” in a half ring (about 200m across) are several clusters of carnivatrees, Martian Imperial "attack hedges," cultivated by the Farmer for some fell and experimental purpose.

Carnivatree (1-4)  Init +1; Atk    Writhing proboscis branches+4 melee (1d3 + 1d4 blood drain), Tree Maw +6 melee (2d4 plus digestive sap 1d4/round); AC 11; HD 2d8; hp 11, or 14, 12, 9, 5; MV 0’; Act 1d20; SP blood drain & digestive sap attacks persist until tree is slain; SV Fort+5, Ref +0, Will +1; AL C.

Ghost Pack Hunters – the agonized spirits of this place are common enough across the muddy bogland wastes of this world. Any significant amount of violence or suffering even here will invariably attract a small or vast number of such things.

Rage Ghost Horde (1-100)  Init +2; Atk   Bone Claw +3 melee (1d6 tearing, 1d4 cold) Rotting Bite +7 melee (1d6 + 1d10 STA on failed Fort Save DC 12); AC 19 (16 v. magic & energy weapons); HD 5d4; hp 15 or 20, 19, 17, 16, 15, 13, 12, 11, 9, 8 (x10); MV 50’; Act 1d20; SP ; SV Fort+4, Ref +4, Will +1; AL C.

The Full encounter with the psychic discipline of Carnokinesis can be downloaded for free here

You can get the Space Girl's Guide just all sorts of places, listed here.  

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Seed People - The Taurochian Blooms

The native plant life on this world evolved an unusual quirk after a geological event slid much of the world’s soil into the ocean and shallow seas that then covered their planet. For a billion years or more the vegetal plant life of a large moon evolved to use “higher” living beings (animals) as their soil. First parasitically and as time and the complexity of life on this world evolved, eventually symbiotically.

By the time the first aliens came to this planet, the differences between plant and animal, vegetal and meat, were fine and minimal, at least as Teragen ecologies go. The vegetal life had definitely grown to dominate the planet, animal forms either now impersonated, replicated or “slaved” to the plant life that surrounded them. When the aliens came, meat beings of a different order – both intelligent and tool using – the native plant life treated the new life forms like any other. In time, a few alien generations later, the next wave of these aliens arrived and found – to their horror – that their predecessors not only had died but had been … replaced, by some bizarre native analog being to their own life form that was definitely not known to or from the previous expedition.

These aliens were homo sapiens, passing through this cluster out toward the Pegasus Arm. In time they stopped coming here completely. But that was still some 40-60 thousand sidereals ago. In that time, however, rather than dying out, these analogs began to replicate, to multiply, to spread. Humanoids made of synthetic animal tissue, wrought of vegetal fiberes; analogous down to the molecular level. Cell analogs. Brain analogs. Eventually, these creatures collectively reached a kind of stone age existence, spreading across their world.

When the first Tauroch explorers reached this world, among the first systems reached by their primitive spacecraft, what they found transformed them. The “Blooms” as they were called, had spread and adapted across most of their planet, each settling into and becoming part of various ecological niches; moreover, the Taurochs arrived perhaps a thousand years into the Blooms’ agricultural revolution, using the native flora, and the large Synthesis Blossoms to “ranch” foodstuffs; while they are as photosynthetic as almost all other life on their world, the caloric needs of even analog brain matter are high and so the Blooms are constantly “ahungered.

The Yellow Blooms live near the equator in large rainforest jungles; they are the most successful Blooms to be transported off-planet where they exist in countless billions. While much of their original habitat on the homeworld has been destroyed, exploited and clear cut, many wild members of the Yellow tribe remain free; indeed a burgeoning resistance is brewing on their homeworld. Elsewhere they are kept in cages, suspended, those who grow fruit fronds remain so as to be “plucked” from; all others are planted in the soil. Their skin and keratin (hair, fingernails, etc) analogs are rich in carotenoids.

The Green Blooms exist in the northern latitudes amidst a Pine Forest like ecological niche. Nearly as successful as off-world transplants, the Green Blooms exist throughout Taurochian space. They have no remaining natural habitats, their native forests on homeworld long since given over to factory style Bloom ranching.

The Violet Blooms have been driven into extinction on their homeworld and most of the worlds they have been taken to. Those who remain are ranched lavishly and – unlike others – fed specific and strict diets; these are the most flavorful and nutrient packed Blooms and so considered delicacies. An emerging Taurochi noble caste ranches those surviving Violets exclusively; not as mentally or physically deficient as the others, many attempt to flee; most exist as captives or quasi slaves until sold and eaten.  Violet Blooms are rich in carotenoids as the Yellow tribe but also many drugs and herbal analogs can be harvested from their bodies.

The Brown Blooms occupy pseudo-deciduous forests; they collectively hibernate all winter but are completely awake the rest of the year. They do not adapt well to other conditions, and especially do not adapt off-world well at all. These factors combine in keeping them from being ranched much. Keratin analog structures in Brown Blooms are instead replaced by bark.

Today the Blooms are “ranched” on a dozen worlds; reliant upon photosynthesis, they are not fed additional foodstuffs; long ago it was realized that keeping them underfed as they developed and grew kept their brain and reasoning facilities to develop fully. So the Agricultural Blooms are kept and maintained as underfed, slow, plodding things.

“Bloomworld” doesn’t really have a name, but that’s more or less what the Taurochs call it in their language; a large moon orbiting a deep scarlet gas giant; system primary is a mid-age K type orange star.  It is a Garden class world (naturally occurring, lightly modified) Relatively dense atmosphere, high water vapour content, enough to compensate for higher O2 content 1.12G  Forests, swamps, and shallow seas predominate. Cloying thick but breathable atmosphere. Rain cycle drives much of the world’s activity.  

The world has been extensively colonized by the Taurochs (indeed, it is the single planet with the highest Tauroch population, in the low billions, far and away beyond that of their originating world) Given it’s central importance as a food supply source it is functionally the center of their burgeoning civilization. Were it not for the Imperium, the Taurochi future might look bright.

The full text of this article, plus statistics and clade details for both captive and free Blooms right here.   

For more on the Taurochs and the region of space  they inhabit, see the Space Girl's Guide to the Empress Imperium, available at the links. 

The Space Girl's Guide to the Empress Imperium has arrived.

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The Space Girl’s Guide to the Empress Imperium is the definitive guide to the Imperial Volume, over 8 million worlds and ever growing, a far future space empire where time, space, and death itself have been conquered, a tenuous knife edge of quadrillions ready to spin itself apart at any moment. Hip queer alien anarchists do crime and say Chogg the Empire while space itself slowly burns.  A galaxy of grimly cheeky, spaced-out, super science , sword & sorcery action.

The Space Girl’s Guide is a players guide for Galaxy Black and the DCC RPG.  It's monstrous 436 pages detail a lavish assortment of worlds, star systems, and star clusters across the Imperial Volume, a vast domain of over millions of worlds – and the bastion of Law within a chaotic, collapsing universe.   In A Commoners guide to the Empire short essays detail common Imperial life, the dominant peoples of the Empress Imperium and their culture, and an overview of the Imperium in 960sr.   An Atlas of the worlds is filled with detailed descriptions of planets, moons, and star systems with NPCs, factions, conflicts, and opportunities    

Weird Aliens and Bizarre worlds  Venture seeds, campaign and story hooks on practically every page.   Individual entries all serving a variety of needs and play styes ready for your game table.   From deep dives to walk-thrus Chapters dedicated for the busy judge allowing you to throw the adventuring band into a new strange alien world of adventure, tonight, with minimal prep.  Origins, clades, and character classes for those originating from these exotic worlds.

Magical cults and mystic traditions of the Imperial Volume the Imperial Electric College, the Onieromancers of Vyauau Niamh, the curse manipulating  Hexweavers. Relics of ancient Friggian Witchcraft, Tools of Ketraxian Wizardry, the industrial necromantic terror world of Goth. 

This long form, densely packed volume offers literally years of pulp space gaming adventure 

Space Girl’s Guide to the Empress Imperium – a Galaxy Black companion 

A setting book and players guide for Galaxy Black and the DCC RPG

436 pages plus front and back cover 

Welcome to the Imperium.

Life is cheap, Death is cheaper. 

Hail the Empress

Space Girl's Guide Q&A

 

I thought it would be fun and interesting to try to do a Q&A to celebrate the Space Girl’s Guide coming out.

Very likely a post or series of them, but if I get enough of an initial response I might do a nice vid. We’ll see. Vids are a lot more spoons intensive so that’s a definite “maybe.”
No live stream though. My wifi is just not that good.
So comment here, or at Bsky or (if you want me to see it late) on Insta or just send us an email if you have any questions about the Space Girl’s Guide. I’ll also be taking questions about Galaxy Black and Dreaming Gynoid stuff more generally if anyone wants to throw those in the hopper also.
The plan is to have a secure drop date for the book next week so likely this would be something to go up around then, maybe a bit later if I wind up doing a viddy.

Submit your questions to

dreaminggynoid@gmail.com

Or DM me

@dreaminggynoid.bsky.social

or @scarlet_Maenadum on Instagram

Or

Leave a comment below!

Ansiblecasting to your planet this luna-cycle

 

 Space Girl’s Guide to the Empress Imperium 

– a Galaxy Black companion

A setting book and players guide for Galaxy Black and the DCC RPG 

436 pages of culture, worlds, fashion, characters, secrets, and adventure

Venture Seeds, Character Classes, Mighty Deeds, Spells, Oneiromancy, Fell Gods, 

Patrons of the Imperial Volume, the Electric College, Friggian Witch-pirates!

A galaxy of weird wonderful space fantasy hijinx

Available soon from Drivethru RPG, and Dreaming Gynoid studio