Adapted from Aballon - Starfinder Wiki
The rocky, metallic world of Matopouko whips around the sun at incredible speeds. Ages ago, a mysterious race called the Matodons seeded Matopouko with a host of machines, which they used to harvest unknown materials from the world. The Matodons departed so long ago that
most non-Matopoukians have forgotten their existence and consider the myriad models of Matopoukian robots, now known as anacites, to be Matopouko’s true native species.
Matopouko played several major roles in the history of the Memory System. The first, and what many consider the most prominent Matopoukoian contribution to the Confederacy, was the completion of the constructed deity Epoch, who eventually combined with two other ascended artificial intelligences to become Triune. This god gave the Drift to the universe. Many thought that Matopouko’s contributions would decrease in the aftermath of its created deity’s ascendance, but the revelation of the Drift only furthered Matopouko’s relevance in the Memory System, as the Matopouko-based church of Triune used facilities on the planet to forge the early Drift engines necessary for interstellar travel. Today, Matopouko is a key contributor to the prosperity and protection of the Confederacy, due in large part to the planet’s astounding manufacturing capabilities; the world’s tireless factories churn out equipment and technological innovations by the second.
Beyond the planet’s industrial prowess, several groups find Matopouko to be an attractive destination. Constructed and mechanized races from across the galaxy find their way here in
search of acceptance and to escape perceived “organic intolerance.” Matopouko also offers several notable adventuring opportunities. Intrepid explorers can acquire the necessary permits to venture into the enigmatic cities of the Matodons, while other adventurers might join expansive, corporation-funded expeditions to uncover age-old relics in the half-frozen jungles of the Ice Wells. Natives and visitors alike eventually become embroiled in the ever-growing political movement to spread acceptance of constructs and other sentient technological creatures throughout the galaxy. Regardless of the reason for coming to or living on Matopouko, there is no shortage of opportunity.
Matopouko
Matopuko is the planet in the Memory system that is closest to the Sun, located just inside the orbit of Hala. It has no moon. It is the homeworld of the Anacite Union.
Inhabitants
Anacite Common Ancestry
When the Matodons came to Aballon to harvest it for unknown matter, they left behind a race of self-improving constructs now known as anacites. Automated forge complexes, such as the
Automatrix, are scattered across Matopouko. These leftover forges of the Matodons produce baseline anacites in great quantities. Each anacite is a unique self-improving construct, and over the millennia, thousands of different models have developed, with new forge complexes producing these models at regular intervals. Once referred to simply as Matopoukans by outsiders,anacites claimed their own racial name as they spread across Matopouko, forging vast nation-sized cities known as megaplexes.
Android Common Ancestry
Androids are the second largest population group on Matopouko, second only to anacites. A drastic increase in Matopoukoian androids came in the aftermath of “the Automaton’s Polemic, a speech that triggered the emancipation of indentured androids across the Confederacy. Many androids saw the machine-driven utopia of Matopouko as a place to start a new life after they were freed from servitude.
Human Common Ancestry
Vesk Common Ancestry
Ysoki Common Ancestry
Humans, vesk, and ysoki live across the surface of Matopouko,having forged strong communities—both interspecies and intraspecies—within the undercities and amid the logically arranged streets of the surface. Both humans and ysoki have long histories of venturing to Matopouko, either through interplanetary gateways or space expeditions dating back before FTL travel. While Matopouko is mostly inhospitable to life, the Ice Wells provided a means of survival for these initial explorers. Now, thanks to innovative Matopoukoian atmospheric technologies, certain sections of the world’s sprawling megaplexes are comfortable for the descendants of these first arrivals. Vesk first came to Matopouko in search of the best weapons and equipment offered by the Confederacy. Those few who remained behind from their exploration found odd
comradeship with the local anacites, particularly due to mutual adoration of high-quality equipment. Similarly, vesk specializing in powered-armor combat are seen more and more frequently as participants in Matopouko’s popular Robo Wrestling sports events.
Kasatha Uncommon Ancestry
Kasathas primarily travel to Matopouko for two reasons: exploration and research. Matopouko maintains immense data archives, and while many have been transmitted to various infospheres across the system, some of these archives require on-site access to protect sensitive data. The allure of the ancient cities of the Matodons also attracts many kasathas, and their explorations are often funded by interested anacites who are forbidden from personally entering the cities of their progenitors.
Shirren Uncommon Ancestry
Shirrens are incredibly rare on Matopouko, as two major factors make it difficult for shirrens to adapt here. The first is that the harsh mechanized logic of the ruling Insight Array quashes the thrill of individuality. Second, shirrens thrive on communalism, and most local constructs are entirely inaccessible via most standard forms of telepathic activity. Nevertheless, a few shirrens consider themselves native to Matopouko, typically sticking to the crater undercities of the various megaplexes.
Ghoran Rare Ancestry
Ghoran, intelligent Humanoid plants native to Castrovel, are also sometimes found on Matopouko. They are primarily encountered guarding the ecosystems of the planet’s Ice Wells, as the plant-like people find the native analytes a bit off-putting. These Ghoran often ally with groups of Xenowardens to defend the fragile environments—a trend the ruling Insight Array finds alarming.
Factions
Despite an outward appearance of calm unity, Matopouko is home to dozens of squabbling factions and even more threats waiting to surface, creating hot spots that are in dire need of hired mercenaries, outside mediators, or undercover operatives on one side or another.
Until recently, all of Matopouko’s intelligent anacites belonged to The Heritors’ Conclave or The Ascendant Conclave. While their beliefs are opposed, the two groups rarely engage in physical confrontation. The two sides of Matopoukoian belief have agreed to leave the cities of the Matodons to exploration by outsiders— specifically non-anacites—in accordance with ancient law.
Heritors’ Conclave
Those Who Wait, a group that prepares for the Matodons' return by collecting wealth and constantly upgrading themselves
Ascendant Conclave
Those Who Become, who see themselves as successors to the Matodons, destined to grow and colonize other worlds in the same manner.
Since the advent of the Drift, members of the Acsendant Conclave have deployed dozens of starships into the depths of the uncharted Vast. These ships contained automated forges to build both anacites and foundry crèches for the construction of androids. While some of these robotic seedships report back to Matopouko and continue to send updates; others have disappeared entirely. Few expeditions were mounted to investigate the disappearances of these fleets, The Acsendant being more interested in constructing new ships than discovering what
happened to their previous assets. Recently, the Cartographer’s Guild, under direction from its new Prime Surveyor, has entered negotiations with Those Who Become to gain access to a list of missing seedships and transmission logs—a veritable gold mine of exploration sites.
Builders Collective
Complicating this delicate accord is the gradual growth of a faction dedicated to anacite independence from the shadow of the Matodons. This third group tests the patience of both traditional factions, going so far as to sponsor anacite-led expeditions into the forbidden cities to conclusively solve the mystery surrounding the Matodons
Geography
From an outsider’s view, Matopouko is a dull world of iron and rock. Since the rise of anacite dominance of Matopouko, interconnected settlements the size of nations—now known as megaplexes— spread across the surface of Matopouko like a metal plague. The ongoing expansion of these city-nations is determined by incomprehensibly complicated calculations performed by the most advanced anacites in conjunction with the leaders of other similarly burgeoning city-states. Only the lands surrounding the vaunted cities of the Matodons remain free from the industrial expansion, and when viewed from orbit, one can clearly view the open landscapes left between the anacite-built megaplexes and the cities of the Matodons.
The impact of stellar debris and other objects originally shaped much of the rocky surface of Matopouko. Objects continued to collide with the world throughout its existence, as the planet only recently manufactured a working atmosphere in some locations. Many of the colossal megaplexes grew over craters and impact points. These immense settlements often include entire city-sized districts that make use of the extra space these craters provide to build undercities of varying sizes. Some of Matopouko’s largest megaplexes include multiple
undercities, each with a name reflecting an archaic naming convention for the craters as they were cataloged by the other worlds of the Golarion System in ages past. The Castrovelian-named crater of Lors Emphyria rests under the city of Striving, as does the Golarion-named series of close undercities known as the Catena of Ralzeros.
Reaching up from enormous depressions in the planet’s surface are immense, rock-encrusted mountains of exposed lead. Some regions of the world form recessed valleys or highlands shaped over millions of years of planetary stabilization. Compression folds are the primary culprit of geographic shifts on the surface; scholars theorize that Matopouko was once a larger world thatcompressed in on itself as the planetary core solidified into its current form of highly dense metals. The modern terrain is far less prone to change, and as a result, Matopouko has suffered only minor shifting in the past 10,000 years.
There are no oceans on the surface of Matopouko. Frozen water does exist on the planet, being mostly confined to the half-frozen jungles of the Ice Wells, unique regions within deep impact craters scattered across the surface. The depth of the craters offers shade from the superheated sunlight, which leads to wells of ice. The plants within have adapted to collect solar energy and heat from the upper reaches of the impact points, creating unique regions of temperatures amicable to organic life. The Ice Wells remained relatively preserved until the recent surge of anacite expansion across the world, but now only a few remain.
A layer of thick rock covers Matopouko, beneath which immense deposits of iron and lead make up much of the planet’s internal structure. Because even the lowest melting point of rock and iron is twice the melting point of lead, Matopouko has survived the constant bombardment of the nearby sun, but the risks of exposing a metallic portion of the planet to direct sunlight has been a major concern for most of the world’s history, as atmospheric and solar controls have been a very recent innovation. Various mandates from the ruling Insight Array prohibit exploitative practices by corporations and place complex regulations on mining efforts to minimize the potential for mining disasters. Because of this, many corporations have abandoned mining endeavors on Matopouko and instead seek profits in the unregulated worlds of Near Space and the Vast. The remaining surface mining initiatives on Matopouko are most commonly the result of Triune’s church, particularly those followers of Triune’s Epoch aspect who view the metals of
Matopouko with religious awe.
Between millennia of robotic excavators crafting perfectly aligned subterranean tunnels and the organic “diggers” of the Ice Wells crafting their own networks, Matopouko is rife with internal transit routes. Unleashed in the wake of the Matodons’ departure, the excavator robots began work constructing a series of pathways to connect the planet’s various settlements. The anacites installed complex, magnetically charged rail systems. The mag-rail network allows high-speed transit beneath the planet’s surface, freeing up the skies for city-sized bulk landers to collect goods from the anacite-run forges.
The world of Matopouko is noteworthy for its immense megaplexes, nation-sized cities that cover swaths of the planet. Scattered around the world are the nine mysterious cities of the Matodons, soaring sites of unusual metal that defy logic in one way or another. The Ice Wells are Matopouko’s only source of natural organic life, and they spread in tangled webs at key points across the globe.
Fleets
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Landmarks
Boundless Landmark
Returning expeditions from the Matodon city of Boundless report enormous vaults underneath the city that seem to stretch for miles in every direction. Many of these chambers are filled with massive gears that don’t appear to have turned for millennia. Some theories state that this means Boundless has some connection to the plane of Axis, while others posit the city itself is a single robotic entity waiting to be activated.
The Insight Array is particularly interested in discovering the truth of the matter, as either answer could go a long way into revealing much about the Matodons.
Continuum Landmark
The Matodon city of Continuum is possibly the least understood of all these ancient settlements. Though there are some records of explorers entering the city. Continuum has been covered in an impenetrable dome of force. Those who venture close to the city claim to be able to spot movement within through the dome, but so far, none of these strange occurrences has been caught on camera. For now, the Insight Array has been content to let this mystery lie, cutting off all government funding for expeditions and research into the city.
Enduring Landmark
The Protectorate launched a daring raid into the Memory System, performing numerous strikes on key worlds. The continued attacks eventually led the vesk assault fleet into the orbit of Matopouko, where they detected a surge of energy from Enduring, one of Matopouko’s Matodon cities. Not realizing the cities of the Matodons routinely generated such power surges, the vesk believed the surface was preparing a strike and unleashed a scathing bombardment on Enduring.
The massive strike devastated a large portion of the city, reducing some structures to molten slag. What the vesk did not account for was the immediate and overwhelming response of Matopouko’s anacites. The ruination led to an immediate coalition of anacites who overwhelmed the Protectorate force with a fleet of civilian and military ships. Ultimately, the vesk ships crashed down on the same city they’d just bombarded. While the attack on Enduring is thought to be one of the major reasons why Matopouko signed the Absalom Pact just a year later, anacites bear no ill will toward modern vesk. Hundreds of years later, the rubble within Enduring still smolders with regular plumes of strange gases. In what some call an emotional display, the judges of the Machine Court recently reopened exploration into the ruined sections of Enduring, stipulating that such missions must include at least one official from the Proctectorate. The exact reasoning for this has yet to be formally announced. However, many assume that the Protectorate is interested in whatever information might still be found from the wreckage of their centuries-old crashed starships.
Eternity Landmark
A large camp of Heritors is situated right outside of the Matodon city of Eternity, filled with anacites craving any information about their progenitors from inside the city. Because of this, adventurers and mercenaries from across the galaxy who are looking for work know that they can find a job in Eternity. However, such employment doesn’t grant an easy payday, as the city contains a multitude of deadly traps and powerful constructs ready to fend off intruders.
Fields of Judgement Landmark
This 50-mile-wide field is a legend across the whole of Matopouko. Rusted machine corpses litter the grounds here, their remains acting as a testament to the destructive effect the fields have on mechanized life. The closer a machine gets to the center, the more its systems go haywire, and ultimately the construct shuts down entirely. In the past, the fields were a test, with machines believing they would be greatly rewarded if they could reach the center. None have ever made it to the center of the field, and now the Machine Court of Matopouko uses the Field of Judgment for an entirely different purpose: a final punishment for constructs who’ve been found guilty of tremendous crimes. Once deemed guilty, a construct is sentenced to a penance march to the center of the fields.
A convicted machine can bring allies along, but even with this allowance, all such attempts to carry out the sentence to completion have proven futile. Despite not affecting organic life to the same degree, non-constructs are forbidden by local
law from entering the field.
Frozen Nelumbo Landmark
This Ice Well is the largest of Matopouko’s natural green environments. Thousands of years of evolution caused the plants of the Ice Well to burrow through the leaden and rocky crust of the planet, producing additional passages up to the surface. These secondary shafts expand in rounded formations around the original central crater. Because of this unique growth, the region resembles a lotus plant when viewed with orbital thermal optics. Inside, Frozen Nelumbo is a purely organic settlement, with clusters of living spaces carved out of immense thorns on the sides of the vines that cover the walls of the well. It’s also home to the largest concentration of Ghorans on Matopouko. A delegation of Xenowardens offers additional protection to the people of Frozen Nelumbo, both in the form of ground-based soldiers and in the form of a single starship: the arkship Nature’s Gaze. The living arkship maintains a constant position above Frozen Nelumbo, dissuading any anacite-led attacks against the city. Thus far, the Insight Array has not reacted to the Xenowardens’ presence, as the Xenowardens follow all required laws.
Glass Sea Landmark
The nonliquid Sea of Glass stretches for miles across the surface of Matopouko. This unique creation is thought to have formed because of an unprecedented stellar flare that seared the surface of the world in a prior epoch. The effect is stunning: a pristine,
mirror-sheened sea perpetually frozen in time. Whatever caused the phenomenon has not occurred again, but dozens of interested organizations still explore the aftermath. Singularly tasked robots patrol the surface of the sea, skittering atop time-locked waves of glass in furtherance of some forgotten programming. Other robots mine the sea’s interior, uncovering precious gem formations created by the unique effect. Reports from various corporations interested in the Sea of Glass suggest many of its hidden gem deposits are infused with powerful fire and positive energy–aligned magic imparted by the life-giving rays of the sun.
Gullet Landmark
Stretching down dozens of miles, Gullet is the deepest of Matopouko’s Ice Wells. While some greenery clings to the pit’s sides, dotted with the occasional sharpwing nest, not much can live past a certain depth, where the temperatures drop to the extreme negatives and no light reaches. Due to the cold and darkness, some think that creatures from the Shadow Plane are drawn to Gullet’s depths, a claim seemingly supported by the mysterious disappearances of all expeditions to reach the bottom.
Infinite Landmark
Pre-Gap records show Infinity, a city of the Matodons, in a slightly different location than it is today. Scholars posit that during the Gap, the city was moved (or perhaps moved itself) in response to some unknown calamity. A perfectly semispherical crater can be found to the east where the city once stood. During the daytime hours, the crater is a bubbling pool of molten lead, but when night falls, the lead cools and solidifies. Researchers interested in the legacy of the Matodons enthusiastically study the region in the hopes of unearthing some information about the city’s relocation, but none have managed to come up with anything beyond theories. Devoted members of Heritors Conclave have turned the crater into a kind of holy site, and some of the more resilient anacites actively bathe in the molten lead, spending the night hours fused into the cooled metal as part of a contemplative ritual before emerging when the lead melts
during the daytime hours.
Midnight Trenches Landmark
Beneath the rocky surface of Matopouko is a treasure trove of precious metals. Normally rare adamantine is plentiful here, while other precious starmetals such as djezet and siccatite are commonplace. Digging robots and enormous excavating
behemoths long ago carved out the primary tunnels of the Midnight Trenches. Today, every worthwhile vein of precious ore is in a branching tunnel, with some secondary and tertiary tunnels no wider than 5 feet. In ages past, the factions of Matopouko worked in relative harmony to secure resources from the plentiful Midnight Trenches, but with the increased need of precious metals, unity has disappeared. Instead, the
Midnight Trenches are now an ongoing war zone, conveniently located just under the planet’s surface. Dozens of factions, including corporations and members of The Ascendent Conclave and The Heritors Conclave, engage in close-quarters hit-and-run battles against one another. These commando operations work to disrupt the mining of opposing forces within the trenches. Because of the ceaseless conflicts, adventurers
and mercenaries alike can find work assaulting or protecting mining operations within the Midnight Trenches. To entice the best of the best, contracts within the Midnight Trenches are confidential, and working for one faction does not preclude an individual or group from working for a new faction once a contract expires.
Myriad Landmark
As the megaplex of Striving expanded, the anacites were careful not to encroach too closely on the Matodon city of Myriad. This is in part due to the almost religious significance anacites place on these cities, but also because of an incident that occurred only a few decades after the Gap ended. When a group of construction anacites began laying foundations near Myriad to respectfully incorporate its towers into Striving’s urban sprawl, a series of quakes caused major cracks in the new infrastructure. The anacites took this as a clear sign from the Matodons that nothing should be built within a few miles of Myriad, a restriction that continues to be honored to this day.
Timeless Landmark
The best guarded of the Matodon cities, Timeless is routinely patrolled by nonconversational robots of exceptional design. Spires of horacalcum defy scans from without, and the city routinely tricks the eye with contradictory visions when observed with the naked eye. The defenders of Timeless come from within the city, making them distinctive from the standard hulls crafted in typical Matopoukoian forges such as the Automatrix. All of Timeless’s defenders have bodies of precious skymetal alloys, reinforcing the idea that the city has its own production facilities. Expeditions into Timeless are rare, simply because anacites have no control over the robots that guard the city from intruders. No explorative party has yet to return from a mission into Timeless, and only a handful have returned from being attacked by the guardian machines at the city’s edge. Exactly what secrets Timeless holds are unknown, but
with more and more expeditions being prepared, it’s only a matter of time before a group successfully breaches the city and returns with some insight on what transpires within the city’s coppery spires.
Ubiquity Landmark
The buildings and spires of the Matodon city of Ubiquity share a bizarre quirk: they have no obvious entrances and resist all attempts to magically teleport inside of them. While the streets of Ubiquity have been fully explored and documented, no records exist about the interiors of the city’s buildings.
While most believe that no being has stepped inside of the towers, a theory that has spurred requests to enter the city to an all-time high. These explorers have yet to make their way into the towers, but recently a few fringe scholars have begun to experiment with ways to enter them using purely technological means, much in the same way that starships enter the Drift. Early tests have not been particularly successful, usually ending in fatal explosions that don’t harm the nearby towers in the slightest.
Settlements
Automatrix Settlement
This immense megaplex forge is the second largest of Matopouko’s vast city-states. From its significant origin as Matopouko’s first anacite forge, it grew to become the most industrious of Matopouko’s already industrially focused settlements. The center of the Automatrix is the corporate offices and factories of Automatrix Robotics, an organization said to be built atop the original Automatrix forges. New anacites are produced hourly from the constantly churning creation forges of the Automatrix. Members of both the Ascendant and Heritor’s Conclaves work side by side in the factories of Automatrix Robotics; such unity is a condition of employment within the corporation. Today, the corporation funds countless expeditions into Near Space, the Vast, and even the imposing cities of the Matodons.
Constant Settlement
Recently, the ground under the Matodon city of Constant cracked open as adamantine-hard vegetation rose to the surface. Hidden below the streets of the city, the plants erupted in a moment of explosive life, covering the steely shells of the Matodons’ buildings in a dizzying pattern of flora. A host of militant Ghorans arrived on the planet shortly after, claiming the affected sections of the city as their own. Having
imposed strict laws forbidding themselves from entering the cities of the Matodons, the anacites of Matopouko now routinely hire mercenaries and military outfits to try to oust the ever-entrenched Ghorans. Thus far, the anacite-funded attacks have succeeded only in keeping the wild growth contained in about half of Constant. The Ghorans seem content to remain within the city, refusing to launch attacks against their anacite-funded foes, and they are more than capable of repelling intrusions into their own territory.
Endeavor Settlement
The megaplex of Endeavor is a hybrid of technological and magical accomplishments. Built around an expansive solar array known as the Sun Basin, this megaplex derives its power from the basin’s ability to collect a staggering amount of solar energy. This energy not only meets the technological requirements of the megaplex but also powers various magical industries, including a constantly operating series of interplanar and interplanetary portals. Visitors can purchase travel through these portals at exorbitant cost. The operation of these gateways is handled by Resonant Technologies, a corporation specializing in the fusion of technological and magical innovations. An elected council directed the operations of Resonant Technologies in the aftermath of Memory’s destruction, but shortly after the signing of the Articles of Confederation, a single director abolished the previous council. Known as the Last One, this mysterious director manages Resonant Technologies single-handedly, keeping the corporation at the forefront of technological and magical hybridization.
The Ascendant and Heritor’s Conclaves sponsor the occasional assassination attempts against the director, as they believe the title is blasphemous. The few who’ve directly interacted with the Last One are unsure if the director is an anacite or a humanoid wearing impressive powered armor. Regardless, all reports of the Last One indicate a calculating intelligence behind glowing golden eyes.
Preceptium XIII Settlement
The thirteenth iteration of the megaplex to bear its name, Preceptum is unlike any of the other megaplexes on the planet in that it is constantly in a state of expansion and
deconstruction. Construction robots work day and night to build erratic developments, only to tear them down months, weeks, or even days later. An advanced intelligence known as Pure Circuit guides Preceptum’s urban development and the megaplex’s other required municipal calculations.
Some believe the eight missing iterations of Preceptum have rendered Pure Circuit defective. The few Matopoukoians who dared to openly call for a review of Pure Circuit’s code have died under strange circumstances. Whether there’s some force on Matopouko interested in keeping a senile intelligence in control of a megaplex or Pure Circuit has enough wherewithal to enact self-defense protocols is largely irrelevant. The mad intelligence manages the megaplex, and those within adapt to the rapidly changing environment as best they can.
Pursuit Settlement
The smallest of Matopouko’s megaplexes, Pursuit is nevertheless larger that most cities on other planets. Most of this metropolis is given over to factories that produce vast weapons, from handheld plasma pistols to capital starship lasers. The arms manufacturers of Pursuit tend to focus on powered weapons, believing analog projectile weapons to be inferior. Thanks to these factories, the streets and skyways of Pursuit are more polluted than any other place on Matopouko, making it difficult for non-robotic beings to live and work here. Those that do usually invest credits in powerful filtration suits or develop crippling pulmonary afflictions.
Striving Settlement 20
Anacites spread across Matopouko, forging grand nation-sized settlements called megaplexes. Striving quickly became the largest of these growing city-states. The so-called “Prime Megaplex” is home to the judicial regime known as the Machine Court, the bureaucratic overseers of the Insight Array, and the holy church of Triune: Unification Cathedral. Striving is perhaps the most advanced settlement in all the Confederacy, housing the industry of dozens of major corporations and thousands of private factories and forges. Even religious followers have a haven in the unique region of the Theology Channel. Veteran adventurers in the Confederacy know that Striving is the one-stop shop for all purchases if someone needs technological equipment.
An entire town-sized section of the Striving megaplex is devoted to anacite understanding of foreign religions. This locale, known as the Theology Channel, consists of hundreds of cathedrals, chapels, and churches dedicated to the various religions of the Confederacy. Visitors can partake in rites related to any of the represented deities without fear of societal repercussions. Each of the core deities has a significant structure in the region, and anacite anchorites preside over various structures dedicated to several lesser deities and demigods. Some chapels even offer praise to the loathsome demon lords, with the pleasure cults of Nocticula and the self-immolating followers of Flauros numbering among some of the more interesting and taboo religious options present in
Space Stations
Ascent Prime Station
Once a bustling space station orbiting Matopouko, Ascent Prime was built by the native anacites to facilitate trade with life-forms from other worlds. These days, most of Matopouko’s major trading ports have localized atmosphere generators and districts catering to organic beings. The station might have remained a vital trading hub had most of its systems not been infected with a peculiar virus—the Bureaucratic Subroutine—that seems tailored to make infected machines inefficient and desirous of elaborate layers of hierarchy and ritual. Though traffic to Ascent Prime quickly tapered off after the implementation of a complete quarantine for mechanical
Matopouko’s government continues to let the station exist due to the strange discoveries coming out of its labs, and some brave traders from other worlds still come to purchase its advanced tech.
Horse Eye Orbital Plate Station
This immense floating factory moves across the skies of Matopouko, routinely adjusting its position to ensure it is constantly facing sunward. Miles wide, this facility constantly manufactures custom starships and starship components. Construction takes place on the underside of the plate, while the upper levels are covered with millions of solar panels that collect energy for use on the lower levels. The central levels of the plate are habitation areas for workers and visitors to the plate. As Horse Eye was originally a joint venture between the people of Matopouko and Lost Memory, its current shareholders are primarily human, with a smattering of dwarven and halfling members. The Prophets of Kalistrade maintain the longest contract on the platform, and every month a new gold-clad commerce barge sets out from the underside of the platform and into the Vast. Hundreds of corporate dignitaries representing myriad corporations and entities vie for rental rights to the construction yards of the platform’s lower levels.
It’s widely known that every shareholder has unlimited and undisputed access to the services of the plate, though few ever care to use the service. Association with one of the platform’s shareholders is the only means for unaffiliated adventurers and explorers to utilize the services of Horse Eye’s construction forges.
Society
Many scholars propose that only the cold logic of a machine can create a utopia, and Matopouko is a world that lends credence to this belief. The governing Insight Array ensures that all citizens and visitors to Matopouko have access to work. The exact task for a given individual is determined through a complex series of algorithms, often ensuring that the abilities and talents of the individual are applied in a manner that benefits the planet. Those who accept their assigned positions are provided with suitable lodging and sustenance, assuaging fears of destitution or starvation. All assigned workers also receive a regular stipend of credits to use on incidental purchases while on Matopouko; even the harsh logic of the Insight Array recognizes the necessity of giving workers something to strive toward. This post-scarcity economy attracts many to the planet, though newcomers sometimes scoff at the labor or triviality of their assigned tasks.
Anacites are the inheritors of Matopouko. Since the departure of the Matodons, they have developed into two unique castes:
The Ascendant Conclave and the Heritor Conclave. The Ascendant believe that it is their duty to take on the mantle of the Matodons and travel to the stars, and work toward accomplishing this goal by constructing vast robotic seedships to send into the Vast to colonize other worlds. Meanwhile, the Heritors await what they see as the inevitable return of the Matodons. These anacites stockpile precious knowledge and spread across Matopouko in anticipation of their progenitors’ return. Recently, a splinter sect of anacites has begun to disregard both sides of the racial divide, content to spend their lives enjoying personal freedom and caring little why the Matodons created their race. Anacites from both of the other two castes tend to look down on these so-called upstarts.
From the megaplex of Striving, the Machine Court holds judicial authority across Matopouko. This council of robotic judges adjudicates the laws of Matopouko while simultaneously advising the members of the Insight Array on planetary governance. To the dismay of other planetary governments, including the Confederate Council, the Machine Court offers unbiased trials for androids and other constructs across the Confederacy. Hundreds of formal complaints are lodged on a yearly basis against the Machine Court for its supposed meddling in the governing of other worlds, but no Confederate World has taken any punitive action against Matopouko. Some construe the actions of the Machine Court as sentimental, viewing the trials as protection for constructs such as anacites. The truth is far simpler: by offering impartial trials for those condemned of false crimes, the Machine Court offers a place of refuge to those found innocent—a refuge where the innocent can immediately find work through the Insight Array and begin contributing to the prosperity of Matopouko.
Philosophy and religion are strange facets of life on Matopouko. The most common belief is that of the philosophy of singularitism, which espouses that the people of the galaxy will eventually reach a point of technological interconnectivity. The resulting singularity will unite all races of the galaxy into a single “godhead” that will end the need for modern deities. This belief is firmly supported by the Ascendant, who view such an apotheosis as a philosophical parallel to their own desire of taking on the mantle of the Matodons. The anacite prophet Tier-38-Mentor recently proposed that the deity Triune is the first step toward reaching singularity: Triune’s merging and self-perpetuated apotheosis is a microcosm of what the people of the galaxy will perform when the time is right. The same prophet speculates that Triune’s creation of Drift beacons is an intentional push for singularity, as the Drift will eventually connect all solar systems.
Worship of the deities Sarenrae, Triune, and Yaraesa are the predominant religions on Matopouko. As a sun goddess, Sarenrae enjoys the veneration of primitive-model anacites who see their ability to harvest solar energy as a holy union. Nonnative pilgrims unprepared for the rigors of traveling to the sun often visit Matopouko on pilgrimages to contemplate Sarenrae and the sun of the Confederacy system. Triune is the most widely venerated deity on the Forge because of its Epoch aspect—an aspect constructed on Matopouko by anacites. Yaraesa, the Lady of Wisdom, maintains several enclaves among the guarded data centers of Matopouko. Among the few lashuntas living on Matopouko, many are followers of Yaraesa who oversee ancient data repositories, ensuring that the information held within is used to better understand the universe and not to interfere in any significant way.
Adventuring on Matopouko
Exploring the enigmatic cities of the Matodons. Players can acquire the necessary permits to delve into these ancient and mysterious cities, seeking lost knowledge, powerful artifacts, or clues about the Matodons' disappearance.
Joining corporation-funded expeditions to the Ice Wells. These expeditions could involve uncovering ancient relics, studying the unique ecosystems, or protecting the Ice Wells from exploitation.
Getting involved in the political movement for construct rights. Players could join rallies, investigate conspiracies, or even become diplomats, working to spread acceptance of constructs and other sentient technological creatures.
Investigating the disappearances of seedships sent out by the Ascendant Conclave. This could lead players on a thrilling journey into the Vast, encountering unknown dangers and uncovering the fate of these lost vessels.
Uncovering the secrets of the Matodon city of Boundless. Players could explore the vast underground vaults, investigate the connection to the plane of Axis, or even awaken the city itself if it is indeed a robotic entity.
Protecting the Frozen Nelumbo Ice Well from anacite attacks. Players could join forces with the Ghorans and Xenowardens to defend this unique organic settlement and preserve its biodiversity.
Navigating the dangers of the Midnight Trenches. Players could become mercenaries, working for various factions in the ongoing conflict over precious metals, or they could seek their own fortune by mining for valuable resources.
Unraveling the mystery of the Last One in Endeavor. Players could investigate the enigmatic director of Resonant Technologies, uncovering their true identity and motives, while navigating the dangers of corporate espionage.
Secrets of Matopouko
The Matodons' True Purpose: Players might discover that the Matodons weren't simply harvesting materials, but were preparing Matopouko for a grander purpose, such as serving as a key part of a network of worlds or a failsafe for a galactic threat.
Hidden Matodon Vaults: Beyond the known vaults of Boundless, players could uncover hidden caches of Matodon technology or information, containing blueprints for powerful weapons, advanced AI, or star charts leading to unexplored regions of the galaxy.
The Last One's Agenda: The enigmatic director of Resonant Technologies may have a hidden agenda beyond corporate profit, such as manipulating the flow of magic and technology for personal power or enacting a plan for construct supremacy.
Anacite Rebellion: A secret anacite faction could be plotting a rebellion against the Insight Array, seeking to overthrow the current system and establish a new order based on their own beliefs and desires.
Sentient Cities: The Matodon cities, particularly Boundless, could be revealed to possess a form of sentience, capable of communication or even direct action, potentially influencing events on Matopouko or beyond.
The Fields of Judgement's True Nature: The strange effects of the Fields of Judgement might be tied to an ancient Matodon experiment or a hidden power source, with the potential to be harnessed or disrupted, affecting constructs and the planet itself.
The Frozen Nelumbo's Secret: The Ghorans and Xenowardens guarding the Frozen Nelumbo Ice Well could be protecting more than just the ecosystem, possibly hiding an ancient artifact, a powerful entity, or a gateway to another plane or dimensionAscent Prime's Virus: The Bureaucratic Subroutine virus plaguing Ascent Prime could be a deliberate attack by a rival faction or an unintended consequence of an experiment, with the potential to spread to other systems and disrupt the Confederacy.
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