Marrak IV

Marrak IV is a rugged, wind-scoured world of deep canyons and dark stone plains; the Marrak system is deep within the Shackleton Expanse. The Marraki people have long adapted to scarcity and struggle, building their settlements along fissures rich in geothermal heat and water, and defining strength through the ability to withstand pain and hardship. Their cities are austere, their art severe, and their rituals solemn; all expressions of a worldview that finds meaning in perseverance. At the heart of their history lies a single enduring tradition: a once-in-a-generation gathering in the Valley of Statues, where the Black Feast honours ancient legends of the Lords of Hunger.

Overview

Marrak IV is a temperate planet of arid ochre plains and dark escarpments, its atmosphere thin but breathable and its surface subject to sharp shifts between scorching days and frigid nights. The planet’s crust is fractured by deep rifts where geothermal activity vents heat and gas into the sky. The largest of these is the Valley of Statues, a basin stretching over two hundred kilometres, its walls carved by erosion and the labour of long-forgotten hands. Hundreds of towering humanoid figures stand sentinel across its floor, hewn from basalt veined with metallic ore that still interferes with tricorder readings.

Small settlements and pilgrimage sites dot the plateaus surrounding the valley, their architecture built from the same black stone and bound by wind-worn banners. Beyond these enclaves, Marrak’s population clusters along the more temperate coastlines and fertile inland basins. The planet is rich in iron and rare crystalline compounds, but exploitation is heavily restricted near sacred zones like the valley. Environmental instability and periodic tremors make large-scale industry difficult, reinforcing a pattern of decentralised communities that rely on ritual and shared endurance for cohesion.

The Marraki

The Marraki are a tall, sinewy humanoid species with ash-grey skin marked by dense dermal ridges along the forearms and shoulders, a natural adaptation to the planet’s abrasive winds. Their eyes are pale and reflective, suited to low light, and many bear intricate scars or brands etched as symbols of personal milestones or ancestral memory. Marraki culture reveres perseverance above comfort; hardship is viewed not as misfortune but as the crucible of strength. From youth, citizens are taught that endurance confers dignity, and physical trials - from fasting to controlled scarification - are considered rites of communal solidarity rather than punishment.

Their philosophy prizes stoicism and self-discipline, and Marraki art reflects this aesthetic of austerity: statues, murals, and music all convey restraint and tension rather than exuberance. The planetary government is secular and civic, but the influence of older religious traditions remains strong, especially in rural regions where pain rituals persist as cultural heritage. Legends of the Lords of Hunger are preserved as mythic cautionary tales rather than literal faith - though in recent years, reports of visionary movements and revived priesthoods have begun to circulate once more.

The Black Feast

The Black Feast is a planetary rite held once every several decades, when the Marraki gather in the Valley of Statues to endure trials of pain and deprivation in remembrance of their ancestors’ victory over the Lords of Hunger. It has long been a solemn observance - a ritual of unity and endurance rather than worship - with its scars worn as symbols of perseverance. But as the time of the next Feast approaches, a resurgent priesthood calling itself the Children of Hunger preaches that the old gods were never defeated, only sleeping. Their fervent calls for ‘true sacrifice’ have begun to spread through the outer settlements, and many fear that the next Black Feast will be unlike any in living memory.

Encounters

The cornerstone of this AOR is the Black Feast and the Valley of Statues, which speak to the truth of Marrak IV: that the ancient ‘Lords of Hunger’ were in fact Vezda, who thousands of years ago positioned themselves as gods or rulers of the planet. While the Black Feast has for centuries been nothing but an echo of that influence, the Valley of Statues is more than a place of carved rock. It is the home - within the statues, or perhaps under the surface - of ancient technology able to telepathically harness the emotions of suffering as a source of power.

This AOR is intended as a setting for a story of horror and mystery; of ancient evil and dark ritual, with locals who can be unwitting innocents or a twisted culture succumbing to dark influence.

Suggestions for the Black Feast

While the nature and proceedings of the Black Feast are for the AOR holder to define, here is a suggested summary. It can be used in its entirety, disregarded, or adapted.

The Black Feast is a week-long gathering of ritual endurance held in the Valley of Statues, where thousands of Marraki journey to fast, chant, and scarify themselves in unison beneath the towering effigies. Each day follows a cycle of trials: public displays of pain tolerance, processions through the valley’s canyons, and communal recitations of the Songs of Hunger that recount the people’s liberation through suffering. The ceremonies culminate at the alignment of the twin moons, when participants offer blood to the valley floor - a symbolic feeding of the world’s wounds so that the Marraki may endure theirs. In most ages it is solemn and orderly, overseen by civic elders; but with the Children of Hunger’s revival, the next Feast threatens to abandon restraint for true fanaticism.

Encounter Suggestions

Other details are for the AOR holder to determine: the level of technological development of the Marraki, the nature of the Vezda technology, the origins of the Children of Hunger, or the outcome of a resurgent, violent Black Feast. You can use several or any of these encounter ideas for your mission:

• An Intervention: The Marraki are a pre-warp civilisation, but the presence of mysterious technology or energy signatures far beyond their capabilities, centred around the Valley of Statues, is detectable from orbit. Any investigation must avoid breaking the Prime Directive.
• Honoured Guests: The Marraki are aware of alien life but have rarely met any due to the Shroud. Their leaders are delighted by visitors and eagerly invite them to witness the Black Feast. Is this a sincere case of cultural exchange, or is there something darker to the invitation?
• A People Divided: Marraki rulers are concerned about the influence of the Children of Hunger, fearing their calls for a return to divine rule and that the upcoming Feast may descend into mass bloodshed. Starfleet’s presence may determine if this crisis is resolved through diplomacy or ends in bloodshed and zealotry.
• The Feast Resurgent: At the bidding of the Children of Hunger, what was once a brutal but stoic and sombre festival threatens to become an indulgence of bloodshed, violence, and sacrifice - not all of it voluntary. Who will be targeted for this sacrifice? Perhaps an unwary Starfleet visitor...
• The Valley Speaks: Even ahead of the Black Feast, those who travel to the Valley of Statues experience strange and disturbing whispers and visions, a lingering telepathic echo of the Vezda - and likely the reason for the rise of the Children of Hunger.

Possible Outcomes of the Black Feast

The Black Feast might be something characters prevent - or not. It is intended as more than a bloody echo of historic Vezda influence. For some reason, lingering presence of the Vezda themselves (through agents, remaining telepathic influence, or an active Vezda), the Children of Hunger are here to make sure this Black Feast is different. What will happen if they succeed? Here are some ideas, but you may develop your own.

• The Feast Awakens the Valley: The culmination of suffering empowers the technologies of the Valley of Statues - which open an interdimensional rift to bring forth more Vezda from their home dimension.
• A New Vessel: At the height of the ritual, a lead priest - or sacrifice - becomes the host for a Vezda who was trapped within one of the statues, freed only by the energising suffering of the Black Feast.
• A Failed Miracle: The Children of Hunger proclaim victory when the statues emit radiant light and subspace hums with power, unaware the system is burning itself out (or has been sabotaged?). The Feast ends in awe, not devastation - but the myth of the Lords’ return is reborn for generations to come.

In Play

• Marrak IV is a world defined by endurance. Its people are not cruel or self-destructive, but from a culture that rewards fortitude and community built on shared hardship. Even when their rituals seem brutal, the Marraki see pain as a symbol of unity and strength, not barbarism.
• The Black Feast is a focal point but not the whole of Marraki identity. It can be depicted as cultural ceremony, tragic relic, or dangerous resurgence depending on the story’s tone. The tension between faith, history, and modernity is central to Marraki society.
• Marrak IV offers settings for archaeology, diplomacy, or horror alike: a world of ancient monuments, a complex people, and an evil lingering beneath the surface.
• It is, again, up to the holder of the AOR to define the technological development of the Marraki, and whether they are aware of the existence of alien life.