Vorethi System

The Vorethi System is one of the most resource-rich regions of the Shackleton Expanse. Vast asteroid belts and mineral-laden moons orbit the system’s twin suns, and for millennia the Vorethi civilisation has built prosperity on extracting, harnessing, and in more recent centuries, exporting these resources.

Before the collapse of the Shroud in 2402, Vorethi interstellar trade was rich, but slow. Convoys of massive ore haulers embarked on journeys lasting months, even years, between neighbouring systems, and the Vorethi economy was structured around long-haul transport, delayed communication, and resilient, insular corporate guilds.

Overview

At the heart of the system is Voreth Prime, the Vorethi homeworld. A rocky world rich in metals and ores, its surface is defined by sprawling industrial complexes, domed cities, and vast subterranean mining operations. Centuries of extraction have scarred the landscape, but the atmosphere remains breathable, and the Vorethi maintain the fertile agricultural regions.

The system’s two asteroid belts lend to its prosperity. The Inner Belt is dense with nickel-iron asteroids and has been heavily colonised with orbital refineries, while the Outer Belt holds rarer minerals such as dilithium and pergium, making it the focus of long-haul convoys. Several of the system’s moons, such as the tidally-locked Karnath with its massive strip-mines, are riddled with mining colonies and processing facilities. Stations like Vorakar Docks and Etrin Exchange serve as centres of commerce and maintenance for convoys and visitors.

The Vorethi

The Vorethi are a hardy humanoid species adapted to low-light, high-gravity, and often subterranean environments. They are dense in musculature, with pale-grey skin, reflective black eyes, and tend to be shorter and stockier than many humanoids, with cranial ridges. Centuries of reliance on heavy industry has produced a culture that venerates labour and the enduring communities around it, but also entrenches the power of the vast industrial guilds. These guilds dominate social, political, and economic life, and the central government is often regarded more as mediator than authority.

Long journeys absent from home - once in distant mines and refineries, now, for many, on distant starships - has forged traditions centred around patience, small communities, and oral storytelling. Some crews have worked the same routes for generations, passing down stories of their work and travels. The sudden change to this voyage from months or years to days and weeks has left many Vorethi struggling with what was a cornerstone of their pride - even those who did not travel the stars for years venerated those who did.

Present Situation

With high-warp travel now available, neighbouring systems, independent prospectors, and even opportunistic powers from beyond the Expanse are eager to secure their own stake in Vorethi’s mineral wealth. These outsiders may arrive not as raiders, but as traders, investors, or political envoys, seeking concessions the Vorethi can ill afford. While the Vorethi guilds remain rich in mineral wealth and have long guarded against lone raiders, they have not the military might to defend against a concerted threat. Some welcome foreign investment or protection, while others fear cultural erosion or economic exploitation.

The Vorethi are at a crossroads: adapt to the interstellar order and preserve their independence, or risk being overwhelmed by more aggressive neighbours.

Central Government

The Voreth government has long been relegated to working with and keeping the peace and stability between the various guilds. Elections are held every five years, and the guilds handle much of the funding for campaigns. There is growing discontent about the perception of the guilds having a strong hand in elections.

Government Officials

Chief Premier
- Gooren 2390-Present
Premier of Economy and Guilds
- Haans 2399-Present
  - This position focuses on liaising and coordinating with the guilds. They oversee the Economic And Guild Council.
    - The council works with the various guilds to ensure compliance with various planetary laws, policies and rules.
      - Council is a law, policy and rule-making group.
      - 500 members from various guilds, communities, groups, and companies.

The Guilds

The guilds come together at the Guild Masters Association Hall of Parliament for meetings. Each guild is represented by its respective guild masters, their deputies, and officers.

Major Guilds

The Iron Guild
- Heavy mining of all kinds
- Ore extraction
- Industrial transport
- The oldest guild
The Crystal Guild
- Dilthium extraction
- Unusual mineral
- The largest player in the rare-mineral market.
The Forge Guild
- Metallurgy, ship frameworks, and orbital defense construction.
- Originally under The Iron Guild. A separation occurred over growing idealogical differences.
The Hearth Guild
- Agriculture, food production
- Influence is moral versus industrial.
- The main tenets are sustainability and cooperation.

Minor Guilds

The Blood Guild
- A newer guild with a foundation fifty years ago.
- In the last twenty years, they have built a portfolio of intelligence and surveillance work.
- Rumored to have projects centered on mechanical engineering beyond standards and practices.
The Tether Guild
- Docking systems, orbital construction.
The Weaver Guild
- Fabrication of synthetic materials, textiles, and varying types of gear and equipment.
The Hearthstone Guild
- An off-shoot of The Hearth Guild.
- Habitat design, construction of civil projects, and life support systems.
The Grid Guild
- Power operations, reactor maintenance, research and development.

Encounters

Any of these plot hooks could be used for a mission using the Vorethi System as a setting.

Missing Survey Ship. A Starfleet or Republic surveyor dispatched ahead has disappeared in the asteroid fields of Vorethi. Your ship must find their fate, with local guilds perhaps suspicious of intrusion. Is this accident, sabotage, or piracy?
A Bargain for Protection. The Vorethi guilds offer favourable long-term mineral export contracts to the Romulan Republic, or to support local Starfleet infrastructure, in exchange for protection against raiders. This arrangement may stabilise the system, or be seen as an overstep by neighbours and rivals. Do all guilds support it?
Under Siege. Any neighbouring power (of your creation), or even the Romulan Free State or aggressive Klingon Empire factions may seek to seize Vorethi’s wealth by force, or even annex the system.
Fractured Guild Politics. Not all Vorethi agree on how to face the new reality of the Expanse. Some guilds push for isolation, others to militarise, others to join the galactic community. A secretive faction may push for off-world involvement to destabilise rivals. Starfleet’s presence may tip the balance.

These stories don’t have to be about violence. The Vorethi system is an excellent setting for stories about politics, trade, and diplomacy, involving tense negotiations or the ethics of interventionism.

In Play

For centuries, slow convoys were the backbone of Vorethi economy and culture, such labourers considered heroes. Stories should lean into how disruptive the change to interstellar travel is for the culture as well as economy.
The guilds are the real power in the system. Guild leaders make excellent political opponents or allies. They can be pragmatic, proud, suspicious, or opportunistic, but always with an eye to protect their wealth and status, as well as their guild over other guilds.
The Vorethi aren’t helpless miners. They know how to defend themselves against piracy, but their infrastructure is designed for convoys, not military fleets. They can fight back, but not against sustained military or even political pressure from multiple or powerful neighbours.