Vraxir System

The Vraxir System lies deep within the Shackleton Expanse, its four inhabited worlds bound by a single warrior creed. The Vraxiri turned millennia of civil war into ritual, forging the Iron Accord: an alliance that channels conflict into controlled combat and honours strength without chaos. Their fleets and armies are powerful, but their unity is maintained through strict custom, each clash now fought in the arenas of Vraxir Prime instead of on the battlefield. All of this is overseen by the Warlord of Warlords, whose authority is renewed through victory in the combative Trials of Accord.

With the collapse of the Shroud, the Vraxiri find themselves facing a galaxy that suddenly feels much smaller. The question remains whether they will turn their warrior creed on the stars, or if the wider galaxy will change them.

Overivew

The Vraxir system consists of four inhabited worlds orbiting a bright K-type star. The homeworld, Vraxir Prime, is a rugged, mineral-rich planet of scarred mountain ranges and plains, its surface marked by the remains of ancient wars now repurposed as ceremonial arenas and fortress-cities. Vast orbital platforms serve as shipyards for the Vraxiri fleets, whose warships are as much symbols of prestige as instruments of defence.

Three colonised worlds - Kareth, Molkar, and Varrin - form the pillars of the Iron Accord. Each is ruled by one of the great warrior-clans, their power balanced by long-standing treaties that limit fleet size, weapon stockpiles, and even the number of champions they may send to the Trials. Kareth is a world of wide deserts and fortress-monasteries, where discipline is refined into doctrine; Molkar, rich in metals and shipyards, sustains the fleets and their engineers; Varrin, a temperate oceanic world, provides the system’s agriculture and sustenance, its people renowned as both diplomats and duelists.

While the Accord maintains an efficient trade of resources and mutual defence, each world guards its autonomy fiercely. Disputes are settled not through battle, but through ritual combat fought in the great arenas of Vraxir Prime. These tournaments draw vast crowds, uniting the system in spectacle and reaffirming the shared purpose that keeps the Vraxiri from turning their weapons upon one another.

The Vraxiri

The Vraxiri are a broad-shouldered, powerfully built humanoid species, typically standing taller than most Federation species and distinguished by pronounced cranial ridges that extend down the sides of the neck. Their skin tones range from dark grey to burnished copper, often patterned with faint striations that vary between lineages and clans. They possess dense musculature and high endurance, adaptations to the heavy gravity and thin atmosphere of their homeworld.

Culturally, the Vraxiri are defined by a belief that conflict is both crucible and covenant — the means by which individuals and nations prove their worth, and the foundation upon which peace is sustained. Every citizen trains in martial arts, whether as a soldier, duelist, or tactician. Even their engineers and scholars speak in the language of warfare: discipline, precision, endurance. Violence is not viewed as barbarism but as sacred ritual, tempered by honour and bound by ancient law.

The Iron Accord

The Iron Accord was forged nearly a thousand years ago after centuries of devastating wars between the early Vraxiri nations. It established a new order: four ruling clans, each sovereign on their own world, bound by mutual oaths never again to wage open war. Instead, all disputes of prestige, territory, and leadership would be decided in ritual combat under the oversight of the Warlord of Warlords - a title passed through victory in the Trials of Accord.

These Trials, held every twenty years on Vraxir Prime, are both political and spiritual in nature. Champions representing each world engage in a series of battles that blend athleticism, tactics, and endurance, culminating in the final duel to determine the next Warlord of Warlords. The victor’s world leads the Accord until the next cycle, governing interplanetary policy and directing the fleets of the united Vraxiri.

The system’s peace endures not through faith in pacifism, but through faith in structure - in the idea that conflict must never be abolished, only mastered. Yet with the stars now within reach, and Accord offering new interpretations of honour, that mastery may soon be tested in ways the Iron Concord was never built to withstand.

Encounters

Central to the story of the Vraxir system is that Starfleet are not the first Beta Quadrant power to arrive, but the Klingon Empire. This can be warriors of a pro-Federation house simply exploring the Expanse alongside Starfleet, or supporters of Chancellor Toral seeking expansion and opportunity.

The Klingons’ arrival has transformed the coming Trials of Accord. Invited to compete as honoured guests, their success and unrestrained celebration of victory have captivated the Vraxiri public and unsettled the clans. To some, the Klingons embody the purest expression of their creed - warriors unbound by the restraint that has kept the Accord at peace. Others see them as disruptive to the status quo. Every strike in the arena now carries political weight: a Klingon triumph could ignite calls for conquest beyond the system, submission to the Empire’s example, or even a new war among the clans over what true honour demands.

Starfleet may have arrived at the invitation of the Klingons, visit as explorers, or even been reached out to by one of the clans dissatisfied by the Klingon presence. You may use some or any of the following encounter ideas to flesh out the mission for this AOR:

• The Guest Warriors: Starfleet arrives to find Klingon champions already competing in the Trials of Accord. Their victories draw huge crowds, but the Warlord of Warlords fears that further success will inflame nationalist sentiment. Can Starfleet counsel restraint without insulting the Klingons - or becoming pawns in Vraxiri politics?
• The Broken Oath: A defeated clan accuses the Klingons of dishonour, claiming they used forbidden weaponry or tactics. When tempers flare, the accused Vraxiri challengers demand blood recompense, threatening to turn a ceremonial match into open war.
• The Warlord’s Dilemma: The current Warlord of Warlords, impressed by Klingon power, petitions the Empire for alliance - or even protectorate status - believing the Vraxiri destiny lies among their warrior kin. Starfleet must manage this situation: does such a compact follow the Khitomer Accords? Will it give Chancellor Toral’s faction a militaristic foothold in the area? Or will this benefit the Federation, establishing a world loyal to pro-Federation Houses?
• The Seeds of Rebellion: One clan, emboldened by Klingon ideals of conquest, declares that the Accord has made the Vraxiri weak and calls for the unification of the system under a single ruler.
• The Rival Hosts: Starfleet’s allied Klingon house insists on competing in the Trials as a symbol of unity, but a rival pro-Toral warband also arrives, claiming the Vraxiri invited them. Both accuse the other of dishonouring the Empire. Starfleet must prevent a Klingon feud from erupting before the Vraxiri audience sees it as invitation to civil war.
• The Honour of Allies: A Starfleet captain finds their Klingon counterpart - from a friendly, pro-Federation house - under intense local pressure to fight ruthlessly in the arena. If they hold back, they risk humiliating their hosts; if they fight true, they may destabilise the Accord. Starfleet must navigate between Klingon pride and diplomatic disaster.
• Starfleet Champions: Klingons loyal to Toral seek victory in the Trials of Accord, plainly to turn Vraxir to their own bidding and risk destabilising the Expanse. The clearest way for Starfleet to stop them is to play by the rules: participate in the Trials and win - or at least defeat them.

The Vraxir system can be a setting for action and drama, with competing clans and intense, physical, violent competitions. But it can also be a setting for political intrigue and nuance, with the Vraxir people in a state of flux, and the Klingons themselves bringing old disagreements and Beta Quadrant politics to the Shackleton Expanse.

In Play

• The Vraxiri should be depicted as disciplined, honour-bound, and intelligent - not bloodthirsty savages. Their society has mastered war through structure and ritual; the danger lies not in barbarism, but in the temptation to let that structure slip.
• The arenas of Vraxir Prime are the stage for politics as much as combat. The Trials of Accord are theatre, diplomacy, and holy rite all at once - victories and defeats shape the fate of worlds.
• Each Vraxiri world offers a different lens: Kareth’s austere warrior-monks, Molkar’s militant engineers, and Varrin’s duelist diplomats each represent a philosophy of honour that can clash over how to respond to Klingon influence.
• The story should frame the Vraxiri as standing at a crossroads: whether to embrace the path of the conqueror, reaffirm the Accord’s discipline, or fracture under the strain of competing ideals.
• Starfleet’s challenge is to uphold the Federation’s principles amid a society that equates virtue with victory. Success may mean preventing a war - not through combat, but through diplomacy, restraint, or even losing honourably.