Library Data

Name given to any of the petty warlords or pirates who have operated in Reavers' Deep. Towards the end of Twilight, some of the less affected states in outlying sectors turned to plundering old Terran Confederation worlds that had lost interstellar ship technology. These plunderers were called Reavers and differed from ordinary pirates in preying on whole worlds. This lent their name a special horror that has clung to it down to modern days. Most of the Reavers came from Dark Nebula, Alpha Crucis, Magyar, and of course, Reavers' Deep.

Some historians hold that the Reaver era ended in -1118 when a Reaver fleet from the Opljiok Defense League lost two thirds of its ships in an attack on Jarslav. With the Aslans becoming ever stronger the various Reaver states in Magyar and Dark Nebula grew unwilling to risk such losses.

On the other hand, the name continued to be applied to independent warlords who, escaping with from the breakup or takeover of a small state with a few working ships, could easily make their way into the Great Unknown and have a good chance of dominating one or several primitive planets. Some of the most notorious Reaver lords like Blackjack Duquesne, Orchid Lu Wu, and Grand Admiral Izanak belong to the period from -1120 to -1000. During the latter half of the Long Night it became usual to label any opponent a Reaver, thereby justifying practically any treatment of that opponent.

Expansion by Aslan and Imperial interests into the region, culminating in the Last Aslan Border Wars (circa 200-380), led to a lessening of the Reaver presence, but in the aftermath of those wars the neutral strip of border worlds in the Deep became havens for criminals and pirates such as Hellion Murdoch and others of his ilk. To this day the Reaver name is sometimes applied, often in a fanciful or romantic manner, to freebooters, pirates, privateers, or, occasionally, to small interstellar states found in the area.

Pirates and petty warlords collectively referred to as The Reavers, dominated this region of space during the Long Night. Expansion of the Aslan Hierate and the Third Imperium into the sector ended Reaver activity, though the numerous neutral worlds of the sector provide havens for pirates and criminals to this day.

A metallic mineral compound found on several worlds in Farift and Gulf subsectors of Reavers' Deep. Riftgold resembles gold ore when first mined, but turns a dull brown after several months exposure to a standard atmosphere. Riftgold has very limited commercial value and is used primarily a novelty.

Some Solomani belters have created an elaborate myth around riftgold, calling it "djinn's gold" and attributing a period of bad luck to any who find it.

Originally colonized by Solomani during the Interstellar Wars, Rintarna has tended to remain aloof of formal interstellar political ties. It has sizable system defenses but no offensive fleet to speak of due to an extreme scarcity of lanthanum in the system. Officially, this seems to be why the organized raiders that plague Reavers' Deep and Daibei in the 1120's pass Rintarna by.

Unofficially, it is known that quite a large portion of the pirated goods found their way to Rintarnan markets, after very flimsy laundering at nearby freeports. In the early '20's by a combination of luck and good judgement, it also managed to acquire the services of several starmerc bands and a number of repairable warship hulls. With this new navy they are able to keep important trade routes to Rintarna open as well.