In the vast coppery dunes of Sriluur, the home planet of the Weequay, on the edge of a gaping canyon in the wilderness, lies a building with a complex history. Its biggest claim to fame lies in its famous (or infamous) reputation as the hideout of the equally infamous Rameseum Crew. Founded by the criminal entrepeneur Zolar as a base of operations for the team, the Rameseum has expanded to full shadowport status in the Sisar Run, serving up the best beer, the heaviest bass riffs and the most secluded place for checking their legal-impaired goods in the sector.

The Rameseum started 150 years before the battle of Yavin as a Weequay temple honoring (and warning against) the site of a story in the Weequay religion. The legend goes that water nymphs lured the Weequay god Quay into a canyon, and then turned into beasts to attack him. The canyon was therefore named Uurutche'Zediev, or "Demon of False Promise." It is known locally as Temptation Canyon.

In these days, the temple was a semi-monastary, with a small group of Weequay priests tending the temple. These priests would occasionally make the 100+ kilometer journey to nearby Meirm City on foot, in order to recruit a young Weequay to learn the path of enlightenment at the temple. However, the temple is mostly isolated, and most Weequay don't even know of its existence.

Located alongside the dangerous Temptation Canyon, the temple was a testament to resilience in the face of the elements. The central support pillar of the temple is an immense statue of Quay, and solid sheets of sandstone form hard, implacable walls. Their surfaces were carved by the priests and then recarved by the winds, showing an epic battle between Quay and the foul temptresses of Uurutche'zediev*. The interior is spartan, with five levels in a step pyramid fashion (the bottom containing a worship area, the second a kitchen, the third and fourth living quarters and the fifth an observatory), with hardened clay floors and simple ladders to faciliate movement. Large wooden doors close the large bottom floor off from the elements.

The life led by the priests at the temple is one of quiet contemplation and resilient survival. Being self-sufficient in the desert is difficult, especially when faced with the constant raids of the bandigos, local desert pack predators that Temptation Canyon makes a home to (especially with the Canyon's valuable water pool at the end of the canyon). The priests here are tough, but also wise and quiet. It does take a certain kind of person to live as a monk in the middle of the coppery Sriluur desert.

Visiting the Temple of Uurutche'zediev

Visitors to the temple are rare, but if one were to find oneself at the temple of Uurutche'zediev circa 150 years before the battle of Yavin to around a year or two before it, one would be likely to find a small group of priests numbering no more than five and one high priest. Depending on when one arrives, it is likely that one would mee the high priest Vezirutches, who served as High Priest and Converser with Quay for 72 years before his death. Vezirutches, depending on when he is met, is likely to be either a young or middle-aged Weequay, with unusually short hair that signifies his humbleness (Weequay usually grow their braided hair long). He is enigmatic, and enjoys telling riddles and letting others deduce false truths about himself. He eschews the typical vestments of the High Priest, and wears a simple peasant's robe and does menial labors. He is often hard to visualize as a High Priest, but that's the way he likes it. If encountered late in his term as High Priest, he is hunched over and old looking, even for a Weequay. Don't underestimate him, however; just as in his youth, he is an expert at Xeramatchu, the Weequay martial arts (an almost forgotten art until the modern Weequay legend Guraquay resurrected them).

The temple, however, will offer little in the way of help. Its spartan setting affords little in the way of luxury, or anything beyond basic sustenance, though a lost wanderer in the wastes may find shelter in its walls. Keep in mind, however, that the Weequay are not automatically trusting; even the wise Vezirutches often requires guests to prove themselves worthy of aid before welcoming them in. However, if one comes seeking enlightenment or to learn more about Quay, the doors are open to guests, whether they be Weequay or not.

Adventure Hooks

Easy or Medium: Reports have come in to the Jedi council that there is a Force-sensitive student at Vezirutches' temple. The characters are dispatched to investigate and, if possible, recruit this young apprentice to the Jedi path. However, Vezirutches is skeptical of these so-called "Hiedi." Before he allows his student to be taken, he requires that a set of difficult tests be accomplished to prove their worth. Tests could include but are not limited to desert survival, one-on-one combat with the temple warrior, feats of meditation and control and mind-riddles and puzzles. Keep in mind that though Vezirutches is not a Jedi, he is very strong in the Force and can match a fully-trained Jedi half his age in any of the tests mentioned above.

However, not all are respectful of the Weequay religion. Around two years before the battle of Yavin, a local gotal pirate lord named Uljin Voli decided he needed a new base. Finding the temple, he had his gang attack by surprise. After the unskilled and innocent priests were murdered by the pirates, Uljin disposed of the evidence in the canyon and set up shop in his new "base." Several modifications were done to the temple, as it was updated to reflect the new occupancy. The large wooden doors were taken out and replaced with a blast door. The first floor was renovated into a garage and storage area, the second into a meeting room, the third and fourth into living quarters, and the fifth into Uljin's personal bedroom. The desecrated former temple was filled with supplies, loot, and other pirate-base related materials. The enscriptions and primary facade were left mostly intact, however, except for the installation of modern power wiring, utilities, and the obscene carvings of bored pirates. A rough "landing field" was smoothed down in the sand outside, and several large vehicles are kept outside the walls of the base.

Uljin uses the former temple as a home base from which to launch attacks on his archrival, Vigo Sprax. When he and his cronies inhabit the base, it is crawling with activity, as the rowdy scum of the civilization prepare for their next raid. When he is gone, the base is quieter, with a skeleton crew of guards doing odd jobs around the place. Its remote location has ensured that it is safe from attack, and even the spies of Vigo Sprax have yet to ascertain its location.

Uljin Voli is a large power in the sector at this time, as he is one of the few who dare defy Sprax. The group is an experienced group of thieves, pirates, and scavs, recruited from a motley array of sources; Uljin tries not to hire high-profile criminals, as they could compromise the group, as well as cause internal problems. The two exceptions to this are two deadly assassins; the Ishi Tib Zirlig and the Armandi Ar'wa Nonshik. These two help defend against Sprax; Sprax doesn't want to find Voli just as one of Uljin's assassins find him.

Visiting Uljin Voli's Base

Waltzing up to Voli's headquarters is not a particularly smart idea. Voli is smart, and knows that strangers could very well be spies for Vigo Sprax. Unknown people outside his doors will be either captured or killed, depending on their hostility towards the guards. If the characters wish to make a deal with Voli, he will probably keep them tied up until he ascertains their loyalties. However, he is always looking for enemies of Vigo Sprax, and will likely be willing to work with anyone who opposes Black Sun (at least until things become inconvienient). Voli's gang is a group of pirates, thugs and rogues; treat them as such. At any one time, there are twenty to thirty pirate goons inhabiting the temple unless Voli has gone raiding, in which case a bare dozen remain to watch the farm.

Voli is an aging gotal with gray hair on his horns. His right eyes is milky-white and blind because of a large scar running down his face, the result of an encounter with a Black Sun enforcer. He can be jovial, but knows that his position in the galaxy is shaky at best; he can therefore be ruthless, and often feeds captured enemies to the bandigos that live in Temptation Canyon. More information on Uljin Voli and the Antar Band can be found in the Secrets of the Sisar Run sourcebook by West End Games.

Adventure Hooks

Easy or Medium: Somehow, the characters have been captured or kidnapped by Voli. Though he wishes to kill them, he sees their skills could be of some small use. He orders the characters to clear Temptation Canyon of bandigoes, the native hyena-like scavengers and predators. He releases them nearly weaponless and defenseless at the far end of the canyon, without food or water, and tells them that if they manage to return to the Weequay temple they will be handsomely rewarded with their lives. The characters must fend off bandigo attacks, as well as the harsh elements of Sriluur, in order to return alive. To make the adventure even more interesting, perhaps the semi-intelligent bandigoes are even more intelligent than previously thought... perhaps the characters run across a bandigo "temple," or an insane former Jedi hermit living in the canyon who teaches the bandigoes to defend him from intruders.

Medium: The characters return to their docking bay one day to find their ship gone! Following leads, they find it has probably been hijacked by Nim Abek and his band of shipjackers, the primary "acquisition agents" of Sprax's chop shop at Gricul Yard. However, just as they are about to "repossess" their ship from the Yard, it is raided by Voli and his pirates! The pirates make away with several ships, including the character's! Now they must fight Voli, as well as fending off the reprisal of Sprax and Abek, who consider the ship "rightfully theirs!"

Hard: If somehow the characters end up working FOR Voli, then the Gotal might decide that he's had just about enough of Sprax... it's time to take him down, permanently. The characters are assigned to work with either Zirlig or Ar'wa, each of whom are assigned a monetary reward if they're the ones to kill Sprax. Of course, competition between the two teams will be fierce, maybe even enough to upset a possible strike. The characters must work together or perish at the hands of Shotarr and Sprax's bodyguards... or even fellow assassins. Things could get even more interesting with some double-crosses, or the media getting involved after a botched assassination...

About eight months after the Battle of Yavin, a group of unwitting Black Sun employees tracked their captured colleague to Uljin's base, and without anything better to do attacked it. Though Uljin himself was gone, the remaining pirates were thoroughly defeated by the skills of this group (and their darned droid). After the dust had settled, one of the criminals, a particularly ambitious rogue named Zolar, had a wonderful idea to convert the temple into a bar and shadowport. Naming it after his assassination droid Ramses 3000, Zolar gave it the moniker that has stuck ever since; The Rameseum. After acquiring funds from some unlikely sources, he began a complete renovation of the temple that would become the infamous Rameseum.

It started with a modernization of the old facilities of the temple. Clay floors and sandstone walls were finished in a suitable material, rope ladders were made into turbolifts and stairs, and more facilities for modern equipment were added. The second floor was the centerpiece of the Rameseum; it was the bar. A large bar stocked with all manner of ethyl alchohol was added, along with many tables, alcohol storage facilities, and even a miniature dance floor and a (much larger) sound system. The third floor was removed and replaced with an open clear story, with a walkway around the walls with extra tables. The fourth was converted into an operations center, with communications and computer gear for coordinating the shadowport's defenses and air traffic, and the fifth was Zolar's personal room (with a charger for Ramses). The outside was changed slightly as well, with Zolar recarving the massive statue of Quay into a likeness of Ramses.

However, the most considerable changes were made underground. In line with his idea to expand the Rameseum into a shadowport, Zolar spent quite a bit of money to excavate a large hangar bay underneath the Rameseum. With access via turbolift from the first floor or from the large hangar bay doors that are carved into the side of Temptation canyon, the hangar contains several facilities not accesible from the surface; these include a full medbay, an armory and mechanical room, as well as the obligatory facilities for maintaining starships.  The hangar can occupy two light freighters or several more fighters (but even then it's a tight squeeze, especially when navigating down through Temptation Canyon to get to the hangar door). For the excess, Zolar paved a landing pad near the Rameseum on the surface.

In addition, Zolar spent the last of his money to expand the Rameseum from its temple start to a whole compound. After installing a security fence around the compound, Zolar built several temporary living quarters for transients (and the rest of the Crew). Also outside are the power generator for the whole compound and a bazaar for transients coming through and hawking their wares. The center area was paved and kept well-tended with whatever excuses for decorative plant life Zolar could coax out of the harsh desert of Sriluur. The base is also defended by several E-Web cannons and a grenade mortar on the roof, set up at towers around the fence as well as on the Rameseum itself.

Visiting the Rameseum

During this time period, the Rameseum is a bustling shadowport. While its capacity is limited compared to large space stations (Nwarcol Point, for example), it has one major advantage: remoteness. Criminals of all kinds flock to the Rameseum, sometimes for a fuel stop, sometimes for an illegal cargo deal that official spaceports would frown upon, sometimes to lay low from trouble, and sometimes just to have a good time at the Rameseum's sector-famous happy hour. Zolar is pretty hands-off to deals that go on inside the Rameseum's walls (whether they be criminal, Rebel, or other), though Ramses or Umino will often be there to straighten out any fights. The Rameseum is known throughout the sector as the place to go to keep things quiet, and have a good time doing it.

Visitors will most often come via starship and land on the pad outside (space in the hangar is a commodity usually reserved for Zolar and his associates). Zolar charges no tariffs on incoming cargo or ships, only for refueling and repair charges (another reason smugglers enjoy stopping at the Rameseum). The bar, which is the main meeting place at the Rameseum, can range from a quiet, smoky room with criminals wheeling and dealing over hard drinks in their booths, to an affable, friendly have-a-beer-mate atmosphere, to a bass-pounding dance party, depending on what time of night it is.

Underworld types enjoy having meetings here, so criminal or Rebel contacts are not hard to find at or meet with at the Rameseum. A visitor will likely run into almost any of the Rameseum Crew, including Zolar, Ramses, Torill, Tu'ebb, Umino (the bartender), Dex, Leda, or many of their other associates. See the Characters page for details on these personalities.

A visitor is warned, though: there are many rumors that the Rameseum is not quite as nice a place as is thought. There are rumors of the place being tapped by Black Sun, though since Black Sun is itself a rumor many don't believe it. Perhaps they should. Another occasional problem is the actions of Zolar; his randomness might cause him to "recruit" random members of the Rameseum into roles that are perhaps dangerous for their health. Attacks on Zolar or his associates might be another problem, as the infamous Torill Hendyker is a popular target for bounty hunters.

Adventure Hooks

Easy:  Umino has decided the Rameseum needs the ultimate drink: the infamous Dark Side Kablooie, the most powerful alchoholic beverage in the known galaxy. Unfortunately, the inventor is in hiding, after a foolish Moff drank more than one shot of the stuff and died of alchohol poisoning. Now charged with assassination, he is being hunted by Imperials. Umino hires the characters to search out the inventor before the Imperials get to him, and to bring his secret formula back to the Rameseum!

Medium: Shortly after making a shady deal at the Rameseum, the characters are approached by a group of goons, who inform them that they work for Zolar. They say that Zolar, through his spy gear at the Rameseum, found out about their deal. Unless the characters provide goods and/or services RIGHT NOW, Zolar will give the information to a hostile source, probably the authorities. Unless the characters don't mind being blackmailed, they will probably try to fight back, possibly confronting Zolar. However, he knows nothing about it. In fact, the goons worked for a rival criminal (possibly another Vigo, but possibly just a two-cred crimelord) who somehow tapped into Zolar's spynet and is using the info to blackmail unwitting spacers. Now with Zolar on their side (whether that's good or bad is up for debate), the characters can find out who REALLY knows what they did...

Medium or Hard: Moff Neomen has decided that the Rameseum is a blight upon the face of the Periphery, and has ordered it destroyed! A strike force is launched, with numerous troopers and vehicular and aerospace support to wipe out everyone's favorite bar/ shadowport. Zolar "volunteers" everyone currently in residence- including the characters- to defend the base, whether they want to or not! Trapped inside, they must outlast Neomen's siege with the rest of the Rameseum Crew.

About two and a half years after the Rameseum was renovated, however, things took another turn. Zolar became involved in an intricate plot to overthrow Vigo Lonay, and in doing so had to spend considerable time away from the Rameseum. Not wanting to turn the Rameseum over to a half-ass caretaker, Zolar decided to temporarily mothball the facility.  Unfortunately, various parties were easily able to circumvent his defenses and gain access to the Rameseum. The abandoned Rameseum became a hideaway for even worse scum then usually came to it; it is known that at various points, murderers, drug dealers, and reveling gangs were all guilty of squatting at the Rameseum. As a result, equipment fell into disrepair, and the interior and exterior of it was trashed.

All of this was overshadowed, of course, by a horrible slaughter that occured at the Rameseum. A gang of bohemian revelers were partying at the abandoned Rameseum when a force led by Guraquay, the Weequay religious zealot who, incensed at the earlier desecration of the temple, had blamed the so-called demon Uurutche'ramzev, or the "Demon with Metal Weapons" (in other words, Ramses). Read more about Guraquay in the Characters section. Intent on "cleansing the temple of Quay of evil," he and his followers brutally exterminated the gang members and disappeared into the night.

This act of violence scared many away from the Rameseum, and though Zolar returned to learn of the slaughter, the Rameseum was not reopened or reoccupied by new squatters for some time. Some time later, after the dust had settled at the Rameseum, Guraquay and his followers returned to recleanse the temple and occupy it, creating a new militant monastary in which Guraquay trained his new followers. Though they were eventually driven out by Zolar and Ramses, the temple was still not reopened, though this time Zolar had the sense to give the stewardship to it to someone he trusted.

Zolar turned the keys over to Dex, the famous smuggler prince. Though Dex used the Rameseum slightly as a base of operations, he mostly "rented" it out, letting his scoundrel friends know that there was a quiet, abandoned place where they could stop to lay low for a while. It is known that several underworld dignitaries took a break there, including the famous Little Prince of Socorro, Drake Paulsen. While the abandoned Rameseum did not offer much in the way of hospitality or supplies, it did offer an isolated hideout where visitors were few and enemies were fewer.

The actual appearance of the Rameseum changed little during this period; there were no major modifications or changes to the compound. However, it is very definetly abandoned, and looks as such. Graffiti covers the outside and inside, trash and detritus infest the interior and exteriors of the buildings, and many functions (including computer systems and the hangar bay doors) do not work. The landing pad is not kept up, and is challenging to land on with its layer of sand. In the lesser used areas, thin layers of coppery dust cover the interior or blow around the exterior; in the more used ones there are old bedding, beer bottles, drug needles, ominous blood stains, and a cocktail of smells. It resembles the worst slums of Jusenkyo or the lower levels of Coruscant.

Visiting the Abandoned Rameseum

Visiting the Abandoned Rameseum is not hard; there are no permanent inhabitants to speak of, and though there is little there to offer a spacer in trouble, there is the valuable commodity of being alone for a while. This is not always the case, however; a drug dealer, gang, or other dangerous squatter might have taken up residence there for a while, and may or may not be willing to share the space. It depends on the kind of person one meets. Guraquay, of course, can see no reason why any non-Weequay would set foot within ten kilometers of the temple, and will viciously and murderously defend it against the "unfaithful." The abandoned Rameseum might make an excellent place to meet a contact if there needs to be noone to see it (assuming the Shadow Talons are not currently residing there)...

Adventure Hooks

Medium or Hard: Responding to a spacer's distress call, the characters make their way to the abandoned Rameseum. There they find a group of lowlifes, the only survivors of a deadly and terrifying siege. The character's ship is also damaged, and now they must wait it out or fight back against whatever is killing off the group before them... perfect, if a little formulaic, for a horror-based adventure.

Hard: There's a huge party going down at the Rameseum! How the characters get involved doesn't matter- they might want to attend, or it might offend their moral sensibilities, or they're hired to clean the place out. The problem comes when someone else decides to show up, as well: Guraquay. His Shadow Talons attack in the night, and the characters must find a way to escape or fight back... and is what the Talons are doing really so bad, anyway? Even if the characters are driven off, Guraquay likes to take prisoners: they make great sacrifices for Quay. The characters might just have to go back and rescue their comrades/ enemies from a horrible death at the hands of the Prophet...

Six years after the Battle of Yavin, the Rameseum Crew returned to the Rameseum after a long hiatus of adventures. Although the old Rameseum Crew moved on to different things after a short time, they did expend the effort to clean up their old base and return many systems to operational condition. However, the now-captain Zolar recognized the need to keep the place under some kind of permanant watch. Zolar hired a wookie named Morev to be operational manager and bartender for the Rameseum while he assumed his role as captain in the New Republic navy. The lack of Imperial presence in the sector ( a result of the New Republic's final cleanups) and the death of Guraquay meant that the Rameseum faced little threats. This led smugglers and spacers back to the Rameseum, despite its long hiatus. While not known quite as well for its former party scene, it did become famous for a new connection; it became the homebase for Dex's smuggler group.

Dex and Leda finally returned to the Sisar Run after a time adventuring in the galaxy, and Dex was amazed at the lack of organization in the former den of scum and villany. Vigo Sprax had stepped down, and Kisquar could not control Sprax's former holdings near as well as the old Nalroni did.  Blalock and his pirates had broken from Kisquar and instituted an iron fist of piracy on the sector, one that could not be broken by the weakened Weequay enforcers or Jaytayus Outbound. To this end, Dex quietly began assembling an underground, informal smuggler's league loosely titled Sisar Hydrospanners Inc. Using the Rameseum as his homebase, Dex set up the smuggler group that would eventually challenge the pirates' rule of the sector.

The layout of the Rameseum has changed to reflect the greater influx of smugglers. The landing pad was extended, allowing greater capacity for ships. The fifth floor was converted out from a room to an (albiet crowded) control tower to aid in navigation. The hangar bay was walled off exclusively for repair jobs, due to limited space. In addition, the repair facilities were extended, and a couple extra cavities were carved out of the sandstone underneath the Rameseum for more room.

Visiting the Upgraded Rameseum

Visiting the new Rameseum is relatively easy, especially if one has contacts with the underworld. Smugglers in the sector almost always at least know of SisSpan Inc., and can at least point to someone who knows a friend who knows some business contacts that can give you directions. There is rarely any hassle at visiting, unless there is either little landing space or if Morev or Dex smells a rat. Suspected bounty hunters or pirates are especially given a hard time; the Rameseum is interested in safegaurding its customers. The Rameseum can offer supplies, repairs, a trading booth, an underground contact, or some advice for those willing to abide by the Smuggler's Code.

As is suggested, smugglers, blockade runners, and shippers can be found in great numbers at the new Rameseum. Dex has turned the Rameseum into a perfect smuggler's hideout, and as such has drawn many customers, even from such giants as Nwarcol Point. As such, there are many who can be turned to for advice; at any one time, there can between 10 and 30 smugglers at the Rameseum. Most are at least civil to others of their type, some even friendly; some, however, are typical criminal scum, looking out for themselves (or even looking for others who are weaker than them).

Morev the Wookie (known as "Silent Morev" for his taciturn attitude) is a likely encounter at the Rameseum; he serves as the bartender and general manager. A medium-sized wookie with black fur, Morev is known for his trenchcoat, his backwards baseball cap, smoking habit, and quiet attitude; he will usually just stand there and listen, answering occasionally with expressive but stoic shrugs or nods. Some mistake this for disintrest, but he always follows through on favors asked of him and always seems to stop fights before they start. He has been known to give occasional bits of wisdom (in Wookie, of course), made all the more important because it is one of the few times one will hear him speak. The logically following translation issues may get in the way of the message, of course, but that's not Morev's problem.

Dex and his wife Leda are also often found at the Rameseum, either hanging out in the bar or outside, trading with other smugglers. Despite the loose organizational nature of SisSpan Inc, Dex still has a lot of intelligence-gathering and administrative duties to take care of - more than the free-wheeling smuggler would have liked to have taken on. He often complains about the work, but realizes deep down that his rag-tag group of gunrunners and smugglers will only stand a chance in the dangerous waters of the criminal underworld if he takes the reins and fights long and hard for their survival. Leda helps him a lot, keeping the chaotic nature of her husband in check when work needs to be done. Dex still finds time for runs, though, and often can be found in the bar, buying a round of beer for Leda and his other underworld compatriots. More info on Dex and Leda can be found in the Characters section.

Adventure Hooks

None yet...