The Imagoes Subsector

The Imagoes subsector is named for the species of sapient insectoids native to Mageer. It is a balkanised region of space, with nine small multiworld states and eight independent sovereign worlds. The most powerful state within the subsector is the Mageer Swarm, which includes Mageer itself and the subordinate human worlds of Ceveis, Esiserve, Zamaso and Aresar.

The Imagoes subsector has 39 worlds, with a total population of 11.357 billion. The highest population level is A, at Mageer; the highest tech level is D, at Esusce.

Designer’s Notes

• As previously advertised, I wanted a new subsector for season 2 of the Arioniad. I intended to generate the subsector by hand, but life’s too short – there are plenty of generators around on the web. Eventually I went with the generator at Isomage’s House, and it produced this for me at the click of a mouse. I’ll post the world profiles as they become relevant.
• As a tip o’ the hat to Isomage for saving me so much time, the subsector name is an anagram of Isomage. Looking up Imagoes in the dictionary, I discover that an imago can be either an insect just after metamorphosis, or an idealised image of a parent. So the main themes of Season 2 will be the idealised image of a vanished empire which once controlled the area (hey, it’s traditional, all RPGs have them), and a race of intelligent insectoids living in the subsector.
• I wanted the subsector to have a number of small interstellar states, rather than be part of a large empire, so I decided that worlds linked by communication routes are part of the same political unit, and are ruled by the highest-technology planet in the group – ties go to the higher population level. This gives me groups of 2-5 worlds ruled by Edcetequ, Teenes, Xemaais, Mageer, Enaniqu, Laarerer, Inleer, Esusce, and Inlaarin, and a number of independent worlds. The high population level at Mageer makes this the obvious candidate for the insection homeworld, at least to me; Mageer’s population is as big as it can get under these rules, and the largest insect colonies are those of the African driver ant, so I shall use that as a template for the Imagoes.
• There is a town in Pakistan called Goth Bachal Aresar, so I decided to use Pakistani themes for Aresar.
• Esusce has a high tech level, but a low population, which called to mind H Beam Piper’s novel Cosmic Computer; so I’ve made this a former outpost of the vanished empire, abandoned by the original owners and now mostly populated by archaeologists, scavengers and treasure hunters of various kinds.
• Season 2 will begin with Arion & Co. misjumping into the Betiqu system, of which more anon.