Brynar

Brynar is a planet in the Brynar system in the Shackleton Expanse. It is a rugged, temperate world, home to a pre-warp civilisation of scattered kingdoms and tribes at approximately an Iron Age level of cultural and technological development. Its people live in walled settlements surrounded by forests and fields, ruled by warrior-chieftains and priesthoods whose authority is steeped in myth and ritual.

The planet is also dotted with ruins that hint at a more sophisticated civilisation or presence thousands of years ago, one since collapsed or abandoned. Several still show fluctuating, even unstable energy readings detectable from planetary orbit, suggesting the presence of technology far beyond the indigenous Brynarians present development.

Overview

Brynar’s landscape is a mixture of rolling hills, deep forests, stormy coasts, and scattered wetlands. The climate is mild but unpredictable, with long winters that foster a hardy, self-sufficient people. Settlements are small by galactic measure, from hill-forts that command fertile valleys to coastal towns trading fish, iron, and timber along crude sailing routes.

Society is fragmented into independent kingdoms. These polities are rarely larger than a few dozen settlements, ruled by kings or queens advised by priestly orders. Warfare is frequent but limited in scope: raids, skirmishes, and blood-feuds rather than campaigns of conquest. The people rely on iron tools and weapons, animal husbandry, and simple agriculture. Writing is limited, and oral tradition dominates their history and faith.

Brynarians

Brynar’s people are humanoid, short and broad-shouldered, with pale skin adapted to their often overcast skies. They scar their bodies with ritual marks that signify adulthood, honour, or devotion, a tradition embraced across kingdoms. Their oral myths describe shadowed gods who demand offerings of pain and blood, with ritual ordeals still forming the backbone of their culture: trials by combat, blindfolded vigils, or ceremonial scarification as rites of passage.

Priests and priestesses hold as much power as rulers, often declaring themselves interpreters of the gods’ will. Kings and queens are believed to descend from ancestors ‘chosen’ by divine beings, and their right to rule is tied to this sacred lineage. Though rivalries between kingdoms are common, their faith and imagery are remarkably consistent: symbols of broken eyes, jagged mouths, and shrouded faces appear across Brynar’s art, banners, and monuments.

The Ruins

Ruins of vast stone constructions lie scattered across Brynar, their scale and craftsmanship far beyond the ability of the current civilisation. Colossal blocks of black stone, some carved with strange symbols, form half-buried foundations or toppled walls. Some are shunned as cursed, others revered as sacred, with newer temples and forts built atop their ancient stones.

One site stands apart: a towering ruin in a misty valley, its shattered pillars surrounding a hollow at its centre. Orbital scans detect faint but persistent energy readings from beneath, anomalous for a pre-industrial world. Locals call it ‘the Bones of the Gods,’ a forbidden place where only priests may tread.

Encounters

Any Starfleet ship travelling to Brynar can detect the pre-warp civilisation and the incongruous ancient ruins emitting strange energy readings. The Prime Directive applies for investigation - Starfleet officers should not reveal themselves to locals. But, of course, the presence of mysterious, advanced technology is worthy of investigation. Any investigation will reveal the truth: the Vezda were present here centuries, perhaps millennia ago, and have left an indelible impact upon the religion and culture of the remaining Brynarians. Ruins may be part of the network that caused the Shroud, or something else entirely. Faith and society both have a dark underbelly rooted around pain and suffering.

It is down to the holder of the AOR to determine further facts about Brynar, its people, its past, and the ruins, but some of the following, optional prompts can be used:

• Energy Source: The anomalous readings at the Bones of the Gods intensify, suggesting a surge or instability below the ruins. Does this threaten the locals, or is it a rare chance to investigate before it fades?
• Ritual Confrontation: An away team disguised as locals stumbles into a sacred rite - perhaps an ordeal of pain or sacrifice. Do they risk exposure to intervene, or allow the ritual to continue?
• Warring Chieftains: Rival kingdoms clash near the ruins, each claiming divine right to the site. Outsiders may be mistaken for allies, enemies, or even omens.
• Priestly Guard: The local priesthood jealously defends the Bones of the Gods. Priests or their warriors may try to drive intruders out - or demand their participation in a ritual to prove themselves.
• The Hollow Voices: Locals whisper that, at night, the Bones of the Gods echo with voices. The away team may hear chants or cries themselves - but are these simply acoustics, or something resonating with their minds?
• The Blind Procession: On certain nights, villagers march blindfolded into the ruins, led by priests, returning scarred or not at all. The crew must decide whether to follow, observe, or intervene.

In Play

• Brynar offers a setting for covert away team operations under the Prime Directive. The civilisation is firmly pre-warp, so any investigation must balance secrecy with the imperative to study the anomalous ruins.
• The tone leans toward dark myth and horror. Brynarian society is steeped in ritual pain and superstition, and their myths echo through both daily life and the ruins themselves. Writers should lean into the atmosphere of unease when depicting interactions with locals.
• The ruins provide the scientific mystery at the heart of the location, with their energy readings hinting at ancient, advanced technology. Their influence on Brynarian culture is open to interpretation, but the echoes of a forgotten past should remain present.