Stellar Cartography: Another Visit to the Proxima Centauri System

Here is a further examination of our exoplanet in the Proxima Centauri system. Atmosphere, Rings, and Albedo are required to determine its distance from the star.

Planet #1

Diazomethane Atmosphere

Atmospheric Albedo 0.79

Ozone-Water Rings

Ring Albedo 0.3

   



       






          Melting                              Boiling
             Point                                    Point
                 |       diazomethane          |
              128K                                     250K
  |               ozone      |                                   |
 81K                         161K                              261K
Melting                    Boiling                         Vapour
Point                        Point
                                                                                    |   water     |
                                                                                 273K            373K
                                                                                 Melt.            Boil.
                                                               |   planet    |
Proxima Centauri c
Atmospheric Albedo                   0.79
Semi-major Axis                          0.0235AU - 0.0196AU
Orbital Period (days)                  2.87 days - 3.765 days
Temperature                                250K - 273K

Description: albedo of 0.79 specifies a range for cumulus stratus (low altitude cloud) or fresh snow, both viable at -23 degrees Celsius. While albedo 0.3 specifies ice in the planetary rings.
Low altitude methane clouds, and an Ice Ring.

  Planet                                       Period(days)      Dist(AU)                 Albedo    Temperature 
  Proxima Centauri c / Rawn   2.87 - 3.765       0.0196 - 0.0235    0.79         250K - 273K  
Description: low altitude Cumulostratus Methane cloud blankets the entire planet while Ozone/Water Ice rings extend to about 2R of the planet Radius. The substantial Partial Ring gap indicates an off-axis moon or a chance encounter with a rogue moon.

Radius: Proxima Centauri itself has a radius of 0.1542Rsolar. Based on an examination of the hubble photo the planet has about 1/10th - 1/20th of Rproxima. 1Rsolar is about 10RJupiter so we are looking at a 1.5RJupiter- 0.76RJupiter planet. Our own Jupiter has at least four descent sized moons and a strong magnetic field so it could have a number of habitable zone moons with water. 

Planet #2

Update(4 april 2019): Its ringless friend mid hubble image is diazomethane with 0.7-0.78 albedo. Odd that its albedo is lower than Proxima Centauri c. Perhaps it has a higher carbon content.

Equatorial Albedo 0.78

Polar albedo 0.7

  Planet                                       Period(days)      Dist(AU)                 Albedo    Temperature 
  Proxima Centauri d / Faam   3.8865-4.8975  0.024-0.028          0.7-0.78      +250K         
Description: low altitude Cumulostratus Methane cloud blankets the entire planet.

Planet #3

A third planet appears to be blanketed in Ozone. Its albedo is near identical to proxima d with 0.7-0.78.

Polar Albedo 0.7

Equatorial Albedo 0.78

  Planet                                             Period(days)      Dist(AU)           Albedo    Temperature 
  Proxima b ?                 ozone       3.422-18.5355  0.022-0.068      0.7-0.78   161K-261K   
                                        Water       1.4784                0.0126               0.7            373K             

Description: Ozone cloud appears to blanket the entire planet. That seems to suggest intense electrical storms or industrialization. The range on the orbital period is rather diverse. Water vapour atmosphere is going to mean this is planet Tao as opposed to a colossal range that is offered by ozone.

  Planet            Period(days)      Dist(AU)     Temp (Kelvin, Celsius)          Albedo Adj.   
  Tao                      2                      0.015412                417K, 138.85C          Conif.  Ocean 
  Rawn                  3                      0.020195                364K, 90.85C             0.79 (cumul. st.)
  Faam                   4                     0.024465                331K, 57.85C              80.85C            
  Yung                    7                     0.035528                274K, -0.85C              20C      21.85C
  Klaang                8.2                   0.039481                260K, -13.15C           5.85C   6.85C  
  Proxima B         11.186             0.048561                235K, -38.15C
        Phet Rok      1                                                                                        
  Suun                  12.4                  0.052014                227K, -46.15C
  Khaan                21.75                0.075651               118K, -155.15C        
  Hin                      >6                     Intruder               Occasionaly Nice?

That checks off Rawn and possibly Faam.

  Planet               Atmo Type         Period(days)      Dist(AU)           Albedo    Temperature 
  Rawn                 Methane           2.87 - 3.765        0.0196-0.0235 0.79         250K - 273K  
  Faam                 Methane           3.8865-4.8975   0.024-0.028      0.7-0.78   +250K           
  Proxima b?       Ozone               3.422-18.5355    0.022-0.068      0.7-0.78   161K-261K   
                             Or Water ?        1.4784                 0.0126               0.7            373K             

Dollar and Wolfe: David's Staff

David's Staff
Having the appearance of a spinal column surmounted with a shrunken skull this staff is more Artefact.

In the Dollar and Wolfe comic series thus far it has the power to unleash a shadowbolt (a 5E Warlock cantrip). When the PC is overcome with fear the staff begins laughing which enrages all undead in range causing them to pursue the PC with the staff. And if abandoned having become soul bound to the PC will constantly return if disposed of assuming the form of an undead Skeleton to do so.

Warlock's Spine

Artefact of Thought

Description: this staff appears to be a halfling sized spine of bone topped with a shrunken skull.

Powers (100pp):

• Shadowbolt (necromantic Warlock Cantrip: 1d8 hp shadowbolt +1d8 per 4 levels) 10pp
• Other powers unknown at this time.

Handicaps & Penalties

• Mimic Familiar: any attempt to get rid of staff causes it to polymorph into skeleton and return to the PC. The staff is a mimic familiar of the immortal trickster Korotiku.
• First time the PC fails a charisma check against fear the staff begins to laugh incessantly attracting undead in range (100') causing the staff to become soulbound to the PC.

Alternately:

Space-Mimic Trickster Warlock Familiar of Korotiku

An intelligent mimic has swallowed a Warlock's Staff and assumed it's shape as a disguise. The mimic can assume the form of a skeleton to get around. As a mimic familiar it can become a familiar of a 1st level wizard, or a 3rd level warlock of pact of the chain. Or as a trickster it can pass itself off as a mimic familiar/magic staff. 

Amongst the various Mimic types the Spelljammer Space Mimic has spell-casting ability. This affords us the possibility of a Space mimic pretending to be a warlock's staff with the power to unleash shadowbolt cantrip (the mimic itself could actually be a warlock). Laughter summoning/enraging undead might be attributed to tasha's hideous laughter though it could be associated with the trickster aspect.

Blasphemous Works: Fate of the Sassoon Files

Apparently China ordered the destruction of every copy printed. Like the Necronomicon, there is probably now one copy...in the hands of cultists.

Dungeon Mastery: Taking a break from your Sanity

You have seen and experienced things that have slowly pushed you to the brink. Villagers slaughtered when goblins massacred your village. Children impaled on poles. And the response of the latest madman to sit on the throne has been scorn. Its has slowly gotten under yor skin. Lately you have felt a need to crawl into the deepest hole of a dungeon to escape the horrors of the surface. Down here in the crawling and slithering darkness things make sense. 

Reality takes a toll on the mind. Charisma isnt just your leadership and pursuasiveness, its a measure of your mental fitness. This is why the Player Characters need a Sanity check.

Players need to roll against their character's charisma to see if their character's well being starts to decline. And charisma shouldnt be fixed. Every failed check should be physically and emotionally taxing. Charisma should lower every time the Player Character struggles with experiencing something terrible. After all, you would have to be some kind of monstrous animal if even killing goblins didnt bother you.

Keep a count of the number of kills in an adventure by PCs, and undertake a Charisma check. Lower their charisma by one point if they fail. At some point Alignment breaks... Lawful becomes Neutral. Neutral becomes Chaotic.

Bards of Cuthulu: Two very special Tavern Songs

Startrek Discovery: Justifying Gay characters in Trek?

Why would gay people exist in a startrek Universe? If Federation is about personal development then the need for sex is reduced to procreative reasons only. As crew you are part of a team that works together and that affords the emotional support that replaces a sexual relationship, and thus there is no need to pursue sexual relations for sex beyond the professional relationship. While they are under pressure to add realworld concepts to startrek, it is ultimately something increasingly Alien (like religion) to what it means to be Federation.
While we might therefor look at an LBGT community within the Federation, it would still exist as an odd subculture within the Federation.
More than likely it would be seen in the exploration of a Post-human culture that has departed the human race and is pursuing its cultural choices free of humanity and how that culture as evolved (or devolved) as a consequence of Isolation from humanity, or we would explore an alien culture where Gay people exist, struggle for acceptance, have been driven into hiding, or have been eradicated from the Alien culture.

5.1% of females, 3.9% males regard them selves as LGBT in America. If we consider that as a ratio for Starship populations, there are 136 crew on Discovery. 68 would be 'female' and 68 'male'. 3.4 female crew are going to be gay while 2.6 male crew are going to be gay. While two male gay crewmen are going to enjoy a relationship on discovery, there is a third, unidentified male crewman who represents as 60% gay psychologically, is attracted to males, and isnt involved in a shipboard relationship unless he is Bisexual and is pursuing a relationship with another member of the crew who is female. A similar situation exists with two wholly gay female characters and the 40%er. Otherwise there is a destructive character arc waiting in the wings. After all, humans can be Jealous as hell.

Linguistic Archaeology: Sumerian Names

Names           -*l suffix deviation     long form                  (celtic)          
Aloros            orosal                             Arloaros                                        
Alaporos        aporosal                        Arlarpoaros                                  
Amelon          onamel (enamel)       Ar-mkulon             (-McCullin)     
Ammenon                                           Arm-mkunon         (-McKinnon) 
Megalaros     Arosmegal                   Mkugarl-aros        (McDougal-)   
Daonos                                                  Daronos                                         
Euedoroches                                       Kuk-ukud-oar-ochkus                  
Amempsinos                        Ar-mkump-skunos (-McComb-Skinnus) 
Opartes                                                  Opartkus                                       
Xlsuhtra                                                  Xlskuhtarar                                 

Length of Names
 Length    6     7       8     9       10     11       12 
Qty           3     2       2     1        1       1              

Popularity of Use

Vowels
A        %        E        %        I        %       O         %          U          %        
9/10    90%   6/10   60%   1/10  10%   9/10    90%      2/10     20%

Consonants
B        %        C        %         D      %       F         %          G          %
0/10   0%      1/10   10%     2/10 20%   0/10    0%       1/10     10%

H       %         J        %          K      %      L         %          M          %
1/10   10%    0/10  0%        0/10 0%    5/10    50%      4/10     40%

N       %        P         %          Q      %     R         %          S            %
2/10   20%   3/10    30%      0/10 0%   5/10    50%      8/10      80%

T        %       V          %         W       %    X        %           Y            %
1/10   10%   0/10     0%       0/10    0% 1/10   10%      0/10        0%

Z        %
0/10   0%

Linguistic Popularity
90%: {A, o} Ao
80%: {S, a, o} Os
60%: {E, s, a, o}
50%: {L, r, e, s, a, o} Orosal, Aloros
40%: {M, l, r, e, s, a, o}
30%: {P, m, l, r, e, s, a, o} Aporosal, Opartes, Alaporos
20%: {U, n, d, p, m, l, r, e, s, a, o} Onamel, Sean, Daonos, Ammenon*, Amelon*
10%: {C, i, g, h, t, x, u, n, d, p, m, l, r, e, s, a, o} Connor, Xlsuhtra, Amempsinos*, Euedoroches, Megalaros*

*Celtic-descended inclusion {C, i, g} Cig, Gic, Cgi, Gci, Icg, Igc
Conclusion: *Celtic-descended Peoples become part of the Sumerian Civilization introducing new letters to the Sumerian Language and some becoming its rulers. In the end they represent five to ten percent of its (male) population.