Post Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:52 am

Read This Planet's Entry in the Traveler's Guide



The Maw, or the Maw Cluster as it was sometimes called, was an unstable and mostly unnavigable cluster of black holes located near the planet Kessel. The only reason the Maw was visible was due to the ionizing gases being drawn into it.

The stability of the cluster itself was something of a mystery, with some believing that an advanced civilization might have constructed it, rather than it merging together like a normal cluster would. Theories included creation by an unknown people (possibly the Celestials, the Rakata, or the Killiks) in 1,000,000 BBY and an enormous explosion in space. The Killiks claimed to have placed the Maw Cluster around Kessel, but their collective memory made this disputable; it was more likely that a member of the real makers joined one of their hives.

During the Hutt-Xim conflict, a number of warships from Xim's empire were forced back to Kessel where several of them were lost in the Maw.

The Maw was the site of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin's Maw Installation to build the first Death Star prototype, and most of the first Death Star (although it was completed at Despayre). Tarkin knew that the Maw's near-inaccessibility and remoteness made it easy for him to hide the project.

The installation was actually located within a safe zone inside the cluster discovered just prior to the start of the project. The remaining area of the Maw was saturated in radiation, plasma, and strong gravitational forces. Anything that neared the edge of the Maw would notice pieces of their ships being pulled apart, and some smugglers and criminals used it as a shortcut past the Kessel Run.

A large asteroid in the Maw was also the site of an Imperial detention base which was attacked by Rogue Squadron in year 3 ABY. During the battle, numerous prisoners escaped and the prison was destroyed.

The Maw was also the location of the creation and destruction of the Sun Crusher; it was constructed at the Maw Installation and destroyed when it was sent into one of the black holes within the Maw. Other superweapons designed and built there include the World Devastators, the Tarkin, the Ion Ring, and the Galaxy Gun.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Lando Calrissian sponsored the construction of a space station called Shelter, which was built with the remains of Maw Installation as a refuge for fugitive Jedi Knights. Shelter was located at the very heart of the Maw and at one point housed the wartime generation of Jedi apprentices and surviving Jedi Praxeum students.

In 43 ABY, Luke Skywalker and his son Ben visited the Maw during their journey to discover the reasons for Jacen Solo's fall to the dark side. Within The Maw, they discovered Sinkhole Station and the Mind Walkers.


Wookieepedia Link: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Maw


IC Sympathy tends towards:

- Incom Corporation Engineers
- Mandalorian Military Officials


Type of RP and/or SL likely to be found:

- Open
- Spontaneous
- Planned/Scripted


Specific Scenarios:

- Starship and weapon construction and storage
- Top-secret military research
- Security operations
- Closed superweapon scenarios


What to expect as a new RP arrival wanting to write here:

- Visiting writers welcome, however, keep in mind that the Maw Installation is a nearly inaccessible and top secret research facility, protected by some of the galaxy's tightest security. Unannounced arrivals may be unwise.
- New players to the Universe will not find much here unless you are interested in business/military RP
- To join the story here: arrive IC at Shelter Station (the outer checkpoint for the system) or introduce yourself via PM to Plu Ordinii
- The Maw Installation is available for private storylines by prior arrangement.
- OOC chat on the boards is highly discouraged, please use PM's.
- If something must be settled OOC on the boards, please use the IC disputes Settled OOC forum.


About the Maw:

The Maw Installation is the Incom Corporation's most secret and highest security military research and development facility. Projects carried out here are unknown except to the highest level Incom and Mandalorian officials, and the security teams are willing to kill to keep it that way. Trespassers will likely be shot first and questioned later.

Shelter Station is used as a checkpoint at the edge of the Maw, and any visitors, announced or otherwise, would be advised to check in there first, to avoid becoming cannon fodder or losing their way and being sucked into a black hole. However, Shelter Station doubled as an important communications facility, and security there will be tight as well.


Types of Character/Professions needed:

- Businessmen
- Engineers
- Military Officials
- Security Guards
Last edited by Shaman Anaxilea on Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Updated 03/13/10