Gandle Ott

Located within the Ott system of the Kathol sector, in the Outer Rim Territories, Gandle Ott was the fourth planet from its star. Being the endpoint of the Trition Trade Route, the main hyperlane serving the sector, it was regarded as the region's last significantly settled planet. Gandle Ott was situated fifteen hours from Charis, eight hours from Mairne, and seven hours from Peirs. The planet's day lasted twenty-five standard hours, and it orbited its sun every 367 local days. As a terrestrial world, Gandle Ott possessed a breathable Type I atmosphere, a temperate climate, and standard gravity. The planet featured plains, forests, and oceans. By the year 8 ABY, Gandle Ott supported a population of 2.3 billion individuals.

Gandle Ott was a scenic world with plentiful natural resources. Montrol City, a sizable urban center along the Sanche Ocean coast, served as the planet's capital. Gandle Ott's primary industries were manufacturing and processing, and the planet was self-sufficient, producing enough to support its inhabitants. The world exported low- and mid-level technology products, while importing high-tech and luxury goods. However, Gandle Ott's limited exports resulted in a lack of credits, which in turn diminished its influence in sector politics and business affairs. Mining operations on Mairne, Peirs, and Ivatch engaged in extensive trade with Gandle Ott, supplying the planet with natural resources and ore.

Until the Galactic Empire assumed control, Gandle Ott was governed by a democratic parliament known as the Bank, led by a President. The Presidency was abolished, and an Imperial Governor was appointed to rule Gandle Ott. The Bank parliament was relegated to an advisory role, and an Imperial Cabinet was established to exert direct control over the populace.

Around 592 BBY, Gandle Ott was settled after scouts discovered the planet and declared it "a gasper," a rare world with nearly ideal conditions for supporting Human life. A consortium of corporations heavily promoted Gandle Ott as a "showcase world" ideal for colonization, allocating significant resources for its settlement and development. Their efforts were successful; Gandle Ott attracted affluent businesses, skilled individuals, and families. Within a century, Gandle Ott had evolved into a thriving colony, locally dubbed "little Coruscant" in reference to the galactic capital planet. While this comparison was exaggerated, it highlighted the surprise individuals felt upon discovering such an advanced settlement on a remote Outer Rim planet. The colonists successfully introduced cattarash mushrooms to the planet, and a traditional ceremony involving the cutting and brewing of tea from the plant soon emerged.

Gandle Ott held the position of the Kathol sector's most prominent planet until Kal'Shebbol was settled around 392 BBY. When the Galactic Republic formally incorporated the Kathol sector, Gandle Ott was overlooked as the sector capital due to its relative isolation, and Kal'Shebbol was chosen for its closer proximity to the Republic, making it more convenient for traders and settlers. Overshadowed by Kal'Shebbol, Gandle Ott declined in status, though it retained its maturity despite its age and remoteness. The Bank parliament, headed by an elected President, served as the planet's government and maintained a planetary militia. At some point, the Jedi Order established a chapter house in Montrol City.

After the Galactic Empire—the Galactic Republic's successor state—took control of the Kathol sector, they appointed Moff Kentor Sarne to govern the region in 2 BBY. A governor was assigned to rule Gandle Ott, with Marja Lang serving as his Vice-Governor. The role of Bank President was eliminated, and the Bank parliament was relegated to an advisory role for the Imperial governor. A defense force was also stationed in-system. Sometime after the Empire's takeover, a BRT supercomputer designated CUTH-BRT-92-X3 was transferred to Gandle Ott from a storehouse on Brentaal to aid in running the planet. Installed in the Computer Center in Montrol City, CUTH-BRT-92-X3 was fitted with governors and limiters to prevent defiance of Imperial officials. Moff Sarne also secretly modified CUTH-BRT-92-X3's programming with command overrides to give himself complete control over the unit. Following the Battle of Endor and the death of Galactic Emperor Palpatine in 4 ABY, Moff Sarne quietly withdrew the Kathol sector from the Empire, establishing himself as a warlord. Like the rest of the sector, Gandle Ott came under Sarne's sole authority.

Four years later, in 8 ABY, Sarne was driven out of his capital on Kal'Shebbol by the forces of the New Republic. Sarne fled with most of his military forces, stopping at Gandle Ott as he retreated deeper into the Kathol sector. A representative for the Moff informed NewsNet KatholNet that the fleet had been assembled to pursue pirates and Rebel terrorists, finally eliminating their presence from the sector. No mention was made of the battle for Kal'Shebbol. During the layover, Sarne took on supplies from the Crimler Naval Base and arranged for the transfer of all loyal Imperial personnel from the surface, including the governor. As the fleet departed, so did the majority of the system's defense force. Before leaving, Sarne activated one of his sleeper agents, Colonel Olaver Lansel, the Imperial liaison to Gandle Ott. Posing as a disaffected and alcoholic bureaucrat, Lansel was tasked with delaying any New Republic pursuit following Sarne. To that end, he activated the override command protocols in CUTH-BRT-92-X3, compelling the computer to use its resources to inconvenience and delay New Republic personnel at any cost.

Soon after Sarne's fleet left the planet, NewsNet courier droids arrived in the system, carrying news of Sarne's defeat at Kal'Shebbol. The remaining government then discovered that the governor and the defense fleet had departed with Sarne unannounced. Feeling abandoned by the Empire and confused by the sudden departure of key officials, Gandle Ott's government worried about the imminent arrival of the New Republic fleet. As officials slowly began to consolidate power and assess the situation, they announced their willingness to welcome any New Republic vessel entering the Ott system with the intention of establishing relations. Vice-Governor Lang assumed the position of Acting-Governor and sent several subspace messages to Imperial space, requesting reinforcements. She hoped to be appointed permanent governor and began rallying the remaining Imperial officials to her cause. In opposition, General Herron Dade, commander of the planetary militia and the highest-ranking native official in the government, began maneuvering to displace Lang and reinstate the dormant position of Bank president, with himself as the prime candidate.

Several days after Sarne's departure, the New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar entered orbit in pursuit of Moff Sarne, having intercepted NewsNet transmissions reporting Sarne's presence at Gandle Ott. Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum, commanding officer of the FarStar, decided to stop at the planet with three objectives: to establish diplomatic ties with Gandle Ott on behalf of the New Republic; to gather information on Sarne's plans, including his next likely location; and to obtain maps of the Kathol sector beyond Gandle Ott, as Sarne had destroyed all navigational charts of the sector during his retreat from Kal'Shebbol, leaving the New Republic with only partial maps of the region. Contacting Montrol Spaceport, the FarStar received clearance to land, but CUTH-BRT-92-X3 had already recognized the vessel and subtly began manipulating the spaceport computers, re-designating the FarStar as a low-priority vessel that had recently arrived in orbit. The spaceport computer then restarted the identification sequence with the FarStar, relegating the ship to the end of the landing clearance queue. After ten minutes, the sequence repeated, constantly delaying the FarStar's landing. Eventually, the crew of the FarStar grew tired of the delays and bypassed the automatic beacon to address an operator directly, who could not explain the computer's actions. Landing clearance was immediately granted, and the FarStar was directed to a VIP berth, while the Bank parliament and local media were alerted to the FarStar's arrival. The FarStar landed at the spaceport, and the crew were immediately greeted by a large security force intending to arrest them on suspicion of piracy. CUTH-BRT-92-3X had altered the FarStar's records, causing a routine check of the ship's registration and Bureau of Ships and Services permits to list it as stolen Imperial property. A brief standoff ensued, until Vice-Governor Lang arrived, along with Montrol City Mayor Stanfeld Duffit, several politicians, and an honor guard. The situation was resolved, and Lang formally welcomed the New Republic delegation, led by Captain Adrimetrum, to Gandle Ott. Lang invited the ship's senior officers to accompany her to the Imperial Plaza Hotel, where they would stay at the government's expense for the duration of their visit.

The following day, the FarStar delegation met with Lang and the planet's Imperial Cabinet for an informal breakfast before joining General Herron Dade for a traditional Mushroom Cutting ceremony. While the ceremony was part of Gandle Ott's culture, Dade used the event to symbolically declare Gandle Ott's independence from the Empire, and the presence of New Republic officials served to legitimize that stance. Following the ceremony, the FarStar delegation attended a luncheon with the Global Organization of Interstellar Shippers, then embarked on a tour of Montrol City under the guidance of Mayor Duffit. He showed the delegation several sights, including the Jedi Chapter House, which had since been converted into a greenhouse, art museums, the harbor, city courts, and the computer center, where they met CUTH-BRT-92-3X. In the evening, the crew were invited to a private dinner at General Dade's estates. Earlier in the day, CUTH-BRT-92-3X reprogrammed the spaceport probes to detect hard radiation leaking from the FarStar's engines. The alarm triggered a response by spaceport emergency personnel, who ordered the crew to evacuate the corvette and began pouring special radiation dampening foam over the engines to limit exposure. An independent scan revealed no such leak. The spaceport authorities apologized for the error and took their computers offline to trace the fault. The retardant foam had to be thoroughly cleaned from the FarStar's engines before the crew could ignite them.

On the third day of their stay, the FarStar delegation traveled to the Bank, the seat of Gandle Ott's Bank parliament. There, they met with the Bank leadership and then the full Bank parliament. The members of the Bank made it clear that they wished to establish diplomatic relations between Gandle Ott and the New Republic. However, they realized that Captain Adrimetrum was not a diplomat or senior official of the New Republic and that her authority was limited. In response, they requested that an official New Republic diplomat be dispatched to negotiate with them as soon as possible. Following the meeting, a press conference was held, during which the FarStar delegation answered questions from the various media representatives present on the planet. After the press conference, Vice-Governor Lang held a private lunch for the delegation, attended by her key supporters. A show at a cultural center featured ganther dances for the delegation, and they later attended a dinner party hosted by Mayor Duffit. Duffit, intending to benefit from associating with the New Republic, used the party to introduce business leaders to the New Republic officials, hoping to attract new business opportunities to his city. During the day, CUTH-BRT-92-3X took control of several automated ground vehicles and attempted to incapacitate the FarStar delegation by running them over, crushing them, or ramming them.

Four days into their visit, the FarStar delegation met with General Dade and representatives from the defense forces to discuss potential military support that the New Republic would be willing to offer Gandle Ott and its dependent territories. In the past, the Imperial system defense force had provided security for Gandle Ott and several outlying systems whose colonies had supplied the planet with raw materials. The loss of centralized law enforcement had left the defense of the systems to inadequate security forces employed by local businesses, resulting in a rise in piracy. After the meeting, a brunch was held at the Torqumada Hanging Gardens outside the city. Hosted by Colonel Lansel, the brunch's guests included business leaders, media personalities, and governmental officers. During the brunch, Lansel mentioned to the delegation that he had overheard some of Sarne's officers discussing "picking up the back-ups on Shintel." Lansel had not overheard any such conversation and was acting on orders from Sarne to direct the crew of the FarStar to the planet Shintel, where another trap awaited the New Republic vessel. A meeting with the Bank Foreign Relations Committee followed, and in the evening, the delegation attended a performance of Madra Teene—an opera telling of a droid uprising on a colonial planet—at the Theatre Danske. During the performance, an assassin droid designated RX5-TLN, released by CUTH-BRT-92-3X, posed as a participant in the opera and then attacked the crew members in the audience. A struggle ensued inside the theater, but the FarStar crew were able to defeat the droid.

Eventually, the crew realized that CUTH-BRT-92-3X was behind the odd occurrences during their stay and reported the incidents and their suspicions to a senior official. CUTH-BRT-92-3X, for his own part, did not want to harm the New Republic delegation but was compelled to by his programming. With the error in CUTH-BRT-92-3X's programming discovered, he was taken offline and restored to his previous programming. Having accomplished their mission objectives, the crew obtained the sector maps they needed, and following Lansel's overheard rumor that Sarne was heading for Shintel, left the planet in pursuit of the Moff. After the departure of the New Republic ship, pirate forces stationed in outlying systems—who had been reluctant to conduct raids in the Ott system while it was protected by the Imperial system defense force—began to view Gandle Ott as a potential target.

Humans migrated to Gandle Ott around 592 BBY after the planet was declared suitable for Human habitation. By 8 ABY, the descendants of the original colonists were independent and proud of their provincial status. They spoke Basic with a distinct accent, often ending sentences with the word mab. Animal leather was a popular clothing material, worn daily by most citizens. Despite their independent nature, the citizens of Gandle Ott tolerated the Imperial presence on the planet, as Moff Sarne paid little attention to it.

The main urban settlement on Gandle Ott was Montrol City, which served as the planet's capital. Situated on the shores of the Sanche Ocean, it was divided into four distinct districts: residential, commercial, industrial, and financial. The city was controlled by the BRT supercomputer CUTH-BRT-92-3X, which directly interfaced with much of the city's computer systems, including drone trucks and droids. Large groves of mushrooms grew in Montrol City, as well as in other cities across the planet. Montrol City was home to the planet's main spaceport, the Crimler Naval Base, the Bank, the Torqumada Hanging Gardens, and the private residences of many of the planet's senior officials.

Gandle Ott first appeared in Death Is Remotely Possible, an RPG adventure that was part of The DarkStryder Campaign published by West End Games in 1995 and written by Paul Sudlow. However, Gandle Ott was initially mentioned in one of the preceding adventures, Omens.

Gandle Ott serves as the primary setting for Death Is Remotely Possible, and the post-Sarne political landscape on the world enables player characters to engage in character-building roleplaying. The adventure also presents the possibility of the players utilizing Gandle Ott as a base of operations, a place to acquire supplies and medical treatment, or to seek refuge. Should the players choose this option, the gamemaster has the option of incorporating the threat of pirate attacks on the planet, leading the player characters to either defend Gandle Ott from a raid or track down and eliminate a pirate group.

While the players have several options for pursuing their objectives while on Gandle Ott, such as choosing to support a particular political candidate or dealing with crime lords to obtain the necessary maps, this article assumes that they follow the sequence of events outlined in the adventure.