Palatreum (Pal-a-tree-um)
A curious device. The Sith studied it for generations but never could decipher how it worked. It’s perhaps the finest creation of the Choni Techaugers before they vanished.
The Choni Techaugers were renowned for creating technology and devices so advanced that they seemed to be powered by the Force. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Each device, or devices, uses scientific principles far beyond what the galaxy understands today.
A Palatreum is considered the finest device ever built by the Choni Techaugers. Used for stellar cartography or communication, it provided near instant holoimage transmission across light years of space.
During the early years of the Galactic Republic, these devices were used to maintain contact between key star systems. Other times, they used it for research and exploration, viewing the endpoint of a potential hyperspace lane before they sent an exploration team to study the route.
Over the centuries, most of these devices were lost. Some were destroyed during wars against the Sith Empire or Mandalorians. Others misplaced as Republic borders changed with the passing centuries.
Similar, Yet Different
Similar in function to a Jedi or Sith holocron, a Palatreum didn’t require the user to be proficient in the Force. Instead, the user simply had to focus on the crystal while entering the astrogation coordinates to the location they wanted to view. Using those coordinates, the device would open a microscopic wormhole through hyperspace. The wormhole would end at the desired star system or connect to another Palatreum.
It’s rumored that only ten have survived to the current day, scattered across the galaxy. Some are owned by Hutts or other artifact collectors. Others sit collecting dust in ancient Republic ruins.
Appearance
The device is a smooth, blue-tinted crystal sphere, 15 cm in diameter, attached to a 5.08 cm thick, dark gray disk of an unknown metal. A narrow keypad on one side of this disk allows a person to access the device and enter necessary commands or coordinates. There is also a connection port to connect the Palatreum to an external system, like a droid or a ship console.
This sphere is a solid piece of clear crystal, but inside is a small, brown, pedestal-shaped object. The pedestal is the hologram generator that produces the view from the wormhole connection.
When idle, the device looks no more complicated than a table glowlamp with a faint blue aura. But once astrogation coordinates are entered, the orb activates, projecting a near real-time holographic image of the location. The crystal sphere acts as the lens, focusing the hologram, allowing physical interaction with the image. This allows a user to turn the hologram with a touch or pull the image out to focus on a portion of the hologram.
To the credit of its ancient inventors, this hologram is not just shaped light. These holograms are semi-solid light constructs. They have a texture and feel based on the hologram displayed. Palatreum users have reported that they could actually feel the texture of a planet’s clouds, or the rocky soil of an asteroid in the hologram. The detail is fine enough that the hologram projects individual weather patterns of worlds.
Limit of the Horizon
A Palatreum is a miraculous piece of lost technology from another time. It’s a testament to the skill and knowledge of the Choni Techaugers. But the device has its limits.
Owners used the device to either communicate with other Palatreum users or remotely view stellar locations. If one Palatreum has connected with another one, both users can see the area around the Palatreum. But if a Palatreum is used to view a star system, that is different.
If the device is being used in that way, the only view it can present is of the planets, stars, and other objects in that star system. A Palatreum user can focus on one part of a star system or another, but only as close as a single planet or other stellar object as seen from orbit.
Then there is the power requirement. A Palatreum has a limited amount of power to perform its work. It requires recharging every seventy-two standard galactic hours, or three standard days, after use.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
Palatreum
Model: Choni Techauger Palatreum Communicator
Type: Remote monitoring device
Skill: Communications (Default: Mechanical)
Cost: Not available for sale
Game Notes:Allows two-way holographic communication between two beings holding, or in the presence of, a Palatreum over galactic distances. Also allows remote viewing of stellar objects such as planets, nebula, star systems, etc. But nothing more detailed than a stellar object from orbit. To activate and use, this requires: An Easy (6-10) Communications roll to locate and connect to another Palatreum in a local star system. Moderate (11-15) Communications roll to locate and connect to another Palatreum in another star system. Difficult (16-20) roll is required to view a star system. Very Difficult (21-30) if the target star system or stellar object is obscured by a nebula, or contains a hyperspace interference such as an Interdictor Cruiser. Touchy: Instructions on how to use this device have been lost to time. If a 1 (cricial failure) is rolled on the wild dice for Communications ( or Mechanical ), one of the following happens. Roll 1d6 and consult below: 1-3: The Palatreum loses power and must be recharged 3-5: In a burst of static, the Palatreum connects to the wrong star system or Palatreum! This includes the Palatreum the user is holding! 6: A mysterious message, perhaps an ancient recording, is released from the device!
Palatreum by CB Ash using MidJourney
Item type
Communication
Manufacturer
Related Technologies
Owning Organization
Rarity
Very rare. It's rumored that only 10 remain in the known galaxy.
Weight
0.907 kn ( 2 lbs )
Dimensions
15.24 cm ( 6 in ) in diameter
Base Price
Not for sale. Essentially priceless.
Notes from the Jedi Temple
Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker "Obi-Wan, this is incredible. This could let someone study a star system before they made the jump to hyperspace to get there. They're amazing!" Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi "Yes, and quite unsettling." Master Skywalker "Oh? Well, I suppose it could be a powerful device during a war, or to watch for pirates attacking shipping lanes." Master Kenobi "True. But, Anakin, that isn't what I meant. The Choni Techaugers vanished generations ago. Wiped out, they say, to the last member. What I find unsettling is if the Choni Techaugers could create technology such as this, what was powerful enough to wipe them out so completely? And is who, or what, elimitated them still a threat to the galaxy? Just lying in wait to strike again?" Master Skywalker Ah. That's a morbid thought. Do you think it's likely? Master Obi-Wan By the Force, I hope not. Otherwise, Anakin, we'll suddenly be very busy.
I love ancient and amazing technology.
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.
My favorite part is that it's lost ancient tech so advanced it seems like it uses the Force!
Technology that looks like magic is so much fun. Obi Wan has some very good points, though, about the people who made it. I wonder what wiped them out. If the universe is lucky, they did it to themselves.
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.
Hey, it's the Star Wars universe ( even if it is an alternate one ), there is always a Dark Side *something* lurking in the shadows somewhere!