Kessel
Astronavigation Data: Kessa system, Kessel Sector,
Outer Rim region
Orbital Metrics: 322 days per year / 26 hours per day
Government: military prison
Population: 700-1,000 (military and administrative),
prisoner number varies in the thousands
Languages: Basic
Terrain: alkali flats, mountains, caves
Major Cities: Kessendra (a small military town)
Areas of Interest: Imperial prison facilities, spice mines
Major Exports: glitterstim spice
Major Imports: consumables, technology
Trade Routes: Pabol Sleheyron, Kessel Trade Corridor
Special Conditions: Type III atmosphere (breath mask
.required), radiation suit for prolonged surface excursions
Background: Twenty-five thousand years before the
brutal conquests of Emperor Palpatine, the planet
known as "Xo's Eye" bore witness to battles between
Xim the Despot and the Hutt empire. Though the
name never stuck, the misshapen planet later known
as Kessel became known across the galaxy for the
treasure buried beneath its rocky surface: glitterstim
spice, which would soon become one of the most
sought-after stimulants in the galaxy.
For countless years, freighter captains with delusions
of grandeur hazarded expeditions into this remote
pocket of space. However, the route to Kessel was
treacherous, plagued by nebulas, asteroids, and a clus-
ter of black holes of immense size: the Maw. Few ever
returned from.these runs, and the ones who did and
also managed
to get below the
surface told of hid-
eous multi-eyed monsters,
ghostly bogeys, and shells of humans
roaming the caves in a lifeless stupor.
The Old Republic ended millennia of speculators'
dreams when they devised a semi-safe route past the
Maw using hyperspace beacons. The Senate created
KesCorp, a public enterprise formed to supervise
the mining and medical research of glitterstim. Only
highly trusted and idealistic volunteers were sent to
Kessel on paltry government salaries so as to ward off
ne'er-do-wells. Initial pharmaceutical usage proved
promising, and demand increased accordingly.Nevertheless, as the Republic waned, less attention
was paid to Kessel. Criminal elements gradually took
the reins of KesCorp and "glitteryll," a cut of cheap
Rylothian ryll with Kesselian spice, became the drug
of choice among the rich and powerful.
When the Empire rose to power, social workers
breathed a sigh of relief when the Empire militarized
Kessel, believing the numbers of "glit-biters" would di-
minish. At first, that looked to be the case. The Imperials
garrisoned Kessel's moon and transformed the plane-
toid into a maximum security prison for political rebels,
pirates, Black Sun vigos, and criminal psychopaths.That sense of relief has now soured. Although the
Empire controls the trade of glitterstim, they have
boosted mining efforts by utilizing prisoners as a dis-
posable labor force. Now, more spice is mined than
ever, even as the market remains tightly controlled.
This situation makes glitterstim smuggling highly
profitable, giving rise to the infamous "Kessel Run," a
smuggling route from Kessel that runs perilously close
to the Maw before reaching civilized space.GLITTERSTIM SPICEm
ore potent than Rytholian ryll, glitterstim
is also much more addictive and, thank-
fully, scarce. Its strands can be identified by
the scintillation they give off even in the dark.
The stimulant manipulates the user's mind
by increasing his sensitivity to normal stimu-
li. Whether the spice actually grants the user
telepathic powers is hotly debated, although
most users certainly believe it does. The spice
certainly gives users the ability to "read" peo-
ple, perhaps through mental powers, or per-
haps through heightened perception. However,
prolonged use of glitterstim can turn even the
most well-adjusted person into a lifelong ad-
dict who will do anything for another "bite."