The Atlas of the Leo Galaxy: Blog Post #1
The Heart of the Zosma System & The Launch of Striped Coast Studios
Date: January 1, 2026 Location: Zimrala One Space Station (Orbiting the Planet of Monsters) Mood: Triumphant Music: The hum of a warp core mixed with distant fireworks
Part I: The Midnight Transmission
Happy New Year to all my fellow monsters across the Ultimate Multiverse!
To all my Alien, Human, and Monster friends everywhere—whether you are celebrating in the swamps of Louisiana, the jungles of Tygeria, or deep in the dungeons of Troll World—Welcome to 2026.
The clocks here on Zimrala One Space Station just struck midnight. The twin suns are gone, but the sky is lit up with fireworks launched by the Moon Elves and Gristlegrim Dwarves. It’s a moment of peace before the engines fire up.
Captain’s Log: Stardate 12312025.03 It is 3:00 AM aboard the station, orbiting the monster-infested planet of Zimrala that we all call home. As I take my place today in the Command and Control Center, I am reminded of how we all got here and where we might have ended up if not for the Troll God creating a whole new system for us to flee to.
As Captain, with a 12-hour duty shift ahead of me, I am glad to report that the Zosma (Zimralian) System is secured. All four of our factions have established a place in this massive Star Base—built with Curator and Moon Elf technology, shielded by the Tygerian Marines, and constructed by the Dwarf engineers of Zimrala.
Zepher, the Ether Gatekeeper Mage, has secured the multiverse portals for now. But he warns that the darkness will come. It is only a matter of time before the war begins.
We have a big year ahead of us. We have a galaxy to explore, an Empire to fight, and a lot of dice to roll. But right now, this moment is for us. So, raise your glass (or your tentacle, or your claw). Here is to new adventures, new friends, and the infinite possibilities of the open stars.
Let’s make some noise.
Part II: The Great Experiment of 2026 the Trinity Engine
The champagne is chilled, the noisemakers are ready, and people everywhere are making resolutions they will break by February. They promise to hit the gym, learn French, or organize their closets.
Not here. Not on this blog.
My resolution for 2026—the Year of the Snake—is gigantic. It’s reckless. And it’s going to be absolutely epic.
This year, I am committing to a massive, sprawling blog series. I am building my own version of a grand space opera: The Leo Galaxy Sector Campaign.
But I’m not just writing fiction. I am conducting a mad science experiment in game design. I asked myself: What happens when you take every brilliant, chaotic rule Ken St. Andre ever wrote, throw them into a blender with the cinematic action of the Open D6 system, and hit "puree"?
We are about to find out.
The Law of the Constant Source: Launching the Trinity Engine
For fifty years, we have been told that Science and Magic are enemies—that a starship is just cold steel and a spell is just hot air. On this first morning of 2026, we prove them wrong.
In the Leo Galaxy, we operate under a single, unbreakable truth: Energy is the Constant Source. Whether it is the thrum of a warp drive, the glow of a Moon Crystal, or the whisper of the Divine Ariel, it is all the same "Breath" moving through different pipes.
To navigate the Year of the Snake, you need a system that doesn't flinch. You need the Trinity Engine.
1. Starfaring (The Body & The Voyage) Ken St. Andre’s original specs provide the "Hard Physics." We use the Starfaring construction rules for mass, tonnage, and Energy Units (EU). This is the grit of the voyage—the fuel costs, the logistics, and the physical reality of being in deep space.
2. OpenD6 & Starships (The Mind & The Skill) The OpenD6 Starships modular builds provide the technical precision. This defines the "Pips" and "Die Codes" for your Sensors, Shields, and Maneuvering. It is the "Star Trek" logic—the scientific interface that allows us to measure the Constant Source with clinical accuracy.
3. Monsters! Monsters! 2.7 (The Soul & The Kind) This is where the ship becomes a Bio-Monster Ally. Using Ken’s M!M! 2.7 rules, we give the ship a Monster Rating (MR) and a Constitution. The ship is alive; it heals, it feels, and it fights with the raw power of a living beast.
Part III: The Launch of the Z.S.F. Manticore
Title: The Year of the Snake Begins: The Birth of the Manticore & Her Crew Stardate: 122731.1 Location: Kings Port Shipyards, Zimrala One (The Back of the Lion) Status: Pre-Flight Checks Green. The Dragon is Awake.
Hedges Reporting: The universe is not as empty as we thought. For years, we looked up at the stars from the Tygerian Reach and saw only cold light. We were wrong. The stars are not just burning gas; they are the body of Osgood, the Celestial Lion. And like any living thing, Osgood has enemies.
The Ophidian Empire—the Cult of the Great Snake—has risen from the dark sectors of the Tail. They do not want to conquer us; they want to infect us. Their ships are not metal; they are biological horrors, breeding pods that unleash silicon-based vipers into our ecosystems.
I cannot fight this war alone. Tonight, the Zimralaian Space Fleet (Z.S.F.) launches its first true flagship. She is a monster born of necessity. She is a hybrid of magic, steel, biology, and ancient logic. She is the Z.S.F. Manticore.
The History of the Four Powers
To understand the Manticore, you must understand the impossible alliance that built her.
The Tygerian Realization (The Muscle): The Tygerians were the first to bleed. When the first Ophidian "Shadow-Scout" crashed into the jungles, the Tygerian Marines engaged it. Their claws could shred flesh, but they broke against the Ophidian void-shields. The Tygerian High Council realized their warrior code was obsolete against orbital bombardments.
The Moon Elf Prophecy (The Magic): On the silvery peaks of Havishar Moon, the Elven Matriarchs saw the stars blinking out. They realized the "Snake" was a constellation of dark matter. They possessed the Moon Crystals—infinite energy—but lacked the engineering to use it.
The Gristlegrim Bargain (The Engineering): Deep in the Bluebonnet Volcanoes, the Gristlegrim Dwarves mined "Adamant-Scale." It was tough and regenerative. The Dwarf Kings realized that if they didn't go to space, space was coming to crush them.
The Curator Calculus (The Science): The tall, gray-green visitors from the Iron Moon had always been observers. But the Curator Logic-Lords calculated a 99.9% probability of extinction if the Ophidians arrived. They declassified their technology and offered their blueprints to the alliance.
The Cosmic Gatekeepers: Finally, the Space Ether Krystall Dragons, who own the knowledge of the ether portals and how to navigate them from any special cosmic place in any of the multiverse, joined the fray.
Part IV: Anatomy of the Beast (Ship Stats)
We took the blueprints of an ancient Urland Discovery Edison Class cruiser, stripped it to the frame, and rebuilt it using the combined genius of the Four Powers.
Craft: Z.S.F. Manticore Type: Living Bio-Carrier / Heavy Cruiser Scale: Capital Ship Length: 850 Meters Crew: 450 (Skeleton: 50) + 100 Marines
Attributes:
Hull Code: 8D (Gristlegrim Adamant-Scale)
Special Rule: Bio-Regeneration. The ship is alive. It rolls 2D every hour to repair Hull damage automatically by consuming EU.
Shields: 6D (Oracle-Amplified Psionic Screens)
Maneuverability: 2D (Surprising agility for a Capital ship due to neural link)
Move: 12 (Space Units) / 400 (Atmosphere)
Hyperdrive: Class 0.0 (Instant Ether-Jump)
Requires: A Willpower Check from the Captain/Pilot to navigate the Ether.
Weapons:
The "Roar" Cannon (Mouth-Mounted Plasma Wave):
Fire Arc: Front
Damage: 12D (Capital Scale)
Effect: Fires from the mouth of the Titan Head. Ignores 2 pips of Shields.
2x Havishar Moon-Beam Projectors:
Fire Arc: Turret (Front/Left/Right)
Damage: 8D (Phased Light) or Starship Scale Tractor Beam (Strength 6D).
6x Curator Pulse-Batteries (Point Defense):
Fire Arc: 360 Degrees
Damage: 5D (Rapid Fire vs Fighters)
Design Notes:
The Head (The Titan Bridge): A massive, ancient bio-metallic skull from the First Age of Tygeria. The crew sits literally inside the skull of an ancient god.
The Heart (Aazurn-Fae Protocol): The engine is Aazurn-Fae, an Ether Dragon of the Old Breed who volunteered to serve. We don't burn fuel; we burn his Will.
Part V: The Crew Profile
A ship as complex as the Manticore cannot be piloted by instinct alone. It requires a mind capable of processing millions of calculations per second while simultaneously making the hard, gut-wrenching decisions of a soldier.
The Commanding Officer: Commander Xylar
Race: Curator (High-Caste / Moon-Born) Profession: Soldier/Sailor | Specialization: Technomancy Data Systems Mentor: Captain Hedges
The Profile: Xylar stands nearly seven feet tall, rail-thin, and completely hairless with pale gray-green skin. His large, black oval eyes do not blink; they record everything. He commands via the Black Gem embedded in his forehead, a psionic transmitter.
Curator Warrior Stats: (Reflecting Racial Modifiers: STR x 0.75, CON x 0.75, DEX x 1.25, SPD x 1.5, INT x 2, WIZ x 0.25)
Monster Rating (MR): 220
STR: 45 (Relies on leverage/mechanics)
DEX: 55 (Hands steady enough to disarm a bomb)
SPD: 70 (Moves faster than the eye can follow)
CON: 60 (Fragile)
INT: 150 (Super-genius)
WIZ: 15 (Almost no magic connection; relies on Technomancy)
Gear:
Smart-Fiber Armor: Upon impact, the suit stiffens to a leathery toughness. Stops 10 Hits.
The Gate Key: Xylar can deploy a Dimensional Gate for rapid transit. If boarded, he steps out directly behind the enemy.
The Pilot: The Tygerian Oracle
Rank: Flight Master / Spirit Guide Sitting in the "Third Eye" throne of the Titan Head is the Oracle. She uses ESP to "feel" the stars.
MR: 343 (God-Touched)
Combat Dice: 35d6 + 172
Special Ability (Tygerian Shapeshift): She mentally shifts to become the ship during FTL jumps.
Security Chief: Commander Thrane
Rank: Z.S.F. Marine Commander A massive Tygerian veteran, rarely seen without a lit cigar (the smoke helps him see invisible enemies).
MR: 170
Weapons: Magical Long Sword (5D6+7, hits ghosts), Plasma Rifle, and Natural Claws (4D).
Ability: Battle Fury (Doubles STR for 1d6 rounds if crew is threatened).
Part VI: A New Era of Business
We have launched the ship. We have assembled the crew. We have defined the universe. But a creation this massive needs a foundation to stand on.
As we move into 2026, I am not just a Captain writing a blog; I am building a legacy. It is time to turn the page from "Hobby" to "Profession." I am proud to announce the official launch of our new commercial entity.
🚀 Striped Coast Studios Landing Page (Official Legal Copy v5)
Title Section
Striped Coast Studios Publisher of Digital Goods, Media, Books, Movies, Music, Television, Radio, and Podcasts for the Urland Universe
Value Proposition (The Core Mission)
Welcome to Striped Coast Studios, the definitive publisher for The Urland Universe. We are the creative force behind The Tygerian Isles, Nocturnis, and the boundless possibilities of Cosmic Adventures. We chart a vast cosmos defined by the principles of Creation, Control, and Collapse. Our mission is to transform deep lore and original IP into high-quality, high-stakes media across all platforms.
The Source of the Cosmos
Striped Coast Studios serves as the official commercial engine and publishing house for the acclaimed weblog, The Adventures of Captain Hedges. All narrative threads, spanning the Captain's journeys across time and space, including the core content of Cosmic Adventures, are developed, published, and copyrighted under this professional studio entity.
Our Media Verticals (Product Scope)
Striped Coast Studios actively develops compelling content across three primary media platforms:
Digital Goods & Books (TTRPGs & Sports Sim): Sourcebooks, GM Guides, Solo Adventures, and Fantasy Sports Simulation content. Includes the Gridiron League fantasy ruleset and all TTRPG content, compatible with the Monsters! Monsters! system.
Film & Cinematic Media (TV, Radio, & Podcasts): Episodic series, audio dramas, and broadcasts featuring the Tiger Force Shadow Saga, the NWL Nocturnes and OWL Outlaw Wrestling Leagues, and Cosmic Adventures—our dedicated platform for unlimited sci-fantasy and multi-genre exploration.
Music & Soundscapes: Original soundtracks and ambient albums to enhance immersion in the feral territories of The Tygerian Isles and the professional intensity of the Wrestling Leagues.
Commerce & IP Foundation
Our products are distributed via DriveThruRPG and processed through secure PayPal commerce solutions. The Urland Universe and its core IP are secured by comprehensive, registered Product Identity.
Key IPs: The Urland Universe, The Tygerian Isles, Nocturnis, The Tiger Force Shadow Saga, Gridiron League, NWL Nocturnes Wrestling League, OWL Outlaw Wrestling League, and Cosmic Adventures.
[START YOUR ADVENTURE IN THE URLAND UNIVERSE TODAY]
Product Identity & Legal
The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges / Striped Coast Studios: The world of Zimrala, the Leo Galaxy Sector, the Z.S.F. Manticore, the "Trinity Engine" framework, the "Law of the Constant Source," the specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona, the character "Commander Xylar," Commander Thrane, and the Tygerian Oracle. Monsters! Monsters! and Starfaring are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press. OpenD6 is utilized under the OGL. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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