Nova Prime Kross — Full Lore Primer

1) What It Is

The Nova Prime Kross is the planet’s most infamous trans-planetary skiff race: ~12,500 miles of jungles, mountains, polar ice, alien ruin belts, deserts, and open ocean. It starts at Kashtar Gate (Arkos) and ends where the route survives to end. Finishing is glory; winning is legend.

Survival rate: ~1% of entrants.
Grand Prize: Multi-million purse in the winner’s home currency + an audience with Victor Daemos for a one-off, bespoke skiff (“the wish”).
Hub & staging: Nova Prime Kross Resort & Casino (Sand Syndicate-funded) in the Arkos mountains.
Security: Poxy Gela (head of security, Sand Syndicate sub-boss) + layered robotics and anti-riot protocols.

2) The Season Calendar (How It Happens)

A) November – Global Prelims (The Weeding)

Window: Nov 1–Nov 28 (rolling).
Format: Open registration → regional time-attack heats + survival trials (dust squalls, night nav, EMP bursts, cross-terrain sprints).
Where: Pop-up circuits in/around major hubs (New Haven outskirts, Silverpoint dry flats, Diamond City viaduct loop, Veridia edge runs, Arkos salt pans, coastal aquapaths).
Cut Rules:
- Top 5% by time or top 5% by survival index (if the heat is lethal) advance to Continental Qualifiers (late November).
- Any external assist (tow, drone push, unauthorized refuel) voids the heat.

B) Late November – Continental Qualifiers

Ladders: Arkos, Haven Reach West, Haven Reach East, Veridia Frontier, Polar Thaloras.
Tests: Mixed-terrain gauntlets; mandatory Starfall micro-segment (short slice in simulated warped-gravity trench).
Output: Field is pared to the Arkos Track Trials list (usually 120–160 racers).

C) Early December – Arkos Track Trials (Kashtar Gate)

Venue: The natural basin & switchback canyons under Kashtar Gate; live crowd + holo broadcast.
Format: Elimination heats (contact allowed), pit-stop discipline checks, blind-nav dust storm.
Result: Final Ten chosen. Ties settled by Casino Night Sprint (closed-circuit rooftop-to-garage run).

D) Finalists’ Week – Resort & Casino

Interviews, technical scrutineering, sealed-spec checks, and contract ritual for the Daemos audience.
Betting windows open; HPN and Zoft Media split broadcast rights (HPN gets emergency info priority; Zoft owns spectacle).

E) The Kross (Start: Kashtar Gate, Dawn)

Mass launch at first light; route segments unlock in sequence through encrypted beacons.
Finish window: 36–72 hours, depending on weather and fatalities.

3) Classes, Tech & Legality

Vehicle Class (Skiff-Legal)

Surface modes: sand/rock/ice/water; legal hydro-planes on seas.
Speed profile (pro grade): 500 mph land/sea; glide mode up to ~700 mph for ~20 miles (then hard reset).
The RedWind: exemplar pro skiff (Scott Redwind), missile-sleek, 8 micro-wings.

Power & Support

Single main engine + 1 auxiliary; modular intakes for dust/ice/salt.
Pits: Only at marked safe-harbors (refuel, blade swap, coolant). Field refuel is allowed but exposes you to ambush/weather.

Weapons & Countermeasures (The Line)

Permitted: Flares, chaff, flash-burst blinds, non-lethal entanglers, hull-mounted foam for fire, passive rams.
Restricted: Live munitions, continuous energy weapons, targeted EMP on medical craft.
Enforcement: Drone officiators (Sand Syndicate + contracted third parties); violations dock time or hard kick you from the season.

Anti-Cheat

Black-box cores record telemetry; random tear-downs at Resort & Casino; Cortia Menta’s team audits top builds.

4) The Course (Signature Segments)

Kashtar Gate Launch (Arkos): basalt switchbacks, crosswinds, needle-thin passes; early eliminations are brutal.
Veridia Edge Cuts: jungle heat, canopy downbursts, vine-snare gullies; night runs glow from bioluminescent flora.
Starfall Canyon: equatorial trench with warped gravity—skiffs “skip” in uneven arcs; one wrong bounce = hull snap.
Karthos Range: avalanche corridors; mandatory dead-engine glides across ice saddles.
Thaloras Drift: katabatic blizzards; underground geothermal vents can updraft you—or flip you.
The Kross Sea (Halfway): long hydro legs; rogue storms, leviathan shadows; pit buoys drift unpredictably.
Alien Ruin Belt: sensor ghosts; map drift; the crowd’s favorite for near-myth kills.
Final Desert Run: mirage fields, heat shimmer, sabotage gangs; last beacon decides the finish site.

5) People Who Matter (At the Hub & On the Grid)

Poxy Gela — Resort/Casino security chief (angel-blooded, disciplined, trusts machines over men).
Scott Redwind — fan-beloved ace; friendly, razor-fast; lives at the Resort between seasons.
Cortia Menta — Daemos’ cyber-engine and skiff architect; audits builds; runs The Circuit Tower broadcast/garage nexus.
Arun “Gearjack” Veyar — Rustworks scav king, racer/smuggler with a code.
Krag Ordos — cyber-scarred bruiser turned thrill pilgrim; The Iron Scarab skiff.
Nyla “Sandcat” Jhareen — agility queen; The Dune Serpent skiff.
The Twin Sparks (Zira & Kalen) — stunt darlings; showmanship sometimes trumps survival.

6) Money, Media, and Control

House: Sand Syndicate bankrolls the Resort; they keep the peace because the Kross prints money.
Broadcast:
- HPN: public grid, delay buffer, emergency overrides.
- Zoft Media: spectacle, personalities, docu-drama; drives massive betting.
Book: On-site and holo markets; odds swing wildly mid-segment (Starfall & Kross Sea spikes).
Daemos Industries: sponsors “legal edge” tech and owns the post-victory audience.

7) Factions & Interference (Use Sparingly)

Aegis: watches for Limitless-tier sabotage and mass-casualty traps; rarely intervenes mid-race.
Triune Pact: skims the betting, protects certain assets, removes cheaters that threaten the pot.
Progeny (Silverpoint): move refugees and fence parts; occasionally bodyguard a racer who paid.
Order of Saint Estes: only appears if Broodspawn predation is detected near the route.

8) Safety, MedEvac & “What Counts as Death”

Med corvettes pace long legs; beacon pings force neutral corridors for evac.
Wreck Protocol: If you broadcast MAYDAY and cut power, other racers must hold fire for 30 seconds while drones extract.
Died On Course: Names etched on the Steel Ledger in the Resort’s Hall. Survivor families receive house stipends.

9) How to Enter (Player-Facing)

Registration: KrossNet or in-person at the Resort (garage row C).
Proof: Skiff inspection + fee + liability sign-off.
Prelim Slot: You’ll be assigned a heat within 72 hours; show or forfeit.
Path to Ten: Survive prelims → place at continentals → fight through Arkos Trials → win Casino Night Sprint if tied.