Located 1.3 AUs from its host star, tilted 38°, and possessing a thin
atmosphere, Taraddiin is a planet of wide temperature ranges. While boasting an
average temperature of 16.7°C, summer highs soar into the 50s during the
day—even the poles climb above freezing—but come crashing down at
night into the sub zero teens. In winter, only the lower latitudes are spared
the sub zero temperatures during the day.
Life here has evolved to roll with the extremes. Flowering plants open up with
the first rays of sunlight and curl up at night. Insects that live more than a
day possess proteins to keep them from freezing overnight. And hibernation keeps
larger animals going through the long cold winters. Colonists have taken clues
from local life and crossbred agricultural staples with native flora to provide
hybrids that can take full advantage of the long summer days and season.
But there were few people willing to put in the work to make a colony on
Taraddiin work. Like Enard (Vland 0307), Empress Porfiria
found allies in the Moot to provide for a colony in the budget. But unlike
Enard, no megacorp came in to oversee operations and govern. Instead, there's a
governor who reports to the subsector duke at Voskhod. In fact, 100% of
Taraddiin's exports go to Voskhod, which pays market rate for what they receive.
There's a small Chirper colony on Taraddiin which lives on a large island. It
has been granted autonomy and is exempt from Imperial rules and regulations. The
population here has lost the vestigial wings that its brethren still retain.
Based on library data that appears in Vilani & Vargr
When the wind blows on Khankari you notice. The dense atmosphere carries
enormous kinetic energy and distributes heat from the tropics to the poles.
Khankari's sharp axial tilt and short year (in the inner orbit around a cool
star) contribute to abrupt seasonal changes and generate some of the sector's
most dramatic weather. Hurricanes wiped out the first colony planted here and
then decimated the population repeatedly thereafter. The small group now living
here uses well-reinforced homes, often underground. Ironically, Khankari's
adverse turbulence is the very thing that protected it from invading Vampire
Fleets, who found the planet's tumultuous environment much to dangerous to
navigate. -by CG
Lankhi might not strike one as a good candidate for an Ag-world, but its
tide-locked nature works. The daylit side tops out at 51.6°C. While that's
too hot for most sentients, it's less than boiling, thus making it possible for
a healthy atmospheric-water vapor cycle to function.
The inhabitants consider this balance miraculous and thus have strict
technological limits for fear of upsetting it. Hydrocarbon-based tech is
forbidden. Electricity is generated solely from renewables, thus all vehicles
are powered from the grid. Solar panels were purchased en masse to
generate electricity, paid for with revenue from agriculture exports.
But there's another reason for the hydrocarbon ban: a higher level of oxygen in
the atmosphere. Technically, this is the reason for the "tainted atmosphere"
rating. This works well for creatures requiring standard atmospheric pressure to
breathe, but it also has the potential for an increased risk of forest fires,
something that the natives are dreadfully afraid of.
That fear of upsetting the atmospheric balance is the reason why there's also no
real starport. The landing site, located on the night side of the planet, is
devoid of amenities so as to discourage traffic. The intended use of the
landing pad is for exporting agricultural products and importing manufactured
goods the Lankhian society needs to function.
Setting all of that aside, the Lankhians are fairly easy going lot. There are
very few laws, those in existence are primarily environmentally focused, and
they're always on the lookout for those technologies that they can incorporate
into their society, even though they won't be manufacturing them on site.
Enard was deemed unworthy of colonization by the Vilani during the First
Imperium days. Its very dense atmosphere, high gravity (2G), toxic atmosphere (a
mix of nitrogen and ammonia), and, thanks to an average surface temperature of
-85°C, seas of liquid ammonia.
Things changed during the Third Imperium as a hungry Imperial economy demanded
resources. When Empress Porfiria couldn't convince one of the megacorps to
purchase the world, the Moot provided for a colony in the budget. After it was
established, Ling Standard Products agreed to oversee mining operations.
The treacherous nature of the world's environment instilled a safety conscious
mindset from the start of the colony. Over time, Enard's culture discouraged
risky behavior, rebelliousness, and anything that might be perceived as
"rocking the boat." Even elections are deemed potentially upsetting. The
inhabitants are content to live in a strict society run by a Chief Administrator
so long as all of their basic needs are met, their families provided for, and
no unreasonable requests are made by the government.
The Scout Service has a base here and uses the planet's harsh conditions for
training purposes. -by DED
Shaddukan was colonized by the Vilani during the First Imperium for its
lanthanum deposits, but once they were depleted, the planet's harsh environment
sent nearly everyone packing for greener pastures, both economic and literal.
For a while, the planet was a training ground for military exercises, but
eventually this was phased out as well, and the planet was sold to a group of
technophiles looking to establish a haven for like-minded individuals to pursue
technology for the sake of technology.
That dream got derailed a bit. While the planet's technological level rating is
15, maximum Imperial, it no longer rivals any of the research centers scattered
through the Imperium. But that seems to suit its inhabitants just fine. To
generate revenue, both the Scout Service and the Navy were invited to build
bases here, and over time, the relationship has suited all parties quite well.
Robots fill nearly every employment niche that a Human (or other sapient) would
fill, and they're programmed to love what they do. Most of these have been
tailor-made by the locals. And while they aren't mass produced for export, they
can be purchased at a more expensive multiple of a commercial robots. In fact,
that's their brand: one-of-a-kind and specialty robots. The military
appreciates this "cottage industry" and is quite protective of it.
There aren't many visitors dirtside as the locals prefer to conduct their
business remotely or at the orbital starport. That's not to say that visitors
aren't welcome; it's just that amenities may be hard to come by on the surface.
So unless one is invited down, one might be hard-pressed to have a reason to go.
Another backwater world of the First Imperium, the Vilani made modest attempts
to exploit the world's mineralogical wealth, primarily sticking close to the
world's equatorial region where a mild, dry climate predominates. During the
Rule of Man, Solomani from the highlands of South Central Asia made their way
here and settled away from the equator up in the mountain chains that run
parallel to it. It was a place for quiet contemplation and a simple existence.
While the world's average temperature is 1.3°C, the mid to polar latitudes
are much colder. Summers are tolerable, and the snow melts from the peaks,
running downslope towards the equator. Nights are tough to manage anywhere as
the thin atmosphere sheds 45°, but the winters are especially brutal,
forcing even the highlanders to migrate to the milder latitudes.
Over the last two centuries, as the population has grown, there seemed to be a
need for more than simple existence. Several kingdoms coalesced around leaders
promising technological advancement and the construction of infrastructure to
support it. A landing field was constructed to help facilitate the export of raw
materials which, in turn, was used to finance educational initiatives.
Lately, there is concern that the younger generations are abandoning the culture
of their ancestors for trendy Imperial fads. While the kingdoms' leaders are
trying to rally the funds for a proper starport, there is pushback among the
populace that things are moving too fast. -by DED
A cursory examination of Arfaan's stats might seem to indicate that Arfaan is a
pleasant world, prime for settlement. In fact, its host star is not quite warm
enough, and Arfaan's orbit is slightly too far away. Arfaan runs cold. It has an
average temperature of -14°C. Life is pleasant, albeit chilly, around the
equator, but the rest of the world's climate, at best, runs from boreal to
sub-arctic.
Few settlers from the First Imperium made their home here. During the Second
Imperium, there were thoughts of investing in tourism infrastructure for winter
sports and recreation, but the Long Night put an end to that idea and all the
inhabitants emigrated elsewhere. Early in the Third Imperium, a wealthy man
named Farouk Hamadani was moved when he saw pictures of the world, particularly
some rock formations covered in snow. He invested his personal fortune in
purchasing the world, naming it Arfaan, which in the Quran means "wisdom"
and is typically used as a boy's name. It is unknown why Hamadani chose this
name.
Access to the world is restricted by the Hamadani family. While visitors are
allowed to conduct business with the family or its traders at the starport
orbiting the planet, one must petition the family to settle on the surface, and
typically only upstanding Muslims are permitted to do so. -by DED
Lenordi (Vland 0707)
Most of Lenordi's mineral wealth was plumbed out centuries ago. Belters can
still find a payday, but there isn't enough here for corporations to take an
interest. However, the way claims are processed by the government, you'd think
they were still back in their heyday.
Infrastructure has seen better days. There isn't enough tax revenue to keep a
planetoid settlement operating like it should. Spare parts have to be ordered
from offworld suppliers, but that only happens when something breaks. Even fuel
can be a problem. Without any gas giants in the system, hydrogen has to be
cracked from iceballs in the outer reaches of the system or provided by the Ziru
Sirkaa's kidash stipend (equivalent to a Vilani month or 48 standard
days).
Unfortunately, corsair incursions have grown in frequency as the Ngath
Confederation advances and the Vilani Navy focuses on more strategically
important worlds. -by DED
Voskhod is the subsector capital and home to an Imperial Way Station.
At first glance, there's nothing remarkable about the world. It's just another
airless rock orbiting too close to its sun. During the First Imperium, the
Vilani dabbled in some lanthanum mining, but soon made short work of it. It
wasn't until the Rule of Man that the world's wealth made itself known.
A Russian entrepreneur named Sergei Povnovich was poring over the survey data
and noticed some anomalous readings at a large impact crater that the Vilani
overlooked. He bought the mineral rights from the fledgling Second Imperium for
a song and got to work. It turned out that the crater was incredibly rich in
platinum, nickel, and palladium. But most surprising of all was the discovery of
a stable isotope of darmstadtium. While the isotope had a half-life of 315
years, it was as if time had stopped after it had formed. Decay didn't start
until after the lode was exposed to sunlight, further compounding the mystery.
Povnovich was instantly an incredibly wealthy man. He named the world Voskhod,
the Russian word for "sunrise". A religious man, he felt it was divine
providence that called him here and the discovery that made him rich was a
reward for his faith. The message was: Faith plus hard work equals divine and
material rewards.
Povnovich ruled as a benevolent dictator, but his descendants created a religion
around his message and elevated him to prophet. A strict religious autocracy
was formed. It stayed in power by ensuring everyone had a job. Investments were
made into industrial infrastructure and technical academies. Megacorporations
were invited to set up shop and utilize the cheap labor force. Over time, the
world developed into an economic powerhouse with the population to match. To its
credit, the government took care of its well-behaved citizens. However, dissent
was never tolerated.
Despite all of its wealth, there was nothing that could be done to spare the
world from Virus. When the world's massive computer networks were infected, all
communications with the outside ceased. While it is assumed that everyone
perished, the world hasn't been visited. Rumors abound about the world being
transformed into a viral hellhole, but no one has been able to
substantiate those rumors. -by DED
Kharzet (Vland 0709)
Until the Collapse, Kharzet was a quiet, but prosperous, agricultural world. It
can be viewed as an positive example of Vilani governance. Steady guidance
coupled with conservative investments in technology and infrastructure over time
led to an advanced and prosperous civilization. It didn't hurt that Voskhod,
with its one billion inhabitants, was next door to guarantee a steady stream of
revenue.
Refugees fleeing the destruction of Voskhod, knowing how pleasant Kharzet was,
settled here. Unfortunately, some of them were government officials who, while
not among the elite, were heavily influenced by their tactics. In short order,
they managed to usurp the existing government and put the natives into serfdom.
The ocean world of Gadiga has proven difficult to colonize. Attempts to set
up fisheries and other forms of aquaculture have met with disaster as native
lifeforms have preyed upon fishing vessels and demolished farms. Tourism never
gained a foothold for the same reasons. A few brave souls call this place home
and can be hired out as guides to sport fishermen and big game hunters.
After the Collapse, refugees unable to reach the Domain of Deneb settled here.
Before they passed on, the locals warned the newcomers about the megafauna. As
new batches of refugees arrived, they established settlements on the islands,
each governing themselves. There isn't much trade, however they do share
information on megafauna sightings and will work together to combat them.
-by DED
Kunumi orbits its host star at 10 AUs, and yet the world is still warm with an
average temperature of 29°C. A local year is over 17.6 standard years in
length, so seasons take an exceptionally long time. In summer, the ice caps
melt; in winter, the thin atmosphere bleeds so much heat that not only do they
return but it snows along the equator.
As such, the world's population has been known to ebb and flow with the seasons.
To provide stability, the Ziru Sirka granted ownership to Makhidkarun who has
overseen it ever since. While the tourism industry ebbs and flows with the
seasons, mining operations in the belts provide a steady stream of revenue.
During the Rebellion, Vilani naval forces have been spread thin, thus providing
opportunities for corsairs to raid shipping, poach mineral ore, and hold
tourists for ransom.
After the Collapse, refugees unable to reach the Domain of Deneb settled here.
With plenty of land to go around, the groups of refugees and the locals have
gone tribal. While they don't intermix much, there is some trade. The locals
taught the newcomers about the lengthy seasons, and now all practice a nomadic
way of life. -by DED