Ekarnine
Geography
Ekarnine is nearly totally tidally locked with its sun, Feldar. As such, nearly 40 percent of the planet is heated to completely uninhabitable temperatures while another 40 percent is constantly frozen. This leaves a narrow ring making up around 20 percent of the planet's surface area as habitable. This, of course, is where the vast majority of the local civilization resides. It would likely be where all of the population lived if not for the unique traits of the solar side of the planet. Due to the unique chemical makeup of Ekarnine's crust, the intense, the constant heat of the sun fuses sand and topsoil into crystals with very unique properties. These crystals are known as Ekarnine crystals due to being naturally occurring to only this planet, and their unique purity and chemical purity make them perfect for use in the production of both military and industrial lasers as well as various quantum computer components. Intense wind generated by the hemisphere's superheated atmosphere causes massive sandstorms and tornados which regularly ravage the terrain, shifting massive amounts of sand and changing the landscape on a daily basis. Over time, crystalized areas have the sand around them whisked away while the crystals themselves often remain steadfast, then the ground underneath the formation is itself crystalized, and so on. The phenomenon leads to the creation of veritable crystal spires, some of which have been discovered reaching heights of over 100 feet, while most are closer to around a dozen. It is far more common, however, to find these crystals in the early stages of formation; small clusters half buried in sand. This has led some scientists to speculate on the planet's crystal reserves being diminished to the point of no return one day, but thus far The Steel Thorn Khaganate's government is yet to heed these warnings as the alure of the valuable crystals is too great. In sharp contrast, the artic hemisphere of the planet has very little value to offer. It is as cold as the desert half is scorching, but very little resources of value are to be found there aside from the basics such as common minerals and small reveres of crude oil. The only other things to note about this region are the utilization of ice and snow for coolant, terraforming, and drinking purposes (though these each require extensive purification processes), and its use as a domain of penance where the worst criminals in Khaganate society are sent out the fend for themselves with varying levels of protection from the harsh elements depending on their crimes.
The equatorial ring running the entire circumference of the planet stands in sharp contrast to the hemisphere to either side of it, hundreds of miles of lush green forests and sprawling metropolises teaming with life next to endless seas of dead white on either side. The most immediate anomaly one may notice when visiting the world would be the lack of a day/night cycle, as all sizeable civilization is located at the perpetual horizon. Around nearly this entire perimeter is one singular city sharing the same name as the planet it was built on. The only reason the city does not connect around the entire circumference is due to the Beraun mountain range interrupting its path, although it is worth noting that attempts to carve a path through the mountains is actively underway and has been for the past few years.
Climate
The average temperature on the day side of the planet is 410° F, with the extreme heat causing intense wind build up as cold air from the planet's night side crosses the sun horizon. Because of this, hundreds if not thousands of massive tornados whirl across the white desert surface every "day", sometimes wandering away from the inner desert to wreak havoc on the typically serene fertile zone. Even when there isn't an active tornado, extreme wind gusts constantly race across the pale Ekarnine dunes, and sandstorms and equally common as the aforementioned twisters. In sharp contrast, the night side of the planet maintains a constant average temperature of around -40° F, with near constant blizzards and snow storms in place of tornados. The livable zone of the planet stays consitantly at a much more livable 70-80° F wtih occasional rain showers and wind storms.
Type
Planet
Owning Organization
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