Rutaalis (Roo-TAH-liss)

Rutaalis is an Earth-like planet approximately 1.75x the size of Earth, with a very comfortable surface gravity of 1.12G and an atmospheric pressure of 1.09 Earth atmospheres. It features plentiful amounts of breathable nitrogen-oxygen air, much like that on Earth, and its climate is temperate with scattered patches of arid environments. At any given time, there are rainstorms over several parts of the planet, due to the richer amount of oxygen in the air. The poles aren't frozen, instead being covered in lush, verdant forests that teem with life of all kinds. It is located in Andreonat's Breath, a system within the Scorpricaurus Galaxy.
A single orbital period around its system's K Type star, Wrestis, takes Rutaalis approximately 0.98 Earth years, with a single day consisting of 22 Earth hours. Rutaalis is 0.7 AU from Wrestin, sitting very comfortable in the star's habitable zone. It also has two moons, those being Rubradis and Ienope.

Geography

Rutaalis features nine major continents and nine oceans. The nine continents are Orthemm, Atera, Draeninox, Xeoran, Iararia, Asaehax, Piyesh, Pradune, and Cruacroth. Draeninox and Xeoran, as well as Piyesh and Pradune, are currently joined together as a result of how their plates have moved over many, many years of continental drift. The twelve oceans are the Riptol Ocean, the Turgram Ocean, the Penemeda Ocean, the Casameny Ocean, the Borgevorn Ocean, the Grandoln Ocean, the Stradquet Ocean, the Thesmeda Ocean, and the Parramaug Ocean. Some of these oceans - namely, the Stradquet, Borgevorn, and Penemeda - are relatively young in terms of age, each having formed within the last 10-23 million years as the continents have continued to drift. The next supercontinent, and its resultant superocean, are expected to form in the next 300 million years.
Much of Rutaalis is covered in lush forests, both deciduous and tropical. The exact percentage is estimated to be around 55-60%, which is constantly maintained and regulated with the utmost care. The Vectorzan natives mastered their environment long ago. This mastery came with the knowledge of how to properly care for these forests as they built and expanded their civilization across the planet. Because of this, there have never been any worries about extensive, devastating deforestation.
Rutaalis also features many grasslands, especially in the more urban areas. It is estimated that roughly 50% of all Vectorzans live in these areas, with the other half residing in the forests around the world. These grasslands see frequent rainfall and significant amounts of thunderstorms, just as the forests do. They are also home to much of the crops that the Vectorzans grow to feed their people. Great care is taken not to disturb the natural flow of the plains if it can be avoided.
Scattered across Rutaalis are pockets of desert and rocky terrain. These areas see very little residential settlement, instead being used more for industrial and technological purposes. There are also more prominent mountains in these areas than the rest of Rutaalis, which has sparse amounts of them otherwise. The continents which are joined are where these mountains can be found, and these mountains are home to some of the more sensitive operations of the Vectorzan people.

Ecosystem Cycles

Rutaalis goes through the four standard seasons, though a significant portion (~25%) of the planet doesn't feel the effects of each one. Most notably, the more tropical forests tend to be less inclined to experiencing anything more than summer, with their other seasons just being more mild forms of it. Deserts also see next to no difference between seasons.
In the areas of Rutaalis that do experience all four seasons, summer and winter tend to be the stronger of them. The summers are often marked with intense rainfall and extremely common thunderstorms, while the winters see heavy snowfall and near-constant wind of varying speeds. The Vectorzans have managed to adapt to the changing seasons quite well, and have engineered their cities to be resistant to the elements.
The various fauna live as they have for countless generations, with many of the mammalian species being more active in the three seasons preceding winter and spending the winter in hibernation. The flora also react to the winter with dormancy, as many of them shed their leaves starting in the fall and being bare during all of winter, and others tuck themselves away until warmer weather returns.

Localized Phenomena

On top of the usual weather phenomena, Rutaalis sometimes sees psychostorms, severe storms which are spawned from the massive amounts of irradium within the planet's crust. Irradium exposure leads to the development of psychokinesis in an individual or species, and this is especially more prominent in planets where a very large portion of the crust contains it (which is why all Vectorzans are born with psychokinesis). By nature, psychostorms essentially function like massive outbursts of psychic energy, sprouting forth from the ground and into the atmosphere with tremendous force. This results in a thunderstorm that is much stronger than ordinary, and the rain contains significant amounts of irradium. This isn't necessarily dangerous to anyone or anything native to Rutaalis, but visitors from offworld who get caught in a psychostorm can become sick from the irradium, and many develop psychokinesis as a result.

Climate

Rutaalis is, for the most part, humid continental in terms of climate. Extreme thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are extraordinarily common, especially considering how rich in oxygen the atmosphere is. The winters in many areas can be very harsh, as well, with several inches of snowfall on a consistent basis, and chilling winds that vary in intensity. The mountains in particular tend to have especially harsh winters.
The rainforests are tropical wet climates. They see constant rainfall and humid air, and the thunderstorms here are even worse than in the humid continental areas of Rutaalis. Were it not for special lightningrods that the Vectorzans installed in these areas, forest fires would be extremely prevalent from the massive amounts of lightning strikes that occur during these storms. These lightningrods are also installed in the humid continental areas.
The grassland areas of Rutaalis are climates of the semiarid variety. They tend to see less rainfall overall than the forests of the world, but are wet enough to remain abundantly grassy. Seasons in these areas are generally also milder overall, though the summers can be on the warmer side of things.
Lastly, the deserts are wholly arid. They reach scorching temperatures during the day, followed by cooling down immensely during the night. They see very little rainfall at all every year, even during unusual weather patterns. It is for these reasons that residential areas are extremely uncommon in these areas, as the Vectorzans don't wish to risk health issues from the climate.

Fauna & Flora

Rutaalis features a wide array of flora. Much of this flora is represented in trees, as a very significant portion of the planet is covered in them. All four major tree types (decidious, evergreen, angiosperm, and gymnosperm) can be found on Rutaalis, with angiosperm trees being very common in farming areas due to the prevalence of fruit in the Vectorzan diet. Flowering plants in general are common, as well, resulting in a very vibrant environment in most areas of the planet. Vegetable plants are also frequently seen, since they often go hand-in-hand with the fruits that Vectorzans eat. There are also many different kinds of fungi, the most notable and prevalent being hodo caps, which are portobello mushrooms but nearly three times the size.
There are various different species of fauna that inhabits Rutaalis in addition to the Vectorzans. For example, one of the more prevalent animals are chiskas (pronounced KISS-kuhs), and they're essentially lizards with a hide made of stone. As dangerous as that may sound, they're actually quite docile, especially when domesticated, and very easy to care for, eating primarily the same things as the Vectorzans themselves (fruit and veggies, with the occasional meat thrown in for supplemental purposes). Other examples of general fauna include haskadoos, which are what can be described as monkeys with wing membranes and a crest on their head; makils, which are fish the size of dogs (about the size of Australian shepherds, specifically) ; nuzas, which are nomadic apes that can adapt to any climate; and yendits, which are salamanders that can grow to be as big as an umbrella.

Natural Resources

In terms of resources, Rutaalis is absolutely rich in them. The sheer amount of trees dotting the landscape means that wood is plentiful, and the Vectorzans always make sure to plant more trees whenever they cut any down to use, ensuring that this amount never dwindles. Besides irradium, the crust is full of various types of metals and elements which can be used for building structures and technology, and great care is taken to make sure that they aren't overextracted. Freshwater is also very abundant in the form of lakes, streams, creeks, rivers, and ponds, and the amount of rainfall that Rutaalis gets on average every single year is more than enough to keep this supply plentiful. Grains and certain grasses planted in the grassland areas provide food for the Vectorzans, as do all of the flowering trees and plants that both exist naturally and have been planted.

History

Rutaalis is an estimated 5.2 billion years old. It was a volatile planet with no real discernable features in its early days, but these conditions would eventually wane as the passage of time occurred. In their place, continents and oceans would slowly form and fill in, and actual climates would come into existence. Over the billions and hundreds of millions of years that followed, life eventually evolved, starting off small and growing as time went on. Simple organisms would give way to more complex species with actual skeletal structures and appendages. Species would come and go, and environments would change constantly as the continents drifted and occasionally collided.
Eventually, the Vectorzans would evolve, which would completely change the course of Rutaalis's history. The Vectorzans were much more intelligent than any other species that had lived on the planet in its entire history, and their knowledge of how to use their innate psychokinetic abilities would help them assert their dominance over any of their competitors. They would eventually come out on top, becoming the masters of Rutaalis and taming it in its entirety. They would also eventually discover the importance of replenishing the resources they used, a practice they have continued to this day. They would go on to build up their civilization to incredible heights, with their technology coming along with it and allowing for them to leave their planet starting nearly two thousand years ago.
Rutaalis has never seen any last major conflict involving only the Vectorzans among themselves, but has been targeted by others in the past. The Sordinn have, at numerous points, attempted to conquer it as they had other worlds. However, they have always been pushed back by the Vectorzans each time, with the Sordinn's most recent defeat seeming to have finally taught them their lesson.

Tourism

Rutaalis is open to tourists of all kinds. Even the Sordinn are allowed, though they're always required to be in a chaperoned group. The planet sees a decently healthy number of tourists every year, with lodging locations being supplied to them for as long as they need. Some of the more popular spots for people to visit include the beaches, the largest forest settlement on the planet, and the snowy mountains that shimmer like diamonds.

Type

Planet