Lorriman
Lorriman is an arctic exoplanet located in the Gessshire system. Gessshire is an F-type Main Sequence Star located in the Lordanian Cluster.
Lorriman several million years ago was likely a terrestrial world in a stable orbit allowing for basic life to develop. At some point after the planet's Cambrian-equivalent explosion, the planet's orbit was completely perturbed, bringing it from a stable orbit into an eccentric five and a half year-long orbit. The resulting ice age froze the planet and killed most life on the surface. However, moss and lichen survive the extreme temperatures in sheltered valleys. The planet is dense and heavy enough to hold onto a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, though with temperatures ill-suited for long term human survival. The majority of surviving plant and animal life survives underground, in vast ice caverns and crystal caves below the surface, nearer the warmth of the planet's core.
Lorriman is home to the unitary civilian government Lorrimantu. It is a semi-democratic technocracy, which oversees the civilian aspects of life on this harsh world. However, it is remains subservient to the true controllers of the planet, the Scientific Institute of Lorriman. Previously the sole rulers of the planet, the apex of their power was reached during the reign of the People's Republic of Lordania, where its board of directors held sway over millions of lives. In the ensuing decades since, the struggle between its people and its professors has largely been won by the people. However, the Institute clings on to power through its support from the Second Lordanian Republic and the United Nations of Sol-Aligned Systems.
Lorriman was first colonised by various peoples from Lordania. It was only after the first settlements had been established that the first inklings of what would become the Institute first emerged. It rapidly became a project of the First Lordanian Republic to create its own colony, one focused on research and development. As the War In The Heavens raged on in Sol, the Republic aimed to catch up with the significant advances in space travel and warfare that had taken place during their lost contact. Defence contractors, unethical corporations, and a little too eager scientists soon poured onto the planet. The research facilities and their staff soon outnumbered the original colonists, and the rest is history.
There are few major settlements on the planet, with the majority of people living in one of the three major settlements, The Hub, Gauss, and Kepler.
The planet's eccentric orbit brings it close enough to Gessshire to allow temperatures to rise just enough to bring about a bloom across the planet. One whole earth year of conditions that are survivable on the surface. Though winds and snow still provide a danger, it is the one time of year that plants spread and reproduce across the planet's surface, before retreating back to frozen slumber. This is known as Terminal Pericentre, with the season containing several Lorrimanian holidays, including it's New Year Celebration.
Gessshire
Gessshire is a F-type Main Sequence Star at approximately 1.39 solar masses. There are seven planets in the Gessshire system, three of which orbit in the star's habitable zone, however no planet save Lorriman has an atmosphere capable of sustaining life. Many of the planetary bodies in the region have had their orbits completely unsettled or disturbed. This was theorised to be the result of a rogue star passing close to the system several million years ago, but it remains only the most logical of speculation. All planets in the system are named after famed astronomers and scientists from Human history, including asteroid and dwarf bodies.Geography
While the planet could be considered as having geographic areas and distinct biomes, these are often buried beneath deep snow and glaciers. Small pockets of pre-frozen Lorriman can be found in isolated valleys and mountains, having survived the harsh winds of the open Lorriman surface. Much of the surface remains unseen by human eyes, with any surveys often done by robotic drones. The largest settlement on the planet, known as The Hub is located north of the equator in a small depression, surrounded by mountains. The Hub is a half-dome habitation. It has a large windome above to protect it from the biting, 250mph winds that whip around the planet. Below, the average temperature is similar to that of a cold, northern Earth city. This form of design has been repeated in other major settlements around the planet. All communities on the planet are built either in these depressions or underground, as any permanent structure runs the risks of being buried in massive snowstorms.
Every four Earth years, the planet enters Terminal Pericentre, where the planet comes close enough to Gessshire to allow for habitable conditions on the surface, with a low surface temperature close to that of a Siberian winter. Harsh, but not unsurvivable with the wonders of modern technology. For the remaining time, Lorriman's surface is cold and dead, trapped in a bleak winter.
Fauna & Flora
Many of the planet's native species underwent a massive extinction event after the planet's orbit was disturbed. The only surviving life native to Lorriman is bioluminescent fungus that lives in sheltered caves and extremophilic bacteria. Various regions on the planet are known for their plant and animal remains, which have been preserved due to the extreme conditions on the planet. All modern plant and animal life has been brought to the planet by human settlers. They all live underground amongst the humans and contain traditional domesticated and research animals.
Natural Resources
Lorriman is rich in natural resources. The great dying of species allowed for deposits of natural gas and fossil fuels to accumulate under the surface, though due to the harsh conditions, most of this has yet to be exploited. As well, due to the large ice sheets on the surface, the planet retains a lot of heavy metals brought via asteroid that would typically end up deposited in the ground or in the planet's core, such as Iridium. The largest resource on Lorriman is its scientific community. Because Lorriman exists in such an extreme environment and has such an unusual orbit, it offers isolation to those who want it, and a scientific resources beyond what the United Systems of Sol could provide.
Maps
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Lorriman
47048.5 km
Avg Temp
-42°C
Minimum Temp
-63°C
Maximum Temp
-32°C
Orbital Period (Year)
5.05 Earth Years
Rotational Period (Day)
4.84 Earth Days
Surface Pressure
96 kPa
Type
Planet
Location under
Included Organizations
Owning Organization
Related Ethnicities
Comments