Avalon

Avalon was a minor Terran world first colonized in the early 22nd century

Location

Avalon is the third planet in the 91 Eridani Star system. The star is a mid-stage yellow star and home to eleven planets, of which only Avalon is inhabitable.

Colonization

Avalon was first colonized in 2122 after scouting initially reported that Avalon was too cold to make a good colony-world. The first colonists were all but wiped out after a volcanic explosion plunged the planet into a three year long winter.
New colonists arrived in 2130 to support the survivors and a new colony was established but this too came to grief after a virus wiped out 85% of the population.
Many began to believe that Avalon was cursed and it was shunned for major colonial expansion. However in the early 2200s its abundant and cheap land attracted a new wave of colonists, with more following fleeing the First Terran Civil War.

Climate

Avalon has a cool temperature, with average temperatures of around ten to fifteen degrees and some winters reaching lows of minus fifteen degrees.
Avalon has several major oceans which teem with life and provide a huge amount of food nutrition to the planet. The planet also has massive coverage from evergreen trees of various types too.

Native Flora and Fauna

Avalon is home to fairly simplistic local fauna but lots of native plants and trees. Ecological studies of Avalon concluded in the 2300's that it had been previously tera-formed and it is speculated but so far never proven that this was done by the Taur'lier Empire.
Many non-native animals have been introduced, with the most successful being long-horn cattle and mountain goats. Domestic dogs, cats and rabbits have also done well on the planet.
The oceans of Avalon are home to its most complex native life-forms:

• Perseus Leviathan - resembling an Earth whale, the Leviathan is a huge seventy metre plus whale capable of spending up to ten hours at a time under-water without coming up for breath. These huge but largely peaceful animals were hunted by some of Avalon's initial colonists but over the centuries they have been made a protected species and have a spiritual significance to the planet
• Tageray Mackrel - these sleek, fast moving shoal fish are found in vast mega-shoals and are a staple diet of the planet and its fisheries. Tageray are considered a delicacy off-world and a kilogram of Tageray can sell for A$170. Tageray are protected by strong fishing laws that restrict fishing them to eight month cycles to allow them to replenish.
• Juzbow - one of the most unusual native life-forms on the planet, the Juzbow are a small, sleek "flying fish" that appear to enjoy following boats and ships. Juzbow are edible but have lots of bones and are therefore not a very common fish to eat. Juzbow are sometimes kept as pets and many Avalon sailors consider Juzbow to be "good luck"

Government

Avalon was governed by a planetary governor working with the colonial legislature. During the days of the The Terran Empire , Avalon was the fiefdom of House Belzen .
After the collapse of the Empire, Avalon became part of the Dragonfish Protectorate and its governorship was made democratically elected.
Avalon fell under the Gannid Commonwealth after an agreement to cede the Dragonfish Protectorate to the Gannid from the Karkouri Regime.
After the Dragonfish Protectorate was broken up, Avalon was an independent world, though it cooperated with Al Ahily .
In 2559, Avalon agreed to join the Republic.
Governor of Avalon (since rejoining the Republic)

1. Tyrell Winnant -Ravenheart - 2560-2571
2. Carolyn Brabant -Ravenheart -2571-2580
3. Mina Carriero - Vishnu Elpis -2580-

Crime and the Black Dragon Yakuza

Avalon has long suffered with a very high crime rate due to the relative poverty of the planet and its location as a remote colony world.
The Black Dragon Yakuza have long had strong-holds in Tintagel City and other major cities and have been generally able to resist all attempts by local law enforcement to combat them.
Rumors persist that most planetary governors have made tacit agreements with the Yakuza to allow them to enforce local crime in return for either a bribe or for agreements to keep the worst of the crime off the streets.

Aeppel

Aeppel is the name of the 5th planet in the 91 Eridani star-system. It is a previously uninhabitable planet, with no atmosphere and deep cold. Aeppel was given to the AI community to colonize during the late 25th century as a part of their expansion.
Aeppel was badly hit by the Cobalt attack but its population were able to gradually recover.
During the Gannid administration, Aeppel lost many of its rights as the Gannid do not consider AI to be citizens or capable of sapience.

Major Sites

Tintagel City

Tintagel City was not the first major settlement but it did become the most successful after it was formally founded in 2199. Based high on the Cregwood Hills and also possessing a sea-port and a downport, Tintagel City was home to foresters, miners, fishermen and a lot of blue-collar colonists.
With a population of around twelve million, Tintagel City has had a grinding poverty rate and issues with crime but reforms made in the early 26th century have helped to restore green spaces to the city and create jobs and reduce overall poverty.
The Tintagel City Police Department (TCPD) are often considered under-funded and unable to combat crime in the city.
Tintagel City is home to Merlyn College, a major arts and humanities college.

New Penzance

Established during the dark days of the Terran Civil War, New Penzance grew up quickly as tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the civil war arrived and set up home there in the Rookwall forests.
Home to around five million people, New Penzance became famous as a bastion of liberal, anti-establishment thought but also a place of learning and spiritual reflection.
New Penzance is home to Pike College, a famed liberal arts school.

Fort Worcester

Founded initially as a marine training base, Fort Worcester saw a small community of service personnel and ancillary staff grow up around it.
Fort Worcester is home to around two million people and has generally been a fairly successful city. The closure of the marine training base did cause considerable problems for the population but new service industries moved in to replace them.

The Palisades

A major expansion to the planet's entertainment and service sector saw a settlement referred as The Palisades formed in the year 2510.
Home to only 250,000 people but attracting around two million visitors and tourists, the Palisades is home to casinos, sports stadia, theme parks and malls and provides a huge number of service jobs
EDN and VENTRISS UDC were pivotal to setting up the Palisades and many of the business there are owned by them.
The Palisades has also seen an increase in crime, attracted to the casinos

Merlin National Park

One hundred and twenty square miles of forest, mountain and trail was officially set aside by the Avalon colonial legislature as part of an expansion to national parks, providing 5,000 new jobs
Merlin National Park sees around 500,000 visitors each year and tourists are able to stay overnight at chalets or camp-sites

by Viktor Hanh

Type

Planet