Tyr

Orpheus Gaze    Species / Civilisations    Terran Worlds      Tyr

Tyr is a small Terran colonized world, considered by many to be a fortress world after 2585. Before it was terraformed, it was named Furnace.

Location

Tyr is located in the constellation of Leo Minor, orbitting the star Praecipua (46 Leonis Minoris), an red clump giant. The Solar System is devoid of any worthwhile resources for extraction, with two other mineral poor planetoids existing in a similar orbit to Pluto around Sol.

Climate

Tyr has a hot dry climate for most of the year, reaching average monthly temperatures of 22 degress celcius in the summer months with average winter temperatures sitting between -2 - 0 degress celcius. The summers on Tyr are dry and very hot, with the cities designed to keep cool using architecture and classic techniques cooling houses and buildings down, practices retained from the planets pre terraformed past. Post terraforming many more green spaces were incorporated in city planning, providing respite from the oppressive midday sun.
In the winter large storms rise out of the Washarri Ocean, making land fall over Luxor. These storms can douse the Capital in 241 mm precipitation in a few days. Luxor rarely reaches below freezing in the winter months and can be quite humid at that time of year.
Outside of the cities, the interior of the continents the climate can be very dry with very little rainfall so most farming takes place along the coasts and in the shadow of the Washarri Mountain range, however irrigation systems have to be set up to capture rainfall in the winter months to irrigate crops in the summer as these regions can go without rain for months in the summer.
Prior to terraforming, Tyr was intensely hot and almost totally bare of water or vegetation, the planet was placed in the lowest class of potentially habitable worlds by the Federal Scouts Service during the 2060s.
Average temperatures on Tyr were around 30 degrees Celsius during the day but peak at fifty or even sixty degrees Celsius.
Nighttime temperatures plunged to an average of 1 or 2 degrees celsius with lows of twenty to thirty below freezing.
There are very few native life-forms on Furnace, most being very small desert dwelling insects and plants.

Flora and Fauna

Vegetation was introduced from Earth, including pine and cypress trees along with other flora from the mediterrean region. A deerlike animal native to Tommanar in the Tranoan Empire was introduced and has adopted a range from the Electrum mountains down to the outskirts of the Black Lake.

Colonisation

Tyr was first colonized in 2082 by a small group of scientists, miners and bold settlers who felt that the desert world could one day be tamed.
Tyr was not targeted for tera-forming as it was felt that it was too close to the Karkouri border and not a wealthy enough prospect.
As successive administrations failed to pay much attention to Tyr, the world quickly became home to a breed of libertarian minded people who just wanted to be left alone and was largely considered a fairly harsh and lawless place.
During the reign of House Sondeheim, Tyr recieved much more attention by virtue of their leigelords. House Sondeheim funded the creation of Luxor and Oasis, two new settlements founded with funds from House Sondeheim in 2480. The capital was moved to Luxor in 2490.
In 2565 the terraforming of the planet was completed under the direction of Lord Elbar Sondeheim, marking a dramatic change for the planet and leading to increased investment and migration for the planet.

Demographics

The current population in 2590 is 12,500,000, a steep increase from pre-terraforming levels, as in 2520, 2,600,000 people lived on Tyr. The demographics are 10,850,000 humans, 1,500,000 Indirians, 10,000 Tranoans, with another 14,000 other aliens.

Government

Tyr is currently ruled as a hereditary governorship, the fiefdom of House Sondeheim. The Lord-Governor exerts a high level of influence over planetary politics but must work with the planets legislature.
The legislature, elected to ten year terms, has a reputation for non-intervention and libertarian or "common sense" politics. The two most popular political parties coming into the 2590 election are Ravenheart and Tyr First.
Tyr's government tends to operate with a small than usual cabinet and often forgoes the offices of Attorney General and Lt-Governor as it is felt that other roles can cover these functions on such a small world.

Politics and the Wider "Terran State"

Whilst Tyr is generally not considered to be an "important" world by Terran polities, its position on the Terran map as a potential buffer world often means that it is at the forefront of clashes and conflicts. This included the world being attacked and occupied by the Karkouri Regime on more than one occasion.
After the fall of the Empire, Tyr joined the The Terran Republic which caused a clash between the newly formed Republic and the Karkouri Regime and their allies, The St Lawrence Compact.
The Karkouri Regime put the world under a blockade and then landed a force of Salborian shock troops who kept the planet under a constant state of siege without ever really attempting to conquer it.
With rising pressure from the planetary legislature, Lord-Governor Kentan Sondehiem agreed to surrender the planet to the Compact and, as part of the agreement, a garrison force of PMC's from the Compact were deployed to Tyr.
In the year 2520, Tyr was formally accepted as a member of the Free Worlds Pact. The Colonial Legislature voted 99-10 to accept this and it was signed into law by Lord Kentan Sondeheim. Following this, Tyr
(incomplete)

Governor of Tyr

The Governor of Tyr was initially appointed by the Terran Federation and was often a serving military officer. The first elected Governor of Tyr was elected during the days of the Confederate Union and the seat was seldom a launch-pad to major political office, with most successful governors tending to stay out of the way of its people.
As of the year 2387 and the Imperial Coup, Tyr was made the hereditary seat of House Sondeheim.
Governors of Tyr

1. Lady Catherine Sondeheim -2387-2399
2. Lord Elbar Sondeheim -2399-2404
3. Lord Kentan Sondeheim I - 2404-2417
4. Lord Maldon Sondeheim -2417-2440
5. Lord Prager Sondeheim -2440 - 2480
6. Lord Kentan Sondeheim II - 2480 - 2534
7. Lord Elbar Sondeheim II - 2534 - 2566
8. Lady Elizabeth Sondeheim - 2566 - 2580
9. Lord Aurelian Sondeheim - 2580 - 2590
10. Lord Frederick Sondeheim - 2590 - Present

Lt-Governor

As Tyr is a small Terran world, the executive duties can often be discharged by the Governor solely. However there were a few times during the Sondeheim Lordship where a Lt-Governor was appointed to assist the Governor.

1. Hutton Sondeheim 2449-2495
2. Lord Reid Sondeheim 2495-2499
3. Title Vacant 2499-2520
4. Lord Elbar Sondeheim 2520-2534
5. Title Vacant 2534-2565
6. Reid Sondeheim 2565-2570
7. Title Vacant 2570-Present

Terrorist cells on Tyr

The Brotherhood of the Sun
Founded in the early 25th century, the Brotherhood of the Sun was a radical, fringe separatist movement who gained support from off-world. This was never officially traced back to any sources, leading to speculation that Kotek Grumman instigated the insurrection. In the 2440's they were able to arm around 5,000 men and fought a surprisingly effective resistance war to the planets government.
After the initial deployment of marines and militia failed to bring the Brotherhood to heel, a huge force of 300,000 marines were deployed to the planet and within a few months they had overrun the Brotherhood and killed or captured all of its members.
The survivors were largely held in Imperial black-sites and many of them were executed under orders of the IIS.
VAIL PMC Incident
Following Tyr's surrender to the Karkouri/SLC, as the VAIL PMC garrison was landing a few small scale attacks were conducted against the "occupying force". Following a few isolated incidents and investigations by Lord Kentan, nothing more came of it.
Jericho
Jericho were formed after Mars joined the Republic. In 2548 following Tyr's membership to The Terran Republic, the Luxor was rocked by a series of explosions. These attacks were concentrated on the down-port and several government buildings. Hundreds of people were injured or killed. Jericho has claimed responsibility for this attack, and in their statement they abhorred "Furnace's surrender to the traitors in the Republic".
Lord Elbar Sondeheim put the Tyran armed forces on high alert making frequent attempts to locate Jericho's base of operations on Tyr without luck.
In 2559 Jericho launched an attack on Tyr, using a car bomb to kill 20 Police officers. Lord Elbar redoubled the efforts in a speech, promising additional resources to bring Jericho to an end on Tyr. A few weeks later Lord Elbar made an announcement that the Tyran marines had successfully overran a Jericho camp in the desert, killing 20 militants and capturing a few more in a brutal attack that took the terrorists by surprise.
Following this Jericho did not conduct any further attacks on Tyr.

Crime and Piracy

Tyr has a long history of crime and piracy and was often used as a base for pirates due to the planet's small population and the intense desert environment making it hard to find isolated bases.
Criminal gangs also preyed on the weak on the planet and the weakness of the central state led to Tyr being a planet where pretty much everyone needed to learn to use a gun or end up in someone elses power.
The planet never saw much interest from the Black Dragon Yakuza, though Kentaro "Tiger" Miyatomo did establish a small outpost there in the 2410s.
With the increase in size of the planet with the Luxor development, House Sondeheim hugely improved the planets police and security forces.
The final outlaws on the planet were dealt with during the Karkouri seige of 2507-2515 when Lord Kentan offered pardons to the smugglers and raiders in return for their help against the Salborian's guerilla tactics. The offer was taken up by a lot of the smuggers and raiders, meaning that the holdouts were enventually arrested after the war due to decreased numbers and their bases being revealed by those pardoned.
At present the crime level on Tyr has been very low since 2507 and is one of the safer planets in Terran space.

Religion

Tyr being on the frontier has always had a sizeable portion of the population following the Valtinist faith. Following the convertion of Lady Elizabeth to Valtinism, specificially the Ranger sfaction, a larger portion of the population now follows the Valtinist faith, approximately 80% of the population. The Ranger faction is followed by the majority of the Valtinist population.
There are two Valtinist communes on Tyr located in:

• New Cairo, this commune has been established in the city since 2376, focusing on providing free healthcare and education to the residents of New Cairo. This commune frequently aids the major hospital in Luxor, The Archer Sondeheim Memorial General Hospital.
• Luxor, this commune was established by the Rangers in 2590 upon invite from Lord Frederick. A Ranger military base was also established on the outskirts of Luxor. The Sondeheim's frequent this commune for worship.

The Military and Tyr

Situated on the edge of Terran Space, Tyr has been invaded quite a few times. As it is often considered a world of little strategic importance, the world has been left to its own devices whenever it has been invaded. This combined with the libertarian mindset of the people and previous lawlessness, the Tyrans have developed a militaristic culture. A naturally hardy people shaped by the inhospitable climate of Furnace, Tyrans have been known to be fierce and loyal soldiers. Compounded by the militarism of House Sondeheim, Tyr boasts a military far greater than some Terran worlds with a far greater population.
Tyr's navy consists of 2 Cruisers (HLS Pride of Tyr and HLS Light the Furnace) along with at least 9 frigates.
Tyr's marine corps consists of anywhere from 40,000 to 65,000 soldiers, boosted by a militia of approximately 30,000 troops.
Under Lord Kentan Sondeheim, conscription was introduced in 2530, making 3 years of military service compulsory for every adult under the age of 35, who are then place on the list of civilian reservists until the age of 55 who can be called up in the event of an invasion. Following service, the soldier may purchase their weapon and must pass a marksman exam every year at their local shooting range, which are numerous across Tyr.
House Sondeheim holds a military parade every year in Luxor, with drills and parades held by Tyr's marines, militia, reservists and police forces. This parade is seen as a point of pride for the population, the first one being held at the end of the terraforming project. The centre point of this event is the military parades, however festivals, concerts, and open air markets occur at the same time, bringing the planet together for a long weekend of celebrations.
While a sizeable portion of the Tyran population enlist, the Republic Navy and Marine Corp see little if any Tyran's sign up. Due to the large separatist sentiment on the planet, Tyran's usually enlist in the Tyran military, Martian Military, Valtinist Ranger Corps, or find work in PMCs.
Recent conflicts in which the Tyrans have participated under the Tyran banner:

• 2507 - 2515: The Desert War
A conflict which was fought between the Tyrans and Salborian invaders under the direction of the Karkouri Regime in the State of Chaos.
• 2531 - 2533: Hassall League Liberation
Tyran Marines and Volunteers assist The Antaras Federation forces in the liberation of the Hassall League, seeing combat on Whitworth and Vanheim.
• 2567 - 2578: The 2nd Zzendi War
Tyran ships under the Reserve Fleets Act see action in every major Terran Battle, losing 6 frigates. Tyran ground forces participate in Operation Dawn-Tyde under the command of Admiral Isabella Sondeheim, aiding in the liberation of Fort Kurzon and Al Ahily.

Teraforming

Details to follow

Major Places

New Cairo

The first settlement was developed at New Cairo and for most of the planets history, it was the only major city on the planet. Barely a town on many other worlds for most of its history, New Cairo was home to about 1,200,000 people and housed the courts and government quarter, as well as mining and supply offices and the planet's downport.
New Cairo expanded with the establishment of Luxor City but it was very much eclipsed by the hyper modern new city and the planetary government officially moved the Capital to the city. New Cairo was left in the dust somewhat, and without the government and as no longer the sole city on the planet, lost it's indentity. However, it is home to the Cairo General College, the top educational institution on Tyr.
A small science and industry sector has grown up around Cairo General College, with specialties in terraforming and material science. Mayor Varon Lovoto transformed the city by seeking funds from the legislature in 2545 to transform it into "vibrant cultural and artistic hub, with some science thrown in for good measure"
The city is a more organic city than Luxor, streets and developments arising haphazardly when development occurs around the settlement. Seen by many in Luxor to be the city stuck in the past, it has a vibrant night life and student culture, with many in the city enjoying a relaxed pace of life compared with the Captial.

Luxor City

Established by Lord Kentan Sondeheim, Luxor City was a purpose built city intended for the hundreds of thousands of new colonists brought to the planet by the new employment, largely driven by the planets new major shipyard and navy base in the 2490s. Since then Luxor has seen massive investment by House Sondeheim and the planetary legislature.
A highly organised city, the centre piece of which is the fortress built by Lady Elizabeth Sondeheim named "Elbar's Rest" in honour of her father. The city is designed as such as to obstruct any attackers who would invade, having blockhouses at critical junctions throughout the city disguised as normal buildings.
Luxor has undergone numerous large expansions since it was founded in 2480, with new districts being added every decade to keep up with the population growth.
A tunnel network stretching back to the 2500s crosses the city, holding valuable infrastructure such as the hydroponics farms which spurred growth in the 2520s. These tunnels are rumoured to connect the blockhouses to Elbar's Rest along with holding extensive supplies and resources in preparation for a seige. Additional bunkers were constructed in 2570 along with a huge expansion to the tunnel network in preparation for a Zzendi invasion.
The installation of the "Sky-Claw" missile defence system took place in 2570, with extensive upgrades throughout its life. Providing point defence against missiles from either orbital to ground, air to ground or ground to ground, it provides a powerful missile defence system around Luxor and New Cairo.
Luxor City is a far more modern city than New Cairo and quickly became the planets capital once it was established. It is home to The Archer Sondeheim Memorial Hosptial established by Proteus KP in 2495. The city is home to around 6,300,000 people.
Compared with the cities of New Cairo and Oasis, Luxorians enjoy a higher standard of living. The home of the planets financial district along with being a short commute from the shipyards has meant that capital continues to flow into the city.
Life in Luxor can feel quite regimented, with large military fortifications rising above the skyline and streets that don't flow all that well, green spaces and an increased Valtinist architectural mindset adopted from Arcadia has made the city feel more welcoming as time has gone on. The Valtinist Ranger Commune is a popular destination along with the National Park in downtown Luxor for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Oasis

Established by Lord Kentan at the same time as Luxor, Oasis was overshadowed by the other cities on Tyr. A back water on Tyr, it's population never reached above 30,000 inhabinents until post terraforming. An agricultural city, post terraforming the population exploded, reaching half a million 10 years after terraforming was completed. Encompassing the largest area of any city on Tyr, 80% of its land is agricultural with most of the inhabinets being employed in food production. Nestled in the foot hills of the Electrum mountains large amounts of rainfall bless the settlement all year round, being the most temperate of the cities.
Even in the urban centre of the city, the population density is low, with sparely populated streets and large areas of land between dwellings. The slower pace of life means that the people are among the friendlist on Tyr, always happy to help out a neighbour or an out of towner. In recent years with the establishment of Tyr Foods, a food production company, the urban core has become more efficent with its food production.
Oasisians are generally genial and hard working folks, who are happy to live the simple life away from the militarism and efficency of Luxor and the bohemian academic lifestyle of New Cairo.

The Vandebilt Savanna

A planet that is almost all desert, the Vandebilt stood out as the largest continous desert, ranging in tens of thousands of miles in all directions and only broken up by the Electrum Mountain range and the Washari Mountain range. Now it is a large savanna, the most extreme and inhospitale place on the terraformed planet. It is however much more hospitable than before, with large packs of animals roaming across it.
The Vandebilt Savanna is home to some scattered colonists living in small, rugged settlements and to prospectors and miners.

The Washarri Desert

The Washarri desert is shielded from the worst of the temperature spikes on the planet by the vast Washarri mountain range and also by its tiny network of oasis, which are one of the few stable surface water sources on the entire planet. Post terraforming, part of the desert was transformed into part of the planets oceans, bordering the continental shelf that Luxor sits on. The other half of the former desert makes up the Luxorian plain, a vast stretch of land that is bordered by the Washarri Mountian range and the oceans.
The Washari is home to more scattered settlers but also was home to a marine base, where Imperial Recon Marines would be deployed during "Hell Month". The base fell into disuse after the fall of the Empire but was taken over by Tyr's own local military.

The Black-Lake

What was once the least hospitable desert on Tyr is the so-called Black-Lake desert, thought to be a former huge lake long since dried up has since flourished into the largest body of water on Tyr. Before terraforming, it was a vast area of salt and alkalai flats that was incredibly hostile to living things is now a large interior salt water lake in centre of the continents. Fed by rivers from the Electrum mountains this lake boasts a few fisherman communities along its edges.

by Viktor Hanh

Type

Planet

Included Organizations

• ARBI
• Sondeheim

Related Historical Events

• 2565
  Tyr Terraforming Celebration