The Fiery Planet of Zuhal

Summary

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"A planet consumed by the wrath of giant lava-breathing serpents and giant winged beasts, or so they say anyway. I'd call it rapid plate tectonics instead."

— Sir Henry the third of Cronenburg, Senior Head Observer at the Institute of Planetary Observations

A planet scorched by the fiery heat from Celeste , creating an unstable core that is hiding more than restless plate tectonics. Zuhal is located as the most inner planet that is circling around Celeste. In general folklore, Zuhal is the home for many scary stories before the bedtime of both kids and adults. It also tends to be a planet that attracts a lot of attention from those that believe in the supernatural and a future complete cleansing of Solum .

The Natural

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Zuhal consists of 9 tectonic plates, none of which can be seen by even the most powerful telescope (In possession of the Institute of Planetary Observations ). Scientists have agreed that this must be because all plates are constantly going over and under each other, meaning they are definitely moving around, but they are just so tightly knit together that no (lava) lakes can actually be created in any significant way.
The main proof for this assumption is the severe amount of volcanic activity that can be spotted by several telescopes. An attempt was made in the past to log every single eruption that took place on the surface of Zuhal, however, observers soon realised that their efforts were futile due to the rapid speed at which these eruptions were appearing and disappearing.
All the volcanic eruption on Zuhal has 2 major effects, as noted by the Institute of Planetary Observations (IPO

1. Eruptions of the highest scale (Scale of Volcanic Eruption Severity ), otherwise known as Unpredictable Vicious Eruptions, are so severe that there is often the question about, whether or not, the eruption will have an effect on the planet of Solum, which by far, hosts a large amount of life known to the Peculium solar system. These types of eruptions usually occur because a supervolcano has succumbed to the forces of the pulling and pushing tectonic plates, causing it to implode on itself. When this happens, large chunks of volcanic rock, imbued with flowing magma, get shot out of the atmosphere of Zuhal at supersonic speeds. One recorded case (IPO: Case number #14857 ) of that happening had a large number of rocks impacting the sandstorm covered planet of Dzuwa .
2. When a long period of time goes by with a lot of lower scale eruptions occurring all over the surface of Zuhal, the planet gets covered by layers upon layers of newly set volcanic rock. This can make it particularly harder for each of the tectonic plates to keep moving at the same speed they normally do. When this happens fewer volcanoes are created, meaning that all the inner heat of Zuhal, plus the extra heat coming from Celeste, get bulked up to create an ever-increasing internal heat for the core of Zuhal. What happens next is something that no observer or scientist has been able to explain, but it seems that the planetary core of Zuhal has some kind of defence mechanism to make sure it does not overheat. As such, the planet starts pulsing, shifting colours from a bright blood red to a dark crimson red every other hour. Observers have noted a significant change in atmospheric temperature on Solum which occurs a few days later. Seen as this type of event does not occur often (once every 8.5 years), the highest recorded increase in atmospheric temperature was 9 degrees Celcius for 7 days. This was during wintertime and had a big effect on certain ecosystems all over Solum. This occurrence was recorded under IPO: Case Number #89735 .

Beyond these 2 major effects, there are some smaller notable effects that the volcanic activity on Zuhal is the cause of, listed below;

1. Small meteor showers in the night sky after a small scale eruption caused some volcanic rock to be blasted out of the Zuhal atmosphere.
2. A red glowing sky during the day or night. This usually only occurs when Solum and Zuhal are aligned in a perfect line out from Celeste.
3. A starless night sky when a big cloud of ashes comes drifting through the solar system, obscuring the sightline of many observers between themselves and the stars.

The Supernatural

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Through the ages, there have been some observers, both part of and not part of the Institute of Planetary Observations, who have been calling attention to something called a Super Nova Volcano (In common tongue referred to as a volcano with many eyes). Some of the observers that have called attention to this phenomena have lost their observers license and were shunned from society due to the dooming nature of the discovery and the fear that it would strike in even the bravest hearts.
In more technical terms, a Super Nova volcano is a volcano inside which multiple new volcanoes have been created. Every modern law of physics cannot find a reasonable explanation for this occurring, hence why many tend to go off track looking for a more supernatural or arcane reason for this phenomenon occurring. Below are some of the most popular beliefs among observers and the common folk:

1. A gargantuan serpent roams the surface of the planet, calling one particular place her home, which would be the Super Nova volcano. The speculations are that this serpent digs through the tectonic plates of the planet, creating many holes as time passes by. These holes combined with the already rapid plate tectonics of Zuhal would cause these holes to get squished and pulled apart on a daily basis, creating many volcanoes. All of this together with the fact that the serpent has chosen to live inside an already large volcano has created a Super Nova volcano. Some civilizations (particularly those that have many people following a religion called: Efterlevande ) believe that this is the same serpent as that of the religious story of Dotta Steinbjorndottir.
2. A more science-based belief tends to focus on the large pieces of volcanic rock that are ejected from the atmosphere of Zuhal every day. The theory is based around the fact that when a large piece of volcanic rock gets ejected, it will curve due to the gravitational field that Zuhal generates. This means that the pieces of volcanic rock will at some point find their path to intersect with another planet/moon. Sometimes the planet it collides with can be Zuhal again, meaning the impact causes giant holes in the outer crust of the planet. These new holes and craters make it easier for the underlying magma to break through and create new lava-spewing volcanoes. When this repeatedly happens in the same place, a Super Nova volcano is created.
3. One belief that is shared by both observers and the common folk is that 2 tectonic plates spend centuries grinding into each other, creating many volcanoes along the way. When 2 plates never change direction, it can cause them to keep creating volcanoes in the same spot for years, causing the creation of a Super Nova Volcano. This theory is generally supported by many due to the fact that throughout recorded history only one other Super Nova volcano has ever been spotted, not far from the location of the current Super Nova volcano.

Life on Zuhal

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As far as can be observed, there are no intellectual civilizations based on Zuhal. Instead, it is a planet that is torn by mythical monsters and legendary creations as old as time. On top of the mythical and legendary, there are also more "normal" creatures like; Fire Elementals, Lava Hounds, Magma Skulkers and Souls of the Scorched.

Normal life

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Observers have been baffled for centuries how a planet like Zuhal can host any form of life. The atmospheric temperature alone should put a stop to that with it being over 630 degrees Celcius on an average day. However, despite this fact, Observers have started coming up with theories on how life on Zuhal is possible. These theories are sometimes supported by science and sometimes they can only be supported by the most supernatural phenomenon, due to the fact that no telescope in the world of Solum is powerful enough to study the creatures that roam the surface of Zuhal in great detail.

Theory of "normal" life

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The most common supported theory is a mixture of science and supernatural but has grounded itself firmly amongst many Observers and the common folk. In essence, the theory believes that the close position of Zuhal to Celeste is what allows for life to exist. The clean beams of Celeste's light could have certain properties that would infuse the magma and rock of Zuhal in order to create life. When taking this into account, the rapid plate tectonics could serve as a crucible for life, quickly deforming and reforming the magma and rock that has been infused with Celeste's light.
This theory is considered to be the least crazy due to the creatures that have been discovered by Observers so far. Some of these creatures (E.g. Lava Hound, Magma Skulkers) have also been spotted on the planet of Solum by people who barely managed to live to tell the tale. Although these are extremely rare cases, it is rather worrying that some life native to Zuhal is finding their way to the planet of Solum which is filled with many civilizations not resistant to these new intruding lifeforms.

Fire Elementals

Whether created by rapid plate tectonics or the acts of a delusional witch, these elementals have also come into existence on Zuhal. Consisting almost entirely of an everlasting fire they roam the surface of Zuhal looking for something or someone to destroy. These creatures are naturally evil in nature and will stop at nothing to try and fill the empty void in their mind.

Lava Hounds

These rapid creatures exist purely for the thrill of the hunt and if you ever come across one on Solum, it is best to hide near non-flammable materials. Taking the shape of a greyhound, their exterior consists of flowing lava, covering their burning Magma heart, allowing their bright red eyes to establish terror in the minds of all of those that witness the presence of a Lava Hound. These creatures hunt day and night, simply looking for their next victim to torture for eternity. Even though Lava Hounds hunt in packs of up to 5 creatures, as soon as an unlucky victim has been found, it is every creature for itself and may the strongest and fastest Lava Hound win.

Magma Skulkers

These creatures, if you can even call them that, have never been seen in their full glory, instead, they have been seen in action whilst killing a stray Lava Hound or a lost Fire Elemental. Magma Skulkers are the more stealthy hunters of Zuhal, always hiding under the actual surface, instead of competing with the predators that live on top of the surface. Presumably, they find a spot in the surface of Zuhal where the crust is very thin. As time goes by, they will carve a small 25-centimetre hole into the crust, giving them access to whatever roams the surface. When a creature comes within 300 feet (100 meters) of the hole, the magma skulker will know and patiently wait for the creature to come closer. Once the creature is within 60 feet (20 meters) range, the Magma Skulker will create some bubbling sounds and release a particular cloud of gas that seems to attract the creatures even closer to the hole. When the creature is within 6 feet (2 meters) range of the hole, the Magma Skulker will jump into action and burst through the crust with 4 large volcanic rock arachnid legs, capturing the creature in its place. Whilst the creature tries to worm its way out of the grasp of the Magma Skulker, a sharp object is shot from the mouth of the Magma Skulker, injecting the creature with some kind of paralysing poison. Then soon after, the creature and the Magma Skulker disappear beneath the crust of Zuhal, where presumably the Magma Skulker will feast on its captured prey, before finding the next place to set up their trap.

Souls of the Scorched

The Souls of the Scorched (Alternatively; Scorched Souls) are a bit of a peculiar group of creatures roaming the surface of Zuhal. A large portion of the common folk believes that these creatures are created when a cult or otherwise nefarious group of people attempt to travel to the surface of Zuhal through a ritual. The high atmospheric temperature alone would likely kill any civilized humanoid within 10 minutes of arrival on the planet. No matter how these cultists come to the end of their life, it is often theorized that their soul remains on Zuhal, captured to serve as victims for Fire Elementals, Lava Hounds and Magma Skulkers.
A different theory for these creatures is that the sulfuric gasses that are very common on Zuhal, sometimes bind together in the shape of a humanoid. Due to a large amount of volcanic activity on Zuhal, there is a lot of sulfuric gas that floats around aimlessly in the atmosphere, which would be plenty to at least create a set of a 1000 or more of these humanoid gaseous creatures.

Abnormal Life

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Observers are not infallible and sometimes note down things that they have seen, even if they seem out of the ordinary or sometimes even completely impossible. As such, there have been some sightings of larger more mythical creatures calling Zuhal their home. There are 2 of these cases, namely the spotting of Giant Dragons (IPO Case Number #35879 ) and the alleged spotting of a Giant Serpent (IPO Case Number #63875 ).
In both recorded cases there are serious questions about the soberness of the Observers that were on duty that night. In the case of the Giant Serpent being sighted, each of the Observers were found the following morning with injection marks in their arms, which would point towards some kind of drug (Most likely a manufactured drug named "G") having been injected, and empty bottles of Aart brew around them. The mixing of the 2 substances can cause severe hallucinations, which most likely led to the "sighting" of the giant serpent.
Nonetheless though, the common folk and even some more naive Observers have adopted these "sightings" to be factual and so many new theories have been created in the form of mythical folklore. The religious story about the Serpent of Dotta Steinbjorndottir is a particularly popular story amongst a significant group of people.

Observer Notes

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Planet Name: Zuhal
Planet Size: Small
Planet Age: Unknown
Distance from Celeste: 250.000~ Km / 155342~ Miles

Type

Planet