Yridos
Geography
A significant portion of the day side of the planet, known as the Scorched Wildlands, is taken up by The Silent Sea. The northern edge of this desert hosts some smaller mining settlements, and homesteads, but the majority of the population is concentrated in two regions. One of these regions is the rocky mountains known as the Silent Shore, which offer protection from the dangers of the desert, and shelter from the weather. This rocky region surrounds a somewhat flatter polar cap, buried beneath the Heartshard Glacier, the inhabitants main source of water. A band of somewhat more livable climate known colloquially as the Handcuff, a mere 50km wide, separates the dark side and sun side of the planet. This region avidly held and defended by the remaining native inhabitants of the planet, the orcs and their cousin species.
The night side of Yridos, the Icemire Expanse, at first glance is a frozen, rocky wasteland, but expeditions into the region have found shockingly hardy, well adapted life forms in the region. Little else is known about the details of the geography there, although the S.A.C has begun making plans to send expeditions across the Oasis to seek out new mining opportunities.
Between these two regions, a narrow band of slightly less hostile climate exists, known as the Emperor's Band by the Saikar, and the Forbidden Oasis by the locals. This region is considered sacred, and it is forbidden to live in the land, as it is used exclusively in the production of food.
Climate
The second closest planet to Hyperion, Yridos is a tidally locked world, leaving one side of the planet a blistering hot desert, and the other side a frozen wasteland of eternal night.
A thin strip of land between these two spaces, known as the Oasis, boasts a nearly livable temperature. It is along this region, at the western edge of the Silent Sea, stretching north to the Heartshard Glacier, that the larger cities can be found.
Fauna & Flora
The day side of Yridos is called home by a wide range of large, vicious creatures, including the infamous Sand Wyrms. It is also know to be the homeworld for the orc tribes, and their cousin species, as well as the ancient homeworld of the now rare dwarves.
Plant life is rare, in the extremes of the planet, with only the smaller, hardier vegetation managing survival. As you move closer to the northern pole, however, the presence of a colossal, anomalous glacier that occupies the polar cap, and the transition from the ocean of sand dunes to more rocky, mountainous terrain, some variation is vegetation can be found.
Natural Resources
Yridos is unusually rich in high value metals that has made it a place of high value to the various ruling bodies of Hyperion. Some of these sources can be difficult to access, but once below the surface of the planet, the abundance of ores is astounding.
History
Before the birth of the Saikar Empire, the dwarven people thrived on Yridos, as did the hardy orcs and their kin. However, when Yridos was claimed by the Empire, the Dwarven people were either killed or pressed into slavery, while the orc kin were pushed out into the deeper sands of the Silent Sea.
After the fall, the now extremely diverse population of Yridos fell into crisis. The near impossible climate for agriculture, and the dangerous nature of many of the local fauna, cut the already smaller population in half, or more. Violence, raiding, and small-tribe mentality was rampant, and the people of Yridos were on a collision course for extinction.
In 103 AD, one of the old noble families managed to gain full control of the vitally important city of Avalheim, located at the rim of the Heartshard Glacier. Known as The Kashan Caliphate, this clan quickly established a central government for the planet with it's capital in Avalheim. The people of Yridos flocked to this new, self-appointed government, desperate for someone to take control, establish rule of law, and begin rebuilding a semblance of civilization.
For a time, there was relative peace, as the survivors of the Fall worked to establish stability on the planet. But everything changed again, when the S.A.C arrived on-world. As part of the eventual treaty that brought Yridos under S.A.C control, the Coalition claimed Avalheim as their on-world capital, and the Grand Heirophant moved his seat of government to the bustling metropolis of Zemira.
Now, run by S.A.C puppet leadership, Yridos is, publicly, a thankful member of the Occupied Territories. But the greed, self-interest, and corruption amongst the leadership, as well as the iron boot of the S.A.C seeking to shape the people of Yridos into model citizens, and strip them of their traditional beliefs and cultures, is wearing on the general population.
Maps
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Zemira
Important Locations
- Avalheim
- The Silent Sea
- Dhol Gribad
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