Kirek

View from Orbit

Kirek looks dark from orbit. It's surface is covered in tall jagged spires of stone, forming mountain ranges that look like a dark bed of spines. It's oceans are rough and storms constantly rage across its surface. It has small polar ice caps. Around the planet is a colorful ring system.

Surface

The surface of Kirek is covered with jagged mountains with small areas of thick forest and tall grassland. Rivers and streams flow down from the mountains to the oceans. Violent rain storms with lightning are common around the planet. In the forests and grasslands they are somewhat mitigated by the surrounding mountain ranges.
The temperature of the planet is warm despite the abundance of rain and wind.
Long distance, or flight travel, is difficult on the planet due to the storms and mountainous terrain. Pilots are warned that the low altitudes can be hazardous and rescue services are not available from the starport.

Population

The population of Kirek reside in small towns or settlements in the forests and grasslands. Most of the residents are subsistence farmers, living off the land. There are some settlements that mine a small amount of rare ores, either from the mountains or from deposits on the ocean floor.
The starport lies in a mountainous region atop a mesa composed of several mountain tops. Around the starport is a small town that supports activities in the starport.
There is no planetary government. Each of the settlements is self-managed. The starport is managed by Glorut Gable, a sallust, who owns the starport and the Bed of Nails Tavern. Glorut has several employees that, in addition to other tasks, act as bouncers for the bar and local militia.

Industry

There is no regular industry on Kirek. A small amount of rare ores and gems are traded at the spaceport, usually to regular traders that come through.

Culture

The culture of the world is very frontier. Each settlement is managed by rules unique to that settlement, which can often depend on its racial constituents. The settlements tend to be harsh on visitors. They chose Kirek to be away from others and don't appreciate the invasion of their peace.

History

Over 1,600 years ago the first explorers surveyd Kirek and found very little of interest save some minor ore deposits. The breathable atmosphere successfully enticed the first settlers to come to the planet. These were explorers who set up a permanent base to use while they did a more complete survey of the planet.
Unfortunately they found little of note and the settlement was abandoned. For centuries the planet saw little activity. The Galactic Republic sent additional surveyors to the planet, intrigued by its rocky nature, but they soon left as well.
Over 300 years ago a wave of settlers entered the region and migrated to Kirek. It has seen few additional settlements since that time. However, some of the original settlements were abandoned and repopulated, or were raided and their residents killed.

Notable Features

Furduin Island

Far to the south of the starport is an island. The island is strange as it is, roughly, circular (about 2km radius), and with a surface composed of 1 meter hexagons that appear to be made of polished basalt. The hexagons each fit together and form a large, 4km diameter, hexagon. In the center of the island, set into an area of hexagons that are 1 meter lower than the others, is a larger hexagon with small spherical indentations near each flat edge.
Over 700 years go an explorer named Chen Furduin flew over the island and attempted to land on it. As he was in his final approach, meters from landing on the surface of the hexes, a gigantic bolt of lightning surged up from the surface of the island and struck his ship. It faltered, struggled to absorb the energy, and crashed in the rocky surf that surrounds the island. Luckily Chen was not alone. He was exploring with another ship and it rescued him from the location.
Chen returned 5 years later and set up a large platform adjacent to the island and worked to study the strange shapes. Chen was never able to determine the purpose of the island or the spherical shapes inset in the center. His platform became a small spaceport and expanded out and around the island, creating a small town that lives off of researchers and tourists.

Grid Location: J-26

Climate: Warm and wet

Gravity: 0.9

Common Hazards: Storms

Atmosphere: Thin

Temperature: Warm

Moons: 1 ring

Diameter: 7800 km

Length of Day: 22 hr

Length of Year: 851 d

Starport: Routine

Population: 250,000

Government: 7 - Balkanization - Local Governors

Law Level: 1 - No WMD

Major Exports: Some minerals

Major Imports: Agriculture

System: Kirek System