Lagos

View from Orbit

Lagos appears as a dirty brown ball with a band of red and black running along its equator. Constant volcanic activity has clouded the atmosphere making the surface difficult to see. In low orbit are several transfer stations and refineries that process the ore from the surface and provide it to the merchants that visit the system.
The planet has one small moon with a thin atmosphere and water near the equator. There are no residents or stations on the moon.

Surface

The surface of Lagos is clouded by volcanic ash and poisonous gases from the volcanoes that are in constant eruption. The lands adjacent to them are barren and uninhabitable, subject to frequent, and strong, earthquakes. Large, mobile and automated mining machines operate throughout the barren lands and in the areas up to the base of the volcanoes, harvesting ore directly from lava flows.
The atmosphere everywhere but the poles is poisonous to most beings due to the ash and gas. A respirator and eye protection is required to spend more than a few minutes in the open. Near the poles the atmosphere is thin but breathable.

Population

The population of Lagos lives in covered domes and sealed, prefabricated structures near the starport and have little to do other than maintain the starport or response to machinery failures in the field. Violence is common and vices of all kinds clutter the passages in the cities. 
There are a few tribes of people that roam the narrow band of habitable atmosphere near the poles. These hardy individuals live off of underground springs, moses and small mammals hidden in the clefts of the mountains.

Industry

The primary industry for Lagos is the extraction and refining of ores, both on the planet and in orbit. Orbitable facilities allow the production of metals that are better refined in zero gravity.

Culture

The culture within the enclosed environments is rough and often subject to violence. Few families live within the cities unless they are transient and staying only a short time. Permanent residents of the planet, within the cities, are rare and usually direct hires of the company that runs the mining operations.
At the poles the small communities are nomadic and move about regularly. When overpopulation threatens the area it is not uncommon for conflict to break out, usually resulting in the extinction of one community, and the absorption of any survivors into the victories group.

History

Lagos was first surveyed over 1,500 years ago as surveyors moved through the sector from the eastern and northern sections of the sector. At that time the volcanic activity of the planet was not as violent as it is currently. The survey was not favorable, predicting dangerous seismic activity and possible atmospheric disruptions. This kept most settlers and the curious away from the planet for centuries. Small groups did take the risk and for centuries small groups worked the planet, some mining or harvesting ore, others living simple lives near the poles.
Almost 800 years ago, as the Galactic Republic began expanding into the Dalicron sector several large corporations became interested in Lagos. At that time the volcanoes had become more active and earthquakes were common. A corporate survey showed that lava flows and pools were rich in rare ores. Over the next two hundred years several large corporations set up mining operations. Some of them were successful in avoiding disaster, others were not. The wrecks of failed operations can sometimes be found scattered across the planet. Despite the danger the corporations, and sometimes smaller, independent operators, took the risk for the potential gain. 
Two hundred and fifty years ago the Tangent Cloud, a mining operation on planet, bought out 90% of the remaining operations. Over the next fifty years calamity after calamity met the remaining operations until only Tangent Cloud remained. Since that time no other entity has successfully started mining operations on the planet. 

Notable Features

Whirling Wastes

Near the equator, some distance from volcanoes, is a wasteland that has extremely strong magnetic fields. Surveys have been unable to clearly identify the source but it is believed that a subsurface deposit of minerals causes the magnetic anomolies. The name comes from the tornado-like funnels of iron ore that roam across the area. Craft of all types are disabled at random points within the wasteland and those caught in one of the funnels can be killed by debri.

Volcanic

Grid Location: F-27

Climate: Hot, dry

Gravity: 1.2

Common Hazards: Atmosphere, Predators

Atmosphere: Tainted, respirator required

Temperature: Hot, 31c to 52c

Moons:

Diameter: 8000 km

Length of Day: 34 hr

Length of Year: 750 d

Starport: Poor

Population: 120,000

Government: Corporate

Law Level: Low

Major Exports: Ore, gems, crystals

Major Imports: Agricultural, Luxury

System: Lagos System