Denrai

Denrai is the first and innermost planet in the Shuyin System. A turbulent world of never-ending electrical storms and societal upheaval, it is the homeworld of the Kamina species.

Geography

The geography of Denrai is in an almost permanent state of flux. The planet's famous storms produce lightning that strikes hard and fast enough to shatter stone, form giant craters, and even level hills and mountains. As such, huge swaths of Denrai's surface are blasted out wastelands that are constantly being altered. Lightning-induced wildfires are also an issue, as entire forests can be wiped out in less than a day only for new ones to grow a short time later. There's also at least one historical account of a small sea being completely vaporized by lightning. It's gotten to the point where creating accurate, fully-updated maps of the planet is considered a fool's task. Just about the only permanent features of Denrai are the few oceans it possesses, and these oceans are infamous for their strong, unpredictable currents.

Localized Phenomena

The planet of Denrai is perpetually beset by violent electrical storms.  Storms are stronger but more sporadic in the polar regions, and they weaken but occur more frequently as they get closer to the equator. Denrai's sky is in a near constant state of cloud cover because of this, and it makes it difficult for communication signals to travel to and from the planet (although signals that stay on-world are mostly unaffected by this).

Fauna & Flora

It's commonly said that, rather than survival of the fittest, Denrai is ruled by survival of the fastest. The chaotic nature of the planet's ecosystems have necessitated the development of species that can quickly adapt to the frequent changes.

Denrai's flora is especially susceptible to wildfires started by lightning strikes. In the equatorial regions where storms are more frequent, plants have evolved in such a way that they can only flower or drop seeds and fruit when activated by the heat of a fire. In the polar regions where storms are less frequent, plants have thicker tissues and other thermal insulation methods to keep from burning. Almost all plant life on the planet has evolved to grow in low light conditions and reflect red light.

The fauna of Denrai have also evolved to match the chaotic conditions. Many animal species emphasize high growth rates and produce lots of offspring in short periods of time, even animals higher up on the food chain. Several predatory species, aquatic and terrestrial, are also capable of producing electrical fields to help stun and catch prey.

Natural Resources

One of Denrai's chief exports, unsurprisingly, is energy. Almost one-third of the planet's atmosphere is hydrogen, and the constant lightning provides an excellent catalyst for electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen. As such, Denrai is one of the galaxy's leading producers of hydrogen fuel cells and liquid hydrogen. Denrai is also rich in iron ores, especially magnetite.

Size
1640 miles (diameter)
Distance from Star
47.5 million miles
Orbital Period
90 days
Rotation Period
9 hours
Atmosphere
42% oxygen, 29% nitrogen, 29% hydrogen, <1% water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases
Number of Moons
2

Alternative Name(s)

Shuyin I

Type

Planet