Sydonay

"Sydonay's got its secrets, but one thing's certain: never, ever try to tame a Snallygaster. Those things are bite-happy from birth to demise. I've seen folks try to keep 'em as pets, thinking they're cute, winged squids. Newsflash: they don't stop biting. Ever. You'll lose a hand, or worse, your sanity. We call 'em 'Devil's Jawdrops' for a reason. They're nature's landmines, just waiting to unleash hell. Don't get me wrong, Sydonay's beauty's deadly, but Snallygasters? That's just plain stupid." — Sergeant Kael Arcturus, Wolfguard Trooper, Sydonay Protection Detail.

Frozen Hell

Sydonay is an exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf star Wolf, about 13.8 light years from Earth. It is the third and furthest planet in order from its host star in a triple planetary system, and has an orbital period of about 217 days. Orbital pressors and lenses counteract the surface gravity and raise the termperature, though its highly eccentric orbit gives it two seasons: a 'warm season' where the temperatures can get all the way up to 10 °C to a cold season where they bottom out at -51°C as a global average. In deference to the native ecosystem, the pressors are in geosynchrnous orbit around the colonial zone, which natrually makes it more difficult to regulate global temperature.

Native Life

Of all the Wolf Worlds, Sydonay was the only one wtih native life still extant when humans arrived. There wasn't much: a single pillar of life encompassing black, thorny plantlike organisms called thornspires that draw nutrients from the permafrost and become active in the warm season, lashing out like scorpions' tails at anything that comes near. Feeding on these organisms are giant white-furred caterpillar like creatures that shuffle along on their bellies aided by stubby legs, eating the thornspires. When these so-called 'snowdozers' have consumed enough, they withdraw into their own exoskeleton and melt into a slurry made of nutrients and stem cells. If left alone, this slurry will separate out into individual 'snallygasters,' creatures that resemble squids with four bat wings and a wicked looking angler fish's mouth, then the swarm will burst out, eating anything it can before falling onto an ice field, chewing its way through, and wriggling into the water. There, they eat each other as wells as other underwater creatures before they mate, crawl out of the water, and weave a leathery coccoon. They emerge from this coccoon a few days later as a small snowdozer. Every other creature on Sydonay exploits the snowdozers in some way, mostly as a prey animal.

Under the Snow: Hidden Treasures and Ancient Secrets

Beneath Sydonay's frozen surface lies a treasure trove of X'Cess technology and knowledge, waiting to be unearthed. Functional transmat portals, connecting to Byleth, offer a glimpse into the ancient civilization's network. These portals are prized by xenoarchaeologists, corporations, and governments, as they may hold the key to understanding the X'Cess's advanced technology.

Frozen Artifacts and Specimens

Glaciers encase vast cities, their structures and contents slowly being crushed and ground into powder. Rescue missions prioritize extraction before the ice claims these relics forever. Recently, several X'Cess specimens have been discovered frozen in the ice, remarkably preserved. Though Cloning and revivification attempts have not been made, these finds spark hope for unlocking secrets about the X'Cess's biology, culture, and downfall.