Bluz
This Inner Rim planet had a long history of warfare before joining the wider galaxy.
Geography
Bluz is a planet of stony soil, with arid plains and sarengeti broken up by soaring mountains and swampy lakes. While there are small rivers that run down from the mountains, most water is underground. Trees and grasses have long roots that reach into the deep earth for water, and generally are low-water consumers. Early Bluzian settlements were often established near a reliable source of water, or dug communal wells.
Ecosystem
Bluz has a standard nitrogen oxygen atmosphere. At 1.5G, it is considered a heavy-gravity world. A Bluzian day is 21 Standard hours long, and there are 390 local days in a Bluzian year. Bluz is orbited by 4 small moons that affect the planet's magnetic field, making most compasses useless. The smallest of these, known as "the brigand" by Bluzians, can affect communication wavelengths when it sits in low orbit, approximately 4 times each year.
Ecosystem Cycles
Bluz has summer/winter seasonal temperatures, as well as a dry/rainy season cycle. However, the "winter" on Bluz is the height of the dry season and "summer" is wet. Temperatures in summer are often hot enough that the rain becomes a warm mist rather than a cooling rain.
The native Bluzians during their pre-industrial periods would typically spend their summer growing crops and harvesting what they could, stockpiling as much food as they could for the dry winter season. The winter season was generally used for warfare, at first so primitive Bluzian tribes could raid and steal resources from other tribes, but later as a mechanism for the various Factions to expand their territory and influence.
History
During its pre-galactic days, the native Bluzians would congregate in tribes and clans. Over time, these clans became the Bluzian Factions, essentially nations defined by a single main settlement, and a host of smaller towns and villages that would pay tribute to the Faction that claimed them. The Factions were brutal in the extreme; a village that failed to pay its tribute or obey the commands of the Faction was razed to the ground and their citizens slaughtered to impress on others the necessity of obedience. Brigands, Bluzians who had been exiled from their village or Faction, would often attempt to raid settlements for food, water, and wealth. The Faction leaders would often turn a deaf ear to the pleas of tributory villages to send soldiers to help ward off these attacks. As a result, from time to time, a village would pay a band of brigands to either defend their village from other bands of brigands, or attack a rival village and steal their resources.
During this time, a religious sect grew out of a legend of of one such band of brigands, known as the Heroic Thirty Two. They were hired to protect a small village from the Factions that claimed them, as they could not pay their tribute. The band stood their ground and held the line for many days, pushing back wave after wave of Faction soldiers. While ultimately the Heroic Thirty Two fell and were killed, the legend inspired many to join the cause that was started by the local holy man. Before long, the Protectors of HYL were a group with a strong reputation. Few would dare attack someone under their protection.
The rise of the Protectors of HYL permitted diplomacy to begin between the Factions. While true peace remained elusive, emissaries between the Factions began to draw up rules for combat and warfare. The Accords of Wacune, which all the Factions signed, outlawed the rampant destruction of villages and standardized tribute sizes by a logical equation. The Accords ushered in a golden age, which permitted arts, technology, and science to begin to flourish.
During the industrial age of technology on Bluz, the planet was visited by explorers from the Republic. As visitors from beyond the stars were not contemplated in the Accords, there was significant confusion as to how to react to these explorers. After several minor wars between Factions that lasted over a Bluzian year, it was agreed that the Republic (indeed, the galaxy as a whole) was not a new Faction, but instead was a resource. Rules were drawn up as to how a Faction could claim "ownership and dominion" of the Republic, and the Factions fought to gain access to the greater galactic civilization.
This remained the state of affairs until the fall of the First Galactic Empire and the coming of the Second Dark Age. While Bluz was not lost due to the Capellan virus, based on its location just off the Appian Way, the chaos in the galaxy concerned the Bluzians greatly. For the first time, they started to consider that a unified planet would be stronger than one defined by warring Factions. As no Faction leader would agree to kneel to any other, a radical solution was proposed - the Faction leaders would fight and lose to an outsider, someone with impeccable integrity and honor. They decided on Elector Prince Haakon Zenda, whose fledgling Skoldarm Alliance was geographically nearby and moreover had the reputation they craved. One by one, the Faction leaders issued their challenges, then fought against blaster and laser sword with more traditional Bluzian weapons, which guaranteed their loss, but with honor. By the end of another Bluzian year, Elector Prince Haakon had collected the death masks of all of the Faction leaders of Bluz, which still hold a place of honor in Zenda Stronghold on Kalevala.
Bluz was one of several planets in the Skoldarm Alliance that refused to send annual taxes to Haakan's brother, Prince Klaus, during his regency over the Alliance, and supported Katrina Zenda's coup that placed her in the role of Protector of the Alliance and Elector Princess. At present, all Factions of Bluz acknowledge Princess Katrina as their Faction's personal leader, although there have been some grumblings.
Tourism
Tourism is not recommended, as Bluzians are a combative race, and look down on other sentient species as inferior to them. Laws on Bluz, while typically fair, do not permit other species to become citizens or have equal protection under the law.
For those who decide to travel to Bluz, it has a minor spaceport at the major city of Vilrod, which permits starships to land and refuel, and even has a shipyard for minor repairs and modifications. Vilrod is also where the Cathedral of HYL is located, which does enroll the mystically gifted to train as Protectors. Going outside of Vilrod without an armed escort is strongly advised against.
Included Organizations
Owning Organization