Ulysses

Geography

Considered the "Shining Star" of the Core Worlds, wild grasslands and old mountain ranges dominate the planet's land surface. Lakes and scattered inland seas provide the planet with ideal conditions for a large variety of flora and fauna to develop. As such, Ulysses is the home world of some of the galaxy's most famous animals, such as the borkine and the synnefanta, a large furry flying manta ray-shaped animal. Ulyssesian cities are often built with great care taken to protect nature. One such city, Crevasse City was built in the walls of a canyon, nearly invisible from above. Others were built on stilts along the shoreline or under the polar ice. The capital, Ithaca, known for its university, was built on a small island in the center of a caldera. In the Castle Lands, the remains of giant insect mounds stand as a silent testament to an indigenous species that had disappeared for unknown reasons. Philosophers, poets, and artists often visit the Castle Lands for inspiration and meditation.

Ecosystem

Ulysses has a standard 1.0G gravity. Ulysses’s day is 32 standard hours long, and their year lasts 320 local days. Ulysses is home to more than eight thousand subspecies of grass and an even larger number of wildflowers. Its flora also includes a massive variety of spices, herbs, and grains. The planet has no major oceans, but it has a single polar ice cap. The rest of Ulysses's surface water is composed of thousands of lakes and connecting waterways.

History

Ulysses was first colonized during the First Breath and has remained inhabited since that time.  During the First Dark Age, citizens of Ulysses continued to make scientific discoveries and technological leaps.  When the planet was discovered by the KaLa in the early Second Breath, Ulysses had a stable government and technologically advanced civilization.  One of Ulysses' early contributions to galactic exploration, colonization and expansion is the borkine, a genetically engineered herd animal that could be raised in nearly any environment for their meat, milk, and hide.

Government: A bicameral parliament, with an upper chamber that consists of members of the 22 surviving Founding Families, and a lower chamber that has representation by districts of a certain population. This government has a figurehead, King Basil Alde of the House Alde (one of the Founding Families), who holds the title of Count in the Celestial Court, and often uses that title instead of his native title of King

Type

Planet