Kua
Kua is the largest planet in the system, and an important seat of power because of the mysterious Monolith, home to the Zenithian Hegemony. Kua is a planet full of contrasts, with the decadent members of the Hegemony living in affluence in the Monolith while the lives of the Firstcome plantation workers are hard and short, full of bitter toil in the relentless monsoon rain. The palaces of the Monolith, the gleaming spires of the factory complexes, and the moldy river barges are all locations full of intrigue and conflict, but also possibilities, which only strengthen Kua’s role as one of the leading planets in the Horizon.
Before the arrival of the Zenithian arkship, Kua was a backwater planet. None of the groups that later would become factions had their bases here. The native Sogoi and other Firstcome peoples were the only inhabitants of the green jungle world. A few expeditions from Dabaran and Algol had attempted to examine the gigantic
stone pillar that stretched all the way up through the clouds and had founded some smaller settlements, but overall, the dangers of the dark
jungles were too great for the planet to be of any interest for large-scale investments.
THE FIRSTCOME
The Firstcome on Kua are almost exclusively different nomadic peoples that live in the jungles around the equator. The most well-known group is the Sogoi, a proud tribe of warriors and trackers. The Sogoi are the group that the Zenithians and their allies exploit the hardest on the plantations, and they are the majority group in the Conglomerate slums.
THE ZENITHIANS
The arrival of the Zenith changed the fate of Kua forever. The “empty” planet was deemed a possible home for the sleeping colonists. What happened next is history. A quick and well-planned mutiny, led by what would later become the Draconites, divided the crew. The different groups that formed in the chaos were all given reasonable
materials and technology to found colonies of their own, but the Quassars, the captain’s family, made sure the best ships and resources stayed with them. The Quassars led the group known today as the Zenithian Hegemony down to the planet below the Zenith, to a place on the equator where a curious black monolith rose from the jungle. Through silver-tongued negotiation and superior firepower, they quickly subdued the Algolan trade colony Sheva that was constructed around the base of the column. The Algolan colonists were hired as agents for the Zenithians. The city that began to grow around the black obelisk attracted fortune seekers and colonists from all across the Horizon, and eventually evolved into a giant amalgamation of new and old buildings, quickly losing its original name and becoming
known only as “the Conglomerate”.
THE JUNGLE
“The jungle is Kua, and Kua is the jungle” is a Sogoi saying that sums up the general view of Kua in the Horizon: heat, damp, rain, and gigantic trees are what make up the jungles that cover most of the planet. The jungles are inhabited by wild beasts, crazed Firstcome tribes and, if the holodramas are to be believed, mighty Portal
Builder relics. The immensely popular Bulletin series, The Plantation Owner’s Daughter, is set on Kua, and this is usually where most people’s knowledge of the planet ends. Life deep in the jungles is a completely different world from the city life in the Conglomerate or elsewhere. Every day is a struggle against the wild forces of nature in the form of heavy rains, monsoon storms, and flash floods, as well as more slowly eroding effects such as damp, rust, mold, and the diseases that thrive in the humid
climate. But the jungles can also be benevolent, with their rich supply of fruits, lumber, and other raw materials.
Maps
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Kua
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Coriolis Spacestation schematics
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The Monolith and surroundings
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