Siran
Siran is the fourth moon to the planet Zoraksus. This lush jungle world is home to the Sirasion species and the cultural and political epicentre of the domineering Sirasion Empire.
Geography
Siran has a variety of features that help it to stand out among other planets of its type. It has terrain ranging from high mountains that reach the clouds to flat, sprawling deserts. Its most characterised feature is the planet consists of roughly 90% water, with there being a single continental landmass while the rest of the terrain is split into smaller islands. It also has no south pole, its north being the coldest point and the most southern point being its hottest.
These islands can range in size from less than a mile across to being a small continent of their own. Many of the smaller islands are sometimes completely swallowed by the changes of the tide, which itself is somewhat erratic due to the gravitational pulls of the other moons and Zoraksus itself. Much of the wildlife has adapted to such conditions, with a large amount of flora and fauna on Siran being semi aquatic as a result.
The Mainland
Siran primarily consists of a number of different island, more specifically, eight different continental districts; (from top left and down)1. Vier
A Tropical island continent consisting of tropical to forest terrain.2. Zar
Known as 'The Heart of Sand', Zar is in a particularly hot area, however its shores are cooled by coastal currents which bring it down to a temperature where flora and fauna can thrive.3. Valthotar
The coldest area on Siran, Valthotar consists of snowy, mountainous pine forests with trees that stretch hundreds of metres into the sky. The Sirasions have made many attempts to settle here but have been unsuccessful until modern times due to the harsh climate. It is also home to to Valroth, the largest and oldest of all the planet's trees, which in Sirasion culture is considered sacred.4. Kar'ganus
The main continent of Siran, Kar'ganus plays host to all manner of terrains from mountains, swamps, forests and jungles. This continent stretches from the southern most point of Siran's land all the way to nearly being the furthest north. Kar'ganus also hosts the largest desert of Siran; the Gol'gath Sea of Sand, the largest network of swamp known as the Kan'tar river delta and the planets biggest volcano; Gor'gar5. Kar'karak
Kar'karak consists of the two islands to the north east of Kar'ganus. The most eastern island plays host to mostly forest and a more temperate jungle on its southern coast, while the western island contains Siran's biggest bodies of fresh water, something which is considerably rare on Siran in large quantities.6. Rethek
The island of Rethek is considered a sacred place by the Sirasion people, it hosts a number of religious temples including the Temple of Trezekh. It is no secret the symbol of the Sirasion Empire was based on the shape of this landmass.7. Vorn
A cluster of large and small islands, Vorn has a varying gradient of jungle and swamp terrain. It hosts beautiful estuaries and salt water river deltas and an abundance of natural wildlife.8. Sildora
The spiritual home of the Mok'zahl people, it is theorised that Sildora is where the Sirasion race originated from. It is mostly jungle with a mountainous desert on its southern edge.9. Razran island chain
This massive island chain was theorised to be its own continent at one point until the sea levels on Siran rose some several million years ago, now it consists of a long stretching island chain with a diverse abundance of natural resources. It is also one of the most heavily populated areas of Siran due to the lack of dangerous predators and the large amount of undersea resources. It is also home to the Sirasion Empire's capital city; The Citadel.10. Kar'harek island chain (top of main contient)
This island chain is known for having a very shallow sea that with enough determination can be walked all the way from Kar'karak to Kar'ganus. It is also the rout the Galactic Alliance used when they staged an invasion of Siran back in the Galactic War.Notable Manmade locations
1. The Temple of Trezekh
In the heart of Siran's thickest jungle, the ancient monument dedicated to the worship of the Sirasion shadow god, Trezekh sits amid choking vines and hazardous plant life. The temple is situated in the middle of nowhere, thus has only basic facilities. Despite having the ability to, the Sirasions of the Cult of Trezekh choose to keep the temple fairly low tech. It is used as a place of training for initiates of the order, as well as residence for dedicated followers.2. The Chagu'karta Land Bridge
The bridge that spans the Chagu'karta gap was created to link the continents of Kar'ganus and Kar'karak. The bridge allows a clear passage for land vehicles to cross between the two continents with ease3. The Citadel
Situated in the Razran island chain, The Citadel is the nerve centre of the Sirasion Empire. it acts as the Empire's capital city and attracts visitors from all over the galaxy, although the population consists primarily of Sirasions. It is the home of many of the Sirasion Empire's politicians and royalty and as such is heavily defended with its own activatable shields and powerful defensive guns. The Citadel Tower sits at the centre of the city island and acts as the main political building, towering high into the sky it sees 24/7 traffic landing and taking off from its many docking ports.4. Ko'barac Base
Siran's northern most continent that spends a lot of its year covered in snow is home to a unique species of barked tree, the only one of its type that grows on Siran. These alpine forests dominate the northern continent, some of them reaching hundreds of meters high. Ko'barac is one such location where a number of these trees have reached record sizes of higher than 500 meters. These trees were used as a holdout during the war against the Rekhtons and was one bastion of Sirasion resistance that never fell. The Sirasions have built a number of settlements within these trees and thousands travel from all over the galaxy to take part in the annual celebrations that take place to mark victory over the Rektons.5. Tanek City
The previous capital of Siran, Tanek city was an area of cultural and strategic importance. It was where the Sirasion Empire was formed as well as a bastion of resistance against not only the Rekhtons but also the High Tekno who made a number of attacks against it. The city itself was situated within a dead volcanic basin, surrounded by steep mountains and protected by a massive gateway. The city was destroyed in a daring attack by the Galactic Alliance General Sturm who went ahead with the attack using an experimental Alliance Inferno bomb at the behest of his piers. The city was utterly destroyed, however some still travel to the ruins as a means of pilgrimage.The Aegis
Perhaps the single mist triumphant structure on Siran is the Aegis Shield, which exists not only on the planet, but around the world's entire orbit. The Aegis was constructed between the end of the Great Uprising and beginning of the Galactic War as a means to stop any undesirables or attacks from making it to the planet's surface. The Aegis is a network of interlocking hexagonal panels which project a powerful forcefield to one another, Each plate measuring thousands of miles across. The shield itself is powered by the intense rays of Zorak, the star everything in the system orbits. Being a White Dwarf its rays are incredibly powerful and provide more than enough heat energy to keep the shield running even when Siran is eclipsed by Zoraksus. There are a number of backup projectors that can beam extra power into modules on the shield located on the surface to strengthen it in a certain location should an attack be taking place, or to help restore shield power if it is overloaded. The skeletal framework that comprises the shield's superstructure is mostly hollow, being simply a means to run the massive power cables from plate to plate to keep power distributed evenly across the massive structure, as well as an access corridor to move people and supplies around quickly. To reduce sky traffic on Siran, the tunnels in the Aegis (which are big enough to fit some space craft) are often used as highways to get ships closer to their required destination on planet. It also gives imperial authorities better access should they need to stop and search a particular arrival to Siran. Otherwise, the only way through the shield is via several gates which float within the energy field. These tend to be restricted for military use however. Each shield plate is powered by six power nodes. In order to take one of the massive plates down all six must be turned off at the same time, and even then power can be routed from elsewhere in the structure to get a downed shield plate back into action. Various individuals and groups have tried running the shield using ion fields to allow their ships to slip through the forcefield, however they scarcely get far, with any anomalies in the forcefield triggering the automatic launch of drone fighters and defensive missile systems to come online. Each plate is said to have a missile launcher every 100 meters, and a drone fighter dock every 500, leaving very little undefended. One of Siran's biggest source of non-military jobs comes from the upkeep of the Aegis shield. The Aegis caused some controversy among Siran's citizens who had concerns it would spoil the beauty of the planet's skyline, however this was quickly fixed with the introduction of reflective camouflage plates that line the underside of the shield that also project the stars so its as if they are not there. The only time the Aegis can be seen is at sunrise or sunset as the panels re-calibrate themselves.Ecosystem
The ecosystem of Siran is as diverse as it is dangerous. The Sirasion people live with in surprising balance with their environment in comparison to many large, space based empires. In Sirasion culture, Siran's life and ecosystem is sacred in its own rite, with many of the worlds animals being seen as avatars of the pantheon of Sirasion gods.
Siran is primarily heated by geothermal activity of the planet itself, many underground lava flows twist and turn beneath its crust. Such is also the reason why the southern hemisphere of the planet is not cold like it would be on a typical planet.
Fauna & Flora
The wildlife on Siran is beautiful, unique and deadly. The world is abundant with predatory plants and animals that would make short work of unaware travellers.
Many of the plants can be set into a few categories, but the main ones are fern like shrubs and trees to the more specific Zoraphores. Names after the planet Zoraksus which it is believed that all life on Siran originated from. Zoraphores are a family of plants that have a tough, fungi like structure in place of trunks, with their leaves being of a similar composition. This family of plants dominate the equatorial regions of Siran, the only place where they are not found is on the northern most continent that spends most of its year covered in snow.
These plants have evolved to photosynthesize in a manner typical of plants, but also to attack and consume live prey when nutrient levels are low. With Siran's forests and jungles being so densely packed, plants have to compete with one another for food and space, which means Siran's ecosystem is in an almost constant state of biological warfare with itself as plants use chemicals to stunt each others growth and use a variety of tactics to grow faster and thicker. Some are snaking vines that constrict bigger plants, while others develop pockets of toxins that burst when another plant grows too close.
Others skip this step of photosynthesis and go straight to consuming live prey for nutrients. One of the most famous examples is the Kyzim Flytrap, a plant that can reach up to 15 metres in height. It has three large petals lined with serrated thorns that snap shut when a flying creature lands on it. The prey being quickly forced to the base and into a cocktail of digestive juices. These plants have even been known to snap at low flying aircraft.
Zoraphores are also incredibly important in maintaining Siran's atmospheric conditions, as they are the biggest producers of oxygen and other gasses that make up Siran's atmosphere. They are also the reason why Siran's atmosphere is toxic to some races, with species such as humans unable to spend long periods of time breathing the air without developing health problems. This however can be easily circumvented with modern medicine that removes the toxins from ones system.
Most plants on Siran are toxic to the majority of wildlife, as a result, much of the wildlife on Siran is predatory to some degree, with very few herbivores to speak of. However the herbivores that do exist on Siran are often mistaken for predators due to the powerful tools they need to get through the tough flesh of Zoraphore plants. Sirasions seem to be one of the few species on Siran that can freely consume most Zoraphore plants without a negative result. Many of Siran's animals also have toxic flesh, with certain species only able to consume other certain species. This makes for a very delicate food web that the Sirasions are very dedicated to upholding.
Siran's wildlife have been in a constant battle with one another to be the top predator as there are very little herbivores to prey on, predators must often target other predators. Some of the notable creatures on Siran include;
Zrac'fur - The Swamp Lurker - Many of the creatures who inhabit Siran's swamps have evolved long legs so they can navigate the marshy conditions and sinking mud. The Swamp Lurker is no exception. It is known to hide beneath the murky waters, using its long antennae to sense prey. It then strikes and pulls its prey into the water with its claws and tri-pronged mandibles.
Sarus - These massive creatures walk on four, triple jointed legs. They have an incredibly long tail that counter balances a long, flexible neck which a head that contains two sets of jaws.
Morg'thar - Sky Shadow / Nightmare creature - These flying animals are bat like in appearance, dwelling in Siran's forests and high canopy jungles. They are jett black in colour with a tough, armoured carapace-like armour that covers their limbs and bottom half of their body. They attack in groups and are well known to be able to sense and exploit fear, hence their name. An attack often involves two groups, the first flying in to cause as much panic as possible while a second, more coordinated group swoops in to carry prey off back to their nests.
Zar'gan - Destroyer - These creatures have a legendary status in Sirasion culture, being capable of growing to immense proportions the size of buildings. How they evolved to reach these sizes is a mystery, but in this species size is inherited directly from the parents. Certain generations of Destroyers are bigger than others, with the biggest ever recorded being 50 metres tall. Because of their size, Destroyers often prey on the much larger on average sea creatures or each other, many other species simply not being big enough fpr them to worry about.
Flai'bar - These are one of Siran's few herbivores
Natural Resources
Much of Siran's natural resources is found under water. With it being theorised the planets modern terrain is the result of a massive, planet wide flood many mineral are found on the sea floor. As many of Siran's seas are quite shallow, the Sirasions did not have much challenge exploiting these resources with their modern technology. The undersea resource deposits range from pockets of natural gas to rare earth minerals, some of which are entirely unique to the Zorak system.
Siran also hosts a number of volcanos with long running lava flows. Often found around volcanos are deposits of iron and similar such materials. As a result and having such access to constant heat, the Sirasions mastered metal work quite early in this evolution.
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