Hesperith
Hesperith is a planet of extremes, best understood in the context of its wildly divergent regions. A tidally-locked planet galactic south-southeast of Balanex, it supports a healthy amount of humans, xothians, ixodel, and gheladen among its population. A large section of artificial rings rotate above the planet, home to the famous shipyards that churn materials from across the solar system and beyond into valuable, sturdy ships for sale across the galaxy and serve as drydock to the small but formidable navy that protects Hesperith from pirates.
History
500 years ago - Celestine Iliakon, a human business mogul, and Viseri Zyphon, a hyperpigmented gheladen mercenary captain, join forces to secure the colonial rights to an untapped world just outside the Alliance Sectors to serve as a new base of operations. When their initial wave of construction drones reached the world, they discovered the survey data sold to them had been several thousand years out of date, and a major impact had knocked off the planet's rotation, causing it to become tidally locked. With too much capital invested into the project to pull out at this stage, they decided to commit to the colonization effort.
495 years ago - Construction of the artificial rings is completed, initially designed to serve as housing for the colonists and as manufacturing so they can prepare prefab structures for the planet below while they wait for their habitats to be move-in ready.
460 years ago - While searching for more investment, Zhend Heirakon, an Ixodel visionary engineer, catches the eye of Celestine. She invites him to the project, and they begin converting some sections of the ring to serve as shipyards, beginning Hesperith's transition into the economy that dominates its intergalactic reputation. Along with the engineer came many of his close friends and colleagues, starting the Ixodel population that would grow over the years. His core team of engineers also design more efficient solar panel megastructures for use on the planet's surface.
400 years ago - Second- and third-generation colonists begin landing at their new homes in the three solar regions of Hesperith and begin adjusting to the harsh conditions of the planet.
390 years ago - After a debate about how the planet should be run after the deaths of the original founders, the noble houses are raised. To avoid leaving absolute power in the hands of one person for life, the practice of having nobles elect their monarch and not allowing for concurrent terms is instated.
350 years ago - A medium-sized clan of xothians arrive in orbit above Hesperith and request permission to settle in the inhospitable sunward region. Monarch Kassalee Zyphon requests the reason, and their Val states their Dren had a vision telling them that Hesperith's sun-blasted desert would be their new home. Though initially viewed with suspicion, the xothians are allowed to integrate into one of the smaller settlements, where they put their expertise in hunting and survivalism to work hunting the few highly-mobile and carnivorous plants and animals of the desert wastes.
300 years ago - Due to a population boom, some of the xothians migrate to the nightward side of Hesperith and split off to become a separate clan. At first the people of the frozen side of the planet were wary of the newcomers from the desert, but after a few awkward years of adjustment, the xothians became a core part of hunting and aquaculture.
100 years ago - A ship from Hesperith's shipyards custom-built for a top nocir pilot wins an intergalactic race, rocketing the mostly-ignored planet into the public eye. With their focus on both performance and design, the boost in attention makes their designs go viral and Hesperith quickly finds itself under more attention than they're used to.
5 years ago - Starship Heartthrob, an idol group with a member from every sapient species on Hesperith, goes megaplatinum with their single "(Can't Escape Your) Event Horizon," causing interest in Hesperith as a potential center of culture instead of just industry. The group went on an intergalactic tour but disappeared shortly after leaving Paxilion for Avrasi. Their ship was found adrift, and though there were signs of a struggle on the inside, no damage had been dealt to the outside. An investigation discovered no trace of any bodies and officially the stars are listed as missing persons.
THE SOLAR REGIONS
Hesperith has 3 major zones with greatly differing geography. The Sunward zone is the part of the tidally locked world that is constantly receiving sunlight. The Nightward Zone is its opposite, the half of the planet always in the darkness. Lastly there's the Twilight band. The area where these two meet.Sunward Zone
The sunward zone of Hesperith is officially known as Heliokon, but locals have all sorts of nicknames for it ranging from "The Baking Lands" to "The Generator" or, in particularly poetic circles, "The Crystal Graves," among others as infinitely creative as Hesperith's people. Many of the region's old geographic features have been slowly chiseled away into flat plains better suited to housing the massive solar panels maintained by those who live in the sunward zone, colloquially known as Sunstriders. These panels generate energy that is transported all over the planet and allow the Hespereans easy access to energy that doesn't require them to upset the delicate balance of the biosphere. Sunstriders generally describe themselves as hardworking. Though they have people in all types of careers, from military to law to medicine and childcare, the most important and most dangerous career of the sunward zone is building and maintaining the solar panel network. Leaving the safety of the habitats - usually built within deep ravines, though occasionally in caves - is something that requires courage every time. A suit breach could spell someone's death if they don't have any emergency patches. Those from the nightward zone see Sunstriders as excessively loud and easily excitable, while those from the twilight band describe them as rough around the edges with less refined manners. Mask culture, important in all regions of Hesperith, is heavily influenced by the constant presence of sunlight. Work suits have opaque coverings with a small, tinted slit for the eyes. Sunstriders tend to decorate the opaque parts of their masks with markings that indicate their family line, their settlement of origin, and other important life markers such as marriage, any trips offworld, or numbers of major repairs completed. Inside their climate-controlled settlements, they tend to wear full-face masks with removable bottom portions for ease of eating, marked identically to their outside helmets. In Heliokon, asking to see someone’s bare face is an intimate request, as it’s usually only shared with close friends, family members, or lovers. Clothing worn by Sunstriders inside their habitats tends towards dark jewel-tones or high contrast designs. They prefer cuts that show off much of their bodies such as crop tops, boleros, shorts, and other revealing clothing. This is both because they cannot wear anything like it outside of their cities, and as a way to show off the condition of their bodies. Sunstriders tend to view those who wear "too many" clothes as untrustworthy. Even inside their climate-controlled habitats it's often quite warm, so the fabrics of choice are light and breathable. Of the noble families of the sunward zone, three are more important than the rest. Descended from the original team of engineers who designed the first solar panel megastructures, House Heirakon, House Aegea, and House Phyta control the most political power of all Sunwalkers. Most members of these families become engineers and spend their younger years among the solar fields, taking directly to politics in middle age.Nightward Zone
The nightward zone of Hesperith is officially known as Astorath. Like the sunward side, people of all regions have their own nicknames for it, like "That Cold Place," or "The Caves." The surface of the nightward zone is broken by jagged cliffs and sheer mountains arranged like an aggressive maze dreamed up by a madman. As a result, most settlements on this side of the planet are located beneath the surface, clustered around underground lakes of liquid water. These waters are still freezing cold, and going outside without protective gear is a surefire way to end up dead, but the rock offers more protection than the sunward side. The underwater lakes and freshwater seas are full of complicated ecosystems and mysterious wildlife, offering an eternity of study to the interested biologist. Starseekers, as the nightward inhabitants are known, consider themselves precise and cautious. Just like the Sunstriders they have all varieties of career available, but they specialize in a single area: science. Without much to do outside of their protected habitats other than hunt for aquatic dinner, most choose to remain inside and study. Different settlements tend to have reputations for different types of research, such as biology, geology, or engineering, but citizens can receive basic schooling in any field at any city. Those from the sunward zone describe Starseekers as cold and unadventurous, while those from the twilight band see them as inflexible and dull. Whereas the mask culture of the Sunstriders is influenced by constant sunlight, the masks of the Starseekers are defined by darkness. Most possess full-face transparent materials to allow for a full range of vision, and for a full understanding of the facial expressions of the person wearing them. Markings on these masks tend to be smaller and subtler, located near the edges so they don't distract the person's vision. These usually indicate a person's professional specialization and years of experience in their field. Contrary to the open styles worn outside, inside settlements Starseekers tend to use half-masks that cover the upper half of the face, with elaborate decorations that draw attention to the eyes. Seeing someone’s face isn’t uncommon in Astorath, as their external masks have clear full-face visors, but people who rarely leave the habitats are less comfortable exposing their faces than those who frequently work outside. This gives those who more freely show off their faces a reputation as blue-collar workers or field researchers, while those who keep their faces hidden are seen as more affluent. People of the nightward zone enjoy wearing bright colours or patterns influenced by celestial phenomena. Commonly, people of any gender wear dresses or robes, frequently made from a single long piece of fabric and tied in different ways to create different fits. They enjoy heavy fabrics to stave off the cooler temperatures that pervade their habitats. Starseekers often pass their most beautifully embroidered clothing to their descendants, and view rapidly-shifting styles as vapid. Three noble families of the nightward zone stand above the rest, much like in the sunward zone. All three are descended from the children of the first settler of Astorath. They are House Zyphon, House Onoir, and House Chrysa. In these three families, only the main branch generally participates in politics directly. Branch families play the game of marriage alliances and economy, going into the sciences and securing management positions to maintain the dignity and power of their house.Twilight Band
The twilight band of Hesperith is officially known as Synoron, though its most popular nickname is "The Garden of Excess," commonly shortened to "The Garden." This is because the twilight band is the only place on Hesperith with widespread plant and animal life and the only place where the unusual atmospheric phenomena that occurs all over the planet can be safely experienced. The atmosphere of Hesperith contains a chemical that functions as an aphrodisiac to many sapient species, and is to all the sapients that call Hesperith home. The climate-controlled settlements of Heliokon and Astorath filter out this chemical, but Synoron's air is safe enough to breathe unfiltered. The constant storms present in this location mean most settlements are elevated above the flood plains. In this region the most common biomes are swamps, peat bogs, saltmarshes, or berry-bogs, though they're cold in the constant twilight. Shadeshifters, as the people of Synoron are known, view themselves as cultured and enlightened. They benefit greatly from the power generated in Heliokon and the scientific advancements pioneered in Astorath, and use their unique position in the twilight region for two main purposes. The first is for testing all ships designed by their shipwrights for in-atmosphere flight against some of the roughest possible atmospheric conditions in the roiling storms of the twilight band. They do not sell any ships that don't pass rigorous testing, so a Hesperidian ship is synonymous with rugged, all-atmo, all-terrain flying and landing. The second purpose is the advancement of culture and philosophy. Home to the seat of politics, philosophy, and aesthetic design, Shadeshifters tend to split between concrete careers that keep the cities running efficiently and deep thinkers. Sunstriders tend to see them as pompous and soft - save for the Stormriders who perform rescue operations during natural disasters - while Starseekers view them as absent-minded aesthetes. Unlike the Sunstriders and the Starseekers, the people of Synoron only need one type of mask, as they can leave their homes without risk of death. They prefer half-masks that cover the mouth and nose to filter out the aphrodisiac atmosphere. Shadeshifters tend to use elaborate makeup and decorate their faces directly, though they will usually decorate their masks as well. Though the makeup is mostly to showcase their personal style, the decorations on their masks indicate noble family allegiance, marital status, and any accolades received in the field of ship design or philosophy. Each person usually has a few different masks that they swap out to match their outfits, as the masks are more of an accessory than a necessity. However, going around without a mask is seen much the same way as walking around naked. Though it's not illegal, many will assume a maskless person is looking for sex or to cause a stir in a public place. There are, however, designated zones in most cities where people can stop to take off their masks and enjoy the effects of the atmosphere. Asking to see someone’s bare face is considered a proposition for sex, though not necessarily any deeper connection like it is in Heliokon. In the eternal twilight of this region, clothing tends to be thick and comfortable to stave off the cold. Knit, sleeveless sweaters combined with brightly patterned over-the-shoulder shawls are common. Neutrals are preferred for most outfits, combined with bright, geometric patterns on accessories. Fashion changes frequently in this region, but the need for comfort, ease of use, and warmth keeps cuts and fabric fairly consistent. Almost everyone in Synoron either belongs to or works with one of the noble families, but as with the other regions there are three houses that consolidate most of the political power of the region: House Iliakon, House Amydros, House Astera. House Iliakon owns and operates the majority of the space drydocks and it's common to find their members in charge of the financial side of shipwrighting. House Astera has a stranglehold monopoly on most of the mining operations that fuel Hesperith's economy. The sight of their ships shuttling to-and-from the artificial orbital rings is an everyday sight. Their family members usually head the operations and hire freelance crews to perform the bulk of the labour. In contrast to the economic power of the other two major houses, House Amydros controls the social scene. Their designers set trends in interior design and fashion that controls the direction of Synoron's aesthetic sensibilities. Being seen without their designs, whether it's the sweater on one's back or the captain's chair of one's ship is an instant mark against someone.IDENTITY MARKERS
Particular to Hesperith is a cultural practice known to outsiders as "identity marking." The locals don't discuss it much with outsiders beyond the occasional surface-level explanations. The colours on their masks and in any makeup signify a part of their identity. The pigments used are non-permanent, staining skin and mask material for about six months at a time.
When the colour begins to fade, people are encouraged to reflect on their lives and any major life events that occurred recently and decide if they still agree with their previously-chosen identity markers. Travelers to Hesperith often confuse these markings for career or caste indicators, but people are free to choose between any number of them at any time and they have no effect on what career a person can pick. They're easier to understand as a reflection of a person's outlook. The different classifications are as follows:
Yellow: The Nurturers. This is someone who cares for others. As a service-oriented mindset it often shows up in the hospitality sector, but is also common among defense lawyers, doctors, and people who volunteer for military service. People see them as perceptive but prone to getting caught up in their concern for others.
Green: The Designers. People who prefer intellectual creative pursuits, this colour is often sported by writers and people who dream up blueprints for the next generation of ships. It's also common among advertising experts, private investigators, and idols. Designers are often stereotyped as deep thinkers with a tendency to get lost in their thoughts.
Orange: The Creators. These are people who prefer physically creating things. It's a common colour among blue-collar construction workers and mechanics, though it also shows up in the arts, particularly among sculptors and potters or among plastic surgeons. Among members of the military, it's prevalent among drill sergeants and other personnel trainers, who see the next generation of fighters as the thing they like to create. Usually viewed as dependable and solid but prone to inflexibility.
Violet: The Warriors. Aggressive and hot-headed, violet is a common colour among the military, just barely edging out yellow. Other careers common for those with a warrior identity are prosecution lawyers, professional athletes, surgeons who perform cutting-edge surgeries, and musicians. Often seen as vivacious, they also have a reputation for hot-headedness.
Black: The Seekers. Those who search with intent. Seekers are defined by their desire to find specific things and return with knowledge of them. Very commonly this is associated with materials expeditions who go looking for raw materials to bring back to Hesperith for use in their shipyards. However, it's also common among doctors who research experimental treatments for diseases, political negotiators, marketers, and others who search with a goal in mind. Generally, Seekers are associated with cutting wit and obsession with their particular field.
White: The Wanderers. Those who search for the joy of searching. In many ways defined by their similar behaviour but opposite viewpoint to Seekers, Wanderers search for the joy of the search itself. Commonly associated with galactic explorers, it's also found among ecologists, philosophers, and transportation specialists. It can also be associated with aesthetes and other people who seek novel experiences or fringe scientists interested in pushing the boundaries of knowledge simply because they can. Wanderers are seen as laid-back, but also lackadaisical and directionless.
Rather than people placing a large emphasis on sexes in relationships, the people of Hesperith compare people based on their identity markers. For example, a Designer and a Creator are often considered a good match, but a Designer and a Warrior would be a little puzzling to them, regardless of the species or sex of the couple.
CAPITOL
Evisan is the capitol of Hesperith, located in Synoron. A city of sweeping curves and neon-bathed streets cut out against the twilight gloam, Evisan is the place to be for countless souls looking to make their fortune. Home to the most prestigious art and design university on the planet, it's a city that makes and breaks dreams in equal measure. It's also home to the Debate Hall, where matters of law are discussed by the nobility of Hesperith.INTERGALACTIC RELATIONS
Hesperith maintains cordial relations with anyone willing to do business with them, but they do not have deep political ties with other worlds, partially to avoid impacting their bottom line. Becoming too close with one world might drive away another, and business is what keeps them on the galactic stage. They do the most business with close galactic neighbors, but will do business with anyone who is either willing to come pick up their ship in person or is willing to pay for and assume the risk of having their machine shipped to them.LAW AND ORDER
The natives of Hesperith tend to be law-abiding in terms of blue-collar crime, but corporate and lab espionage is fairly common as the noble houses attempt to get a leg up on each other. An invisible class of career criminals make good business out of stealing on commission, whether it be secrets from competing companies or collecting blackmail on the highest people in government. As disposable assets, they make certain to keep their public, legal identities separate from their working identities, often using code names and wearing unadorned full-face masks with one-way views while engaging in illegal activities. "Blanks," as they're frequently called in the media, are decried as a chronic problem, but they occupy an important niche in the economy and flow of power on Hesperith, making their complete elimination impossible.GOVERNMENT
Hesperith is governed by a council of noble families from all three regions of the planet. They gather in Evisan to vote on policy and legislation, carefully balancing the needs of their region and the good of Hesperith as a whole, as well as their personal power. Every five years, a Monarch is elected from among their number, always taken from one of the nine primary houses. They serve as a tie-breaker in cases of deadlock and have veto powers. The Monarch can be recalled if seventy percent of the nobles vote to replace them. This system of rotating power has prevented any one family from truly strangling out their rivals.Planet designed by Wolf
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