Solyiat

Solyiat
Astrographical
Region:	Outer Rim Territories
Sector:	Nilgaard sector
System:	ATVAT-5565 (Kiast System)
Suns:	Binary system
Distance from Core:	1.5 AU
Rotation period:	32 hours
Orbital period:	358 Days
Physical
Class:	Terrestrial
Diameter:	Planet: 9000KM w/atmosphere: 9700KM
Primary Terrain:	Variable
Societal
Native species:	Sephi Human Near-Human
Primary language(s):	Basic
Population:	House Sunrider garrison and associated personnel 1 million Sephi 700 thousand human and near-human species
Major cities:	Is Brea (Capital) Colonist City Miners outposts Colonist settlements
Major imports:	Electrical Machinery Vehicles Unspecified Goods
Major exports:	Mineral Deposits Food Supplies Live Exports Raw Fuel Gems, Precious Metals
Affiliation:	Odan-Urr
[ Source ]

Solyiat is a terrestrial planet in the Nilgaard sector of the Outer Rim Territories. A significant planet within the Vatali Empire, it was noted for its abundance in life and mineral wealth. The planet was previously the primary base of operations for House Hoth of Clan Odan-Urr and the Knights of Allusis Battleteam.

History

Situated within the Kiast system, Solyiat has long served as one of the primary worlds within the Vatali Empire. Benefitting from both an extremely diverse series of climates and rich material deposits, the planet rapidly evolved into a major component within their powerbase. Although it was seen as a desirable location, the wealth of dangerous predators on Solyiat ensured that the nobility remained largely concentrated on Kiast. A number of prefabricated towns were rapidly established on Solyiat, along with a broad network of mining rigs and operational facilities. The vast majority of these were established across more coastal regions to benefit both of these goals, with only a handful of smaller settlements ever being established further in-land. This served to leave much of the planet untouched by technology, a fact which proved to be a major benefit to its tourism trade over the following centuries. This resulted in the continents of Ihera, Krea-Pokora, and Widrall rapidly becoming the focus of any developmental progress, with a few groups establishing smaller numbers of settlements across more hostile regions. While it has never been confirmed by any definitive source, the large number of unique predators and unusual species has led some to believe that the planet was once home to a group of Sith or even a Krath cult experimenting with alchemical creations.

Conflicts and efforts to develop a greater number of settlements on Kiast meant that Solyiat's mining complexes were rapidly expanded upon, with probing efforts leading to abandoned buildings across areas such as the Corax Caves. Discoveries of wealthy deposits on Orus also led to a number of much broader complexes across that region, while regions with a more favourable climate rapidly developed, with the more prosperous of its small towns growing into larger cities. While some visitors and even nobles came to regard the world as being something of a safe haven from Vatali politics, more often than not Kiast's own problems extended to Solyiat's populace. Even with a lack of Quorahi settlements or interest across the world, the impact of both major uprisings and shifting attitudes of the nobility led to a number of cities becoming the site of assassinations or efforts by noble families to frame rivals. As such, while conflicts were never open affairs, certain regions gained a dark reputation for a high number of mysterious deaths.

The arrival of Clan Odan-Urr in 35 ABY led to a period of turmoil among the local governments upon learning that House Hoth was being granted a large portion of Trepus as a base of operations, and tasked with the defense of the world. Accustomed to a lack of oversight from larger powers, several major groups believed that this was the first step toward removing the planet's relative independence from Kiast's rule. However, as Hoth largely focused upon its own matters and showed little interest in interfering with planetary matters aside from enforcing its laws, these soon died out. Given the rare nature of Jedi in the galaxy, some even came to welcome their presence as a possible boon to the planet's status. Unfortunately, this relative peace would not last. Following the outbreak of war with the Collective, the planet faced an uprising from local rebel elements backed by cyborg heavy infantry. This was soon followed by a second major conflict, with a renewed offensive by the Vauzem Dominion backed by the rogue Inquisitor Ishanta which saw several attempts to incite riots across the planet. This coincided with abductions, assassinations, and efforts to remove several noble families from power. These were mostly thwarted, but it was an increase in military action across Solyiat to guard against further incursions.

The conflict with the Dominion dragged on for some time, but the battle lines were situated far from Solyiat's borders. The planet was subjected to no further battles by the time it came to an end, an act with coincided with the dissolution of House Hoth and the establishment of House Sunrider.

Geography

Solyiat is a colder planet, approximately 9700m in Diameter. It holds eight continents with various islands throughout, with only 10% of that currently populated. Due to the rich mineral deposits in the southern, and formerly northern, pole, the planet has become a prime location for the mining of resources.

Trepus

See also: Notable Fauna: Trepus

Trepus is the northernmost continent and is considered to be a mountainous tundra surrounded by a semi-permanent ice shelf. The environment is normally frigid, ranging from -32°C to -6°C, with a standard single “summer” month having seen heatwaves as high as 0°C. Aside from the large mountain ranges, the land is generally nondescript. The only exceptions to this is the Akux sea, the Trepus Mine and it’s transfer station, that will become House Hoth’s Base of Operations. Many of the mountain ranges contain dormant volcanoes, providing geothermal energy for those that elect to tap into the raw resource. The Akux sea lays a mere few KM’s from the Trepus mining station and is a ripe location for collecting the geothermal energy that will power all of the House’s needs at this location.

The land bridge that connects Trepus and Strokera lies about 250 km to the southwest of the mine. This bridge separates the Akux Sea in the east from the S’rus Ocean in the west.

Trepus Mine and Station

The Trepus Mining Facility and its attached transfer station, have long since been abandoned when the mine was closed years before. Most, if not all, of its valuable resources having been mined to depletion by the local population over the years. The mine contains a rather large structure built into the mining caves itself and has been acquired by House Hoth as their initial primary base of operations within the system. Below the structure, a large net of natural caves and man-made tunnels are interconnected, allowing House Hoth future expansion.

The Trepus Transfer station will become the main landing site for all of Hoth’s personnel, equipment and supplies. Since Hoth moved in, all of the buildings were refurbished or re-purposed for House and Clan needs. Due to the proximity of the main operations base of House Hoth, the majority of living quarters and medical facilities were left untended and likely to remain as such. Some accommodations were maintained to accommodate the personnel guarding and working at the Station along with a few aid stations to handle emergencies.

Transport covering the 100km journey from the station to Hoth’s Base is largely in the form of shuttles and the underground transport system that can move men and material at all times. Unfortunately, for now, this system is still under the control of the local government and they seem to be slow with making it fully operational at this time.

Akux Sea

The Akux sea was a rather large crater, approximately 10 KM in diameter, that was used as a backfill for the mining facility. Having once been a cavernous deep, it now only stands at a depth of roughly 4 feet with an indeterminate center depth. Due to the geothermal activity underneath, the ice has slowly melted around the crater, along with the standard snowfall, creating a form of hot springs. There is a large series of underwater volcanic fissures and vents that constantly recycles the material and heats the entire lake to 90F on average.

Due to these conditions the sea rarely freezes and has many hot springs along the northern coast. It is along the northwestern coast that the transfer station was set up to take advantage of the geothermal activity and access to almost year-round shipping to the sea.

Strokera

See also: Notable Fauna: Strokera

Strokera is the largest of all the continents, and is located in the Northern hemisphere. The continent spans from the Land bridge to fifty miles from the equator. Climate varies depending on location, from -26°C to 4.44°C in the north to an almost constant 21°C in the south. The land appears to be fractured due to many large rivers that span the continent, giving it an exotic look from space. Starting off as Tundra in the north, as one progresses further south they go to an evergreen forest, which turns into a boreal forest. The forest gives way to plains and rolling hills halfway down the continent. These hills turn to which end fifteen miles from the coast due to manual tidal waves. Off in the southwest corner of the continent the land has turned into a swampland attached to a bayou. Housed in the arctic north if the continent is a fleet scanner system, set up by House Hoth on arrival.

The continent is 3000 km from the center landmass of Krea. The continents huge range of climates makes it the strangest of the continents on the planet. The southern forests and bayous are all subtropical, and have heavy rain seasons. Towards the North, rain is far less common, instead giving way to heavy snowfall.

“Prospect 002-Alpha”

002-Alpha is a proposed Hoth Command and Training Center, a large section of the eastern Strokera that has been earmarked as a possible location for the expansion of the House’s facilities to incorporate and large training area, expanded Command facilities and locations for the storage and maintenance of all of Hoth’s hardware and equipment.

Kithrax Bayou

The Kithrax Bayou lays in the southwest corner of the continent. Hit by heavy rains for over half the year the land around the bayou has evolved into a large boggy swampland. Home to many wild animals, the Kithrax Bayou is heavily avoided by Tourists from the Empire. According to rumor, a group of colonists vanished there almost two decades ago. Half a hundred kilometers in area, the Bayou has remained relatively unexplored. This has been the cause of dozens of rumors about vicious predators that have as of yet been undocumented. Due to the heavy rainfall, and the subtropical climate, the bayou and its coastal region consists of four different river deltas, swampy terrain, and a subtropical forest.

The Shattered Lands

In the center of the continent, almost twenty different rivers meet in the center, forming a 44km wide inner sea. Unlike the Kithrax Bayou, the terrain is a stable set of plains and rolling hills. With the rivers snaking out from the center of the continent, this is the most visited tourist location, even though there is no city or settlement in the area. The center of the continent is also the brewing place for heavy hurricanes and tornadoes, the inner sea giving them the strength of having been out at the ocean. The heavy storms have formed the land around them, with the grasses in the plains never rising above a quarter of a meter, and the hills never varying more than three feet from the crests of the hill to the bottom. The area is a nightmare in terms of an assault or city planning, though the Vatali Empire has noted that it would be an easy place to defend.

Ihera

Ihera is a large continent to the north and holds the planet's capital, Is Brea, known throughout the planet as “The Jewel.” The closest continent to Krea, it has been stated that likely the two used to be the same continent, but tectonic shifting split them apart. The continent has many subtropical forests in the southwest that lay along the main river of the continent. At the delta of the river lies Is Brea, the city looking out from the southwest corner. Opposite to the Northeast lays a mountain range, cutting the terrain off, leaving one fourth of the continent as salt flats. Due to its position between the North Pole, and Krea, its climate tends to sit between -12°C to 10°C.

Is Brea A.K.A. "The Jewel"

Is Brea is the capital city, the seat of the Empire and is the home to the largest population on the planet to date (750,000 people). This glorious city is known to all as The Jewel. Unlike many cities, it lies adjacent to the delta of the continent's largest river. It is a relatively well build city, surrounded by a marble wall. The wall has the carvings of previous leaders of the Vatali empire. The inside of the city has buildings made of various stones, each adding differing colors in a beautiful pattern within the walls.

Jechary

Jechary is the smallest of the continents, located northeast of Pokora. It is largely composed of deserts running from the north to the southwest. From the south to the northeast runs a mountain range. On the east side of the mountain range is salt flats leading to the coast. Along the entire coast is a subtropical forest, which is rumored to contain a few settlements. Aside from the ring of forest around the coast, there is a natural cave system that runs throughout the mountain range. The continent seems to have a generally steady climate ranging from 10°C to 15.5°C, though it has had cold snaps as low as 4.44°C, and heat waves as high as 18.3C.

Corax Caves

This natural cave system running through the mountain range has been called the Miner’s Disappointment, since when they were first discovered, mining companies flocked to check the caves, but found no minerals aside from the mountain stone. On the northern end of the Mountain range lies the half built foundation of a mining facility.

Krea-Pokora

Krea-Pokora is region located at the center of the tropics sitting right on the equator. This region consists of Krea the only fully tropical continent on the planet and Pokora which is a volcanic island chain that is off the eastern coast of Krea. They both share the same climate with some different geologic features but to the locals and the empire this is one region.

Only when speaking about the general region would you say Krea-Pokora otherwise you would only say Krea when speaking about locations on the continent and Pokora when talking about the islands.

The climate in the Krea-Pokora region is the hottest anywhere on the planet. Being a fully tropical landmass the average temperature is about 21.1C year-round. In the cooler dry season the lowest it normally gets is 15.5°C while the highest recorded temp during the height of the wet season is 29°C.

Krea

Krea is the centermost tropical continent lying almost at the center of all 4 hemispheres. Which when seen on any planetary map made by the empire this continent is always depicted at the center of the map with the equator and axis lines meet. Krea and Ihrea’s are only separated by a long thin channel of water called Draig Strait. Which separates Ihrea’s southern shore with Krea’s Northern Shore. This channel is about 1000km wide at it’s thinnest point and about 1500km at it’s widest.

This landmass is almost a complete tropical rain forest except for the western coast, small northeast portion of the continent. The western coast is lined with rocky hills in the north which opens to one of the largest wetland area on the planet which stretches for over 200km into the interior of the continent at it’s widest point.

Both the north and south coasts are mainly dominated by long sandy beaches with attracts many tourists from the all over the system. Ever since the City of Baime was founded on the NE coast more and more visitors come here to blow off the stresses of life. Other smaller settlements have popped up along these two coasts to accommodate the increasing number of tourists and new residents.

City of Baime

The City of Baime is located on the northeast coast of the continent and is home to about 250,000 people. This is the center of all tourism on the planet and is surrounded by beautifully groomed beaches and resorts that is visited but at least 500,000 people annually from all over the Empire. The city is known for it’s weather, resorts, beaches, casinos, entertainment and laid back lifestyle.

About a quarter of the planet's income comes from the tourism generated from Baime.

Havean Research Station

On the southwest corner lies the settlement of Uffern which is the home of the empire’s research station. This is the Empire’s research branch stationed here on the planet. Their mission is to study the vast amount of wildlife as well as the planet itself. Since the mining operations has taken off and the planet was opened for colonization in the last fifty years there been a more extensive scientific effort here. In the early stages of the Research and Development Center, the primary focus was the exploitation of the raw minerals the planet had to offer the Empire. Cutting edge techniques to remove ore without destroying the ecosystems of the different climates and zones of the planet were developed and eventually implemented after extensive testing. This section of the facility has been relocated and now lies beneath the surface of the planet several kilometers.

The floors above the mineral and mining development lies an area of research and development unlocking the mysteries of the sentient and non-sentient species of the planet above it. Testing is done in controlled environments intended to replicate the climate and terrain of the native territories of the subjects. This section of the center also houses the cybernetic replacement theaters in the unfortunate event they are required. Information says there are floors beneath the mineral and mining floors, but all attempts to locate them has failed and therefore remain just rumors.

The empire saw the need to learn as much about the planet and its native species before letting wide-scale immigration to the planet.

Kreaz Reef

About 75km off the western coast of Krea lies the Kreaz Reef that parallels the coast making it a perfect place for both the tourist industry and the scientific community. The Reef itself mirrors the coast in a northwest to southeast direction for almost three-quarters of the coast. Just beyond the western side of the reef the ocean depth drops dramatically from 150m on the continental shelf to the ocean bottom almost 4000m below.

All in all this region has more biodiversity than anywhere on the planet.

Pokora

Pokora is an island chain just off the east coast of Krea and located of a volcanic hot spot which created the island chain as the crust slowly moves over the hot spot. The chain is comprised a dozen volcanic islands of varying sizes. The larger islands are have the most active volcanoes and their size is slowly growing. After the islands move away from the Hot spot the forces of nature (wind, rain and crashing surf) slowly eroded the hard volcanic rock to reduce it’s size.

So the further away from the volcanic activity the smaller the islands get. All the islands share a tropical rain forest climate like Krea with the only exception being more affected by large thunderstorms, hurricanes (during the wet season) and volcanic activity than anyway else on the planet.

The Islands of Pokora

• Po’ta - The largest of the twelve islands, covering an area of just under 30 square kilometers. It is the home of at least two small settlements. Mainly local traders and a small colonial town.
• Po’tak - Slightly smaller in total area than Po’ta at just over 24 square kilometers. It is the home to an enormous cavern carved out of the eastern shore by thousands of years by wind, rain and surf. It’s also has the region’s largest fishing operation helping to provide food to not only the Krea-Pokora region but beyond as well.
• Li Anek and Li Anor - Nicknamed the twins Li Anek and Li Anor are a pair of nearly identical islands of about 18 square kilometers each and only about 100km apart at their closest point. The only feature to note is that on Li Anor the massive lava flow on it’s western side is large and flat enough to land the CR-90 itself with plenty of room for other ships, if needed.
• The Other 8 Islands - Little is known about these mainly unexplored islands at this time.

Orus

Orus is the southern polar region with 95% of its surface covered in snow or up to 20km thick glaciers. The only portions of the continent not covered in ice or snow are the mountain peaks that scatter the landscape and the rare valley along the coasts. The lowest temperature on record is -50.5°C with the normal temperature range to be from -37.7°C to -1°C. The features Orus is typical of an arctic polar region except for the great Orusian plain which is a large mostly flat frozen plain in the center of the continent that is about 750km in diameter.

Orus is also home to the two largest active mining operations on the planet.

The mines themselves are about the same design as the Trepus mine except for scale and minor differences due to the local terrain. These operations are much larger and are processing at least ten times more resources than Trepus ever did. Both mines use a hybrid system of wind and geothermal power to run its operation.

Delrux (mine) and Caru Station

Delrux and Caru Station is the mining operation located on the north western side of Orus. Caru Station lies about 50km from the coast and has enough living quarters for the workers in the mine and large landing pads for the easy transport of men and material in and out of Orus to the city of Eagla.

The mine itself is about 100km southwest from Caru in the foothills of West Orusian Mountain range. With the use of an underground transport system, this mine is the largest and the oldest of all the mines on the planet. It’s efficiency and volume has given it some leeway with the Empire for many years. Now with the influx of Colonist it’s hold on the planet maybe slipping.

Caru Station, like Gofal Station, is extremely bare-bones when it comes to amenities except for the Supervisors Quarter. In the Quarter the executives and supervisors enjoy slightly more room, better food and medical care than the average worker.

As for the workers, the stations provide Dormitories which house the miners, a Hospital and first aid stations, a few mess halls, a half dozen bars and one company store to buy basic supplies. The miners literally eat, sleep and head back to the mine the only existence here is work.

These transfer stations also have a large storage area to stockpile the resources awaiting transport out of Orus along with a large landing field to accommodate transports in and out of the Station at all times if the day and night.

Jeyrux (mine) and Gofal Station

Jeyrux and Gofal are located on the North-Eastern coast of Orus and is the relocated mining corp. that once ran the Trepus mine in the North but once that became unprofitable they move their operation here. Even though this mine is larger and more profitable than Trepus ever was it's only been in existence for the last 20 years and therefore a smaller operation than Delrux in the west.

The Mine is only 50km from the Gofal Station due to the tougher terrain, harsher weather and much thicker ice here. The underground transport system could not reach as far as they wanted it to go without bankrupting the corp. The goal is to extend the operation further inland once the funds or an outside force comes to help (just an idea). The only benefit to this location is the more milder weather patterns allowing an easier route to the city of Fuath. So during the winter than can get more resources to market than Delrux.

Widrall

Widrall is the largest southern continent and the closest to Orus. This continent is on average the coldest landmass on the planet with the exception of the poles. The days here are short with longer colder nights, especially during the winter months. The -12.2°C in the winter and 4°C in the summer.

The northern quarter of the continent is a the largest taiga zone on the planet with an east to west mountain range and a closed canopy forest. The river system of this continent mostly drains into one major river that discharges into a large southern bay that splits the southern half of the continent into two peninsulas. In these arctic tundra zones the temperatures are brutally cold with extreme wind speeds during the change of the winter/summer seasons.

The continents southern coast bows inward on itself with the points being the closest point to Orus. These points were formed by a the only active volcanoes on the planet besides Pokora. In between them is the great Viari Bay.

Cities of Eagla & Fuath

The cities of Eagla, which is located on the western peninsula and Fuath are located on opposite peninsulas are the main cities use to fully support the mining operations on Orus. These regions are known for their milder temperatures due to the number of hot springs and volcanic activity in the region.

Fuath does have one advantage over Eagla in that the weather and climate is slightly better on the eastern coast during the winter which makes Fuath the best entry point to the southern region during the coldest months. During these months trade between Eagla and Fuath is at its highest levels.

These geological features facilitated the building of these cities due to the need for the geothermal power and milder climate for it’s citizens and to support the mines. The populations of these cities are mostly employees from the Corporations, miners and poorer immigrants looking for any work they can find.

The Great Viari Bay

The Great Viari Bay lies in between the two cities and having an average depth of 1500m, it is the main source of moving large equipment, supplies and people in and out of the cities. Due to the extreme weather caused by the volcanoes and being in the arctic circle large scale air travel is limited. The safest and more readily available option has always been the sea.

During the long winters, most of the bay does freeze solid allowing less supplies incoming during those months and the need for trade among the two cities to survive the winter. This can be done by transporting goods and material over the ice.

By Air

During the shorter and much calmer summer months both Cities have ample air travel in and out of them. This is time when the most immigration and what little tourism in and out of the city happens. This is also when the biggest loads of supplies, personnel and resources are flown in and out of the continent.

By Water

The ports of the cities lay in the Bay where the shipping lanes are protected by storms and rough seas. This is the main source of export for Eagla especially during the harsh winter months. The Winter Storms and potential High winds on the western peninsular makes air travel difficult and normally unwise except with specialized transports to deal with the weather conditions. To ensure a steady stream of resources out of the region this is the most used method by Eagla and to a lesser extent Fuath.

By Road

During the winter months the bay is sufficiently frozen to allow land travel across which connects Eagla and Fuath in a quick and meaningful way. Due to the milder weather in Fuath air travel is not as restricted and so on occasion Eagla is forced to use Fuath’s infrastructure to send and receive its goods. Eagla’s governing body uses this as a last option due to the high tariffs Fuath places on any shipments they send or receive into their ports.

Widreth

Widreth is a medium sized southern continent, which lies about 3500 km SE of Pokora and is in the middle of Tlaz ocean. The northern portion of the landmass is very mountainous with thick temperate forests which as you go further south opens to rolling hills a large boreal forest.The forests and grasslands of this are fed by river vast river and lake system that feed three major rivers. Two flowing to the west and the largest river flowing to the east. The average temperature of the northern parts of the continent can reach from-23CF to 4°C during the winter and 10C to 18°C during the summer.

The Southern Half of the Continent is covered in large Fjords along the coast and what has become known as the Tundra Flats, this area has been untouched by the Empire since they have deemed it too hazardous to attempt to allow a sanctioned settlement here. Although in the north the fleet did pick up what could have been a settlement the scanners though pick up no sentient life signs in this part of the continent.

Since the Empire has no interest in putting or supporting a settlement on Widreth the Okami Mandalorians decided to claim this region for themselves to train.

The Tundra Flats

The large, flat, southern tundra only has a few locations that reach over 92m above sea level. The southern coast is littered with fjords that is home to some of the best fishing in the southern half of the continent. The relative flat plain is subjected to the highest wind speeds to be recorded on the planet. During the dark winters the temperature can range between -6C and 1.6C, with the average temperature around 15°C, while in the summer it and be about 2.7°F to 10°C on average.

During the winter months, it can go from a nice clear day to a four-day long blizzard in a matter of hours and sometimes even less than that. Living in this region is one of the most difficult challenges on the planet. If it wasn’t for the better hunting lands to the north and fishing in the fjords, there would be no way to survive without constant supply drops.

Clan Okami Training Outpost

The Okami are Mandos who are extremely conservative in their adherence to the resol'nare. As such, they try to live as simply as they can in environments other groups would find hostile. The thinking being that soft environments make for soft people. They don't reject technology outright, they are just as advanced as any Mando clan but they try to stay true to their warrior roots.

The leader of the Clan is given the title Patriarch/Matriarch and is elected by the elders until they can no longer serve. They have a special relationship with a local species of wolf-like creatures Strolik, that they both hunt and keep as pets. Hunting one of these creatures with simple melee weapons is a warrior's rite of passage. The pelt of their kill and any of their pets who have died are worn over their Mando armor in an almost spiritual reverence.

So it is that Clan Okami come to hone their skills and learn to live off the land. It’s also the starting point for the long dangerous journey to the Stroliks natural habitat in the northern forests of Widreth. Others would just fly to the forest but to be part of the Clan you must not only survive the hunt you must also survive the journey there and back.

• NOTE: Clan Okami’s main base is on the Kaerls Ice Moon and this is a smaller settlement for training and other Clan Okami Business.