Kapsina, also known as Sigil 1, was the capital of the Jusadih System and former headquarters of Plagueis. Originally possessing massive oceans, the planet underwent the devastation of Jusadih’s sun, Sigil, turning the once luscious planet into a dry, desolate landscape with only small, isolted oceans. Kapsina possesses two Adegan crystal veins, giving the planet great importance to the Dark Jedi. It was spared the devastation of the Eighth Great Jedi War, but its biosphere was decimated during the Horizons Crisis in 30 ABY. Nearly incapable of support life, it was abandoned by House Plagueis and has been uninhabited ever since.
History
Kapsina before the devastation of its biosphere.Once the star Sigil came into existence, the debris slowly began to cluster, grouping into a form. The first such mass became designated as Sigil 1 and was later named after the scientist that discovered the planet, Dr. Kapsina. The report was lost however in the antiquated Old Republic's database, to go undiscovered and largely unpopulated until the events elsewhere in the galaxy pressed people from the Core worlds towards the salvation and tranquility of the Outer Rim, which had become docile in comparison to the losing war the New Republic had been waging.
But Kapsina had changed since her initial discovery, the voluminous water planet had been subject to Sigil's heat. Slowly, over the course thousands of years, the environment had changed. The vast oceans that had characterized the world were given over to expansive, arid terrain and few small bodies of water. Yet riches were found by those who searched, the first such culture was the Myrsei - a self-sustaining culture that lives in harmony with the ground, working each day to perfect themselves and their art. And soon the planet began to draw others, each interested in the planet's geology. Thus the population grew rapidly as new fortunes were mined from the planet's depths.
Mining corporations soon became vast expansive centers of population and civilization, the wives and children of miners filling the newly constructed homes and schools, while the men risked the perils of the mines. And when the children grew up, they would bolster the miner's numbers - filling the voids of those lost previously.
Soon the Dark Brotherhood took interest in the planet, realizing the benefits of having a direct interest invested into a source for necessary materials for their force: Starfighters and Capitol Ships. The Dark Council sent an Envoy, whom not only scouted the planet, but purchased an upstart mining corporation that would later provide a considerable amount of materials needed to construct the Antei Defense Groups. And so it remained until twenty two years after the Battle of Yavin. When the emergence of a new clan, Plagueis, drew designs upon the riches hidden in the Jusadih System. From the depths of the Acarr System they fled, leaving behind a faltering economy to the trade strong Jusadih. There a monumental base of operations was constructed within the grounds of their company, Ellesmeria. And thus the home of Clan Plagueis and the meddling of Dark Jedi fell upon the planet like a black curtain.
When aliens invaded the system in 21 ABY, Kapsina was fourth in line of their route, right after Shintera. Luckily, however, the alien fleet was pulled back, and Kapsina was spared. Repercussions were still felt, however, as both Sistros Acquisitions and Holdings and House Exar Kun were forced to set up HQs on the planet due to the damage done to their own planets, Shintera and Aerun, respectively. This initial influx of refugees caused a definite strain upon the static population. Many such refugee camps needed immediate resources in order to function. However, after these circumstances became the status quo, the refugees were able to begin contributing to the planet's economy in such a way that more than replaced the original loss of resources.
During the invasion by former Grand Master Zoraan in 30 ABY, significant enemy forces attacked the Plagueis home system. Lead by the enemy flagship, the Avenger II, the attackers battered aside the defending fleet and deployed a bio-weapon into the atmosphere of Kapsina. The impact of the weapon was swift and deadly, killing most higher life forms on the planet within a matter of minutes of exposure. The weapon spread throughout the biosphere within a matter of hours, and had wiped out all life within a few days. The atmosphere decayed rapidy after what plant life remained following the climate shift succumbed, leaving a planet with a thin atmosphere and very little free water. The weather patterns changed quickly, giving over to violent sandstorms that rage for months on end during the planet's spring and fall.
Satellite - Nasva
Nasva, Moon of Sigil 1: KapsinaA single moon orbits Kapsina, half the size of Aerun's moons, an uneven chunk of what could have once been a part of the planet. It is a score of jagged peaks and treacherous valleys -- and with no atmosphere it will not naturally support indigenous life or evolution. The ground is an unfathomable black, as if ash litters the entire surface. However, surprisingly, it is incredibly rich in minerals. The satellite is 'off-limits' per request of the Ruling Council. Some believe it has been abandoned because it is home to a resistance group, the Disciples of the Black Hand. It is possible they are using abandoned research outposts on the surface as headquarters.
Planet Geography
The geography of Kapsina has changed greatly since it was devastated, but many of the old continents can still be discerned from orbit by the naked eye. More advanced scanning equipment can easily pick out the continental shelf where they separate from the former oceanic basins.
Kurast
In the northeast, from the former shores of Khanduras, rests a land composed of sand and clay. The land is pocketed with natural caves, that are prone to complete collapses at the slightest tremor. Which have a tendency to rack the land almost weekly and in the most unpredictable manner - the only constant is that it will happen. Yet, while the world was inhabited the miners would still venture out into the flat land, daring the holes, to harvest the small mountains and strip mines.
Calimcha
The large continent that rests in the north western corner, it is dominated by rugged mountains and large dunes, all of which is second to the perilous lava flows that span the land. Yet the ground yields the necessary ingredient/compound for Duracrete. Many ventured into the deadly ravines, daring the rivers of lava to harvest resources. Only one expanse of safe land existed.
Asinai
The southeast is dominated by the presence of a tiered continent, for it's vast differences in topography. Upon the far east edge runs a mountain range where large deposits of alloy were once mined and refined. From there to the far west, runs the expanse known as the 'barrens', a vast stretch of nothingness. Even before the devastation wrought by Zoraan it had become a wasteland, a deposit for outdated machinery from all of the planet's miners. The winds constantly blow from the west, causing the temperatures to be relatively cold.
Schall
Southwest from Khanduras, Schall was once a profitable source of exotic metals. But the land was soon depleted and sold to the earliest inhabitants of Kapsina, an ancient culture known as the Myrsei. It is home of the last Adegan vein. At its center is a lone mountain, an active volcano - its outline dominates the skyline and causes a great deal of interference to advanced technology. A single coast had been cleared and leveled by the Myrsei, it is there they lived and worked.
Khanduras
The was once the central continent and center of trade, with other continents shipping their finished products there to await shipments to be sent off-world to Shintura or other buyers. The landscape is now dusty, arid and reaches oppressively into the distance, only to be broken by the small seas that run along its edge.
Cities
The former cities of Kapsina are now little more than decaying ruins. The constant blasting by sandstorms and other inclement weather have weathered down much of the duracrete construction, leaving only skeletal remains of those structures that utilized durasteel frames. The major cities (Sapientia, Dicio, Polleo, and Ellesmeria) are the only recognizable structural ruins on the planet that remain. Ellesmeria is the former city that has the largest number of structures still standing due to its prior dedication to the Kapsinan military, the more durable military structures better resisting decay. The one exception to this is the city center, where the destruction of the Dark Tower reduced much of the surrounding area to rubble as Plagueis withdrew from the system.
Landmarks
- Land's End: At the end of the barrens, an expansive cliff that drops to the edge of the former shoreline of the western sea. The face of the drop is pocketed with caves that were inhabited by an odd winged creature that was never identified, but is potentially dangerous to any living thing.
- Dragon Forge: The legendary forge of the Myrsei, it was said that weapons, armor, even ships of great power were crafted and made under the divine eye of the smiths. Though none of the ancient smiths had been seen since the beginning, it was said that their spirit roamed the Forge.
- Phoenix Falls: A meeting place of several rivers of lava, they slowly fall over the lip of a mountain creating an effect that appears like a waterfall. May have unknown uses, geothermically stays at 500 degrees F.
- Gates of Vlagrand A formerly critical pass that has been sculpted in an ornate, forgotten fashion from days long past. It was a defensive choke point for people to pass through, the Ruling Council of the Myrsei had stationed one of their primary militia bases here.
- Dragon's Graveyard: Once an object had achieved the rank of 'legendary' amongst the Myrsei culture it was worn by the creator until the end of days. When the maker perished, their pieces of legendary quality are retired to the graveyard - a small shrine built in honor of both crafters and equipment.
- Fallen Moon: The Adegan vein upon Khanduras. It is rumored that when one walks into the main chamber, where the purest Adegan is growing, a slight light will refract off the crystals, causing a brilliant visual effect. The location of the vein is known only to the Dark Jedi and some council members.
- Howling Mine: A collapsed mine, was later cleared by the Clan Elder, Sarin. There he performed alchemy and brought a tremendous beast and guardian to life - it continually howled, warding off strangers. It was a defensive beast alone, only prone to attack those who were not inducted into the Clan. It is thought that the beast perished with the fall of Kapsina.