Native Inhabitants
The Ga’lum
Known to themselves as the Ga’lum, they were once a warlike culture on Korus, until they either eradicated or assimilated other tribes on the planet over the centuries. With this sociological change, they've diverted from raiders to scavengers, primarily artifact scavengers that live in the Northern pole. They seek treasure and trinkets alike, both natural and otherwise.
The Ga’lum keep to themselves in a network of tribal style villages and settlements. No village currently exceeds 110 residents, though there are an unknown number of villages 50 have been recorded to date. The village leaders meet on a semi-annually schedule at a different location each time. The meeting lasts for 3 weeks, and they discuss plans for the future and current events, as well as upcoming expeditions.
With isolation from the rest of the galaxy, the Ga’lum have become a curious and exploratory people. They live with and use modern technology just as they also do the same with primitive tech. Once a year they take their scavenged goods and send an envoy out to sell them to the highest bidder. They are resistant to outsiders but known to have exceptional hospitality to visitors, particularly to the lost and injured. They will view Deathwatch and Vizsla with unease, though will make no openly hostile actions against them.
Geography
Korus is a sandy desert planet with two different kinds of habitats. The first is an arid desert around the equator with extreme temperature swings with it being fatally hot during the day and deathly cold at night. This area is inhospitable to most life forms and consists almost entirely of soft, sprawling sand dunes outside the occasional landmark.
Outside of the equator, reaching towards both the poles, Korus is much more hospitable to life. While it is still considered a desert biome, it consists almost entirely of the semi-arid habitat that is not nearly as hot as the arid desert near the equator and experiences long, dry summers and cool winters with some precipitation.
While uncommon, it is possible to find some canyons and sulfur pools near the north and south poles of Korus.
Key Locations
Deathwatch Bunker
Entrance to the Deathwatch Bunker on Korus
Charged with establishing roots for House Deathwatch by Clan Summit, Shimrah ordered the construction of the newest Deathwatch base. Unlike The Anvil on Daemunn, the newest base under Vizsla banners had very little terrain to aid in its protection.
To better protect the base from not only enemies, but as well as the elements, it was decided that the base would be built straight down into the crust of Korus. It also boasts an underground hangar capable of servicing, or hiding many of the ships belonging to the members of Vizsla and Deathwatch as well as its House Fleet.
The newest iteration takes inspiration from the nearby Deathwatch Bunker on the moon of Endor, used during the Galactic Civil War.
Ricmore’s Regal Repository
Ricmore’s Repository serves as an onsite location for Deathwatch and Vizsla members to acquire various goods. The store is adjacent to the House’s underground hangar, allowing it to service starships and vehicles alike. The shop trades and houses inventory with the various Regent stores and allows members the opportunity to purchase goods and equipment without need to travel to the Arx System.
The shop is capable of catering to members' needs and desires from weapons and armor to vehicles.
Juda’s Spice Refinery
The Spice Refinery serves as both a source of income and a useful preparation site for Deathwatch. The building refines chemicals and spice into recreational and medicinal drugs. The narcotics are available for purchase by Clan Vizsla members but also sold and transported by its members to make credits. The supplies include spice based medicine, stimulants and adrenals to help heal/treat Vizsla members and provide temporary advantages in combat.
While preparing for export, workers place the illicit goods in boxes resistant to traditional scanning methods that are often disguised as legal medicine and other resource crates. The workers are willing to provide this technology to members willing to risk carrying the illegal spices.
The Megaliths
During the preliminary scan of the planet by Deathwatch survey droids, a series of megalithic stone structures were found half buried in the sand near the equator. The droids were able to receive a sample of the stone and send it back to Vizsla scientists before mysteriously going offline.
Vizsla scientists have determined, based on prior samples of Korus’ geology, the massive stones are foreign to Korus. Further archaeology and investigation will be required to unravel the mystery of the Stone Towers.
The Forgotten Tower
Ten kilometers north of the Equator lies a husk of a building. Rising four hundred and fifty meters high this lone tower sticks out against the flat sands surrounding it. Once a facility of some kind, the tower has laid forgotten and abandoned for longer than anyone remembers. The tower hosts advanced security and nigh impenetrable walls that have kept its secrets and treasures safe and secure over the centuries. It has been used as a waypoint for travelers to rest in its shade and a guidepost for those that are lost in the sands.
The Petrified Forest
The Petrified Forest stands as a reminder of a once thriving planet.
In the heart of the sandy dunes stands a forest of trees that have been turned to stone. While many of the smallest parts of the long dead trees have broken away and remain strewn about or buried in the sand while the largest of the trunks and branches remain, as if frozen in time.
Halz Salt Flats
In the southern hemisphere located halfway from the equator to the southern pole are the Halz Salt Flats. A once massive, ancient ocean is now just a dried sea bed. Not much can be found here in the depressed salt flats, outside of ancient fossils. Perhaps buried beneath precious resources may exist or the remains of civilization. Vizsla scientists have marked this location to be petitioned for resources to excavate.
Des’mor Caves
Located in the northern pole, Des’more Caves is a series of entrances to a single massive underground cave system. The cave system has not been fully mapped out though there have been one hundred and thirty three kilometers of tunnels and caverns currently mapped. The caves boast a variety of ecosystems from bare rock to being full of flora and fauna. The passages range from being massive to extremely tight, boasting grand arched ceilings to claustrophobic squeezes. A few key areas in the system are the Crystal Caverns, an area where the caves are covered in precious and semi-precious crystals and gems of various sizes. Hell’s Breath, an area where the air is toxic and deadly to breath. The Emerald Green, A forest like area where the plants and wildlife evolved to have bio-luminous.
Apex Predators
Krykna
These desert and cave dwelling spiders were initially brought to Korus long ago for sport and to test combat prowess in combat arenas. However, a breeding pair managed to escape their captors and fled to the intertwining web of caverns of the Des’mor Caves. Over time, they would breed and feast on anything available, such as a weary traveler who ventured too close to the mouth of their caves. So many in number, there are certain sections of the caves that are all but impenetrable and are now the source of Death Watch legends.
Korus Death Worm
A possible depiction of the Korus Death Worm.
A legend among the Ga’lum, the Korus Death Worm is said to inhabit the soft sandy dunes found around the equator of Korus. Not much is known about the creature as its existence alone is pure rumor other than its size can vary from a few feet to the size of a starship, as well as its ability to burrow underneath the sand and spit disintegrating poison. After listening to several varying stories, Vizsla scientists have attempted to depict the creature based on similarities between the stories.