Elysia is a partially habitable moon of Perune. Ice-covered, except for a few tropical rift valleys, the moon is one of the three habitable moons of Perune. It is also the central moon in a tri-moon cart with Ostara and Iosan.
Description
Elysia’s surface is mostly ice-covered with subterranean seas, except for a few tropical rift valley dwellings where thermal springs suspend the otherwise frozen surface. Within these rifts, shallow seas have formed, flowing into idyllic beaches that lead into jungle canopies filled with imported wildlife for hunting sport to entertain high ranking Cartel staff and their guests. The Caelus Cartel has experimented with terraforming parts of the surface. A failed experiment has created an arid rift valley that resembles a miniature desert. Further terraforming experiments were canceled due to their cost and the previous failure.
Cities
Spaceport
The spaceportLocated between the two main rifts, the Cartel has built a small spaceport on the ice covered plains of Elysia. Holding communal living areas, it functions as both an outpost and a small town for those seeking to hunt wild animals in the rifts and the ice covered plains of Elysia.
Notable Landmarks
Western Rift
Like the other main rift on Elysia, the western rift runs over the surface on the equatorial line and is mostly made of a sea spanning an expanse of 714 km².
Eastern Rift
With a significantly smaller sea in its center, the eastern rift is overgrown with rich foliage and is home to the majority of the moon's immigrated wildlife. Every year, the Cartel would hold their "Hunting Games" in and around the eastern rift, though predators slain on the ice-plains, the western rift or the desert plains will be measured in at the same rate as those slain in the eastern rift.
Desert Plains
The Desert PlainsLocated south and a bit west of the western rift, the desert plains are the result of a failed terraforming project during the early years of the Imperial incursion of the Caelus System.
History
Pre-Taldryan
At some unknown point in its past, the moon entered an ice age, presumably around two-thousand years ago. While this ice age overrun most of the planets, a few parts of the landscape revolving around canyons with naturally occurring hot springs resisted the change in climate and formed rifts that sustained a climate ranging from temperate to tropical.
Later, during the first attempts to decide on the main capital for their colonization, researchers from the Imperial forces revealed a high concentration of rare ores in the mantle of the moon and attempts were made to terraform the surface in order to allow the Imperials easier access to the ores, but these attempts turned out to be too expensive compared to the gain created by mining and refining the ore, creating an artificial desert.