Korus is the closest planet in the Zsoldos System to the star Abercrombie and is the current headquarters of Deathwatch, a House of Clan Vizsla. The planet is a desert biome, with arid and semi arid habitats consisting of sand dune deserts, mesas, canyons and occasionally sulfur pools. Due to its general inhospitable nature, Korus remains largely unexplored by the Brotherhood as a whole, leaving many of its wonders, and hazards open for discovery.
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 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.
Raist's Respite
Sublevels 21-24 of Deathwatch’s bunker have been repurposed into an area where Clan Vizsla and its visitors can unwind. As the only recreation source on the planet, having a place where base personnel and soldiers could relax was of paramount importance when Raist requisitioned the space. Some of the amenities include the following:
Sublevel 21 - Promenade
Stepping off the turbolift of the Promenade, one might be forgiven for mistaken they are not in a military installation. Various stalls are operated by both Deathwatch members and civilians who thought business might be more lucrative here then on Daemunn. One of those individuals is a Toydarian known among the inhabitants as Tratty. Tratty acts both as a guide and a stall owner, and his imported fruit and other foodstuffs fetch a high price. In addition to stalls, there is an arcade with an impressive Holosimulator, a gym with nearly every amenity one could want, and a shooting gallery with some “personal touches” built in. Holofeeds keep those inside updated and in touch with the rest of the galaxy, and gambling is both frequent and encouraged. Boonta Eve on Tatooine is practically a base holiday at this point. Whereas Ricmore’s aka the “triple R” houses all regent goods, Raist’s, or the “double R” is a community supported shopping experience.
Sublevel 22 - The Arena
The colosseum is simple in design, yet serves a purpose that cannot be filled by any other area in the bunker. A large sand pit, incorporating sand from Korus, Mandalore, and Zsoldos. Two portcullis on either side separate the combatants in the arena. With seating to house the entire base, as well as any guests of honor. The Arena is where disputes are settled, matters of honor resolved, and the blood of many skilled warriors has yet to be spilled here. A central dais is elevated to offer the best view and it is here where the leadership of the clan sits. A true Mandalorian dueling pit.
Sublevel 23 - The Vault
While also housing Deathwatch’s personal credit storage, under very heavy security, each Deathwatch member is given their own private 6x8 secure vault. It is an honor to be granted such a repository, and the higher one’s status is in the Clan, the larger and more opulent their Vault is. Each vault is under biometric lock, meaning only the individual or someone else’s pre authorized generic imprint will allow access.
Sublevel 24 - The Pool
The entire level has been dedicated to The Pool. Not just any pool, though it is often used for that purpose by the base’s denizens. This water source stretches nearly 300m deep. The plan was to not only keep a source of fresh water for the Deathwatch as there were very little on Korus. In addition, The Pool is used as a training area for underwater exercises, such as demolition, field testing, and physical endurance. It boasts not only state of the art filtration systems, but also a beautiful rock waterfall, a water slide and the latest in wave creation technology as well. A popular destination among staff rotating off shift to be sure.
FOB Besh - “The Bulwark”
Situated approximately 2 kilometers from the bunker of Clan Deathwatch is FOB Besh. Nicknamed the Bulwark, it is the first line of defense and hopefully the only one necessary. It is the choke point and security checkpoint of a series of concentric rings, each a half km in decreasing circumference. Within each of these rings are further layers of security. Trenches, razor wire, sniper posts, manned security checkpoints, automated droids, holofeeds, minefields, and turrets to name a few. The outermost ring has signs posted conspicuously in several languages most notably Basic to keep out those who don’t belong. In addition, the outermost fortifications are being expanded daily, growing the space at which Deathwatch can feel secure at a rapid pace. All visitors must pass through FOB Besh. Soldiers perform security protocols to ensure the base is secure. Visitors that make it through screening are taken via gravtrain to the bunker, a round trip of around 5 minutes, when such traffic is needed. If you’re not on the guest list, you aren’t getting in.
The Oasis
Also known as “Al’Rasha” to the Ga’lum, this peculiarity sits in the equator zone of the planet. Approximately 5 kilometers in circumference and surrounded on all sides by massive mountainous outcroppings, the Oasis is an area in which unique flora and fauna found nowhere else on the planet are located. One such species is the Doran fruit that comes from a bush that grows only at the Oasis.
The Ga’lum consider this location sacred, and one of their meetings takes place within the canyon walls. With it being a spot of such significance, the Ga’lum guard this spot vigorously, and patrols from various villages will be seen along the canyon’s edges constantly. Despite its size, it is defendable, and fortifiable, and it is for these reasons and others that Raist has designated the Oasis priority Alpha-1-Black. In addition, he feels the pull of the Force strongly in this one location specifically, but until it is under Deathwatch control, why and to what ends cannot be verified. For now, Quaestor Shimrah has exercised caution, not wanting to engage in open conflict, but the Oasis will be Vizsla’s eventually, either through diplomacy or combat.
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.