Vardor

Vardor
Astrographical
Region:	Unknown Regions
Sector:	Vardor is located fifty parsecs from the Mid Rim (Galactic West)
System:	See Astography
Physical
Primary Terrain:	See Astrography
Societal
Native species:	Vardorian (Human) Undocumented wildlife
Primary language(s):	Basic, Mardorin
Major cities:	Urd Nathen
Affiliation:	Isradia
[ Source ]

The following information of the planet known as Vardor has been pieced together by the Hyperspace Navigator's Guild from information gathered by spacers and other sources. Vardorians (who are baseline humans) are an isolationist race who do not trust offworlders.

Government and Politics

Imperial House

The greatest and most powerful House is the Imperial House, temporal rulers of the Iperion. They are the most powerful militarily, financially and politically, and have the greatest resources and amount of land at their disposal.

The Iperion

"And we shall stand till the end of days, the Chosen of the Gods, and rule undying till the world is flame."

―Rise of the Chosen, CXXVII, 27

The Iperion is the governing body of Vardor, and also the social structure of the world. It has two sides; Nobility and Landsmen. Landsmen are the ordinary, common people of the world; merchants, soldiers, workers, traders, criminals, priests, teachers, doctors, scientists; and every vocation that exists elsewhere or has a place or consumer in the world. They live and continue their lives as others, mostly unconcerned with the dictates of their rulers or the affairs of their world except when it intercedes in their daily lives. They might watch politics, but for the most part having nothing to do with it. Aliens are always considered to be Landsmen, unless they have sworn allegiance to a House.

The Iperion originally had only two strata; the Houses and the Imperial House. That, however, has changed over time to suit the natures of the people. There are now four strata of Nobility; Bondsmen, Minor Houses, Greater Houses and the Imperial House. The Iperion features ranks based on prestige, power, knowledge and achievement, almost but not quite a meritocracy, since it is also influenced by political, social and economic manoeuvring. Ranks are not hereditary and must be earned. The highest rank is Grand Duke or Grand Duchess, and is also a position that oversees and rules the whole of the Iperion.

Urd Nathen
Political Information
Head of State:	Imperial House
Executive Branch:	Iperion
Judicial Branch:	The Inquisition
Societal information
Capital:	Urd Nathen
Currency:	Credits
Historical information
Formed from:	By the "Rose Goddess"
Date of Dissolution:	By the "God Slayer"
Date of Restoration:	By the "God Slayer"
Era(s):	Year of Lost Gods
[ Source ]

"Ne’er have I seen a city of its like, that is at once magnificent and tragic, that makes the heart soar and the eyes weep."

―Cellius Stravias, Corellian Merchant

The Dawnshadow mountains of Urd Nathen bask, beneath the beating suns of Vardor.

The capital of the Iperion, the capital city of Vardor, is Urd Nathen, a huge, sprawling metropolis built on, over and under the Dawnshadow range of mountains on Edeth’Torent. The urban center stretches for over ten kilometers, and the suburban zones a further fifteen in all directions. The city and the landscape for a hundred kilometers around the edge of the suburbs is considered politically neutral ground; not even the Imperial House can claim true rulership of Urd Nathen.

In place of the normal ruling Houses, Urd Nathen is governed by the Peoples Council, an annually elected body of ten citizens who perform the functions a Noble House would normally provide. They are not afforded the status of Nobility, and pay homage to whatever Imperial House currently holds power, just like a true House, but serve to keep the peace in the great city, and to prevent upheavals that could cripple Vardors capital during internecine wars and changeovers. It is forbidden for any House or organization to bring more than a legion of troops into Urd Nathen at any time, and the Council maintains its own independent army to enforce this rule and protect the city, should it be threatened. Bodyguards and elite protectors do not count against the number of troops, as long as the guards remain with their respective Nobles at all times.

Urd Nathen is home to the largest spaceport in the system, as well as the biggest and most renowned hospitals, universities, theatres, research centers and manufacturing plants, and is the most accepting city in the system of aliens, who can find distractions and amenities to suit every taste within its bounds. It is here that all intergalactic trade is conducted, and it is the face of Vardor and the Nox system to outsiders. The city is well kept, tidy, clean and relatively safe, with many fine entertainments and amusements. Like everywhere else, it has an efficient police, fire and ambulance service.

Society and Culture

The vast wealth of a planet and the might and political clout of armies jockey in subtle political, mental and economic jousts for dominance of a planet that balances precariously on the knife edge of destruction, holding together a civilization and way of life that has become worn thin and frayed. Their power struggles mean nothing to the common folk, who push on with their lives and meaningless existences, yet in the upper echelons, where the true power lies, the nobility fight wars of attrition through murder, drugs, crime, corruption, betrayal and deceit. Pampered dandies indulge the urges of the flesh with narcotics, alcohol, sex, lust and greed; Cruel matriarchs and patriarchs sink into sadism and masochism; Ambitious scholars conduct vile and depraved experiments and violent warriors kill and maim without rhyme or reason.

A monolithic religion that has held together this cesspit of decay has fallen from grace, and replaced with a new system of might and intimidation. The common people labour on, each sensing that their fabulous, incredibly ancient house of cards may at any moment come crashing down on them, crushing all in its wake. Vardorian society is gothic, littered with corruption and decay, and an oppressive feeling of hopelessness and despair. As one travels through it, one senses that this is a world dying slowly by poison and disease, yet unwilling to finally let go and let it end.

Mardorin – The Language of Vardor

While it is not possible to provide a full linguistic and grammatical break down of Mardorin without another volume being created for it, what follows is a summary of a few key Vardorian phrases and words, which, when placed together, will give one an effective ‘tourists’ understanding of the language – enough to get by, but by no means fluent or perfect. It is effectively ‘pidgin Mardorin’.

The ruins of a temple sit idle, harboring a distant echo of times gone by…

Hello	Saduka (sar-doo-kah)
Goodbye	Asaphra (ah-sah-frah)
Thank you	Kitasa (key-tasa)
You're welcome	Vasa bolen (vasa • bow-len)
How are you?	Ni malas ya? (knee • mal-ass • yar)
I am well	Son dutah vi (Sorn • doo-tah • v-eye)
What is your name?	Uman I vasa yana? (oo-marn • ee • vasa • yarn-ah)
What city is this?	Uman teshvon I suk? (oo-marn • tesh-varn • ee • suck)
Can you tell me where the Starport is?	Un asa belthrock umen sak Galta I? (oon • asa-ah • bell-throck • oo-men • gal-tah ee)
Can you tell me where the nearest Cantina is please?	Un asa belthrock umen sak neesen Varak I bol? (oon • ass-ah • bell-throck • oo-men • sack • knee-sen • var-ack • ee • bol)

Mardorin is not in common use on Vardor. Most people speak Basic in their daily lives, though they do count as bi-lingual as they are brought up with both languages. The average Vardorian will not be completely perfect in Mardorin because of this, and it may cause them to pause to think if they are addressed in Mardorin. Only scholars and Nobles are regularly fluent in Mardorin as well as Basic, since the oldest volumes, laws and records are exclusively in that language.

The Force

Vardor does not recognize the Force as it is commonly known to the galaxy at large. Having never encountered Jedi or Sith, they, like uncounted numbers of other species, developed their own ideas of the source, meaning and abilities of this mysterious energy field, and discovered their own ways to manipulate and use it that are the equal of every other Force tradition. On Vardor, the Force is known as magic. For them, the Force is used as spells, rituals and incantations, with strange words and gestures that bring about the desired effects.

Technology

Compared to Coruscant, Alderaan and other planets Vardor's technology is considerably underdeveloped. Although classed as a "backwater" planet the flux of new technology has slowly been introduced by the current Imperial House. Hyperdrive starships are initially in the prototype and early production stage, but are still a long way from mass productions. The xenophobic nature of the locals have stunt the technological growth for thousands of years and this is something which will not easily be undone.

Astrography

Geography of Vardor

Vardor is a planet of size and type roughly equivalent to Alderaan, though its orbit is slightly longer and further from its yellow star. The planet itself is composed of roughly 72.68% water with two orbiting satellites and an atmosphere of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and noble gasses. The carbon dioxide levels are much lower than on comparable planets, and this coupled with Vardor’s distance from its sun makes its climate approximately fifteen degree’s cooler than standard globally, resulting in even desert areas being only as hot as an equivalent planets summer in a temperate zone. Vardor has no axial tilt to affect any kind of seasons, has days of twenty eight galactic standard hours and years of four hundred and eighty galactic standard days, creating twelve months of forty days each. On comparison with other planets, this means that a Vardorian year is approximately 50% longer than standard.

Over a third of Vardor is ice and tundra, centered around the poles, with the remaining space being temperate forests, grasslands, hills, mountains, river valleys and plains. An extremely narrow band of desert borders each side of the equally small equatorial jungles, but these climes are only six degree’s warmer than the rest of the planet on average.

Vardor has six major continents; Alta’Reth, Alta’Dosant, Edeth’Borian, Edeth’Urith, Edeth’Torant and Edeth’Polar. Edeth’Torant is the seat of most of the population, followed by Alta’Reth. Alta continents are in the northern hemisphere, Edeth continents are southern ones. Alta’Dorsant and Edeth’Borian lie mostly beneath the poles. Most continents are linked by a natural web of land bridges, escarpments and hooks, though Edeth’Polar stands alone from these as a separate continent. All continents are highly developed and colonised, except Edeth’Polar where extreme conditions are present and make exploration almost impossible. This region is home to long chains of volcanoes, intense cyclones and blizzards, and various noxious lakes and fumes.

Edeth’Torent holds the capital of the Iperion, Urd Nathen, Mount Cyney, Tol Rothan and most of the lands of the Imperial House. It straddles the equator mostly to the south, but reaches somewhat into the north.

Nox System

The Iperion controls this system and routinely patrols it. The Iperion is highly isolationist, bordering on xenophobic, and they harshly treat interlopers and thoroughly repel, though do not pursue, invaders.

The Nox system is composed of three habitable planets, six gas giants and a further nine barren planetoids. The three habitable planets are designated Nox Alpha One, Two and Three and are roughly equidistant to each other as neighbors near the near middle portion of the system. The gas giants are designated Nox Beta’s by their distance from the sun, and the same pattern follows for the Nox Gamma’s, or barren planetoids.

In order of distance from Nox, closest to farthest, the planets are:

• Nox Gamma One
• Nox Gamma Two
• Nox Gamma Three
• Nox Beta One
• Nox Alpha One (Aphoria)
• Nox Alpha Two (Melachon)
• Nox Alpha Three (Vardor)
• Nox Gamma Four
• Nox Beta Two
• Nox Beta Three
• Nox Beta Four
• Nox Gamma Five
• Nox Beta Five
• Nox Gamma Six
• Nox Gamma Seven
• Nox Beta Six
• Nox Gamma Eight
• Nox Gamma Nine

Vardor's two moons are Teshvona (derived from the Mardorin teshvon or "child"), the closest, and Ikharandas (derived form the Mardorin ikharandas or "god"), the furthest. Neither are naturally habitable, possessing no atmosphere or native life. Both are also home to planetary defenses and supply stations for the patrolling fleet.

Aphoria and Melachon are closer to Nox than Vardor, and are accordingly warmer. Though their surfaces are well mapped thanks to orbital surveillance, the worlds themselves are not inhabited and the Vardorian are looking to coloinse these worlds, but the colonisation drive has been stonewalled indefinitely by waring factions in the Iperion.

Trivia

• Vardor was created by Jonaleth Isradia.
• Architecturally, Vardor resembles the Necromongers of the Chronicles of Riddick and the Harkonnen cities of Dune; the buildings have a Mesopotamian, Babylonian theme, but use the materials customary to gothic art and buildings. In the same vein, the relationship of commoner, Noble, Church and Academia is similar to those cultures.