Alk'charis

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Alk'charis
Astrography
Star Meezinho system
Type Desert planet
Satellites Alk'moris
Gravity 1.1 G
Orbital distance 0.04 AU
Day length 11 days
Year length 11 days
Diameter 14,056 km
Axial tilt 67.4°
Temperature
Average 46° F
Minimum -235° F
Maximum 98° F
Atmosphere
Composition 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 1% argon, 1% other gases
Surface pressure 0.6 atm
Demographics
Population 0
Imports none
Exports none

Alk'charis is a barely habitable world which orbits the brown dwarf Meezinho which is located at the edge of the Crucible Galaxy in the star cluster Striganti's Talon. The planet is tidally locked to Meezinho and completes one orbit in 11 days.

Atmosphere

Alk'charis has such a thin atmosphere that even during the day, one can see the stars. The red dim light of Meezinho barely lights up the planet making it a frigid world. The planet's extreme axial tilt causes widely varying seasons as well as deadly wind and electrical storms. Minimal plant-life on the surface is enough to create a sustainable atmosphere, breathable yet thin.

Geography

In the past, Alk'charis was a flourishing garden world, rare for planets in brown dwarf systems. Today, the planet is a desolate wasteland after a Promorin invasion billions of years ago. Most of the landscape consists of rocky limestone formations and dusty dunes, and life barely clings on. Lichenous trees are the only aspect that has prevented the planet's biosphere from collapsing.

Alk'charis only contains 5% surface water, though in the past, it was cover in far larger oceans. Vast plains of salt and volcanic rock are scattered throughout the planet, remnants of a time when Alk'charis was far more volcanically active. Two ice caps are also present on both poles. The crust consists of many layers of fossil fuels, making it a candidate for petroleum mining.

Ecosystem

Life on Alk'charis is limited to only microbes and lichens. Though the planet flourished billions of years ago, life has yet to arise once more due to the low metallicity of the area and lack of comets and meteors that strike the planet.

Moon

Alk'charis has one moon named Alk'moris. It large, barren rock covered in craters. In the past, it would have caused spectacular tides on the planet's surface. However, Alk'charis has subtle effects on the planet's wind storms.

History

Alk'charis was once home to one of the oldest civilizations of the Crucible Galaxy, the Alkan. Very little archaeological evidence of this civilization remains, but they were believed to have spread across the entire Crucible Galaxy billions of years ago. Today, they were decimated by the Promorin, one of the first known species to be contacted by the Empire of Arckas.

After the Promorin were defeated, the Empire of Arckas became interested in studying the former Alkan species, but the Promorin were so thorough in their destruction of it that there was very little left to study on the surface. As such, the Empire of Arckas began to transform the world into a colony. The desert environment essentially made it a blank slate for large scale construction projects.

The planet was also the site of a testing ground for the Boneyard Necromancer's attempts to bring the Alkan back via genetic engineering. It was the site of one of the very first conflicts between the Boneyard Necromancers and the rest of the Empire of Arckas when genuine scientific study turned into cruel experiments.

Landmarks

Nazaru

One of the last standing structures is the hidden city of Nazaru. Some buildings have sunk underground over time while very few ruined buildings remain on the surface. Somewhere within this vast desert are the Great Towers of Nazaru, each about three miles tall. However, they are almost always covered in electric storms making them difficult to find.

Also deep within Nazaru is a buried 200 foot tall automaton named Gohlith. It was said to be the city's guardian.

The towers of Nazaru were not created by the Alkan, but instead by the Aeliph who turned the ruined planet into a colony for the Empire of Arckas.

Vol'Zug Prison

Hidden among Nazaru are the remains of an ancient prison of Mavetian design known as the Vol'Zug Prison. It was a high-security prison designed to contain organic beings of extraordinary energy output. The Mavetian Uszaroth was confined here for an unknown period of time. The prison predates Nazaru by at least one million years, but it lacks an obvious entrance on the surface. It was only made accessible due to tectonic activity causing the terrain to collapse and reveal an entrance.