Zanforrin

= Summary =

Zanforrin is the homeworld of the Zn, orbiting the older red dwarf Zollos. Roughly twice the mass of Earth, it orbits its star in a mere 1024 Earth hours. As a result of its close proximity to the star, Zanforrin is tidally locked, resulting in half the planet being constantly baked in sunshine while the other half remains in permanent darkness. A thick atmosphere allows some degree of heat transfer between the two sides of the world. Nevertheless, there is only a narrow band between the two halves where life can flourish on the surface; the side closest to the star is a large, inhospitable desert, and the night side is covered in a permanent sheet of ice. Underneath the ice, a deep sub-glacial ocean connects to several surface oceans in the habitable band, creating the locations where the first Zn towns and cities would eventually be founded. The land in the habitable zone consists mainly of vast plains, peppered with occasional forests and

Because of Zanforrin's environment, life there has evolved strange adaptations to cope with surviving in extremes. Native plant life is greyish-black in color, absorbing as much of the visible light produced by Zollos as possible to fuel photosynthesis. Animals primarily sense their environment through infrared vision, as the high gales caused by air constantly flowing between the two sides of the planet limit the effectiveness of vocalizations and scent detection. Mineral buildup in most water supplies has caused the majority of organisms to evolve to efficiently eliminate it or partially incorporate it into their biology. In addition, low atmospheric oxygen levels and higher than average surface gravity prevented surface wildlife from growing very large; the Zn are one of the largest land-dwelling creatures native to the planet.

Since founding the TmC with the Chromium, the Zn have made great efforts to make their home more habitable to alien species. To this effect, they have carved numerous subsurface cities, connecting them through underground subways. The trains themselves are propelled via magnetic forces through a vacuum, minimizing friction and enabling them to travel at high speed. The majority of these cities are located under the daylight side of the planet, where they can take advantage of the dim but constant sunlight emitted by Zollos through solar panels located on the surface. Alternatively, they are powered by nuclear power plants or hydroelectric generators. Several lamps located in the streets and walls provide visible spectrum light during the day cycle, enabling guests to see and non-native plant life to grow. Additionally, simulated rainfall occurs every few days, most often during the night cycle to minimize civilian interruptions. Besides the subsurface day-side cities, there are also several structures located within the vast night-side ocean. Information on them is strictly confidential; however, there are rumors that the locations house information collected by Zn Spies, among other things.

As the Zn homeworld, Zanforrin is one of the most well-defended planets of the TmC. Aside from large Zn fleets, the intense winds and hostile terrain covering most of Zanforrin make it ill-suited for direct assault. Automated AA turrets and anti-orbital cannons make short work of any enemy forces attempting to invade. In addition, the nature of the underground cities renders them well-protected against orbital bombardment, provided their locations can be determined in the first place.

=Calendar=

As a result of Zanforrin's orbit, the Zn's original concept of a year was more akin to a month in most other alien cultures. After forming the TmC, the Zn adapted their calendar to make it similar in time period to the Chromium one. The four week months are divided into eight days of 32 hours: Merkal, Tharkal, Ruorkal, Reskal, Learakal, Korrukal, Vermakalde, and Vorskalde. The long days are divided into several work and rest periods, with the ‘work’ periods consisting of either a job or a form of education or training. In turn, the twelve months are called Vaillus, Frotus, Maielus, Laiorus, Giarus, Carrius, Meradus, Morovus, Harafus, Gorgus, Ekladus, and Surevus, after the first 12 cities on Zanforrin.