Akirystis System

= Overview =

Star - Akirystis

 * A faint Class M star with a tight-knit system
 * Radioactive dating reveals the majority of its planets have different ages, meaning they are not native to the star system
 * The orbits of the planets, especially the gas giants, seem unlikely to have formed naturally
 * The unusually high amount of habitable worlds, along with numerous Astatanian observation posts, suggest some sort of large-scale experiment

= Planets =

Iunithe

 * A dry, sandy world nearly half again the size of Earth
 * Being tidally locked, the planet has a 'hot pole' in perpetual daylight, and a 'cold pole' that remains permanently frozen
 * Near the twilight band, the temperature is mild enough to sustain life
 * Warm air from the hot pole melts glaciers on the night side, creating rivers, underground lakes, and small seas that flow through the twilight band into the day side
 * Conversely, cold air flows in, bringing periods of cold, dry weather
 * Warm air currents sometimes bring intense thunderstorms, creating wildfires and leaving large amounts of fulgurites on the ground.
 * Traces of a previous civilization here in the early Industrial Age

Geralyd

 * A dry, rugged world slightly smaller than Earth with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere
 * Trees are sparse, canyons and plateaus are widespread
 * Believed to have once had a moon that was destroyed within the last few thousand years, which prevented its tidal locking
 * The remains of the moon orbit the planet in a series of asteroid belts, providing an easily-mined resource
 * The dominant family of plants on the planet release pollen containing psychoactive agents, perhaps aiding in their propagation

Senlaxonu

 * The only planet in the system with definite Astatanian constructs
 * Signs of extensive terraforming; fossil records suggest life 'suddenly' appeared several million years ago, as with the other life-bearing planets in the system
 * How Astatanian technology remains functional over such an extensive period of time remains to be determined
 * Atmosphere is rich and suited to an unusually large range of species within TmC space
 * Unusually low density for a planet of its size; gravity is about .9x Earth
 * Diverse climate and ecosystems with countless species
 * High concentrations of Asterus on the surface

Beraygamu

 * The surface is composed mainly of silicates
 * Astatanian technology is nearly ubiquitous, with ancient structures poking out of the ground

Yytriad

 * A large, relatively 'peaceful' gas giant
 * Its low gravitational pull for a planet of its size make its abundant atmospheric terraforming gases, such as CO2, easy to collect
 * It doesn't seem unlikely that the gas giant itself was used to make or improve the habitability of some of the worlds in the system

Rhymalko

 * Tidal effects from Ytriad and its surrounding moons keep this world molten

Fryuj

 * A mild but waterless world with a high percentage of carbon; dating from soil samples indicate it is even older than the star it orbits
 * Scans reveal as much as a third of the planet consists of diamond, which is occasionally brought to the surface through volcanic activity
 * A few abandoned mines stand here, possibly from the Tiamold civilization

Tiamold

 * Oceanic, low-density world with a metal-poor core, resulting in a relatively weak magnetic field
 * Subsequently, the surface is bombarded by a higher-than-average amount of cosmic radiation
 * The planet is heavily irradiated beyond expected parameters for unknown reasons, perhaps the aftermath of a nuclear war?
 * Despite this, or possibly because of it, land-based plant life goes through an extremely accelerated life cycle, growing, producing seeds, and dying within a matter of weeks
 * Intelligence suggests this planet may be the homeworld of the Tenordrog

Moon Hezkowla

 * This small moon is overrun with life, with an abnormally high percentage of predators
 * The unbalanced ecosystem can likely be maintained only because of the especially fruitful plant life
 * The equivalent of DNA on this world is the same as Tiamold, indicating that either some degree of panspermia occurred, or that the same 'seed' was used to sow life on the two moons
 * Though exceedingly dangerous, even scientists have agreed that the beauty of the world is beyond compare
 * The Tiamold civilization attempted to settle here, but the state of their equipment suggests they were driven out shortly afterwards

Miuzetemi

 * A binary planet system, both of which have life
 * Miuzetemi is a vibrant, watery world, with untapped forests and jungles that span entire continents
 * Bears a striking resemblance to the homeworld of the Yugadd
 * Though Miuzetemi is the dominant planet in the system, Adnagow's tight rotation around it creates a tremendous amount of tectonic upheaval, resulting in frequent earthquakes and eruptions
 * If any civilization existed here, it was too primitive for any traces to be easily found

Adnagow

 * A dry, low-gravity world that is mostly unremarkable
 * Life is limited to bacteria and simplistic plants; fossil evidence suggests a massive extinction event occurred recently in its history

Vyladom

 * A large and chilly mountainous world kept habitable only by its thick atmosphere trapping greenhouse gases
 * However, the same atmosphere causes storms to be especially violent and sudden when they occur
 * The remainders of an Atomic-Age civilization are scattered throughout tunnel systems in some of the mountain ranges

Wehilak

 * A fairly unremarkable moon, aside from a few crashed satellites presumed to be from the Vyladom civilization

Dojagilv

 * A massive, stormy gas giant that defines the outer boundary of the Akirystis system

Umuykha

 * A cold, dense world kept warmer than expected via tidal heating
 * The lifeforms here share an uncanny resemblance to Zanforrin life
 * Unlike Zanforrin, a species of megafauna is the dominant lifeform, bordering on sapience

Heskeryi

 * A cold world with a toxic atmosphere of nitrogen and methane and oceans of liquid ammonia
 * Further studies could determine the presence of ammonia-based life on the moon

Xzevard

 * An airless, frozen moon that nevertheless is notable for its large reserves of liquid water under the ice

Jeilagry

 * An extremely cold but habitable world with poles that cover nearly three-quarters of the planet's surface
 * Dojagilv's gravity frequently draws in asteroids to its orbit