Arrbi Betna
Marauder
Name: Be'chaaj Kranak (Distant/Afar Island-Fort), also known as Ciryc'pirun Kranak (Ice/Frozen Water Island-Fort) and Ciryc'pirun Ruus (Ice/Frozen Water Rock)
Classification: Large Island, small and tiny islands nearby
Location: Mandalore, Southern Pole
Size: Large island (Big enough for a few large, rocky outcroppings and a town-sized settlement) with a few smaller islands (mostly rock) and tiny islands (more rock) nearby.
Population: Insignificant.
Demographics: Wildlife, occasional Mandalorian ice fisherman or explorer
Points of Interest: Be'chaaj Kranak itself holds the ancient ruins of an old, decayed Taung fortress. Very little remains today, but structural outlines and the occasional stone wall can be found along with various buried artifacts here and there.
Description and History:
Be'chaaj Kranak has existed since Mandalore's surface cooled. The island's name, when translated from Mando'a, literally means "Distant Island-Fortress" though it also has been referenced as Ciryc'pirun Kranak (Ice/Frozen Water Island-Fort) and Ciryc'pirun Ruus (Ice/Frozen Water Rock) due to the frigid, subzero temperatures in the area during the cold months.
Originally believed to be a Taung military outpost, ancient ruins can be found here and there on the island. Primarily the remains of stone walls or buildings and the structural outlines of various structures, Mandalorian archaeologists believe it was a type of communications or observation post erected soon after the species settled the planet. Now, though, aside from the rotting walls and stones, only artifacts remain buried beneath the ice and rock.
The island is surrounded by a small number of smaller and tiny islands in a seemingly random pattern. At first, this was believed to be due to volcanic activity. Research, however, pointed out that the island scatter and underwater geography points to a meteor strike long before the planet was colonized and settled. For half the year, the island is locked in ice and is impossible to reach by boat. For the other half of the year, the island alternates between harsh, vicious storms and seemingly tranquil weather while the frigid, icy waters of the southern polar seas wash around and between the islands there.
