Eralam
Character
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a planet for the Dead Planets contest
- Image Credit: Fragile-stock's DeviantArt page
- Canon: N/A
- Links: http://img08.deviantart.net/39c2/i/2007/323/6/1/blue_cloud_planet_2_0_by_fragile_stock.jpg
- Planet Name: Cors
- Demonym: N/A
- Region: Outer Rim
- System Name: Hexus
- System Features: Hexus, the star for which the system was named, is an unremarkable mid-sized yellow star. The inner system is comprised of three rocky planets. The closest to Hexus, Adas, is thought to contain vast quantities of heavy metals, as its density is far greater than its small size would suggest. Cors, the middle planet, is approximately the size of Coruscant, and has three small moons. The moons were referred to as The Three Sisters, Micha, Jala, and Sen. Micha and Jala have an equatorial orbit, while Jala follows a polar orbit. The outer system contains a single brown dwarf, a failed star. It is known as Mercia. Two of its 23 moons are thought to be habitable, but contain no known life. The only one with a proper name, Widowmaker, earned its moniker from the miners who attempted to tap its vast hydrocarbon reserves and lost their lives to its many dangers.
- Coordinates: 15:22, in the lower right corner of the hex.
- Major Imports: N/A
- Major Exports: N/A
- Gravity: Due to the nature of its demise, the gravity of Cors fluctuates wildly. On any given day, it can swing from .5G to 3.2G.
- Climate: The around the equator, where gravitational stresses are the most extreme, giant, gaping holes in the crust have created a volcanic wasteland. Towards the poles, the extreme cold brought on by the volcanic winter have created ice caps several kilometers thick. A thin band of land around the both the northern and southern hemispheres is technically habitable, though the extreme weather systems formed by masses of cold air sliding from the poles to the superheated air of the equator routinely scrub these arid plains bare.
- Primary Terrain: No liquid water remains on Cors. What's left is either frozen at the poles, or trapped in the atmosphere as vapor. As such, the thin habitable zones are arid wastelands. The equatorial region is a volcanic hellscape. Gaping holes in the crust produce unbearable heat, while the poles are covered in massive ice caps too frigid to support even the heartiest of unprotected life.
- Major Locations:Cors Prima- The ruins of the largest city on the planet, Cors Prima, cover much of the northern hemisphere. Much of it was lost to tectonic chaos or frozen over, and the storms that regularly scour the habitable zone have scattered the aboveground portions literally to the winds. However, an extensive network of tunnels runs beneath the surface, and there are rumors of vast vaults full of riches awaiting the intrepid or foolhardy.
- Hopia- What was once the primary military base on the planet is now fully encased in ice on the southern pole. Though its inhabitants are long dead and the base itself is covered by nigh impenetrable glaciers, sensor readings show vast heat sources through the ice. Steam regularly escapes through cracks, suggesting that there might be more to the base than meets the eye.
- Kaleal Canyon- A vast canyon that runs through the empty basin that use to be Cors's only ocean. The canyon is several kilometers deep, and stretches all the way from the southern ice caps, up through the volcanic zone, and terminates in the northern habitable zone. The canyon was mined extensively, before the destruction of Cors, as it cut through several vast seams of precious and exotic metals, such as gold, platinum, and iridium.
[*]Immigrated Species: N/A
[*]Population: Uninhabited
[*]Demographics: N/A
[*]Primary Languages: N/A
[*]Culture: What records have been found indicate that Cors was a peaceful society built around a religion that worshipped the Force. Force Users formed the clergy, who in turn administered everyday life. It was a highly ritualistic society, with a rigidly enforced caste system that somehow managed to avoid the excesses of similar societies. The lowest castes were not ostracized, but treated as valued citizens who performed necessary, if unpleasant, labors for the good of the whole. Despite its peaceful nature, Cors's mineral wealth brought it into conflict with its neighbors, and resulted the creation of a powerful droid based military.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
- Government: N/A
- Affiliation: N/A
- Wealth: Though the civilization that once called Cors home is long dead, it's said that fantastic vaults full of treasure exist, hidden in the ruins of its once mighty cities.
- Stability: Stable. The dead tend to be.
- Freedom & Oppression: A rigidly structured caste system governed by a powerful but benevolent theocracy created a society that, although not overtly oppressive, did not allow much in the way of individual freedom. However, in death, all are equal.
- Military: Because the people of Cors abhorred violence, its military was primarily droid based. Those who served in support roles were typically drawn from the lowest of castes. Their long destroyed navy was primarily geared towards the interdiction of pirates and smugglers, and its army towards small scale raids against encampments of the same. However, a vast droid army was created to defend Cors against all who would steal their wealth. What remains of this army is uncertain, but thermal activity under the southern ice caps suggest that portions may have survived the apocalypse that befell the rest of the planet.
- Technology: Cors technology was roughly equivalent to the rest of the galaxy at the time of its fall, with a few exceptions. Repulsorlifts were banned as heresy, and droids were only used to perform tasks that humans absolutely couldn't do, or that were proscribed by its religion.
Exactly when Cors was discovered is a mystery, as is the exact date of its demise. However, it's believed that the ruins are several thousand years old. Since the dead were spared the ravages of plague or the Netherworld disappearances, the world was untouched by the devastation of the 400 years of darkness.
Many planets have been destroyed over the course of galactic history, but few have died a more pointless or stupid death.
Cors was originally settled by refugees from one of the many wars spawned by the Jedi and the Sith's mutual desire to be the last Force sect standing. The settlers were from a cult that recognized neither the absolute power of the Dark Side, nor the absolute good of the Light, and instead preached that balance and moderation were the keys to living in harmony. This naturally made them dangerous to both sides, for whom the very concept of moderation was anathema. The only thing that saved them from complete destruction was the fact that, with their religion came several rather odd beliefs that made it just a bit too radical for the average galactic citizen.
And so, they were allowed to settle the Hexus system, an uninteresting chunk of real estate far away from the Core, where citizens frustrated with the neverending sectarian feud wouldn't be tempted to give up repulsorlifts or recreational intoxicants if it meant giving up the Jedi and the Sith.
As the original colonies flourished, thanks to abundance of fertile land, temperate climate, and robust trade in precious metals, Cors developed one of the more prosperous societies in the Outer Rim. Their society boasted an unusually high number of Force sensitives, as most of the original colonists had some level of sensitivity. As time passed, they developed a caste system where one's connection to the Force determined one's status. The most sensitive individuals joined the clergy, which in turn controlled the government. The ten most powerful Force Users on the planet formed the ruling council, who held the majority of executive and judicial power, while a senate oversaw the creation of laws. Though one could argue that their government was tyrannical, it was ultimately benevolent, as the religion's emphasis on moderation for the good of all curbed much of the excesses that would plague similar governments throughout history.
That same moderation that led the ruling class to live humble lives prevented the caste system from being wholly abusive of the lower castes. Though those who had little to no connection to the Force could never rise above their station, they had rights and legal status. Though their lives were often more difficult than their more privileged brethren, their value to society was recognized, and their contributions celebrated.
Some even found something like real power, as the trade in precious metals and the great wealth accumulated by the unusually prosperous planet brought with it the attention of pirates. Violence was strictly forbidden by the religion for the upper castes, but the lowest caste, the non-sensitives, had no such restriction. Thus, they made up the bulk of the law enforcement and military, both of which were geared towards defending Cors from pirating and smuggling. However, the possibility for a planetwide invasion was recognized, and so the ruling caste authorized the creation of a droid army, kept in the furthest reaches of the south pole and isolated from the rest of society. The commanding general could realistically have overthrown the planetary government under his or her control, but the records indicate that they had no such intentions at the time of the planet's demise.
However benevolent the government might have been, eventually hubris did begin to creep in, and it was that hubris that saw Cors's destruction.
One of their chief researchers, an immensely talented fellow whose connection to the Force would have eventually landed him a spot on the ruling council, believed that he had discovered the secret to true anti-gravity that relied on the Force rather than artificial means. Though repulsors were banned for religious reasons, the quest for an alternative was a serious pursuit for the academic community. According to documents found in the ruins, this researcher's theories, though flawed, were in the bounds of what was possible, and so he received approval to carry out his master plan: create a planet-wide field that would allow anyone with a connection to the Force to soar effortlessly through the air, without the need for crude machinery.
For decades, he and his team refined their methods. Initial testing was wildly successful. One incident that survived in the records showed that for an entire local day, the citizens of Cors Prima had unfettered access to the skies. Buoyed by success, the researcher successfully lobbied the ruling council to allow his planet-wide field's creation.
Exactly what went wrong is unknown. There might have been sabotage, or perhaps the calculations were in error. Much of the history of the days and weeks leading up to the planet's destruction were lost in the cataclysm. What is known is that, shortly after the field's activation, gravity began behaving unpredictably, decreasing and increasing randomly. At first, the shifts were minor, a few fractions of a percentage of a G, but they rapidly increased in intensity and duration. After an unknown amount of time, one of the spikes proved fatal for every living thing on the planet as gravity increased to well over 1,000 Gs, just for a fraction of a second. Anything protoplasm based was instantly crushed. Though many of the structures managed to survive the short duration swing, widespread collapses occurred in all major cities, and much of the network of tunnels under the major cities collapsed.
The spike actually compressed the planet itself, resulting in its current, highly hostile form, and is thought to have altered the orbit of the moons significantly. Even if anyone had survived, the combination of volcanic winter and altered tides would have made the world uninhabitable after a time.
Though the field generating equipment was destroyed, the effects still linger, resulting in gravitational fluctuations that can be seen today. The regular compression and expansion of the world fuels much of Cors's current tectonic activity at the equator.
Over the years, expeditions have uncovered evidence that the vast vaults of the Cors cities remain intact. Since they had little desire for ostentatious displays of material wealth and little trust in electronic currency, much of the planet's income was stored in the form of ingots of precious metals and jewels, both of which could be trusted to retain their value over long periods of time. Though none of these vaults have been discovered, the enterprising explorer could find literally incalculable fortunes, waiting below the surface. Sure, they'd have to brave unstable tunnels, gravity, extreme weather, and Force knows what else to find them, but they remain there, none the less.
Additionally, the remains of the southern military base might hold treasures for anyone brave enough to find them. Though it's not known how much of the droid army survived (it seems unlikely that any would have, but stranger things have happened), there were rumors and references found in remaining records that hint that prototypes of the anti-gravity field might be found there. Such a device might be nothing more than a curiosity, or it might prove valuable to anyone who can make it work. However, Cors's ultimate fate stands as a warning to anyone who thinks to make it work on too large a scale.
