The Major
M E M O R Y
Midlothlaan: a moon in the shadow of its gas giant -Ambrosia
Looking upwards from the surface during the day in the hospitable zone
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To create a unique planet for the purpose of facilitating RP for personal storylines and further expand potential locations of future storylines for the First Order other factions.
Image Credit (In order of appearance):
Erikshoemaker -interstellar wormhole
venombbaby
Quaz
frejagelii
wallpaperstudio10
saatchi gallery
Freiheitskampfer
astroloski institut
la vita distress
Canon: No
Links: N/A
GENERAL INFORMATION
Planet Name: Midlothlaan
Demonym: Midlothian
Region: Inner Rim
System Name: Nikol System
System Features:
Star - Nikol, a type A main sequence star 2.5 times the size of Sol
Planets - Ambrosia, a type III gas giant roughly 2 AUs away from Nikol, it’s three main moons (Midlothlaan, Karkandlaan, and Eldlilaan) an asteroid belt that follows and bisects Ambrosia collectively called the Ambrosial Tears, and a number of uncatalogued icy dwarfs make up the system’s outer reaches.
Rotational Period - although tidally locked with Ambrosia, Midlothlaan orbits around its parent planet once every 121 hours, meaning days in direct sunlight and night last roughly five standard days.
Orbital Period - Ambrosia completes its orbit of Nikol once every 730 days.
Coordinates: L, 28 - left of Jandur in the galactic map
Major Imports: metals, food, preventive irradiation drugs or gear, and thermal products
Major Exports: methane based fuels, psychoactive drugs, overpriced bottled water, and chemical treatment compounds. (Also used to store excess gas harvested from Ambrosia before further export).
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Typical view from the surface of Midlothlaan during the height of “day.”
Gravity: Standard
Climate: Temperate, but colder and drier; extremely windy. Hospitable regions are typically -25 degrees C during the colder months up to about 5 degress C during summer. Temperatures drop drastically on the dark side of planet.
Primary Terrain: Snowy mountains surrounded by vast forests, lichen fields, cold swamps near the seas, and tundra on the sides that mostly are hit by sunlight; rocky, violently dispersed terrain and frozen wasteland filled with choking methane mists on the side that faces away. Cryovolcanic eruptions and dark oceans mixed with water and chemicals makes passage through this zone extremely dangerous without special precautions. Massive vertical outcroppings crunch and crumble into sky which supports a massive ice shelf that reforms throughout the seasons. From the surface the fractured lights give a person looking upwards the impression that they are looking at distant stars that twinkle unnaturally, along with thinner sections of the shelf that look like strangely colored nebulae. Shifting auras that resemble borealis and oddly bent light can cause a tourist to imagine glowing clouds, meteor showers, and as though bizarre specters watch from the sky. This shelf is generally thin, never growing more than a few hundred meters in thickness before the weight causes sheets to peel off and rain down. During the daylight hours one can almost always make out Ambrosia and its various moons as shadowy shapes hanging over the crystalline glitter.
Major Locations:
The Tundral Edges:
This area is dominated by vast, sweeping mountains and forests upon the edge of the moon’s habitable zone. Typically this area is unsafe during the “summer” due to the off chance that a chunk of ice from the overhead shelf could fall. Avalanches are also possible upon the treacherous slopes, so caution is recommended when traversing these areas. Generally this area is very poorly monitored and so fringer types and survivalists can be found making a rough living -or likely one may find their stripped corpses if the snow hasn’t buried them first...
The Abysmal Wastes:
Large oceans of mixed chemicals and water are the most common sight in these areas. Vast, mighty currents are fueled by geothermal activity from the planet’s core, and earthquakes often cause splits in the ocean floor that not only allows for more superheated materials to bubble forth but also produces tsunamis that make living upon the boundaries of these seas impossible. This danger is not the only worry for those foolish enough to be stranded here -noxious fumes and mists commonly pass over the seas. Although the area can be described as “hauntingly beautiful” due to the wonderful sight of catching an ice shower, where tiny droplets of ice slowly fall to the surface of the methane seas from the ice shelf above and shine as they reflect what scant light permeates this section. It is theorized that methane based organisms can be sustained by the warm seas -enabling all types of underwater creatures to thrive. There is currently no way to confirm this with the sparse population and little interest since it doesn’t directly deal with survival or the common trades upon the world, although foreign empires may find such exploration rewarding. Locals, soaked deeply in superstition, often tell tales to their children of levathians and sirens that would sing to the unwary to lure them into becoming dinner -though this is only to keep foolish kids from wandering too close to the dangerous shores due to natural calamity.
The Ice Shelf:
A large portion of the moon contends with a sheet of everlasting ice that morphs with the passing seasons. Suspended by harrowed, icy pillars that tower high into the sky, many gaps and openings exist that allow for craft to pass to and fro from the hospitable zone. It’s especially useful for transporting large containers filled with unrefined gas that are then sold to nearby star systems for creating blaster ammo. Nobody is stupid enough to try to live on top of the shelf even though there is much more light on its surface. The atmosphere is thin up here and it’s cold enough to kill without highly specialized, heated suits.
Hospitable Zone (lights of Sarlaan in distance):
Despite the strange sights overhead, this section of the planet is most comparable to resort and seafaring towns in colder climes. Heated lakes are primarily made up of water and it’s common to come across geysers and other such geothermal wonder across the area. Saunas and competitive water sports are wildly popular in the various towns across the sector. A vast majority of the moon’s population resides in this aptly named area.
Sarlaan, Capital of Midlothlaan:
A bustling, tight knit, bright, and sassy “city” that serves as the moon’s seat of government and main port. Sporting a humble population just a bit shy of 30,000 souls, most of the populace concerns itself with the various jobs that comes with harvesting gas from Ambrosia. Average citizens work here in two day (by moon standard) stents and reside within the town during their turns whilst tolerating tourists. Once a work tour is complete the worker then returns to their abode somewhere in the safe zone where they rotate. Work is typically done seasonally due to the shifting, steady weather -thus every person usually works in three to four different trades throughout the lunar year. This both supports their community and livelihood throughout the seasons. Craftsmen are especially lauded, as a vast market is supported by the constant need to repair, improvise, and maintain all kinds of survival equipment. Because of the rather monotone and dreamy hues that can be found in nature, homeworlders are fond of using bright colors and paint for their buildings and clothes in an effort to break up visual monotony. A foreigner might find the garish use of the color wheel tacky or folksy. Recreational, psychoactive hallucinogens are produced as byproduct of refinement and sold offworld in surprising quantities, though their use on planet by the populace is generally seen as degenerative.
Lifeblood of the Moon’s economy (Eldlilaan is pictured in the distance)
Station L39B799:
A gradual work over generations, this gas mining station is bog standard and even crude in its implementation, but this is where most of the system’s fledgling economy grows. Nondescript and the very definition of jury-rigged engineering, Midlothians dare not let their constant repairs slip for fear of compromising the structural integrity of the station. It has been always been this anyway, and any old codger working the shift over Ambrosia could swear it was this way. What passes as a governmental body in this forlorn sector of space have been courting with various galactic factions, seeking a body that would co-opt a complete overhaul of the structure and increasing trade with this often ignored sector of space. Recently, the imperial faction known as the First Order has drawn its borders towards the upper reaches of the Inner Rim; a diplomatic envoy of engineers provided by the illustrious minions of the Supreme Leader toured the structure and provided an analytical appraisal that proved invaluable to the locals. Future diplomatic talks are still being drafted as the local government awaits any competitors to make counteroffers. With the right kind of investment, the station could be a treasure trove for cheap blaster and spaceship fuel.
POPULATION
Native Species: None besides local plant life. Unknown or forgotten extremophile life forms in the Abysmal Seas.
Immigrated Species: Mirialan, Human, Chiss, Firrerreo, Echani, other Near Human species
Population: Sparsely populated (appx. 51,211 as of last census in 850ABY)
Demographics: Although all manner of Near Human species can be found on the moon, with Mirialans making up the largest demographic with humans being a close second, all manner of species with a tolerance for cold can be found in Sarlaan in forms of tourism.
Primary Languages: Basic, but with an offhand dialect and accent when spoken between fellow homeworlders that often combines words in Basic to make speaking faster.
Culture: Outwardly people on Midlothlaan are very friendly, and they value politeness, independence, and privacy above all else but this only extends to a very specific type of person. Rudeness and meddling in a neighbor's business are actions that are typically seen as disgusting on the planet -so a tourist might share a warm conversation with a stranger on the Moon, and suddenly experience a blunt, taciturn situation if they delve into the wrong topic. This is especially the case if one were to make a point of questioning the pervasive, almost sinister type of racism that can be witnessed by the locals to non-near-human species. Locals have a distinct despondency and mistrust of non-humanoid groups and some historical evidence collected by explorers who reeducated the people of this world points to a number of pogroms or exile of non-human races. A number of specialized slurs can be heard in conversation and a number of laws exist that specifically are biased against such aliens. Even today, with an outpouring of tolerance existing across the galaxy, it’s not rare for a non-human tourist to be somehow swindled, or in some cases buried deep in ice. Other than that the average citizen is literate and requires the intelligence to work a number of trades, but what really solidifies their unity as a culture is the requirement of every homeworlder to serve in the militia from puberty for no less than one financial quarter of per year baring incurable injury. Every person is trained with firearms and various melee tools along with survival skills which includes radiation poisoning, foraging, and improvising shelter in the wastes. Unfortunately, a hardy lifestyle and constant working has caused arts and musical pursuits to be placed on the backburner on the moon. It is extremely rare to find a worthy actor or musician on this moon, and the most popular form of artistry is the use oral histories traded to children as folklore and poetry.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
Government: Oligarchic Stratocracy
Affiliation: Midlothian government (no external galactic affiliation or corporate sponsorship as of yet)
Wealth: Medium
Stability: High, people are generally expected to know their place and to play their part for the good of the community. Outliers and renegades either: leave, are exiled, are forced to rough it as a fringer on the Tundral Edges, or end up sunken in the seas.
Freedom & Oppression: The state, the civilian body, mining operations, and services are all technically part of the militia, so there is a sort of rigidness and excellence of physical form that all citizens are pressured to partake in without question. Religion is frowned upon due to a checkered past fueled by isolationism.
MILITARY & TECHNOLOGY
Military: Every citizen owns a crafted blaster or weapon of some sort, so escaping the eyes of the militia is impossible unless one chooses to live far away from the capital. A great deal of credit is spent on acquiring weapon systems and training citizens in their use, so one could say the city of Sarlaan could serve as a paramilitary force in a pinch, and would provide cold Hell for any invading force that would be foolish enough to allow them to engage in guerilla or asymmetric warfare.
Technology: Above average survival, thermal, and hydroponic technology, with below average entertainment or personal tech.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Unbeknownst from any local record and lost to time, the Nikol system was colonized during the outbreak of the Gulag Plague centuries ago. A mad dash from the Outer Rim caused many a spacer to flee to any climate that was even marginally survivable. At some point as the sickness spread it was desperately theorized that prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation could prevent cells from becoming infected. This caused a massive outpouring of investment from a coalition of nations to take place in the form of research into a vaccination. Massive towers were constructed to test an unimaginable number of subjects with various diseases in different temperatures and levels of ionization, and although extensive testing was done no further proof or reason could be found to curtail the dreaded plague. An army of engineers and scientists descended upon the world, further expanding upon the massive towers with huge piles of rock mined from the dark side of Midlothlaan. These were used as improvised support and the ice shelf was constructed, its intent to cover the world from some portion of direct sunlight and to create a single biome that would best shield from the ravages of the disease. At this point the coalition believed the best course was to seal itself off form further interaction with galaxy in the hopes of protecting itself form the virus. As the shelf was completed a number of genetically modified trees, plants, and grains were introduced to produce a more balanced level of oxygen and to lay the framework for farming. All was set for the continuing of research, or at the very least, staying closed off to survive once the worst passed. While some measure of success was discovered in the form of genetic breakthroughs and immunization from other types of sickness, the Gulag Plague proved all powerful, and there was never sufficient credit or time to reach the desired goal.
Time ran out. Two warring factions eventually turned their gaze to the system and attempted to secure the scientific safe haven by force. A number of battles took place around the moon which led to the destruction of a number of the support pillars. As offworlders continued to come and expand the stalemate on the surface at some point the plague was discovered spreading along the front, leading to this system’s demise as the plague ravaged the populace, leaving nobody behind that was willing to fight the war. The modern citizenry, ignorant of this history, are unaware that their racial bias to non near humans derived from this conflict, because patient zero on the moon happened to be an unlucky Rodian. Legends were passed down orally for decades regarding the impurity and weakness of such races, and so the once vibrant, strange world fell to tribalism. Thus to this day the ice shelf remains broken in many places. Furthermore, the dark side of the moon was never had its terraforming completed and so the equipment was lost as earthquakes and cryovolcanoes reclaimed the land abused by sentient beings.
It is unclear how the survivors of the plague managed to survive during the dark ages, but some folklore does lyrically point to signs that the various groups formed primitive tribal bands and eventually resorted to clan fighting. The near humans, able to cross breed and especially adaptable to the cold, took prominence. With time these larger tribes combined and ousted or killed any they didn’t like, and would lead to the ingrained racism that could still be brushed upon to this day. Superstition would lead to cultism. The largest clans would organize ritualized hunts and sacrifices, first picking on any non humanoid found, and eventually turning its ire upon those dissenting towards the chieftains. For many generations the various cults and tribes served as the only form of culture on the ruined world. Written work was generally discarded in pursuit of survival and not much exists in the form of records to this day.
It was in this sorry state, centuries later, that Midlothlaan was rediscovered by a team of explorers seeking to remap the known galaxy contracted by a noble family from the core. Drawn in by curiosity these foreigners, known only as the House of Gainsborough, these eccentrics were charmed by the tribal appeal of the superstitious locals and vistas of the ruined landscape, taking it upon themselves to settle upon the moon, recivilizing the clans, introducing vital medicines, and providing written culture upon the moon. This process proved to be a difficult, long suffering process. A generation with what one might describe as "savages" had to pass before the moon's children would start to comprehend written text and use of the holonet. A school was established and this building would eventually form the basis of the town of Sarlaan. It was Gainsborough nobles who built the mining station and named the gas giant, training the locals in its operation and eventually arming them as a protective militia. All traces of modern culture and technology can be traced back to the influence of the Earl of Gainsborough, although for some reason no direct relative can be found on the world. The family's official residence now serves as the living quarters of the acting Mayor of Sarlaan. Rumors circulate that a hidden estate lays somewhere in the Tundral Edges, cloaked away by the ever shifting waves of ice. While heading out in a gang to the area and searching is a sort of rite of passage for the moon’s youth, no sign has yet to be discovered, causing the title and name to be one of hush and mystery.
Perhaps, the good Earl is simply waiting for the right person to try and look...
