Lore

The Dark

Xi'an · History

The Dark (MXY II.1706 - II.1824; SEY 1305 - 1457) was a period at the end of the Second Imperial Age in which the Xi'an had no ruling Imperial House. Due to the destruction caused by the Spirit Wars (MXY II.961 - II.1735; SEY 351 - 1342), the Xi'an were unable to unify and…

Second Imperial Age

History · Xi'an

The Second Imperial Age, ruled by House Xy.ō, was the shortest dynasty in Xi'an history, lasting over 1700 MXY. During this time, Xi'an explorers discovered multiple planetary systems and expanded the borders of the Xi'an Empire (SaoXy'an). In MXY II.914 (SEY 291), they achieved…

Centennial Bloom (Pui'arai.ly'ii)

Plants · Xi'an

Centennial Bloom The centennial bloom (pui'arai.ly'ii) is a plant indigenous to Ko'li (Ē'aluth III) that flowers once every 100 Modern Xi'an Years (MXY). Many centennial blooms are tended on R.aip'uāng (Kai'pua II), the center of Li'tova in the Xi'an Empire (SaoXy'an). Like the…

Midnight Calathea

Plants

The midnight calathea is a plant created by Rayari Inc to survive in extremely low light conditions. As opposed to the green of most plants commonly found on the Human homeworld Earth (Sol III), the midnight calathea's leaves run from deep purple to dark red, and are embossed…

House Xy.ō

Xi'an · History

Xy.ō was the second Imperial House (Yii'uaTao") in the Xi'an Empire (SaoXy'an). Selected by other major Houses in II.0 (878 BCE), the new Emperor Y.ah'a se Xy.ō and the rest of her House commemorated the terraforming of R.aip'uāng (Kai'pua III) to be a spiritual center of…

Tyrol II

Planets

Tyrol II is a terrestrial planet in the unclaimed Tyrol system, and is the second world from its two suns. An iron planet, it is composed mainly of heavy metals, and has only a scant silicate surface. Scientists believe that Tyrol I once had a thick crust and mantle that was…

Branaugh I

Planets

Branaugh I is a terrestrial planet in the Branaugh system. Mostly covered in lava rock from ancient volcanic eruptions, the planet has a black surface interspersed with cracks of gray and brown. Because of its dark color, it reflects very little light and is difficult to see…

Oretani VI

Planets

Oretani VI is the sixth planet from the sun of the lost Oretani system. Located on the very outskirts of the system, the planet has an orbit that takes thousands of days to complete. Oretani VI is largely dark red in color, caused by the presence of a hydrocarbon sludge on its…

Yulin V

Planets

Yulin V is the fifth planet from the sun of the Yulin system, Banu Protectorate. An ice giant, its hydrogen and helium atmosphere contains water, ammonia, and methane ice that combine to give the planet a uniform pale blue color. Its strong equatorial winds feed storm systems…

Oberon (Sol 7e)

Moons

Oberon (Sol 7e) is a moon of Uranus (Sol VII), United Empire of Earth (UEE). Slightly red in color, it likely obtained its hue from the accretion of materials from other parts of the Uranus system. Meteorite impacts have also knocked ice from the surface, leaving dark, non-ice…

Garron I

Planets

Garron I is the first planet from the sun of the Garron system, United Empire of Earth (UEE). A terrestrial planet, its proximity to its star has led to the formation of vast seas of lava. As it rotates on its axis, cycling through day and night, the dark side of the surface…

Degnous Root

Plants

Degnous root is a type of macroalgae that has medical applications when processed. Discovered along the shallow coastlines of Prime in Terra (Terra III), it was found to contain complex amino acids and was initially used as a dietary supplement. The degnous root has soft flesh…

Kilian XI

Planets

Kilian XI is a blue-green gas giant in the Kilian system, United Empire of Earth (UEE). Designated as a fuel supply world by the UEE military, it is surrounded by automated harvesting platforms that gather resources from the planet for refinement. Dark storm spots appear and…

Calliope (Stanton 4a)

Moons · Human

Calliope is a cold, windy moon of microTech (Stanton IV), named after the mythical muse of epic poetry and eloquence from ancient Earth (Sol III). Due to the high winds and extreme cold, weather suits worn by visitors to the planet are known to fail, particularly on the moon's…

Caliban 4f

Moons

Caliban 4f is the sixth moon from the gas giant Caliban IV, Caliban system, located in Vanduul territory. Rich in carbon, it is dark in color, and reflects very little light from its distant sun. Copious tholins caused by millenia of ultraviolet radiation cast a reddish tint on…

Oso VI

Planets

Oso VI is a dwarf planet in the Oso system, and is the last planet from its star. Uniform in appearance, its surface is coated in tholin, a hydrocarbon sludge that colors the world dark red and covers up deep layers of methane and water ice. Like neighboring planet Oso V, it is…

Tayac II

Planets

Tayac II is a gas giant in the Tayac system, United Empire of Earth (UEE). Its planetary rings are among the largest and densest in the known universe. Visitors to Tayac often take special trips to see the rings up close during their time in the system. Postcards featuring the…

Iapetus (Sol 6e)

Moons

Iapetus (Sol 6e) is a moon of Saturn (Sol VI), United Empire of Earth (UEE). Tidally locked to Saturn, the leading hemisphere of the moon is much darker than that of the trailing hemisphere, giving it a striking two-tone coloration. Dust that has fallen from Saturn's rings over…

Caliban 4d

Moons

Caliban 4d is the fourth moon from the gas giant Caliban IV, Caliban system, located in Vanduul territory. Composed of silicate rock, it has a water-ice crust with a very smooth surface that completely covers a moon-wide ocean of liquid salt water. The ice is laced with dark…

Violet Curcuma

Plants

The Violet Curcuma is a genetically modified plant created by Rayari Inc. to grow on newly terraformed worlds that orbit dim stars. Given a fractal structure to aid in the absorption of available light, the plant is dark in color, with deep purplish red and green leaves. The…

The Red God (Nexus V)

Planets

Nexus V is a gas giant in the Nexus system, United Empire of Earth (UEE), and is the most distant planet from its sun. Nicknamed "The Red God" by locals, its swirling, stormy atmosphere is a mix of swirling shades of red with streaks of dark brown. Although the origin of the…

Kyuk'ya II

Planets

Kyuk'ya II is the second planet from the suns of the Kyuk'ya system, Xi'an Empire. Due to its acutely tilted axis, it experiences extreme variation in its seasons. For nearly a quarter of each year, the suns shine directly over one of the poles, plunging the rest of the planet…

Caliban 4c

Moons

Caliban 4c is the third moon from the gas giant Caliban IV, Caliban system, located in Vanduul territory. Small and dark, its reddish-brown surface is dusted with iron oxide. The abundant presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes any iron in the dust to oxidize and…

Erna (Virgil 3a)

Moons

Erna (Virgil 3a) is the first moon from Virgil III, Virgil system, located in Vanduul territory. Partially coated in water ice, the parts of its surface that are uncovered are rife with deep craters and long, steep, and deep chasmata. Some of its cliffs reveal dark layers…