Kuzimu

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The Concord are the fourth group to come to Kuzimu. It didn’t take too long for this information to come to light upon the planet's discovery. Situated in a previously unexplored section of beacon space the Naraka system was not found on any maps of systems lost in the glitch but was seemingly not without contact with a group from known Beacon Space. Once again the Jailors had brought their wrath to an unsuspecting civilisation.

The first group to come to Kuzimu were an undetermined species. Clearly sentient but whether they were native inhabitants or another colony is not clear. What is clear is the effect they had on the planet and that they were insanely wealthy. The people are dead but the civilization's remains are huge and indisputable. Noble metals seemingly used as frivolous as stone and wood on other worlds. Entire cities of gold, streets lined with silver, platinum marking building shells. Truly the unimaginable wealth available to the planet's first inhabitants was exorbitant, marking every inch of their magnificent cities… or at least once magnificent cities.

While the remains of this first civilization are immense, visible even from orbit in some places, it is the remains of the second civilization that most defines the planet. Corrosive, acidic rain features as a near constant. Even the once noble cities with their resistance against corrosive elements have over time become worn down shells of their former glory. Entire cities of blooming beauty wilted to slag piles. So powerful is the acidic rain that even equipped with the highest tech equipment grants the user only 6-8 hours on the planet surface before their equipment is eaten through and it is no longer safe to proceed. Another monument to the atrocities of The Jailors. In coming to understand these cities the researchers have given the sites two monikers. Those admiring the legacy of these cities tend to refer to them as Noble cities or sites, after the noble metals that are composed of. Those with a more practical (or dismissive if not outright disrespectful depending on who you ask) refer to them as Slag cities or sites.

Whilst mostly a cold temperature the planet varies with the seasons and the resulting winds from the varying temperatures prove to be ample aids to the destructive capabilities of the world's corrosive rain. With the relative lack of sentient life for centuries now much of the planet is covered in temperate rainforests, with a greatly adapted floral biosphere. A necessity to survive the corrosive wrath of the Jailors. In a reverse from what is typical the beaches and riverbanks by the corrosive oceans and rivers are the areas with the least plant life, remaining mostly stark white and grey barren lands. With only a few outcroppings of the most highly adaptive plants and fungi that have now become reliant on the poisons and toxins the way other plants rely on water. In a curious twist the thickest areas of plant growth are around the ruins of the original inhabitants, often covering old buildings and dressing the precious metals in an outfit of verdant greens and vibrant flowers. Perhaps one last gift from the dead to the life of the planet.

The other most frequent geographical feature are extensive cave networks made from the effects of the corrosive toxins carving into the earth over the centuries since the Jailors wrath first came to Kuzimu. These extensive naturally formed cave networks also interlock with caves, sewage systems and underground buildings to make an extensive underground labyrinth that serves as the planet's greatest treasure and danger. Inside this cave system is a plethora of the least corroded metals, huge fortunes just waiting to be taken. Yet the time to not only get down to these caverns but to then get out again safely is a perilous journey. On top of these existent issues the cave systems are often susceptible to flash flooding when the rains intensify. With no idea which passages are safe and which are at risk it would only take a small storm to push through enough corrosive acid to wipe out an expedition. On top of this there are plenty of cracks and fissures that allow corrosive drips and streams to cause great damage to protective equipment. A mission in these cave systems could easily make or break any brave, or foolish, enough to try.

The third major geographical location is etched into one of the monuments to the first inhabitants. Whilst most of the transitways were the most susceptible to the corrosive atmosphere and if they remain at all are mere slag piles the largest transitway remains fairly recognisable. Leading between the two largest noble cities the transitway itself stretches over a third of the planet's surface from north to south. And around two thirds down that recogniseable causeway is a crater impact that has completely severed the otherwise mostly intact structure. As time has passed it has become hard to tell what happened at a mere glance but the scientists and engineers of The Concord have pieced together what occurred. This crater, now filled with a corrosive lake and beginning to have the same blanched banks as the other older toxic waterways, was the crash site of a ship. Unlike the noble metals of the original cities the materials of this spacefaring craft have been eroded and melted over time leaving nothing of the structure left, merely the crater it left in a haphazard landing. What remained however were the ship's inhabitants.

The third species to come to Kuzimu were the Blavhpa. A mammalian species native to the neighbouring planet in the system. It seems a group of them were able to escape the confinement of the quarantine and attempted to flee to space as refugees. However their attempts to escape their own planet led their ship to catastrophic failure, forced to crash land on Kuzimu instead of escaping into space. And time has not been kind to the Blavhpa. However long they have been on Kuzimu has led them to abandon civilization. They were successful in adapting to not be killed by exposure to the toxic chemicals of the world unless subject to extreme amounts but this rapid hybridisation came at great cost. Only fragments of their previous language remains, a few words and no longer using full sentences they have become feral in their harsh environment. Encounters with Concord explorers have been met with extreme hostility and if it is possible to help them in their plight is not clear since the dangers of even being on the planet make extended contact impossible.

For their part the Blavhpa mostly travel the jungles of Kuzimu as individuals or small family units and seem to display similar hostility to each other as to any offworlders encountered. The only exception it seems is in the area around the crater, which is partly how the anthropologists worked out what the crater was, seemingly sharing a kind of communal memory of the place where they first landed on the planet. Even so this peace is still marked by aggression; just to a lesser degree then the outright fights to the death that occur in other locations. This is where Blavhpa find partners where they would otherwise find violence. There is a certain sad existence to them, escaping one planet as refugees only to fall to such a state on this one.

The Blavhpa themselves consist of a fairly small torso with long and gangly limbs, double the length of the Torso. These long limbs help greatly in their arboreal lives, with rapid movement through both the jungles and the noble cities alike. With the exception of their face, hands and bottom of their feet the Blavhpa are born covered in bright blue furs that only remain as such for a short while. Blavhpa grow to maturity quite rapidly (just how rapidly has not yet been ascertained) and as such it can be hard to tell their age accurately. However over time the acid rains and toxins dye their furs. Mostly to various shades of green, with some examples of yellow, orange, red and purple in spots or patches. As such the younger the Blavhpa the bluer their coat of fur.

Whilst the Blavhpa did come from a planet with a higher tech level they do not currently possess either the machinery or the communication needed to create or use modern technology. Instead they utilise mostly sticks and stones to make rudimentary weapons to kill wildlife or each other. Nevertheless this lack of technology does not mean they are not dangerous to planetary visitors. Indeed the need for protective equipment, which is often bulky, heavy and or incredibly easy to damage, means that the Blavhpa are more than capable of being a threat to offworlders as any conflict with them is liable to leave a party with a greatly reduced time available to remain on the planet if not outright at risk of melted body parts. They are especially dangerous if encountered in the underground catacombs of the noble cities where they are far more familiar with the territory than exploration teams who do not have the benefit of orbital maps that are available of the planet surface.

Aranyláz Station
As the new visitors to the planet the Concord set about mapping out and recording both the system and the planets within. Upon noticing the rich noble metal resources on Kuzimu The Concord set up a refuelling station directly above the planet to serve as a base not only for their expansion in the rest of the sector southeast but to fuel missions to reclaim the metals on the planet and make use of them. Aranyláz Station also serves as the last stop to refuel before the extended journey back to known Beacon Space and as such serves several purposes in extending Concord power in the area, in addition to their control of Kuzimu and its resources.

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