Dynae

The planet Dynae (/dɪˈneɪ/) in the 0609 Teuthem system is the home world of the Tahora Whai. Once a beacon of life and biodiversity, a great calamity befell the planet and today it is a shadow of its former glory. Several million inhabitants, both alien and human, live on and around the planet. For three hundred years, the atmosphere was rendered inhospitable to common life by harsh compounds released into the air during The Great Cataclysm. Recent terraforming efforts have begun to stabilize and clean up the air, but large salt flats, deserts, and dead biomes are constant reminders of the tragic event.

Etymology
Prior to human contact, the planet had several different names, and often changed depending on the various powers that controlled Teuthem space, these names are only preserved in academic circles. When it was first observed by humans, the planet caught the light of the Teuthem star reflecting a golden glow; the explorers remarked that it had the lustre and shine of a coin like was once used on Earth. They named the planet 'Dynae, after the Dinar, one of those ancient coins. For centuries the planet Dynae provided ample resources and life to the various peoples who settled there, but with the Great Cataclysm the planet’s surface has been marred and tarnished. The memory of the first explorers of Dynae descriptions of the planet are hard to imagine given its blasted surface and hostile atmosphere.

“When the sun hits it juuuust right, it looks like a gold doubloon; albeit one that’s spent most of its life inside a rusty gearbox.”

The Great Cataclysm
Dynae’s current state is a result of The Great Cataclysm, the final death-throe of a defeated counter-revolutionary force. Rebelling against the technological marvels and societal shifts that followed the creation of the Vāk, The Discordant made war on the Tahora Whai and perpetuated destructive cycles that the revolution sought to end. A year after the resounding defeat and scattering of the Discordant fleets after the Battle of Jotun, agents of the Discordant detonated munitions and volatile material under the surface of the planet. Despite the immense loss of life and devastation of Dynae, this attack failed to eliminate the Whai and many still endured life on the planet. Some scholars point to this calamity as a unifying force for Dynaeans as the video-borne population provided aid and assistance to the isolated surface dwellers.

Pre-Cataclysm
Dynae by all accounts was once a bountiful and idyllic world. Although based solely on circumstantial evidence, it is widely believed that a precursor species engineered Dynae’s climate. Endemic flora and fauna were commonly hybridized with introduced species from the colonizers. Together, hospitable climate, atmosphere, and biosphere facilitated widespread crop production, a fundamental requirement for sustained settlement. In time, cites, metropolises, and governments controlled the planet.

Much of the intricacies of the various climate bands, interwoven biodiversity, and weather phenomena of Dynae before the cataclysm are more-or-less simply academic curiosities.

Post-Cataclysm
The explosions associated with the Great Cataclysm drove caustic and corrosive minerals that had been trapped in the rocks of Dynae into the atmosphere, and settled in the soils, rivers, and oceans. What settlements that didn’t get eradicated in the initial wave fell victim to the ensuing fallout. All but the hardiest plants and bacteria died within weeks. Most wild fauna met worse fates with succumbing to the toxins directly or dying of starvation and exposure as their habitats vanished around them.

The vast amounts of dust and debris launched into the atmosphere reflected much of the energy of the Tuethem star and initially rapidly cooled the planet’s surface mimicking the effects of nuclear winter. However, once a majority of the clouds of ash and dust settled the remaining compounds and released gases created an insulating blanket trapping stellar heat and swung the pendulum rapidly in the opposite direction. Ping-ponging from one climatic extreme to the other laid waste to the planet’s once diverse and plentiful biosphere. Remarkably several thousand Dynaeans braved these decades of climatic and atmospheric terror and survived.

Over time, most of the hazardous particulates fell out of the thin alpine atmospheres and high-altitude settlements were erected. On mountain ridges and along the highest plateaus redesigned cities and towns sprung up; often built into inert rock to protect against the elements.

Dynae’s water cycle was radically upset by the Great Cataclysm. Across the various climate zones of the planet, droughts followed by acidic rain gave a one-two punch decimating the flora. Many lakes and inland seas dried up over the subsequent decades leaving behind vast salt-flats and featureless plains. Where rain still fell, erosion and landslides erased much of the infrastructure of the Dynaean civilization, isolating the surviving population. Clean water is a rare commodity as rainwater requires exhaustive purification, many glaciers on the planet have thick layers of contaminated snow and ice, and the violent explosions and shock during the calamity created fissures in the rock that allowed poisonous salts into many underground reservoirs. Surface water, for the most part, is beyond practically salvageable with local technology.

Atmospheric Terraforming
With the technologies and methods developed and implemented in the terraforming of Telas, the Tahora Whai dedicated their resources to reverse many of the symptoms of the devastation of Dynae. The lessons of Telas and discoveries from the newly explored systems of the Kikorangi o te Tahora Whai provided scientists with the means to improve the blasted atmosphere. And while the surface of the planet remains a harsh wasteland in many respects–salt flats, deserts, and badlands make large swaths of the planet mostly forsaken–the advancements have increased the habitability and opened up newly arable lands.

Atmospheric Scrubbers
Large filtration systems established near population centers draw the wind into large ducts to be cleaned. Cyclonic separators drop out dust and other fine particulates from the air which is then treated with chemical conditioners to soften the output. The resultant air is suitable for many species but it remains encouraged to have a breather on hand lest a dust storm or mechanical failure comes in. Wearing respirators and masks is still commonplace among the surface population and will remain an entrenched cultural signifier for the group.

Green Belts and Soil Revitalization
Around terrestrial settlements, the Tahora Whai have introduced a new engineered plant species inspired by the algae ubiquitous on the western world Puluhan. Not as immiscible as the parent species, this Dynaean plant is just as hardy and able to survive in the dry conditions. Whai scientists have also focused traits to enzymatically break down corrosive compounds and fix the inert byproducts into the soil in a process of biosequestration. After a few seasons of regular tiling and maintenance, the soils are stable enough to introduce basic grasses and cover crops to further enrich the soil for agricultural potential. These plants further clean the air and hold onto the soil with their root systems, preventing sandstorms and dust bowls from accelerating catastrophically.

Centuries of soil free farming and looted rations have solidified the diet of Dynaeans. Terrestrial agriculture was for a long time limited to the micro climate of Hōkūpa'a plateau and was in many ways a lost art. While several aeroponics and aquaculture facilities provided staples to the people, they are costly to maintain and only a bandage for the food crisis. Instruction on how to develop soils, plan out farms, and general crop cultivation is underway across the planet. Seeds vaults are opening once more to return the planet to its former glory although many cling to the canned comfort foods and potted meat over fresh produce.

Water and Cloud Seeding
The skies of Dynae are full of invisible dangers such as caustic rain and aerosolized salts since the great cataclysm. However, recent attempts to introduce chemical agents into the atmosphere to neutralize volatile compounds have had a positive secondary effect. Not only do the conditioners make the air more miscible, but they can be used to induce rain clouds to form. Taking measures of the wind currents and natural pressure systems, Dynaeans can coax the rains to fill reservoirs, irrigate fields, and bring life back to desert valleys.

New sources of fresh water allow resettlement of the surface outside of the few available wells and springs. Routes that deliver water to isolated communities have expanded and deliveries have become more regular to meet the increased demand imposed by planetary development. But to many surface dwellers the crisp taste of a cup from a star-ship style water recycler (such as the ubiquitous Hydrogenator 4000) is preferable to the new sources that were historically polluted.


 * On Turn 18, Tahora Whai completed a Revise Charts action to change the local atmosphere from Corrosive and Invasive to Breathable.

Surviving Biosphere
Flora and Fauna of Dynae

People of Dynae
Dynaean Species The rich history of Dynae incorporates centuries of discovery and migration of various peoples.

Brax
A slender scaled species with vestigial wings. Brax populations on Dynae were decimated during the planet’s countless civil wars. The final death knell for the Brax almost came with the Great Cataclysm, but a meager population managed to settle in orbit just prior to the attack.

Brigan
Small crustacean-like aliens, Brigan communicate through a sign-language but often prefer to link via the Vāk. Brigan history is hard to pin down, some sources indicate that they came to Dyane with the Strigo hidden aboard their ships. They form close bonds with childhood friends and often perch on the shoulders of fellow Whai.

Grumm
Heavy-set scaly species of reptilian aliens who arrived on Dyane during The Age of Colonization. With deep gravelly voices, they are able to speak most languages and have immense respect for the mores of community and social roles.

Humans
Perhaps the most populous group of Whai, Humans arrived in Dynae at much the same time as they did elsewhere in the sector, cerca 645 Sector Reckoning. Upon their arrival, the human colonies decided to adopt a constructed language (based on Maori and other Polynesian languages) with limited phonemes to teach to the local Dynaeans. The Humans of Dynae were not from any one location but carried many influences from Oceania into the culture of the planet.

Strigo
A cephalopod-like species of alien who claim the first discovery of Dynae when the Gates were first opened. Their name comes from the first humans who observed the dished facial-disks in the Strigo’s head as similar to that of owls and strigiformes. Strigo have exceptional hearing, lithe tentacles well-adapted for microgravity, and a tonal whistle-language.

Dynaean Survivors
Although not a distinct species, the rugged survivors of Dynae’s great cataclysm are often regarded as a coherent entity. Amidst the wasted surface and badlands, several generations of people have eked out a living in the shifting sands and inhospitable atmosphere. Estimates of the population varies, but most scholars assume that only a fraction have adopted the link.

Low Altitude
Almost all cities built before the Great Cataclysm were lost. Either abandoned during the war or because they faced the brunt of the fallout, the great cities are crumbling monoliths to Dynae’s past. A few thousand Dynaeans survived the calamity down here. Whether in secure bunkers, or by pure grit several hundred homesteads in the Dynaean wastes are populated by a unique breed of person.

Geo-City-One

 * 35,000

A one kilometer wide geodesic dome built in the remains of the Faboai Valley, GC1 is the largest active settlement in low altitude. Built 90 years ago at the start of the Era of Peace, GC1 is a marvel of design and engineering. Innovative pressure seals and state of the art anti-corrosive panels insulate the structure from Dynae’s hostile atmosphere.

High Altitude
4,000m+ (13,000ft)

Kinngait

 * 250,000

In the equatorial mountain range of Śikhara, a bowl-shapped city lies between three mountains. Kinngait, originally a mining town at the base of the largest of the surrounding peaks, ballooned into a minor metropolis when the planet’s atmosphere soured. Those that could not afford or find space on ships leaving the surface trekked up into the mountains to Kinngait. It was estimated that millions of Dynaeans attempted the journey, but only a few hundred thousand arrived to the relative safety of the Kinngait basin. The survivors faced decades of starvation and malnourishment but managed to persist with the aid of Whai pirates who sequestered goods from across the sector.

Hōkūpa'a

 * 60,000

In the once tropical region of Monunone, the elevated plateau of Hōkūpa'a was one of the few refugees during the final Dynaean Civil War. Towering nearly a kilometer above the remnants of a rainforest, the isolated mesa maintained much of its unique ecosystem even after the Great Cataclysm. The small city of Hōkūpa'a was founded around an old research base for biologists and naturalists but was expanded into the largest open-air agricultural facility on the planet that specialized in hardy strains of plants and animals that cannot be cultivated in microgravity.

Moai

 * 9000

The mountain-side city of Moai was expanded not long after the cataclysm. It was once an isolated monastic retreat high in the Sikavu Range, but the influx of people swelled the population to several thousand. Buildings and abodes were erected haphazardly on top of one another and jammed into the rockfaces. Precarious walkways and elevators connect the hundreds of shops, houses, and businesses to the single docking pad. Moai was named after the stone figures carved by the monks who used to be the sole residents of the mountain. These figures remain scattered across the ridgelines and peaks surrounding the settlement.

Tīnarā

 * 450,000

A city in the sky, Tīnarā is the largest single settlement in Teuthem space. While the exact population count is not tracked, almost half a million people are presumed to reside on the station. It was once a stepping stone from the spaceport on the old Dynaean capital and the exodus from the surface during The Final Discordance and the Great Cataclysm resulted in the expansion of the station into a fully fledged settlement.

The city-station is built around a core spire designed with a rotating cylinder of habitation blocs and microgravity spaces. Rapid additions and expansions created a labyrinth of corridors and peripheral wings, with much of the station not experiencing artificial gravity. The majority of the station is comprised of ships and containers permanently fused and welded to old docking ports that now face internal areas.

Stjarnaby

 * 200,000

This sister station of Tīnarā orbits Dynae an average of 80 km (50 mi) higher. A more spacious station, Stjarnaby was expanded more slowly and additional living spaces were carefully planned. Ninety percent of habitation blocs and common areas are rotating and under the influence of artificial gravity. Visitors to Dynae are recommended to dock at Stjarnaby as it is similar to other space stations in the sector, although Whai may complain that it lacks some of the local flavor of The Rangi.

Ulfbert Magnus

 * 15,000

Up in geo-stationary orbit, Ulfbert Magnus was once a military outpost for past Dynaean governments. A large space dock and shipyard, the station was at its height able to amass interstellar combat fleets in merely a few months. Today it is best known as a pirate base affiliated with the Tahora Whai, but maintains its legacy of ship construction; most Dynaean whaling ships larger than a corvette are built in the void-docks of Ulfbert Magnus. Ship styles vary considerably from salvaged commonwealth freighters, to bespoke Tahora inspired bio-framed frigates, to jury-rigged scrap ships that can just about keep their atmosphere.

Ghost Towns
The scouring of the planet wiped many cities off the map. Some folks have returned to these lost urban spaces to rebuild, but few have success.

Kyrolisilport
Founded by Strigo colony ships 750 years ago in the Kyrolisil Delta. The city was a major agricultural hub and was led by a council of elder's known as the Parliament of Kyrol.

During the great cataclysm explosive shockwaves drove a tsunami through the city sundering its many towers. Aftershocks collapsed a cliff face inland and redirected the local river several kilometers north. Subsequent deterioration of the atmosphere salted the once verdant and plentiful fields. Reclamation of the city is believed to be a lost cause. Scavenging over the past 300 years have left it a crumbling husk.

Kanisthaou

 * 280,000

The heavily populated moon of Dynae, industry and economy of the moon is focused around the prosperous refueling station of Canala 6 at its heart. The station is home to several businesse. The most popular is Slammin' Shortbread a curious bar/lounge that specializes in Tahora blubber baked goods.
 * Extortionate corporate minions
 * Deep-space alien signal

Above the moon a orbital ruin, Tolon 5, exchanges hands often and is a constant haven for pirates.
 * Military Quarantine Enforcers
 * Meddling with strange tech

Catavance
Orbiting in a highly eccentric orbit much further out from Dynae, the lumpy chickpea-looking moon of Catavance is a barren rock home to fewer than 1000 people. Lacking any natural resources, the moon is little more than a microgravity to settle on.

Badlands
Whatever the original climate and atmosphere type, something horrible happened to this world. Biological, chemical, or nanotechnical weaponry has reduced it to a wretched hellscape. Some local life might still be able to survive on its blasted surface, usually at some dire cost in health or humanity. Enemies: Friends: Complications: Things: Places:
 * Mutated badlands fauna
 * Desperate local
 * Badlands raider chief
 * Native desperately wishing to escape the world
 * Scientist researching ecological repair methods
 * Ruin scavenger
 * Radioactivity
 * Bioweapon traces
 * Broken terrain
 * Sudden local plague
 * Maltech research core
 * Functional pretech weaponry
 * An uncontaminated well
 * Untouched oasis
 * Ruined city
 * Salt flat

Hatred
For whatever reason, this world’s populace has a burning hatred for the inhabitants of a neighboring system. Perhaps this world was colonized by exiles, or there was a recent interstellar war, or ideas of racial or religious superiority have fanned the hatred. Regardless of the cause, the locals view their neighbors and any sympathizers with loathing. Enemies: Friends: Complications: Things: Places:
 * Native convinced that the offworlders are agents of Them
 * Cynical politician in need of scapegoats
 * Intelligence agent needing catspaws
 * Documentary producers needing “an inside look”
 * Unlucky offworlder from the hated system
 * The characters are wearing or using items from the hated world
 * The characters are known to have done business there
 * The characters “look like” the hated others
 * Proof of Their evildoing
 * Reward for turning in enemy agents
 * Relic stolen by Them years ago
 * War crimes museum
 * Atrocity site
 * Captured and decommissioned spaceship kept as a trophy

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