Strategic Location: At the edge of the Yaeger Sector,
outside of any of the major spheres of influence.
Temperature: 120% standard.
Atmosphere: Thick, with much higher than average
percentages of water vapor and nitrogen.
Hydrosphere: 71% of the surface of Rekhron is covered
in water, of which 94% has a salinity of between 1% and 3%.
Gravity: 130% standard.
Terrain: Broken, with large numbers of cliffs, rift
valleys and volcanic activity, caused by high amounts of movement
within the tectonic plates of the world.
Mineral Resources: Some reserves of gold and diamonds,
particularly in the areas of high volcanic activity. Smaller
reserves of silver, copper, nickel, and quantazine.
Length of Day: 29 standard hours.
Length of Year: 310 local days.
Sapient Species: The nocturnal, gliding Shastam are the only known sentient species
of Rekhron.
Capital City: Shastam families are nomadic, having no
fixed cities of any type. The largest of the failed development
ventures of the world is the Laconis Combine, a very large mining
facility.
Other Cities: Rekhron is dotted with failed mining
ventures of various sorts, most of which have been partially or
completely reclaimed by the forests.
Starport: None.
Population (within +/- 1%): 9,310,800 Shastam.
Government: Tribal (Family).
Tech Level: Neolithic.
Major Exports: None.
Major Imports: None.
System: Hurabine
Star: Hurab
Name
Planet Type
Moons
Domu
Airless Rock
0
Rekhron
Terrestrial
1
Kalthis
Dry Terrestrial
3
Alu
Ice World
0
Gredon
Airless Rock
2
Salfor
Gas Giant
9
Naard
Gas Giant
10
Hurab-8
Gas Giant
5
Hurab-9
Airless Rock
2
Hurab-10
Airless Rock
0
Hurab-11
Airless Rock
1
Hurab-12
Artificial Satellite
0
System Capsule:
Domu: Domu is a shortening of the Shastam name for this
world, which mean "The light of new sun dawning", Domu is a
completely molten world.
Rekhron: See above.
Kalthis: The full Shastam name for this world means "Moon's
companion", and it is inhabited by an number of races of airborne,
sentient fungi.
Alu: "The torch that drives away" is a particularly bright
world, which is home to a large subsurface mining operation, a
product of independent prospectors.
Gredon: "The old one drifting" is a small, pale grey world,
with little of interest to recommend it.
Salfor: This giant, deep crimson world is known to the
Shastam as "The eye of the destroyer", and is thought to be a
source of great evil. There are some ruins on one of Salfor's
moons, but they have yet to be investigated in any serious manner.
Naard: Smaller than Salfor and much more distant, This bright
yellow world is barely visible on Rekhron, and as "The spear of the
distant" is seen as a counter to Salfor's malignance.
Hurab-8: Around the same size as Naard, Hurab-8 is too far
from Rekhron to be visible to the naked eye, and is thus not
figured in the native cosmology. Several of the moons of Hurab-8
contain large quantities of Tumanium, a rare ore useful in the
construction of superior quality hyperdrive units, but these
reserves have yet to be discovered and exploited.
Hurab-9: A relatively large world, Hurab-9 apparently
originated in another solar system, and was drawn into Hurab's
orbit late in it's planetary history.
Hurab-10: Much smaller than 9, Hurab-10 is apparently the
remnant of a larger planet destroyed at around the time that 9 was
drawn into Hurab's orbit.
Hurab-11: Hurab-11 and it's moon, 11a, are though to both be
parts of the same world as 10 once was, though both 11 and it's
moon are larger than 10.
Hurab-12: Cataloged as essentially a lump of volcanic rock,
Hurab-12 is actually a spaceship of some sort, albeit covered in a
thick layer of obsidian, and may hold the secrets of an early, pre-
Republic spacegoing civilization. It is also not inconceivable
that the 12 was somehow responsible for the destruction of the
planet whose debris form 10, 11, and 11a.
Planetary Capsule:
Flora and fauna: The warmth and moisture of Rekhron,
combined with immense fertility of the soil have made Rekhron a
salubrious environment for the development of numerous species.
Typically classified as a rainforest world, Rekhron is home to an
array of life even wider than that of most rainforests. Defined by
large volcanic mountains and steep cliffs, the flora of Rekhron has
developed forms capable of clinging to even the most vertical of
surfaces. The blue giant lianna has been known to drop tendrils
down into the very cauldron of volcanos, and the creeper mango can
be found on numerous cliffs with negative inclinations. In
addition to these particularly adventurous species and thousands
like them, Rekhron is also home to the sort of cathedral tree that
are a common feature of rainforests everywhere, as well as the
vines, shrubs, ferns, and orchids that one would expect. Of
particular note are the yellow star orchids, small flowers whose
nectar can be refined into a powerful analgesic, used by the
Shastam in herbal medicine, and the death
orchid, a deadly carnivore who uses soporific spores to
incapacitate it's prey.
The fauna of Rekhron is equally varied, from the giant
chintia, a massive bipedial rodent that can reach ten meters in
height, to the dwarf whitefly, a persistently annoying pest. Some
of the other notable creatures of Rekhron include the mischievous
gliding spider monkeys, who enjoy stealing just about anything
shiny or otherwise interesting, the bahare, a giant relative of the
weasel who can prove a deadly, insanely homicidal, and tenacious
fighter, the shagreen viper, whose poison is lethal enough to kill
a full grown chinta in four seconds, and the gold backed mril,
whose scent glands can produce chemicals that induce tearing in the
eyes of just about any animal in the known universe. There are
hundreds of thousands of other species native to Rekhron, each with
their own peculiarities, and most of which have been noticed and
named by the Shastam, a feat almost unparalleled by a society as
primitive as theirs.
Sentient Species: The nocturnal, gliding Shastam are
the only sentient species native to Rekhron. These predatory
creatures have worked tirelessly to protect Rekhron from
exploitation.
History: Over the years, numerous space level
civilizations have discovered Rekhron, and many of those
civilizations have seen great value in the planet. The climate is
warm, the soil fertile, and there are substantial reserves of rare
metals that are relatively accessible. However, despite these
inducements to colonization, there has never been a colony planted
on Rekhron that lasted for more than a few years, and the reason
for that is the Shastam.
With an ingrown ecological conscience born of an essentially
animist religion that has the trees of the forest as central
deities, the Shastam are hostile to development simply because of
the disruption it is bound to cause to the environment. While not
averse to taking on settlers with bow and spear, the Shastam are
generally aware that that is not a method that will succeed against
most cultures with superior weaponry. For that reason, they tend
to use much more subtle techniques, using their knowledge of the
wildlife against the interlopers.
A traditional Shastam assault against a colony would include
such attacks as secreting death orchid pods around the settlement,
burying milarm grubs near the compound, and hiding a pregnant
shagreen viper where it is likely to get stepped on. Sooner or
later the costs that the native wildlife inflict on the operation
will cause it to fold, and the Shastam are very patient
individuals. For that reason, despite the natural wealth of
Rekhron, it remains unclaimed by any of the major powers.