Effluo



"I don't much like this place. Too many bloodthirsty savages and explosive volcanoes for my taste."

Effluo (pronounced /effluːəʊ/) is a planet located in an isolated system mostly devoid of other life. It was light years from any notably and properly 'civilized' planets, and as such was relatively left in peace by the Zealot and Sentinel empires. But its distance from other notable systems is not entirely the reason for this. Aside from being a barren wasteland littered with active volcanoes and deep fissures, Effluo is inhabited by a destructive race of creatures known as Keidz, who have no interest in politics or supporting anyone but their own war efforts. Because of the nature of this species, the planet is riddled with civil wars, and coupled with its natural climate, the planet is almost uninhabitable to any other race.

Astrological
Effluo is a Terrestrial planet in the ___ sector, with a single sun: Zaffron, and four moons: Yetmo, Xivix, Wokrom and Vutaa. It's Rotation Period is 40 standard hours, with 212 of its days comprising an Orbital Cycle. The climate on Effluo is - probably partially owing to the large quantities of lava and ash that flood it - extremely hot and dry, so much so that only advanced human technology enables less sensitive species to set foot upon it. The temperature ranges from around 200ºC to 285ºC. The air is also toxic to most species owing to the excessive amount of carbon dioxide in it, though it also contains a small percentage of nitrogen and oxygen (Class: Type 3 Carbon). The gravity there is also harsh, measuring at 1.5667G. The planet is roughly 10,566km in diameter. The native (and only) language on the planet is Kezian, the language of the Keidz. No exact population has been recorded, though studies indicate that there may be up to 1.2 million Keidz upon it.

Surface
"All I see is orange. Little bit of brown, but mostly orange."

Geologically, the planet was composed of a molten core with a rocky mantle and silicate rock crust. However the planet's tectonic plates were created extremely unstable, so much so that almost a quarter of the planet's surface is giant magma fissures, clearly visible from space like oceans. It appears almost as if, at one time or other, near every square inch of the planet was covered in molten rock: Rocky gourges line the landscape, often covere in thick layers of ash. Effluo does grow a select species of ash-thriving plants, though these are few and far between, and the extent of forests is small, sparse clumps of medium-height trees and shrubs.

Species
There are several unique species upon Effluo, all of which have some capability of withstanding it's extreme heat. The first are the Keidz, a large, reptilian bipedal species, considered sentient, and the only species on the planet to be considered so, which entitles them to the rule of the planet. The second are the Radala, small, light-footed reptiles that can be found racing across Effluo's wastelands. The third are the Magslugs, gastropods that inhabit magma fissures and volcanoes. Fourth, the Segoriths, plump, stumpy-legged reptiles that clomp lazily around Effluo's plains (sometimes domesticated by the Keidz), and finally, the Rotoriths, slimy bipedal creatures that live a life of solitude in rocky formations (arguably semi-sentient).

Civilization
Not advanced nor in any way civilized, the society on Effluo is limited to the tribal-like behaviours of the Keidz. They were the only 'sentient' race on the planet, and thus they technically 'rule' the planet. The rule of this species is a chaotic one, as order is very standard and set laws are very few. There are roughly seventy two Keidz tribes, though this number changes frequently as rebellions and exctinctions occur. Most of these tribes seem exactly the same as each other but all are fiercely hostile to one another. There is a Chieftain for each tribe, though this position is decided purely out of strength, and often they are no sort of leader or enforcer.

Tribes own roughly bordered territories, which they fiercely defend, however full-scale wars are often declared upon misunderstandings, as no set borders are ever really set. Any land not occupied by a tribe is considered unimportant until one tribe decide to attempt to claim it. This nearly always leads to more conflict.

One thing that is strict with the Keidz is their religion, known as Keidzic by all other species, but its real name has not been disclosed. It involves a rather primitive worship of Effluo's sun, Zaffron, as well as its four moons, Yetmo, Xivix, Wokrom and Vutaa. Zaffron, being the largest of these objects, is generally accepted as the greatest god. For reasons not yet discovered by other societies, even the merest insult of any of these 'gods' often leads to execution, and in an otherwise lawless society, this is particularly odd. In times of struggle, tribes will often make sacrificial tribute to their god (some tribes take certain moons over others) in hope of bringing victory.

Owing to its primitive inhabitants, no major technological cities have been established on Effluo. Usually each one of the Keidz' tribes have a village of their own, the individual buildings made up of rocks and animal pelts, the mortar being sticky ash from the surrounding plains. Markets or even merchants are non-existant as the Keidz have no currency; their position in the rough hierarchy generally command what they are allowed to take from crafters. Obviously, the Chieftain's house is a good deal larger and more luxurious than other huts, and are easy to spot.

Technology
Scientific advances on Effluo are almost non-existant. The Keidz, which are the one and only sentient species on the planet, are somewhat caveman-like in their technological era, and thus have the intelligence required to build primitive houses and weapons made from natural resources, but they lack electricity or any real sense of science. The closest thing they have to scientists are the tribal healers, who use things like herbs and fats from animals to create mixtures that are proven to be effective remedies. Obviously they have not even discovered space travel, shown by the fact that they sincerely believed that the moon and sun were godly images and nothing else, and are severely irked by any form of spaceship or advanced technology.

Myths & Legends
''As Kezian has only ever been roughly translated, much of Effluo's history is unknown. The following sources are mainly tribal superstitions and will not all be accurate.''

The Keidz claimed they were once one with their planet's core, this meaning that they were part of the lava that flowed ceaselessly beneath the surface. However, the five gods that hung in the sky would eventually use their almighty power to split open the planet's core, letting the molten creatures climb out of the fissures they had created toward the surface. There they were greeted by a strange green sight, devoid of flowing magma and lush with plantlife and filled with scurrying animals. However, as the Keidz spread about Effluo, they grew used to the cold, and began to weaken. And, one day, the lava from whence the Keidz came overflowered into the valleys, wiping out many of the species and killing off much of the planet's life.

Those that survived this dreadful event moved to the safer regions of the planet, along with a good deal of Effluo's animals. There they prayed to the five gods they saw in the sky, who had spared them the terrible punishment of extinction. Overtime, the Keidz would be granted (evolved(?)) a tough hide that resisted the wrath of the red waves and the scorching heat, and they therefore spread about the planet again.

Establishment
"I'm surprised how primitive this world is. The Keidz were surely microbes when we were already an established species."

The Keidz had soon created shelter, means of hunting and even some healing remedies for themselves. For a while there was peace, in the aftermath of the terrifying prospect of exctinction that had befallen them. However, due to the aggressive and beast-like nature of the Keidz, soon violent disagreements would spring up and cause many casualties among the species. As a solution to this, a now-famous member of the Keidz, known as Agaal, split the civilization into five tribes - one for each separate god, which were usually the center of the arguments - who would spread about the more habitable parts of the earth in order to stop any further killing. For a while this worked, until even more rivalries sprung up, and the planet was flung into an era of ceaseless civil war.

Clans broke up, were wiped out, molded together again and broke apart into even smaller parts. By the end of a period that is believed to be about seven hundred years, there were seventy-two tribes, which made Effluo quite crowded, considering almost a third of the planet is uninhabitable even to the Keidz. This number has stayed relatively the same for about five hundred more years, though it frequently fluctuates.

Arrival
It is believed that this was around about the time the first Galactic Empire, the Sentinels, landed on Keidz in hopes of finding new species that would fight for peace. However, dismissing all theories that their gods were moons and the Sun - and even if they were, that they were not worth worshipping - the Keidz violently banished the new creatures. It took both Galactic Empires very little time to ascertain that Effluo was useless to them, and they have scarcely returned in the twenty year period since then. They did, however, leave behind two radar facilities on Yetmo and Wokrom, respectively, to keep an eye on the movements of the Keidz.

However, a few years after this, the Sebrians would also land. Luckily, they landed on one of the two radar facility's blind spots, and briefly communed with the Keidz. After the Keidz clearly denied the surrender of the resources on their planet, the Sebrians made a move to wipe them out. However, it was clear from only a few day's war that the Keidz weren't worth the effort and sacrifices, and contented themselves in setting up a mining facility on the Onyx-rich moon of Vutaa.