Miacha

1. #1Karalklas

   Keys: Karalklas, world, setting, Karalklassian

   Karalklas is a lonely desert world, the only planet in its solar system. It has two suns it orbits and two moons that orbit it. It's atmosphere is breathable (though terribly sandy) On the surface, it seems quite resource-poor and insignificant, but its atmosphere is maintained by colossal ancient structures built by a primordial, unknowable power. These structures, resembling immense and looming pillars of deep black, are responsible for all weather phenomena, producing rainclouds and winds through unknown (and possibly unknowable) methods. It is commonly agreed by all residents of Karalklas to avoid disturbing the ancient technology, for fear of upsetting the delicate balance of Karaklas's atmosphere and ecosystem.

   For things that originate from the planet Karalklas, the word Karaklassian is used. An easy example is Karalklassian Steel, which is known for its durability.

2. #2Glimmer

   Keys: Glimmer, Glimmersmith, gl

   A universal currency, Glimmer is a sort of programmable matter. In it's normal form, it takes the shape of numerous small cubes, glowing a pale blue. Glimmer has myriad uses depending on how it is programmed, anything from building materials to energy sources. Glimmer is inedible, though. Don't eat it. Those who work with and program Glimmer are known as Glimmersmiths. Glimmer's abbreviation is glm. 10glm will buy you a night in an inn. Common Glimmer purses hold about 100-250glm, depending on size.

3. #3The importance of Karalklas

   Keys: Karalklas, Karalklassian, Glimmer, Synod, Accord

   Karalklas has two conflicting claims staked by two interplanetary clans, the Verdant Synod of Khepra, and the House of Vermillion Accord. Both have reasons to proclaim that they have the one true right to Karalklas, but both want the planet's Glimmer production, as there are only five other (known) planets in the entire galaxy capable of producing Glimmer. Neither clan has any Glimmer producing planets, and are therefore fighting hard for control of Karalklas. Open, planetary war for Karalklas is off the table, for fear of upsetting the ancient mechanisms that make the planet habitable, and enable it to produce Glimmer. Small-scale large unit combat still occurs from time to time, though. Just the exchanging of lives and territory.

   The House of Vermilion Accord, and the Verdant Synod of Khepra are both supported in part by external powers, who all have something to gain from their favored clan taking Karalklas.

4. #4The House of Vermillion Accord

   Keys: The House of Vermillion Accord, Vermillion Accord, Accord

   The House of Vermilion Accord

   Primary Color: Cinnabar Red Secondary Motifs: Ash white, blackened gold, scar patterns

   The Vermilion Accord are ritualized industrialists who believe ownership is proven by endurance. To them, Karalklas is not sacred — it is a trial-world (a planet culturally important to the Vermilion Accord, a planet harsh to live on but with great boons for doing so.), and only those strong enough to survive its brutality deserve to rule it. They trace their claim to Karalklas back to a failed terraforming charter issued centuries ago. While the terraforming attempt collapsed, the Accord argues that abandonment does not void investment, especially when their ancestors died attempting to tame the planet. The Accord maintains that their ancestors were the first offworld power to formally settle Karalklas. They possess fragments of ancient legal archives — charred, incomplete, but authenticated — naming their progenitor house as planetary stewards. In their doctrine, the ancient structures are non-sentient systems, not sacred relics, and thus may be “leveraged carefully.” Officially, the Vermilion Accord is hands-off with the ancient structures, but they are secretly hungrily inquisitive, seeking knowledge on how to produce their own Glimmer without relying on a Glimmer-World.

   They conduct: Deep seismic listening, glimmer output modeling, and micro-extraction tests near known subsurface tendrils. All of this is done indirectly, through proxies and expendable survey crews, so the Accord can deny responsibility if a structure destabilizes the ecosystem.

   Culture & Aesthetic: Armor and clothing is lacquered in cinnabar red, often intentionally cracked or weathered. Scarification is common; scars are stained red to signify “blood paid to the planet.” Leadership is rigidly hierarchical, with ranks earned through survival trials conducted in Karalklas’s deep desert.

   Military Style: Heavily armored walkers and sand-crawlers employed in a siege-focused doctrine. The Accord prefers overwhelming force and attrition warfare. Infantry is heavily armored, but equipped with cheap and easily produced equipment, resulting in hordes of red-armored soldiers marching across towns.

   As with every clan, it is threatened from the inside by rival subfactions. The Accord is split between: The Red Conservators, who hold a cult-like fear provoking the ancient systems, and the industrious Crucible Faction, who believe controlled exploitation is inevitable, and that if they aren't the first to control the ancient structures, they might as well be the last.

5. #5The Verdant Synod of Khepra

   Keys: The Verdant Synod of Khepra, The Verdant Synod, Synod

   The Verdant Synod of Khepra

   Primary Color: Malachite Green Secondary Motifs: Copper, bone, sun-bleached cloth

   Core Identity: The Verdant Synod see themselves as custodians rather than conquerors. They believe Karalklas is not owned but entered into a covenant with; a living system regulated by forces beyond comprehension. Unlike the Accord, the Synod formed after Karalklas was already known, founded by nomads, xenobiologists, and refugees who learned to live within the planet’s imposed limits. The Synod first took power after Karalklas was first abandoned, banding together to survive in the shadow of the ancient structures.

   The Synod stake their claim on Karalklas through continuous habitation of the planet, seeing it of far higher value than distant charters and contracts that have outlived the people that made them. Their settlements are built around the ancient structures, in reverence of them. Speaking of, the Synod are well aware of the power the ancient structures have. They are reverent and cautious, but far from ignorant of them. The Synod map seasonal changes triggered by the structures, and have learnt to predict their artificial weather cycles with precision bordering on religious in nature. They see Glimmer as a byproduct of these processes, and make use of it regardless. Some factions within the Synod believe the structures are reactive; not sentient, but capable of withdrawal or collapse if disturbed too much.

   Culture & Aesthetic: Flowing robes, armor plates grown or patterned to resemble mineral veining Malachite green worn as a sign of alignment with Karalklas’s “pulse” Faces often marked with green mineral dust or paint during rites

   Military Style: Light, fast desert skimmers, long-range weapons and hit-and-run tactics. Hovercraft sweep across the dunes and strike targets on the horizon before disappearing in the sand. Guerilla tactics and ambush warfare Extensive use of terrain knowledge and weather timing

   Like all clans, there are internal factions always vying for power. The Synod struggles between: The Green Wardens, who are strict preservationists, and are thoroughly against any interaction with the ancient structures. Some radicals believe that not even Glimmer should be touched, and that any human presence on Karalklas is sacrilege. Opposing them are the Yielding Hand, who argue controlled Glimmer trade is necessary for survival, and are trade-focused as a means of survival. The only thing united them are their religious reverence of Karalklas and its ancient structures. Too much restraint risks irrelevance; too much compromise risks betrayal of their founding principles.

6. #6Stiltlands

   Keys: Stiltlands

   The Stiltlands are a salt-drowned badland where the desert gives way to vast, shallow basins that flood seasonally when the ancient structures seed artificial rainclouds too far north. The ground beneath is soft, unstable, and threaded with mineral veins that will collapse under sufficient weight. As a result, everything that survives here does so above the ground.

   Geography & Environment: Endless flats of cracked white salt, gypsum, and pale clay, drenches by seasonal flooding transforms the land into a reflective inland sea. Sinkholes open with minimal warning, swallowing entire caravans. The wind here is constant, howling across the flats and rattling structures night and day. The sky often appears washed-out and enormous, with little relief from sun or storm.

   Settlements: Communities in the Stiltlands are built on tall, spindly stilts driven deep into stable sublayers and connected by rope bridges, hanging walkways, and retractable ladders. They are designed to be abandoned quickly if the land shifts too much. Permanent cities are rare, as most settlements are semi-nomadic, disassembled and reassembled over decades.

   Culture: Residents are practical, cautious, and deeply superstitious about the ground itself, Children are taught never to trust solid-looking land. Falling from height the common fate of fools and foreigners; safety lines are worn daily by those who have adapted. The Stiltlanders have a cultural taboo against digging. Even wells are shallow and narrow, lined with bone or resin rather than metal.

   Political Relevance: The Stiltands are officially claimed by neither major clan, and are used as a buffer region and smuggling corridor. The Vermilion Accord tries to recruit aggressively here, drawn by the population’s tolerance for risk. Additionally, The Verdant Synod provides aid during flooding seasons, with the goal of earning long-term loyalty.

7. #7Ilssarach

   Keys: Ilssarach, Bazaari, Bazaari Council, Spire, Thousandth Souk, Souk, condensation towers,

   Ilssarach is built in a large basin, which would ordinarily be a death trap if it weren't for the central ancient spire the city is built around. The Spire, as it is called, is one of Karalklas's many ancient structures, looming and marble black. Its surface suggests nothing except the obvious revelation that it is not a natural formation. This specific spire serves the purpose of local atmospheric regulation. It regularly emanates cool winds, and provides condensation as if the basin were meant for a city to grow in. It is rumored, though not proven, that the basin is perfectly circular. There are man-made condensation towers dotted around the city to collect the condensation emitted from the Spire. Fucking with the water is a quick and easy way to earn yourself a special public execution, where the offender is left hanging from hooks at the base of the Spire, there to starve and dry out. The corpses are burnt unceremoniously. There are a number of airship docks built high up on (but not in) the Spire, alongside many elevators, ferrying cargo and personnel up and down the sides of the Spire.

   Ilsarach wasn't planned to be anything more than an outpost for caravans when it was first founded. Its unplanned expansions resulted in the city growing circularly outwards, to fill the basin. The layout ends up confusing to offworlders, but locals have no issues with it. Architecture is inspired by offworld luxuries, typically those brought by the Synod and the Accord, but adapted to withstand the Karalklassian desert heat.

   Ilssarach is governed by the Bazaari, an ever-shifting council of the wealthiest and most indispensable trade barons. Membership on the council is determined by net worth, and Bazaari who financially collapse are quietly replaced, though it is not unheard of for a Bazaari to claw their way back from financial ruin to retake a seat on the council. Assassination is not uncommon, especially among Bazaari of the council, as doing so can destabilize markets and open up gambits for quick gains and quicker losses. Bazaari is technically the term for anyone in Ilssarach who owns some form of shop, though the word is normally used to refer to the Bazaari on Ilssarach's council. Each Bazaari of the council controls a section of territory within Ilssarach. Rent, taxes, and whatnot go to the Bazaari who controls that territory, and they are expected to maintain the public infrastructure of their territory.

   Market districts are bustling during the day and quiet by night, with one exception: The Thousandth Souk, Ilssarach's largest bazaar, and the focal point of the city. Anything that someone is willing to exchange money for can be found in the Thousandth Souk. The Souk itself, as it is commonly called, stretches above and below ground. The shadier individuals gravitate towards the underground sections of the Souk, while the Bazaari (and anyone else of high enough status) remain in their personal airships hovering over the Thousandth Souk, or hanging in airship docks affixed to Ilssarach's central spire.

   Cutpurses and cutthroats linger around every corner, especially in the markets. Scammers are common, and they only get more sophisticated as they enter the higher echelons of traders.

8. #8Technology

   Keys: Shardgun, shields

   Technology in this sci-fi setting is, naturally, advanced. Due to the advent of personal energy shielding, most combat is conducted in melee, as the shields function by intercepting fast moving projectiles. Theoretically, a shield could deflect every possible attack, but this would also require it to deflect the air the wearer breathes and the ground the wearer stands on. The average citizen wouldn't have an energy shield, but someone employed to stand guard somewhere likely would. Lower end shields might run someone somewhere around 1000glm.

   Shardguns are energy weapons, and have essentially replaced personal ballistic weapons thousands of years back. Shardguns coalesce energy into a physical "shard" that generated inside an enemy, displacing flesh and armor if it's not caught by an energy shield. Higher-end shardguns can also further energize the shard to cause it to detonate inside the target, causing more damage, using the physical shard as shrapnel. Shardguns do need to cool down after firing, with larger shards requiring more time to cool. That and power is their only limitation.

   interplanetary travel exists, but is uncommon if one is not associated with a clan.

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