The Spacepiress of Chaos
Intent:
- Dead Planet Contest - June 2017
- Planet Image - [Here] - mio188
- First Image - [Here]
- Second Image - [Here] - AndreeWallin
- Third Image - [Here]
- Fourth Image - [Here]
- Fifth Image - [Here]
- Sixth Image - [Here]
- Seventh Image - [Here] - GeorgeLovesyArt
- Eighth Image - [Here]
- Ninth Image - [Here]
- Tenth Image - [Here]
- Headers created by
Darth Metus
and
Scherezade deWinter
Permissions: N/a
Links:
Planet Name: Akeldama
Demonym: Sanguinarian
Region: Wild Space
System Name: Carden
System Features:
- Sun(s):
- Bronwen; Class M: Red Dwarf Star
- Donn; Class A: White and Hot
- Moon(s):
- Desponia - Temple World: The surface is littered with temples, complexes, and cathedrals
- Hadria - Mausoleum World: The surface is covered with mausoleums, tombs, and graves
- Keres - Destroyed: The remains have formed into Akantha's Crown
- Planet(s):
- Malvolia; First Orbit - Molten Rock
- Maura; Second Orbit - Poisonous Atmosphere akin to Venus
- Brone; Third Orbit - Type III Atmosphere
- Akeldama; Fourth Orbit
- Delano; Fifth Orbit - Frozen Rock
- Angeni; Sixth Orbit - Gas Giant with 12-16 moons
- Aura; Seventh Orbit - Dwarf Planet
- Asteroid Belts:
- Inner System: Sits between the fourth and fifth orbit
- Outer System: Sits just beyond the seventh orbit
- Debris of Note:
- The Dead Fleet:
- The remnants of two vasts fleets from a conflict that is long since forgotten. The creaking hulks drift aimlessly, crashing into one another as they traverse back and forth through the inner asteroid belt. While much of what remains was picked over ages ago, perhaps there is that hidden gem still waiting to be found. There is a myriad of vessels here, Republic, Sith, Imperial, Rebel, including more than a few scavenger vessels whose luck ran out.
- The Dead Fleet:
- Akantha's Crown:
- Keres was once a fortress, its location as the third moon ensured that it was a vital strategic position of Akeldama. The inhabitants of the world reinforced the small moon, virtually turning it into a battle station unto itself. When conflict came to the world, by the end the small moon (much like the planet) was rendered dead, a cataclysmic explosion tearing the small moon asunder. The remains of the moon settled into orbit around the planet, and rumors abound of those still intact facilities on the larger chunks that have been untouched.
Coordinates:
Historically Major Imports:
- Slaves
- Foodstuffs
- Armaments / Military Technologies
- Chemicals
- Raw Materials
Historically Major Exports:
- Slaves
- Medicines
- Art
- Bloodwine
- Finished Goods
Unexploited Resources:
Infernal Expanse
Gravity: Standard
Atmosphere: Type II Breath Mask Suggested
Climate: Volcanic
Primary Terrain:
- Badlands
- Mountains
- Lava Fields
- Craters
- Volcanoes
- Ruins
Capital: Hollow Bastion
Planetary Features: Described Below
- The Dread Barrens
- Wrath of God
- The Obsidian Vault
- Cradle of Life
- The Carpathian Highlands
- Infernal Expanse
- The Stygian Caldera
- Hollow Bastion
- Karthmere Citadel
- The Sanguine Wastes
- The Dread Barrens - Once a verdant grassland that served as the breadbasket of the world, it now remains as nothing more than a scorched and jagged waste. Massive spires of basalt and stone slowly push up into the sky from the magma flows beneath. The ground creaks and groans as it shifts, with either lava flows bubbling up to the surface or falling away into a pit beneath. What was once a beautiful paradise is now nothing more than a shadow of death.
- Wrath of God - Of all the Volcanoes that claim the world as their domain, it is this that is the largest. Over the thousands of years that the world has been untouched since the day that all life was extinguished in a fiery explosion, it has only grown larger. Those few that have discovered the world, or even dared tempt fate and land upon the surface have said that it felt as though a deity of great power was acting through this volcano. Clouds of acidic and toxic smoke bellow from this beast as great flowing rivers of lava pour down its side, feeding into the larger rivers and seas of lava at its base.
- The Obsidian Vault - This structure was once the center of an extensive slave empire. At the height of its glory it stood nearly twenty stories tall and had just as many subterranean chambers and subbasements. Those chambers beneath were the first to go as fissures tore through them, filling them with magma, the screams of the dying filled the air. As the ground quaked, the upper floors buckled and collapsed in on themselves, trapping those beneath to their doom. Holding the vast wealth of the Akeldama Slave Empire, there may yet still be vaults untouched by the magma flows, with treasures waiting to be reclaimed and brought back to the surface.
- Cradle of Life - Once this valley was pristine, covered in the greenery of native flora while the native fauna roamed freely. A large shallow sanguine colored pool rest in the middle. It was here that the first Energy Vampires that settled this world drank the strange ichor which changed them over time. This was the place where all Sanguinius Vampirika came from, and now it is merely a shadow of what it once had been. Crumbling ruins of vast ancient temple complexes groan and moan as their foundations slowly slip away with each new quake. Statues of ancient deities and figures of power remain perched precariously upon their pillars of rock overlooking the great crevasse below. Where once a sanguine colored pool was, now there is a pool of magma burbling and spurting out rivers of lava that carve through the stone.
- The Carpathian Highlands - One of only a few locations on Akeldama that has been untouched by the ravishes of the firestorms, volcanic eruptions and lava flows. The Carpathian Highlands are a series of mountain ranges that protect low valleys and a few structures from the cataclysms that continue to sweep across the rest of the world. Here there are remnants of the life that once flourished upon the world as large skeletal forms of ancient native fauna and the remains of both native and immigrant species can be found. Even though there is also freshwater, it is so badly contaminated by sulfur and trace minerals and substances that it is toxic to drink.
- Infernal Expanse - A collection of badlands, low valleys, and mountain ranges. Lava flows slowly carve their way through the low valleys, pouring from waterfalls high up in the mountains. Smaller volcanoes and pillars spout noxious gases into the air while a light rain of ash covers the ground. Few if any ruins remain upon the surface, having sunken into the ground or overtaken by some old volcanic eruption. Those few that remain upon the surface pose a danger to those foolish enough to attempt to plunder what remains within.
- The Stygian Caldera - The Wrath of God was not always the largest volcano upon the surface of Akeldama; for before it there was the great volcano Chernabog. It was this supervolcano that set off the destruction of Akeldama, the force of its eruption tore the massive mountain asunder, sending much of its structure raining down upon the surrounding countryside. What remained were a few standing pillars and pieces of the once-mighty volcano and a massive caldera torn out from the ground. Ash clouds and noxious gases cling to the air just above the Caldera, while an intense heat deters anything living from approaching (though nothing remains living upon Akeldama).
- Hollow Bastion - The ancient citadel of the Elected Monarchy, it was the seat of power from which the monarch reigned of Akeldama. Located deep within the Carpathian Highlands, it has been spared the indignities of looters and the destructive nature of lava flows that have destroyed many of its sister fortresses. The fortress itself remains defiant, standing proud while the rest of Akeldama succumbs to fire. As it is untouched, surely there must be untold treasures still hidden away, waiting to be claimed by those worthy enough to reach the ancient seat of power.
- Karthmere Citadel - Once the home of the Admiralty and the War College that trained the officers and personnel of the military that protected Akeldama. In its prime, it was a majestic Citadel, the standing jewel of Akeldama that defended it should any manage to get through the fortress moon of Keres. When the cataclysm came to Akeldama, it was discovered that the Citadel had been built upon a dormant volcano. The floors shuddered as lava ruptured up through the structure. While the volcano itself did not erupt like many others, the lava flows that it spewed out consumed much of the interior of the Citadel. Now it stands as a reminder of the prestige that the world once had in the past. While many of its chambers and halls have been claimed by the fire and rivers of lava, there may yet still be some rooms untouched. Some ancient vault is hidden away waiting to be discovered. Or perhaps some ancient secret on some untouched terminal waiting to be claimed.
- The Sanguine Wastes - When the sun rose, the fields of red grass seemed to shine in the light, becoming more vibrant and verdant. Now all that remains is a wasteland, scorched by the fire and left lifeless in its wake. Here is where a great battle happened, though the scars of such a battle are hidden beneath the even greater scars. Once majestic grasslands and rocky outcroppings are now nothing more than monolithic reminders of death. All that remains is the scorched earth and the streams of lava that call this place home. Plumps of smoke and noxious gas billow up from vents, and yet the strangest phenomena is one that few visitors to this world have talked about. They claim that on a quiet night, when everything is calm and the light is right, the spirits of those lost on Akeldama appear. Their voices crying out in lamentation, while others relive their last moments. If this is something to do with the unique nature of the world, or if it is nothing more than hallucinations brought on by the toxic fumes, is difficult to say; not many make a return to the world and even fewer manage to survive their initial landing.
The Stygian Caldera
Intent:
- Those that have studied the expansive lore of Star Wars know of the Conclave of Katarr, where an entire world was rendered lifeless due to the actions of Darth Nihilus. In the expanded lore we see multiple examples of such wounds in the force, with the most notable being centered around the Jedi Meetra Surik as well as the one focused on Malachor V. While we see Nexuses for the Light Side and the Dark Side, we do not see an established Nexus that is focused upon the absence of the Force. Thus the intent of this Force Nexus is to provide the sight with a unique location. A world that was rendered lifeless in a single action and due to that action it has left a wound in the force. A place where the dead are restless and the Force has been torn away from due to the mass death. The only recent such Wound in the Force in canonical lore was with the destruction of Alderaan in the original trilogy. I believe that this Wound in the Force if permitted, would produce a unique setting for Force Users. An entire world where they can feel as if something inside of them is empty. As if some part of their being is missing or has been removed from them.
Nexus Name: Akeldama
Alignment: Other - Wound in the Force
Size: Planetary
Strength: Strong
Accessibility:
- Access to Akeldama - while not restricted - is not easy to come by. The world itself was wiped from many maps; save for a few ancient maps that would be difficult enough to come by were they not lost or already in the hands of collectors who don't know what they have. Its status as a wound in the Force would even cause more than a few Force Users to shy away from wanting to assist anyone attempting to travel to the world. Likewise, it seems that only a few individuals of the Vampirika Species even remember or know of the ancient Homeworld left forgotten in Wild Space.
Effect:
- Even those that are not Force Sensitive feel as if something is wrong, a nagging feeling as if they had forgotten something back home. For those that are more deeply connected to the Force, they feel empty. It is almost as if some part of them is missing, a void that can never be filled. That feeling is a warning, for on Akeldama the Force does not exist, it is a wound, a void in the Force.
Native Species: Sanguinius Vampirika
Immigrated Species:
- Humans
- Ithorians
- Devorians
- Other Various Species
Historical Population:
- Heavy
- 3.6 - 4.9 Billion
Current Population:
- Insignificant
- Thought to be Uninhabited
Historical Demographics:
- Sanguinius Vampirika - 95%
- Humans - 2%
- Twi'leks - 1%
- Other - 2%
Primary Languages:
- Galactic Basic Standard
- High Galactic
- Huttese
For a world that had trade routes and agreements with a variety of various neighboring planets and systems, even going so far as to project their power over their nearest neighbors, their culture was rather insular. Even with the species desire to breed outside of their own bloodlines to further strengthen their clans and houses, there was little if any actual interaction with visiting individuals, and most 'breeding' happened due in part to certain individuals taking lovers from the various slave pens. Much of their culture centered around a Matriarchal society focused on an Elected Monarchy.
For the most part, though their primary focus was on their burgeoning slave empire and trading in slaves. This produced an odd culture in its own right which could only (even more now due to the widespread destruction of the planet and the lack of records or efforts to recover information), as a mixture between the culture of the Hapes Consortium and the Hutt Empire. Daily life, art and even society were focused upon the slave trade, and a house or entire bloodlines were judged based on their own slaves, their wealth, and the traits that their own members gained from breeding with the various slave species.
Art though was seen as something worth following and while other societies might put an emphasis on their military or their sciences, it was not so on Akeldama. Art was seen as the highest of honors and what few records recovered even collaborate this thought, as it was apparent that the artist was given a higher honor even than the monarch. Architecture was more centered on the gothic, with grand archways and spires with sharp curves and hard lines.
With an added emphasis on the life cycle, as death was seen as something to be celebrated rather than feared. Though even with the species living for extended periods of time, their lives were often focused upon the collection of wealth, art, and the pleasures of the galaxy. While sports and entertainment of all kinds were not undertaken by the common denizens of the world. Rather they were often staged bouts and matches in which the best slaves of the various houses were put forward.
Those slaves that won the honor and prestige for their owners were often very well treated and some even found their freedom by winning such matches. With a focus on living and an acceptance of death, it is very odd that religious beliefs did not truly form or take any real hold. There was always a certain reverence for their progenitors, it was never developed or seen as any kind of worship. Nor was there truly any kind of founding or mass following of a specific cult, deity or belief, as many individuals fell into their own worship or practice of personal beliefs. Sometimes entire houses or bloodlines would worship a single deity, pantheon or belief, though this always remained within those bloodlines.
Hollow Bastion
Historical Government: Elective Monarchy
Historical Affiliation: Independent
Wealth:
- High
- During its height the planet of Akeldama was a center of trade. What it lacked in natural resources it more than made up for in its trading (think of Venice during its height as a merchant republic). This also saw the rise of a burgeoning slave empire, as the native species traded increasingly in flesh to ensure a steady supply of sustenance for its population.
Stability:
- High
- While there was crime just as on any Core World, there wasn't an overabundance of such crime as to destabilize the natural order or the government of Akeldama. Most often crimes were dealt with swiftly and harshly depending upon the crime itself. While minor violations were often met with small fines, larger infractions (such as murder) were often dealt with through branding and exile.
Freedom & Oppression:
- The laws of Akeldama were at its time considered to be odd and unusual to those that visited the planet. Often the laws were more weighed against the denizens of the world than those that visited. This is due in part to the species' hemovoric diet and thus those laws were specifically to protect visitors to the world. Beyond this the Government of Akeldama was a rather open, if not totalitarian regime. Personal freedoms were secured through laws, and a complex system of checks and balances always ensured that the Elective Monarchy, the Judicial and the Legislative branches were always checked. This was further expanded upon by a series of regional governors, judges, and councils that reported directly to the elected monarch. Social freedoms, while relaxed were still strictly watched over, as much of what was permitted was for the benefit of the state and not the people. The strangest laws came into existence due in part to the hemovoric diet of the species. It was seen as taboo for one member of the species to feed upon another (as it was considered the most intimate of actions between lovers) and was punishable by exile if done so in public. Likewise, many laws existed to protect visitors to the world and to ensure the safety and longevity of the slaves often traded on the world.
Current Military: None
- There was a time when Akeldama was surrounded by a sizable fleet, its moon Keres a fortress, nearly a battle station unto itself that provided the first line of defense to the world. Its fleet of trade vessels escorted by cruisers and corvettes while its armies imposed the dominion of Akeldama upon its system and it's few neighboring worlds. That was a time when Akeldama was at the height of its power, a time before the great cataclysm that left the world a lifeless husk drifting in the void. Now only a few reminders of that power remain, with a few crashed vessels still visible upon the surface or drifting derelict in space.
Historical Technology:
- Galactic
- Hyperdrive Capable (circa 3,952 BBY)
Karthmere Citadel
The old crone smiles as she rocks in her chair, her eyes falling upon the visitors before her. With a wrinkled hand she reaches out, beckoning for them to sit in the chairs before her. A small smile crossing her lips as her other hand slips over an ancient tome. The pages dusty from age and the spine creaks eerily as she opens the cover. The scent of old paper and dust fills the air as she slowly rocks back and forth.
"Come my children and I shall tell you a tale, an ancient tale of a world long forgotten. A world whose people were wiped out in a night and their descendants thrown across the void. This place untouched by even the Force for fear of the pain that would sweep across the galaxy... A homeworld of monsters feared that come in the night. This is the story of Akeldama and the Vampire...
Our story begins in a time forgotten by those that live now, when a vessel holding our progenitors, those Energy Vampires fleeing from the fear of others came upon this world. Nestled in the darkness in the Colonies region, our progenitors awoke from their grand slumber upon this world, finding it a verdant paradise. Of course this was all due to sheer blind luck, for they could have ended up on any other number of worlds, and who knows, perhaps those worlds would have seen their death before our kind came into being. This though is information that is all but lost to time, for even our own kind do not know exactly how we came into begin. For on that very vessel were brought slaves, those that could be fed upon and provide sustenance for those that came first. It was their mission, their goal to create a world upon which our kind could live and thrive without fear of reprisal or attack. An ambitious dream and one that held for thousands of years until destruction rained down upon them.
The first of our kind were birthed from those female slaves, humans, that had been brought. Thus the first Sanguinius Vampirika were born, and from then we've reigned in our shadows. Our people created their own society, and in time we would send our kind out into the Galaxy. For thousands of years we reigned Akeldama with impunity, and then the Mandalorians came, and the Republic, and the Sith. Our world became a battleground and then it was lost to us, to all for the cataclysm claimed many. There are few who know of this world, though in time our kind shall return. They shall claim their birthright, and when that happens, the Empire of the Night shall rise once more."
The exact date of discovery or even when it was officially settled has been lost to time, and thus only a broad guesstimate can be given. What is known is that it was likely discovered and subsequently settled sometime between 6,000 and 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, as what few records have been recovered have shown that the world stood for a few thousand years before it was destroyed. In a time when many species were coming into contact with one another for the first time, there were still those that saw other 'aliens' as monsters that had to be destroyed.
This was no less the fact for Energy Vampires, who were already a minor population as it was. A handful had banded together and upon finding Akeldama, they settled the world, hoping that they could be left to peace. During their self imposed exile, something strange happened, or rather something unexpected. The first Sanguinius Vampirika was born when the then reigning Energy Vampire Matriarch took one of their slaves that had been brought to the world, as a lover. This produced a child that had far exceeded the powers of its mother and father. From then on the first bloodlines were born, though this also marked the schism within the species itself.
As more and more Vampirika were born, there were entire bloodlines that began to refuse to breed outside of their kind, while others desired a more robust gene pool to further experiment in breeding the strongest of their kind. From this came the formation of the Akeldama Slave Empire, and over the next few centuries vessels from the world slipped into the void of space and provided their neighboring systems with the stories and tales of the creatures that came in the night to prey upon the bad children. Over time though as the raids became more frequent and had to extend further out from their homeworld, the risks involved began to increase.
Soon though they changed how they acquired new slaves, and their society shifted from raiding and pillaging to trading. For nearly a thousand years the world stood on its own merit, gaining such wealth as to ensure that their home was well defended. The wealth that they gained was poured into public works and defenses by the various bloodlines to ensure that Akeldama would always stand. No more so was this apparent than in the creation of the fortress moon Keres, which was turned into a battle station unto itself. It stood as the defender of Akeldama, until the fateful day. Their actions and their very nature brought about the end of Akeldama.
The wealth and power of the Vampirika had been overlooked for too long, and many had begun to whisper about the monsters that they truly were. Fear overtook many, though it was not this fear that saw the end of their homeworld. What ended Akeldama was the Mandalorian Crusaders backed by a silent Sith hand. After all, how could one allow a world of those that could stand against an enemy without the need of the Force? The day that saw the destruction of Akeldama began with a shuddering quake, as multiple nuclear devices were set off across the world. The largest volcano on the world at the time was the first to erupt, doing so in such great force that all that remains now is the Stygian Caldera.
This initial erupt resulted in a chain of eruptions, the destruction, and death on the first day was so much that it tore a wound in the Force. The life of billions was snuffed out in a matter of hours, and in the following week, millions more were destroyed. Those that stood upon Keres watched as Akeldama was consumed in flames, their own fire growing as they fought to defend those that remained. Sadly it was this defiance that would see the moon destroyed, and in a final act the remnants of the defenders on Keres set off a destructive chain of nuclear devices, blowing the moon apart and taking as many with them as they could.
The remains of the moon slowly settling into the orbit around Akeldama. With their homeworld destroyed, those few bloodlines that had managed to flee the destruction of their world went into hiding. Sadly for millions that fled, it was not enough, as their unarmed and sparsely defended transports were destroyed. What was once a species in the billions was reduced to one of a few million forced back into the darkness. Their legacy one of death and destruction and for the next few thousands of years, the Vampirika bloodlines remained hidden, while some of those bloodlines are on the brink of extinction. Akeldama remains though, bathed in flames and ash, a wound in the force.
Since its destruction, it had been left untouched, save for a few instances. Some would seek to plunder the remains of the world, with many finding it was not as easy as they believed, leaving themselves behind. Few have returned and those few items they managed to return have brought them financial security for years to come. Of course, there are those that look to Akeldama and seek to reclaim their ancient homeworld. At this moment though the world is nothing. No life thrives upon this dead world, only the ghosts and silent voices of those lost so long ago remain.
The Sanguine Wastes
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