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annyrion

The Planet Annyrion

Annyrion is a broadly earthlike planet with a breathable oxy-nitro atmosphere, surface gravity 86% of Earth standard, a flourishing biosphere, and a mixed geography of oceans and continents. It is sometimes popularly regarded among recom society as the planet that's destined to replace the ravaged Earth.

Orbiting the star Thinora (formerly known as Ross 154) only 10 light-years from Sol, Annyrion was the first habitable exoplanet identified telescopically by NASA. After the construction of the first jumpgate in Sol System and the beginning of interstellar travel, Annyrion was the second extrasolar planet to be colonized, after Oceania.

Annyrion is also unique as the only recom-inhabited world that hosts multiple, politically indpendent colonies. The primary colonies are the Annyrion Colonist - Eisshari Coalition on Inaria continent, and the Lopanga Confederacy on Lopanga continent. Other continents, including Kahokia, remain in an undeveloped wilderness state.

Annyrion's native vegetation is notable for its purple color. The chemical compound which is responsible for photosynthesis in the native plants is purple rather than green. It's more efficient than green chlorophyl, and native plants would be able to out-compete plants imported from Earth if other factors were equal. However, the native plants are exceptionally tasty and easy for herbivores from Earth to digest. It has become common for imported animals to strip the native vegetation from a region, after which imported plants quickly take root. Native animals are generally unable to digest the imported plants, so they either starve or move on in search of purple-er pastures. Recently some ecological groups have begun to agitate for control of imported species, for fear that the native life will eventually be wiped out. They have not gained much traction, however, as vast tracts of Annyrion are still swathed in purple, and most recoms are delighted to see familiar species from Earth restored in a new home.

History

Main Article: History of Annyrion.

Inaria

The first colony was established at Annyrion City, which was located adjacent to a major Eisshari settlement. The recom colonists and Eisshari formed friendly relations and established the Annyrion Colonist - Eisshari Coalition. This colony was backed primarily by Luna and was intended to follow the same general plan as the already highly successful Oceania colony. However, it soon began running into multiple difficulties.

The location of Annyrion city was politically selected in order to establish contact with the Eisshari, but the terrain was relatively rugged and the climate tended toward cold conditions which made agriculture hard to get established. The Eisshari also placed restrictions on development, which the Luna-based administration often acceded without question. Colonists soon began to spread out across the wide-open landscape of Inaria without regard for the colonial administration's carefully-laid plans.

In addition, colonial planners were unprepared for the sheer size of Inaria. Building roads, communications and power grids, homes, factories and offices on the islands of Oceania, and finding colonists to populate them, had been a manageable project. Inaria, in contrast, was soaking up all the resources that Luna could throw at it and begging for more. At the same time, the bureacracy and inflexible planning from Luna prevented colonists from adapting to the new environment as they saw fit.

These tensions eventually led to a peaceful revolution, as the colonists seized control of their own government and declared the Coalition independent from Luna. Since then, developmental and construction resources have been distributed more flexibly, and the colony has expanded to cover much more land area. However, there is still a constant shortage of manpower. The government has programs to encourage colonists to have more children, while robotics have also been used to fill some of the shortfall.

Annyrion City is by far the most built-up and modernized area on the planet, due mainly to the original construction work when Luna was overseeing the colony's administration. More recent projects have focused on building a high-speed rail network to connect Annyrion City with settlements to the west and south. The bullet train has become a particular point of civic pride throughout Inaria.

Despite all the progress that has been made, Inaria still contains large regions of undeveloped wilderness.

Xeno-archaeologists have discovered that Inaria was host to a colony of Dallen several thousand years ago. It is now believed that the Eisshari were brought to Annyrion by the Dallen. The reason why the Dallen abandoned the planet is unknown, but their ruins can be found in a remote, mountainous region of Inaria. It's possible that other Dallen sites may be remain undiscovered in Inaria or on other continents.

Lopanga

Many recoms chafed at the bureaucratic restrictions upon immigration and development on Oceania and later within Inaria's colony. Many groups wanted to establish their own colonies but could not get permission from the Coalition. These included groups organized by religious belief or by species, both of which were considered “politically incorrect” by the Luna-based administration.

These groups banded together and purchased a couple of freighter spaceships which were old and due for decommissioning. The Lopanga Company landed colonists on multiple sites of Lopanga continent, effectively daring the Coalition to stop them. This gamble paid off, as it was politically impossible to remove the colonists by force after they had landed and dispersed.

The northern part of Lopanga was settled primarily by communities of Leonine recoms and Chakats. They developed a relatively simple and low-tech lifestyle based on a savannah environment reminiscent of Africa or Texas.

Settlements in the southern desert of Lopanga were organized by the Kemetic Orthodox Church, which claimed to have revived the religion of ancient Egypt. They built their settlements along the Hapi River, which they declared a suitable substitute for the Nile. Irrigation from the river supported agriculture and fixed communities, while the surrounding desert regions came to be largely inhabited by nomadic bands of rat recoms.

The warm climate of Lopanga proved well suited to agriculture. An eccentric but brilliant genetic engineer named Otto de Lanseur settled in Epiphyte and established an agricultural research center. His research and teachings helped to further expand Lopanga's agricultural output, and it soon exceeded that of Inaria. Although Lopanga lacks the industrial infrastructure and manufacturing base of Inaria, the region is not poor: it is considered by many recoms to be the “Breadbasket of Recom Space”.

Dr. de Lanseur's research also led to one of the true oddities of Lopanga, the species of plant people known as Odontonians. He began with a native species of mobile, semi-sentient plants (referred to as “trifids” by early settlers) and heavily modified them to create an intelligent humanoid species. Odontonians do not mix much with other recoms, and tend to stay in their villages.

Until recently, Lopanga Colony was merely a name rather than any sort of organized political structure. The Kemetic Church, cities and villages, and nomadic tribes all largely minded their own business, while the Coalition still formally claimed to have authority over the entire planet. Growing tensions between the two continents led the Coalition to impose a naval blockade, preventing starships from landing on Lopanga. The various factions of Lopanga responded by banding together and forming the Lopanga Confederacy. They then hired a band of space pirates, the Seventh Wave, to act as their space navy and break the blockade. The Annyrion Civil War ended without any shots fired, and the Coalition is no longer pressing its claim over Lopanga at this time.

The capital city of Epiphyte, situated between the Hapi River, farmlands, and desert caravan trails, is only moderately-sized, but a major population center compared to other settlements of Lopanga. The city is a mix of slums and more affluent areas. The rule of law is not strong here; most residents choose to go about armed. In lieu of a police force, the organized crime group, the Ghueri, seek to maintain stability. Trade, nonetheless, proceeds by land, air, space, and on the shallow waterway. Epiphyte features a Kemetic temple, the offices of the Lopanga government, a small spaceport with airship docking pylon, and river docks. Other sights include a stone circle (presumably of southern Eisshari origin) and the remains of an colony ship. In 2211, the city suffered an invasion and was held for a time by a force of military-grade robots before the Seventh Wave freed the city.

Epiphyte City


Houses            Red Building        Houses            Building          Poor Houses
   |                   |                |                   |                 |
   |                   |                |                   |                 |
More shops             |           A labyrinth of junk and hovels        Poor buildings
   |                   |                          |                           |
   |                   |                          |                           |
Great big long street extremely busy with market stalls, shops, and other stuff like that
   |                   |                          |                           |
   |                   |                          |                           |
Buildings          Buildings           Big Dome------Very nice houses       Houses
   |                   |
   |                   |
Zeppelin Tower   Big junk pile                Sand dunes               More sand dunes

annyrion.txt · Last modified: 2012/05/06 04:40 by abiri