Twylo (Capella subsector, Solomani Rim 1034)

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Iracundus
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Twylo (Capella subsector, Solomani Rim 1034)

#1 Post by Iracundus »

Twylo:
UWP: A551AA6-E
Starport: A class
Size: 5 (8,000 km diameter), 0.65 G gravity
Atmosphere: 5, (Thin oxygen-nitrogen, 0.78 atmospheres of pressure)
Hydrographics: 9%
Population: A (30 billion)
Government: Charismatic Dictatorship (speaker of General Assembly appoints successor)
Law Level: 6 (Moderate, all firearms prohibited except shotguns)
Tech Level: E (14, High Stellar)
Climate: Very Cold (average temperature of -18 degrees Celsius at 30 degrees latitude)
Remarks: High Population, Poor, Subsector Capital, Confederation Naval Base, Confederation Military Base

System details:
Primary: A6 V (white star)
Planetoid Belts: 0
Gas Giants: 3

Twylo should not be a habitable world. It has no oceans, only a scattering of frozen lakes. and seas which harbor no photosynthetic life. In any case. the planet is too young to have evolved an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere through the normal mechanisms. Yet it has such an atmosphere, perfectly breathable although thin (0.78 atm). The reason is the planet's unique native life, based on a biochemistry very different from that found on Terra. The sand dollars of Twylo's wide desert areas are actually an ergivorous life-form. They use the harsh light of Twylo's primary to fuel an electrochemical reaction, freeing oxygen from various oxides in the soil. In effect, the sand dollars "eat rust," using the liberated heavy elements in their metabolism and releasing free oxygen into the air. The natural process of oxidation is therefore offset by the metabolism of hundreds of billions of sand dollars. Sand dollars and their related life forms are a mystery in themselves, as scientists have yet to determine how they could have evolved so early in Twylo's history. In the meantime, they make a unique export product. The shells of certain sand dollar species are quite beautiful and have a fair value as novelty keepsakes.

Although Twylo is habitable, it is not particularly pleasant due to the thin atmosphere, the cold climate, and the primary's searing ultraviolet output which all make unprotected life on the surface difficult. Due to the low temperature all the surface bodies of water are either frozen or remain liquid only due to very high salinity. Twylo's most notable natural feature is Yin Crater. Over two hundred kilometers in diameter, it lies on the edge of one of the planet’s seas, taking a huge bite out of the adjoining continent. The impact occurred 103,000 years ago, and caused a mass extinction. Life on land is impoverished; no land-animal species is larger than a domestic cat, and every species is genetically homogeneous, descended from a few survivors of the asteroid strike. The seas are better off, but still depleted.

Twylo was first lightly settled by Terrans during the Interstellar Wars over 3,400 years ago. Eventually the planet's mineral riches brought heavy settlement, beginning sometime late in the Long Night and originally primarily from Terra's Africa and Asia continents. The names of the main cities and population centers to this day show this cultural legacy though the population itself is now heavily multicultural Solomani. Today, Twylo is an important industrial world, one of the Confederation's busiest producers of heavy industrial equipment, vehicles, and starships. The bulk of the population lives in vast urban hives, clustered around the infrequent lakes and seas. The immense deserts of the "outback" are usually visited only by mining robots and their overseers. Once, Twylo's society was almost a parody of the gritty corporate state. Almost the entire planetary economy was based on export industries. and the planet's corporate elites regarded the local population as a source of cheap labor rather than a viable market for goods. As a result, living conditions were harsh even in the cities, with strict rationing of water, food, energy, and consumer goods. The majority of the population had only a basic education and existed at a subsistence level. Most citizens worked a few hours a day to earn basic credit, which they spent on alcohol, mild narcotics, and empty entertainment. A few ambitious sorts used any means, fair or foul, to get corporate positions for themselves or their children. This system naturally bred a great deal of corruption, paranoia, and violence.

About 1050, however, a particularly bad series of riots led to the partial destruction and abandonment of the city of New Tabora, which always had the strictest rationing. This gave the charismatic speaker of the General Assembly the political leverage he needed to press for reforms. Many of the planet's dominant corporations embarked on a new strategy of "local development". They invested in infrastructure and education for the planet's billions. Consumer good industries began to expand local markets. Labor unions, once ruthlessly stamped out, were slowly allowed to organize and engage in collective bargaining.

Over the 70 years since then, the "Twylo Renaissance" has had a marked effect on the health of local society. Many billions remain in the apathetic "underclass," and mob violence is still an occasional problem. However, educational levels have improved markedly. While the local standard of living is still not high, most citizens can now afford clean living quarters, decent medical care, and a few luxuries. Meanwhile, the influx of new talent from the previously ignored masses has much improved Twylo's industrial productivity. Each speaker of the General Assembly has carefully chosen his successor to prevent any loss of momentum in the ongoing reform process. Many citizens are well aware that one reactionary or even incompetent speaker could bring the process to a crashing halt.

Twylo is the capital of the Capella subsector, hosting a Confederation Naval Base and the sector headquarters for SolSec. The local population is strongly committed to the Solomani Cause.

(OOC: The information here is a merger and reconciliation between GURPS Traveller Rim of Fire and GURPS Traveller Interstellar Wars, along with some creative embellishments. The map was generated using a combination of Traveller 5, Megatraveller World Builder's Handbook, and GURPS Traveller First In with then modification as needed to fit as much as possible the other already established background.)

Map Legend:
Scale 1 Hex = 1,000 km

The red crosshair shows the world's Starport. There is an accompanying orbital Highport above.
The yellowish hexes are Desert.
The wavy blue lines shows Shore. This denotes a shoreline in the hex which can co-exist with the underlying hex terrain.
The blue dots show areas with significant scattered lakes, either in size or number.
The brown hexes denote Chasms (canyon-like symbol) or Precipices (cliff symbol).
The green R shows concentrations of natural resources.
The line of 3 brown triangles denote a polluted wasteland.
The green dome symbol denotes an area of Exotic natural interest.
Attachments
Twylo map output.JPG
Twylo map output.JPG (424.79 KiB) Viewed 6081 times

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