Terra Nova

CODEX

System Map
--A
----Aa
----Ab
----Ac
------Aci
------Acii (Prime World)
------Aciii
----Ad
--B
----B asteroid belt

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SpoilerA - Star
A hot white star that provides the majority of light and heat to the binary system. There's not really much to say about it.

Aa - Barren Planet
A star-scorched barren ball of rock. No life-sustaining resources, though high radiation readings mean there might be things worth mining here. No atmosphere, no weather, low gravity. Not a lot to say about this rather dull planet.

Ab - Desert Planet
Bearing little to no signs of water, this planet is wracked by sandstorms that could easily cause heavy damage to any potential inhabitants. The atmosphere is just dense enough to not cause depressurization, but is unbreathable and toxic. Moderately low gravity. It is unclear if there is anything of value here, and further exploration will be required.

Ac - Gas Giant Planet
A huge orange gas giant, which though lacking in life sustaining resources, is likely a good source of most conventional space fuels. Very high gravity, extreme weather, and likely a significant danger to craft that get too close, like most gas giants.

Aci - Lava Moon
A small molten world with moderately low gravity, likely caused to be so by being so close to the gas giant. It is tidally locked, and the surface is subject to near constant burning ash clouds and lightning storms. Surface temperature is very high and the hazardous atmosphere is too hot and thick to go outside without a suit. However, it is likely to have valuable and easily accessible mineral resources.

Acii - Habitable Moon
No doubt the focus of the expedition, this planet has a fully breathable atmosphere, likely caused by a biosphere that matches the same biochemical patterns seen in the development of most life in the galaxy. This also means some of the local flora and fauna are probably edible, for the species that care about such things. The gravity is only just slightly below average, the atmosphere is just slightly less thick than normal, the hydrosphere is very active, and it's not even tidally locked. It appears as if most of the surface is covered in a dense blanket of alien forest – perhaps indicating an aggressively invasive species that has taken over most of the planet. Likely to be rich in a variety of basic and valuable resources. An ideal habitable world, which could be lived on comfortably by most species in the galaxy.

Aciii - Barren Moon
With very low gravity, no atmosphere and little to say for itself, this barren ball of rock is perhaps the least interesting body in the system, though it at least has fascinating geological formations. Basic resources are likely to be found in abundance here, but we are unsure if there's anything of real value. Perhaps it will be useful simply for being easily reachable from its sister moons.

Ad - Ice Planet
The presence of ice on this planet makes it a potential low-grade colonization target, as both water and air could easily be derived from local resources, as well as valuable volatiles. The atmosphere, while thick enough to walk around in, is completely unbreathable. The weather is largely composed of cloudless days interspersed with freezing ice blizzards. The gravity is fairly pleasant, being moderately low.

B - Star
The binary partner of ASTR38-A, ASTR38-B is cooler, dimmer and more red, but still provides a decent amount of light and heat to A's planets and moons. It is surrounded by a dense asteroid field, perhaps having failed to accrue planets of its own. That asteroid field, while distinctly lacking in the volatiles necessary to sustain life, is still probably a decent source of valuable resources. The biggest barrier to its usefulness is how remote it is, as B's orbit places it far from the planets of A.

Countries

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SpoilerNone yet!

Concepts

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SpoilerMagic vs Technology:
The wizards are here, and they have their own societies that look down on the technological dependency of others. Which isn't super fair, since their own societies use limited technology in combination with magic. Magic can achieve wondrous feats, and a single spell can often bring a highly educated wizard up to par with a powerful technological device, but magic and technology don't mix. When casting magic, spellcasters draw energy from nearby, and this plays havoc with electronics. Magic screws up computers and most digital systems, and even when the electronics are heavily reinforced, continuous exposure to magic will eventually cause them to malfunction, short-circuit and break down.

As a result, most species that are capable of casting magic and structure it into their societies do not use electronic systems at all, instead relying on a mix of older, purely mechanical technology and magic to travel the stars. Some even eschew mechanical technology, delving into purely magical-dependent societies that often seem crude and backwards to more technologically advanced species, but get the job done just as well. Of course, magic is not strictly superior to technology – powerful energy pulses and disruptor weapons coming from both the magical and technological side can disrupt magic just as easily as technology.

This means magic societies tend to appear more historical and old fashioned, making use of old non-electronic systems such as blast furnaces, mechanical combustion engines and bullet-based firearms, and supplanting these with powerful magic, compared to the technological societies that tend to follow the bleeding edge and rely on advanced computer systems, energy blasters and a constant demand for electricity. The magic societies that reject technology entirely often look positively medieval, making use of arcane blacksmiths and artisans who imbue magic into their craft to create magic items. Their idea of a space hardsuit could easily be an enchanted suit of plate armour.

One thing neither magic nor science has ever been able to prove is the existence of a god or gods. Despite this, some magical societies remain convinced that magic itself is proof of divine intervention, referring to their wizards as clerics instead. Honestly, considering that the rules of magic seem almost entirely disconnected from the rest of physics, it is entirely possible that they are right. Others, taking a more scientific mindset, sometimes call magic psionics, and casters psions, as it is willed into being by mental effort. But most just call it magic and wizards.

Faster Than Light Travel:
Regardless of whether you believe in magic or technology, it's bad. Expensive, slow, unreliable. Ships often arrive early or very late, with little way to predict which, but still take months to travel even short distances. As a result, most of the United Confederation planets more or less run themselves, as even communicating between them can be challenging. Fortunately, cold sleep makes even decade-long journeys bearable, though few people like to travel across the galaxy regularly as you might quickly find yourself in a different century to when you started.

The United Confederation:
More of a union of independent planets than a true united government, the UC is like a space UN, decreeing laws for the good of all that are often ignored when outside observers aren't looking. UC officials have little say in how planets are run or who rules them, but try to make laws governing interstellar trade and peace, doing their best to prevent wars. Not that any but the most foolhardy of belligerent races would attempt an interstellar war anyway; with FTL being as slow and unreliable as it is, waging war from one star system to another is beyond impractical. No, it's the civil wars and wars between different polities on the same planet that concern the UC most of all, so they try to limit expansion and colonization to stop races coming into conflict. Though now, the balance of power in the UC council has shifted to the point where they are opening up huge swathes of space to free for all colonization, so perhaps things are changing.