Soraktus
"Day 99 "Having just arrived upon the Vi'dam homeworld - or, I suppose, one of them - the first thing that has caught my attention is how everything is laid out; be that by the Vi'dam or the planet itself. Everything is... what's the word? Reversed? "On Lux, I took it all for granted. You couldn't find so much as a dingy corner in a single part of that damned rock; the Emperor's light shone wherever it could reach, and its reach was so very far. But here? Here, the shadows hold dominion. "As I speak, I'm sitting on the balcony of a hotel built into the cavern walls. Purple light reflects from the amethysts adorning the ceiling - a pale imitation of the sunlight. Something about it unnerves me. It makes me feel... childish. Have I truly grown to fear the dark? "There are no stars in the sky here. There is no sky."
Geography
The surface of Soraktus is a frozen wilderness. Nothing but ice as far as the eye can see, spattered with ancient forests and ruins of a civilisation the time has forgotten. Rolling snow hills, frozen over craters and metal research outposts built by the Iskara to keep exploring the surface. But beneath this white hellscape, sits a completely different world. One lush and brimming with life, safe from the crippling cold and ice of the surface. The sprawling caverns of Soraktus are lined with crystals which capture the light falling in through the cracks in the ceilings. With these cracks also comes ice, quickly melting into water; giving the caverns the two things it needs for life to thrive.
Lush green forests, deep crystal lined lakes and even rivers running in the underbrush. Colossal stone stalactites hang from the ceiling, bathed in the reflected surface light. The flora and fauna of Soraktus is stubborn enough to survive, developing over millennia to thrive where others may have wilted and faded.
Lush green forests, deep crystal lined lakes and even rivers running in the underbrush. Colossal stone stalactites hang from the ceiling, bathed in the reflected surface light. The flora and fauna of Soraktus is stubborn enough to survive, developing over millennia to thrive where others may have wilted and faded.
Ecosystem
The caverns of Soraktus are home to treacherous muskegs and dense evergreen forests. Various species of moss, lichens, fungus and wild berries can be found all across the forest floor. Sunlight is not abundant in the caverns, even with the myriad of crystals reflecting light, and not even during the long summer days. As evaporation is consequently low for most of the year, precipitation exceeds evaporation and is sufficient to sustain the dense vegetation growth, including large trees. It comes most commonly in the form of dew and the occasional rainfall from the clouds that have formed at the cavern ceilings over the centuries. Herbivorous animals are found in parts of the planet where there are more trees to feed on. The underground ponds and large lakes are usually the breeding grounds for insects and serve as a source of food for rodents and birds, and for this reason, they can be said to be keystone species.
Localized Phenomena
- Purple Haze: Soraktus is home to a species of mushroom which germinates in the late spring. The release of spores comes in thick purple clouds which settle on the forest floor. The clouds are known to produce a hallucinogenic effect in humanoid species, and as such have been dubbed 'The Purple Haze.' The period of time where this occurs is well documented by the Vi'dam, and travel advisories specify that anyone traveling through the areas affected should wear appropriate facial protection.
- Ink Pools: Certain lakes on Soraktus change colour over the course of a few months. Going from a clear hue to completely inky black. The mineral composition of the water changes during this time, but it is still unknown why it happens, or what causes this change.
- Fallstreak Holes: These circular holes in the clouds are thought to appear when the water temperature in the clouds is freezing but hasn't formed ice. When ice crystals do form (which can be helped by things like a passing ship), it sets off a chain reaction with can led to water droplets evaporating and leaving a massive hole behind.
- The Iskara Flowers: This unusual weather phenomenon forms from imperfections on the ice's surface in sub-zero temperatures, usually around -20 degrees. From afar, they may look like fields of ice flowers, hence the name. What is even more fascinating is that these ice spikes have been found to contain microorganisms that form their own little miniature ecosystem, similar to what you might see on a coral reef.
Natural Resources
Despite its rather bleak outward appearance, Soraktus has plenty to offer. Wood from its trees is a highly sought after luxury in other systems, the mushrooms and berries which grow on the forest floor sought out by culinary enthusiasts and drug aficionados, the colourful crystals growing on cave walls sought out as decorations and components for arcane rituals. The surface contains a lot of oil and natural gas fields. Today, Soraktus is the greatest oil exporter in Ponadea and one of the main suppliers of natural gas to Ciraculum. It also contains large reserves of coal, oil, methane, iron, silver, gold, diamonds, and uranide. Mining accounts for over 30% of the entire economy
Another economic activity is the fur trade, which on Soraktus involves 3% of the population, as the soft and aesthetic furs found on local fauna are economically attractive.
Tourism
Those who have had to visit Soraktus for one reason or another, tend to agree on one thing. It is a place that makes you feel small. The surface is cold endless whiteness that threatens to swallow one whole. Of course the Iskara have opted to live beneath the ground, given a chance. But the caverns of Soraktus hold their own kind of vastness. Standing on a balcony in a home gives one a perfect view of just how small they are, compared to the massive trees below, and the beasts that roam beneath. To some, it is unsettling. Frightening. To others... to others it is freeing.
Those are the people who like to return to Soraktus. To bathe in the crystal lakes and traverse the forests. Scholars come in droves to visit uncovered ruins, hoping to assist the local authorities in unearthing something magnificent. Lost souls come to take in the cold and find some levity in the vast expanse. It is so popular in fact, that corporations on Soraktus have established a series of small 'pods' throughout the uncovered parts of the planet, where one can stay safely. These pods have food, water and electricity, allowing one to enjoy the nature without the trouble of tents, or defecating in buckets, or having to worry about the local wildlife.
Those are the people who like to return to Soraktus. To bathe in the crystal lakes and traverse the forests. Scholars come in droves to visit uncovered ruins, hoping to assist the local authorities in unearthing something magnificent. Lost souls come to take in the cold and find some levity in the vast expanse. It is so popular in fact, that corporations on Soraktus have established a series of small 'pods' throughout the uncovered parts of the planet, where one can stay safely. These pods have food, water and electricity, allowing one to enjoy the nature without the trouble of tents, or defecating in buckets, or having to worry about the local wildlife.
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