Lasintara

"We don't know what the people of the planet are upto. Hell, we don"t even know if there is a single intelligent individual left on the planet after what happened ten thousand years ago. But we, the children of the moon won"t stop. The threat of the destroyer persists to this day, and it is paramount that we become strong enough to protect our moon and the universe from him and hopefully, put an end to him once and for all"
Grand Protector Harkatan Malorus of the Hanari Union, giving a speech to some of the senior people in the Hanari Union about their strict resolve to defeat the breaker"

The Break of Dawn by Bisbiswas

Lasintara is the largest moon of Elladia, and also the one that resembles the planet most. Originally a smaller planet that was captured by Elladia whilst circumumbulating around their common parent, the moon is a beauty to behold. Due to it being rather small and cooler than Elladia, the moon contains little to no deserts of the hot climatical type and thus, its equator is mostly composed of rivers and streams crisscrossing others as well as huge archipelagos of islands combined with marshes, bogs and swamps.
The rest of the planet is composed of large grasslands and woodlands, mixed in with giant mountain chains, river deltas and other locations perfectly suited for inhabitation. The temperature is comfortable for most sapient beings on Elladia, whilst food can easily be grown in large amounts in these areas. The world has also known peace for the last five thousand years. Here, children play peacefully and in general, the people are happy despite numerous hardships endured by them throughout the years and to this day.
The moon is inhabited by two sapient races. The Homnari, a race of human looking beings who are far stronger than their Elladian counterparts and excede them in possibly every other attribute. They live in harmony with their creators, the Haenari, a mysterious race of humanoid aliens about whom very little is known. The two form a singular state known simply as the Holy Union, which seeks to guard the moon and the entire universe against the corruption of the breaker. Having survived the devastation which racked Elladia and its neighbourhood forty millenia ago as well as fighting them on till 5000 years ago, the people of the union have far greater knowledge of this foe than the Elladians, and thus may act as the catalyst that sets down the downfall of the destroyer.
Though the moon has been peaceful, the corruption is creeping in here too but far more subtly. Altering ancient tomes, silently corrupting high ranking officials and slowly regaining their strength in the parts of the moon where not even the bravest champions of the holy union tread. These parts will be the first to fall to the corruption, and the inhabitants of the union must act quickly
For the destroyer will soon arrive and when he does, he will shatter the millenia long peace that the inhabitants have come to enjoy so, so much.

Geography

"Its beautiful. I may be unfair since i have not seen any other place not on our world but its just heavenly. Where can one find so much greenery and beauty? Where the air is fresh and fills you with peace. Where people do not kill each other over petty reasons and rather unite to fight against a common foe. Even if i found the lands of the sky father far more beautiful than our moon, it will still always hold a special place in my heart."
Jortanas Marinal, a Homnari talking about the natural beauty of Lasintara

The Grasslands of Lasintara by Joey Pool

In simple words, Lasintara can best be described as heavenly. The climate is suitable for large scale habitation by all the sapient species of Elladia, and in general feature peaceful weather. Lush mountain valleys bisected by perennial streams riveting down from the snow capped mountains, grasslands filled with the occasional forest or two, giant snowy mountains standing sentinel over the people and last but not least, the beautiful view of Elladia from the surface are just one of the few beauties of the world. It is as if there is a literal aura of peace here, something that instantly makes someone happier and more willing to do virtuous tasks

The Mountain Valleys

Martarus had visited the valleys when he was only a child. Returning to it years after had felt like an odd but incredibly pleasant sensation. He had visited his ancestral home and also began to settle down here. Perhaps his father was right after all. That even though, they had been living in the delta for hundreds of years now, it was in the valleys flanked by snow capped mountains and bisected by raging rivers that their true home was in."
A Homnari traveller, thinking about the experiences of his life upon returning to his ancestral homeland in a mountain valley

Valleys of the Moon by Rastislav Kubovic

There are many mountain ranges on the moon, which whilst are too cold to offer significant amounts of habitable land do sustain them in other ways. Being the source of many rivers which the people of the moon depend upon, the importance of the mountains is endless. These rivers first cut through the mountain valleys, before going to the planes and finally exiting to the sea in deltas and estuaries. The valleys are perhaps the most beautiful spot to view them, as they also offer gorgeous views of the mountains. Settlements are mostly along the river bank, though they are careful not to build too close or at least build flood defences to prevent river erosion and enroachments.
The rivers also sometimes form large lakes when a branch of the river breaks free and goes to somewhere else. These lakes are incredible havens for biodiversity, which leads to them being flocked with scientists whenever the weather is the best. From serpentine monsters, giant carnivorous fishes, Squids that can squirt flammable gas and even dragons at times, the lakes are full of wonders for people to see. Many of these creatures are also useful to the people and provide them with many of the necessities of daily life as well as more exotic products and sometimes even cryptic products whose mysteries are yet to be uncovered

Plains and Woodlands

"It is on the plains of the moon where the people mostly thrive on. Full of arable land and large tracts of space suitable for the development of cities, the plains may not be a particularly beautiful place to see but it is indeed, the place many people call home"
An excerpt from a travel guide, talking about the large plains on the moon

The Call of the Wild by Michele D Angelo

As one moves away from the mountains, one is faced with verdant, endless plains filled with alien grass. These are the places where most of the population lives. The areas are well suited for farming and habitation, and have given rise to a number of cities and urban conglomerations. Though rather uninteresting, the cities are arguably the safest place to live in since the frontier areas are more prone to plagues, attacks by wild beasts and extreme weather events.
Some parts are filled with lots of trees, which makes for a rather pleasant experience. Even in the cities, one can find many parks and places filled with trees, to the extent that one may feel that the city was built inside of a forest. The government of the Holy Union takes great care to ensure that there is sufficient greenery around in the cities to make them more natural looking and uplift the minds of their inhabitants

The Frozen Northlands

"The Northlands are one of the few parts of Lasintara about whom little is known. Who knows what secrets they contain? Some say that the forces of the destroyer are still there, regrouping and regaining their strength till they are strong enough to fight again. What is known however is that it is cold and dark for long periods of time and if one goes northwards enough, the snow and ice do not melt even in the warmest of summers"
An excerpt from a travel guide

The Frozen Lands by Cyril Labranche

In the Polar regions of Lasintara, one can find thick sheets of ice covered with snow, vast frozen oceans and seas and sometimes even gigantic volcanic archipelagos. These places are desolate, and can barely sustain life if at all. Not much is known about them since the Holy Unions population is mostly concentrated in the equatorial and temperate areas. However, the permanent expeditions and research programs have uncovered many things about them, and are particularlly amazed at the geography and the diverse lifeforms that can be found here.
In the parts where the ocean is still liquid, one can find seals, whales, walruses and diverse sorts of alien animals. From carnivorous swarms of bioluminous barracuda to krakens, giant reptilian predators, sharks, electric cephalopods and what not, the cold polar oceans contain many more interesting sights to see.
The most exciting news however, is that researchers have found evidence of large quantities of mineral wealth lying beneath the sheets of ice. Though drilling and mining would be a hard task, the sheer amount of resources buried beneath the bedrock make for a very attractive incentive, considering that the current main goal of the union is to gain enough resources and technology to turn them into a powerhouse so as to increase their abilities of fighting against the destroyers forces. The decision is still to come however, and for now, the holy unions activities in the polar regions are regulated to small scale exploration and research, with very few permanent research stations being established.

The River Deltas

"The delta peoples may be thought of as shabby, weak and lazy people. This could not be farther from the truth however. I have seen storms wash away our crops, livestock and sometimes our family every year, and life in the mouth of the deltas has to a special kind of hell with the constantly humid and hot weather. But i love my village still. It was the place that i was born and raised up in after all"
A Homnari native of the Shent river delta, talking about his childhood experiences

The River Delta by Anna Vasilyeva

The mighty rivers of the planet create large deltas, which are indispensable to the Holy Union. These places are amongst the most fertile on the planet, though the weather can be a bit intolerable at times and many deadly creatures lurk here. The deltas are major population centres and are perhaps the most densely populated, despite the natural calamities often visiting the deltas ( which have been mitigated to an extent by flood defenses and other artificial structures. The Shent river delta for example contains as many as two million people, as much as four percent of the Holy Unions population.
The deltas are also diverse in their wildlife and researchers are keen to study them. From carnivorous worms and fish to large crocodilians, the deltas offer many adventures for the daring who are willing to risk their lives whilst crossing giant ravines and raging rivers. The People of these regions live a rather tumultuous life but are still happy nontheless since they don"t have to be at risk of famine and know that they have the duty of feeding most of the unions citizens.

Volcanic Archipelagos

"Today i had the luck to stumble upon possibly the most unique landscape on this world. Mountains arose from the sea, spewing fire and smoke and it was beautiful! We had to turn back quickly however as i did not want to risk any accident whether large or small scale. But it was indeed beautiful to see. Perhaps i will petition the expedition heads to give me more resources to explore these wonderful areas"
A scientist, writing in his journal after discovering a volcanic archipelago in the northern polar regions of the moon

Land of Fire by Anton Ninov

Some parts of the world are violent, both literally and metaphorically. These may be areas where the flora and fauna are deadly, or where there are holes in the magnetosphere causing ionizing radiation to leak through. In the volcanic archipelagos however, the violence is truly personified. Numerous volcanic islands, both large and small dot parts of the oceans and seas of the moon. Some of them constantly spew ash and volcanoes into the sky whilst others lay dormant for many years before erupting violently whilst some have been extinct for millenia, though this does not rule out the possibility of them erupting again.
The volcanoes and their associated islands feature some extremely unique wildlife and natural events. From geysers covered with unique forms of bacterial and plankton colonies to organisms that devour volcanic rocks and get energy from the radiation and heat, the volcanic archipelagos are indeed a very interesting place.

Fauna & Flora

"Hey watch out!"
Jornal had barely a second to react before the direclaw pounced on him. His fate would have been resigned had Hokarn not intervened and killed the beast. He was surprised at how a single Homnari like him could single handedly kill a direclaw. If the stories were to be believed, they could leave entire villages in ruins"
A Homnari reminiscing about a direclaw attack

Direclaw by Pablo Olivera

The lifeforms of Lasintara are diverse and beautiful. The planet has all the characteristics required for large scale life to arise and thus, there are plentiful amounts of lifeforms to be found everywhere. In the Mountain valleys, large Rhinodons roam, grazing on the grass and scaring everyone with their tremorous footsteps. Sometimes, a foolish gryphon would swoop down on them and would either get viciously mauled by its gigantic horn or barely survive and limp back to its nest. In the river deltas, one can find large numbers of carnivorous worms who viciously attack any who dare intrude into their territory, be they water buffalo or Homnari and Haenari. The polar regions are filled with large swarms of bioluminous carnivorous fish that resemble barracudas and eels back on Elladia.
These fish can produce electricity through natural means and often use it when attacking larger prey. They have been known to tear even a walrus to shreds at times. Researchers must be careful, especially during the winter season when food is scarce. During those times, staying in the water for only a few seconds could also be a death sentence, as the creatures swarm in and tear one to shreds and fight over who gets the biggest share of the meal.

History

The Moon has had many events in its past. From being a planet of its own to being captured by Elladia around a billion yeas ago, the moons history is vast and rich. However, it can mainly be divided into five parts

Before the Ancients came

The Moon that was once a world by Christian Dimitrov

Lasintara, jewel of the galaxy by Richard Fraser

1. Diameter- 14,234 kilometres


2. Climatic type- Elladia analog


3. Average surface temperature- 10C


4. Gravity- 0.95G


5. Atmospheric pressure- 102 kilopascals

Beacons of Light

Across the moons landscape, one may oftentimes stumble on a beacon of light so bright that it rivals the sun in terms of brightness but mysteriously, reaches out to a far shorter distance. Haenari and Homnari scientists have speculated on what these could be but the general consensus amongst the savants of the two race seem to be that they are caches of divine weapons left behind by the gods, accessed only during the direst of times. Attempts to open them have mostly resulted in failure, though the few successes have envigorated the forces of the union as well as their citizens. The weapons and equipment come as a great boon to them, seeing as how they are so keen to gain them for defence against the forces of Arkanos

Life on the Moon

Life on the moon is incredibly peaceful, if one dosen"t mind the plagues that come every three centuries. The sapient inhabitants are citizens of the Union, who take great care to ensure that their citizens are happy. Children play peacefully in the open fields and after school, often look at the massive planet hanging in their sky which they call the sky father. It looms around them, and is so prominient that one can make out some features of Elladias landscape even with the naked eye from Lasintara. Unlike most of the races of Elladia, conscription is not a thing in the union but every able bodied adult is still drilled to a certain extent in the arts of warfare so as to defend themselves
The jobs that people do depend upon what region they live in. Those living on the frontiers of the Holy Union are often agarian in nature, farming food for the urban people and mining minerals for the great forges of the cities. Those inside the urban areas do a wide variety of jobs from tourist guides to research scientists, soldiers, administrators, blacksmiths, teachers, bakers, actors, musicians, writers and what not. In the coastal areas that are inhabited by the unions citizens, the majority of the people do jobs related to the sea including being sailors, marine biologists and workers in marine related infrastructure processes. Despite the weather being at times harsh, the people are happy since there are no wars and the government cares immensely for them

Type

Planetoid / Moon