Desnand (Des-nand)

Famous for it's hardwoods, living on Desnand comes with high risks

" We make hard folx on Desnand. It burns away everything soft 'cept the wood.

- Juda Coopatt

The smaller of the two originally inhabitable planets in the system, Desnand's surface is thick with a variety of forests. In the year immediately after Natchi Krilli was settled, another group of settlers moved to start settlement of the much closer to sun Desnand. When it was discovered that the heat on the planet could go even higher than the originally observed numbers, efforts were made to encase cities in domes like the cities on Lxile.
While the planet does have a large population, living there has its risks. Due to the high heat of the planet, Desnand is prone to a phenomena known as Heat Madness. Those who are outside for long periods of time are at risk of delusions, frequently seeing people and things that aren't there. While Heat Madness isn't deadly in and of itself (unless in the highest heat areas of the planet), it can cause people to do harm to themselves or others because of what they see.

Geography

While Desnand is made up of rolling hills and plains, these are hard to see underneath the thick cover of trees that make up the bulk of the planet. During the years of its settlement, there have been some areas that have been cleared in order to build not only domed cities for the population but to house the equipment needed to cut down lumber on the planet. These places usually appear as dots of light when observing the planet from space, the glass of the domes reflecting the light from Anadasa.

Localized Phenomena

Heat lightning is a phenomena on several planets but on Desnand it is present far more often. While the plants and trees native to the planet are largely resistant to fire, human habitation and other buildings as well as some transplanted plants that can survive in the heat are not. There are often heat lighting storms that cover parts of the planet, particularly during the short summer season.

Climate

Because of it's distance from the sun, the planet runs anywhere from 30-35 degree Celsius at the low end to upwards of 48-50 degree Celsius in certain parts of it. Thankfully most of the higher temperature parts can be avoided as they are desert/brushland areas centered around the planet's equator. Anyone out in these areas for too long without proper protection ends up going quickly into Heat Madness and then death.

Flora & Fauna

Because of the intense heat, Desnand doesn't have a large population of fauna - at least not compared to other planets in the Cluster. Despite that, it does have several that are common, many which are used as transportation or other uses by the locals. These animals include the Camet (which was compared by some original settlers to the Terran camel, hence the similarity in naming) and the Desnandian Fox (often captured and used by hunters who are after the small burrowing mammals that live on the planet).
Desnand has a much larger population of flora than fauna. While hardwoods are abundant on the planet thanks to the high heat, there are some variants of native trees that have very soft wood despite the heat. Beyond its abundant trees, Desnand boasts a myriad of other plants and flowers eith similar heat resistance. There are a few hardier species that have been transplanted onto the planet from other planets or Terran stock but these plants have to be carefully watched or kept within the domes. Otherwise they easily stand a chance of catching fire and burning down entire stocks.

Natural Resources

Lumber from its forests is Desnand's most abundant resource but certain plants from the planet have also been discovered to have medicinal properties.

Tourism

Thanks to its heat and only really being famous for its lumber, there isn't a lot of tourism on Desnand. Sometimes there is the occasional tourist who is interested in the arboreal arts but most visitors who actually come to the planet are those who want to see the lumber they're purchasing in person beforehand.

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Credits: Banner was created in Illustrator with images generated using Artbreeder. Planet art by Terion.

Status

Inhabitable

Moons

Petram

Primary Work

Agriculture

Day/Night Cycle

12 Bit-cycle

Demonym

Desnandian (shorthand: Desnian)

Alternative Name(s)

Often nicknamed "Desni" as a shorthand by system locals

Type

Planet

Related Historical Events

• 2817
  Settlement of Desnand
• 164 AFT
  Settlement of Desnand