Umber

A border-world largely ignored by the powers that be. It has little to recommend it, being mostly dry. The native life is adapted to desert conditions, but outsiders used to wetter planets struggle. There are small cities founded by ancient colonists around the few shallow seas.
The great, underpopulated expanses are a great place for hermits to leave the greater universe behind. It is also a great place for galactic criminals to lay low for a while.
The planet makes its living on metal mining and smelting. While there are rumors of slave labor being used here, the Mercantile Consortium has yet to investigate it due to the planet's remoteness. It is also possible the right functionaries are being bribed.

Geography

Rainfall is rare anywhere on the planet, so desert conditions dominate. The planet lacks seasons, so burning deserts gradually change to cooler climates as one goes further from the equator. In the northern and southern extremes, the days are chilly and the nights can reach freezing temperatures. 
Sandy deserts are expected, and do exist. However, wind motion has gradually sequestered the sand in lowlands, valleys, and former ocean basins. Most of the former continents are hard-packed, crashed earth. Rocky outcroppings are the main landmarks for those traveling. 
Oases, shallow seas, and subterranean lakes are rare. These regions almost always are found in the lowlands in the vicinity of mountain ranges. For this reason, civilization takes the form of ribbons of settlements and cities outlining the mountains. In the most civilized and orderly lands, the people are careful not to deplete beyond its ability to support the community. This is the key driver behind many culture's practices. 
Hidden, underground water can sometimes be discovered by looking for uncharacteristic stands of plants. If discovered by traders or other travelers, such sites become short lived as their water is claimed and pumped away. They are rarely able to support a community in the long term, but "boom camps" may appear for a few months or years as the source is exploited.

Ecosystem

"Dry" and "hot" are the dominating characteristics of most of Umber. Thus, plants and animals that dwell here have characteristics often seen on the deserts of other worlds. 
Plants often lack leaves, focusing on reducing surface area and storing water. Some treelike plants with thick bark can be found in oasis conditions. 
Animals are mostly reptilian.

Alternative Name(s)

Uthas