Torres (TOE-res)

Torres is a planet covered in rainforest, and wracked with powerful, seasonal monsoons. Megaflora and megafauna are abundant, and dominate the ecosystem. In particular, resilient “mega-trees” whose roots form forest systems kilometers in diameter define biomes, tall and thick enough to affect the path of monsoons themselves. Incredibly tall and lanky herbivores feed on the trees, while large carnivorous beasts devour anything that moves. This environment is quite hostile to human occupation. The scream lost the settlers the advanced protections they used, their settlements soon overrun and fallen to ruin. Driven into the wilderness, resourceful groups adapted to the environment, learning to use the biosphere’s abundant and diverse ecological resources to their advantage. Towns built into mega-trees, roaming villages built upon the backs of reclaimed vehicles, and more were founded. The estranged population quickly became a part of the biosphere, and while most modern technology was lost, bio-technology slowly became commonplace. In particular, the Torren people soon became experts in taming the local fauna, using them as hunting partners, and for utility in general. Its largest settlement is Root, and seats the council that represents the people of Torres in the Asmaran Federation. In more recent years, the Federation has attempted industrialization of less volatile areas of the rainforest. Processing of the large amounts of raw material available on the surface was seen as profitable from the beginning, but was considered impossible due to insufficient technology to protect against weather and dangerous fauna. With the introduction of experimental weather bending and fauna deterring technology, it became possible. Several chemical plants have been introduced to process the unique flora into useful pharmaceuticals and raw chemical components. Additionally, several mines ang logging operations have begun to carve out segments of the rainforest for export.