Aurora

All the remnants of the Old World left the taste of ashes in the mouths of the people. They had gone through a rebirth; shouldn't, too, the very world they inhabited? Earth was no longer earth, but Terra Mater. Why should the Sun be Sol, or any planet in their system retain the shackles of an oppressive age? Aradia looked to her grandmothers, and deep in her history -- the history of humanity -- she found the answers the people sought after. No longer Sol, but Aurora -- goddess of dawn, of looking forward, of hope after a long dark night.

— Zenobia, Royal Historian, "Further Notes on the Reclamation"

Geography

Containing 9 planets surrounding a yellow sun, the planetary system Aurora was wholly renamed in the aftermath of the Great War and the Reclamation. While Terra Mater (formerly Earth) was still the only planet in the system capable of supporting human life, the Terrans of the burgeoning Aradian Empire were determined to spread their wings and create new homes on any rock that was halfway amenable to alteration at their hands. Soon the entire system of Aurora was colonized, and Terran were spreading even further to the stars.

The Aurora System

Aurora: yellow star, formerly known as Sol, still referred to as "the sun"

Inner Planets

Mara: formerly known as Mercury, this planet is closest to Aurora. Renamed for the Latvian goddess Mara, a mother goddess who is patroness of economic gain and banking, among other things.
Venus Libertina: much discussion was had whether or not they would rename Venus, named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Some felt all the old names were too tainted with the oppressive hierarchies of the past, while others felt that it was not fair to paint everything with the same broad brush. In the end, it was decided to "rename" the planet after one of the epithets of the goddess, Venus of the Freedwomen. All of the Goddess' children were free now, and this new name reflected that truth.
Terra Mater : formerly known as Earth; birthplace of humanity.
Selene: the Moon was still called the Moon, but the formal name adopted by the Empire became Selene.
Bellona: formerly known as Mars, the red planet was renamed for a Roman goddess of war.

Asteroid Belt

Ceres was destroyed during the War, as were many of the larger asteroids in the belt.

Outer Planets

Hera: the gas giant formerly known as Jupiter was renamed for the Greek queen of the gods.
Opis: Saturn was renamed for the goddess considered his consort and sister in traditional Roman mythology.
Nyx: a primordial goddess of night became the new name for Uranus.
Salacia: a Roman sea goddess seemed only appropriate for Neptune's new name.
Persephone: after the War was over the distinction between planet and dwarf planet didn't seem like such a big deal, and what many people felt from studying their history was that things had started to really fall apart in the world once Pluto had been downgraded from planet to dwarf planet. Death must be respected, it was said, and so they reinstated it to planet status and gave it the name Persephone, honouring the Queen of the Dead.

Planets

• Mara
• Venus Libertina
• Terra Mater
• Selene
• Bellona
• Hera
• Opis
• Nyx
• Salacia
• Persephone

Alternative Name(s)

Sol, The Solar System

Type

Solar System

Included Locations

• Terra Mater

Owning Organization

The Aradian Empire