Calastora

Calastora is a Tropical to Subtropical jungle planet roughly 3 times the size of Jupiter. The planet sports cold and incredibly deep chasms in the ocean floor along with 6 continents with incredibly dense, lush jungles. The canopies of these jungles are so closely packed that barely any light from the star it orbits can penetrate it. These conditions have created a dangerous fauna close to the prehistoric fauna of our own planet.
Calastora can be found in the northern part of the galaxy, near Paxilion and Nir. It's location makes it relatively accessible by many species, but it's most often visited by Xothian and Nirien

Culture

Calastora has certainly shaped the culture of the people who call it home, while they bring aspects of their own culture, while here they have adjusted a rougher and more bare-bones approach to surviving. Here the overall culture revolves around living alongside nature, despite the deadly encounters they may have with the fauna, it's a more symbiotic relationship. Along with this comes a mindset many outsiders might view as harsh, but this is only true when concerning those who wish to do harm or those who feel they should have some sort of special treatment based on their previous station back in their own planets. In Calastora, your previous employment is secondary and your actual skills will dictate where you belong and how you may ease the weight of surviving.

Customs

Most of the customs of the people come from their respective home planets, however some have shifted slightly to better fit the environment. An example of this is that typical "coming of age" ceremonies have changed to a hunt of a dangerous animal or a search for a flower at the top of a canopy, a fruit or mineral. These events are overseen by the adults in the group to make sure the event doesn't prove fatal for the participants.

Dress code

The people of Calastora dress in a mix of styles, mostly from their own home world but they dress practical for the planet, keeping always in mind the struggles they will live through and being prepared for them always.

Taboos

Life in the planet is a challenge for it's inhabitants, and therefore overhunting or over fishing is greatly looked down upon as it makes the overall chances of survival unnecessarily harsher. Hunt only what you need is the underlying rule imposed to all different groups in Calastora.

Intergalactic Relations

Calastora is home to a variation of different sentient species, while the mayority are Xothain and Nirien, Nocir and a variation of humans also call it their home. Because of this, relationships with the other planets and their people can be an uneasy one, seeing as life in Calastora is a constant battle for resources and a political struggle. However the overall attitude towards outsiders is a rather guarded but welcome one, openly allowing those who wish to visit the colonies come and go.

Lawfulness

Most of the laws in the planet are enforced by a guild that is more akin to the wild west sheriffs than an actual policing force

Government type

Most of the planet is divided into city-states that are lead in mostly monarchies, however more democratic styles of government can be found in smaller communities. Typically women are the ruling figures of Calastora

Capital

The capital of the planet is Senistora, a vast city that was one of the first to be built in the planet. Made through teamwork between Nocir, Nirien and Xothian the city consists of all 3 architectural styles melded along with the natural environment. Buildings bend and twist around and across trees with even lakes being features of the buildings instead of barrier to be demolished and flattened. Senistora is also the home of the ruling king of the planet

Religion and Mythology

In Calastora, it is believed the planed was created by twin goddesses Elukita, goddess of the land and Aluqina, goddess of the seas. Both of them keep the planet in balance and some people are rumored to have seen them in visions. The goddesses are prayed to in tandem by many people of the planet, however some stay with the religion found on their own planets. 

Diet

While many of the planet's inhabitants pretty much stick to similar things that they ate in their homeworlds, the overall diet in Calastora is omnivorous, focusing on fruit, vegetables and fish. The pescatarian element comes from the fact that land animals tend to be more viscous and fishing is a far safer way to procure meat than hunting.

Geography

The planet's 6 continents are covered mostly in a tropical to subtropical biome; Calastora sports incredibly dense jungles of towering trees and closely knit canopies, locking the forest floor from most of the solar light. In order to compensate however, much of the plant life has developed a form of bioluminescence. This has inspired the inhabitants of the planet to dub the midnight hours, when the bioluminescence is at it's brightest, the "Midnight Dawn". Certain areas deep inside the jungles however are devoid of the dense jungle, leaving instead circular plains; these areas are the best for settlements by the inhabitants of the world.
While the planet has a great volume of land and jungles, about 60% of the surface is dominated by oceans, themselves having even a broader variety of biomes. These include large kelp forests, bear open ocean and expansive coral reefs filled with life. The strangest part of the oceans is what can only be described as a "Tree" with roots settled in the deepest parts of the ocean floor and "floral foliage" that spreads across it's branches up to the warmer areas of the sea.

Fauna & Flora

Flora

Most if not all plant life on the planet has developed a type of bioluminescence, a striking and memorable feature of the planet. The most well known of these would have to be the Aurora Kalikora. This is more of an umbrella term to about 5 species from a main family of medium sized trees, each with their own unique traits. The most notable of these is a particular species that produces a special sap which can be used in a variety of ways, from recreational to medical. A very interesting use of this sap comes in the form of armor and weapons; this is due to the sap being able to store photons and release them at a later time, emitting a bright flash of light that the tree naturally uses to scare away those it might perceive as harmful. Some of the particular trees of this planet are however, more sought after because of their fruits. These hold ceremonial significance as they are used to make markings or tattoos to those coming of age in the planet.
Even deeper still into the jungles of Calastora, one can find a dense mass of fungal life, with an even more potent bioluminescence. The mushrooms here vary greatly in use, from being used as food to having some of the deadliest poisons. These dangerous mushrooms can either paralyze or cause fatal reactions by causing respiratory failure. This effect is due to toxins in the cell structure of the plant, and is generally caused by ingesting them before having the toxins distilled and in high enough quantities; especially the mushroom caps where most of the toxins are found. This however has proven to work fantastically as a way to hunt creatures in the jungles. However more illicit folk have also taken these interesting mushrooms and turned them towards assassination.
Aside from these marvelous specimen, south of the equator and along warmer waters you will find what's commonly known as the most unique species of flora in the planet, kelp. However this kelp produces much more oxygen than other species, and as the living lungs of the ocean floor, it helps the sea to develop an insane amount of life and allows seafaring flora to grow to impossible heights.

Fauna

Much like the flora in Calastora, the fauna tends to be large, dangerous and bioluminescent. 
One of the most notable species is a large bird like creature called the Avasoris. These large, vibrant colored creatures can grow to have a 40-45ft wingspan. Concerning it's diet, it has been observed to be a carnivore whilst hunting in the forest; however since it nests on the very top of the towering canopies of Calastora, it is unknown if it supplements his dies with any fruits growing there. Despite the difficulty keeping track of it up there, it has been observed that it constructs its nests out of discarded branches and lines them with down feathers, keeping it both soft and warm for when it lays eggs. It's also known that the eggs are about as big as a medium rock in size.
About halfway between the canopies and the jungle floor, we can find another predator of Calastora. This one is a feline like creature that grows up to a massive 20ft. Unlike the Avasoris, these have a duller coloration, ranging from gray, black or brown, to rarely having a similar color to the foliage around them, helping them blend in better. Typically they spend most of their time napping in tree branches or in their dens, leaving the night as the time they are the most active. Here they hunt, socialize and go through their routines, like chewing on things like bones and plant fibers. Socially they keep mostly to themselves, however if accompanied they will form a group of a merely 2. Their mating season happens during the early times of the year when its cooler, and if they have cubs they will stay with the parents until they are 4-6 years old, after which they will go out on their own.
Another animal found in the planet, and one of the most breathtaking is a large sea monster like creature in the full sense of the word. This serpentine, eel like titan spans hundreds of feet long and is found virtually all around the oceans of the planet, from the deepest depths to relatively close to coasts. The creature bears bioluminescent stripes across it's body in various hues of the rainbow and a large fin encircling the tail. This fin has been described as "bladed" similar to an axe. Weather the fin is part of a mating ritual or a defense mechanism is yet to be discovered. Another mystery of this creature is it's diet, due to the fact that it hasn't been observed eating at all, not plants nor animals. The only hint of it's diet is a vague witness report of it bringing food to it's young. Concerning the offspring, it's thought that they develop inside the parent for 5-8 months depending on environmental factors. 
The planet's fauna has been compared to older more prehistoric specimen found across the galaxy, making the scientific community refer to the fauna of Calastora as living fossils. This has brought over brilliant minds from among the stars and the studies continue to try to understand this ever changing and impressive world.

History

Due to the planet's relative youth, much of the early history of it has been lost to the ever changing tides of it's growth and development.

Tourism

Most of the people coming to the planet are either scientists trying to study and understand it, thrill seekers trying to cut a part of the land for themselves or refugees escaping hardships in their respective worlds and searching for a new story to tell. 

Imports and Exports

A great deal of their imports consists of supplies to help the population survive the harsh environment, from medicine to tools that they are otherwise not able to get in the planet. 
The Exports however are far more lucrative, seeing as they are rarely if ever able to be found in the same condition in other planets. From fruits, ore and other resources they manage to get enough to fund their expeditions. A noteworthy export is a metal that scientists conclude to be semi bio organic. This ore is used to make evolving armor and weapons that shift and change to fit their user's circumstances.

Type

Planet