Lupin

Lupari Homeworld

Demographics

The Vasras Union - the overarching lupari government - always maintained a policy of encouraging nonlupari to come to the homeworld, or any of the colonies, to call them home. Work visas, education opportunities, and even the easiest path to citizenship for any nonlupari, all contributed to the largest concentration of alien species on a homeworld. Approximately 91% of Lupin is populated by the lupari themselves, with the rest made up of every species in the UTO. Within a century after human integration, humans became the most common nonlupari species, making up an entire 1% of the nonlupari demographic, in spite of an average global temperature many humans would find very uncomfortable.
The densest population centers are around the seas found along the equator. The thicker furred members of the species, however, gravitate far further north or sourth, all the way to the polar caps of the planet. The southern polar city of Wasra is the 5th largest city on the planet at 15.8 million, but It also has one of the lowest concentrations of nonlupari due to the frigid temperatures, attracting only the arctic subspecies that some species may have.

Government

The Vasras Union is the governing body for the entire species, and its heads of state are located in the capitol city of Arsaha, north of the equator. It functions as a representative democracy, complete with nonlupari represenatives for the other species living on the planet. The Vasras Represenatives are collectively known as the Loroffra, distinct from a normal congress in that Matriarchs oversee sects of representatives, who are elected from the global population to act as neutral mediators for the Loroffra Sects, working to reach majority agreement in any matters before they reach the Grand Loroffra. Though, even lupari can not be truly neutral in matters, and matriarchs only serve for a single Lupin year before they are replaced, ensuring as much of a cycle of differing ideas as possible. The represenatives also serve for a year, but may be indefinitely reelected, so long as they receive majority vote each year from their districts. Campaigning is banned, meaning the yearly elections are silent, with voluntary voting.
At the head of the union is the Grand Matriarch, who is voted into their position by the global population with each voting cycle. The Grand Matriarch is the only Matriarch that may serve for life so long as the global population votes to continue their service. The Grand Matriarch functions as an empowered figurehead, who's only powers are the veto and the Matriarch's Edict. The former is rarely used, and must be justified with the belief that a matter must be expanded to a global population vote. The latter is intended for matters that must happen quickly, such as declarations of war. It is most often used to decree that newly discovered alien species are eligible to become Vasran citizens, though this is more of an expected formality.
Matriarchs are all traditionally female, but any male may be a Matriarch. Typically, around 5 to 11 percent of Matriarchs are males, changing each year. However, no Grand Matriarch has ever been a male.

Assets

As with all lupari majority planets, 'Waffara Retreats' can be found almost anywhere. These retreats are not unlike bath houses where public grooming may occur, but more than just hygiene, these places also function as locations for lupari to exercise their regular need for platonic interactions. Privatized locations may have extra features such as spas or swimming areas, and some public ones may vary in what amenities are available - they may not even have washing facilities - but every Retreat is a sort of rest area. Often in a natural, open space, any one may find a partner to spend platonic intimate time with. This can be anything from mutual fur brushing to someone to rest snuggled up with.
These locations vary heavily in their attraction to nonlupari, and go by various names, sometimes derisive. Rent a Cuddles, Brush pits, snuggle dens - the names are typically fairly clear in what they're referring to. One of the more popular joke names is 'Waffle House,' having originated from humans, and became fairly common among nonhumans after the spread of the human breakfast delicacy throughout UTO space.

Architecture

Due to the forests with massive, powerful trees, lupari have a long history of wooden architecture. Modern houses are almost always built mostly by wood with stonework adding extra durability. Many houses can be dated back millennia, with their wooden parts refurbished every other century. Cities hold many houses like this, and smaller buildings may be built of lapra hardwood, but the towers that shape any modern city lack most exterior wooden features. Lupari buildings tend to be highly connected, with skywalks going from tower to tower. Garden spaces are standard atop each building, even households.

Geography

Lupin is a fairly cold planet, with vast tundras nearly reaching the equator. Most of these tundras are shaped by rolling hills and low mountains, and are covered in massive forests, broken up by large regions of empty space with little more than large shrubs. Although the tundras may have flat regions, the majority of the planet is defined by rolling terrain and a few large mountain ranges. Sea level steadily lowers toward the equator, allowing rivers that flow from the arctic to the seas found along the equator. The two largest rivers on the planet meet at the equator from their origins at either pole. The northern river is known as the 'Soara,' or the Brother. The southern is named the 'Koara,' or the Sister. They meet at the 'Arala Riami Sea' - or the Lost Siblings Sea, creating the largest body of water on the planet, the only one large enough to make it impossible to see the other side due to planet curvature. It is entirely freshwater, making the Sibling sea home to one of the largest cities in the UTO. The megalopolis Varachir, home to 217 million, encircles 70% of the sea, with the other thirty percent conserved as a large nature reserve.

Natural Resources

Lupin is home to the strongest lumber in known space, sourced from Lapra trees. The tree has proven exceptionally difficult to grow on other planets, making it financially impossible to sustain growing them elsewhere. The trees grow to fantastical sizes, and at their largest are nearly twelve times the enormity of a mature redwood tree on Earth. The oldest and largest trees have long been marked for preservation, and many of them can be found throughout cities. Lapra wood is taken from much younger trees, grown in forests specifically made for harvesting every three Lupin decades.
The freshwater, arctic melt rivers are among the lupari's most prized natural resources. It is said to be some of the most naturally pure and tasteful water to be found in UTO space. This may be subjective, but the lupari believe it enough to go through extensive measures to protect the quality of their rivers and the seas they flow into. Environmental controls are extreme even by modern standards, ensuring that even the seas surrounded by cities are safe to drink from. Shipping across these waters have been historically limited, but today is nonexistent. Instead, bridges span these seas, allowing ground based transportation, with gravways above them. The only industries permitted to draw from protected waters are bottling plants and pumping stations, as Lupin water is one of the planet's most valuable commercial exports.

Type

Homeworld

Majority Species

Lupari

Day Length

27.7 UST hours (34.16 Terran hours)

Year Length

571.8 UST Days (2.78 Terran years)

Population

~7.3 billion

Inhabitant Demonym

Lupine

Included Locations

• Varachir

Owning Organization

United Treaty Organization