Gurma Colony

One of the first few planets to be colonized by a budding new empire. This world was chosen for it's many similarities to Earth, making teraforming a simpler matter. It sits slightly closer to it's sun than the colonists' home planet, but it's thick atmosphere keeps climate at levels already suitable for human life. Many alien creatures had been discovered by drones and satellites sent to survey the area before it was chosen for habitation, but none showed signs of intelligence or sentience. The small colony itself consists of no more than 150 citizens and rests at the delta leading a large river into an expansive ocean. Much of the work being done for now is agricultural and once the colony is fully realized they anticipate an influx in citizens as well as fabrication devices for the beginnings of the first interstellar city.

Geography

A valley sits under the protection of a large mountain range at the edge of the ocean. From the mountains, a grand river rushes through the valley, supplying the key component necessary for the facilitation of life. On the ocean, the horizon extended beyond what the eye could grasp, with no islands or waterborne volcanoes near enough to obstruct the view. The salt waters were a crystal clear turquoise, while the fresh waters of the river had a darker hue. In the delta the waters combined the minerals stripped off the mountains with the salts and sediments of the sea to create a gorgeous prismatic expanse, which would glow in the night with a bright bio-luminescence. The vegetation grew short, likely because the animals devoured anything that might have lifted high enough to be called a tree. The colony, built by those who made first contact, was a collection of quickly fabricated metal homes, all created using replication technology that was able to erect buildings in mere minutes. Several plots of land were also cleared in an effort to test the soil's ability to grow vegetation from Earth.

Fauna & Flora

Much of the vegetation and animals in the area are largely unknown and not well documented. While a growth of a type of plant thought to be similar to grass does spread across much of the valley, upon further examination this was found to be one solitary life form who's roots spread beneath the dirt for miles. As such, many of the citizens have taken to leaving the native wildlife alone and continuing on their own chores of planting crops and clearing fields without giving much thought to the nearby life. Although a few species have been identified and recorded mostly anecdotally by the farmers.
Brightroot: Named for the luminescent property of this plants roots, these small flowers spot the valley and many villagers have taken to planting them outside their homes. The glow of the roots light the streets and give a "futuristic" feel to the town at night.
Bitterberry: These small berries were named by a local prankster who thought that by giving them such an unappealing title would deter others from trying his favorite new treat. Unfortunately, when people noticed him eating them so much the berries quickly became a delicacy among the rest of the colony. Fortunately no adverse side effects seem to be coming from consuming them, but the Project Leads back on Earth still suggest against ingesting any more until further studies can be conducted. These warnings are often ignored.
Deso: A type of alien life form that closely resembles an earthling bunny, but with a combination skin pattern of fur and scales. These creatures have no fear of the colonists and as such tend to just let them be. In return the colonists don't pay them much attention either. While Desos have never been aggressive towards people, some have claimed that they will on occasion fight with each other, violently clawing and biting at each other until only one emerges victorious. Strangely, this only seems to happen when they are around brig

Natural Resources

The mountains nearby have been found to have large amounts of metal in them, but the resources of the area are less important than it's prominent location for extending outward to the rest of the planet.

Alternative Name(s)

Hope's Landing

Type

Estuary / River delta