Planet Trucidos

Trucidos

Trucidos is a barren planet covered with a large variety of climate zones and affected by intermittent geological activity caused by torsional stress from its close proximity to its single moon (which has incredibly dense compositional layers). Large, intermittent lakes (called "droon") were once used to harvest an energy rich algal material called Protoalgia - it's bright orange color is visible from orbit. The largest droon show evidence of once having settlements along their edges where Imperial citizens resided. These inhabitants were almost all part of the labor gangs that worked on the massive processoria, floating factory barges that extracted and exported the protoalgia. A large portion of these barges have since sunk into the droon depths, causing further ecological harm. A handful of these behemoths can still be found floating aimlessly about.

The remains of a small Adeptus Mechanicus research station appear on the largest moon, presumably there to study the relationship between the moon and the planet (considering their abnormal densities). Small research outposts have been scanned within the droon. Cataloguing the bizarre organisms found there and to do geological surveys of the sinkhole themselves would seem most likely. Strange energy readings in the deepest droon have spiked initial scan readings.

+++PLANETARY DATA+++

EQUATORIAL CIRCUMFERENCE: 27,961 Miles.
GRAVITY: 0.8G.
CLASS: Agri-world, new classification Dead World.
SUBSECTOR: Adrantis
YEAR LENGTH IN DAYS: Primary: 422 Secondary: 370 - due to the strange affect the largest moon (Trucido Primus) has on the planet, every second year is shorter than the previous one. The gravitational force required to do this is immense, and so it affects the geological stability of the planet.
DAY LENGTH IN TERRAN HOURS: 22.
SATELLITES: Two moons. The smallest (Trucidos Secondus) is home to what appears to be the main space port for the planet. The largest (Trucidos Primus) is inert and uninhabited except for a aforementioned abandoned Adeptus Mechanicus research station.

There is something unnatural about the relationship between the largest moon and Trucidos itself. The moon shouldn't be as dense as it is, and Trucidos shouldn't be as light as it is.

POPULATION: Unknown, estimated population during prime habitation 250,000,000+.

MEAN SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 10°C.

TROPOSPHERIC COMPOSITION: Nitrogen 74%, Oxygen 22%, Sulphur Dioxide 1%, Ozone 1%, Carbon Dioxide 2%.

CLIMATE: The planet has gales and dust storms that sweep the planet almost continuously. The barren landscape produces an abrasive wind of silica that eats away at anything in its path. Ofttimes massive earthquakes split the ground and drain droon into underground caverns.

CLIMATIC REGIONS: The poles are distinct white pockmarked caps. For some reason the planet's only known volcanic activity occurs at both poles, creating a network of frozen droon separated by magma flows and volcanic upheavals.

SEAS: The most notable features of Trucidos are its lakes. There are no oceans on the planet at all, just thousands of lakes (or droon), ranging in only a few dozen metres in width to several thousand kilometres. The most peculiar thing about these lakes is that they are exceedingly deep; although the average is a kilometre, the shallowest reach one hundred metres, and the deepest surveyed reach almost twenty kilometres in depth. Each water body sits in a sheer walled sink hole produced by the upheaval of the planetary plates. There are 37 major droon, with over a thousand secondary droon and tens of thousands of minor droon.

TERRA-FORMING: Limited evidence of alteration of Trucidos exists. Massive canals cut into the planet's surface are the most obvious man made features.

NATIVE FLORA AND FAUNA: The land is mostly barren, however several belts of lush vegetation exist, including some dense jungle areas. Many many urban ruins contain wooded areas that may be the result from overgrown planned growth areas. There are some small invertebrates, but the only animal of uniqueness is the Dirt Kelt. This is a bizarre creature, almost two metres in length. It moves rarely, and when it does it burrows through the sand and any rock in its way, using its stomach acids to dissolve them. The creature has backward pointing overlapping spines to give it grip as it moves through the ground and a tail separated into five articulated digits a third of its length, each covered in spines and barbs.

ALIEN FLORA AND FAUNA: Apart from the protoalgia, the only non native organisms rediscovered so far are ambul, accidentally transferred from other planets through presumable merchant drops.

DEFENCES: Most of the planetary defense were in orbit. Massive orbital batteries and torpedo silos surrounded the planet and its moons. Most curiously, these are nowhere to be found, and no signs of them having crashed into the planet have been detected.

IMPERIAL GUARD RECRUITMENT: A singular event from millennium past still exists in the great records of the Imperium and has even made a place in the textbooks of Guard history. A [unknown] years ago the Governor wished to raise the profile of Trucidos (and himself) and decided to raise a regiment of guard. They were seen as a joke by most of the guard, and were left to defend the supply depots behind the lines. They would have been lost altogether to the annals of history. In an engagement against the greenskins, an ork blitzkrieg had against all odds smashed through the guard lines. They rampaged through the line eventually encountering the main guard supply depot. Sensing an easy target they descended in a horde upon the supply tents. What the captain of the Trucidos regiment said to his men is not known, but popular belief has it as something along the lines of "Protect the Emperor's Holy Rations!" When the forward guard elements finally caught up to the horde, they found utter carnage. Not a single ork was alive, and not a single foodstore had been damaged. The Trucidos 1st, paranoid about their food had thought the orks meant to steal it, and had fought to the last man to protect the Emperor's rations. From then on all regiments raised from Trucidos had the expectation of self sacrifice and fearlessness in the face of certain death planted firmly on their unwilling shoulders. "Firster" is common droon slang used to describe someone who is distinctly insane, used even in parts of the guard today.

CONTACT WITH OTHER WORLDS: Trucidos was originally part of the Tephaine System, however its recent rediscovery has it far from this area of the galaxy.