Yeddo

Yeddo
Astrography
Star	Perry
Gravity	0.95G
Orbital distance	0.4 AU
Day length	26 Earth hours
Year length	360 Earth days
Diameter	11,322 km
Axial tilt	22.5°
Temperature
Average	62° F
Atmosphere
Composition	76% nitrogen, 22% oxygen, 1% argon, trace gases
Surface pressure	0.9 atm
Demographics
Population	11 billion

Yeddo is the fourth planet from the orange class K star Perry, which is about 0.8 times the mass of Earth's sun. In the ancient past, almost the entire planet was covered in one large city - After the fall of the Valerian Empire, many of these buildings fell into disarray, with the least polluted areas being reclaimed by nature. Despite this, the Federation of Stellar Systems was able to form a civilization here, getting its jumpstart from the wealth of Valerian paleotechnology left behind in the area. As a result, Yeddo has historically been home to the leading innovators on virtual reality technology and faster-than-light communication.

Though slightly smaller in diameter and denser in mass, Yeddo is comparable to the size of Earth. It has one large moon named Ezo which is surrounded by a faint ring system comprised of ancient space junk. Though it was found well within the habitable zone, little more than microbes were in the native ecosystem when the planet was first settled. It was terraformed into a world more suitable for humans over thousands of years in an effort to create an Earth-like homeworld in another star system. To early spacefaring humans, Yeddo was considered a better long term planetary settlement than either Mars or Venus due to its remarkable similarity to Earth, so much so that after the Blackout humanity began to believe that Yeddo was actually their original homeworld. This theory was only recently called into question with the discovery of several species of anaerobic bacteria that had a radically different DNA structure than humans.

Yeddo's moon contains numerous servers that serve as communication relays. They aid in the large bandwidths required to transmit virtual reality instances across the galaxy. Their remote location away from human civilization has also allowed for a safe means of a heat sink. More modern servers are deep space satellites, but the ones on Yeddo were among the first interstellar capable VR servers ever created.

Physical Characteristics

The atmosphere was not originally breathable by humans. Because of the slow process of terraforming and the desperation to settle down a habitable world in large droves at the time (due to much of humanity experiencing bone mass loss as a result of time spent in zero gravity environments), Yeddo quickly underwent aggressive urbanization. Nearly the entire planet became covered in sprawling cities. The buildings served as makeshift biodomes until the planet's atmosphere was made to be fully breathable by humans with oxygen levels comprising approximately 22% of the atmosphere. This was done by introducing Earth native plant life, mostly lichens and mosses as they were hardier and more adaptable to the native ecosystem than other types of plants.

Due to the extensive urban development, the atmosphere contains smog that turns the sky a purplish hue. A similar purple hue is observed on the oceans which cover around 70% of the planet. These oceans are mined for salt, but most of Yeddo's oceanic goods are imported from the planet Merin. Despite the pollution, Yeddo has developed a reputation for having beautiful sunsets as the orange sun against the purple sky gives a unique vista that has only been replicated in the virtual worlds.

Some of Yeddo's older structures have become part of the landscape. Old skyscrapers that are abandoned become home to a variety of different species of birds and small mammals.

Ecosystem

Yeddo was terraformed in the distant past to be a habitable planet for humanity. The majority of life on the planet was imported from Earth, but over thousands of years, some animals evolved into different species to adjust to Yeddo's different environment.

Some synthetic life forms have also taken up niches in Yeddo's ecosystem after years of occupation by technologically advanced civilizations.

Flora

• Purple oak - An oak tree that through a genetic mutation received purple leaves.
• Cherry blossom - A plant known for spreading beautiful pink petals in the spring time. It is near identical to its Earth counterpart, but it adapted to have slightly different seasonal variations to adjust to Yeddo's different day and year lengths than Earth.
• Solar panel tree - A synthetic life form tree brought over from Archaetron. It absorbs sunlight through solar panel structures that take the place of leaves.
• Giant potato - A plant that originated from ancient aeroponics bays. It is a genetically engineered potato that became loose in the wild. They are most often found in the Midori District.
• Glowplankton - At certain coastal areas, these glowing plants gather up near the shore to make for a luminous site. Their gathering spots make for popular tourist destinations.

Fauna

• Waste disposal bug - A robotic arthropod that eats trash. They are often found in landfills, with the greatest population of them being in the Condemned Zone.
• Oraulan Bullfrog - A large species of amphibian that dwells in swamps. They are known for their croaking sounds that echo across natural landscapes.
• Ferogator - A distant relative to crocodiles. They have an incredibly powerful bite force, but curiously, they are afraid of cats.

Cities

Port Oraulan

Main article: Port Oraulan

Port Oraulan, sometimes known as Oraulan Shores, is a coastal district located in the planet's tropical region. It is among the most popular AR locations in the galaxy with multiple VR worlds inspired by it. To many, it's a paradise resort for VR travelers throughout the galaxy. The coastline is oriented towards the west where Yeddo's signature sunsets are arguably best viewed. Many activities take place here such as parties, concerts and music festivals.

In addition to being a popular tourist destination, the area is also an important industrial location. In addition to being a seaport, it is also a starport for goods that go to and from orbit. Doubling as a space elevator, a large vrNet server known as the Star Lift is located approximately five miles off the coast which helps to serve as a relay between the planet and the deep space megastructures where further vrNet traffic is forwarded to other star systems.

The city is also connected through a series of highways where self-driving cars travel at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. These roads are sometimes used by thrillseekers going manual to drag race on. Despite it being illegal, it is still done anyway.

In the years following the Virtual Wars, the oceans have become significantly more polluted making some areas unsafe to swim. This has not hindered the virtual reality tourism however.

Taranis

Taranis is a city-state located deep within the Condemned Zone. It hosts a government independent to the Federation and of Virtuoso's direct influence. A country sitting on the brink of a brutal civil war, Taranis is totalitarian state currently ruled by a woman named Phyliss Taranis, thought to be related to the Delphi family. Taranis operates mostly as an isolationist state that aims to be a utopia with the promise of free access to virtual reality for all citizens. Taranis is believed by its people to be a goddess incarnate and rules over almost every aspect of a citizen's life.

Through official means, it is only possible to enter Taranis by air as the entire nation is surrounded by walls that are fifty meters tall. Old sewer tunnels and abandoned subways are sometimes used by smugglers to travel to and from the nation, and some of these paths are part of an intricate network to escort refugees to Oralaun. Because these underground paths go directly through the condemned zone, few will travel far enough before encountering ruthless gangs and crime syndicates.

Infamously, Taranis was home to an event known as the Mogus Purge. The Mogus, wandering extraterrestrials from another galaxy, had formed a population in the region, and were considered nuisances and pests. Thus, in a controversial move, every Mogus in the area was methodically rounded up and killed with only a scant few survivors.

Kantoh

Main article: Kantoh

Kantoh is an advanced metropolis located on a small archipelago located east of the main continent. Many of the Valerian ruins located in this area were in surprisingly good condition, and the natives rediscovered architectural techniques at an accelerated rate compared to other regions of the planet. However, until the late 1800s AB, they were relatively isolated from the rest of the world due to self-imposed restrictions on trade. Kantoh is also known for having a population consisting of more than 70% of hybrids, more than most areas on Yeddo.

Lycanton

Main article: Lycanton

A small town home to traditionalist werewolves found within the Condemned Zone. It is often considered the final rest stop for adventurers and explorers looking to explore the ancient Valerian ruins ahead.

Regions

Oraulan Shores

The western most part of the continent is home to some of the highest density population on the planet. It is a highly urbanized coastal region, notably the location of the capital Port Oraulan.

Midori Gardens

Main article: Midori Gardens

A pastoral region south of Port Oraulan. It consists of the overgrown remains of ancient Valerian aeroponics bays.

Condemned Zones

See also: Condemned Zone

There are several regions of Yeddo that are designated Condemned Zones.

• Oraulan North Condemned Zone - The ancient ruins of a Valerian megacity. The structures are decaying and on the verge of collapse.
• Oraulan East Condemned Zone - A swampy, polluted wetland that became a Condemned Zone thanks to the Virtual Wars.

Geothermal Engine

The Geothermal Engine is an extensive undeground complex extending throughout most of the planet's deeper subterranean regions. Built out of the planet's deep caverns, it is comprised of a series of spacious maintenance tunnels filled with extensive Valerian machinery often situated near underground volcanoes and lava tunnels. While the Valerian Empire still inhabited the planet, they used the Geothermal Engine to harvest heat from the planet's core to turn it into energy. Because most of the area is in disrepair, this has limited the capabilities of restoring power to other ruined structures on the surface. After years of remaining abandoned by its owners, these structures serve mostly as hideouts for pirates and black market businesses. Many refugees that became displaced during the Virtual Wars had fled to the Geothermal Engine to form makeshift settlements.

Polaria Isles

On Yeddo's north pole is an archipelago of frozen islands. It was once a much larger landmass thousands of years ago, but has since broken up due to the planet's terraformation attempts in the past. The area is incredibly remote though the town of Nordran has a sizeable population. In an isolated region, various strains of Rampant viruses are kept under close guard. Supposedly, the only reason they haven't been eradicated yet is to study them in the event of future outbreaks.

Ateno Desert

The Ateno Desert makes up a large portion of the inner main continent. The area used to be another Valerian megacity, but the area desertified following an ancient battle during the Singularity War. Much of the original structures have been swallowed by the dunes. Despite this, a thriving ecosystem has managed to reclaim the area along with prosperous settlements such as Al=Ghato.

One of the most prominent features of the desert is Scar Canyon, a large chasm that is at least several miles deep. The canyon is unusually straight, making it quite obvious that it is not a natural formation. It is speculated that during the Singularity War, a planet destroying weapon was fired upon the surface by Oracle forces. Though it missed, it grazed by the surface, creating the chasm. The result was massive dust clouds and debris blocking out the sun which caused mass extinctions and serious environmental damage. Although the planet survived, it forced the inhabitants to evacuate the planet, leaving behind ruins to be rediscovered after the Blackout.

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