The Planet Kyte

[StarPadre]

The Planet KYTE



A world of massive plateaus separated by deep chasms. Springs pour water onto the plateau surfaces, to create small lakes and rivers, which then eventually plunge over the chasm sides in awe-inspiring waterfalls to plummet down into the dark, hot, lava interior of the planet revealed by the chasms. The steam so created rises from the chasms to form clouds, thus the weather-cycle.

The plateau surfaces are covered with vegetation, mostly swamp-forests (due to the very flat nature of the land). The rivers meander wildly through these wet forests, with oxbow lakes common. Huge, but delicate, insects pollinate large-petalled flowers of all colours, while amphibious creatures of widely varied types eat both vegetation and insects. Reptilian creatures have grown largest of all, and are the ancestral cousins of the only sentient, tool-making inhabitants of Kyte, the Loyhan People. Some of the hardier reptiles make their home in the upper reaches of the chasm walls, though near the bottom only scuttering, hard-shelled insects feed on the bright mosses which grow in the warm and foggy dampness of the steam bottom.

Settlements sit atop the plateaus, some perched precariously upon the lips of the chasms, some sprawling down the chasm walls to hang like balconies on ledges and cave mouths. Mining is the most important economic activity, as it always has been on Kyte since they joined the galactic community. The rich mineral veins can be accessed via the chasm walls and so the mining facilities, perpetually obscured by thick fog and steam, cling to lower reaches of the great rock cliffs, connected to the surface by long vertical lift tubes and enormous mineral hoist-platforms. The mines are powered by geothermal energy convertors or older, steam-driven generators. The miners inhabit dark, cool(ish) caves to avoid the constant heat of the lower reaches of the chasm. On several occasions entire mines have been lost to a sudden upsurge of hot magma, but the industry remains profitable.

Several Loyhan noble families rule Kyte and one family (the Tilliranthor family) stands above all, mastering all the rest. The Tilliranthor family head, Tilliranthor Achragath has gone from the position of nominal ‘Principal’ to become a very real Overlord. Members of the extended noble families are all that off-worlders would ever see of Kyte’s inhabitants (without visiting the system themselves), as only nobles have anything like the freedom or wealth required to leave Kyte.

The majority of the population are enslaved in lifelong service to one noble family or another. They are called the "Protected", but they are in every way slaves. The lucky few protected get to work on the plateau surface, tending field crops and orchards, repairing machinery, maintaining hunting estates, working as household servants. The unlucky majority of protected work in the mines or factory complexes, some never having seen the world surface, never having been anywhere not dully lit and awash with sweltering steam. The surface protected are all tagged - for their protection, that they might not be lost, or carried away by beasts, or unable to be found for important duties – in the form of an implanted electronic mini-beacon. It is rumoured that these can be used to kill, by inducing headaches so violent that the pain overwhelms the senses and shocks the victim to death, bit this has never been proven.

The surface protected, 'People of the Light', consider themselves far superior to the dark creatures who serve in the chasms. The chasm protected (or 'Pit Folk') have something a little more powerful implanted in their bones: tags which dull their wits, strip them of imaginative thought to make them obedient and docile, even unconcerned by the pain their bodies feel during their hard work. They will work until they collapse unless ordered to rest.

Nobles on Kyte look at the protected in the way many beings in the galaxy look upon droids. There is even a faction of nobles who believe that it would serve them best to replace the protected with droids, which are surely more reliable and economic in the long run - though some protected may have to be kept on a while to maintain the droids, until the droids can do that for each other.

SPECIES: Loyhan People

Reptilian, scaly-skinned humanoids. Three fingered with large mouths containing several rows of tiny teeth.

The Nobles
Attribute dice: 12D
Attribute Minimum/Maximums
DEXTERITY: 1D/3D+1
KNOWLEDGE: 1D/4D
MECHANICAL: 1D/3D+2
PERCEPTION: 1D/3D
STRENGTH: 1D+2/5D+2
TECHNICAL: 1D/3D+2
Height: 1.5 - 2.2 meters
Move: 11/13

Special Skills: They have a degree of infra-red sight to supplement the ‘normal’ visual range.
Story factors: See main text. Consider the protected to be their property. They live lives of ease: hunting and pursuing sport-like activities; feasting and fighting and playing diplomatic intrigue games. A few take it upon themselves to rule over the mines, bossing their slave-like underlings to ensure their families amass ever greater wealth. The lesser nobles, the majority, are formed into retinues for the greater - soldiers and courtiers, though all nobles have their own slaves. Loyhan armies consist of small forces of skilled and life-long warriors.

The Protected
Attribute dice: 12D

Surface Protected [“People of the Light”]
Attribute Minimum/Maximums
DEXTERITY: 1D/3D
KNOWLEDGE: 1D/3D+1
MECHANICAL: 1D/3D+2
PERCEPTION: 1D/3D
STRENGTH: 1D+2/4D+1
TECHNICAL: 1D/3D+2
Height: 1.4 - 2.1 meters
Move: 10/12

Special Skills: The Pit folk possess very good infra-red sight ability. Can temporarily withstand extreme heat conditions.
Story factors: See the above text. Many of the Chasm Protected have become more like automatons than sapients.

Chasm Protected ["Pit Folk"]
Attribute Minimum/Maximums
DEXTERITY: 1D/2D+2
KNOWLEDGE: 1D/2D
MECHANICAL: 1D/3D+2
PERCEPTION: 1D/2D+2
STRENGTH: 1D+2/3D+2
TECHNICAL: 1D/3D
Height: 1.2 - 1.8 meters
Move: 10/12

Typical chasm-edge settlement on Kyte

[Xain Arke]

Finally got a chance to read through this. I really like this world you've created, the three factions of the natives are especially interesting and that chasm
settlement map is a thing of beauty.

Excellent work StarPadre

Purely out of curiosity, did you design the world map layout yourself or did you use an existing template from another RPG? The hex triangles really remind
me of the old world design sheets from the AD&D World Builder Guide

[StarPadre]

[StarPadre]

I forgot to include this picture. This is the picture I used to show what the Loyhan nobles of Kyte looked like ...

[Xain Arke]

[Whill]

[Raven Redstar]

I always love checking this stuff out. Most of the time, I just don't respond unless I have something useful to contribute other than "Thank you" or "This is cool!" I feel like those sorts of replies are typically just padding your post count. There used to be a lot of that around here.
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RR
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[StarPadre]

[Whill]

I think he meant the people replying, "Yes, I like it" may be trying to garner a post count, not you posting your content or asking if anyone likes it. And here, post-count doesn't really mean anything anyway.

So everyone, if you see people providing content and you appreciate it, please tell them. Thanks.
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[Raven Redstar]

[Raven Redstar]