Lore/Locations/Auri
Proposal: Not yet intended for game content
Auri:
Details
Auri is a dim and volatile red dwarf, with its surface frequently flaring with magnetic storms and violent coronal mass ejections. Auri emits a sullen, reddish glow that saturates its planets in perpetual twilight. Its highly elliptical orbit around Geminae stretches across a large distance and only brings the two systems close enough for practical transit once every 23 years, during a narrow window lasting around a year. However, for the rest of the time, Auri is isolated, both geographically and politically.
This isolation has greatly influenced the system's development. With no continuous support from the Tellune Government, colonization efforts have been primarily led by corporations and driven by profit. Private prospectors and enterprise-backed ventures control most of the infrastructure, from orbital habitats to surface mining outposts. The only presence of the Tellune government is a large and well-staffed embassy station in orbit around one of Thetis' moons, which holds little sway in Auri. Instead, Auri has become a frontier economy ruled by corporations, contractor pacts, and nonaligned enterprises operating under loose code-of-conduct agreements.
Despite the risks, unpredictable flares, and slow reinforcement cycles, the potential rewards are undeniable. The discovery of Phoron on Cinis triggered a modern-day gold rush, attracting not only corporations but also mercenary crews and opportunists of every stripe. The arrival of the Platshållare and the adoption of Mothish supermatter technology further cemented Auri's role as a volatile but promising sister to Geminae: untamed, underregulated, and overflowing with potential.
Noteworthy for:
Being a sad, angry little dickhead of a star.
Auri 1 - Cinis
Details
Cinis, also known as "Lavaland," lives up to its name with rivers of molten rock carving through blackened plains under a perpetually dark sky. Ash clouds roll in cyclonic storms, raising surface temperatures to over 700 °C, forcing explorers to seek shelter in heat-resistant pods or face a painful death. The planet's thin CO² atmosphere offers little comfort to those with Tellune-borne lungs.
The native reptilian clans view outsiders as invaders, and any friendly tribes have long since departed for the stars, leaving behind only the most violent and isolationist clans. This, combined with the presence of deadly megafauna, turns every expedition into the ashfields into a test of sheer will. Compact pods, mining equipment doubling as robust weaponry, and emergency Fulton beacons serve as lifelines against both tribal ambushes and rampaging monstrosities.
Despite its deadly beauty, Cinis boasts the system's only confirmed Phoron veins. Nanotrasen's Space Station 13 now looms above the planet, ready to send regular mining expeditions to the surface below. The potential profits here far outweigh the risks; every gram of Phoron is incredibly valuable, and Space Station 13 is poised to become the crown jewel of Auri's frontier boom.
Noteworthy for:
Plasma, Being the birthplace of the lizard race
Auri 2 - Thetis
Details
Thetis is a pale amber gas giant, barely a quarter of the size of Ceti, with banded clouds drifting in muted gold and brown under Auri’s ruddy light. A single, wispy ring—little more than dust and ice shards—traces its equator, giving the world an ethereal halo. High-altitude storms churn slowly, their low gravity stretching them into vast, rolling swaths that never fully dissipate. With no solid surface and scant exploitable gases, Thetis itself draws little interest from prospectors. Its value lies entirely in the space around it.
Space stations and orbital docks cling to Thetis’s gravity wells and Lagrange points, forming a ring of artificial habitats that serve as the Auri system’s transit and rest-stop nexus. Corporate docks offer refueling, maintenance bays, crew quarters, and zero-G recreation decks. The bulk of deep-space freighters pause here, offloading trade goods from Cinis or picking up supplies before the next rendezvous with Geminae. Automated gas skimmers drift through the upper layers, harvesting trace amounts of ammonia for local fuel cells, but yields are too low to merit full-scale processing.
Amid the bustle, the lone TelGov embassy station orbits one of Thetis’s larger moons, serving as a thin slice of official governance in an otherwise free-for-all arena. Security detachments patrol the docking rings, enforcing trade accords and maintaining peace between rival consortiums.
Noteworthy for:
Quiet reminiscence, being the silent backbone of the entire Auri colonization effort.
5513-E, Moon of Thetis
Details
5513-E is a verdant orb circling Thetis, its surface cloaked in a near-impenetrable rainforest. Constant downpours and heavy mist feed algae-rich rivers that carve winding canals through the canopy. The air here brims with oxygen and spores, creating a heady haze that fouls unfiltered breathing gear.
Two native peoples share this green moon in careful balance. The Diona are quite alien plantfolk, their not-quite plantlike biology camouflaging them among the thickets; they maintain vine-bound villages and are entirely unlike all biological life known before. Below, in basaltic caverns warmed by geothermal activity, the Psyphoza mushroom-people cultivate bioluminescent groves and trade hallucinogenic spores that fuel their intricate oral histories. First contact with both species has yielded promising results, with them being unusually quick to fit into a space-based civilized life.
Human presence remains light. Terrestrial stations either brave the jungle at great expense, or find shelter on islands off the coast, where the air is not as thick with pollen and spores. It’s a surprisingly easy peace on this jungle moon, and every discovery here could rewrite biology back on Geminae.
Noteworthy for:
Being the birthplace of Psyphozas and Dionaes, stumping evolutionary biologists at literally every step of the way
Auri 3 - Triea
Details
Triea is a lopsided icy rock, with a high density that suggests a metallic core hidden beneath layers of crystalline frost. The sunlight on its surface is a pale blue, filtered through the ancient ice. The average temperature on Triea is below -250°C.
While it may not have much habitable terrain, it serves as Auri's transfer hub. A network of orbital platforms encircles the moon at various altitudes, prepared to receive incoming transports during the transfer period. Equatorial orbits house fuel depots for propellant storage, and automated drone tenders handle routine maintenance. When Triea and Thar's orbits do not align, vessels must detour to Triea's stable L3 Lagrange outpost to refuel and plot a longer route.
Despite the harsh cold, a small group of technicians and transfer pilots reside in insulated modules on the surface. They have transformed the ice into a neon-lit plaza, complete with docking rings and service bays, where they share stories over recycled coffee and plan their next steps. Located at the boundary of two systems, Triea is not so much a world of its own as it is the crucial link that keeps Auri and Geminae within reach.
Noteworthy for:
Saving the the combined human civilization just so, so much money in fuel costs.