Introduction and Background
The planet Nyraeve is a frigid ball of ice and rock located in the far reaches of known space. Though its equatorial band is Earth-like enough to sustain life, its harsh conditions and distance from the core planets make it of little interest to serve as a colony. A small team of scientists were sent to catalogue Nyraeve’s flora and fauna, nobody expected that anything more would develop on the backwater world.
However, the scientists’ initial geographical surveys of the planet revealed large amounts of unobtainium scattered about the planet in small deposits. While mining the ore would be no simple task, the fact remained that the icy planet was now the best known source of unobtainium in the galaxy. Deposits exist on other worlds, but none as rich as Nyraeve.
The discovery led to a gold rush. From individual space prospectors looking to stake their claims to gigantic corporation-states, thousands seized the opportunity to make it rich. A cargo or two of unobtainium could make a man wealthy; if it took a few months of discomfort to extract the ore, that was a fair trade.
Some of the unobtainium did make it off Nyraeve, but much did not. The miners suffered not only from the cold, but also from animal attacks, volcanic eruptions, collapsed shafts, faulty gear and unexplained mining accidents. Some gave up, cursing their ill fortune. Others, resolute in their efforts to extract the planet’s wealth, died, or simply vanished. Entire planetside instalments inexplicably vanished. Even the largest of the mining operations lasted less than a year. Survivors began to whisper that the planet was cursed – that there was something out there, beyond the wild animals and the frigid temperature. Something inimical to the miners. As losses continued to mount, the paranoia spread.
Today it’s difficult to find labourers who will go to Nyraeve to try their luck on behalf of a large corporation. There are always the smaller operations looking to make it big, though. For them, the lure of unobtainium riches is a powerful one. And so the cursed planet, Nyraeve, is never left alone.
Planetary Characteristic
Environment
Nyraeve is generally Earth-like, although its temperature range is a good deal cooler than Earth’s. It is roughly the size of Earth, but is somewhat more dense, making its gravity about 1.06 times that of Earth. Being at a great distance from the sun in its galazy, a Nyraeve year is 471 local days. With a slightly quicker rotation than Earth, one Nyraeve day is equal to about 23 Earth hours.
Nyraeve’s atmosphere is richer in oxygen, it has an 8% higher oxygen concentration comparible to Earth. There is no danger of oxygen toxicity from this concentration; the primary consequence is that fires tend to burn more hotly and spread more quickly. Those who spend a lengthy period of time in Nyraeve’s atmosphere and then return to an atmosphere with Earth-like oxygen levels may feel a shortness of breath and increased fatigue until they adjust. Nyraeve is geologically active, and scientists theorise that its many volcanoes are responsible for the rich atmosphere.
The planet’s axial tilt is about 8 degrees, creating little seasonal variation. In fact, Nyraeve has only two seasons; wet and cold. During the former, temperatures in the habitable equatorial band can reach as high as 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) at sea level, with high humidity. During the latter, daily temperature highs of -20°C (-4°F) are not unknown. Compounding the chill is the fact that Nyraeve is very mountainous, and many would-be miners are compelled to operate at elevations hundreds of meters above sea level. Temperatures drop sharply beyond about 35 degrees latitude, and the polar regions are essentially large glacial icecaps, where temperatures above freezing are all but unheard of.
The equatorial band of Nyraeve mostly constitutes a taiga biome, with some elements of deciduous forest in the most hospitable areas. There is drinkable fresh water in this range, though its taste is somewhat brackish. Nyraeve’s two main continents are seperated by a saltwater sea.
The plants of Nyraeve are largely coniferous trees, tough scrub brush, and a few hardy lichens and mosses. There has been speculation that some of Nyraeve’s plants could prove medicinally useful, but no proof has emerged yet. The wood of the larger trees closely resembles pine; it makes serviceable lumber, but is of sub par quality, making formal lumbering operations cost-ineffective thanks to Nyraeve’s distant location. In warmer areas, some deciduous trees are scattered among the conifers, and flowering plants grow during the rainy season. Several edible roots and tubers can be found; including potatoes, brought to Nyraeve by miners. Though few plants grow well in Nyraeve’s harsh conditions, attempts have been made to cultivate coffee, tea, tobacco, and cannabis, among others.
Animals
The animals of Nyraeve are similar to those of Earth’s as well: there is a range of herbivores from small to large, and a number of small and medium-sized carnivorous predators. Some notable animal species of Nyraeve include: Dwelks, Ikaras, Ivianths, Jerriks, Kerids, Slirms and The Lurkers.
Slirm and its prey, Dwelk by Kenya Ferrand
Dwelks, or “dwarf elks,” resemble the Earth elk except both males and females sport antlers, and they stand only a meter or so (three to four feet) high at the shoulder. They are normally timid, but can be dangerous if provoked or if their young are threatened, attacking with antlers or a powerful kick.
Ikara songbird by Kenya Ferrand
Ikaras are small, brightly-coloured birds, noted for being the only songbird species native to Nyraeve. They flock during the rainy season, preying on the insects that swarm then, and retire to the lowlands during the cold season. Few survive longer than two years.
Ivilanths, usually known by the more prosaic name “living islands,” dwell in the Midland Sea. These massive creatures resemble a mix of walrus, grey whale, and shark, and they devour anything in their paths. They breathe both air and water, but are too big to function for long on land.
Jerriks are the largest herbivores of Nyraeve. These vaguely equine creatures are green in color thanks to an oil they produce, which is their defence against predators: it has a foul smell and taste, so only the most desperate of predators will eat jerrik. They are swift and sure-footed creatures, and their range covers the entire lowlands.
Kerid by Kenya Ferrand
Kerids are arboreal pack predators that resemble large flying squirrels but boast multiple rows of sharp, sharklike teeth. A pack usually hunts by ambush, diving or dropping suddenly onto their prey and tearing at its eyes, throat, and joints. They are very territorial and have been known to fearlessly attack humans who intrude on their lairs.
Slirms are among the planet’s largest predators. These six-legged creatures are each the size of a large wolf and resemble hyenas with elongated crocodilian jaws. They group in small “families” and are voracious, vicious, and clever predators, prone to attacking humans. They normally employ pack tactics until one of them gets a grip with its jaws; then, it simply doesn’t let go, exerting immense, bone-breaking force while its family continues their harrying until the prey is brought down.
The Lurkers are creatures of the spacers’ tales, their characteristics vary from tale to tale. The most common description paints them as tall, burly, bipedal, fur-covered humanoids, similar to the yeti of Earth legend. Some even say they’re intelligent beings, with their own language and culture. Of course, absolutely no evidence of such a species has ever been uncovered, and how could an advanced civilisation hide for so long?
Using Nyraeve
Nyraeve is easily added to most star-spanning science-fiction or space-opera campaigns. All it requires is an out-of-the-way location in known space and the existence of a rare metal or mineral. It has no population, government, or society – at least, not as far as anyone knows – and it bears no permanent colonies. It might be claimed by some power or other, but it’s distant enough that such claims are difficult to enforce against the small operators who hope to strike it rich off the planet’s mineral wealth.
Adventure Hooks
- Gold Rush: Nyraeve’s unobtainium deposits have just been discovered, and it seems like everyone wants a piece. Do the PCs go in search of their fortunes? Are they hired by a corporation to protect and police its interests, running off claim jumpers? Perhaps they’re bounty hunters after the bandits who are drawn to those juicy unobtainium cargoes? And what happens once the planet itself seems to be out to get the would-be prospectors?
- Crash Landing: Damaged by a battle or meteor hit in the distant reaches of space, the PCs’ ship is forced to land on the nearest Earth-like planet: Nyraeve. Can they survive the overland journey to the mining base in the equatorial region? Will the base still be there when they arrive? Was the forced landing coincidence, or did something bring them to Nyraeve?
- Intelligence Reports: In the midst of a galactic war, a rebel base has been discovered on this remote, icy planet. The PCs might be sent in to destroy it, or they might be on the rebels’ side, attempting to make a rendezvous. When they arrive, though, they find the base already abandoned and destroyed. What did this? Were there any survivors? And why do the PCs have the feeling that they’re being watched?
- The Origin of Species: While prospecting on his own in the dangerous icy tundra of the north, an old spacer came upon a massive glacier. There’s nothing unusual in that, of course… except that he swears he saw structures, actual buildings, buried under all that ice. Is he just crazy, or is there really something there? And if there was a city on this ball of ice and rock, who built it and what happened to them? Are they still here?
Planet Nyraeve by Nevermet Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.nevermetpress.com/contact.
