BUREAU OF COLONIES — PLANETARY SURVEY ARCHIVE

FILE: CHEN/GEODIV/PEAKS-19

Subject: Highest Summits of Chendiuria
Issued: 2345.06.03
Compiled by: Bureau of Colonies Planetary Cartography and Environmental Directorate (PCED)
Classification: General Scientific Release — Level 3
Planetary Conditions:
Atmospheric equivalent: ~10,000 ft above Terra baseline.
Surface temperature averages: 43–64 °C day; 8–20 °C night.
Atmospheric humidity: ≤ 8 %.

1. Mount Kessira (The Shard of the Heavens)

Height: 11,972 m above Chendiurian datum
Range: Vantok Range, Western Continent
Description: A needlelike granite spire rising from a hyper-arid plateau. The summit’s air pressure is less than 25 % of Terran sea level equivalent—unbreathable without augmentation.
Climbing History: No recorded human summit. Two autonomous climber-drones from the Chendiurian Geological Society vanished near 10,900 m in 2322.
Notes: Believed to host a BuCol atmospheric relay disguised as a research station midway up. Wind speeds routinely exceed 300 kph; frost forms only from sublimation gases at night.
Status: Unclimbed.

2. Mount Dae-Ur (“Mother of Dust”)

Height: 10,841 m
Range: Dae-Ur Massif, Western Continent north-central region
Description: Massive shield-like formation with sulfur-stained ridges and ancient lava tubes.
Climbing History: One recorded human summit by an augmented pair—Fleet Marines on survival training (2287). Both died of pulmonary edema on descent when suit filters failed.
Cultural Note: Sacred to early colonists who viewed its twin shadows at dawn as omens of endurance.
Status: Officially closed to civilian climbing since 2302.

3. Mount Therrin Akh (“Sky-Breaker”)

Height: 10,412 m
Range: Akh-Kar Mountains, Western Continent (near Chendiurian capital region)
Description: A jagged chain of obsidian-black peaks surrounded by high desert.
Climbing History: Summited thrice—first by the Idan Expedition (2299). Known for sudden micro-storms of silica dust that shred visors.
Fatalities: 19 confirmed across 7 expeditions.
Notable: Adi’s Marine survival course simulations included holo-maps of this range for endurance trials.

4. Mount Yalathra (“The Veiled Lady”)

Height: 10,065 m
Range: Southern Serqis Chain, Western Continent
Description: Towering spire capped by permanent cloud of metallic aerosols from geothermal vents.
Climbing History: Six attempts; only one verified summit (by drone). Two human attempts vanished 200 m from the top.
Hazards: Toxic gas outflows, thermal updrafts, magnetically charged dust fields that disrupt comms.
Status: Restricted zone — BuCol Mineral Rights Claim (unfulfilled, but still on the books).

5. Mount Leth-Akraan (“Father of Silence”)

Height: 9,888 m
Range: Western Continent — Dorsal Ridges
Description: Massive, dome-shaped extinct volcano; caldera 18 km wide.
Climbing History: Reached by drone and human teams multiple times; first full traverse 2329 by the Asterion Survey Corps.
Feature: The thin-air acoustics create “standing echoes,” ghostly sounds recorded for up to 4 minutes after speech.
Casualties: Minimal—considered the safest high-peak climb on Chendiuria.

6. Mount Aghra’s Spine

Height: 9,651 m
Range: Central Chora Range, Eastern Continent
Description: Razorback ridge along the equatorial band, separating penal colony basins from the equatorial badlands.
Climbing History: No sanctioned expeditions; several prisoner escape attempts used the lower ridges—none survived.
Notable: Constant thermal updrafts create shimmering mirages visible from 200 km away.
Status: Contained within Negasi-Luwam Correctional Exclusion Zone; access punishable by death.

7. Mount Shun-Dair (“Wound of Heaven”)

Height: 9,322 m
Range: Eastern Continent — Kethra Fold Mountains
Description: Jagged volcanic composite with deep vertical gashes from ancient tectonic shifts.
Climbing History: One human attempt by mercenary-sponsored climbers (2318)—aborted due to plasma storm.
Hazards: High seismic activity; rock emits faint gamma flux from buried uranium veins.
Status: Active geological hazard zone.

8. Mount Palisar (“The Sun’s Grave”)

Height: 9,040 m
Range: Western Continent — Tholis Chain
Description: Red basalt tower rising from a salt-flat basin. The summit appears almost black at midday due to surface vitrification.
Climbing History: Reached via aerial drop by augmented adventurer Mira Holt (2333 suffered fatal equipment failure on descent.
Lore: Locals believe Palisar’s shadow moves counter to the sun on certain solstices.

9. Mount Velan-Isht (“The Burning Crown”)

Height: 8,728 m
Range: Far south of Western Continent, near polar desert fringe
Description: Iron-oxide ridges glowing rust-red under Chendiuria’s sun; geothermal plumes at base.
Climbing History: Seven partial ascents; summit achieved only once (2311) by expedition Tholos-4, which lost three members on descent due to heatstroke and dehydration.
Environmental Note: Base temperatures reach 71 °C at midday—climbers must ascend at night.

10. Mount Hesh-Tarin (“Last Breath”)

Height: 8,311 m
Range: Isolated peak on minor southern continent Karthis Minor
Description: Known for deadly katabatic winds exceeding 400 kph; summit stripped to bare metallic bedrock.
Climbing History: Summited once (2324) by hybrid team of augmented Marines and surveyors.
Legacy: Memorial cairn destroyed by wind within two hours of placement.
Cultural Note: Considered a rite of passage among off-duty Myrmidons. “If you can breathe there, you can breathe anywhere.”

Summary Observation

Chendiuria’s peaks are not simply mountains—they are thresholds between survival and annihilation.
Even with augmentations, the air is too thin, the heat too fierce, and the dust too alive.
Fewer than 400 climbers have attempted altitudes over 9,000 m on record; over half have died.
The Bureau classifies the Western Continent ranges as Category D Extreme Environments, suitable for augmentation trials, military endurance testing, and experimental atmospheric studies.