Venov

Venov (originally regarded as Planet X, the mysterious 9th planet of the Sol System) is the home to fabled horrors and legends throughout the solar system. A planet that simultaneously instills great fear into people also provides a sense of adventure and splendor. Part of the reason for these positive invocations is the rich resource content on Venov. If you aren’t torn apart by a gravity anomaly or slaughtered by magma-dwelling beasts, the intense heat and complete lack of habitable conditions for non-predatory life makes Venov nearly impossible to colonize. Only a single mine has been successfully installed on Venov, and expeditions are very quick to the planet. Workers are quickly traded off and taken in, most leaving the planet half as well as they arrived, and nowadays, only maintenance staff are permitted to enter these facilities.   Many theorize Venov to be the source of Caelus (and by extension, Ardor) as radiographs notice high concentrations of Ardor radiating from Venov to the rest of the solar system. That being said, it is incredibly difficult for non-native species to live on Venov. Miners that come to the planet, although promised great riches, usually suffer the consequences of exposure to high levels of Ardor radiation. While some turn into Nex Walkers, many perish prematurely. For that reason, many interest groups are looking into performing remote mining operations with drones on Venov in place of physical miners on account of several incidents where miners have gone rogue as Nex Walkers, blown up installation equipment, and high-tailed it to Venovian territory.   Manginari Mine is the only success long-term established mine on the planet. While small mining operations crop up in various parts, they are limited in scope and are made with mobility in mind, often run by small drones with limited capabilities. The Manginari Mine is run by the similarly named Manginari Corporation. For some odd reason, the founder and owner of the company is insistent on continuing operations on Venov, despite having several years of revenue losses. It is figured that a certain group is subsidizing Manginari Corporation's efforts on the planet, but for whatever reason, it remains unknown. The facility is outfitted with a spaceport that is only accessible through a private shuttle from Jupiter, where dozens of workers enter each shuttle and sometimes, never come back.   Expedition Point A was never properly named, yet refers to a 1km radius from its central point, a large cave with several crystal formations surrounding it. Explorers that recorded and transmitted live feed of Expedition Point A have recorded an interior covered in hieroglyphics, currently indecipherable. There is nothing else known about Expedition Point A, except that hostile, bipedal entities frequent the perimeter and entrance of the cave. These bipedal creatures are proportionally inconsistent, often with extremely narrow limbs and triangular heads. These limbs and points on their bodies are capable of piercing C.H.I.T.I.N Armor with ease.   The crystals protruding from various locations within Expedition Point A emit high concentrations of Ardor, which makes all further expeditions conducted by non-magically inclined individuals difficult. It is considered mandatory by all explorers to wear a full suit of 90% concentrate Ferron Lead Telekill armor, (further referred to as F.L.T.), though this only slows the effects of long-term Ardor radiation poisoning. Research to make F.L.T Armor completely negate Ardor Radiation is currently underway. The rest of Expedition Point A contains deposits of Ferron Lead, a plethora of high-grade mineral and ore veins, and obsidian. Most of these deposits are impossible to harvest from on account of Expedition Point A’s inhabitants, which quickly rush to these deposits to harvesters.     Expedition Point B is five kilometers west of Expedition Point A’s location, and is visible from Expedition Point A. Expedition Point B is a mountainous region that is currently immeasurable due to its hostile nature, and all monitoring conducted outside of the planet’s atmosphere has been inconclusive due to a permanent Caelus Storm presiding over Expedition Point B. The original expedition that took place to mark Expedition Point B was more successful in terms of the length of time that the explorers survived, but remained just as inconclusive about several anomalies present within it and potential resources to be harvested. The Caelus Storm phenomenon present at Expedition Point B is unexplained, except for the high concentration of Caelus, measured by advanced radiographs.   A large, draconic beast inhabits the highest peaks of Expedition Point B, and when it detects any form of life within half a kilometer of its presumed nest, it will begin circling its nest and slowly expanding its perimeter outward until it locates, and destroys all intruders. No one as of yet is capable of killing this draconic entity, as it flies at speeds excess of 1300 meters per second and is devastating in nature.   The Crag   Despite the incredibly hot and inhospitable nature of Venov, The Crag remains one of the coldest points with an average temperatue of 60 degrees fahrenheit (~15 celsius). The Crag is inhabited by denizens that refer to themselves as Venovian , a sapient species of avian-humanoids that are known for their impeccable shapeshifting abilities. The Venovians live on cliffsides within the deep, rift-like structure of the Crag. Their habitat is largely a variation of dark, cooler colors (violet to blue, and darker shades of teal) that the Venovians consider to be holy symbols. This also has led to a rigid caste system with Venovian society, where the undesirables and outcasts are ousted to different sections within the Crag that are characterized by brighter colors. (Pink, red, etc.) The Venovians have a skewed male to female ratio, with their population being largely female (samples estimate 71% to 29%). Thus, the leader of Venovian societies are matriarchal, with the exception of a single, small village located at the far southern edge of The Crag. Venovians claim to have human origins, but many speculate that they simply prefer to emulate the human form due to its aesthetic value. Their evolutionary history is unknown. The Crag and its denizens are not inherently hostile other life, but are not particularly accepting of the possibility of cultural diffusion. Venovians refuse to wear or accept any gifts that are bright in color from those that visit The Crag, unless they are of the lower caste. Then, they are obligated by tradition to accept it as a mark of shame and make use of it.     The Northmost edge of The Crag drops into a massive pit that has no recorded or visually noticeable bottom. Many conclude that one simply “infinitely falls”, and the Venovians use it to discard rubbish and in the event of a solar or lunar eclipse, sacrifice the Lower Caste.