Tessam
Stats
Total Surface Area: ~35.000.000km2 Distance to Horizon: ~56km Planetary Radius: ~1600km Gravity: ~1g
Surface
The planet itself is tidally locked to the sun, causing one side to be extremely hot and the other cold. Because of the distance to the sun, there is a small comfortably habitable zone around the middle belt of the planet.
Regardless of the heat levels, the surface is mostly devoid of water as the small but dense structure of the planet causes most of the evaporating water to escape into space where it joins the icy ring surrounding the planet.
There are also several rifts in the crust of the planet remaining from its fairly recent formation. These can provide some heat in colder areas, making the habitable zone stretch further towards the cold.
Underground
Underground, the planet is filled with caves and ravines that open up to the surface. Vast underground oceans can also be found, making it ideal for fast (though dangerous) travel between points on the surface.
Planetary Rings
Around the planet there is a disk of ice that has evaporated from the surface. As Tuaru’s orbit sometimes takes it through the centre of these rings, they are not fully even in their formation, though they mainly remain flat. Whenever the moon does cross through the icy field, it scatters the ice around, bringing some of it down to the planet as hail or rain, replenishing the underground oceans and giving vital nourishment to the few plants that survive on the surface.
Other Celestial Objects
Moons
Tuaru
Orbit: 14 Days
The smalles of the moons also has the shortest orbit time. It has a strongly elliptic track around the planet that every so often brings it colliding into the icy disk. This does little to affect the moon’s path, but sometimes causes it to have icy shards trailing after it, causing it to appear as though a rainbow-like gas is leaving it when viewed from the surface. Many different cutlures around the planet have connected this celestial event with different divine or occult signs.
The moon itself is made of ice, giving it a striking rainbow shine whenever it crosses the sky.
Ita
Orbit: 28 Days
Orbiting just outside the ice field, the second largest moon lines up with the outside of the disk, its gravity helping the ice keep its flat shape around the planet even when Tuaru crashes through it. Visually, the moon is a drab grey sphere with a few craters in it.
Nuila
Orbit: 365 Days
The largest moon orbits slowly around Tessam. Because of its size, it greatly affects the underwater tide of the planet and whenever it ends up on the other same side as Ita, they can cause the waters to rise so high that it bubbles up to the surface, potentially causing floods for a couple of days in the area they pass over.
While not as striking as the rainbow spectrum of Tuaru, the composition of this rock is high in iron, giving it a distinct red appearance in the night sky. The moon used to be a part of the planet itself, but broke off as part of a strong meteor shower early in the planet’s lifecycle.
Other planets
Charrys
The planet closest to the sun, its scorched surface is often visible to the naked eye, appearing as a blackened spot in the sky.
Anahera
Outside the orbit of Charrys lies a planet covered in water. Orbiting so slowly it almost stands still, it is a rare sight, but a welcome one as it is regarded as a good omen.
Oighan
A blue frozen planet rarely visible in the sky, Oighan is seen as a bad omen whenever it shows. Its orbit is the furthest from the sun as well as the slowest.
Below the surface, the planet has several layers of cavernous systems that grow warmer and warmer as it gets closer to the core.
Asteroids/Meteors
The solar system is frequently struck by meteor showers and it is not uncommon for one of them to find its way to the planet. They don’t normally hit near the habitable strip, but can inflict some serious damage when they do.