VAERITH
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Galaxy: Flat spiral
Solar system: 1 star, 11 planets, 6 dwarf planets,
219 moons, 1 asteroid belt
Star: G-type main sequence (G2V)
Distance to planet: 129.3 million km
Planet type: Goldilocks inner planet
Age: 5.2 billion years old
Planet number: 4th from sun
Year length: 360 days
Moons: 2
Planet physical characteristics
Vaerith is roughly the same size (Mass: 5.92 x 10^24kg; 41,000km circumference), with roughly the same proportions of land: water (28:72) as Earth. Most water on the planet is salt water, and most freshwater is locked in glaciers and icebergs.
There are two supercontinents, one of which is a fusion of two former smaller continents that occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. A subcontinent exists in the southern region. The planet's crust is broken into plates that undergo similar patterns of drift and subduction seen on Earth.
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Climate/Geography
There are no unusual geographic (above or below ground) or climatic features. All standard climate regions and zones present, corresponding (roughly) to the similar Earth latitudes (Köppen Climate Classification). See individual Province pages for specific climates.
Airburst events (asteroids, meteorites), avalanches, blizzards, disease outbreaks, droughts, fires, flooding, hail/ice storms, hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons, landquakes, land/rock/mudslides, limnic eruptions, sand/mud storms, solar flares (see below), sinkholes, swarms, temperature waves, thunderstorms, tornadoes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.
Solar flares
Vaerith does experience periodic "flares". Flares are solar extrusions, much like the solar flares Earth experiences, only stronger, more dense, and capable of inflicting damage to the planet surface. They are unpredictable, though do occur with some degree of regularity and are short-lived (less than an hour). Described as "giant slugs" that poke their heads down through the atmosphere, they cause localized temperature increases, burn injuries/damage, electrical interruptions, and ionization disturbances that disrupt satellite and all forms of terrestrial communications. Once the flares withdraw, there is no lasting damage to the atmosphere.
The biosphere on Vaerith is comparable to Earth, both on/below land, in the air, and on/under the water.
The current human population is approximately 5 billion.
All eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms enjoy the same levels of biodiversity as seen on Earth (for example, the centipede).
Credit - Filo gen', via WikiMedia Commons
An animal unique to Vaerith is the quad, a carnivorous lizard known for swarming, long-distance gliding, and its double jaws. Another is the voxx, a ubiquitous pest with red eyes, vampire-like fangs, prolific breeding cycles, and a fondness for chewing electrical wires.
Credit - WikiMedia Commons
Credit - WikiMedia Commons
Comparable deciduous and coniferous trees are present, as are all other representative cycads, ginkgos, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Avascular plants, algae, and ferns are also found.
A nine-member deity pantheon is recognized on Vaerith. Several sects of the faithful exist; some are monotheistic (focusing on one deity), some are polytheistic (focusing on two or more deities). Approximately 50% of the global population practice some form of organized religion or consider themselves believers in part or all of the Pantheon. Approximately 50% of the global population considers themselves atheist or agnostic. Regardless of belief, all people acknowledge the collective history of the Pantheon (including swearing to/on them).
Pantheon
Vaerith - God of the living
Rinnik - Goddess of the dead
Anoeia - Goddess of fate
Onnamm - God of peace
Sepperl - God of creation
Myrriss - Goddess of ability/talent
Varst - God of relationships
Elliss - Goddess of trade/success
Ia – Goddess of war/revenge
Non-Pantheon
As on Earth, political borders on Vaerith have shifted and changed many times over the years. Pre-Party acquisition, the nine provincial borders have been stable for more than a thousand years. During that time, a loose global ruling body known as the Hierarchy steered the world. The Hierarchy consists of two parts -- the main ruling families/governmental entities (which retain the name Hierarchy) and the Chancellary (families that support and guide the main seats of power). With the advent of the Freedom First Party, new lines are being drawn.
The western hemisphere continent holds four of the original nine provinces:
Atremm, Tulumm, Naymarr, and Nayaritt.
Referred to in present day as "the Continent".
The eastern hemisphere continent holds five of the original nine provinces: Onnais, Y'Tallish, Charenn, Gmundkevakk, and Vedrii.
Referred to in present day as "Overseas".
All Vaerigians are polyglots. With 11 major global language groups, provinces each have one major language that all citizens are fluent in. Citizens also speak a local dialect. Established as a global common language to facilitate commerce and minimize political disagreements, Kevash is spoken by everyone on the planet. The Hierarchy -- both branches -- additionally speak Elamejj and are the only group who does so.
The abundance of double letters in spellings is a holdover from earlier languages and conventions.
Pre-First Election - A global currency, the Geni, is used for most governmental and property transactions. There are five bill denominations and three coin denominations for whole Geni (like dollars or pounds). The half-Geni is the only fractional denomination in circulation. Other fractional Geni (like cents or shillings) are only used electronically. Everyday transactions may use Geni, but can also be handled through credit, trade, and barter in local economies.
Post-First Election - See the Party page.
Technology
Vaerith's technology is a mix of Earth-based technology from 1985-present day. There are significant government restrictions in place on some of it and there is a wide disparity in availability. A novel feature of Vaerith is the existence of the Automated Medical Interface (AMI), an artificial intelligence computer used at hospitals.
All time on Vaerith follows a 24-hour clock. There are 24 global time zones, that run longitudinally starting with +0 hour in Kevakk (similar to Greenwich Mean Time) called Kevakk Standard (KST). Time zones moving to the east add to KST. Time zones moving to the west subtract from KST. Daylight Savings Time is not observed.
As on Earth, days of the week and months were named after various deities. Unlike Earth, there is no defined weekend or "start of week" in terms of work, although most calendars "start the week" with Vaerday, as it's named after Vaerith, the God of the Living, who's also the planet's namesake. Vaerith's yearly calendar is structured differently than Earth's, though still according to historical harvest schedules.
There are 12 months to a year, grouped into 4 blocks of 3 according to season (Planting, Growing, Harvesting, Bonding). The year starts with Spring, then goes into Summer, then Autumn, and ends with Winter. There are 7 days to a week and 28 days to every month, totaling 336 days in each year.
Holidays are specific to each Province.
Yearly calendar
Spring months are known as First Sepperl, Second Sepperl, and Third Sepperl.
Summer months are known as First Anoiea, Second Anoiea, and Third Anoiea.
Autumn months are known as First Elliss, Second Elliss, and Third Elliss.
Winter months are known as First Varst, Second Varst, and Third Varst.
Weekly calendar
Monday - named after the moon
Iasday - named after Ia
Myrsday - named after Myrriss
Vaerday - named after Vaerith
Onday - named after Onnamm
Rinnday - named after Rinnik
Sunday - named after the sun
There are rumors that the Freedom First Party has plans to redo the calendars.