Night Isles

The Night Isles is the primary archipelago of House Nyx near the Venusian equator. The Night Isles are one of the top tourism destinations in the Society, known for their crystal-clear water, white sand beaches, and extensive entertainment districts. The largest island, Lacrima, also hosts the House Nyx estate and the city of Kuialon. Most of the other islands are home to the premier development and testing facilities used for House Nyx's technological advancements.
== Lacrima ==
Lacrima is the largest of islands, roughly as big as the three runner ups combined. Most of it is covered by lush tropical forests, but large beaches encompass the coast, including Starstruck Beach, the largest beach which is situated on the east side, below the Colosseum. Lacrima is also the home of the largest civilian centre in the whole of the Night Isles, the city of Terra.
=== Kuialon ===
The city of Kuialon is a large urban centre, known for it's extensive entertainment district encompassing most of the city. Located on Lacrima, the largest island of the archipelagoes, Kuialon houses a population of roughly six million people. Nightclubs, casinos, and entertainment venues abound throughout the city, gradually leading up to the towering skyscrapers of the city's Financial District, where Coppers and Silvers trade stocks, manage money, and generally do whatever Coppers and Silvers do. The city is also known for the enormous waterfall that cascades down into the lagoon from Lacrima's peak.
The architecture of Kuialon is unique. Having been built around a warm-water lagoon, it evokes a number of architectural styles, most notably classical Graeco-Roman and Mayan-Aztec. Combining shimmering white marble with shining steel and glass, the city gleams in the afternoon as the sun sets across the vast horizon. Drawing inspiration from the cities of the Roman Empire, with narrow cobbled streets winding between buildings, evokes a feeling of closeness and privacy. The most obvious inspiration however, is clearly the pre-Conquering city of Venice, with canals winding through the busy city, crossing under streets and between buildings and plazas.
The city also serves as a hub for cruise and airships, taking wealthy patrons on tours of Venus and relaxing vacations. It is not unusual to see a couple cruiseliners floating in the bay at any given moment, or docked at one of the many airship mooring masts dotting the skyline. The most well-known is arguably the circumnavigational Vesuvius Line, an airship tour that circles the Venusian equator over two weeks, beginning and ending at the city.
Kuialon is also known for Carnevale, a famous week-long celebration based on the traditions of pre-Conquering Venice's Carnevale di Venezia. The festival is characterized by elaborate masks and costumes, plentiful food, and parties. For seven days each year, 24 hours a day, patrons laugh, dance, sing, eat, duel, you name it.
==== Starfall ====
One of the most famous sights of Venus, akin to the palace of Harmonia or the cliffs of Numidae, Starfall is an enormous waterfall, around which the city of Kuialon was built. From a natural underground spring within Mount Sera, a torrent of water emerges from the sheer cliff face towering over Kuialon and plummets nearly a full kilometre into the heart of the city, landing in a small bay in the Nyx estate grounds. From there, it feeds into the vast canal network of the city, eventually emptying out into the Lacrima lagoon. The name 'Starfall' derives from the fact that on clear days, the sun reflects off the waterfall in such a way that it looks like a stream of light falling from the peak of the mountain to the city below.
==== New Murano ====
One of the most famous parts of the city, New Murano is a group of small islands in the lagoon bay of Lacrima. Home to a number of Violet and Orange artisans, New Murano, much like its namesake, is famed for its artistic creations, most notably glassware. New Murano glassware is said to be the highest-quality artisanal glass in the entire Society. Other services and products include complex stone and metalworking, often custom-ordered by wealthy highColours.
==== Starfall Casino ====
The infamous centrepiece of Kuialon, the Starfall Casino rests on an artificial island in Lacrima's lagoon, its spires reaching for the sky. Founded by Ouranos au Nyx in 561 P.C.E., the Casino serves as a high-class hotel, nightclub, and of course, casino. Inspired by the prominent establishments of the pre-Conquering Las Vegas Strip, the casino takes in millions of credits every day, from various sources, including the multiple levels of the Casino itself, the numerous high-class restaurants and beautiful concerts and theatre.
==== Colosseum ====
The Colosseum was built a bit after the casino, and while being relatively far from the Casino, and on the main island of Lacrima, it counts as a part of the Casino. It is where Sunblood Races and Obsidian pit fights usually take place. Warriors can test their bravery there, often fighting against specially carved beasts in front of a crowd. The Colosseum is also the starting, and finishing line for several races where Blues fly at breakneck speeds in specially made racing craft, such as the Night Isles Tour and the Lacrima Grand Prix. 
=== House Nyx Estate ===
The House Nyx Estate consists of a number of towers built into the cliff face of Mount Sera, connected via bridges and walkways. Elegant and understated, the estate is built largely of the same materials of the city of Kuialon: that being white marble, glass, and steel. Located on acres of private grounds in the heart of the city, the Nyx estate encompasses a quiet, private bay into which the Starfall empties.
=== Overlook Resort ===
The Overlook Resort is a large beach resort on the Island of Lacrima. Not as luxurious as the Sunset Grand resort on Desole, yet still well-appointed, Overlook Resort was built on a the opposite side of Mount Sera from Kuialon, in an isolated bay allowing it to overlook the vast horizon. A popular spot for skydiving and bungee jumping, Overlook caters to adrenaline junkies - so long as they can pay for it.
=== Lacrima Observatory ===
Lacrima Observatory is a large observatory and planetarium, acting as a tourist destination for Golds who want to gaze at the stars up close. Situated at the peak of Lacrima, the Observatory alternates between public showings and private tours.
== Desole ==
Desole is the second-largest island, hosting numerous resorts and private villas for wealthy patrons. The beaches of Desole are not as large as on Lacrima, but they are generally more private, and often considered to be some of the most beautiful places on Venus. A number of small reefs and artificially placed shipwrecks make Desole a prime spot for scuba diving, though the large waves on the southern edge attract many surfers as well.
=== Sunset Grand Resort ===
A city in all but name, the Sunset Grand Resort is the most notable resort in the Night Isles. Sprawling over the southwestern half of Desole, the city-resort includes numerous amenities, from zoos and aquariums full of natural and carved creatures, to gravBike racing, even a small dueling circuit. The Sunset Grand is oft considered to be one of the finest resort locations in the Solar System. 
=== Desole Work Facilities ===
The Desole Work Facilities is a name given to the less glamorous side of Desole. It consists of an subterranean compound largely obscured by jungles and cliffs. Encompassing several small factories and laboratories, the Desole Work Facilities are where most of House Nyx's technological prototypes and innovations are developed. 
== Selcanne ==
Selcanne is the third largest island, and consists largely of numerous testing facilities. These facilities, built when House Nyx first settled the Night Isles, are some of the oldest structures in the archipelago. Numerous renovations keep them up to date, but they have sat mostly empty for a couple centuries, seeing only sporadic use.
=== Equipment Test Facilities ===
There are three main equipment test facilities. ETF Alpha is located in the northern part of Selcanne, covering a number of environments real and artificial, including jungles, deserts, and snow. ETF Beta, on the other hand, covers mountainous and open terrain in the southern portion. The last one is ETF Omega, located off the northeastern shore, where developments are tested in surface and deep-sea conditions.
== Vinci ==
Vinci is the fourth largest island, and is covered in mountainous terrain, making it difficult to build on. An excellent source of marble, numerous small quarries dot the island. The island is mostly uninhabited, however a small permanent population manages the Seaside and the Vinci Fine Arts Gallery.
Due to its scenic nature and stunning peaks, Vinci has been the subject of many works of art over the years, such as the famous "Through the Twin Peaks", by Carlos ar Rittori, currently displayed in the House Falthe estate on Earth. 
=== Seaside ===
Seaside is a mid-sized resort, largely underwater, allowing patrons to gaze out at the sealife swimming by. Most of the walls of the resort are glass, and there are many tunnels winding through the resort. The most notable part of the hotel is the Coral Room, a beautiful dining hall with a glass floor and walls, perched over a deep-sea ravine.
Seaside is also known for the daily submarine tours which let guests take in the archipelago from under water.
=== Vinci Fine Arts Gallery ===
The Vinci Fine Arts Gallery is a museum and art gallery situated on stilts over a shallow bay. The prestigious museum houses many famous paintings and sculptures, several of them "liberated" from museums and art galleries during the Conquering. Well-known works include Vincent van Gogh's original "Starry Night", and Kelsey ar Sicovan's "The Sunfall", depicting the traditional Gold sun burial.
=== Westkeep ===
Westkeep is the primary command centre of the Night Isles defensive network, coordinating the other three command centres as well as the focus of the defensive network as a whole. It is buried deep under Brolio Peak on the island of Vinci, accessible by two heavily guarded tunnel entrances and protected from bombardment against all but the heaviest bunker buster missiles due to its depth.
== Mirque ==
Mirque is one of the smallest of the main islands, but was the second to be settled. Hosting a small urban centre, Mirque is a generally peaceful, quiet island, popular among the older generations of Golds. The aforementioned sleepy town of Karyzia is the only settlement on the island, save for the development facilities at the far end.
=== Mirque Estate ===
The Mirque Estate is a smaller but well-appointed manor built as a secondary residence for House Nyx. The manor lies mostly empty, but occasionally sees use but offshoot members of the family, such as Minos au Nyx. The Mirque Estate is where he took most of his mistresses, and is also where he was assassinated. The estate is one of the oldest structures in the Night Isles.
=== Mirque Development Facilities ===
The Mirque Development Facilities are a small group of facilities specializing in the development of carved creatures. Employing a number of carvers and Yellows, the Mirque Development Facilities see much less use than the rest of the archipelago, but are currently occupied in the growth of a number biological Leviathan-class airships, designed and consulted upon by the Violet With Too Many Arms and Flambeau ar Vasseur.
== Carivie ==
The second smallest of the main islands, Carivie is covered in a thick jungle, with some trees reaching well over a hundred meters tall. While the island hosts no predators that could threaten a Gold, it plays the role of home to a massive amount of species, including over 170 species of birds. Most animals on the island are natural, but some, such as the famed winged lion, are specially carved. 
Selincia is the only resort town on Carivie, and it's small size is nonetheless impressive for one reason - the village is entirely located in the treetops, some seventy-five meters above the jungle floor. Houses are carved into the magnificent greatWoods, and access between them is provided by precarious rope bridges. 
=== Carivie Estate ===
Carivie Estate is the third and last estate of House Nyx. Built some three hundred and fifty years ago, Carivie Estate has generally served as the home of offshoot House Nyx branches, most recently the family of Minos au Nyx. The estate sits at the edge of the jungle, overlooking a large private beach. With swooping, elegant towers, Carivie Estate resembles a fairytale castle from pre-Conquering Earth.
=== Nyx Floating Gardens ===
Hovering some 30 meters in the air, off the coast of Carivie, the Floating Gardens are an architectural marvel designed by Master Maker Archimedes, the same one who had designed the Water Colossus of Tyche. Commissioned by House Nyx roughly thirty years ago, the Floating Gardens purposely resemble the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon. With numerous species of plants and birds, the Floating Gardens are a popular destination for tourism, and a personal favourite of Celestia au Nyx.
== Jussirei ==
Jussirei is the smallest of the main islands, and notable for the many dangers. With a variety of deadly environments and dangerous wildlife, Jussirei, like Selcanne, is off-limits to civilians and tourists. However, Jussirei does host a permanent population at the Jussirei Training Facility, where troops from House Nyx and vassals train.
=== Jussirei Ludus ===
The Jussirei Ludus is the personal ludus of House Nyx, where the Greys of House Nyx and its vassals train. A large complex of barracks, compounds, training facilities, and even a small airstrip, the JL trains a variety of types of Greys. From general security officers who police the city, resorts, and casino, to elite troopers serving in House Nyx's special operations battalion. A smaller, prestigious compound known as the 'Jewel' sits a small ways away from the main complex, and trains Greys and Obsidians to serve in the elite corps of the members of House Nyx.
The Jussirei Ludus uses real and simulated environments to train their troops in a number of fields, including hostage extraction, VIP protection, ship-to-ship boarding, and urban warfare. The Greys graduating from the Jewel are given a distinction known as the Triple Diamond. Triple Diamond certified Greys are highly sought-after by numerous Gold families for their expertise as bodyguards and elite, top-notch soldiers. If a Nyx is not available to protect, the contracts of Triple Diamond troops are quickly snatched up by heirs and primuses looking for elite protection, for quite a pretty penny.
== Other ==
=== Castello ===
Officially known as the Night Isles Protective Network, the system has come to be colloquially known as Castello, for its role in defending the capital archipelago of House Nyx. Castello's system comprises of three secondary command centres for redundancy, all coordinated from the primary command and control bunker of Westkeep on the island of Vinci. Each secondary command centre (Northkeep, Eastkeep, and Southkeep) is a buried bunker responsible for a portion of the actual defensive systems, though they can be remotely overridden by Westkeep with confirmation codes known only by Castello's commander and the current mainline members of House Nyx, randomised every six hours.
==== Aerial and Orbital Defenses ====
The first category of the actual defensive systems themselves consists primarily of surface-to-orbit missile launchers and railcannons distributed throughout the islands to be able to strike at any approach vector, with powerful sensor arrays positioned both on islands and on innocuously floating buoys to detect incoming threats.
==== Sea and Shore Defenses ====
The ground-based defenses of the Night Isles consists largely of shore-based artillery batteries and strategically-located pillbox fortresses with connecting trench lines, all heavily camouflaged both to obscure them from the enemy eye and the eyes of the tourists and patrons of the Night Isles' many attractions. Deep sea mines interdict key points around the Isles, largely dormant but may be activated at will by Westkeep. This is not to mention even the pulseDomes and defenses employed by each city itself.
==== Combined Defenses ====
Finally, there exists a number of multi-purpose defenses intended to serve both categories. These broadly fall into three subcategories. The first is the Night Isles Security Force, which operates the vast majority of the defensive installations, and serves as a highly mobile rapid response force.
The second of these is the numerous military hangars and airfields distributed around the Isles which may launch ripWings, gunships, and airship assault carriers at a moment's notice to respond to and interdict any threat. The largest of these airfields is the combination military/training field at the Jussirei ludus.
Notably, the while House Nyx does employ a blue water fleet in its other territories, the capital archipelago of the Night Isles does not maintain a proper standing surface navy, calling in true warships from its vassal fleets if necessary. Thus, the last subcategory is directed from the submerged deep-sea installation known as Deepkeep, which operates a a small task force of frigates and patrol craft, and a significant military submarine fleet. This fleet is largely composed of nuclear attack submarines, making use of torpedoes and dropped mines to eliminate enemy submarines and surface ships. The rest of it is so-called 'boomers', larger submarines which can stay submerged for months upon months at a time and carry both long-range cruise missiles as well as anti-orbit munitions.
=== Research Sites ===
House Nyx also manages two research sites, marine and terrestrial. Both largely employ Yellow and Blue researchers, generally overseen by a Copper. These Research Sites, Delta and Lambda, mainly observe and run experiments. The data is collected, and occasionally used in the development of technologies, but more often than not is simply published and left at that. One item of note is the particle accelerator/collider managed by Research Site Delta.
=== Named islands ===
Since Ouranos au Nyx revived the dying house with the creation of the Starfall Casino, and beginning to bring House Nyx up to power again, certain islands have been named for primuses after their death by the new Primus.
==== Ouranos Island ====
Ouranos island was named after Ouranos au Nyx by his son Bucephalus, after Ouranos had died, beginning the tradition. Ouranos Island is the home of a very pretty light house. Standing on one of the highest points of the island and towering over 60 meters up in the air. 
==== Bucephalus Island ====
Bucephalus island was named after Bucephalus au Nyx by his son and next primus, Kronos au Nyx, after the former's death. Following and setting in stone the tradition started by Bucephalus. It is the staging area for many journeys to the Twilight Grand Reef, and other diving trips.
==== Kronos Island ====
Kronos Island was named after Kronos au Nyx by his son, Aurelion, following the tradition. Kronos Island is at the northern-most point of the night isles, about 25 kilometers north-west of Lacrima. It is home to a large military outpost and sensor station and marks the border of House Nyx´s territory.
=== Twilight Grand Reef ===
The Twilight Grand Reef is a massive coral reef off the northwest coast of Carivie. As one of the largest collections of aquatic wildlife on all of Venus, the Twilight Grand Reef hosts thousands of different species, including fish, coral, dolphins, and some sharks. Many creatures have been imported from all over the Solar System, but many others were carved especially for this environment, creating an ecosystem unlike any other in the Solar System.
Shaped like a massive ravine, the Twilight Grand Reef is over ten kilometers long, and 1.5 kilometers at the widest point. The ravine extends down nearly 500 meters at the deepest, but most of the ravine bottom rests around 350 metres. Coral and fish species cover the walls of the ravines, as well as the outcrops of rock surrounding it. At the bottom, a number of unique aquatic species make this part of the reef an eerie, twilight environment, for which the reef is named.
== Image Credits ==
Night Isles Map - by Elena Schwartz-Harrer
Starfall Casino - by Nirakar Mahalik
House Nyx Estate - by Dylan Cole