Callisto

Callisto as it appeared in the Io Direct

**Callisto** is a planet in the Ioverse. It is one of the four Galilean moons that orbits the celestial body known as the Nova, once called Jupiter. A hostile world hollowed out and riddled with tunnels, it is home to the warlike Ch'i, an insectoid race that consider the exploratory endeavors of Ionians as an act of aggression against them.

## Appearance

From space, Callisto appears to be a large hollowed out shell with various cavities and holes across its surface. The very pillars that hold up the remnants of the crust are also covered in holes, not unlike that of a termite mound. Beneath the worn rugged surface appears to be a vast body of water, which is potentially an ocean.

Within Callisto itself is a vast array of caverns and tunnels dug out by the Ch'i. Their dwellings have a similar appearance to dwellings on Io, using bricks and columns to create buildings within the tunnels.

## History

### Discovery

Callisto was first discovered by the people of Earth in the year 1609 or 1610 by a human named Galileo Galilei. It, along with the three other Galilean moons of Jupiter, were the first astronomical objects recorded that orbit a planet other than Earth. Callisto was continually studied for centuries afterwards, with increasingly sophisticated technological means, in order to better understand its characteristics and place in the universe.

### The Coming of the Ch'i

Some time in its history, a race of insectoid creatures came to dominance. This race was called the Ch'i, and it is currently unknown how they came to occupy Callisto. In any case, the Ch'i completely transformed the planet, turning it into a hive-like world of tunnels and hollows. The Ch'i built their dwellings within these tunnels and further developed their technology to the point of acquiring space travel. However, their starships were not quite as advanced, so they were unable to expand their influence on a galactic scale.

### War with Io

The Ch'i came into contact with a new civilization from Io. Though the planet had been shattered, its people were thriving, having learned to traverse the stars through Shard technology. Their shardships far outstripped the Ch'i's spacefaring capabilities, allowing them to further expand their influence. Upon encroaching upon Callisto's limits, the Ch'i took the Ionians' exploration as an act of aggression. The Ch'i declared war on Io with the intent of conquering it. However, beyond raiding shardships and etching out a presence on Ganymede, the Ch'i have yet to make any significant assaults against Io and its people.

## Campaigns

No campaigns have yet taken place on Callisto.

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to a single campaign, and there're mechanics that are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Etymology

"Callisto" is a figure from Greek Mythology. Either a nymph or a daughter of King Lycaon, she became a follower of Artemis, swearing to be a virgin for all time. However, Zues became enamored with her, and disguised himself as Artemis or Apollo to seduce her. When it was discovered that Callisto had become pregnant, Artemis expelled her from her group. She later gave birth to a son named Arcas. Without the protection of her patron goddess, the furious wife of Zeus, Hera, took the opportunity to curse Callisto, transforming her into a bear. Upon her death at the hands of either Artemis or her son, Zeus placed her into the night sky as the constellation Ursa Major.

## Trivia

* Callisto was first seen in the Io Direct, which aired on the 28th of January, 2022.

## Images

### Official Art

The surface of Callisto as seen in the Io DirectAn underground Ch'i dwelling on Callisto, as seen in the Io DirectA Ch'i, one of the dominant races on Callisto.