Twelve Colonies of Kobol

The **Twelve Colonies of Kobol** are the settled worlds of humanity.  From a narrow linguistic perspective, the Twelve Colonies only includes the twelve main worlds, the "Colonies" originally founded by the Twelve Tribes.  From a more broad political perspective, the Twelve Colonies includes the entire domain of humanity and known space.

Mankind has lived in the Colonies for over 2000 years since the original exile from Kobol (hence they are the **Colonies of Kobol**).  For most of that 2000 year existence, the Colonies were independent, competing with and sometimes warring each other.  Fifty-two years before the Fall, the Colonies united under a single government to fight the First Cylon War and have been united ever since.  Colonial Day created a unified Colonial Fleet as well as a centralized government run by a Colony-wide president as well as the legislative Quorum of Twelve.

## Twelve Colonies

### Aerilon

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Aerilon is primarily an agricultural world. It is considered to be the "food basket" of the Twelve Colonies and is ranked among the poorer Colonies. The planet shares an orbit with the gas giant Hestia and Canceron, sitting in the L4 Lagrangian point in the Helios Delta System, the system where Aquaria is also located. The climate on Aerilon is mild with reliable seasons. Rains are plentiful enough that fresh water is readily available from wells and catch basins, despite the rarity of rivers and lakes. The land masses of Aerilon are in temperate zones. There are a few inland waterways, such as the Euclid River, and the shorelines are almost exclusively rocky bluffs, or, near the equator, mangrove swamps. The seas are hostile and it has no useful harbors. The land masses are open and rolling with very little variation. Aerilon's capital was Gaoth.

The mannerisms of Aerilon's natives are considered rough and rude, at least by Caprican standards. Aerilonians are generally more religious than Capricans but don't come close to approaching the fundamentalism of the Gemenese.  The people of this world also speak Caprican with a noticeably distinctive accent that is quite hard to miss if it isn't covered up (Similar to an Irish accent). Aerilon natives are disproportionately found in the military both from an inherent sense of duty but also as a way to get away from the farming life that is so prevalent on the planet.

### Aquaria

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Aquaria is a "frigid" world with only one major land mass: Kryos, a crescent-shaped continent with volcanoes at both ends. Aquaria is widely known for its vast oceans. It is located in the Helios Delta System with Aerilon and Canceron.

A small center of scientific research, this remote world has also attracted a small (75,000 permanent) but sturdy population known for stubborn independence, social tolerance, and a unique barter system. However, the population can swell to as many as a half-million during the annual Summerfest, which features music, dance, theater and epic poetry.

Despite the lack of an official capital city, the government holds weekly community meetings that are open to both citizens and non-citizens.  Issues are addressed and passed by simple majority vote.  Even the election of the colony's Prime Minister is done in this pure form of democracy.

Heim is the largest and only real city on the planet though small groups of individuals do live outside the city. Anyone who disrupts the social balance will find themselves permanently banished to another colony with a simple two-thirds vote, usually finding themselves in exile on Scorpia, or on trial on Libran, never to come back.

Aquaria is notable for its increibly small population compared to the other Colonies.  The under-populated world was also the site of the Fleet's first counter offensive.

### Canceron

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Canceron is the most populous planet in the Twelve Worlds. Prior to the First Cylon War, Canceron was a very overpopulated and poor colony. Canceron's major cities such as Hades and Mangala were known to have large slums. Its large population earned Canceron the nickname "The Largest Democracy" within the colonies, though some believed the government was nothing more than a corrupt Oligarchy.
Canceron orbits Helios Delta along with Aerilon and Aquaria. Canceron has two great landmasses both have popular beaches, large cities, fertile plains and in the far north very tall mountain ranges. The climate has warm southern beaches, hot and steamy in the inland south, highly temperate and farming friendly in the north, with the frigid Ruby Ridge mountains with the Kor Yaz (Turkish for "summer corps") high altitude glacier. Canceron is also known for its vast mineral deposits of coal, iron, and silver. The capital is Hades in the Great Valley and was the site of growing immigration. Hades has a security zone for powerful people called "New Hades". The third city is Mangala, a former trading port, known for fine art and museums. Mangala is the site of poor settlers who live in makeshift shanties that extend to the very edge of seaside cliffs. The resort town of Psammos is known throughout the colonies for its five-star hotels, casinos, and pristine beaches.

### Caprica

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Caprica is in the Helios Alpha star system, and has a twin planet called Gemenon that is only 493,000 kilometres (306,336.0 mi) away and shares a common barycenter. The twin planets share a mutual orbit where each planet trades places with the other every 28.2 days. Caprica also shares its star system with Picon and Tauron. Caprica is a lush blue-green planet, covered by large oceans and continents. Gemenon can often be seen in the skies above the Caprican landscape. Depending on its orbit, the Caprican night can almost be negated by intense planetshine from Gemenon, although not as bright as the Caprican sun, there is enough light reflected back to effectively turn night into day.
Caprica City was both a planetary and later a federal capital of the Twelve Colonies after the "Articles of Colonization" were signed soon after the First Cylon War started. The city replaced the previous Colonial Capital, Boskirk on Virgon.

Caprica is regarded as the center of Colonial civilization, even long before the First Cylon War. Graystone Industries was one of the Colonies' most influential technology developers and had a hand in creating the very first Cylons. Some thirty years before the Fall, Caprica was also plagued by religiously motivated terrorism. After the war, the planet was once again the seat of politics, culture, art, science, learning and even the Colonial government. It was also one of the wealthiest colonies.

### Gemenon

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Gemenon was the first world colonized by the humans of Kobol. It shares its orbit around Helios Alpha with Caprica, completing a rotation once every 28.2 days. Its status as a twin planet gives it its name. Its climate can vary wildly, featuring frozen plateaus, and searing deserts, which can make life difficult for its inhabitants.
It was one of the poorer colonies and its people, the Gemenese, were known for their religious fundamentalism. Before the First Cylon War, Gemenon was home to the Kobol Colleges and a monotheistic cult called "The Soldiers of the One". Gemenon's second-largest city, Illumini, was built around a large Pantheon complex, composed of buildings intended to worship and celebrate every deity in the Sacred Scrolls. The Gemenese are known for their literal interpretations of the Scrolls. Most of the population of Gemenon are apparently very strongly opposed to the federal laws legalizing abortion. The planet also has an old and disused language, known as Old Gemenese.

### Leonis

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Leonis is the second planet in the Helios Beta system, and is geographically known for its open plains. The planet itself has no axial tilt, which supports a mild and predictable climate. It is a major hub for both education and industry, and, despite Colonial unification, it was able to maintain its own language and culture.
Leonis is the largest planet of all the colonies, and is one of only two habitable planets in the Helios Beta star system, the other being longtime rival Virgon. In the past the two empires on Virgon and Leonis were at odds with each other. Virgon shares the Ouranos asteroid belt border with Leonis where mining operations have been conducted for hundreds of years by both planets.

Leonis beaches are predictably sunny, with cool mornings and evenings year-round. The planet's two major land masses are entirely in temperate zones both north and south of the equator. Leonis has verdant, rolling plains which are the site of farming and wine making. Leonis also has ski resorts that are the envy of the colonies. The capital is Luminere (French for "light"), located inland on one of the major rivers, and is the site of massive castles and churches. The second city is Hedon, home to the most exclusive beach resort on Leonis, and is the site of the Grand Casino and the Hedon Film Festival.

In the era prior to the First Cylon War, Leonis produced and exported a popular energy drink named "Leonis Red". Leonis Estates Sparkling Wine was a type of alcohol produced on this colony.

### Libran

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Libran is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Sagittaron and Scorpia, and has two moons Herse and Pandrosus. Libran is a tropical planet that is typically either experiencing ran or very overcast conditions, similar to Scorpia. The clouds do shield its inhabitants from the sun Helios Gamma, which Libran orbits a little too close, and when the skies are clear, Librans go inside to minimize their risk of contracting skin cancer.

Libran is described as a teeming green ball of life due to its landmasses consisting of hundreds of small marshy islands, with larger islands having impenetrable bogs and impassible jungles. The main landmass is a dense and spectacular rain forest ringed by mangroves and swamps at its edges. In the center of the continent is the closest thing it has to a capital, Themis, home of the Supreme Hall of Justice.

Libran is known for its courthouses and lawyers, and is the home of the Inter-Colonial Court. The planet has no official capital. Even before the Articles of Colonization it had been a major center for justice in the Twelve Colonies and a place many of the other Colonies went to to settle disputes.

### Picon

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Picon was originally the home of the Virgon tribe, but was later colonized by the Pisces tribe of Kobol; it is in the Helios Alpha star system neighbor with the planets Caprica, Tauron, and Gemenon. Picon is a turquoise planet, containing 75% water, and famous for its harbors. It is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Ocean Colony" for its vast seas and famous harbors. Picon is generally colder, greener and cloudier than Caprica, but is known for its strikingly beautiful warm months, and Colonial visitors to Picon are encouraged to take advantage of the pleasant Picon summer. During the planet's off-season, most of the landscape becomes cold and rugged. The planet is often used as a substitute for Caprica City in Caprican films and TV series for their similarities.

The capitol of Picon is Queenstown, which originally grew from a fishing village around the scenic Penrose harbor. Perkinston, the location of the Colonial Fleet Headquarters, is another Picon city also known for its harbor and manufacturing. Picon is also the home of Picon Laboratories, located in Pailyn, Muritolan. The colony is considered to be one of the more advanced and wealthier Colonies.

### Sagittaron

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Sagittaron is one of the poorest worlds of the Twelve Colonies. It is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Scorpia and Libran. The capital of this planet is Tawa. Sagittaron is known throughout the Four Systems as "The Lone Colony" due to the territorial wars between the old empires of Virgon and Leonis, having been dominated and exploited by both empires separately. Eventually, Tom Zarek led an organized series of terrorist acts against the established government there, many years before the Fall of the Colonies.

The climate of Sagittaron is agreeable in the valleys, but difficult in most of the mountain trails, which often become impassible in the winter. Isolation is therefore an accepted part of life in much of Sagittaron. Sagittaron is a mountainous planet with hundreds of isolated fertile valleys. It has one very large river, called the Acheron, which runs through the capital Tawa, which is 1,000 miles inland near the confluence of two tributaries which flow into the Acheron. A few miles offshore from the Acheron river delta is a large active volcano.

The citizens are religious traditionalists, therefore they do not believe in medicine, distrust doctors and instead use prayer and herbal remedies. Due to hostility from the other colonies, Sagittarons have chosen not to serve in the Colonial Military with only a few exceptions. On Sagittaron, it is illegal to sing, play, participate in public displays of affection and do a multitude of other things. In fact, the mere mention of these activities can be considered an offense, so visitors from other colonies with more liberal cultures are advised to consult local law for specific information on colony etiquette. Sagittarons are also known to wear soma braids which they believe bring them good health.

### Scorpia

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Scorpia has tropical weather complete with hurricanes, similar to the planet Libran. It is located in the Helios Gamma star system, along with Sagittaron and Libran. Due to its close proximity to the Acheron asteroid belt, it is the site of the Colonial Military Scorpion Shipyards, the largest shipyards in the Twelve Colonies. The temperate areas are hotter than they should be due to the heat that remains trapped in Scorpia's cities.

The capital city is Celeste, which is a mile high in a bowl shaped valley in the Guardian Mountains, and is cooler than other Scorpion cities, such as Argentum. Celeste is also the location of the Colonial Stock Market. Scorpia has a half ring that surrounds the planet, resembling a coiled scorpions tail.

Scorpia also has vast jungles; these are near the equator and gradually rise into rugged mountains that progress both north and south of the equator, with unexplored polar regions. Scorpia has a rather low class reputation as being a planet with loose morals, with prostitution widely practiced and has a low priced tourism destination called Argentum Bay, catering to 18 to 22 year olds seeking to celebrate Vernal Break. The Planet is also apparently well-known for its Paragliding.

### Tauron

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Tauron is a barren, arid planet that lacks any kind of wildflowers. However, it is well-known for its agriculture. Tauron City is one of the largest urban centers but Hypatia is the capital. The planet shares its orbit with another ringed world.

Some 800 years before the Fall, Tauron was colonized by Virgon and Leonis. The people of Tauron liberated themselves and ever since this world has been known for its troubled and violent history. Taurons are known to be very traditional people, even speaking a very old and distinctive language.
Tauron is one of the poorer colonial worlds (but their economic status has been increasing) and was the center of a civil war before the First Cylon War. At the same time the crime syndicate Ha'la'tha had enormous influence over the planet, which even extended to other colonies, such as Caprica. During the War, Hypatia was the location of a fierce battle against Cylon forces. After the War, Tauron was known to be a somewhat troublesome colony within the federal system of the Colonies, often disobeying directives decided by the Colonies and pushing their luck with the Admiralty.

### Virgon

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The capital of Virgon is Boskirk, the former federal capital of the Colonies for a thousand years, until a few centuries ago when the Colonial Capitol became Caprica City in the Helios Alpha star system. Other cities on Virgon are Bloustad (Dutch for "blue city"), a beach town, an hour from Boskirk, and Hadrian in the south is a mining community.

The climate of Virgon is notable for its singular blueness. Not only are the seas blue, but its plant life contains oils that evaporate in sunlight and cast a bluish tinge in the air. Quantities of anthracene, a substance that emits a blue glow when exposed to UV light, near the surface provide a bluish hue. Virgon's climate is temperate in the north, but variable and less pleasant in the south. Virgon is well-known for its forests and considered to be one of the wealthier colonies.
Virgon had a declining monarchy and a strong national parliament, at least 58 years before the Fall of the Colonies.

Virgon Brew is a beer produced on the planet and exported to other Colonies.

## Minor Planets

### *Helios Alpha System*

#### Icarus

A small molten rock planet very close to Helios Alpha.

#### Erebos Belt

Asteroid Belt just beyond Tauron.  This belt is heavily mined for Tylium and other resources.

#### Zeus

The largest planet in all Colonial Space, Zeus is a massive gas giant with at least seventy-four moons.  The gas cloud has constant lightning storms visible to the eye from nearby starships.

#### Persephone

A dwarf planet at the edge of the system, Persephone is believed to be a former moon of Zeus that broke free and formed its own orbit.

### *Helios Beta System*

#### Troy

A small but heavily developed mining planet.

#### Pallas

A small world believed to have had a life sustaining atmosphere but no longer.  Despite this, several small colonies including a military research base have been established on Pallas.

#### Ouranos Belt

Dense asteroid belt that separates Leonis and Virgon.

#### Hera

Hera is the third largest planet in Colonial space, a large gas giant with twenty-nine moons.

### *Helios Gamma System*

#### Thanatos

A tidally locked planet, Thanatos is made even more inhospitable by its by a corrosive sulfur dioxide atmosphere.

#### Archeron Belt

Broad asteroid belt between Thanatos and Libran.

#### Ophion

Gas giant with fourteen moons.  Ophion is believed to have been a rogue planet that entered Helios Gamma while in the process forcing Ragnar out.

### *Helios Delta System*

#### Phoebe

Small and hot planet with a thin atmosphere.

#### Styx

Styx has a dense atmosphere, made primarily of carbon dioxide.

#### Aeolus Belt

Asteroid belt notable for several "gaps" in it.

#### Hestia

A "small" gas giant with seventeen moons.  Hestia is notable because it has pulled Aerilon and Canceron into its orbit.  Aerilon leads and Canceron follows the gas giant at constant distances along the orbital path.

### *Irregular*

#### Ragnar

The second largest planet in Colonial Space, this gas giant with but one moon lies far outside traditional orbits and instead orbits both Helios Gamma and Helios Delta.  It is home to Ragnar Anchorage.