Etia

Etia

> "*Etia... a pleasant place where a rogue VI nearly overtook the galaxy.*"
> ― Kalia Suuk
>
>

Etia is a lush garden moon in orbit of Caelax, blessed with a mild climate, tame wildlife, and soil and bacteria amenable to imported plants. It was the location of a major Carina Foundation facility, which was developing a new Virtual Intelligence system for the Ankoran Covenant, only for a programming error to cause the systems to turn hostile, butchering the entire staff. Ankoran Ghost, Kalia Suuk was sent in to destroy the rogue VI while the VI attempted to leave Etia through the facility's communication dish.

## Characteristics

### Geography

Etia's surface is a rugged yet serene thing, boasting towering mountain ranges and valleys described by many to be some of the most beautiful locations in Ankoran space. Etia's oceans are shallow, only reaching as far down as two miles at its deepest reaches. Islands dot the surface of Etia's oceans.

Etia does not posses continental plates, leaving to its surface being largely unmoving. The mountainous peaks across the surface indicate that once the moon was geologically active enough to posses continental plates, though as the moon cooled and its surface hardened, these plates became locked and ceased to function.

Etia does not have its own magnetic field, as its core is solid. It is instead protected by the magnetic field of its parent planet.

### Atmosphere

Etia boasts a rare atmospheric feat, being capable of supporting both anaerobic Mithadorn, and typical sapient species within the same space. This is due to having a high degree of both oxygen and methane gasses in the atmosphere, estimated to be between 70-75% of the atmosphere comprised of these two gasses in nearly equal measure.

Etia's large methane supply serves as a vital part of its ecosystem, keeping the planet within a habitable temperature range despite its distance to its parent star. Methane levels are kept consitent with oxygen as a natural byproduct of the moon's biosphere.

### Biosphere

Etia contains a typical biosphere inhabited by broadly similar carbon-based plants and animals. Like with most habitable worlds, species diversity reaches a peak in humid lowlands at equatorial latitudes.

Etia's biosphere is dominated primarily by herbivorous mammals, and predatory reptiles. Aquatic life does not appear to grow beyond a length of two meters, and typically can only be found amongst coral reefs and undersea grasslands. Etia's low gravity has resulted in a significant variety of flight-capable animal species.

## Society

Etia is known for its small permanent population and popularity as a tourist hotspot, though it struggles to retain visitors as permanent residents. With popular advertising slogans as "The Jewel of Caelax" and "The Land of Valleys", many galactic citizens are drawn in year after year to visit the idyllic moon, supporting a vast tourism industry.

Beyond the influx and outflux of tourists coming to see the beauty of Etia's landscape, the moon is a typical colony. Small-time businesses are found largely without competition from larger corporations due in part of a significantly smaller market making business ventures outside of tourism largely unprofitable.

Cities on Etia are primarily coastal, with fishing and farming as the secondary two largest industries on the world. Much of the fish and farming produce is kept on world, with minimal exportation or importation of food.