Heilyne

**Heilyne** (*hay-LEEN*) was a terrestrial planet in the Cassiopeia Galaxy, covered in taigas and ice sheets. The planet was the home of the Heilynite cultural group. Following the Minla War, Heilyne became a colony of the Cassiopeian Republic.

## Description

The planet Heilyne was a rocky world located in the northwestern corner of the Ice Quartz Sector, which itself was situated in the eastern reaches of the galactic Outer Core region. The planet orbited a single blue star at a faraway distance and had nine rocky moons, including the moons of Lorosa Maria and Rhundus. Heilyne shared its star with seven other planetary orbits, both rocky and gaseous.

The icy surface of Heilyne was barely habitable for most forms of sentient life. Heilyne had an arctic and boreal climate, making global snowfall frequent. Boreal forests, vast tundras, and expansive sheets of ice made up the majority of Heilyne's terrain. Less than 30% of the planet's surface was covered in liquid water in the form of seas and lakes. The equatorial region housed all of Heilyne's vegetation and forests, including snowgrapes endemic to the planet, while the rest of the planet was covered in ice. This created a ring of green, red, orange, and brown vegetation visible from space, dividing the icy white northern and southern hemispheres.

### Government

Heilyne lacked a single centralized planetary government, as different political factions were established throughout Heilyne's history. By the waning years of the 49th century ASA, some existing factions were:

* **Banith Caba**, a semi-presidential republic established in cities and settlements frequently found in the forests of Heilyne. This republic operated with an individual titled the President at the head of the executive branch while a Prime Minister served at the head of the legislative branch. Both political roles were elective positions.
* The **Minla League**, an alliance of cities situated in the western hemisphere of the planet. This League was rather hostile towards outsiders, including towards other factions. The leader of the Minla League, entitled the Guide, was an elective position decided by representatives of each city aligned under the League.
* The **Brokshona Unity**, a kingdom with territories scattered across the surface of Heilyne. The Unity's cities were loosely connected and largely autonomous, making the kingdom more akin to a federation than a strongly centralized order. The title of leader was the Cardinal and was passed down through a right of primogeniture.

By the time Heilyne joined the Cassiopeian Republic, the **Heilynite Parliament** served as the centralized government of the planet. This Parliament operated under the jurisdiction of the Cassiopeian Republic and was comprised of representatives from both the Brokshona Unity and Banith Caba, as well as from settlements established by the Cassiopeian Republic. While both Heilynite political factions continued to exist separately and in harmony, the Heilynite Parliament became the main governing authority on the planet and served as Heilyne's "frontman" to the rest of the Cassiopeia Galaxy.

## History

### First Colonists

Heilyne was first colonized by groups of predominantly Human settlers who hailed from the northern territories of the Human Worlds. As time went on, the descendants of the first Heilynite settlers would split into different political factions as opinions on governance shifted and changed over the decades. Heilyne would remained untouched by larger galactic polities like the Cassiopeian Republic for centuries after its initial colonization.

### Republic Outreach

In 4894 ASA, the Cassiopeian Republic sent a small team of pioneers and officials to Heilyne in hopes of bringing the planet into its galactic commonwealth of worlds. The initial expedition team consisted of four adult women who volunteered for the project wanting a fresh start in the years leading up to the turn of the century. These four settlers—the administrator Hui Ying Yorod, the privateer Meredith Firth, the officer Feng Eastsun, and the roboticist Ruan Darach—would eventually establish the first Republic base and settlement on Heilyne: the town of Stilltide.

### The Minla War

→ *Main article: Minla War*

Several years following the founding of Stilltide, the Cassiopeian Republic had formed a strong working relationship with both the republic of Banith Caba and the Brokshona Unity. The only major political faction on Heilyne opposed to the Cassiopeian Republic was the Minla League, who both the Brokshona Unity and Banith Caba were already at odds with.

As the Banithians and the Brokshona people continued to welcome the presence of the Cassiopeian Republic and support their shared alliance, the Minla openly rejected the outlander government, believing CR presence as a threat to the Minla League's sovereignty and control over Heilyne. The Minla League eventually began to show their disapproval for the CR through violent means. They led a massive raid on Stilltide, and while the incursion itself ultimately failed, such an attack was the first spark in what became the Minla War.

The Minla War lasted for just a little under a year. The Cassiopeian Republic allied themselves with Banith Caba and the Brokshona Unity, whereas the Minla League's only forces were themselves. The Minla lost the war and were subsequently banished to one of Heilyne's moons, Lorosa Maria, where their presence would continue to develop for hundreds of years.

### Joining the Cassiopeian Republic

After the Minla War, those who opposed the idea of joining the Cassiopeian Republic were few and far between on Heilyne. After a lengthy deliberation process, Banith Caba and the Brokshona Unity agreed to have Heilyne join the Cassiopeian Republic. The terms of the agreement allowed the Cassiopeian Republic's continued presence on Heilyne and for the eventual creation of more Republic settlements beyond Stilltide. The agreement also dictated the mutual exchange in resources and supplies between the Republic and Heilyne, as well as granting Heilyne representation in the Cassiopeian Senate and military protection for their planetary system.

## Inhabitants

The inhabitants of Heilyne referred to themselves as Heilynites. This Heilynite population was primarily comprised of Humans, although many members of other sentient species found throughout the galaxy were Heilynites as well.

### Notable Figures

* **Gitta Heirman** - the Guide of the Minla League during the Minla War.
* **Mina Yorod** - a member of the Heilynite Parliament as a representative of Stilltide.

## Locations

### Stilltide

→ *Main article: Stilltide*

**Stilltide** was the first settlement established by the Cassiopeian Republic on Heilyne, originally founded as an expedition base.

## Trivia

* Heilyne is based off of a randomly-generated planet from the sandbox video game *RimWorld*.
	+ The generated name for the planet was "H-9".
	+ Heilyne's world seed is "cataclysmconverter".
* Many details pertaining to Heilyne were developed by Naps' friend Mytherin, including:
	+ The planet's name.
	+ The type of star the planet orbited.
	+ The year in which the Cassiopeian Republic came to the planet.