Glødheim

Home of the Elements

A Gløddite

## Planetary Data

**Glødheim** is a large terrestrial planet orbiting a fairly new star. It possesses highly mountainous terrain, due to an unusually high amount of tectonic activity. As such, volcanoes are also fairly common, and are of many varieties. Due to this, the atmosphere of Glødheim is high in ashy materials, which mix with the natural gases to make a relatively cloudy atmosphere, although with many gaps that let in sunlight. Life on this planet has evolved around this, taking on ash-like tones of color. Due to its primitive nature, access to Glødheim is heavily restricted, contact with the inhabitants is forbidden, as the galactic community wishes to observed a budding civilization evolve over time.

Among the flora and fauna are notable mammalian and reptilian creatures used as livestock by the natives. The mammals, which seem to be referred to as *geit*, are large beasts generally used for labor or transportation. They are not very common, leading to them being valuable to the Gløddites. Geit are often kept within families, passed down to their next of kin. The reptilian creatures that the Gløddites keep are their food livestock, bred in large amounts to be used for meat later. These *husdyr* are large, wide lizards, feeding mostly on a particular kind of edible ash that falls close to the local volcanoes.

The flora of Glødheim has evolved to require little sunlight due to the common droughts of it from the ashy clouds. Instead, they get most of their nutrients from the soil and ash, causing them to turn a very dark green. The flora dependant on sunlight is rare, nominally found near the top of mountains.

## Inhabitants

The Gløddites are a race of dark cyan bipedal creatures, possessing two arms and two legs. They are monocular, with an oddly shaped eye in a four-point star shape. Gløddites also have tentacular appendages growing from their head, with normally little to no usage other than markings and warmth. Similar in function to hair in other races, these tentacles can be styled and cut in a similar fashion with minimal discomfort despite their size, not being solid appendages. Gløddites possess hands and feet with four digits, two of which are thumb-like on each hand, and zygodactyl feet. They are seemingly mammalian in nature, and as such, possess two genders with respective features and organs.

Gløddites are a primitive race, being tribal in nature and living in small villages heavily spread out over the large planet. They are very ritualistic, having customs for many things that they incorporate certain chants into for various purposes. Their villages are built alongside the many mountains of their world, often scaling a large part of one, usually starting from the bottom where rivers and water are plentiful. Rarely, a water basin at the top of a mountain can also become the centerpiece for a village.

There is a major trait that only some Gløddites possess, the ability to bond with and wield the power of elemental spirits that emanate from Glødheim’s depths. As these unique Gløddites grow up, they slowly gain an affinity with one of the Glødheim elements: *jordbrann*, the spirits of the earth, fire, and volcanoes; *vannstrøm*, the spirits of the rivers and oceans; or *livsånd*, the spirits of life and plants. These bonds grow strong once they become adults after approximately twenty-four years, and a special ritual is begun by the village of the individual, permanently binding the Gløddite to a spirit of its element. This bond causes several things, most immediately, physical changes in the person, stylized after the element, and the spirit manifesting as the user desires next to it, with a spiritual chain visible between them. These *velsignet* become important people to the village, for various reasons.