Speir

Speira is a neutral pre-industrial world in the Throne Nebula, used as a throneworld by Andromeda.

## Description

### Overview

From space, Speir appears to be an entirely blue planet with small specks of land. The planet has one moon, and no artificial satellites. Speir is located in the Throne Nebula, which is on a relatively thick section of the Weave, giving the planet a high concentration of ambient magic.

### Geography

Speir has vast oceans covering almost all of its surface, dotted with small islands. These islands can contain forests, sandy beaches, and mountains. The largest island, Crownsky Island, is the site of a large dormant volcano known as Mount Coroin.

### Environment

Speir is known to have a maritime environment, due to its massive oceans.

## Inhabitants

### Native Species

The native sapient species of Speir is the Speira, an avian race that is capable of magic-based flight due to their natural magical connection. Their plumage is dark, and their society is primitive.

### Flora

Speir is home to a wide assortment of fruits across its islands, which have been extensively researched by the Speira. One such fruit can be mashed into orange paste, and used as an airtight seal. Another fruit holds a chemical within it that makes it repulsive to other animals, but has no effect on the Speira.

### Fauna

Speir's fauna can be found across the islands and seas. The Gadai Slug, a large, slug-like parasitic sea creature, is known to suck poison from animals poisoned by other creatures, and use that poison for sustenance and its own defense, growing poisoned spikes after draining an afflicted animal. The largest and most dangerous creature on Speir is the Bas-Serpent, a species of serpentine predators. Female bas-serpents are known to reach large sizes, with the Crownsky Bas-Serpent growing especially massive, and are armed with bladed tails and armor, which also consists of a large natural headpiece. Male bas-serpents, however, are only as big as the arm of the average adult human, and are barely able to eat on their own. Instead, they attach themselves to the genitals of female bas-serpents, and function similarly to a reproductive organ, allowing females to give birth to parasitic young. Young bas-serpents latch onto hosts that are capable of flight, such as birds or Speira, and take control of them, using their hosts to fly as far away as possible to avoid competition, where they are able to feed on the host and then begin growing, at which point they become amphibious. Bas-serpents can only detect flight-capable hosts if potential hosts actively demonstrate the ability to fly. Because of their parasitic nature, the primitive Speira believe that the bas-serpents have the ability to steal souls.

## Government and politics

Speir has no planetary government, although the native Speira created tribal governments to rule populated islands. On Crownsky Island, a rite of passage for heirs to the title of chief is to walk up Mount Coroin without use of flight, to both prove their abilities and avoid the bas-serpent that stalks the mountain.

## History

### Early history

Speir formed in the Throne Nebula, and its native race arose on an island, using their flight to spread out to other islands while forming settlements. Crownsky Island was inhabited at this time, and the Speira on it created a tribal system, documenting the abnormally large bas-serpent around the inactive Mount Coroin.

### Andromeda

While Speir was still in a pre-industrial state, a Starchild known as Andromeda arrived on Speir, and demanded the allegiance of Crownsky Island. The Speira refused, prompting Andromeda to claim Crownsky Island by force. She brought her minions, which included three demons, named Clank, Gash, and Lithe, a Scairpi named Priscilla, a Lavendian mage named Corcra, a robot named TALT, and an Agarican named Boletua, to the island, and divided it up among them. Boletua took control of the Speira village by spreading spores that infected all but one of the Speira, the heir to the village throne, named Cuil. Shortly after the infection spread, Starwatch deployed Ashley and Danny, an angelic and demonic operative team, onto the surface to apprehend Andromeda. After Ashley used her energy to free Cuil of the spores attempting to infect him, they moved through the island, eliminating most of Andromeda's minions and freeing the village, and then set off to Mount Coroin to combat Andromeda. On the way up Mount Coroin, they defeat Corca, Gash, and Lithe, and are then forced to face off against the Crownsky Bas-Serpent. They kill the beast by tricking it into swallowing Corcra's familiar, which destroys the bas-serpent from within. Scaling the mountain further, they come across a magitech robot known as Automatura, who they shut down to return to the Lodcean government. At the top of the mountain, they confront Andromeda, and after a battle, Cuil defeats Andromeda by firing an arrow through her chest. Danny, Ashley, and Cuil leave the castle as it collapses into the volcanic crater, and Supernatural Defense Corps cleanup crafts remove the residue of the invasion. Ashley and Danny leave the planet with the crafts, and Cuil is left to help his village move on from the event. Andromeda remained trapped deep in the planet's surface, still alive and conscious, but unable to break free, physically restrained by the extreme pressure, and severely weakened from the injuries she sustained.

### Later events

Speir remained under observation from the other worlds and races of the Throne Nebula, although they did not interfere in the developments of the Speira.