Europa

Europa as seen in the Io Direct

**Europa** is a planet in the Ioverse. It is one of the four Galilean moons that orbits the celestial body known as the Nova, once called Jupiter. Once completely frozen over, the planet is almost entirely comprised of a vast ocean. It became one of the first colonies of Io and is now a hub of life and industry, with habitations extending into the oceans below into the planet's hollow core.

## Appearance

From space, Europa is notable for being almost entirely covered in water. Several landmasses can be spotted, but they are few and far between. Upon these island are massive densely populated cities, with an aesthetic reminiscent of the old Auroran city of Venice. These cities are often built in a high-rise fashion, with whole areas of the cities being elevated on pillars of metal.

Meanwhile, beneath the surface, multiple cylindrical structures are anchored to the seafloor, protected from the crushing pressures of the depths. Many people and businesses call these underwater structures home and submersible shardships can be seen moving about through the glass barriers protecting them.

## History

### Discovery

Europa was first discovered by the people of Earth in the year 1609 or 1610 by a human named Galileo Galilei. It, along with the three other Galilean moons of Jupiter, were the first astronomical objects recorded that orbit a planet other than Earth. Europa was continually studied for centuries afterwards, with increasingly sophisticated technological means, in order to better understand its characteristics and place in the universe.

### The Great Thaw

For most of its known history, Europa was covered entirely in ice. It was long speculated by the Aurorans that a vast ocean lay beneath the ice. At an unknown point in its history, this speculation proved to be true. For reasons yet unknown, all of Europa began to thaw, its ice giving way to reveal the vast depths of ocean beneath. With its surface free of ice and its waters in abundance, Europa was ready to sustain life.

### Colonization

After the development of Shard technology, the people of Io created shardships to traverse the vacuum of space. The first location they made landfall was Europa, which now teamed with life and promise. Io began to send more and more people to Europa with the intention of creating a colony there. The new settlers build grandiose cities, both floating and on whatever land peaked up out of the ocean. Not long after, they began to build down, creating submarine buildings and facilities for their new society. They also discovered the core was hollow, allowing for passage through it. Over time, Europa became a bustling world of progress and industry and its people developed their own culture identity distinct from Io, referring to themselves as Europans first and foremost.

## Campaigns

No campaigns have yet taken place on Europa.

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to a single campaign, and there're mechanics that are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Etymology

"Europa" is the name of three women in Greek Mythology. However, the moon of Europa, and the continent of Europe, is named after the Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus to become his consort. Zeus took the form of a white bull, allowing Europa to climb onto his back before riding across the ocean to Crete, where he revealed himself and made her Crete's first queen.

## Trivia

* Europa was first seen in the Io Direct, which aired on the 28th of January, 2022.

## Images

### Official Art

A city port on the surface of Europa, as seen in the Io DirectA city on Europa, as seen in the Io DirectBeneath the waters of Europa, as seen in the Io Direct