Polaris

>
> The Polaris have lain trapped in the far reaches of the freezing tundra for eons, but were blessed by the unknowable Gaami with the power to expand their unnatural icy terrain farther than the weather permits.
> With the might of sleds and Mamoos, the mystical Polaris are determined to entomb the Square in ice and transform the land into a frigid paradise.
>
>
>
> –Tribe description
>

**Polaris** is the third special tribe and the 15th tribe overall in Polytopia. Polaris starts with the Frostwork technology.

Polaris has the ability to freeze water and enemy units, five unique units, and two unique buildings (the Outpost and the Ice Bank).

Polaris is typically considered to be an upper-mid-tier tribe comparable to Yădakk and ∑∫ỹriȱŋ due to its ability to freeze enemy units and its powerful unique units, such as the Gaami and the Ice Fortress.

## Special Features

As a special tribe, Polaris has modified technologies that unlock unique units, buildings, and abilities.

For a list of Polaris's unique units, see List of Units. For a list of Polaris's unique unit skills, see Unit Skills. For a list of Polaris's unique buildings, see Buildings.

Polaris starts with the Mooni unit, which can freeze tiles around it. However, it cannot attack. For more info, see Mooni.

Modified Technology
 Frostwork | Sailing

## Resources

Polaris is unique in that it has neither its own specific resource spawn rates nor any terrain allotted to it during world generation. Instead, other tribes in the game determine the land and resources, and Polaris simply freezes its territory in the same way as the Freeze Area unit ability. (When a Polaris city is captured, the city's terrain will be converted to the capturing tribe's terrain.) If all players play Polaris, the game will occur on Imperius land with default resource spawn rates. This is because Imperius used to have such default rates.

## Lore

### Tribe Celebrations

* 2021 Tribe Week: The Polaris Ice Bank serves as a grand display of what the Gaami are capable of. Built at the site where the Polaris first made contact with the Gaami, the rewards which flow out of it remind Polaris citizens of what they owe to their subzero saviors.
* 2022 Tribe Week: As mysterious as they are majestic, the Gaami are beings from an alien world of eternal permafrost, and the source of the ice magic that the Polaris society relies on. While the Polaris might see them as benevolent saviors, many believe that the Gaami have ulterior motives...
* 2023 Tribe Week: A happy relationship exists between the Polaris and the Gaami - the Gaami rule and the Polaris enact their will to freeze over the Square. But, of course, there's bound to be some of those who aren't always the happiest with this arrangement, such as this Polaran dissident trying to flee...
* 2024 Tribe Week: Few things can live out in the utterly inhospitably frozen land of the Polaris, but the Polaris have adapted. Warm igloos, resilient Mamoos, parkas made with Inqi fur, and magical blessings by the Gaami all help provide the Polaris with the strength to freeze the Square.

### Webshop

* The Polaris devoutly worship the [benevolent] Gaami through a myriad of practices, including dances, singing, sacrifices, and wearing [special shirts]!
* Cute and cold, Mooni focus the moon beams to spread ice far and wide, all while humming a happy tune!
* Magical Annuqi crystals emanate an energy that helps power the spread of the Polaris ice, heal wounds, and cool off a nice slushy cup of Cryoferous Tree sap, which can be enjoyed in [a] Mamoo tusk cup!

## Inspiration

Polaris is based on the indigenous cultures of Siberia and northern Canada (cold biome, coniferous trees, fur-trimmed hoods).

## City Naming Syllables

Aa, an, do, 'il, iq, nuu, pi, pol, ta, to

## Design

* Fruit: Annuqi crystals
* Animal: Mamoo (mammoth)
* Field: Snowy fields (similar to Bardur's) with blue ice underneath
* Forest: Cryoferous Trees (light-blue fir trees)
* Mountain: Several large masses of ice
* City: Similar to large igloos with windows, and sometimes spires on top
* Helmet: Tan-colored hood with a white-colored fur trim

## Music

Links to Polaris's music are included below.

* Theme
* Nature Sounds
* Polytopia Music song: "Iqanto Totaan" by The Gaami Choir

## History

    Polaris was teased by Midjiwan on April 28th, 2017 and confirmed on the Beta Test Discord for release in 2018. It was originally slated for release in early 2018, but Midjiwan later stated that at that time, Polaris was "not fun to play" and was pushed onto "the backburner." In August 2018, a revamp of the tribe was proposed, and development restarted in early 2019. Polaris was finally released on June 14, 2019, over two years from its initial tease. Teasers were posted on the website subzero.science.blog in the months leading up to the release.

Polaris was considered very overpowered at the time of its release since the Outpost produced two population. This not only granted Polaris a cheap and plentiful source of population but also allowed the tribe to upgrade its capital on turn 0, a very potent advantage. In response, Polaris was nerfed shortly after its release on July 5, 2019 (update 1.14.1). The Outpost now produces only one population; however, the maximum level of the Ice Bank was increased from 8 to 10, which may have been done to offset how the lack of Customs Houses made Polaris weak in Perfection before the advent of mirror matches in Moonrise.

## Trivia

* The Gaami are inspired by the Wendigo, a mythological creature found in the folklore of many Algonquin-speaking North American indigenous cultures.
* An early model of the Polaris tribe featured the Lantern, a building that can transform water into ice, and a unique unit with a skull instead of a head, which may have been the precursor to the Mooni.
* There is an unused version of the Polaris forest with pink trees. Some of these trees are also seen in the ∑∫ỹriȱŋ Emperor's Tomb, and these trees are similar to the Fungi.
* The name of the tree "Cryoferous" is a portmanteau of "cryo-" ("ice") and "coniferous" (bearing cones).

## References

1. ↑ Gaami Tee
2. ↑ Mooni Tee
3. ↑ Polaris Mug
4. ↑ Midjiwan on Instagram
5. ↑ Zoythrus on Discord.