Kirite

Kirite is a planet in Atlas. It is a desert planet, and the first planet explored in the game. The Starlink Initiative crashes here after being disabled during an attack from the Forgotten Legion. In the Switch version, the Star Fox team crashes here at the same time as the Starlink Initiative.

## **Description**

*Arid Wasteland*

Kirite is a harsh, unforgiving desert wasteland ripped apart by a colossal meteorite. Once a thriving ocean world, it is now home to Prospectors praying to strike it rich, and Expedition scientists eager to decipher the planet's mysteries.

*Details*

* *Trade Sector*
* *High Temperatures*
* *Heat-type Legion and Heat Mods are common here*

## **Alliance Benefit**

When 100% alliance on the planet is reached, the Starlink Initiative receives Legion Vision, the ability to see areas of the planet where Legion are present.
## **Locations**

### The Badlands

In the earliest years of settlement on Kirite, the crooked canyon paths of the Badlands were used as smuggling routes and racing tracks. Wrecked and broken ships are a common sight in these desert gorges, acting as memorials for the pilots who didn’t survive.

### Worldspring

Once home to a vibrant underwater ecosystem, the Worldspring dried after a catastrophic planetwide event. Despite its dry coral walls and fossil-filled sands, this area is still one of the more lush regions of kirite, likely due to its mineral-rich hot springs.

### The Ribcage

These rolling sand dunes are the result of a desiccation event in which Kirite’s vast oceans boiled away, eradicating the planet’s vibrant sea life. While no one knows for certain how this event came to be, it’s theorized that a piece of Warden technology veered off-course and into the planet, creating the mythical crater known as “The Eye.” Scattered bones from ancient aquatic beasts - known simply as “Leviathans” - are all that remain.

### The Eye of Kirite

This massive crater marks the point at which a Warden artifact hit Kirite, boiling away its oceans and transforming the once-lush aquatic world into the arid wasteland it is today.

The heart of the crater is bizarrely cold, thanks to the presence of the Warden device. The Expedition theorizes that this device once maintained Tundria’s frigid climate but was abandoned when the Wardens departed.

## **Wildlife**

### Nomadon

Despite its menacing beak-like jaw and barbed tail, the Nomadon is actually quite docile when left alone. However it can often be clumsy and is known to unintentionally trample settlements due to its massive size.

#### Nomadon Plate

The thick armor plates of the Nomadon are infused with Electrum, forming a unique bio-mineral alloy tougher than anything found or synthesized on Earth. Expedition scientists believe new ship-building and armor materials could be developed based on its study.

### Razorbeak

This fierce creature, with its feathers and razor-sharp beak, actually originated as a large bird. But over time, it adapted to climb and jump along Kirite’s steep canyon walls. They’re known to be temperamental, often ramming outposts or ships that edge too close to their territory.

### Gritfish

The only creature to survive Kirite’s transformation, this large fish developed bird-like features in order to navigate the dry landscape. Its strong, fast legs once made it an ideal beast for transporting materials and was used by both Prospectors and Expedition.

#### Gritfish Roe

The offspring of Gritfish, these egg clusters look aquatic, further evidence that Gritfish were once water-based animals. To avoid predators, gritfish tend to hide their eggs among Kirite’s mesas. The Expedition has yet to figure out how the eggs remain moist despite the arid climate.

### Bonefruit

Found in the skeletal remains of Kirite’s ancient Leviathans, these “plants” are actually parasitic growth once living inside the massive creatures. They persist long after their hosts, even in the baking heat. Perhaps they draw water from the prey they attract with their musky odor?

### Skyloblite

Crustaceans were common in the lush ecosystem of Kirite’s coral reefs, but once the oceans boiled away, only their tough shells remained - still clinging to their coral homes. Now the shells themselves are home to alien bacteria, subsisting on dew that collects inside them.

### Sandworm

This scaly serpent is a cousin of the Ashworm and a descendent of the Leviathans that once ruled the oceans of Kirite. It lives underground, blind and oblivious to the world above. Since it navigates by smell, it will pursue its own lost scales, believing them to be another friendly Sandworm.

#### Sandworm Scale

The scales of the Sandworm are not unique in and of themselves. However, after years of traversal beneath Kirite's surface, the scales and sand minerals create a unique chemical reaction, essentially crystallizing the scales into a light but incredibly resistant material.

## **Secrets of Kirite**

A Frontier Prospectory by the name of Boggs Briggman was among the first to settle Kirite’s wild expanses. Many were deterred by the planet’s intense heat and arid climate, but his pioneering spirit convinced him there was more to it than meets the eye.

Briggman perished when he miscalculated the amount of water remaining in his survival reserves. Some say the wreck of his ship is buried somewhere beneath the sands of The Ribcage.