Martian System

## Nergal Nexus

From the red deserts of Mars rise spires, reaching into the void. Elevators into space, defying gravity and dust storms, are the centerpieces and anchorages of the Martian planetary swarm. From there extend weightless branches into the void, hanging in balance between the forces of gravity and velocity. Their link is the Nergal Nexus, a great interconnected structure, similar in scope only to that of the Terrestrial Swarm.

The inhabited isles of the Nergal Nexus are vast arrays of rotating habitats, arranged in geometric patterns and connected by rotating bridges and loops, skyhooks and tethers. Fragile to the human eye, these structures are most resilient monuments of humankind's engineering and are said to one day form into a shell spanning the entirety of the red planet.

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## Overview

 ### Region

 Martian System

 ### Type

 Natural satellite

 ### Radius

 Phobos: 11 km ; Deimos: 6 km

 ### Surface Area

 Phobos: 1548.3 km2 ; Deimos: 495.2 km2

## Population

 ### Total

 Phobos: 1 400 000Deimos: 600 000

## Affiliation

 ### Major Factions

 Deimosian Avari; Laputa

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## Phobos and Deimos

"*The Red Wanderer orbit two captives in an unending rivalry, yearning for their master's favor"*

Two moons hold dominion over the Void surrounding Mars, each the center of a void-borne nation. Interlocked in an age-old rivalry *Phobos* and *Deimos* are warmongers and masterminds of far-reaching schemes, seeking to enact their influence on factions on the planet and beyond.

### Phobos

When the scattered first colonies of the red planet embarked to found greater nations of their own, the larger moon Phobos was the first to be claimed under their banner. Miners from the Cradle Earth settled the rugged minuscule world and began to hollow out the loose form of stone.

At the dawn of the final century, within Phobos resides the myth-enshrouded city **Laputa**. Its weightless gardens and districts of art nouveau architecture are famous beyond the boundaries of the Martian system.

But behind the overflowing facades of the artisan city, the moon Phobos still stands true to its name, for Laputa is protected by layers upon layers of fortresses and bulwarks and its guard is infamous for unyielding, fanatic discipline.

### Deimos

The smaller moon Deimos was never favored by fate and remained a pure automaton colony for much of history. Its inner structure was not developed with habitation in mind but was instead organized by Otherworldly entities. Much like the tombs of Pharaohs, the mass of Deimos is interwoven with tiny corridors and traps, impossibly small rooms and few larger chambers. Therein resides computation equipment en masse, cryo-chambers and resting beds for those residing in virtual realms.

The course of Deimos only changed when a great Exodus launched and nomadic tribes left Mars for the Outer Planets. Among the millions of an entire people venturing into the void, there were a few hundred thousand unwilling to leave, yet exiled from the planet below. They settled Deimos to seek isolation and made the moon their home. But in recent decades, there has grown ambition among them, sparked perhaps by entities residing beyond the mundane.

## Martian Rim

Woven around the Martian system is a single, brazen thread. The Martian Rim mirrors the Lunar Circulum in purpose and design, albeit considerably smaller in its scale. Built by a unique constructor-fleet of the Symposium, the Martian Rim is governed by the Triad of Inner Planets. Their authority encompasses not only matters of the Martian System, but too considerable traffic outward into the Belt and its frontiers.

The Rim propels on mass accelerators goods and wares, containers and interplanetary vessels on trajectories throughout the Heliopolis and catches those flung toward Mars by Venus and Earth. In this way, a steady stream of wares is kept up within the inner Solar System, without resorting to the flames of torchships and their expense.