Yiptae

Yiptae is the fourth planet in the Windoon solar system, and one of the thirty planets in the Planetary Alliance. Yiptae was the first planet in the system to achieve interplanetary travel, which has resulted in a population of nearly half Native Yiptaens (called Tundra Yiptaens, or Tundrans) and half immigrants (called Astrin Yiptaens, or just Astrins) from the other planets in the system.

## Climate

The entire planet of Yiptae is freezing cold, with an average temperature of -26C, due primarily to its distance from the central star (on average, 195,000,000 miles). Most of the surface is covered in snow, even at the equator. When Yiptae is at perihelion, the ocean around the equator melts (hence the name the Summer Ocean), but at aphelion, even this ocean freezes. Even so, there are a few channels that remain liquid year-round due to heavy geothermal activity.

Geothermal vents are prevalent on the surface, and early life on the planet revolved around these vents.

Blizzards and snowstorms are common, oftentimes dumping several feet of snow within hours.

## Key Locations

### Akuun Dey

The capital of Yiptae, and the first major center of civilization on Yiptae. Akuun Dey is divided into several districts based on where the geothermal power and heat for the district comes from. The districts are listed below, in north-to-south and west-to-east order:

* Farmland
* North Geo
* East Creek Geo
* North Coast Geo
* River District
* West Geo
* Central Geo
* South Coast Geo
* Fantissia
* South Geo

The River District is the center of operations, politics, and business in Akuun Dey. The entire district is covered by a bubble similar to Megaurora, and it is famous around the sector for its architecture, culture, and liveliness.

Fantissia is a semi-independent district of Immigrants who depend more on their magic powers than geothermal power and heat stations. This district is surrounded by a thick wall of ice. It is sometimes called the Magic Village by the Tundrans.

The Farmland is composed of miles and miles of low greenhouses that provide most of the crops for Akuun Dey and other parts of Yiptae.

North Coast Geo and South Coast Geo are the richest districts, revolving around the cold beaches on the east coast. While the beaches and ocean are too cold for recreational use, their sparkling beauty still attracts tourism. The Northern Thermal Channel borders Akuun Dey on this coast, and due to the geothermal activity beneath the surface, the ocean water remains liquid year-round.

Any Native Yiptaens that don't leave in North or South Coast Geo tend to live in Central and West Geo. Many prominent Native Yiptaens live in mansions in historical neighborhoods in West Geo.

### Megaurora (The Megalopolis)

The modern home of Yiptaens, Megaurora is a system of interconnected cities all protected by climate-controlled bubbles. The great majority of Yiptaens now live in Megarurora.

### The Frozen Wastes

North of Akuun Dey, the Frozen Wastes consist of miles of miles of rolling plains of snow. Other than the Ixuata, a sect of Native Yiptaens, almost anyone who braves the Frozen Wastes is likely to die.

### The Drasil Woods

North of Akuun Dey, this forest divides the Frozen Wastes from the northern reaches of Akuun Dey. The Woods are mostly uninhabited, save a transitory group of lumberjacks.

### Stone Snow Prison

South of Akuun Dey, all that remains of this terrible prison is ruins. The prison was previously used as a place for both Tundrans and Astrins with limited magic. Zilpohn Mark and Rigel Reesae are among some of the notable recent prisoners.

The ruins are now haunted by zombie-like creatures called husks. Usually the husks will keep to themselves, but they have been known to attack.

## History

Yiptae reset their counting of years on the day they landed on Yindia, marking the first time a Yiptaen landed on a foreign planet. Years are distinguished by the Pre-Interplanetary Era (PIE) or the Interplanetary Era (IE).

The first Yiptaens orbited the planet in the year -68 PIE, and by -16 PIE, all four moons had been charted.

The Yiptaens landed a single ship on Yindia first in the Yiptaen Year 0. The Yindians, being a peaceful people, accepted them with grace and reverence. The Yiptaens gained a foothold on Yindia by trading technology, and in many ways they controlled the planet until 87 IE, when Yiptae and Yindia joined the P.A..

The Yiptaens spearheaded the efforts for the Windoon system to join the P.A.. Though they were outclassed by the elder planets of the P.A., their technology and shrewdness gave them equal footing in the P.A.. To this day, other planets in the P.A. still look to Yiptae as the leader of the system.

In 22 IE, the Yiptaens landed three ships, called the Three Maidens, on the next nearest planet, Khaleri. Khaleri fought back against the influence of the Yiptaens, however again using the sway of their advanced technology as a way to combat their harsh environments, they soon controlled much of Khaleri in all but name. The last effort to fight the Yiptaens was during the Reign of the Terrors, when a small force from Khaleri performed a number of terrorist attacks on the Yiptaen planet. The Reign of the Terrors lasted 8 Yiptaen Years, until finally the Terrors were all apprehended and killed.

The Yiptaens also made attempts to land on Vastire, however, the distance and savagery of the Vastirian people turned away Yiptaens for a long time. By the time the Yiptaens could have launched an effective attack, their technology was not so much more advanced than the Vastirians, and the P.A. had influence over interplanetary politics.

## Government

Government in Yiptae is composed of two primary sections: the National government and the Local governments. The National Government is run by elected Senators from different regions around the world, while the Local governments are controlled by city Governors. Though at first blush it seems like the National Government would hold more power, since most of the Yiptaen population is confined to large cities, the Governors of those cities are powerful.

### National Government

The head of the National Government is the Yiptaen Senate. Senators are elected by their constituents for five year terms. The regions these Senators represent are a little fuzzy and constantly changing depending on the needs of the population.

The Yiptaen Senate is led by the Peak Senator, who is an elected member of the Senate selected by his/her peers to lead. Further, the P.A. Senator is selected from the elected members of the Senate, also selected by his/her peers. When a Yiptaen Senator is selected to be the P.A. Senate representative for Yiptae, that region is then controlled by that Senator's Chief of Staff.

The Yiptaen Senate retains control over the Yiptaen Military forces, makes decisions that affect the Planetary Alliance Senate, and drafts national laws.

### Local Government

The local governments of Yiptae vary from city to region. In either case, the city or region is controlled by a Governor elected by the people of that region/city. Then the Governor selects the rest of the officials in that city or region. To combat corruption, a Governor's term is only two years, and that a Governor is only eligible for no more than two consecutive terms.

This structure has led to the Governors of Akuun Dey and Megaurora wielding great power, since the majority of the Yiptaen populations live in those cities.

Local governments set and enforce local laws, control permits and districts, and promote taxation for infrastructure and other projects. Judges are also selected by the Governors, therefore providing a balance of power in the case that the National Government passes unfair or unenforceable laws.