Surda

Plains

The planet Surda is a semi-arid world in the Memhed sector. It is home to the Gatan, a race of horned humanoids with large, dark eyes. They are almost identical to the Gatan of the planet Gagat, but they have a different culture and language. The world is specified as a 'cold semi-arid planet', The surface is covered by grassy plains, divided by long, dry river valleys. The atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, with the usual amount of argon and a bit less oxygen. This makes the planet ideal for the Gatan, whose lungs have developed to filter carbon dioxide alongside oxygen.

Most fauna on the world is insect-like, with wings and four limbs, as vegetarian,Gatan have no interest in the world's native animals, and can therefore be found living in a symbiotic relationship with the local flora. Surda's capital city and main spaceport is the settlement of Obram-Da, located on the central continent, at the confluence of two rivers.

## History

Surda was settled on 09.22.3000 according to xeno-anthropologist records, by an off-shoot of Gagatan Gatans, possibly driven off their homeworld by political or otherwise insurmountable differences. The planet's sparce vegetation initially posed a challenge for the settlers, who were mostly farmers by trade, but their initial farming methods, combined with the Gatan's ability to filter carbon dioxide and oxygen in their blood, was more than enough to sustain the growing city. The planet's central continent had some forested regions in the north, and was by far the wettest of the three contintents, making it largely viable for farming and immigrated livestock.

In the early months of 3143, the world was discovered by Morduan Assembly, much to the chagrin of the Gatan settlers, who had lived a quiet, secluded existence on the world for nearly a century and a half.The settlers were given a given a choice to integrate with their conquerors or to be driven offworld. The majority of settlers chose to assimilate, and within a generation, the majority of the Gatan were considered citizens of Mordua. There were occasional pockets of resistance, but in general, the relationship was good.

In 3245, the Gatan people of Surda rose up against their occupiers, and the rebellion was crushed within three months.The Gatan population was severely reduced during the ensuing conflict, and the majority of the survivors were forced offworld. The remaining Gatan were resettled in a new settlement on the world of Yiman, but many of them were killed by the Xytos, a race of insectoid xenophobes, whose interest in Gatan blood has caused a long and bloody war between them and the Morduans. Following the conflict, the survivors of Surda were assimilated into Morduan society.

By 3400, the Gatan people were considered model citizens of the Morduan assembly, and the original settlers were granted full citizenship. The Gatans remaining on Surda were granted swathes of land, as the atmosphere of Surda was problematic on Morduan biology. Most of the Morduans who remained on world lived in large, domed cities, including the capital, Obram-Da, filled with breathable atmosphere. The Gatans generally remained in the open farmsteads and small towns scattered throughout the planets three continents, and seldomly entered the cities. The population of the planet reached a peak of 5,000,000 beings, with 4,000,000 being Gatans.

## Geography

Surda was a cold, semi-arid world, and its climate was only marginally compatible with Gatan biology. The majority of the population lived in the northern continent, which was the wettest and most fertile of the three, with its largest river and largest towns. The southern continent was the driest and most arid of the three, with the least settlers and the smallest amount of farmland. The third, eastmost continent was by far the largest, but nearly uninhabitable due to lack of arable land. Still, mining conglomerates set up several self-sustaining mining sites, digging up valuable Obdium, and also providing a source of cheap, low-quality fuel for the world's factories.