Bostra

Bostra is the second planet from the star Cyrenaica and was one of the seven original extrasolar colonies of the Turian Empire. Its capital is the ancient fortress city of Petraea, seat of the Primarch of Bostra.

Bostra is unique due to the fact it is a "heavenly twin"; a planet in a star system that has not one but two worlds of sufficient mass to retain a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere within its parent star's habitable zone. Its celestial twin is Epyrus, the second planet from the star Cyrenaica. What makes Bostra and Epyrus even more extraordinary is that they both possess dextro-aminoacid based ecologies. While twin levo-aminoacid worlds are few and far between, twin dextro-aminoacid worlds remain the rarest of all celestial jewels. As such, both Bostra and Epyrus are two of the most heavily fortified colonies under the jurisdiction of the Turian Hierarchy.

## Geography

Bostra is an arid world of deserts, mountains, and steppes, its sunbaked expanse broken only by thin strips of fertile coastal plains. Its climate is predominantly dry; about three-fifths of the planet receives less than 250 millimetres of rain per anum. Arable land is the colonial government's most important natural resource. To ensure its self-sufficiency, Bostra's Ministry of Agriculture invests heavily in irrigation projects to increase the annual yield of the agricultural fodder needed to feed livestock, whose meat is a staple of the Turian diet.

The Eupheris is Bostra's longest and most historically important river. It is approximately 2,800 kilometres in length with a drainage basin covering 50,000 square kilometres. It flows into the Tellamares, a shallow inland sea covering 251,000 square kilometres, named after the ancient Turian Titaness Tellaea. Petraea, Bostra's capital, stands guard at the river's mouth.

The average temperature on Bostra is 28°C. This rises to around 37°C during the summer months before falling to 7°C in winter. Bostra's highest recorded temperature was 49.4°C, measured during the infamous Caelian Drought of 118 BCE that claimed the lives of an estimated 1.2 million colonists.

Due to its arid conditions, Bostra is the subject of frequent dust and sandstorms. These storms often exceed windspeeds of 130 kilometres-per-hour and can last for up to several days at most. Sand particles transported by these storms are responsible for the destruction of crops and contribute to the development of silicosis, a type of lung fibrosis caused by the inhalation of dust containing silica. To combat silicosis, all Bostran citizens are legally required to carry respiratory gear on their person at all times in case of sandstorms. For those unfortunate enough to contract the disease the only cure is a full lung transplant, though this is the option of last resort. Current treatment options for managing silicosis focus on alleviating symptoms and preventing any further progress of the disease.

## Government

As a Turian colony, Bostra is under the jurisdiction of the Turian Hierarchy. The Hierarchy's chief official on Bostra is the Primarch of Bostra, who represents the interests of Bostra and her people on the Council of Primarchs. As with all other Turian colonies since the Aurelion Reforms, only the highest ranking of all Bostra's citizens may be inaugurated into the rank of Primarch upon the death of its previous ruler.

The most powerful of the Familiae Martialis on Bostra are House Sparatus. While the family has no power de jure, their social influence has been a tangible part of Bostran society for millennia. Many members of House Sparatus hold prominent positions within Bostra's diplomatic and military tiers, most notably Domitia Sparatus, the incumbent Primarch of Bostra.

## Culture

Bostran society is a conservative one which possesses a long cultural history. Particular emphasis is placed on loyalty and obdience to one’s family, Spirit worship, self-discipline and the respect of one’s superiors. Cultural customs that have faded in other, more cosmopolitan parts of the Hierarchy remain integral to the Bostran way of life. Examples of such customs include needing to ask for a parriarch’s permission to marry one of their household, worshipping the Spirits of one’s ancestors through the tending of household shrines and embarking on monthly pilgrimages to the tombs of said ancestors.

### **Religion**

Religion in Bostran society is exceptionally conservative, perhaps more so than on any other colony in the Turian Hierarchy. Turian anthropologists have proposed theories that attribute the cultivation of Bostra’s religious orthodoxy to the harsh environment that its citizens inhabit. Arid conditions which provide little food, little water, and a near-constant threat of sandstorms have hardened Bostrans over the millennia, giving way to a stricter and simpler way of life. Praying for the strength of will and physical endurance needed to survive in such a place is therefore only natural, when one’s continued existence is always at the mercy of the natural world.

While the vast majority of Bostrans worship the Spirits, a small minority continue to practice the ancient Palavenian religion of Titanism. Disciples of this polytheistic religion worship the Titans, the deities of Turian mythology who supposedly created Palaven. The most important of these deities are Caelus and Tellaea, the Titan of the Heavens and Titaness of the Earth. Caelus is invoked for rain and shelter from sandstorms, while Tellaea for fertile soil and bountiful harvests.