Ganymede

Ganymede as it appeared in the Io Direct

**Ganymede** is a planet in the Ioverse. It is one of the four Galilean moons that orbits the celestial body known as the Nova, once called Jupiter. A mysterious metallic world unclaimed by Ionians, Europans or Ch'i, it appears to have structures beneath the ground belonging it an ancient civilization yet unknown to its current denizens.

## Appearance

From space, Ganymede appears as a dull brown sphere. Part of the planet appears to have been blown open, with several chucks of debris now drifting nearby. Several multicolored aurora can be seen shimmering above the planet's surface, as can several craters and large mountainous ridges. In addition to the natural features, a number of enormous constructed spires can also be seen at various locations.

On the surface, Ganymede is a vast barren expanse of metal. Its topography is quite varied, with hills and depressions in equal measure. Though Ganymede has an atmosphere, it is unable to support life. As such, outposts made with Ionian and Ch'i technology are scattered across its surface. Beneath the surface, large caverns can be explored. Within lies the remnant of a lost civilization, with many unusual constructs and structures made of metal and cable.

## History

### Discovery

Ganymede was first discovered by the people of Earth in the year 1609 or 1610 by a human named Galileo Galilei. It, along with the three other Galilean moons of Jupiter, were the first astronomical objects recorded that orbit a planet other than Earth. Ganymede was continually studied for centuries afterwards, with increasingly sophisticated technological means, in order to better understand its characteristics and place in the universe.

### The Lost Civilization

At some point, Ganymede was the home of a technological advanced civilization, despite its supposed inability to support life. This civilization mostly built underground, creating a vast labyrinth of structures beneath the earth. It is unknown what happened to this civilization, but all that remains of them is the ruins of their buildings and technology. It is as of yet unclear if the large sundering of the planet happened as a result of this civilization's action or was responsible for their disappearance, but the sundering happened regardless. Whatever cause it shattered part of the planet, creating a large crater and sending chunks of the planet into space.

### A New Frontier

After the development of Shard technology, Ionians began to take to the stars. They rediscovered Ganymede and began to explore this new frontier. The planet's richness in metals and mysterious technologies attracted the attention of corporations, explorers and crime families, all of whom began to create outposts to study and exploit the planet. Along with the Ionians and their colonists, the Europans, the insectoid Ch'i of Callisto also made their way to Ganymede and also attempted to claim it as part of their territory. At the time of writing, Ganymede is still a no man's land caught in a standoff between multiple faction seeking to take it for themselves.

## Campaigns

No campaigns have yet taken place on Ganymede.

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to a single campaign, and there're mechanics that are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Etymology

"Ganymede" is the name of a figure from Greek Mythology. A native of Troy, Ganymede was a simple shepherd before he was abducted by Zeus, directly or indirectly via his command. Ganymede was considered to be the most beautiful of mortals, so Zeus made the boy immortal to serve as his personal cupbearer on Olympus.

## Trivia

* Ganymede was first seen in the Io Direct, which aired on the 28th of January, 2022.

## Images

### Official Art

Outposts on the surface of Ganymede, as seen in the Io Direct.Ruins of an ancient civilization beneath Ganymede, as seen in the Io Direct.