Venus

Venus

> "*As the group walk into the dining hall they pass under an ornately carved archway. The archway itself is wrapped and adorned with assorted flowers and greenery.* *Then,* *as they move beyond the archway and into the dining room proper,* *they're met with the smell of ocean sea salt carried through a light fog, the sounds of small waves lapping against white sand, and the soft orange light of a setting sun. The roof of the room has been transformed via holo-projectors, now displaying a brilliant sunset. All smells, sights, and sounds from Venus. From Home.*"
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**Venus** (pronounced /vee-nuhs/), is the second planet in the Solar System and the Core, and one of the few planets with reserves of Helium-3, though nowhere near the amount possessed by Mars. It also houses the Venusian Institute (known for its high number of rapes), and the Judiciar School, where Golds study law and the legal system of the Society. Like Mercury and Mars, Venus also possesses its own fleet, the Classis Venetum. The planet is currently controlled by the Society Remnant. The current archGovernorship of Venus passed to Arsinoe au Carthii after a vicious campaign following the assassination of her grandfather Cicero au Carthii.

## Geography

Up to 80% of Venus' landmass is covered in water. The remaining 20% is largely beautiful island archipelagoes scattered across the planet, as well as small continents at the poles. The planet's climate is tropical in nature, resulting in generally warm and temperate weather, though brief tropical storms are common. A number of flora and fauna thrive on Venus, most originating from Earth, though some are carved specifically for planet itself.

## Features

While the genetic averages of the Colours of Venus are consistent with the rest of the Solar System, Colours on Venus tend to have darker skin as a result of their increased proximity to the Sun and the tropical climate of the planet.

Venus is famed throughout the Solar System for its culture, including exquisite alcohols; spicy foods such as the notable Venusian Red Curry; and their soft, elegant fabrics often used in the production of high-quality expensive clothing. Also of note are the Venusian Dockyards, a complex orbital ring of shipyards and anchorages responsible for producing most of the Society's ships, and even rivalling the famed Ganymede Shipyards before their destruction.

## Notable Houses

### House Carthii

One of the most powerful Houses in the Society, House Carthii maintains a majority share in the Venusian Shipyards, which, along with the shipyards at Ganymede, produce most of the Solar System's spacecraft. Carthii ships are considered to be some of the fastest and best-designed in the Core. House Carthii is often locked in a bitter rivalry with House Saud, including for the current archGovernorship of Venus.

#### House Cerana

A Carthii vassal house, House Cerana suffered major losses in the Second Deadzone Foray led by Praetor First Class Judus au Sejanus.

### House Saud

House Saud is the counter-balance to House Carthii. With a focus on groundside combat, Saud-trained soldiers are known for their iron-hard discipline and fearsome loyalty. Rivalled only by the advanced facilities of Callisto and New Sparta, Saud-trained legions are among the best a Legate of the Martian Fields could hope for.

### House Nyx

The third most powerful faction on Venus after House Carthii and House Saud, House Nyx maintains a near-monopoly on Venus' entertainment and technology sector. Their Jusserei ludus, located in the Nyx capital of the Night Isles, is known for its quality over quantity Greys.

#### House Elysian

House Elysian is a Nyx vassal house, excelling in training Obsidians and Greys for use in the armies of the Society - and occasionally the fighting pits and colosseum of the Night Isles.

### House Procynii

House Procynii is a house known for its generous agricultural exports and trading fleet.

### House Valii

Known for a marriage alliance with House Rath of Mars, and their extravagant heir, Andronicus au Valii-Rath, better known as the Minotaur.

## History

The history of Venus began some decades after the Conquering, when the Society began to thin the planet's atmosphere and cool the surface using high-altitude mass-drivers and variants of the Storm Gods used on Mercury.

With the atmosphere habitable, and the geography precisely modified, hydrogen was then imported form the Gas Giants to form rain, which covered 80% of the planet's surface in water. Mass-drivers and small asteroid impacts were used to increase the rotational and orbital periods of the planets to give it a day-night cycle and yearly cycle similar to Earth's.