Irkalla

Founded during the Earth Exodus of 6412 as a penal colony, Irkalla is a world that has sucumbed to the mandates of the Aurelian Dominion's burgeoning aristocracy. Due to the sheer buying power of the aristocrats, Irkalla recieved a special dispensation from the Imperial Household to form the Council of Lords instead of submitting to a state-appointed governor. These "lords" possess no true titles, but associate with each other as having them to create a self-proclaimed class of nobles that construct a feudal facade around their everyday lives. The Council of Lords maintain order through the carrot and the stick; that is, by spreading their wealth but also with the liberal application of the Dominion Legions.

There remains an utterly unknown, darker side to the "lords" of Irkalla, however. Rumors persist of the undesirables of society being abducted in the night and taken to unknown locations for nefarious purposes. The stories are well founded, as the lords of Irkalla are indeed ordering the kidnapping of scores of people. They are practicing parabiosis, or rather, taking blood plasma transfusions of young, healthy subjects to elongate their own lives. Clinical immortality has remained elusive in science, with the act of parabiosis is one of the more cruder forms of it. Like a sort of vampire, the taking of this blood is more than just for medical reasons, it is about the power of their subjects. Due to the nature of the venkath and the atrocities of the Venkath Onslaught, the lords of Irkalla are careful and silence any attempts to break the story on their dealings.

The planet of Irkalla is a tidally locked world, meaning that the extent of human settlement is in the twilight zone. The sunward side is scorched and unlivable and the starward side is frozen and equally unlivable. As the name suggests, the settled portions of Irkalla are constantly bathed in twilight and do not have a day/night cycle. This has resulted in the agriculture produced planetside to primarily be grown in artificial environments. Due to the size of the population, Irkalla relies on a quarter of its food to be imported, which is typically paid for by the Council of Lords.

## Places of Interest

### **Chateau de Lys**

   The Chateau de Lys, or Castle of Lillies, is the meeting hall of the Council of Lords. Stylized like a gothic cathedral, the Chateau harkens back to the days of royal France and the associated prestige. The Council convenes three weeks of each month, and can only move forward with the session if a quorum of it's members are present. The Council functions like a leaderless senate, as all members are equal under their lies. Speaking order is determined by seniority, and all edicts and mandates are passed by a majority. Issues are brought to the floor by submitting a formal request to a commitee of lords, and new lords are chosen internally by a vote (and if land and monetary requirements are met).

## Common Use

Irkalla has a **CONDITIONAL** Common Use policy, meaning that any characters or organizations can call Irkalla home. Roleplays can also originate or take place on Irkalla, but all influential events that could affect the planet must be passed by the content creator, Architect.

## Credits

* The image for Irkalla was taken from DeviantArt contributor aksu. Edits made by Architect.
* The image for the Chateau de Lys was taken from DeviantArt contributor aksu.