Essowyn

Location
Essowyn is the only planet in the Saurton system. Situated between two asteroid belts, the Kanawyn asteroid belt, and the Graewyn asteroid belt, Essowyn is in the Trax sector.

History
Essowyn became a popular world when mining corporations discovered the valuable ferrous materials in both the Kanawyn, and Graweyn asteroid belts that surround it. The first of these companies was the massive Messert Mines Corporation. When they arrived on Essowyn, the Saurtons were split into warring nations. Messert quickly arranged to purchase the mining rights with the Tresycht, in the Thergum pits. An area whoese ownership was indispute between the Tresycht, and the neighboring Yistze. Messert moved in a mining expidition, and a few armed squardrons, and subjegated to Yitsze in weeks. Eventually all the other nations fell to the arms of Messert, until the entire planet was unter the control of the Tresycht High Priest Gellack.

Gellack tried to forge a new government, but eventaully decided that re-empowering the priests of the old nations, to govern their own 'sectors' was most effective. This evolved to the current government of Essowyn, with the ancestors of Gellack sittin on the Council of Elders. Mining companies flocked to the system, claiming parts of the belts as stheir own, and setting up orbital platfroms, and even small basses on some of the larger asteroids. The Empire has in fact granted sole mining rights, of certian portions of these asteroid belts to various companies.

Description
The surface of Essowyn is a massive ocean, covered by four large continents, called Sorontill, Baslar, Steltout, and Macor, and a smattering of hundreds of smaller islands. These islands are covered in plains, temperate forests, and small mountians, all of which are completly pock-marked by metorietes that fall in from either asteroid belt. These constant extra-planetary missiles mare Essowyn a hard place to live, and all structures are built completly underground. The atmospheres temperature varrys drastically due in large part to the planets erratic orbit around its sun, a yellow star called Saurton. These temperature fluctuations breed terribly storms at the equator that shoot off into the rest of the planet, dissapating before they reach the polar zones. The native sentient species are the Saurton.

Saurtons
The Saurtonss are the native sentiens on Essowyn. The Saurtons are a hearty reptilian race. Most are golden, or some combonation of gold and brown, black, or green. They are warm blooded, and lay egges. Their hearty immune system can tollerate a certian ammount of filth and as such it usually accumulates in their cities.

Citites
Cities on Essowyn, are much like those on Sullust. Massive caverns are carved out of the planets crust, usually no less than one hundrend meters from the surface. These caverns are the rooms, buildings, city squares, and markets of the planet. All of these cities have tunnels leading to the suface of the planet. After the advent of the hyperdrive, many cities under the surface of Essowyn chose to excavate large caverns to house interstellar star ships.

Dangerous, and disease causing bacteria are a mainstay of the underground cities of Essowyn beacuse of the squallor the native Saurton can tollerate. Most humans and othe raliens must be careful to not contract a terrible communicable disease.

The Cold Civil War
The more warlike tendencies of the native Saurton have bergoeing population into two factions, the Quenno, thoese looking back to tradition, and the Des'mar, thoese looking forward.

Quenno

The Quenno are the conservative, traditionalists. The believe that Essowyn, and the entire Saurton system, should be wrested from the mining corporatins, and returned to the Saurton people. The espouse the belief that all resources should be given to the council of elders, just as it has been for centuries.

Des'mar

The Des'mar is the younger fo the two groups, and the smaller, they do however have th full finincal backing of the mining coperations. The want Essowyn to continue as is, with the mining coperations bringing in galactic trade, and culture.

There are many smaller groups with more temperate ideals, but most believe tha the Saurton government is not powerful enough to put down a revolution would it actually come. Many groups stockpile weapons, and secret deals with the mining corperations, and the Council of Elders aren't uncommon.

Mining Corperations
Mining companies are granteded charters to specefic terretories for a set number of years, and have complete authority in thoese areas. These are called Corperate Complexes. In exchange the Saurton government gets a hefty percentage of the profit. The mines produce mostly the metal quadrillium. Corperate Complexes are complet cities, and as such are completly autonomous from the Saurton world.

The actual mines themselves are very dangerous and cramped. There is little light, or air, and caves collapse all the time. Most of the work is done by droids, but what few living creatures venture into the mines do it beacuse the pay is right.