KEPLA

"FORGED FROM IVORY WING"

GEOLOGY AND METEOROLOGY

Kepla is the first of three goddess planets and the cultural center of the Keplan civilization as a whole. With a radius of 947.82 miles and a tilt of 54 degrees, it is the largest of the three planets. Because the sun it revolves around has died and become a weak black dwarf that no longer emits heat, Kepla's climate has rapidly decreased in the past ten years, and before that was already showing trends of a gradual decline, ushering in a new ice age. Where in previous years the average climate would reach around 57 degrees Fahrenheit, it is now at about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, only high enough due to the geothermal generator in the core of the planet. The death of the sun also caused a minor shift in elliptical patterns, as noted by astronomers, making it about 40 astronomical units from the sun. It has a gravitational pull of 11.02 m/s^2 with a magnetic field around 23 to 59 microtesla (0.23 to 0.59 G). The atmosphere contains oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of ammonia. Kepla, at its height, was lush and perfectly suited for life, both intelligent and primitive. However, with the death of the sun, it has turned on its own people and become near hostile, sending most into the ravines that are raked through the planet; but Keplans are a mercurial people and have adapted to the rapid change with resilience and ease.

As for geology, Kepla is rife with massive ravines, the largest being 132 miles (Zomir). These ravines are the result of tectonic plate movements, still being felt today; as such, bridge collapses are frequent in Kepla's history (the most disastrous having killed 124 people) and have been built to withstand stretching, shifting, and sudden movements. Earthquakes are common in ravine cities. What is most remarkable about Kepla's geology is the abundance of magma chambers in the crust of the planet; these bountiful chambers have become Kepla's lifeblood with the creation of the three cores after the sun's death, as it utilizes the magma to create the geothermal energy that powers the planet. Without it, Kepla is lifeless.

ECOLOGY AND BIOLOGY

Kepla's ecology is that of a tundra with large swathes of coniferous forests. The Keplan pine dominates in these massive, primordial forests, and as Kepla's ecology has shifted, it has strangled nearly every other tree, save for a few in different ecosystems varying about the planet. Keplan influence has drastically affected the ecosystem, breeding flora to an aesthetic degree, and as a result, bioluminescence is common amongst blooming plants.

The oceans of Kepla, once powerful and turbulent, are now frozen into massive glacial expanses, and many who still live along its shores drill deep into the ice for fishing. Pearls are a large export from the glacier oceans. Marine populations have been forced to adapt to the freezing temperatures, but the ocean floor is teeming with life due to its proximity to the core of the planet. A particularly notable species within the Keplan ocean is the Megaptera glacies, an ice whale that digs into the glaciers to harvest minerals, which leaves large, cavernous tunnels within the deeper glacial layers.

Biology, much like the ecology previously mentioned, has been greatly affected by the Keplan domination of the planet. When the Keplan populus moved inward, the fauna took over the surface. Most notable are the varied elk and bear species, the descendents of two now extinct species. There is a minor presence of game on the surface, and what is notable about them is that more species have been spotted in the occurrence of murmurations, whereas only starlings would perform such before the sun died. It is unclear as to why.

ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURE, AND CIVILIZATION

Kepla's importance to the civilization as a whole lies in its religious, economic, and federal importance. Keplan mythology is widely centered around the creation of the three goddess planets, as the most common belief is that the planet was a safe haven the goddesses created for their people. Religion is prominent in Keplan culture.

The economy of Kepla is extremely successful due to its textile and manufacturing industries; factories are commonplace along the surface (usually zoned there to keep the ravine cities free of air pollution) and exports have become a major source of income for the government. Textiles are a mastered art for the planet due to the weather, making it immensely popular in the fashion market. Imports are a costly necessity for Kepla, as they have little access to natural goods and food; most foods are usually harvested on both publicly and privately owned moons, as their synthetic nature allows for easily controlled cultivation and harvest. The agriculture of the moons coincides with the solar farms, proving to be an artificial symbiotic relationship of its own.

Because Kepla is the first goddess planet (religiously and geographically), it is the center of civilization. Government is a massive entity within the labor force due to its control over three planets and almost countless moons. The Keplan government is a monarchical triarchy referred to as the Triumvirate, composed of the three ruling families that are believed to be descended from the three goddesses: the families Keplari, Orujhone, and Biryona. The Keplari family is the highest of the three (though they share equal power in the ruling of the civilization) and is centralized in the largest of the ravine cities, Zomir. The family rule has remained unbroken for centuries, deemed a goddess-given right, though many view it more ceremonial than anything, even though they have extreme power and a major role to play in the civilization's welfare. While the leaders of Jhone and Yona are referred to as political regents, the leader of Kepla keeps the historical title of empress or emperor, despite their shared power.

During the solar war, Kepla held the most battles and was destroyed as a result. Socially, these memories still burn in the minds of every Keplan: everyone lost someone, whether they were close or distant. While it should have made them more nationalistic, the people have no trust in the government because they were thrown into battle. Cultural beliefs in Kepla, once formerly that of community and kindness, has dissolved into a standoffish and cold "every-man-for-himself" ideology. Those who remember the chaos of the sun's death have felt an immense loss that the new generation cannot even begin to fathom; as such, nihilism runs rampant in the Keplan public. Life satisfaction rates are extremely low, and morale is even lower. Where Yona and Jhone managed to bounce back from the solar death and the various recessions and panics it caused, Kepla could not, and now it remains as a corpse of a once-great civilization. But life moves on, no matter how much Kepla wishes it could turn back.

THE CORE

Kepla was the first to install a geothermal generator at the core of the planet. The generator feeds off of magma deposits in the crust and generates steam from the heat, which is then transported to ravine cities. Within the ravines, a complex spiderweb of pipes and tubes help warm homes and streets; snow brackets on rooves are even a part of this system, melting any snow that falls. Minor generators are also in use around these cities, creating a vast network of energy resources. Generally, the core warms the older strata in Kepla's soil profile, which helps defrost the newer strata.

TRIVIA

• Kepla's architectural style is a mix of Brutalist and Edwardian. Either way, it's miserable and immensely outdated.
• The surface is covered in ruins of abandoned towns and cities. Young surface-dwellers like Kell like to explore them.
• Kepla was colonized by the USA, UAE, and Japan. The goddess planets were an attempt at international goodwill and teamwork; Earth thought that if they could work together to develop a new intergalactic colony, they could build a better future. This Very Obviously Did Not Work.
• Keplans -- not only within Kepla, but on the other goddess planets as well -- speak a distantly evolved version of English as a "primary" language, but many regional dialects are common, and are usually adaptations of Japanese and Arabic. With the latter, MSA has become most common, as it was used in Keplan prehistoric documents. Most from urban environments speak MSA, while rural communities speak a version more similar to Gulf Arabic, which ultimately makes urban communities sound stiff and uppity.
• Kepla's flag is symbolic of it rising out of the earth. The three blue stripes to the left serve as the creeping darkness of ravines, where the half-circle rises out of it, showing how the ravines have kept Kepla alive. the four moons symbolize Kepla's primary moons: Lorin, Febas, Ampatrius, and Getti.