DIAMETER: 6,625 kilometers
GRAVITY: 1.395
LENGTH OF DAYS: 59 hours, 52 minutes
ATMOSPHERE: 56% nitrogen, 24% oxygen, 1% argon,
16% carbon dioxide
AVERAGE SURFACE TEMPERATURE: 70 degrees C
(equatorial region), 45 degrees C (Polar Regions)
CLIMATE RANGE: arid and dry
NUMER OF MOONS: None
COLONIZERS: Predominantly Human
NATIVE LIFE: Mostly small reptiles
PLANET HISTORY
Laco is an outpost world, a pit stop along the Prenglar/Truane's Star travel route. The system itself was discovered by the humans 220 years prior to the formation of the UPF, but the planet was sparsely populated one hundred years afterwards. The planet's axis is perpendicular to its orbit, so the surface receives an equal amount of sunlight year round (and lots of it thanks to a slow rotation). There isn’t a resulting seasons, although the polar regions are cooler and nearly hospitable. Aside from the two polar seas, typical landscape is sand and rock, with a mountain range in the equatorial region and several smaller outcroppings of rock dotting the rest of the world. Desert plant life grows abundantly.
Being a rather inhospitable environment, it wasn't an ideal world to settle down on. As such it became a scientific research center and only one major settlement was ever established: Point Glass. Point Glass is not a city, rather a small town of roughly 50,000 inhabitants located along the southern coast, but it does have a starport.
Four smaller settlements are scattered across the surface: Laconia borders the northern shore and boasts a population of 10,000. Dixon's Peak is located in the southern foothills of the Lavaback Mountain range, yet far enough away from its series of active volcanoes and is home to 5000 inhabitants. East of Laconia are a pair of oasis settlements in the sandy regions, Haven being the closer of the two and Castle Station just east of the terminator axis. Both are home to no more than 1000 beings each.
Laco Station orbits the world, a size 3 docking station. A squadron of six fighter craft is stationed at Point Glass as the solitary measure of defense.
POLITICAL STRUCTURE
Laco is not a governed world, although they are represented at the Council of Worlds. Star Law and several of the more prominent mega-corps have offices in Point Glass as well as in the orbital station.
Industry would be considered as the primary economical movement, although the degrees of such production pale in comparison to civilized worlds. The mountain regions host rich deposits of aluminum, iron, magnesium, and tungsten; but barely sufficient to support the minimalist industrial activity and certainly not in sufficient quantities to support a civilized world.
Environmental Brief: Laco's World
Seas: Shallow small and typically ground zero for native life on Laco. Often choked with algae like plant growth near shore and eel like fish in the depths. A few in low lying depressions have concentrated large quantities of salts and minerals long ago killing of all life and are generally surrounded by salt deposits and salt flats.
Plains: dusty, barren, only sparse clumps of short grass mats with deep roots running 1os of meteres deep to tap the auqifer. dust storms and dust devils common occurances.
River carved canyons: (think grand canyon on slightly smaller scale but 2 dozen such mini grand canyons the world over). River carved canyons, evidence of a more lush environment in eons past, have left numerous giant canyon complexes the world over. Many are dry, devoid of the water courses the formally carved them, some are dotted with small lakes and ponds that can nolonger drain out to sea and a few have active streams still running down their length. These canyons are typically riddled with caves and cavern complexes radiating out from the main canyon. Some are prone to have to have slot canyons instead of caves radiating away from the main canyon course and water is more often located in these caves and slot canyons making them niches for wildlife. Caves and slot canyons can offer protection from dust storms depending on conditions. The canyons typically experience less severe dust storms and only infrequent dust devils.
Hill regions- offers greater opportunity to deep rooted mat grass to colonize hollows and depressions. some protection from severe weather effects
Zoology: fish are typically eel like, limited avain life, dominate terrestrial animal forms- mammal like with a hide with short thin hair thought most appear hairless from the distance. unique features of Laco Zoology is that most are blind with highly developed tremor or sonic capabilities and possiblie the controversial psychic capabilities.
Creatures
Creatures can be found
here.
Weather Effects
Water
In the harsh Lacosian environment characters need 4 liters of water per day to survive. Characters can reduce this requirement by 1 liter by taking 4 salt pills per 60 hour Lacosian day and another 1 liter by only being active at night.
Characters on foot can move their maximum rate but must double their water intake (after taking into account any precautions taken to reduce water consumption). Thus a character moving at maximum speed during daylight without taking salt pills would need 8 liters of water a day to survive. If, however, the character werre taking four salt pills per day he could survive on 6 liters of water. Finally, a character moving at maximum at night while taking 4 salt pills could survive on 4 liters of water per day.
Characters who do not have enough water to survive quickly become dehydrated suffering -5 to all abilities. Dehydrated characters who continue not getting enough water become heat exhausted -10 to all abilities inaddition to the penalty for dehydration. Heat exhausted characters who continue to not get enough water will suffer heat stroke -15 to all abilities in addition to the former penalties and unconsciousness occurs if stamina drops to 0. Even if a heat stroked character does not become unconscious it will happen soon without medical help followed by death.
Dust Storms
In a typical dust storm the wind can blow 120 kph. Any character with an environmental skill should make an Intuition check; modify this roll by +10 per level above one; -15 if in a canyon, and +10 for most species of domesticated Fluter Fluter being present. If any character makes a successful INT check, the party will be able to improvise shelter and survive the storm without taking damage.
If the characters happen to be in a hex with an unusual rock formations, canyons or caves the characters can find shelter quickly and avoid taking damage from the storm.
If the characters have no advance warning and are not in one of the hexes listed above, they will take damage from the storm. Have each character roll a Reaction Speed check. If the check is unsuccessful the character takes 4d10 damage from the storm. If successful, the character only takes 2d10 damage.
Dust Devils/Whirlwinds
When these occur the referee should place a counter on the map and roll for the whirl wind's strength, duration, and speed: S is 2d10, duration is 3d10, and speed is 5-10m. The dust devil will move in random directions (use the center grenade bounce table to determine) every turn. If it comes within one square or hex of a character, at anytime during its movement, it will do the damage rolled by the referee but the character gets a RS check for half damage. If it enters the square or hex of a character, at anytime during its movement, it will do the double the damage rolled by the referee but the character gets a RS check for half damage. When the duration is reached in turns the dust devil disappears suddenly.
The local colonist speak of dust devils that have a mind of their own or frequently turning up during combat. Some even talk of them being posessed and an independent scientist alleged that they are more frequent in proximity to the Tetrarch ruins. PGC adamently denies this. It's hard to say what is the truth concerning dust devils on Laco as hard data is sadly lacking.Mysteries on Laco
Besides the vast enigma of the tetrarch ruins their are other mysteries on Laco
- The atmosphere: it has been estimated that the amont of mat grass, algae and other sea weeds are insufficeint to maintain oxygen levels on Laco. No explanation exident for the consistent oxygen levels despite the ammount of CO2 produce by colonist, native wildlife, and PGC's industrial centers.
- Frequency of Dust Devils: whirl wind atmospheric effects are much more prevelent near archaeological sites. No explanation exident.
- Magnet field fluctuations: The magnetic field fluctuates wildly and frequently with magnetic north and south reversing often. A typcial saying on Laco is, "If you dont like witch way your compass needle is pointing just wait a few hours. No explanation exident. Before and after Laco's War PGC maintained global positioning & communication satellites to aid with land navigation. No explanation exident for the field fluctuations.
- The alledged psychic abilities of a few Lacosian animals is a hotly debated topic. No explanation exident.
- Persistent rumors of lost sathar stockpiles.
- Persistent rumors of dead people being seen and empty graves being found. No explanation exident.
Wonders of Laco
- Ruins
- Tire fountain of Namoth Canyon
- Artifacts of the Tetrarchs
- Psychic animals?
NPC's
Big Mo: owner/proprietor of Mo's Easy, originally a UPF encampment during the liberation of Laco's World from the sathar during SW1. Latter it was a Streel supply depot and staging area during the corporate war. Big Mo, a dralasite, who is rumored to be a mercenary that may have fought for both sides in the corporate war (though he make a human style smile on his face and never says when asked) reopened the abandoned canteena not long after the war. Its in an otherwise desolate location but is strategically located to be a way stop for archaeologists traveling from the closest shuttle port to the Tetrarch ruins as well as for wild cat prospectors headed to one of the many canyon systems. The beer is wet and though cheaper than water it still a bit pricey. There perpetually seems to be a few down on their luck prosecutors, mercenaries, and other unsavory types lingering around the bar and the dancing girl can be real hard on the eyes and ears with her scars and raspy horse voice.
Some editions of Encyclopedia Galacticana have a picture of Mo's Easy under the listing for "wretched hive of scum and villainy". Big Mo is huge by dralasite standards and well able to bust heads and doesn't tolerate disturbances that break things in his place. Non the less, his bar is a place that sees a lot of mercenaries, smugglers, artifact counterfeiter, and pirates (Devils Canyon is rumored to be a pirate hide out). While the archaeologists working at the ruins will come in for a drink when they transport artifacts they tend to blow right by the bar or air lift them.
In addition to Mo's Easy there are a few temporary buildings left behind from the corporate war and these have become shacks/lodgings for the various denizens the perpetually hang around the Easy.
Notes
I was driving when I realized that one bit of canon I overlooked for this planetary brief/ article:
Tote that Barge, Dragon 107
Except when I checked, it said that Laco imports 95% industrial products from Gran Quivera which was ok before Zebs as its listing in AD said Outpost with no economic listing.
Zebs came along and said Moderate pop with industry, its yet another example of a Zebs inconsistency
before consulting tote that barge, I specified PGC having set up some automated factories for churning out goods as a reflection of what Zebs specified.
So heres the justification: before SW1 Laco was an outpost with no decernable economy and very few ships even slowed down for a layover. This is when 95% industrial goods were imported.
After refugees poured into Dixon's Star from Truane's Star and the sathar landing on Laco it became necessary to commense ground operations to deal with the worms- PGC, in the roll that it played supplying the rapidly organizing Land Fleet decided to bring in a robotic factory after the initial defeat of the sathar on Laco at Battle of the Ruins.
The reason for bringing in the robotics factory was that all void capable ships were being commandeered for the war effort, principly focused on mopping up the worms on Pale, and bringing the factory to Laco simplified the logistics chain- making Laco a forward supply depot 1 void jump from Truane's STar. It also supplied munitions for the continued but minor mopping up on Laco.
After the war PGC decided to leave the factory in place especially because it "inherited" the infrastructure that was built to support the military operations. PGC retooled the factory and expanded its operations. The decision to expand its presence on Laco was also fueled in no small part by the Tetrarch ruins. During this time PGC exported finished goods first to Pale during its rebuilding (95%) but as Pale got its economy back up and running (Industry and Resource), PGC's operation on Laco lost its economic viability. Still the manufacturing continued despite the need to import resource for industry. All of the import and export was a cover for the artifacts that PGC would smuggle out to secret labs- PGC had the charter to investigate the Tetrarch ruins partly assigned to it for its seemingly altruistic efforts to support the war against the worms. PGC got to investigate the ruins but had to share its discoveries with everyone- It much prefered to pretend that it had made a new discovery on its own and patent it which meant making the occassional working artifact disappear.
As Streel became a rising economic power its CEO, Hilo Headrow, knew that PGC had to be losing money on its Laco operation and suspected why, He initiated a campaign of suppying leads to reporters about artifact smuggling and began to insinuate Streel into the Laco community, feigning altruism for the still suffering population. This would lead to the collision between PGC and Streel known as Laco's war.
During Laco's War the PGC manufacturing plant was destroyed and PGC chose to not rebuild after the war. Today Laco is a sleepy outpost planet with no official exports (the unofficial export is of course alien artifacts)
