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To understand the Draconis best is to witness the world they came from. Sculpted over millennia, the red-and-teal orb of Aldra has come to represent everything the Draconis admire and believe in. All at once it is their ideals, passions, self-opinion, power and majesty laid out on a single planet to explore and discover.

- Stanvor Kaeseb, travel writer

Alcanti (High Dracid: the Encompassing Plane) is a terrestrial planet that orbits Aldra, the primary star of a binary system in Segmentum Draco of the Andromeda Galaxy. The historic homeworld of the Draconis and longstanding capital of the Draconid Imperium, Alcanti's strategic, economic and symbolic importance within the fabric of Draocnid society and the very centre of Draocnid politics makes it one of the most important planets within the Draconid Imperium. While the influence of the Imperium and the sybolic connection to the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth and Pan-Andromedan Ecumene make it one of the great capitals of the First Gigaquadrant.

Due to it's political status the planet is heavily defended with vast arrays of satellites, space fleets, security forces, security probes and mighty battlestations. But depite the level of security the population lives in the lap of luxury and the planet itself is almost idyllic. Indeed, as well as being the political heart of the Imperium, the planet is a gathering site for Andromeda's wealthy elite, made evident by the large numbers of shining private towers in its cities and palatial countryside manors.

Geography[]

ALcanti Surface 001A

A surface projection of Alcanti

Alcanti's landscape is made up of four major continents - Miminas, Ossilas, Kradas and Annekhas. These four continents are joined up to each other via land bridges, providing natural choke points between the continents. Peppering the groundscape are numerous water-filled sinkholes (known to locals as vertiaqa or cliff-seas) while enormous atolls dot an intercontinental sea.

Miminas[]

Miminas is the northernmost continent, from north to south it spans from Alcanti's northern pole to the equator and is connected to Kradas to the west. Although Annekhas is to the southeast, there is no land bridge to connect the two continents. Instead, the coastline is shared with the Uronian Sea to the south. Geographically Miminas is a rugged landscape that is divided into two large landmasses by the Carothian Mountain range. Miminas has three medium-sized cliff-seas and two large cliff-seas on the southern half of its landmass.

While the north is rugged and cold, the south of Miminas is warm, hydrated by the Uronian Sea that divides Miminas from Annekhas. The Juncarian tropics are the broad term for the near-equator tropical regions that dominate Miminas' southern half. Volcanism and comparative lack of mountainous areas make southern Miminas an ideal site for farms and historically the Juncarian tropics provided considerable amounts of food for export and to supply the northern populations. Between the arctic circle and the border of the Juncarian tropics are the Tanarian lowlands, a large tract of open ground some 2000km across that is bordered by mountains on three sides and one with the Uronian Sea. Historically home to ancient empires, Miminas - particularly the Uronian coastline - has long been the most populous of the continents. Further north, within the arctic circle is the conurbation of Minos'Drkaon, the largest city on Alcanti.

Annekhsa[]

A sister to Miminas of sorts, Annekhas exists on a similar set of latitudes to Ossilas. The northern half of the continent possesses rich soils that are fed by rivers and deltas. One river, the Atunias, is sourced from lake Antarasia and cuts Miminan-close third of the continent in half yet provides a fertile river valley that has long supported the indigenous populations and fed the water needs of the northern half of the continent.

Annekhas has two major mountain ranges - the Estannekhas and the Sarthand. Estannekhas, the larger range of the two, dominates the landscape near to the Uronian Sea and has long acted as a defensive gate into the mainland of Annekhas. Sarthand is a smaller mountain range that bisects and isolates the extreme eastern part of the continent for those travelling by land.

The seas north and east of Annekhas are filled with archipelagos populated with island of all sizes. Annekhas's eastern coast acts as the western shorteline of the Antorodes, a ring-like chain of island that extend eastward into the Rhrtorian Ocean.

Krades[]

The great central continent. spanning from the central latitudes of the northern hemisphere to the southern polar circle, Krades is by far the largest of the four continents and populated with the largest number of cliff-seas. Historically the continent has been dominated by the Great Krades Desert, an enormous dust plain that makes up the near entirety of the central continent. For most of the continent's history, the numerous cliff-seas have been highly unfavorable for life due to the high concentration of salt that has only been growing as the basins evaporate. This inhospitability is what earned the desert its other name of "The Great Wastelands". Geoengineering and weather control efforts in the age of the Draconid Imperium however have brought life to vast tracts of the desert. Large regions of the continent are scattered with irrigation channels and large fertile plains.

Krades connects the other continents together through land bridges and river crossings. In contrast to the great wastelands in the centre, the northern and western coastlines are more fertile and hospitable to life. Krades' central deserts are broken up with long strips of mountain ranges that break up the landscape but also restricts rainfall to create an inhospitably dry "death zone" in the very centre of the continent.

Ossilas[]

A land of open plains protected from Krades' dangers by mountains and an inland sea, Ossilas is an equatoral continent connected by several land bridges to Krades, with the Rhrtorian Ocean to its west. Ossilas bears a distinct ecology to Miminas or Annekhas due to its proximity to the Great Krades Desert and the mountains that border it, which has isolated it both in biology and in social evolution.

The northern regions of Ossilas are characterized by the presence of wetlands and river deltas, one of which is sourced from lake Tatos while to the east the coast of the Atarian Sea is bordered with jungle. Along with bordering Ossilas, mountain ranges also exist to the east, central-south and south-eastern regions of the continent. The very centre of the northern half of is the source of the Eleronian and Tancarain rivers, the main tributaries that provide the northern half of the continent with freshwater.

The shorelines and coastal waters of Ossilas feature numerous atolls and cliff-seas. Some, such as Pardia atoll to the far south and Vertiaqa Orius in the central regions are connected to the sea by rivers, the latter being connected to the Tancarain river before it meets the Rhrtorian Ocean.

Rhrtorian Oceoan[]

The Rhrtorian Ocean is the single largest body of water on Alcanti. Because of the connectivity of the continents, the Rhrtorian Ocean shares a coastline with all of the major landmasses. Connected to the Rhrtorian are the Ossokrada (south of Ossilas, west of Krades), the Uronian Sea (between Miminas and Annekhas), the Sekkradin Sea (south of Krades) and the Borelimain Sea (north of Miminas). The Rhrtorian is home to a large number of atolls, some rivalling in size to the larger archipeligos within open ocean along with a few subcontinents near the polar seas.

Atmosphere and Climate[]

Alcanti possesses an atmosphere primarily made up of Oxygen and Nitrogen with small amounts of neon and argon. Alcanti's atmosphere is an estimated 4.4x the desnity of Earth's atmosphere. The aforementioned neon, as well as methane concentrations of several parts per million and high amounts of water vapor in the air absorb a considerable amount of red light from Aldra, adding a blueish tinge to the sky that can especially be seen as Aldra crosses the horizon. Consequently, the high quantities of methane within the atmosphere trap thermal radiation within the atmosphere, heating the planet to average global temperatures of around 310 degrees Kelvin.

Because of these temperatures Alcanti has no permanent ice caps, but with an axial tilt of 54 degrees, the far northern and southern regions experience long dark winters and bright warm summers. Summer and winter seasons on all parts of the planet are highly varied. A thick thermal envelope and a moderately dense atmosphere serve to balance out temperatures across the planet

Society[]

Main Article:Major Cities

AlcantiRing

The Korun-Vurus orbital ring can be seen from the equatoral regions.

As the Imperial seat of power, Alcanti (and the Aldra system in general) is famous for being one of the most sophisticated locations within the Imperium. New technology, advances and engineering projects are frequently displayed here first as a sign of the planet's prosperity and the core worlds generally follow suit. Two examples include the orbital ring, global defence satellite network, Aldra's Dyson swarm and the battlestations. Citizens on Alcanti live comfortable luxurious lives bolstered by the wealth of the Imperium's many worlds. Some of the most important people have their homes either in the planet's upper cities or in vast countryside estates that are popular to see throughout the galaxy.

Demographics[]

Much of the planet's population are urbanised, living in large modern cities. Two hundred and fifty millennia of colonisation by the Draconis has led to all species from across the First Gigaquadrant being found living on the planet's surface, with many cities offering amenities and districts to cater to the various alien lifeforms that have decided to call the planet home. Despite the increasing diversification, Draconis still make up some 65% of the planet's overall surface and orbital population.

Because the southern continent is dominated by deserts and arid land, the northern hemisphere is much more populous, a higher proportion of the population in southern hemisphere live in cities. In the southern continent, due to the wide open spaces there are still a number of nomadic groups that travel the plains.

Culture[]

MinosDrakonv2

Minos'Drakon alone is home to some 430 million sapient beings

The general population is very cosmopolitan. Alcanti has been recognized as a nexus of the First Gigaquadrant, as citizens of all manner of species from all walks of life can be found here, particularly in the commercial districts of the major cities. Citizens indulge in luxuries, leisure and amenities imported from across Andromeda and beyond. Many offworlders would consider the population (particularly the non-draconis) as an elite, wealthy and powerful beyond measure. As well as the massive and densely populated cities, millions of well-to-do citizens possess numerous country estates dotted around Alcanti's countryside; an initiative by the Imperial Government not only to appease the powerful nobility, but also to appease environmentalist concerns, allowing for millions of acres of well-tended wilderness to be preserved.

Citizens unanimously consider Alcanti one of the safest planets in the entire galaxy due to the fact that the military, the inquisition and the Paragon's Blood Dragons are based on Alcanti. Despite the fact that Alcanti was devastated in two civil wars and the Andromeda War.

Historically, as well as more classic livestock creatures, traditional Alcanti cuisine makes use of the various large-scale insects that have evolved within the planet's atmosphere. Some species are considered a delicacy, while many resturaunts in the more tourist-friendly cities offer genetically-compatible variants of these animals for non-Draocnis to taste. As with many forms of exotic cuisine, the reception of these delicacies can vary between excited curiosity and disgust. Individuals who may be squeamish towards insect-based cuisine consider traditional Alcanti meals such as shell-bug stew (where the thorax of the forementioned creature is gutted and used as a bowl for a stew made of meaty chunks, tubers, spices within gravy and served with sliced Atorani tubers) to be unexpectedly surprising considering the Draconis' outward reputation.

Being a core world of the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth, Alcanti enjoys a highly diverse cultural atmosphere with cultural and economic samplings from across the First Gigaquadrant. It is said that "everything and anything can be found on Alcanti if you look hard enough". The Imperium's rise back into gigaquadrantic politics has only made the planet even more cosmopolitan and as the Commonwealth grows, so do the Draconis become a gradually decreasing majority of the population. Despite this decline, it is still widely agreed that Draconis - Alcanti being their homeworld and their seat of power - still hold immense social sway on their planet.

Economy[]

MD At Night

Alcanti as it can be seen at night

Much of the planetary income comes from taxes gathered throughout the galaxy. Although much of the planet is devoted to tertiary and quaternary industry, an estimated 245trn credits in goods are made from industrial farming and high-tech industry, most of which remains planet-side. 400trn credits a year is spent on R&D in labs and academies across the planet. Noble houses give 12% of their earnings as a gesture of goodwill to the imperial government.

The millions of country estates that dot the countryside also provide luxuries both for export and to supply people in the cities. Many estates dedicate wide tracts of land to vineyards that grow a wide variety of crops to be processed into wine. Alcanti itself is known for cultivating several distinctive wines including.

  • Aldra Sunshine: A pale coloured wine rich in flavour, traditionally made with a mix of tropical fruits and cultivated in the equatorial regions.
  • Ultanos White: A white wine traditionally created by the estates of House Ultanos. Although it is one of several wines that are not traditionalyl associated with one planet, the proximity to the Imperial Palace has made it synonymous with the elite of Alcanti.
  • Ossilan Gold: Created in the sun-baked Ossilan continent, Ossilan Gold's signature taste comes from drops of Talidoan honey mixed into the wine just before fermentation begins. Traditionally served with a single red Til'maros cherry floating on top.

Alcanti's reputation as an elegant capital of politics, design and a centre for the galaxy's wealthiest make it an attractive location for business leaders to demonstrate their latest products, be it a new fashion design, starship model, recreational product or range of aromatic scents. Some of the cities have thus become desirable sites for expositions of various kinds.

DraconisEstate V1

Sprawling estates such of these are honeypots for tourists as well as clear signs of the wealth and power of the nobility

Tourism is a booming trade on Alcanti as it is the site of both historic landmarks such as the Imperial Palace (entry beyond the golden gates which border Minos'Drakon is forbidden by the Paragon family), Grand Cathedral and the millions of palatial estates that dot Alcanti's countryside. The Royal Academy in the equatorial metropolis of Orras'Dacon is also a popular tourist destination, holding one of the largest data archives in the Imperium within it's inner chambers. The planet is a popular location to see traditional Draconid architecture, with several landmarks and a few smaller communities boasting pre-Imperial architecture. More modern styles reflect the Imperium's affluence and penchant for elaborate designs. The extreme age of Alcanti civilisation means that there is a heavy draw for archaeological sites older than one hundred thousand years old, while rumours of ancient yet-to-be-discovered sites continue to draw adventurous and historic tourists

The openness of the estates however, varies from estate-to-estate. Some being completely private while others being virtually entirely open to the public with a few restrictions. Most estates will have a designated tourist area for visitors, often a single wing or a few courtyard areas. Because of the Imperium's post-scarcity economy, these massive estates open themselves out of courtesy rather than requiring the funds for upkeep. A virtual tourist economy also reduces the amount of traffic going through the grounds as tourists explore via holosuites often light-years away.

There is also a thriving shopping and romantic tourist culture. Every year, billions of sapient creatures are drawn to the cities many have attributed to being made of gold and glass, adorned with beautiful engravings and artworks. All of this is complimented by a vibrant commercial centres in many of the larger cities that offer commodities that business owners argue come from the farthest corners of the First Gigaquadrant. Even were this not the case, Alcanti is a desirable location for flagship stores of various high-end retailers as well as a location to draw the most ambitious fashion and automotive designers. The vibrant exposition scene further bolsters the tourist influx, especially as the expansion of international groups such as the ((fiction|Xonexi ALlies)) and {{fiction|Gigaquadrantic Intergalactic Trade Organization)) attract extragalactic groups to set up exposition booths. Further drawing international attention.

Defences[]

Alcanti from orbit

Battlestation-1 orbiting over Minos'Drakon

The planetary government takes the defense of Alcanti very seriously. Outside of the gateway systems the planet may be considered one of the most heavily fortified locations in the galaxy. The government takes care to balance the scale between secure and opressive, leaving much of the draconis population alone.

The most static form of defense around the planet are the three battlestations in geostationary orbit and at the Lagrange points. Battlestations one and two are located in L2 and L1 Lagrange points respectively and the third was built above Minos'Drakon. Complimenting the battlestations are hundreds of defensive satellites that fulfill a variety of roles including missile defense, anti-ship weaponry, gravity well generation and fighter docking bays. For ease of maintenance, these satellites are maintained by clouds of nanomachines dispersed into orbit by the battlestations and patrolling warships and form a defensive cloud around the planet. The swarm also doubles as a devourer swarm for unauthorised ships entering low or medium orbit. These generators create a coherent partially-permeable forcefield around the planet which acts as a barrier to anything other than sunlight or authorised warship and shuttles. When not under attack, the shield is restricted to a weak magnetic field that bolsters Alcanti's own geomagnetic field against cosmic rays and solar flares.

There are at least four fleets containing several thousand ships each (not counting strike craft) in orbit at any one time. Apart from the battlestations, Arcaren - once the launchpad for expansion - has become not just a luxury retreat but has been heavily fortified to defend the homeworld; once again an example of how the Imperium has balanced both security and comfort. The Korun-Vurus orbital ring is also equipped with hundreds of rail and turbolaser turrets along with a defensive non-phasic shield, providing an equatoral "fence" to further protect the planet.

On the ground each major city has at least one military academy and garrison, along with missile silos, surface-to-orbit missiles, and mechanised regiments. The Blood Dragons hold a major presence, particularly within Minos'Drakon. Sentry probes scan major urban areas and near military bases.

Since the third Battle of Alcanti in ID.219496 security forces have extended their watch to include the draconid population, paranoid that infiltrators would conceal themselves as the primary species. Since the foundation of the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth and the establishment of the Seat Of Light in the city of Ketallus, Alcanti is a major garrison for the Guardians of Light as well as a staging ground - alongside Alcanti's nearby planets - for the Unified Androemdan Navy, bolstering the planet's defensive capabilities considerably

Biosphere[]

Because Aldra is a yellow dwarf that shines 50% more brightly than Sol, and atmospheric methane captures much of the red-spectrum light that passes though the high atmosphere, plants do not absorb the lower-frequency red light. The planet's flora has adapted to this by evolving red-tinted chlorophyll. As a result, much of Alcanti's plant life varies in colouration from a deep scarlet in plants near the poles to amber in trees and grasses near the equator. The dense layer of oxygen-rich air that hugs the planet's surface has created a thriving biosphere, particularly insects. The bountiful quantities of oxygen promote the devleopment of animals that many might consider to be gigantic. The thick air also allows large or heavy creatures such as Draconis and Coarlatus to use their wings in order to fly though the air.

Because the Draconid Imperium had spent millennia terraforming and colonising planets both within and beyond Segmentum Draco (many of which had their biospheres eliminated by the vanishing of the Four), animals found on Alcanti are very common on colonies across the Imperium. Creatures like the Krann and the Guidima have become commonplace as pets, working animals and companions of many of the Imperium's population. Sometimes outside as well due to the Imperium's connections and their terraforming activities.

History[]

The Draconis emerged as an intelligent species on the planet an estimated one million years ago. The first settlements emerged some 350,000 years ago on the continent of Miminas. Migrating Draconis spread across the continent and southward to Ossilas. As a territorial species, the first settlements engaged in hostile acts against each other such as raiding parties. The most historic of these empires was the Minosian Empire, which arose circa pID.14,000 and at its height extended from the northern reaches of Miminas as far south as the northern edges of the Juncarian tropics that dominated the equatorial regions of Miminas. The Minosians engaged in numerous conflicts with its neighbors over its roughly 5600-year history, falling to the southern empire of Vormotha in pID.5420. Vormotha remained one of the dominant empires of Miminas until the Vormothan Union's dissolution into numerous loosely united nation-states in ID.3122.

Ossilas' history was less turbulent. Settled by migrants from Miminas, an empire distinct from the Minosian and Vormothan empires arose circa pID.7240 known as the Ossilan confederation. While more stable histoircally, the Ossilan Confederation's dominance of Ossilas made it a stagnant nation, fractured by riots upon the arrival of Miminan settlers, most of them refugees from the Vormothan union. The New Vormothan Refuge as the territory called itself quickly came int oconflict with Ossilas, with uneasy relations lasting until the arrival of mainstream Vormothan forces, spurring the twenty year long First Intercontinental War in pID.3645. Its resolution came when Vormothan heads of state agreed to recognise the New Vormothan Refuge as a sovereign territory. With sovereignty secured, the Refuge reformed itself into the Principaliy of Ossalhead, becoming one of the larger powers behind the Ossilan Confederation.

In pID.3041, thinning tensions, imperialistic desires, resource shortages and a wave of nationalism drove 20 most powerful nation-states on the planet into a 200-year-long series of conflicts known as the Unification Wars. Much of the far southern hemisphere (A popular site for oil companies to drill) was abandoned and left to nomads and luddic societies due to the regions drying out and becoming of disinterest to the leading powers. The wars were concluded in pID.2840 by diplomats from the Vormothan empire allying with the state of Faroulo both of which were desperate for a lasting truce, the formation of this alliance alongside several other northern nations concluded the war with the cities of Minos'Drakon and Orras'Dacon agreeing to rule a unified government in partnership. While military academies were established in Minos'Drakon, the senate established itself in Orras'Dacon. This unified government became known as the Alcanti Confederacy between pID.2840 and pID.1.

Between pID.2772 and pID.2610 the unified government worked on a space programme to reach the moon and return with the same craft. The first return trip was completed on 21st Thorsid, pID.2610 (the fourth month, 24,224FC on the old calender). After a lull period the first lunar colony of Larthis was established in pID.2505 over a century later. Much of the research into FTL drives had occured within Larthis, eventually developing the working prototype by pID.1340. the original vessel, the A.E.V. Gloryseeker was upgraded and adapted for the first extrasolar jump.

Since the establishment of the first extrasolar colony the senate rebranded the territories as the Alcanti Solar Confederacy. Larthis remained as a launch-pad for extrasolar colonisation and Battlestation one - a heavily armed space station linked to a defensive array of satellites - was constructed in pID.1245 and uprgraded continually since. When the Draconis Empire was established the senate was moved to Minos'Drakon and the first paragon made his home in the old palace. Even today the palace remains one of the most impressive structures on the planet. Orras'Dacon established the royal academy of sciences in pID.805 in order to study alien artifacts in a more central location.

Over the empire's history the planet was rarely attacked, pirates barely entered the lower atmosphere due to the defenses on Battlestation one (Which became one of three battlestations orbiting the planet). The two most devastating events came from the house wars; the first was during the first house wars when a loose alliance bombed Minos'Drakon with the desire to destroy the senate. Much of the city was heavily damaged along with several other cities and leaving one billion dead. The second was during the second house wars when Paragon Ovonira Khaxvis II declared the senate to be executed in their own chambers along with devastating Alcanti society with the Blood Dragons hunting for Ultanos loyalists.

Since the era of tunnels Alcanti has experienced a golden age; much of the official population lives in luxury, tended to by slaves from conquered worlds and sustained by the wealth of the colonies. The academies teach about history, sciences and forms of anatomy that could only be dreamed about and the imperial palace is considered by many to be one of the most mighty structures in the sector. Since the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth's foundation in ID.219495, the planet has become one of the most important political and strategic locations in the galaxy due to its new-found position as the adopted capital of the Commonwealth thanks to the construction of the Seat Of Light located in Southern Miminas, with its influence growing constantly.

Alcanti was attacked once again during the Kraw Galaxy Crisis where the New Iteok Glory attempted to conquer the planet. Despite the Glory's advanced technology, they had underestimated Alcanti's defences, the invasion was swiftly brought to an end when the TNSS Dominax under the command of Lord-Admiral Larnus Vontarion obliterated the command vessel, crippling the fleet and ending the invasion in one swift stroke.

Quotes[]

The flawless jewel of the Imperium, her glory is to be everlasting. No city is grander than Minos'Drakon, no academy finer than in Orras'Dacon. May Alcanti's glory shine forever.

- Galenna Ultanos, Prefect of Alcanti

Burn it and make it our colony, Grandaddy!

- Harkrhos 7

A beautiful planet, perhaps, yes... Yet so filled with terrible history and despicable inhabitants. Dominating it in the name of Shu'rimrodir would be the only logical cure for its disease.

- Geltastra

The vast lands of Alcanti and its glory are awe-inspiring, but also tragic. They remind me of our own homeworld, lost forever...

- Clericarch Iovera IX

A majestic planet... for a species of infidels, of course.

- Exarch Laurinn Ma'fest

Paclernos is to us as what Alcanti is to them. It is full to the brim with ancestry.

- Kicath

The Draconis capital of Alcanti is considered by many to be the political center of Andromeda. Indeed, there is a lot of evidence to support this view. At a time, it was the Seat of the Andromedan Light, the governing body of the Andromedan Galactic Commonwealth, making it the de facto capital until the completion of Elysion. Even without the Andromedan light, it remains one--if not the--most influential planet in the galaxy, being home to the Paragavatus and the wealthiest of the Draconis elite, whose influence can be felt in the far corners of the Gigaquadrant.

- Gigaquadrantic Universal Order, co-Authored by Jean Delonier and Laurene Maxime

Ecologically, it is no more notable than any of the thousands of planets with similar suhrsegh biospheres. Historically, it has played little part in the affairs of Andromeda for nearly all of the time that it has been home to sapients, overshadowed by Voltaria for most of the past two million years. And yet events have since passed such that now, for all its high society and gold-plated skyscrapers so uncharacteristic of the rest of the universe, this single planet is as close to defining the Xonexi Cluster as a single planet can be. It is the centre of an alliance with intergalactic influence, home to hundreds of species from across the Gigaquadrant, and not to mention there are almost as many cultures as there are inhabitants. When people think of "Andromeda", Alcanti is the image that now comes to mind.

- Apalos

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