Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder 1E | Pathfinder 2E | Starfinder

Deities | Systems & Settlements


Molten Planet of Materal Wealth

Source Starfinder #21: Huskworld pg. 39
Location The Vast (Chuuva)
Diameter x1-1/5; Mass x1-1/2; Gravity x1
Atmosphere None
Day 40 days; Year 20 days

The first planet in the Chuuva system is a mineral-rich world rendered largely molten by its proximity to the sun. While the equatorial regions are seas of lava, the poles are cooler and have solid ground. On these metallic landmasses, minerals are abundant, forming enormous homogenous deposits of crystals.

Quandali has never had native life. When the shirrens first arrived in the Chuuva system, they dismissed this world as too inhospitable. However, decades after the shirrens had established themselves, they reached out to other systems and welcomed in a contingent of quorlus (among others) to the area. The quorlu gravitated to Quandali and built a settlement at the planet’s south pole. By the time the Swarm attacked the system, Quandali’s quorlu population numbered in the low thousands, spread across several settlements on both poles. Due to the quorlus, the planet sees small-scale mining, but the heat deters extensive operations.

When the Swarm attacked, its components focused their attention on Quandali’s mineral resources. Resident quorlus escaped attention by virtue of their silicon-based anatomy, which rendered them of little interest to the voracious carbon-based predators. The planet still suffered substantial devastation, however, as the Swarm stripped the world’s mineral resources in a process that has since disrupted the delicate equatorial-polar stability. The quorlu population is diminished due to attempts to fight off the Swarm before retreating into hiding.

Of all the planets in the Chuuva system, Quandali is likely to see the best recovery in the shortest time frame. Here are a few events and sites of interest on Quandali.

Elemental Reavers: On Quandali’s north pole, the leaders of the quorlu settlement known as Danloric responded to the Swarm invasion by permanently conjuring fire elementals to fight on the quorlus’ behalf. The fire elementals ravaged the Swarm on this portion of the planet, allowing the town to survive the attack. However, the fire elementals have found Quandali to their liking, and much to the quorlus’ chagrin, the numerous extraplanar creatures have proven resistant to banishment. Roving bands of fire elementals now pose nearly as much threat to the local residents as the Swarm did. They seem to be multiplying, as well, leading the quorlus to guess a breach between the Material Plane and the Plane of Fire must now exist somewhere near Danloric. They are seeking solutions, permanent and temporary.

The Old Place: When the quorlus first colonized Quandali, they found indications they were not the first people to reside on this world. The most significant of these sites is a location they have dubbed “The Old Place,” a series of ruined structures built of extremely heat-resistant composites approximately halfway between the equator and the south pole. The structures withstand the intense heat, but they are slowly sinking. Only a few spires still poke up from the surging magma, and experts project the entire site might submerge in only a few Pact Standard years. The quorlus hope to survey the remaining sites and retrieve any relics before that time comes.

Quilordem: This city is the original quorlu settlement on Quandali, standing on the planet’s southern pole. It was constructed as a mining colony, and the resident quorlus have been steadily digging over the centuries. Unfortunately for the quorlus, the Swarm found this mineral deposit to be of interest and extracted a massive chunk of the crust, leaving a crater that has since become a lake of lava. Quilordem now stands abandoned. The quorlus left much behind in their hasty evacuation, from technological gear to stockpiles of minerals to abandoned research projects. Despite the Swarm’s activity in the area, some of these valuables still remain, and more than one patron might underwrite a recovery mission.