TATRA:
THE PINK PLANET
Pink Planet
Tatra is a distant, fascinating world over one hundred thousand lightyears from the Earth, often referred to as the "pink planet" as it is surrounded by a mineral-rich dust, called petalglass particles, which gives off a pink-colored hue. Much of the soil on Tatra also contains a compound of these particles, thus giving the planet itself a striking and colorful appearance. One rather obscure legend on Tatra says that a massive meteorite, the Ankarnadine (sometimes Ruinous Ankar), which composed almost entirely of petalglass struck the young planet and released high concentrations of the substance into the planet’s substrate and atmosphere. This catastrophic event annihilated the Ankaakiri civilization which inhabited that particular region and formed what is now called The Roil — a giant crater beset with turbulent dust storms. Though no one on Tatra quite knows the origins of the Ankarnadine, some insist that it was the very same calamity as named in the Least of Chaos during the Great Rebellion of Mazhran.
Tatra is similar to other inhabitable planets like Earth in that it has its own core, mantle, and crust and hosts millions upon millions of its own distinct landforms, lifeforms, and ecosystems. By volume, however, Tatra is about to 36 times larger than the Earth.
Lifeforms of Aryotaan
Tatra is one of the most biologically diverse places in the universe. It is the home, of course, of the Tatran humanoids as well a dense population of other wildlife. Closest to the Tatran capital of Aludra, which is seated on the continent of Aryotaan, there a few key species of note:
Aludran Dew Sprite
These critters are a bit of a rare sight as they only emerge at certain times of day to feed on the dew of trees and flowers that are commonly found in Aryotaan. They are friendly but quite easily spooked and will flee if they sense any danger. Seeing one is said to be good luck, while seeing many is said to signify a great turn of destiny. They are rather tiny, standing at about 12 inches/~30cm tall. They are bioluminescent, emitting a beautiful pink glow in the darkness. A few Tatran biologists have spied Dew Sprites of blue or green variations.
Ring-tailed Binnuki
Despite their adorable appearance, Binnukis are fairly solitary animal and can be quite aggressive and territorial. A binnuki bite transmits a powerful neurotoxin that can cause bizarre hallucinations and even an onset of madness in rare cases. While most Tatrans avoid them or at least enjoy them from a safe distance, some prize them for this substance, having refined it for medicinal and recreational purposes. Most ring-tailed binnukis are about 25 inches/~50cm nose-to-tail.
Red Grafted Cordyrax
One of the largest predators on Tatra, standing up to 20 feet/~6.1 meters tall. Petalglass particles in the air and soil attach to their bodies, most often embedded in the tough shells around their head and legs, forming a kind of crystalline armor. Cordyraxes have incredibly long lifespans, some recorded as having lived for almost 1,000 years.