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Winter is definitely coming up here in the frozen north. Even just a month ago, in mid-September, we’ve had freezing temperatures. You may be in a similar boat, or perhaps you are still enjoying sun and warmth. Either way, I invite you to enjoy a cold inspired gazetteer: Csilla, frozen capital of the Chiss Ascendancy.
CSILLA
Astronavigation Data: Csilla System, Chiss Space, Unknown Regions
Orbital Metrics: 465 days per year / 25 hours per day
Government: oligarchy
Population: 8,120,275,000 (Chiss 99%, others 1%)
Languages: Cheunh
Terrain: glaciers, tundras, caves
Major Cities: Csaplar, Ac’siel
Areas of Interest: Expeditionary Library, House Palace
Major Exports: information
Major Imports: foodstuffs, luxury goods, technology
Trade Routes: Path of the Houses, Vaagari Corridor
Special Conditions: frigid conditions requiring cold-weather gear, and some vehicles and equipment may require cold-weather modifications
Background: Deep within the reaches of the Outer Rim lies Csilla, the glacial capital of the Chiss Ascendancy. Long forgotten human settlers, launched on ancient sleeper ships, colonized the world during a temperate phase. The striking blue Chiss complexion is not, as many believe, a result of frigid cold, but of exposure to exotic minerals on Csilla. Originally settled tens of thousands of years ago, the world entered an ice age around the time of the Great Hyperspace War. What little warm equatorial bands remained froze over, locking the entire world in an icy embrace. The Chiss turned to rigid hierarchy and extensive planning to survive, cementing the oligarchy of the Ascendancy.
With surface temperatures dropping to dangerous levels, the Chiss relocated into the existing network of natural caves. Greatly expanding those caverns by boring extensive tunnels into the depths of the planet, the Chiss located their cities well beneath the shifting ice above. These underground cities are powered by geothermal energy, supplemented by a form of fusion, tapped from the depths of Csilla. High-speed tubeways run parallel to power distribution, linking each city in a planet-spanning power and transportation network. While sufficient power is generated to house and feed Csilla’s eight billion residents, standards of living are spartan with efficiency prized above comfort.
Although a frozen wasteland to surface observers, the vast network of cities below Csilla’s ice serve as the heart of the Chiss Ascendancy. Nearly thirty colonies and hundreds of star systems are controlled from the capital Csaplar. The Ascendancy runs on efficiency and information, with specialized noble houses overseeing specific areas of government activity. Nearly the entire records of the Chiss, including extensive star charts, xenobiological and xenosociological data, and historical reports, are duplicated in hard copy form within the Expeditionary Library. So important is information to the Chiss that scarce resources in space and power are allocated to maintaining a printed backup, lest their precious data be wiped through malicious cyberwarfare or natural geological disruption.
COLD RECEPTION
Throughout galactic history, the Chiss have maintained a policy of isolation to the point of mystery. For vast periods of time, the Ascendancy remained unknown from greater galactic civilization, only entering astropolitics when pushed by outside forces. These insular tendencies are best illustrated by the Ascendancy’s alliance with Vitiate’s Sith Empire. Throughout the years of the Galactic Cold War the Chiss provided military and intelligence support in exchange for guarantees of sovereignty. At the conclusion of that conflict the Ascendancy returned to isolation – in fact being forgotten by the vast majority of the galaxy.
Access to Csilla remains strictly controlled. Visitors must follow strict protocol, under threat of lethal force, during the entirety of their time in the Csilla system. Starships must follow strict flight plans exactly as transmitted, with a heavy fighter escort ensuring compliance. Once aliens land on Csilla, foreigners are restricted to the minimum number of areas required for the purposes of an approved visit. Although the Chiss will not shoot down unauthorized ships on sight, unannounced guests are but a mere misstep away from being destroyed as a threat.
Christopher Hunt
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