Quorrquorium

---

Object Name: QUORRQUORIUM (KORR-KORR-ree-umm)

Celestial Classification: Class C Planetoid*, Crystalline and Mineral-based

Planetary Size: ~35677.547136 kmd, or 2.8 times the size of LE

Number of Moons: 9 Artificially constructed crystal structures orbiting the planetoid

Rotational Period: 42 ESH (42 hours per day)

Orbital Period: 210 PRY (planetary rotations per year)

Atmospheric Conditions: Category I

Population Size and Diversity: 1,000,000,000+ Inhabitants (Luciesapiens)

Technology Level: Level V

Quorrquorium is home to crystalline hills, mountains, and valleys. Featuring few species of vegetation, the planetoid is mostly comprised of mineral and rock formations. Despite its thin atmosphere, most species can traverse across Quorrquorium's surface with light environmental protection. Scattered across Quorrquorium’s landscape are a series of lakes and rivers of liquid rock and crystal, which channel trapped solar radiation throughout the planet*. This liquid crystal also serves as primary energy source for the native Luciesapiens in their large Mirror Halls. Tall towers with specialized windows that trap and angle solar radiation from nearby stars, the Mirror Halls help illuminate and energize Quorrquorium's surface.

Quorrquorium is a large crystalline planetoid, dotted with mountain ranges of pristine crystals and geodes. All local species of flora and fauna are carbon and silicon-based lifeforms, and are comprised of crystalline materials and minerals instead of bone, sinew, muscle, and flesh. However, despite these anatomical differences, the organisms native to Quorrquorium are hardy and adaptable, capable of great feats of strength and intelligence. Moreover, though the native Luciesapiens are incredibly durable and versatile, they have structured their lives around the pursuit of cosmic knowledge and discovering the secrets of the universe. 

Orbiting the planetoid are nine large energy crystals, constructed during Quorrquorium’s "golden age" by the Council of Seers. Although they surround the planetoid much like moons would for any other planetoid, they are anything but inanimate celestial objects; they are self-propelled defensive battle stations, and are only inhabited by a few select Luciesapien soldiers and scholars. These large crystals are responsible for protecting Quorrquoium through one of two ways. By aligning the orbits of the battle stations in a precise way, these crystals can form either a nigh-impenetrable energy cage to protect Quorrquorium from enemy space forces, or  fire a destructive energy blast towards a single target. These devastating defensive capabilities have allowed Quorrquorium to remain relatively undisturbed throughout all major galactic conflicts, and this perpetual neutrality has permitted Luciesapien scholars to continue advancing their studies without interference. 

The Luciesapiens (LOOS-see-SAY-pee-AN)

Luciesapiens organize themselves under a strict hierarchical system centered around education, research, and the pursuit of knowledge above all else. At the bottom of their society are the Shardlings. Usually composed of young Luciesapiens or those deemed not intelligent enough to be “worthy” to pursue advanced intellectual endeavors, the Shardlings typically spend most of their days studying and pursuing their academic careers. Conversely, the Brightened Ones occupy the top of the Luciesapien social hierarchy. Individuals who have spent their lives dedicated to studying the Galaxy, The Brightened Ones are considered the finest of their species.  Through merit and scholarship, they are deemed worthy enough to teach future generations of Luciesapiens and lead their species into the future. 

However, Luciesapien emphasis on knowledge and discovery has periodically left them vulnerable to exploitation from other more warlike races. This history of continuous militaristic vulnerability prompted the creation of a secondary hierarchical system, the Hardened Legion. An organization whose sole purpose is to protect Quorrquorium from all antagonist forces by whatever means necessary, the Legion is comprised of Shardlings and Brightened Ones alike. Additionally, the Legion's creation stimulated cooperation between the planetoid’s top scholars and strategists and their most experienced engineers to create the strongest defenses possible. Gradually, this has closed the gap between the Shardling and Brightened Ones social classes, and has advanced Quorrquorium's defensive capabilities to widespread success.

Nonetheless, Luciesapien preference for knowledge and wisdom has limited their ability to sustainably populate their planet. After facing near extinction from the Second Quarran Onslaught and ongoing population stagnation, a group of Brightened One’s devised an artificial way of procreation for the species, which has been used widely across Quorrquorium ever since. 

Calling themselves the “Keepers,” these Brightened Ones artificially engineered a new mineral they named “The Light Seed.” When exposed to interstellar light housed within the Mirror Halls for an extensive period of time, Light Seeds would rapidly grow a Luciesapien infant within its shell. After a few weeks, a newborn Luciesapien would shed the outer layers of the Light Seed and would rapidly mature, reaching adulthood over a few hundred rotational periods. This process of accelerated aging, despite it drastically augmenting (and eventually stabilizing) Quorrquorium’s total population, has inadvertently robbed the Luciesapiens of one critical part of their culture and knowledge; their youth. As a result, their libraries have rapidly lost updated archives on the mental and physical behaviors of Luciesapien children, which has led to increased emotional dissonance between Luciesapien adults and their children.