DISTANCE: 29.5 light years (lys) from Sol
NEIGHBORING SYSTEMS: Kappa Ceti 7.4 lys 82 Eridani 17.1 lys Epsilon Eridani 19 lys
DELTA ERIDANI began its stellar life cycle as a main sequence yellow-white dwarf. However, hydrogen fusion has ceased within its core causing it to expand into an orange-red subgiant. It will continue to grow larger and brighter until it eventually becomes a true giant star due to core helium fusion. As it has slowly expanded over millions of years, planets that previously orbited in the inner regions have been gradually torn apart by the increasing tidal forces. Currently, there is a dense field of asteroids and dust debris in close proximity to the star, as well as four small rocky worlds orbiting further out in the system.
SARHOON is the second planet in orbit around this subgiant star. Geological evidence confirms that, at one time, this world had large bodies of water and a diverse variety of life on its surface. However, as its sun gradually expanded in size, the planet became increasingly hotter, eventually transforming it into a scorching global desert where equatorial temperatures frequently reach as high as 120 C. The planet’s strong magnetic field has prevented its atmosphere from being ripped away by the stellar winds, but current estimates indicate that within a half million years it will be completely burned off. The only permanent surface water exists in the form of a dozen or so small, briny lakes scattered sporadically around each of the poles.
At first glance, Sarhoon would appear to be a completely dead world, yet many of the primitive lifeforms that once thrived on the planet’s surface have adapted over time to changing climate conditions by retreating deep into underground caverns. Among these resilient beings is a sentient species who call themselves the El’thorians.
The EL’THORIAN race evolved from a unique species of ground-dwelling bipeds that originally populated the surface of this world millions of years ago. These primitive creatures once scavenged for food across what used to be arid grasslands in the northern regions, but were quick to avoid roaming predators by burrowing underground. As the climate grew increasingly warmer, they began digging deeper beneath the surface and remaining there for longer periods of time; subsisting on roots, grubs, and small rodents to survive. Their bodies gradually became slim and limber with long fingers and claws for making their way through narrow tunnels in the dirt. Over thousands of years, many of them eventually reached the labyrinth of interconnecting caverns that perforate the planet’s interior. These caverns contain abundant amounts of water and became a refuge for those who managed to escape the scorched surface. As the El’thorians continued to adapt and evolve; they began to walk erect and even developed the singular ability to think and reason.
Their current physiology is essentially humanoid with small slender builds, chalk-white skin, dexterous fingers with black claw-like nails, and elongated craniums with large brains. By adulthood they typically reach 1.6 meters in height. Their eyes are almost twice the size of Humans’, but they can contract dramatically when exposed to extreme light. Discernably androgynous in appearance, both the males and females are nearly indistinguishable from each other, but females tend to be the most dominant of the two in most aspects of their society. The El’thorians never developed the social complexities of conveying their feelings through facial expressions and body movements and are often perceived as being unemotional and even detached, but nothing could be further from the truth. They are actually a highly empathic species and have the ability to sense strong emotions from others of their own kind. This has enabled them to develop a society which subsists on openness and complete honesty.
Although it is not fully understood, the El’thorians also have a unique perception of time which allows them to foresee brief glimpses of the future only moments before those events actually happen. For them, it is a similar experience as déjà vu and is believed to have evolved as a biological warning mechanism to protect them from impending danger. However, in a small percentage of their population, this innate ability is highly amplified at birth causing these individuals to experience an almost continuous barrage of intense visions. Those few who demonstrate this “gift” are raised in sanctuaries where they spend the majority of their lives in an induced dream-like state learning to interpret these images. These Oracles are regarded with great reverence and honor by the El’thorian people.
In many aspects, the El’thorians have achieved a level of technology comparable to that of early-20th century Earth and utilizes bioluminescent crystals to provide them with most of their light, heat, and energy. Yet, despite all of their advancements, for thousands of years they remained completely unaware of the world above their subterranean home; much less the universe beyond Sarhoon. For several millennia, any explorers who attempted to venture towards the surface were impeded by the unbearable heat. Furthermore, some of the most prominent Oracles throughout their history have had recurring dreams about this fiery realm which were frequently interpreted as omens. As with many cultures, things that they feared or didn’t fully understand were initially viewed with superstition. The belief that the world above was their equivalent of “Hell” quickly became rooted in their common theology and any expeditions to the surface were strictly forbidden.
Less than a century ago, many of the Oracles began dreaming of strange visitors from above crossing over into their world. Most of them saw these visions as a warning of an impending apocalypse, while a smaller number viewed their premonitions as a sign of eminent change and enlightenment. This single divergence among them caused more conflict within their society than any other in their recorded history. Nevertheless, in recent decades, a few intrepid scientists have secretly developed protective gear which has enabled them to finally explore the scorched surface. Their goal was to find new answers to many of the deep-seated questions they had about the true nature of the world around them.
In 2205, the Human crew of the FIC-451 DAUNTLESS, a Frontier Industries deep-space survey vessel, arrived in the Delta Eridani system. After finding an abundance of valuable resources scattered throughout the asteroid field, they proceeded to scan the rest of the system for a suitable base of operations. Although the second planet was continuously bombarded by waves of intense heat, it’s gravity was just slightly less than Earth standard; making it the best candidate for an enclosed outpost. As the crew began to map this seemingly lifeless world from orbit, they detected a series of faint radio emissions that originated from the entrance to an extensive network of caves. The ship’s onboard translation matrix was eventually successful in deciphering the transmissions which included basic information about an indigenous species called the El’thorians. Believing that this technology was simply an ancient relic left behind by a long-extinct race, the crew of the DAUNTLESS was still very eager to investigate this amazing discovery for themselves.
Wearing full-body EV suits to protect themselves from the heat, a small landing party proceeded across the planet’s blistering landscape to the source of the mysterious signals. Once they arrived at the entrance to the caverns, they were astonished to not only find a small outpost constructed nearby, but a group of humanoid lifeforms as well. The El’thorian scientists who operated the research station were just as surprised and tried to suppress their apprehension resulting from centuries of fear and superstition. Believing that they had encountered surface-dwellers who were indigenous to this forbidden realm, they soon learned that these newcomers not only originated from an entirely different planet, but came from a distant star system far from their own. It was clear from the very beginning that both species had much to learn about each other.
The El’thorian scientists knew that the unexpected arrival of these visitors would change everything that their people had believed about their place in the world. They were also well-aware that revealing them to the general populace without any warning would cause widespread panic. For this reason, they chose to introduce these off-worlders discreetly to a group of their more progressive community leaders. However, upon meeting with them, even their most open-minded representatives initially felt a certain level of suspicion because they were unable to sense their emotions. This originally resulted in the belief that Humans deliberately shrouded themselves in order to hide their true intentions. They were unable to understand that their inability to read them was simply due to the differences in their brainwaves. Nevertheless, after bringing them before a revered council of Oracles to ascertain more about them, a tentative trust began to develop between the two species.
Almost 30 years later, the existence of other lifeforms from beyond their world is now common knowledge for the El’thorians. The older members of their society continue to remain rather guarded towards Humans, but the younger generation has developed a growing interest in these curious beings from the stars. A select few Human organizations have established trade agreements which grant them exclusive rights to mine the asteroid field in exchange for new materials and technology. Although the El’thorians have currently chosen not to pursue their own means of space travel at this time, a handful of individuals have occasionally left their homeworld onboard Human vessels as both guests and ambassadors for their people. To this day, there have been no serious conflicts between the two species and the El’thorians even played a vital role in foreseeing the invasion of the Sol system by the Draal.