Urgulu Planetary System
Urgulu is a trinary star system situated within the Well of Embers. No fully charted translight corridors connect directly to Urgulu, and only partially surveyed routes link it to the neighboring Zuqaqipu and Zappu systems. Urgulu is distinguished by the ancient alien ruins on its fourth planet, Kurugallu, and the extensive mining operations across the system’s ultradense asteroid belt. It is an independent star system with no sovereign polities.
Kurugallu
 | |
|---|---|
| Ruins of Kurugallu | |
|
Planet: |
Kurugallu |
|
System: |
Urgulu |
|
Subcluster, Cluster: |
|
|
Supercluster: |
|
Kurugallu is the fourth planet of the Urgulu System, located on the innermost edge of its Goldilocks Zone. It is near-habitable with a largely arid climate, sparse, scarce water sources, and a thin atmosphere consisting of a breathable mix of nitrogen and oxygen, but with low levels of humidity. A perpetual rolling megastorm slowly circles the planet, causing extreme temperature fluctuations that make it barely suitable for human colonization.
At present, the population of Kurugallu comprises roughly 15000 people in the local summer, and 1100 in winter, from 200+ countries in 102 bases and outposts. Of these, only 34 are manned year round.
Physical characteristics
Kurugallu is approximately two thirds the diameter of Earth but with 89% of its mass and a surface gravity of 1.01g. This is mainly due to the high density of the planet's core, composed primarily of iron and nickel, and a planetary crust that is significantly thicker and denser than what is average for worlds of its size.
It is a desert planet, covered largely by salt flats but with a few shallow seas. The planet's landmasses are a mosaic of cracked salt crusts and sandy basins, with a few volcanic plains centered around the planet’s geothermal hotspots. Rocky plateaus occasionally rise from this arid surface, whose subterranean aquifers provide the only sources of water outside of the frozen poles.
Enormous storms ring Kurugallu, appearing from space as broad ribbons that slowly contort across its surface. Wind speeds reach well over 100 kilometers per hour at their center, creating towering dust walls that can reach high into the planet’s atmosphere. These storms last for months and occasionally merge with others to form colossal weather systems that can persist for decades. The largest have been raging for centuries, capable of enveloping whole continents.
Biodiversity
A primitive, native ecosystem exists on Kurugallu. The largest animals consist of several species of predatory birds, which feed on the various small burrowing creatures and insects that make up the remainder of the planet’s biodiversity. By far the most pervasive lifeform on Kurugallu is a type of twisting, thorny vine that covers extensive areas of the planet wherever water is found. Brittle and lifeless when compared to flora from Earth, it has little material use.
The Kurugallu Civilization
Kurugallu is internationally recognized for its pervasive alien ruins, consisting of thousands of enormous boreholes scattered across the planet. These plunge deep into the planetary crust, sometimes reaching several kilometers in depth. Sprawling subterranean complexes ring each borehole, with tunnels and chambers radiating outward into the surrounding bedrock. Known as Terracities, enormous debate surrounds their origins and function.
Research into the Kurugallu civilization is in its infancy, though early studies suggest that the ruins are what remains of an extinct, interstellar race. They are estimated to have died out between 400 and 900 years ago, though other evidence suggests they may have instead abandoned the world.
Most xenobiologists agree that it is not likely the Kurugallu were native to the planet.
The Kurugallu are typically depicted as standing roughly 1.5 meters tall and outwardly reminiscent of terran beetles. Other forms have been suggested however as preserved remains and other artifacts are studied. They are believed to have been capable of higher order thinking and been structured into massive, caste-based societies. Communication is thought to have been facilitated through biochemical means.
The Gateway to Hell: Borehole 814
Located on Kurugallu’s largest southern continent, just beyond the 38th parallel, is Borehole 814, known across the Orion Arm for its epithet, “The Gateway to Hell.” Discovered by accident in 2279 by the crew of a crashed smuggling vessel, it is the deepest Terracity on the planet, with estimates of its total depth ranging from 9 to 13 kilometers. Borehole 814 attracted immediate attention upon its discovery due to the vast fields of structures that surround it, likely a form of hostile architecture. 814 has become a focal point for scientific and archaeological studies.
The Spikefield
Hundreds of thousands of titanic spikes surround the entrance to Borehole 814, emerging from the earth at irregular angles, deviating up to 5 degrees from the vertical axis. They form a field that extends for a total diameter of 21.3 kilometers, with the entrance to the Terracity located precisely at its center. Each spike is formed out of what is believed to be natural rock, coated in a substance that absorbs up to 99.981% of visible light. Despite extensive exploration, the technology and methods used to construct these massive structures are not yet fully understood. The spikes vary in height, with the largest measured at 323 meters tall and ranging from 59.8 to 79.3 meters across the base. Some, spaced at regular intervals, display carved shapes and markings across their surfaces, thought to represent the Kurugallu themselves.
The similarities in their placement and design to long-term warning messages left on Earth have led to a prevailing consensus that these structures were designed to deter outside intrusion. The exact purpose of the hostile architecture surrounding Borehole 814 remains a subject of debate among experts.
Terracity 814
The borehole itself is roughly a kilometer across, making it one of the narrowest on the planet, and at least 9 kilometers deep. Unlike other Terracities, Borehole 814 shows no signs of subsequent occupation, indicating a cessation of use almost immediately following its initial creation. Many theories have been proposed regarding the sudden abandonment of Borehole 814, ranging from environmental catastrophes to social upheavals within the Kurugallu civilization. Others speculate it may have been constructed for religious or ceremonial purposes, and never intended to be inhabited. From 2279-2282, this site was placed under quarantine by the League of Nations Security Council. Over the course of those three years, the contents of Borehole 814 were removed and any records regarding them redacted. While the quarantine remains in place, a lack of manpower has led to its enforcement becoming lax enough for unsanctioned expeditions to occasionally skirt local patrols.