The third planet suitable for colonization discovered by the Star Trading Conglomerate is an oceanic world with deep blue seas and 3 small continents and small islands covering the surface.
Table of Contents
Etymology
The name Børneholm [bɔʀn'ɔʔm] is based on the name of a small island that is frequently used in Dalaran folk tales, usually as a metaphor for a far away oasis or small stronghold amidst heavy storms. The planets strong winds and vast oceans are said to have inspired the commity to name the planet after the island.
History
Børneholm was discovered after a small exploration vessel, the “Hieron of Syracuse”, took an attempt to catalog the outer star systems for asteroids and gas giants to use in industrial efforts. When a safe interstellar route was found from the Dalarnas’ End system, several large scientific expeditions were launched later in 3289.
Once in orbit around the planet, legend says the crew of the first exploration ship started to cry seeing the beauty of the planet. How much reality is to that story however is unclear, as some big marketing organizations quickly began to lure in mining executives and wealthy businessmen to invest in the development of deep-sea mining operations and grand hotel projects, shortly after the official colonization took place in 3290, using this exact story as a catch-up to attract customers.
When it became clear that the planet would not be easily suitable for large scale colonization, early interest fizzled down. Although it became a new centre for mining efforts and sea food production as the Corsairian War started in 3295. Several geoengineering attempts during this time made the planet much more interesting for a variety of industries, resulting in steady albeit relatively slow population and economic growth.
Physical Characteristics
Roughly 95 percent of the planets surface is covered in a several kilometer deep ocean, with only few high elevation regions and island chains passing through the ocean surface. Due to this, weather and wind conditions are relatively extreme, even in comparison to the strong and steady winds on Dustcrown.
Orbit and Rotation
Børneholm is the second planet around the K-type main sequence star Vatehel. With an orbital period of 7540 hours, it is located in the stars habitable zone, even without much greenhouse activities naturally happening on the planet. It has a comfortable rotational period of 28.5 hours, making it easy for tourists to adjust to the day and night cycles when visiting.
Habitability
One of the more unfortunate elements, that make the planet less than an ideal tourist destination is the fact that there is no native life on the planet. The atmosphere is not yet ideal and still contains high amounts of toxic metals and compounds that would normally have been filtered out by millions of years of biological activity. The massive introduction of single cellular and multicellular life in recent years, started a promising development as oxygen levels start to rise and the oceans are already teaming with various ecosystems. Robust lichen and moss species are slowly terraforming the few large islands that allow for the creation of settlements. Help from atmosphere scrubbers and massive planting efforts have doubled the amount of oxygen and lowered the toxic elements to a degree, where survival without life support gear is possible. First conventional holiday resorts are in various stages of development, slowly replacing the habitat and underwater stations.
National Significance
Exporting heavy elements and sea based lifestock, the planet plays a mostly complementary role in the STC's overal national economy. While strategically not significant, it is relatively important as a refuelling depot for some merchants and space liners travelling to Talisinkin and its adjacent mining colonies.