Dustcrown is the harsh and unforgiving home planet of the Dalaran people. Despite its limited capabilities to support large numbers of people it still is the economic and industrial center in Conglomerate controlled space. At the moment the sole functioning shipyard is near this planet, providing civil and military shipbuilding capabilities to the systems. The reason why is mainly, that Dustcrown has due to the historic development, the nation’s biggest industrial infrastructure. The fact that near the middle of the great desert on the sun-facing side of the planet, the crust consists of big chunks of silicon carbide plates, laying around in the desert does also help to ensure keeping big industrial complexes.
This discovery in the early days of space travel sparked an industry hiding underground, using these plates to create light and easily accessible heat shielding and armored plating. Most of the civilian and military vessels operated by the Trade Defence Force use this material as layered shielding or for high-temperature machinery.
Although as much as there is easy access to silicon carbide, there is also a lack of many heavy elements on Dustcrown. Especially in the early days of the colony, this slowed development down considerably. Most heavy elements today are imported via asteroid mining.
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Etymology
“Dustcrown” was given its name in the earliest days during the arrival of the first settlers to the planet. The mountain ranges going around the whole planet looked like a small band of gold in their eyes, while the constant sand storms on the dayside of the planet give the impression of waving seas.
History
A small bug inside of the navigation A.I. of the colony ship - sent out in 2577 to colonize a planet near what is today the Kingdom of Eirangard - caused a slow but long-lasting drift in a different direction and with their former target system never reached, the sleeper ship originally sent during the Deep Seed Project kept going until its fuel was almost empty. The A.I. then apparently decided to exit FTL in this star system to at least save the passengers on board.
With resources being scarce due to the small habitable area, traveling long distances and trading was necessary means of survival in the first 500 years of colonization. During this time the small band of settlers, which survived the first harsh years without supplies and no major industry developed, spread across the planet claiming valley by valley, rediscovering the planet, and abandoned settlements all other the planet, reclaiming their culture and technology bit by bit.
Focussing on old traditions and lost home cultures, they kept the name “Dustcrown” to remember their ancestors, once arriving on this planet, off course by many light-years without fuel or anywhere else to go.
For a detailed description of Dalaran history on Dustcrown see - Dalaran History
Orbit and Rotation
The planet revolves around its stars much like Uranus does in the old home system of humanity. The only difference is that the rotation around its polar axis is very slow and the planet is tidally locked in addition. This means, that one side is a scorching hot and dry desert while the dark hemisphere is a cold wasteland covered in glaciers and eternal darkness.
Astrohistorians believe that the planet once formed much closer to its main stars and was then forced outwards in a wider orbit, which would explain its current unusual rotation and tumbling motion, as the tidal forces of both stars should not be strong enough to cause the tidal locking in the planets current orbit.
Habitability
The environment is largely split into three zones. A hot desert on the lit hemisphere with temperature up to 380K and on the polar opposite a dark environment with 170K as a minimum. In between those two areas near the terminator on the dayside is a habitable stretch with 100 to 300 kilometers of tundra, grassy plains, and savannas.
Large river valleys flowing from the glaciers to the warmer regions as well as valleys and mountain ranges dominate the planet. The flora consists mostly of species of grass and bushes, with only few tree-like plants that usually are not taller than a human. Constant strong winds have shaped the evolution of the planet, making airborne seed distribution and tonal-based pollination efforts a staple among the flora. The fauna is mostly found underground with burrowing species containing 80 percent of the biosphere's diversity. Airborne gliding vertebrates are the other major group of complex fauna, also containing a large variety of sizes and survival strategies.
Many waste cave systems and certain volcanic areas on the dark hemisphere also house a surprisingly high amount of bioluminescent species from various microbe species to fungi, using their light-producing capacities in a variety of fields of survival.
Notable Locations
The New København valley and its surrounding cities, making up the biggest metropolitan area on the planet
The Fjorden sea, the biggest ocean on the planet and possibly the birth area of the unknown author who wrote “The savings of princess Mysonokis”
Silicon Mine, a wast industrial area on the sun-facing side of the planet, providing most of the production area for high tech goods on the planet
Smørrehus safari park, an area roughly 50000 km² in size, consisting of mostly frozen hills, shelf ice, and seas currently holding the largest colony of emperor penguins brought to the area in the effort to introduce them to the planet. It is possible to book airship tours around the area and view these animals in an undisturbed environment.
The singing ocean, a region spreading all across the globe, usually vast plains only covered in grass with very little wood growth. Native to Dustcrown are at least 120 different species of hollow tubed grass, that create humming sound and – depending on the wind patterns – even melodies that are believed to affect local insectoid species to pollinate the plants and spread the seeds around. Freshly cut grass has a sour, mint-like flavor to it if used in alcoholic beverages like wine or mead.
Human Geography
As the pleasantly habitable zone on the planet is only a few hundred kilometers in width, late traditional cities usually controlled a territory stretching from the glaciers to the desert. This resulted in modern metropolitan areas circling the planet in a more or less consistent band of large cities. Outposts and mining settlements in the deserts in the polar regions of both areas exist but are far and few in between. Those that exist consist of large dome cities with extensive artificial habitats underneath.
Artificial Satellites
The "Discus Aeternum" is a massive orbital living and trading station, effectively controlling all ship movements going in and out of the system. It is designed to mimic a standard earth-like day and night cycle in opposition to the static situation on the planet's surface. The apartments available are considered very luxurious and being able to buy one is a sign of great wealth and social status as good connections to the government and high society are needed to get one.
National Significance
The planet is the cultural and industrial heart of the Star Trading Conglomerate being its capital for almost 800 years now. The sole large-scale shipyard orbits in the solar system providing a steady stream of resources from and to the system.