Sulsua

"Welcome to the Wasteland."

- Sulsua Tourism Agency

Sulsua is the Mithadorn homeworld and capital planet of the Sulsuan Protectorate. Controlled by the Sulsuan League, it's mineral resources and drinkable surface water are significantly limited, making its harsh deserts inherently inhospitable. It has long stretches of sand and rocky, narrow canyons swirling with dust that provide ample hiding spaces for settlements which continue to thrive, despite the intensely harsh conditions they must contend with.

Geography
With a parched surface of vast, rocky wasteland, towering canyons, and dune seas that stretch from horizon to horizon, it wouldn't be hard to mistake Sulsua for a lifeless rock. Yet, surprisingly, the planet-sized dust-ball that is Sulsua is host to an assortment of highly varied plant and animal life.

Much of Sulsua is without obvious signs of water, and surface water varies from as little as a single percent to a mere two. Despite this, vast sub-surface oceans exist beneath the rocky dunes and sandy oceans that mark Sulsua's distinctive surface.

Deep, winding caves litter the surface of the dry world, many of which lead to vast and expansive caverns, or directly to the many underground oceans from which life on Sulsua is sustained.

Glowstone
Sulsua's caverns are known to grow unusual crystal formations. Known as glowstone this rare and fragile gem is one of Sulsua's main exports and is extremely valuable as a non-electric light source.

Although the process in which glowstone produces light is dubiously accepted, it is believed that glowstone releases light as part of a chemical process within the crystals, absorbing chemical energy and releasing it as light.

It is theorised that glowstone can be harnessed as a chemical battery, should a process of capturing this light as electricity be found. Glowstone absorbs oils - including raw petroleum- it is submerged in, and will be reignited should it dim through this process.

Glowstone is commonly used in non-electric torches and as a novelty decoration.

Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Sulsua is primarily nitrogen, methane and argon, with other trace elements being found within the upper atmosphere. Upon reaching the troposphere and above, the composition of gasses becomes more and more dominated by hydrogen and helium, until reaching the ozone-dominated exosphere.

Biosphere
The Sulsuan biosphere is predominantly comprised of herbivorous, burrowing reptiles and mammalian scavengers. Much of the wildlife is small, with the largest being the native Mithadorn at three meters tall, though the average height of Sulsuan wildlife being only half a meter tall.

Vegetation is scarce on the surface, though much of the underground biosphere is based around thermal vents and the vegetation that feeds on the thermal energy of the caverns. It is estimated only 2% of Sulsuan plant-life is photosynthetic, in comparison to the 98% of the population fuelled by chemosynthesis. These chemotrophs are the lowest end of the Sulsuan food-chain, and vital to the planet's continued habitation.

Water is primarily found underground as well, with vast oceans of water found only under the surface. Without these vast reserves hidden beneath the surface, life on Sulsua would be entirely impossible. Life in these underground oceans is entirely chemotrophic.