Kyrill is a moon orbiting the planet Arrak in the system The Cradle. It is the homeworld of the Krark and the political and economic center of the Stellar Republic. Most of Kyrill is densely populated and the moon is dependant upon numerous imports, including food, from surrounding worlds. The moon itself is tidally locked to the gas giant Arrak, whose surface reflects enough light to illuminate the planetfaced side of Kyrill at daytime, but also exposes it to a perpetual radiation from the planet.
Name and etymology[]
Kyrill, written in Caw.
The name Kyrill is a transliteration of the name of the moon in Caw. It attempts to mimic the Krark speechpatterns, which contract different croaking and rasping sounds to form syllables and entire words. Kyrill is therefore an approximation of the actual word in Caw, which would roughly translate as "solid ground" and is based on an older, pre-modern Krark word that referred to land, but not to water, when the Krark didn't yet know about other planets.
Astrological characteristics[]
Geology[]
Biosphere[]
Most of Kyrills biosphere is influenced by the stark contrast between the planetfaced side of the moon, which receives a constant stream of radiation from the planet Arrak, and the less extreme backside of Kyrill. Life on the planetfaced frontside of Kyrill developed complex interdependencies to cope with the hostile conditions and it is generally assumed that higher lifeforms would have been near impossible at this side of Kyrill, were it not for Kimoliafloiosida or chalk-barkers: plant-like lifeforms which grow tall, protected by a thick bark of chalk, and provide cover for less resistant life from the radioactive bombardement.
Culture and economy[]
Infrastructure[]
As one of very few worlds in the known galaxy, Kyrill possesses more than one spacelift for orbital traffic. The existence of two of these massive constructions located near the capital Marshbridge and the city of Starcanal are witness to the immense economic importance of Kyrill, which must cope with one of the largest throughput rates of goods and passengers of the entire Aleph sector. In addition to the spacelifts, there is a total of twenty-four orbital ports on the moon, operating fast orbital shuttles for the wealthy.
Transportation on Kyrill itself is done chiefly via train. An extensive network of high-speed railways connects to nearly every city on the moon and allows for fast travel. Individual traffic is largely unknown to Kyrill, whose roads are limited to urban congestions and even there are limited to pedestrian use. There is, however, a custom amongst the wealthy to rely on private planes for travel between major cities.
Trade[]
Kyrill is a major center of trade within the Stellar Republic and handles a massive throughput of wares and capital on a daily base. The moon is both a major industrial center, exporting high-end products including electronics, spaceship components, biogenetical products and advanced micromachinery, as well as the single most important financial market in the Aleph Sector. The stock market of Marshbridge alone has a daily trade volume the size of a minor interstellar realm.
In turn, the densely populated Kyrill is dependant on a constant influx of raw material, consumer products and agricultural produce. These are shipped to the world from all corners of the Stellar Republic and beyond, but of special importance is Kyrills neighbouring moon Arkyr whose hydroponic farms feed the majority of Kyrills population.