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Aweiji

Aweiji System

Sector: Inner Systems

Capital: Tresja

Species: Skrell

Common Languages: Nral'malic

Demonyms: Aweijin

Part of: Nralakk Federation

Aweiji is the first non-Nralakk system colony, located in the modern Inner Systems. While arid and rocky in comparison to Qerrbalak, by 810 BCE terraforming programs converted the planet into a Qerrbalak-like planet for its colonists. The very first colonists settled Aweiji in 700 BCE, beginning in an atoll located between vast, narrow mountain ranges. The landing site became the basis for the city of Tresja, which hosted the location of the largest political meeting in the Nralakk Federation’s history, the Tresja Agreement.

Contents

History

Discovered in 1171 BCE, Aweiji was considered a potential future colony, though its climate was considered inhospitable to skrell. An immense, long-term terraforming project was deemed necessary before any colonization effort began. Terraforming equipment arrived in Aweiji’s orbit by 810 BCE, and slowly shifted to a Qerrbalak-like planet for the comfort of its future colonists. Soon, Aweiji was assigned as a priority, with a colonization spacecraft beginning construction, dubbed the Qu’Qerrvolis, or the Homestar Vessel.

Colonization efforts began in earnest in 700 BCE, with the first colonists initially suffering from Nlom withdrawal due Aweiji’s distance from the Nralakk system. Nlom withdrawal caused the inhabitants to develop anxiety or depression because of their separation from the Nlom, eventually persevering. Aweiji’s first city, Tresja, formed in spite of the psionic malaise, with colonists beginning construction of a Nlom beacon to connect the planet to Qerrbalak once more. During this period, most skrell colonies focused on resource extraction to help fuel the colonization effort, with Aweiji pivoting towards agriculture and aquaculture to take advantage of the climate’s conditions in creating an environment for industrial farming and fishing industries.

During the colonial independence movement, many Aweijiin skrell rejected Commonwealth authority over the colony, agitating for independence. Aweiji the first colony to demand autonomy from the Commonwealth of the Three, shutting down their Nlom beacon when negotiations fell through. With the beacon disabled, Aweiji removed the Commonwealth’s pacifying presence over the Nlom, forcing the Commonwealth to capitulate in light of the colony being the breadbasket of the colonies. These talks continued for decades, ending with Aweiji eventually rejoining the Commonwealth by 866.

Aweiji was not spared from Glorsh-Omega’s rule, being looting the planet through the Orbital Spaceport XY-558 and distributing it across the Federation, mostly devoting towards the production of the AI’s surveillance network. The mining town of Plebu'zlip was Glorsh-Omega’s primary focus, turning it into a massive manufacturing hub for building materials. With the AI’s disappearance, Aweiji’s infrastructural collapse left it isolated from the rest of the remaining Nralakk Federation.

The resulting isolation from skrell society was immensely difficult for the remaining colonists, who struggled to rebuild in the aftermath. Decades of recovery led to the eventual appointment of a government that would organize them, reassuring that Aweijiin skrell across the planet would prosper even in their isolation. When the Nralakk Federation re-established communications, Aweiji society was reluctant to reaccept federal governance, having remembered the original independence movement instigated centuries earlier. Aweiji’s council eventually relented, hosting the Tresja Agreement and its signing by 2245. This solidified the second Nralakk Federation’s legitimacy, and is considered a landmark moment in the second Federation succeeding the first.

Environment

An unlabelled map of Aweiji.

Pre-terraformation, Aweiji was primarily hot and arid, with a rocky surface. Temperatures had regular highs of 60° centigrade, with no humidity due to a lack of natural water. Skrell ecologists and medical specialists speculated that any colonists would suffer from the severe environment regardless of their landing site, pausing any colonization efforts until it was alleviated through a terraforming effort.

Terraforming of Aweiji was achieved through the use of a Seeding-Platform, a new technology that would allow planets to be completely terraformed to the Skrell's liking. Terraforming efforts took nearly eighty years to finish and was considered a great investment as the environment became a humid, tropical climate ideal for Skrell. Once the climate was changed to suit their needs, efforts were made to transplant a large number of species native to Qerrbalak onto the planet which quickly populated the planet's newly formed oceans. The terraforming process was considered a success, but also unintentionally resulted in stormy weather being notably more destructive than on the Skrell's Home planet.

Seasons

The planet's year is 170 days divided into 5 months, with 34 days each. The planet's Qu-Paalq and Lu-Paalq seasons are noticeably warmer than Qerrbalak, with the Qu-Paalq season lasting for three months of the year while Lu-Paalq only lasts for two months.

As Aweiji is the first colony outside of the Nralakk system, it was terraformed with Qerrbalak’s climate in mind. Flora and fauna were transplanted to inhabit the planet, with terraforming efforts making Aweiji into a Qerrbalak-like planet. Weather pattern changes cooled the temperature highs to around 50° centigrade, with 90% humidity during Qu-Paalq, while Lu-Paalq’s temperatures enter lows of 15° centigrade with 60% humidity. Violent weather patterns are a visible side effect of terraforming, with tropical storms forming less often and being more destructive. Most coastal towns and cities are designed to weather the storms, but flooding and destruction is a common sight during particularly strong storms.

Economy

Aweiji forms the backbone of the Nralakk Federation’s logistics network, being a major center for food and material exports. Plebu’qlip’s vast industrial sprawl is a considerable source of refined materials like steel and plasteel, as well as its heavier industries surrounding automobile, boat, and agricultural equipment production. Gwikip and Weibi’zlip are the major centers of food, with Weibi considered the parent of the Nralakk Federation’s agricultural practices, and Gwikip’s immense aquacultures and fishing industries making up the bulk of food exports off-planet. These cities are connected to the greater federal trade network via Orbital Spaceport XY-558, which functions as its central port and commercial center, receiving hundreds of freighter vessels and tourists daily.

Aweiji’s special economic zone is shared between Hephaestus Industries and NanoTrasen. Hephaestus has begun integration into the local manufacturing and mining industries of Plebu’qlip, with the intention to send Hephaestus employees to Aweiji in a newly-built ship assembly factory. The corporation also offers optional training programs for miners interested in expanding their techniques, headed by veteran miners from both terrestrial and space-based operations.

NanoTrasen’s GetMore subsidiary is collaborating with Weibi agricultural scientists to create new crop strains to bolster Aweiji’s crop yields, with stated plans to build hydroponic facilities dedicated to the production and export of skrell food products. Examples include items such as Skrellsnax, a protein bar made from shredded mushrooms, as well as Cooling Breeze, being canned and carbonated dyn tea.

Government

During the interim between Glorsh-Omega’s disappearance and the reformation of the Nralakk Federation, Aweiji adopted a rudimentary form of Grand Council. The Aweijiin Grand Council was simplified due to the reduced scale, with a Grand Councillor at the head being advised by regional councillors. Peripheral advisory boards from Aweiji’s remaining civic structures and social groups were also present, from economic planners to influential figures, such as religious and community leaders, who represented the interests of their groups on legislation.

Today Aweiji consists of four regions, managed by Planetary Governor Maqq’qel Xoi:

• Tresja Region - The Tresja region, named after the capital of the Aweiji, encompasses its namesake and the surrounding landmass. It is the designated bureaucratic center of the planet, with most of Aweiji’ civil service sector based within it.

• Su’karr Region - Named after the Su’karr Bay, the Su’karr Region includes the cities of Plebu’qlip and Hyu’blaq’wesi, their landmasses, the far southern island in the Kol’karr sea. The region manages Aweiji’s sole mineral extraction and processing sector, located solely around Plebu’qlip. Hyu’blaq’wesi is the religious center, with multiple Qeblak observatories located there, and is home to the largest Orthodox Eternal church within Nralakk Federation beyond Xrim.

• Weibi Region - The Weibi region is named after the city of , Weibi’zlip, and consists solely of the island surrounding it. This region hosts most of Aweiji’s agricultural sector, and is commonly referred to as the Federation's breadbasket.

• Ignakii Region - The Ignakii region is named after the Ignakii Ocean, and consists of Gwikip and the island to its southeast. The region manages most of Aweiji’s industrial fishing and aquaculture sector, and is the maritime equivalent to the Weibi Region in terms of food production. Both Ignakii and Weibi’s exports make up for 19% of the Nralakk Federation's food production.

Culture and Demographics

Known as "The Federation's Breadbasket", Aweijin skrell represent the Nralakk Federation’s prized diligence and work ethic, with their values focused on hard work and contributing for the good of society. These ideals remain cultivated by the Aweijin government, who are wary of the past independence movements on the planet.

Citizens from Aweiji are considered more respectful of tradition, emphasising the importance of quyas as a cornerstone of social harmony. Most Aweijin skrell are motivated to work to the betterment of the Federation, and considered model citizens. Social mobility within the Social Compatibility Index is notably higher on the planet, with multiple idols and Primary Numericals having origins on it. The number of idols from Aweiji spawned a trend of Primary Numericals and idols emulating the Aweijin accent, forming the often heard “Fauxweiji”. Most Aweijin natives have a low view of the trend, however, but are aware of the futility in resisting it.

Quyas on Aweiji focus on instilling useful skills, positive habits, and federal values to their children. This is reinforced through their community and schooling, in the hopes of perpetuating the cycle when their children move to form their own later in life. This cycle results in most quyas involving themselves in the lives of their children to the point of continuing it long after their children are independent, with cultural importance on forming and maintaining families, believing that their quya should come first.

Aweiji’s importance in the Nralakk Federation’s economy has granted it incentives and benefits from the government, giving it a distinctly improved quality of life in comparison to the rest of the first wave region.

Holidays

• Founding Day: Aweiji’s Founding Day is not celebrated on the date of its establishment, separate from the traditional date viewed by the rest of the Nralakk Federation. Instead, the holiday is viewed at the start of the anniversary week of the Tresja Agreement‘s signing. Official festivities are brief, being a preamble to the proper celebrations during the agreement’s anniversary. Most celebrations consist of gathering in remembrance of the hardship the planet endured through Glorsh-Omega’s reign, followed by visiting Weibi’zlip’s farmers markets for excess produce at the end of Aweiji’s harvest season.
• Yoq’Maa’Aweiji: Translating to ‘The Reconnection of Aweiji’, this holiday celebrates the signing of the Tresja Agreement in 2245, and its significance in returning Aweiji to the Nralakk Federation. Celebrants host large banquets hosted between neighborhoods, sharing stories from the year and celebrating Aweiji’s perseverance in the face of hardship.
• Qe’Lya-Maq: Qe’Lya-Maq is a yearly pilgrimage, beginning in the middle of Aweji’s Lu’Paalq season. Thousands of Qeblak followers take pilgrimage to Hyu’blaq’wesi to participate in Stargazing processions held by the eight largest observatory domes in the city. During the pilgrimage, the local Orthodox Eternal community will offer their help to the city through providing food, lodging, and assisting to the visiting pilgrims. Their charity receives great support from Aweiji's government, with their volunteering compensated, and has cemented the religious minority's place within the city.

Demographics and Aliens

A pie chart showing the demographics of skrell living on Aweiji.

Most of Aweiji’s established cities are coastal and variably submerged, resulting in Axiori skrell making up a majority of its residents, with a sizeable Xiialt minority. Xiiori skrell also make up a notable portion of the population, thanks to the intermingling of both.

Aweiji has no local vaurca communities on Aweiji or its orbital installations, leaving diona as the majority non-skrell demographic. With the establishment of Aweiji’s special economic zone, a small human population is facilitated between Hephaestus and NanoTrasen.

Skrell

Skrell make up roughly 94% of Aweiji's population. The percentages below are of the skrell population only.

• 62% Axiori
• 28% Xiialt
• 10% Xiiori

Non-Skrell

Non-Skrell make up roughly 6% of Aweiji's population. The percentages below are of the Non-skrell population only.

• 98% Diona
• 2% Human

Major Cities and Landmarks

A map of Aweiji and its cities.

Tresja

Tresja is the capital of Aweiji, and is located in a mountain-shielded atoll. Within Tresja is the Tresja Monument, a statue of the Qu’Qerrvolis sculpted by Rixulin Fliioux’Quualt as a memorial to the colonists. The city is culturally important across the Federation, being the city that held the Tresja Agreement, a conference that formed the foundation of the second Nralakk Federation and considered the point of its legitimacy as a successor state.

The city is divided into two sections, consisting of the aboveground section built the atoll’s central island, and the submerged section that expands deep underwater. The surface section of Tresja is the center of the city, with most buildings housing the planetary government. The surface is also a notable tourist and educational hotspot, with a notable portion of Tresja's income coming from field trips from Federation educational centers, with most young skrell claiming to have visited the capital at least once.

The submerged section of Tresja acts as the residential center of the city, with an underwater transportation system connecting it to the surface. While the surface is the central source of the city’s income, local economies under the water flourish from Tresja’s proximity to the Kol’karr sea. Day trips and personal tours of the sea are common, with prestigious universities focusing on ecological and biological sciences regularly arranging trips, making up the bulk of income from field trips for students studying how transplanted fauna and flora adapted to living in Aweiji's waters.

Plebu’qlip

Plebu’qlip is the third largest population center on Aweiji, and is the planet’s industrial center. Established in 200 BCE, Plebu’qlip rests along the mountain range across the western island chain to access the mineral deposits present in order to support early expansion of the colonies. With poor access to minerals and small reserves, Plebu’qlip’s mines were closed and instead focused on its agricultural industry early, and was the sole mining facility on Aweiji.

Despite Aweiji’s lack of mineral resources, its non-arable land surrounding Plebu’qlip were utilized for industrial expansion, most notably by Glorsh-Omega. Glorsh-Omega’s expansion of the city was a receiving point for the Traverse’s raw materials, which were refined and then sent to the inner systems. Plebu’qlip’s steel and plasteel refineries are its most notable export, as well as the automobile industry, boating manufacturers, and agricultural equipment. Because of this, Plebu’qlip is the main economic center of Aweiji, and an integral logistics center of the Nralakk Federation as a whole. Amenities within the city are notably of higher quality out of federal interest in keeping the city loyal and in-step with its interests, well aware of the potential second independence movement’s disastrous effects.

Hyu’blaq’wesi

Hyu’blaq’wesi is located in the northern mountain ranges, isolated from the rest of Aweiji’s other cities. Due to its isolation and relatively small population, Hyu'blaq'wesi has notably low light pollution. This has made the region an ideal place to stargaze for followers of Qeblak and Weishii, and is considered the religious center of the planet.

Founded in 2270 by pilgrims visiting the Wonqio Monastery Observatory Dome, the monastery is culturally significant due to housing the original Qeblak manuscripts surrounding its earliest history. This information was considered lost with the locking of the Tzqul Archive, with the manuscripts transported back to Qerrbalak for archival. Copies of the original manuscripts are stored in the Wonqio Monastery to this day, being an attraction for pilgrims.

Hyu’blaq’wesi hosts eight observatories, each capable of hosting ten thousand visitors in their interiors. These observatories are dwarfed by the Wonqio Monastary, which is the largest Qeblak Observatory Dome within the Nralakk Federation, hosting a total of thirty-five thousand. These observatories are pilgrimage sites for Aweiji’s citizens, who are predominantly followers of Qeblak. Despite this, Hyu’blaq’wesi hosts a growing community of Weishii followers and members of the Orthodox Eternal faith.

Despite few suitable natural sites for Weishii followers near Hyu’blaq’wesi, some secluded grottos or other bodies of water near the coast are established sanctuaries. Unlike Qeblak followers who make annual pilgrimages to the city, Weishii followers have permanent communes on the outskirts of Hyu’blaq’wesi within the sanctuaries, which have formed the largest Weishii centers on Aweiji.

Orthodox Eternal’s followers have established their church near the center of the city within a Penuma gestalt. This is the only sanctioned Penumas within the Nralakk Federation that exists outside of the Spiral Gardens, with the exception that the gestalt be cared for by a non-affiliated group of skrell scientists. Although the Eternal community is a religious minority, they are well known due to their charity towards first-time pilgrims, hosting them in free lodgings, and guiding them if needed. The followers also man tourist kiosks and host public events out of their church.

Weibi’zlip

Weibi’zlip is the second smallest city on Aweiji, being established on the planet’s equatorial island chain in order to exploit the chain’s fertile land for agricultural output.

Pre-Glorsh-Omega, most farm work in Weibi’zlip was automated, with synthetics strictly managed for optimal plant growth. After Glorsh-Omega’s disappearance, all agriculture in the city was forced to be done manually in order to continue its role as Aweiji’s primary source of food. The workers of Weibi’zlip developed the Weibi Method across fifty years in order to handle the immense workloads. After the Tresja Agreement in 2245, the agricultural philosophy was spread to other planets within the Nralakk Federation. With the city’s techniques revolutionizing agricultural efficiency across Federation space, Weibi’zlip and Aweiji are revered as the “Parents of Agriculture” to this day. Weibi’zlip is no longer the sole food production center of Aweiji in the modern day, but still produces two-thirds of the planet’s total agricultural output, and is the main processing hub for exports to be sent to Spaceport XY-558.

While Weibi’zlip is remembered for its revolutionary farming methods and being the key to the survival of Aweiji in post-Glorsh-Omega before the re-establishment of the second Nralakk Federation, the city also houses a critical archive for the Nralakk Federation. The Weibi Archive stores the majority of the species’ knowledge of agricultural science, as well as a seed vault containing samples of all skrell crops.

Gwikip

Gwikip was established on the coast of a small island near Aweiji’s northern pole, where the planet was seeded with the majority of the Qerrbalak marine life post-terraformation. Currently, Gwikip is tied with Weibi’zlip for smallest total population.

Despite its size, Gwikip represents a significant portion of Aweiji’s food production, accounting for a third of total food exports. The city specialises in traditional fishing in the Ignakii Ocean and aquaculture along its coastline, representing the majority of Aweiji’s maritime industry.

Citizens from Gwikip are typically stereotyped simple fishermen, though most in its fishing industry are marine biologists, ecologists, and veterinarians who ensure the fishing industry is sustainable and not detrimental to the marine population. While their counterparts in Weibi’zlip are environmentally conscious for their agriculture, Gwikip’s specialists monitor the ocean and their fishing industries.

Orbital Spaceport XY-558

Orbital Spaceport XY-558 was the Nralakk Federation's first deployment of a Seeding Platform, tasked with terraforming Aweiji to be habitable and capable of supporting colonies. XY-558 is a pre-AI installation, with its comparatively imprecise terraforming of Aweiji creating the new common violent tropical storm cells. Large scale terraforming projects were shelved after Aweiji was terraformed, then reintroduced following the adoption of AI, before its subsequent abandonment again after Glorsh-Omega and the Federation’s AI bans.

Modern XY-558 is considered an orbital city with thousands of skrell aboard, with residents using the pre-existing habitation blocks. Retrofits allow it to function as a spaceport for shipping freight and host simultaneously docked vessels, with dozens of ships and shuttlecraft capable of being docked simultaneously within its many airlocks and exterior hangars.

Visitors to Aweiji typically spend their first day in the spaceport, browsing the massive commercial deck known as the Aweijiin Bazaar. This region of the spaceport has roughly two dozen permanent retailers and restaurants, with many more smaller fronts that rotate seasonally.

Unique Constellations

Due to the period of Aweiji’s colonization, the planet has a notable Qeblak congregation. As Qeblak is the dominant religion on Aweiji, multiple minor constellations in its skies are considered religiously important.

Catalogued early on in Aweiji’s history by Starkeepers, these constellations have influenced its residents to be more self-sufficient and introspective. When Glorsh-Omega disappeared, this influence became especially prominent during Aweiji’s isolation and troubled period, with its inhabitants enduring greater hardship. Modern Aweijin skrell preserve this behavior in the modern day by training themselves in survival skills and self-sufficiency.

The Nioh: Trust. Reliance. Perseverance. Survival.

The Mountain: Self-analysis. Feelings of accomplishment. Clearer view.

The Sraso: Sustainability. Growth. Safety.