JARGUN-BA: THE DEAD PLANET

Itarian scribes place the formation of Jargun-Ba sometime between 420,000–110,000 BTLS (Before The Long Sleep). The ringed world drifted within the Rayon System, attended by two moons, at least until The Crash reshaped its fate forever.

THE CRASH

Little is preserved about Jargun-Ba’s landscape prior to the cataclysm. Based on biological remnants and ancient accounts, Itarian scholars believe the planet must have once been moderately habitable, capable of supporting complex life and early civilizations.

That changed in 410,590 DTLS C5 (During The Long Sleep, Cycle 5). One of Jargun-Ba’s moons slipped from orbit and slammed into the planet’s surface. The impact shattered continents, hurled massive fragments into space, and raised a choking ash veil that blotted out the sun for centuries. More than half of the population died instantly; over the following eras of darkness, millions more perished from cold, famine, and the collapse of planetary ecosystems.

The Scribes of Noplia later recorded that when the ash mantle finally dispersed, Jargun-Ba was unrecognizable. Toxic gases venting from the disturbed core reshaped the atmosphere, mutating the surviving flora and fauna. Plant life became predatory or venomous, animals twisted into brutal, malformed variants of their former species, and most of the planet’s remaining people were reduced to violence and disease. Jargun-Ba was nearly classified as a dead world until Itarian explorers discovered pockets of inhabitants who were mysteriously immune to the toxic air.

REFUGEE CRISIS

When the Itarians formally arrived during the Fifth Cycle, they found a poisoned world drenched in corrosive rainfall and starved of safe water. Most survivors were feral, disfigured, and suffering from extensive neurological decay. Yet among them, the Scribes identified individuals untouched by the fumes; healthy, coherent, and fully capable of survival.

This discovery prompted an urgent relocation effort in 444,520 DTLS C5, but it quickly spiraled into a political crisis. The nearest habitable planet, Pugart, refused to accept refugees; the governorate argued their parched desert world lacked the resources to support more people. Yres, the next closest oasis, could not be used either; bound by treaty to remain pristine in exchange for military and trade allegiance to the empire.

With governors across the Itarian territories resisting additional population burdens, the empire faced an unprecedented refugee dilemma. It was only when Emperor Vorza personally traveled to Jargun-Ba, arriving by dragon-back, that a solution emerged. While surveying orbit, he noted a chain of stable asteroids circling the ravaged planet. Vorza summoned the greatest architects, mages, and engineers from across Itarus to devise a bold plan: construct fully functional living colonies upon the asteroids themselves.

Fargulkian slaves were transported by carrier ships to assist in the colossal undertaking. By 444,525 DTLS C5, the first asteroid-borne settlement stood complete, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the survivors of Jargun-Ba, and a rare triumph in the shadow of one of the Rayon System’s greatest disasters.

Cleansing The Bloodline Book Series

Sci-fi horror writer and Originator, Luke Geldmacher, has taken the rich and tragic lore of Jargun-Ba and created a book series, Cleansing the Bloodline.

Read Book One Here: