Darkover - Darkover Weather, Geography, and Flora/fauna

Darkover Weather, Geography, and Flora/fauna

Darkover's weather is affected by two major forces:

• A huge mountain range called "The Wall Around the World" which reaches a height of 9,000 meters above sea level. This mountain range has the cooling effect of a third pole and has set the angle of Darkover's axis of rotation to be more extreme than that of Earth's which causes an extreme fluctuation between summer and winter temperatures in its equatorial region.
• Unlike the Earth, which has only one natural satellite, Darkover has four moons which affect tidal forces and weather patterns.

Darkover's four moons vary in size and color, two appear large from the surface of the planet. The largest is named Liriel, and appears to have a violet tint. The second largest, Kyrrdis, is described as "peacock blue." The third, sea-green hued Idriel, appears to be mid-range in size, while the fourth, Mormallor, is a very small white moon. It is thought that Mormallor may have been a passing asteroid that was captured by Darkover's gravity.

Viewing Darkover from space, the planet is dominated by polar icecaps that cover a majority of its surface. The sole continent, just a few degrees north of the equator, is linked to the northern icecap on the continental northern and eastern side where glaciers from The Wall Around the World mountain range abut the cap. To the south and west of that mountain range is Darkover's nominally temperate continental zone which borders the open water of the planet's ocean.

This part of the continent is dominated by forests of giant evergreen trees that grow in the mountain foothills to heights unimaginable on Earth due to the planet's lower gravity. These trees contain high amounts of flammable resins which contribute to numerous forest fires during the warmer months. Further, southwest from the forests are Darkover's highlands, plains, salt marshes and arable river valleys. On the continent's far western side is another mountain range called "The Hellers" and a high elevation cold desert plateau called "The Dry Towns."

The native fauna of Darkover includes a number of species not found on Earth. Earth fauna that is adaptable to severe cold can also survive on Darkover.

Colorful scorpion-ants inhabit the warmer areas and are responsible for occasional deaths among the inhabitants. They are social insectoids similar to Earth ants in hive activity, but considerably larger and their sting is deadly poison.

Banshees are large, flightless, blind, carnivorous birds that live in the higher elevations and occasionally venture into the mountain passes to feed on rabbit-horns and the occasional unwitting inhabitant. Banshees terrify their prey with their blood-curdling screams. This has the effect of making the prey flee, and thus become visible to the banshee's infrared (body heat) sensing system. While they may be blind, they are very efficient hunters with this infrared sensing mechanism, although they can not sense unmoving prey. Banshees are at least half again as big as an Earth ostrich. They have a hooked beak for tearing meat and can disembowel their prey in one motion with the sharp talons on their muscular legs.

Rabbit-horns are a small herbivorous mammal similar to a horned rabbit. They are consumed by the inhabitants and other fauna as a source of meat.