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CHAR:
Terrain: Ashworld
Affiliation: Zerg Swarm
Status: Overmind's base of operations
Char is a volcanic planet in or near the Koprulu Sector. It was fought over by terrans for its mineral wealth and later settled en masse by zerg.
Char is located in a binary star system. The primaries, a class VI F0 sub dwarf orbiting an M8 irregular variable, bombard the planet with cosmic rays. The planet's extremely elliptical orbit has a volatile affect on its geography. Eris and Ate are Char's two large natural satellites, each being purplish in color and having a diameter of more than 1000 kilometers. The planet has a diameter of 10521 kilometers and a surface gravity of 0.91. Large areas are covered with lava. Char is tectonically active and all 18 of its mountain chains are volcanic.
When the planet's orbit swings close to the stars vast molten areas can form on its sunward face. Conversely as its orbit takes it farther away cooling may cause large temporary islands to form. The acrid air has a high oxygen and sulfur content and laced with ash and the average temperature is 48 degrees centigrade with very low humidity. An unprotected terran may survive on the planet, however uncomfortably. Despite the conditions small pockets of liquid water exist on the surface.
In addition, surveys of Char have revealed the following known landforms:
- 52 volcanic caldera
- 38 lava lakes
- 5 lava seas (variable)
Char has thick layers of ash which can wreak havoc with sensitive equipment and can also cover hazards such as magma pools. Clouds of ash form which are thick enough to block the view of the stars, making navigation difficult. In addition, fluctuating magnetic fields render magnetic compasses unreliable.
The magma, driven by powerful tectonic activity, often seeps to the surface. The harsh tectonic conditions can cause horrifying firestorms which unrelentingly burn across the plains; the tectonic activity can result in "pyroclastic flows" traveling down mountains at speeds of over 100 miles per hour and with temperatures in excess of 800 centigrade (1470 °F). Temperatures are sometimes so intense that entire sections of its surface become liquefied.
While Char has no indigenous life forms, imported ragnasaurs, some mushroom-like fungi, and small rodents have managed to survive.
Char is one of the richest resource nodes in the sector, as the tectonic activity continually uncovers deposits of minerals and geysers of Vespene. Additional resources become accessible when the planet is farthest away from the stars. The temporary islands formed from the magma are replete with minerals.
When mineral deposits are melted, they can be seen protruding from the obsidian landscape, serving as both landmarks and rich mining fields.
Char was discovered by Terrans before the Guild Wars. Terran Confederate and independent Morian mining guilds quickly settled on the planet to exploit its fantastic mineral wealth. Some of the fieriest battles of the Guild Wars were fought on Char. Unrestricted usage of nuclear weapons in some areas awoke dormant volcanoes and made the planet even more radioactive and inhospitable to humans than before. After the Guild Wars the human presence on Char decreased. Those who remained were tasked with maintaining automated mining sites and were housed in a newly constructed orbital platform, Char Aleph.
Recently, Char was selected as a base by the Zerg after they captured Sarah Kerrigan on Tarsonis due to its remote location and rich resources. Its twisting cliffs, magma pools and other features enabled the Zerg to hide their Hatcheries and therefore hide their numbers from enemies. Theorists speculate that the Zerg chose Char because it forms a useful jump-off point to core Terran and Protoss space, that the inhospitable nature makes it easy to defend, or that the high radiation levels promote a higher mutation rate in the Zerg, enabling forced evolution of specialist strains.
