Fifth Planet

The Fifth Planet was the original Lunar homeworld in the Bluestar dimension. This planet was originally situated between the Red Planet, and the Storm Giant, which would be synonymous to the planets Mars and Jupiter in our solar system. Due to an incident which is not fully understood even by the Lunarians, the people of the Fifth Planet were forced to start the Great Migration to the Blue Planet on one of their small auxiliary moons. The remains of the planet were scattered into orbit into small rock and crystal asteroids, and is known as the Belt of Stars to the observers on the Blue Planet. The Fifth Planet was visible from the Blue Planet, appearing as a pale white star, generally much dimmer than that of the gas giants and the Red Planet.

Physical Characteristics

The Fifth Planet was approximately three-quarters the radius of the Blue Planet, but had roughly similar gravitational and atmospheric contents as that of the Blue Planet. The planet itself was rich in raw materials, heavy metals, and the mysterious crystals. There were many crystal clusters which appeared to be naturally occurring, but the most useful crystals were those created by the Crystal Masters - natives who were particularly skilled at creating and reshaping crystals. The crystals of the fifth planet served as an energy source for the civilizations.

The planet itself suffered from an extremely cold climate, with temperatures generally below the freezing point on average. Life sustaining operations near the poles were rare, and most of the remaining life on the planet was focused between the temperate zone. Because of the thick cloud layer, below freezing-temperatures, and lack of true sunlight, green photosynthetic plants did not exist in the wilds. Instead, plants tended to surround the crystal fields on the planet. Around these crystal fields, naturally were found the animals that were capable of surviving the cold climates. Some warmth could also be found around the lava mounts and fields, though additional dangers existed from settling around these areas. Temperate life was generally confined to the caverns and grand underground cities of the Lunarians.

Yet, it appears that it had not always been that way. The histories of the Lunar people tell of a time when the Fifth Planet was covered with waters and green plants, similar to that of the Blue Planet. However, by the time of KluYa's generation, the sky had taken on a red-tint, the seas had dried, and the average temperature of the planet had plummeted in such that Blue Planet-like life was not possible. Luckily, the advanced technology and magic of the Lunar people had allowed them to adapt up to that point.

Cultures

Lunarians were by far the most dominant lifeform on the planet, though a feline-like race were a second intelligent race on the planet. Amongst the varied terrain of the Fifth Planet were the large network of carved out Lunarian cities. It was within these cities that the proto-Lunar civilization languished, as the population of the Lunarians was relatively small by necessity. It is said that no one knows exactly what brought on the end of the planet; what is known is that a large mass of the crystals on the planet had grown increasingly unstable before the destruction of the world.

Destruction

More than 1,000 years before the present time of the Wayrift story, the Fifth Planet was completely destroyed, in a planetary-scale meltdown. There were early clues of the planet's collapse, as large scale natural disasters grew more frequent. More unusual were the accounts of these signs of destruction - whole cities were swallowed up as the ground took the consistency of liquid. The underground aquifers, containing the water supply on the planet exploded into a cloud of flame. The crystals, which served as a major power source for the planet flickered away and died. Other crystals had a more violent end, shattering apart and releasing enough energy to vaporize any signs of life in the vicinity.

As the last survivors of the destruction sped away on the moon-ship, the planet cracked apart, and then contracted and folded in itself, before exploding in bright light into a litter of residual dead rock and shattered crystal. Only a small fraction of the people of the Fifth Planet had escaped, turning to the Blue Planet to resettle.

Some notable places on the planet before the destruction:

• The Crystal Chamber - The meeting place where house leaders used to meet.

• Ya Settlement - Large house where the Ya family resided. Birthplace of FuSoYa and KluYa, as well as the rest of the Ya grouping.

• Nos Muul - A house-settlement where the finest specialty warriors were raised and trained. DreanWyr, the Lunar who would become Drake the Hunter, was born here.

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