Board Thread:Pitches/@comment-24509294-20140206173908



So, here's my pitch. Any and all feedback is appreciated.



Epsilon V is a Desert planet orbiting Monocerotis α, a class F main sequence star with a smaller, class M red dwarf Monocerotis β tidally locked to it’s larger companion. Epsilon V is the largest of the six planets orbiting around the Monocerotis binary set, with the others being titled Epsilon I, II, III, IV and VI. The gas giant Epsilon VII existed as well, but it’s orbit slowly decayed until it finally spiraled off into space. Epsilon V is a harsh environment, mainly due to the extreme heat and large amounts of radiation output by Monocerotis α. Despite the hostile environment, sentient life has managed to evolve on (and below) the surface of the planet.

The main intelligent species are the Metu, a quadrupedal race that lives mainly underground. Metu have three fingers, as well as opposable thumbs. Their fingernails are long, very sharp and shaped so that they can be connected to each other to form a spade, of sorts. The adult Metu have a scale-like epidermis composed of an iron oxide, which is developed by consuming the abundance of hematite and magnetite found underground. Metu cannot actually process the Iron, however, and if excess ore is consumed it will be regurgitated. These scales protect against predators, as well as the majority of the solar radiation output by the dual stars. They slowly flake off and have to be replaced. The Metu have developed three eyes, with the bottom two seeing the average spectrum and the upper third eye seeing the infrared spectrum. This third eye is mainly used for underground vision. It is closed aboveground, as the excessive heat energy would blind or otherwise damage it.

The Metu have developed FTL warp drives recently, but they are still rather unreliable. Instead, Ion engines are much more commonly used. The Metu have minor outposts on Epsilon III and VI that are used for mining and research. Epsilon IV was deemed unsuitable for colonization due to it’s extremely thick atmosphere. The Epsilon II base project was under construction, but was cancelled when an extraordinary large blast of radiation from Monocerotis α shut down all communications between the base and Epsilon V. The Epsilon II incident was heavily censored by the government, as they refused to send a shuttle to see if the colonists had survived.

Metu culture is heavily based around tradition and order. The Metu who violate the code of laws are first given a warning, then incarcerated, and if their behavior continues exposed to the worst shame possible for them. This shame is where the convicted are forced to let their scales flake off completely, leaving them an outcast from society and forced to stay entirely underground at risk of dying from radiation. These people are referred to as the Etnon Pellum, or the scaleless ones. If the crime committed is severe enough, the felon will immediately become one of the Etnon Pellum. Occasionally, Etnon Pellum band together and form their own settlements, although they are quickly stamped out by the main government.  