Planet Erebus

Overview:
Erebus is the third planet from the star Victoria, a cold and forbidding world renowned across the Victoria system for its wealth of resources—chiefly the rare and volatile element Etherium. It is also infamous for its iron-fisted rule by the Astraea Corporation, a megacorporation that functions as both government and oligarchy. Erebus is a stark contrast to its sister world, Elysium: where Elysium is lush and diverse, Erebus is stark, regimented, and perpetually on the edge of survival.

Geography & Environment:
Erebus orbits at the far edge of Victoria’s habitable zone. The planet is smaller than Earth, with only 6.5% of its surface covered by water—most of it locked away as polar ice. The average temperature hovers just below freezing; the atmosphere, while technically breathable, contains trace toxins that make long-term unprotected exposure dangerous. The surface is bleak and windswept, marked by rocky plains, jagged mountains, and the scars of heavy mining. Little native flora or fauna remains; what survives is hardy, elusive, and often dangerous.

Historical Background:
Astraea Corp. was granted exclusive rights to Erebus in 2138, soon after the system’s discovery and colonization. The corporation established vast mining operations to extract Etherium and other minerals, building networked underground cities to shield workers from the hostile surface. For decades, Erebus was a beacon of industrial progress and profit, with the vast majority of its population consisting of corporate employees and their families.

All changed after The Event of 2184, when contact with Earth was severed. Panic and unrest swept the planet. Astraea’s response was swift and brutal: martial law was imposed, dissent crushed, and a fifth of the labor force was executed to restore order. Since then, Astraea’s rule has been absolute—martial law was never lifted, and the planet became a corporate dictatorship in practice and culture.

Society & Government:
Erebus is a company planet, governed by the Astraea Corporation with all the efficiency—and ruthlessness—of a for-profit entity. The CEO and Board of Directors are the ultimate authority; below them, planetary administration is handled by a hierarchy of corporate officers and District Administrators. All settlements are underground, interconnected by maglev trains and tunnels, with the city of Agartha serving as the corporate capital and administrative center.

Society is strictly hierarchical and utilitarian. Virtually all residents are employees or dependents of Astraea or its subsidiaries (notably Vitatech Labs). Social mobility is rare and usually tied to loyalty, productivity, or willingness to enforce the corporation’s will. Life is closely monitored—surveillance is omnipresent, and security forces maintain order with an iron grip. Civil rights as understood elsewhere barely exist; “disloyalty” is a crime, and public dissent is met with swift punishment.

Economy:
The economy of Erebus revolves entirely around resource extraction and processing, especially Etherium, which is exported as raw crystal or refined Steam to the rest of the system. This monopoly gives Astraea immense leverage over the nations of Elysium, and Etherium shipments are tightly rationed and politically weaponized. Food is perpetually scarce, grown in underground hydroponics or acquired through trade with Elysium (primarily with Ruritania and the Colonial Alliance). The population lives under constant rationing, and smuggling, theft, and black-market trade are rampant despite severe penalties.

Technology:
Erebus remains the most technologically advanced world in the Victoria system, but only by clinging to the remnants of its golden age. The majority of machinery, tools, and vehicles are centuries old, maintained through careful repair and a culture of obsessive preservation. Astraea Corp. and Vitatech Labs are constantly seeking to reverse-engineer or “acquire” new High Tech, often through espionage or black-market deals. Advanced medical and genetic technology is available—but only for the elite and corporate loyalists.

Culture & Daily Life:
Life on Erebus is harsh, disciplined, and insular. The corporate ethos permeates every aspect of existence: loyalty, efficiency, and conformity are prized above all. The arts, religion, and free thought are discouraged unless they serve the corporation’s interests. Propaganda is prevalent, extolling the virtues of duty and sacrifice for the greater good of Erebus and Humanity. The most common “festivals” are state-sponsored rallies or productivity celebrations.

Underground settlements are claustrophobic and crowded, illuminated by harsh artificial lighting and kept alive by humming life-support systems. Social life revolves around work teams, ration lines, and the ever-present surveillance of Astraea’s Security Forces. The majority of Erebians are weary, pragmatic, and wary of outsiders—but beneath the surface, discontent simmers.

Notable Factions:

Astraea Corporation: The absolute authority, controlling every aspect of life.
Vitatech Laboratories: A subsidiary known for its controversial genetic experiments and the creation of servitor races like the Dweorg.
The Long Insurgence: A decentralized resistance movement, fighting for freedom via sabotage and underground networks.

Relations with Other Worlds:
Astraea Corp. deals with Elysium purely on a transactional basis—its Etherium monopoly is both shield and sword. Erebus relies on food imports from Elysium, especially Ruritania and the Colonial Alliance, and guards its technological secrets jealously. Its reputation is cold, ruthless, and unyielding—a necessary evil in the eyes of some, a tyrannical oppressor to others.

Summary:
To outsiders, Erebus is a grim warning of what happens when survival, profit, and control outweigh freedom and hope. To its rulers, it is the last redoubt of order against chaos, and the indispensable engine of human civilization in the Far-Star Victoria system.

Number of colonists in the year 2184: 273,430

Current world population in the year 2512: 10,170,101