Ytharia (/ΙͺΛΞΈΙΛriΙ/) was the homeworld of the Alf and the historical, cultural, and political center of the Asterra Star System. The second of the system's seven primary planets, it was the only world in Asterra known to support complex native life. An ocean-dominated terrestrial world orbiting within the narrow habitable band of its cool primary star, Ytharia sustained a stable, temperate climate across geological time β the quiet precondition that allowed the Alf to emerge, endure, and eventually look outward to the rest of the system.
For the whole span of recorded Alf history, Ytharia was the fixed point around which civilization organized itself: the cradle of settlement, the seat of the Conclave Assembly, and the administrative and economic heart of the system. That era ended with the arrival of The Invaders β later understood as The Pursuers β whose incursion rendered the planet inhospitable and war-torn. Ytharia survives today only in record and memory, an origin point its people can name and map but no longer return to.
History
The history of Ytharia spans the full arc of Alf civilization, from the earliest organized societies to the loss of the planet itself. It is conventionally divided into broad periods, defined less by fixed dates than by the character of the age.
The Settlement Era
The earliest period of Alf history is defined by the slow spread of organized society outward from a handful of coastal and river heartlands. Expansion was paced by geography and resource availability rather than ambition; the fragmented, archipelagic nature of Ytharia's landmasses meant that early populations developed in relative isolation, separated by open water and the mountainous interior of the central landmass. This isolation shaped the deep diversity of Alf settlement groups, who adapted to coastal, riverine, and inland environments over many generations.
Preservation β of knowledge, of infrastructure, of life β became the organizing value of Alf society during this era, and the roles tied to it (medicine, engineering, logistics, education) emerged as the most respected. Leadership was earned through demonstrated experience and care rather than charisma, a pattern that would persist into the modern age.
The Age of Nations
As populations grew and consolidated, the patchwork of early settlements gave way to organized states. Three powers came to dominate the planet and, by extension, the system: the Republic of Valdris, a democracy structured around corporate institutions; the White Diamond Federation, a wealthy and powerful oligarchy; and the Holy Auravyn Crown, a monarchy. Alongside these rose independent nations such as Nyr.
The rivalry between the three dominant powers defined the modern era β a prolonged, grinding cold war marked by proxy conflicts, espionage, and the slow buildup of military and industrial capacity. The era's conflicts, including the Great Wars, were felt generationally, in keeping with the Alf capacity to carry grief and loyalty across decades. It was in this climate that the paramilitary intelligence companies, among them Will Company, grew into instruments of state power.
To manage the tensions of a divided planet, the powers maintained a shared diplomatic body β the Conclave Assembly β which convened on Ytharia's surface and reinforced the planet's status as the system's political center.
The Invasion
The modern era ended with the arrival of an external threat. What began as a series of unexplained stellar signatures and luminosity events resolved into a coordinated incursion by an unknown force, designated The Invaders. The divided powers of Ytharia, long accustomed to treating one another as the primary threat, were slow to coordinate a response.
As the nature of the enemy became clearer, their designation changed. The Invaders were not seeking conquest for its own sake but the retrieval of something specific β a realization that recontextualized the entire conflict and gave them the name by which they are now known: The Pursuers.
The Fall
Within a few short years, Ytharia β the historical and cultural origin point of the Alf β was rendered inhospitable and war-torn. The surviving institutions of the Republic of Valdris and its military arm, Will Company, turned from the defense of the planet toward the long work of survival. Planning shifted to a managed departure from the system under Project Exodus, with the distant companion star Carmyn designated as the first waypoint. Ytharia itself was left behind.
The Alf
Ytharia was the homeworld and sole point of origin of the Alf, a humanoid species of lighter build and longer limbs, adapted for endurance over raw strength. Their skin tones run to muted purples and cool grays, and their eyes β vivid reds, purples, blues, and greens β are adapted for the low light and reflective glare of an ocean world. With lifespans of 140 to 180 years, the Alf mature late and remain cognitively stable deep into old age.
Emotionally, the Alf are slow to surface but long-lasting: loyalty, grief, and a sense of responsibility persist for decades, internalized rather than openly expressed. This temperament, combined with a history of prolonged and costly conflict, gave Alf society its enduring character β cautious, preservation-minded, and oriented toward the long term.
Alf settlement on Ytharia was historically organized around three broad environments β coastal, river, and inland β each shaping the cultures that developed within it.
Geography
Ytharia was an ocean world, with roughly 72% of its surface covered by liquid water beneath a moisture-rich atmosphere. Its landmasses were concentrated in the southern hemisphere as a fragmented chain of regions and archipelagos rather than continuous continents, separated by open ocean and inland seas.
The principal regions included the Western Reach, a broken expanse of peninsulas and bays that was among the most densely populated areas of the planet; the Northern Coast, a compact landmass set apart by a channel; the Eastern Arm, a mountainous region tapering toward the northeast; the Southern Wilds of the central belt; and the scattered Southwest Isles. Running west-to-east across the central landmass was the great mountain range known as The Spine, whose peaks divided the interior and fed the river systems that supported inland settlement.
The largest body of water, the Shattered Sea, dominated the planet's populated hemisphere and served as the primary medium of trade, travel, and contact between otherwise isolated regions β a defining feature of a world where the sea connected as much as it divided.
Nations and Territories
At its height, Ytharia was divided among several major and minor powers.
| Power | Government | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Republic of Valdris | Democracy (corporate) | Primary power followed in the modern era; home of Will Company |
| White Diamond Federation | Oligarchy | The wealthiest and most powerful of the three dominant states |
| Holy Auravyn Crown | Monarchy | The third member of the cold-war triad |
| Nyr | Independent | Among the notable independent nations |
The Conclave
The Conclave Assembly was the shared diplomatic body of the major powers, convening on Ytharia's surface. Its presence reinforced the planet's role as the political center of gravity for the entire system, even as wealth and power remained unevenly distributed among its members. The Conclave served as the primary venue for negotiation, disclosure, and dispute between the dominant states, and its proceedings became increasingly fraught as the threat of the Invaders emerged.
Planetary Properties
All values are relative to Terra unless otherwise stated, with Terra = 1.
- Semi-major axis: 0.68 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.04 (with 0 being a perfect circle)
- Periapsis: 0.653 AU
- Apoapsis: 0.707 AU
- Orbital period: 286 standard days
- Orbital velocity: ~34.8 km/s
- Axial tilt: 18.4Β°
- Inclination: 0Β° (reference plane for the Asterra system)
- Surface gravity: 1.02 g
- Mass: 1.08 Earth
- Mean surface temperature: ~284 K
- Surface water coverage: ~72%
- Atmospheric pressure: ~1.4 bar
Astronomical Features
Ytharia was orbited by two moons. The major moon, Elaris, governed the planet's primary tidal cycles and stabilized its axial tilt against long-term drift β a quiet but essential contributor to the climatic stability that allowed life to persist. The minor moon, Tirien, followed a more distant orbit locked in a 2:1 resonance with Elaris, completing one orbit for every two of the larger moon's. From Ytharia's surface, Tirien was frequently occluded by Elaris and visible only during specific alignments.
The resonance between the two moons produced a recurring three-body alignment of Asterra, Elaris, and Tirien β a periodic syzygy known among the Alf as the Veiling. During this event the moons aligned to cast an unusually deep and prolonged eclipse, accompanied by extreme tidal extremes along the coasts. The Veiling held significant cultural and folkloric weight, marking transitions in the traditional Alf calendar and appearing throughout the planet's mythologies.
Present Status
Ytharia is no longer habitable. Following the arrival of the Pursuers, the planet was rendered inhospitable and war-torn, stripped of the complex native life it had supported for geological ages. Its cities and infrastructure are abandoned, and no Alf population remains. It endures as the historical and cultural origin point of its people in record and memory only β a world the Alf can name, map, and mourn, but no longer return to.