The planet of Zun is a place of natural wonder and of technological heights. With three continents and a vast body of water, the planet could be seen as a paradise, but upon closer inspection, while these vast regions are beautiful in some cases, spectacular in all, the amount of life on the planet is remarkabley low, and as such a healthy lust for wealth and for religion are both strong on the planet of Zun.
One of the first things noticed about the planet by those on their first visit, is usually the gigantic landmass known as the Dark Side. Planet Zun orbits its sun, and rotates just as most inhabited planets do, and light is regularly cast upon the this Dark Side, but what gives this continent its name is the colour of the soil and the rock, and the fact that nothing of any significance grows there. Black soil on many planets is often a sign of healthy soil, good for growing plants and for raising livestock, but the vast, arid, dead plains that make up the Dark Side of Zun are testament to not all facts holding true in all places. Nothing will grow in the soil, even after centuries of trying, and so this vast area of Zun remains largely uninhabited.
Similar to the Dark Side are two other great geographical features of the second continent of Zun. The Barren Plains, an arid wasteland of granite sand, hot and dry and devoid of all but the most hardy of life, is the third largest open space on the planet, and is the subject of many myths regarding the original inhabitants of the planet, but it is a place seldom visited by the current people.
A small subsection to the far west of the Barren Plains is the Targ's Teeth. This granite sand desert area is remarkable for the large solid granite rocks that stick up from the surface of Sun. These range in size from mere inches to several yards tall, with some measuring several feet across. Targ is another member of the myths and folklore so popular among the older residents of Zun, and is highly revered as a folk hero. The area is quiet, save for the sounds of the winds rushing between the rocky outcrops, and is a favourite destination for those keen on meditation, be they artists, stressed out corporate types or warriors seeking enlightenment.
The third continent is not actually on the surface of the planet, but exists under the ground. Known simply as the Underdark, the vast warren of caves in the crust of Zun are yet another spawning ground for stories, both religious in nature and also simple fairytales. Most concern the inhabitants of the Underdark, the original people of Zun, banished to the underground warrens by the god who gave the planet to the current people, who in turned named the planet after him. The Underdark has areas of blistering heat and of bone aching cold, with shafts open to the superheated magma of the planet's core, but also areas totally locked away from all light, either from above or from below.
The most highly populated areas are the two cities, Copper Town and Steel City, each looking in a differant direction. Copper Town lies to the east while Steel City lies to the west, and between them, the center of all compass bearing on Zun, lies the Grand Crater. The crater was given this special place among the people of Zun (commonly referred to as Zunians, while officialy Zun is a collective term - one Zun, two Zun, three Zun - much like the word fish). The crater is the site of their most important story, when their god, their creator, their deity above all others fought his final battle against his most terrible of enemies, and the crater is the site, according to the legend, where the mighty champion gave his life to destroy the great terror who would enslave the people. The champion gave his people freedom, and it cost him his life. How much of this story is true or not is yet to be determined, because the people of planet Zun do not seek out the truth behind the legend. At the bottom of the crater itself is a pool of water. Only a few feet across, this pool always has water in it, though it is highly noxious and even just breathing the fumes has been known to send a Zunian insane. Those who drink the water seem to suffer no ill effects for days, but then symptoms range from an agonising death lasting weeks, to total loss of all sanity, and many a person who drank the water has killed their entire family before killing themselves. Tests on the water have been inconclusive, and few wish to expose themselves to the risk of contamination. Most just avoid it.
The cities are as differant as they are similar, however, with Copper Town looking back at the past, with culture and tradition playing a large role, while Steel City, the economic hub of the planet, looks ever forwards. Copper Town, built mostly in the days just after the mighty champion's death, looks to emulate his glory, and views reverence to him as a part of life. The city is built out of the rocks of the area, giving it a brown colour. The One With Zun Center is several days walk out of the city, high up in the nearby mountain range that the champion himself used to meditate and gain enlightenment. With this traditional center of wisdom and faith close by, most of the travellers who visit Copper Town are on their way to the One With Zun Center.
Steel City, built in the recent years, is constructed entirely from glass and steel. Tall building rise up, almost seeming to reach for the heavens, a fact that Copper Town resents. The champion himself rejected the higher beings of the universe, the Kais, and struck his own path. The relentless pursuit of the sky and the dollar by those of Steel City is almost viewed as a betrayal by the more traditional Zunians. But the city prospers without them, and recently opened up a very successful franchise of the Qui Gong Dojang of Kanassa. Here warriors can train in the utmost of luxury and technological advancements, and this has created a great 'martial-tourism' industry in the recent years. THe culture has permeated into the populace of Steel City and many of the young people seek to become warriors like their champion, and like the rich, powerful people they see arriving via spaceship daily.
Zun has three moons. Two small and one large. The smaller ones travel faster than the larger one, and so on most nights the smaller moons are only visible for a short period of time. These have one major function and that is like on earth, controlling the tides which can seem erratic to those not born of Zun. These tides are the only thing that seem to be anything other than calm and pure about the single mighty body of water on Zun, referred to as the Sea of Serenity. Many a scholar, elder or martial artist has journeyed out to the center of the sea to search for true serenity, and while many have not come back, others have returned with a true understanding of themselves, and of others, and are the better for it.
