iLanga is rather remote binary star system, remote enough that it requires a separate jump gate, sitting in the depths of space, to get to. No one really knows why so many resources have been sunk into such an unpromising system.
The primary star is called iLanga and its companion star is call inKanyezi; the primary star is three times as big and twice as bright as its companion star. There is only one planet in the system, uBuntu. The orbit of uBuntu is such that it is always between iLanga and inKanyezi and prevents the planet from having any of its surface without sunlight (but the side of the planet facing inKanyezi is somewhat cooler and dimmer, and this is considered “night” time).
Otherwise, the uBuntu system has no other planets, moon, asteroids or anything of note. This combined with the peculiarity of the uBuntu planet itself has had many wonder how this system came to be, some suggest this might be an artificial create or some kind of “solar-forming” by some alien race, but no clues have yet be found supporting such a theory.
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isiBhakabhaka (space station) Tethered to uBuntu by a space elevator. Largely empty, feels generally abandoned.
NPCs:
Ayanda Khalani (female iLanga): Mechanic. 24 years old, attractive, long dreads, friendly.
Mondii Shibangu (male iLanga). Blind, shaved bald. Dresses in colourful robes and usually has them pulled over his head. He tries to convince newcomers to give Dreaming a chance and offers a free meditation session to help them get in tune with the cosmos.
Nkosiphendule nKosi (male iLanga): Commander of the isiBhakabhaka space station orbiting uBuntu. Apparently corrupt. Brother of s'Bu nKosi, the captain of the Beautiful Dream; they don't get along.
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uBuntu (planet)
Type: Terrestrial
Primary Terrain: Desert (20% water coverage)
Atmosphere: Breathable
Moons: None
Rings: None
Gravity: 1.0
Axial tilt: 0 degrees
Daylength: 22 hours ("night" being a relative term)
Orbit: Effectively infinite
Beginning season: None
Population: 340,000
The planet has low population and very little industry as most people devote themselves to meditation and studying the mysteries of existence. And since the planet has very little natural resources and has a rather harsh environment people have to be very resourceful to solve their problems. That does not mean that uButans are without technology, living like primitive people (like the people on Coulter). But because of it's isolation and the EM field, "standard" technology is often not ideal for uBuntu; this means that "uBuntu tech" will often be "weird" to outsiders.
Most of the planet's electricity come from solar panels installed on the rocky surfaces over the cities and villages. Since the system doesn't have a gas giant as a source of hydrogen there is a small local production using electrolysis of water. Normally it is not economically feasible, but since hydrogen is so expensive there a small industry is thriving (good for not being 100% dependent on Providence). There also are moisture farms Star Wars-style in some areas that are further from the rivers but those would be rare.
Otherwise, other technological jewels of uBuntu would be the Maglev (one of the few in the cluster) and the Space Elevator. Since uBuntu society is very communal, most things are built with the goal of being used by many; there are few cars, most transportation is done by trains, trams and buses. Same thing for buildings; people tend to live with collective buildings and not separated houses; most have communal areas like kitchen, toilets, etc. All cities and villages have many parks and market squares where people come to socialize; people tend to mix a lot and are not as individualistic as we would be. It is hard to be "alone". The society is also very matriarchal.
Architecture is "African art deco" and fashion follows that of the "Roaring Twenties" (think The Great Gatsby). But at the same time, people are more "communal" and really into the ubuntu philosophy and meditation and so on.
Otherwise, as said before the planet is very dry; there are only 2 seas at the poles and the rest of the planet is like the the Grand Canyon, but planet-wide. Most people live around the two seas as the temperature is more bearable and water is more easily accessible. The rest of the people tend to live along the different rivers and carve their houses from the side of the gorge which partly shields them from the harsh sun.
There is little animal and plant life on the planet; whatever exist is very good at hiding itself and living on as little water as possible. Around the seas and the rivers, exotic xerophytes can be found as well as some small reptiles. This being said, people have irrigated areas and have been cultivating exotic fruits and vegetable since planet-fall. Because of this, the great majority of people on the planet are vegetarians; eating meat in a sign of extreme wealth, which is very rare.
Major cities
amaThemba: This is a city of 20,000 people on the equator where the space elevator touches down. Its importance comes from the space elevator and not much else. It's connected to the major cities of uLundi and nonGoma to the north and south, respectively, by a maglev train.
nonGoma: The major southern city on the shore of itheMba, the southern circumpolar sea. 45,000 people call it home.
uLundi: The major northern city on the shore of iziMpilo, the northern circumpolar sea. This is the cultural centre of the planet, such as it is.
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The Dreaming
After some time, some people began talking about having certain strange dreams that seemed common to many people. This was dismissed as mass "hysteria" by most but the stories of those strange dreams kept coming back. The general consensus (for those who believe it) seems to be that this Dreamscape is a way for some kind of intelligence (some say the natives of this planet -- who have never been seen -- some say the conscience of the natives who used to live on the planet or even the planet itself) to communicate important information. But the Dreams are always odd and hard to decipher but they always seem very important and several people have had their lives changed by those Dreams.
One day, a man called kaMalandela had such a Dream and started a new philosophy based on his experience. This new "religion" teaches people to be open to the Dreamscape and to allow it to help people reach their full potential. From that movement, a number of people have become "hollistic" healers who seem to have a deeper connection to all living things and use that knowledge to create harmony between all things. These "Neo-nGangas" have become known as great healers, being able to help people seen as hopeless by modern science. uBuntan medicine is based around using herbs, grubs, and other living things to aid the body in the healing process. Some consider those nGangas to simply being charlatans exploiting desperate people, but they are generally respected on uBuntu.