Asphodel Meadows

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Name of World: Asphodel Meadows

System: Gjallarhorn

Year Initially Settled: 2133

Affiliations: Elysium, Other independent planets

Governmental Style: Oligarchy with a council of five in charge, who tend to be vampires.

Primary Languages: English, Russian

Primary Industries: Agriculture, Ship Manufacturing

Current Leaders/Figures of Note: Captain Anton Gosse, Evander Flynn, Yekaterina Volkov-Smock, two others.

In-Play Characters from this Location: None.

Human Mutations: Asphodel Meadows is mostly known as the Planet of the Vampires or Space Transylvania to outsiders because its mutation resulted in what amounted to space vampires. Fortunately, the mutation rate on Asphodel was significantly lower than on other planets--more like one in one thousand are born with vampirism.  

All those born with the mutation are physically stronger, faster, and leaner than most humans but not preternaturally so. While most children are tested as infants, the physical aspects of their mutation don't begin to show until early adolescence. They are technically still omnivores and consume the same variety of foods that any human does, except they also need human blood to survive. They also harbor a natural grace that can make them seem more elegant and attractive--though this isn't a universal thing. It's completely possible to have clumsy vampires.

They can reverse aging and recover from most physical injuries and illnesses by drinking blood but not all blood is created equal. The majority of vampires supplement their diets with synthetic blood. This was created as a midway point, not as useful - or as tasty - as fresh blood but it helps some, letting them heal a little more quickly and age a little more slowly and enjoy the other benefits of being a space vampire such as a boost to their enhanced speed and strength. It can also be used by vampires who have fed on fresh blood to control the cravings. Synth blood, the most popular brand being Hemelite, is affordably priced and available all over the universe, on space stations and planets alike, making it ideal for regular use. 

Bagged blood is also an option, and while it tastes better than synthetic blood, it's still not as good as fresh. It's got all those additives in it that muck things up, and no amount of heating it up will make a difference. Healing is better, aging is slower, strength and speed are better, but it's expensive and many vampires don't find the difference to be worth the extra effort or money. 

That said, fresh blood is where it's at. It's the thing they need to heal quickly, and slow the aging process down to the point they can live double, maybe triple the normal human lifespan. It's also extremely addictive, because it's what the vampire body actually wants and needs. Fresh blood doesn't need to be directly from a vein, but it does need to be drunk prior to cooling off and coagulating. There is something to be said for the act of biting though, which can be an incredibly intimate and erotic experience, adding to the addictive nature of it.

Geography/Biodiversity: Asphodel Meadows was designed as an agricultural world, with habitats intended for all kinds of livestock and crops. It has the sort of hilly lands that are perfect for sheep, the wide open fields for cattle grazing, marshes for rice paddies, and so forth The Northern and Southern hemispheres are reflections of one another, and the planet is at just the right angle of rotation that provides reversed seasons. While the farms of the Southern Hemisphere is in growing season, the Northern Hemisphere is in restful winter, and vice versa. Some think that the humans of Asphodel Meadows mutated to better fill the role of natural predators on such an otherwise apparently docile and neutral world. 

Its nearby asteroid belt provides plenty of mining opportunities for ore to create ships and other tools and weapons. Its moon is the primary manufacturing facility. There are several cities on the surface that also handle processing agricultural goods, manufacturing tools, and general governance.

History: In 2133, Asphodel Meadows was settled as a pasture planet. These were early days for the CHL, and part of the selling point of moving humanity off stations and onto planets, part of the marketing was the idea of Asphodel Meadows: A place where livestock could be raised in numbers that would feed the Coalition. The concept reassured early investors that it would be a way to return to some level of normalcy out in space...

And for a little while, as the planet's initial colonies progressed, it seemed like that might play out just as planned. At least, until the first wave of children born on Asphodel Meadows reached puberty. Most were just fine, perfectly normal, but some began to develop violent aggression paired with worrying deficiencies. Ones that eventually proved fatal, until determined and enterprising members of the food science community - a handily plentiful group on a farming planet - concocted a supplement that managed to sustain them. 

These children were the first vampires, a side effect of terraforming akin to the other mutations found on other terraformed planets. Of course, at the time, no one knew what they really were. Only that the supplements kept them from dying, and seemed to temper the aggressive tendencies as well.

The CHL was quick to step in and share what they felt the public needed to know - that yes, there was a mutation on Asphodel Meadows and, of course, it was all in hand. They began an extensive campaign to normalize the mutation but even they had to call a spade a spade - Asphodel Meadows' mutation had resulted in vampires. 

They proved to be useful though, with their enhanced speed and strength, and there was a place for them in the CDF - to the point that it was rare for someone to be born with the vampire mutation and not be drafted into the military. 

Over the years, the supplements were improved upon, with other companies trying their hand at creating a suitable nutritional replacement for the blood that vampires both craved and needed for survival. In the end, it was Kaizen Corporation who came out on top through the creation of Hemelite, a breakthrough that set the tiny pharmaceutical company on the path to becoming a multi billion dollar corporation. 

With the blood situation seemingly in hand, the CHL's rigorous PR campaign for Asphodel Meadows and its vampires was no longer quite as necessary and as the centuries passed, fell off the radar. This trickled down in various ways but it was the CDF's failure to provide adequate nutrition for its soldiers via Hemelite that was the straw that broke the camel's back. It led to an incident upon a ship where a blood deficient vampire soldier lost control and killed nearly a quarter of the crew prior to being neutralized. 

This was the incident that sparked the Civil War when Asphodel Meadows withdrew from the Coalition by declaring their independence, resulting in a galaxy wide meat shortage, the effects of which can still be felt today through exorbitant meat prices.

Today, Asphodel Meadows is sitting comfortably with some solid trade deals, despite the CHL twisting the original cause of the Civil War to pin the blame more firmly upon Asphodel Meadows and sparking a fresh wave of vampire racism throughout Coalition space.