Cinder & Overview A lone planet within the Steppe, a small string of systems in the Fringe occupied by several feudal Glitch kingdoms, Cinder is a desert dustball, the only planet within its system and without any moons, revolving around a yellow dwarf star not unlike Sol, though in the hotter ranges of the “goldilocks zone” than Earth was. As such, over countless millennia, the planet has formed into a rocky planet with very little rainfall and an average heat of 100 °F as well as a short amount of hours of nighttime, keeping the heat in the air constant. This, however, is irrelevant for the inhabitants of Cinder. All life on the planet lives a decent few layers below the surface, in cool caverns by underground lagoons with heavy deposits of clay. In a particular cavern, by a particular lagoon, sits the hamlet of Boneyard. Living comfortably in Boneyard are a clan of once-nomadic barbarian Glitch, who make homes out of the dense sedimentary rock and solitary ruins left behind by their Hivemind forebears. These Glitch, peculiar as they may be, seem friendly enough to outsiders despite the grim, deathly face of their little world, and have recently opened the gates to their collections of rock huts and slices of culture to the rest of the universe in a bid to create more sustainability for their clan through trade and forging of allies. Locations & Points of Interest "The Pit" The Pit is the place in which most people find themselves once they beam into and is the sole area in which visitors are allowed to freely mingle. It is also used to describe anywhere within said pit that lies between points of interest. The Pit is a pitch black void of inky darkness where most bioluminescent plant life, which are usually abundant to the caves in which they're indigenous, have been tactically nipped in the bud. As such, the only light that guides its visitors is that from oil torches and lanterns hung by the rocky shacks lit by those who wish to make business or visit with outsiders. Visitors should prepare to trip on pebbles often when wandering in the dark. Teleporter The teleporter is a stone pillar cut through the middle within a small chamber stuffed with enough salvaged teleporter parts from the Hivemind ruins to function as a passable teleportation pad. The Garden To the east of the teleporter is a small veggie and flower garden from which the Glitch of Boneyard grow their food. It is the home of a single Steppean who tends to it from their little hut. Within the patch are blue and pink imported soils that serve as the base for a farm of various edible bioluminescent blue flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In the center grows a bizarre, giant red flower that stretches towards a suspended chunk of glowing rock. Skeleton Cave Aptly named, the Skeleton Cave is also where the hamlet gets the title of Boneyard. The cave leads to another set of tunnels down further into the depths of Cinder, but has been blocked off by the massive pile of human remains thrown into it, left behind by past Hivemind conflict. Over years, bone chips have mixed in with the sedimentary rock that make up its composition. In the cave's entrance is a small camp set up by those still preparing to make the acrobatic journey up to the Hungry Hog, which sits atop the caves and is only accessible by leaping to and from old, ancient pillars accessible from the porch of a wealthy Steppean's home. Because of the grueling procedure, many items are left behind at the camp to lower carrying weight and would be easy pickings for thieves were it not for the guard stalwartly watching over them. The Hungry Hog As the prime meeting place of Boneyard, the Hungry Hog is an inn that lies atop the Skeleton Cave and is notoriously difficult to actually get to. It is one of the few remaining intact buildings from the old Hivemind kingdom that once inhabited the area, and, formerly a church, has been promptly renovated to meet outsider demands. Upstairs is a small bar with an armless and legless bartender, as well as a special dining area. A bard plays music, occasionally, in the tower midsection, and beneath the flooring of the inn are the rooms in which guests can stay, though they are rather shoddy, rife with disease and bugs, and were in use by a seedy type of agency until recently. History Boneyard’s story begins, not with its founders, but rather the Steppean Hive. As a massive Glitch Hivemind, it grew so powerful in its interplanetary control that it grew bored. Puppetting its people into grand stories now known as Ballads, the Hivemind relished in its storycraft and the invented identities it had given to its actors. Certain stories would consist of the luring of human colonists to the planet, and, in a tragic end, slaying them with its perfectly-controlled armies, throwing their remains into the depths beneath in one of its favored worlds. This, naturally, was when Boneyard gained its namesake. The Steppean Hive lived on, prosperously, until roughly thirty years ago when it simply ceased to be, freeing all of its controlled Glitch simultaneously. Shortly after, the posthumous name of Steppe was given to the hive and its territories, not for a recurring environment or structure, but for the “flatline,” that suddenly occurred in the Hive’s livelihood. Steppean Glitch related this to the flat land of a steppe, and the name eventually stuck. The Glitch, however, were unhappy with their new lack of purpose and leaders and, in an attempt to return to form, began to take on the roles, names, and characters in the ballads left behind for them, which they constantly reenact to this day, with decorated ceramic pots being ritualistically attached to their heads to represent each Ballad’s characters. Each individual Glitch may interpret these stories their own way, but all Steppeans know to live their lives the same as what the Hive designed for them. Having renounced most of their bloodier works, the Steppean Glitch live in squalid shanty towns scattered about the Steppe Hive’s former territory. Boneyard is just one of them, which has recently opened its doors to visitors due to the persuasion of a few key citizens. As of now, the Glitch of Boneyard seek to turn their little village into a bustling bazaar, one step at a time, though admittedly they have little to show for their dream.
