Europa is the second and smallest of the Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter. It is the stormy salt-water home to over One hundred million people of the Rim, including Lorn au Arcos and his household of three million. It deals mainly in banking, deep-sea mining and serves as a vacation retreat.[1]
Composition[]
Europa’s gravity is 0.136 of Earth’s, which is very light! This affects the tides of the moon's vast seas, as well as people’s daily lives. Everything floats and all steps must be taken carefully, so not to float off the surface. When visiting, Darrow wore gravity boots to feel more comfortable.[2]
A fight here would be like a ballet under water.
—Darrow[2]
Europa is a small terraformed ocean world. Much of the moon is covered in salt water oceans. There is a vast archipelago of islands called the Nixian Isles along the equator, mountains in the south, and more islands north of the equator. All of which are populated with cities.[3]
Jupiter takes up a massive amount of Europa's sky.[2]
Climate[]
Ocean waters are warmer near the Nixian Isles, a string of islands near the equator, a region is prone to hurricanes.[2]
Storms seen closer to the poles of the moon bring strong winds and stormy skies with blue lightning.[2]
Ecology[]
While so much of the moon is covered in water, the islands and mountains have been transformed into a forested habitat, with hills, mossy ground, and a humid atmosphere.[2]
Biology[]
Lorn au Arcos mentions that there are some terrifying deep-sea creatures in Europa's waters, crafted by Carvers. One example is the leviathan, sigil beast of House Kalibar, which Sevro refers to as the "biggest carveling this side of Titan".
Seagulls fly around the coast along Lorn’s island castle.[2]
Culture[]
The moon is ruled by the Gold House Kalibar.
More than two thirds of the population lives on the surface.
The moon has its own Institute.[4]
Stormsons[]
The Stormsons are Gray, Red, and Brown thrill-seekers, who attempt to go boating in the storms of the 90 kilometer deep Discordia Sea. Waves reach 10 meters high because of the gravity.[2]
History[]
The Martian Civil War[]
Europa was the site of a battle between August and Bellona forces when Darrow arrived at the Arcos estate on Harmonia to recruit Lorn au Arcos to the Augustan side.
The Solar War[]
Locations[]
- Discordia Sea - a vast body of water, 90 kilometers deep, that covers most of the moon's surface.[2]
- The Deep - a collection of six interconnected cities beneath the oceans, carved into the moon's solid core. It was originally built as a mining operation but evolved over time into a place for industry, research, and weapons manufacturing.[5] The mining townships have multiple levels linked by circular jumpways and suspended cable walkways. Considered the deepest city in the solar system. Home to about one third of the moon's population.
- Harmonia - An island far north of the equator in the middle of the Discordia Sea where Lorn au Arcos lived after his retirement. The walls of the white limestone castle surround a private forest with mossy hills and forests,[2] and the castle's seawall protects a training grotto surrounded by statues of the Greek gods where Lorn practiced the Willow Way.
- Nixian Isles - a cluster of archipelagos along the equator south of Harmonia. Each island is named for a Greek god and features a black stone statue of its namesake. No two islands are alike, with some having waterfalls and woods, while others have fjords or wildflowers.[6] The rest of House Arcos lived here from early 741 PCE until Lorn was recruited into the Martian Civil War by Darrow in February 742.[2]
- Heraklion - an island in the northern hemisphere east of Harmonia.
- Nyad Isles - a chain of archipelagos southwest of Heraklion.
- Oceanus - an island in the southern hemisphere south of the Nixian Isles.
- Psychonas - An island located near the south pole
Houses[]
- House Kalibar
Maps[]
Europa in Light Bringer (c) Joel Daniel Phillips
Trivia[]
One day on Europa is the equivalent of one year on Europa, which is roughly 3.5 Earth days.