“Strength is forged in the mire.”
Julan is a dense, swamp-covered world shrouded in near-perpetual mist, its landscape defined by tangled mangroves, stagnant waters, and heavy humid air. It is the ancestral home of the Batari, a hardy people of great strength and resilience who have endured centuries of pirate invasions, raids, and exploitation. Despite their limited technological development, the Batari remain fiercely independent, surviving by adapting scavenged starship parts, weapons, and tools into their daily lives.
Though Julan lacks sprawling cities, its scattered clan-settlements thrive with culture, tradition, and community. The planet’s strategic natural fuel deposits make it a target of greed for both the Hardan Republic and the Arkanis Imperium, forcing Julan to seek protection through membership in the League of Independent Systems.
Julan is a world of mist-shrouded swamps, thick jungles, and shallow lakes. Towering, moss-draped trees rise from brackish waters, while countless islands of solid ground provide homes for Batari settlements. The environment is harsh — rife with venomous flora, predatory amphibians, and diseases that test the resilience of all who live there.
Population: The Batari live in small clans, each controlling its own settlement. Villages rarely number above a few thousand, and clan rivalry is common, though unity is found in times of need. Their culture is steeped in oral traditions, storytelling, and strength-based honor systems.
Culture: Batari society places high value on strength, endurance, and resilience. Clan leaders are chosen not by bloodline but by feats of courage and the ability to lead in hardship. Armor and weapons are often decorated with bones or tusks of slain beasts, symbolizing personal victories. Though many Batari leave Julan to find lives as mercenaries or laborers elsewhere, their ties to clan and swamp remain strong.
Furgo is the most well-known Batari settlement, a mid-sized village nestled on raised stone and wooden platforms above the swamp. Homes are built from local timber and stone, with scavenged metal plating reinforcing walls and walkways. A few small shops and a cantina cater to locals and the rare offworld visitor, while a dirt clearing outside the village serves as a crude landing pad for starships. Furgo is the closest thing Julan has to a capital, serving as the main hub of trade and communication.
L.I.S. Fort Garrisons: Scattered across Julan’s swamps, these fortified bastions are manned primarily by Skarkovan infantry and a handful of Elani scouts. The forts act as deterrents to outside invasion, their walls bristling with defensive cannons and watchtowers that loom over the misty marshes.
Clan Shrines: Hidden deep within the swamps, clan shrines are sacred spaces where Batari honor their ancestors and warriors of old. Each shrine is unique, crafted from bone, stone, and scavenged relics, serving as both a spiritual center and a rallying point in times of war.
The Mire of Silence: A vast stretch of swamp infamous for its eerie quiet. Legends claim that the Mire is haunted by the spirits of Batari warriors who fell in battles against pirate raiders. Travelers often avoid it, though smugglers sometimes use the silence to mask their movements.
Though Julan has no cities or advanced factories, its value lies in its rare natural fuel deposits buried beneath the swamps. Both the Hardan Republic and the Arkanis Imperium have long eyed the planet for exploitation, leading the Batari to embrace membership in the League of Independent Systems for protection. In return, Batari clans supply mercenary forces and heavy laborers to League armies, proving their worth time and again on foreign battlefields.
To the galaxy, Julan is a backwater world of mist and mud, but to the Batari it is sacred ground — a place of trials and survival, where strength and community rise above hardship.