Planet: Bemuge

''This page pertains to the collaborative "Thrive Universe" project, and is not necessarily part of Thrive's official development. More information here.''A terrestrial planet orbiting a K-class orange dwarf star, known to the native Thyrons as Barmedas. Bemuge is the second planet from Barmedas, and has a radius of 8,000 kilometers, making it larger than Earth. Bemuge hosts one moon, Hiring, which is the size of Ceres. Due to the vast discrepancy in size, tides on Bemuge are far less intense than those on Earth.

A year on Bemuge is about three-fourths the length of an Earth year (approx. 274 Earth days), with 20-hour days (meaning about 328 total).

Bemuge is in the inner areas of the habitable zone around Barmedas, and has only a mild axial tilt. These characteristics led to Bemuge being a mostly warm, humid world. Bemuge also has high oxygen levels, although these often lead to destructive fires.

Geography
Bemuge has four continents, all near one another.

Karlas: The continent to the north, Karlas represents many factors of the past deciding the present day. To the south and the east is a region of intense geologic activity, due to colliding with its sister continent, Arlus. The mountainous areas created by the tectonic collision are rich in metals. This, and the resulting river valleys, created an environment ideal for civilization to advance and flourish. The name of this land is Yrlistes. Arlus: The central continent that meets with the eastern regions of Karlas. Arlus boasts Bemuge’s largest desert, the Eoteres desert, caused by the Noteres mountains blocking rain-bearing winds. The first Thyron civilizations arose there, around the great Pasteres River.
 * Kiskosun Gulf: This gulf at the "joint" between Karlas and Arlus hosts an archipelago of volcanic islands. Naval wars for dominance over these islands (mostly for their strategic position) were a common occurrence in Thyron history.

Danum: The southwestern continent. It is far less mountainous than the other three continents, allowing almost all of it to be covered in jungles and swamps. The discovery of animals closely related to Thyrons supports the theory that Danum was once connected to the southern regions of Arlus.

Zonarch: Zonarch is the most distant continent, located to the east. Its geography is almost poetic; northern, east-blowing winds are slowed by Karlas and Arlus, leading to stifled water intake, and an arid climate past the rain-blocking mountains. In turn, it slows west-blowing equatorial winds, contributing to the Eoteres desert’s existence. Were it not for this relationship, Thyron civilization may have never emerged.

Biosphere
Bemuge’s score of lifeforms is not dissimilar to Earth’s Carboniferous period. Spores are the dominant means of reproduction among plants. Instead of reptilian or mammalian life, Bemuge is dominated by massive arthropods thanks to the high concentrations of oxygen.

However, three are some major differences. While Earth’s terrestrial arthropods rely on passive respiration, Bemuge’s arthropods are active breathers, with air being actively passed through respiratory chambers, lined with structures resembling the “book-lungs” of spiders. Another difference from Earth arthropods is that the most advanced of Bemuge’s arthropods each have a chitinous, segmented “backbone” sporting a spinal cord.

In addition, while the Carboniferous saw the beginnings of amniotes (as the first reptiles), Bemuge’s “traditional vertebrates” are behind even by the Carboniferous’s standards. For starters, while freshwater on Earth was colonized by lobe-finned fish, placoderm-like “fish” take their place on Bemuge. The seas themselves are dominated by massive invertebrates, reminiscent of the Ordovician period.

Due to how warm and humid Bemuge is, the dominant land biome is a tropical swamp/jungle of spore-bearing trees. Less rainy areas host horsetail-like plants rather than grass.

Bloodsap
Bloodsap is a species of spore-bearing tree native to Zonarch. What makes it both unique and infamous is its sap, which is blue (the same color as Thyron blood, hence its name). The color is due to a poison in vascular tissue meant to deter herbivores, which, when refined into a crystalline form, has an effect on Thyrons not unlike opium. Due to this, the cultivation of Bloodsap plants, and use of products thereof, is strictly regulated. This has not stopped illegal trafficking, however.

Due to its strict growing conditions, Bloodsap requires intensive cultivation practices (often with advanced hydroponics). Nevertheless, it has been introduced (often illegally) throughout Thyron-inhabited space, especially by the Twin Skull Cartel.