Mercury

The planet Mercury is a ball of rock first in orbit and continuously blasted by the sun. The solar winds are treacherous and a sudden flare will dash a ship into her unless great care is taken on approaching the planet. Even the magical life giving air-stones of the Ancients provide only limited protection on the surface of this world. When not protected by the hull of a sky-galleon sun-suits should be worn at all times one is exposed to the direct rays of the sun. It is little wonder that the surface of this world is completely uninhabitable. Still, despite this exposure to the fiery harshness of the Sun, Mercury is know as the planet of water. The reason this is so is because hidden beneath the surface of this world is a vast repository of water.

At the end of a long, silvery tube that allows access almost to the center of the world, in a spherical cavern thousands of miles across lies the Sunless Sea. A huge body of fresh, pure water is at the heart of this fiery world. With the exception of a small outcropping near the mouth of the Corridor of the Sun, no land exists on this hidden body of water. The Mercurians, however, live in vast caverns carved out of the rock by the Ancients along the walls of the sea chamber.

On that island, in the dim light of the tunnel mouth, lies Mariner Castle: the vacation home of the Mercurian royal family. Also on this outcropping of rock is Blue Beacon Lighthouse; a navigational aid to guide ships from Mariner Mui to the exit and away from the rock walls. The Lighthouse doesn't burn fuel (which is in short supply on Mercury) but reflects the light from the tunnel.

In this cool underground world, protected from the fierce rays of the sun, the Mercurians devote themselves to the study of the Ancients and the vast treasure trove of devices found inside the caves. The reason the work is done here was because moving some of the marvelous devices from their positions within the caves often rendered them inert. Hence, all efforts are made to study them exactly in the place they were found.

Initially, Mercury started out as just a Hyperborean military camp established to guard the artifacts. Later, Atlantean scientists and mages came to study the remnants of the Ancients at the behest of the Golden Emperor. These comprised two very separate camps of military and scientific communities that inhabited the planet for centuries. These people never really saw themselves as Mercurian, but as expatriates doing their duty on a foreign world. During the Slaver occupation, however, these two halves were melded, along with their language, into the Mercurians we know today. The best qualities of the inventive Atlanteans and the stoic, militaristic Hyperboreans served them during those hard times. Now, they are a distinct people with their own goals and national character.

Because they are rather limited in their diet to giant fungus, a few low light plants, and fish, the Mercurians tend to be a bit small in stature. They are not bookish weaklings, however. They get many things accomplished by breaking it down into small tasks. Few people have a true appreciation of ant-labor until you've seen some of the caverns the Mercurians have cleared without the use of draft animals or magic. From life underground they typically have very fair skin. Lastly, their hair color tends to be brown to black. It is speculated that high concentrations of the mineral "cobalt" are probably responsible for their tendency to have a bluish cast to their hair.

Mercurians tend to be a rather shy lot with outsiders. If you get within their inner circle, though, you have a friend for life. They are quite happy with their close relationship with Earth and welcome the naval base we have established in one of the large caverns. They seem to be open and hospitable to Terrans and have graciously accepted students from Earth into their universities.

Do not be fooled into thinking that they act this way for completely altruistic reasons, however; Earth acts as a counterbalance to their much closer and pushier Venusian neighbors. As long as Earth has a visible presence, Venusian claims to some of the southerly warrens are muted. While there is a tacit understanding between Mercurians and Terrans to share new technologies found, no doubt the they hold some in reserve if for no other reason than as bargaining chips to be used in emergencies. Across the solar system, no other people are as intelligent or well educated as they. Of all peoples, they are the most cunning and resourceful, usually taking the long view on almost all situations. Given that they are on a bare rock with virtually no natural resources, the Mercurians have to be.

Habitation nature: Tunnels and caves

Huge warrens, carved by the Ancients are connected to the Sunless Sea and scattered in various places under the surface of the planet. Most are interconnected by tunnels of varying sizes but many have become blocked over the ages. One might expect underground living to be cramped but given the scale the ancients built on there is plenty of room for one and all. The only real limiting factor is the food supply.

One thing that is at a premium, however, is light. Many of the Ancient's lighting devices have failed and large portions of the warrens are in darkness. Since all fuel for lights has to be imported, the Mercurians spend much of their time at communal light sources or in the dark. The festival of light, marking the new year, is one of the few times the tunnels see any sort of real illumination. Even the poorest Mercurian will light a candle to keep back the dark.

Wonder: The Great Library

Of all the wonders of the Ancients, none has been more important than the Great Library. A wondrous repository of knowledge that we can barely understand, its knowledge has lifted us from living in caves to ships to the planets. There are so many things we can learn from it if we only were able to phrase the right questions. It was indeed fortunate for mankind that part of the wonder is a teaching machine that gives the rudiments of the basic education. The library is capable of fantastic mathematical calculation at impossible speeds, reams of information on almost any subject, even forecasts of such impossibly unpredictable events such as the weather are possible. Still, much remains hidden to us. We just don't know enough to fathom all that is within the great device. One thing is for certain though, all knowledge about the Ancients have been removed from the library. Our greatest mystery will remain unanswered.

Appropriate adjective and collective noun: Mercurian, Mercurians

How was the planet affected during the Fall:

Tunnels likely became uninhabitable quickly because of heat and the Sunless Sea has no doubt evaporated. In places, the warrens were somewhat air tight but they depended on air-stones and the like to keep atmospheric integrity which undoubtedly failed at some time.

Name of the Younger Senshi at the time of the Fall: Cognizance (The Mercurian royalty had a habit of naming their children after virtues. In this case: thought.)

Fate of the Younger Senshi: Died on the Moon during the Fall of the Silver Millennium.

Moon Cat: Phoebe (female) The intellectual of the Moon Cats, she naturally enough chose Mercury as her home. A quiet disposition, she tended to appreciate a good joke, which naturally led her to pair up with Puck, the Terran Cat. Had two daughters by Puck. Fate of Moon Cat: Likely died when the warrens of Mercury became an inferno.