Tosnoqua

The planet Tosnoqua (New Canada II) is the second planet in the New Canada system.

Mythology

Celestial bodies in the New Canada system are named after figures from the mythology of the ancient Canadian Indians on Earth. Tosnoqua was both a symbol of wealth and a figure to be feared by all.

She was a slow moving giant who lived in the deep forest. She would scare children who had left their community; the children would be unable to get away and would be captured and carried off to her cave in the forest. The supernatural woman who lived in the woods and was said to be half blind. She would hold children in a basket that was strapped on her back.

 

Geology

The surface of Tosnoqua is ancient. If there ever was tectonic activity, it has long-since subsided. There is ample evidence in the form of old river channels and coastal erosion that the planet was once considerably wetter than it is in the current epoch. It is unclear where the water is today — possibly locked in subsurface ice deposits at the poles, or in vast subterranean reservoirs. A massive crater basin dominates the southern hemisphere, and a bulge of cracked, upthrust land on the exact opposite side of the planet indicate a powerful impact sometime in the distant past. Of particular interest is the highlands plateau in the northern hemisphere. The plateau is covered in curious, artificial-looking mesas and buttes, whose regular angles and linear arrangement could almost be taken as an ancient, alien metropolis. The entire region has been nicknamed The City. In addition, several other, highly odd geological formations across the surface defy explanation.

Biology

Several forms of anaerobic microbes have been discovered in Tosnoqua's temperate latitudes, typically a few centimeters below the surface of the ground. Primitive lichens grow on the rocks and formations in and around the City plateau, indicating the possibility of the presence of liquid water. According to one theory (not widely believed), the highland region known as The City is in actuality the ruins of an ancient metropolis built by an unknown alien race who inhabited the planet millions of years ago.

Meteorology

Apart from the periodic monster dust storms that sweep out of the south during Tosnoqua's closest approach to the sun, the weather is quite consistent. The sky is clear and cloudless, and the thin, mostly-carbon dioxide atmosphere means the temperature can vary from +20° C in the afternoon to -50° C just before dawn. Space suits are not required for surface excursions, but because of the low temperature, pressure and lack of a significant planetary magnetosphere, radiation-shielded, thermal outerwear complete with respirator is a must.

Habitation

There are several scientific camps spread across the surface of Tosnoqua for the purpose of studying everything from the atmosphere to xenobiology, to searching for evidence of ancient habitation in the 'ruins' of the City. Civilization has followed the scientists, as businesses move in and set up shops supplying the researchers with living essentials and diversions. Most of the non-scientific population is concentrated under a massive transparent-aluminum dome, situated near the City plateau.