Eox

Eox is the fifth planet from the sun of the Golarion System. Most of its original citizens were killed in an interplanetary war long before the Gap, and it is now inhabited primarily by undead.

History

Thousands of years ago, the native residents of Eox, known as Elebrians, were a species very similar in appearance to humans and gifted in magic and technology. These gifts convinced them that they were better than any other people in the Golarion System, and in their hubris they declared war on any who would not acknowledge their superiority. The first of these interplanetary wars was against the neighboring worlds of Damiar and Iovo, also known as the Twins. The Eoxians' most powerful weapon shattered the Twins, creating the asteroid belt now called The Diaspora, but also blew an enormous hole in Eox's crust, burned off its atmosphere and oceans and killed off most of its population.

Only a few thousand Elebrians survived in magical bunkers or deep underground, but found that the radiation released by the attack was causing widespread infertility. They transformed themselves into undead known as Necrovites or Bone Sages, who still rule Eox today.

Ecology

Eox today is hostile to most live, with a toxic, thin atmosphere, rampant radiation, and out of control magical fields that can randomly appear. Native plants and bizarre creatures survive on radiation, heat, and chemicals from the wounded planet's volcanism. Examples include soul-drinking ellicoths, transparent glass serpents, and semi-intelligent grub swarms in sulfur springs.

Government

Eox is run with an iron fist by the Bone Sages, a cabal of the most powerful undead spellcasters who are also renowned as savvy politicians throughout the Pact Worlds. The Bone Sages have divided the planet into numerous personal fiefdoms and constantly bicker with and war against one another, but present a unified front against outsiders. Despite the rumor, the Bone Sages are not so much evil as they are amoral and ruthlessly utilitarian. This was evidenced when the Pact World system was first attacked by the Veskarium. Eox was the first world to support a mutual defense treaty amongst all the planets in the system that was the precursor to the Absalom Pact. Not all of the Eoxian military agreed with this decision, however, leading to an officially disavowed splinter group to break off and form the Corpse Fleet.

Military

Eox is protected by a massive orbital defense platform called the Sentinel that is capable of destroying any hostile starship near the planet's orbit. Other members of the Pact Worlds also believe that the Eoxian military maintains secret ties with the Corpse Fleet.

Conflict

Eox is the home world for most of the undead in the Golarion System, and its government faces threats from Pharasmin insurgents and crusaders willing to break their law (which treats the intelligent Eoxian undead as ordinary Pact Worlds citizens) to uphold Pharasma's higher law (which views the undead as abominations to be destroyed).

Inhabitants

The majority of the undead inhabitants live in isolated cities or defensive strongholds, leaving the rest of the planet to be ravaged by hordes of hungry undead such as ghouls or skeletal beasts.

Visitors

Despite being inimical to the living, Eox does get a fair amount of visitors and tourists from other worlds. Some come to acquire necrografts, undead prosthetics that are cheaper than cybernetics, while others visit to be transformed into immortal undead. The latter must trade centuries of indentured servitude to Eox's rulers in exchange for their undead existence or work as body merchants who import corpses to the planet to grow its population. Finally, Eox is visited by corporate professionals doing business, scholars of magic studying necromancy, or glory seekers who come to take part in the cruel reality programs and competitions broadcast as entertainment throughout the system.

Culture

Eox's blood-soaked reality broadcasts remain a sensation, consistently criticized by off-world censors but never crossing into illegality.