FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Matriarchal Monarchy HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: Ianthe Valarys III, High Council SENATOR: Ambrose Valarys
LOCATIONS: Alora (capital), Jupiter (northern province), Saturn (rural hub of agriculture), Neptune (county; collection of coastal villages), Mars (located in the Wild)
GEOGRAPHY/TERRAIN: mountain ranges, all north of Alora, tundra and frozen wastelands (far north), oceans (west), woodlands, plains, meadows, moors and rivers (south)
FLORA: night-blooming Astraeus flowers
FAUNA: mithacats (wild and domesticated), mithawolves, mithridragons (formerly)
CLIMATE: there is no regulation to the seasons. Spring and autumn are typically more consistent, but summers and winters can last weeks or years. The planet's rings are said to cause the colder weather.
TRADE: Mithril (ore mined from its moon, Moria, which can be forged into weapons and armour — can repel and withstand lightsabers; strong as beskar), kyber crystals (found on its moon, Sappho), medicine (extracted from the Astraeus flower)
LOYALTY: Republic (until the war)
CULTURE: focuses on liberty and peace. They have an old language and religion which still echoes in places (for example, names and phrases; place names and statues). The religion has now shifted into legend and myth. The people have many annual celebrations: in the summer for appreciation of life, and in the winter for hope that light will return. "Aphelion's Curse" is an old myth written to explain the unpredictable seasons. People say that Aphelion has a slight sentience and is affected by the Force. When the winters grow longer and the ice deserts spread too far south, the planet's rings will collapse and the planet will be rendered frozen. It ties to ancient Apheli mythology which says the planet's rings were made from frozen dragon eggs. Much of Aphelion's population suffers from economic divides, partly due to how isolated some of the villages are. The rich mostly occupy the capital city, Alora, and the city in the mountains, Jupiter. The poorer members of the society keep to themselves and seem content — their survival is based on subsistence farming and small trade between villages, and they have the deepest connection to the old Apheli language and religion. Jupiter is one of the northernmost settlements on the planet. As it is stuck in a near-permanent winter, the city is domed (like a forcefield) to maintain warmer conditions for its inhabitants. Some villages across the planet have expanded into towns over time and have connected themselves to others to trade; the largest towns (like Saturn) trade with Alora and Jupiter. Aphelion's wealth comes from its mines on its farthest moon, Moria. Mithril and other valuable ore is mined and transported to Aphelion to be refined and fashioned into useful products before being shipped to every corner of the galaxy. Millenia ago, the mining trade was started by two partners: Sol and Vala. They grew the operation into a wealthy empire and even discovered a reptilian breed living deep in the natural caves — they named them Mithridragons. Due to the greed of both partners, they separated with disastrous consequences. The Valarys and Solarys dynasties were forged, and the Solari were exiled to Hemera (another planet in the system). The Head of House Solarys demanded a share of the Mithridragons still on Aphelion, but House Valarys refused. So began centuries of disagreements and rivalries between the two families — which continued to the Clone Wars in the final years of the Republic, and led to the Invasion of Aphelion ten years prior to the Battle of Geonosis.
