Polar Paradise

Polar Paradise orbits far from Aluza, almost as far out as Proxima Twilight. Unlike Proxima Twilight, though, Polar Paradise has no hot core or history of volcanism, so its surface is icy cold and windswept.

No lost race ever made its home here, nor have the Toba ever set up colonies on a moon so far from home. The only buildings here are small scientific bases and a few mining outposts. Toba use the scientific bases as homes-away-from home, allowing them to study the giant blue-white glaciers of Polar Paradise, the blue-green ice plankton that live buried in the in the snow and surface ice, and the small ice worms that burrow ever so slowly through the frost to eat the plankton.

Polar Paradise, while not being nearly so dangerous as Caldera Chaos, is still a harsh environment. Rocket Dogs racing here would be well advised to bring warm clothes and ample food to fuel their adventures in the cold at the far edge of the planetary system.

The Ice Caves that snake below the surface of Polar Paradise contain their own secret ecosystem. Light filters in from the surface through the translucent cave ceilings, while small rodent-like creatures gnaw holes in the walls, to eat the delicious blue-green ice plankton. Cat-sized creatures stalk the small rodents, and wolf-sized creatures stalk them in turn …and at the top of this subterranean ecosystem are the savage ressht monsters, who stalk silently through the vast ice caves, looking for anything - or anyone - slow enough and large enough to make a tasty meal.

The good news for Rocket Dogs is that if they keep their speed up (and when does a Rocket Dog ever slow down?!) they won’t need to worry about the ressht monsters and can concentrate on getting into the lead in their race - or staying there!

The brightly lit Ice Plankton Harvesting Machine is the size of an office building, carried by four massive legs as its grinds its way across the tundra. …and the Rocket Dogs racecourse leads right through the vast machine! Avoid the huge teeth on the ice grinding wheels as you dart between them, then race up the conveyor belt, dodging between shards of ice. Into the vast maw of the machine, three stories high, and now you’re inside! Quick, off the conveyor belt and onto the cat walks, before the ice boulders plunge into the processing machinery. From catwalk to catwalk, upstairs and down, be careful to dodge the Toba workers. Through the internal warehouses where purified ice plankton is packed into barrels and stacked high, and then out the rear door and down the stairs to the ice beyond. A working Ice Plankton Harvesting Machine is a dangerous place, full of twists and turns and moving equipment - and that’s what makes it a great place to catch up on the competitor ahead of you or shake off the Rocket Dog who’s hot on your heels!

Open Tundra is a typical patch of Polar Paradise: icy, windswept, and cold. The ground is a mix of frozen soil and sheets of ice (if a Rocket Dog slows down enough to look at the ice, he might see seams of blue-green ice plankton beneath his feet). In the distance to the north is a glacier, slowly grinding its way downhill towards the plains, over the centuries. Further west is a giant Toba plankton harvesting machine which crawls slowly across the snowy countryside, grinding up surface ice and sifting out plankton for export to Quantum Prime where it’s used in various teas and hot soups…both of which sound delightful to any Rocket Dog racing across this frozen plain!