Myrkr

Myrkr

Myrkr

Myrkr

Type: Terrestrial
Temperature: Temperate
Atmosphere: Type I (Breathable)
Hydrosphere: Moderate
Gravity: Standard
Terrain: Forest & Plains
Length of Day: 24 Hours
Length of Year: 324 Local Days
Sapient Species: Human
Starport: Standard Class
Population: 100,000
Planet Function: Subsistence, Trading
Government: Independent Communities
Tech Level: Space
Major Exports: None
Major Imports: None
System: Myrkr system
Region: Inner Rim

Notes:
Few galactic citizens, even well-traveled ones, have ever heard of the planet called Myrkr. Most that do know of it fall into the category of useless dregs of the galaxy — smugglers, malcontents, pirates and other members of the fringe. The planet has been populated for nearly three hundred years, but in that span of time the Old Republic, the Jedi, and even the Empire have left it strictly alone. The world can be found on only a handful of astrogation charts.

This isolation would be understandable if the planet was located somewhere in one of the frontiers, far from the galactic Core. It is, however, not far from civilized space, near the border separating the Imperial remnants from the New Republic. It has finally come under Imperial notice — Grand Admiral Thrawn's personal notice, in fact — due to one of its indigenous life forms.

The planet served as the private base of operations for Talon Karrde's smuggling ring until he was forced to abandon it after an unfortunate incident concerning the Empire and Republic hero Luke Skywalker. Karrde had chosen the world because of its proximity to major population centers coupled with its relative obscurity. He also loved the world's untamed beauty and its tall trees. These trees provided him with an added bonus — their high metal content effectively blocks sensor sweeps, shielding both ships and buildings hidden beneath or near the wide, embracing branches.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was drawn to Myrkr by an obscure reference he found years ago. Subsequent investigations turned up information regarding the unique creatures called ysalamiri that live within Myrkr's trees. With Karrde's cooperation (which he gave instead of having it taken by force), the Grand Admiral acquired the knowledge to safely remove the ysalamiri from their tree-branch perches. Later, when the Imperials returned, Karrde's organization wound up helping Luke Skywalker and Han Solo escape by thwarting a small Imperial ground force.

Karrde's base was dominated by a large central building. A large, spacious meeting chamber was located at the building's center, with a high translucent ceiling and a webwork of carved, crisscrossing rafters. Walls of dark brown wood, carved with an elaborate open-mesh design, glowed with recessed deep blue light. The arrangement of furniture into separate conversation circles gave the chamber a relaxed, informal air. But the crowning feature of the chamber was a huge, meter-wide tree growing through the center of the room. It reached up from a circle of dirt floor to extend through the ceiling and far beyond, covering the building with sensor-blocking, leaf-covered branches.

Hyllyard City
The closest Myrkr gets to a true population center is Hyllyard City, a little piece of civilization on the edge of a great forest. Like Mos Eisley on Tatooine and other frontier towns, Hyllyard City consists of a few space ship landing pits and a close-packed collection of makeshift structures. The small houses and commercial buildings are crammed tightly together, built in a familiar wheel pattern around a large open square. Narrow streets run between the buildings, and a few wide avenues radiate like spokes from the center of town. Before a recent battle between Imperial stormtroopers, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Karrde's men, a freestanding archway rose ten meters high from the edge of the open square. Now the square is littered with the remains of the battle, including the collapsed arch and the wreckage of a crushed Chariot repulsorcraft. Witnesses reported that Skywalker used a lightsaber to topple the massive structure.

Hyllyard City is populated by a few settlers, but mostly the town serves as a haven for free-lance smugglers, rogues, and fugitives from galactic justice. Some of Karrde's people once lived there as well, maintaining a constant link between Karrde's isolated base and the freelance "businessmen" who frequent the city.