[Cosmosdex] The Universal Encyclopedia
[Cosmosdex]
Hailhouwl-2
Neo's first worm farm / Voted cozy
Hailhouwl-2
Art by, Atomic
Dominant Residents: None
Other Residents: Bounty hunters, Fans of the unnerving
Fauna: Corpses, Bones, and Researchers
Weather: Sandstorms and extreme winds are common
Danger Level: Medium
Purpose: Tourist location that also happens to be home to many mining outposts and bounty hunters.
Original Creator: Enforcer
Physical Description
Hailhouwl-2 is a dead planet lacking a core, and because of this, any heat of its own, leaving it only the sunlight granted to it by its closest star. It only features a grand total of three biomes: deserts, cragfields, and craters populated by no living native life whatsoever, presently littered by billions of bones and fossils of what appeared to once be a thriving ecosystem.
The reason for the extinction of the planet can be summed up in one name.
The Maw of nightmares.
What initially appears to be a crater taking up 1/11th of the surface of the planet is in actuality the burial ground of a horrible species of long dead planet class parasites dubbed the civourers. These civourers had not only eaten most of the insides of the planet but had also dug out what seemed to have once been a great sea. Following their creation of the crater they began what would one day be referred to as the grand pillar right in the very middle of it. In a manner almost reminiscent of the water spouts the previous sea commonly saw, the civourers began gathering in the crater so that they could slowly but surely pile themselves up and reach far beyond the atmosphere of the planet. Although they perished and fossilized hundreds of years ago their tower stands tall to this day, visible from space and from most angles.
The pillar in conjunction with the Maw is the most memorable landmark this planet offers aside from miles and miles of sand and rock.
History
At first glance, Hailhouwl-2 appears to be a planet wrought by destruction in a horrible nuclear war which somehow managed to create what is one of the universe's largest crater-planet proportion in history. The truth is much, much more horrifying in its implications.
The Maw of nightmares is composed by millions of fossils of an incredibly dangerous, now believed extinct, planet class parasite dubbed "the civourers." These civourers were hollow worms that averaged a diameter of 56ft and a length of 93ft, making them scientifically proven as terrifying and petrifying.
Analysis suggests that civourers survived solely on heat, which is the reason these dug deep into the planet, seeking out pockets of magma and eventually, consuming the core of the planet itself.
When Chordata Inc. stumbled upon this husk of a planet they hadn't realized they had struck it rich until they had examined the Maw of nightmares closely. It turns out that, although civourers are pests capable of single-handedly destroying planets they are great refineries which left all of their fossils extremely rich in minerals of every kind, right on the surface of the planet for anyone to take advantage of.
Of course, Chordata Inc. wasted no time hiding the planet from the rest of the universe in order to make use of the incredible abundance and mining potential it offered. Once they had finished mining most of the valuable resources on the surface and once they had completed their investigation on the horrible creatures that brought them such gains they just simply left the planet quietly, never to return, or at least not officially.
The last thing they did while on the planet was to leave a gigantic bounty under a different name to whoever could find either another planet infected by civourers or a live specimen. The notes on the bounty also include a promise not to abuse these to destroy planets from the inside out for their own economical gain should they ever be found. Although initially the reason most bounty hunters entered the planet for the first time, most now consider it a fool's errand, not to mention the promise that most believe will obviously not be kept, leaving the bounty buried deep below the history of the planet, never to be heard from again.
Ever since most of the original settlers left, Hailhouwl-2 became Chordata Inc.'s greatest open secret, a breeding ground for maniacs of the unnerving, a mining outpost with riches to promise, and a hub for lawless but justice-oriented species.
Locations
Maw of nightmares: As the centerpiece of Hailhouwl-2 the Maw of nightmares is usually the reason people visit, and for good reason. With a scale of about 1/11th of the total planet mass and some of the universe's most horrific visuals in thousands of worm corpses facing to the heavens with their grand and gaping maws wide open, it'd be a blasphemy not to turn it into a tourist spot.
Expeditions into the Maw are usually short-lived as most are unable to handle the visuals of the large scale nest for any longer than a full week but it is said that should anyone be able to reach the grand pillar of corpses that lies right in the middle, climb it, and reach the top then they shall be crowned the King of Hailhouwl-2 with no resistance.
Aside from that, it is a constant reminder of mortality and that the universe is a wide place full of many horrible beings that could very well destroy it. According to the nearby Research Hole, the civourers were not originally from this planet, which aside from being the reason the planet is labelled -2 brings the possibility of some other planet in the universe being silently eaten from the inside out, soon to be left a dead husk.
The Research Hole also believes that the grand pillar was the manner through which the civourers spread from planet to planet: simply stretching out as far into space as they possibly could and then letting themselves fall unto any planet, comet, or asteroid unfortunate enough to catch them in their gravitational pull when passing by. They are unable to tell if this specific pillar managed to interface with any other celestial bodies which brings nobody any comfort.
Research hole: A literal hole in the ground in which Chordata Inc. stored their numerous researchers when they were still preoccupied with the planet. The researchers who then decided to stay behind split between two factions: those who wanted to continue their work and investigate more about the history of the planet and those who wanted to turn the pit into a mass of debauchery full of alcohol and parties. The debauchery faction won.
Marrow Market: Amidst the great planetwide boneyard in which most if not all ancient bones and fossils found on the surface were dumped to make space for mining lies a gigantic market town full of legally questionable goods and bone themed memorabilia.
On the off chance one isn't looking to get scammed for a skull-bobblehead or handknit worm socks, it also features a large concentration of bounty hunters to hire at a reasonable price.
Special
Foreboding aura: This planet's first impression of most is simply "Ominous and sort of spooky". When these people realize that the '2' in the name is there for a reason, and after touring through the Maw of nightmares this usually turns into "Really, really ominous and still sort of spooky".
Most report having developed an irrational fear of worms however small and the feeling of the ground trembling beneath one's feet after having toured through this planet in earnest.
Trivia
• Someone getting pushed into the Maw of nightmares happens every other month on average. Locals comment that it is funny every single time.
• The planet is almost 27% hollow thanks to the work of the civourers. Because of this the #1 cause of death after starvation, dehydration, and wind-related sicknesses is accidentally falling into a bottomless pit while your ex-friends laugh, cackle, and chortle helplessly at your misfortune.
• Great Cozy Travels™ once held an internet contest to decide what planet in the universe was the coziest place to live. Hailhouwl-2 won by a landslide and since then they have not held a single contest, internet or otherwise.
Image Gallery
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