Santeras

Santeras was a planet in the. It was a member world of the Golden Empire and the homeworld of the plantlike sentient Miewako.

Geography
Most of Santeras's surface land was covered in tropical rainforest. The majority of offworld sentients who visited felt the planet was oppressively humid, although rainfall was sporadic. Though home to a wealth of native fauna, it was the flora of Santeras that attracted most attention from aliens. A wide variety of plants on the surface bloomed only in daylight or at night, never both. The nocturnal plants tended to give off fluorescent glows in various colors. The native Miewako used the color glows to determine which plants were poisonous. The largest flora (not including trees) could grow up to 12 meters (40') tall.

Santeras's soil was described by alien visitors as "light and fluffy". The planet experienced a rainy season during the spring, with storms and even monsoons for up to six weeks straight.

Santeras's surface water was warm, and freshwater tended to gather in large pools all over the surface.

Society and culture
There was little in the way of organized society on Santeras, as the native Miewako were not numerous and tended to exist only in small groups. The planet's fluorescent nocturnal plants generated a small tourism industry, although few aliens could stomach the humidity for more than a few days. The planet's principal export was foodstuffs.

History
Prior to the arrival of the Golden Empire, Santeras had no artificially-constructed buildings and no history of war. The arrival of the Empire aggravated many Miewako, as Royal ships released some pollutants. The Ministry of Diplomacy eventually negotiated Santeras's entrance into the Empire; in exchange for the loyalty of the Miewako and the use of Santeras as an, the Empire agreed to allow only those farming technologies which used natural means and did not pollute.