Karzabrog

Karzabrog was the homeworld of the warlike Horzyx. It was located on the outskirts of the Chavrazeen sector in the.

Geography
Though it had a variety of terrains, Karzabrog was most famous for its geysers, of which it had thousands. The liquid, molten core of the planet was larger than those of similarly-sized planets, and large, under-surface lakes and oceans complemented the oceans on the surface. When the superheated rock bordering the core met the underground water, geysers burst forth. While it had many volcanoes of note, Karzabrog was believed to have many times more below the surface than on it. Some geysers spewed pure water, while others burst forth with heavily basic or acidic liquids, depending on chemicals in the underground water and the soil.

Some plants adapted to acid and base geysers, providing rare blooms and unusual herbivores in those areas; more often, however, deadlier geysers were surrounded by wasteland. Some geysers with streams between pure water and nearly pure acids and bases coexisted alongside water geysers, making them even more dangerous to weaker animals, which never knew what type of geyser showers they would experience until it was too late. Numerous native species, including the Horzyx, evolved tough skin or other evolutionary defenses against acidic and basic liquids.

Karzabrog had three large continents and two much smaller ones, ringed by oceans. It had a single, airless moon, Hyzorna, which was largely devastated during the Shield War, affecting tides on the planet.

Society and culture
As harsh and pitiless as their homeworld, the Horzyx combined with Karzabrog to ensure almost no aliens ever went there voluntarily. Fighting was generally allowed or even encouraged; most regions had no assault or battery statutes, and some overlooked even murder if the deceased was considered a "drain on society". Horzyx culture revolved around warfare and the spilling of blood, and many a Royal Consul struggled to keep the planet from descending into civil war.

A few alien enterprises did thrive. Royal Army and Royal Starfighter Corps recruiters on Karzabrog almost never failed to meet their quotas. A few geologists who braved the Horzyx and their hostile society published well-received studies on Karzabrog's unusual geyser system.

Due to both Karzabrog's geysers and their own tendency toward war, the Horzyx had developed construction methods and materials which made buildings difficult to destroy on purpose and almost impossible to destroy accidentally. Apart from weapons and armor, which they manufactured with enough skill to present regional competition to SuisMez, the Horzyx also did a noteworthy trade in prefabricated buildings and camping dwellings.

History
Apart from those creatures indigenous to the most temperate areas, species which endured and evolved through Karzabrog's harsh surface became tough as a result. The Horzyx domesticated some of their fellow predators even before building cities, and warfare wracked the planet down through its history from the earliest Horzyx tribes.

The surveyed the planet at one point; the Horzyx were unable to confront the vastly technologically superior aliens, but were on the lookout from that point on. Capturing the next aliens to land on-world, they spent centuries reverse-engineering advanced spaceflight and technologies, forcing an unusual, uneasy truce among the great powers protecting the experiment. When the work was finally completed and a fleet built, the Horzyx set off from their home.

The Shield War which resulted saw Karzabrog itself attacked in two battles. Hyzorna was devastated during the Second Battle of Karzabrog. Eventually, the Horzyx gave up the attack on the Zarban Hegemony, and the Hegemony was too worn down by war to clinch a victory by actually taking Karzabrog.

Karzabrog became part of the Golden Empire in 105 ABY after the short, violent Third Battle of Karzabrog. The Horzyx submitted but remained contentious, and the planet was usually governed by Consuls who either had extensive military experience themselves or were current or former Centurions.