The Twelve Colonies of Kobol

The Twelve Colonies

The Twelve Colonies of Kobol are twelve distinct worlds located in Cyrannus Star System, which consists of four separate star systems. Below is a basic description of each world and a broad sketch of the peoples who call them home. This page also links out to more detailed pages describing the various peoples and cultures from which those PCs came. There are many more places to the twelve colonies than just the twelve primary planets. There are also moons, significant planetoids, asteroid belts, and plenty else out there. However, when a child is born their parents must declare a Home Colony (of the 12 below, or, with prior agreement with Staff, Piraeus) of birth and citizenship, which is what will appear on each application. Though we do draw upon the shows for inspiration, bear in mind that this and associated pages stem from the interlocking backgrounds and histories of our PCs themselves. Please do add original material to these pages and do not simply recycle PC's lives and their material from other games.

Name Flag Status Description
Aerilon aerilon.png Occupied A mild climate and moderate precipitation make is rolling plains and prairies ideal for farming and grazing. Despite it being the 'food basket' of the Colonies, it was widely considered to be the poorest colony. Thus, Aerilonians tended to be poor and less educated than those of other colonies, but with a reputation for that of hard workers and truth tellers. The notion of self-reliance runs very deep on Aerilon where the government does not provide social services nor does it tolerate dissension.
Aquaria aquaria.png Occupied Aquaria is a "frigid" world with only one major land mass: Kyros, a crescent-shaped continent with volcanoes at both ends. Aquaria was widely known for its vast oceans. Founded as a scientific research outpost, this remote world had also attracted a small (25,000 permanent) but sturdy population know for stubborn independence, social tolerance, and a unique barter system. However, the population would swell to as many as a half-million during the annual summerfest, which featured music, dance, theater and epic poetry. Despite the lack of an official capital city, the government held weekly community meetings that were open both citizens and non-citizens. A majority of issues addressed were passed by majority vote, even the election of the colony's Prime Minister.
Canceron canceron.png Uninhabitable Rendered uninhabitable after nuclear bombardment in the Second Cylon War, Canceron was the most populous planet in the twelves worlds. It is located in the Helios Delta system, sharing its orbit with two other planets, one of them being Aerilon. The planet was well known for its beaches and had at least one large coastal metropolis. The capital was Hades. Prior to the First Cylon War, Canceron was a very overpopulated and poor colony. Canceron's major cities such as Hades and Mangala were known to have large slums. Its large population earned Canceron the nickname "The Largest Democracy" within the colonies, though some believed the government was nothing more than a corrupt Oligarchy.
Caprica caprica.png Uninhabitable. Rendered uninhabitable after nuclear bombardment during the Skath invasion, Caprica was a lush blue-green planet, covered by large oceans and continents. It shares its orbit with Gemenon around a common barycenter, and can often be seen in the skies above the Caprican landscape. Depending on its orbit, the Caprican night can almost be negated by intense planetshine from Gemenon, although not as bright as the Caprican sun, there is enough light reflected back to effectively turn night into day. Of curious note, Caprica features landmasses similar to a world the Colonials would eventually settle and come to call Earth. Caprica was regarded as the center of Colonial civilization, even long before the First Cylon War. Graystone Industries was one of the Colonies' most influential technology developers and had a hand in creating the very first Cylons. Some 60 years before the Fall, Caprica was also plagued by religiously motivated terrorism. After the war, the planet was once again the seat of politics, culture, art, science, learning and even the Colonial government. It was also one of the wealthiest colonies.
Gemenon gemenon.png Uninhabitable Rendered uninhabitable after nuclear bombardment in the Second Cylon War, Gemenon was the first world colonized by the humans of Kobol. It shares its orbit around Helios Alpha with Caprica, completing an rotation once every 28.2 days. Its status as a twin planet gives it its name. Its climate can vary wildly, featuring frozen plateaus, and searing deserts, which can make life difficult for its inhabitants. It was one of the poorer colonies and its people, the Gemenese, were known for their religious fundamentalism. Before the First Cylon War, Gemenon was home to the Kobol Colleges and a monotheistic cult called "The Soldiers of the One". Gemenon's second-largest city, Illumini, was built around a large Pantheon complex, composed of buildings intended to worship and celebrate every deity in the Sacred Scrolls. The Gemenese were known for their literal interpretations of the Scrolls. Most of the population of Gemenon was apparently very strongly opposed to the federal laws legalizing abortion. The planet also had either an old or disused language, known as Old Gemenese.
Leonis leonis.png Occupied Leonis is the second planet in the Helios Beta system, and was geographically known for its open plains. The planet itself has no axial tilt, which supports a mild and predictable climate with year-round beaches and ski slopes. It was a major hub for both education and industry, and despite Colonial unification, was able to maintain its own language and culture. Leonian food and wine is often considered to be some of the best in the Colonies.
Libran libran.png Occupied Having been evacuated at the end of the Second Cylon War and turned into a penal world for the APF the planet now appears to be the central point of teh Skath invasion. Libran was known for its courthouses and lawyers, and was the home of the Inter-Colonial Court. The planet had no official capital. A major city on Libran was called Themis which had a large, modern pyramid arena built sometime before the First Cylon War. Yet at this time Libran had no official pyramid team. The Libran court system serves as a body through which trade disputes and legal matters were capable of being sorted amongst the colonies. It is a high earning colony but is not regarded as a desirable place to live.
Picon picon.png Occupied Picon was a turquoise planet, containing 75% water, and famous for its harbors. The capital city was Queenstown, a relatively small fishing village. During the planet's off-season, most of the landscape became cold and rugged. The planet was often used as a substitute for Caprica City in Caprican films and TV series. After the Unification of the Twelve Colonies this world was the location of the Colonial Fleet Headquarters. Picon was also the home of Picon Laboratories, located in Pailyn, Muritolan.
Sagittaron sagittaron.png Uninhabitable Rendered uninhabitable after nuclear bombardment in the Second Cylon War, Sagittaron was one of the poorest worlds of the Twelve Colonies. The capital of this planet was Tawa. The Sagittarons were traditionalists who practiced a different form of religion from the other Colonials. They distrusted modern medicine and were generally unsupportive of the military. The Planet endured centuries of exploitation at the hands of the other Colonies. Eventually, Tom Zarek led an organized series of terrorist acts against the established government there, many years before the Fall of the Colonies.
Scorpia scorpia.png Uninhabitable Extensive environmental damage from nuclear attack, and the de-orbiting of the Fleet Anchorage lead to Scorpia being evacuated at the end of the Second Cylon War. Scorpia was known for its lush jungles, hot temperatures, and trashy reputation. Prior to the war the Colony was most commonly associated with the seedy casinos of Argentum Bay and the hard-partying city of Itauna — both of which made Scorpia the premier vacation destination for uni students on Vernal Break. Its paragliding was legendary as well. After the Unification, Scorpia became the new home of the Fleet Shipyards. Its capital was Celeste.
Tauron tauron.png Uninhabitable Rendered uninhabitable after nuclear bombardment in the Second Cylon War, Tauron was a barren, arid planet that lacked any kind of flowers. However, it was well-known for its agriculture. Its capital was Hypatia, another large city was Tauron City. The planet shared its orbit with another ringed world. Taurons were known to be very traditional people, even speaking a very old and distinctive language. Some 800 years before the Fall Tauron was colonized by Virgon and Leonis. The people of Tauron liberated themselves and ever since this world has been known for its troubled and violent history. Nearly a century before its Fall, Tauron was one of the poorer colonial worlds and the center of a civil war. A few years before the First Cylon War, the crime syndicate Ha'la'tha had enormous influence over the planet, which even extended to other colonies, such as Caprica. During the War, Hypatia was was the location of a fierce and lossy battle against Cylon forces.
Habitable Moon: Minos A mineral rich moonthat has been mined for generations. The surface is not habitable, so extensive domes and tunnels were created.
Virgon virgon.png Destroyed The planet is slowly breaking up. Virgon was well-known for its forests and considered to be one of the wealthier colonies. The capital of Virgon was Boskirk. Virgon had a declining monarchy and a strong national parliament, at least 58 years before the Fall of the Colonies. Virgon Brew was a beer produced on the planet and exported to other Colonies. Soon after the beginning of the Cylon attack, the Colonials launch a counter-attack over Virgon. Virgon had many parallels with present-day Earth's Britain; a declining monarchy, birthplace of Colonial language, coloniser of other planets (comparable to countries) and 'Virgon United' and 'Boskirk All Reds' are similar to Manchester United, a prominent English football team, also known as the Red Devils.
Habitable Moon: Hibernia The only naturally habitable moon. Settled a long time ago by the Celtans, an ethnic group opposed to Virgon rule.
Important Notice about Canon Material
Material from the television program Caprica is NOT automatically considered canon, although players may adopt individual bits and pieces from what's depicted on Caprica into the regional cultural background of their character(s). When in doubt, please ask.

To avoid contradictions in established RP, a policy of "localization" has been adopted. Apart from the Staff-written Overview and items firmly established in the main BSG series, there should be no all-encompassing tidbits for any of the Twelve Colonies. Players are wholeheartedly encouraged to create regional write-ups. Those seeking to deviate from the general "flavor" of the Overview should first consult with Staff.

Other Human Settlements

Troy Uninhabitable Situated in Helios Beta, this mineral rich word was mined extensively by Leonis and Virgon and never achieved colony status by itself. The atmosphere made surface habitation impossible, so great domed settlements were erected. It was heavily nuked at the start of the Second Cylon War and considered a complete loss.
Piraeus Occupied Handed to the Lines for their use as a home world after the Second Cylon War Piraeus was attacked once the Skath leart it's location. Tthis Top Secret location was set to be an evacuation site for the President, his cabinet, and the Quorum of Twelve in the event of a major threat. It had been under development by Task Force NOMAD towards this end, but the planet has also served as a dedicated research facility overseen by CIDSR (Caprican Institute for Deep Space Research), but still underneath the control of the Colonial Defense Forces. It is a generally lush world with huge amounts of wildlife that is three max-distance jumps from the edge of Colonial Space and hidden from view behind a massive hydrogen cloud.

A Note from RDM

"I think that some of the Colonies have developed very different cultures and attitudes from one another and that it's rich ground for us. We alluded to some differences here and there, but mostly we talked about the 'Federal' (for lack of a better word) governmental structures. We do know that there was a sizable opposition to the Colonial government. Leoben claimed to be an arms dealer supplying freedom fighters or terrorists, depending on your point of view, and Tom Zarek was the jailed leader of a sometimes violent opposition, so it stands to reason that there are a wide variety of views, some of which come into violent conflict with one another. It's also worth bearing in mind that one of the uses for which the Cylons were originally used by the Colonies was as soldiers in their wars against one another."

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