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The planet Venus appears frequently as a setting for many of the stories of Leigh Brackett , and Venus and Venusians are frequently mentioned in other stories of the Leigh Brackett Solar System . Brackett's Venus shares some characteristics with the astronomical Venus , but in other respects functions as a consistent Fantasy world with recurring landmarks and characteristics that reappear from story to story. Some of these fantasy characteristics are of Brackett's own invention; others reflect some of the scientific theories about Venus that were current before the early 1960s. Readers of this article are advised not to depend upon it for scientific or astronomical information but instead to consult the article Venus . Venus is the second Planet from the Sun . It is very similar in size and composition to the Earth, and is even wetter and possesses a richer biosphere. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS Atmosphere Venus possesses a very dense, oxygen-rich, water-saturated atmosphere. This produces a dense cloud-layer around the planet, which prevents direct observation of the surface from above the cloud tops. From the surface, the stars are never visible, and the sun only indirectly so. There are strong 300 km/h (200 mph) winds at the cloud tops, but winds at the surface are very slow, no more than a few miles per hour. Geography Most of Venus is very low-lying, shallow seas and swamps just below or near sea level. The mountain and plateau country -- the only parts of Venus inhabitable by Terrans, and preferred by the native Venusian humans -- is rare and extremely valuable. The inhabited southern hemisphere is dominated by the Sea of Morning Opals, one of Venus' deeper seas. Towards the north this sea narrows to the strait called the "Dragon's Throat", beyond which lie the Upper Seas which lie along the equator. The Upper Seas are landlocked, very shallow and filled with dangerous reefs. Somewhere in the Upper Seas lies the fabulous and forbidden Moonfire (''The Moon that Vanished''). The continental areas are for the most part low-lying swamp, brackish near the coasts, but also discharging fresh water into the littoral zones. These swamps have been in place for hundreds of millions of years, and the vegetation beneath them has compacted to form thick deposits of coal, which can be mined. Venus' main continent is divided by the range called the Mountains of White Cloud. These mountains form a formidable barrier; air travel across them is considered impossible, due to their great (literally stratospheric) height and the local magnetic anomalies near them that render instrumental flying impossible (''Lorelei of the Red Mist''). Travel across these mountains by land is extraordinarily dangerous. The far side of the mountains is little known; the only securely recognized landmark in transmontane Venus is the Red Sea, a huge lake filled with a red gas. The gas is heavy enough not to diffuse into the atmosphere, and buoyant enough to float watercraft or to swim in; but it is mixed with oxygen, and can be inhaled without immediate ill effect, though prolonged exposure is discouraged. The area around the Red Sea is barbarous and dangerous, dominated by thieves and pirates who infest such strongholds as Shuruun, Falga and Crom Dhu (''Enchantress of Venus'', ''Lorelei of the Red Mist''). HISTORY OF VENUS Prehistory No Venusian people ever developed its own system of writing, so little or nothing is known about the history of Venus before the coming of the Terrans. The Venusian humans, closely akin to Earth humans and unlike the mainly reptilian denizens of the rest of Venus, evidently were transplanted to Venus from outside, though by what agency remains unknown. They have no recollection in their traditions of a time before they arrived on Venus. The myths of the Venusian humans do, however, recall the impact of fragments of Venus' former moon on the surface of the planet. If this could be dated precisely, it would provide a lower limit for the arrival of humans on Venus; however, the sites of the impacts are either unknown or unapproachable due to high levels of residual radioactivity. Terran invasions The initial Terran presence on Venus involved far more violence than the comparable presence on Mars. The Martians continued the traditions of an ancient civilization, and the Terrans could at least pretend to deal with them from a position of equality; but the natives Venusians appeared, from the Terran point of view, to be no more than savages. Terran attempts to obtain a foothold on Venus were met with brutal Venusian violence and even more ruthless reprisals. Although the Venusians could not match the Terran level of technology, their superior knowledge of Venus' terrain and its exotic biology often gave them an edge in conflicts with the Terrans. Interplanetary Wars Venus was for some time under the control of the powerful Terra-Venusian coalition, in which the Terrans were the dominant partner, and the exploitation of Venusian resources was carried out quickly despite the objections of Venusian natives. Venusian independence brought Venus into a wider world of interplanetary conflict. In a war with Earth, Venus bombarded Earth from space, but failed to complete its secret weapon: an army of radio-telepathically controlled zombies (''No Man's Land in Space''). Venus also sided with the other Triangle Worlds against the Jovians, but found itself in conflict with both Jupiter and Mars in a later war over territory in the Asteroid Belt. Venus' Trade City of Vhia was bombarded from space; this bombardment was initially believed to be the work of the Jovians, but turned out to be a Martian ploy to aggravate Venusian-Jovian tensions to the point of no return (''Interplanetary Reporter''). BIOLOGY Venus' plentiful water and oxygen combined with tropic heat make it a very favorable site for the growth of life. Venus boasts the densest and most diverse array of biota in the Solar System. Only a few of Venus' millions of species can be described below. Fauna Despite Venus' diversity, Venusian fauna has, for the most part, not yet evolved beyond the reptilian stage. Most of the native higher fauna are scaly predators, carnivorous or omnivorous. Insect life is even more common.
Flora
ANTHROPOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY Venusian humans The highlands of Venus are dominated by humans, genetically close to Earth humans and capable of interbreeding with them -- and so, presumably, sharing the same origin, though the exact relationship is uncertain. Due to the filtering of the sun through the thick clouds, little ultraviolet reaches the surface, and there is no need for high levels of protective Melanin . Venusians are accordingly very pale, with hair ranging in color from blond to white. Venusian humanoids
The Nahali are intelligent reptilian humanoids who inhabit the Venusian Deep Swamps. They are tall (averaging about 2m), have bright red eyes, and are covered in greenish iridescent scales. Their bodies also carry a powerful electric charge, which makes them dangerous to touch. Although their general anatomy resembles the human, their faces are very different, having no noses and triangular mouths. They are capable of breathing under water, since their skin cells extract oxgen directly from the water. They are dependent, however, upon a high degree of atmospheric humidity, which keeps them bound to the swamps except during the rainy season.
The Kraylens are closer to human than the Nahali, with bluish-white skin, opalescent eyes, broad cheeks and pointed chins. Their most notable mark is the featherlike crest that extends from the brow ridges, across the top of the head, and down the spine to the waist. The Kraylens live on the swamp-edges and practice a form of agriculture.
Not much is known about this rare reptilian species; they live in the Lohari swamps, have four arms each, and crawl like serpents. GOVERNMENT VENUS' MOON The belief that Venus once had a moon that vanished at some point in the distant past is common among the peoples and tribes of Venus. The religion known as the "Mysteries of the Moon" is centered upon a story of this lost moon. According to the myth, the god of this moon was the ruler of all the other gods, but because of their jealousy they destroyed his palace and killed him. His body fell from the skies onto the surface of Venus, where, unable to truly die, it sleeps and breathes. The shining cloud that surrounds his body is known as the Moonfire, and those who attempt to penetrate it to gain godhead from the sleeping god will be cursed by all the gods of Venus. The priests who call themselves the Children of the Moon will seek vengeance upon anyone who seeks to invade the Moonfire, but anyone who goes and successfully returns is sacrosanct. The reality behind the myth is disputed, but may reflect the impaction of a portion of a small, unstable orbiting body upon the surface of Venus, leaving there a powerful radioactive source with strange effects upon the human mind. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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