The Diamond World
Zyndrel
A whole planet of diamond. Forecast: diamond hail.
Zyndrel is a world built of diamond. Its crust is glittering carbon crystal, its mountains are faceted spires, and its violet storms squeeze carbon out of the sky until it falls as sparkling diamond hail.
Nobody mines Zyndrel, because nobody needs to: diamonds lie around like gravel. What people want here is the light. Its prism valleys bend starlight into colours the eye can barely name, and that light powers sensors, lasers and starship optics across the galaxy.
Zyndrel's storms work like a giant press. Carbon-rich clouds are squeezed and cooled until diamonds form in mid-air, then fall in glittering sheets. After a big storm the whole planet rings like a bell.
Light-harvester crews live in shaded domes and spend their days aiming great diamond lenses at the sky, catching starlight and bottling it into crystals for the rest of the galaxy.
Atmosphere
Violet sky, endless glitter, the constant tinkle and crack of falling gems.
Local quirk
Locals pay for things with sand. Sand is rare here.
Regions · proposed names, not locked canon
Prism Valleys
Canyons of clear diamond that split light into rivers of colour.
The Hailfields
Plains where diamond hail piles up like snowdrifts and crunches underfoot.
Facet Peaks
Mountains so sharp and clear you can see the sunrise through them.
The Shade Domes
Tinted habitats where crews eat, sleep and finally stop squinting.
The Singing Ridge
A diamond ridge that hums when the wind blows across its edges.
Hazards
- ▲Diamond hailGems falling at speed. Pretty, loud and very hard on hulls.
- ▲Blinding glareLight bounces off everything. Goggles are not optional.
- ▲Razor-edged groundFresh diamond is sharp. Boots wear out in a day.
Visitor tips
- ✦Bring dark goggles, then a second pair.
- ✦Don't bother filling your pockets.
- ✦Ask the harvesters for a sand exchange rate.
Local life
- ●Light-harvester crews
- ●Glintbacks (crystal-shelled grazers)
- ●Very disappointed treasure hunters
A day on Zyndrel
Morning arrives as a flash. Every surface catches the sunrise at once, and anyone without dark goggles spends the next hour seeing spots.
Afternoons are for harvesting light. Evenings are for sweeping diamond hail off the roof, which is the most glamorous chore in the galaxy and still a chore.
Locals & customs
Harvester Mae Quillon
Runs the biggest light lens on the planet. Has never once been impressed by a diamond.
Glintbacks
Slow grazers with crystal shells that lick the light off fresh hail. Friendly, shiny, impossible to photograph.
- ◆Visitors are handed a bag of sand on arrival. It is the local currency, and very generous.
- ◆You never point a lens at another person. It is rude, and occasionally a laser.
Legends & history
The Clear Heart
Harvesters say the planet's core is one perfect diamond the size of a moon, and that on still nights you can see it glowing through the ground.
Onobo checked the scans. Something down there is glowing. He has decided not to mention it to Zamfyr.
Crew log
“We're rich. We are extremely, unbelievably rich. Why is everyone laughing?”
“Too many diamonds. Ship too heavy. Throw out the diamonds.”
Story seed · in development
Diamond Misunderstanding
Zamfyr fills the Wobblenaut's hold with diamonds, convinced he has made the crew rich. On Zyndrel diamonds are worth less than sand, and the extra weight means the ship can't take off.
One crate of light-crystals bound for Earth is fake: plain glass painted to sparkle. Somebody wants Earth's weather shield to fail, and the forgery is very good.
Earthward stakes
Zyndrel light-crystals focus the beams of Earth's orbital weather shield. A bad batch could leave half a continent without its storm protection.
Onobo packs
Science inspiration
Scientists think diamond may rain deep inside Uranus and Neptune, and have speculated about carbon-rich 'diamond planets'. No real diamond planet has been confirmed; Zyndrel is a what-if.
Cal Academy: diamond planets