The Birth of Zenon

Far back during the Origins Era, not long after the formation of Chrysalian, the Xilon orbit system began to take shape. First came Terra Firma, the central point of all Xilon life. Then came Risus and Kappa Crucis, each of the planets taking shape in their own unusual ways. And for a time, it was only those three lone worlds, traversing their erratic orbit paths alongside nearby Geminius.

As the years passed, the troika was joined by a second, larger ice planet and its sizeable red moon, which fell into a loose pattern around Kappa Crucis. This new addition, known as Risaen (the name a homage to its neighboring ice planet), was quite different from Risus despite the surface similarities. Unlike Risus, which was and always had been composed entirely of ice, Risaen had miles of soil, rock and other earthly elements frozen just beneath the surface. It was partial to rain and hailstorms rather than light snow, and the ice was more of a blueish coloring than the pure white of its nearby friend. Additionally, while Risus possessed a unique composition that allowed for a steady, pleasantly warm climate while the ice remained unaffected, this new planet found itself overheating in the presence of Geminius.

Subject to the movements of the surrounding celestial bodies, Risaen and its moon were dragged along the central orbit path for roughly 87 lyren without incident. But the Xilon System drastically changed when the planet unexpectedly altered course after suffering a bombardment of meteors from a nearby asteroid belt and came into dangerously close contact with Geminius. The heat from the supernova was too much for Risaen and a massive planetary meltdown took place.

The enormous glaciers that had so long covered the surface were reduced to tidal waves and storms that swept over every inch of the planet, raging for years before settling into the beautifully calm, glassy waterscape that would come to be known as Zenon.

Over the course of many years, the planet broke away from Kappa Crucis, forming its own distinct pattern around Terra Firma. During the burning of Acadia Major in the nuclear storm, large chunks of rock were catapulted through the orbit system, one of which slammed into Zenon's colorful moon. The impact sent the satellite hurtling within the Roche limit of its neighboring celestial body and it was torn apart by the gravitational strain. The debris, caught by tidal forces and unable to coalesce, eventually settled around the main body to form the red rings that would become the planet's defining feature.