Niðavellir

The Ice Planet, Nidavellir is one of the smaller planets, and outside of a few outposts, research stations, and foundries, it is uninhabited and inhospitable.

A Frozen World
It would be a hard to say that the planet is fully explored, and thus any description can only apply to what has been discovered so far. But what the sentient races have discovered is that Nidavellir is a Frozen Wasteland.

The surface is dry, rock, and cold. There are certain periods and areas of relative warmth, but these only reach as high as the coldest temperatures of Terra or Gaia. The only hospitable parts of the planet are covered on permafrost, with the rest of the surface coated in sheets of other frozen liquids and gases.

While the harsh conditions make an impracticable place to start a settlement, it has worked extremely well it seems for more secretive or clandestine purposes. With secret research or surveillance facilities being placed on, or just under the planets surface.

Untold Riches
Beyond the natural protectiveness of the planet, it also hosts an absolute wealth of valuable resource for extraction. It was quickly discovered by early explorers that beneath the cold and harsh crust was a treasure trove of minerals and more for the taking. Mineral and ore mining is by far the most common operation set up to extract wealth from the planet, but there are also stranger and more exotic resources hidden away on the planet. Natural energy springs and abnormal disturbances litter the planet, making perfect candidates for research facilities, or more advanced attempts at energy harvesting.

History
The History of Nidavellir is a simple one. Early astronomers from all races quickly confirmed it as one of the major objects in the system, and mythologically speaking it has always been associated with cold or mist. The Sagas describe the world as housing 3 springs which are the source of the ethereal ribbons. It is also the canon abode of Níðhöggr, frozen beneath the surface.

This connection with one of the dark serpents lead to the planet being treated with superstition in the early days of exploration, something which still persists to this day. Many refuse to travel to the planet either because they consider it sacred, or cursed.