Origin
It is said that the first inhabitants of the planet Salsola were once actually trees that sprouted in the area, evolving into people over the decades. These people are known as the Oarbor, meaning “eye of the tree,” as if in trees see everything; the name derives from the letter “O” (which means “eye” in Latin), and “arbor” (meaning “tree”). Each Oarbor is said to have a small birthmark of a tree somewhere in their body, identifying them as an inhabitant from the planet. Oarbor people are also distinguished because all of them have beautiful green eyes, some of them in a dark tone of green and others in a light one. Since they are vegan, these people feed off the fruit of the various and endless trees in their planet and hydrate from the water of the planet’s rivers. The Oarbor people are known to be full of joy, and welcome those who visit them in the kindest way one could ever imagine. When one visits Salsola, seeing joyful children running around and climbing up trees truly raises one’s mood, in such way that makes one want to run after them and join them; not even to mention the positive vibes produced when they dance to their melodies. There is nothing bad to say about the Oarbor people, except of those known as the Noarbors, who live in the dark hedges trees and is heard to be filled with hatred and evil; the rest of the joyful Oarbor tend to avoid them, and the same goes for the Noarbors towards them. However, this "separation" has seemed to worked over the years, since there have been no issues among them.
Biomes and ecosystems
The planet of Salsola has a variety of biomes, thus explains its huge variety of trees. There are savannas and temperate grasslands, where the baobab trees are located in. A few freshwater biomes are also located on the planet; these include ponds and the rivers and streams of which the Oarbor people and creatures get their water from. The forest biome is the kind Salsola is full of; here is where most of the trees are located in, including flamboyant trees, rainbow eucalyptus, angel oaks, ponthus beech trees, Japanese maples, and American elms. There are no marine biomes on the planet, as in no oceans, no coral reefs and no estuaries. There are also no cold tundra biomes; this includes no arctic nor alpine tundras. As for ecosystems, generally there are two kinds: aquatic and terrestrial. Since there are no marine biomes on the planet, Salsola will be said to have only one type of ecosystem: terrestrial. Despite it not having marine biomes / aquatic ecosystems, Salsola is a planet full of natural diversity in many, many ways. Such beauty is one of the things one definitely falls in love with when one visits the planet of Salsola, and I admit to having done so myself.
Creatures and Plants
Salsola is the planet with the most variety of trees in the whole galaxy, these for which it is mainly known for. It is made up of every kind of tree you can even think of, and more! The planet is divided into 11 regions, each of which is identified by the kind of tree that grows in the area. These regions are: cherry blossoms, dark hedges, flamboyant trees, angel oaks, baobab trees, jacarandas, ponthus beech trees, Japanese maples, American elms, ancient wisteria (which is where the king and queen live), and my favorite of all: rainbow eucalyptus. Obviously each region is not composed just of that tree that identifies it, but also of other trees from which the residents that live there feed off of; these include apple trees, banana trees, peach trees, orange trees and others, as well as other plants they can feed off of (like strawberry and watermelon shrubs) and just plants that do not give off any food for the Oarbor people. As for creatures, Salsola is a planet rich in bird species, mainly because of the amount of trees. There are owls, sparrows, swallows, cranes, passerines, woodpeckers, flamingos, cardinals and various others. Many peacocks reside in the region of the ancient wisteria (where the king and queen’s castle is located), since this bird signifies royalty. Birds of paradise settle not only in that area but also around the whole planet, giving the meaning that every corner of the planet is filled with beauty. Apart from birds, other creatures in the planet include deer, otters, horses and elephants; note that there are no carnivorous animals on the planet, so the Oarbor people are not at risk of being eaten by a creature.
Religion
The Oarbor people of the planet Salsola believe in a religion, different from the very common ones of Earth such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Taoism and others; they believe in animism. This religion is the attribution of a soul to plants, inanimate objects and natural phenomena; in simple words, it is the worshipping of inanimate objects. However, in Salsola, the Oarbor people worship more the trees than anything else, believing and viewing them as Gods. They see trees as the creators of their world and of themselves; trees are the basis of every aspect of their lives: their planet, their homes, their lives, their families and so on. Cutting down a tree would be considered the worst crime an Oarbor could ever commit; legend says that once an Oarbor cut one down with the desire of using its wood to build a home, and once he attempted to do so, the whole planet was invaded with terrible weather and food conditions. This is why the Oarbor people have always tended to live in homes made from non-wooden materials. Recall that each Oarbor is born with a tree birthmark; in addition, legend even says that each Oarbor is a specific tree on the planet, and if one day they find their “own” tree, they will be granted eternal life. This is known as anderism, and only a very few amount of people has been able to fulfill the myth; those of which are highly-viewed. The elder Oarbor are worshipped for their wisdom, as well.
Language
The main languages spoken in the planet of Salsola are English and Latin; there are also a few dialects from each individual region (recall that I refer to region as each area identified by a different type of tree growing there). For example, in the region of the baobab trees, the people speak the dialect of Unktu, which is derived from a bit of Latin and Swahili (which I find very interesting, since such is the lingua franca of Southeast Africa, and no Africans have ever been to Salsola or vice versa). Another idea that drew my attention was that, in the region of the ancient wisteria, the king and queen have their own secret dialect (whose name is not even known!) which they use to communicate only among themselves, and no one else knows; not even the royal children know what their parents are saying, since they are taught the secret dialect barely a year before they come to power. One assumes they use it to communicate things only them two want the other to know and no one else, since they speak English and Latin to their servants and have translators to talk certain dialects of regions. I have to say, I am partially thankful for the fact that they spoke English, as for I was able to communicate with them on my trip to the planet. However, I was very happy and curious to learn a bit of Latin and learn about the other native dialects of each region.
Technology
Recall where I mentioned that only the government and the army have access to technology on the whole planet of Salsola. The people of the planet do not have access to the advanced technology that the government and army have access to. Recall that they live mainly in forests and other simple biomes where electricity is not available. Despite all that, they are accustomed to their way of life by getting all they need from nature, and are happy with all they have; they do not need televisions or computers or video games to have fun, as they find entertainment in climbing trees and in any other activity they can find. If the government needs to send a message to any region, they would send a messenger carriage over to the region to deliver it. As for the technology the government and army have access to, it is just what is necessary to communicate throughout the planet, among themselves and with other planets. Say, the government has access to every technological apparel on the planet (as for communications, weapons and so on), yet the army only has access to the planet’s weapon systems (from which they still need granted permission to use from the government) and communication systems but only to communicate with the king and queen, unless there is a very special case where they are granted by them to communicate to other regions of the planet. One would say it is not much of an advance in technological manners compared to other planets such as Earth, but it is what they wish to have and are happy with. They see more importance to interacting with nature and themselves, not technological devices.
Government
The planet of Salsola has been ruled by a monarchy as far as time goes back. The Princepsomnes family has ruled over the people of Salsola for as long as anyone remembers; their name derives from the Latin words “princeps” (which means “ruler”) and “omnes” (meaning “all”), as in “ruler of all.” Legend says they were the first trees to ever evolve into humans, and that they helped the trees (recall trees are worshipped as gods) prepare the planet for the future arrival of people. They are known for having ruled over the people of the planet with full kindness, compassion, respect, fairness and cordiality, and the current King Rex and Queen Regina have not altered such idea. They treat the people of every region the best way they can, even the Noarbor people from the dark hedges region. Under their power are the lords, who are said to be chosen by the first trees as guardians of the planet; these are also continued by generations, like the actual royalty of the king and queen. Recall that the king and queen speak their own secret dialect, and one assumes it is used to discuss government issues that not even the lords should know. Under the lords is the Salsolan army, and below are the rest of the Oarbor people. However, the people of the planet do not view it as levels of powers, as if in some people have more power than others; they all respect each other, but the trees and king and queen are respected among all other things and others.
Planet Profile – Salsola
Economy and trade
Generally, there are four types of economic systems: a traditional economic system, a command economic system, a market economic system, and a mixed economic system. The planet of Salsola runs on a command economic system. This means that most (if not all) of the economic system is controlled by a centralized power; in this case, it is controlled by the monarchy of King Rex and Queen Regina. This kind of economy developed on the planet of Salsola when it was discovered that the colorful leaves of the Japanese maple trees are very valuable in the nearby planets of Jannus 9, Tausan and Japi. Of course, the Oarbor people do not tear the leaves down from the trees. See, these leaves are very special and one of a kind; once one grows on the tree, it takes two days for it to fully develop into a beautiful, colorful leaf and once such is done, it falls down to the ground. The leaves are picked up and taken to be submerged in water, restoring the leaf’s condition and making its colors even more vibrant. Since such discovery, Salsola has sold / exported the leaves of Japanese maple trees to those three planets of Tausan, Jannus 9 and Japi, making them the planet’s main trading partners. In return, they provide Salsola with weapons, communication systems and fruits not found on the planet (such as pineapples and kiwis). Such trading agreement and system of economy has worked ever since, and there seems to be nothing that might change the way things flow as of now.
Art and music
The art and music of the Oarbor people of the planet Salsola is characterized by liveliness. In their art (referring to paintings and such), Oarbor people generally illustrate trees as a way to show their worshipping towards them. These paintings are full of vibrant colors, especially when it comes to what kind of tree is being depicted. As for music, their melodies are known for bringing joy to those who hear them. Below you can hear the traditional Salsola Celebration Song, which is played during any celebratory event.