Radiation from the star Tendril is the largest threat to life on the moon's surface. Even during quiet times, the radiation levels are unhealthy for prolonged exposure. Special clothing has been developed to protect against radiation and is worn by everyone living here. The government has instituted programs to treat the public water supply in Babel and some of the smaller towns with anti-radiation serum. Despite the precautions and frequent public warnings, radiation is still the number one cause of illness on the moon.

The rapid change of seasons, gravitational influence of Sperous, and large temperature changes combine to generate strong winds. Under the right conditions, massive sandstorms thousands of kilometers wide sweep across the deserts. Storms can last for days and occasionally weeks. Day to day life comes to a halt during the storms. Vehicles and buildings must be carefully protected to prevent the sand from entering and ruining delicate equipment. Sentient beings caught out in the open must have protective clothing and breathing filters if they hope to survive. Government meteorologists track developing storms and quickly issue warnings in the effected areas.

Alaundril was initially surveyed more than 150 years ago, but Verge politics and the interruption of the war has blocked the return of all but a handful of biological assays. A great portion of StarMech's existing records on Alaundril's biosphere was lost during the war.

Life on Alaundril includes species closely analogous to those of Earth in many regards. The Tendril system is younger than Sol, so Alaundril's biosphere is characterized by a small number of recently evolved, relatively unspecialized species.

A number of dangerous plants and animals exist on Alaundril. Certain forms of plants have developed an ability to draw water out of the surrounding air. This ability extends to any living creature that passes near them. They are particularly dangerous to unprotected humans whose skin provides little barrier to the plant's desiccating ability.

EGISTRON

The undisputed master of Alaundril's long, cold nights, the egistron (pronounced EE-jis-tron) is a large, aerial carnivore with a voracious appetite. Native to the rugged, broken terrain of Alaundril's southern highlands and mountains, the egistron often covers dozens of kilometers of territory over the course of Alaundril's 38-hour night, slowly circling on the warm thermals that spiral from the cooling sand and rock of the deep desert. Alaundril's dense atmosphere supports avian creatures much larger than those found on Earth; a full-grown egistron weighs in at 40 to 60 kilograms. It's easily capable of killing an adult human, and many people who disappear in Alaundril's deserts probably fall prey to an egistron's attentions. Fortunately, the creatures have a strong dislike for light, and they avoid brightly lit places.

Description: The largest and most dangerous member of a family of aerial mammals, the egistron is deceptively slender and agile. Its wingspan often reaches 4 or 5 meters, and its wings are unusually short and broad in proportion to its body-like a falcon or a hawk, it's built for speed and maneuverability in a dive, not long-endurance soaring. Fliers of the egistron family have a body arrangement unknown in any other quadrupeds; the broad wings evolved from the creature's anterior limbs, while its striking talons evolved from its forelegs. The creature's small head features six small eyes spaced evenly around the forward hemisphere of the skull, and its mouth is lined with three rows of small, razor-sharp teeth.

DUNE SPIDER

Driven by the fearsome irradiation of Alaundril's sun and the harsh conditions of the Alaundrin desert, evolution has proceeded at a rapid rate on this world. A vicious struggle for the survival of the fittest has bred a variety of creatures dangerous to man. To be successful, an Alaundrin predator has to be smart, tough, and aggressive, ready to capitalize on any opportunity that comes its way. The dune spider, like a number of other Alaundrin creatures, is all too ready to make a meal out of a human traveler. Unlike the egistron or the sandgrotha, the sand spider has no fear of humankind and is actually drawn to human settlements and outposts for the wealth of food concentrated there.

Description: The dune spider is a six-legged arachnid with six strong legs and a covering of stiff, wirelike hair. It belongs to a family of megarthropoda with powerful bands of external connective muscle supplementing the musculature within its exoskeleton. This adaptation allows the dune spider, and other creatures in its class, to reach sizes impossible for terrestrial arthropods-in the dune spider's case, almost 50 kilograms. The creature's head is a rigid section of its body, a convoluted mass of interlocking ridges surrounding a complex central mouth with two venom-dripping fangs. The dune spider displays an acute sensitivity to vibration and movement; it can sense the air displacement of a flying bird 20 to 30 meters distant. Dune spiders are adapted for concealment and ambush. The creature's brown and yellow mottled hide blends perfectly with most colors and textures of sand.

SANDGROTHA

The largest and most dangerous of Alaundril's desert carnivores, the sandgrotha is an excellent illustration of evolutionary convergence. In appearance, temperament, structure, and behavior, it's a near-perfect replica of Earth's great cats. One of the most successful carnivore "blueprints" in the explored galaxy, large felines are found on almost a dozen different worlds. Alaundril is home to only seven distinct species of great cat; of these, the sandgrotha is the largest and most dangerous to human wayfarers.

Description: Nearly 3 meters in length, the sandgrotha is a muscular, tigerlike creature with rough, golden-brown skin and large eyes shaded by translucent membranes. Its retractable claws are black and brown, and its prominent white teeth remind many observers of Earth's extinct smilodon-the saber-toothed cat. Somewhat leaner and more sinuous than a tiger or a lion, the sandgrotha does not have ears; instead, it hears through elongated grooves on each side of the head, more sensitive to faint sounds than an external ear but not as good at determining direction. The sandgrotha is built for speed, not endurance. Its limbs are short and powerful, and its golden-brown hide enables it to conceal itself in desert surroundings with ease. The creature is noted for its high, hissing screech, an unnerving sound that can carry for kilometers through the rock-walled canyons and badlands it calls home.