Mars

Mars
Astrographical
Star, position:	Sol, IV
Satellites(s):	Phobos, Deimos
Physical
Diameter:	6,792 kilometers
Gravity:	0.376 g
Length of day:	24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds
Orbital period:	687 days
Societal
Population:	Golden Age: Unknown; Post-Collapse: Unknown;

There is more information available on this subject at Mars on the English Wikipedia.

"The wind wiped away our footprints. When the storm had passed, we found something shining beneath the sand..."

— Grimoire description

Mars is the fourth planet in the Solar System, and the third largest terrestrial planet. Like the rest of the Solar System, it is littered with ruins from the Golden Age.^[1]

It is plagued by dust storms.^[2]

History

With the coming of the Traveler, rain washed over Mars,^[3] and it was here that humans first encountered the being.^[4] Once, populating Mars had been nothing more than a dream for humanity,^[5] but after the Traveler's arrival, a thriving metropolis named Freehold came to dominate the skyline of the world, a bastion of human life in the red dunes.^[6] With the coming of the Darkness, nearly all of the city was "swept away" and the sand claimed what remained.^[7] That city now lies buried beneath a mountain of sand, and only the once-soaring skyscraper peaks are visible.^[6]

Mars is now a desert world,^[8] and Cabal forces have a presence on the planet, controlling the Exclusion Zone,^[1] as do the Vex, who are at odds with the Cabal.^[6] An indelible sign of the Cabal presence on Mars is the moon of Phobos, which has had its orbit dramatically altered by Cabal planetary engineering; it now fills a significant part of the sky. Even more disturbing is the discovery of large "planet-cracking" munitions among the Cabal's already devastating arms.^[9] There is some degree of conflict as humanity tries to reclaim its former glory.^[6]

Gameplay

"You spend enough time on the frontier, you start to play favorites. Mine is Mars. The Cabal have all the smarts of a Tower Frame with its mem-cortex unplugged. Easiest patrol in the system."

— The late J.D. Cao^[10]

Guardians can climb into the upper windows of Mars's skyline and delve down toward what was once ground level. Players are likely to encounter entrenched Cabal blocking their way. It will not be unusual to see them fighting Vex.^[6]