The countless waterways of Varturan are home to numerous water-dwelling creatures, both sentient and not. The massive oceans, lakes, and rivers constantly ebb and flow in concert with the orbit of the planet's two moons, Arrtinos and Rydnan. Their powerful gravitational pulls cause constant and dramatic shifts in the planet's tides, with water rising hundreds of feet in some places. These major shifts occur at regular intervals of about six hours and have created extremely waterlogged environments that flourish with the aid of the tidal rhythm. The planet is home to large swamps, seas of quicksand, aquatic forests, and countless unique niches and localized ecosystems in the depths of Varturan's seas and lakes. Even pockets of land scattered around the planet are intrinsically connected to the world's waters—lands that rise high enough or are large enough to avoid total submersion beneath Varturan's tides are still subject to constant light rains. It's no surprise that Varturan's inhabitants are well-adapted to life in and around water. Some live within the planet's seas, including grejonns, a crustacean people with toad-like heads who construct massive palaces of stone and coral under the waves and occasionally interact with the surface. Others live on land and use their natural abilities to live off the bounty of Varturan's oceans, such as otter-like brenneris, whose floating domiciles rise and fall with the tides but are generally anchored in place. Regardless of their home, Varturan's sentient species live in harmony with the wildlife and one another, thanks in part to a worldwide federation formed in 14 AG. At that time, scientists of one nation-state discovered a very serious decay in Arrtinos's orbit. They determined it would collide with Rydnan within a few decades, wreaking incalculable damage to their homeworld's ecosystem. With this knowledge in hand, the nation-state reached out to neighbors in hopes of finding a solution to the impending apocalypse. While initial attempts failed, the various political entities eventually formed the Coalition of Conservation, a united research effort to correct Arrtinos's orbit. With a combination of technology and magic, the Coalition's efforts proved successful in 27 AG. The Coalition has remained in place since then, transitioning into the planet's acting governing body less than a decade later. Today, the Coalition's members consider maintaining Varturan's environmental balance one of the body's most important functions. Rather than continuing to advance various technologies on the planet proper, the Coalition built a pair of moon bases to serve as technological hubs staffed by all of Varturan's sentient species. While the world's nation-states retain a modicum of autonomy and can generally act as they see fit, the Coalition is empowered to intercede in cases of major conflict. Fortunately, no such incidents have occurred in Varturan's recorded history.