Vesk-4 is the fourth planet from Ghavaniska and the third world to surrender to vesk conquest. Originally named Talphiriax by its native inhabitants, this world primarily consists of a single landmass that is a cradle of life teeming with lush jungles, swamplands, and volcanic mountain ranges. Far from idyllic, its inhabitants thrive in an environment that often proves deadly to nonnative species due to the planet's high gravity, natural radiation, and active volcanoes. Early vesk conquerors nicknamed this planet 'the Glutton' for its tendency to pull celestial bodies — asteroids, comets, and even its own moons — into its powerful gravitational field. Millennia ago, three of the planet's moons plummeted to its surface over just a few months, knocking its axis askew and triggering extreme tectonic activity that changed its topography and climate patterns forever. A massive range of volcanic mountains, the Vyskandi Range, now bisects Vesk-4's main landmass from northwest to southeast, containing two subterranean tunnel passes — the Upper and Lower Antreways — originally highways for the tunneling talphi. After integration into the Veskarium, the planet became an important hub for mining raw materials, as crashed meteors coupled with natural ore deposits yielded rich mineral resources. The planet's reputation changed dramatically when an enterprising vesk named Kamilzanva stumbled upon irradiated crystals in the Lodelands that could be refined to power solarian weapons. Now High Despot of Vesk-4, Kamilzanva established the Corona Academy near Ulkis Lake, specializing in training solarians from across the empire. Under her rule, all citizens engage in some form of labor and receive basic health care, shelter, and rations in exchange. The intelligent, mole-like talphi were the predominant species before the Veskarium subsumed the planet. Other native species include vryids (large crustaceans inhabiting the Dredgelands), shuzirians (ore-eating insects building vast mud hives in the Mudflats), and ausyrs (amphibious humanoids who survived cataclysms by hibernating beneath the swamps for decades). Due to hazardous terrain and pockets of natural radiation, much of the surface remains unsettled, with most of the vesk population concentrated in the overcrowded confines of Command 4 and Tribulation.