Ataegina was an Earth-like planet targeted by Weyland-Yutani for colonization. Their efforts were abandoned when Xenomorph specimens that stowed away aboard the expedition's colony ship caused the vessel to crash. Having developed in isolation from the rest of the human sphere of influence, the survivors of the crash developed a primitive, almost medieval culture incorporating castles, swords, and a pantheon of demons.
Terrain and climate
Ataegina had a variety of terrains. Most of the landmasses were covered by mountain ranges, which were the product of volcanic activity. Aside from the ocean, the largest known bodies of water on Ataegina were Lake Lanee and Lake Mip, located at the center of their island. Both lakes were implied to have formed in ancient calderae. Other water bodies included the Great Horus, Dinashin, Ninr and Rbimbis Rivers.
A few individual mountains were named as Mount Lemeth and Black Smoke Mountain. Black Smoke Mountain was an active volcano at the south end of Ataegina, feared by its human inhabitants as the home of demons. The primitive denizens believed that these demons, which were in fact Xenomorphs, captured their victims alive and took them to the mountain where the Demon Mother used spiders to turn their people into more demons.
Great plains extended to the north and south ends of the continent. The Northern plains were a large coastal region where the Great Horus river drained into the ocean. To the south, the Boiling Plains were a large volcanic plateau, a product of the seismic activity from Black Smoke Mountain. The Great Geyser was located there.
Holds
Holds were a series of mountain fortresses on Ataegina built by King Paul as part of his Crown of War, a series of fortifications to defend their people from northerner raiders and to quell rebellions before it spread. After the rise of the demons, most of the survivors fled these "Holds" and remain hidden underground for almost seventy years.
Lemeth
- See: Lemeth Hold
Dakatera
Dakatera was another Hold on King Paulus' Crown of War. It was the most progressive and lenient settlement on Ataegina. Its ruler, Margravine Herriet Lumos, had stated that runners should be a volunteering occupation rather than a mandatory requirement. Its primary export was Plinton fruit.
Keflan
Keflan was a hold located in the mountains south to Lemeth, at a higher altitude. It was the only place where carpetine mold grew, from which its inhabitants made carpetine powder, a powerful medicine against Glynnis' Flu. They had stockpiled a large number of such medicine. Keflan would be the third settlement to fall to the demon hordes after Pendaran and Hibernia.
Other holds
Other holds on Ataegina included Takanta, Vinden, Jantal, Hibernia, Pendaran, and Biseth.
Government
The separate colonies on Ataegina, known as "Holds," were mainly governed by an elected official known as a Margrave or Margravine who were each surrounded by a council who would ultimately decide what was best for their individual communities as a whole.
Flora and fauna
Flora
Ataegina possessed a great variety of Earth-like vegetation. The most abundant was the caminus plant, a shrub with reddish leaves that grew almost everywhere on the island, with the exception of the Boiling Plains. Runners used the leaves on their Hidey suits as camouflage and it was know to be an ingredient for a kind of tea known as Creen Dinashin. Later, Ahiliyah Cooper discovered the Caminus leaves counteracted the demons' acid blood, which was critical to human victory over the Xenomorphs.
Limbid flowers were a type of white mushroom which only grew inside Lemeth Hold's caverns; the "flower" was used for food and as medicine against the Weakling's disease. Plinton fruit only grew in Dakatera and were known to cure the effects of the Forgetter's disease. Carpetine mold was endemic to Keflan and its powder was a powerful medicine against Glynnis flu. Other plants included a brownish-yellow moss, Lisa's root, the green-white pokey plant and hotspice.
Fauna
Ataegina was home to a number of species, such as vooterverts, getum bugs, vindeedees, and humped gishes. The water of Ataegina hosted a type of bioluminscent bacteria, which made the lakes glow. The Ataeginians pumped this water inside glass tubes for the illumination of their subterranean fortresses.