“The hearts of everyone across Kybele… No, the hearts of everyone across the Seven Systems! They're what we're all reaching for! We will grasp the world's spirit in our hands… and light it up with joy and truth! We will set the galaxy aflame from Kybele's stage!” - Xanthe Criss, leader of Delta-V

• Formerly the cultural powerhouse among the Seven Systems
• Population centres at poles of planet in the form of massive cities, hotbeds of intrigue and hedonism
• Kybele broadly avoided the War, accepting some refugees from other planets but not directly involving itself in conflict.
• However, while they may have avoided interplanetary conflict, Kybele is in a constant state of internal conflict between various warring micro-states.

If you made movies, music or games, the capitals of Kybele were where you wanted to be. Crystalline skyscrapers, jutting out of the streets, housed millions of office workers every day in the megametropolises at the planet's poles. Though the slums, the suburbs and acres of crop fields technically outdid these cities in size, in the memory of the Seven Systems the culture would always loom the largest. The entire planet was devastated by the loss of the GSS Ananke, boarded as it had been by the most important musical talents across the planet. Three groups of singers and their handlers left, to perform in a highly competitive showcase; none would come back, and the agencies that managed them would never be the same again. The last known communication of the musicians would later be recovered: a cryptic joint interview, released online, in which an interviewer stated that he was a traveller from the future and that their careers “took unexpected turns”. Several websites trying to decode possible hidden messages in this video have since sprung up.

Besides media and celebrity, the other thing Kybelians valued most was money. The planet was a plutocracy; those who accrued money accrued power. For this reason, displays of conspicuous consumption were not only frequent amongst the political class, but an active means by which power would be consolidated and defended. There was, for this reason, a ritualised culture of gift-giving and patronage between citizens; it is hypothesised by contemporary sociologists and historians that this is part of the reason the family structure became so solidified later in the planet's life. Feasts and balls were commonplace occurrences, especially among the ruling and upper-middle classes, and these would be elaborate and colourful affairs. Nevertheless, there would always be the unspoken assumption at these ostentatious social gatherings that they were affairs of business and politics. Mysterious deaths at and immediately after these gatherings were very frequent.

Although initially in an alliance with Selas, Kybele refused to come to their aid in once Eunomia invaded, on the grounds that a civil war sprung up in Selas at the same time and as such it was impossible to know which side to take. They did, however, open their cities to refugees from Selas, and then later Cheimeros and Eunomia, and there is now a thriving expatriate community.

Those whose families have called Kybele home for longer, however, have been caught up in a number of conflicts. One notable incident was a small purge of most people with the surname ‘Stone’, though a few are said to have disappeared - perhaps after changing their names. Turf wars between the micro-states which formed Kybele civilisation because more and more common through the war, with the Red Moon and the Blue Carnation emerging as dominant factions. The Blue Carnation eventually took control of most of the planet.

The lack of trade and an interplanetary market have been hard for Kybele, but the lean years and the factional conflicts haven’t removed the glitter from the skyscrapers. While everything may be a little worn down, a little less efficient and a little less shiny, the hypersubway still runs and the people still gorge their minds on bright and shiny entertainment.

By far the most land on Kybele is owned by the group known as the Blue Carnation, though various pockets are taken by other, much smaller groups who squabble amongst themselves. All these groups are not necessarily the same: some are biological and adoptive families, others military outfits led by a pretender warlord, others still new religious groups or even artistic collectives. The Blue Carnation rose to prominence thanks to remarkable efficiency and, by the end, sheer volume of resources they were able to gather - some suspect collusion with Kedalion forces, but this has never been proven. A micro-state may be as small as a single tower block, or as large as thousands of square miles.

These groups may be more or less orgaised and official. Of note are the Cheimeran and Selasi groups which have formed and slowly taken over tower blocks and areas of land, using the skills and experience brought from their homeland to contribute to their own small societies. The Cheimerans in particular fascinate many Kybele, who find their lack of interest in mass-media strange. Many cultural exchange events have been organised, and very well attended.

For most of those who lived before the Ananke disaster, there is a strong feeling of nostalgia towards the era of lustrous skyscrapers and unbelievable celebrity. Vintage movies and music are frequently hoarded and watched with reverence among the survivors. That said, there is also a significant undercurrent of skepticism and resentment, particularly from the planet's younger population. Was it not that extreme focus on money and power, they argue, that created the Kybele of today - a planet wracked by near-constant turf wars and power grabs? There is a decently large subculture of people who believe in accepting and understanding that Kybele is changed for good, and creating a mode of art entirely different to the old culture and beliefs.

Devotion to the state of which you are a part is also deeply important to almost all Kybele citizens. For most, this will mean wearing blue and revering your local Carnation mayor. For others - those who choose to live on the fringes, in chosen families, artistic collectives or even religious movements - clan life is just as important. They will tend to cluster in less strategically important pockets of land, living on single compounds.