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Arctic Worlds

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 57
Arctic biomes can form on any planet with a region that spends enough time distant from a sun, but planets with large enough orbits can be entirely arctic in nature. Some planets, like Triaxus in the Pact Worlds, might not be permanently arctic worlds, but experience winters so long that they remain arctic for centuries before the glaciers recede at summer’s return. In addition to natural causes, there might be plenty of reasons a planet remains locked in ice—a deity’s will, a planetary shield or forcefield that blocks light, a poisoned sun, or other mysterious interferences.
A single-biome world won’t necessarily be uniform: an arctic planet may have incredibly cold polar regions with permanent ice that yields to mountainous tundra closer to the equator. Such planets commonly feature multicolored night skies over inexorable glaciers that shape and alter the landscape as they advance and recede, with oceans beneath that host formidable icebergs and unknown denizens of the frigid depths. Some arctic worlds might be entirely marine, with any settlements anchored to shifting sheets of ice adrift in the sea. Water may not even be the prime component of an arctic planet; perhaps the ecosystem instead consists of frigid, heavy gases or frozen chemical compounds in a variety of colors. Some arctic worlds might be completely inimical to life, but if the planet is hospitable, flora and fauna—and indeed, any sapient residents—must adapt to lengthy periods of darkness, harsh winds, and minimal precipitation.

Archives of Nethys

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Arctic Worlds