Planet Expel

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Expel as seen in the opening of Star Ocean EX.

Expel is a fictional planet in the Star Ocean universe. It is the primary setting of the second game in the series, Star Ocean: The Second Story. Like Roak, Expel is located in the Theta Sector, so it is relatively close to Earth. Expel is unique in that it is a melting pot of sorts, caused by interspecies mating over a long period of time. Consequently, its inhabitants exhibit a wide range of characteristics. These characteristics may include long ears, natural symbological ability, or even the feline-like characteristics of Felpools, as seen in the original Star Ocean. However, this only occurs when two parents share a recessive gene in the 12th chromosome. Expel is considered an underdeveloped planet by Earth Federation standards, and is composed of 3 major continents: Cross, Lacour, and El. There is also a polar ice cap and a desert island.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Cross

The first continent encountered by the player, with several towns, mountain ranges, forests, and a desert. As the name implies, the continent is cross-shaped. The notable towns of Cross are:

Arlia - The rural home village of female protagonist Rena Lanford, as well as the swordsman Dias Flac.
Salva - A dusty mining town north of Arlia. The party can meet Ashton Anchors here.
Cross - Castle town where the party meets Celine Jules and Ernest Raviede.
Clik - A port town with a large shopping district. It is destroyed by an earthquake and a tidal wave during the course of the game.
Mars - A village devoted to the Heraldic Arts, and home village of Celine Jules.
Herlie - A large port town, with ships that sail to Hilton.

[edit] Lacour

The second continent in the game, it is more sparsely populated than Cross. Lacour has several mountain ranges, forests, and grasslands, as well as swampland. The settlements of Lacour are:

Hilton - The main (and presumably only) port of the Lacour continent. It has ships that travel to Herlie in Cross, as well as to the Hoffman Ruins in the polar ice caps when necessary. The party can meet Opera Vectra here.
Linga - A town renowned for its scholars and linguists, and home of Bowman Jean and Precis F. Nuemann
Lacour - A large castle town that hosts the Lacour Tournament of Arms, and home of Leon D.S. Geeste.

[edit] El

The final continent in the game, little is known about El since it was devastated by the Sorcery Globe. It too contains grasslands, forests, and mountains, although some of those mountains may in fact be volcanoes. The only known towns on El are Eluria, which was taken over by monsters from the Sorcery Globe, and Tenue, a port town the characters originally tried to reach from the port town of Clik. There is also a small camp of refugees on the coast. All other towns were destroyed in some way or another by the Sorcery Globe.

During the course of the game, the planet is destroyed when its orbit is adjusted to collide with nearby Energy Nede. By altering spacetime on Energy Nede, however, it is fully restored.

Expel is home to unique energy stones known as Quadratic Keys. When combined with Quadratic Spheres, they can release enormous amounts of energy. These Quadratic Keys were the basis of the Earth Federation's creation energy, which would not see practical use until several hundred years after the events of Star Ocean: The Second Story.