!! I'd love to hear about your hcs for Barin! ^v^ (Nash is my favourite CNK chara henhe)
Starting this off, here’s this picture of Nash and Saber! ... and... someone else they know.
Barin is the furthest planet away from the center of Velo’s system. Its standard surface temperature is usually 0 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take. It has one moon, and is larger than earth by a notable margin. Thousands of years in the past, Barin was once a temperate planet, but it became a frigid wasteland thanks to a mysterious global cooling that rendered the surface uninhabitable for the longest time. This forced the ancient Barinichthys to go underground and underwater for warmth. Nowadays, the denizens of Barin have ways to counteract the freezing temperatures, so they’re slowly returning back to the surface.
Barin’s atmosphere has a significantly higher oxygen content than Earth and Velo’s World, which is something its inhabitants are well suited to. This is why Nash needs the apparatus, as well as the need to keep hydrated. The device has two chambers, one for air and one for water. The air chamber is connected to the ring his nose, the water chamber is connected to his goggles.
Technology on Barin is very reminiscent of steampunk technology, as many of their designs can appear rather flashy and decorative rather than functional. Barin Ruins, despite being abandoned and empty, still serves a purpose for Barinichthys, as the lava-like substance that flows directly under it serves as a power source for Barinean machinery and heats their underground homes. It’s certainly a way to turn something dangerous into something good...
Moving on to the Barinichthys themselves, they’re a very diverse species of alien. The only true shared traits they have are: 1. skeletons made of cartilaginous material, 2. even the slightest resemblance to an aquatic creature from earth, 3. lungs, rather than gills, and 4. A need to stay hydrated all the time, lest they dry up. The ‘ichthys’ part of their name could be considered a bit of a misnomer, as there are some variants that can resemble whales, dolphins, or even narwhals. It’s worth noting that the statues in Barin Ruins, with the exception of the (recently erected) Nash tribute, are not statues of other Barinichthys, but rather, separate species native to Barin.