While Avirandel is considered hospitable due to its acceptable atmosphere and temperature very few life forms have developed there. The majority of the planet's surface is covered with a vast ocean and huge glistening ice caps, where little to no life can survive. One single, small land mass called "Thorn Island" does exist. Its countryside is emerald green, but it's the colour of minerals, not grass, which is both poor and scarce. Even trees are sparsely spread out even in the most protected areas. The reason that little plant life can survive on the island (even within those areas that are, to some extent, protected) is due to the ice caps. With no marked seasons the ice caps have grown to enormous sizes, a few degrees more and the temperature would have resolved the problem but this was not so. Huge amounts of ice mean huge winds. These winds sweep the equator and thus "Thorn Island". Erosion of the islands surface means that it is now almost totally flat, despite a fairly high level of volcanic activity. With so little protection from the wind the top soil was also eroded meaning that the island was left with little land that could support plant life, Due to this zones that offer some extent of wind protection are scarce and most that do exist are at the junction of three tectonic plates.

In these areas some life did manage to settle on Thorn Island but it is no paradise. Winds are strong, and cold, combined with the lack of plant life few life forms have developed with birds struggling to fly even in the lightest winds. Some say they have witnessed emerald green, dog-sized creatures but no proof has been established yet of the truth of these "green ghosts".

There is only a single, small colony on Avirandel that produces popular, very strong liquor from the small leaves of the Therafin plants on Thorn Island. This is sold from the small spaceport in orbit and is the main source of income from the colony that is forced to buy much of its resources from other planets due to the limited availability of such vital necessities upon Avirandel.