For centuries, scientists have struggled to understand the enigma of planet Bryx. The composition of the planet is unique in the galaxy, containing a high concentration of magma rivers, in which geologists have not yet understood the volcanic magma on its surface. Pyroclastic flows and massive landslides of rock, ash, and superheated gas destroyed communities across the planet. Each explosion triggered large tsunamis, some were estimated at 35 meters high, which completely submerged the adjacent landmass and wiped out all traces of any life form.

Evidence indicates that Bryx once featured a shallow ocean, but as the northern and southern continents drifted apart, the eggshell-thin seafloor broke and sank into the mantle. The shallow ocean evaporated and reformed as the massive polar ice sheets, leaving behind a broiling sea of magma that still refuses to cool and form new crust.

The magma ocean absorbs the rays of the sun and the polar sheets reflect it, resulting in an atmosphere that is perilously cold. Superheated pockets of toxic fumes constantly break the surface of the magma, rising swiftly through the freezing air and causing spectacular thunderstorms before being swept away by the solar wind. Thus the frigid atmosphere at ground level remains tolerably breathable, and many species of wildlife have managed to adapt to this baffling world of contrasting extremes.