[Anargo subsector] Trivium system SR

[CELS]

Posting this again from the old new forum

I will be making some changes based on Malika's suggestions, but I'm hoping more people will provide some feedback before I do so. Thanks.




Trivium system

Trivium I

Trivium II [Donegal]

Trivium II Alpha – Dara

Planet name: Dara (Trivium II Alpha)
World class: Agriworld
Population: 1,000,000
Tech level: 5 (Sub-Imperial)
Tithe Grade: Exactis Extremis
Aestimare:  F32

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Planet description
Of the three colonies in the Trivium system, Dara has the oldest and most developed ecosystem. It is also the only colony that was not terraformed, as its atmosphere, hydrosphere and temperature were all appropriate when it was first discovered by mankind. The natural flora and fauna of Dara is believed to be reminiscent of prehistoric Terra, with gigantic reptiles roaming its deserts, temperate areas with trees that grow over a hundred meters tall and oceans with xenos aquatic monsters the size of edifices. Dara is called the world of giants, partly because local lifeforms are generally enormous compared to other terraformed colonies, and also because its proximity to the Donegal gas giant causes tremendous tectonic activity, resulting in soaring mountain chains and great yawning chasms. However, the name also stems from the fact that the majority of inhabitants on this ancient agriworld are abhumans known as ogryns.

Ogryns have lived on Dara since long before the Age of Imperium, forming a small but stable population. Due to genetic engineering, ogryns are typically two feet taller than other humans, and at least three times as heavy. Certain Imperial scholars have claimed that were it not for the fact that the ogryns of Dara have such tremendous survival skills, their homeworld would easily have been classified as a deathworld due to its many dangers. Not only are the ogryns able to survive the dangers of Dara, but they are also highly successful at harvesting its natural resources, supplying the Imperium with great amounts of foodstuff from the local ecosystem, even developing the knowledge and technology to raise Dara’s gargantuan reptiles as livestock, herding hundreds of such huge creatures across Dara’s deadly surface..

Government
Because abhumans have very low status in the Imperium, the Darish ogryns are not recognized as rulers of their own world. Instead, their world is under the nominal leadership of an ancient merchant guild, House Reinhardt, which is responsible for overseeing the ogryn population, ensuring that the ecosystem is not damaged by excessive hunting or farming and. most importantly, handling the infrastructure that brings Dara’s natural resources from around the world to its three starports and into orbit.

House Reinhardt traces its ancestry back to the late Age of Imperium, when it began to accumulate enough wealth to get into interstellar trading. One of its first ports of call was Dara, then ruled by a line of retired generals and admirals who received their position as a reward by the Adeptus Terra. The military leadership proved highly ineffective on Dara, however, as the strong ogryn inhabitants constantly clashed against their Imperial Commanders. Eventually rebellions broke out, and when the dust settled, the Imperial government had been driven off the planet, while representatives of House Reinhardt were still doing trade with the ogryns. It was clear that house Reinhardt had earned the trust of the ogryns and so the Imperium elected to install the merchant guild as a new government. Since this unusual set of events, House Reinhardt has since become a considerable economical power in the Anargo sector, with its heart anchored on Dara, the world of giants.

The Darish giants themselves are entirely autonomous, and would more accurately be regarded as the trade partners of House Reinhardt rather than its subjects. The ogryns form large tribes, ranging in numbers from hundreds to tens of thousands, most of which are nomadic. The largest tribes, however, form semi-nomadic settlements around the agriworld’s starports, forming the majority of the workforce employed to bring the world’s harvest onto Imperial landers and dropships.

Conflicts between the various tribes on Dara are not uncommon, but given the hardship of life on this deadly planet, outright war is rare due to being too detrimental for both the defeated and the victor. Instead, conflicts are typically ritualistic in nature, resolved by feats of strength, duels to the death and occasionally planned battles.

Religion
Ogryns are normally fiercely religious and the Darish ogryn tribes are no exception. Although their religions are tremendously diverse due to the isolated, nomadic nature of their society, practically all tribes on Dara worship the Emperor of Mankind. Those that do not are usually shunned even by other ogryns as barbaric heathens. However, one cannot make the argument that the ogryns are friendly to the Adeptus Ministorum, as the religious differences are often quite significant and the stubborn ogryns have proven unwilling to convert their faiths. Some missions have been sent by the Missionarus Galactica, but with very little success – partly because such missions rarely survive long enough to make an impact on the ogryns.
 
Society and Law
Like other agriworlds, Dara is restricted to a total of a million citizens by the Adeptus Administratum, in order to be classified as an agriworld. Abhumans are not counted towards this restriction, however, and nor are servitors, and so the actual population of Dara is significantly higher than a million people. The actual registered citizens of Dara are primarily humans who are employed by House Reinhardt to handle the seasonal harvest on Dara, operating transports, manning food processors, crewing starports and so forth. Approximately a tenth of the population consists of serfs to House Reinhardt, working as servants for members of the guild in its heart of operations on Dara.

While abhumans are generally looked down upon in the Imperium, the society of Dara is remarkable in that ogryns are treated with an unusual amount of respect. Because the ogryns offer a unique service as herders, whalers and gatherers, selling tremendous amounts of foodstuff to House Reinhardt, they are virtually exempt from the law outside the cities controlled by the guilds. In the eyes of the Imperium, the planet Dara is ruled and populated by humans, with ogryns roaming the wild like trained beasts. One could easily make the argument, however, that Dara belongs to the ogryns and that the guilders of House Reinhardt are their guests.

Because of the unique relationship between House Reinhardt and the ogryn tribes, the hierarchy of Darish society is difficult to describe in simple terms. In addition, the ogryn tribes themselves have no global structure or customs, and while some are militaristic and patriarchal, others are peaceful and technocratic or even anarchistic. The only common bond for ogryns is their allegiance to the Emperor, their god, and by extension to the Imperium. Furthermore, most ogryn tribes (but not all) have ancient contracts and trade pacts with House Reinhardt. The cities of the technologically superior House Reinhardt are in many ways neutral ground, and for rival ogryn tribes to engage in open conflict in House Reinhardt is not only forbidden by Darish law but also a significant taboo.

Among humans, the hierarchy of Dara is easier to define and there is a defined law and judicial system. The highest class of citizens on Dara is the guilders, partners and co-owners of House Reinhardt, equivalents of nobles on other worlds. They elect their leader, the House Lord and Imperial Commander, through a series of democratic elections and meritocratic tests. Below the guilders are the employees of House Reinhardt, whose hierarchy is defined in the same way as most commercial organizations. To be an employee of House Reinhardt brings with it a high status on many worlds in the Anargo sector (but quite the opposite on some worlds), and on Dara itself the employees are extremely privileged compared to other humans residents and offworlders, both financially and legally. Under employees in the human hierarchy of Dara are the citizens not employed by House Reinhardt, who are mostly employed by other local or offworld organizations and trade partners. At the very bottom of the Darish hierarchy are the serfs of House Reinhardt, slaves who are considered little more than property. While the existence of slavery is far from uncommon in the Imperium, it is a tradition that is viewed by many offworlders as cruel and barbaric.

Technology
Like virtually all agriworlds in the Imperium, Dara relies heavily on import and the sanctions of the Imperium to maintain its high level of technology. Were it not for the constant support of Invictona and Anargo Secundus, it would not be able to sustain its high level of production for long. As a result, most of the technology on Dara is a combination of Standard Template Construct and the local products of Invictona and other factory-worlds in close proximity.

A few examples of unique local technology do exist however, created for use by the ogryn tribes in their herding and hunting. Most common among such local technologies are weapons used to guide herds across the surface of Dara, hunt wild arcomorphs or defend the tribes against large predators. Large flamethrowers, shock lances or electro harpoons are especially popular. Another common type of local technology is the mounting used by ogryns to control and even ride the local beasts, using a combination of mind-impulse technology, chemical dispensers and electric chargers. The wealthiest ogryn tribes can afford the construction of custom vehicles, large and sturdy enough to carry their considerable bulk across Dara’s surface, along with their equipment and harvest. The most common forms of transportation are local variants of STC Land trains.

Trade and Tithes
As an agriworld, Dara is required to supply the Imperium with tremendous amounts of goods such as food, water and organic materials used for clothing, decoration, medicine and so forth. Its major export is products from the so-called archomorphs, the group of enormous beasts that inhabit Dara’s surface and oceans. Archomorphs are divided into three primary groups, archosaurs, archomantids and archomysids. The two former groups are gargantuan reptiles and insects, ranging in height from a dozen meters to three times that. The smallest of these archomorphs are actually herded by the ogryn tribes, driven across the land in their hundreds or thousands. The largest are avoided by most ogryn tribes, as their danger far outweighs the possible benefits of capturing or killing them. The third group of archomorphs, the archomysids, consists of vast aquatic creatures. The archomysids are the largest living creatures on Dara, easily reaching a hundred meters in length and capable of destroying the largest sea-faring vessels. The hardy ogryns, however, have hunted these huge creatures for millennia, making fortunes by selling their meat, bones and skin to the traders of House Reinhardt.

Physiology
The Darish ogryns are very physiologically similar to ogryns around the galaxy. Several times the size of a normal man, these abhumans are hulking giants, capable of fantastic physical feats. The gravity on Dara is not quite as high as on many other ogryn worlds, but this does not have a significant impact on their height or weight.

Psychology
Except in the case of Darish ogryns, the culture of House Reinhardt has been prominent in defining the psychological characteristics of Dara’s inhabitants. The open and direct manner of communication for which House Reinhardt is famous has embedded itself in Darish culture, the way the people of Dara interact and ultimately the way they think. Many offworlders criticize the Darish for their lack of sophistication, and because their culture tends to penalize serious introspection and outwards displays of emotion, the people of Dara tend to be out of touch with their own feelings, often leading to stress, anxiety and violent outbursts.

The Darish ogryns, on the other hand, have a simple yet rugged mindset, and may be described as stoic and well centered. In most situations, the ogryns are remarkably capable of handling stressful situations, which has aided in their survival on such a deadly world. There are a few notable exceptions to this stoic calmness, however, and the most prominent is their legendary claustrophobia, making it almost impossible to get the ogryns to enter any kind of small room or closed vehicle.

Language and Dialect
Dara was originally colonized in the Age of Technology, in the earliest years of colonization in the Anargo sector and its ogryns have been allowed to live relatively isolated from humans, resulting in a rather unique language. The ogryn tribes of Dara speak a mix of Old Gothic and various languages traced back to the Age of Terra. To offworlders, this local tongue is quite incomprehensible, and very few of House Reinhardt’s agents have managed to learn it. Fortunately, the small influence of the Imperium over thousands of years have allowed the ogryns to slowly learn Low Gothic as a second language, although at a very rudimentary level.

House Reinhardt and the rest of the human populace, on the other hand, speak primarily Low Gothic. Furthermore, like many other ancient guilds and trade dynasties around the Imperium House Reinhardt has developed its own language over the years, taught to the children of guilders from birth, allowing House Reinhardt to communicate confidentially in public (to a certain degree) and also helping them affirm the identity of people claiming to be members of their guild. While this language, known as Gutavhed, is normally only spoken by guilders, it is spoken globally on Dara, the home of House Reinhardt, as a secondary language.

Planetary Defense Force
Much to the dismay of the Adeptus Administratum, the status of House Reinhardt as conservator of Dara has given the guild authority to raise its own armies to defend its world. While this is not a problem in itself, the worry among Imperial tacticians is that with access to Imperial military grade weaponry, House Reinhardt will be able to transport armies offworld through their trade fleet and use their superior military technology to their advantage away from the eyes of the Imperium. The Adeptus Arbites has watched House Reinhardt diligently, however,  and has had no reason to suspect foul play thus far.

Beyond the mercenary armies of House Reinhardt, Dara is defended by a militia raised from ogryn tribes, numbering in hundreds of thousands. The House Lord has only called the ogryn militia to battle on a few occasions over the thousands of year that House Reinhardt has ruled Dara, but their constant struggle for survival on their planet’s harsh surface have made the ogryns constantly prepared for conflict and war, ready to bring their unique technologies to bear against those who would invade their homeworld.

History

300.M24 – Dara is colonized by ogryns
550.M27 – Dara is colonized by settlers from Morgance
850.M29 – War breaks out between Dara and Morgance. Morgance is the victor, and Dara’s industry and infrastructure is completely annihilated. Ogryns are left with a primitive nomadic civilization
100.M30 – Trivium system is annexed by the Imperium
400.M32 – Ogryns rebel against the Adeptus Terra. House Reinhardt assumes control of Dara.
950.M35 – Trivium system is invaded by orks. Significant ogryn casualties on Dara.
200.M37 – Large tribal war between ogryns on Dara.
350.M39 – Series of Dark Eldar raids on Dara. Significant human casualties.

[CELS]

Trivium II Beta – Morgance

“What terrifies me about this world is not the degree that its totalitarian government has been implemented in every facet of life, nor is it how such a proud people has been subdued and broken. It is how eagerly the people has embraced its role as instigator, betrayer and executioner. It is its self-loathing that allows this people to destroy itself so ruthlessly. In the weakness of others, they see themselves.”
- Rogue Trader Samuel Daobec Quintian Montefalco III

Planet name: Morgance (Trivium II Beta)
World class: Civilized world
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Planet description
Morgance is an ancient civilized world that has had close ties with the nearby Anargo system since the Age of Technology. In many ways the baby sister of Anargo Primus, Morgance has gone hand in hand with the sector capital through history, siding together in political conflicts such as the revolution against theocracy. Morgance has also enjoyed much of the great economical growth in the Anargo subsector, but has been held back somewhat by its own moderate natural resources and thus not been able to make the transition from civilized world to fully-fledged industrial world. Still, Morgance and its two agriworlds have a solid combined economy and form a vital part of the so-called Anargan trade spine.

Unlike the other two habitable colonies orbiting the gas giant Donegal, Morgance did not develop a strong ecosystem that is compatible with the lifeforms introduced from Terra. In a matter of centuries after its colonization in M24, the aggressive ecosystem introduced from ancient Terra and a number of other colonies changed the surface of Morgance forever, replacing its alien flora and fauna with beautiful forests, jungles and savannahs. As the only colony in the system with a great abundance of minerals and a breathable atmosphere, Morgance quickly became the jewel of Trivium. It would prosper for millennia to come, until a sudden turn in M39 changed brought a second cataclysm to its surface.

Following a devastating chaos uprising, Morgance found itself facing destruction, as a failure to contain its chaotic corruption would no doubt result in global annihilation by order of the Imperium - Exterminatus. In the attempt to guarantee its own safety, its government sacrificed vast regions of its own lands by purging them in nuclear fire. Virtually overnight, the whole colony was swept by a new political and sociological doctrine, turning the pristine jewel into a ruthless self-preserving machine. Its cities were rebuilt, its nature mutilated by heavy military fortifications and its people stripped of almost every right and privilege. Every few decades, the colony of Morgance would declare war on a local region suspected to be tainted by chaos. Millions would be sent to prison, labour camps or worse. Entire cities, even continents were vanquished, burned to the ground and rebuilt. Two millennia later, Morgance is a scarred and drab planet, where the fate of the few is entirely meaningless compared to the safety of the many.

Government
The government on Morgance can only be described as totalitarian, dictating virtually every aspect of life on the planet. Its leader is Governor Emelianus, elected by Morgance’s Colonial Council for an eight year period. While the total power of the Governor is more tangible on Morgance, since its people have no illusions of living in a democracy, the Governors of Morgance have traditionally been tremendously wary of using their dictatorial powers since the regime change in M39. The reason for this, according to many, is a stroke of genius on the part of Governor Grandlund, the founding father of Morgance’s current system of government. Governor Grandlund founded the Donegal Watch, a secret police with the authority to investigate the actions of Morgance’s Governor without restriction and execute him the Governor if he or she is found wanting. In the two thousand years since the new system of government was implemented, almost a hundred Governors have been executed for incompetence.

The Colonial Council consists of Morgance’s leading bureaucrats, chosen through a complex process involving peer recommendations, naming of successors and aptitude tests. It consists of fifty Councilmen and Councilwomen and together with the Governor and the Donegal Watch, it is a major player in an ongoing power struggle where the Governor fears the Donegal Watch for fear of execution, whereas the Donegal Watch fears the Colonial Council for their right to punish any Watchmen they find wanting, and the Colonial Council in turn fear the Governor who has the power to punish individual Council-members unless protected by the majority. Despite this internal power struggle within the government, however, its outward face is entirely monolithic, ruling its people with a ruthless iron fist.

In addition to the Governor, the Colonial Council and their subordinate bureaucracy, nobles still play a small but significant part on Morgance. While the local government does aim for absolute control, the noble families on Morgance gain considerable political power and even untouchability through its connections on Anargo Primus and other worlds. Because these nobles share blue blood with individuals in power elsewhere in the sector, the Governor is forced to recognize their position and give them certain privileges. It is a delicate and dangerous balancing act, however, as the government slowly and subtly tries to rob the nobles of their political power without losing its offworld support.

Religion
Much like Anargo Primus, Morgance went through a period of religious decline and rapid secularism following the bloody Age of Apostasy, which saw millions of its citizens and soldiers killed in the wars of the Dorvastorian theocracy. After M39, however, the world went through a transformation also in the religious arena, as the totalitarian political philosophy lent itself to the teachings of the Adeptus Ministorum and vice versa. The glorified ruthlessness of the new government was justified by the Imperial Creed, wherein Mankind was forced to rid itself of the weak in order for the strong to endure against the darkness. As opposed to the political upheaval that swept across the planet, the return of the Imperial faith was a far quieter thing, barely aided by the Adeptus Ministorum at all.

However, the deep bond between Morgance and Anargo Primus can still be felt and so Morgance is far from entirely devoted to the Imperial Church. As the animosity towards Dorvastor remains, there is a significant dualism between the people of Morgance. While many have turned back to the Adeptus Ministorum, a large percentage still resist. Turning to ancient pre-Heresy schools of thought, this group argue the superiority of man purely based on a philosophical reasoning. This secular faction is known as ‘the supremacists’, and they believe in the core of Imperial faith, Mankind’s right to rule by virtue of its superiority, without paying any heed to the divinity of the Emperor or his alleged Saints. Regardless of this dualism of faith, however, the people of Morgance are almost entirely united in their core philosophies, moral values and ethical standpoints.

Society and Law
To live on Morgance is to be the property of the government and the Imperium in turn. Through government-controlled mass media, regulation of communication, mass surveillance, propaganda and physical might, the government has shaped the population of Morgance into blind obedience. Its citizens may only move in areas made accessible to them by identification cards, they may only choose from a limited number of activities both in terms of profession and personal pastime activities. Whether in literature, music, art or even casual conversation, the government regulates what may and may not be expressed. Those who do not conform to the strict local laws are ruthlessly punished until they are either made to conform or disappear.

While there was some initial resistance to the new form of government, the people of Morgance have eventually accommodated and complied with its laws after years of intense propaganda. The local society and culture has become as ruthless and cynical as the laws themselves, as the citizens have learned to hate weakness and aid in its uprooting and destruction. Criminals learn to fear their neighbours as much as the law enforcers themselves and in the rare event of crimes going unnoticed or unpunished, angry mobs will usually take justice into their own hands. While this culture is arguably the pinnacle of the Imperial Creed and philosophy, most offworlders find it quite horrific.

A central school of thought on Morgance is the idea that the weak must serve and obey the strong, even at the cost of their lives or perhaps especially at the cost of their own lives, in order for the whole to benefit and survive. As might be expected, this has led to a tremendous contrast in terms of economy, where a constant struggle for survival among the lower classes is considered a benefit for the community as it helps weed out the weaker and less talented citizens. Over half of the global population might thus be considered low class citizens, who live in almost constant fear of their lives, working ceaselessly in order to avoid starvation or homelessness. A small fraction of the population are enormously rich, squabbling away their riches while secure in their faith that it is their right to live lives of luxury simply by virtue of their own talent or heritage.

The importance of heritage on Morgance has led to a situation where certain ethnic groups are seen as worth less than others, although the situation has not yet developed to the point where ethnic discrimination is a matter of global policy. Indeed, the principle that every man is judged by the merit of his own actions and talent is seen in the fact that even people of low ethnic status may rise to high positions in government, if they have the skills to get there.

Technology
Enjoying a long history of fruitful trade with the technologically advanced Anargo system and the Imperium beyond, Morgance has not only adapted many advanced Imperial technologies, but also contributed to the technological development in the Anargo sector. In particular, its proximity to two wildly different agriworlds with unique ecosystems has been a virtual gold mine for local biologists and led to great inventions and useful research within medicine, food processing and so forth. The local industry has specialized, however, on constructing various types of equipment and machines with organic components, such as protective gear made from processed insect carapaces or light vehicles with an organic frame that is structurally similar to animal skeletons. While many of these new technologies are either inferior to those of the Adeptus Mechanicus or rejected on the base of techno-heresy, there are certain products that have spread throughout the sector and beyond.

Trade and Tithes
Although the ravages of war have scarred Morgance’s global ecosystem, it still has large regions of agriculture in addition to its considerable industrial power. It exports a variety of different goods, both commercially and as part of its tithes to the Imperium. While Morgance itself is not one of the richest worlds in the subsector in terms of natural resources, the presence of two agriworlds in close proximity has greatly stimulated its global economy, enriching the Trivium system as a whole.

Despite the wealth of different exports from Morgance and its agriworlds, ranging from clothing and art to industrial machinery and starship components, its most famous commodity is its military forces. Morgance has a proud martial tradition, providing the Imperium with a constant supply of soldiers for the Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, most of whom are already war veterans upon joining Imperial service, thanks to the high level of conflict and internal wars on Morgance itself.

Physiology
Due to the high degree of poverty in the lower class on Morgance, malnourishment has lead to a significant portion of the population having a smaller stature, being shorter and having less muscle mass than most healthy humans. However, having a healthy physique is considerably more important in local culture than on many other Imperial worlds and so people in the middle and upper classes tend to be very fit individuals, benefiting from a healthy diet, regular exercise and various nutrition supplements.

The gravity on Morgance is quite average and its people are exposed to normal amounts of sunlight. Red hair is considered especially attractive on Morgance however, and a significant of the local population, especially in the upper classes, have natural or artificial red or orange hair colour.

Psychology
As members of a ruthless culture, the people of Morgance are hard and callous. They despise weakness, in themselves and others, and are generally regarded as unsympathetic and rude by offworlders. They do benefit from a tremendously strong psyche however, having grown up in a very brutal environment with harsh laws and fierce competition in all aspects of life.

Language and Dialect
The people of Morgance speak almost exclusively Low Gothic. The only groups speaking High Gothic are the nobles, who learn the language as a matter of tradition. Other languages are not only absent from public schools, but actually outlawed in order to aid in the prevention of conspiracies against the government.

Planetary Defense Force
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History
800.M24 – Morgance is colonized
550.M27 – Morgance sends colonisation fleets to Dara and Vandoch
850.M29 – War breaks out between Dara and Morgance. Morgance is the victor.
100.M30 – Trivium system is annexed by the Imperium
650.M32 – Golden era of scientific and artistic development on Morgance.
950.M35 – Trivium system is invaded by orks. Minimal losses on Morgance.
567.M36 – Gaian Revolt on Anargo, coincided by similar revolt on Morgance.
400.M39 – Chaos uprising. The Red War. Nuclear war and change of government.
300.M40 – Civil war. Annan island obliterated from orbit.

[CELS]

Trivum II Gamma – Vandoch

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World class: Agriworld
Population: 1,000,000
Tech level: 10 (High Imperial)
Tithe Grade: Exactis Extremis
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Planet description
The smallest of the three colonized planets in the Trivium system, Vandoch is quite unlike the typical agriworld, covered by green fields and billions of domesticated beasts. With less than a third of its surface covered by water, there is little rainfall and its high amount of volcanic activity leads to vast pillars of smoke and dust constantly being spewed into its murky atmosphere. Even at midday, the sunlight can barely break through its ochre skies. The regions with regular rainfall, mostly found around its handful of isolated oceans, are savannahs in shades of brown and yellow. The vegetation is forced to constantly change its foliage, as the rainfall covers the surface with soot and sulfur. While its lands and oceans do harbor rich ecosystems, having adapted to the planet’s climate, the Imperium does not harvest their resources. The harvest on Vandoch takes place in the air.

Due in part to Vandoch’s low gravity and relatively dense atmosphere, flying creatures have adapted remarkably well in its ecosystem. Through eons of evolution, the winged beasts and insects of Vandoch have survived in swarms and these swarms have evolved to the point of including millions of creatures, soaring through the skies like living clouds. Indeed, through natural selection the swarms of Vandoch have adapted behavioral patterns which allow these gigantic swarms to react to their environment with a kind of gestalt consciousness, as if the swarms themselves were intelligent or their individual members shared a form of psychic link. Although this is not the case, these vast swarms have been the subject of vast amounts of research.

Few people consider the surface of Vandoch to be a beautiful sight. Its black swarms of winged insects, mammals and reptiles snake their way through ochre clouds, blotting out the sun itself as they hunt for food. The chirping sounds from the swarms are like unstoppable oceans of noise, driving many visitors to insanity if they cannot find a refuge in sound isolated buildings. Yet despite its horrific living conditions, Vandoch is a vital resource to the Trivium system and the Anargo sector as a whole. Roughly a million Imperial workers, aided by armies of servitors, harvest the great swarms through use of enormous airships and powerful nets. Indeed, if the population of winged beasts on Vandoch is not carefully culled, the ecosystem can be damaged irreparably, as terraforming has already pushed it to its limits in order to provide enough sustenance for the hungry hiveworlds in the Anargo sector.

Government
Unlike Dara, the government of Vandoch is simply an extension of Trivium’s central government, located on Morgance. Its ruler is Vice-Baron Pieter Isosceles, the latest monarch in a line of nobles from Morgance. Under the Vice-Baron is an extensive bureaucracy, running the agriworld Vandoch according to the directives from Morgance with little input from its own small population.

Religion
Like the population on Morgance, the people of Vandoch are moderately religious members of the Imperial cult. Worship plays a very small part of everyday life, but holidays such as Candlemas are respected by the majority of the population. Unfortunately for the Adeptus Ministorum, the poor living conditions on Vandoch do not have any significant effect in making its people embrace their faith and look to the Emperor for help. Instead, a frightening trend has arisen where new religions constantly surface in the underground, nurtured by a high degree of superstition. Self-proclaimed prophets are relatively common on Vandoch, some of which are remembered centuries or millennia after their deaths (or executions) and divination rituals such as tarot readings are commonplace.

In Vandoch’s history, chaos cults have been a small but persistent problem, quickly exterminated by local law enforcers and the Adeptus Arbites, only to be replaced years later. Imperial investigators have so far not managed to learn whether this problem is due to a yet undiscovered source of chaos taint, simply a result of discontent with Imperial government and the Ecclesiarchy, or perhaps even a side-effect of the madness frequently caused by the world’s environment.

Society and Law
Of over hundred colonies in the Anargo sector, Vandoch has the second highest amount of suicides relative to its population. The two primary factors, it is commonly acknowledged, is the global poverty combined with the effects of Vandoch’s alien environment. Because the living conditions are so intolerable on Vandoch, it is not common for anyone to be stationed on its surface as permanent residents. Its million registered inhabitants are usually replaced in five year cycles, as people who stay longer become less productive and eventually develop mental problems.  Seasonal work forces are sent from Morgance, most of which are made up by desperate homeless people and press-ganged criminals. Fortunately, the disruptive nature of Vandoch’s environment is considerably less noticeable amongst servitors whose sensory organs have been modified, damaged or removed, which has solidified the hypothesis that the frequent depression and mental illnesses are due to the world’s physical environment, especially the visual and sonic disturbance by Vandoch’s unique flighted creatures.

The law level on Vandoch is particularly strict, and the local branch of Trivium’s system-wide law enforcement agency, the Donegal Sentinels, keeps peace only through harsh punishments and severe control of the population’s movement. While not as restrictive as Morgance itself, Vandoch’s intolerable environment makes it considerably easier to hunt local criminals. Those who are foolish enough to enter the wild in order to escape the work gangs or persecution from the police are usually never heard from again. Still, the consistent appearance of chaos cults throughout Vandoch’s long history has prompted the Adeptus Arbites to leave a relatively large garrison on Vandoch, reporting regularly to the agents of the Inquisition.

Outside Vandoch’s governing bureaucracy and the inner circle of its Monarch, most of the local inhabitants live in poverty for the duration of their visit. Because almost the entire population is part of temporarily resident workforce, staying only for five years or less, there are very few families with children. Indeed, the large amount of physical labour involved in harvesting the swarms has resulted in a significant majority of males on Vandoch. Sexual rivalry is very strong indeed, leading to a number of related crimes. All in all, the population is highly monolithic, with the stereotypical resident being an adult male from Morgance, having low education, little or no wealth and not much in the way of natural talent or intelligence. Despite this unflattering stereotype, workers coming from Vandoch will typically find many new friends as they return to their homeworld, as people (and prospective wives) are very aware that they have had several years to stock up large amounts of wealth with few opportunities of spending.

Technology
The technology level on Vandoch is reasonably high, although most of the management is performed by a small order of Tech Priests. The physical labour, however, is performed by the large workforces from Morgance and the local servitor crew and while their equipment is easy to operate, a lot of it is made with advanced technology. For example, the gigantic nets used to capture insect swarms on Vandoch are relatively easy to manage, requiring only skilled climbers who can position the nets and anchor them properly in mountain ranges, in order to sustain the weight and force of billions of insects without collapsing prematurely. While the machines and personal equipment is simple to operate, the biochemical technology used to create such durable and flexible nets is beyond most primitive Imperial worlds.

While there are many unique local technologies, developed by the Adeptus Mechanicus in order to harvest Vandoch’s valuable swarms, Vandoch does suffer the lack of many standard Imperial technologies which are either worthless or directly hazardous to use in its hazardous environment. The extremely high amount of winged insects and animals, for example, makes traditional aerial propulsion such as turbo-fans and jet engines very dangerous to use even in the best conditions. In the worst conditions, if an Imperial flyer is caught within a swarm of Vandoch’s largest reptiles, anything smaller than a heavy lander or thousand-ton dropship is likely to be battered by multiple collisions and crash into the ground. The enormous amount of living creatures in Vandoch’s dense atmosphere also tends to disrupt many kinds of sensors and Imperial auspices.

Trade and Tithes
Like its sister world, Dara, the unusual colony Vandoch has specialized in a few areas of agriculture. Unlike Dara, however, the local agriculture on Vandoch has been brought forth by millennia of careful terraforming, changing its ecosystem into a powerful machine that would rapidly collapse if not for the constant monitoring and maintenance of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Specifically, the ground- and ocean-based ecosystem has been enhanced heavily in order to support a substantial growth amongst swarm-based flying creatures. Among the most significant such creatures are the extomids, a family of flying insects rich in proteins and calcium, the winged reptile family known as snakehawks and large flying mammals called stingbacks.

Physiology
While there are very few permanent residents on Vandoch, its low gravity does have a significant effect on the physiology of its temporary residents as time goes on. Specifically, loss of muscle mass is very common in all but the most physically demanding positions. The stressful environment on Vandoch can also lead to disease, hair loss and premature graying of hair. Those who do live as permanent residents on Vandoch, including the Vice-Baron, his noble family and the upper echelons of the governing bureaucracy, are often seven or eight feet tall due to the effects of growing up on a low gravity world. Their body mass is considerably larger than what might be expected however, due to the widely spread problem of gluttony amongst the higher classes.

Psychology
Vandoch is infamous for the detrimental effects of its environment on its inhabitants. Stress, depression, irritability and mental illness are common grievances, especially among the most veteran workers who are forced to work outside. The permanent population, however, usually enjoys the freedom and wealth to isolate itself from the outside environment, rarely even looking at the world outside from its protected homes. The lack of female workers also contributes greatly to building tension and is a key factor in a significant amount of local crime.

Language and Dialect
Like Morgance, Vandoch is a world dominated by Low Gothic. Although some offworld workers do speak other languages, everyone is expected and required to speak and write Low Gothic fluently. High Gothic is rarely spoken, even by the higher classes.

Planetary Defense Force
Because Vandoch is in so close proximity to Morgance and its permanent residential capacity is restricted by the regulations of the Adeptus Administratum, the majority of its PDF forces are actually stationed in orbit onboard a fleet of defence monitors. Over a hundred thousand troops are constantly deployed onboard this fleet and although this is more than satisfactory compared to the Imperial standard of agriworlds, the majority of these troops would most likely be withdrawn to Morgance in the event of a system incursion. Nonetheless, Vandoch’s permanent cities and installations are surrounded by a string of empty fortifications, ready to be manned by the orbiting armies at moment’s notice in the event of mobilization. In the past millennium, this has happened on six occasions, five of which were related to chaos cult uprisings.

History

800.M24 – Trivium  is colonized
550.M27 – Morgance sends colonisation fleets to Dara and Vandoch
100.M30 – Trivium system is annexed by the Imperium
650.M32 – First recorded Chaos uprising on Vandoch.
250.M35 – Large Dark Eldar incursion. Significant human casualties.
950.M35 – Trivium system is invaded by orks. Significant losses on Vandoch.
100.M39 – Major chaos uprising. Inquisitorial forces summoned.

[Kage2020]

Edit: This went a bit more grammar/writing focused than I had intended, but with that said it is not necessarily a bad thing.  There are some comments about the nature of the SR in this, so don't worry.  Overall, though, of the two worlds that I had the chance to look through I liked them both.

...atmosphere, hydrosphere and temperature were all appropriate when it was first discovered by mankind.

Might want to replace "appropriate" with "tolerable to humanity when the planet was first surveyed," then remove the last bit of the sentence.

Dara is called the world of giants...

I would put "world of giants" into quotation marks, and also capitalise 'world' and 'giants'.  More proper noun-ish then.

...ancient agriworld are abhumans known as ogryns.

Perhaps "... are the abhuman type known as 'ogryns.'"?

Ogryns have lived on Dara since long before the Age of Imperium, forming a small but stable population.

I've obviously missed something - so my bad - but do not Ogryns hark from worlds with high-gravity?  It's the same justification as the Squats, except apparently they had to live in tunnels as well (hence being short and stunty, rather than big and all muscles... and no brains).

...supplying the Imperium with great amounts of foodstuff from the local ecosystem...

We'll probably get to that later on, but as I read through this I have visions of Ogryn farmers having difficulty at harvest time because they cannot figure out where all the workers are going, despite the Tyrannosaurus Rex that are circling their fields.

House Reinhardt ... when it began to accumulate enough wealth to get into interstellar trading.

How about "... when the accumulated wealth was sufficient to allow divergence into interstellar trading." ?

One imagines that the head of House Reinhardt is also somewhat mysteriously (or not) also a General now?

...hile representatives of House Reinhardt were still doing trade with the ogryns.

"...were still engaged in trade relations with the ogryns."

...outright war is rare due to being too detrimental for both the defeated and the victor.

That is mostly true for all fully prosecuted conflicts.  I would just end the sentence at "is rare."

One could easily make the argument, however, that Dara belongs to the ogryns and that the guilders of House Reinhardt are their guests.

Maybe, "If the ogryns were capable of such abstract thought, it might otherwise appear to them that Dara was a world ruled by the tribal leaders with the short, weak humans of House Reinhart as little more than productive guests."

The cities of the technologically superior House Reinhardt are in many ways neutral ground...

Completely incidentally, this reminds me of the Madagascan tradition of building burial chambers and "houses to the ancstors" out of stone, while their own housing is made of more temporary materials such as wood.  Might be interesting to incorporate something similar here, though tweaked for the flavour of the world.

The highest class of citizens on Dara is the guilders...

"...are the guilders..."

...House Reinhardt, equivalents of nobles on other worlds.

"...Reinhardt, and are equivalent to the provincial nobility on many other worlds of the Anargo sector."

...whose hierarchy is defined in the same way as most commercial organizations.

Which is...?

...(but quite the opposite on some worlds)...

This is unnecessary unless you give a specific example.

...offworlders...

"...off-worlders..."?

At the very bottom of the Darish hierarchy are the serfs of House Reinhardt, slaves who are considered little more than property.

Serfs are slightly different to slaves.  Might want to put "...Reinhardt, all but slaves..."

...Standard Template Construct...

This just reminds me that we are going to need an article on STC, exploring what it might have been (not Iron Men!), its diversity and secondary components (dedicated "robofacs" ala Gaunt's Ghosts), hard copies, how it relates to the puritan-radical philosophies of the Adeptus Mechanicus and so on.

So another small and non-ambitious article.

...using a combination of mind-impulse technology...

Isn't this kind of like the "blind leading the blind?"

...and insects, ranging in height from a dozen meters to three times that.

Are not the insects going to have common problems outside of the B-movie environment?  Breathing, for one...

...culture, the way the people of Dara interact and ultimately the way they think.

"...Dara interact, and the way they think."

...like many other ancient guilds and trade dynasties around the Imperium House Reinhardt has developed its own language over the years...

Comma between 'Imperium' and 'House' in that last.

...not a problem in itself, the worry among Imperial tacticians is that with access to Imperial military grade weaponry...

Replace 'worry' with 'concern,' and 'tacticians' with 'strategists.'

Incidentally, the PDF is usually armed with weapons and materials that are locally produced.  That House Reinhardt might import weaponry is another matter, but as with anything in the 40k universe, there really is little that could truly be considered "military grade."

In many ways the baby sister...

Replace 'baby sister' with 'younger sibling.' ?  (It's a preference gig, admittedly, but it's a bit more formal.)

...Morgance has gone hand in hand with the sector capital through history, siding together in political conflicts such as the revolution against theocracy.

"...Morgance has shared many of the same political goals, and assisted Anargo in its revolution against the Anargan Theocracy." ?

Following a devastating chaos uprising...

'Chaos' should be capitalised since it doesn't refer to a lack of organisation, but a specific 'thing'.

In the attempt to guarantee its own safety, its government sacrificed vast regions of its own lands by purging them in nuclear fire.

It consists of fifty Councilmen and Councilwomen and together with the Governor and the Donegal Watch...

Comma after 'and' and before 'together.'

Because these nobles share blue blood with individuals in power elsewhere in the sector...

Quotation marks around "blue blood."

The glorified ruthlessness of the new government was justified by the Imperial Creed...

*sniffle* Anargo subsector was meant to be a bulwark against all that religious tomfoolery, yet people persist on making the worlds a focus for the Imperial Cult.  Darn your eyes.   (Which is to say, cool justification for bringing it back!)

However, the deep bond between Morgance and Anargo Primus can still be felt and so Morgance is far from entirely devoted to the Imperial Church.

Comma after 'felt'.

This secular faction is known as ‘the supremacists’,...

Comma on the inside of the apostrophe...

To live on Morgance is to be the property of the government and the Imperium in turn. Through government-controlled mass media, regulation of communication, mass surveillance, propaganda and physical might, the government has shaped the population of Morgance into blind obedience.

I love microcosms, and this one of a common argument about the Imperium in general.  Again, cool.

...low class citizens, who live in almost constant fear of their lives...

Change 'live' for 'living.'

...led to great inventions and useful research within medicine, food processing and so forth.

"...medicine and food processing."  (Remove the "and so forth.")

...specialized...

'...specialised... '

Due to the high degree of poverty in the lower class on Morgance, malnourishment has lead to a significant portion of the population having a smaller stature, being shorter and having less muscle mass than most healthy humans.

"...having a diminished stature, less muscle-mass, and an increased prevalence of nourishment related pathologies."

...and various nutrition supplements.

"...nutritional..."

The gravity on Morgance is quite average and its people are exposed to normal amounts of sunlight.

Avoid terms like 'average' or 'normal,' since they beg the question, "To what?"  Make the gravity similar to another world, or talk about distance to the sun and length of the day relative to, say, Anargo. 

Okay, Vandoch is going to have to come a bit later on during the day.  I better get back to writing site reports...

Kage

[CELS]

Edit: This went a bit more grammar/writing focused than I had intended, but with that said it is not necessarily a bad thing.  There are some comments about the nature of the SR in this, so don't worry.  Overall, though, of the two worlds that I had the chance to look through I liked them both.

Well, I like to get feedback on the content itself, but I always appreciate the effort of helping me improve my grammar. I'll be making some changes based on your input, although a few of these things come down to personal choice rather than what is proper English, I suspect. Some of it is also Microsoft Word interfering (replacing 's' with 'z').

Anyway, thanks for your input!

I've obviously missed something - so my bad - but do not Ogryns hark from worlds with high-gravity?  It's the same justification as the Squats, except apparently they had to live in tunnels as well (hence being short and stunty, rather than big and all muscles... and no brains).

Yes, that is the official justification. However, I have previously forwarded the idea that GW's justification for ogryns should henceforth be regarded as silly, kooky, ignorant, ludicrous and preposterous. However, I do have a great love of abhumans in 40k (and I'm therefore intent to include them in the Anargo sector), so I'm forced to come up with a fluff-transparent alternative. And it is this;
Most ab-humans were in fact genetically engineered during the Age of Technology, as a part of the Stone Men empire's ambition to colonise the galaxy. Initially, ab-humans were used to colonise worlds with difficult living conditions, such as high gravity, toxic atmospheres, low temperatures, etc. While moderately successful, this effort met difficulties due to the Stone Men's imperfect knowledge of human genetics. Thus, ogryns turned out somewhat unintelligent, for example. Eventually, the ab-human colonisation effort was taken over by the Iron Men, meeting much greater success.

This is all unofficial, of course, but it's also fluff transparent. Since ogryns have been around since the Age of Technology, perhaps millennia before the Age of Strife, and potentially eight thousand years before the creation of the Imperium, their origins could very well have been forgotten to the Imperium. To ignorant Imperial settlers discovering ogryn worlds many years later, it might seem obvious that the Ogryns had evolved naturally, since they were (almost without exception) found on high gravity worlds. (This because the ogryns had been put there by the Stone Men, of course)

We'll probably get to that later on, but as I read through this I have visions of Ogryn farmers having difficulty at harvest time because they cannot figure out where all the workers are going, despite the Tyrannosaurus Rex that are circling their fields.

Lots of fun to be had with the concept, I'm sure. I just hope no one makes a Darish Imperial Guard Ogryn detachment with strawhats.

One imagines that the head of House Reinhardt is also somewhat mysteriously (or not) also a General now?

How do you mean? A PDF general? I imagine he'd be the supreme commander of the world's PDF, like other Imperial Commanders. If you mean Imperial Guard General though, I'm not so sure. It seems strange to be able to hold both titles at once.

Completely incidentally, this reminds me of the Madagascan tradition of building burial chambers and "houses to the ancstors" out of stone, while their own housing is made of more temporary materials such as wood.  Might be interesting to incorporate something similar here, though tweaked for the flavour of the world.

Well, I'm open for ideas on how to incorporate it, specifically. It's already pretty similar, with House Reinhardt having the only permanent settlements and the ogryns being semi-nomadic.

"...are the guilders..."

I thought so too, but Microsoft Word gave me an error. I guess because "highest class" is single. Good thing they don't call it Word Perfect anymore, at least

...whose hierarchy is defined in the same way as most commercial organizations.

Which is...?

Well, an entirely "meritocratic" hierarchy, of course. I don't think it needs any explanation, personally.

This just reminds me that we are going to need an article on STC, exploring what it might have been (not Iron Men!), its diversity and secondary components (dedicated "robofacs" ala Gaunt's Ghosts), hard copies, how it relates to the puritan-radical philosophies of the Adeptus Mechanicus and so on.
So another small and non-ambitious article.

Oh, that would be nice indeed. It's a shady part of the 40k background, and it would be nice to distance ourselves from the more simplistic interpretations, where STC is everything. Not sure what you mean by Iron Men though. It makes no more sense to exclude them from the STC than the Leman Russ. However, I do agree that such an article should not get bogged down with details about specific templates.

Are not the insects going to have common problems outside of the B-movie environment?  Breathing, for one...

Well, trying to describe alien creatures without resorting to lengthy latin/greek names from scientific taxonomy is difficult. And needless to say, there are going to be alien creatures that do not match any words in our vocabulary. However, if these creatures are similar to insects in most ways except breathing and a few other details, I'm inclined to call them insects instead of "insect-like alien beasts", just for the sake of simplicity. Being overtly accurate tends to slow down the flow of a text.

Incidentally, the PDF is usually armed with weapons and materials that are locally produced.  That House Reinhardt might import weaponry is another matter, but as with anything in the 40k universe, there really is little that could truly be considered "military grade."

I think you're going to have to explain that.

*sniffle* Anargo subsector was meant to be a bulwark against all that religious tomfoolery, yet people persist on making the worlds a focus for the Imperial Cult.  Darn your eyes.   (Which is to say, cool justification for bringing it back!)

LoL! Well, if you want things done right, then you have to do it yourself. Besides, it's not my fault. <points at giggling muse>

Seriously though, I am aware of your ambitions here, so I've at least tried to moderate my concepts.

Avoid terms like 'average' or 'normal,' since they beg the question, "To what?"  Make the gravity similar to another world, or talk about distance to the sun and length of the day relative to, say, Anargo. 

It's something that is often used in fiction, and it's obviously (in my opinion) in comparison to Earth. And since the Imperium has colonised mostly Earth-like planets across the Imperium, they tend to be standard in turn. Well, at least in terms of gravity, atmosphere, hydrosphere, temperature and sunlight, the most important things.

Okay, Vandoch is going to have to come a bit later on during the day.  I better get back to writing site reports...

Kage
[/quote]

[Kage2020]

Well, I like to get feedback on the content itself...

I liked what I read, and didn't fancy a "Cool!  I like it!" kind of post.  So I thought that I would be constructive.

I'll be making some changes based on your input, although a few of these things come down to personal choice rather than what is proper English, I suspect.

Most of it was more the former than the latter, and where it was the latter it was generally to make it more formal. 

Anyway, thanks for your input!

Again, though it was the most constructive thing to do at this point.

Most ab-humans were in fact genetically engineered during the Age of Technology, as a part of the Stone Men empire's ambition to colonise the galaxy.

I vaguely remember this now.  Fair enough.  I was just reading it as I was reading it - a first impression, as many of our (potential) readers would have done.  (Therefore, this suggests that there is a link from the first mention of "Ogryns" over to a discussion on them, or at least a blank link saying, "We haven't fleshed out this section yet.  Care to help us?" or whatever.)

How do you mean? A PDF general? I imagine he'd be the supreme commander of the world's PDF, like other Imperial Commanders.

More the trappings of the previous military government.  Wholesale replacement of the government might be harder to stomach - even for ogryns - than the transition using common elements/themes from the previous one.  (Of course, the way that you described them this could also be a bad thing... In which case the absence of it might be interesting to note.)

Well, I'm open for ideas on how to incorporate it, specifically. It's already pretty similar, with House Reinhardt having the only permanent settlements and the ogryns being semi-nomadic.

I was actually thinking of fleshing out the ogryn with that little bit of information, thereby giving them a bit of "religious" depth beyond the Emperor angle.  You could bring in treatment of the dead, etc.

Well, an entirely "meritocratic" hierarchy, of course. I don't think it needs any explanation, personally.

The obvious counter comment is that at least in my experience, commercial organisations are most definitely not inherently based on merit.

Not sure what you mean by Iron Men though.

A Phil reference.  For him, "Iron Men=STC" (rather than being a potential product of it).

However, if these creatures are similar to insects in most ways except breathing and a few other details, I'm inclined to call them insects instead of "insect-like alien beasts", just for the sake of simplicity. Being overtly accurate tends to slow down the flow of a text.

I don't think that there is a problem with "insect-like" as a solution to that problem.

I think you're going to have to explain that.

It's merely a product of the Imagery of the 40k universe, what with "primitively-equipped" Guard equipment, etc.  The chances are that PDF are going to be equipped with local weapons, since they're much cheaper.  On the other hand, if the PDF is in actually an "elite corporate security" force, then sticking to imported weapons would make a whole lot more sense.

Seriously though, I am aware of your ambitions here, so I've at least tried to moderate my concepts.

Again, I liked the way that you did it.

It's something that is often used in fiction, and it's obviously (in my opinion) in comparison to Earth.

Whenever someone says "average" or "normal," once again I either want to see the data-set and wonder whether it is normally distributed or not, or see what it is in comparison to.  While it might be commonly used in fiction, I don't think that it takes away - and you're going to have to forgive me for this - laziness of its use.

Kage

[Dragonlover]

Sorry for the threadomancy, but it's Alpha Legion related.

What was the government on Morgance like before the uprising? I've got a mad scenario involving the Alpha Legion deciding that the way it was being run was countering one of their plans and instigating the uprising. Possibly to make the planet more productive, possibly just to test what happens when the Imperial way of life is taken to an extreme. I'm also looking at the system as a whole having various Alpha Legion bases/operatives scattered through it.

Dragonlover

[CELS]

Well, I tend to get anxious by big conspiracies, but I'm definitely open to the possibility that the Alpha Legion was involved in the political reform, though not necessarily entirely responsible for it.

I haven't really written anything about the ancient form of government on Morgance, but I guess we could go for the typical Imperial quasi-democratic dictatorship.  And Morgance certainly seems like the place that the Alpha Legion would prey upon, starting rebellions in the underworld, etc.