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Post by CELS on Jan 22, 2005 12:22:31 GMT -5
History of the Archaios subsector - The Big Picture
Though the Archaios subsector has some of the most ancient worlds in the Anargo sector, it has never dominated the region and never really challenged the Sargassos and Anargo subsectors as sector capital.
In the Age of Technology, a number of systems in the region later known as the Archaios subsector were colonised by humans. During this period, the Anargo sector was full of danger, with aliens such as the Spirians and the Orks constantly waging war amongst the stars. For the few human colonists that managed to find a habitable world not taken by aliens, peace was only a passing pleasure in the years that followed.
Near the end of the Age of Technology, only a handful of star systems were still colonised by humans. These were the Taranis system, the Archaios system, the Dorian system, the Cirrus system, the Kastria system and the Lycia system. 1 During the Age of Strife, the Taranis system was colonised by a Mechanicum fleet sent from Mars. Taranis Prime was renamed Proteus, and thanks to the world's abundant resources, the world quickly grew into a prosperous forgeworld. As Proteus grew however, it became evident that it would need extra food and materials from other world. The explorators of the Cult Mechanicus searched the surrounding star systems.
In the Lycia system, the small human colony was at war with the powerful Spirian empire, and losing. In the Cirrus system, the human colony had grown strong from a trade alliance with Archaios and Heleonis. Unfortunately, these worlds were extremely distrustful of the Mechanicum, and with the constant threat of alien warmongers, they were not at all forthcoming in helping the Mechanicum colony on Proteus. To make matters worse, turbulence in the warp in this period made it almost impossible to reach Archaios and Heleonis at times. At last, the explorators found Nova Cerkes and Greavedale, two worlds with considerable resources. As both worlds were extremely vulnerable to alien attacks at the time, for different reasons, the explorators offered to make them the sovereign of Mars in return for protection, to which both worlds gladly agreed.
Contact and trade with more distant star systems was minimal during the Age of Technology, mostly due to the inreliability of calculated warp travel at this time and the great presence of alien warships. Some systems had brief trade pacts with the Mezzan, such as Archaios and Cirrus, but the great distances made such relationships unprofitable.
1 - Taranis system was to become the location of forgeworld Proteus. The Dorian system was later the location of knight world Greavedale, the Cirrus system the location of deathworld Sistina, the Kastria system the location of Nova Cerkes and Lycia the location of _____ [feral world]
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Post by CELS on Jan 22, 2005 13:22:28 GMT -5
In the Horus Heresy, the Archaios subsector was brought to its knees by the corruption of the Alpha Legion as Proteus was crippled by internal strife, and chaos cults rose in several other Imperial systems. The few systems that remained uncorrupted were forced to split their military resources between the liberation of the Archaios subsector, and defense against attacks from the Sargassos subsector and the Alpha Legion itself. Thankfully, the Ultramarine Liberation came before too much damage had been inflicted in the Archaios subsector. All worlds escaped the terrible Exterminatus, and many were able to assist the Ultramarines in the final liberation of the Sargassos subsector.
The Age of Imperium was a time of relative optimism in the Archaios subsector. Imperial worlds in the subsector grew increasingly strong and in M32, the Great Xenos War of Anargo saw the end of the Spirian empire that had plagued the Archaios subsector for so long. In addition, this era saw the rise of trade between the Archaios subsector and other subsectors. Once a small and relatively isolated region, the systems in the Archaios subsector were suddenly united with several dozen systems in the new Anargo sector of the Imperium. Unfortunately, this optimism was short-lived.
The demands of the Adeptus Terra became increasingly high near the end of the Age of Imperium and the beginning of the Age of Apostasy. After millennia of extremely high tithes, open war broke out as Imperial armies were sent to quell rebellions and scare world governors into meeting the demands of the Adeptus Terra. In the Archaios system and Cirrus system, death tolls were catastrophic. Horrified by the acts of the Adeptus Terra, the Mechanicus on Proteus eventually came to the rescue and fought back the Imperial armies with a series of effective surprise attacks. The Adeptus Astartes Silver Skulls were also involved in this defence of the Archaios subsector, but the majority of their resources were spent elsewhere, outside the protection of Proteus. After more than a century of war, Proteus and its allies in the Anargo sector were finally reinforced by pro-Thorian armies from other sectors, and with the Gaian Revolt on Anargo in 549.M36, peace was restored in the Archaios subsector.
The peace brought by the Gaian Revolt did not last long. Less than a century later, the orks returned to the Anargo sector after Waaagh! Tuskragga, forming a new ork empire near the Castellan subsector. In time, this ork empire would grow strong enough to threaten not only the Castellan subsector, but the entire Anargo sector. Ork attacks in the Archaios subsector became increasingly common near the end of the Age of Apostasy, and this trend would continue for millennia to come.
In M38 and later, the Archaios subsector continued to be plagued by alien attacks, and then most notably ork and eldar raids. In time, this raised the question of whether or not the Lord Castellan was actually successful in his duties, and whether or not so much military resources should be invested in the Castellan subsector, leaving the rest of the sector more vulnerable.
In the Dark Millennium, the Archaios subsector was rather stable compared to some other subsectors. Economically, the Archaios subsector was growing ever weaker because of alien attacks, and even worse, the disaster which reduced the planet Sistina in the Cirrus system to an infernal death world. To make matters worse, there have been forces both in the Archaios subsector and the Anargo and Dorvastor subsector that have sought to release Nova Cerkes from its pacts with the Adeptus Mechanicus.
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Post by CELS on Jan 23, 2005 18:03:51 GMT -5
The Archaios subsector - year 470.M41[/b]
In year 470.M41, the Archaios subsector is relatively stable. The subsector features a small string of heavily industrialised worlds which are mostly self-sufficient, a number of small mining worlds, an ancient and powerful forgeworld with two supporting knight worlds, and various other worlds of little value. One great advantage for this subsector, is that it is not dependent on importing food or other precious goods from other subsectors. Another great economic advantage, obviously, is the forgeworld Proteus. As Proteus is given the resources to produce a fantastic amount of industrial goods, from weapons to star ships, Proteus is absolutely critical for much of the industrial business on other worlds in the Archaios subsector. For example, when Proteus is building a warp-capable star ship for the Meksum subsector, certain parts and internal accessories are produced on Archaios Prime, Salinas, and other worlds.
Alien and pirate attacks are fairly common in the Archaios subsector. Orks are the most common foe, usually coming from the Ork empire near the Cruciatine sector, and slipping around the Castellan defences. Dark eldar attacks are also quite common, often taking advantage of the ork-made holes in the defense of the Archaios subsector. The frequency and ferocity of these attacks have been the cause of much despair throughout the last millennia, and now one of the most important subjects in subsector politics is the question of a Crusade against the orks, towards the Cruciatine sector. Such a Crusade would not only be highly profitable for the industry in the Archaios subsector, but it would also bring long-term bonuses as the Archaios subsector would be free to reduce military expenses. Per 470.M41, the Imperial worlds in the Archaios subsector are forced to spend an extreme amount of resources on planetary and orbital defences, building non-warp warships to protect system convoys and laying obscene amounts of mines along system trade routes.
Other subsectors are not so enthusiastic about petitioning for a Crusade, since it would mean raising tithes in the short run, and perhaps losing money to the Archaios subsector industry in the long run. That said, if the Anargo sector does decide to petition for a Crusade, with the blessing of the Lord Anargo, there is a good chance that they will get it. The Anargo sector is one of the very few sectors that have the infrastructure to support the launch of a Crusade, that have enough stability and that have a good amount of industrial worlds and forgeworlds.
Based on all the above, the following can be said of intra-sector relationships for the Archaios subsector.
Vs Anargo subsector... The Archaios subsector enjoys a fair amount of trade with the Anargo subsector, as it is one of the closest subsectors. Politically, there is not too much conflict on the surface, though behind the scenes there are hands working to free Nova Cerkes from the grip of the Adeptus Mechanicus. If this became a reality, this would give the Lord Anargo another titheable world, which would obviously be preferable to Proteus squandering away precious resources as the tech priests see fit.
Vs Castellan subsector... The Archaios subsector has long been asking the Anargo subsector for more Navy patrols to stop alien attacks, and asked the Castellan subsector to broaden its defences in order to stop splinterfleets from bypassing the Castellan front and reaching the Archaios subsector. Of course, if the Castellan subsector were to increase the range of its patrols and build monitor stations outside the direct path to the Castellan subsector, this would take away resources from defending the Castellan subsector itself. But there are also good relations between these two subsectors, as there is much trade with fortress worlds that are dependent on the Archaios subsector for industrial goods such as weapons.
Vs Dorvastor subsector... The Archaios subsector has a rather divided relationship with the Dorvastor subsector. On one hand, the Adeptus Mechanicus has had many conflicts with the Cardinal world over the past millennia, not least of all because of the knight worlds Greavedale and Nova Cerkes. On the other hand, there are some worlds in the Archaios subsector with a firm devotion to the Ecclessiarchy, and there is a moderate amount of pilgrims visiting the Dorvastor subsector to see the great shrine world and cardinal world. Trade with the Dorvastor subsector is minimal, because of the great distance between the subsectors. In the question of a Crusade, the Dorvastor subsector sides with the Meksum and Sargassos subsector, leaning heavily towards the no-side. The Dorvastor subsector is not immediately threatened by the ork empire and so raising tithes to fight the orks is not a welcome idea.
Vs Meksum subsector... The Meksum subsector lies far away from the Archaios subsector, and most contact between the two subsectors is through Proteus. Politically, the Meksum subsector is in clear conflict with the Archaios subsector, on the question of the Cruciatine Crusade.
Vs Sargassos subsector... The Archaios subsector's relationship with the Sargassos subsector is similar to its relationship with the Meksum subsector. In addition, there is still some bad blood because of the many incidents where the Adeptus Mechanicus have investigated worlds in the Sargassos subsector for techno-heresy, due to the occassional recovery of Mezzan technology. Most citizens in the Imperium can accept that people are burned for heresy against the Emperor and the Ministorum. Not so many can accept that people are burned for dabbling with old cogitators.
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Post by CELS on Jan 24, 2005 9:38:41 GMT -5
The worlds of the Archaios subsector[/size]
Below is a list of basic concepts for worlds in the Archaios subsector, with emphasis on how they integrate with the rest of the subsector and sector. Obviously, extra information on the individual worlds can be found in their respective SRs and threads in the Archaios forum.
Important: This is how I see the worlds at the moment. This might not be how the creators of these worlds see their worlds, since not all of these worlds have finished SRs, and since there have been few attempts at integrating these worlds with the rest of the sector, and trying to make them work with the Archaios subsector history. Admittedly, the Archaios subsector history has only recently been compiled. Anyway, if anyone disagrees with how I've represented their worlds in this thread, I invite you to start discussion in the "Archaios subsector overview" thread in this forum. Thank you.
Archaios Prime
Proteus
Nova Cerkes
Greavedale
Elinas
Elinas was first colonised in the late 37th millennium, when recent surveys by a private company found new and highly mineral deposits on the planet. With the permission of the Adeptus Terra, several corporations created different mining colonies on Elinas. The colonisation came to a grinding halt in the 38th millennium however, with the rise of the Alpha Legion an the greatest war against chaos in the Anargo sector since the Horus Heresy. Though Elinas did not suffer directly from the war, all outside help was cut off because of the war, and expansion froze for many years, as the sector struggled to rebuild.
Since the 38th millennium, Elinas has suffered greatly from other wars, especially involving the Dark Eldar. Millions have died over the years, but since it is the private corporations that have to cover the losses, the Imperium has not intervened. So far, the Adeptus Administratum has decided that it would not be worthwhile to spend Imperial resources on colonising Elinas, when the private corporations have to tithe anyway.
Like Proteus, Elinas has been a sort of gateway between the Archaios subsector and the more distant subsectors, such as Meksum and Dorvastor. Private corporations from distant star system have invested in Elinas, and are stimulating trade between the Archaios subsector and distant subsectors.
Of course, there are those in the Archaios subsector who dislike the outside influence from Meksum, Dorvastor and other distant worlds. The Meksum and Dorvastor subsector are already considerably superior to the Archaios subsector in terms of economy, and the presence of outside corporations on Elinas is only making the situation worse. There are even rumours that accidents on Elinas are caused by sabotage by Archaios Prime and other local star systems.
Sistina
Altarra
Salinas
Heleonis
Ututaonga
Lycia I (Ututaonga) was once a fairly advanced human colony in the Age of Technology, but after a long and brutal war with the Spirian empire, without the aid of other systems in the region, Lycia I suffered catastrophic damage. As the seat of power for Lycian nations, some continents were turned into radioactive wastelands by orbital bombardement. In other regions, fantastically powerful EMP detonations sent billions of people back to the stone age in terms of technology. This, in turn, caused famine and killed many more.
After millennia of slow recovery, the powerful native ecosystem of Lycia has healed most of the planet's surface. Ruined cities and scorched wastelands are now covered with alien jungles and strange lifeforms. Nothing remains of the fragile terran ecosystem from the Dark of Technology. The world has not been lifted from its feral state by the Imperium, as the native ecosystem is too strong to make terraforming worthwhile, and the world does not have any other considerable resources according to Imperial scans.
Only a few million humans currently live on Lycia I, in a feral society. It is a dangerous place, as the ecosystem is not as safe as terraformed worlds, and many are killed by native predators or suffer death by starvation or poisonous food. To the Anargo Sector, Lycia has only one important function; recruitment for the Adeptus Astartes Frost Bringers. As the Lycians have a natural ability to survive in hostile enviroments and are often brought up in warlike societies, they make perfect candidates for Space Marines. To Proteus and the Adeptus Mechanicus, Lycia has some further value for techpriests of the Collegia Xenos, who constantly visit the feral world to do research on its alien ecosystem.
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Post by CELS on Jan 29, 2005 9:36:30 GMT -5
It makes more sense to have that as a mining colony than a factory world, at least in many ways. Fine by me! Of course. I always progress with care  Over-used? How do you mean? No, not yet. Indeed!
Important! This thread has been opened for discussion, so I would appreciate everyone's participation in going over what's been suggested above. Thank you.[/size] |
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Post by CELS on Jan 30, 2005 17:17:47 GMT -5
I'm taking our PM discussion to the boards, Kage, since I find PM discussions to be a pain. For some reason.
Oh. The way I see it, the Lord Anargo actually plays a part in the governing of the sector, since he is the commander of the sector capital.
Yes? So? It's not either this or that, unless one wants to make things boring. Just because Anargo is more friendly to the Adeptus Mechanicus than the Adeptus Ministorum doesn't mean that they have an all-encompassing pact.
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Post by Kage2020 on Jan 30, 2005 23:49:07 GMT -5
Sector Capital and 'Government'... The problem you have here is that there is little precident in terms of the novels (Eisenhorn) and no precicent in terms of the 'fluff' for any one world in a subsector having direct political infuence over the others.
In the 'fluff'.
Personally I see it as shades of influence. You know, that funky politics and social gig that is often forgotten about in the rush to make conflict happen.
Anargo, the adeptus mechanicus and ties... Just as I'm saying that the implication is that there are ties, I'm not implying that there is a pact. But then again the addition of a titheable world to the Anargo sector is not going to necessarily positively impact upon the position of Anargo, or Lord Anargo, either.
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Post by CELS on Jan 31, 2005 4:06:50 GMT -5
But then again the addition of a titheable world to the Anargo sector is not going to necessarily positively impact upon the position of Anargo, or Lord Anargo, either. I'll change it so that it's pressure from the Imperial conclave on Anargo then, and not the Lord Anargo himself. |
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Post by KeirLeslie on Feb 24, 2005 23:38:09 GMT -5
Ututaonga
In the Lycia system, Ututaonga is a vicious feral world, over run by alien jungle.
Originally colonised in the Dark Age of Technology by settlers from the Pacific region of Earth, it was laid waste by the Spirian fleet in retaliation for a raid on the Spirian's homeworld.
Since then it has stayed in the Stone Age in terms of manufacturing technology.
However, the survivors managed to build low maintenance, highly durable nuclear reactors. These still burn, each the centre of an entire tribe, guarded by the Priests of the Furnace.
These Priests maintain links with the Adeptus Astartes Techpriests, who will repair reactors, for a price- the best of the young men of the tribe.
The culture of the Ututaongans is one of honour and duty.
The Ututaongans elevate honour above all else, although honour is an insufficent term.
Honour also includes prestige, payment of debts etc.
However, their sense of honour is different from almost all other world's, as they see no evil in wiping out an entire village, but will die to repay a debt as small as a meal.
The entire world is bound by this network of obligations, wrapped around by debts.
The entire culture of Ututaonga is bound up in the epic tale of the war with the Spirians, the loss, and the aftermath.
This epic poem is the basis of almost all actions on Ututaonga.
Notes:
On names: Utu, and taonga, meaning payment and treasure are words that almost all New Zealanders know, and it is no stretch to see them leave Earth, and cling on.
Frex, see the incidence of Anglo-Saxon words in place names.
The poem. I intend to write this, then do the SR. I've already done the physical data.
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Post by Zholud on Feb 25, 2005 6:51:48 GMT -5
Since then it has stayed in the Stone Age in terms of manufacturing technology. However, the survivors managed to build low maintenance, highly durable nuclear reactors. Don’t joke this way… most current-day nations do not have nuclear reactors because they are high-tech… and stone age reactor… I think imaginary per se is cool, but better make them ancient solar batteries or whatever. And don’t manufacture them, seek for them. If planet exported them during DAoT and had a stock of them – maybe some survived even now. These still burn, each the centre of an entire tribe, guarded by the Priests of the Furnace. Isn’t it too clichéd? These Priests maintain links with the Adeptus Astartes Techpriests, who will repair reactors, for a price- the best of the young men of the tribe. We have only 1 Chapter here on the ASP, and it seems not in this sub-sector. As for name I guess its fine.  |
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Post by CELS on Mar 4, 2005 14:13:20 GMT -5
Since then it has stayed in the Stone Age in terms of manufacturing technology. However, the survivors managed to build low maintenance, highly durable nuclear reactors. I agree with zholud in that it seems more likely that they managed to preserve or repair existing reactors, rather than build new ones. Oh, and what do they do with these reactors? Have they acquired technology that requires electricity from the Adeptus Astartes, or elsewhere? That is quite interesting, although I would change it to 'Different from most worlds in the Imperium' or something like that, since there are a million or so worlds in the Imperium. Just a minor detail, really. A good idea, and one that really fits this primitive culture. Fair enough, but I still consider it unlikely that these words have gone unchanged for so many millennia. Could you at least change Ututaonga into something that is easier to spell and pronounce, for realistic and practical purposes? Pretty please?  Excellent. Please post more in the Archaios forum We've got all we need in the 'Anargo at a glance' forum. |
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