Varda and it's moon Morpheros.
- World: Varda
- Location: Subsector Cryptus
- Type: Civilised Jungle World
- Tithe: [Nix] Astartes do not pay tithes.
- Population: 7.04 Million [7 040 000]
- Government: Astartes Dictatorship. Varda is legally owned in its entirety by the Ghosts of Retribution, and all people who officially reside on Varda are technically their vassals. In reality the Chapter leaves the day-to-day running of Varda to their appointed representative Lord Governor Kvei Lohar. Governor Lohar holds absolute authority and is assisted by a cabinet of trusted advisors and officials - some of whom are elected by the people.
- Description: Varda is a wild and green world, with millions of square miles of jungle covering it's surface. Since it was claimed by the Ghosts of Retribution many areas have been colonised and civilised, including the capital city of Novomark built by Mormarkian settlers, the extensive and Agri-rich Green Belt settled on by Protheran refugees, and the mines and industrial areas that are the source of Varda's wealth.
- Technology: [IV - Imperial] The vast majority of technology on Varda is rugged, simple & dependable, though some of the more affluent areas of Novomark and Macedonia are starting to see advanced luxury technologies.
- Military: Varda is protected by the Vardan PDF. The Barbaross Orbital Station in orbit is armed. The planet is a protectorate of the Ghosts of Retribution.
- Strategic importance: [Minima] A small colony that has no ties to the rest of Imperium. If it was lost few outside its immediate relations would be affected.
- Loyalty: [Ghosts of Retribution 90%; Imperial 75%; Mormark 70%] Most of the people of Varda see themselves as subjects of their Astartes lords. However there are some who hold loyalty to the Imperium or to Mormark in higher regard.
History[]
Varda was infested by Orks for a long time, but after a long campaign of cleansing they were exterminated to the last by Ghosts of Retribution. Last Orks were destroyed in the year 317.M41. Xeno bodies and their habitats were destroyed with fire, but there always remains a possibility that their infestation might resurface.
In 323.M41 Ghosts of Retribution claimed this world as part of their Realm and started colonisation of the planet by shipping over 200,000 people from Mormark. After the disaster on Prothera, another ~36,000 refugees were brought from the doomed world to settle on Varda, forming agricultural communities on the eastern continent. In 330.M41 Varda became self-sustainable, mostly because of huge investments by the Chapter, and Kvei Lohar was appointed as planetary governor.
In 334.M41 a band of Orks raided several settlements before being crushed by the 6th Company under Captain Macedon.
In 340.M41 the Iron Monks attacked Varda in the Betrayal at Varda. Over 74,000 citizens were killed as a result of this treachery, or roughly 10% of the population at the time. Following the betrayal and subsequent victory millions of immigrants flocked to Varda in 342.M41 from several worlds across the subsector. A new city was constructed to accommodate them as the greater manpower would help expand mining operations on the planet. This city would later be named Macedonia in honour of Captain Macedon.
In 343.M41 an orbital dock was constructed above Varda by Rogue Trader Anastasia Barbaross. A year later in 344.M41 Anastasia was declared a fugitive, and the station was claimed by her sister Verica.
In 348.M41 Lieutenant Hector led the Sixth Company in Operation Burning Mountain, all but exterminating greenskin presence on the planet. Unfortunately, completely cleansing the planet of every spore would desolate Varda's ecosystem as vast swathes of forest would have to be burned. As such the Orks will eventually resurface, but not for many years and without any advanced (by greenskin standards) technology.
In 356.M41 several criminal gangs in Novomark & Macedonia rose to prominence and began fighting amongst themselves over their illicit drugs, gambling & prostitution rackets. Collateral damage from their violence cost the Chapter several million thrones but the gangs were finally eliminated in 359.M41 through the joint efforts of Vardan Enforcers and the Arbitrators of the recently built Macedonia Precinct.
In 364.M41 rumours of a major gold rush inspired a large influx of prospectors and miners to Varda, primarily from Mormark. Over the course of 12 months around 700,000 new citizens settle on Varda.
In late 364.M41 a group of 40,000 refugees from the distant planet of Zera Secundus (encountered by Chaplain Axon during his mission to recover brother Elegion from the ghoul stars, sparking the Zera Secundus Incident) were settled on Varda and colonised the coastal regions west of Novomark, near the deep jungle. The city of Newon was soon formed on the coast and colonisers began exploring & settling the surrounding lands.
In 369.M41 an influx of 300,000 immigrants from Templos enhanced the economic systems of Varda with their mercantile knowledge and independent interstellar trade began to be practised by Varda's wealthier inhabitants.
Planetary Statistics[]
- Population: 7 040 000
- Base Decennial Population Growth: 10+d10%
- Population Growth Modifers: New Colony (+d3); Good Economy (+1); New Connections (+1); No Taxation (+2); Level 1 Food Complex (+1); Gas Mining (-2); Mandatory Child Policy (+5).
- Total Decennial Population Growth: 18+1d10+1d3%
- Total Annual Planetary Income (Wealth): (75+3d10+1d3) x 1.15
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Notable Wildlife[]
- Ork Infestation - Deep Jungle only. Low to moderate concentrations. ~95% Pre-Ork stage. ~5% Feral stage.
- Reiksbloom (Ecathius Klementha) - Widespread throughout equatorial forests. Orchid species with anti-inflammation & antibacterial properties. Can be used to synthesise antibiotics.
Resources & Industry[]
Known Resource deposits & Native Organics[]
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Facilities[]
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Other facilities[]
- Anti-Orbital Guns II - A single Missile Silo and a single Defence Laser Battery in each major city.
- Novomark Starport - Located in Novomark. Permits mass interstellar travel & trade.
- Schola Progenium - Located in Novomark. Elite school for orphans that allows recruitment of skilled mortals.
- Macedonia Starport - Located in Macedonia. Permits mass intersteller travel & trade.
- Arbites Precinct - Located in Macedonia. Helps fight crime & cult activity.
- Barbaross Station - Level 2 Orbital Station in orbit above Novomark. +15% to export profits. -10% to import costs.
- Environmental Infrastructure I - Increases Resilience by 1.
Locations[]
A simple map of Varda's primary continent and places of interest.
Varda's environment is dominated by tropical weather, not only due to its closer-than-average orbit but also because most of its landmass is located around the equator. While some regions of cold exist - notably the poles and around the top of mountains during the winter - the vast majority of the planet is warm all year round. During the spring/summer months it becomes especially hot & humid in most places, and minor tropical monsoons are a usual occurance.
The landmasses are almost entirely covered in dense tropical jungle and these clammy, sweaty places are filled with more than their fair share of serpents & insects, but also an array of useful organic compounds. Some large areas of forest have been cleared to make way for colonization & industry, and these population centres are surrounded by a band of clearcut scrubland before the forest looms up.
- Novomark - Population: ~1,900,000. The capital city of Varda, founded by colonists from Mormark and named in honour of their homeworld. For many years this city was of very simple and unappealing construction, mostly composed of grey ferrocrete housing blocks designed for swift & easy construction indicating Novomark's origins as a first-wave colony. However the city was heavily damaged during the Betrayal at Varda, and when reconstructed by fines imposed on the Iron Monks was built far grander and more luxurious than before. The vast majority of Novomark's population are of Mormarkian descent, and the large Feiros river runs through the city's centre. Notable locations in Novomark:
- Planetary Palace - This large structure consists of a blocky frontal facade of stone pillars and granite masonry, with east & west wings that extend back to form a perimeter around a vast courtyard/garden. This place serves as a home for the Lord Governor, a headquarters for the planetary government, a venue for official functions, and - if need be - a rudimentary fortress. Notable inhabitants:
- Lord Governor Kvei Lohar - The planetary governor of Varda, Lohar was appointed by the Ghosts of Retribution in 330.M31 and has served admirably ever since. He is popular among the people and has shown a great loyalty to Varda - even going so far as to spend his own wealth hiring legal aid to help prosecute Iron Monks after the Betrayal at Varda.
- Prime Minister Stephan Piette - The Prime Minister is first & foremost a diplomat. Piette is a friendly, charismatic personality who serves as Varda's representative to foreign entities, and also acts as one of the Lord Governer's main advisors.
- Treasurer Mayr Resbyal - An intelligent, taciturn man, Resbyal is in charge of the government treasury. This means he is in charge of the entirety of Varda's revenue stream, including tax revenue, public service budgets, and tributes to the Ghosts of Retribution.
- Business Minister Obelia Moss - The business minister's duty is to manage all government-owned businesses and regulate the privately-owned corporations operating on Varda. Obelia Moss is an intelligent, sharp-witted woman who was a junior executive in the Silverstone Consortium before Governor Lohar offered her employment.
- Family Minister Mathiana Bargessi - Once one of the most ardent opponents of the mandatory child policy introduced in 364.M41, Bargessi chose to join the Vardan government to help ensure the policy was monitored & enforced as fairly as possible.
- Brigadier General Thor Keierhaan - The commander of Varda's small PDF. Brigadier General Keierhaan is a veteran of the Mormarkian PDF who fought on the front lines in Invasion of Mormark and during the Betrayal at Varda.
- Novomark Starport - The first major construct built on Varda, Novomark Starport is located in the exact centre of Novomark and handles near-constant traffic. Lighters, landers and barges are constantly funneling supplies, materials and resources between the starport and the orbiting Barbaross Station above.
- Novomark Cathedral - An ornate stone church whose exterior walls & buttresses are lined with innumerable small statues and gargoyles depicting humanities heroes and enemies. Novomark Cathedral is the place of worship for many thousands of Novomark's residents. Due to the strained relationship between the Ghosts of Retribution and the Iron Monks, none of Novomark Cathedral's inhabitants are linked to that sect.
- Greystorm Rock - Built upon a rocky protrusion overlooking Novomark, this foreboding structure of blackened ferrocrete and plasteel serves as a home for Ghosts of Retribution stationed on Varda. Studded with gun turrets and firing positions, and filled with barracks & training halls, Greystorm Rock is one of the most secure places on Varda.
- Planetary Palace - This large structure consists of a blocky frontal facade of stone pillars and granite masonry, with east & west wings that extend back to form a perimeter around a vast courtyard/garden. This place serves as a home for the Lord Governor, a headquarters for the planetary government, a venue for official functions, and - if need be - a rudimentary fortress. Notable inhabitants:
- Barbaross Station - An orbital station constructed by the Rogue Trader Anastasia Barbaross and located in orbit above Novomark. The Station is currently owned by her sister Verica, who claimed it after Anastasia was declared fugitive by Sector Lord Larion Ursus.
- Macedonia - Population: ~2,950,000. This city was constructed in 342.M41 to accommodate a massive influx of immigrants from the worlds of Tachion Primaris, Solstreim, Nymeria, Karn Dereg, and Kinteros. This vast city is known for its incredibly diverse population, with the immigrants of various different planets forming their own districts that quite clearly resemble their worlds of origin. Notable locations in Macedonia:
- Macedonia Hall - The headquarters of the planetary government in Macedonia. Macedonia Hall is an ornate stone building reinforced with decorative plasteel walls and large armourglass windows. Notable inhabitants:
- Lord Mayor Christor Hark - The chief representative of the government in Macedonia.
- Macedonia Starport - A large starport in the centre of Macedonia, this large facility services the large amount of human traffic and supply shipments that go in & out of the city.
- Macedonia Precinct - This imposing fortress is the base of the Adeptus Arbites on Varda. It has large dungeons for housing prisoners, along with training facilities for new cadets and extensive armouries & supply stores. Coupled with its thick walls, high watchtowers and defensive guns, this is a formidable bastion. The Arbitrators who call it home are also skilled combatants and enforcers of Imperial Law, however they have also agreed to help enforce local Law as well in return for the construction of the Precinct. Macedonia Precinct is currently relatively small by Arbites standards and houses 500 personnel.
- Macedonia Cathedral - A fairly small cathedral by Imperial standards, this gothic construct of plasteel and gold plays host to thousands of worshipers on a daily basis. Due to the strained relationship between the Ghosts of Retribution and the Iron Monks, none of Macedonia Cathedral's inhabitants are linked to that sect.
- Skyreach - A small cluster of extremely tall tower blocks primarily inhabited by a hundred thousand colonists from Solstreim. These massive structures are reminiscent of middle-hive habitation blocks, filled with densely clustered apartments and intermittent floors devoted to generic services like food & drinks. While it is a small hotbed of petty crime, it also gives Macedonia's industrial sector close access to tens of thousands of workers.
- Amethyst Square - A large open city square surrounded by apartments and townhouses primarily inhabited by Nymerians. Amethyst Square is a bustling marketplace lined with shops of all kinds and filled with stalls and street sellers. It is also one of the more beautiful places in Macedonia, lined with well-tended trees and colourful plant life, while the Nymerian architecture promotes gentle colours and patterns that are easy on the eyes. Amethyst Square plays hosts to tens of thousands of customers every day, and sells almost every common item imaginable along with varying rarities acquired from who-knows-where. Amethyst Square is also one of the few places in Macedonia one can always find Ghosts of Retribution (assuming there are any on-world), as usually a pair of astartes will be patrolling the square and looking over the available wares for anything that could be of interest to the Chapter.
- Shadetown - A region of the city built & settled by colonists from Karn Dereg. Mimicking the popular architecture of their homeworld, the area consists of several large gothic-style habitation blocks with a few large streets running between them, with only narrow alleys allowing passage through the blocks. The long alleys - with high block walls on either side - are dark and shadowed, giving the region its name. A small Imperial Death Cult called the Cult of Angelus lives in Shadetown, and after some investigations have proven to be fairly moderate & tolerable.
- Chalice Hill - This part of the city was colonized & built by immigrants from Kinteros and quite predictably it is bright, colourful and devoted to entertainment of all kinds. Pubs & bars provide weary workers with a drink after their shifts and expensive nightclubs covered with holographic neons are favourite venues of Macedonia's more privileged people. Adventurous punters can instead gamble in card & dice games or place wagers on fighters in the region's small fighting rings, while the seediest depths of Chalice Hill are essentially a red light district where strip clubs & brothels offer their services.
- Macedonia Hall - The headquarters of the planetary government in Macedonia. Macedonia Hall is an ornate stone building reinforced with decorative plasteel walls and large armourglass windows. Notable inhabitants:
- Newon - Population: ~15,000. Formed in 364.M41, this small city is located on the coast west of Novomark. Surrounded by large regions of dense jungle, Newon and its people are currently expanding, exploring, and prospecting the surrounding regions. The total population in these frontier regions is around 50,000 and they have formed an effective militia to combat the small numbers of feral gretchin they can face near the deep jungles.
- The Green Belt - Population: ~400,000. An agrarian region of a few hundred small towns and farms that were initially built by Protheran refugees. In addition to the Protherans and their descendants many immigrants have settled here seeking a farming life. The Green Belt is slightly milder than the cities, and filled with vast fields and paddies where all types of crops & cattle are raised. Notable locations in The Green Belt:
- New Auctumnus - The largest town in the Green Belt with a population of 25,000. New Auctumnus was the first area settled & built by Protheran refugees in 326.M41.
- Krodian mountains - A large mountain range where much of Varda's known ornamental metal reserves are found, and where the ore processing industry is located. Vast mining facilities haul up countless tons of precious ore from around the base of the mountains, before it is shipped to a vast refinery complex nearby to be purified and shaped. The vast majority of the refined gold is shaped into high quality wiring and motive actuators before being shipped to Novomark & Macedonia, where they are the crucial component in the construction of cybernetics of all kinds. Notable locations in the Krodian Mountains:
- The Great Caverns - A massive complex of large caves deep in the Krodian mountains that were once inhabited by Orks. These caverns are capable of sheltering hundreds of thousands of people from all but the most severe of orbital bombardments.
- Gas Fields - Located several thousand miles away from Novomark & Macedonia, this is the location of Varda's biggest known reserves of natural gas. Several gas mining facilities are set up above this enormous series of deposits and the harvested fuels are used to power the ferociously hungry ore smelting & refining operations in the Krodian Mountains.
- Deep Jungle - These are the areas where the Ork infestation wasn't fully cleansed during the initial campaign. These vast regions were mostly purified in Operation Burning Mountain though are still considered hazardous, so only Marines and PDF troopers venture here for training exercises and scouting the status of the ork infestation. The planetary government is eager to secure these vast regions so they can be prospected for additional resource reserves.
- Morpheros - Varda's sole moon. Morpheros is a pale grey ball of dust orbiting high above, with no notable features.
Other planets in the System[]
Cocytus[]
- World: Cocytus
- Type: Death World
- Tithe: [Nix]
- Population: N/A
- Government: N/A
- Description: Located in the inner cauldron of the system, Cocytus is a small death world with low gravity that causes everything to be oversized. The most notable species reported is the Skull Tree that towers over the forests dozens of metres high. Its motive vines capture and crush its victim bodies leaving only the head intact at the base of the tree, which eventually decays into a skull. The piles of skulls that surround the trees' bases have given them their name. Another native species is the terrifying Quadrofex, a quadruped arachnid of great size able to match a space marine in close combat.
- Technology: N/A
- Military: N/A
- Strategic importance: [Minima] Though little has been determined thus far, Cocytus' ecosystem may contain valuable or exotic compounds.
- Loyalty: N/A
Minerva[]
- World: Minerva
- Type: Cold World
- Tithe: [Nix]
- Population: N/A
- Government: N/A
- Description: The high atmospheric density of this planet causes it to be colder than Varda even though it's closer to the sun. Minerva is a desolate world and only basic shrubbery can grow on it's surface, and it was never colonized due to the swarms of incredibly unusual insects that roam the surface. Defying all logic they are made of a kind of psychically attuned crystal that causes intense fear in any sentient being nearby (the range of the effect is dependent on the size of the swarm) as well as making them unnaturally tough and strong. They were described as "Space bees made from the stuff of nightmares" by their discoverer - the Rogue Trader Anastasia Barbaross.
- Technology: N/A
- Military: N/A
- Strategic importance: [Unknown] The native species has prevented any real assessment of Minerva's resource value.
- Loyalty: N/A
Freeza[]
- World: Freeza
- Type: Ice World
- Tithe: [Nix]
- Population: N/A
- Government: N/A
- Description: A large frozen planet in the outer reaches, orbited by a large asteroid and a small moon.
- Technology: N/A
- Military: N/A
- Strategic importance: [Minima] Located outside of Varda's orbit, Freeza has some strategic value in its location, as it could be used as a staging point by any force invading the system.
- Loyalty: N/A