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{{GalaxyPortal}}
 
{{GalaxyPortal}}
 
{{ImperiumPortal}}
 
{{ImperiumPortal}}
{{cite}}
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'''Terra''', {{Fn|15}} is the [[homeworld]] of [[Mankind]], it is  the resting place of the [[Emperor]], and the most holy and revered place in the [[Imperium]].  Pilgrims throughout the Imperium flock to Terra - even the barren soil that pilgrims tread upon is considered holy. It is effectively a temple the size of a planet.  
 
'''Terra''', {{Fn|15}} is the [[homeworld]] of [[Mankind]], it is  the resting place of the [[Emperor]], and the most holy and revered place in the [[Imperium]].  Pilgrims throughout the Imperium flock to Terra - even the barren soil that pilgrims tread upon is considered holy. It is effectively a temple the size of a planet.  
  
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===Old Earth===
 
===Old Earth===
 
*{{Main|Age of Terra}}
 
*{{Main|Age of Terra}}
The '''[[Age of Terra]]''' is the name given to the period of human history dating from the dawn of mankind to the founding of the Imperium. Cities such as '''Atlantys''' and '''Nova Yoruk''' are cited as being the most legendary and ancient cities of Terra.{{Fn|8b}} Nations known as [[Wikipedia:Germany|Jermani]], [[Merica]], [[Wikipedia:Britain|Britania]] are said to have prospered and wilted during this time. Eventually humanity was able to invent space travel, allowing for the colonization of the Solar System.{{Fn|4b}}
+
The '''[[Age of Terra]]''' is the name given to the period of human history dating from the dawn of mankind to the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. Cities such as '''Atlantys''' and '''Nova Yoruk''' are cited as being the most legendary and ancient cities of Terra.{{Fn|8b}} Nations known as [[Wikipedia:Germany|Jermani]], [[Merica]], [[Wikipedia:Britain|Britania]] are said to have prospered and wilted during this time. Eventually humanity was able to invent space travel, allowing for the colonization of the Solar System.{{Fn|4b}}
  
 
===Stellar Exodus===
 
===Stellar Exodus===
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During the [[Dark Age of Technology]] Terra was finally able to leave the [[Sol System]] thanks to the advent of [[Warp Drive]]s. Mankind was able to colonize much of the [[Galaxy]] as a result. Terra was the center of an empire that coexisted peacefully with its first colony, [[Mars]].{{Fn|4b}}
 
During the [[Dark Age of Technology]] Terra was finally able to leave the [[Sol System]] thanks to the advent of [[Warp Drive]]s. Mankind was able to colonize much of the [[Galaxy]] as a result. Terra was the center of an empire that coexisted peacefully with its first colony, [[Mars]].{{Fn|4b}}
  
===Unification Wars===
+
===Old Night & Unification===
 +
[[Image:TerraArtRise.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Terra's landscape]]
 
*{{Main|Age of Strife}}
 
*{{Main|Age of Strife}}
 
*{{Main|Unification Wars}}
 
*{{Main|Unification Wars}}
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Before the completion of the [[Unification Wars]], Terra was divided into several competing nations, including{{Fn|13}}:
 
Before the completion of the [[Unification Wars]], Terra was divided into several competing nations, including{{Fn|13}}:
*[[Afrik]] - continent with dusty plains{{Fn|23}}
+
*[[Wikipedia: Africa|Afrik]] - continent with dusty plains{{Fn|23}}
*[[Albia]] - ruled by warlord clans
+
*[[Albia]] - ruled by the [[Unspeakable King]]
 
*[[Albyon]] - inspired by the real life British Isles.
 
*[[Albyon]] - inspired by the real life British Isles.
 
*[[Achaemenid Empire]] - One of the earlier geopolitical entities to swear allegiance to the Emperor, the Achaemenid Empire had therefore suffered little during the Wars of Unification, avoiding both atomic strike and invasion by Thunder Warriors. A monarchical empire, the population were separated into tribal factions and were apparently a culture of truth and discourse.  As a result of the relative peaceful nature of the region and the protection enjoyed by early adoption of Imperial allegiance, the Achaeminians sported few of the genetic defects or abnormalities seen amongst humans during this time and were therefore selected as a recruiting source for the infant Legiones Astartes.  The Achaeminians provided the initial Terran intake assigned to [[Thousand Sons|Legion XV]]. The Achaeminians appeared to posses a form of superstitious belief in the mystical power of their ancestors; emblems of [[wikipedia:Dhul-Qarnayn|Dhul-Qarnayn]] (their greatest King) were used as charms against harm.{{Fn|9}}
 
*[[Achaemenid Empire]] - One of the earlier geopolitical entities to swear allegiance to the Emperor, the Achaemenid Empire had therefore suffered little during the Wars of Unification, avoiding both atomic strike and invasion by Thunder Warriors. A monarchical empire, the population were separated into tribal factions and were apparently a culture of truth and discourse.  As a result of the relative peaceful nature of the region and the protection enjoyed by early adoption of Imperial allegiance, the Achaeminians sported few of the genetic defects or abnormalities seen amongst humans during this time and were therefore selected as a recruiting source for the infant Legiones Astartes.  The Achaeminians provided the initial Terran intake assigned to [[Thousand Sons|Legion XV]]. The Achaeminians appeared to posses a form of superstitious belief in the mystical power of their ancestors; emblems of [[wikipedia:Dhul-Qarnayn|Dhul-Qarnayn]] (their greatest King) were used as charms against harm.{{Fn|9}}
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*[[Ceylonia]] - hives of this country was attacked by the Emperor's [[Skylance]] drop-ships.{{Fn|16c}}
 
*[[Ceylonia]] - hives of this country was attacked by the Emperor's [[Skylance]] drop-ships.{{Fn|16c}}
 
*[[Hy Brasil]] - Based on the real life South America.
 
*[[Hy Brasil]] - Based on the real life South America.
*[[Ind]] - hives of this country was attacked by the Emperor's [[Skylance]] drop-ships.{{Fn|16c}}
+
*[[Wikipedia: Indian Subcontinent|Ind]] - hives of this country was attacked by the Emperor's [[Skylance]] drop-ships.{{Fn|16c}}
 
*[[Panpacific Empire]] - Based on The real life Pacific Ocean{{Cite This}}
 
*[[Panpacific Empire]] - Based on The real life Pacific Ocean{{Cite This}}
 
*[[Maulland Sen Confederacy]] - Based in the Nordic region.
 
*[[Maulland Sen Confederacy]] - Based in the Nordic region.
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[[Image:Terra Orbit.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Holy Terra]]
 
[[Image:Terra Orbit.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Holy Terra]]
 
*{{Main|Age of the Imperium}}
 
*{{Main|Age of the Imperium}}
Proclaimed the capital of the newly-formed Imperium by the Emperor following the unification of the planet, Terra remained the center of humanity throughout the [[Great Crusade]]. During the [[Horus Heresy]], it was the site of the dramatic final battle of the conflict that saw the Emperor crippled and the traitorous Warmaster [[Horus]] killed, the [[Battle of Terra]].{{Fn|12}} Since the Heresy, Terra has largely stood as the untouched center of the Imperium, though it was the site of violence during the [[War of the Beast]], [[The Beheading]] and the [[Age of Apostasy]].{{Fn|5}} Ten thousand years after the Heresy Terra faced its [[Second Battle of Terra|second major invasion]] following the [[Thirteenth Black Crusade]] and the formation of the [[Great Rift]]. However the Legions of Chaos were again turned back, this time by the newly reborn [[Roboute Guilliman]].{{Fn|24}}
+
Proclaimed the capital of the newly-formed Imperium by the Emperor following the unification of the planet, Terra remained the center of humanity throughout the [[Great Crusade]]. During the [[Horus Heresy]], it was the site of the dramatic final battle of the conflict that saw the Emperor crippled and the traitorous Warmaster [[Horus]] killed, the [[Battle of Terra]].{{Fn|12}} Since the Heresy, Terra has largely stood as the untouched center of the Imperium, though it was the site of violence during the [[War of the Beast]], [[The Beheading]], [[Siege of the Eternity Gate]], [[Years of Madness]], and the [[Age of Apostasy]].{{Fn|5}} Recently, there have been [[Genestealer Cult]]s spotted on Terra in the form of the [[Wyrms of the Ur-Tendril]]. Ten thousand years after the Heresy Terra faced its [[Battle of Lion's Gate|second major invasion]] following the [[Thirteenth Black Crusade]] and the formation of the [[Great Rift]]. However the Legions of Chaos were again turned back, this time by the newly reborn [[Roboute Guilliman]].{{Fn|24}}
  
 
In the ten thousand years since the Heresy, the populace of Terra has retained a terror of all [[Space Marines]], loyalist and otherwise.{{Fn|8b}} For this reason, there are only a handful of Marines on Terra at any given time, including the [[Wolfblade]], a small unit of [[Space Wolves]] assigned as bodyguards to [[House Belisarius]] of the [[Navis Nobilite]].{{Fn|8c}}
 
In the ten thousand years since the Heresy, the populace of Terra has retained a terror of all [[Space Marines]], loyalist and otherwise.{{Fn|8b}} For this reason, there are only a handful of Marines on Terra at any given time, including the [[Wolfblade]], a small unit of [[Space Wolves]] assigned as bodyguards to [[House Belisarius]] of the [[Navis Nobilite]].{{Fn|8c}}
  
Although Terra is nominally the [[Adeptus Astartes Homeworld|homeworld]] of the [[Imperial Fists]] [[chapter]], the chapter itself rarely visits Terra, if at all, and bases its operations from its gargantuan star fortress, the ''[[Phalanx]]''.{{Fn|31}}
+
Although Terra is nominally the [[Adeptus Astartes Homeworld|homeworld]] of the [[Imperial Fists]] [[chapter]], the chapter itself rarely visits Terra, if at all, and bases its operations from its gargantuan star fortress, the ''[[Phalanx]]''.{{Fn|31b}}
  
 
==Geography==
 
==Geography==
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Much of the population of Terra exists in the most terrible squalor, their greatest hope that one of their offspring might be accepted into the Adeptus Terra, the Priesthood of Terra, as a Menial, an [[adept]] of the lowliest sort.{{Fn|6}}{{Fn|7}} A square metre of land on Terra costs more than a palace on any [[Hive World]]; only the most wealthy can even afford to own a small section of land{{Fn|8a}}.
 
Much of the population of Terra exists in the most terrible squalor, their greatest hope that one of their offspring might be accepted into the Adeptus Terra, the Priesthood of Terra, as a Menial, an [[adept]] of the lowliest sort.{{Fn|6}}{{Fn|7}} A square metre of land on Terra costs more than a palace on any [[Hive World]]; only the most wealthy can even afford to own a small section of land{{Fn|8a}}.
  
Terra is also home to '''Orbital Plates'''. These orbiting cities were old even by the time of the [[Unification Wars]]. In orbit with the plates are countless [[orbital defense platform]]s.{{Fn|22}}
+
Terra is also home to '''Orbital Plates'''. These orbiting cities were old even by the time of the [[Unification Wars]], but during the [[Horus Heresy]] in the prelude to the [[Battle of Terra]] [[Rogal Dorn]] had them all dismantled, moved, or abandoned over questions of their safety.{{Fn|33}} Also in orbit are countless [[orbital defense platform]]s.{{Fn|22}}
  
 
===Notable Locations===
 
===Notable Locations===
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**The [[Investiary]]
 
**The [[Investiary]]
 
**The [[Column of Glory]]
 
**The [[Column of Glory]]
 +
**The [[Library Sanctus]]
 +
**The [[Dark Cells]]
  
 
* The [[Forbidden Fortress]] - Built throughout the mountain range of the Himalayas. A single peak is carved to form the [[Chamber of the Astronomican]], where ten thousand [[psyker]]s continuously power the [[Astronomican]] beacon with their own life energies. The "psychic light" of the beacon reaches thousands of light years across the Warp. The Astronomican is utilised by the mutant psykers known as [[Navigator]]s to guide interstellar ships through otherwise trackless chaos of the Warp. Without it, long-distance Warp travel would be impossible and the Imperium would disintegrate{{Cite This}}.
 
* The [[Forbidden Fortress]] - Built throughout the mountain range of the Himalayas. A single peak is carved to form the [[Chamber of the Astronomican]], where ten thousand [[psyker]]s continuously power the [[Astronomican]] beacon with their own life energies. The "psychic light" of the beacon reaches thousands of light years across the Warp. The Astronomican is utilised by the mutant psykers known as [[Navigator]]s to guide interstellar ships through otherwise trackless chaos of the Warp. Without it, long-distance Warp travel would be impossible and the Imperium would disintegrate{{Cite This}}.
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*'''Eternal City''' - A vast city of both splendor and squalor that exists close to the walls of the Imperial Palace.{{Fn|31a}}
 
*'''Eternal City''' - A vast city of both splendor and squalor that exists close to the walls of the Imperial Palace.{{Fn|31a}}
 +
 +
*The '''Catacombs''' - Vast underground passages, so large that they require oversight by a designated official known as the '''Mistress Plenary''' who is a lesser member of the [[Senatorum Imperialis]].{{Fn|31b}}
  
 
* [[Hive]] [[Wikipedia:Karelia|Karelia]] - Home to a library containing knowledge of the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. The library was bombed by Pro-Panpacifists and had been scheduled for demolition until [[Hawser]] succeeded in recovering over 7,000 texts from a data archive deemed worthless{{Fn|10b}}.
 
* [[Hive]] [[Wikipedia:Karelia|Karelia]] - Home to a library containing knowledge of the [[Dark Age of Technology]]. The library was bombed by Pro-Panpacifists and had been scheduled for demolition until [[Hawser]] succeeded in recovering over 7,000 texts from a data archive deemed worthless{{Fn|10b}}.
  
 
*[[Hive]] [[Wikipedia:Tashkent|Tashkent]] - [[Hive]]-City based in Asia.{{Fn|16b}}
 
*[[Hive]] [[Wikipedia:Tashkent|Tashkent]] - [[Hive]]-City based in Asia.{{Fn|16b}}
 +
 +
*[[Himalayic Shelf]] - deep beneath it lives the deadly denizens of rune-locked vaults. [[Adeptus Custodes]] often fight the skirmishes to hold them back.{{Fn|32b}}
 +
 +
*[[Manufactora Mericum]] - amongst the endless tunnels of this Manufactora exist cults that sometime purged and culled by [[Adeptus Custodes]]{{Fn|32b}}
 +
 +
*[[Pan-Siberic Cluster]] - here resided the [[Ulgwyrm Cult]] before it was destroyed by the Adeptus Custodes of the [[Gilded Fist]].{{Fn|32c}}
  
 
==Military==
 
==Military==
 
As the throneworld of the Emperor of Mankind, Terra is among the most heavily defended worlds within the Imperium.{{Fn|25}} As Terra itself faced few assaults in the ten thousand years since the Heresy, even the idea of attacking the planet was seen as ridiculous by many Imperial officials.{{Fn|20a}} Nonetheless, the planet has always sported significant defenses which include forces from:
 
As the throneworld of the Emperor of Mankind, Terra is among the most heavily defended worlds within the Imperium.{{Fn|25}} As Terra itself faced few assaults in the ten thousand years since the Heresy, even the idea of attacking the planet was seen as ridiculous by many Imperial officials.{{Fn|20a}} Nonetheless, the planet has always sported significant defenses which include forces from:
  
*[[Battlefleet]] [[Segmentum Solar|Solar]]
+
*[[Battlefleet]] [[Segmentum Solar|Solar]], which includes not only vast fleets but a gigantic array of [[Star Fort]]s.{{Fn|32a}}
*[[Imperial Guard]] [[Regiment]]s including the [[Palatine Sentinels]], [[Lucifer Blacks]], and perhaps [[Terran Praefects]]
+
*The ''[[Phalanx]]''{{Fn|32a}}
 +
*[[Imperial Guard]] [[Regiment]]s including the [[Palatine Sentinels]], [[Lucifer Blacks]], [[Katanda Stalwarts]], and [[Terran Praefects]]
 
*The [[Convent Prioris]] of the [[Adepta Sororitas]]
 
*The [[Convent Prioris]] of the [[Adepta Sororitas]]
 
*The [[Adeptus Custodes]]
 
*The [[Adeptus Custodes]]
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*The [[Officio Assassinorum]]{{Fn|30}}
 
*The [[Officio Assassinorum]]{{Fn|30}}
 
*A small unit of [[Space Wolves]]{{Fn|8c}}
 
*A small unit of [[Space Wolves]]{{Fn|8c}}
*The [[Imperial Fists]] fully garrisoned Terra until the [[War of the Beast]]{{Fn|26}}, but elements have returned to defending the planet in the aftermath of the resurrection of [[Roboute Guilliman]] and the formation of the [[Great Rift]].{{Fn|27}}
+
*The [[Imperial Fists]] fully garrisoned Terra until the [[War of the Beast]]{{Fn|26}}, but elements have returned to defending the planet in the aftermath of the [[Thirteenth Black Crusade]].{{Fn|27}}
 
*The [[Crusader Host]] (former)
 
*The [[Crusader Host]] (former)
 
*The [[Frateris Templar]] (former){{Fn|26}}
 
*The [[Frateris Templar]] (former){{Fn|26}}
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*[[Planets (List)]]
 
*[[Planets (List)]]
  
 +
{{cite}}
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
 
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader]], pg. 133
 
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader]], pg. 133
*{{Endn|2}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook]], {{Cite This}}
+
*{{Endn|2}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook]],{{Cite This}}
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook]]{{cite this}}
+
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook]],{{cite this}}
 
**{{Endn|3a}}: pg. 101
 
**{{Endn|3a}}: pg. 101
 
**{{Endn|3b}}: pg. 116
 
**{{Endn|3b}}: pg. 116
Line 194: Line 207:
 
*{{Endn|29}}: [[The Emperor Expects (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|29}}: [[The Emperor Expects (Novel)]],{{Cite this}}
 
*{{Endn|30}}: [[The Beheading (Novel)]], Chapters 9-17
 
*{{Endn|30}}: [[The Beheading (Novel)]], Chapters 9-17
*{{Endn|31}}: [[Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor's Legion (Novel)]], Chapter Four, Tieron
+
*31: [[Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor's Legion (Novel)]]
 
**{{Endn|31a}}: Chapter 8
 
**{{Endn|31a}}: Chapter 8
 +
**{{Endn|31b}}: Chapter Four, Tieron
 +
*32: [[Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition)]]
 +
**{{Endn|32a}}: pg.29
 +
**{{Endn|32b}}: pg.7
 +
**{{Endn|32c}}: pg.39
 +
*{{Endn|33}}: [[Wolfsbane (Novel)]] Chapter 7
  
 
[[Category:Adeptus Astartes Homeworlds]]
 
[[Category:Adeptus Astartes Homeworlds]]

Revision as of 05:16, 13 September 2018

Beautiful on the surface, but rotten underneath. Don't ever, even for a second, doubt that this is the most dangerous world in the galaxy... Danger does not always come in the shape of orks with bolters, Ragnar. This world is where the elite of the Imperium have gathered. We are talking now of the most ruthless, ambitious, unscrupulous collection of rogues ever culled from a million planets. This is the place they have come to realise their ambitions, and on Terra they can, and will not let anything stand in their way. Not me, not you, not their own kin if need be.
Torin, Wolfblade to House Belisarius.[8a]


Terra, [15] is the homeworld of Mankind, it is the resting place of the Emperor, and the most holy and revered place in the Imperium. Pilgrims throughout the Imperium flock to Terra - even the barren soil that pilgrims tread upon is considered holy. It is effectively a temple the size of a planet.

As the capital world of the Imperium, Terra is also home to the main headquarters of many important Imperial organisations, including the Adeptus Terra, the Administratum, and the Departmento Munitorum[Needs Citation].

Planetary Summary

Map Basic Data Planetary Image
px Name: Terra Terra.JPG
Segmentum: Segmentum Solar
Sector: Sector Solar
Subsector: Sub-Sector Solar
System: Sol System
Population: Billions[3]
Affiliation: Imperium
Class: Hive World
Tithe Grade: Aptus Non

History

Old Earth

The Age of Terra is the name given to the period of human history dating from the dawn of mankind to the Dark Age of Technology. Cities such as Atlantys and Nova Yoruk are cited as being the most legendary and ancient cities of Terra.[8b] Nations known as Jermani, Merica, Britania are said to have prospered and wilted during this time. Eventually humanity was able to invent space travel, allowing for the colonization of the Solar System.[4b]

Stellar Exodus

During the Dark Age of Technology Terra was finally able to leave the Sol System thanks to the advent of Warp Drives. Mankind was able to colonize much of the Galaxy as a result. Terra was the center of an empire that coexisted peacefully with its first colony, Mars.[4b]

Old Night & Unification

Terra's landscape

During the Age of Strife, Terra fell into chaos and mayhem as Techno-barbarians, mutants, warlords, and Psykers rampaged throughout the planet. Becoming a wasteland, it was not until the arrival of the Emperor and his Thunder Warriors that the birthplace of mankind was again unified into a single polity.[11]

Before the completion of the Unification Wars, Terra was divided into several competing nations, including[13]:

  • Afrik - continent with dusty plains[23]
  • Albia - ruled by the Unspeakable King
  • Albyon - inspired by the real life British Isles.
  • Achaemenid Empire - One of the earlier geopolitical entities to swear allegiance to the Emperor, the Achaemenid Empire had therefore suffered little during the Wars of Unification, avoiding both atomic strike and invasion by Thunder Warriors. A monarchical empire, the population were separated into tribal factions and were apparently a culture of truth and discourse. As a result of the relative peaceful nature of the region and the protection enjoyed by early adoption of Imperial allegiance, the Achaeminians sported few of the genetic defects or abnormalities seen amongst humans during this time and were therefore selected as a recruiting source for the infant Legiones Astartes. The Achaeminians provided the initial Terran intake assigned to Legion XV. The Achaeminians appeared to posses a form of superstitious belief in the mystical power of their ancestors; emblems of Dhul-Qarnayn (their greatest King) were used as charms against harm.[9]
  • Boeotia - An area of Terra mentioned in Imperial records as holding out against full Unification for some considerable time; while tacitly recognizing the Emperor's dominance, the ruling monarchy of Boeotia used all manner of diplomacy in order to avoid losing power. In a show of great patience and benevolence, the Emperor allowed the ruling family of Boeotia - the Yeselti - to carry on like this for over 150 years, with the intention that they would integrate themselves into unified Imperial Terra at their own speed and with as much dignity as possible. Instead, the Yeselti clung onto their independence to the point where, firstly, the Imperial Army was forced to invade the province and finally, Legiones Astartes of the Thousand Sons were assigned to quash the trucculent little state. Boeotia was notable both for the presence of industry and at least one buried shrine to gods worshiped by humans in an earlier age.[10a]
  • Caucasus Wastes - Based on the real life Caucuses.
  • Ethnarchy - Ruled by eugenicist oligarchs in the Caucasus.[14]
  • Ceylonia - hives of this country was attacked by the Emperor's Skylance drop-ships.[16c]
  • Hy Brasil - Based on the real life South America.
  • Ind - hives of this country was attacked by the Emperor's Skylance drop-ships.[16c]
  • Panpacific Empire - Based on The real life Pacific Ocean[Needs Citation]
  • Maulland Sen Confederacy - Based in the Nordic region.
  • Saragorn Enclave
  • Terrawatt Clan - Ruled from the Ural Mountains
  • Ursh - Based on real life Central Asia[Needs Citation]
  • Yndonesic Bloc[Needs Citation]

Age of the Imperium

Holy Terra

Proclaimed the capital of the newly-formed Imperium by the Emperor following the unification of the planet, Terra remained the center of humanity throughout the Great Crusade. During the Horus Heresy, it was the site of the dramatic final battle of the conflict that saw the Emperor crippled and the traitorous Warmaster Horus killed, the Battle of Terra.[12] Since the Heresy, Terra has largely stood as the untouched center of the Imperium, though it was the site of violence during the War of the Beast, The Beheading, Siege of the Eternity Gate, Years of Madness, and the Age of Apostasy.[5] Recently, there have been Genestealer Cults spotted on Terra in the form of the Wyrms of the Ur-Tendril. Ten thousand years after the Heresy Terra faced its second major invasion following the Thirteenth Black Crusade and the formation of the Great Rift. However the Legions of Chaos were again turned back, this time by the newly reborn Roboute Guilliman.[24]

In the ten thousand years since the Heresy, the populace of Terra has retained a terror of all Space Marines, loyalist and otherwise.[8b] For this reason, there are only a handful of Marines on Terra at any given time, including the Wolfblade, a small unit of Space Wolves assigned as bodyguards to House Belisarius of the Navis Nobilite.[8c]

Although Terra is nominally the homeworld of the Imperial Fists chapter, the chapter itself rarely visits Terra, if at all, and bases its operations from its gargantuan star fortress, the Phalanx.[31b]

Geography

Terra is a hive world; stripped long ago of all forms of resources; its soil is utterly barren and its atmosphere is a fog of pollution. Massive, labyrinthine edifices of state sprawl across the vast majority of the surface. Its oceans have long ago boiled away, though newer artificial ones were created by the Emperor after the Unification Wars[21]. Many mountain ranges have been leveled, perhaps all of them except the Himalayas, which seemingly remain all but untouched due to the laboratories said to be underneath and the chambers of the Astronomican that course throughout the whole mountain range.[Needs Citation]

Despite being devastated during the Horus Heresy and earlier than that during the long Age of Strife, Terra is probably the most vastly-populated and built-up hive world in the Imperium. Beneath countless layers and millennia of urban accretion, catacombs hold older cultures completely different from the surface ones.[Needs Citation]
File:ImperialTruthArt.jpg
Terra during the Horus Heresy, an orbital plate is visible in the background
One of Terra's hives.[Needs Citation]

Much of the population of Terra exists in the most terrible squalor, their greatest hope that one of their offspring might be accepted into the Adeptus Terra, the Priesthood of Terra, as a Menial, an adept of the lowliest sort.[6][7] A square metre of land on Terra costs more than a palace on any Hive World; only the most wealthy can even afford to own a small section of land[8a].

Terra is also home to Orbital Plates. These orbiting cities were old even by the time of the Unification Wars, but during the Horus Heresy in the prelude to the Battle of Terra Rogal Dorn had them all dismantled, moved, or abandoned over questions of their safety.[33] Also in orbit are countless orbital defense platforms.[22]

Notable Locations

Terra is the heart of the Imperium, and the home of many of its most important organisations. Most importantly, it is the homeworld and resting place of the Emperor of Mankind. The most important places and organisations based on Terra include:

Terra's landscape
  • The Forbidden Fortress - Built throughout the mountain range of the Himalayas. A single peak is carved to form the Chamber of the Astronomican, where ten thousand psykers continuously power the Astronomican beacon with their own life energies. The "psychic light" of the beacon reaches thousands of light years across the Warp. The Astronomican is utilised by the mutant psykers known as Navigators to guide interstellar ships through otherwise trackless chaos of the Warp. Without it, long-distance Warp travel would be impossible and the Imperium would disintegrate[Needs Citation].
  • Fortress of the Inquisition - The Inquisition's headquarters on Terra is a sprawling complex built beneath the south polar ice caps.[6][7] The Fortress, deep underground, is heavily warded and equipped with psyker dampening devices and null-fields. Only members of the Inquisition and sparse numbers of doomed prisoners are permitted to enter the underground complex. The Fortress is overseen by a senior Inquisitor known as The Castellan, which changes every year to ensure no single man or woman can establish a powerbase over the facility.[20]
  • Assassinorum Temple - Although its agents operate throughout the Imperium, the Officio Assassinorum is based on Terra. Its School of Assassins and most of the temples that comprise the Officio are said to be located on Terra, although their actual locations are closely guarded secrets. The Assassinorum Temple serves as the headquarters of the Grand Master of Assassins.[17]
  • Ecclesiarchal Palace - The headquarters of the Ecclesiarchy, the Ecclesiarchal palace sprawls over almost the entirety of Terra's southern continent. It is also home to one of the two major convent-fortresses (the Sanctorum) of the Adepta Sororitas (The Sisterhood)[2][4].
  • The Cathedral of the Saviour Emperor - A large cathedral that is poular among pilgrims. It contains what is claimed to be pieces of the Emperor's armor and ashes from Roboute Guilliman's cloak. Pilgrims will take multi-year journeys to the Cathedral and endure massive lines, only to be granted a mere 3 seconds in the presence of the relics before moving on.[19]
  • Eternal City - A vast city of both splendor and squalor that exists close to the walls of the Imperial Palace.[31a]
  • The Catacombs - Vast underground passages, so large that they require oversight by a designated official known as the Mistress Plenary who is a lesser member of the Senatorum Imperialis.[31b]
  • Hive Karelia - Home to a library containing knowledge of the Dark Age of Technology. The library was bombed by Pro-Panpacifists and had been scheduled for demolition until Hawser succeeded in recovering over 7,000 texts from a data archive deemed worthless[10b].

Military

As the throneworld of the Emperor of Mankind, Terra is among the most heavily defended worlds within the Imperium.[25] As Terra itself faced few assaults in the ten thousand years since the Heresy, even the idea of attacking the planet was seen as ridiculous by many Imperial officials.[20a] Nonetheless, the planet has always sported significant defenses which include forces from:

See also

Sources