Vostroya
From Lexicanum
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name: | Vostroya | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Obscurus | ||
| Sector: | Unknown | ||
| Subsector: | Unknown | ||
| System: | Vostroya | ||
| Population: | ~9.3 billion | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Class: | Industrial World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Unknown | ||
Contents |
History
Vostroya is a world in the Halo Zone beyond the Eye of Terror, famous for its Vostroyan Firstborn regiments. Vostroya swore allegiance to Mars during the Age of Strife. It is ruled by the Techtriarchy, a council of Adeptus Mechanicus members and more traditional planetary government personnel/representatives.
Since the Great Crusade, Vostroya has acted as an industrial world, supplying arms and ammunition to the armies of the Imperium. In the ten thousand years after the crusade, the Vostroyans have continued the same task, living and dying on the production lines and complying with the endless schedule of manufacturing and assembly.
During the Horus Heresy, Vostroya refused to provide regiments to the Emperor, preferring instead to reserve the population in the manufactoria blanketing the world. After the Heresy came to an end the Vostroyans agreed to supply every first born son to serve in the Imperial Guard regiments.
Vostroya technically is neither a hiveworld nor a forgeworld. Instead, it falls somewhere in between (labelled an Industrial World). It has a population of about 9.3 billion. The birth and death rates are very high, keeping the population figures fairly stable (taking into account that first-born sons are extremely numerous, providing a massive amount of soldiers for the founding and reinforcement of Imperial Guard regiments.)
The landscape is extremely bleak - highly polluted. Life outside 'managed' zones is almost impossible. Animal and plant life is almost non-existent. Most food is imported.
There are seven large and distinct administrative zones/regions stretching around the planet's more temperate equatorial belt (e.g. The Magdan, Sohlsvodd, Muskha, etc). The far colder north and south are unlivable.
Vostroya has one moon - Turtolsky.
Culture
Generally Vostroyan males sport a mustache (mustaches are viewed as a sign of adulthood and masculine virility in Vostroyan society). The importance of a mustache for Vostroyan men varies depending on the region they come from. The people of Muskha, for example, place extreme levels of importance on having a mustache. A man without one is considered to be openly rejecting his manhood.
Vostroyan society is deeply divided between the high-born (the higher class) and the low-born. The low-born must slave away on the manufacturing lines. Most Firstborn consequently are glad to be drafted into the Imperial Guard. Vostroyan officers come from the high-born, while the common soldiers are low-born. Only rarely does a low-born Vostroyan become an officer, an example of this is Captain Sebastev, whose officers are killed, and ends up with him leading first a company, and later an entire regiment consisting of approximately 23 men.2
Terms
- ossbohk-vyar - form of hand-to-hand combat (taught/practiced in 37 'forms' with higher numbers denoting greater levels of mastery)
- chevek - outsider, a non-Vostroyan (term is derogatory)
- rahzvod - a clear alcoholic drink, looks and tastes like vodka (there are many varieties depending on region of origin - some are slightly coloured by their ingredients)
- khek - swear (adv khekking)
- ohxolosvennoy (ohx') - A thick and salty drink brewed like coffee, described as being made from powdered grox meat with stimms and preservatives added. Manufactored primarily on Vostroya, the Vostroyrian workers swear by it as it is the only thing that helps them through their double shifts.
- ushehk - seven string instrument played by a bow, the high pitched notes and small sizes might make it similar to a fiddle or violin.
- Shiny - slang for a fresh recruit from training into the Vostroyan Firstborn Regiments, a replacement.
- zadnik - derogatory term (noun)
- Treatis Elatii - Vostroyan religious text pertaining to the Grey Lady, Saint Nadalya, the Vostroyan patron saint.2
