Colchis
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This article is about the planet; for the city in the Sabbat Worlds, see Colchis (City). |
Take me from my home, and I will sail to the stars of your empire. I will serve as a son must serve. But let Colchis stand as I have shaped it: a planet of peace and prosperity.
— Attributed to Lorgar and inscribed on the golden plaque on the door leading to the Spiral of the Covenant[2]
Colchis was the original homeworld of the Word Bearers Space Marine Legion. After the Horus Heresy, it was bombed into submission from orbit and because of its unique geological makeup, the entire planet fractured and exploded. The planet's location is a secret guarded by the Inquisition.[1]
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Colchis | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Pacificus[3] | ||
| Sector: | Unknown | ||
| Subsector: | Unknown | ||
| System: | Unknown | ||
| Population: | None | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Class: | Destroyed | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Aptus Non | ||
Contents
Geography
Colchis was a massive world, three times larger than Terra. It took 4.8 Terran years to orbit its sun and 170.4 Terran hours to rotate once around its axis, giving it an extended day-night cycle to which humans could not adapt; thus, the Colchisian civilizations developed a unique method for keeping track of time.[4] Mountains and deserts dominated its dry land and civilisation clustered along coastlines, relying on water and air travel between settlements. Its capital city-state was Vharadesh, the City of Grey Flowers.[2]
History
It was originally a technologically advanced world but it regressed to a feudal state, prior to the arrival of Lorgar. Ancient ruins dotted the landscape and derelict starships littered its orbit.[2] At the time of Lorgar's arrival the planet was dominated by the Covenant of Colchis. After being raised by Kor Phaeron, Lorgar was able to lead a rebellion that overthrow the Covenant and conquered the planet.
After his discovery by the Emperor, Lorgar brought the planet into the Imperium, granting it access to advanced technology and society. Under Lorgar's brief rule the planet prospered but when the Emperor took Lorgar away, the planet plummeted back to a feudal state. Imperial traffic avoided Colchis not only for its lack of orbital infrastructure but also due to rumours that the area was unreliable after the disappearance of the 2,188th Expeditionary Fleet.[2]
When the Ultramarines returned to Colchis to purge it after the Horus Heresy they found a collapsed world. All of the industries were destroyed and people barely clung on to life. The Inquisition ordered the cleansing by the use of cyclonic torpedoes, disrupting Colchis's delicate geological structure, and thereby triggering a catastrophic explosion that annihilated the planet.[1]
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Index Astartes IV - Word Bearers
- 2: The First Heretic Chapter Nine
- 3: The Horus Heresy Book One - Betrayal inside cover map
- 4: Lorgar: Bearer of the Word Book 1: Revelations, Translator's Note on Time
