Hive Primus
Hive Primus (also known as The Palatine[3a], Hive One[4c], King of Hives[6], the Needle that Threads the Eye[6], the Palatine Hive[13] and the Imperial Spire[6]) is a Hive of the Palatine Cluster on the Hive World of Necromunda.[8a] Hive Primus is the largest and oldest surviving Hive on the planet, and is the center of all power on Necromuda.[7][8a]
Site
Hive Primus is in the northern hemisphere of Necromunda, north of the Great Equatorial Wastes.[9] It is at the center of Hive Palantine with Hive Trazior to the south, Acropolis Hive to the southeast, and Hive Temenos to the northwest.[9] It is connected by the Great Ash Road to Hive Vosroth in the east, and a path connects it to the Mynerva Cluster into the south, past the Great Equatorial Wastes.[9] The Eye of Selene is locked in a geostationary orbit 100 kilometres above Hive Primus.[8a]
Architecture
The Spire
The tip of The Spire is 10 miles from ground level, reaching up from above the cloudline into the lower atmosphere.[4d] The uppermost section of the Spire is the Palace complex of the Imperial House of House Helmawr, the most powerful Noble House in Necromunda.[3c][4a][4d] The remainder of the Spire is the domain of six other Noble Houses of Necromunda.[4a]
A Spire at the edge of Hive Primus is set aside specifically for trading with sanctioned Xenos and Abhumans, such as Eldar and Squats.[8a]
The Spear of Dorn, a Fortress-monastery of the Imperial Fists, is atop a Spire of Hive Primus.[8b]
Known Locations
- Strangler's Spire - Host off-world delegations.[10a]
The Wall
Separating the Spire from the Hive City itself is The Wall, a large adamantium barrier.[4b] Passage between the Spire and the Hive City is carefully controlled through heavy gateways.[4b]
Hive City
The Hive City is five miles in height and home to billions of people.[4b]
Underhive
Below the Hive City is the more polluted, violent and lawless Underhive. No constant or definite border separates the Underhive from the main hive city. Fighting between the gangs of rival Houses is mostly confined to this level of the hive.
Known Locations
- Baddok's Holested - In ruin, possibly overrun with zombi spyders.[10b]
- Dust Fall[10c]
- Cogville[10d]
- Deadcity[10e]
- Gantry Pass[10f]
- Scarhole[10g]
- Colde Forges[11]
- Old Forest[11]
- Downtown
- Midnight Realm
- Sump City
- Martyr’s End[12]
- Thorian’s Dome[12]
- Delta-7[12]
- Gamma 8-9[12]
- Thorian Gamma-5 - Also known as Cold Black[12]
Hive Bottom
The very bottom of the Hive is a dangerous area that is structurally unsound and only mutants or similar dangerous creatures can live there. It is known as the "Sump" and is by all intents and purposes uninhabitable.[2]
Politics
The hive is known across Necromunda as the Palatine after the fortified palace of Planetary Governor Lord Helmawr which is located at the top of the hive's spire. It is the largest hive on Necromunda, and is part of the Palatine Cluster, which consists of several hive cities separated by many miles but connected at different levels through a network of travel tubes and through roads across the wastelands.[3b]
Primus is the planet's only spaceport, as it possesses the only shipyard and landing field large enough to handle orbital carrier ships. This is intentional on the part of the planetary government, as it ensures the planetary ruler, Lord Helmawr has a monopoly in off-world trade.[3a]
The Imperial Fists Space Marines maintain a fortress in the hive - the original purpose for the Imperial Fists' presence on the planet being to clear out an invasion of Orks, which had occupied and devastated three entire hives. The presence has since become permanent.[5]
Necromunda's fortress-precinct - the Adeptus Arbites planetary headquarters - is also located in the hive.[3a]
Noble Houses
The Noble Houses consist of:[4a]
Clan Houses
Hive City is controlled by six Houses of manufacturers that control their own section. Each of these powerful Houses controls a number of hive gangs which enforce the Houses' territorial control.
- House Cawdor
- House Delaque - a mysterious House whose motives never seem clear. It is rumoured that some members of other Houses (even Noble Houses) are secretly in their employ. They make significant use of spies and prefer to hunt down their foes silently and with minimum of fuss. Customarily dressed in long coats that conceal plenty of weapons, Delaques affect shorn heads and whispering voices, a presentation that only aids their reputation for espionage.[1a]
- House Escher
- House Goliath - Seen as barbarians by the other houses, the Goliath's are the most physically imposing of the houses. They are fierce enemies of the matriarchal Escher.
- House Orlock - House Orlock is responsible for producing ninety percent of all the iron ore in Hive Primus, earning the house the moniker "House of Iron". House Orlock and Delaque have been at each others throats for the last five years, following the assassination of Lord Hagan Orlock by members of the Delaque.
- House Van Saar - a House that deals primarily in mechanical goods, House Van Saar is known for the fine quality of their items, ensuring a good reputation and a high asking price for their work. As a result, they are the richest House in the Hive City. Wealth brings with it certain benefits, and so any Van Saar seen abroad is likely to be wearing the finest in armoured bodygloves and equipped with potent weaponry.[1b]
See also
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 192 (UK):
- 2: Necromunda Rulebook, pg. 61
- 3: White Dwarf 130 (UK):
- 4: Necromunda (Hardback Rulebook):
- 5: Index Astartes II, pg. 13
- 6: Necromunda: House of Chains, pg. 34
- 7: Necromunda: House of Faith, pg. 23
- 8: Necromunda Rulebook (2018):
- 9: Apocrypha Necromundus: Dust Falls (saved archive page, dated March 2019)
- 10: Necromunda: Gang War IV
- 11: Necromunda: Underhive Wars
- 12: Necromunda: Hired Gun
- 13: White Dwarf 137 (UK) pg. 57
