Sepheris Secundus
Sepheris Secundus is an Imperial Mining[1a] and Feudal World.[3a]
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Sepheris Secundus | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Obscurus[1a] | ||
| Sector: | Calixis Sector[1a] | ||
| Subsector: | Golgenna Reach[2] | ||
| System: | Unknown | ||
| Population: | 12,000,000,000[1b][2] | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Class: | Mining World/Feudal World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Exactus Extremis[1b] | ||
Contents
Overview
Sepheris Secundus is a world of immense mineral wealth, city-sized mines, billions-strong hordes of serfs and the sharpest divide between the elites and the masses in the Calixis Sector. It is a grim place of snow and twilight, feral mutants, and lives spent in back-breaking labour deep beneath the ground. The Imperium's eagerness to exploit Sepheris Secundus's vast resources is such that the planet is, at the same time, the richest and poorest world in the sector.[2]
Sepheris Secundus's climate is cold and stormy, its surface obscured by a mantle of cloud. It has no oceans save for the small polar seas, so the moisture in its atmosphere comes from below the crust, spewed out from failed mine workings or natural geysers that pockmark the planet like pustules. Its surface is split between the vast open mines like deep scars in the crust and the dense, snow laden forests broken only by the ruins of failed kingdoms that tried to claim Sepheris Secundus in the past. With its endless blizzards, widespread ignorance and antiquated methods for doing everything, Sepheris Secundus would be a meaningless backwater were it not for the enormous mineral wealth beneath its surface.[2]
The Suffering Kingdom
While the whole Imperium is a feudal empire, feudalism is an extreme on Sepheris Secundus. Everyone born on the planet must have a master to whom they pay nine-tenths of everything they produce, which for most citizens means the ore they hack from the rock faces of the planet's mines. Queen Lachryma III, the planet's absolute monarch, sits at the top of this feudal system. The rights to the labour of these billions of serfs belong to the barons appointed by the queen or to noble families and business consortiums that purchase them from the crown. The queen's own master is the Imperium, to whom she hands over truly staggering amounts of ore, metals and raw fuel to fulfil the planet's tithe. Sepheris Secundus's tithe is the highest in the Calixis Sector, and without its immense output of raw materials, the economy of the whole province would be badly unsettled.[3a]
Two principal forces maintain Sepheris Secundus's feudal system. The first is the weight of tradition: every serf labouring in the mines is doing what his father did and his grandfather before that, often at the same rock face. The second force is physical violence. One of the reasons that Sepheris Secundus's culture is so primitive by many standards is that weaponry and other technology is monopolised by the crown. The queen's Royal Scourges are equipped with lasguns, grenades and chainblades, contrasting with their gaudy, stained-glass-like armour. Though few in number, the technological advantage that these troops possess has been enough to put down a great many uprisings in the mines of Sepheris Secundus, and the planet's history is littered with massacres where thousands of serfs fell to volleys of lasgun fire.[3a]
Planetary Data
- Galactic Position: 52/34/CS/NNE.[2]
- Orbital Distance: 34.88 AU[1b]
- Gravitation: 1,12G[1b]
- Average Temperature: 3°С[1b]
- Aestimate: A777[1b]
- Satellites: Three moons, none inhabited.[2]
- Planetary Governor: Queen Lachryma III.[2]
- Economy: Chips or Lumps - In the mines and villages of Sepheris Secundus life revolves around endless mining, to the point where chips and lumps of ore are sometimes used as a default currency.[2]
- Principle Exports: Sepheris Secundus is the largest exporting planet in the Calixis Sector. Without its massive exports of ore, metals and fuel, the trade of the Calixis Sector could not function.[2]
- Mirror Shield: Used by the Royal Scourges on Sepheris Secundus, the shield is a large rectangular shape that will cover about two thirds of a human sized body. The shield is made from layers of stained glass, a material used in large quantities by the barons of Sepheris Secundus, this gives the shield a mirrored effect that has been known to repel las-weapon shots of a low strength.[2]
- Principle Imports: Sepheris Secundus relies on imports of food from the sector's Agri Worlds.[2]
- Imperial Guard Recruitment: Sepheris Secundus's vast population makes it a potential supplier of Imperial Guard recruits, although a relatively small proportion of the population would be suitable because of universally poor health, along with the risk of exposing the subjugated masses to the possibility of life outside the mines.[2]
Gorgonid Prime
Gorgonid Prime — is a vast, mining complex, one of the largest on the planet. The extracted ore rises up through a variety of cranes and elevators, in order to then move to the spaceport, where the ore is sent for sale to other planets. Many serfs constantly working here, in the morning going to mine, and in the evening - returning to their miserable homes. Almost all serfs spend their entire lives in Gorgonid Prime, never go beyond it. Barons closely watching for ore mining, and withdrawn from serfs 9/10 of all mined materials. The whole life of serfs is deep-regulated dependent on the whims of the barons - even marriage is permitted or prohibited directly by barons.[3b]
Gorgonid Prime divided into several areas:
- Commons — living area of serfs and their masters - barons. Serfs live there in small houses, somehow clinging to the narrow streets. Often the family for generations living in just one room, that lit only by candles. Barons also live in the Commons, but in a much more comfortable houses and castles, protected by a variety of guard soldiers and servants. They often walk in their areas, with serf that approach too close to them, drive away by the special units — Stench Wardens, which wave the censers with aromatic substances, that clean the air of the stench of serfs.[3b]
- The Face — includes all the areas where mined ore and other materials. Serfs work there in galleries, with each serf has its own clearly designated location, where it can extract ore. Serfs pole their workplace with the special mark on the adjacent walls, made in their own blood. When the new area of the Faces blasted by engineers of the Disassemblers' Guild, a lot of serfs rush to occupy new areas, often trampling each other to death in the process.[3b]
- The Shatters — the deepest parts of Gorgonid, where even serfs don’t work because of the increased danger. It is home to those serfs who were persecuted for crimes, and also home to numerous mutants that constantly born in Gorgonid due to water pollution and radioactivity. Mutants here occupy a special position, and the most powerful of them even flourishing - usually representing a monstrous creatures, or psykers, with special abilities. It is believed that much of the economy depends on Gorgonid illegal sale of ore mined here and secretly selled by the mutants to serfs, that not very clear on hand.[3b]
- The Tumble — outer space around the Gorgonid, the only area outside it, which visited sometimes by serfs. Here there is a varied trade, hired killers, held dirty deals and so on. It is believed that even mutants of Shatters come here from time to time through special secret tunnels.[3b]
Cults of the Gorgonid
The Gorgonid inhabits a wide variety of cults and secret societies, some of which are particularly dangerous.[3b]
- Loathers — are the people that have left any hope and sell their services as the assassins, destroying everyone on their way and carrying the despair, which filled their own souls.[3b]
- The Orphan's Crusade — looking and secretly kidnapping people with unusual abilities. What they do with them is unknown.[3b]
- Granit Crown — perhaps the most terrible of all the cults. Its symbol is a blinded eye. It is believed that the leaders of this cult have a considerable power that even mutants pay tribute to them. Therefore, the history of the Granit Crown passed from the serf to serf, having become more and more terrible at time.[3b]
- Brotherhood of Malice. At some time on the planet broke out a rebellion – the unknown Chaos Cult promise the miners freeing from the labour and the Emperor’s Tithe. The Inquisition uncovered and eradicated this cult but some of unholy texts (in the form of the copies) survived. Miners were astonished at what they have read and some of them create the cult that believes that the planet simply don’t deserved the forgiveness and had to be destroyed or exterminatied by Imperium. They called themselves as the Brotherhood of Malice and embarked on their insane mission, trying to cause enough trouble that the forces of the Imperium would come and purge this planet. But Sepherus Secundus holds a great importance to the Calixis Sector. So the authorities decided to eliminated the Brotherhood instead. After the cultists destroyed some important and valuable object, the Imperial Guard[1c] 97th Battalion[1d] arrived and after the two days of pitched fighting cleaned out all of the cult members. Few of the survivors run for the deep of the Shatters though and the Imperial Guard follow them there. But the brave soldiers found there not only the remained cultists but a mutants and daemons also. For there was strange and dangerous Antithesis Stone that turned people to the grotesque mutants. Of the all Guardsman who descent to Shatters only a handful return, babbling about blood, mutants and death. Commissar[1c] Nihilius[1e] decided to seal the Shatters at all and call for Inquisition. Instead of the real Inquisitors their Acolytes arrived though and with some luck and sheer ignorance seasoned with bravery, they were able to destroy the Stone and complete the mission. It remains unknown though whether there was any connection between the ill-fated Brotherhood of Malice, who were just heretics, with some of the greatest Chaos cults of the planet.[1c]
Contact with Other Worlds
Stable warp routes link Sepheris Secundus to Scintilla, Iocanthus, Fedrid and Ganf Magna. Sephiris Secundus is also one of the planets on the path of The Misericord.[2]
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Dark Heresy: Shattered Hope
- 2: Black Industries' "Guide to the Calixis Sector," pgs. 58–60
- 3: Dark Heresy Rulebook
Uncited
 |
