Cuyavale
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Name: | Cuyavale | 
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| Segmentum: | Segmentum Obscurus[1] | ||
| Sector: | Calixis Sector[1] | ||
| Subsector: | The Periphery[1] | ||
| System: | |||
| Population: | |||
| Affiliation: | Severan Dominate[1] | ||
| Class: | Feral/Forest/War World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | |||
Cuyavale is a Feral World of the Severan Dominate, currently under invasion by the Orks of Waaagh! Grimtoof. It is covered by temperate rainforests of kilometre-tall trees, which are inhabited by reclusive human tribes.[1a]
History
Cuyavale was originally settled at some point in the unrecorded past before the Great Crusade. It remained in isolation until it was reached by remnants of the Angevin Crusade, whose surveyors were surprised by the discovery of human life on the distant world. After contact was re-established, the Ecclesiarchy sent out missionaries to establish the Imperial Creed among the local tribal societies.[1a]
Current conditions
In the modern day, Cuyavale is inhabited by two distinct populations. One is arboreal, living entirely within the canopies of the trees and rarely or ever descending to the ground. Many groups spend their entire lives within the tops of a single grove of trees. These people are often agriculturalists, having domesticated many of the lesser plants that grow on the trunks and limbs of the trees. The other half of the human population is subterraean, and inhabits caves systems believed to have been created by ancient water courses and by long-since decayed root networks of ancient trees. These groups live in perpetual darkness and live off fungus and animals that share their lightless world. They live in constant fear of the planet's predatory Drakons, although their underground homes give them relative safety from the creatures.[1a]
In recent years, the planet has been invaded by Ork forces of Waaagh! Grimtoof. While the Orks have begun attacking the planet's societies, they have focused most of their efforts on attempting to tame the savage Drakons that inhabit it. They have experienced limited success, as at least one beast has been observed being used as sort of flying transport.[1a]
In response to the Ork invasion, the Dominate has been attempting to raise soldiers among Cuyavale's tribal societies to defend the planet.[1a] In addition to human levies, the Dominate has contracted the Kroot mercenaries of the Oathbreakers Kindred to fight against the greenskins. The Oathbreakers are drawn to the world by its deadly native fauna, particularly the Drakons, which they consider to be ideal prey. The Kroot care little for the planet's human natives, but are fiercely opposed to the Orks due to viewing them as competition for their new hunting grounds.[1c] To the naturally arboreal, forest-dwelling Kroot, Cuyavale's immense rainforests appear to be an ideal place to settle, and the Oathbreakers seem to view the world as a second Pech. The Kindred is rumoured to hope to permanently colonise Cuyavale, even if this would require it to wrest control of the planet from both the Dominate and the Orks.[1b]
Environment and fauna
Cuyavale is covered by temperate rain forests made up of immense trees, more than a hundred metres in diameter at their bases and over a kilometre in height, that blankets all of the world's surface except for a few mountains. The canopies of these forests are very closely packed, preventing any sunlight from reaching the ground. The dense growth also absorbs most variation in seasonal conditions by blocking winds and heat. As such, while the inhabitants of the canopies experience normal day-night cycles and seasonal variation in climate, the forest floor is cast in perpetual, stable darkness.[1a]
The giant trees do not shed their leaves seasonally. Other animals and plants instead serve as the primary sources of the organic detritus the carpets the ground. Many animals and lesser plants live on and among the trees, creating pocket ecosystems dependent upon the trees. Many organisms have adapted for life among the treetops; many directly exploit the trees' biological processes, while others simply inhabit the various microclimates created by the trees. Cuyavale's native life includes a broad range of arboreal animals, various lesser plants, and fungal analogues.[1a]
The dominant predators of Cuyavale are winged predatory reptiles known as Drakons. Drakons breed on the planet's mountains, where females lay their eggs on the borders of the forests. These hatch into swarms of ravenous metre-long young, which swarm into the rainforests in search of food. Most of these hatchlings are devoured by other predators or by their siblings, with the few that survive eventually maturing into immense, long-lived adults.[1a]
