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Post by Last Order on Oct 26, 2023 12:48:18 GMT
SYSTEMS, PLANETS, CITIES, AND LANDMARKS
THE CORINTHE SECTOR The Corinthe sector is a vast place containing a multitude of star systems, but only a handful of them are actually important, much less populated. Of those relevant systems, the Corinthe system stands chief among them. As the capital of the sector, Corinthe plays a vital role in the defense of the sector, but is also its most populous and well-defended bastion.
As the story of Corinthean Dawn advances, more systems may become available. Warp travel is dangerous, however, and ever more so without the astronomican, so it may not be quick, and no one knows what will wait on the other side.
The Corinthe SystemVilia Methana — Vrachati Examilia Corinthe — Arkhaia — Lekhaoin Velon — Sikyoni Tiryn — Volos Erythres The list of systems, planets, and locations will expand as more become relevant.
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Post by Last Order on Nov 6, 2023 14:31:58 GMT
THE CORINTHE SYSTEM
SYSTEM INFORMATION System Layout The Corinthe System is centered around a single F-type main sequence star, or a yellow-white dwarf, named Mandra. This star is about thirty percent larger than Sol, and generally has a whitish hue when observed from within an atmosphere.
Beyond Mandra, the first noteworthy terrestrial body is Vilia, a planet whose scorching hot surface temperatures make life extremely unlikely. After Vilia is Methana, a planet that is similarly hostile to life, but is particularly valuable due to large bounties of adamantium which are extracted and refined on its moon, Vrachati.
The next astral body is Examilia, the first habitable world within Mandra's goldilocks zone. Examilia's gravitational pull combined with Corinthe's to create the systems first asteroid belt. Sparse bodies of rock, minerals, and ice orbit Mandra between these two planets and are frequently stripped of resources, even though many of the asteroids are as small as pebbles.
Beyond the asteroid belt is one of the Jewels of the Ultima Segmentum, Corinthe. Corinthe is quite a bit larger than Terra, and over countless millennia, formed great rings around itself, like those of Saturn. Two larger bodies, the fortress moons, Arkhaia and Lehkaion, orbit within Corinthe's ring system, along with a plethora of smaller moons that are generally disregarded by the general public as inconsequential.
After Corinthe is Velon, another agri-world that orbits Mandra a little closer than some would care for. It is speculated that it will eventually enter into a hostile orbit with Corinthe before finally slamming into the planet and destroying all life on either. Such an event is so far off, however, that any thoughts for a solution are generally disregarded as unnecessary. Velon's moon, Sikyoni, is home to a fortress-preceptory of the Order of the Ardent Rose, as well as an Ordo Hereticus outpost.
The last of the habitable terrestrial worlds is Tiryn. Tiryn is roughly the same size as Terra, and is noteworthy for producing the Tirynese Chosen, particularly fanatical and exemplary soldiers for the Astra Militarum armies. Volos, a very large moon, or dwarf planet, that orbits Tiryn, has a thin, livable atmosphere, but is overrun with orks. It's fate remains uncertain.
Between Tiryn and the final planet of the system, Erythres, is another asteroid belt. Erythres is a large, blue-hued gas giant at the outer edges of the system, beyond which lies only a few forgotten dwarf planets orbiting in relative darkness.
VILIA Vilia is a sparsely populated world that relies heavily upon machinery to extract valuable resources. Due to its proximity to Mandra, the system's star, it is extremely hot, and the solar rays are very dangerous. Vilia, however, utilizes some powerful shielding similar to that found on Mercury to keep people safe and allow operations on the planet to continue.
This small planet was never particularly important, but now that the system has become isolated from the rest of the galaxy, that may change and more people may travel to the world to join the mining operations or secure its defenses.
METHANA Methana, like Vilia, does not have a great population, and those who live on the planet do so to strip it of useful resources. The workers use much of the same technology used to defend Vilia from Mandra, but as Methana as farther away, it requires a little less effort to defend it.
Methana differentiates itself from Vilia through its value. Vilia has the odd spot of a rare material here and there, but is otherwise uninspiring. Methana, on the other hand, has exceptional deposits of adamantium, which make the planet very valuable.
Thus, it is rather well defended, and has its own guard regiment from Corinthe on hand at all times. VRACHATIThis small moon orbits Methana and has been converted into a massive industrial planet designed to refine materials from Vilia and Methana for use elsewhere in the system, and is the only place in-system that can smelt adamantium for use. Like Methana, it has a guard regiment to provide security, and has substantial orbital defenses to repel attackers.
EXAMILIA Examilia is one of the system's agri-worlds, and of vital importance. Its continents are brimming with fields and its waters covered with harvesters for fish and other aquatic lifeforms. Beneath the surface, vast caverns are filled with carefully grown mushroom and fungus colonies, each as important as the grainfields above.
The population of this slightly-smaller-than-Terra planet is only seventy million, but each of those seventy million undertakes their task with reverence. They understand that even the slightest disruption in supply could spell devastating starvation for the hives of Corinthe, or the collapse of frontlines as war rages.
CORINTHE Corinthe, the primary planet of Corinthean Dawn, is often considered one of the jewels of the Ultima Segmentum, and for good reason. It was, and still is, a beautiful planet, at least from a distance. However, this grotesquely over-populated terrestrial body is now covered in so much smog that the world-spanning factories are impossible to see on most days, and only the great hab spires remain consistently visible. The rampant pollution, though, is irrelevant, as it has been countless generations since anyone breathed unrecycled air, and only the barons and upper echelons of society live in the highest levels of the hives where great glass domes and viewing ports are present.
With a population steadily creeping towards three-hundred billion souls, Corinthe is one of the most populous hives in the segmentum. It has provided great quantities of manufactured goods, equipment of war, and teeming masses for the Astra Militarum over the years, but now that Corinthe is cut off from the rest of the galaxy, all of that production turns towards needs at home.
Corinthe's great population requires an extreme investment to maintain and support. Fortunately, three other worlds within the system provide food for the hives, and so long as that remains uninterrupted, they should survive. Corinthe's own food production is great, but the arrays of hydroponics strewn throughout the hives are merely supplementary, and the population of the planet has long-since outpaced their production.
As a forge world, much of Corinthe is overseen by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Archmagos Ksenia Vale has been in charge of the forges for millennia, and under her supervision, they have flourished, expanded, and met necessary quotas with some to spare. In fact, Corinthe has often over-produced for its tithes, and many forges lay dormant, or at least had. With the shifting of tides within the galaxy, magos Vale has ordered the restoration of all production lines, as they will be sorely needed, and soon.
Corinthe is not purely a forgeworld. Before it became such, it was a feudal knight world, lorded over by powerful barons and monarchs whose grand war machines gave them incredible power. After being reunited with the Imperium of Man, Corinthe was integrated and put under the rule of a high monarch taken from the ruling caste of Corinthe's feudal population. To this day, those high monarchs still rule over the hives of Corinthe, and share the responsibility of governance with magos Vale.
Grevena Hive Grevena Hive is the greatest of the three hive spires on Corinthe, and is situated towards the north-east corner of the continent they share. This hive is home to house Mora, the ruling house of Corinthe, and their palaces above the clouds. As the seat of power for the high monarch, Grevena hive also houses the adeptus administratum headquarters for the system and the sector.
Two other noteworthy components of Grevena hive are the astrotelepathic choir, as well as the mind scryer conclave. The mind scryers are an uncommon band of psykers who use a few unique pieces of equipment produced from one of Corinthe's STCs, to project their disembodied psyches through the warp and into real-space elsewhere, allowing them to observe across great distances. This conclave was able to determine the purpose of the Ygma Monolith, for example, without ever leaving Corinthe.
Kozani Hive Sequestered away in the South of the continent is Kozani hive, the headquarters of the largest ecclesiarchy presence in the sector. The hive, as such, is overrun with imperial dogma and icons, suffused with ecclesiarchy priests, and tends to smell of oppressive levels of incense.
Kavala Hive The third great hive spire of Corinthe, Kavala hive, lies to the west of the continent, and serves two very important functions. It is the headquarters for the Adeptus Munistorum, and also the location of the sector's Schola Progenium. Understandably, it has an incredibly high recruitment rate, and much of its citizenry serve in the Imperial Guard in one way or another.
Acharnes Forge Temples Acharnes is a series of grand Forge Temples dedicated to the Omnissiah, and the headquarters of Ksenia Vale and the Adeptus Mechanicus on Coritnhe. It is exceptionally well defended, on par with Arta Fortress, but not nearly as expansive. However, it is one of two facilities on the planet capable of launching transports large enough to carry titans of the Collegia Titanica, so it is a critical piece of infrastructure.
One other noteworthy aspect of the Acharnes Forge Temples is that they contain the STC vault for Corinthe's treasures. it is guarded well, and its location kept secret to all but the highest ranking individuals within the Mechanicus.
Ialysos Space Port Ialysos Space Port is situated centrally between the three major hives and surrounded on all sides by Arta Fortress. From there, a plethora of rail lines stretch out and span the continent and reach like tendrils into the forges strewn across the world to act as a major shipping hub for getting goods and armies off the planet.
Ialysos is one of two space ports capable of launching transports capable of hauling the Collegia Titanica war machines such as the Imperial Knights or titan maniples.
Arta Fortress Arta Fortress is a continent-spanning fortress, with layer-upon-layer of fortifications, spread out and connecting each of the three major hives, and surrounding the major space port of Ialysos which lies roughly in the center. Beneath the surface lie vast warehouses with enough munitions to fight wars across the sector for generations.
Aside from Arta's impressive defenses, capable of entangling foes in a major war of attrition for the battlements, or repelling invaders from space, the Fortress is home to the sector's Astra Militarum headquarters. Arta is easily one of the greatest defensive bastions in the Corinthe sector because of it.
ARKHAIAArkhaia is one of Corinthe's two largest moons, but is still only a fraction of the size of Luna. Despite that, the moon has been overtaken by the Adeptus Mechanicus and converted into an orbital fortress and shipyard capable of producing Emperor-class battleships. What was once a small moon has been layered up over time with massive fortifications until it has become quite a bit larger than it once was, and serves as a formidable redoubt for anything attempting to gain access to Corinthe.
Battlefleet Corinthe Headquarters In order to better facilitate fleet operations, a large facility has been loaned to the Astra Militarum to serve as battlefleet Corinthe's headquarters. This hardened facility is secured comfortably within the battlements of Arkhaia, and employs thousands of men and women to help ensure the sector is kept safe. However, with the fleet distributed across the sector, they can only hope that some make it back, or new ships can be raised in time to replace them.
LEKHAIONLekhaion is Arkhaia's sister moon, and of relatively equal size at its core. However, the battlements of Lekhaion are perhaps even stronger, and have been layered extensively to create this orbital fortress. Like the other moon, Lekhaion is an orbital shipyard, but produces different ships, such as Overlord-class Battlecruisers and Tempest-class Frigates.
Valor Rock Valor Rock, sometimes called "the rock", is a series of grand battlements and powerful anti-voidship weaponry capable of devastating even powerful fleets that come too close to Corinthe. Valor Rock gets its name because of its layout, with most of its facilities creating a ring around the moon, but a single large bastion set to one side, like a diamond on a wedding ring. The rock's main bastion hails from the dark age of technology, and puts the defense lasers of most planetary installations to shame. The immense weapon system is more than capable of shredding a battleship, an can lance through numerous smaller ships with a single shot, but takes a bit to fire and has limited firing arc due to the moon's small size. That being said, anyone hoping to beseige Corinthe will have to deal with the Rock, and that will not be easy.
VELON This agri-world sets itself apart from Examilia by providing more than just two or three primary crops. Instead, Velon provides an extreme variety of produce from both flora and fauna. Much like ancient Terra, Velon has extreme biodiversity, and the adeptus administratum has managed to work out ways to optimize the planet in ways it naturally could not achieve, while not compromising it in any way.
Because of that optimization, Velon is a major exporter of rare food types that, until recently, drew in a massive profit by shipping to the galaxy at large. Now, Corinthe will be the primary end point for all of its resources, at least, until trade is restored elsewhere.
The one thing that has plagued Velon in recent years, however, is a small batch of feral tyranid bioforms. Dedicated servants of the administratum operate on the planet in an attempt to hunt, or at least manage, the tyranids. SIKYONISikyoni is a small moon orbiting the agri-world, Velon. It is decidedly unremarkable as far as moons go, and served no particular purpose. It was, however, a nice chunk of space going unused, so the Order of the Ardent Dawn and the Ordo Hereticus moved in and converted the moon into a fortress for their own use.
From there, the Order trains its recruits and then ships them across the galaxy to refill the ranks of other Arden Dawn convents that struggle to replenish their numbers.
Though it has been some time since it was last seen, a single inquisitorial black ship often docked at Sikyoni. It's current fate is unknown, but the ominous ship could easily show up once more.
TIRYN Aside from Corinthe, Tiryn is the most populous location in the Corinthe system. It has several billion inhabitants, all of which live a feudal lifestyle that they refuse to give up. At one point, well before the Imperium arrived, the plan was home to thousands of smaller clans, each warring for dominance over land and resources.
However, eventually, the Imperium reclaimed the system and reunited Corinthe and Tiryn with the rest of the galaxy. At that time, Tiryn was introduced to the wonders of the galaxy and decided, mostly unanimously, that they were uninterested in what it had to offer, save for one thing.
What did interest them was the Emperor. Tiryn's people are some of the most dogmatic and fanatical individuals the galaxy has been able to produce. Generations of indoctrination has realigned the population towards service for the Emperor, and they took to it rather well, as it already reflected their own beliefs.
The adeptus administratum took over Tiryn to some degree, and quickly set about to opitmizing the planet's populace. They promoted specific beliefs and quashed others, and eventually ended up with people who lived and died for the Emperor, and strove for little else beyond military service. It worked well enough, but there are always little failures that stopped the program from achieving perfection.
Aside from providing hosts of men and women for the Tirynese Chosen, Tiryn produces exceptionally large quantities of genetically modified rice which is then exported in bulk as part of their tithe. Now, that rice will go exclusively to Corinthe where its citizens will survive off of it.
Besides humans, Tiryn is home to several small, but highly capable bands of orks. Despite the war-minded Tirynese fighting them at every opportunity, the orks persist, possibly because the orks love fighting the Tirynese so much. VOLOSVolos, the particularly large moon of Tiryn, remains an oddity among the system's moons as it has an atmosphere and supports life. However, that life is not friendly to humans, who once colonized its thick jungles. Now, it is populated by native fauna and mega-fauna, as well as feral tyranids and hordes of orks.
Volos has been condemned, and is considered a world lost to the orks. Someday, it may be reclaimed, but Corinthe has never had the resources to throw against the moon and cleanse it of the xenos filth.
ERYTHRES Erythres is a gas giant on the outer edges of the habitable zone. While it cannot sustain life on its surface, it does provide life to some rather unique creatures. Great "skywhale-lobsters" called Periboea, many as large as an imperial frigate, live in the upper atmosphere, suspended by using large gas sacks which filter and store lighter gases to allow rudimentary flight. They feed upon smaller creatures that flock the skies in great swarms known as Trites, which are similar to flying fish.
Periboea were once rare creatures, but have grown to excessive numbers because of imperial farmers. Periboea produce large clutches of eggs that they carry along their undersides, and the humans harvest those eggs from the docile and friendly creatures. Each soft-shelled egg is the size of a large man's torso and provides a great deal of food. Trites can also be harvested in great quantities, and are often eaten smoked. Trites, in turn, filter-feed on a plethora of gas-eating microbes.
Erythres sees other uses, as well. Orbital platforms harvest gases from the giant planet for use elsewhere.
There is a small group of specialized administratum servants serving as rangers who protect the Periboea with zeal. Harming one of those great creatures results in prompt execution with no recourse.
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