Bharteth

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Bharteth
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Non-Imperial Hive World

Segmentum:

Ultima Segmentum

Sector:

Australis Ultima

Subsector:

Vesipia Sub-Sector

System:

Bharteth System

Class:

Hive World

Type:

Major

[[Image:|280px|link={{{imagelink2}}}]]


Geography

Physics

Type Standard iron/silicate

Mass 4.94 x 1327 kg

Density 5.19 g/cm3

Composition 34.9% iron, 25.5% oxygen, 22.1% aluminum, 12.2% silicon, 5.4% other metals, trace other elements

Gravimetry

Gravity 10.17 m/s2

Escape Velocity 11.13 km/s

Rotation Period 27.74 hours

Axis Tilt 3.42 °

Atmosphere

Type Thin Toxic

Pressure 118.98 kPa

Composition 80.6% nitrogen, 19.4% oxygen, trace other gases

Population

61 Billion (Does not include the Forge Moon Tolleth).

History

Like Enterigar III, it appeared that when Bharteth had been founded during the early days of colonisation it been done so on the ruins of a previous civilisation. Alongside scattered xenos ruins and abandoned, half operational technology, the colonists came across a concentration of monolithic pylons reaching kilometers into the sky. Like an archaic forest grown from an exotic mineral the Blackstone pylons were clustered into a region of no more than fifty kilometers across, but contained hundreds of towering spires. Their purpose was completely unknown but they provided the growing colony with an exceptionally strong framework on which a towering hive city could be erected.

Early into the new worlds history, the coming of a Mechanicum Explorator ship changed the direction of the planet and its people forever. Recognising the industrial potential of the planet and eager to research the caches of xenotech the, soon to become, Tolleth Conclave formed an alliance with the Bharteth Hive which would last for millennia to come. Taking possession of the huge moon orbiting Bharteth the Mechanicum would help expand the planets industrial coverage and provide them with Orbital security in exchange for a monopoly on the extraction and research of the xenos ruins scattered throughout the system. Throughout the historical records though, there were no references to the Necrons awakening and purging the surface like that of Enterigar III. Had the Xenos race been cleansed of the planet previously or was this not one of their Tomb Worlds? Instead like so many human worlds the conflict and strife came from within. The unrest of millions and than billions of people contained within a single unending towering city built around the ominous Blackstone pylons would result in hundreds of civil wars and uprisings. Perhaps more so than the average Hive world, Bharteth suffered from a constant instability, a lack of absolute control by one governing faction or House which could enforce order and peace.

Like all societies, Bharteth Hive split itself into factions, Houses, which represented various industries or economic classes. While one House would officially rule the Hive, their authority only ever extended to the territories which they controlled and some of their allies. The rest of the Hive remained firmly under the control of the remaining Houses and their militia gangs. Without an external threat or even neutral parties outside of the Tolleth Conclave, there was little need for the Hive to present a unified front. Any inter system raiders which happened upon the far flung empire were dealt with by the Mechanicums orbital defences, which were constantly being augmented by the technology being unearthing from the planet below. Likewise potential trade partners and allies were hosted on the Forge Moon and rarely was Bharteth even made aware of their presence. Ruling factions rose and fell, alliances were formed and broken, Houses splintered and reformed, the roiling society of Bharteth continued to fight amongst itself century after century.

The mining of the Blackstone Pylons had started only a few centuries prior to the arrival of the Imperial fleets. While there were laws against it and it was in direct violation of the Tolleth Accord, without a central controlling government it was impossible to enforce such an edict. The Enforcers of the Hive, funded by the ruling House, made it a priority to protect such structures, their forces were stretched thin and they were often overwhelmed by the level of crime throughout the entire Hive. In response the Conclave themselves became involved in the politics of the Hive for the first time.

Equipping select gangs with some of their best weapons and armour the Magi created the foundations of what would become a rapidly rising House which served their interests in protecting the integrity of the Pylons. Even still, they were but one House in a Hive of dozens of such factions. Decade after decade more and more of the Pylons located within the Inner Hive were pillaged, the Blackstone making its way into the hands of the wealthy and powerful in the form of trinkets, amulets and, occasionally, powerful artefacts. With the destruction of so many Pylons, the null fields which they emitted started to weaken in the core of the Hive. The Psychic mutation which had previously been kept at bay by the effects of the Blackstone began to creep into the population. Psykers, witches, started appearing more and more often, nearly always hunted down and executed by the zealots of certain Houses, still some began to escape and were hidden deep in the lower levels.

It is here that the Enslavers re-emerge into the picture. Whether it started prior to the arrival of the rogue Battle Barge or if the insidious race can spread as quickly as they have in such a short time is a question still needing investigation. But as the scouting teams began delving deeper into levels of the Inner Hive, the presence of these Warp creatures were discovered. Preying on the bright, vulnerable and untrained minds of the Psykers taking refuge in the depths of those sectors, the Enslavers have taken root in the darkest of territories, amassing a protective throng of drones around them as they hunt down more victims. Many squads have already been lost when confronting the creatures, but it appears that the desire to exterminate their threat is at least shared by the forces of the Warmaster as well. Both factions have seen what these foul entities can do to an Imperial world, let alone a Hive world without any central control. Beset on all sides by threats both human and xenos, time now works against us as we must secure the support of enough of the Houses and ensure that the forces of the Warmaster are overcome. Only then can the control of the Hive be wrested from the ineptitude of squabbling warlords and the full force of the Imperial might combined with that of the orbiting mechanicum be brought to the fore in combating the Enslaver threat. If this is not achieved, than that threat will surely become a plague that will overrun the Hive in months.

Having such an infestation on the borders of the Imperium whilst it itself is consumed by civil war can only result in doom. But, the presence of the Tolleth Conclave, their Forge Moon and the secrets that they have plundered from Bharteth make this, a system to fight for and one which neither Imperial force will allow the other to have control of.

Campaign Reports

Global Heresy: The Stilling of Bharteth
Bharteth Ribbon.png 063.013.M31 Bharteth Ongoing

Prelude to War

To accurately document how this desperate conflict started is difficult to ..→