Grimdank

The last members of the advance party exited the Devourer dropship Fire of Faith , the cavernous maw of the transport closing with a sharp report behind them. "Atmosphere appears to be breathable, sir. It's a good thing this landing bay is still powered, or we'd all be sucking vacuum right about now." The commander sighed, delivering a curt strike to the back of private Kowalski's head. How protocol had slipped so far was beyond him, especially amongst so many new recruits. They were barely out of basic training, for Emperor's sake! Turning to his lieutenants beside him, Walicz began issuing orders to reconnoitre the immediate area. It wasn't often that something as extensive as this hulk remained intact, let alone powered. As the sensor teams started to spread out, exploring the myriad tunnels and doorways leading off from the bay, he took stock of the environment. Efficient, sensible Imperial architecture blended seamlessly into misshapen, almo...

There are only a few cities on the surface of Tantalus, each fairly modest affairs, with barely a billion souls apiece. The largest of these cities is known to the locals as Tantalus Prime, although its official designation is Sector 23, Sub-Hive 11, Precinct Zeta-Thassius 3. Tantalus Prime is a sprawling plascrete jungle, a microcosm of humanity where the ruins of the older city vie with the soaring towers of a burgeoning metropolis. The outskirts of the city are ruined and overgrown, with larger structures springing up with increasing density as they approach the centre.  Within the central segment of the city, the spires cluster together, reaching far into the sky. Visitors in recent years have seen the beginning of a new hive, as populations have begun to explode in the wake of the increased industrial activity.  Here the dregs of humanity interact closely with the up-and-coming, the opulent and the despondent a hair's breadth apart. The sheer difference between...

Space hulks are enormous conglomerates of ships, asteroids, and interstellar debris, drifting in the void between the stars. No two space hulks are alike, as each is shaped by any number of different factors. They slip between the materium and the immaterium, and are often filled with all manner of monster, whether daemon or xenos in nature. Sometimes they are found by salvage parties, scavengers, or refugees seeking a new home. Whatever the case may be, one can never be sure what will be encountered within. Many hulks are large enough to contain their own atmosphere and biome, allowing life forms of all shapes and sizes to dwell, survive and even prosper amongst the ruins of untold civilisations and the flotsam of dozens of systems. The space hulk known as Deliverance is one such example of this - within the labyrinthine tunnels of the hulk are the rusted corpses of hundreds of ships and stations, their origins shrouded in mystery. The mechanical melds with the mineral, the m...

The Palidas system is one of untold millions throughout the Milky Way. Before the destruction of Cadia, there was little value in the backwater system, beyond the mining agri-world Tantalus. Even then, Tantalus was important only for the minute amount of resources it provided to the Imperium at large. With the advent of the Cicatrix Maledictum , there are very few paths between the Imperium Sanctus and the Imperium Nihilus - the most well-known is the Nachmund Gauntlet, safeguarded by Vigilus - but others also exist. One such unnamed corridor is most closely bordered by the Palidas system, and as such it has become a region of great conflict. The system contains several planets, planetoids, and moons; the main point of contention is the third planet, Tantalus. The Palidas System Palidas Palidas is a wholly unremarkable star, roughly the same size and luminosity as Sol. Pelops Pelops is a dwarf planet, far too close to Palidas to be even remotely conducive to life. Moon...