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Warzone: Mordrax - An exercise in world building for Crusade (now part of Goonhammer's Vanidax WWC!)  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in gb
Executing Exarch





London, UK

++WARZONE: MORDRAX++
++Segmentum Obscurus, Sub-sector Laudoni, Mordrax Primus, Imperial Frontier World++

Welcome to Mordrax, the backdrop for ELG's (Edinburgh and Lothian Gamers) narrative campaigns in 40k 9th Edition. Mordrax is an Imperial Hive world in decline, its fall hastened by the large scale war fought across the central continent of Emburia. There is much of Mordrax's past which remains unknown, but many indications it was settled in the pre-Imperial era. Some of the planets elite may know more than others.

Warzone Mordrax takes place upon an Imperial World nestled within Segmentum Obscurus. The history of the world is storied but shrouded in obscurity, many a tech priest has ventured to the world in search of archeotech dating back to the Golden Age of Technology, yet much of that human history has been lost to rolling sands, dense jungle, sprawling examples of the Imperial war machine, catastrophic wars that have blighted the land with radiation and ruins of starships whose STCs have been long lost.

Mordrax Primus is home to 27 billion Imperial Citizens, largely clustered in the few continent spanning hive worlds, in conditions ranging from the squalor of manufactorum waste facilities to the splendour of Imperial Palaces and Shrines, some of which only beaten in grandeur by the well known jewels of the Imperium.

Humanity is not the only race to have touched the planet of Mordrax Primus and the two moons that orbit it. Aeldari ruins, virulent strains of disease endemic to the populace, temples shrouded in warp energies are all evidence of the planet's varied past, some heavily documented by the Adeptus Mechanicus while others remain hidden, unexplored. As a result, the latest conflict has drawn multiple factions to the world, their motivations unknown and their goals yet to be revealed.




++Planetary Information++
Designation: Imperial Planet, Sub-Sector Capital World
Planetary Capital: Hive Emburia
Tithe Grade: Solutio Moderis - Exactic Tertius
Population: 27 Billion Humans, 14 Billion Sanctioned Abhumans
First Settled: ++REDACTED++
Exports: Imperial Human and Abhumans for the Astra Militarum, Astra Telepathica, Adeptus Mechanicus War Engines, High grade minerals and ore.
Sanctioned Imperial Forces Present: Imperial Fists, Mordrax Primus PDF, 501st San Leor Lions Astra Militarum
Climate: Temperate to tropical, with polar ice caps and arid deserts
Biomes: Desert, Plains, Jungle/Rainforest, Frozen poles, Mountains.
Flora and Fauna: Varies, Megafauna and flora are uncommon, biologis reports suggest past gene modification in feral and wild populations, purposes unknown.
Continents/Landmasses: 3
Geology: Tectonically active, frequent high strength tremors are regular, increasing due to ++REDACTED++ activity in the Northern regions.
Moons: Aleph-I (Mining Colony), Aleph-II (Defence Relay)

The Grand Forces
The High Magistrates Army
FACTIONS: Chaos, Orks
The High Magistrate has recently taken control of Emburia and now intends to send out his forces to conquer all of Emburia. An army rallies to him while his agents have stirred up Ork warbands in the deserts and wastelands to strike at his foes. The war will spread beyond Emburia

Free People of Mordrax
FACTIONS: Imperial Guard, Tau, Genestealer Cult, Tyranid
The Magistrates have never been popular rulers among the populace of Mordrax and the new High Magistrate, being secretly a follower of chaos and all that, has a very low approval rating. The developments of the war have encouraged the local T’au Water Caste to enflame this popular decent. They have even sent weapons and now allies to aid the rebels who are taking up arms against The High Magistrate’s Army. What the T’au have not yet realised is they are mainly funding a Genestealer Cult uprising!

Sentinels
FACTIONS: Aeldari, Votann, Necron
There are secrets on Mordrax. Long help secrets, deeply buried. Secrets so old that no one can remember what they are, only that they should remain secret. Many empires have left Sentinels to watch over the planet, to ensure its silence.

Battle Group Athena
Factions: Imperium
Once the warpstorm lifted and reports from Mordrax filtered up through the lower echelons of the Imperium a decision was made. The planet would be brought under control by any means. Battle Group Athena was sent with priority orders eliminate all of the Emperor’s enemies

There are six battlezones on Mordrax in Sub-Sector Laudoni which players will wage war over during the campaign:

++Emburia++
Emburia is the largest and most important continent on Mordrax, containing the main planetary defences, a city sized manufactorum and Hive Emburia, the planetary capital. It has recently been ravaged by a long and costly war which has seen the Council of Magistrates, who once governed the system, replaced by the High Magistrate, who now rules unquestioned.


Keywords: Genestealer Cult: Hive World: Community, Community, Industry, Politics
Tyranid: Industrial
Tau: Political Centre

++ Hive Enora++
Perched on the cliff of an island under the gaze of Hive Enora, the Shrine of St Celestine on Enora is sacred to Imperial citizens, ith many making the dangerous pilgrimage to the shrine every year from across the planet. It also draws many from further afield, in search of answers, visions and hope. It is highly prized for the Adepta Sororitas to be stationed on the world just to be in close proximity to the Shrine, and there are regular disputes about who is the deserving Order to keep watch.


Keywords: Genestealer Cult: Cardinal World: Community, Politics, Religion, Religion
Tyranid: Hive
Tau: Shrine World

++Lumina Radwastes++
A blasted, irradiated landscape. Hive Nadir once dominated this region until M34 when a voidship crashed on the city, its warp drive detonating and changing the map of Mordrax forever. Mutants, abhumans and Xenos plague the region, sometimes launching ill-fated attacks against outposts and Imperial colonies. Those who live in these remote settlements speak of echoes on the winds, cries of anguish and pleasure, while some have seen...... something else, out there in the deserts. Only sanctioned Imperial expeditions are allowed to traverse the region due to the highly dangerous radiation and enemies. Few expeditions return.


Keywords: Genestealer Cult: Frontier World: Community, Military, Resources, Politics
Tyranid: Rural
Tau: Research World

++Octavia++
Octavia was long ignored and forgotten by the elite of Mordrax. Hive Octavia was a place of boredom and drudgery. No more that a vast collection of hovels, power stations and waste recycling processors. The rest of the continent was scrub forest and dull weather. This changed when the Plains of Emburia could no longer feed the planet. The forests of Octavia had gradually been replaced by brutal, industrial agricomplexes however Hive Octavia remains a place which attracts very little attention. Ideal for any clandestine plans.


Keywords: Genestealer Cult: Agri World: Community, Industry, Resources, Resources
Tyranid: Hive
Tau: Agri World

++Hive Soron++
Hive Soron is the largest hive in the Mordrax System. It is a factory of unfathomable size consisting of mile upon mile of furnaces, refineries, assembly yards, munition reclamation facilities, slag heaps and promethium tanks. The hive is filled with the acrid stench of industry, the endless clamor of construction and stifling unrelenting heat. Most of the residents are deaf and have lost their sense of smell.


Keywords: Genestealer Cult: Forge World: Industry, Industry, Military, Religion
Tyranid: Industrial
Tau: Trader’s Hub

++Aleph Proxima++
Aleph Proxima, Mordrax’s closest moon, has an unnaturally short orbital period. This has made it an idea location for Imperial listening posts, taking advantage of its fast sweep around the planet to scan the void for any threats to the system.
The unusual composition of the moon has also attracted deep mining operations. Local Arbites frequently resolve disputes between the various mining settlements. Most recently, one of the mining alliances has been accused of using outlawed plasma charges and mining to a forbidden depth, endangering the tectonic stability of the other settlements. This type of accusation is typical of the politics on the frozen surface of Aleph Proxima.



Keywords: Genestealer Cult: Fortress World: Military, Military, Politics, Resources
Tyranid: Rural
Tau: Mining World

++Ark Transport Gloriana++
When war arrived on Mordrax, the Magistrates took the precaution of sending much of their wealth and precious treasures to safety onboard the Ark Transport Gloriana. Of course, the Tech Priests did the same with invaluable archeotech, the Ministorum with sacred relics and so on throughout the elite of society across the system until the Ark could take no more. Alas, much of this was lost when the Guardians of Mordrax accidently fired Planetary Defense Missiles at the Ark, causing fragments of the craft to fall back to the surface. But there might still be something stored in its remains, drifting through the Void.




++Dramatis Personae++
Captain Gabriel Khrane, 501st Ranger Corp
“What must you do? WHAT MUST YOU DO? It’s clear. You must kill the High Magistrate. Don’t tell me it’s heresy! I know heresy. I have stood on battlefields alongside depraved men and treacherous xenos and you are worse than them all! This is not heresy. He has no honour. I was there, on that boat in the Bay of Light, when he made false oaths to that mad techpriest and the accursed Sister. I heard. I know. He is no Astartes and he must die. You must kill Apophis"

Belegard Shadowblade, Exodite Sentinel
“You still believe it matters, who controls the cities and the roads? You think it matters who controls the missiles? Even after all this death, you think it matters who is the master of Hive Emburia? It still surprises me that your kind can be so disappointing. No, it does not matter. All that is important is that the planet is kept safe. That no one goes looking for the past they are not meant to find and cannot comprehend.”

Luto Calavarium, Wandering Tech-Priest
“It is here. After all this searching, it is here. They won’t listen to me. They can’t listen to me, but it is here. Will you help me? All we need to do is a dig a little. I know exactly where. Well, I know approximately where. Instruments are not trustworthy in Lumina. But I can find it again. If you will just help me. I cannot do it alone as those things live in the ruins. But I will share with you the reward.
Just let me dig a little beneath the surface.”


Administratum Underscribe Etheldan, Hive Enora, Subsector 408-K
“You have come to see me? Why, I am nobody. The stories you have been told of my work are misinformation. I will ensure these rumours are brought to an end. I am just a diligent scribe, working for the people of Mordrax. Ah, I see you staring. It’s a minoraberration. I have all the correct paperwork is these chests here and here. All in order. I would insist on it myself. Of course, sometimes the correct processes can be slow. If you would be willing to help me in those times…. just to ensure the correct and proper outcomes are achieved? No, no, I would expect no share of any fortune from such endeavours. All that is important to me is we do…. the Emperor’s work. And someone thinks of the Children."

The Exiled Magistrate
“To all who can hear this……zzZZzttztztztzt…..restore rightful govern………ZZZZZZZZZ…require your aid……….ztttztztztztzt……..will again…….ZzZzZzZzZzZz……for all…..zz z z z z z z z z zz z z……many.”


Chit-chat
Hello hello, if you've managed to get this far, well done!

A bit of background: I helped kick off a Crusade campaign during 2021 as lockdown restrictions in Edinburgh lifted and more people began playing 40k again. I wasn't particularly enjoying competitive 40k due to the low power level of Craftworld Eldar in their 8th edition guise and wanted to have some fun. Crusade was a fantastic option, using an early version of Administratum among Excel spreadsheets to keep track of the forces involved, people and plenty more. I love lore and always wanted to give world-building a punt. I was too young to be part of the old world wide campaigns GW ran in the early 00s and slightly too late to join the DakkaDakka WWC, but drew a lot of inspiration on how I'd like a campaign to be run with a thorough narrative.

I unfortunately had to leave Edinburgh before the campaign kicked off in earnest, and was subsequently taken over by Mike at ELG. He drafted an incredible player pack and fleshed out areas of the fluff in addition to the work I originally wrote as the campaign progressed. The campaign had three stages, with over 150 games played over the past year, shaping my original world amazingly! With the Vanidax WWC run by Goonhammer, Mike has taken this forward into a new arc of the campaign: "Retribution on Mordrax". The focus of the campaign will be the battle between the major factions to control these regions and, ultimately, the planet. Along the way, there will be narrative elements in each region which, if pursued, may reveal more about the planet and provide critical advantages. Mike even got the campaign featured which you can read about Here

This thread is going to be a compilation of my world building as I'd like to add more to the world from a historical perspective while also compiling reports from the gaming side that Mike has been running. C&C is appreciated, this is my first world building exercise and I am keen on fleshing things out to enrich the Crusade narrative.

Cheers!

   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





Great pictures and lore man!

Just a few questions. (I skimmed your lore so I may have missed the answers to this)

1. Great Rift: Segmentum Obscura is in the Dark Imperium. Is this campaign set before the Great Rift? If it is post Great Rift it would be important to work that into the narratrive. You can look to the setting for Wrath and Glory to get inspiration on life in the Dark Imperium.

2. Tau: What are they doing in Segmentum Obscura? Seems like a bit of a stretch to get a fan fav (or hated) faction into the campaign.

"Iz got a plan. We line up. Yell Waaagh, den krump them in the face. Den when we're done, we might yell Waagh one more time." Warboss Gutstompa 
   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





London, UK

Cheers Deksull!

Valid point regarding Segmentum Obscurus, the setting is indeed meant to be situated after the Great Rift, so I'll go back and edit the fluff to match the setting more accurately. Haven't considered whether I want the setting to be in the Dark Imperium or not.

The Tau notes were added by the person running the Crusade campaigns that this lore was written for, as I believe that each faction can have keywords for battlefields they fight on. Definitely a bit of a stretch to get them into the campaign, so may need to push the sub-sector to a more eastern location to accommodate the Tau players

   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





 Tyranid Horde wrote:
Cheers Deksull!

Valid point regarding Segmentum Obscurus, the setting is indeed meant to be situated after the Great Rift, so I'll go back and edit the fluff to match the setting more accurately. Haven't considered whether I want the setting to be in the Dark Imperium or not.

The Tau notes were added by the person running the Crusade campaigns that this lore was written for, as I believe that each faction can have keywords for battlefields they fight on. Definitely a bit of a stretch to get them into the campaign, so may need to push the sub-sector to a more eastern location to accommodate the Tau players


Happy to help out. Writing is definitely my strong suit when it comes to this hobby (painting and gaming not nearly as much!)

Tau not being a far flung galaxy spanning race always makes them the hardest to write into a campaign that is trying to encompass so many factions. But we do know their Kroot friends travel far and wide, so its not inconceivable that you could have Water Caste and maybe a cadre come along for the ride. Who knows maybe the Tau are Farsight Mercenaries working out of a Kroot ship, offering their skills for payment? Still, Ultima Segmentum would probably make more sense. You could also tie it into the Octarian Warzone lore by situating it in a neighboring sector, (which would also explain) why all these orks, chaos gitz and tyranids have suddently turned up to wreak havoc.

"Iz got a plan. We line up. Yell Waaagh, den krump them in the face. Den when we're done, we might yell Waagh one more time." Warboss Gutstompa 
   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





London, UK

Explaining the features seen on Mordrax Prime. Some of these landmarks have made occurrences in various battle reports for the previous campaign, notably the defence battery and the aegis were flashpoints as the Sentinels attempted to take Hive Emburia from the Magistrate's forces. These are only short snippets of information, and I may expand more on these, but I really like the old GW style (4th-6th edition 40k comes to mind) of mystery and unanswered questions, so I'm fond of keeping that a theme for my own worldbuilding.

Notable Landmarks

Imperial:
Hive Nadir
Destroyed between M32 and M35, Hive Nadir was a bustling metropolis in the now inhospitable Radwastes, South of the Frostlands. A starship impact resulted in the ship’s warp drive detonating, blasting most of Hive Nadir from existence, the blast leaving a hole that is now filled with freshwater from the mountains of the Lumina Rainforest, creating the Inner Sea. Rumours suggest bandits and other hardy peoples living among the ruins, although exploratory missions have proven fruitless in bringing back substantial data.

Orbital Defence Battery Alpha
The only orbital defence battery active in M42, it is situated on an island in the Gulf of Mordrax. Ancient, likely built before the fabled Unifcation Wars on Holy Terra, this battery boasts a long history.

Outpost Omega
++Inquisitorial Clearance Required -- Status: Lost++

The Aegis
The outer defence perimeter of Hive Emburia, this line cuts through the Rolling Sands Desert and is stalwartly defended and maintained by elements of Imperial Fists and Planetary Defence Forces. Parts of the wall have crumbled in recent times, with sandstorms a common occurrence due to mountains being leveled millenia ago.

Imperial Highway
This is the main highway road that links all of the Hives together. To travel the road in nothing less than an armoured convoy is to invite death, as populations of feral Orks are widespread and have not been sufficiently exterminated. Human and abhuman bandits are also common, but are more easily dealt with and can be reasoned with, with the right weapons.

The Great Bridge
An ancient bridge spanning The Narrow Ocean, this links Hive Octavia to the Emburia landmass, providing transportation and migration routes across the world. Perilous in parts due to the open ocean waves and high winds that are produced from a source of conflicting air pressures to the West.

Manufactorum Facility D4726U
The largest manufactorum facility on the planet, the Adeptus Mechanicus are secretive about the weapons of war produced here. Powered in part by the heat from the neighbouring Dan’Ilk Lava Fields, the manufactorum produces a smog that can be seen for kilometres around.

Outpost Epsilon
++Inquisitorial Clearance Required -- Status: Operational++
Outpost Epsilon stands as the guard post on the other side of The Devil’s Backbone and a checkpoint for those crossing The Narrow Ocean. Civilians are allowed to pass through and take refuge within the walls, and a shanty town has sprung up around the walls, with civilian industry taking advantage of the locality and people passing through.

Shrine of St.Celestine
Perched on the cliff of an island under the gaze of Shrine Hive Enora, this shrine is sacred to Imperial citizens, with many making the dangerous pilgrimage to the Shrine every year from across the planet. It also draws many from further afield, in search of answers, visions and hope. It is highly prized for the Adepta Sororitas to be stationed on the world just to be in close proximity to the Shrine, and there are regular disputes about who is the deserving Order to keep watch.

Xenos:
Exodite Settlement(s)
Exploratory missions into the jungle of Lumina often never return, but there is evidence of Aeldari runes etched into tree trunks and branches, which creats an unsettling shimmer in the air when viewed from afar and a lurch in the stomach when approached by foot. It is thought that a World Spirit, something akin to an Infinity Circuit, lies within the mountainous region of the rainforest.

Necron Tomb Site
An Adeptus Mechanicus dig party encountered obelisks rising from the swirling dust of the Radwastes in late M37, seemingly revealed by tectonic shifts in the earth. The site was noted and while a few techpriests and adepts have ventured there seeking archaeotech, much remains buried in the ground and local populations are found unwilling to cooperate with the excavation teams.

Planetary:
Bay of Light
The Bay of Light is one of the main entry points into Hive Emburia, with the docklands district ferrying people and goods overseas. The waters are dark and murky, with little to no life present due to the heavy pollution and outwash from manufactorums pumping corrosive chemicals into the bay for millenia.

Isle of Sorrow
Shrouded in mist, the Isle of Sorrow is a dark marshland with a sharp, central summit. Waves crash against its shores and rocks hidden beneath the tides catch the unaware or those that go astray. Wrecks are a common sight from a magnocular view and there is an Imperial ban against those visiting the island.

Gulf of Mordrax
Wide, tapering into a river delta, the Gulf is used as a major sea route into the inner part of the Emburia landmass, transporting goods and industry across the planet from Manufactorum D4726U.

Plains of Emburia
The agricultural heartland of the planet, the plains are slowly shrinking from the West due to the leveled mountains allowing the spread of the desert. Imperial citizens are hardy, growing a range of native crops in and outside of great glass agridomes. There is relative peace here, protected by militia against raiders from the mountains.

Dan’ilk Lava Fields
As the continent of Emburia splits in two, lava fields have sprung up where there is intense geological activity. The Dan’Ilk Lava Fields are the largest open lava fields in the sector, and provide a source of energy for Hive Sorren and its neighbouring manufactorums.

The Devil’s Backbone
A mountain range stretching across the south west of Emburia, the mountains rise and fall sharply, and served as a natural defence when Hive Emburia was first founded. Within the Hive, palaces and spires jut into the sky, some even above the highest mountain peaks. Outside of the city walls, a portion of the range was flattened to prevent intruders invading from the mountains but has caused the spread of the desert beyond what was expected. Further East, the mountains are a safe spot for bandits of human and xenos breeds, as under the limestone peaks hide caverns the size great shrines.

Fangs of Russ
Icy peaks far to the South, these mountains are inhospitable, but serve as a buffer to howling southern winds and is the source of the pristine river that flows through Hive Octavia.

Rolling Sands
A vast desert with pockets of water, the Rolling Sands are spreading at an unprecedented rate since the leveling of the Devil’s Backbone. Cacti and other hard vegetation can be found in coastal areas, with small communities of humans clustered around oases or the coast. Inland, sandstorms are common and batter defences and the walls of Hive Emburia.

Isle of Malcador
An island largely unaffected by humanity, the Isle of Malcador emits a soothing presence of whispers and some have claimed that they have seen lost loved ones standing on the shores of the island. The Imperium has sanctioned a clearing of the land for a new hive to be established, but initial construction fleets have inexplicably been turned away.

The Fire Isles
A violent example of the planet’s turbulent geology, the Fire Isles are a chain of volcanic islands, with communities of tribal peoples, untouched by Imperial law. Blackish green sands stretch for kilometres along the shore and ash frequently falls in the eastern islands.

Lumina Rainforest
A lush, verdant forest of vast proportions, the Lumina Rainforest is awash with plant and animal life. The roots and vines of the forest spread far and wide at an alarming pace, forcing Imperial citizens of Hive Lumina and Lumina Secondus to live with the encroaching forest, as all attempts to halt the spread have been futile. Great rivers flow from the mountains across the continent, with many ambitious explorers sailing up them to explore the rainforest’s secrets. Those that return are taken by the Ordo Hereticus and questioned, often never returning from the place that they thought was safest.

Radwastes
A blasted and irradiated landscape, the Radwastes are aptly named. It is unknown what battle took place to cause such a vast swathe of land to be destroyed, but some have theorised that more than just a starship fell from the sky in the region. Mutants, abhumans and Xenos plague the region, sometimes launching ill-fated attacks against outposts and Imperial colonies. Some speak of echoes on the winds, cries of anguish and pleasure, while some have seen much worse. Only sanctioned Imperial expeditions are allowed to traverse the region due to the highly dangerous radiation and enemies.

The Inner Sea
The Inner Sea is not a naturally occurring feature, it is the crater of Hive Nadir. Eventually the crater filled with freshwater from the central mountains, hiding remnants of great tunnel networks beneath Hive Nadir. Exploratory parties have attempted to catalogue the flora and fauna of the Sea and the surrounding area, but with little success due to the associated risk of venturing to centre of the warp core detonation

Frostlands
The northern hemisphere is capped by cold tundra, with sharp craggy cliffs and glaciers being the dominant features of the region. It is unknown as to whether this region is inhabited, as the cold often causes machinery to malfunction or freeze.

Southern Reaches
Uninhabited, the southern reaches is a landmass covered in an ice sheet many kilometres thick. How, given the extensive human influence, it has remained untouched and has not melted is a mystery.

   
 
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