| Corleus IV is a planet of often great contrasts. A world circling on the verge of two great empires. The Imperium of man, and the newly rediscovered Tau Empire. Corleus IV has been lost in warp storms for years at a time throughout it's long and turbulent history. Originally planted as a colony world during M37, it has grown into a self sufficient industrialized world suffering from all of the usual strife of Balkanization.
The planet retains a very earth like climate and has nine large continents supporting 90% of the world's two billion population. The remaining 10% of the population reside in floating ocean cities or in orbital habitat ring worlds throughout the star system. The continents comprise 60% of the surface of Corleus IV with less than 2% of the dry land masses making up island groups and archipelagos across the planet.
Corleus IV is also home to large ice flows and frozen polar caps. Heavy industrialization and pollution caused by green house gasses have created a large hole in the ozone layer of the planet thus allowing a rise in global temperatures. The warming trend has caused the worlds ice caps to slowly begin melting, thus increasing the world's water level globally. The increased radiation emitted from the systems M4V star has created a number of radical mutations to a small number of the populace living closest to these holes in the ozone layer. These holes have greatly increased the levels of lethal radiation onto the planet and it's inhabitants, thus giving rise to a new subculture or species of mutated humans and creatures on Corleus IV.
Corleus IV was once home to thousands of different species of animals and plant life, but as with all worlds infested by Humans, many of these have been destroyed or hunted into extinction. Some of the indigenous creatures have been domesticated or sufficiently trained to be of some use amongst the population of the planet. Other less impressive creatures have only remained at the level of live stock for a food source. Numerous fish and mammals inhabit the abundant seas of the giant planet which also serve as a majority of the planet's food supply.
Since Corleus had been established, the planet's governorship has suppressed the importance of the Human Emperor and it's strange gothic cult of mechanics and bioconstructed cyborgs. Many of the magistrars have lost their control over the populace, and the Cult of man has taken a back seat to the renissance of human learning and personal life. Having been cut off by severe warp storms for years and even decades at a time, Corleus has managed to keep the Adeptus departments and thier religious cult at bay since they had been unable to contact anyone for long periods of time through the storms.
After a century of building, expansion, and technological renissance, Corleus had grown great both in size and culturally. History books may even say: "...Corleus was the beginning of the light in a much darker time for man." Corleus is a world, only one of many millions in the galaxy, which had defeated the odds and developed independently from the Dark Gothic horrors of the strictly xenophobic Human Empire. Many of the former 'outposts' across the world grew into bustling metropolises. The population skyrocketed and eventually the planet's administration fractured into different racial or ethnic groups vying for dominance over the others by one means or an other. Thus the Balkanization of the planet was born and coincidentally the onset of the longest lasting warp storm activity ever recorded.
There are roughly nine major factions - one for each of the major continents. Each of which can be identified in a number of different ways, but the most striking would be their varying cultures. Proximus is the most dominant culture with close to 50% of the population and two continents falling into this category. The remainder of the cultures are Prolimux, Equiuus, Sigmus, Funidus, and Folium. Each of which are separate and distinct with several subcultures making up the whole. Each is suspicious of the others and internecine fighting is common. Political infighting and a global cold war has continued for the latter part of the latest century.
Of the six major cultural factions, Proximus has the greatest number of people, but the least amount of land or property to show for it. What they lack in land, they easily make up for in technology and innovation. The remaining five cultural groups are in a loose alliance against the Proximus Foundation. Sigmus makes up the largest cultural group amongst the quinpartide confederacy and is the second largest cultural group in the Corleus IV system. Their population percentage is roughly 15%. The others each comprise roughly 8% of the remaining population and claim many of the natural resources of the planet.
In the last six years, the Corleus system has emerged from some of the longest lasting warp storms ever recorded. Corleus is now within a new corridor between the Imperium of man and the newly re-discovered Tau empire and the Adeptus were quick to seize their opportunity to contact the astropaths outside of the storms in an attempt to restore the 'proper' control on the planet and bring the heretics who had strayed from their Emperor's guiding light.
The Inquisition has been sent to Corleus. Inquisitor Augustus Blunt has been sent to assess the current situation and ascertain records of the heresy from the underground Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Astropaths. Upon approaching Corleus IV, the inquisitor's ship was put under attack by superior forces of Corleus' space fleet. His ship was forced to a crash landing on the outskirts of a Proximus enclave on the northern steps of the content of Ordior.
His mission is clear to him. His loyal followers which he had brought with him have also brought some of the finest materials available from the Imperium. However, the crippling of his ship has kept him from using some of the most powerful weapons available to him. With his ship crippled, his astropath killed in the crash, and many of his most potent weapons destroyed, Agustus is forced to compromise and continue on foot attempting to reach the Adepts now hiding in fear for their lives.
An arrangement had been made that if he were not to return in a prescribed number of months, a second inquisitor would be dispatched to determine the cause of the lack of communications. A purging fleet would then be dispatched to clense the world of the infestation if the second inquisitor were to fail to report back positively.
For the fledgling inquisitor, his task was clear - purge the planet of heretics. Restore the seed of the emperor's light and retain as much of the population as possible to follow that new light. Little did he know of the severity of his situation. The Corleus system was perched on the verge of a galactic war. The seperation in the Warp Storms were of little consiquence to the short memories of the human empire; however the event did not go unnoticed by many others.
An orc battlefleet, a full strength Tyranid hive fleet, and the enigmatic Tau now stood ready to invade the human Imperium through the newly opened corridor in the Warp storms. Corleus now stood as a jumping off point for many of these fleets...
This campaign setting is a rough draft, but allows for the addition of just about any kind or type of force to enter the fray with the addition of some rules for experience and buying criteria. The campaign was also intended to release some of us who dislike the dark and depressing cartoonish feel of Necromunda and the 'GOD' emperor. But the story line will bring a more 'Inquisitor' feel to the skirmish miniature combat game. The changes will continue to please many of us as the scenery changes and possibilities of other forces, scenarios, and the escalation into a 40K game or two are all possible.
Written by Scott Spieker - Augustus Blunt is sole property of John Schultz.
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