Port Wander

“A stinking, painted harlot who would see your blood flowing for a few coins, that she may be, but who cannot say that they love the light that is known waiting for the traveller returned from the void.”
–Rogue Trader Cortin Blaine, captain of the Astra Veritas
Port Wander is a void station on the uttermost edge of the Drusus Marches of the Calixis Sector, rightly regarded as the last bastion of the rule of the Emperor this side of the Koronus Expanse. A place of desperate hopes and vain dreams, Port Wander teems with a transitory population of traders, spies, merchant factors, pilgrims, and missionaries, amongst whom move Administratum functionaries and minions of the Mechanicus, all feeding on the riches that flow from the realms beyond the warp storms in the Koronus Expanse. All who travel into the Koronus Expanse share one common experience in that they pass Port Wander. Be they the pious bringing the Emperor’s Light into the darkness beyond the Imperium or black-hearted monsters searching for the keys to forbidden dreams, many will stop in the last place where the rule of the Golden Throne keeps the horror and possibility of the unknown at bay.
Port Wander was founded by the Imperial Navy in 917.M40 as a staging ground to investigate the loss of many vessels on the fringes of the Drusus Marches. With the discovery of the Koronus Passage in the late 40th millennium, the station grew in importance owing to its close proximity to the Passage. Its original role as a base for military operations was slowly forgotten, and Port Wander became a way station for those daring passage into the Koronus Expanse. Merchants and mercenaries began to choke the once-deserted corridors of the station, and strangers shook the dust of distant stars from their boots while trading wondrous things from beyond the Great Warp Storms.
For those venturing towards the Halo Stars, Port Wander is often the last stop before leaving the sector and a welcome harbour should they return. It orbits an otherwise unremarkable red supergiant, and provides basic facilities for everything from Rogue Traders to small Void Jumpers in the area. Somewhat of a frontier station, it is popular with many a vessel (and crew) of dubious legality. A hundred different currencies are brought to Port Wander by merchants and Rogue Traders---or even issued by those same worthies, for all great men wish to see their face embossed on coins or parchment notes. Money-changers of the Administratum are both corrupt and busy in the Port, and the heady mix of currencies seeps outwards into the Imperial settlements of the Koronus Expanse.
Port Wander is often dismissed as a barely-lawful outpost, and never mentioned as one of the more impressive or honoured installations of the Imperial Navy and Battlefleet Calixis. Though technically a Navy station, Port Wander would not exist without the support and trade of various Imperial Adepts, chartist captains, and Rogue Traders, a point that rankles many prideful Naval officers. Those assigned there frequently view their posting as a punishment or an attempt by enemies in the service to drydock their careers, and typically serve with resentment bordering on bitterness. In addition, the station is filled with swaggering civilian captains, merchants fat of purse and jowl, and interfering factions of every sort, from supercilious Administratum functionaries to scheming Inquisitorial acolytes. Port Wander is far more than a simple military base.
Despite its poor (if well-deserved) reputation, however, Port Wander is one of the more important facilities of Calixis. It guards the entrance to a largely-unexplored section of space, rich with exploitable resources, powerful artefacts, lost souls to recover, and potentially unimaginable wealth. Also, though undisciplined when compared to a proper naval vessel, it is a veritable ideal of the Emperor’s Law when compared to what lies beyond it. Here there is rightful law, though it is often tempered by gelt and influence. On the other side there is no law other than what can be enforced with bolter and lance. This station is the last true outpost of both the Calixis Sector and the Emperor’s Law. Beyond it there is only what law a captain imposes on his crew and his fiefdoms, or that which is imposed on him by cruel xenos or crueler fate.
==Guardian of the Maw==
Port Wander originated as a standard Xerxes Mark IV Naval
station, made from prefabricated and pre-blessed sectionals
and transported into the system by mammoth Greatholds
over many months. Assembly took only seventeen years; the
station was consecrated, declared operational, and thruster-anchored
into position orbiting Rubycon II far ahead of
Thamos in a stable position a year later. Though smaller
than many Naval stations, it is large enough to handle
battlecruisers and other huge vessels. Organized upkeep
tends to be spotty, though, given its distance both
physical and political from subfleet headquarters,
and much of the constant refurbishment was
done as needed to better deal with the
variety of vessels used by Rogue Traders. Over time, entire
new modules and battlements were installed, and whole
subsections became layered over with new construction such
that little of the original voidfacing hull is visible. Deep inside
the station whole decks were simply lost to poor planning,
and only those well-versed in the ancient blueprints can find
their ways through the mazelike passageways.
As the area grew in importance due to successful voyages
to the Expanse and back, the station grew as well, attracting
the attention of many Imperial agencies throughout the
sector. What was a standard Navy-operated station became
overrun with Rogue Traders, commerce shipping agents,
merchant guilds, Administratum functionaries, Inquisitorial
spies, Mechanicus and Ministorum preachers, and more, all
vying for control. With more and more passages through the
Maw and increased trade in exotic (and profitable) goods to
be found on the other side, the original role of naval station
began to wane and Port Wander began to become more of a
transportation hub for Rogue Traders and others dedicated to
transporting products into and out of the Expanse.
With less military and more commercial functions occurring
and constant years of pressure, the Navy was forced under
Palace decree in early M41 to cede authority over the station
to a consortium of Administratum functionaries, heavily
influenced by factions of Rogue Traders, merchants, and guilds.
Imperial Governors nominally led the station, but proved too
easily swayed by outside interests or too inept to maintain their
power. This, of course, was paradise to many, and with little or
no oversight or regulation to counter them the merchant guilds
and Rogue Traders became exceedingly wealthy. The lack of
order spread wildly and the port quickly gained a reputation for
lawless anarchy where Imperial Law is merely an afterthought to
the fortunes awaiting. Rival commercial guilds took to outright
combat inside and outside the port, and the port possessed
little functioning defenses against outside attacks. After a dozen
decades including long stretches of disorder and zealous excesses,
even the Rogue Traders realized only the Navy could stabilize the
port at a level where profits could be dependably made. They
petitioned the Lucid Palace for a solution in mid-M41, lest
reliable access to the Expanse be squandered and lost.
The Grand Alignment heralded the return of the Imperial
Navy to operational control over Port Wander. While the
station returned to Navy control, the charter also granted
some areas of authority to other agencies, and imposed limits
on Naval authority. The Inquisition and Adeptus Ministorum
were of course granted official status as agencies of interest
and special spheres of control, and the Administratum
given an unofficial but important oversight role. While still
not recognizing their rights over the Maw, the Adeptus
Mechanicus gained rights to several areas of the station for
their own research. The merchant guilds kept much of their
shops and trading halls, and continue to exert considerable
influence on the station’s activities. The Adeptus Arbites
were officially relegated to a lesser role than normal, but still
required to police the “civilian” side of the Port’s population.
The Navy works closely with all of these organizations where
possible, as they free its personnel to concentrate on matters
of military operations and station defense, areas that went
unforgivably lax while it was not in control.
Port Wander has since re-established itself as a mostly lawful
outpost, though its location on the edge of Calixis ensures it
will never be at the levels of other naval installations or even
established imperial planets. It is at the demarcation from the
Rule of the Imperium to the Rule of the Void and will always be
a struggle between the two, making the port a site of constant
pressure and tension. It is here where a Rogue Trader really
begins his journey to riches and glory or ignominy and disgrace.
Amidst the hustle of hundreds of explorers and merchants,
officers and civilians, spirituals and heathen, Port Wander stands
as the first step into the Koronus Expanse.
==The Structure of Port Wander==
From a distance, the port resembles a small cityscape, with
spires and cathedral towers arching upwards and a huge
aquila marking its allegiance to the God-Emperor. Numerous
long piers protrude from the sides with spider-like docking
fixtures, ready to bring in a ship and anchor it to the station.
Smaller shuttle bays dot the station where numerous small
craft carry cargo and people between ships and the station.
Deep crevasses run along the station, showing the slow
layers of expansions through the many decades and the
somewhat patchwork nature of many of them which includes
parts from small vessels such as the nearly intact hull of the
Solstice Imperialis, grafted onto one side of the station many
centuries ago. Further construction and external maintenance
is constant, with servitors crawling over areas of damage or
expansion like flies over a bloated metal beast.
On the underside of the station are the main repair yards,
where damaged ships can contract out for refurbishment and
mending. The yards include entire sealed dry-dock bays,
where smaller ships can be totally enclosed for more intensive
work. Also along the station’s keel are a variety of elaborate
and mysterious arrays and probes used by the Adeptus
Mechanicus in their arcane research into the nature of the
warp passage leading through the Great Warp Storms to the
Koronus Expanse beyond.
Across the length and breadth of the station are lance
emplacements, weapons batteries, torpedo launchers, and void
shield generators, all placed for maximum efficiency and kept
in readiness. In addition to these static defenses, squadrons of
heavily armed monitor craft are stationed near Port Wander,
and warships from Battlefleet Calixis pass the port on regular
patrol. Port Wander may be the gate to the Koronus Expanse
but it is a gate that is guarded.
At any given time there are at least a half-dozen Rogue
Traders docked at the station, as well as other merchant
vessels, enormous transports, and numerous smaller craft
moving into and out of docking stations like swarming
insects. Other vessels move through the area, offloading raw
fuel gases mined from the two larger planets or minerals and
ice from the further reaches of the system. There are also
numerous asteroids sharing its space, most of which have
been turned into fuel depots, palatial manses and estates,
crude habitats, storage facilities, ship yards, and other more
useful installations.
==In and Around Port Wander==
Physically, Port Wander is a maze of passageways, halls
and chambers that has grown ever more complex as it has
been haphazardly repaired and expanded. In many ways it
more closely resembles a small hive city than a station, and
within it bustles a changing population of strange and exotic
individuals. Rogue Traders and their fellow Explorers often
spend many weeks in port while their ships are refueled
and repaired and cargo loaded or off-loaded. Missionaries
charged with bringing the light of the God-Emperor to
lost human worlds come to find passage into the unknown
accompanied by pilgrim militia. Traders and smugglers
whisper deals behind curtains in the station’s drinking dens,
while mercenaries and bodyguards look for business. Here
also are many items for sale which would normally not be
found deeper in the Imperium, and better still, no questions
are asked. Strange artefacts brought from the depths of the
Expanse, exotic wines and narcotics from worlds yet unnamed,
valuable gifts and tokens from appreciative traders, all this
and more is traded throughout the artificially lit
days and dimmed nights of the station. Finally, what cannot
be found at the port can often be found outside it, for the
system hosts a wide range of services, from extensive repair
and refurbishment facilities, spare parts, and even vehicles and
intersystem craft for sale. Watching over this constant carnival
of outlanders are the Naval authorities, brooding in their
Bastion with barely-concealed resentment and disapproval.
==Port Wander Central Bastion==
Though the entirety of Port Wander is technically the
dominion of the Imperial Navy, their stronghold in this den
of rogues and wanderers is the Command Bastion. It sits at
the heart of the station, separated by code-sealed hatches,
isolation bulkheads, and sentry weapons. Behind these
defenses are the staff and systems that keep Port Wander
functioning and safe.
The Command Deck
This cavernous room rises above the upper reaches of the
superstructure, forming a grand deck house with dozens of
consoles and displays, dimly lit and filled with the smoke of
purification incense. The station weaponry is directed from
here, along with other vital systems. Usually the center is
manned by junior officers unless there is a major docking or
military operation ongoing.
The Sensorium
One of main spires reaching above the central axis of the
station houses Port Wander’s Sensorium, in which vast auspex
displays watch over the movement of all vessels of interest
throughout the area and ships in dock, logging them when
they arrive, and monitoring them until they leave.
Communication Stations
For those requiring in-system communications between ships
and the port on commercial business, the Vox Centre Office
will route messages as needed for a nominal fee, usually
included with routine docking charges. For longer-range
messages outside the system, the port’s Astropathic Choir-Sanctum can provide psychic communications---though since
they are servants of the Navy, they may not give such requests
priority without reciprocation in Thrones or favors.
Medicae
Port Wander has several top-notch medicae amenities for
those who can afford premium care. For the rest, there are
smaller back-room offices that provide more basic services,
such as setting bones or staving off infections. Most visitors
rely more on the care their own ships provide, while Naval
personnel have official care facilities for their treatment.
The Ministorum operates a crude hospice to the rear of
the port, where they tend to those with no other hope of
care. Service is free to all, and often the last place many
unfortunates spend their days.
Crew Quarters
All Naval personnel are quartered in the Central Bastion;
from the commander’s lavish quarter to the fetid bunkrooms
for lower ranks. Visiting Naval officers are quartered in
fine cabins. Ratings and enginarium workers exist in huge
barracks where dozens rest from the long day’s labour in
squalid conditions.
Barracks
Imperial Guardsmen are usually sequestered in these Spartan
quarters when their transport ships are in dock. Like most
naval installations, officers on both sides of the Aquila know
the less the two intermix the better for everyone’s health.
Many Rogue Traders who employ fighting brigades as part
of their ship’s complement also use these facilities for their
warriors, but grant them more leeway in travelling through
the port.
The Stockades and Pressment Centers
Discipline for the crewmen on any Naval vessel is harsh,
and violators of regulations are sent to the stockyards for
sentencing, assuming summary judgments are not carried
out on the spot. The kiss of the lash, grueling days in the
stockade or void-pillory, or even a swift round to the head
are all punishments that can be meted out without trial for a
myriad of crimes should the officer class see fit.
Located next to the stockades, the pressment centers house
those hapless souls who have been impressed into service
either at the port or by a visiting ship in need of ratings. All
ships require untold bodies toiling in unending labor for
them to function, and the pressmen do their best to fill these
needs from wherever they can find warm bodies.
For affairs of honor there is The Circle, located not
far from the stockades, where offended parties can settle
disputes through trial by combat (or more frequently have
their seconds fight for them). Crowds often gather as these
are considered great sport (and free to boot), with numerous
side-wagers conducted on everything from first blood to last
punch (or strike if blades are used).
The Underdecks
There are many dark places throughout the station, walled away
by new constructions, powered only by flickering, half-exhausted
lights and forgotten by almost all. These are the homes of the
wretched refuse of the port, those who have escaped impressment
or slavery, run from the law or debts, or simply fallen through the
cracks of the station. Housed literally underneath the main decks,
they rarely venture outside their lairs, unless in packs to pilfer food
or other easily stolen items, only to vanish back into the depths
of the dark tunnels when pursued. As the station builds more
and more layers, older sections often lose power or airways are
blocked, forcing the denizens of the underdecks to move
elsewhere in search of new dwellings. Clashes with other
groups are a frequent result, or worse still clashes with
“civilized” areas unprepared for such encounters
out of the darkness.
Adeptus Arbites Precinct Complex
At the bottom of the Central Bastion, separated by Arbitrator-manned
blast doors, the Adeptus Arbites watch and judge
those who govern Port Wander. Here is where the servants
of the Emperor’s Law reside and His Law is faithfully
adjudicated. Heavily fortified like all Arbites precincts, it can
withstand almost any assault if needed and will stand as the
last bastion of the Imperium should the rest of the station
fall. There is rumor that the Arbites also maintain a hidden
asteroid precinct-fortress as well, which they will neither
confirm nor deny.
==Civilian Quarters==
Port Wander has a population of roughly five million, and the
majority of these are civilians, all of whom must be housed
within the port. From elaborate state rooms, simple berths,
bunked quarters, or doss spaces near the outer hull all are
available and all cost. For those not choosing to live in the
station there are of course their own ships, if they are moored
within a short distance and accessible by shuttle.
In the most ill-repaired and dangerous portions of Port
Wander, small colonies of destitute scavengers live in desperate
and wretched conditions. They prowl the waste-ejection areas
for whatever they can reclaim, be it organic matter or scrap
salvage. Anything not secured or stowed is fair game, and the
stalls of the Gilt Processionals are kept supplied by the skill
of these scavenger-thieves.
For the wealthy there are many estates and huge apartments
on the Port and surrounding asteroids, owned by Rogue
Trader family lines and maintained well during their absences
into the Expanse. The rich have large quarters on the port,
the richest have their own asteroids, hollowed out and turned
into lavish estates.
==The Gilt Processionals==
The Gilt Processionals are the vast and labyrinthine markets
of Port Wander in which one can barter for strange and exotic
wares or lose one’s life to a thief ’s blade. The Gilt Processionals
stretch for nearly a kilometer in a wide arc across the port,
meandering between levels down wide holds that have long
lost their original purpose, and twisting through cramped
compartments thick with the scent of burning spices and heady
narcotics. This ragged arc houses thousands of traders, whose
stalls compete for space with criers hawking theirs dubious
wares. Almost anything can be found in the Gilt Processionals
if one has enough coin and knows who to ask.
The Chamber of Gold
The Chamber of Gold is a great colonnaded chamber that
opens off the Gilt Processionals. Here, beneath a painted
ceiling showing Drusus the Warrior, the Gelt Brokers and
money changers do their business. Vast loans may be
negotiated from the rich robed factors of House Krin, and treasure from strange worlds bartered
into Throne Gelt. On brass walkways above
the factors and their scribbling scribes stand
plate-armored guards, their weapons and eyes watching for
any attempt to interfere with the business of the Chamber.
The Court of the Dead
The Court of the Dead is the largest of the open holds that
make up the Gilt Processionals. Some three hundred meters
across, it forms the heart of the Processionals. Along its sides
sit clusters of stalls from which spiced food and drink can
be bought, and amongst the thoroughfares the greatest of
Rogue Traders may exchange crude jests and rumors with
void-crazed pilgrims. In the center of the Court of the Dead
one can find letter writers, watch displays of swordsmanship,
pay to have one’s limbs or organs replaced with prosthetics,
and give coin for charts that claim to show passage to the
untapped reaches of the Halo Stars. Above this swirling
confusion of people, the faces of Rogue Traders stare down,
etched into the metal of the ceiling and covered in precious
gilt, each one the likeness of one who died seeking their
desire beyond the Great Warp storms.
Gambling Dens
Most Rogue Traders are gamblers at heart, and it is
only natural they would frequent such facilities while
on the port. There are scores of basic games of chance
to be had in almost any bar, but Rota Fortunae is the
finest dedicated hall for gamblers of all types, from
high rollers wagering thousands of thrones to smaller
types pushing single gelt coins at a time. The décor
rises with the stakes, and the rooms in the rear are
dedicated to exclusive, invitation-only games. Here
entire fortunes may be lost or made, and even entire
ships are wagered on the turn of a card.
At the other end of the spectrum is Last Chance. It
has no fixed location and it moves from place to place
each night, with games where the stakes are not always
measured in mere thrones. The regulars know where
to look for it based on word of mouth and hidden
runes left by the enigmatic operators. For novices who
stumble across it or rollers desperate to try their luck,
it may be their last chance indeed.
Taverns
It is not surprising that a station as large as Port Wander has numerous places to purchase food and drink. The station’s taverns run a brisk business, both as public meeting houses and as places to grab a hot meal.
*The Blind Eye is a small-but-popular tavern near the station’s sunward shuttle bays, frequented by void travelers looking to do business. Many Rogue Traders use it as a meeting place for recruiting new comrades for their next voyage, especially those with prior experience in the Expanse.
*Bloodstone is a much more dangerous place, a lowdecks tavern that lies off the Gilt Processional and is uncomfortably close to some of the passages leading to the station’s Black Holds. Only the toughest will ever gain the respect of the regulars; those who do not will rarely survive their second visit. To become a regarded as a regular here is a mark of true respect among the scummers and heavies on the port.
*Voidfarer’s Rest is a larger tavern near the Basilica, frequented by Navy officers. Operated by an ex-Navyman, it is covered with military decorations and battle prayers inscribed on yellowed parchment. By custom, the senior captains and command crew remain away from the place, and the mid and lower officers see it as somewhere to relax away from the pressures of the service. Civilian captains and their officers are exempt from the custom however, and friendly rivalries have resulted in some legendary brawls, leaving most with bruises---but also new drinking companions.
==Places of Faith and Devotion==
Faith is the essence of the Imperium, and on the edge
of the unknown faith in the Emperor is one’s strongest
shield against what waits beyond. Pilgrims on fool’s
quests, crusaders, missionaries, and fanatics are drawn
to Port Wander like predators to a bleeding wound. The
Port is thick with shrines and chapels tucked away in dead
spaces, tended by ragged flocks who murmur prayers and
light candles for hope. In the Central Bastion the formal
cathedral echoes with entreaties of protection for those lost
on the Sea of Souls. The chaplains and ministers who watch
over the port’s spiritual level are zealous in their task, for
each day they see the signs of xenos corruption brought
back from the dark places. Many believe the Emperor sealed
off the Expanse for a reason, and any who would defy His
actions are heretics who deserve the pyre. Others view the
Expanse as an opportunity to reclaim untold numbers of lost
souls, and eagerly await their chance to make the journey.
Internecine clashes between these and other differing
views amongst the Ministorum are usually kept away from
others, but outbreaks on holy days do occur where only the
Arbitrators’ truncheons can restore calm.
The Solstice Imperialis
The Solstice Imperialis is a derelict pilgrim ship that once
ferried Pilgrims to the station for many years, until their
plasma drive failed to ignite. Despite the catastrophic
implosion, no one was injured and the pilgrims took it as a
sign of the Emperor’s grace. Over time the vessel was worked
into the fabric of Port Wander itself and is now given over to
chapels and sanctuaries of a hundred different branches of the
Imperial Creed. Missionaries wishing to recruit militias of the
faithful to accompany them beyond the Great Warpstorms
often come to the Solstice to find strong souls willing to
follow their faith beyond the circle of Imperial rule.
Rivalry in the Ministorum
Imperial expansion into the Koronus Expanse and the influx of pilgrims toward that region has caused some friction between Cardinal Fortis, who oversees the Arch-Diocese of the Pereiphery and the Halo Stars, and Cardinal Kregory Hestor of the Drusian Diocese. Fortis maintains that as a new untapped area of faith, and a region of the Halo Stars, all matters concerning the Expanse should fall into his diocese. However, Port Wander, the gateway to the Expanse, can be found on the edge of the Drusus Marches, Kregory’s diocese, and the Cardinal of the Marches is loath to give up the stranglehold he has on the wealth the port is producing for the church and the power it affords his sub-sector. In a move to settle the matter Fortis has been seeking aid from Arch-Cardinal Ignato to go to Port Wander himself and build a mighty shrine to the God-Emperor for the pilgrims and missionaries passing into the Expanse. He then intends to have himself transplanted from his ship, the Pax Calixis, into the shrine, effectively taking up permanent residence in Port Wander and officially claiming it as part of his diocese. This is a plan that Kregory would go to great lengths to stop, should he learn of it---perhaps going so far as to ensure that the Pax Calixis would never reach Port Wander...
==The Void Docks==
Numerous docking ports line the edges of the station, managing the off-loading of hundreds of ships, from small inter-system ships to gigantic mass conveyors. The docks are also where most minor overhaul work and replenishments occur as ships take on all manner of provisions. Here, overworked Administratum adepts are also charged with checking cargo, levying tariffs, and detecting contraband and proscribed goods; though as any smuggler will tell you, they are far from universally successful. A purse of Thrones works wonders in removing any bothersome questions amongst the dock officials.
Shuttle Traffic
Port Wander has shuttle bays located in roughly equidistant notches around the station. Given the multitude of ships nearby, there is constant traffic into them. While most craft are dedicated to a ship or are naval vessels, there are many for hire when short hops are needed. Some clans of shuttle pilots have been operating the same shuttles or lighters for generations, passing the ships from parent to child.
Repair Yards
Port Wander has extensive repair yards located underneath the station where skilled void wrights can rectify damage caused by combat or accident. The station’s repair facilities are varied - smaller ships such as transports and frigates can be worked on in cavernous, yawning zero-gee space-docks that can be sealed against the void. For larger craft, there are yards on nearby asteroids that can accommodate even the vast bulk of the largest Imperial battleships and mass conveyors.
Resupplying in Port Wander 
For captains looking to fill their empty stores, Port Wander is a welcome sight. The merchant provenders of the station can usually supply whatever may be needed provided the captain has money. Weapons, ammunition, shuttle fuel, promethium, food, water, apothecarium supplies, servitors, and more flow constantly out of Port Wander in exchange for Throne Gelt or bartered goods from the Halo Stars: thus is the wealth of Port Wander maintained by this simple exchange.
==Halls of the Mechanicus==
The Halls of the Adeptus Mechanicus occupy a large, blister-like
extrusion of metal and sensor spines at the base of the
station. Here is where the tech-priests conduct research into
the strange objects brought out of the Koronus Expanse,
and monitor the data sent from their many stations scattered
throughout the solar system, only some of which are known
to the Navy. The cavernous interior also hosts the altar to
the Machine God, where hundreds of priests chant in binary
rhythm with the station’s cyclic bass rumbling. The Main
Enginarium is located not far from the Mechanicus Hall,
and its enormous reactors provide power for the station’s
various systems, station-keeping thrusters, weapons systems,
shielding, life support, and more. Extensive backup systems
are in place in case of emergencies. With so many demands
on its limited capabilities, however, large power drains such
as void shield activations cause lights to dim across the port.
==Around Port Wander==
The space around Port Wander is filled with a clutch of
asteroids that share its stable orbit. Nowhere near as large
as the asteroid belt that girds the system, the asteroids
have been extensively mined and developed since Port
Wander’s founding. Some of the larger asteroids
have been converted almost entirely into vast
shipyards and drydocks, while others have
been converted into habs, low-gee farms,
foundry stations, refineries, and sustenance processors. The
population of these asteroids is roughly equal to that of Port
Wander, though spread out over a much wider area. Some of
the more notable stations and asteroids are as follows:
*S/914 R IX: This asteroid-turned-repair yard and its attending hab-stations are largely left unbothered by Imperial Authority. Led by Foremistress Rhaelee Mahvorn III, the yard has a reputation for reliable and fast repairs with no questions. However, the yard does not suffer those who cannot (or will not) pay their debts, and are rumoured to have contacts among some of the pirate vessels that drift outsystem.
*B/017 C III: The largest shipyard in the system, B/017 is a gigantic gothic-tiered scaffolding almost twelve kilometres long, designed to house all but the very largest Imperial warships and mass conveyors. It is controlled jointly by the Imperial Navy and House Krin, and its clients are a mix of military and civilian vessels. Although there is little new ship construction in the Port Wander system, B/017 does turn out a new heavy transport every half-century or so.
*Hab 21: Amongst the numerous drifting hab stations around the port, Hab 21 is far more infamous than its modest 500-meter size would suggest. The small station is a critical node in one of the Cold Trade smuggling operations, and a steady stream of unregistered shuttles constantly enter and depart its docking bays.
*The Bounty Ring: A chain of mined-out asteroids turned low-gee farms, the Bounty Ring provides half the foodstuffs for Port Wander and the surrounding space. All aboard the station recognize just how important the Bounty Ring is to Port Wander’s existence, and the Navy keeps an intersystem defense monitor and two orbital weapons platforms on station at all times.
==Station Defenses==
As it is a fairly isolated station on the edge of the Calixis
Sector, Port Wander must be able to defend itself. In this
regard, the station is quite capable. Batteries of macrocannon
dot the outer edges of the station. Interspaced between
them are multi-laser, autocannon, and Vulcan mega-bolter
turrets for point defense and ordinance suppression.
The station’s main offensive weapons are the dorsal and
keel long-range lance batteries in the central bastion. In
addition, the station has a dozen orbital weapons platforms
in close attendance. Together, Port Wander’s defenses rival
a Naval cruiser squadron.
For offensive operations in the Rubycon II system,
Port Wander maintains five defense monitors---slow but
heavily-armed intersystem vessels---and the starfighter
and bomber squadrons of Vanguard Wing. Although
under-strength compared to most Navy wings, Vanguard
considers itself an elite formation---with good reason.
Fighters and bombers can operate where larger ships
cannot, such as Rubycon II’s dense asteroid belt, and the
Furies and Starhawks of Vanguard have launched many
vicious (and successful) attacks against pirate vessels since
the Navy returned to Port Wander.
==Celebrations and Feasts==
In many ways Port Wander operates like its own city, and over the many years of existence has adopted its own unique
holidays to accompany the standard Imperial and Calixian dates. These include:
*Feast of the Alignment - This marks the date the Navy regained control of the station. It is a grand holiday for Naval personnel, with double rations and amasec for the ratings as well as a huge feast for the officers. Unsurprisingly, the civilian population does not celebrate it with the same fervor.
*Salvation Day - A celebration to mark the end of the siege from Waaagh! Gulgrog, who surrounded the port with a huge fleet in 422.M41. Unlike many of the other festival days, it is marked with some degree of acrimony as many of the Rogue Trader fleets refused to come to the port’s aid in these dark times, finding it more profitable to stay out of the conflict or request impossible fees for their efforts. The vile greenskins had almost brought the station to collapse with constant bombardment and fighter attacks until the valiant Imperial Navy came to the rescue. It is common for many a toast to be raised to Battlefleet Calixis on this day, and for many a drink to be poured on the floor at the mention of any of the Rogue Traders who demonstrated their true colors during the conflict.
*Discovery Day - A somewhat fanciful holiday “honoring” Rogue Trader Vivaldi Jontur’s “discovery” of the Rubycon system. It is celebrated in a humorous fashion mostly by the station’s civilians, who spend the day searching for lost items or cleverly hiding things from their friends. On occasion, however, this has been used as a cover to steal valuables with the thieves claiming they “were only celebrating” should they be caught.
*Comet Fall - This happens whenever a comet comes near the station. Though it is probably stripped of most of its ice by that time, there is still plenty to be harvested if it is large enough. Most of the comet miners gather at the port for a collective effort, and indulge in friendly rivalries to see which clans can mine the most water before the remains drift too far from the station. Days of hard work take place, with much feasting and camaraderie to follow, and additional water rations are available throughout the port in the weeks thereafter.
*Opening of the Maw - This day of feasting celebrates the successful return of Purity Lathimon from the Expanse, opening the way for reliable passage through the Maw. This is often celebrated by feasting, though other, more sinister excesses are also prevalent. It has become a matter of honour for some nobility to provide the most exotic delicacies or darkest indulgences from the distant corners of the Expanse, resulting in a influx of smuggling in the weeks before.
==The Ruling Factions==
Port Wander is a domain of the Imperium of Mankind ruled
in the name of the God-Emperor of mankind and divided
by the desires and ambitions of His servants. Port Wander
was originally built by the Imperial Navy and technically
remains in their control to this day. However, as Port
Wander grew fat on the riches of Rogue Traders, wanders
and explorers returning from beyond the Great Warpstorms,
other parties took interest in the station and its governance,
and its rule is now a complex interplay between factions
whose interests intersect and conflict in an ever-shifting web
of power. These battles for dominance are commonly waged
with deceit, lies, and diplomacy, but sometimes descend into
assassination and sabotage.
Battlefleet Calixis
Battlefleet Calixis have formal primary authority over Port
Wander. Without their guns and warships Port Wander would
likely not exist today as anything more than a drifting shell
or Ork-infested wreck. They have the means to destroy ships,
enforce embargo and quarantines, and (potentially) bar the
Koronus Passage to a vessel. These powers are theirs by virtue
of the Imperial Navy’s duty in the Calixis Sector to protect
the domains of the God-Emperor of Mankind. These are
powers that they must exercise cautiously, however, lest they
risk antagonising other influential factions in Port Wander. As
powerful as the Imperial Navy is, its officers and men are by
no means beyond the reach of other Imperial factions.
Adeptus Mechanicus
The Adeptus Mechanicus are the guardians and maintainers
of the secrets of technology. Without the Tech Priests and
their arcane lore, Port Wander would soon become lifeless,
defenceless, and blind. It is by the knowledge and consent
of the Mechanicus that the ships that flock to the station
are repaired and the spirits of their machines calmed. Their
shrines anoint the port in mysterious sectors, unremarkable
except to those who know the secret histories of the station
and its hidden mechanical pathways. Their presence is
always in demand to offer consecrations to newly-repaired
vessels, and for binary prayers as the ships depart for the
Maw. They operate the huge auspex arrays located below
the port, monitoring the Maw’s relative calmness and
surrounding warp storms, the better to advise the captains
who would make that passage. They are the foundation for
all operations in Port Wander.
For their part, the Tech Priests have a great interest in
the station, as it functions as a staging point for Mechanicus
Explorator expeditions into the Halo Stars. It also keeps
keen watches over the artefacts brought out of the
Koronus Expanse by Rogue Traders, its eye ever searching
for prohibited technologies or sacred relics of the lost past.
The Xenos Biologis and Technologis factions often engage
in a conflict hidden from all not privy to the aetheric
communication networks between Tech-Priests, with
data blasts and canted logic accusations wielded
as violently as swords in their desire for first
examination of all recovered items.
Merchant Cartels and Gelt Brokers
Representatives and factors of the merchant cartels, gelt
brokers and trade houses of the Calixis sector swarm to
Port Wander like ravenous predators. The flow of wealth
and goods of all variety is controlled by them, and they
have the ability and will to bankrupt nobles and strangle
enterprises. It is to these keen-eyed factors that treasures
from beyond the Great Warpstorms may be sold, and
from cunning provender merchants that a Rogue Trader’s
supplies are purchased. Of all the factions of Port Wander,
this loose grouping of cartels and merchants is the most
internally fractured and the most dangerously unstable; their
disposition is constantly uncertain and the limits of their
greed and spite are hard to gauge.
The Navis Nobilite
The Navis Nobilite hold the keys to the stars: it is only
with their consent and complicity that any can venture
from Port Wander into the Koronus Expanse. Without the
Navigators’ third eye---their ability to see and navigate the
tides and current of the warp---there could be no exploration
of unknown regions such as the Koronus Expanse, and so
it is that Port Wander (and all drawn to it) depends on the
families of navigators for its continued existence. For their
part, the Navigators are little concerned with controlling Port
Wander, but the station is a battle ground for clan struggles:
exploration into the Koronus Expanse offers priceless
insight into the process of navigating uncharted space. As
Port Wander is the gateway to the Expanse, many navigator
houses see a dominant presence in the station as vital in
securing contracts to explore the unknown. This knowledge
improve the fortunes of a Navigator clan, especially if a route
leads to a valuable world or is later designated for a crusade
or colonization. In such cases, the exclusive knowledge of a
route and the skill of the clan navigators to steer it mean
that they can command a fortune in bonds from the
Imperial Navy or Merchant Cartels.
==The Law on the Port==
As an Imperial Naval installation, law enforcement
nominally falls under the jurisdiction of the station’s
Naval Provost authorities and the Navy branch of the
Commissariat. Normally this would be sufficient to ensure law
and order. However, the majority of Port Wander’s population
is not Navy personnel, which creates problems.
Under the terms of the Grand Alignment, the Imperial Navy
officially handles the enforcement of Imperial Law on Port
Wander, though the Provost and Commissariat retain a solid
presence on the station. However, their activities are directed
towards ensuring Naval personnel obey station and shipboard
conduct regulations, or at least keep civilian disruptions to a
minimum. Violators are dealt with harshly, keeping the stockyards
busy across all watches. Civilians found guilty in Naval courts
often find themselves sent directly to the pressment centers,
where they are offloaded onto the next warship. That said, Naval
enforcement does not often concern itself with civilian matters,
unless it directly effects the Navy’s operations.
By default, much of the civilian law enforcement falls to the
small Arbitrator presence on the station. The Adeptus Arbites
occupies a precarious and thankless position in the authority
structure of Port Wander. Technically, they have jurisdiction over
Port Wander’s civilian population, while the Navy is responsible
for the Naval population. However, the two groups are extensively
intermixed, and tidy separation is impossible. Jurisdictional
conflicts are extremely common, and although the Arbites have
(admittedly shaky) authority even over the Navy---in practice the
Navy has the strength to make that authority meaningless.
The infighting is only exacerbated by both organizations'
attitudes. Though the Navy is happy to ignore the civilian
population for the most part, they do not hesitate to exert their
authority whenever that population becomes embroiled in Navy
affairs. Even a simple brawl between civilians and Navy ratings
can result in the Provost or Commissariat stepping in. This angers
Marshal Dhorin and the Arbites, who see such
actions as a deliberate undercutting of Arbites responsibilities.
Ironically, the factional infighting between the two
organisations only heightens the criminal activity aboard the
station. Neither organization has enough power to police Port
Wander, but if the two were able to truly unite their efforts, they
could do a creditable job. As it is, the current state of affairs only
benefits the criminal underclass. As it is, the Arbites spend most
of their days at their precinct, self-sufficient and able to withstand
even the most determined of attacks. Much of their activity is
undertaken by informers or undercover officers---it is rare for
uniformed Arbitrators to leave the precinct except in large and well-armed
parties. Recently, however, the Arbites has been making
renewed forays into the station’s decks and conducting more
suppression and enforcement raids. This has only served to
increase tensions between them and the Navy.
There are plenty of other organizations on the
station that have at least a nominal interest
in law and enforcement. Naval Intelligence
has a presence that watches for threats to the Battlefleet, should
they be pirates, xenos warships, or even corruption by the
Ruinous Powers. There is also an Inquisition presence aboard
the station of uncertain size---the only known Inquisitor is
Linetta Res, although it would be unwise to assume she is the
only agent of the Holy Ordos on Port Wander.
Finally, many of the merchant houses and Rogue Traders
employ their own law enforcement to protect their interests
aboard Port Wander, meaning much of the interior is protected
by mercenary bands and hired thugs. Both the Navy and
the Arbites detest these paid enforcers, but so long as an
organization doesn’t grow too powerful or overstep its bounds,
they are willing to accept them as part of the status quo.
Crime in the Ruby's Light
Port Wander supports a thriving underclass of criminal
activity. This ranges from pirate raiders that drift in the outer
cometary clouds, to smugglers, thieves, brokers and murders
that infect the station itself.
Smuggling is a common crime; most captains cannot
resist an opportunity to supplement their income by hauling
some additional, illegal cargo. Smuggling is so common that
many intersystem ships or transport shuttles contain hidden
stowage spaces for that very purpose. Many of the shuttle
clans are known for making a tidy profit as go-betweens
for larger vessels returning from the Halo Stars and brokers
aboard the station. There are also larger smuggling networks,
with Warp-capable vessels, intersystem ships, and even hidden
asteroid bases. The infamous Cold Trade of xenos artefacts
runs through Port Wander, and it is not the only smuggling
venture in the Rubycon system. The Calixis Battlefleet would
have to station at least a quarter of its starships at Port Wander
to even put a dent in the smuggling, something the Navy has
little interest in doing.
Pirates also infest the system, attracted to the rich bounties
being harvested from the Expanse and the heavily-laden vessels
supplying the system. A common tactic is to attack transports
as they translate into real space or lure them with false distress
calls. Many merchant vessels approaching the system operate
in fleets in an attempt to stave them off, but with little success.
Xenos raiders are also a threat, though major attacks have been
rare in recent decades. Be they human or alien, pirates are
ruthless and generally leave no survivors. Captured ships are
either stripped for parts, refitted and re-crewed as prize vessels,
or left to drift and die without power.
==Notable Persons of Port Wander==
The population of Port Wander is roughly five million, and
the surrounding asteroids’ population is roughly as large
again. However, even amongst those teeming masses, there
are those who stand above the rest. They are the notables, the
movers and shakers of the station, and may even know (or
take an interest in) a Rogue Trader.
Commander Larius Sans
Rarely found outside of his offices or the port’s command deck,
Naval Commander Larius Sans has grudgingly tended to his
duties as both Port Wander’s highest Battle Fleet Calixis officer
and, to his dismay, the station’s central authority. Leadership
takes its toll, especially on a station like Port Wander.
Commander Sans occupies a tenuous position between power
brokers, wealthy merchants, ambitious Rogue Traders, and
House Krin money-lenders, not to mention smugglers, cultists,
and pirates. To make matters worse, reports suggest that a
notorious spy from the Inquisition has begun an investigation
that could bring his career to a calamitous end. Little is known
of the Inquisition’s representative other than that she may be
the reason an entire planet was committed to dust.
Larius Sans’ calm and disciplined demeanor suggests
anything other than the situation he finds himself in. His
muscular frame provides ample space for his many military
commendations, which further express the irony of his
position---a decorated officer gifted with command of a
station for which he has little love. He suspects that his betters
laugh at him from afar, his post as Port Wander’s commander
a joke and inheritance from the blunders of his uncle, the late
Admiral Sans. Acting against his impulse toward weeding out
the corruption and factionalism within the port’s ranks, he
bides his time, catering to those who undermine his authority
until he can make his move and prove that he is not one
to be laughed at. Civilians have unwittingly come under
the commander’s employ, as he is cunning and willing to
accomplish his goals through indirect means.
At some point, the port will have to bend to the
commander’s will. Should it fail to do so, it will succumb to
its own lawlessness and depravity, whether at the hands of
an Inquisitor, pirates, or the stations own factionalism. Such
an event may lead the citizens to look to Sans for salvation,
at which time he could realize his ambition, save them, and
put his competitors to shame---or so his fantasy plays out.
On more sober days, he accepts that the port’s condition will
likely sustain itself and so, with little hope, he waits.
Captain Karsus Har of the Ventan Iron Hounds
For the right price a man can buy many things in Port Wander,
goods and information, influence and station, damnation, or
even grace. Unsurprisingly, might is among the many immaterial
products available. For Captain Har of the Ventan Iron Hounds,
military might is more than just a concept, it’s his stock and
trade. Stationed in his cell-like abode in the grimy tunnels of
the Port, Captain Har sells the services of thousands of eager,
violent men every day. A hard-bitten man of middling years,
Captain Har is clearly no stranger to violence, his scarred flesh
a testament to his experience, his manifold augmetics evidence
of his dedication to a life of soldiery.
Har spent several years serving as a marine officer aboard
the Telum Argentus, a Rogue Trader vessel of little renown.
During a particularly bloody battle Har’s boarding party was
left stranded aboard a hulked enemy ship as the Telum fled
from the remaining opposition. Pressed into service aboard
an enemy vessel, Har and his men made poor conscripts and
eventually absconded during a period of shore leave. Seeking
refuge and knowing little beyond warfare, Har joined the ranks
of the Iron Hounds. Working on his own terms, Har has served
the Hounds diligently for nearly six decades, becoming their
liaison in Port Wander only in the last three years.
Those whose names grace the bottom of his contracts are
as varied as they come, from Naval Officers in need of extra
bodies for a coming conflict, to Rogue Traders engaged more
in violence than subterfuge. In the interest of his business,
Captain Har keeps a watchful eye on Port Wander and the
surrounding void, always listening for whispers that might
give him an edge in future negotiations. It is for this reason that
Har is known throughout the Port as a source of information
as well as military muscle. Though Har hires his men out for
violent work of all kinds, one thing is always made clear to a
buyer: the Hounds are soldiers for hire, not would-be crew;
when a conflict is over, the buyer is left to his own and the
Hounds return home.
Captain Morthus Whitehold
Exploration in the Expanse is never without risk. Most
who travel there are desperate or vain enough to wager all
against the faint hope that they will one day return with
enlightenment, fortune, or glory. A great many perish in the
Expanse, and those who do return rarely do so unscathed.
So it is with Morthus Whitehold. Once a Rogue Trader of
considerable renown, Captain Whitehold has since declined
into a mad prison of his own paranoid making.
It has been nearly three decades since the captain of the
Emperor’s March has set foot off Port Wander even to enter
his own ship, a tremendous vessel that dwarfs the naval light
cruisers which often rendezvous with the Port. In years long
since past Captain Whitehold and his Trader fleet plied the
Maw, practically a force of nature in the Expanse, and a
legend to the would-be explorers trapped in the mundanity
of Port life by fate and circumstance. It was during one such
adventure, to an unknown region of the Expanse, previously
untouched by human influence, that the famous captain was
brought low. Morthus himself never speaks of the event and
his loyal crew refuse inquiry, but it is said in low whispers
throughout the Port that the majority of the Rogue Trader’s
fleet was battered to hulks and the captain himself was cursed
by a being of baleful power. Fleeing with little more than
his life, Captain Whitehold lead his remaining ships back
to Port Wander for repairs. Upon arrival Morthus fled his
ship and took quarters on the station, as though he
fears the March. To this day the Emperor’s March
remains anchored to a docking station just off-Port, it’s crew resigned to disuse and neglect.
To the people of Port Wander, Morthus
has become as constant as the thrum of the atmosphere recyclers.
The distraught Rogue Trader often stalks the decks of the Port,
a lunatic light in his guarded eyes, keeping a suspicious watch
on those who pass by, his once-gaudy clothing now a tattered
reminder of his famous past. He is met with open disdain by
those too brazen to understand the depth of his misfortune,
and somber condolence by those who fear his fate. While he is
usually too withdrawn to approach directly, he occasionally has
periods of total lucidity, sometimes lasting days at a time. During
these times he temporarily returns to his former grandeur and
gregariousness before eventually lapsing back into a paranoid
delirium. For obvious reasons, curious or inquisitive Explorers
seeking the once-great captain’s knowledge and experience
are advised to approach him during these rare moments, as his
advice can sometimes mean the difference between success and
disaster for an adventurous void-farer.
Constructor Acholus
Servitors are a necessity on a station like Port Wander,
their presence overlooked by most. Through the constant,
unflagging labour of a mindless horde of thousands Port
Wander is kept operational. Overseeing these laborers is
Constructor Acholus, the master architect of Port Wander.
Acholus was installed on the Port nearly two centuries ago
by the Priesthood of Mars, to serve Magos Toronos by both
managing the servitors and organizing the slow, but constant
expansion of the station. A rigidly orthodox servant of the
Machine God, Constructor Acholus attends his duties with
the pragmatic efficiency so prized by his cult, a swarm of
servo-skulls continually darting to and fro about him, relaying
messages to his servitor charges throughout the station.
As his servants carry out their ceaseless labors, practically
unseen by the Port’s inhabitants, they watch and record,
and utilizing his superhuman ability to process information,
Acholus takes note of what they see. The majority of this
information is mere trivium, useful only for predicting
possible future expansions. However it was through this
host of mindless agents that the Constructor became aware
of troubling rumors, that his superior, Magos Toronos, may
be engaged in uncovering proscribed tech artifacts. Now the
Constructor finds himself burdened by a crisis of loyalty.
While the orthodox Martian priest bristles at the possibility of
Toronos’ profanity, his pragmatic sense of duty requires more
than just rumors to level an accusation of tech-heresy against
a Magos of such accomplishment. In order to illuminate his
suspicions with facts, Constructor Acholus has instructed his
countless charges to keep a passing watch on Toronos and
those visitors to the Port she deals with personally.
Magos Toronos
The various machines and technological systems that ensure
Port Wander’s continued functionality rely on the Adeptus
Mechanicus and its local master, the great Magos Toronos.
Mysterious and driven, Toronos facilitates more than
is reasonable for an individual, yet does so with
finesse and striking efficiency. Her strides,
long and deliberate; her form, bulbous,
amalgamated machine and flesh; the last sign of her gender,
a feminine pronoun---few could mistake her as she makes her
way about the Halls of the Mechanicus or the many other
administrative centers on port. Given the weight of Toronos’
daily business it would be surprising were she to accomplish
anything beyond the Adeptus Mechanicus’ demands.
This has not stopped a few jealous others from levying
accusations in the port’s darker corners, claiming the Magos
uses her power and resources to smuggle in artefacts both
strange and dangerous to sate a debauched hunger for
technology. Those who suggest this have little evidence to
support their claims and would be hard-pressed to come up
with more. Though, as history shows, lack of evidence rarely
prevents the fabrication of falsehoods to sully the names of
the powerful. If Toronos knows of these rumors, she pays
them no mind and none have yet dared ask her directly.
Regardless, her followers strongly outnumber her detractors
and she exercises a position of undeniable strength among Port
Wander’s power brokers. Moreover, a lower citizen or visitor to
the port may approach the Magos for her expertise or a prayer
to the Omnissiah and they will undoubtedly receive what they
ask for, increasing her popularity in turn. Such occasions are
brief but always valued by the fortunate soul.
Marshal Dhorin
Port Wander is a troublesome place for those in authority. It
provides a great deal of power and influence, positioned as
it is on the one safe path to the Koronus Expanse. However,
this location makes it a perfect stepping off point for those
recalcitrant elements of Imperial society wishing to make
their escape into unpatrolled space. It was the latter that first
drew the vigilant Marshal Dhorin to the Port. As a Judge
of the Adeptus Arbites, Dhorin was responsible for tracking
down and apprehending fugitives of the Imperial Law,
criminals responsible for heinous crimes beyond the scope of
planetary enforcers.
One such criminal, Chiros Artaemos, whose crimes
included over a dozen murders of Imperial officers and
officials through three systems, had eluded Dhorin for three
years. In the final weeks of the man hunt, Dhorin tracked
Artaemos to Port Wander before he escaped further into
the Expanse. While on station, the Arbites Judge was foiled
time and again by what he perceived as the mismanagement
of the Arbitrators assigned to the port. After a wearisome
investigation and a desperate confrontation Dhorin cornered
and eventually executed the assassin. His duty done, the
Arbites agent turned his attention to the Proctors managing
the station’s precinct. In a ruthless move he had the leading
arbitrators demoted and reassigned throughout the system,
and assumed control of the precinct himself.
Despite his intentions, the station has improved very little
since Dhorin’s seizure, and he has since realized that it was
not the failure of the previous Proctors which lead to the
Port’s lawlessness, but the station’s very purpose and position.
The grim Marshal therefore does what he can to mitigate the
danger to the citizens of Port Wander, and works diligently to
stem the flow of illegal goods, censured artefacts, and fugitive
traffic through the station.
Very recently, rumors of the arrival of an Inquisitorial
agent has set the inexorable man on edge. He suspects that
his mistreatment of the former precinct officers followed
by his inability to purge the Port of danger and vice has
earned him the attention of an acolyte of the Inquisition.
This has done nothing to improve his demeanor
and, if anything, has exacerbated his prejudice against
incompetence. Visitor to the Port are quick to notice
that Marshal Dhorin himself has taken to the decks of
the station in an effort to make the Arbites presence more
visible. Those with ill intent are warned, Port Wander is no
place for the enemies of man.
Omidaeus and Isshaak
In a time long passed, Omidaeus would stroll about the
Astropathic Choir Sanctum to greet visiting sanctioned psykers
and welcome those in need of communications services. Few
remember those days and no one understands how or why
they came to an end. Today, only his trusted servant Isshaak
may enter the antiquated, dust-covered chamber that once
served as his private quarters, a refuge Omidaeus refuses to
leave. On the rare occasion Isshaak forgets the door, some
have claimed to glimpse movement, the occasional finger, or
even a hand from behind a cascade of cable and wire that
descends from one of the chamber’s walls like constrictive
vines and serpents. Attempts made to communicate with
Omidaeus telepathically have been described sonorously
as metal against glass---no thought, no sign eligible for
interpretation. Any open speculation regarding the condition
of Omidaeus leads to violent outrage on the part of Isshaak
who sees it as an affront to the master’s wishes.
The possessive and servile underling Isshaak holds audience
with Omidaeus daily and dispenses his master’s
commands throughout the Sanctum. Despised by the rest of
the Choir, Isshaak guards his privilege with haughty disdain
and eccentric displays including donning his master’s garb,
performing self flagellatory exercises in recompense for the
Choir’s supposed descent into sin, and flaunting his possession
of the Sanctum’s master key. When he feels the need to leave
his master’s side, the short, fleshy creature presses flat against
the Sanctum’s long, dark walls for fear of contact with those he
suspects plot against him. Regrettably, any who seek the master
of the Astropathic Choir Sanctum will have to communicate
with the first among his servants instead.
A word of wisdom for potential visitors: three years
ago, suspicious members of the Choir accused Isshaak of
imprisoning Omidaeus for his own gain and attempted to
mete out justice on Omidaeus’ behalf. In a fit of terror, the
slave fled to his master’s refuge followed by the mob. Isshaak,
the only being to leave the room alive, continued the business
of the Sanctum as though nothing had happened. None of his
accusers were ever seen again. The wake of this event forged a
kind of peace only possible in the shadow of insanity, an eerie
peace that lingers there still. Isshaak’s countenance signifies
weakness but in madness he finds strength, a fact one would
be wise to remember.
Torvan the Fallen
Years ago, Torvan lost control of his ship on his first voyage
through the Koronus Expanse. The unfortunate event led to
an arduous ordeal on a desert covered death world shrouded
in a cloak of near-eternal night. Through cold and hunger he
endured, making his way back to the nomadic fleet, Aleene, from
which his life journey began. But the fleet deemed him cursed,
and a danger to all his house,
banishing him and casting him off into the void. Dark years of
exile followed, and he scraped out an existence by trading his
services to ships of ill repute for meagre reward, until he settled
upon Port Wander to sell his knowledge as a cautionary tale to
the various Rogue Traders that pass through the port’s halls.
At many of Port Wander’s places of rest may be heard whispers
about a grounded navigator, consumed by quiet madness,
hoping to peddle his experiences to young and foolhardy
explorers of the void. Black robes billow about his gaunt figure
as he makes his promenade about the Gilt Processionals or the
Solstice Imperialis. He’s been known to issue cryptic words
of warning to those of haughty baring or ostentatious garb,
though these morsels are often passed off as the ramblings of an
addled fool who ventured once too often through the warp. His
visage indicates unknown years of experience---a mechanical
lower jaw, wandering left eye, and a single scar carved into pale,
taut flesh for every story he has to sell.
Torvan’s travels include uncompleted adventures, uncovered
but unsolved mysteries, and blunders potentially in need of
remedy, making him valuable for any crew in need of work---though only the most desperate crew would rely on him. He
refuses to navigate another ship, but will give valuable advice
on the subject as long as a reasonable amount of gelt comes
his way. Those who request his advice should use caution: the
man is said to have doomed more expeditions than he has
successfully plotted.
Inquisitor Linetta Res of the Ordo Xenos
Ten years ago a destructive artefact of unknown origin appeared
on a death world among the Halo Stars. Ordo Xenos Inquisitor
Linetta Res discovered a cult unwittingly activating the artefact
as a beacon---what kind of beacon and what it might have
summoned remains unknown. She ordered the entire world
destroyed in hopes that the beacon had not yet attracted any
unwanted attention, and in reward found herself on missions
of increasing difficulty across the Calixis Sector, working to
uncover the smuggling of xenos technology.
Her presence on Port Wander remained a secret until recently,
when Commander Larius Sans received a disturbing report that a
Rogue Trader was taken by the Inquisition while working for an
anonymous tech priest. The identity of the heretical priest has yet
to be revealed and Res, enervated by her first catch, continues the
investigation with renewed vigour. Rogue Traders have incentive
to choose jobs carefully given the Inquisition’s presence on the
station and depending on their activities---past and present---may find themselves under her scrutiny.
Res examines every scene and character she meets with
eidetic precision, ready to analyse even those she believes have
no part in heretical activities. She words every statement with
the utmost care, taking time to tactically deploy information
like a series of traps to rein in her prey. She makes victims
of even those truly guilty of crimes against mankind and the
Emperor, for the slowness with which she speaks disarms
her opponents, leading them unwittingly to their own
demise. For those rare few able to fool her or prove
themselves uncorrupted, she trades in information, making her an invaluable source as long as
something useful comes her way in return.
Rhaelee Mahvorn III, Foremistress of S/914 R IX
The void surrounding Port Wander is lousy with asteroid-bound
mines, palaces, fuelling stations, and repair yards. Given the sheer
number of these facilities, the authorities of the Port have long
since lost track of all of them. In the absence of direct Imperial
oversight, many have become small kingdoms unto themselves,
governed by dynastic lords and elder councils. On S/914 R IX,
an asteroid-turned-repair yard, the Mahvorn dynasty has directed
the labor for over a millennium. To the Mahvorns, leadership
has never been a privileged position of luxury and decadence,
but a seat from which to ensure a job well done and a labor
force well rewarded. While the inhabitants of other installations
toil under the harsh watch of would-be Imperial courtiers, the
people of R IX have worked for one of their own.
The Mahvorn dynasty was never a noble line, but rather
a family of laborers who were artificially raised above their
peers by the administrators of Port Wander. Early in the 40th
millennium, while Port Wander was first being established,
many of the surrounding asteroids were settled to provide
materials and facilities for the construction of the Port. During
this period R IX was managed by a naval officer and his small
staff. Shortly after the completion of the Port, the officer was
killed in a shuttle mishap and the administration of R IX was
temporarily transferred to Vindalv Mahvorn, the foreman of the
construction yards. In the intervening centuries the bureaucrats
of the Port lost track of the relatively minor installation and no
new administrator was sent to replace the erstwhile overseer.
It has been over nine centuries since then and a Mahvorn
has ruled ever since. The current steward is Foremistress
Rhaelee Mahvorn III, a woman of indeterminate age and fierce
bearing. Often mingling with the workers on the repair yards,
a visitor to R IX would be hard-pressed to pick the steward
out from a crowd. Her clothing is as worn and grease-stained
as that of her subjects, her flesh as scarred and calloused from
years on the yards. Indeed her most noticeable feature, her
bionic arm replacement, is the result of an industrial accident
from years past.
Despite her proletarian appearance, Rhaelee takes her
administrative duties very seriously. She runs the ship yards
of R IX with a practiced hand resulting in a reputation
for efficiency and quality. While R IX is a relatively small
installation, only numbering roughly fifty-thousand souls,
it is known to be one of the best facilities in the Rubycon
system, having even been contracted by they Imperial fleet
itself in times of need. In negotiations the steward is cordial
and charming, but always keeps a shrewd eye on her contracts.
Foremistress Mahvorn is well aware of her people’s reputation
and rarely lets the prospective client get the better of her. A
Rogue Trader with a crippled vessel and the coin to spend
would do well to seek out R IX and its capable steward.
Thran Finn
Eventually, every Rogue Trader who survives the many
dangers within the warp or among the stars will have
to face an encounter with a pirate fleet or one of its
representatives. The fortunate ones fulfil this informal
obligation through a meeting with Thran Finn, who can
be found wasting time among Port Wander’s admittedlyfew
idle citizens of meagre means. Thran wants for little,
however, preferring the company of the station’s most
indolent rogues as a matter of taste and vanity only. His
pay, so the long running joke goes, comes from an unnamed
pirate fleet that stationed him on Port Wander as a pair of
eyes and ears. Though probably true, his innocuous smile
and laid-back attitude relieve the curious of any concern
about his associations and the more serious accusers are
paid in laughs all around.
Rumor-trading and word of ships and cargo at
dock will hold his attention for a time, and though his
rumors are as cheap as the hat on his head, he dispenses
the occasional gem. When one has nothing to go on, he
seeks out Thran Finn. If he leaves with nothing else, he
will at least have had a laugh. For reliable informants
willing to take the time and effort to temper a long-lasting
relationship, Thran will gladly return the favor. Such a
rapport is rare, however, given that the longer one works
with Thran, the more likely it is that misfortune will befall
him... though Thran makes sure to keep his own mechanical
hands as clean of violence as possible, preferring to leave
the dirty work up to others.
Honorable Representative Pultarch Norn
Port Wander hosts the Honourable Representative Pultarch
Norn, representing House Krin, the pre-eminent supplier
of loans, bonds of credit and surety of funds across the
Calixis Sector. As the envoy of the most powerful financiers
in the sector, he is one of the most influential individuals
in residence, and his power carries far beyond the confines
of the station. Though he is not a blood member of House
Krin, he is one of their most trusted and senior servants,
and has power to broker terms on vast sums of Throne Gelt.
Gaunt and angular, he favors heavy black and gold robes
with fingers sheathed in rings of authority and rank. He is
spoken of by many as the “Gilded Crow,” though he is never
addressed as such to his face. He is rarely seen outside of
his rooms in the Chambers of Gold where he meets with
those who have procured the proper type of introduction.
The sole concern of this trusted servant is a good return
on an investment or loan, and if that return is not met, his
second concern is that a debt be paid in full. Should matters
proceed beyond that, there are many employees who can
deal with the necessary collections and deliver sharp lessons
in correct payment practices.
Category:Calixis Sector
Category:Space Stations
Category:Halo Stars
Category:Koronus Expanse