Lacuna

“It shall be as if you never existed, and only the darkness shall mourn your passing.”
–Reassembled from the data-files of Inquisitor Voyitz following his unexplained death
Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Calixis Sector maintain whispered accounts of a hidden planet amid
the domains of the Lathe Worlds. This planet has no official
designation, and any record of its discovery or founding—if
the planet ever existed at all---is absent from every known
record and star chart. Those who know of it do not freely
articulate what they have learned, for fear of becoming the
target of powerful and unseen forces. Only within the most
clandestine and influential cabals and circles of the Lathes
does the planet have a name: Lacuna.
Lacuna is a small, airless world whose exact location remains
a carefully guarded secret. A layer of fine, jet-black sediment
known as Lacuna Dust covers the planet’s entire surface. This
dust is inert to the electromagnetic waves of the visible light
spectrum, among others, meaning that the planet is perpetually
covered in unnatural darkness. The planet’s remarkable surface
composition and lack of atmosphere also make the planet
impossible to detect against the blackness of space, especially
by the feeble light of its pale sun. Rumors and conjectures
about the planet are rife, and the Lathe-Covenant is quick to
refute that any world matching Lacuna’s description exists
within their domain. However, small handfuls of Lacuna Dust
occasionally appear in the many black markets of the Calixis
Sector from time to time, further fuelling the rumors and
suppositions concerning this mysterious planet.
The Obsidian Forge is the only foundry on Lacuna. Here the
ruling Fabricator, a Magos who has assumed the title Obscurus,
performs the necessary litanies and observances to maintain his
technological charges. Inside this secluded complex are dimly
lit workshops and laboratories, teeming with logi-sealed and
hypnoath-bound Tech-Priests, each one endlessly tinkering
with and dissecting devices that would tantalise any Explorator.
So thorough are the encryptions placed within these servants’
synaptic cogitators, many are unable to ever fully comprehend
the extent of their work at any given time.
At the center of the facility, automated gun-turrets,
armed Skitarii, and a host of other, more subtle security
measures safeguard a pair of great bronze doors. Each door
is reinforced with layers of adamantium, and etched with
intricate copper devotions and inlaid circuits dedicated to the
Omnissiah. Beyond this formidable entranceway, a labyrinth
of vaults and chambers encompasses the many artefacts
and relics of Lacuna. Every sector of this convoluted maze
contains a deadly security apparatus, each a unique and
devious contraption capable of eliminating anyone lacking
the Fabricator’s authorization. Tales of the priceless treasures
within these guarded tombs vary from ancient archeotech, to
STC printouts, and even technology stretching back to the
earliest days of Man’s conquest of the stars.
The Obsidian Forge is where the Skitarii and other
military forces of Lacuna stand silent vigil against any who
would try to breach the darkness surrounding the foundry.
The most specialized of these are the deadly Vigilies
Servitors. These warriors wield potent and rare weapons,
proficient at destroying adversaries of a mechanical nature,
and are Lacuna’s first and finest guardians. However, some
say that the Fabricator Obscurus has another weapon
under his control; one powerful enough to devastate entire
legions and even strike Imperial warships from orbit.
Whether or not these rumors have any validity, the mere
possibility of one of the legendary Ordinatus Platforms
on Lacuna makes it an alluring target for any who desire
power and the ability to crush their enemies.
==Shadows and Dust==
The Obsidian Forge is not the only structure on this world
of almost perpetual darkness. The secluded nature of Lacuna,
combined with the dim days and pitch black nights, attracts
many Magos who believe their work too risky or important
to draw attention. As a result, additional autonomous research
stations and hidden complexes dot the planet’s gloomy
exterior. The exact number of these facilities and their official
occupants are mysteries, save to the Fabricator Obscurus, and
each exists in almost absolute secrecy.
Only those within the Lathe Worlds who wield considerable
influence and authority are typically able to learn of Lacuna’s
existence, let alone obtain the authorization to set foot upon its
surface. This clearance is surreptitiously presented in the form
of a writ of Celatus e Arcanus. The writ states that, as long as
there is no evidence of heretical activity or planetary peril, the
bearer is allowed to pursue his research on Lacuna in absolute
seclusion. Those who obtain such writs are wise to hide their
existence, lest they become objects of contention and conflict.
On Lacuna, the holders of these writs are known only
to the Fabricator himself. Additionally, a record of each writ
is transcribed onto memory parchment and bound within a
great tome. This book remains with a designated servitor,
whose sole function is to carry and maintain his sacred charge.
The volume’s comprehensive bio-genetic locks are precisely
calibrated to recognize only the Fabricator’s unique structural
dimensions. Any unauthorized attempts to access the work
automatically trigger a self-immolation protocol within the
manuscript’s sub-dermal systems.
Yet the Fabricator Obscurus carries another work, and
ritually encoded mag-locks and thrice-oiled cyclilic-autolinks
seal the black tome from any who dare look inside. Said to
hold physical copies of all the STCs and data regarding the
many secrets of Lacuna, this collection is a sacred work, and
its safekeeping is one of the Fabricator’s highest duties.
Due to this general lack of direct supervision, it is
unknown how many of Lacuna’s facilities are still active,
what manner of research is taking place, or even whether or
not the occupants are still alive. Some holdings have silently
changed hands multiple times over the years, and it is not
uncommon for entire shadow wars of espionage and covert
raids to ensue between rival Magos over secret experiments
and relics. The Fabricator Obscurus frowns upon such overt
acts, as he continuously monitors his realm via a network of
orbiting satellites and ultraviolet pic casters.
Any evidence of potential hostility or questionable activity
provokes brutal, callous, and efficient reprisals from Lacuna’s
military forces. However, very few Magos are willing to
directly accuse their rivals of anything, for doing so may
compromise their own secrecy. This has led to a tactic known
as Acts of Illumination, which refers to the strategic use of
lighting against opponents, in order to draw attention down
upon the intended target at a crucial moment. The Fabricator
Obscurus sees this stratagem as a useful way of culling the less-deserving
inhabitants and maintaining his own authority.
Those able to navigate the many rivalries and conspiracies
of Lacuna’s occupants are allowed to reap the rewards of a
planet with almost unlimited access to resources from across the
Lathe Worlds. The Fabricator Obscurus relays every requisition
communiqué, having verified its source-code, to the Lathe
System, which processes it with all the haste due to labours
vital to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Unlimited test subjects, use
of restricted items or xenos specimens, rare power sources of
untold complexity and purity, and the raw materials to build an
entire frigate are all available with but a brief binaric cant and
the authorization codes of a writ bearer.
Oftentimes, the true dangers on Lacuna result not from petty
rivalries, but instead from the hidden depths of the facilities
themselves. Many members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, whom
most would consider dangerously radical, have deceived,
bribed, and occasionally murdered their way onto the planet’s
surface, with the intent of gaining access to these secluded
chambers and the abundant resources within for their own
depraved works. These cunning individuals pose a constant
danger to the domain of the Fabricator Obscurus, whose forces
remain constantly vigilant for signs of their works.
==A Discovery in the Blackness==
Inquisitor Byrun Voyitz of the Ordos Hereticus first
brought Lacuna, or LPXT293721.1 as he designated it,
to members of the Calixian Conclave. Shortly before his
unexpected death, he had discovered a consistent pattern
of alterations amongst the data files of Heretek Apostate
Gelfalom Vornsik, that Voyitz believed to represent a
planet or ship. The recovered fragments of the Inquisitor’s
last transmissions tell of his discovery of a dark world,
feebly lit and almost indistinguishable from the inky
black void. His ship’s sudden destruction prevented the
transcription of the remainder of the communication.
The two attending Astropaths who attempted to receive
the transmission were subsequently found dead at their
stations, impaled upon their autoquills.
==The Tattered Magos==
There are many whispered half-truths and rumors among
the scattered dwellers of Lacuna. One such tale is that of the
Tattered Magos, a ghostly apparition and supposed denizen
of the Warp that stalks the planet’s fabled darkness. Legends
say that he was once a renowned Tech-Priest who disappeared
during a catastrophic meltdown that obliterated his lab, as
well as any knowledge of his rumored experiments involving
Warp energy. Whatever his purpose, something must have
gone terribly wrong---or incredibly right---as, when next he
was seen, the Magos was quite changed.
The Tattered Magos is known to manifest as a spectral
apparition, shrouded in charred and tattered robes, with
mechadendrites and cybernetics that show signs of damage and
scorching. Caught between the physical and immaterial realms,
the Magos is able to pass between the two at will, but appears
unable to remain in one or the other indefinitely. He can only
fully manifest within the physical realm for a brief time, and his
appearance often alters by decades or even centuries from one
manifestation to the next. Whether or not this ghostly figure
has any reasons for remaining on Lacuna is unknown.
==Dark Mask==
Throughout the Calixian underworld there is a rare
substance commonly referred to as Dark Mask or Lacuna
dust, although it is not known if Lacuna is its true world of
origin. Said to be a darker than the void itself, the substance
can be used to cover a surface, or even a person, rendering
him all but invisible in low-light situations. Even active
scanners have difficulty locating items coated in Dark Mask.
Dark Mask can be applied to anything, including weapons,
clothing, and bare skin. When hiding in shadow or during
low-light situations, Dark Mask gives a +60 bonus to
Concealment Tests. Characters using scanning equipment,
such as auspexes, can only locate someone or something
covered in Dark Mask if they pass a Very Hard (–30)
Tech-Use Test when using the device. A single canister of
Dark Mask contains enough dust to cover a single standardsized
human (plus clothing and basic equipment).
Cost 450, Very Rare
Category:Calixis Sector
Category:Adeptus Mechanicus
Category:Unclassified Worlds
Category:Planets