Lathesmasters

“It should be working now! If not, try praying some more, or strike it again!”
–Foreman-Primus Sarnia Maufry
The public face of the Adeptus Mechanicus---or the portion
they allow Calixian society to see---are the Tech-Priests and
Enginseers that roam the Sector. Bedecked in their deep
crimson robes and adorned with all manner of machines
and mechadendrites, these arcane beings talk of the great
Omnissiah, pray before machines of all shapes and sizes, and
speak in a language indecipherable to the average citizen.
What most do not know is that the Mechanicus in the Sector
is made up of far more than just Tech-Priests. There are, of
course, the legions of servitors, but within the Lathes, and
across their various Calixian enclaves, there is a secondary
class of workers---the Lathesmasters. These people make up
most of the population of many Calixian forge worlds, and it
is their skilled labor and mechanical expertise that has kept
the Lathes functioning for generations.
There are few surviving records detailing the origins
the Lathesmasters. Many simply assume they are natives
of the system, but most records indicate there were no
inhabitants when the Mechanicum took possession of the
Lathes. Common tales say they were imported as labor at
some later time, just as the Mechanicus would import any
required tool. Some even whisper of
improbable genetic experiments
of the Lords Dragon, surely
another of the cabal’s self-aggrandizing
rumors.
Whatever their origins, the
Lathesmasters appeared
to be perfectly adapted to
forge world life. Each is far
stronger and visibly shorter
than most other humans in
the Sector, but this was not
seen as a downside as their
stocky bodies made for
tough, rugged workers. They
possessed innate resistances
and immunities to the harsh,
polluted environments typical
of most forge worlds, and seemed
unaffected by the unforgiving and ever-changing
gravity that was common
to the Lathes. They were, in essence,
the perfect workforce for the system,
smaller in number but even better than
the standard servitor complements most
forge worlds use exclusively.
As decades passed and the Lathes grew in power, a strong family-lodge mentality began to grow. This impressed into their work, and forge-groups developed fierce rivalries over
performance. Soon, these transformed into direct competition
between the three main Lathes. The Tech-Priest overlords
fostered this competition, channeling the Lathesmasters’
drive back into their work, and soon work quotas were filled
at an ever-faster rate. Motivated by their leaders and the
divinity of the Omnissiah, this unseen worker army helped
shape the earliest days of the Calixis Sector.
Eventually this drive for exceptional work effort decreased.
When the reward for meeting a work quota ahead of schedule
was simply to move onto the next quota, certain elements
began to question not only their purpose, but also their place
within the Omnissiah’s plans. In response, large swathes of
Lathesmasters organized into groups called “Cores,” and made
demands that the priesthood of the Lathes were unwilling to
grant. On Lathe-Hadd, a world where primary production
was focused around ammunition, discontent was at its highest,
and if not for the Forge-Provost’s swift response, a rebellion
might have spilled out across the world.
Deciding that the risk to productivity was too great,
a collection of Tech-Priests from Lathe-Het gathered to
create what would be called “Rerum Novarum.” This charter
described the exact requirements of the workforce, but at
the same time also made provisions to reward those that met
their work quotas with something other than just another
work quota. Most importantly, however, it declared that
there would be no distinction between the work conducted
by the priesthood and that of the Lathesmasters---all work,
no matter who completed it, was to be done in the name of
the Omnissiah, and therefore all work was considered
divine. It was a mostly symbolic declaration, and
in truth much of the priesthood saw the edict
as nothing more than a hollow appeasement of
a society one step above the servitors, but
the Lathesmasters accepted it, and soon
quotas were being filled once again.
For decades, the Lathes returned to
peaceful production, with only the
occasional flare of civil unrest. The
Lathesmasters were allowed to keep
their work-groups, and canny
members of the priesthood used these
groups against one another
in competition. It was not
until after the War of Brass
that the specter of rebellion
from the Cores once again appeared, but this
time it was the fault of the priesthood, specifically
the Divisio Genetor,
a highly experimental
faction within the Lathes
consisting of Tech-Priests
with little or no oversight.
Fascinated with the Lathesmasters’ biological differences,
the Divisio Genetor began to delve deeper into the genetic
history of the Lathesmasters. Some scattered reports from the
time indicated that the Divisio Genetor’s sudden interest was
actually prompted by the Lords Dragon, but if true it has never
been confirmed. The Divisio Genetor had lofty goals for their
experiments, and planned to see if further modifications of the
Lathesmaster genome were possible. If successful, they could
move Lathesmaster populations to other forge worlds with
even harsher conditions, creating a workforce that did not
rely on programmed servitors but rather comprised motivated
workers dedicated to the glory of the Omnissiah.
Starting with coerced and abducted Lathesmasters who
worked in the Lathe’s harshest conditions, the Divisio Genetor
set to work on modifying their genetics to acclimatize them
to extreme temperatures and areas of low oxygen. These
invasive experiments, which would later be called the Grinder
Atrocities, had an unusually high mortality rate, and once
news of cruelty and mass fatalities spread the Cores of Lathe-Hesh rose as one in anger. Word travelled quickly to Lathe-Het
and Lathe-Hadd, and soon all the Cores were demanding
the cranial drives of the Divisio Genetor’s leaders. Thinking
that previous suppression tactics would suffice, the Forge-Provosts were sent in to quell the populace. This backfired
horribly, and three of Lathe-Hadd’s most prominent Cores---nearly a half-million men and women---were massacred. All
work within the Lathes came to a grinding halt.
With pressure on all sides, and rumors that the vengeful
Dragon Secutorii might soon involve themselves in the
conflict, the priesthood delivered a series of encyclicals in
the hope of bringing the matter to rest. Edict 1311-188-7
gave over much of the freedoms that the work-guilds desired
and put an end to the experiments. At the same time, the
edict gave the Mechanicum greater authority to transplant
Lathesmasters to other areas of the Calixis Sector. The Cores
never got their desired retribution for the actions of the
Divisio Genetor, but numerous leading Genetor Magos soon
found themselves transferred to the Panopticon Orbital,
where they were never heard from again. After a ceremony of
reunification within the Nidus Omega on Lathe-Het, a place
where, until that day, no Lathesmaster had ever set foot, the
Lathesmasters collectively agreed to the new conditions, and
production started once again.
As it turned out, the Divisio Genetor’s experiments had
been rather prescient, as it was not long before Lathe-Het
was stripped of its manufacturing capability and the vast
Lathesmaster population found itself transferred to other forge
worlds across the Sector. With so many different areas needing
the expertise of these skilled workers, the information from
the Divisio Genetor’s experiments allowed the Mechanicus to
ensure that Lathesmaster populations were always the right
fit for whatever environment they found themselves in. As
for the Lathesmasters that now inhabit almost every major
Mechanicus installation across the Sector, they have yet to
rebel again, and seem genuinely content with their position in
the Omnissiah’s plan and their place in Calixian history.
==Player Characters==
A Lathesmaster is not something a citizen becomes, but is more
something he is born into. They are the hardy and intractable
workers of the Lathe Worlds, immune to the extremes of forge life,
and differ considerably from other Calixian populations. Shorter,
bulkier, and far stronger than the average hiveborn, a Lathesmaster
could almost be considered genetically designed for heavy
manual labour. Some Inquisitors respect these traits, as well as
their technical expertise and familiarity with the Cult Mechanicus,
and take promising Lathesmasters from their guilds so that they
might serve a higher purpose. Their Mechanicum Masters often
encourage such efforts, perhaps the better to gather information,
and implant their own agents within rival organizations.
All Starting Skills, Talents, Traits, Gear and Wealth listed
here totally replace the Rank 1 Scum listing.
Required Career: Scum
Starting Skills: Climb, Contortionist, Common Lore
(Machine Cult, Tech), Speak Language (Low Gothic),
Survival, Tech-Use.
Starting Talents: Iron Jaw, Melee Weapon Training
(Primitive), Melee Weapon Training (Power), Pistol
Training (SP).
Starting Traits: Dark Sight, Genetic Pantropy,
Labourer Build.
Starting Gear: Light Flak Coat, Flak Helmet, work tunic
(Common Quality clothing), charm (Mechanicus devotional
icon), vial of Sacred Machine Oil, Combi-Tool or Lascutter,
Good Quality Bionic Arm or Common Quality MIU, Stub
Automatic with 2 reloads, Percussion Mallet.
Starting Wealth: 40+1d10 Thrones
Monthly Income: Drudging Class
Restrictions: Must have the Forge World Home
World Origin.
Rugged Genetics
Lathesmasters are naturally strong and quite sturdy, and tend
to get stronger as they grow older. They also have a natural
affinity for technology, a trait needed for the role they play in the
Adeptus Mechanicus. Lathesmasters do not use the Scum Characteristic Advances, but instead use the Lathesmaster
Characteristic Advances.