Hive World Innsmouth

Orbital pict-capture of Innsmouth

Location of the Innsmouth star system

**Hive World Innsmouth** is a Hive World located in the Innsmouth System, and is also the world from which the entire sector derives its official moniker. Innsmouth is almost entirely urbanised, with vast stretches of industrial and residential housing covering most of its surface and stretching deep underground. It is the most populous world in Innsmouth Sector, providing most of the industrial base utilised by the surrounding worlds of the region.

Its burgeoning population provides millions of troops per year to the Astra Militarum, whilst its large Planetary Defense Force serves as garrisons on many other Innsmouth Sector worlds. In addition, the sectoral branches of the Adeptus Administratum, Departmento Munitorum, and Adeptus Arbites are headquartered in the upper spires of its vast, continent-spanning cities. These factors all make Hive World Innsmouth the *de facto* capital world of Innsmouth Sector.

## Pre-Imperial history

Innsmouth is an ancient world founded before the formation of the Imperium itself. Although its oldest historical records have been lost to the chaos of war-torn millennia, what little documentation remains points to a colonisation period around the 23rd Millennium. Fueled by the mineral exploitation of neighbouring star systems, Innsmouth grew over the next two millennia to become a fully urbanised centre of industry and commerce for the stellar region.

At the advent of the Age of Strife, Innsmouth was supported by a heavy utilisation of abominable intelligence. The onset of daemonic incursions, psychic disturbances, and machine rebellions that would define the next five thousand years almost resulted in total planetary destruction. Hive cities fell into both civil wars and inter-regional conflicts, the resulting grudges of which still simmer below the surface of modern Innsmouth society in the 42nd Millennium. Billions of lives were destroyed and whole areas of the planet were reduced to radioactive ash and biological warfare zones. It was only as a result of the most totalitarian and brutal tactics that Innsmouth survived in any fashion to be recontacted by Terra during the Great Crusade.

## Imperial era

Innsmouth was brought back into the fold of the Imperium during the Great Crusade. It was the subject of a major concentration of resources and reconstruction to bring its capacities back to a level required by the industrial appetite of the new Imperium of Mankind.

This reconstruction effort was stymied by the onset of the Horus Heresy, during which Innsmouth remained loyal to the Imperium and stood against multiple sieges from rebel forces, most notably the Word Bearers and Thousand Sons Legions. Innsmouth was eventually reinforced by forces of the Blood Angels and Ultramarines Legions from the nearby Imperium Secundus.

The rebuilding of Innsmouth post-Heresy stripped the resources of entire star systems to accomplish. By the 41st Millennium, the planet was once again a Hive World of multiple billions of Imperial citizens, operating continent-spanning factories to churn out the industrial, military, and consumer requirements of the planetary population and the surrounding sectors. The Astra Millitarum regiments of Innsmouth fought across Ultima Segmentum for thousands of years, helping to stem the wounds of the ever-bleeding Imperium from the blades of those who would lay it low.

## Post-Great Rift

The opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum threw Innsmouth into the greatest period of destruction since the Horus Heresy. Largely isolated from the rest of the sector by intermittent Warp Storms and suffering the geographical curse of sitting upon the border of the Great Rift, the Hive Cities of Innsmouth are under constant siege and bombardment from traitorous forces within and chaotic forces without. The nearby Temporary Rift Corridor provides support from Imperium Sanctus, but the nature of the treacherous crossing makes such assistance sporadic.

Whilst the noble families of highspire society hide behind private armies and advanced security measures, the Innsmouth PDF sallies forth into the lawless anarchy beyond the upper hives to attempt some manner of threat reduction against the most severe threats that can be identified. The rest of the population has largely been left to fend for itself, with epoch-old rivalries reigniting and entire hive city populations fighting each-other for survival and victory among the growing industrial ruins of the planet.
Once again, for Hive World Innsmouth, there is only war.