Korengal

Departmento Cartographicae pict-file of the hive world of Korengal, Chapter Homeworld of the Phrygian Knights Chapter.

## Planet

### Class

Hive World/
Adeptus Astartes Chapter Homeworld

### Military Forces

Phrygian Knights, Planetary Defence Forces of Phrygia.

## Location

### System

Korengal

**Korengal** is an Imperial hive world that also serves as the Adeptus Astartes Chapter Homeworld of the Phrygian Knights Space Marine Chapter. It is located in the Phrygian Sub-Sector in the Segmentum Ultima, in the galactic far east between Hexos, Formund and Asylus. Though the Phrygian Sub-Sector suffered with many invasions across the millennia since the arrival of the Phrygian Knights, only twice Korengal itself became a battleground: during the Ork invasion in M32 and during the Battle for Korengal in M42.

## Background

Korengal is currently classified as a Hive-World, the colonists having conquered the whole surface of the planet around the 36th Millenium. Initially, during the times known as Old Night, the planet was colonized by humans of a nearby star system, them settling in the arid plateau in the main continent of Midaes. The world was quite diverse by then, having large grasslands, thick forests and dry steppes.

For the next few millennium the colonists merely survived in its surface, for the wild was ripe with dangerous beasts, and the lack of trade and resources kept the population low. It was in this context that the Great Crusade fleet commanded by Captain Antigonos Kertes of the 547th Imperial Fist Company arrived in the system, in the fifth year of the 31st Millennium. Compliance was done with immediate effect, and soon enough all five planets in the star system were claimed for the Imperium, whilst afterwards Antigonos continued his advance, conquering many systems near its region of the galaxy.

However, the appearance of the Ruinstorm during the first year of the Horus Heresy forced the Imperium forces to halt and consolidate their strength upon the already conquered worlds. Meanwhile, the light of the Astronomican was lost to the Navigators of Antigonos' fleet, and dozens of systems nearby had major uprisings, usually followed by self-inflicted bloodbaths throughout their population. The strife in the region was eventually put down by the Imperial Fists under Antigonos, him keeping tight his hold of the Phrygian Sub-Sector after initial failures in his attempts to leave the sector towards Terra, through the Ruinstorm. Around half a decade later, with the Ruinstorm finally suddenly diminished, all Imperium forces left for Terra, leaving Korengal and the Sub-Sector ungarrisoned and defenseless.

It would take approximately one millennia since their departure for forces loyal to the Imperium to appear again in the orbit of Korengal. The Sub-Sector had succumbed to madness, with several warring tyrants ruling over the population of the few worlds still inhabited. Thus it was that Warder Antigonos, Lord of the newly founded Phrygian Knights, had to bring into compliance once more the world of Korengal and the Sub-Sector at large. After a brief month long campaign of reconquest, the Phrygian Knights settled their fortress-monastery in one of the few large islands in Korengal, the isle of Aspetaea.

Though initially Korengal was ruled with an Iron-fist by the Sons of Dorn due to the uprisings during the Horus-Heresy, in time the Phrygian Knights, whom did not wish to be governors but merely guardians of the enlightened worlds of the Imperium, granted control back to the local population. Korengal prospered under the protection of the Chapter, rising to become at first an agri-world that supplied the whole sub-sector, and later, around M36, it became the capital of the Phrygian Sub-Sector and was reclassified as a Hive-World. From the 36th millennium onwards, the entirety of the surface lands of Korengal, excluding the isle of Aspetaea, was inhabited by the common population. It is estimated that in M42 two hundred billion souls live on the planet. Though most of the oceans have for long become dry, the island of Aspetaea still remains separate from the main continent, mostly due to the efforts of the Phrygian Knights themselves, as they place limits on the population expansion near the isle and make sure that the ocean around their Fortress-Monastery does not dry.

The Space Marines of the Phrygian Knights are revered across Korengal, being lauded as saviours and protectors, and the loyalty to the Imperium by the citizens of the planet is unquestioned. Generally, the population lives in a moderate standard of well being and they are usually ruled by competent Planetary-Governors. However, as it is with every Hive-World, there are billions of poor souls in its depths, and it is there that the Phrygian Knights have one of their two recruitment zones, them capturing young promising children, those that were part of gangs, criminals or mere survivors (the other and main recruitment zone is the Feral World of Fortuna in the Hestea System).

### Aspetaea Fortress-Monastery

The Fortress of the Chapter was designed and built by the first Tech-Marine of the Phrygian Knights, brother Nearchos, and the Warder Antigonos Kertes. its construction took near a decade, and the majority of the isle of Aspetaea, which would give its name to the Fortress itself, was engulfed by ceramite and concrete. The building itself is not considered holy or sacred by the Phrygian Knights, and so it is not referred to as a Fortress-Monastery, but only as a Fortress, though its belly holds many of the artifacts and relics acquired by the Chapter, as well as the Chapter's armoury, and anything else that is required for the good functioning of a Space Marines Chapter.

In addition, inside Aspeatea there is the Hall of Remembrance, where all banners and symbols of lost Silver-Shields and Sargeants, respectively, are depicted, and in the center one massive stone slab, which is referred to as the Stele, has engraved in its surface the names of each Phrygian Knight Space Marine that has been lost in the wars against the enemies of the Imperium. The Stele and the banners and symbols are updated during the centennial ceremony of the Vigil to the Honoured.

### Phrygian Sub-Sector

The Sub-Sector of Phrygia is located in the Ultima Segmentum, near the center of a triangle made by the worlds of Hexos, Formund and Asylus. it is composed of nine star systems, with six of them being heavily populated in M42. The main ones are:

* **Korengal System** - Contains the Hive-World of Korengal, the Agri-World of Korinth, the Ipsus Shipyard and the mining colonies of Partros Prime and Partros Secundus. It also contains the barren world of Tyhre, formerly a civilized world until it was destroyed by the Iron Warrior invasion in M42.
* **Hestea System** - With two inhabited planets, the Hive-World of Hestea and the Feral world of Fortuna, this being the main recruitment world for the Phrygian Knights.

The other star systems are: Koile-Sigma, Kilikia, Lydia, Stratonike, Caria, Eurydice, Phila.

In total, the Sub-Sector in M42 has approximately 12 civilized worlds, 1 feral world, 2 hive-worlds, 4 agri-worlds and a dozen mining-stations and colonies. Additionally, there are seven barren-worlds, destroyed in the invasions that ravaged the Phrygian Sub-Sector.

This region of galaxy space was first colonized by humans during the Dark Age of Technology. A household legend across the Phrygian systems is that the colonists were Terrans from the mythical Achaemenid Empire, though such remains unconfirmed. Since the beginning of the firm presence of the Imperium through the Phrygian Knights Chapter, the Sub-Sector has thrived, however several times war was waged across its systems, the region suffering invasions from Orks, Heretics and Renegades. Currently the Cicatrix Maledictum blocks the light of the Astronomican from reaching the Sub-Sector, and amidst the chaos of Imperium Nihilus, it stands effectively alone, with the Phrygian Knights being the only hope of security and protection.

## Notable Campaigns

### Ork Invasion (546.M32-654.M32)

The Silver Shield (Captain) of the Koile Sigma Company, Indutiomarus, was tasked in the defence of the Phrygian Sub-Sector while Peithon led the rest of the Chapter towards Phall and Terra, during the War of the Beast. Having with him, excluding his company, only a couple dozen thousand soldiers of the Planetary Defence Forces of Korengal and of other planets in the Sub-Sector, and with only about a fifth of the Phrygian Knights fleet at the time, his forces were stretched thin. The ork invasion happened in year 546 of the 32nd Millenium, led by an Warboss afflitiated with the Beasts, and his orks numbered in the hundreds of thousands. At first they struck the Caria system, its defences being overrun quickly and Indutiomarus only managed to arrange an evacuation of its population, towards Korengal. This first phase of the war, lasting near ten years, was the main ork offensive, and resulted in the loss of 6 of the 9 systems of the Sub-Sector.

However, despite the loss in territory, most of the population of the Sub-Sector safely arrived in Korengal due to the efforts of the Phrygian Knights. Their effort was focused on two parts: delaying the orks until the rest of the Chapter could arrive, as outright victory was impossible due to how outnumbered they were, and protecting the civilians of the Imperium. Korengal thus became a hub for refugees, its population increasing tenfold. Most of the combat in this first phase happened in the void, as the Koile Sigma company fleet defended evacuations from planets, and protected the three remaining systems in the Imperium's hands. The second phase of the campaign, ten years into it, started when reports had arrived of the Warboss massing his forces in a bid to strike into Korengal directly. In a desperate move, Indutiomarus then sought to take the initiative.

Keeping most of his forces in the Korengal system for its defence, he planned surgical strikes against the ork Warboss. In the first time, an escort ship took 5 astartes and, hidden, dropped them in the world of Lydia, where the Warboss mustered his forces for his attack. These five Phrygian Knights managed to infiltrate and eliminate the Warboss, sowing chaos into the ork ranks, and division and civil war happened in the waagh as they sought to establish a new leader. For the next 94 years, this strategy remained in place, the Phrygian Knights killing leader after leader in small unit operations, keeping the orks at their place and preventing any new major ork offensive. Twenty years into it, their effort was bolstered by the sudden arrival of Odda's Warband, the World Eaters fighting side by side with Indutiomarus and his Company against the orks. Their assistance managed to create more havoc into the orks and delay their advance for decades. However, 80 years since the start of the campaign, Indutiomarus requested that Odda withdraws from the Sub-Sector in search of the rest of the Phrygian Knights, and if possible bring reinforcements to Phrygia.

Meanwhile, the assassination attempts on the ork leaders continued. This was done not without casualties however, and after all those years, even with accelerated recruitment happening in Korengal, only 10 Phrygian Knights of the Koile Sigma company were still standing, and Indutiomaris himself had fallen, leading the last unit against the second to last Warboss of the Orks in this waagh against the Phrygian Sub-Sector. Though he managed to slay the Warboss, withdraw was impossible and his squad was overrun.

Thus it was that Harald was made Silver Shield of the Koile Sigma Company of 10 astartes, him included. With too few Phrygian Knights, and with no escort ships left, he had only the option to defend Korengal, and a year onto it the Waagh, led by a new Warboss, arrived in the system. The orks quickly achieved orbit superiority and the Planetary Defence Force and the Phrygian Knights were besieged in the fortress of Aspetaea and in the main hives of the planet, respectively. Two months into the siege that saw half of the planet taken by the orks, a new fleet was seen in the sky, and the battle barge Bellerophon, then Flagship of Peithon and of the Phrygian Knights, struck into the ork vessels in orbit. Odda's Warband was with them, and the void battle reached its decisive moment.

With around 100 Phrygian Knights and 70 World Eaters, Peithon retook orbit superiority and lifted the sieges of Aspeatea and of the main hives, rescuing Harald and his four Astartes left alive, as well as the few thousand PDF soldiers that still drew breath. Then the third phase of the Phrygian Campaign started, between 650.M42 and 654.M42. For these four years Peithon did as he had done in the last one hundred years: purging the orks from rightful lands of the Emperor. All systems in the Sub-Sector were liberated at the end of the Campaign, the planets slowly being repopulated and rebuilt. For the next decade, the Phrygian Knights rebuilt their Chapter, growing back into a thousand astartes strong Chapter.

Due to Indutiomarus efforts, despite the loss of many a dozen planets, the population of the Sub-Sector was mostly spared, and he was hailed as a hero of the Chapter, growing into a household name as familiar as Rogal Dorn and Antigonos Kertes to the humans of the Sub-Sector. Peithon, seeking to learn from brothers such as him, sought to imprint the prioritizing of the safety of the Imperium's population into the Chapter's doctrine. Before this event, the Vigil to the Honoured was a tradition that happened exclusively on the Fortress of Aspetaea, no contact happening with the humans of the Sub-Sector, but afterwards the tradition was held of the Silver Shields each visiting a System in Phrygia, meeting with representatives of the population in feasts and prayers, while parades and other ceremonies occured. Many a millenia afterwards, the only vestige of the ork invasion is the half a dozen barren worlds, those that were too ork infested to be repopulated, and thus suffered exterminatus by Peithon's command.

### Battle for Korengal(003.M42-004.M42)

The Battle for Korengal saw the system become under attack for the first time after 10 thousand years since the War of the Beast in M32. The Iron Warrior warband under Warsmith Leokrates targeted Korengal specifically due to it being the Homeworld of the Phrygian Knights, them being sons of Dorn. Though greatly outnumbered, Warder Alketes of the Phrygian Knights led the efforts of the Imperium in the system and he managed to hold long enough in the Fortress of Aspetaea, in the surface of Korengal, until reinforcements from the two Phrygian Knights' expedition fleets could arrive. The battle resulted in the destruction of the Ipsus Shipyard, of the world of Tyhre, and in the death of 642 Phrygian Knights and 200 Host of Aiakides. The Imperium was in the end victorious, but these losses resulted in a major constrainment on the Phrygian Sub-Sector capabilites and on the Phrygian Knights strength. The Chapter and the system of Korengal still recovers from the battle.

Currently, the Chapter is only operational in the Phrygian Sub-Sector as it regrows to its full strength. A couple of years after the battle, Custodians of the Emperor arrived, with the Primaris gene-seed. All the surviving members of the Chapter would attempt to cross the Primaris Rubicon, except Antigonos Gonatas who had already done so during the Path of Stratonike Campaign (999.M41-003.M42). Warder Alketes, a veteran of a thousand battles, would die. Not in combat, not in a warp event or another catastrophic situation. Instead, the Warder of the Phrygian Knights died on his attempt to become a Primaris Space Marine. His recently made Agema Silver-Shield, a former Hetairos of the Korengal Company named Ariovistus, thus became the current Warder of the Chapter. Ariovistus had been chosen as Agema Silver-Shield by Alketes during the battle for Korengal, due to the death of Agema Silver-Shield Esteias.