Athenai Prime

Departmento Cartographicae pict-file of Athenai Prime, Sector Capital of the Aeaean Cluster

## Location

### System

Athenai System

"*Marble and gold stretch from horizon to horizon. The streets are clean and well maintained, lined by verdant trees. The people are happy, prosperous and fill the air with lively chatter and song. Above the skyline rising the Acropolis, an incredible monument of stone, raised to the glory of the Emperor. Truly this world rivals that of the greatest in the Imperium.*"
— Excerpt from a remembrancer's recording of their visit to Athenai Prime, M40.
**Athenai Prime** is an Imperial Civilised World located in the Aeaean Cluster of Ultima Segmentum and is the Sector capital. Formerly a beacon of wealth and Imperial power, Athenai Prime was wracked by a Genestealer Cult uprising and partially bombarded from orbit in a desperate attempt to defeat them. The world is now a blackened ruin, a shadow of its former self. Rebuilding has begun, but in the tumultuous 42nd millennium such efforts are slow to complete.

## Overview

Imperial records indicate that Athenai Prime was colonised prior to the Age of Strife, and was a flourishing world for centuries prior to the Great Crusade. Athenai Prime became the seat of the Aeaean League, a coalition of worlds and as such was the obvious choice for the sector capital when the forces of the Imperium arrived and enforced compliance. Since then it has governed well, using a veneer of democracy to satiate the populace, and a mailed fist if this fails.

## History

### Pre-Imperium

The date that Athenai Prime was originally colonised has long been lost, but likely dates back to the Golden Age of Humanity and its colonisation efforts. The world suffered less than many others during the cataclysmic fall that followed, retaining some of the knowledge to built primitive spacefaring vessels and mighty structures. This superior foundation allowed to military forces of Athenai Prime to expand into a local empire, eventually forming the Aeaean League with other nearby empires to counter the incursions of xenos. This defensive alliance grew into a more formal union, one which greatly benefitted Athenai Prime.

### Great Crusade

Fearing the loss of their hard-earned freedom, when the first mighty warships of the Great Crusade approached the Aeaean League, the inhabitants resolved to fight, mustering the full might of their forces in the hope that scoring an overwhelming victory would put them in good stead to negotiate. The two sides met in a massive battle in the system of Khaeronea. Initially the Aeaeans were confident, they massively outnumbered their foe on both land and in space. They would soon however realise the brutal power of their opponent, the VII Legion. The battle raged for several weeks as titanic fleets fought in space and hordes of soldiers hurled themselves against the implacable Imperial Fists. The increasingly desperate generals of the League's forces watched in horror as their losses mounted, ship after ship destroyed and millions dying in the carefully prepared killing fields for negligible returns. When the Astartes mounted a counterattack, the forces they faced broke, throwing down weapons and begging for mercy. Shockingly the sons of Dorn granted this request, the armoured gods halting the slaughter and opening communications. With their military shattered in a single stroke and the vast strength of their foe becoming clear, the leaders of the Aeaean League immediately sought peace at any cost. Seeing the benefit in utilising the established governing body, the Imperial Fists decided to be magnanimous in victory. In return for accepting Imperial hegemony the Aeaean League was permitted to remain intact and expanded to encompass the remaining star systems (designated the Rizus Subsector) it had not yet controlled, now acting as the official government for the Sector. The surviving soldiers and ships of the League were incorporated into the Imperial Army and utilised to pacify the remaining independent systems. Athenai Prime would remain the capital, now further boosted by the influx of Imperial officials, materials and technology.

## Military

As the capital, Athenai Prime boasts a powerful Planetary Defence Force (PDF), bolstered by a detachment of Theaben Companions, who act as the personal guard of the Council of Twenty. Myriad orbital platforms ring the planet, providing a formidable defence against enemy fleets.

## Climate & Geography

Athenai Prime is a Megalopolis, with almost the entirety of the surface covered by white marble buildings. A few small oceans sit amidst the cityscape, with some tundra around the poles. The climate is controlled via a series of atmospheric processors, which replenish the air and regulate a relatively cool temperature. Rainfall is rare and typically comes in short periods of heavy downpour.

## Politics & Culture

Like the wider Sector, Athenai Prime utilises an electoral system of government, holding votes to decide who holds the myriad of leadership positions when they become available. In theory any citizen can be elected to these positions, potentially even that of governor, though in reality only the handful of noble houses present on the planet have the resources to attain any positions of power. The leaders of each office in turn hold elections for the offices above them.

The citizenry (minus all undesirables such as prisoners, serfs, those who do not own property and those who have not completed some form of military service) vote in elections to appoint District Speakers. These Speakers in turn elect Hive Mayors who elect Regional Ministers. These Ministers then elect the Planetary Governor. Due to the fact that posts are held for life and the holders have access to rejuve treatments, it is not uncommon for gaps of several generations to pass between elections on the world. This rarity at least helps to offset the enormous cost in terms of scribes, campaigning, couriers, cheating and corruption. Not to mention the inevitable riots from the losing sides and the purges that follow the election of a different noble house. Still, the fact that the citizenry can take comfort in the knowledge that they (or at least someone they are descended from) have elected their own leaders does appear to improve the stability of the world. This 'Democratic' system is a source of great pride to the inhabitants of Athenai Prime and held up as an example of the alleged enlightenment and superiority of them compared to some nearby 'barbaric' worlds which rely upon outdated systems like monarchies or appointing people based on their skills.

Athenai Prime is also home to the Council of Twenty, made up of the elected leaders of twenty of the Aeaean Cluster's most significant systems. While there is a significantly larger council of system lords, it was decided early in the leagues founding that the ruling council would remain at twenty as decision making fell apart with a larger council. The Praefect sits on the council and is its casting vote and influencer. The Council of twenty is a fluid body, its members adapt to the decision making of the day, swelling to 30 and consisting of military leaders and even the Regulus (Or his representative) if a military campaign is decided upon. Or if deciding on the distribution of grain to Lydia, its significant leaders may be invited to a reduced council.