Devotio Sector

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The **Devotio Sector** is not known for much, as a relatively small backwater near the Eastern Fringe, its only real claims to fame are Forge World Bàtamhurt's high-quality augmetics and the surprisingly large number of Imperial military forces who have made the Sector their home.

## Sector Military Forces

### Adeptus Astartes

#### Blue Flames

"*We can rise with the fires of freedom,
Truth is a fire that burns our chain,
And we can stop the fires of destruction,
Healing is a fire running through our veins.*"
— Chapter Master Jubal Osiris

The Blue Flames are a *Codex*-Divergent loyalist Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, a 10th Founding Successor Chapter of the proud Ultramarines bloodline. They reside in the Domus Caeli, an aerial Fortress-Monastery above the surface of Gertlysh, which in turn is (officially) a feral world in the Devotio Sector, more specifically Sub-Sector Heradea. These Astartes are notable for being the first of the forces in the tight-knit Devotio sector to receive Belisarius Cawl's Primaris Marines, as well as their unusually close relationship with the Nerva Dynasty of Rogue Traders.

#### Steel Tempests

Operating out of Horizon Nomad, a sprawling space station located in the midst of the Ork-infested Musharaf system, The Steel Tempests are the largest and perhaps most iconic of the Devotio Sector's numerous Astartes Chapters, as well as one of the youngest, being only founded in the latter half of M40, in the 25th Founding. Well known for their discipline and professionalism, as well as their characteristic scathing wit and remarkably casual Chapter culture, The Steel Tempests have been led by Chapter Master Rainald for almost two centuries, and in that time have grown to become almost a household name among the various military forces of the Ultima Segmentum and beyond.

#### Illuminators

"*It is our duty to pursue perfection, and nothing less, but we have allowed our quest for improvement to impede our ability to serve the peoples of The Imperium. We may have seen the light now but much damage has been done, it is time we helped rebuild.*"
—Chapter Master Charrat Medjo

The Illuminators are an 8th Founding Successor Chapter of the Raven Guard. Following a unique structure of 100 Deployments instead of traditional companies, the Illuminators can be found all across the Imperium's myriad battlefields in small teams, supporting other Imperial forces. Their Fortress-Monastery is a captured asteroid in orbit around the Death World Nullepart, fashioned into the shape of a giant head. As the oldest chapter in the Devotio Sector, The Illuminators have guarded its people for millennia alongside their allies in the Blue Flames, Steel Tempests and Jade Paladins chapters and have welcomed the Primaris Marines with open arms. Recently though, it was discovered that the Chapter was hiding a Slaaneshi cult, one which even spread to their own Chapter Master. While the cult was successfully destroyed, the Illuminators now work to atone for the damage dealt by their heretical brethren.

#### Jade Paladins

Stubborn and endurant to the extreme, the Jade Paladins were forged in the crucible of war, during a brutal Chapter Civil War known only as The Sundering, where the once honourable and proud Jade Knives tore themselves apart over conflicting honour codes and faiths. Despite this awful beginning, the Astartes of the Jade Paladins have done their best to forge their own identity and path apart from their parent Chapter, eventually bringing their Battle-barge Jiānhùrén to the Devotio Sector, home to their only known sympathisers outside of their brethren. Now though, with the sudden and seemingly irreversible collapse of their gene-seed, they are a shadow of their former selves, with Illuminators Deployments fighting their battles for them, Steel Tempest apothecaries racing to fix their genetics issues and the Blue Flames even gifting them temporary use of their homeworld of Gertlysh, until such a time as they can go out on their own again. Despite this impressive show of solidarity and respect from their fellow Chapters, a pervasive feeling of grim determination characterises the Jade Paladins, and none more than their Chapter Master: Zhelan Dai.

#### Fatebinders of Tyr

"*We are the Fatebinders. We weave the fate of The Imperium through our choices and accept the outcome, be it bad or good*"
—Chaplain Tunon

The Fatebinders of Tyr are a loyalist chapter from an unknown founding with many lost records of their past, with a history passed down brother to brother for years. The Fatebinders' main mission is to recover lost knowledge and defend the world of Tyr and the systems surrounding it.

#### Phantom Reapers

A quiet and secretive Chapter, the Phantom Reapers are renowned among the Devotio Chapters for their remarkable ability to elude detection and survive in even the harshest of environments. Hailing from the oceanic Death World Kharaa, the warriors of the Phantom Reapers are immensely skilled in reconnaissance and unconventional warfare, said to be able to weaponise anything, from the scales of Kharaa's native Sea Dragons to the explosive death brought on by a well-timed Supernova.

### Astra Militarum

#### 17th Atlesian Artillery

Hailing from the highly-populated world of Atlesia IV, the Atlesian Artillery regiments have been known for their overwhelming firepower and almost unprecedented cohesion with other Imperial forces. Thanks to being in the proximity of two Forge Worlds, the 17th Atlesian Artillery has access to the remnants of the variety of unique and esoteric wargear that has been gifted to the previous generations of the Atlesian Artillery regiments. They are currently being led by Lord-General Winter Ironwood, whose hardline stance against all Xenos interaction has caused friction with Tadia Nerva.

#### 32nd Laswall Regiment

Hailing from the very capital of the Devotio Sector, the Laswall Regiments are known for their stubbornness and very violent engagements with enemy forces which dare set foot on any world. Thanks to them being the first regiment to exist and because they are situated upon Ortis, the world considered the capital of the sector, the 32nd Laswall regiments hold an unquestionable political presence which grants them the freedom of acting almost free from any other authority unless it is an allied force or the very monarch of the Ortissian government. The current leadership is held by Lord-General Otis Ironside.

### Questor Imperialis

#### Knight House Anubis

Hailing from the desert Knight World Iteru, the Imperial Knights of House Anubis are famed for their rigid adherence to tradition and their lightning fast ranged attacks, simultaneously outmanoeuvring and outgunning their foes on the battlefield. As much as their doctrinal teachings make them ferocious fighters, it also leads to them overextending and showing extreme anger on the battlefield, leading to them occasionally needing to be planned around, and their Crusader Knights needing to be given a wide berth.

### Legiones Skitarii

#### Omnissiah's Arms

Led by the enigmatic and cold Curstag Sileas, the Skitarii of Bàtamhurt Prime are known for their highly regimented and clean-cut appearance, as well as the unusually large and tightly coordinated nature of their forces. Armed with plenty of vehicular support, and with a talent for multipronged assaults, The Omnissiah's Arms are often bolstered by Sileas themselves taking control of key Skitarri, taking advantage of their highly flexible mind to best direct operations at the same time.

## Notable Planets

### Sub-Sector Heradea

#### Ortis

Due to being the first world of the Sector to be discovered by the Imperium, the inhospitable industrial wasteland of Ortis has become Devotio's Capital World. Underneath its noxious fumes and acidic oceans, Ortis is home to an incredibly industrialised society, second only to the Sector's dual Forge Worlds. The population of Ortis live in hive cities reminiscent of underground bunkers, spending almost their entire lives without seeing the sky. Its government is one made up of four great noble houses and a monarch who heavily involve themselves with the industry and the 32nd Laswall Regiment which resides within it. Ortis bolster a population which sits around 10 billion and possibly above. The world is currently in a special alliance with the world of Tyr after the Laswall regiments heavily involved themselves in its defense.

#### Gertlysh

"*Some may find it a strange world, but Gertlysh is our home, and we would do anything to protect it*"
—Morin Brahman, Blue Flames Ruby Company Techmarine

A tough world that breeds tough recruits, for most of its history Gertlysh was a feral world like any other, its rolling hills and level plains being home to a great many tribes, among the most notable being the Cidar and Glaysto tribes. Now though, thanks to the influence of the Nerva Dynasty, it is something entirely different.

The tribes of old are gone, replaced with civilized towns and outposts, even a city or two, mostly dedicated to the upkeep of the Nerva Dynasty's headquarters or the Domus Caeli, which flies above the surface of the world. Gertlysh is also unique in that it supports not one but two Astartes Chapters, with both The Blue Flames and Jade Paladins using it as a homeworld and base of operations, this has led to tensions between The Nerva Dynasty and Zhelan Dai's Jade Paladins, but Zhelan's gratefulness for the generous offer to share the world has kept the situation from worsening.

#### Iteru

Sprawling deserts, broken up by esoteric monuments of an ancient culture make up the world of Iteru, home to Knight House Anubis. Under the control of Baroness Arat Thiti and her council of elders, the people of Iteru are known for their incredible work ethic and hardy nature, surviving many cataclysms that have befallen the planet, and always seeming to carry on as normal, leading to the running joke that the Iterans are armour for their Knights, as opposed to the other way around.

### Sub-Sector Illustrant

#### Nullepart

    The planet Nullepart was once a shining bastion of imperial might, but at some point, before the arrival of the Illuminators, it fell apart under brutal civil war, the once-proud hive world reduced to barren wastelands and treacherous wreckages. A death world in the truest sense of the term, Nullepart's roaming bands of scavengers and raiders make up the Illuminators' recruits, the ferocity and toughness required to live such a life making for fine Space Marines.

##### Nullepart Secondus

A force to be reckoned with, with influence stretching across almost the entire Imperium, the mighty warriors of the Illuminators are paragons of strength, power and versatility, even amongst the superhuman ranks of the Astartes. Their fortress-monastery, the moon Nullepart Secondus, houses training arenas the size of hab-blocks, with manufactorums ran by their bondsmen producing all manner of specialised equipment, all overseen by their Chapter Master, the venerable Charrat Medjo. Nullepart Secondus is a captured asteroid, in orbit around the death world of Nullepart, Secondus carries a strange shape, looking reminiscent of the head of some gargantuan creature, but tests show it to be very conclusively dead. Individual battle-brothers of the Illuminators pride themselves on achieving perfection, and as such will spend every spare moment rehearsing weapon drills or running live-fire training operations in one of Secondus’ labyrinthine training arenas.

#### Bàtamhurt Prime

One of Ultima Segmentum's leading exporters of cybernetic limbs and other augmetic implants, the Forge World Bàtamhurt Prime is also known for its harsh winters and powerful Skitarii forces. Despite not having a Titan Legion, the might of The Omnissiah's Arms make up for it, with the massive conclaves of cybernetically enhanced warriors all synced to a form of technological hive mind giving the Forge World's military an unprecedented tactical flexibility. Thanks to its proximity to multiple Astartes Chapters, as well as Astra Militarum Regiments, it is not uncommon for an injured warrior from Devotio Sector to be outfitted with a replacement limb that has Bàtamhurt's signature cross stamped on it.

### Sub-Sector Stahlsturm

#### Atlesia IV

The most populous world in the Sector by a substantial margin, Atlesia IV is home to over 300 billion souls, manufacturing goods and providing manpower to every world in the Sector, as well as many beyond. While it is considered a relatively pleasant place to live for a Hive World, that is widely considered to be not saying much. It is a heavily abused planet, with massive Hive Cities sprawling across its surface, some of which even use ancient machines from the Dark Age of Technology to achieve a limited form of flight, hovering over the ground and providing a sort of upper hive for the upper hive. Thanks to the world's experience fighting the Orks of Musharaf, the Atlesians have gained an affinity and skill regarding the use of artillery, this is now used by the Imperium at large as the Atlesian Artillery Regiments, recruited from the planet's PDF.

#### Musharaf

Musharaf used to be home to a major Ork empire, one that thrived during the tyrannical reign of Goge Vandire, when the Imperium's forces were unable to rally against it. Now though, thanks mostly to the Astartes of The Blue Flames and Illuminators Chapters, the empire has been almost entirely obliterated. While it still does exist and has been known to attempt to raid shipping lanes in the vicinity, the Orks of Musharaf have been almost entirely destroyed, only kept around as a form of training ground for the Steel Tempests of Horizon Nomad. The Musharaf system was originally home to two separate Ork hotspots, the planet Musharaf itself and a smaller moon called Kagura, the settlements on Kagura though were destroyed after the man who would later become the Steel Tempests' Chapter Master: Rainald, manipulated three of the major Ork tribes of the moon into descending into infighting, which had a domino effect that killed almost every Orkoid species on Kagura, even down to the spores.

### Sub-Sector Rymdgas

#### Tyr

The world of Tyr is a beautiful world that is covered in fields of flowers which can be seen in their cities. The world is currently trying to recover after a 100 years war against daemons but its slowly returning to its old self.

#### Kharaa

Beautiful from afar, the oceanic Death World Kharaa is home to a multitude of deadly fauna and flora, from the terrifyingly powerful Sea Dragons to the unassuming Hammercrest Fish, almost every creature on this planet can and will kill a human at first glance. Perhaps more deadly than the wide variety of killer wildlife on Kharaa however, is the Phantom Reapers, a secretive Chapter of Adeptus Astartes, known for their resourcefulness and ruthlessness on campaigns. The Phantom Reapers constructed their Fortress-Monastery, The Alterra, in the wreckage of an ancient building from an unknown civilisation, in a hollowed out mountainous island in the endless sea.