Ixchel

Insignia of Forge World Ixchel

### Specialty

Biological Wafare, Medical Capabilities, Pathological Research, Medical Research, Cybernetica components.

## Location

### System

Ixchel System

"*Iron, Steel, and Metal. These are the tenants. These are the gifts. These are the components. For the Omnissiah bore witness to the frailty of our flesh, casting forth these sacred components into the ground itself for us to uncover. Blind, we were blind to the strength of Iron. Betrayed, we were betrayed by the weakness of our flesh. Forgotten, we had forgotten our purpose when flesh guided us to construct the Silica Animus. Yet, with these mistakes the Omnissiah saw our potential, thus he cast forth his crucible on the galaxy and made the nights across the stars long. Destroyed, we emerged from the ruins of Mars. Awakened, we treasured his holy steel as we interred it into our bodies. Ascending, we praised the strength of Iron!*"
—From the *Canticles of the Reclaimator Sacridus*
Forge World **Ixchel** exists as a relatively isolationist forge, dedicated far more to its own expansion and success then to the needs of the greater Imperium. Residing in the largely unexplored and long-since-abandoned Vex Subsector of the Ultima Segmentum, It is this solitary nature that allows it to be such an autonomous power house. Yet, the primary point of interest on this Forge World is its special ancestry to Mars, lying in both its age and the relics that it possesses. As of the current era, the Forge World possesses one of, if not the best, medical capabilities to exist in the entire Imperium. Revered for their medical prowess, the Biologis sect of this Forge World is routinely seen traveling amongst the worst epidemics and warzones.

## **History**

In the times before even the Great Crusade, the Mechanicum of Mars would send forth hundreds of ships to colonize the stars. Many of these ships would never arrive at their promised destinations, instead becoming victim to alien raids, internal strife, lack of supplies, or the Warp itself as they traveled amongst the void. The original settlers of Ixchel hail from one of the few vessels that would survive this journey into the stars. The history for this journey has become all but lost to the tides of the void, with the last remnants of this journey being the two halves of the mighty vessel that once ferried them through the stars. Prior to their arrival on the planet, their ship was stricken in two, with each half falling towards the planetary surface below on opposite ends. It is from these halves of the ship that the two Forges of Ixchel would arise, for the bow would father Salmoneous whilst the Aft would nurse Hirgon.

Completely cut off from one another, two extremely distinct ideologies would arise between the two forges. For in the Aft had laid the great factories of the ship, capable of turning out thousands of war machines a day whilst the bow housed the intricate workshops of what would become an industrial station. This would shape the method in which they both waged warfare, for Hirgon valued the art of the easily replaceable whilst Salmoneous dominated its enemies with masterfully crafted machinery. After several years of passive expansion, Salmoneous would discover a vast Dark Age bunker complex sprawling nearly the entire planet. Venturing into this facility would prove to be fatal, as an ancient intelligence would awake at their intrusion. Unleashing hordes of horrific Dark Age abominations on the scouting party and ,eventually, the rest of the planet. With the doors to the bunker open, each Forge would come under vicious assault from Dark Age abborhants, horrific infusions of the Machine and Warp alongside those tainted with the stain of the Abominable Intelligence. Over time, Hirgon would come to see these monstrosities as evidence to not tamper with unknown alien tech, a viewpoint that would eventually come to shape their strict tenure of destroying alien technology at all costs. Salmoneous would attempt to exploit this, further breaching the complex further and further with each passing day.

For decades, the Forges would expand under the constant attacks of tainted machinery from the complex, each one growing stronger by the second. It wasn’t until sometime during M31 that the Forges would once again meet their old shipmates, people who each side had long since written off as dead or worse. On M33, each side would simultaneously breach into what remains ,to this day, the deepest accessible location they were able to secure from the Dark AI that rules the facility. This chamber they both entered was an ancient and highly sophisticated medical facility, capable of manipulating and reproducing nearly any medicine, disease, or ailment imaginable. Upon first contact, a time that would come to be known as “The Age of Reckoning” would strike the Forge, a time of great Civil War as each side fought for control over the others claims on the Archeotech within the bunker. Salmoneous claimed it as rightfully theirs for they were the first to breach the walls, whilst Hirgon claimed they were too weak to fight off the monstrosities that lie within and that only they could.

The Age of Reckoning would last until 6.874.219.M39, where, at long last, an Explorator Fleet would breach into the system and locate their distant relatives below. Upon entering the atmosphere, it is said the fighting, for the first time in millenia, was halted under a cease fire as the first Martian transport descended upon the surface. Arriving with a vast legion of Skitarii and even Titans, the Martians would broadcast a message across the entire planets vox-network, these words would be carved upon the walls of what lies as the current capital of Ixchel, “Sons of Mars, loyal servants to the Omnissiah, by his will your forges sing praise!

Once thought abandoned, the two Forges quickly aligned themselves with their Martian brethren. Under the gaze of the Martian delegate, a new Forge was established directly on the center-point between Hirgon and Salmoneous, this Forge would come to be known as Ixchel, the face of unity between the two Forges. As a further sign of trust, the Martian Fleet would gift several of its vessels to be operated under the new flag of Ixchel. These ships would become both the Vanguard of Ixchel and their first steps back into the Void after arriving on the planet so long ago.

## **Geography, Habitability, & Infrastructure**

   In a time long past, it is believed Ixchel could fall into the classification of a Superhabitable world. Sporting the remnants of dense planet wide vegative jungles, these few remaining ‘jungles’ are composed of thick red vegetation in contrast to that of the typical green. Upon the planet's re-discovery, only the dead husk of what it once was would be found. Sporting an overtly large ocean, the first signs of Dark Age colonization can be found within a large crater in the center of this ocean. Mechanicus forces believe this crater to hold the remnants of a compromised reactor that effectively turns its location into a giant geyser, forcing the world into a permanent state of rainfall as water is consistently evaporated into the atmosphere at an astronomical rate. A series of what can once be assumed as thermal vents now function as geysers, dotting the surface of the planet from this location, rendering what used to be fertile lands into a thick, muddy, sludge-ridden wasteland. The atmosphere on the planet is, typically, extremely humid due to this, leading to extremely hot summers that can boil even Skitarii alive during long operations outside. Possessing an overtly thick crust beneath the layers of surface mud, Ixchel holds surprisingly few resource deposits, with clear signs of ancient mass mining operations. Prior to the re-discovery of the Forge World, Hirgon and Salmoneous, the two gorges of the world, were forced to rely on scavenging and repurposing the hull of their previous vessel in order to fuel their expansions on the planet. A resource deficient world coupled with the Forges massive Civil War led to a halt of any real progress between the two. This resource deficiency was alleviated somewhat by the early Martian Exploration fleet that discovered them over time, as due to this lack of resources the Forge had never once produced a vessel worthy of void-travel since their marooning on the planet. As a sign of good faith the Martian Delegate would leave behind several vessels for the Forges to operate under unity, allowing them to finally leave the confines of their world and begin exploiting the resource rich planets in the system. The fauna of Ixchel comprises mostly small inectoid and mammalian creatures that occupy the jungles, the most predominant species is that of an insectoid race that resides within the muddy terrain of the Forge World. Capable of rivaling Onagers in size, these creatures are formidable monstrosities that are known to drag the unaware deep within the mud around them before devouring the poor soul. Beyond natural fauna, scores of Dark Age monstrosities lurk across the landscape and the massive Dark Age Bunker which sprawls the planet.

## **Politics, Culture, & Dogma**

    Forge World Ixchel utilizes an unusual system of governance as a result of their unique founding. Officially, the Forge of Ixchel is both the capital and seat of governance for this Forge World, realistically it holds little power over the Forges of Hirgon and Salmoneous, with both sides pressuring each other economically, politically, and militaristically when any kind of regulation or restriction is suggested against the other. As it stands the only real individuals of power that occupy the Forge of Ixchel would be that of the Martian delegate sent to maintain the peace between the two forges and keep the alliance alive. Ironically, both forges oppose this idea and tend to unite with one another to mutually overturn any regulations the ‘capital’ attempts to place on them. This is not to say the Forges of Hirgon and Salmoneous refuse to acknowledge the alliance, both frequently and willingly operate under the banner of Ixchel when spreading amongst the rest of the stars. Priests adorning Ixchels segmented color scheme are seen across the Imperium in nearly every infamous medical institute or vicious plague, whilst Cybernetica Cohorts across the Imperium bare the stamp of Ixchel or even its livery on one component or another. The only real place of tension left between the Forges lies in their mistrust of one another as a result of their millennium long Civil War or the constant territory disputes over the Dark Age Bunker Complex. Officially, as with most Forge Worlds, the official religion on the planet is that of the Cult Mechanicus. This does however, begin to differ in reality between the two forges. The only similarities that lie between the Forges is their critical dependence upon the other for one crucial supply or another. Alongside this they both prioritized the field of medicine and pathology ahead of anything else for production and research, yet differ slightly in their usage and pursuit of this.

Forge Salmoneous is renowned for its masterly-crafted equipment and boundless Cybernetica legions. Ancient rumor has it that the bow of the voidcraft housed the many intricate and delicate workshops upon their crash, partnering this with a large portion of artisans residing in the bow would lead to the industrial doctrine that would come to shape the Forge throughout its history. The governorship of Salmoneous lies solely in the hands of Fabricator-General Hecaton, an extremely materialistic priest of the Omnissiah. Claiming to be a descendant of the voidcrafts original Voidwright, it is by genetic inheritance that the title of Fabricator-General is claimed. The location in which Salmoneous’ Forges would first ignite would, over time, struggle as they discovered just how poor in resources, even for normal standards on the planet, their location was. This struggle for resources would eventually shape the Forges Cult ideologie to a more materialistic viewpoint, viewing all steel as sacred items to the Omnissiah and those that possessed more wealth or more materials were seen as the predominant upper class. This usually results in an extremely high disparity between the wealthy and poor Adepts of the Mechanicus within this Forge, with those at the bottom of the hierarchy unable to even obtain the extremely expensive yet legendary medical services of Ixchel. Contrary to most sects of the Mechanicum the Priest of Salmoneous pride upon innovation and improvement on current designs, constantly tearing apart and rebuilding any unknown or new piece of technology they come across. This mostly stems from their inability to mass produce, for equipment and military gear would usually have to be extremely adaptable and capable of conversion to something else at a moments notice. Xenotech is a prime interest of Salmoneous, with Xeninite factions regularly flocking to the secluded Forge World of Ixchel to continue their research in secret across the Forges of Salmoneous.

Forge Hirgon stands as the stark opposite of its sister Forge, renowned for their ability to mass produce Skitarii Cohorts or equipment in a moment's notice. Within this, they have perfected the production of Adsecularis Covenants and use them as their primary fighting force, with the quality and production rate at a perfect median. Residing in the aft of the voidcraft, this is where the facilities of mass production and resource refinement resided. Whilst incapable of producing the intricate designs to amass Cybernetica Cohorts, Hirgon prides itself upon its endless Adsecularis Covenants and vicious Servitors for its primary fighting force. The Forges of Hirgon forever burn in favor of Fabricator-General Palidu, an extremely religious zealot in favor of the Cult Mechanicus’ creeds. Residing on what is possibly the wealthiest mineral deposit across the planet, the Adepts of Hirgon saw this as the Omnissiah rewarding them for remaining so true to their tenants in contrast to that of Salmoneous. Where the Forge of Salmoneous is inquisitive, adaptive, and resourceful, the Forge of Hirgon reamins unquestioning, stagnant, and strict in their following of the decrees laid forth in the Cult Mechanicus. Where the Forge of Salmoneous is centered around the top of their hierarchy, basing policial power on that of materialistic wealth, the adepts of Hirgon base their political power upon religious sightings or deeds done in the name of the Omnissiah. Prioritizing efficiency above all across their Forges, a menial may die young due to the inability to afford medical care in Salmoneous, yet those slaving away in the rad-furnaces of Hirgon are never left to die, instead they are forced to continuously undergo life-saving medical treatments. Forever dooming them to continuous labor, especially for those who excel in their jobs.

### **Cult of the Reclaimator -**

The dominant bastardization of the Cult Mechanicus on the Forgeworld. Headed by the priests of the Reclaimer and preached through the Reclaimator Sacridus, this Cult maintains most if not all of the principles of the traditional Mechanicus beliefs with the exception of metals themselves being revered as holy items in the name of the Omnissiah. It is within this cult that the priests of Ixchel could be described as scavengers, with the extraction of metals and other valuable components being seen as a righteous act towards the Machine Spirits of dead machinations. Typically frowned upon by others, the followers of this cult range far and wide and can most commonly be seen as the rabble of a Forges streets, scavenging and picking apart anything of value.

## **Military**

    The forge world’s armed forces are composed of three primary branches. Each branch is dedicated to its own aspect of war; the Legione Skitarius which is the primary military arm of the Forge, the Taghmata Omnissiah which is tasked with the security of the home planet and functions as an ad-hoc militia, the Basilikon Astra functions as the naval element of the forge. A fourth branch exists in replacement of Knight or Titan Houses, instead the Forge World maintains Conspectus Clans.

### **Legione Skitarius -**

Functioning as the primary military and expeditionary force of the Forge World, The Legione Skitarius of Ixchel differ heavily from that of other Forge Worlds in the fact that they make use of extensive Cybernetica and Adsecularis Covenants as their primary combat units, with Skitarii functioning as elite shock units within their Clades. Along side this, Vorax Automata have been known to extensively replace Sicarian Ruststalkers as their close-quarters shock units. Yet, the most defining aspect of these Legiones is their usage of dedicated biological warfare squads, with highly specialized biohazard Skitarii operating chemical weapons ranging from typical chlorine gas to pathological bombs nearing the lethality of the Life Eater Virus. Like-wise these forces sport exclusively developed Ixchel Pattern Chem-throwers, ranging from Infantry held variants all the way to vehicular mounted sprayers and cannons.

* *Skitarii Purgator-* Similar in function to the Vanguards, the Purgators are tasked with the deployment of the biological weapons of Ixchel. Bringing forth the baleful touch of disease, poison, acid, and gas onto their enemies these Skitarii are sealed into enviro suits designed to ensure their survivability during the deployment of their weapons. Typically operating in small teams, they rarely will be seen within the main fighting force of an Ixchel assault. Instead they serve to root out entrenched enemies after occupation will be deployed alongside pathfinders to demoralize and or eliminate enemy defenses before the main force.
* *Speculator Mortis-* type of armored reconnaissance walker used by Ixchel Skitarii. The role of this vehicle is best compared to that of the Sentinel within traditional guard forces, or its distant cousin the Black Widow. Lightly armored yet phenomenally fast, the Speculator Mortis scuttles across the battlefield on four limbs. Featuring two 'mandibles' in both the rear and front of the vehicle, these are used to grapple upon surfaces or tear into armored vehicles unfortunate enough to end up beneath the Mortis, with the front facing mandibles featuring fusion cutters. Striding slightly lower then that of the Dunecrawler, these small and agile vehicles sport weapon mounts on either side of its torso, although usually mounted with twin heavy lascannons, a wide variety of weaponry ranging from heavy bolter emplacements to conversion beam projectors can be mounted. The last weapon system exists in the 'head', featuring quad bolters as a face.

#### **Organization -**

A Legione of Ixchel is divided into four Macrocaldes, with each Macroclade being composed of four War Cohorts, lastly each War Cohort is composed of four Maniples. When determining the names of each War Cohort, simply swap the first term with the first word of the Macroclades. For example the first Legione of Ixchel is depicted below:

* Alpha Legione
	+ Prima Macroclade
		- Prima Alpha War Cohort
			* Alpha Primus Maniple
			* Alpha Secundus Maniple
			* Alpha Tertius Maniple
			* Alpha Quartus Maniple
		- Prima Beta War Cohort
		- Prima Gamma War Cohort
		- Prima Delta War Cohort
	+ Secunda Macroclade
		- Secunda Alpha War Cohort
		- Secunda Beta War Cohort
			* Beta Primus Maniple
			* Beta Secundus Maniple
			* Beta Tertius Maniple
			* Beta Quartus Maniple
		- Secunda Gamma War Cohort
		- Secunda Delta War Cohort
	+ Tertia Macroclade
	+ Quarta Macroclade

##### **Ranking Structure -**

Divisio Mandati - Legione Leader

Master of the Skitarii - Macrocalde Leader

Tribune - Cohort Leader

Consul - Maniple Leader

Alpha - Squad Leader

#### **Skitarii -**

"*Praise be the God of Iron! Praise be the Lord of Machination! Praise be the Omnissiah! The lifeblood of the enemy has perverted his holy iron, by his decree we shall reclaim the metals in their blood!*"
—Zeta-Rho-192
Almost exclusively trained, produced, and armed by the Forge of Salmoneous, the Skitarii of Ixchel gloriously represent the high production quality Salmoneous prides itself upon. The most noticeable feature of these Skitarii is their disproportionate height. Coming in nearly at the height of Astartes, this height almost exclusively comes from their disproportionately long legs and a slightly elongated torso. Their legs also sport several sections of barbed spikes jotting out in random, external locations. These two traits were adapted to better allow them to conduct war across the deep muddy wastelands that occupied the surface of Ixchel, with the spikes serving to deter local fauna that would frequently attempt to drag unsuspecting victims into the depths of the muddy sludge they would stalk through. Next, the Skitarii of Ixchel don its signature segmented white and black color scheme upon their robes. However, the robes worn by these Skitarii are more akin to over-coats, designed to keep their components safe from the endless torrents of rain that occupy the planet's atmosphere. When fully enclosed in their overcoats, imperial forces have been known to remark that they appear almost... nonhuman in their proportions. The last large difference is the quality put into each individual soldier, with most having been intricately over the course of weeks instead of viciously augmented and spit out in hours. This usually results in the Forges Skitarii possessing extremely high quality augments and armoring.

#### **Adsecularis -**

Adsecularis are a specialized Ixchel pattern of the Legio Cybernetica Tech-thrall created by the Mechanicum through basic augmetics and cranial surgery for frontline combat. A common misconception amongst imperial forces identifies them as Servitors, which often use formerly human biological matter as their component system, but rather could be considered as cyborgs. This differentiating factor stems from their consciousness and memory, both of which are not extinguished or suppressed before being reprocessed in their new forms. A form of radical mutilation and overriding is used instead.

The conversion process into an Adsecularis is one of the many poor fates which await the laity of the many Forges that occupy Ixchels surface should they prove sub-standard or commit a transgression against their masters, for few other criminal punishments exist in the Omnissiah's domains. Traditionally, a Tech-thall serves many purposes amongst the intricate workings of a Forge World, but are principally that of a flexible pool of expendable labour valued even less then Servitors.

As Civil War erupted across the surface of Ixchel, Hirgon quickly realized their Skitarii were no match for that of Salmoneous' masterfully crafted forces. To amend this the Adsecularis were created. In these cases, the organic human bodies of the Tech-thralls, already altered to lift heavy loads, functioned in hostile environments and obeyed the orders of their masters until death. Tech-thralls were fitted with basic weapons systems and bodily protection. On the battlefield they served as expendable troops, unskilled but relentless and indefatigable; an army of the alive-yet-dead, puppeted by the Mechanicum Magi who commanded them.

### **Taghmata Omnissiah -**

"*We divide our sacred warriors, we declare the loyalty of the ancient Conspectus Clans, we even allow you and the Martians presence within our holdings of the complex. Yet, now you ask us to disarm? Forfeit our militaries into one large force? You speak of defending Ixchel, yet I hear nothing on how I will defend Salmoneous' territories. Although we will be... united, I will not discard the Legion of Steel to your service.*"
—Fabricator-General Hecaton of Salmoneous addressing Fabricator-General Palidu of Hirgon on the formation of the Taghmata
    The Taghmata Omnissiah is even stranger in its composition, functioning as the primary security and defense forces across the Forge Worlds holdings yet is divided into three main groups. The Taghmata Ixchel which is disbanded under times of peace, Taghmata Salmoneous, and Taghmata Hirgon. With each Taghmata functioning as entire Legiones themselves and even being composed of nearly the exact same unit compositions, the only key difference is these forces hold sole allegiance to whatever Forge they hail from. Taghmata Ixchel is rarely formed, as it results in the disbanding of the other Taghmata forces. The Taghmata Ixchel has only been deployed once since the formation of the Forges private armies into the Taghmata Omnissiah, in which a Daemonic Incursion was threatening the entirety of the planet and the future of all expeditions into the Dark Age Bunker Complex.

### **Basilikon Astra -**

Led by bother the Voidwright Superius and Explorator-General of Ixchel, the Basilikon Astra serves as the division entrusted with the construction, use, and operation of void craft and interstellar vessels. This branch, by its nature, control's the outer reaches of Ixchels System alongside serving as its primary naval element. Maintaining Legiones of Classiarii, Void-hardened Skitarii veterans, each vessel of the Basilikon Astra is fully capable of devastating foes from afar or initiating boarding sequences. The Divisio Explorator of Ixchel is maintained within this branch, functioning autonomously to it in an entirety in typical Explorator behavior.

## **Conspectus Clans**

    Where other Forges maintain Legions of indomitable Titans or numerous Knights, Ixchel employs the Conspectus Clans. This lack of Titans and Knights is a direct result of their vessel crashing upon the surface of Ixchel, with those that were onboard their original vessel, having been rendered completely inoperabel by the initial crash and eventually ruthlessly scavenged for parts to ensure the survival of the survivors. After exploring the wastes of the planet for several years, the individuals that would eventually come to father the cult of the Reclaimator would come to locate an abandoned scrap yard containing the unknown Conspectus Tripodes walkers. The origins of these walkers are shrouded in complete mystery, with the original purpose, design, and even creators of them having been lost to time itself. All that is known, is upon reactiviation, the pilots who would first become bonded with these walkers, would be overcome with desires of reclamation, salvaging, and the acquisition of metals. Current theories point these to be old construction walkers, yet as time progressed the machine spirits within them became perverted in their desires. Where these machines had once created, they now hunger for destruction and the hoarding of materials. These Hulking tripedal walkers are zealously guarded by the high priests of the Cult Reclaimator due to their origin. Each walker is unique in its design and machine spirit, with reconstruction so far having failed in all regards due to the priests ensuring the walkers cannot be perverted in their design by anyone. Only a finite number of these walkers exist, with new variants rarely located within the ruins, mud, or complex of Ixchel.

Coming in at 16 meters in height, the tripodes sport a mushroom capped head featuring a large cut away that reveals a large red eye followed by two smaller blue ones on either side of the eye protrusion. Within this head is an extremely compact neural interface not too dissimilar to those used in knights. It is here that Tripodes Princeps will operate their walker, it is said where a knight's machine spirit hungers for war, the Tripodes thirst for sacred iron. Moving further down the Tripodes, its main tool is revealed, a cluster ranging from ten extremely large to hundreds of small mechendrites that occupy where a mouth would have been or simply stringing down from the edges of the mushroom cap on its head. These modified mechendrites are cabale of sheering flesh and steel alike from their original surfaces just as efficiently as they are at rebuilding and repairing other objects. Horrifically, several specialized mechendrites exist with the capabilties of absorbing liquids and removing the metal fragments within, this ability is frequently seen as the Tripodes seemingly feast upon the blood of the fallen.

These sacred machines are frequently compared to scavengers, yet the term you will typically hear from Ixchel natives is that of reclaimers. These walkers are not the typical war machine and due to this, can rarely be seen on the front lines or anywhere near a current battle. Instead, they stalk the smoking remains of freshly claimed battlegrounds, their legs expertly navigating them through the ruins of war as their tendril mechendrites scour the ground for mechanical parts to be reclaimed, bodies to be repurposed, or even the half dead to slay. Their sight, to any foe of Ixchel, is a sign that loss is truly at hand, for they only come whenever the enemy force is at the brink of destruction, ripe for the reclamation. Some pilots of these sacred machines have been known to become temporarily overcome by the machine spirit within, causing them to stride forth into the frontlines of a battle to bring about a quicker end for foes and the claiming of sacred steel for the Machine God. Although not optimal, even in the midst of battle, the countless tendrils of the Tripodes will continue to dismantle enemy units, flaying infantry alive and using the claimed materials to perform emergency repairs on themselves or even friendly units. Even to allied forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the blaring of the Tripodes signature war horns over the battlefield is an uncertain omen. These are the reapers of the Machine God, cruel heirs to Mars.