Avernus

## The Last World of the Old Ones

While Avernus is the name the Imperium gave to the planet, it is not its original one. The Graveyard of Gods, for much of its existence and known to the Eldar as the Foundry, it is the last World of the Old Ones, built during the closing days of the War in Heaven when all was lost. A place for them to forge their last weapons of war.

Something happened that changed the Old Ones minds, and instead they imbued their nascent creation with knowledge, while also binding it away with restrictions that only they and their chosen representatives, the Slann, could unlock before vanishing into nothingness.

What happened next was almost predictable, for just as the Old Ones never anticipated the Orks surviving without the Krork, they imagined that the only way the Slann could die was for the World to die with them. This was not the case, the Slann falling during the birth of Chaos, hobbling the Planet as it was lost in the galaxy.

### History

Humanity knows little of the Planet's history.

In its earliest days the Old Ones gave it the eldest of its Three Great Ones, the Serpent, the Mother and the Wolf, as well as most if not all of their collected knowledge and secrets, even guiding it as it created its first three races, the True Troll, the Siren and the Orkwing. After the Old Ones left the Slann seemingly as an experiment created the Polar Gates, that would eventually backfire for when Chaos was born the daemons entered through them. The newly arisen God Khorne looked to the Planet seeing the bounty of Old One artefacts as a means of egriss into the materium so launched an assault, with *the* first Exalted Daemon falling to the Ancient One's spear.

Afterwards the planet was under constant pressure from daemonic assault, slowly being ground down until the Aeldari Dominion intervened. For a time the traumatized Eldar used Avernus as a place to dump superweapons of the War in Heaven, such as wargear bearing the True Runes.

Eventually the Eldar left, leaving the World to its own devices, primarily experimentation and survival against the Chaos Gods, with which it has waged an endless war, while occassionally darting across the galaxy to escape watchers of the Silent King.

At one stage the World nearly overcame Chaos's pressure, with the arising of the Empire of Varjinash, a vast Siren Empire, and the Transcendent Therondy Dragon Alyrassin. But due to the eventual decay of the empire, this golden dream was snatched from it, then broken in a strike by Chaos Undivided led by Be'lakor the first Daemon Prince, who summoned Khorne into the materium for a second to slay the Apex Dragon.

### Restrictions

These are primarily a patchwork of guessing, as it is unclear what the Planet Mind can do, what it cannot do, and what it *can* do, but chooses not to.

The Old Ones mental state at the end of the War in Heaven was questionable at best, so they bound Avernus tightly, expecting the Slann they left behind would release it as they felt needed. As that never happened, the World has instead come up with numerous loopholes to some of their commands. Others are seemingly still in place.

#### Theorised Restrictions

1. Sentients it creates are compelled to remain on it. A work around seems to be to have a compulsion which can be overcome.
2. It cannot create Gods intentionally, so instead dissassembles them.
3. It cannot communicate with others.
4. Unable to use galatic travel or activate its orbital defences without a clear pressing threat.
5. Must confine all Apex level creatures it deliberatly creates that it cannot instantly override.
6. Possible restrictions on souls and the resurrection of peoples/species.

These restrictions can be lowered by threats, such as knowledge of an incursion allowing it greater freedoms. It must be noted all of these are theoretical.

### "Personality"

This is entirely unclear, as it has currently had only one direct speaking role.

Infering from its actions it is clear that the Planet Mind is very ruthless and efficient in its goals. In its conversation with Fenris it seemed to not regret what it has done to survive, but it does not enjoy doing so anyway and would rather a different solution.

Aside from that we know that it seems to greatly enjoy learning new things, especially in areas the Old Ones were lacking in knowledge such as the Primal Warp.

### Geography

Avernus has four continents, each of which has an incredibly diverse range of biomes, wildlife, and native civilisations. While the first continent is settled by humanity, and the second is home to the Lizardmen, little is known of the third continent, and the fourth is actively hidden.

#### **The First Continent**

The first continent, where human colonisation of Avernus first commenced in both the Dark Age of Technology and the 43rd Millennium, is also the safest. It is home to humans, the Quartok, the Nynye, Stone Trolls, and various other peoples. It is comprised of the regions of Avernus's Spine, Lindon, Aridia, Duat, the Azure Isles, the Everglades, Elysium, Tarascon, the Time-Twisted Plains, and yet more unknown or unnamed regions.

The northern part of the content is vast and incredibly dangerous, as in the farthest regions, at the polar gates, it is the front line of any daemonic incursion. It contains the newly colonised region of Vigrid, as well as as-yet unnamed and unexplored Magma biome, and various other regions that have yet to be encountered.

#### **The Second Continent**

The second continent is most notably home to the Lizardmen, ancient servants of the Old Ones who have existed since long before the creation of Avernus. It contains Itza, the legendary "First City".

## The Colony of Avernus

Avernus forms a major world within the Imperial Trust, and is a key industrial center and a major exporter of different goods, as well as being famous for the legendary quality of troops. Along with the planet itself, the rest of the Helheim system also falls under the command of Governor Frederick Rotbart, including the moons of Deiphobe and Cumea.

Since Avernus was colonised in the 43rd Millennium, many new settlements have been established in the different regions of Avernus, and in the rest of the Helheim system.

### Avernus's Spine

Avernus' Spine is one of the original regions colonized by humanity upon its arrival on Avernus, and as its name suggests is composed of a colossal mountain range spanning a large portion of the First Continent's length which is capable of supporting up to eight active settlements at any one time.

Originally, Avernus' Spine was home to six settlements but is now only home to five after the loss of Helm's Deep with the surviving settlements in the regions including Dis a huge class hive, and the capital of the Helheim system along with Casarrondo, Gormec, Lemnos, and The Lonely Citadel four small class hives. Within this region are also the Forge-Hive of Belegost and the Psyker City Nogrod.

### Azure Isles

The second of Avernus' originally colonized regions the Azure Isles is a peninsula sandwiched between the regions of Avernus' Spine to its north-west, Elysium to its north-east, and east, the Everglades to its west, and the Turquoise Sea to its south. This, region earned its name primarily due to the color of its waters, and is capable of supporting up to six active settlements at anyone time through them.

Presently, this region is home to the three small class hives Avalon, The Fair Isle, and Storm's End but was originally home to four before the destruction of Blacktyde. The Psyker City Roke Island, the heart of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica is also found within this region.

### Lindon

Lindon is also one of the original regions colonized by humanity upon its arrival on Avernus, most likely due to sharing its western border with Avernus' Spine. The, region is primarily characterized by the massive forest that makes up the region which is capable of supporting up to five active settlements at any one time.

Currently, the region is home to four small class hives which have been named Lorien, Mirkwood, Hollin, and Doriath along with the small class forge hive of Dorthonion and the Unseen University, the Psyker City that is the core of the Telepthica.

### Everglades

Among, the most deadly of Avernus' originally colonized regions the Everglades are composed entirely of one large fettered swamp home to many of Avernus' more exotic plagues, and poisons. As, a result the region is only capable of supporting up to six active settlements at any one time despite being larger in size than regions that can fit similar numbers of settlements.

Although, this very same deadliness has in part worked out in the region's favor allowing it to escape unscaved even after all these centuries with none of its four active small hive class settlements of The Fens, Asmat, Limberlost, and Okefenokee ever having fallen to enemy action. The Psyker City of this region, Elixia is the main source of Alkahestrial research and production among humanity.

### Elysium

Elysium, another of the original regions of Avernus has earned its name many times over the centuries being composed primarily of massive rolling grasslands with extremely few other terrain features to break up its picturesque appearance. It is also the safest known region on the First Continent known to humanity which when combined with its immense size allows it support up to sixteen active settlements at a time.

Over, the centuries the region has been lucky enough to never lose a hive to enemy action despite being on the path between Itza, and the polar gates managing to keep its four small class hives Nurn, Garden Grove, Bonud, and Yphax alive against all odds. This region is also home to the Quartok, with their hives of Z'ar, Umerus, Okarthel and Malea in the region alongside the Psyker City the University of Salamanca.

### Aridia

Avernus' last originally colonized region Aridia is entirely made up of desert, and is one of the more dangerous original regions. These, factors when combined go some way towards explaining its relatively low settlement cap of six despite its large size as it suffers from many of the same problems that regions such as the Everglades do.

But, this has not stopped humanity from making the best of the region with Avernus' only large class hive Salem being present in the region alongside the three small hive class settlements of Babylon, Beirut, True Grit, the small class forge hive of Silver Lake, and the large city class settlement of Babylon Forge contained within the Babylon hive. The Psyker City of this region, The City of Glass is the main training facility of the Battle Psykers of Avernus.

### Tarascon

[Geography similar to Elysium but contains some hills along with one very large mountain the region is also split into multiple sections by large rivers, can support up to five settlements, contains the five small hive class settlements of Lonely Mountain, Taranis, Alesia, Catotigirni, and Balatonix. the psyker city is Scholomance ]

### Duat

[Is composed primarily of a large river valley surrounded by desert, can support up to seven settlements, contains the seven small hive class settlements of Desdes, Swenett, Baranis, Alexandria, Inbu-Hedj, Ain al-Asil, and Waset., the psyker city is Sakkara)

### Vigrid

[Geographically its a massive frozen hell scape filled with massive forests, tundra, and multiple mountain ranges due to being the single largest region on the First Continent, can support dozens of settlements, and is currently home to the five small hive class settlements of Eyjafjalla, Haithabu, Severia, Nunavut, and Scadin]

### Cumea

[A moon composed almost entirely of metal that orbits one of the gas giants further out in the solar system, can support an unknown number of settlements, and is currently home to the huge class forge hives of Annwn, Mag Mell, and Erecura along with the large class forge hives of Belisma, and Nechtan with lastly the small class forge hive of Aegaeon.]

According to Fabricator General Scott, there is currently room for 12 Lunar Forge Hives on Cumea.

### Deiphobe

[A moon with large promethium seas covering most of its surface that orbits one of the gas giants further out in the solar system, can support an unknown number of settlements, and is currently home to no known human settlements.]

According to Fabricator General Scott, there is currently room for 12 Lunar Forge Hives on Deiphobe.