Eleusis IV

Eleusis is a planet in the Nephilim Sector, not so far from the Nexus Sector. It is currently set as a research planet due to its highly rich presence of archeoartifacts.

## Background

It is commonly believed that this planet was found during the Age of Terra, around 3500 AD. The circumstances of how it was found is unclear, but the Imperial scholars believe that a fragment of a star map was found on Terra, leading to the planet's system. The fragment itself seemed to date from an age before the birth of the Emperor of Mankind himself, shaking human belief if an ancient civilization set a foot on Terra before them.

The first expedition was sent around 3512 AD. It is unclear how, but it is certain that it never reached Eleusis IV. The last radio signal being known to be located around the Nexus system. The second expedition however, reached the planet around 3565 AD. After 3 years of exploring and settling, the first excavations began.

What was found should have been a shock for the very first humans to see it. As the first excavation took place on the Eden Plateau, North of the Planet, a strange stone was uncovered. This stone was marked with indescribable figures, seeming to show a group of star resembling the Sol System. Various glyphs appear also and on the very bottom, a word that was later translated as "life".

So passed the years until the Dark Age. It seems that people on Euleusis IV did quite well compared to the rest of humankind. While their brethren fell into barbary and darkness, humans on this planet kept a level of civilization due to bio technology and rather poor population level. No major discovery was, however, found during that time as the artifacts remained hard to decifer and the technology was too poor to drill deeper on the planet's hard ground.

Then the Emperor and his Great Crusade came. The Emperor immediatly acknoledged the scientifical importance of this planet and thus let the planet at the hand of a highly responsible figure of Mars, a Techpriest called Arcogivil Vaulk. Vaulk immediatly took his work with the highest seriousness as he was an expert in xeno and archeo technology, and understood that thre foundings on Eleusis were like no other he could have seen in his hundreds of years of existence. As the Emperor left the planet, he also settled a garrison of soldiers.

    Under Vaulk directive, in the Great Plains of Absalom nearby the research station Omega, a new discovery was made, this time of greatest interest. It was in fact a pillar, approximately 50 meters high, made of an unknown material which doesn't seem to come from Eleusis. This pillar -or rather pylon- immediatly caught the attention of Vaulk and his techpriests, as it showed to have a particular effect on psykers and xenos. It was black, scripted with the very same glyphes found on the first uncovered artifact millenias ago. Unable to decifer the glyphes the techpriests resorted to xenos knowledge gathered on Mars, and it began to be clear that this pillar was in fact a historical record. Vaulk even believed to recognize a figure of what would be later known in the 41st Millenium as "Necrontyrs" and how that ancient civilization came to ecounter that ancient race still sleeping.

As the Horus Heresy was about to begin, the schism amongst the techpriests began to appear. Some stated that such archeological foundings would be an insult to the dogma of Mars while others such as Vaulk hammered that it was their duty to find out the truth as this ancient civilization seemed bound to the genesis of mankind. That dispute ended up in discord and the ones believing that it was heresy departed to Mars, seeking the help and action of Mars High Authorities. They would in fact never return as civil war was about to happen on Mars.

Horus Heresy broke out and the Galaxy was plunged into war. For the settlers of Eleusis and Vaulk, it was vital to preserve the planet from the traitors and thus, against his heart, Vaulk ordered the construction of Warp Scramblers and fields of camouflage. As loyal as he was the Emperor of Mankind, Vaulk could not afford to loose his life long works on the planet and its importance. Some months before the siege of Terra, Vaulk had a vision. He never told anyone about it nor wrote it down, but he eventually left the planet, talking about "Old Ones" and "Founders". He was never seen since then.

The Emperor was now on his Golden Throne for the Eternity, and the Imperium was at the mercy of traitors and hostile xenos. The planet eventually was forgotten in grieved memories of men, and the excavation stopped along with scientifical enthusiasm. Mirroring the Imperium's decline, most of the installations were abandonned and the settlers began an exode for a better life, and no one heard of the planet for millenia.

That was until the creation of the Inquisition, and along with it the Ordo Xenos in the 32nd Millenium. Mattius Naul, an Inquisitor of that same Ordo, took a great interest in Xeno technology and artifact. He wandered around the Galaxy, thirsty for knowledge and eventually found Eleusis IV. The state of people on this planet immediatly alarmed the Inquisitor, as the techpriests and people seemed to fell into the veneration of a Xenos pillar and the various artifacts. That veneration was almost frenesy and the zeal of the techpriests lethanies could only be described as heresy. Naul had no choice but to purge the planet from that veneration that was to him unacceptable, leading to the planet's very first bloodbath. After the cleaning, Naul started to settle a new Techpriest at the head of the planet's scientific mandate and restaured the Imperial Faith across the planet's people -for those still sane-. He then proceeded to study the foundings and, after understanding the level of importance that this planet represented, immediatly decreted the planet as "highly confidential". The excavation started again and many new artifacts, similar to the ones found in during the 3rd Millenium, were uncovered. They were still enigmatic, and nor the Inquisitor or the Techpriests, no matter the Forge World they belonged to, were able to comprehend the meaning of the mysterious glyphs.

Soon enough came the infamous War of the Beast. The big waaagh! almost brought the Imperium to its knee, and in consequence was created the DeathWatch. As soon as it was created, the Ordo Xenos ordered a Watch Fortress to be built in orbit of Eleusis IV, in a preventive manner. Indeed the Inquisition feard that the accumulating uncovering of ancient Xenos artifact would attract the Xenos, whom might be able to use those artifact against the imperium of man.

The Watch Fortress, baptized The Eye of Odysseus stands ever ready, has been watching the planet for millenia and make sure that no one -not even Imperial Ships- gets to know about Eleusis IV. In this 41st Millenium, the current Watch Master, Nero of the Ultramarines, was reported by the Ordo Xenos intel what could be the first threat to the planet; a crypted message from the Alpha Legion mentionning an unknown planet in the Nephilim Sector. He in consequence heavily armed the fortress and ordered the Imperial Guard regiment on the planet to stand ready for an eventual attack.

## Landscape & Nature

Eleusis IV is a rocky planet, with some part of the planet covered with small seas. The rocky mountains are predominants and some volcanos were found to be still active, though posing no serious threat.

The seas are inhabited by strange xenos creatures, which are of a notable size due to the deepness of the seas reaching down to 20 000 m. The mountains are as high as 8 000 meters and the landscapes are made of plateaux and canyons, sometimes ending abruptly at the shoreline.

Most of the research stations are comprised of military barracks, sheds, and an antenna as well as fields to protect them from the sometimes violent magnetic storms.

## Population, Society & Culture

The population is comprised mainly of scientists from all over the Imperium, techpriests (mainly from Mars due to historical reasons), guardsmen and various farmers and engineers vital to the planet's self-sufficient policy.

Unlike the rest of the Imperium, the different casts mix quite well and no category is left apart, leading to a very solidary community of men, maybe only equaled by those living on Ultramar. This is mainly due to the fact that the population is rather low, and to the fair abundance of food and supply the planet the engineers are able to produce.

It is however said that some still venerate the pillar, even since the purge that happened under the Inquisitor Mattius Naul, but no such case of cult was proved to exist.

## Politics

The current head of the planet is a Techpriest named Elias Ghrentz, appointed by the Ordo Xenos itself with the benediction of the Archmagos. Due to the planet's low population and an inexistant crime rate, political affairs are very few to deal with, leaving him plenty of time to study the archeoartifacts. Sometimes reports must be made to the Eye of Odysseus, and once every 10 years an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos pay a visit to check on the advencement of the Techpriest's studies (or rather make sure no heresy is taking place).

## Military Forces

A garrison of imperial guard of approximately 100 000 from the Grixis planet, paid a good share by the Ordo Xenos to protect the planet and trained regularly in harsh conditions due to the unknown nature of the enemy they could face. They can count on tank divisions as well as artillery and anti air canons.

The Watch Fortress orbiting is unknown to Eleusis's inhabitants. It is comprised of a hundreds of Kill Teams, trained to every case scenarii. The Watch Master can also, if needed, make use of Corvus Blackstars, Outriders detachment or even a scout company comprised of Eliminators, ready to quickly put an end to any tentative of invasion may it be Xenos or anything else.