Aganthu

Departmento Cartographicae pict-file of Aganthu. Home of the Blood Reavers Space Marine Chapter.

## Planet

### Gravity

Earth like (Comparable to Terran Standard)

## Location

### System

Andea

**Aganthu** is the home world of the Blood Reavers, bestowed upon the Chapter at some point in M41 in recognition of their service to the Imperium. The planet is located in the Andea Star System in the central region of the Segmentum Ultima. It has since become the Chapter’s most important source of new recruits. Aganthu is the habitable planet in its System, and has been largely neglected by the Imperium.

## History

Records of Aganthu's colonization have been lost, but it is believed that it was once home to vast metal deposits. The exploitation of the planet's natural resources caused a change in the ecological balance, and led to gradually worsening climate and a stimulation of growth in flora and fauna. As living conditions worsened, industrial activity became increasingly unprofitable, and the planet was subsequently abandoned by the Imperial Administration. Those who had no means to leave the planet formed into societies which descended into tribal structure and hunter-warrior societies over time.

## Climate and Fauna

Aganthu is a dead, icy hell. Dominated by large, frozen plateaus and ice sheets of varying thickness. Blizzards scour the surface making planetary approach difficult - and living conditions above ground almost impossible. The subsurface consists of cave systems and vast seas. Within these spaces life can be found, if barely. Spotted through the caves and sea-floor are geothermal vents, pumping hot gas from the planetary core. The warmth is what allows life on the planet, and is the subject of intense battles between human settlers and the planet's oversized wildlife, being the only places where plants can be found. While unexplored, it is believed that the oceans are home to bioluminescent leviathans.

One of the peculiarities of the planet is the Boiling Algae. They are found in some of the large underground caverns scattered around the planet where small lakes of liquid nitrogen can be found. It is bioluminescent with the appearance of a giant tadpole’s tail and has a burgundy purple hue. It is harmless unless handled directly, melts in water, and causes internal hemorrhaging of the organs in all but the hardiest if ingested without proper treatment. The plant earns its name from its reaction to humid organic tissue.

## Society and Culture

The few human settlements are dispersed, refuged in artificial cave systems where temperatures are controlled and the risk of predator attacks are minimal. Taking the form of hunter-warrior societies with basic levels of Imperial technological development, they rely on cooperation in order to survive. Clans band together to make expeditions into the natural cave formations in search of food and raw bio-matter. Despite being hardy and adaptable, the raging blizzards and wildlife claim thousands of lives every year.

Skin and carapace from predators are extensively used in clothing and armor, as its biological composition allows the wearer great resistance to the cold, allowing the hunting expeditions. Due to the environmental conditions, the thermal wear used by the original colonists has been almost entirely worn out, and is rarely a viable option with no reliable source for repairs and maintenance.

The aganthuan people place great value in hunting trophies, and use carved teeth, scales and other objects, as well as tattoos, as protective charms and symbols of status. Different objects have different value, and tradition states that only one trophy can be taken by each member of the hunting party, never from the same adversary. As such, the trophies are divided by rank, the leader having the right of first pick.

Lacking a centralized government, authority and guidance is sought from the oldest and wisest among the clans. Knowledge is handed down through oral tradition and the use of carvings, as instruments such as data slates tend to fail due to the extreme cold. As a consequence, communal gatherings are of vital importance to social life. Outcasts and criminals are expelled into the icy wastes to face the elements.

The rites of passage are collective in nature, and take place each time a new generation reaches adulthood. Participants are gathered together and arbitrarily divided into one or several groups of five depending on their numbers. Each group is then assigned a species of animal as their ritual hunting target, and tasked to devise a hunting strategy based on their collective strengths and weaknesses. Once the strategy has been announced, the groups set out into the hunting grounds and work together to survive, track their prey and bring their trophy back to the settlement.