Fennum

**This article, Fennum, was written by LunaGuardian. It may be linked to any page without asking for the author's permission.**

## Planet

### Military Forces

Planetary PDF, Nova Scions Space Marine Chapter

### Ruler

Stewart's Council / Chapter Master of Nova Scions

## Location

### System

Fennum

**Fennum** is a thriving yet highly militarized civilized world located in the Agripinaa Sector of Segmentum Obscurus. Having a long history as a militarized society, it was claimed by the Nova Scions Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes as their homeworld. Despite the lack of natural predators, any serious threat having been hunted to extinction generations ago, the proximity to the Eye of Terror and now the Cicatrix Maledictum has instilled in them a martial tradition and a hardiness uncommon in the citizens of many such worlds.

## History

### Pre-Imperial History

Fennum was settled sometime during the Dark Age of Technology, although much of the planet's records from that age have been lost, although archeologists have speculated that humanity is not the first race to inhabit the planet. There are markers of terraforming which helps explain the unusually suitable atmosphere and environment, but there's no sign of who has conducted this, whether it was done by humanity during the Dark Age of Technology or a xenos species is a matter of rigorous academic debate.

### Age of Imperium

#### Great Crusade-Era

The planet was rediscovered by the Imperium in 893.m30 and was peacefully absorbed into the Imperium. With the re-established trade with the larger humanity, the people of Fennum saw a great surge in their quality of life despite the added weight and obligation of contributing to the great endeavor of the Great Crusade. This added to the militarization of the system as the production and population took part in the campaigns of the Great Crusade.

#### Horus Heresy

After the traitorous Warmaster Horus declared against the Emperor, many worlds joined with him. Fennum was not one of these worlds. Although originally hesitating to actively support either faction, once the forces of the Warmaster arrived in system to demand Fennum's loyalty or "Face the consequences of following the False-Emperor", the Governor-General in charge of Fennum's Imperial Army and PDF units declared that while Fennum had been glad to join the greater Imperium for the good of its people, they would never submit to tyranny of violence. The following conflict between the loyalist and traitor forces drained the system heavily as, although Fennum was well developed and militarily strong, they were also isolated from reinforcements. Despite this, the defenders put up such a spirited resistance that the traitor forces eventually had to be rediverted to more pressing fronts, such as the eventual final push towards Terra.

#### Time of Ending

Due to its proximity to the Cadian Gate, Fennum saw a large number of Imperial Guard regiments, such as the Fennum Jaegers, raised from its PDF forces both to bolster the defences of the vital route into and out of the Eye of Terror and to answer to the myriad threats that had risen from what seemed like the worst nightmares of a madman. Over the years, and as the intensity of the many crises across the Imperium escalated, the system came under more and more strain for men, materials, and other resources needed for the great warmachine that is the Imperium's military. The Governor-General of the system was forced to institute ever harsher rationing and other decrees for the people, always maintaining that once THIS threat had been dealt with, the world could return to its previous state of relative comfort. The many mining colonies of the system were in almost constant state of revolt towards the end of M41 and the local Arbites were increasingly heavy handed in their distribution of justice even in the streets of the primary world's capital city.

In the dying days of M41, the final catastrophy occured and Cadia fell. Many loyal sons and daughters fighting in and around the fortress world perished in an instant as the nigtmare-made-manifest that is the Cicatrix Maledictum opened up, tearing the galaxy asunder. Many of the already disheartened and unhappy on Fennum took this to mean that the end of the world was upon them while some of the more ambitious and nefarious elements of the population saw this as their one opportunity to seize power and began laying plans for their ultimate rise to dominance. Fennum was on the road to civil war.

#### Era Indomitus

A decade after the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the plans of the renegade elements of the Fennum PDF forces and worker coalitions as well as well-meaning but misled people launched a series of surprise attacks and raids on the loyalist forces of the system's authority. Seizing communication centers, production hubs and even the governmental complex itself, the rebel authority declared themselves as the Executive Committee of Fennum and the legitimate rulers of the system. Rapidly distributing arms, uniforms, food and more from the great stockpiles meant for the PDF forces and as part of the Imperial Tithe, they established their position despite the escape of the Governor-General.

Almost ten years of planetary civil war raged, neither side capable of fully taking the decisive upper hand in the conflict. The civil war would have likely continued until Fennum was a scarred wreck of once-great cities and squandered promise if not for the arrival of the Nova Scions chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Siding at once with the loyalist forces, the Chapter conducted a ruthless assault on the main rebel holding, the planet's capital city. Once the center of the rebel authority had been decapitated, the following campaign against the rest of the resistance was swift and brutal. Those who surrendered without a fight were handed over to the planetary authority. Those who resisted were exterminated without mercy or forgiveness.

Following the rebel's ultimate surrender, the Nova Scions claimed the world as their own. Having seen first hand the Chapter's character, the victorious loyalists were all too happy to accept their rule. This marked a new era for the people of Fennum as although their lives would now be used to support the Chapter, this was to prove a smaller strain on their system than the Imperial Tithe for the world had been.

## Fortress-Monastery, Mannerhome

Mannerhome is a massive fortress with records of its existence going back to at least the era of the Great Crusade. One of the last holdouts of the loyalist forces during the Fennum civil war, the ancient mountainside citadel was turned over to the Nova Scions upon the conclusion of that conflict. The chapter set to work to restructure the fortress to fit their purposes, expanding the underground training facilities and repurposing the living quarters to fit Astartes physiology.

From the outside the fortress look imposing, growing from the mountain in an almost organic continuation. The outer walls of the Fortress-Monastery are curved outwards, providing Mannerhome with a small courtyard, and topped with defense turrets. Imposing but elegant, the external fortifications are but a fraction of the extent of the ancient complex. Mannerhome was constructed for a far larger force than a chapter's worth of Astartes and their staff, and the underground tunnels, quarters, workshops, halls, and other sections have still to be entirely mapped by the chapter. In fact, large sections of the underground facilities have been sectioned off and closed with extensive automated defenses placed to guard them. As to who or what exactly do they expect to threaten the mountain fortress from deep within the mountain is unknown, the chapter's official response having been "Doesn't cost to expect the worst".

### Notable Parts

#### Curtain Wall

The great curtain wall of the fortress-monastery is made of a smooth material that marks the external defenses of the fortress. During the Fennum civil war the curtain wall withstood bombardment from the rebels for a year without a single mark left on it. Bristling with weaponry from heavy bolters to lascannons, its defenses add to the powerful retractable weapons of the fortress proper.

#### Sanctum of the Unkown Primarch

A large circular room in which the Mountainsword was originally present. In the room a giant statue of a primarch stands, dominating the presence of anyone entering the room. Used for occasions where the entirety of the chapter is called together, such as when the chapter as a whole is deployed or a new Chapter Master is sworn in.

#### Dawnforge

The Dawnforge is the series of workshops and living quarters for the chapter's techmarines where they pour endless hours into producing, maintaining, and upgrading the chapter's wargear and vechicles. The current Master of Relics, Ilmar Aine, is essentially a recluse who rarely if ever leaves the Dawnforge, focused on creating the finest wargear for the chapter, with some of the junior techmarines describing his drive as more of an obsession.

## Fennum Culture

Fennum has a long and proud military tradition that makes it ideal for Astartes recruitment. All youths are trained from an early age in the art of modern warfare and physical fitness, including as a mandatory part of their education, which lasts until 15, the earliest age a boy or a girl can enlist in the PDF. Despite this, the culture of Fennum doesn't exclude other factors. Art and philosophy are highly regarded, an aspect of the world that has seeped into the Nova Scions' Chapter culture as well. Family is considered highly important, although the concept is usually extended only to direct blood relatives, such as parents, siblings, and children, with extended family having a far less important role than in some other cultures.

### Political structure

Fennum, like many Imperial worlds, has its own socio-political system with its own idiosyncrasies. The ultimate political power rests with the Nova Scions' Chapter Master, but he has traditionally deputed a council of stewarts to manage the day to day politics of the system. These stewarts are elected from among the population who has significantly contributed to the well-being of the system, for which there are generally two accepted methods: Service in the PDF or Imperial Guard regiments or service in one of the many Branches of the Worthy: gruelling non-military service in, for example, the outer mining colonies.

### Religion

The people of Fennum follow the orthodox teachings of the Ecclesiarchy with an increased focus on the Adeptus Astartes as the Emperor's Avenging Angels due to the presence of the Nova Scions on the planet and their part in the lives of the people. The Nova Scions view this religious approach as a natural but unnecessary condition of the lesser mortals, but do not actively or passively discourage it in any way, even occasionally making an appearance in special sermons, such as during the Sanguinala. Faith acts as a galvanizing force and the Astartes see this as a positive force in the defense of the Imperium, as long as it doesn't venture into the realm of zealotry.

### Nature

The people of Fennum take pride in their world's natural beauty and the fact that despite the great hardships they've endured over the millenia they have managed to maintain their world's environment. The significance of this is seen in the art, architecture, urban planning, naming conventions, and other more subtle ways as well. In every city there are multiple green parks and several nature reserves have been established across the world. Although their number has declined over the years due to the resources in those reserves having been needed for the Imperial effort, the fact that any exist on a world so close to the Eye still is nothing short of miraculous.