User:Montonius/Sandbox - Prelude to Conflict: With the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum and the passing of the Noctis Aeterna in the early years of the 42nd Millennium according to the old Imperial Calendar, Vigilus found itself in that dark region of space known as the Imperium Nihilus, upon the threshold of the Nachmund Gauntlet. As one of the two relatively stable paths between the half of the Imperium that contained Holy Terra, known as the Imperium Sanctus, and the farflung Imperium Nihilus on the other side of the Great Rift, the Nachmund Gauntlet was of immense valueto Mankind.It allowed the Imperium to continue the movement of its forces across the interstellar gulf of the Great Rift, and also to maintain a line of astropathic communication -- albeit an unstable and dangerous one -- with the worlds stranded in the Dark Imperium. Should the Imperium ever truly be divided it would likely fall apart entirely. Hence the importance of Vigilus; it acted as a vital beachhead that kept the Imperium Nihilus under a semblance of Terra's control.None truly knew how or why the Great Rift formed -- but the fight to gain passage across it quickly became intense. Vigilus had always boasted a vast amount of manpower, and had inherited a great number of Imperial Guard regiments since the clearing of the Cadian Gate -- an event the Adeptus Ministorum referred to as the "Pre-tempestine Exodus" -- but it soon became evident that the threats facing the planet would test its defenders to their limit.The world was traditionally ruled over by a loose confederation of elders and nobles called the Aquilarian Council, known to the Adeptus Mechanicus as the "Council of Cogs." The fact that the different delegates could not even agree on a name demonstrates how divided they were; the palatial areas of Saint's Haven were riven by political wars for solar decades. Only the spectre of complete annihilation saw Vigilus' rulers united.At the onset of the xenos invasion, Vigilus' vast and contiguous landmasses were broken only by a series of fortified reservoirs. The dust-bowl wastelands between each city-sprawl were analogous to oceans, and just as difficult to cross. They were not only arid and barren, but also hydrophagic -- in places the chemical composition of their dust dunes was so saline it could desiccate bare flesh in a matter of solar hours.In theory, simply wearing enough protective clothing could have assuaged this. Unfortunately, the dust storms and twisters that were spun out from the giant tempest in the east -- known as the "Vhulian Swirl" -- caused thisdesiccant to creep into every chink of a traveller's armour and clothes. The dunes were hence populated only by tough-skinned or shell-armoured predators that preyed upon the unwary.The planet's rare areas of productive land were highly sought after, but rampant industrialisation saw most of them developed into urban metropolises called "hivesprawls." These were so large they formed entire continents.The world was formally ruled by its Planetary Governor, Lucienne Agamemnus IX. The Agamemnus Dynasty had overseen the planet's affairs from the spires of the capital hive city, Saint's Haven, for Terran millennia. Yet the planet was famous for being a stronghold of the Adeptus Mechanicus.Vigilus' relative proximity to War Zone Stygius, where the Stygius Sector had been invaded by the Chaos forces loyal to the Chaos God Tzeentch, saw it serve as a way-station for incoming Imperial forces, including the Space Wolves and various Skitarii Legions. Its placement in the cosmos alone made it a valuable asset, but its most important export also made it vital for the Imperial war machine.Vigilus was once one amongst a hundred Imperial worlds in the Segmentum Obscurus considered important primarily for the war materiel and manpower it exported. The planet's principal export was its exceptional defensive technology.The Adeptus Mechanicus of Vigilus were blessed with the Standard Template Construct design for psy-tech force fields, and were sanctioned by Mars to put them into production. As well as being shipped out to aid the defences of countless other worlds, these Bastion-class force fields were installed around the perimeter of every Vigilite hivesprawl "continent" as part of a treaty that had been agreed between the Tech-priests and the Agamemnus Dynasty.Until the opening of the Great Rift and the xenos invasions that followed, these defences kept the planet's industry and populace safe from outside invasion. In exchange, the Adeptus Mechanicus were largely left to their own devices on the forge continent of Megaborealis -- one of the "false continent" cityscapes that covered Vigilus' crust -- but as time went on this proved a high price.Much of Megaborealis was given over to the unearthing of a strange black mineral called blackstone that ran like veins through its crust, which the Tech-priests obtained through vast and destructive mining operations. For the most part, these excavations were powered by energy produced in the volatile volcanic region of Storvhal to the south.The deep drilling of the Adeptus Mechanicus' bore-hives caused such violent earthquakes across the planet that many a hive city was toppled, many a ruler's statue cast down, and the water table disrupted to the point that potable water became extremely scarce. Still, the Machine Cult of the Forge World of Stygies VIII delved ever deeper in their search to unravel the mysteries of the universe -- no matter their provenance, or cost.Meanwhile, the gradual but undeniable influence of the Ministorum was to see the Agamemnus Dynasty slowly infiltrated by agents of the Ecclesiarchy. None could gainsay their encroachment, for to challenge them was to challenge faith in the Emperor Himself. The Ministorum Priests installed amongst the local Vigilant Guard Astra Militarum regiments worked ceaselessly to indoctrinate their charges until they too became dogmatic soldiers of faith.As the solar decades slid by, the inner districts of Hyperia Hivesprawl, Vigilus' capital continent, echoed to the march of ever more Adepta Sororitas and their pious Vigilant Guard allies, until some said the Planetary Governor was ruler in name only. Vigilus was becoming host to several distinct Imperial power bases, all determined to pursue their own agendas no matter the cost.The planet's disparate continents came into conflict over resource monopolies many times, but outright war was always avoided due to the efforts of the Aquilarian Council. Unfortunately, as resources were sequestered in ever moreblatant power grabs, the grievances of the Aquilarian Council escalated from bickering and infighting to sabre-rattling and threats of violence that saw the planet brought to the brink of deadly civil war.Then, under the malignant light of the Great Rift that broke across the galaxy, Vigilus and the other planets orbiting its star Astravigila entered a new phase of their tempestuous existence.