Loyalty is its own Reward (A Traitor Legion Chapter Master Quest)

Planet Name: Carac

Classification: Hive World/Former Penal World

Administratum Tithe: Decuma Secundus

Capital: Carac Prima

Population: 50 Billion

Day Cycle Duration (In terran standard): 27 hours

"You know the fact these people are all criminals who physically couldn't leave here doesn't surprise me."

The barren and desolate world of Carac was in previous millennia utilised as a penal world of the Imperium of Man. Once tens of millions of criminals were brought to this world to toil endlessly as penance for their crimes or broken into service as penal legions sent to die in the endless wars of the Imperium. Vast prison complexes and labour camps were constructed on the planets surface, which would soon expand greatly as the prisoner population swelled, leading to the construction of what would later become the foundations for later hives to house the influx of inmates.

At this time the world was ruled by a hereditary class of wardens and guards, who would rule over the variety of prisoners which were sent to serve their sentence on the planet, as well as maintaining order on the planet. This state of affairs would last for millennia until a freak warp storm cut off the planet from the greater Imperium of Man.

During this period of isolation, much would change on the planet, it is said that the title of Lord Warden would be taken by a particularly cruel and ruthless individual. Who acted not to reform the prisoners souls nor to maintain order but rather to sate their bloodlust and sadism. The other wardens soon followed, and the world became a realm of horrors away from imperial eye. Legend whisper of the planets elites falling under the influence of dark powers which drove them to the heights of depravity.

This age would come to an end following a planet wide prisoner revolt, millions of prisoners threw off their shackles and slaughtered their guards and wardens. The wardens and guards had grown lax and decadent in the intervening years and were so unprepared for the sudden uprising which threatened their rule. For this reason the wardens were overthrown, with the whole class of guards and wardens being either killed or enslaved.

For centuries after this event the world would remain in isolation, before finally the warp storms abated and the Imperium was able to re-establish contact with its lost world. What they discovered was a parched and barren world, inhabited by clans of former convicts who had constructed a brutal and ramshackle society in the ruins of their former prisons. Wracked by violence as a thousand wars were fought for the merest scraps of resources. Never the less, the world would submit to the Imperium and announce their undying loyalty, and the world of Carac would be welcomed back into the Imperium with open arms.

Present: Ever since the planet's re-integration into the Imperium life on the world has been a constant struggle. Living in ramshackle hives, forced to fight for the barest scraps of resources and wracked by internal divisions. To this day, wars are fought each day in the underhives for the basic necessity of water, a resource which is uncomfortably scarce on the parched barren world, with efforts to remedy this shortage being as of yet unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, the world is slowly and steadily improving. Though it is still wracked by resource shortages and low-level violence the planet has recently unified for the first time in millennia bringing peace, stability, and increased cooperation to the planet for the first time in its history since the ancient prisoners' rebellion. Leading to a general increase in prosperity and some have even dreamed of a somewhat hopeful future for their world.

The industries of the world are slowly expanding, with infrastructure being constructed and inter hive trade picking up with planetary unification. Though the planet is still considered a destitute hellscape by many, lacking in many vital areas, it is measurably improving and could if given time and a little luck grow into something more. The planet is presently known as a marginal (by hive world standards) producer and exporter of military equipment to feed the hunger of the Imperial Army.

Culture: Owing to its origins as a penal world, the world of Carac is home to a variety of cultures which stem from the diverse origins of its prisoner population. Drawing their genetic stock from hundreds of worlds, the cultural diversity of the planet is immense, with even individual hives often sharing hundreds of cultures within their walls with their own languages, customs, and traditions. These cultures have often clashed violently, with sectarianism being rife throughout the hive cities, with the only thing uniting them is a shared origin myth in the prisoners rebellion, shared faith in the Emperor, and shared home.

As a general rule however, the Caraceans are highly proud of their diverse ancestries. With many claiming the identities of their home worlds (a Kruthan Caracean, an Eirexian Caracean etc). They are also known for being highly superstitious and with a casual acceptance of corruption and violence. They simply view corruption and violence as a part of life and are more concerned with warding off a variety of supernatural ailments with a dizzying array of superstitious rituals and trinkets. In a more positive light they are endlessly pragmatic and can cope with he harshest of circumstances.

Outsiders typically view Caraceans with scorn and distain, being the descendants of criminals and rebels typically sours anyone's opinion to the world. Then when exposed to the endemic corruption, violence, and general poverty of the planet these attitudes are often solidified. This is combined with the habit of diaspora Caraceans to loudly proclaim that they are the same as the denizens of whatever planet they claim descent from, which causes their "cousins" no end of annoyance.

Imperial Cult: The world of Caracean holds to the Imperial Cult as does all loyal worlds of the Imperium. The local ecclesiarchy in fact was one of the few institutions to survive the prisoners rebellion as they found much support amongst the lower orders of that organisation. Though the world may be wracked by violence and descended from criminals the faith plays an important part of the planet. It is one of the great unifiers of the world which ties the whole planet together, all men no matter their descent or origin claim the Emperor as their one true god. The faith on Carac is unique in its emphasise on redemption and salvation, said to have been one of the most popular forms during the planets time as a penal colony. Pious Caraceans are known for adorning their bodies with elaborate tattoos of Emperor worship.

Planetary Power Structure: The planet of Carac operates under a relatively rare system of federal democracy within the Imperium. Each of the planets nine hives is governed by a figure known as a warden, who in turn elect one of their number to be the Lord Warden who acts as the planetary governor. These wardens are elected via election, where the populations will cast their votes for their desired candidates, and who received the most votes win. Beneath the Warden stands an assembly of lesser elected officials who act to in theory check the power of the warden.

This system is however riddled with corruption, with powerful interest groups and factions influencing politics to their liking. Sectarianism, bribery, and assassination are a daily occurrence in Caracean politics. Many elections are held in the hands of so called "Great Men" men of wealth and power who control vast portions of the population through a network of patronage, often along sectarian lines, can make or break elections and pick and choose candidates at their whim.

Perhaps the most prominent of these "Great Men" is the infamous Gang Warlord Malthus Kray, a wealthy and feared criminal warlord who controls the underworld of Carac Prime, it is said that it was through his influence that the current Lord Warden of the planet managed to get the seat in the first place. The current governor, Lord Warden Caylum Welch, is a deeply mediocre politician who is more than contented with the current political status quo and is more interested in mild economic improvements and not rocking the boat.

Economic Power and Influence: Carac for much of its history has been an economic backwater. Being isolated from the greater imperium for generations, wracked by political disunity and violence, as well as being unattractive to traders and off world investors due to its history as a penal world. The world was for most of its history bordering on destitute, surviving off of meagre industries and its tithe to the guard, with much of the planets infrastructure being ramshackle and best and still many resources being almost required to be bought from off world most notably water.

This has slowly begun to change however as the millennia have passed. Especially following the political unification of the planet and the blossoming of inter hive trade as well as a suppression of inter hive violence the planet has started to show the signs of an emerging economy. Though the worlds industries remain obscure and limited, they are still slowly developing during this time of relative peace and the ensuing infrastructure is being developed to support an expansion of the worlds industrial capacity.

Currently the planets economic influence is mostly limited to its own system, with minimal out of system influence, and almost none in the greater sector. Its main exports include the production of various basic pieces of military equipment of reasonable quality and quantity. Which is however greatly offset by the planets dire need for the basic resource of water. Efforts have been made to remedy these issues via the importation of such devices as water generators and desalination systems but as of yet the efforts to remove this reliance have only been partially successful.

Planetary Defences: Carac has a long and violent history. Between the ancient prisoner rebellion to the relentless warring between hive cities which was endemic to the world for much of its history, and the countless gang wars waged among the poorest of the planet for the slightest sup of water. The planet has seen war and has a myriad of defences as a result. Beyond the Caracean PDF, the planet boasts an array of fortifications and redoubts. Fortified bunkers are scattered all across the planet, trench lines which span continents, minefields as far as the eye can see and concealed killzones make this world a challenge to take.

Imperial Guard Regiment: The Caracean Penitents hail from the barren world of Carac. They are a force said to descend from the military traditions of the worlds ancient penal legions. Men and women chosen to pay for their sins by shedding the blood of the Emperors enemies and dying in his service. The tithe of men is one of the planets major contributions to the Imperium and for this reason millions of the worlds populace are forcibly conscripted and sent into the void. They aren't the finest warriors, but they are known for their grit and savagery.

Rumours…

Tales from the underhives speak of a bizarre and terrible plague. They speak of men going mad, of thousands being struck with a disease which causes them to weep blood from every orifice before going into a berserker rage and attacking all which they can see until they are dead. None know the origin of this dread plague, yet many fear it is a sign of some terrible corruption in the underhives.

Notable Landmarks: Millions of pilgrims brave the ever present dust storms to reach the monument known as the Emperors Hand. This massive monument was constructed by a particularly pious lord warden during the planets days as a penal word and since then has ballooned into a popular site for pilgrimage on the planet. It is a mountain carved into the shape of the Emperors grasping hand, pilgrims believe that touching it will cure ailments and bring good luck.

Trivia:

-Carac is wracked by constant violent dust storms which heavily disrupt or damage machinery and make visibility almost impossible. For this reason, trade and the like between Hives is carried out via huge transport vehicles known as Dust Hulks, which transport incalculable numbers of produce to and from the numerous hives. Talks have been made of constructing a network of subterranean tunnels between the hives which would allow for easier contact and trade but at the moment this is a distant dream.

-Much of the planets issues with water seem to stem from the wardens sabotage efforts during the height of the rebellion. As an act of petty spite many of the planets water systems were sabotaged in an attempt to ensure all would die. Of the 14 initial proto-hives only 9 would manage to somewhat repair these systems.

-Much of the planetary elite are actually the descendants of the wardens or guards. Either the descendants of those taken as wives by their conquerors or the less egregious wardens and guards who were kept as mere slaves. These individuals often possessed unique and indispensable skills which gave their descendants an advantage.