Lezo
"It is the duty of every loyal servant of the Emperor to piss on a traitor´s grave." Admiral Carlos Cartagena, Hero of the Heresy and Scouring, Founder of House Cartagena and Future Lord Sector, M31
"Oh, Lezo is a wonderful place, the only planet in the Sector where one can experience the wonders and delights of the every other world of the Aetelian Sector and beyond. Unfortunately, that is coupled with dealing with fools, imbeciles and snakes of all these planets." Inquisitor Emilio "Bocanegra" de Cardenas, M41
"Impressive how a whole planet can ride on the legacy of one outstanding Admiral for millenia, so that it can keep spewing thousand of mediocre officers."
"What´s impressive is that you Gadirians can keep complaining about the change of the headquarters for millenia, without showing any reasons as to why it was wrong to do so." Extract of a conversation between a Lezoan and a Gadiran Admiral.
Classification: Hive World
Administratum Tithe: Exactis Particula
Population: 389 Billions (Census before the Lezoan Campaign)
Capital: None, the hive covers the whole planet.
Day Cicle Duration (In terran standard): 24 Hours
Overview: The earliest signs of human habitation in Lezo go back to the days of the Dark Age of Technology. As far as Hive Worlds go, it weathered the advent of the Age of Strife in far better shape than most worlds of it´s kind and was actually a part of a small trade network with nearby systems during the time of the Great Crusade. The planet was integrated into the Imperium when it encountered a sizable task force of Space Marines, and as such the Noble Houses of Lezo, led at the time by a King, soon bend the knee rather than face the might of the Imperium.
However, it wasn´t until the Heresy when the planet experienced the rise to prominence that it now has. When the two Companies that had been left garrisoning the Sector declared for the Warmaster, one of their first actions was to destroy the bulk of the Imperialis Armada at Gadir, which at the time was the Headquarters of the Imperialis Armada and the location of the only Naval Academy in the Sector. With the bulk of the fleet destroyed, the Forge Worlds of Smilnay and Milan under siege, and no Loyalist Astartes present in the system, the last concentration of Imperial Forces capable of contesting the Traitors was the fleet stationed around Lezo´s orbit. The Admiral in charge of the fleet attempted to defect to the traitor´s side, but was soon seized and executed by a mutiny lead by the then Captain Carlos Cartagena. Now in command of the fleet, Cartagena made his homeworld his base of operations as he rallied scattered Imperial survivors and waged war against the IVth Legion and their auxiliary forces. Knowing that contesting Space Marines on a fair fight was doomed to failure, Cartagena directed his vessels in a campaign of scattered raids and ambushes, enacting an strategy of asymmetric warfare and defeating in detail the varios detachment the Iron Warriors warsmiths sent against him. The conflict against the two Grand Companies lasted the whole Heresy, the Astartes unable to contest the strategic and tactical brilliance of the Lezoan in void warfare and Cartagena lacking the ground elements needed to contest the planetary rule of their conquered planets. It wasn´t until a significant force of Ultramarines arrived at the Sector during the Scouring, tipping the balance towards the Loyalists. The Iron Warriors were decisively defeated then, with one of their Grand Companies destroyed and the other one undergoing serious loses.
After Imperial rule was completely restored to the Sector, Admiral Cartagena was awarded with the Sector Lordship, granted to him and his house in perpetuity. Lezo was installed as the Sector Capital, which had been undecided before the Heresy, and the Headquarters of newly raised Imperial Navy were placed in the planet, to the eternal consternation of the Gadirian nobles. With it sudden rise in importance and status, the wealth of the planetary elites skyrocketed as the various nobles started getting involved in lucrative trades and political games with the various dignitaries and commercial magnates of a hundred worlds. A wealthy middle class appeared over night as the demand for skilled workers and managers, learned bureaucrats and lower-commissioned officers outstripped the available demand. New factories cropped like weeds in order to fuel the newly instated warmachine. On the ten millenia since, while the authority of the Lord Sectors has waned and waxed with the times, the economic, military and political might of Lezo has been uncontested.
In modern times, Lezo dedicates most of it´s Tithe to the Imperial Navy. Almost half of the officers in Battlefleet Aetelian are Lezoan, the crop of the PDF are tithed for the Navy Armsmen instead of the Imperial Guard, the totality of the planet´s manofactoriums work to provide the vessels of the Imperial Navy with everything from ammunition and spare pieces to uniforms and personal higiene items. Besides it´s commitment to the God-Emperor´s fist upon the stars, Lezo is the center of many of the Sector´s trade routes, and abundant patrons in the cultural and entertainment industry.
TRIVIA:
-Visiting nobles and dignitaries have remarked that amenities in Lezo are surprisingly cheap (From a noble standpoint-it is still ruinous for a common citizen.)
-There is a vicious rivalry in Battlefleet Aetelian between Lezoan and Gadiran officers. The first are often stereotyped as incompetent hotheads and the second as craven braggarts.
-Culinary recipes in Lezo are considered serious business in all stratas of Lezoan society. Conflicts raging from noble blood feuds to gang wars have erupted regarding the proper ingredients or cooking methods of a particular dish.
QM notes: As people didn´t seem interested in choosing, I´ve decided to make the planet you´ve recently fought in the new chapter of the Guide. Have a nice day!
