Maelstrom

The Maelstrom, or commonly referred to as the Maelstrom Zone (known by its ponderous Administratum designation Maelstrom Adjacent Autonomous Imperial Resource Extraction Zone Grid 004-357) is a massive and ancient stellar/Warp vortex near the galactic core. This area of space is riven with warp storms so intense that stellar travel in the region is virtually impossible. Unlike the Eye of Terror, the Maelstrom is, as far as Imperial scholars can ascertain, a naturally occurring phenomenon. With the difficulty of traveling through the region, soon this area of space became a haven to pirates, criminals and renegades. Within the Maelstrom is a region of lawless wilderness containing an estimated twenty plus Ork empires, numerous Hrud infestations, and countless human pirate strongholds. It is also said to be home to the infamous Huron Blackheart and his Renegade Space Marine warband known as the Red Corsairs as well as a large contingent of Word Bearers Chaos Space Marines who fled there in the wake of the Horus Heresy. Swirling with warp-energies that permeates its worlds, this region is permeated with the evil of Warp space which slowly poisons those mad enough, or desperate enough, to reside within.

History
The Maelstrom is a vast sweep of wilderness space located galactic west/south-west/south of the Maelstrom itself using the standard form.