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Atoma Prime is an Imperial Hive World and the capital of the Moebian Domain in the Segmentum Solar that has been consumed by conflict with an infestation by Chaos caused by the Chaos Cult dedicated to Nurgle known as the Admonition, which gained the support of the corrupted Moebian 6th Regiment of the Astra Militarum's Moebian Regiments, now a Traitoris Militarum force.

The world has also been classified as a War World by the Imperium after the Inquisition deployed its forces to eliminate the Chaos infestation.

Atoma Prime possesses 3 moons, the largest of which is Atrox, which has a faint red hue.

Atoma Prime, in particular its hive city of Hive Tertium, is the setting for the video game Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

History[]

Origins[]

Atoma Prime is an important Imperial Hive World that has long been the centre and capital world of a vast, semi-autonomous region of Imperial space comprising many different Human worlds known as the Moebian Domain that is located in the northwestern Segmentum Solar. The bearer of the office of sector lord in the Moebian Domain is known by the title of "Lord Moebian" and they rule from the domain's planetary capital of Atoma Prime. The current ruler, Lord Margrave, is the 13th successive member of House Margrave to hold this office. As the political and economic centre of the Moebian Domain, Atoma Prime is of great importance to the regional Imperial presence. Its industrial output of Leman Russ Tanks and other armoured vehicles is paramount to the continued security of the domain.

The world that would be known as Atoma was first colonised by Humans at some point in the Dark Age of Technology, when Mankind had achieved its technological golden age. What would later be known as the Moebian Domain was likely colonised during the "Stellar Exodus" from Old Earth after ca. M15, as the region was relatively close to the Human homeworld.

In the the subsequent Age of Strife after the collapse of the first Human interstellar civilisation, Atoma managed to survive by becoming economically self-sufficient largely due to its advanced industry, ultimately weathering the isolation of Old Night relatively well when compared with what befell so many other Human colonies.

Great Crusade and Horus Heresy[]

During the Great Crusade of the late 30th Millennium, the expeditionary fleets of the Emperor of Mankind rediscovered Atoma Prime and immediately saw its strategic value to the newborn Imperium. No harsh re-education and violent subjugation was needed to incorporate Atoma into the fledgling Imperium and impose Imperial Compliance. The rulers of Atoma were quite willing to join their fates to this powerful new interstellar Human empire. The highly productive manufactoria of Atoma were immediately set to produce materiel needed to support the Great Crusade's fleet supply lines.

Soon after, Atoma was designated the capital world of its star system, thus becoming becoming "Atoma Prime," after the forces of the Great Crusade had brought its neighbouring planet, the future Shrine World of Crucis, to Compliance. The rulers of Crucis ceded their own authority to Atoma Prime, whose planetary governor was recognised by the Administratum as the overall governor of every world in the system. The fleets of the Great Crusade would ultimately bring all the worlds of the Moebian Domain into the Imperium, liberating many of the worlds they discovered from Human tyrants, while hostile xenos species were either completely exterminated or defeated to the point of military insignificance.

The worlds of the Moebian Domain remained profoundly Loyalist from the outset of the Horus Heresy. The Domain continued to supply and support Loyalist military efforts throughout the time of the Heresy and into the post-Heresy Great Scouring period. Like so many worlds of the Imperium, however, Atoma Prime did not escape the terrible fighting entirely unscathed and consequently an interim government was established on the neighbouring world of Crucis to allow Atoma Prime to be restored to a position of stability and productivity. At this time a major Navis Imperialis sector battlefleet depot was established at Crucis.

Time of Rebirth and the Darktide[]

In the early 32nd Millennium, Atoma Prime was still recovering from the aftermath of the Horus Heresy and its productive output remained below its pre-war levels. The conflicts that had begun on the Fringe of the Moebian Domain as a result of the instability unleashed by the Heresy did not abate and became a persistent annoyance that soon required a permanent deployment of military assets to keep the threat contained. Periodically the situation flared in intensity and could be classified as an outright war. The world of Komaris remained the primary Imperial bastion in the Fringe region of the Moebian Domain during these conflicts.

Finally, in the late 32nd Millennium, Crucis returned the domain's administrative powers to Atoma Prime peacefully and Atoma Prime was restored to its position as the sector capital world. Additionally, the Navis Imperialis depot in orbit of Crucis was moved into the orbit of Atoma Prime.

For centuries, Atoma Prime and the peoples of the Moebian Domain have been under assault by Chaos and xenos forces from the fringe of its territory that the Adeptus Administratum has chosen to simply classify as the "Darktide." The people of Atoma Prime know little about the nature of these shadowy foes, other than what they hear in Imperial propaganda broadcasts, but are certain that they must be defeated if Atoma Prime is to remain within the light of the God-Emperor.

To deal with the Darktide, Atoma Prime has for centuries raised hundreds of regiments for the Astra Militarum from among its teeming masses, known as the Moebian Regiments. These heroic men and women have kept the Darktide at bay for many standard centuries, fighting in what is known as the "Fringe War."

The Middle Millennia[]

Historical details concerning the Moebian Domain from the 33rd Millennium to the 35th Millennium have been, for reasons unknown, heavily redacted by Imperial censors. Early in this period, there were minor disturbances as there might be upon many worlds of the Imperium. Additionally some small dynastic civil wars raged among the nobility, between various hive cities and the economic guilds of the world. Occasionally, beings referred to generically only as "xenos" sparked conflicts on the region's Fringe that required a concerted effort to pacify the area.

At some time in the 34th Millennium, the world of Rocyria was reclaimed as part of the Moebian Domain. It is unspecified how the world had originally been lost and what specifically occurred to return it to Imperial control. At this same time, a major xenos war is believed to have been fought in the Fringe and a period of extensive warfare was required to keep the threat from spreading.

At the turn of the 35th Millennium, the Fringe War flared once more. This time the xenos forces were noted as having made a considerable offensive push into the core space of the Moebian Domain. Consequently, an Imperial force was sent as reinforcements to bolster the Moebian troops on the front lines of the Fringe War, but the nature of this force, including its origin, is unspecified, including as to who ordered it. As a result of these reinforcements, however, the xenos threat on the Fringe was fragmented and driven back once again.

This period appears to also have been marked by some political destabilisation in the Moebian Domain itself. Records indicate a civil war was fought on Atoma Prime at this time. The fact that this conflict is not clearly explicated suggests it could have been a mere civilian revolt or something more significant. However, an alliance of noble houses proved victorious in ending this civil conflict, whatever its nature and origins, and an Atoman noble named Yannis Barquette is selected as the new sector lord with the title of "Lord Moebian."

In the latter years of the 35th Millennium, the world of Infidus Brim was noted as having been reclaimed as a vassal world of the Moebian Domain. The apparently "victorious alliance" of noble houses under the leadership of House Barquette began constructing a cluster of three hive cities that will eventually merge to become the vast, sprawling hive city of Tertium.

It is at this time that Atoma Prime entered a complete environmental collapse caused by the sheer amounts of industrial pollution emitted by the growing hive cities. The world's remaining ecosystems collapsed, leading to the extinction of much of the former native flora and fauna. This left the surface of the world marked only by the orange streaks of the industrial wastes later called by the people of Atoma Prime the "Witherlands."

Reign of House Margrave to the 41st Millennium[]

In the 36th Millennium the expansion of the cluster of three hive cities led by House Barquette and its alliance of noble houses continued. Over the centuries, the population of the hive cluster of three cities under House Barquette's control grows exponentially and the arcologies' systems soon become interlinked, leading to the emergence of a single, massive hive city that covers an extensive portion of Atoma Prime's surface. The unified arcology is named "Hive Tertium."

Consequently, any remaining populations outside of the hive city now merge and Hive Tertium becomes the primary and perhaps only population centre on the planet. The rivalry between House Barquette and other Highborn houses continues and intensifies within the higest spires of Tertium.

At some point in the 36th Millennium the upstart House Margrave launches a coup with allies of its own and replaces House Barquette as the ruling house of Atoma Prime and the Moebian Domain following yet another period of instability. Anselm Margrave is declared the new Lord Moebian in the wake of the coup. It is also at this time that the world known as Mornax is recorded as having been brought into the Moebian Domain as a vassal world.

Over the next few thousand years Moebian Domain enjoys a period of stability and calm. There are no records of any major incidents or conflicts, nor does the xenos Fringe War appear to have flared up once more.

In the 38th Millennium, the worlds of Mornax and Branx Magna are officially granted membership within the Moebian Domain. In the late 39th Millennium, the Ocean World of Incron is reclaimed and also becomes part of the domain. The Navis Imperialis sector battlefleet depot above Atoma Prime is relocated to Incron for unknown reasons. In the early 41st Millennium, the world of Pavane is charted and claimed as part of the domain.

By the 41st Millennium the Moebian Domain and Atoma Prime seem a stable and well-managed region of the Imperium. There had been steady economic and population grownth over the preceding six millennia and the Atoma System now comprised seven main worlds, the capital Atoma Prime with its massive hive city of Tertium, Crucis which had been designated as a Shrine World of the Ecclesiarchy, and then five other worlds including Incron, Rocyria, Branx Magna, Pavane, and Mournax. The domain also maintained several vassal worlds, the most notable being Infidus Brim. Branx Magna had expanded its industrial output and population to a level that it now rivalled even Atoma Prime in terms of its gross planetary product and industrial importance within the star system. Its planetary governors belonged to a noble dynasty known as House van Sparzi.

On Atoma Prime itself, Constant Margrave was the Lord Moebian, the 13th head of House Margrave to hold the office and rule the Moebian Domain. Lady Margrave, his sister, while officially subservient to her brother, also held some measure of power within the domain. Unfortunately, the Fringe Wars against the Darktide had flared up once more with increasing regularity.

A specific world was noted to be the site of one of the on-going conflicts in the Fringe War at this time. This was the planet of Nox Alpha, a world that was not part of the Moebian Domain as either a member of a vassal, but possessed an inherent strategic value for the Imperial forces fighting on the Fringe.

Era Indomitus[]

In the Era Indomitus, the Chaos Cult called the Admonition infested the hive city of Hive Tertium on Atoma Prime. When they unleashed a Zombie Plague and a swarm of Poxwalkers began to assault the lower reaches of Hive Tertium, the Moebian 6th Regiment was redirected from frontline deployment to assist in combating the Nurglish corruption. Instead, the corrupted regiment turned on the people it had sworn to protect and began to support the uprising.

To stop this growing corruption, the Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition under the direction of the Inquisitor Grendyl recently deployed its forces and agents into Hive Tertium in a race against time to save the hive city before it can grow into a cancer that could consume the entire world, or even eventually threaten the entire Moebius Domain. The Ordo Hereticus based its operations in orbit of Atoma Prime, aboard the requisitioned Rogue Trader Firestorm-class Frigate Mourningstar under the command of Shipmistress Emora Brahms.

Hive Tertium[]

AtomaPrimeHiveTertium

Hive Tertium as seen from low orbit by the Inquisition's requisitioned Rogue Trader Firestorm-class Frigate Mourningstar above Atoma Prime.

In general, the great Atoman hive city of Tertium is far more "open" in its geographic layout than most hive cities of the Imperium and thus its conurbation is generally less dense than most Imperial arcologies. Yet, it is still an amalgamation of the ramshackle steel layers characteristic of most Imperial hive cities. It is characterised by massive, open cavities within the hive city so large that they even allow voidships and skyfighters to readily pass through and yet remain entirely within the arcology.

These open cavities are so expansive that inhabitants of Hive Tertium can be fooled at times that they are living under under open skies until one looks up to see a distant dome of steel boxes marked with massive stalactite-like towers and other artificial structures, all peppered by the pin-points of artificial lights stretching as far as the eye can see. The massive hive city's foundations seem to have been sunk into unsteady ground and are supported by massive pole-like infrastructure in the lower hive levels.

HiveTertium2

The expanse of Hive Tertium as seen from the upper atmosphere of Atoma Prime.

The capital city of Atoma Prime, Hive Tertium is the jewel of the Moebian Domain. Hive Tertium was constructed in the 35th Millennium at the behest of Yannice Barquette, the newly-appointed and first known Lord Moebian not descended from the original ruling Moebian dynasty. The industrial boom that saw Hive Tertium and House Barquette's rise to wealth and power on Atoma occurred after the devastating Fringe Wars began in the 35th Millennium.

Since Tertium's founding, manufacturing and mining output has been greatly expanded on Atoma Prime. The growth of these industrial actitivites has greatly increased the wealth of the planet but at the cost of the total collapse of its former biosphere and ecosystems, as is so often the result of the establishment of an Imperial hive city. Being a conglomeration of what were once three large but entirely separate Atoman cities, hence the name "Tertium" once they were combined into a single hive, Tertium has been extended upwards by millennia of construction until it has become the massive, continent-straddling arcology it is at present.

HiveTertium3

The vast expanse of Hive Tertium as seen from closer to the surface of Atoma Prime.

The opulent and overly indulgent House Barquette was ultimately overthrown by House Margrave in the 36th Millennium after only a single Terran millennium of rule over the hive city and its planet. House Margrave's leader, Anselm Margrave, claimed the office and title of the Lord Moebian and was the first of his house to take upon themselves the office of Lord Moebian.

House Barquette would later become infamous in Atoman culture for their overt greed and self-indulgent nature (habits certainly enhanced in House Margrave propaganda after their coup), which could be seen in the attire of the members of their house and those who served them. Barquette Highborn preferred to wear clothing in rich reds and blues covered in elaborate golden patterns and complemented by gold-plated personal armour.

Hive Tertium and the husk of a biosphere left on Atoma Prime being a monuments to the unchecked greed of the opportunistic noble houses who overthrew the original Moebian Dynasty in M35. The Margraves would mark themselves apart from the rival noble house of the Barquettes with a more dull and somber attire, adopting dark reds and blue, brown, and black colours into their attire and those who support them. This would mark the beginning of the political rivalry between the two most powerful noble houses of Tertium. One that would continue in current day 41, influencing the divisiveness of Moebian Administratum, Ecclesiarchy, and commoners alike to choose a side.

Witherlands[]

DunesWitherlands

Concept art for wasteland dunes in the Witherlands of Atoma Prime outside Hive Tertium as created for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide.

All of the desolate, polluted regions outside of Hive Tertium are called the "Witherlands," or sometimes simply "the Outside" by the inhabitants of the hive city. The Witherlands are defined by the acrid, orange dust that covers the barren expanse of polluted desert lands that are all that remain of Atoma Prime's once thriving biosphere.

There are roaming nomads, mutants and other individuals living in these wastelands, though almost all are required to make use of rebreathers and goggles to allow them to filter the toxic elements out of the air and see through the haze of pollutants. The omnipresent orange dust has a particular odour that can't be easily removed from clothing.

Atoman Society[]

The planetary capital city of Hive Tertium is known for the thriving liturgical practices that surround the veneration of Saint Messelina by its people and its riveting camelid races.

All aspects of Atoman society are currently shaped by the political polarisation between the supporters of the two strongest noble houses that either currently rule or formerly ruled the world and the Moebian Domain, House Margrave or House Barquette, respectively. This societal divide can most easily be seen in the dress and uniforms present throughout all facets of Atoman life.

The Barquettes are represented by opulent and lavish attire in bright reds and blues, elaborate clothing patterning, and golden armour plating. The Margraves have sought to distance themselves from the former ruling house by adopting a far more sedate customary garb, defined by drab reds and browns and generally plain in comparison.

This political polarisation also affected the Ecclesiarchy of the Moebian Domain, or at least the powerful institutions of the Adeptus Ministorum in the local star system that was home to Atoma Prime and its neighbouring planet, the Shrine World of Crucis.

Crime[]

Enforcers on Atoma Prime, as is true on most Imperial worlds, are typically the local police forces that maintain order in the hive city and clamp down on most mundane criminal activities like theft, property crimes, food and queue riots, murder, rape, etc. However, like most Enforcers in the Imperium, they are easily corrupted and make excessive use of brutal violence to protect the interests of those in power far more than they seek to ensure justice or fairness.

The Carnival district is a recreational district of Hive Tertium that thrives primarily on the production and trade of illegal stimms. As a result, it is a cesspit of vice and depravity and home to a myriad of drug dens, saloons, organised crime hideouts and illegal but highly popular blood sport amphitheaters.

Notable Atoman Criminal Groups[]

  • Water Cartel - The Water Cartel's activities are localised within the Torrent district of Hive Tertium. The gangers of the Water Cartel control most of the water refineries of Tertium that are responsible for providing a detoxified, fresh water supply for most of the hive city's population. The Water Cartel is made up of many smaller factions that regularly war amongst themselves for more power and control. It was the Water Cartel that was originally targeted by the Cult of Admonition to serve as its primary vehicle to begin corrupting the inhabitants of Hive Tertium. The cult eventually decapitated the Water Cartel's leadership and then used its control over the water refineries of the Torrent district to begin spreading Nurgle's supernatural diseases like the Zombie Plague and the Walking Pox throughout the hive's populace.
  • Chasm Station Railers - The Chams Station Railers are a gang of smugglers that make use of Hive Tertium's many railway sub-levels, in which they traffick both illegal goods and people, including fugitives seeking to escape the attention of the noble houses. A major hub for Railers' activities is the Chasm Station, a major Tertium subterranean railway depot and crossroads.
  • Durkham's Raiders - The Raiders are a gang associated with Tertium's lower levels. The Moebian 260th Regiment of the Astra Militarum typically recruited from the members of this gang, and their clothing has an orange-and-cream striped pattern.
  • Skyreavers - The Skyreavers are a criminal gang of airborne raiders, smugglers, and bandits. They often tail the various Valkyries flying about the hive city on Imperial business, seeking new opportunities to make a major score on a valuable airborne shipment across the hive.

Moebian Steel[]

What makes Atoma Prime so strategically valuable to the Moebian Domain and the wider Imperium is its manufactoria's prolific production of Leman Russ Battle Tanks and other armoured vehicles. The Astra Militarum armoured regiments of the Moebian Domain are fully reliant on the materiel and vehicles produced by the many manufactoria of Atoma Prime. At least half of Atoma Prime's surrounding sub-sector is supplied by its manufactoria, with one Atoman manufactorum being worth three lesser ones from worlds in the rest of the sub-sector.

However, the sheer quantity of Atoman output is also matched by the quality of its manufactoria's products. All Atoman military output is produced using "Moebian Steel," a stronger and tougher alloy of the standard metal that is smelted from a special blend of minerals found only on Atoma, known colloquially if inaccurately as "Moebian Iron." This remarkable material and Atoma's exceptional manufactoria have made it the economic centre of the Moebian Domain since its inception.

Sources[]

  • Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (Video Game), Item Descriptions, including for Cannon Carter's Biggest & Best Armour (XXXXL), Meatshield's Dress Uniform, Soldier's Punishment Uniform, Thought Witch's Duty Raiment, Weapon skin Moebian Parade, Meatshield's Day Uniform, Mind Witch's Duty Raiment (Upper Body); Character Creation Texts, including Home World -- Messelina Gloriana, Ogryn & Veteran: Defining Moment -- Decorated for Bravery, Home World -- Messelina Gloriana, Planets -- Descriptions, Veteran: Defining Moment -- Field Promotion; Character Dialogue, including Veteran Professional, Psyker Savant, Hadron Omega-7-7 on Metalfab 36 map, Zealot Fanatic
  • Darktide Dev Blog: Moebian Sixth
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