Anaximund Alpha
| Name | Anaximund Alpha |
|---|---|
| |
| Sub-Sector | Tenebris |
| Type | Knight World |
| Population | 3 billion |
| Climate | Temperate |
| Status | Mechanicum (nominal), Non-Compliant |
See Also:
About Anaximund Alpha
As green and fertile as Naximus is smog bound and arid, it would be easy to think that Anaximund Alpha stood free of Mechanicus presence were it not for the hulking metal clad Knights that patrol its land. A lush agricultural world of various temperate climates, the population of this world have as their sole purpose the feeding of the worker-population of nearby Forge of Naximus Prime.
It is not known when Anaximund was first founded, but its relationship with the Magoi of Naximus seems to have existed since at least the time of the Heres, and both Houses of Anaximund, House Qureshi, its rulers, and House Zahak, their subjects are part of an ancient civilization here. The Sidon Protocols, ancient Mechancus oaths of fealty and servitude seem to have been impressed upon the Knights of Anaximund and are a cause for ancient resentment that occasionally emerges towards the world's Vassalhood to Naximus. As a result the culture of the Knight World stands as a unique hybrid society within the sector, combining the neo-feudal origins with Naximus Prime’s particular form of Orthodox Mechanicus beliefs. Yet it is this dynamic that allowed both worlds to survive their opposition to to the Regency for ten thousand years.
A world of haves and have nots, at its core Anaximund Alpha is built on a system of fiefdoms and vassals, with the various ranks of the Knight Houses the absolute owners of all land and assets. With no desire to oversee the day to day administration of livestock farming, crop rotation and pest control, House Qureshi, which rules the surface of the world - allow a planet wide tribal society to “hold” pieces of land and work them with tribal territories shifting with their favour with the House. In return for this work House Qureshi grants protection and prestige as well as the promise of further tenancies and progression if the vassal tribes prove their worth. While 'tribal' may invoke a 'savage' mindset, these cultures are far less violent and more agrian with the exception of the tribes that dwell on Anaximund's Moons.
The feudal divisions are further enhanced by the fact the ownership of Mechanicus technology is restricted by Naximus’ representative on the world, the Archmagos Prelate. House Qureshi and House Zahak have access to the greatest machinery and augmentation present on the world whilst the presence of it diminishes as the social ladder descends. As a result of this, and in an odd mirroring of culture upon their patron world, social worth is judged according to the augmentations and technology owned by an individual.
An outsider might notice that this is an unhelpful model when technology is allocated on planet according to social worth and status but the local populace would receive such news coldly. They see it as a structure that gives directed motion to life thereby becoming a macrocosm of the Fourth Universal Law of the Mechanicus. Religious practices vary wildly from tribe to tribe but the unerring constant across them all is an unshakeable faith and confidence in the Omnissiah as the embodiment of all power and knowledge within the Universe.
One cannot of course talk about Anaximund without talking about its twin Moons, Anaximunda Beta and Anaximund Gamma, and the Techno-Barbarian Tribes that live there. It is believed by some that Anaximund's Moons were the first to be settled and at some point in history that Anaximund Alpha served as a vassal to an advanced human civilization that lived there. But by some calamity the civilizations of the moons collapsed into warring tribal techno-barbarian groups fighting with salvaged technology of the past. The moons fall under the dominion of House Zahak the subject-house of House Qureshi whose Knights patrol the ruined moons using the warlike cultures as fertile ground for recruiting soldiers.
Recent History
Anaximundi culture has begun to shift due to interaction with the Imperium. There are increasing rumours that members of House Qureshi have begun to shift towards following the Imperial Cult alongside that of the Machine Cult, something that has increased the historical friction between the ruling House and their Masters on Naximus. Though House Zahak remains devoted entirely to the Machine Cult there are those who wonder if the World will seek to secede from the long-standing pacts it has with Naximus Prime. Such an act would be extreme and likely bring repercussions for the world as while Naximus Prime has always depended on the Knights in war, it has its own forces with which to enforce is domination of the Knight World.
Tensions rose significantly in late 594.M41, with rumours of a confrontation between Princeps-Satrap Lalah Qureshi, the head of the ruling House, and Magos Secutor-Navpati Amytis-yazdah, the supreme commander of Naximan forces on Henlock. These tensions came to a head in mid 595.M41, when the Knight-World's troops refused Naximan orders to withdraw from the doomed planet, instead remaining behind until the last minute to cover Crusade forces' withrawal. In 597.M41, rumours spread that the Princeps-Satrap had refused a summons from her Naximan masters following a diplomatic incident involving Scions of her House, fuelling further speculation of strife between the Naximan priesthood and its vassals.