Kuatis
| Name | Kuatis |
|---|---|
| |
| Sub-Sector | Tertius |
| Type | Industrial World |
| Population | 700 million |
| Climate | Subtropical |
| Status | Imperial |
“We made landfall not far from Ibrill, and spent a diverting few days exploring the planet from the air in an Aquila lander. I recommend seeing it this way; the odd geography is very beautiful from a height, and one can always skim above the cloud-layer if the monotonous weather becomes too tiresome.” Travel Diary of Lucius di Firro, 572.M41
About Kuatis
Kuatis is the only non-gas body in the Kuatis system, and its distance from its star would suggest that it would be a comfortable planet. Records indicate that the planet was chosen for its promising, if dry, climate and that it had originally been surveyed as a largely rocky planet, with large permafrost areas and ice caps, with a ring of fertile land close to the equator. For this reason, it is believed that it was originally classified as a relatively low-yield Agri World with a limited amount of mining towards the rocky areas of either hemisphere.
From what records have survived the Crusade, a disastrous gas release during the first century of mining operations altered the climate considerably, resulting in a rapid and substantial temperature rise, a permafrost melt event, and a consequential increase in water suspended in air across the planet. When the forces of Warmaster Ulian retook the planet in 324.M41, the Administratum declared an urgent reclassification to an Industrial World (the actual reclassification order being handed down after some 45 years of citizens attempting to farm the land under these conditions).
The modern Kuatis experiences near-constant rain across all of its habitable surface, due to the now-wet planet’s water evaporating in the smog-fuelled heat of the surface, before rapidly condensing in the rapid pressure change above the smog layer. Smog from the industrial operations is generally caught in the middle atmosphere, causing light and visibility to be very low. What light does reach the surface is orange-tinged, a condition which is not helped by the proliferation of smog burners. It is common for settlements to be equipped with smog burners, which use large open flames to clear the air around the populace. The largest settlements, and all the factories, are equipped with dozens of smog burners that tower into the sky, granting additional light to their surroundings but suffusing it with an orange glow.
The peculiar history of Kuatis’s climate has led to the usual geological actions of erosion and ocean formation taking a strange turn. The deep valleys of the pre-disaster planet remain, without banks having hewed themselves in, but are now full of rushing water that would have previously been impossible. Even the seas and oceans are surrounded by large cliffs, without a history of water movement creating banks.
This odd geology has meant that the planet has remained habitable, despite the weather. Settlements are relatively high above sea level and there is little surviving soil on much of the rock, resulting in marsh conditions being avoided. The main danger, in areas where the underlying rock is fine and loose, is a landslide.
Since reclassification, mining operations have been intensified to support Imperial shipyards in orbit and on the surface. As the difference between the equator and the rest of the planet has almost disappeared, settlements now dot both hemispheres, largely composed of ramshackle buildings filled with lowborn, surrounding gargantuan mineral extraction facilities. These settlements are built directly on to the rock below, with limited foundations, and are routinely washed away after particularly heavy days of rainfall.
Closer to the factories, the buildings become more solid and sheltered from the elements by use of vast slabs of plascrete foundation flattening the damp rock underneath, as well as sophisticated drainage systems operated by the Guild of Diversion. While still looming over the shanty towns of the lowborn, the nobility does not live in anything approaching the scale of a Hive World spire. Space on the solid ground between these structures is coveted by lowborn traders, who routinely set up markets there, plying goods to the thronging masses of servants, labourers, minor officials and enforcers who still have to walk in the open air to pass between the edifices of their betters. Tensions between the street traders and those living in relative safety are high, and these spaces often serve as flashpoints for gang violence and cult activity.
But, no settlement can compare to the terrifying height of Kuatis’s factories. Colossal Mechanicus structures strike into the sky, penetrating the smog layer, even reaching high enough to escape the rain. Small rivers form around the factories where industrial effluent and rain is pumped away at all hours, and at the height of each structure, beyond the sight of those below, payloads are fired to the shipyards in orbit above.
Since the reclassification, guilds have controlled every aspect of life on Kuatis. As well as the standard assortment of food, gambling, and pit guilds, there are several that take advantage of Kuatis’s situation. For the traveller that cannot afford a flyer, the Kuatis Traversement Guild operates the tunnels that wind across the surface of the planet. Two thirds of each tunnel’s width is filled with a land-roller, its treads not stopping for anything so small as a pedestrian in its path. These land-rollers are deemed to be essential to the proper economic function of the planet, and the local Arbites frequently supplement the Guild guards in the tunnels. In the cramped sides of each tunnel, the mass of people who cannot afford to board either flyer or land-roller walk the tunnels, taking their lives into their hands through necessity or foolishness.
In the settlements, the homes of the great and the good are protected from flooding by the Guild of Diversion. This guild operates complex networks of watertight barriers, canals, and storm drains to direct and divert floodwater away from the areas under its protection. However, the Guild’s power has significantly decreased since an incident in 585.M41, which saw a township of ore processing workers drowned, causing significant stoppage to the work of a shipyard which was dependant on the ore. Following an Arbites investigation, it was found that there had been no risk of flood damage to the factories or noble housing. Those that ordered the diversion were duly sentences, and it was ruled that all water control and diversion systems connected to the production of craft for the Imperial Navy would be controlled by the Navy or their duly appointed delegates. The Guild of Diversion protested this judgment, but the position of the planet as a naval fiefdom caused the decision to stand.
In recent years, the planet and system have been declared to be a naval fiefdom under the control of a Commodore-Governor. This has been a boon to those citizens who can claim that their work relates to the vast industrial shipyards, which has afforded some degree of protection from the casual cruelty of the guilds. This has also meant that the planet’s mineral wealth is funnelled directly into the planet’s shipbuilding pursuits, rather than directly into the earnings of any of the sector’s great Houses. This has resulted in the power of the guilds lessening somewhat, and many being acquired by the Great Houses, particularly House Majid, which has purchased extensive holdings in the larger settlements outside of the capital.
On the rare days when it does not rain, it has been noted that labourer productivity markedly decreases, and lawlessness increases. This has been repeatedly noted by Arbites and Administratum authorities to be less than ideal, and discussions are thought to be underway with the Adeptus Mechanicus to determine whether it is possible or desirable to cause the rain to be truly constant.
The map of modern Kuatis now resembles a vast web towards Ibrill, which serves as the planetary capital and the major surface-based shipyard. Each settlement sends some of its production directly into orbit, but much is sent to Ibrill. From space, the smog around the capital can be observed as the “Eye of Kuatis” effect – a swirling vortex of pollution, darker than its surroundings, punctuating the sky above the capital as it drains the planet’s wealth away.
Recent History
Ongoing disagreements between Commodore-Governor Oceanus and Warmaster Armelius Durovera led to a declaration of open rebellion in late 592. Openly condemned by the Warmaster, Oceanus persisted in her rebellion until mid 593, when Arbitrator forces under Arbites Marshall Vox removed the Governor from her position; she was reportedly killed while resisting arrest.
After Armelius Durovera's death, Crusade forces drove off loyalist and sparring Noble forces from Kuatis' orbit in |mid 594.M41 and enforced a strict ceasefire, installing a new Crusade-loyal military governor. The planet remains a 'Crusade Control Zone' and is subject to martial law.