The Prosperitas Sector

Welcome, Servant, to the Prosperitas Sector. You will have navigated the Sol-Prosperitas Passage through the unusual warp tides that make that approach so dangerous, or perhaps you have navigated the Cadian Trade Corridor with all its dangers of Archenemy and Xenos pirates. Both these narrow points make entry the Prosperitas Sector difficult, and renders it one of the most isolated regions in the entire Imperium. Perhaps you were born here, and know that fact very well…

Located spinward (galactic east) of the Cadia Sector, and rimwards (galactic north) towards space unclaimed by the Imperium, the Prosperitas Sector sits right upon the edge of the huge spatial anomaly known as the Eye of Terror. It is strategically important, as it represents one of the few resource heavy sectors able to supply the defences around the Eye to protect the Imperium from the Dark Forces that dwell within that twisted space, yet has only been under the rule of the Imperium for just over five hundred years.

Before setting off, you should be aware of the local history. As far as the Imperium knows, the Prosperitas Sector has had some form of human settlement since around M.25 by the earliest recorded dating. The descendants of these original Imperial colonists exist today in the form of the Annwfyn ethnic group, found on the eastern planets of Subsector Secondus and the northern planets of Seubsector Primus, and the Ruwwad ethnic group, found primarily on worlds in the west of Subsector Secondus and the north of Subsector Tertius.

As far as is understood of the ancient history of the Sector, it suffered numerous travails at the hands of Xenos races during the years of initial settlement, and many of these Xenos continue to be a threat in the wild space of the Spinward Marches and the Nemean Gulf.

It is uncertain how long initial Imperial contact with the Prosperitas Sector lasted, but it was long enough for the surviving maps within the Archives of Terra to have been created. What is known is that sometime around M.31 the sector was lost to darkness. Local legends suggest that invading forces came from the Eye of Terror and took worlds in the Easternmost regions of the sector. From amongst these, a dark follower of the Archdaemon Horus was appointed to rule the sector - and so began a period (and government) that would last between M.31 and early M.41. This was known as the Regency.

Most of the history of the Regency period was lost by extensive purges by the Holy Ordos and the Imperium, but some knowledge of this period was recorded by the native human inhabitants. Both the Annwfyn and Ruwwad were placed under the dominion of the invading forces under the so-called Regent of the Warmaster, and rule of the sector's worlds fell to various Priest-Kings of a heretical religion known as the Covenant of the Way, the strongest of whom would be the next Regent. During this period, the sector was not particularly stable. Both the Annwfyn and Ruwwad have a history of resistance (which has, in some problematic instances, continued under Imperial rule) and many worlds were already independent of the Regency when the Imperium first arrived.

The modern history of the Prosperitas Sector begins in 05.M41, when Jacinta Durovera, a Rogue Trader of modest standing, discovered the Great Crusade charts of the sector deep within the Imperial Astrocartographic Archives on Terra. Inspired by promised riches, the Rogue Trader commissioned an expedition to the Sector and arrived four years later in 09.M41.

What followed, beginning with Jacinta Durovera's sack of what would become the planetary capital of Duroverum, were the beginnings of what would become the Prosperitas Crusade as the Imperium sought to reclaim the entire sector for itself.

Over five hundred years later, the Prosperitas Crusade is still slowly advancing, pushing back the wildspace with the dream of returning the sector to the same shape it had on those ancient charts now held within the Sector Governor's Palace on Duroverum. For the most part, however, it has ground to a halt, trapped in a quagmire of political disputes amongst its leaders, made worse by supply issues caused by waning Imperial interest from the Crusade's lack of recent successes.

Instabilities

For the most part, the Imperium framed its invasion of the region as a ‘liberation’ of the population from Regency rule and prioritised their conversion to the Imperial Cult.

However, many populations found that they had replaced one totalitarian government with another, and despite promises, most natives were reduced to being an underclass unless they capitulated and collaborated with the Imperium. Combined with the arrival of Imperial colony ships, loaded with excess populations from Segmentum Solar, this bred a huge level of unrest amongst the natives of the sector, who feel that they are slowly losing control of what was once their own.

It is easy to tell an Imperial Settler from a native; the majority of settlers speak Low Gothic, and perhaps High if they are educated, but are familiar with no other tongues. Most have names that originate in pre-Imperial Germanic and Latin-speaking Cultures.

The majority of Annwfyn tend to have names that originate in pre-Imperial Celtic cultures, and the spoken and written word is natively similar to those culture's tongues. Their language,Gair, is outlawed by the Imperium, and the learning of the common Low Gothic trade tongue of the Imperium is mandated. This is a strong source of contention with locals, who often refuse to let their language die despite the Imperium’s demands.

The Ruwwad display strong roots in the Old-Earth regions of Western Asia, and the diverse populations in that area. Their language is more commonly referred to as Niquash, though it is not nearly as homogenised as Gair and has many dialects. It is also forbidden by the Imperium, but a form of passive resistance to colonisation continues in the preservation of their names which have Semitic roots, though the Ruwwad population of Amenophis IV draw their naming traditions from the ancient peoples of Egypt. The Ruwwad suffered most of all the peoples of the Prosperitas Sector with the destruction of Subsector Quartus, but remain hardy and reknowned for their robust sense of loyalty and deep curiosity in exploration.

A subgroup of Ruwwad exist with the Mechanicus population of Naximus Prime, having strong influences from old India and the ancient Persian Empire.

The poor treatment of local populations, the presence of heretic cults that survived the initial invasion, the looming threat of the Archenemy, and the ongoing military operations of the Prosperitas Crusade ensure that the sector is one of the Imperium’s most volatile and difficult to control regions. To make matters worse, the slaughter of many in the Ordo Prosperitas several years ago has spread the Inquisition thin, leaving critical blind spots in its vigilant watch against the enemies of mankind.