#harut

Harut – Extremely similar to Terra in terms of continent formation and climate, from orbit it was thought Harut would be the prime choice out of the two for settlement. It was discovered however that the planet’s atmosphere is thick with toxic gasses that seep up from deep within the planet’s crust. Because of this no human can walk around on the surface of Harut without breath and eye protection. Early settlers found this out the hard way as they died choking on their own blood from chemically burnt lungs. The thicker air also creates more friction that the atmosphere on Terra, leading to giant super storms that wrack the planet constantly. Interestingly, the natural flora and fauna on Harut have evolved to breathe the toxic air and drink the infected water. There are a large number of plants that convert the gasses they absorb into a form of bioluminescence, creating vast tracks of multicoloured forests. There is also an extremely common form of jelly-fish like creatures that swim through the gas filled air, and are delicious when fried.

Marut – Marut is generally considered to be the better of the two planets to live on as the air here does not require filtration to breathe. Unlike it’s sister planet however, Marut is constantly going through super aggressive tectonic activity. The result of which leaves the citizens here experiencing massive earthquakes near daily, and volcanic eruptions are also a very frequent event. A byproduct of frequent earth quakes is massive tsunamis created by the tremors, some of which are several hundred feet high. As a result there is a cushioning “no habitation zone” around every coastline where there is a real threat of being washed away.  Some citizens are forced to live in this highly undeveloped zone due to overpopulation and belonging to poor economy classes. Millions of people are killed every year that live in these zones by being washed out to sea, simply because they have no where else to go. While the land has a variety of flora and fauna the seas of Marut are almost completely dead due to how violent to currents are. Some efforts are being made to introduce aquatic species from Arariel and stimulate a fishing trade, however, most species have proven not tough enough to survive the Marut seas.

History – Both planets have a relatively quiet history as most efforts on the planets are concentrated on simply surviving the elements. Because both planets have such a high mortality rate their respective tithe grades are lower than the surrounding planets. Because there is a wide wealth gap between those with resources and those without, both planets have a long history of secret Chaos cult worship conducted by the poor as an attempted means of elevating their current life quality. As such there are many Chaos factions that raid the twin planets, attempting to secure a foot hold for a protracted engagement or to possible stage a revolt. All raids have so far been smothered by the overwhelming military presence of Camael.

When Varanus first attacked the twin planets they made landfall on Marut first. A large military presence was ready to greet the Tyranid threat as at the time of the invasion the Hive Fleet was already attacking Kiraman Katibin and several other parts of the system. A fierce battle raged for several weeks but it was becoming abundantly clear that Marut was losing its battle with the Tyranid menace. In an effort to save his own planet from destruction General Augustus Rhodes declares the planet doomed and orders an unofficial and unsanctioned exterminatus of Marut. In order to accomplish such a feat he takes control of every available surface to orbit gun battery on Harut and fires several salvos at planet Marut. The result isn't as effective as a full exterminatus however and only succeeds in wiping out a large portion of the landmass of Marut which was facing Harut. It is estimated that General Rhodes was responsible for the death of both countless Tyranid organisms as well as millions of civilian and military souls. In some circles the General is held up as a hero for claiming a draconian victory in the face of such adversity, most others however call him a heretic for taking matters into his own hands and ignoring any form of chain of command. In a cruel twist of fate the barrage that was meant to destroy the attacking tendril instead only drew their attention and wrath. After suffering such casualties from the planet Harut Varanus turned its attention to that planet and counter attacked it with such ferocity that it fell before reinforcements could be delivered.