#only roar

Only a short warp jump from Ceravar, Obdoza is a cool, pleasant pleasure world with remarkably liberal attitudes. An appointed diktat rules in theory, but in practise, power is divested almost entirely into an elected Planetary Council. With a series of hunting lodges, ski slopes and unusual wildlife across its expansive ice caps, tourism booms but occupies a dangerously-large space within its overall economy. Even the slightest hint of war entering the Sector is enough to drive its privileged patrons into panic and lead to years or possibly decades of ruin.

So, this kinda died. Main reason was a double wipe of personal data at the time, which was compounded by a a bunch of personal RL shit, both of which also wiped out my momentum in College (to this day, incidentally - the data loss included entire assessments). The data loss wiped out all background data for Only War, apart from some old stuff and a few files I had duplicates of on a different device. I’m considering a restart. If so, I will retain posts here for posterity. Since the adventure never really started, most of the details will probably be the same, except for the characters already revealed, which will be once again at the whims of RNG and suggestions.

The nature of gender and sexuality in the 41st Millennium is shaped by three factors. First, there is the traditions and culture of the Imperium. Second, the fear of Chaos and corruption. Third (but not least), pragmatic adaptation to the pressures and requirements of constant warfare.

Imperial Culture

The culture of the Imperium is diverse; its regions and worlds vary wildly in what is acceptable or unacceptable. However, there are core facets of sexism ingrained within its very fabric. Most notable is the Space Marines, whom all know are all male and have only ever been such. Whether this is by design or accident is a question few would dare even ask. Their creation in the image of the Emperor does suggest it was intentional; their masculine identity and form would encourage obedience, fear and awe. While women do serve, the majority of Imperial Guard are male, either by regimental policy or request. In most cases, whatever the local norm is, all are encouraged to abide by it (unless it slides towards Heresy, of course). Individuals or communities favouring ‘deviant’ forms of sexuality may also be subject to greater scrutiny and discrimination by the Ordo Hereticus at large, despite any local policies to the contrary.

Fear

Fear is the currency by which the Imperium operates. Fear of the outside, fear of punishment and fear of damnation. The nature of Slaanesh as the Lord of Excess naturally causes the Inquisition and the Imperial Creed to vehemently rail against hedonism and greedy lust. While once again variation exists from world to world, fear of feeding Slaanesh fuels conservative doctrines of sexual conduct. Some worlds may even forbid it, relying instead on government-controlled breeding programs and cloning rather than corporeal acts of reproduction. For most however, it is simply about avoiding outright extremes. Homosexuality and intersexual orientation are of lesser importance in the eyes of the Ixanaid Ecclesiarchy as say, a Rogue Trader surrounding themselves with a harem of harlots. The identity and orientation that matters most to them is loyalty to the Emperor.

Pragmatism

D6: Jerobia

The story of Jerobia is one best told from the perspective of its natives.

Long ago, Jerobia was a very small world of mountains and archipelagos. Across its islands were many peoples, each possessing barely the power to bang two rocks together. This began to change as the metal birds descended. These noisy birds brought men in white with the power to shoot fire from their hands. They gave the tribes many things; some valuable to them, some not so. With them came metal men with tentacles that stared at them with hundreds of red and green eyes and poked them with odd instruments. Some people disappeared but they returned with tales of the strange metal men and their many questions. Eventually, the visitor left, with nary a trace.

The second coming of the birds saw many changes. The white men offered many things; food, of many colours, new tools and strange teachings of a man in the sky. They taught the wise men about this Star God, Empor-Ra and many things in the new arts of science and mathematics. In return, the white and metal men sought warriors and strange items the wise men found in the caves. They did not say why they coveted the items, only that they were of great interest and value. The trinkets were part of a great spell they said, one the metal men hoped to solve.

By the time the next metal birds arrived, the gifts of the men in white had been used for many things. There were tools made of melted rocks, weapons that fires small darts that pierced the flesh and many more. But this time, they did not come to give gifts to the tribes of Jerobia. And among the birds there was a terrifying black bird. That night, all the wise men were taken into the black bird, while almost all the rest were also removed the next day. Men, women and children alike were pulled and dragged, at times by force. Those that resisted were chained and bound. Some tried to cast spells on the white men but no sooner had the incantation begun than a rain of shrieks and terrifying lights hit them, tearing apart with an unseen power. Those that survived were never seen again.

As they left, strange things began to happen in the caves. From where the artefacts has been, there was now only water. The torrents continued, the waters rose and rose.

The Imperium is a huge realm of many sectors, each with their own history, heritage and traditions, but there are some commonalities between them all. The Imperial Gothic architectural style is one of these, though not so much by mandate as by ease of construction. The spires and milk decorations of Imperial Gothic may seem unsuited to mas production, but the use of Standard Template Construct (STC) buildings has transformed the process. Due to almost all the STCs used for Imperial settlements being in the Imperial Gothic style, it has been applied across the Galaxy and even enshrined to a certain extent as a sign of religious fervour and devotion. The style also varies; whilst most Imperial Gothic buildings approach on utilitarian form, Imperial Gothic churches and cathedrals are resplendent and glorious sights to behold.

Within the Ixaniad Sector, Imperial Gothic is most common, but not the only architectural style to be found. The others can be roughly forced into four categories; Old Mandragoran/Aegisan, Xenoform, Modern Imperial and Archaeoform.

Old Mandragoran is a style confined mostly to the Mandragora Subsector and oldest worlds in the neighbouring Ptolemaic Reach. This form pre-dates Imperial resettlement, with a contrasting style that features far more sweeping arches and domes than spires. Some STCs documenting these styles have been found but are rarely produced in place of their Gothic equivalents outside the region. Their spread roughly overlaps with the path taken by Terentius’ armies during the Great Crusade.

Xenoform is not so much a style as a collection of styles deemed to be either of alien origin or ‘deviant’ from common forms of human architecture. This catch-all label is often derisive more than anything and an easy way to lambast those fools that would dare innovate on existing designs. Most of the Xenoform buildings in the Sector are of Eldar origins; many of the worlds here were once Maiden Worlds or otherwise aligned with them in the past and were of such sound construction that human conquerors preferred to adapt their form and build along complementing lines that engage in full reconstruction. Nowadays such practises would be almost blatantly heretical, but this style persists on many worlds closer to the heart of the Sector.

Modern Imperial is a derivative of Imperial Gothic produced via modifications in the STCs that were generated by chance. These forms dispense with many of the decorations and vaulted ceilings for a more utilitarian form, saving copious amounts of resources at the cost of beauty. Their deviance from the norm has been shunned by the Ecclesiarchy even as the Mechanicus lauds the closer approximation to mechanical perfection. Rarely would a building serving the Imperial Creed dare approach this form, with most cities of the Modern form reverting to the older templates for such constructs. Almost all hives are a blend of forms, with Modern Imperial used most commonly at their base or midsection, depending on age.

D5: Ceqar

A recent addition to the Sector, Ceqar was purchased only recently by an incredibly wealthy Rogue Trader as both a safe base of operations and a vanity project. Within only a few years, tens of millions arrived; most willingly, some… perhaps less so. The planet’s hoards are rich with plunder accumulated over ten generations. Before arrival, it was a pristine, tropical hunting reserve. Now, STC buildings blossom like flowers from each settlement, but the beautiful biosphere has already begun to see small signs of damage, as it struggles to accommodate hundreds of thousands of migrants per year.

The biggest draw to Ceqar is its separation from local politics and ordinary governance structure. While the Trader House maintains absolute de jure control and certainly exploits the populace, day-to-day operations were long ago shifted to a select number of his more intellectual associates. As ‘Directors’ of the planet, they were given strict instructions to limit franchise to those ‘worthy’ of the honour, ruling in his name as their vessels prowl the Galaxy. The politics and culture of Ceqar have been shaped by this directive.