Editing Rogue Trader: The Lavesgrie Exile

[[Category:The Lavesgrie Exile]]

The Lavesgrie Exile is a [https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B3c8gGVv-YzVZmVpXzBsMlQteVU/edit Rogue Trader: Apocalypse] PbP game on the RPG.net forums.

We follow the adventures of the exiled Lady-Captain Kelara Lavesgrie, once a powerful Inquisitor of the Ordos Xenos, and the intrepid crew of the ''Malleable Abyss'', as they journey into the Maleria Expanse.

== Introduction ==

''It is a time of untold opportunity amongst the stars.''

''For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the vast Imperium of Man for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day so that he may never truly die.''

''Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in His name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat to humanity from aliens, heretics, mutants -- and far, far worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions.''

''Yet to be a Rogue Trader is reject the fate the fate given to you and instead rule your own destiny. It is to carry the light of the Emperor into the darkest reaches of the cosmos. It is to be the sole lord of a miles-long starship. It is to be above the reach of the Emperor's law. 
''
''There is no greater freedom imaginable.''

== Player Characters ==

=== [[The Lavesgrie Exile:Kelara|Lady-Captain Kelara Lavesgrie]] ===

''Rogue Trader''

Kelara Lavesgrie had been born to be an inquisitor, or that's what she kept telling everyone anyway. Initially from the schola progenium, she had been recruited directly into the service of the Ordo Xenos, rising up through the ranks, first as an acolyte then interrogator. Her finest day was when she was granted the rosette of a full inquisitor.

For many decades, she traveled throughout the sector, laying the smack down on xenos and more importantly, those who dealt with xenos. Of course, this made her unpopular with various shady organisations who profitted from such things, including a couple of rogue traders who seemed happy to ignore the clauses in their warrant about resticting such activites to outside the bounds of the Imperium. One such rogue trader was Lord Idrogynus Hyvar, the head of a very ancient and powerful dynasty, who thought that gave him the leeway to do whatever he wanted. He even once stated: 'Pah the Inquisition? That's for keeping the lower classes in line. I have no reason to fear it or even respect it'.

Kelara decided to make it her personal quest to correct him on a few matters and started to lead a true crusade against Hyvar's operations. For many years the battle between them raged... but ultimately ended up with Kelara's defeat. With vast resources and influence on his side, Hyvar played dirty and managed to get Kelara discredited within the Inquisition. Perhaps sensing that this was more trouble that it was worth, Kelara's masters in the Inquisition made the decision to strip her rosette and remove her from service. They weren't completely cruel though - or rather, they thought -very- carefully ahead, and arranged for Kelara to be granted a Warrant of Trade and a ship.

Now Kelara Lavesgrie is a rogue trader with the title of Lady-Captain. She no longer had the life she had made for herself or the power she once held. Instead she has a new life and a new kind of power. Bitter about her loss, but resolved to make the most of this new life, Kelara is dutifully trying to learn how to be a good rogue trader. Byt Lord Hyvar is still out there, and neither of them are about the let their grudge end just like that...

=== [[The_Lavesgrie_Exile:Orinoco|Magos Biologis Orinoco-48]] ===

''Explorator''

Orinoco-48 is the latest iteration of the series of clones made from the gene-sperm of the original Archmagos Orinoco-Primus, a brilliant yet quirky elder of the Mechanicus who vanished into the reaches of the Koronus Expanse several centuries after pioneering exploration through the Maw. Orinoco-48 (Ori for short) was decanted from her Iron Womb and raised in as staunchly orthodoxical an environment as the Calixian Mechanicus could provide for her, in the hopes of grooming her heritage of tech-mastery while minimizing the borderline-heretical flesh-loving tendencies that got Orinoco Primus tapped for suicide duty in the first place.

Unfortunately, madnessgenius goes hand in hand with deviance, and the elders were resigned to sighing electronically and hoping that No. 49 would turn out better, even as they ceded Ori to a Rogue Trader's fleet to get her out of their hair. Ori, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have noticed. Or if she does, she's hiding it very well...

In general, Orinoco favors minimal and/or elegant augmentation. Not for her the beefy machinator arrays or the enhanced bionic frames of the Myrmidons! In fact, before being dumped into the Explorator fleets, she'd actually volunteered to serve with the Emissaries of the Lathe, and as a result she has received cosmetic surgery to reduce the inhuman cast of her implants and augmetics, as well as lessons on Imperial etiquette (it is not, in fact, polite to introduce yourself to a layman by looking for their dataport with your MIU sensor-tendrils. Most unaugmented people do not have dataports). Fortunately, those lessons seem to have taken, and Ori can actually pass for a functional member of Imperial society, albeit one who shakes hands with mechadendrites and doesn't seem to have heard of the concept of personal space.

=== [[The_Lavesgrie_Exile:Theodora|Sister Theodora Cain]] ===

''Arch-Militant

Sister Theodora Cain is the daughter of Hero of the Imperium Commissar Ciaphas Cain and an unknown woman when Commissar Cain was martyred for the third time. She was of course accepted into the Schola Progenium as the orphaned daughter of a hero, and raised to revere the memory of her father as well as Him on Earth. It was a little embarrassing for all when it turned out he wasn't dead after all, but that made no difference to Theodora's education as Commissar Cain was too far away, and too busy fighting the enemies of mankind, to get involved in the raising of a child.

Theodora had a troubled time in the Schola, however. She grew up learning her lessons well, true, but she was also among the children most likely to be found sneaking around after lights out, and was under suspicion of having cheated on several exams. Only the influence of an Inquisitor, Amberley Vail, kept Theodora on track for membership of the Adepta Sororitas, and on her graduating into that hallowed order, she would likely not have lasted long under it's discipline. Fortunately for her, the Inquisitor was curious to see what Theodora could achieve with her talents in a less restrictive environment, and pulled a few strings to get the young Sister accepted onto the bridge crew of a Rogue Trader's vessel. Theodora is overjoyed at the chance to see the galaxy, though she hides a certain amount of fear that she might actually have to live up to her father's reputation while she's out there.

=== [[The_Lavesgrie_Exile:Claudius|Claudius Nero Acrisias]] ===

''Dilettante

Claudius Nero Acrisias  was born on Valsram, a hive world. He was raised far from the teeming masses, he was the son of the patriarch of the Acrisias family. He would have been the heir of the family fortune and the massive factories that were under their control, but that was not to be. Claudius fell in love, not like his previous loves which were nothing compared to this. He loved her with all his heart but she did not see him, ignored him even. She would soon marry the son of another dynasty and he had to do something. He created a dispute between the two which led to a duel. He cut down his beloved’s true love in front of her. She cried out against him, proclaiming her eternal hatred.

Claudius immediately understood and left as soon as he could, fleeing from his failure into a life of decadence, taking only his most important possessions with him. His beautiful power sabre, his clothing and a crystal deck of cards which he had bought for an astronomical price.

Claudius has become utterly decadent, pursuing every pleasure which he can find, as long as his looks stay good. This is what he is especially proud of, Claudius has long blonde hair and wears expensive jewelry, just to show off. Somehow he has been lucky enough to stay completely unscarred from his many fights, although very expensive surgeries also play their part. Despite his frivolous outlook on life there are things which he offers to a captain. Claudius is a highly skilled swordsman and has more than average talent for getting people to like him, and tell him their secrets.

=== [[The Lavesgrie Exile:Kaine|Deacon Obadias Kaine]] ===

''Missionary

Kaine is a thin, rather unassuming man in his mid twenties (strangely young for a priest) whose appearance seems at odds with the fiery spirit within him. He carries himself with a humble but slightly noble air, speaking softly but, when called for, carries a large metaphorical stick when he must. While it is clear from the sureness of his speech that he was noble born, he often places his sermons in ways that the flock can easily understand. This manner of preaching has won him many favors in the crew, as well as his belief in leading by example.

Kaine's dress lacks the large amount of ostentatious ornamentation that appears to be a requirement. Indeed, he is often seen in rather plain clothes, but always with the sign of the Aquila present. This style of dress expands itself to his chapel, which seems to bear little more then benches, a number of stained glass windows and candles, without even a pulpit for him to harp the words of the Imperial Creed. In some ways, Kaine appears to distance himself from the rest of the Ecclesiarchy and the few times when he is inebriated enough to talk about the Church shows that his words are not favorable.

=== [[The Lavesgrie Exile:Nil|Nihilus “Nil” Ceallach]] ===

''Archivist

Data-Spiders of Urom are a hereditary position – there is no one amongst their ranks who is not part of the dynasty. Yet merely being born to one of the privileged servants of Magos Arda is no guarantee that one will become a Data-Spider himself. Life on a Forge World is never so lenient. Every few years, dozens of children, seven to nine years old scions of data-spider dynasties, are rounded up and put in a pitch-black room, with nothing but monochrome holo-displays and chirping consoles for company. Then endless streams of data from hundreds of sources are streamed to them to be processed. The trial lasts for days and no respite is given – one would have to catch up after any attempted sleep. 

Surprisingly enough, there is no punishment for failure – other than a lifetime of mediocrity and menial service. But those who are able to keep up with the data, are set to become Data-Spiders proper. 

Nihilus, of Ceallach dynasty, found himself deeply changed by the trial. He fell into a state more reminiscent of a feeding frenzy rather than a cold process of memorization, calculation and distribution. Feeling strongly that his newly acquired craving was an unnatural and frightening thing, he nonetheless was unable and unwilling to fight it. “Meme-virus” the tech-priests called it, notably pleased, if apprehensive. Their new acquisition was faulty - afflicted so young, lacking both the experience and mature psyche, sufferer would be unable to get the full use of this benign psychosis, before going insane or too inhuman for normal communication - but for those couple of decades, left in the care of Adeptus Mechanicus, they could certainly get some use out of him. Especially, if the causes and genetic predisposition towards Meme-Virus could be studied and isolated.

But those streams of data, concerning mostly tithes and production quotas, felt too dry and monotonous – and Nil was rarely given anything else. He could have been a data-addict, yet he was also nearly a child – something that his superiors did not give any consideration. He possessed not yet the meticulous eye of an aged savant, but restless curiosity of youth that meme-virus has only served to deepen.

Which is why he escaped to the Explorator vessel. That was trivial, really, considering what he was able to learn of the ship's procedures and hierarchy in a month or so he spent planning. 

Nil crossed paths with Inquisitor Lavesgrie during her ill-fated personal crusade against Rogue Traders of the Maleria Expanse. Among the Explorators crew, he was the only one able and willing to provide her with the information she sought – much to the chagrin of the tight-lipped tech-priests, who intended at least to extract some future boon from the Holy Ordos. He proved to be quite a nuisance from the moment he got aboard – unsanctioned access to the Explorators' data-vaults, spending too much time with the tech and specimens best left alone and his simply offending multidisciplinary expertise. And propensity to share his understanding with unauthorized personnel. In no uncertain terms he was informed that his company was no longer welcome. 
Most fortunate then that Inquisitor Lavesgrie had use of someone of his abilities. Just as planned. 

Inquisitorial service changed him further. He still looks a youth, but his demeanor is nothing like it was. Just as he foolishly desired, Holy Ordos provided him with knowledge no-one else dares to harbour – and he is troubled by what he had to learn. His discipline has grown, yet he admits that he had become dependent – Kelara keeps him in line and guides him, lest he delves in the secrets no-one was meant to know. Thus Nihilus readily followed his Mistress in her fall-from-grace – but her current status may yet prove to be ripe with opportunity. After all, there is so much to learn and to discover between the stars, where the fortune of the future House Lavesgrie undoubtedly lie – and if he has to help build it from ground up, it is the least he can do for his Mistress.

=== Bonds ===

'''Kelara'''

*Nil has served me well and should be rewarded.
*Ori-48 is a powerful ally but a dangerous one.
*I have to maintain the loyalty of Claudius or my dynasty (what exists of it!) may be in threat.
*I am looking forward to sharing a bottle of amasec with Theodora.

'''Theodora'''

*Nihilus has fought by my side before, I owe them my life.
*I have sworn to protect Kelara Lavesgrie.
*Ori-48 is soft and ignorant of the ways of war. 
*I do not trust Claudius, for they are subtle and scheming.

'''Orinoco'''

*Claudius would make an excellent subject for my experiments. ''(I have no sense of humor, he says?! We'll see about that!)''
*I fear that Kaine does not respect the works of the Omnissiah. ''(Commissar Cain had cyberpinkies! Praise the Omnissiah! Or else. )''
*Kelara has seen my human side. ''(Well, I let everyone see my human sides... and front. And back. Hey, that guy back in the Collegium Diplomaticus said I should show flesh to build rapport with you meatbags!)''
*I owe a debt to Nil for their assistance with my works. ''(If I could just get at his archive... he must have all sorts of juicy data in there and he's not sharing because he's selfish! Hmm... maybe I could build him a girlfriend and loot his datavault while she keeps him busy. To the drawing board!)''

'''Nil'''

*Orinoco-48 envies my archive; I must not let them steal from it.
*I will record the exploits of Kelara Lavesgrie for all posterity. 
**_____ has something I desire; I must have it

'''Kaine'''

*Claudius Nero Acrisias is straying from the Emperor’s truth, I must save them.
*I have seen the sins of Ori-48, and they are many.
*Sister Theodora Cain is a faithful servant of the Emperor, and a friend.
*Kelara Lavesgrie has aided my flock in the past, and I will aid them in return.

'''Claudius'''

*I don’t think Ori has much of a sense of humour.
*I’d like to see Theodora relax a little.
*Kelara intrigues me, I must know more.
*Obadias and I go way back; they’ve got my back in a pinch.

== The ''Malleable Abyss'' ==

=== Stats ===

Class: Conquest-Class Star Galleon (1 shield, large, 3 cargo)

Persona: Ghostly. The ship has seen and suffered great tragedy during its long life (perhaps the biggest being that it was abandoned for so long), and sometimes manifests that.

Panoply: -1

Crew: 4/4

Hull Points: 8/8

Damaged Systems: none

==== Components & Systems ====

'''Blessed Teleportarium'''

When you '''activate the teleportarium''', roll +Adroit. On a 10+, you arrive on target. On a 7-9, you arrive, but choose 1:
*The teleportarium matrix scrambles your internal organs, suffer 2-harm ap.
*You arrive disorientated and sickened, take -1 ongoing until you can rest.
*Your beacon malfunctions, leaving you dangerously off-target.
On a miss, you’ve seen Star Trek. Anything could happen here.

'''Tenebro-Maze'''

The interior of the ship is laid out according to schematics and plans that evade comprehension, creating a maze-like tangle of facilities and passageways that will entrap the unwary. Take +1 to resist boarding actions, and auguries cannot accurately penetrate the interior of your vessel.

'''Weapons'''

Broadside (port/starboard):
*Pharos-pattern Las Battery (3-damage close/far)
*Sunhammer-pattern Lance (1-damage close/far precise)

=== Looks ===

Visibly old and somewhat tattered, with crumbling rusty metalwork, spires that are ruined but have been restored somewhat, worn-out stonework and passages. Basically something that looks very old and abandoned for a long time, but with visible signs of restoration work where it has been tarted up and repaired enough for use.

=== History ===

The ''Malleable Abyss'' has a long and generally horrid history. It was orginally built in the post-Heresy days to be a fine warship for the forces of the God-Emperor to fight back against those who turned to Chaos. But the ship was believed cursed from day one after suffering a Geller Field failure on its maiden voyage and losing a third of the crew to warp incursions. For the next few millenia, the ship pass through the hands of multiple commanders, each happy to be rid of it. It was eventually captured by pirates and used to plunder the sector before falling into the hands of Chaos forces. The ship was eventually recaptured by the Imperium and cleansed (the fortitude of the Machine spirit in resisting corruption was duly noted) and put back into service. But soon after that, the ship was attacked by Ork forces. Damage was high and the ship limped back towards port. A decision was made to scuttle it rather than repair it, but the ship mysteriously vanished into the warp before that was possible. Perhaps the machine spirit didn't want to die? The ship became a hulk, spending several more millenia floating through the warp, occasionally emerging for a century or two during which it was colonised by vermin, xenos and outcasts. Eventually, about a hundred years ago, the hulk was recovered by the Inquisition, with assistance from the tech-priesthood. After they realised its age, they opted to restore the ship as best they could rather than destroy it. Since then, the ship has been the property of the Inquisition.

It was then passed onto the newly minted Lady-Captain Lavesgrie, a brand new rogue trader in need of a ship. Lord Inquisitor Valerus arranged for the ship to be transferred to her when she was granted her warrant, purely because she needed a ship and this one happened to be handy.

The ship as always been called the ''Malleable Abyss''. Attempts to change it in the past resulted in the new lettering peeling off surprisingly fast. Kelara hasn't attempted to change the name - she quite likes it and feels it reflects her own mood over the whole matter.

=== The Crew ===

The crew have mostly been newly assembled from the capital world. That means that whilst many of them are inexperienced, all are trying to find a better life than where they had come from. There are also plenty of crew veterans who ship-hopped from other vessels seeking better pay, conditions and promotions. On the whole, it is a reasonable if tending towards inexperienced crew.

The crew haven't been together long enough to form any traditions as of yet. They do seem utterly convinced that the ship is haunted though and have taken to making the sign of the aquila whenever they enter a room. There also seem to be a higher than average number of priests amongst the crew - many of whom have been dragged along by superstitious crewmen hoping that the ship can be exorcised.

==== Ship Population Census ====

'''Shipboard population:''' 91,837 individuals (excluding transitory passengers and servitors not taxed)

''Commissioned Officers:'' 5,678

''Mechanicus:'' (laity and clerical) 9,432

'''Deck department:''' 35,079

The deck department manages most non-engine related matters aboard the ship, including gunnery, void-shield, Gellar field, and hull maintenance, cargo stowage, and general repairs. The gunnery sub-department almost justifies separation out as a separate department, as it includes at least half the members of the deck department.

'''Engine department:''' 17,504

Engine snipes manage the ship's warp engines, manuevering thrusters, and the massive plasma drive that occupies a full third of the ship.

'''Steward's department:''' 8,495

The steward's department is responsible for the provisioning, clothing, housing, and general support of the crew. In addition to maintaining the ship's mess halls, galleys, promenades, and supply depots, it also manages the life sustenance system, as well as seeing to well-being of passengers and senior staff.

'''Administrative department:''' 5,295

While each department does have its own internal bureaucracy, a second layer is required on a ship the scale of the Malleable Abyss. In addition to managing and allocating the ship's resources, crew wages, and internal economy, the administrative department also serves as a commercial headquarters for the Lady-Captain's investments and trade operations beyond the ship - which are currently minimal.

'''Astrogation department:''' 2,567

The astrogation department includes the ship's five navigators (lead by Master Navigator Lorquacious von der Maret), its astropathic choir, and the support staff of augury systems.

'''Militant department:''' 1,543

Overseen by the ship's Marshal-at-Arms, the armsmen complement of the Malleable Abyss serves as a combined police force and marine corps. In case of a major boarding action, the ship's munitorium contains probably enough basic weaponry to outfit a third of the crew.

'''Ecclesiarchal complement:''' 1,289

Deacon Kaine's flock is somewhere between official crew and passengers, as they serve as the official chaplain's department, but when appropriate, the majority will disembark and perform missionary activities upon worlds encountered.

'''Bridge department''': 613

The bridge department simply includes the officers and support staff necessary to maintain the command bridge, the reserve bridge and internal communications. This number does not include the senior command staff, who are again divided by department.

'''Dependants, miscellaneous persons, and assorted other:''' 15,452

Given its relatively recent reclamation from the void, the Malleable Abyss has not yet developed the full-scale parallel society found aboard many Imperial vessels, but plenty of crew have brought spouses, children, and other dependants aboard, while a number of entrepreneurial stowaways have set themselves up as commerciers in the underdecks and are too useful to be dislodged.

==== Navigator Lorquacious von der Maret ====

Lorquacious von der Maret, a ridiculous fat individual who lives permanently in his huge wide suspensor chair. The only thing bigger than von der Maret himself is his ego and his temper. He loathes his current assignment and makes no secret of it, thinking that his family name is far too superior for this deal.

==== Naviet Klixxis ====

A deathworld/voidborn cross who insists that she is married to the ship and that it is her husband. Naviet is the head helmsman and has proved to be impossible to part from the ship. The last attempt to do so resulted in two dead armsmen and several more in the medicae bay. Kelara has learned to just let Naviet do her thing. on the plus side she does seem to be a very good helmsman.

==== Felice-II ====

=== Places ===

==== The Command Bridge ====

==== Nil's Archive ====

==== Ori's Forge ====

==== Kaine's Chapel ====
If one pictures a chapel to the Emperor, it would be the exact opposite of Kaine's chapel. On the Malleable Abyss, what used to be the chapel was destroyed when the ship was hulked. The repairs to the ship included the chapel but no decorations nor the finery of a chapel were included before being handed over to Lady Captain Lavesgrie. There is little more than a stage, a number of benches and an iron Aquila in the chapel, which is how Kaine prefers his chapels to be.

Kaine's flock is scattered around the ship, with his junior priests and other ordained people scouring the labyrinthine passages of the ship to purge any traces of chaos with fire and sword. Those who can not reach the chapels still receive their sermons, either via the vox kits which cover the ship, or in live visitations to certain areas each holy day.

== Major NPCs ==

=== Lord-Captain Idrogynus Hyvar ===

=== Lord Inquisitor Valerus ===

=== Farseer Mirileth Ora'kadriell ===

=== High Admiral Jelena H. Kursk ===

As commander of Task Force Lancer, and the ranking officer of Battlefleet Idria in the Expanse, High Admiral Jelena Hyvar Kursk is the de-facto ruler of the Imperial-ruled systems in the Expanse. Under her leadership, the long war for the hive world of Restival is coming to a close, despite tepid support from the Administratum. If the Orkish threat is defeated, she will likely have the political power to take command of Battlefleet Idria itself and lead a full-scale offensive to claim the rest of the Lancer Reach.

Kursk is a distant cousin of Idrogynus Hyvar, and while she may not have much time for the man himself, she does have familial honour to uphold.

=== Cards MacKenzie ===

=== Layla the Knife ===

== Organisations & Influence ==

=== The Hyvar Dynasty ===

''Kelara: Enmity +2

=== The Idrian Conclave ===

''Kelara: Influence +2

=== Battlefleet Idria ===

=== Craftworld Ora'Lyn ===

== Systems & Locations == 

=== Idrian Sector ===

=== Lancer Station ===

Located on the edge of the roiling Warp-Gulf of Maleria, Lancer Station is the fortress that supports the Imperium's continuing mission to reclaim the Maleria Expanse. The immense naval station has orbited the dwarf star Tyrannicus for nearly a century, lying at the end of the only charted warp route through the Gulf. For Rogue Traders, it is a trading post and meeting place, and all of the dynasties operating in the Expanse maintain offices and factotums aboard the station.

As the long campaigns on the hive-world of Restival-3 come to a close, it is an uncertain time for the inhabitants of Lancer Station. Though it will always be needed to guard the passage across the Gulf, many believe that the centre of trade and imperial activity will switch to the Restival system as soon as the greenskin menace is eliminated. Such a move would be catastrophic for the livelihoods of the station's inhabitants, many of whom have never known another world.

=== The Lancer Reach ===

Since the construction of Lancer Station, Imperial authority has begun to return to the expanse after millennia, and the worlds of the Lancer Reach have most definitely felt the Aquilla's grip. The Imperium has begun to push back the green tide, after centuries of near-unopposed orkish power in the Reach. Naval patrols from Task Force Lancer seek out hidden pirate bases and freebooter raiders, allowing Rogue Traders and Free Chartists to ply the Reach with relative security. The full force of Imperial law has yet to be felt outside of the systems near Lancer Station, but occasional patrols make their way out as far as Volstatt and Qantar, allowing trade to flow from the furthest systems of the Reach.

=== Restival System ===

For the past five decades, the Restival system has been the front line of the Lancer Offensive, site of a ceaseless battle between Man and Ork for the destiny of the Expanse. Now, at last, the Imperial forces are pushing back the green tide - only one major hive on the primary world of Restival-3 still lies under the orkish boot, and their naval forces have been reduced to a few raiders and kroozers lurking in the system's outer reaches.

=== The Klunker Drift ===

An immense nebula filled with the drifting hulks of some forgotten war, the Klunker Drift is home to uncountable numbers of orks who spew forth at distressingly regular intervals. Navigating the Drift is almost impossible for Imperial ships, as pulsars within the nebula disrupt the Light of the Astronomican and render navigators near-blind in space, while Orkish ships seem to flit back and forth with the ease of a migrating seabird. Worlds with names like Konk, Git, and Red'un are surrounded by immense belts of roks and drifting hulks that often play home to far more orks than the planets themselves.

There is no unifying authority in the Klunker, no single mighty warboss to give the orks purpose and strategic drive, just a thousand competing warlords and freebooter captains who war against one another as eagerly as they war against the Imperium. Yet numbers have a quality all of their own, allowing the orks of the Drift to plunder hundreds of worlds over their long history, bringing back much of the spoils to their nebulous home.

=== The Lost Forges ===

In the distant past, the Adeptus Mechanicus maintained two great forge worlds in the Malerian expanse: Janus-Q7 and Xyra-39. Both were lost millenia ago with the collapse of Imperial power in the Expanse - Janus-Q7 to an unknown plague, and Xyra-39 to xenos attack. Their memories have echoed in the lore of the Machine Cult through the aeons since, legendary worlds where tech-priests broke boundaries and delved into the dark arts of technology. The forge world of Janus was known both for its biomantic arts, and for its great gravitic shipyard, the Cavor Pit, where techpriests assembled immense battleships and dreadnoughts within the core of the planet itself. Xyra, on the other hand, was known for its mastery of warp technology, teleport engines, and astropathic beacons. Knowledge lost with these forge-worlds set the servants of the Omnissiah back millennia.

With the Lancer Offensive, these worlds are once again within the reach of Imperial explorers. There is no doubt that a vast array of technological treasures are still to be found on the Lost Forges, for those willing to brave their dangers. Many have attempted to plumb their depths, but few have returned. Those that do speak of technological monstrosities, forgotten death traps, robotic guardians left to rot for millenia, and strange pillars that seem to warp the very laws of reality around them.