Illisk
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Name: | Illisk | 
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| Segmentum: | Segmentum Obscurus | ||
| Sector: | Koronus Expanse[1] | ||
| Subsector: | [Conflicting sources] | ||
| System: | |||
| Population: | |||
| Affiliation: | |||
| Class: | Dead World[1] | ||
| Tithe Grade: | |||
Illisk is a Dead World[1], that is located in the Unbeholden Reaches[Conflicting sources] region of the Koronus Expanse, close to the Rifts of Hecaton.[2]
Contents
System
Illisk orbits a dying ember of a fuel-starved sun. In addition to Illisk are two planets - "worthless balls of mud and rock" - a dwindling gas giant, and a sparse asteroid belt.[2]
Environment
The planet is a wind scoured and barren wasteland whose only native life appears to be stunted bushes of hardy scrub and lichen sparsely scattered within the rocks and crags. Its entire surface is blasted by powerful shatterstorms that can strip the flesh from the bones of an unprotected human in a matter of moments — and the most powerful of these storms can even rip through steel and ceramite.[2]
No mountains exist anywhere on the surface. Dotted across the surface of this world are massive geothermal vents that reach deep below the mantle, venting their heat and vapours high into the atmosphere, exacerbating the planet’s unstable weather patterns. These vents are tied into a vast network of geothermal power reactors used to keep the planet’s systems operating. However, there is a steep price to be paid, as the atmosphere barely supports any life.[2]
The thin atmosphere of Illisk makes it very dangerous to work on the surface without some sort of breathing apparatus.[2]
Ancient Xenos History
Ancient strip mining has removed any mineral wealth it once had. The resident Xeno culture died off in the process, along with its entire ecosystem. Numerous structures - from Geothermal Vents to strip mines - showcase a massive undertaking.[2]
Ancient Citadels
Ten lonely citadels built of a curiously unknown black metal jut out from the sands and rock. The arrangement and placement of the citadels seems to have been of some importance to the ancient xenos. Eight citadels are situated equidistant from one another along the planet’s equator. The other two have been placed at the poles of the planet. Additionally, the citadels are the only structures that exist on the surface of the world that have withstood the raging fury of the shatterstorms despite being open-walled cities.
The Thuleans on Illisk
The Disciples of Thule discovered the planet with data found in the Dolorium Vaults indicating a possible lost Explorator colony here. No sign of Adeptus Mechanicus activity were found. Moving on, the focus of their efforts moved to uncovering the mysteries of the ancient Xenos culture on the planet and the nature of their citadels.[2]
The Crypts
Magos Egan Vaughn, a devout disciple of Magos Solus Kanceme, while researching the arctic citadel found a shaft leading deep into the planet. Inside they found subterranean ecosystems and - more importantly for the Mechanicus - billions of computation and calculating systems of Xenos design.[2]
As work progressed into understanding the scope and function of this Machine World, members of other teams began finding numerous areas that could only be described as alien crypts. Walls hundreds of metres high were pocked with niches; each containing a single mummified corpse of what remained of the planet’s xenos population. More astonishing still, each niche was surrounded by monitoring systems and displays resembling the Sensoria Beds used in Imperial Medicae facilities. Each and every one of the petrified bodies were inundated with tubes and cables attached to various points, piercing the flesh.[2]
Trivia
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Conflicting sources
- The Koronus Expanse Map in the Rogue Trader Rulebook[1] shows this world to be well inside the Accursed Demesne, but Rogue Trader: Edge of the Abyss[2] states multiple times it is in the Unbeholden Reaches. Both tell that the world is close to the Rifts of Hecaton. By specificity, the latter should be preferred unless other evidence is given to doubt this.
See also
Sources
- 1: Rogue Trader Rulebook, pgs. 338-339 - Koronus Expanse Map
- 2: Rogue Trader: Edge of the Abyss, pgs. 43-45
