Iris
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Iris | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Obscurus | ||
| Sector: | Calixis Sector | ||
| Subsector: | The Periphery | ||
| System: | Iridaceae System | ||
| Population: | |||
| Affiliation: | Imperium (nominal) / Ork and human tribals (actual) | ||
| Class: | Death World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | |||
Iris is a verdant and perilous Death World orbiting the violet-hued star Iridaceae, from which its system takes its name. Of the twelve planets and innumerable planetoids, moons, and large asteroids within the Iridaceae System, Iris alone bears life, though its abundance of flora and fauna has rendered it one of the most lethal planets encountered by the Imperium.[1]
The surface of Iris is dominated by vast jungles, soaring mountain chains, boiling lakes, and volcanic belts that belch toxic fumes into the skies. Its equatorial regions are scarred by geothermal upheaval, while its shallow seas swarm with monstrous aquatic predators. The planet’s violent tectonic activity and suffocating atmosphere have deterred most attempts at Imperial colonisation, leaving Iris a world claimed in name only. [1]
Geography
Save for the frigid areas at the poles, the searing lava fields at the equator, and the tops of some of the larger mountain ranges, the entire world is covered in thick, impenetrable jungle.[1]
Thick trees a kilometre high with vast, spreading canopies and snaking tendrils as thick as a man’s waist crowd together in rainforests hundreds of thousands of square kilometres in size. So thick is the canopy that there are stretches of ground the size of a continent which have never seen the light of Iris’ sun shining out of its hazy, violet sky.[1]
The weather is uniformly hot and humid, with the air so thick that at times visibility falls to dangerous lows and breathing becomes difficult. Monsoon rains beat down on the jungle many months out of the planet’s long year. Even in the clearer months, savage thunderstorms spring up at a moment’s notice to drown portions of the planet in billions of gallons of rainwater in an instant.[1]
Flora and Fauna
Where the sunlight manages to pierce the thick canopy, the ground is densely packed with plants of all description, draped in creepers, flowers, thorns, spines, and leaves in a countless variety of shapes and colours. Many of these plants are carnivorous, or otherwise pose a serious threat to man and beast alike. They use pheromones, psychotropic spore clouds, soporific stinging nettles, grasping vines, and countless other lures to bring in fresh meat and blood with which to fertilise their roots.[1]
In addition to its voracious plant life, Iris is home to a host of native creatures. In and among the riot of plant life live an incredible number of species of bird, reptile, arachnid, insect, and mammal. While all of the world’s fauna have a frightful, threatening look about them, most are retiring and largely inoffensive.[1]
There are creatures among them, however, that are much more dangerous. Venomous serpents and arachnids of all size abound, their snapping fangs dripping with poisons that can liquefy organs in seconds, or send a man into excruciating, convulsive fits, which cause him to flail about until his back breaks.[1]
Massive, semi-intelligent simians live in colonies beneath the jungle canopy and wage savage wars on one another, and packs of ill-tempered saurians of varying sizes roam the planet in search of food. Huge flocks of birds, predatory and otherwise, rule the skies, and can block out the sun with their wings.[1]
Human Tribes
Numerous primitive human tribes are scattered about Iris, and they constantly war with each other and nomadic bands of Feral Orks. There are a few great empires on Iris, vast confederacies of tribes that exhibit sophisticated social, economic, artistic, and religious practices.[1]
Many seem to have discovered metal working and engineering, and small swaths of jungle have been clear-cut to make way for the orderly stone cities that lie at the hearts of these primitive empires. Most of the human populace, however, lives in tiny villages of thatched huts, based around agriculture, fishing, and mineral extraction.[1]
Where their counterparts in the great stone cities are wealthy beyond imagining, resplendent in their gilded robes and gem-encrusted shawls, these farmers and miners eke out a largely subsistence level existence in the jungle. There, they compete with wild beasts, the brutish jungle simians, roving packs of feral Orks, and one another. Their technology level is limited, and their weapons, tools, and armour run to slings, spears, bronze swords, and obsidian knives.[1]
History
When the Orks of Waaagh! Grimtoof came to Iris, they discovered quickly that there were feral cousins there in their multitudes, and that the far-flung humans were backwards, and didn’t have so much as a slugga or stikkbomb between them. Believing the world to be easy pickings, the Orks attacked, and immediately found themselves mired in a brutal war against both the humans and the Orks.[1]
At first believing them to be some new tribe of local Orks, the humans took little notice of the newcomers. Soon enough, however, Ork raiding parties were sweeping down on villages and leading exploratory attacks into the more settled regions to capture loot and slaves. It did not take long for the disparate kingdoms to unite against this new green menace, and they quickly organised a force of canny jungle warriors with which to hold off the invading Orks.[1]
On top of this, the initial “overtures” to the feral Ork tribes made by the occupying Ork forces were met with violence in kind, and the feral Orks began their own war against these strange Greenskins who appeared from nowhere to take their lands and spoil their fun instead of falling in line behind them. Though this proved an amusing diversion for some time, most of the invading Orks made some progress into the jungles but ultimately abandoned Iris to seek out better fights elsewhere, where there were greater spoils and much grander battles to be had. Eventually only those groups made up largely of members of the Snakebites remained.[1]
Currently, the human populace, the local Orks, and the not insubstantial Snakebites forces have come to an uneasy balance of power. Raiding and killing still happens regularly, but the deadly guerrilla fighting has subsided for the moment, and each faction is content to stay in their territories and leave each other alone.[1]
For their part, the Snakebites believe they have discovered a place blessed by Gork and Mork, where and fill their hours with fighting. Enjoying the seclusion and the feral surroundings, the Snakebites have turned their camps into huge breeding operations for sundry varieties of Squigs. They breed all manner of Squigs in their foul pens, including a variety of lumbering Squiggoths of different qualities and sizes. Through experimentation and constant tinkering, the local Pigdocs have discovered a new and incredibly potent feed formula with which they have begun breeding bigger and bigger Squigs—up to and including thunderous Gargantuan Squiggoths.[1]
See also
Sources
- 1: Only War: Enemies of the Imperium, pgs. 38 - 39
