Losanco

Losanco, known formally as Losanco Secundus, is the Adeptus Astartes homeworld of the fearsome and bellicose Castigators Space Marine Chapter. This desolate feudal world is located in the isolated and highly contested Howling Stars sector, located in the Ultima Segmentum. This often inhospitable sector is often subjected to warp eddies and plagued by mysterious 'warp surges' - smaller, but highly unpredictable manifestations of dreaded warp storms. This world is in a tidally locked orbit with its nearby moon, rendering one half of planet shrouded in perpetual darkness while the other is subjected to perpetual light and deadly radiation. These harsh conditions have produced a hardy stock of industrious humans who have not only managed to survive Losanco's harsh environs, but to thrive, thus, making them prime candidates for prospective Space Marine Aspirants for the Castigators Chapter.

A World of Darkness and Light
Upon the height of their xenocidal campaigns against the alien Ryssith, the Castigators' fleet entered a tumultuous and unstable region known to spacefarers as the 'Howling Stars'. An area of perennial eddies and whorls in the Immaterium, the Stars were a place where the skin of reality had been stretched to breaking point by unnatural forces. Roiling warp storms burst forth to destroy vessels whole and hamper travel still further, and only the most skilled of Navigators could reliably traverse the area. It was on the edges of this benighted expanse that the Castigators found the small and unassuming world labelled on the fleet's star-charts as Losanco Secundus.

The planet was perhaps most notable for its 'tidally locked' orbit, which resulted in one half of the planet being shrouded in perpetual darkness whilst the other basked in permanent light and debilitating radiation. It should never have sustained life - and yet it did. Drawn to the world by a flickering distress signal, the Castigators discovered that millennia ago, an Imperial vessel had crashed onto Losanco's surface. The descendants of the survivors clung the thin strip of land between the light and dark sides, an arid and inhospitable area of perpetual twilight. Their scattered settlements were fortified towns, built mainly from scrap metal recovered from the ruined hulk of their vessel. These established enclaves of human existence were defended by armed militias and sustained by the slowly degrading technologies. The wastelands were also inhabited by bands of scavengers and reavers. Many were mutated as a result of the radiation - some almost beyond recognition. Highly aggressive, Losancan legends suggested to the inhabitants that one day the Emperor would appear, bringing light and tranquillity to its troubled people and transforming the planet into a verdant paradise. The legends continued that He would only appear when the planet was 'deserving' - which was taken to mean when it was freed from the blight of the 'impure'. The survivors had grown to blame the mutants for their predicament, learning to fear and hate with what had become an almost instinctual loathing for imperfection and disease. Babies showing even the most minor of malformations were hurriedly and quietly killed by their own mothers or families, such was the stigma of giving birth to a mutant offspring. This hatred of mutation extended beyond the physical form - those children that displayed burgeoning psychic abilities were executed in public ceremonies of devotion to the Emperor.

The plight of the Losancans was dramatic and precarious; they were caught between light and dark, between mutation and freezing doom. Such potent symbolism struck a chord in Baraquiel's soul. The dichotomy between light and dark and the survivors' struggle against corruption convinced him that they could serve as a potential source of future Castigators. After settling on the periphery of the Howling Stars, the Castigators became responsible for the surrounding sectors of space, chief among them the Dalthus Sector, the Swordpoint Stars and the Taurelian Expanse. Apothecaries and Chaplains of the Castigators have recruited aspirants for the Chapter from across several sectors in order to ensure that the Chapter recruits the strongest, most genetically suitable candidates.

The Chapter's fortress, known as Sanctuary, is buried deep within Losanco Secundus's rocky moon. Hanging heavy within the skys, its pitted surface is studded with arched gunports, the squat shapes of lance-batteries and other defences. Those newly recruited into the Chapter are brought here and are inducted into a legacy of war; surrounded by campaign banners, the armour and accoutrements of long-dead heroes and the spoils of war, neophytes will undergo gruelling biological and genetic testing before being implanted with the gene-seed that will sustain them through a lifetime of combat.

All brothers of the Chapter, whatever their origin, return to the surface of Losanco Secundus. Bringing with them weaponry and basic equipment, they will join the militias that defend the settlements and scour the wastelands. Sand-scarred, hard-bitten, these warriors lead their parties with a steady hand and a commanding voice that rises above the harsh winds of the endless desert. Some are survivors of mutant raids or destroyed settlements; others simply serve from a sense that something must be done to protect their lives. The aspirants are expected to interact with the populace, to inspire them - and to learn of the pernicious danger posed by the impure. For many, it is a humbling experience - that these ordinary men and women endure through faith and determination. It is an experience that they will carry throughout their lives.

As the aspirants fight alongside their mortal counterparts, they will be observed from afar by the Chaplains of the Chapter, looking for any sign of weakness or unsuitability. Those that cannot endure hardship, that cannot thrive amidst despair, will never return to the Sanctuary and join the ranks of the Chapter.

Wardens of the Howling Stars
Whilst some Chapters of the Astartes stand aloof from the citizenry of the Imperium, and others range far and wide in unceasing crusades, the Castigators rank among those who maintain protectorates, areas of space they are sworn to defend to ensure the stability of the Imperium. Therefore they are Wardens of the Howling Stars. Chief among these realms is the Dalthus Sector, a relatively prosperous tract of space reconquered in M36, during what would become known as the First Swordpoint Crusade. The Castigators first fought to eradicate the Ryssith Nestworlds, several protracted campaigns to keep the Ork Empires of the Delvis Rifts contained. Eldar corsairs of Kuraan-Bal. The Chapter has dispatched envoys to the greatest worlds in the sector. Even advising to the sector governor himself.

The Sanctuary
The Castigators' Fortress-Moon, known as the Sanctuary, hangs heavy in the sky of Losanco. Its pitted surface is studded with arched gunports, the squat shapes of lance-batteries, macro-turrets and other defenses. Its inviolate walls hold the legacy of the Chapter's millennia-long history. It is here where the records of the Chapters' actions are kept, where the trophies won by the Chapter are stored, and where its Astartes train.

The Great Halls
A large part of the fortress is given over to places of worship; indeed, each Company maintains its own extensive Chapel. These massive structures provide both a place of worship and a record of war. Campaign banners and Company standards drape the walls; the armour and accoutrements of long-dead heroes remain displayed so as to inspire the living. Many of the chapels hold the spoils of war.

Each Company maintains its own holdings within the Sanctuary, a place where they can gather to celebrate their victories and hang their trophies where the entire Chapter can gaze upon them. Statues of ancient heroes and glorious warriors look down upon all who enter the hall, their silent stone stares speaking of great heroism and impressive victories. Then thousand years of triumphs and trials against Daemonkind are recorded on the walls of the chamber, spelled out in torn, bloody banners, rune-encrusted skulls, and the fragments of shattered swords. Each statue, artefact and icon represents a terrible campaign or crusade, often still strained with the gore of those creatures. When a Company returns from the defeat of a great foe, they will congregate. Over the centuries the hall has echoed countless times to the sounds of warriors reflecting on their victories.

The Halls of the Dead
When a Castigator falls in battle, every attempt is made to reclaim the fallen battle-brother's remains. Every Space Marine whose body has been recovered is laid to rest within the Chapels' crypts Glittering in the darkness, this massive mausoleum contains generations of Castigators laid to rest, beneath the Training Halls of their fortress-monastery, symbolic of the endless cycle of birth and death.