Tallon Prime

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"One side hot and bright, the other cold and dark...both are horrible. Though it beats being devoured by monsters that shrug off plasma bolts."

- Governor Felix Morcalin

History
Records of the planet's original settlers has been long lost as a result of the Age of Strife. It's thought that the few who still roam the planet are their ancient descendants who refused the eventual occupation of the Imperium of Man during the Great Crusade. Going into hiding into the deserts of the world it was deemed impossible to construct any cities of worth on the side of the world that faced the sun so therefore the dark side of the world was littered with cities. It's unknown how many were constructed during the Great Crusade and till the dawn of the Horus Heresy.

During the time of the heresy most of the planet's cities would endure bombings, most survivors being either killed by traitors who surrounded the cities or by the wildlife. Any others would be discovered by the planet's Settlers and taken in by them. The traitors of the Iron Warriors would only leave the world intact because of their orders to turn their attention to Ullanor Prime.

News of the Emperor's death swept the world of Tallon Prime with many terrified of the future they would flee the cities, terrified of the traitors returning to finish what they had started. This would never happen. During this time there would be a great war of politics with the surviving cities who'd fight for territory via the cities abandoned by their people. Former city leaders being slain by small armies attempting to rob them of their land and resources. It would be years until the Adeptus Terra would reconnect with the world of Tallon Prime and establish control. Former leaders executed for wasting such valuable time and resources in attempt to take the world for themselves.

Most of the planet's cities from the time of the Heresy have either been reduced to ruined craters or abandoned relics of mankind's past, conquered by the planet's wildlife which use them as their own lairs. Anyone crazy enough to venture in this Dark Cities in search of potential lost technologies or valuables would become meals for these monsters.

Environment
The temperature of the world can reach heights that can kill any normal human. The only protection from the rays outside of man made structures are caves or the thick clouds of sand that can block out the sun for days. The planet itself has a slower rotation, mixed with its orbit around the sun the majority of the planet to always face the Sun. There are thousands of human settlements that exist along the borders of the sunrise and sunset, a collection of mountain ranges named “The Divide”. These mountain ranges are seen as one of the few places safe for those who live outside the cities. The local wildlife fear the sunlight and never risk crossing the mountain ranges for concern of their own lives.

The darker side of the world has it’s shared dangers as the wildlife outside the cities has forced the construction of large walls with powerful lights to keep away many of the light sensitive creatures. Ranging from massive mammal creatures with a bone-like armour on their flesh to small insects that will burrow into human flesh to seek warmth. The streets watched closely by the Adeptus Arbites and Adepta Sororitas with a strict curfew to those who do not carry merchant licenses or are higher ranked members of the Adeptus Terra or Adeptus Ministorum.

Cities of Tallon Prime
Constructed to fit multiple layers of buildings that house millions the cities of Tallon Prime ''would appear from the outside as large stone cups in the dark landscape. In truth the buildings reach high, though no higher than the walls that protect them. The deeper one gets the darker, crueler and more horrific the cities become. Those who dwell in the Upper cities living careless lives of comfort, the lower cities work tirelessly to survive and provide for their family. Those in The Slums...it's like any hive city by that point. ''

Upper Cities
The majority of the cities sprawl with well maintained cathedrals as the largest structures while citizens live in surrounding areas in beautiful villas and complexes for the rich and privileged. The thick walls were constructed to resist high temperatures in the event that the world’s rotation changed and the cities ever faced the sun, this has yet to happen and the planet has never shown any signs of this change happening.

The capital is where the Administratum and the Adepta Sororitas are positioned, located in the center of each city, working to monitor and control the entire city from there. The Adepta Sororitas patrol the city streets and are a more common sight than the Arbites who monitor the lower city. Rarely does force need to be used against citizens of the Imperium as the upper city crimes rates are very low or they’re just kept under wraps very well.

The higher class citizens who have a long history of their children becoming Astartes got to where they are because of this. Larger and more extravagant mansions constructed high above, the elaborate designs of these homes becoming less and less impressive the closer to the streets one gets. There's no safer place since many members of the Order of the Sacred Flame live in similar structures after completing their training and are well known to function as personal guards to these noble families.

Lower Cities
Unlike the Upper City watched by the Adepta Sororitas these streets are watched strictly by the Adeptus Arbites, citizens always harassed and confronted by the strict guards. Sometimes beating people in the street for not getting their ID out fast enough. Crowds of people walking shoulder-to-shoulder as they try to get to their jobs or to the shambled stores that liter the streets. Pick pockets at every corner, requiring one to always keep their hands in their pants to ensure they keep their possessions.

Murderers and thieves hide in the shadows, watching for a chance to run in if they think they can escape the wrath of the Arbites that would soon be on their heels. Making most of their profits selling stolen goods or smuggled weapons. Many gangs work as an extension of the criminal empires of the Slums as their eyes and mouths.

Despite how it may sound the Adeptus Arbites have a firm grasp on the streets and the people, many arrangements in place to give the citizens the chance to turn over suspected criminals. Bounties given to those who can be proven to have broken the law or intend on doing so. This has created dangerous tensions with neighbors who may just hate others around them or some wishing to replace those at their job by making false accusations. Those found to be guilty of false claims themselves will be sentenced to death for wasting the Adeptus Arbites' time and attempting to abuse one of the world's systems.

The Slums
As expected, crime is rampant in the slums of the city despite the watchful eyes of the Administratum. It’s unavoidable. Many die of disease and famine if it isn’t a bolter through the skull over a drop of water. Gangs and criminal empires rule the people and control these parts of the cities and their territory. There are few who have dared to try to spread to the lower parts of the cities, let alone the upper areas where they were met with the wrath of the Adepta Sororitas protecting the citizens and showing the mutants and heretics that they indeed hold no power to the Imperium.

The black market on Tallon Prime includes salvage that falls from the cities above. Another valuable resource is water that in truth is distilled from the waste that makes its way down to create rivers of filth or blood of humans killed for their property and possessions. Melta weapons are most easily attainable through these markets, few traders will attempt to deal with plasma weapons because of their tendency to blow up and setting fire to the area.

Sweeps of the slums are performed by the Adeptus Arbites with many weapons retrieved and the purging of mutants is normal, the frequency of these are seemingly random as to ensure the people of the Slums cannot prepare. Infants are taken by the Arbites from the families they kill or that are found already dead so they may taken as potential recruits for the Schola Progenium because of their young age therefore their ease of being indoctrinated to follow the Ecclesiarchy.

List of Cities
''The following will be listed as either active or non-active and for what reason they'd be considered the latter if such information is available. Additionally, those deemed to be considered non-active have been renamed to simple titles as 'Fallen Territory _'''

Fallen Territory 1: [Non-Active]
[Information Redacted]

Fallen Territory 2: [Non-Active]
[Information Redacted]

Fallen Territory 3: [Non-Active]
[Information Redacted]

Fallen Territory 4: [Non-Active]
The city was overrun with the world's predators, power fluctuations were the cause for them losing their defenses long enough to doom the city. It has been deemed that no one survived the fall of the city. Now it stands as a massive hive that's too dangerous to attempt a recovery and the resources needed to level it wouldn't be worth as it stands far from any other planetary cities.

Fallen Territory 5: [Non-Active]
Overrun by criminals and mutants from the Slums who took over the lower city within days, the upper city was put at risk and many would be killed in the conflict. Eventually the survivors of the Imperium, including members of the Order of the Sacred Flame, were evacuated by the combined efforts of the Psian Venatores and the Omni Legion. Afterward the city would be bombarded and set ablaze from top to bottom.

Settlers of Tallon Prime
The people of the Imperium are not the only humans who have lived on this world, those legacies tie back to the Age of Strife and Great Crusade still call the deserts and rigid mountains home. The settlements that wish to be independent from the Imperial cities and have been left out of receiving military, medical, or religious aid from the cities. Many of these settlements don’t last even a century and new ones appear just as often as they vanish. Led by their own governments that wish for the world before the arrival of the Imperium and their control. They are hostile toward nearly anyone from the cities or from the Imperium, especially the Administratum or Astartes. Despite the watchful gaze of the Imperium it’s rumored that in the modern age the Tau Empire is attempting to ally with these humans and have them join the Empire.

For thousands of years these people struggled to get the invaluable resource of water but all sources were under careful watch and defended by the Imperium. Though sometime in M38 all defenses and mining equipment were removed from the sites due to the establishment of the Mining Ice world of Roisigma, an ice world controlled by the Mechanicus discovered ancient ships frozen deep under the planet surface.

Wayward citizens of the Imperium who have fled the cities or Imperial Guards separated from their regiments may be taken in by some of the traveling settlements. Giving them the choice to join them and have a place to stay or once they're recovered they're forced to leave or be sentenced to death. Leaving could be a death sentence itself because of the inhospitable environment.

Phaa
Orbiting the planet of Tallon Prime is its single moon, due to it's larger size. 30% larger than Luna this moon has been purposed exclusively to be used as an Imperium military base. Master of operations for the Psian Venatores regiment of the Tempestus Scions that safe-guard the planet from orbit via the use of a small Imperial navel fleet with boarding crews. Should needed soldiers can be sent to the surface to reinforce the Order of the Sacred Flame of each city.

The training grounds on the moon are created to simulate all forms of gravity ranging from twice of that of Holy Terra to zero gravity. Species of Xeno wildlife captured during missions either in or out of system are used in a similar way as the Deathwatch of the Adeptus Astartes. Forcing the trainees to live in such an environment is meant to enhance their training. Camped in man-made jungles deep in the core of the moon while encircled with thick Ceramite walls that separate the steel halls filled with overworked staff and graduated Scions who are blessed with a warm bed.