Charterous

Charterous is an Imperial hive world that serves as an Adeptus Astartes homeworld for the mysterious and aloof Ebony Dragons Space Marine Chapter. For all members of the chapter, as well as their homeworld's people, have somehow had their memories erased after an unknown event that had left the planet trapped in the Warp. Within all the archives of various Imperial libraries, existing Adeptus Mechanicus data, as well as any tomb or data-slate, nothing could shed any light on who or what was responsible for what happened to the planet and its occupants. Records indicate that the planet was mysteriously pulled into the Immaterium during a massive warp storm that occurred sometime during the 36th Millennium.

At the dawn of the 42nd Millennium, after being trapped in the Warp for five millennia, Charterous finally reemerged back into realspace after the formation of the Great Rift following the destruction of Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade. The long-lost world barely had time to reorient themselves with their new situation, when they were forced to defend themselves against the enemies that assailed them on all sides.

Due to their homeworld's proximity to the Great Rift and their Chapter Master's apprehensive to commit his full force to the assistance to the Imperium, Chapter Master Helios keeps a strong number of Astartes on the homeworld. This is in case the planet is dragged back to the warp or any threats emerge from the Great Rift to threaten the Chapter's homeworld.

Trapped in the Warp
Though there is little official information, extant records indicate that sometime during the latter years of M36, the Ebony Dragons' Chapter homeworld of Charterous was engulfed by a massive warp storm that swallowed their planet and eventually pulled it out of reality and into the hellish realm of the Immaterium. After the storm cleared, it was noted by Imperial investigators that both Charterous and their protectors had disappeared. The Ebony Dragons were declared 'Lost to the Warp' and the Bell of Lost Souls on Terra was rung in solemn tribute to the fallen Chapter.

Soon after this incident occurred, the Chapter quickly remembered their sworn duties and set about doing them. When panic amongst the general population began brewing the Ebony Dragons' Chapter Master and Chief Librarian took it upon themselves to oversee the ruling of the planetary government, just as supervisors, and to keep an eye on the ruling hierarchy to ensure that they did not fall to the corrupting influence of Chaos. Regrettably, the Chapter was forced to periodically perform routine security sweeps over portions of the population and purge those who had fallen to extreme mutation or possession.

Return to Reality
After spending some time in the warp, from what they perceived to have been only two centuries, due to the vagaries of the warp and extreme time-displacement, in realspace, they had been missing for 5,000 years. It was only when Cadia fell to the Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade in the closing years of M41, and the formation of the Great Rift, that the Ebony Dragons and their homeworld was brought back into realspace. During their extended period spent in the Immaterium, Astartes of the Chapter had evolved to become entirely psychic. All squads had developed a telepathic gestalt awareness of each other. In battle, their heightened perceptions became a shield of awareness to dangers to each Battle-Brother, and upon their superhuman reflexes, which enabled them to dodge danger.

Current Status
After being trapped inside the warp for several millennia, the Ebony Dragons' homeworld has become very much a shadow of its former self. Ancient records about this planet indicates that it was once a mountainous world with great lakes that spanned across many of the continents, but has now become a world of roiling acidic water. Most of the mountains have been reduced to chipped and cracked teeth and some removed from the surface by the near endless war against daemons and warbands. What animal life remained on the planet was mostly birds and lizard-like birds which have now become feral and predatory, attacking anyone foolish enough to enter their territory where they dwell. These fell creatures are often culled by the Chapter as they are seen as a challenge for Aspirants to kill such beasts only with melee weapons.

Despite being trapped in the warp the planet was forced to become its own supplier of food, weapons and ammunition, and as such, the most arid and flat northern hemisphere has been designated for food production. They only produce the simplest of vegetables within the greatly expanded walls of Hive Dominion with some livestock closely vaulted within the center of the hive spires. In the southwestern part of the planet, it has been given up to the Adeptus Mechanicus remnants to mine and manufacture while the greatest standing mountainous region became a half-forge world area where all ammunition, armour and weaponry under the control of Hive Dictaus.

To the western hemisphere the capital of the planet, Hive Theisius, in which houses a large standing of Astra Militarum forces and a few training areas. It is mainly dominated by a fractured space elevator of which it's base is in the heart of the hive. This is the capital's housing and communal areas for the hierarchy given space around which for a rarity of a hive has a expense for the emplacement of weaponry facing in all directions from the center as a last survival point of the hive and its inhabitants.