Geography: Vast, polluted industrial plains overlaid with specialized gravitic research complexes and cloistered, heavily shielded data-vaults. The atmosphere is toxic and largely inimical to non-augmented life.
Population: Estimated 40 Billion (Highly augmented Mechanicus Adepts, billions of indentured Serfs and specialized Servitors).
Tithe Grade: Adeptus Mechanicus Grade Primus-Delta (Primarily Materiel and Exotic Research Data).
Government Type: Theocratic Technocracy, dominated by the Magi Explorator faction known as the Quaerostori.
Planetary Governor: Archmagos Explorator-Prime (Unknown, ruled indirectly by the Quorum Primus of Cerix Magnus).
Adept Presence: Very High (Adeptus Mechanicus). Low/Tenuous (Adeptus Administratum/Ministorum, suppressed by the dominant Cult Mechanicus structure).
Military: Core Theta Skitarii Legions (Experimental Cohorts), automated defense matrices, and specialized Enginseer militias utilizing Theta-pattern exotic weaponry.
Trade: Advanced Graviton Weaponry, exotic field generators, specialized biological components (padonus rice crop research), and highly sought-after alien relics (trade often illicit or restricted).
"The difference between sanctity and blasphemy is merely one of application. Our brethren on Cerix Magnus fear the process; we embrace the discovery. For how can the Omnissiah’s song be complete if we fail to retrieve the notes lost to the silence of history?" – Archmagos Valoris 1.13,
- Logis Hierophant of the Quaerostori.
Core Theta is a vital Forge World located in the Stygies Cluster Sub-Sector of the Askellon Sector. While officially counted among the lesser forge worlds governed by the Quorum Primus of Cerix Magnus, Core Theta operates with a distinct and sometimes radical independence due to the powerful influence of the Quaerostori. This world is dedicated not merely to production, but to the perilous pursuit of lost technological knowledge. This fixation means Core Theta's infrastructure is heavily slanted toward research, xenoarchaeology, and the deployment of retrieval expeditions across the troubled Askellon Sector. This zeal frequently leads the Tech-Priests down paths others deem dangerously close to tech-heresy, resulting in weapon patterns that are potent but often eccentric.
The Quaerostori are a powerful splinter philosophy within the greater Askellian Cult Mechanicus that dominates Core Theta. Their central, almost obsessive doctrine is the imperative to recover stolen or misplaced technology and return it to the Omnissiah. This mission transcends mere archival retrieval; it motivates them to seek out artifacts of immense, even forbidden, power.
This quest compels Core Theta’s Magi to delve into domains considered treacherous by more orthodox Imperial bodies:
Core Theta Tech-Priests are highly motivated to discover and retrieve alien relics because of their vast theoretical power. This desperation makes them unusual allies; they may cooperate with Ordo Xenos Inquisitors in the search for these forbidden objects. Their focus is often drawn to systems linked to ancient technological catastrophes, as they relentlessly investigate instances of sudden population decreases or worlds found reduced to orbiting rock. One noted Core Theta xenoarchaeologist, Magos Kiralon Burla, operates a research station dedicated to studying the ruins of a long-lost, unknown alien civilisation, suggesting Core Theta specializes in retrieving data from the sector's primordial past.
The Quaerostori seek out relics of human origin as well. For example, a Quaerostor named Tech-Priest Iyathson devoted himself to locating a surviving example of the sacred oculus ignis device after the planetary pattern on Core Theta became irreparably corrupted approximately two centuries ago. Their readiness to commit to lengthy, high-risk retrieval operations demonstrates their singular dedication to the Omnissiah’s lost works.
The zealous nature of the Quaerostori, combined with their readiness to approach alien artifacts and pursue unconventional means of technological advance, places Core Theta firmly among the more Radical factions within the Imperium, contrasting sharply with the adherence to strict, sanctified patterns maintained by the Regimen Affirmator on Cerix Magnus.
Core Theta is known throughout the Stygies Cluster for its output of eccentric designs and technologically demanding weaponry, many of which stem from near-heretical experimentation. The emphasis is often on generating high-impact, technologically refined, and complex weapons, rather than simple mass production.
Specific innovations attributed to the Forge World include:
Integration Cannon (Theta-pattern): A prime example of Core Theta’s unique approach, this cannon employs the principles of graviton weaponry to project a pulsing orb of gravitic energy. Upon shattering, this orb creates a gravitic anomaly causing a rapid mass increase that draws anything nearby toward its center, resulting in gruesome crushing. The resulting gravitic field persists for a short duration after firing, immobilizing victims and inflicting automatic impact damage.
Graviton Hammer: This somewhat unusual melee weapon was developed through specialized experimentation aimed at incorporating graviton technology into personal combat. Its creation represents a willingness to risk doctrinal purity for operational application.
Theta-pattern Shock Bolts: These munitions resulted from attempts to merge advanced technology with the traditionally primitive mechanism of crossbows. They utilize embedded micro-electrical capacitors to deliver a powerful non-lethal electrical charge.
The Resonance Arc: Core Theta adepts succeeded in activating this device, though the outcome was devastating. Instead of a controlled energy transfer, it emitted a single arc of lightning that killed the attending Tech-Priests and servitors, leaving behind only scorched skeletons and shattered bionics. This event highlights the extreme risks inherent in Core Theta’s deep dive into experimental, possibly unstable, technologies.
The Magi Biologis faction on Core Theta developed padonus rice, a genetically-modified crop that is a key agricultural product exported by the agri-world Kalto. This demonstrates Core Theta's expertise extending beyond pure mechanics into genetic and biological manipulation.
Core Theta, along with Cerix Magnus and Selvanus Binary, forms the technological backbone of the Stygies Cluster Sub-Sector. Its relationship with the sector's main governance is marked by distance and philosophical friction:
Core Theta is nominally subject to the Quorum Primus of Cerix Magnus. Cerix Magnus is famous for its adherence to sanctified technology patterns, creating tension with Core Theta’s reputation for radical experimentation.
Core Theta’s status as a Forge World means it contributes specialized materiel and weaponry vital to Imperial defence. The availability of rare and exotic weapons like those based on gravitic principles makes Core Theta a target for those seeking powerful, advanced armaments, including elements within the Inquisition itself.
Given their pursuit of forbidden alien and lost human relics, Core Theta likely maintains heavy internal security and vast, labyrinthine subterranean complexes designed to house dangerous artifacts and secret laboratories. The populace consists mainly of billions of serfs and specialized servitors, whose efforts are directed by the Quaerostori hierarchy toward technological acquisition and conservation. Core Theta's forces would include cohorts of Tech-Guard and specialized forces utilizing the world's exotic weaponry, defending against rivals seeking to steal or sabotage their findings.
The history of catastrophic failure, such as the Resonance Arc incident, along with their frequent handling of potentially dangerous alien technologies, means Core Theta is constantly on the edge of internal disaster or attracting lethal attention from the Inquisition's Puritan factions.