"The air was the cleanest I had ever breathed, and I knew at that moment I had found a planet unlike any other I had ever set foot upon. And it would be mine for the taking."
-Rogue Trader Maxellian Vor
Recently discovered by humans, Forraliss is quickly becoming a destination for the Imperial elite in the Askellon Sector. An immaculate garden world, it hides a deep secret beneath its pristine surface and is home to far more than the recent colonists who have come to call it home. With its perfectly blue skies, vast untouched forests, crystal clear lakes, and majestic mountains, Forraliss is a world of beauty crafted as if from the mind of an artist. Painters and authors sponsored by wealthy patrons flock to the planet, inspired by its grandeur, while master sculptors from Vouxis Prime have used the beauty of the world to inspire their works on many occasions.
The faithful of the Imperial Cult believe this to be a paradise, given to them by the Emperor’s guiding hand, while the unscrupulous and undesirable see the planet as an untapped resource, waiting for exploitation.
Dark secrets lie beneath the surface of this pristine planet, however, secrets that can spell doom for those who now call Forraliss home. This world once belonged to the Eldar, and they are intent on retaking what was once theirs. Advance forces of these aliens have arrived and established hidden outposts across the planet, enabling them to observe the human colonists and any others who trespass on their ancient grounds.
Forraliss was once known as Geelsynal to the Eldar who came to this part of space tens of thousands of years ago. A young world, barren but brimming with primordial life, the Eldar used their vast technology to terraform the planet into a paradise, a Maiden World. This process would take thousands of years to complete but the Eldar were a patient race, intent on establishing viable colonies for future generations.
Millennia after their initial seeding, a colony was established dedicated to knowledge, founded by a group of Eldar seers who wished to study the arts of wraithbone crafting away from their brethren. While the depredations of the Eldar grew in other parts of the galaxy, those few on Geelsynal lived in peace and harmony with their planet. Wondrous constructs of sweeping wraithbone spanned areas of the planet and delved deep beneath the surface. In a grand cavern under the world’s largest mountain, a webway portal allowed the seers to maintain connections with the Eldar homeworlds.
When the Fall came, terror erupted from the webway. The birth of Slaanesh echoed throughout the known universe, and the webway amplified this greatly. The Eldar of Geelsynal attempted to bar the portal and make their escape in ships by collapsing the mountain down around the cavern. In the end, they managed to bury the webway and flee. Over the next ten thousand years, the world reclaimed the lands that had been coveted by the Eldar, and all traces of their time on Geelsynal faded away. In their haste, however, the Eldar left behind a number of hidden caches of artefacts, buried deep in long abandoned workshops.
Over the ensuing millennia, Geelsynal faded in and out of accessibility due to the Pandaemonium's activity. The few ships that did discover the world went to great lengths to hide its existence, intent on preserving its beauty and luxury for themselves.
Forty-five years ago, while travelling rimward at the edge of the Asphodel Depths, Rogue Trader Maxellian Vor’s ship, The Indomitable Will, was thrown off course and battered by particularly strong Warp currents. His vessel rode the turbulent waves, finally translating to realspace in an area not recorded on the local charts. A gleaming planet loomed before the ship and Vor made his way towards it to effect much needed repairs.
The world the Rogue Trader found was unlike any he had ever set foot on in his century and a half of exploration. Pristine conditions, temperate climates, abundant water, and more covered the unclaimed planet. Maxellian Vor claimed Forraliss, named for his daughter Forra, in the name of the Emperor and the Imperium. Over the next decade, Vor kept Forraliss to himself, with only his crew privy to its whereabouts. The world became his personal retreat until he eventually turned his attention towards colonisation to ensure the world was a source of constant revenue.
Vor decided to create a colony that would cater to the rich and powerful of Askellon. A world as luxurious as Forraliss would command a great deal of prestige, and within less than twenty years it became one of Askellon’s most sought after-yet still obscured enough to intrigue the elite-destinations.
While primarily a pleasure planet, there are economic opportunities on Forraliss. Vor established ranches far from settled areas to farm the indigenous shaggy beasts known as rothal. The tens of thousands of animals housed across these locations provide a smell that most find intolerable, and visitors to the ranches regularly wear rebreathers. The local workers find this amusing and have grown almost immune to the stench. The attached processing plants are able to skin and process the beasts for food exportation in minutes, though the machinery is dangerous and accidents are frequent.
It was also discovered that the large fish known as kallaida, found in many of the lakes and streams, produced delicious eggs that soon became a favourite of travellers. These fish grow between 1 and 4 metres in length, possessing a striking blue-green colour; they are generally very docile, feeding primarily on plants and algae. Unbeknownst to the travellers, their eggs contained an addictive element. Vor’s Magos-Biologists discovered this fact after an incident where a patron lashed out at staff over quantities of the delicacy. Vor began to regulate the amount produced, guaranteeing a steady customer base. Unknown to Vor, one of his henchmen has begun selling the eggs on his own in an attempt to establish his own power base; if this trade takes off, it will allow him to separate from the Rogue Trader.
Travel to and from Forraliss is steady, but limited to a select clientele that Maxellian Vor and his trusted advisors fully control. Due to these restrictions and the world’s continued obscurity, standard Imperial Navy ships do not monitor the planet. This has worked out well for smugglers, as well as the Eldar, who have returned to their former world to reclaim pieces of the past.
A small contingent arrived recently and has utilised superior technology to establish an outpost in a series of caves deep in the mountains. These Eldar are possessed by a vision that drives their designs. Portents tell of the destruction that can be wrought with Eldar technology in the hands of lesser races, and they are determined to prevent that here. Many inhabitants have reported strange lights in the sky at night, as well as shadows at the corner of the eye always gone when looked at directly. A pervasive feeling of being watched has made a number of recent visitors anxious about their stay on the world.
The sweeping vistas and beautiful landscapes are not the only things Forraliss holds. There are long lost, hidden parts of the planet unknown to humans that hold great danger and riches.
The Geelsynal Webway Portal: Deep within the planet, the webway portal which once connected the Eldar world of Geelsynal to the rest of the empire still exists. At times, the portal fluctuates, opening for moments. This is all that is needed for unwelcome visitors to enter realspace, as the portal is damaged and no longer connects to the greater Eldar webway, but directly into the madness of the Warp. At times, visitors have spoken in hushed whispers of strange dreams and nightmares filled with darkness and alien technology. This information is not widely spread, for fear of the Inquisition and being branded a heretic.
The Crystal Vault: On an island in the Northern Sea, a solitary mountain rises above the waves. Deep inside is an ancient vault containing artefacts from dozens of races. The entrance is invisible to all known scanning devices and requires a lost wraithbone key to open.
The Five Hundred: Ancient legends of the Eldar tell of a vast collection of Wraithguard slumbering in a long-lost cavern. These legends have made their way to other races, and the tales of an unstoppable army have proven quite popular among the unsavoury and power hungry.
The Ebon Star: The Eye of Night was created to hold the soul of a Farseer of great strength, allowing him to live on after death. This great gem vanished thousands of years ago. Stories of a cursed gemstone, black as night, have circulated throughout the Askellon Sector for many centuries, and there are some who believe this to be the long lost spirit stone.