Geography: Dense forests covering most of planetary surface, modest hills and valleys
Population: Approx. 500 million, excluding pilgrims and other visitors
Tithe Grade: Exactus Non
Government Type: Eulogus Askelline-semi-autonomous Ecclesiarchy diocese with divergent beliefs
Planetary Governor: Lord of the Wake Jeronius Pyre
Adept Presence: Low
Military: Mournful Guard
Trade: Major importer of deceased from across the sector, minimal export of wood and wood products
"Why should we concern ourselves with what the living may or may not do, when the dead have already accomplished so much?"
-Jeronius Pyre, Lord of the Wake
Thaur is a shrine world, the sovereign domain of the Ecclesiarchy in nearly all respects. Unlike other shrine worlds that boast monumental cathedrals and glorious basilicas to the Emperor or specific saints, it is a world of silent tombs and primeval, overgrown forests. Nourished by millennia of burials, the great trees of Thaur grow thick and tangled, obscuring the graves of the past.
It is said that the graves on Thaur were already ancient when the Great Crusade first reached the region of space that would become the Askellon Sector. In the millennia since, Thaur has become the most desirable resting place for the sector’s nobility, and especially for preachers of the Adeptus Ministorum. Thaur is also home to the graves of numerous saints, some celebrated and revered across Askellon, others all but forgotten.
Most of Thaur’s surface is covered by dense, impenetrable forests and softly undulating hills. The world has no oceans to speak of, but boasts numerous small freshwater lakes, resulting in a scarcity of water that would surely be a problem were its population larger. Despite the apparent verdancy, the most defining characteristic of the environment is the silence; even deep in the wilds, visitors remark that the world remains as quiet as the grave. No matter how far one travels from the major settlements, ancient, crumbling tombstones can be found hidden beneath vines and moss.
Native fauna is conspicuously low for such a verdant world, though wild canids roam the forests in packs and birds nest in the trees. Among the most notable wildlife are the grotesque creatures known as corpse-crawlers. The lifecycles of these monsters require fresh corpses, making Thaur a prime hunting ground. The creatures’ activities are a constant bane to the Eulogus Askelline, who expend countless resources protecting their deceased charges. Despite frequent attempts to exterminate corpse-crawlers, they always reappear to plague the graveyards.
Thaur has no major exports, but wood from its great forests is in high demand across the sector for nobility and other dioceses. The soil is considered holy, and trees growing near the graves of saints are believed to absorb this sanctity. Wood taken from a beatific sapling can be extremely valuable, and many nobles are willing to donate generously to the Ecclesiarchy in exchange for such material.
The Great Ossuaria, also known as the Great Bone-Tombs, is a massive necropolis located only a few leagues’ travel from the Palace of the Wake. Constructed from the skeletal remains of those too poor to afford private plots, having one's bones used in the construction is considered a highly desirable honour. Beneath these ossuaries lies a network of crypts that eventually break through into the Catacombs-thousands of kilometres of tunnels pre-dating human habitation. The further one descends, the more eerie it becomes; the depths reveal smooth, black stone of ancient xenos origin that seems to swallow up the light of travellers' lamps.
The Eulogus Askelline existed long before the rise of the Adeptus Ministorum, and veneration of the Immortal Emperor was only introduced with great controversy and bloodshed. For an order that venerated the dead above all, they eventually reconciled their beliefs by focusing on the Emperor’s death-like state; Thaurian art generally depicts Him as a pale, skeletal figure.
Unknown to the masses, Thaur was a tomb world long before humanity arrived, resting place of a xenos culture destroyed by Chaos. Generations of subtle manipulation by alien hands guided early colonists to make it a burial world. The Order was originally founded to guard against the ancient horrors dwelling there, but over the millennia, this true purpose was forgotten.
Thaurian society revolves around death, from elaborate funerary rites to the construction of massive crypts. Most citizens are inducted into the Eulogus Askelline; those who are not live in wretched poverty as labourers near spaceports, viewing shuttle lights as angels. Technology is intentionally scarce-even an electro-candle is a luxury-and most travel is conducted by foot or in simple wooden carriages pulled by native equines.
The currency of Thaur is the bone-chip coin, small discs of human bone painstakingly scrimshawed by artisans. Value is assigned based on the importance of the donor. With the exception of saints, anyone hoping to be buried on Thaur must tithe a small portion of their skeleton for use as currency.
The Eulogus Askelline is a massive, byzantine religious order comprising dozens of specialised orders and choirs. Unlike most sects, it recruits almost exclusively from natives, meaning worldly Ecclesiarchy members find little common ground with these sombre priests. They are known for dark robes adorned with bone motifs; the higher a member's rank, the more elaborate the skeletal ornamentation.
The Lord of the Wake Jeronius Pyre, the Planetary Governor, is an ancient man who now more resembles a walking corpse than a living ruler. He leaves day-to-day secular governance to bureaucrats, focusing entirely on observing the rituals of the dead, often travelling in columns of horse-drawn carriages. While oblivious to the rampant illicit cult activity on his world, he is obsessed with stopping the smuggling of relics. It is because of this concern that he has formed a mysterious association with an Eldar Ranger who rumours say assists him.
The Vestals At the highest echelon are the Vestals, dedicated monks who maintain a constant vigil over the graves of nobles, military heroes, and saints. Their eyes are permanently bloodshot from the highly ritualised weeping required by their station; to not shed tears for their charges is considered a blasphemous insult.
The Mournful Guard The Mournful Guard, or Guardians, serves as Thaur’s military and law enforcement, protecting the planet from invasion and tomb robbers. Clad in dark tunics over form-fitting flak vests, they usually carry non-lethal weaponry. Their signature weapon is the shockbow, which launches a low-velocity shock quarrel designed to incapacitate instigating targets, allowing for their collection and interrogation by the authorities.
The Ossuarian Custodians These grim protectors dwell deep within the bone-tombs, rarely seeing natural light. Because servitors are incapable of shedding natural tears for the departed, only humans may serve here. Wearing solemn bone masks and plated armour, they weep silently as they patrol. They carry aduroglaives (lantern-polearms) and ossuguns-large-calibre pistols designed to destroy soft tissue while leaving the target's skeleton intact, though the reason for this preservation is a matter of speculation.
The Inheritors are a xenophilious cult born from the forgotten truths of the Eulogus Askelline’s secondary purpose: to guard against Thaur's past. Led by Arch-Rector Legatarius Carolus Renthear, they worship the xenos deities that once ruled Thaur. They believe they are the spiritual inheritors of the aliens' legacy and must exchange the souls of humans living on Thaur to reawaken the lost glory of the dead.
The cult relies on ancient xenos artefacts smuggled from the deep ruins which induce terrifying visions, often driving users insane or triggering latent psychic abilities. Many cult leaders relish these newfound powers as evidence of the blessed gods’ favour. The cult runs a circular smuggling operation, selling artefacts off-world via the Trade Sable and buying them back to fuel their rituals.
Slumbering Gods The cult believes they are awakening a god known as Izumat the Awakened. In reality, Izumat is Suvfaeras, a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch. This spiteful entity harbours vicious contempt for all living things, having destroyed the ancient xenos millennia ago. The Daemon now manipulates the cult through visions, guiding them to create the "Blood of Izumat"-a warp-tainted liquid intended not to restore xenos glory, but to free Suvfaeras into the Materium where he will consume his foolish followers.