"It was madness given form, where war never ended."
-Inquisitor Ronan Borel
Centuries ago, the Tuchulcha system was wiped from star charts. Cut off by the Pandaemonium, the system succumbed to the Warp, becoming forever home to the forces of the Dark Gods. Like a world trapped behind glass, Tuchulcha appears stuck out of time and space. Orbital factories and stations hang above the planet, rumoured to hold the riches plundered by the Rogue Trader houses that initially funded the expeditions to the worlds beyond this system. Foolish are those who dare pluck these treasures. The world roils and surges as the Dark Powers battle for dominance, eager to toy with mortal visitors. While many consider the planet unreachable, the Warp ebbs and flows around Tuchulcha, often thrusting it back into reality, a waiting house of horrors for any who dare to land there.
Every voidfarer in Askellon knows the sorrowful tale of the doomed world of Tuchulcha; the account of House Roth’s folly and destruction is a cautionary tale throughout the sector. What most do not know is that this devastation was caused by one man-a man who now attempts to rule the blackened lands of Tuchulcha in the name of Tzeentch.
Tuchulcha was initially a frontier staging area for a large-scale exploratory fleet destined for what lay beyond known space. Erravan Roth, a minor scion of House Roth, became obsessed with the expedition. In an effort to secure a greater place for himself and increase his personal glory, Erravan explored all options available, no matter how forbidden. One led him to the Changer of Ways. Tzeentch opened new avenues for the young captain, granting wondrous insights to the multitude of worlds beyond and the riches they held. Roth used his newfound knowledge to manipulate the expedition plans, furthering the will of the Great Architect.
When the pieces were in place, the Pandaemonium fluctuated, engulfing Tuchulcha and the fleet, destroying most ships. Those not destroyed were condemned to a life of eternal battle and suffering, all part of Tzeentch’s grand plans. Some say there were warnings, that the Emperor’s Tarot revealed the fleet was doomed, but no one paid heed.
Since the loss of the expedition, Erravan Roth serves Tzeentch on Tuchulcha. Now known as the Daemon Prince Erravan the Schemer-his true daemonic name remains a carefully hidden secret-it leads the forces of Tzeentch against the legions of Khorne. Whether the former captain knew of the imminent doom before the fleet departed, only the herald and Tzeentch can say.
Space above Tuchulcha is filled with the abandoned remnants of the grand fleet. Refuelling depots, orbital shipyards, and smaller stations float above the world. Some hold great riches, treasures brought back by the initial explorers. Tales of these treasures have been the stuff of legends for centuries, and almost all captains in Askellon know of these lost stations. While few are foolhardy enough to seek these items, some risk everything to gain access.
The largest of the lost islands is Errant Station. Created as a refuelling facility, it is now the domain of Nurgle. Walls, floors, and ceilings are home to pestilence hidden behind a veneer of normalcy, and Nurglings caper across the station to bring new blessings. The station holds much of the initial treasure found in the worlds beyond Tuchulcha, a tempting destination for those who value riches over sanity. Plaguebearers endlessly count these riches, attributing a new plague to each item, ensuring anything leaving the station spreads the glory of Nurgle.
Long before Errant Station fell, a treasure helped seal its fate. Today, deep in the station's heart, an ancient door sits in a cavernous hall. This artefact was found in early probes of a world deep in the fringes beyond Tuchulcha. It was the last remnant of a huge city whose name only dead xenos races would remember, its intricate carvings depicting a garden of beauty and seduction. The explorer who found it, Captain Uless Barr, was so taken with the design that he demanded its excavation. Barr would spend hours staring at the designs, swearing that the garden called to him. No one else heard these voices, leading many to believe Barr was mad. Eventually his obsession caused House Roth to remove him from his captaincy. Barr spent the rest of his days confined to a cell aboard a Hospitaller ship, ranting about the garden.
The Tuchulcha Orbital Shipyards occupy a vast volume of space. Once the shipyards worked around the clock to produce hundreds of ships for the exploratory fleet. These factories were prized among the Adeptus Mechanicus for their amazing output. When the Pandaemonium swallowed Tuchulcha, the shipyards appeared untouched. The countless servitors continued their work, following their programmed construction plans. Unknown to the mindless servants, they were given new plans by the denizens of the Warp. Now the factories fashion war engines for the infernal armies waging eternal war below.
Not all aboard were lucky enough to be killed by the Great Storm. Some vessels crashed, stranding thousands. These refugees initially used recovered supplies, expecting rescue. They were not ready for the skies to open and hordes of Daemons to pour through, plunging the world into darkness.
For years, survivors held out against uncountable odds as Daemon armies razed the planet. By the blessing of the Omnissiah, many Tech-Priests remained operational, becoming instrumental in keeping one large group protected. Using arcane knowledge, the adepts repurposed a ship’s Gellar Field to protect a camp of hundreds. The Tech-Priests knew power was limited, working day and night to keep the field maintained. Ecclesiarchy priests worked constantly as well, adding fervent prayers, knowing the Emperor’s Will was just as powerful.
Eventually, the field fell and daemonic forces overran the camp. Some escaped the slaughter, fleeing to mountains and cave complexes to hide. Some are alive there today, as time flows differently on the Daemon world, changing in pockets of altered chronologies. The humans who still exist hold out against unbelievable odds, hoping for escape. Some do manage to leave, disappearing in unexpected Warp-breaches or picked up by daring captains searching for treasure.
Despite the Warp-tainted nature of Tuchulcha, humans manage to survive in this place of madness. Rationally, this should not be possible-but a Daemon world is a realm of the impossible. Laws of physics are mere suggestion. The initial survivors’ auspex readings could detect no breathable atmosphere, yet breathe they could. Gravity shifts capriciously, especially within the myriad caves winding through mountain ranges like maggot-trails. Stablights can illuminate darkened caverns, but also bring forth screams of pain as light burns the rock. A cry for help might go unheard metres away, yet be detected clearly on an orbiting ship. Many survivors have not eaten in what seems like decades, yet remain physically alive. What Tuchulcha has done to their psyches, though, is something else entirely.
All manner of Daemons call Tuchulcha home, but Khorne and Tzeentch hold the most sway. Their minions wage constant war, with Slaanesh and Nurgle's forces drawn in as pawns. The Lord of Battles’ hatred of magic brings him into conflict with Tzeentch often, and his forces see those of the Changer of Ways as easy skulls. However, Tzeentch’s forces are not easily overcome.
This oscillating war has waged for centuries, with each god gaining the upper hand for a time. This stalemate forces the Daemon Princes to devise new schemes or more aggressive attacks. This eternal hatred allows humans a chance of survival, as the Daemons’ attention is focused on their rivals far more than on the humans.
Led by a Daemon Prince known as the Lord of Wrath, the minions of Khorne constantly scour the landscape for victims. Packs of Bloodletters prod baying Flesh Hounds forth, seeking those who try to escape. Alongside these Daemons are mighty war engines crafted in orbit. Everything fighting with the Mark of Khorne is dedicated to the sole purpose of ceaseless slaughter.
The Lord of Wrath was once part of a triumvirate of Daemon Princes who sought to rule Tuchulcha. Over the aeons, the others were banished by the machinations of their arch-foe, Guirros, or left for more bloodworthy battlefields. Only Etrell the Furious remains, commanding innumerable legions to bring skulls to the Throne of Khorne.
A master of bloodshed, Etrell is a Daemon Prince of contradictions. Unlike the bellowing Bloodthirsters under his command, this Lord of Battle relies on tactics to reap carnage and crafts elaborate battle plans. This frequently angers the Daemons he leads, but Etrell is unconcerned. All that matters is blood for the Blood God.
Unlike the blood-crazed servants of Khorne, the Daemons of Tzeentch are masters of magic. The forces gathered here are under the control of the Lord of Change Guirros. Serving at this mighty Daemon’s side is Erravan the Schemer, the former member of House Roth. Guirros gives the Daemon Prince great sway, rewarding him for bringing about the fall of the world. Erravan sometimes adopts his earlier human visage to travel within Askellon, weaving new schemes.
The schemes carried out by Tzeentch's minions on Tuchulcha are convoluted and beyond mortal understanding. It may take centuries for a stratagem to play out. War rages everywhere, but Tzeentch’s generals avoid direct battle where possible, attempting to manipulate events subtly using sorcery. For Tzeentch, victory on Tuchulcha may not be the final goal, for there are no ends to the twisting schemes of the God of Change.