Bromhead's Finest

The forces of humanity that inhabit Bromhead are a hardy bunch.

Living on a far-flung frontier world where the might of the Imperium can sometimes feel very distant indeed has imbued the population with a natural stoic outlook and steely determination. 

Survival throughout the Imperium depends on a strong military, regardless of whether the threats are on or off world in origin. Bromhead has several military bases, each charged with a particular aspect of ensuring the safety of the population. 

Fort Chard

The headquarters of the Planetary Defence Force, Fort Chard is the largest complex by far with barracks, armouries and defences capable of withstanding orbital bombardment. It serves as the training facility for recruits destined for service elsewhere on planet or amongst the stars in regiments raised to meet Terra's Due. 

The Citadel

Situated on The Island, it is fitting that the elite forces of Bromhead closely guard the planet's elite citizens. The Home Guard (known amongst the other regiments as "The Islanders") take the best recruits and polish them until they're a formidable fighting force. Although most commonly seen in ceremonial uniform performing such duties as escorting dignitaries on trips to the mainland and parading, the Home Guard are far from being toy soldiers. Selection is tough and should the situation arise, they're more than capable of meeting the gravest of threats. 

A famous example is the defeat of a massive Ork landing on the Island, something that caught everyone (including the Orks it must be admitted) by surprise. Alarms sounding with reports that hordes of greenskins were wading ashore guns blazing were met with swift action from The Citadel. Valkyries raced squads of troops to positions in front of the Orks attempting a beach head, with the aircraft's rocket pods and heavy bolters raking the sand with punishing volleys. Heavy weapons teams were quickly dug in and pouring merciless fire down onto the onrushing horde, whist a daring flanking manouvre was undertaken by squadrons of Chimeras, amphibious themselves of course, engaging Ork assault boats from the sides and rear, preventing them from landing their cargo safely.

Although the losses to the Home Guard were significant, the Orks sustained nearly total casualties. Bodies and wreckage washed up on beaches around the Island for weeks afterwards, a reminder that nowhere is immune to danger.

Xenos Supression Task Force

Better known by the shortened "Task Force X-ray" these are some of the best forces on Bromhead and an assignment many a young officer cadet wants. 

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Bromhead may not be much, but it's home. 

The third planet of the Lauriger System, Bromhead has a population of a little less than five million. Utterly tiny when compared to even small civilised worlds, Bromhead retains the frontier feel it had during the first decades of settlement. 

There are three continents; the primary landmass doesn't have an official name but is commonly known as "The Mainland", the second continent was known as Drake's Folly prior to its transformation by the Adeptus Mechanium (it is now known as The Forge if referred to at all) with the third continent the southern polar landmass named Kalten. Save for a few isolated military bases (themselves sparsely garrisoned) the Kalten is uninhabited.

The Planetary capital is officially named Bromhead, but to most citizens it's "The Island" - after the island it sits on, across a narrow strip of water from the mainland. In many regards it is a twin city, joined by a large bridge spanning the waterway that connects it to the largest city Chard's Landing. The ruling families, other elites and the notable official departments are all located in the city of Bromhead, but Chard's Landing is where the hustle and bustle of the planet can be found along with the bulk of the population. The main Ecclesiarchy offices and churches can be found there, better to ensure the obedience of the masses.

At the southern tip of the island is the town of Journey's End. Few outside the upper echelons of Bromhead society know much, if anything, of the place, for it is where the elite go to escape the drudgery of daily life in the Imperium. Originally it was where the founding fathers of Bromhead were laid to rest, with familial shrines soon established alongside their heralded ancestors. Modern day Journey's End is something of a playground for the rich and idle, something kept as secret as possible.

The planet's nutritional needs are met by the vast agri-complex known as The Farm. It is a processing and refining facility for the crops and livestock raised in the fertile lands which surround it. The Stonewater river feeds the flood plains and ensures harvests are bountiful.

Although the majority of citizens not engaged in military service (or indeed those sentenced to transportation to the Forge for a variety of transgressions) reside in Chard's Landing, there are many other settlements on the mainland. 

Tall Oaks sits in the western woods, south of the great lakes. The beauty of the location belies the frugality of the life in Tall Oaks. The 20,000 or so "Oakies" are tough, gruff and renowned for their pious lifestyle. The town militia, the Green Jackets, are expert forest fighters; capable of tracking enemies and living rough for weeks at a time. The militia sends younger members to the main PDF force as scout troops and foragers. 

Warner's Junction lies further north but might as well be on a different planet due to the differences between it and the forest town. A bustling town of 30,000 the population is often swollen by travelers heading north or by workers from The Farm rotating through on leave. As the main stopping off point for all points north, Warner's Junction has something of a "last chance" feel about it; bars, brothels, trading posts, all vie for the attention of wide-eyed travelers. Pilgrims rarely stop for long in the Junction...

Sweetness by contrast, is a place of almost total piety. Pilgrims journey here to seek solitude and visit the nearby shrine. Accurate figures for inhabitants cannot be obtained for there is no formal "town" so to speak, merely a collection of pilgrim settlements.

The greater north of the mainland attracts all manner of people; those seeking their fortune prospecting for archeotech, those seeking to escape the long arm of Imperial justice and everyone in between. Townships are established and may survive for a few years before succumbing to an exodus of population, natural disaster or more mysterious fates. 

Across the oceans

The second continent looked as inhospitable upon landing as it had in repeated flyovers. The chief families leading the initial expedition to the planet quickly disregarded it as a place not worth the effort of exploring or trying to tame. It was left to Carter Drake to lead a mission there, motivated by his feeling that his family were missing out on a share of the spoils from the settlement of the planet. If he wanted to ensure a place in Bromhead's history he achieved his aim, although not perhaps in the manner he would have wished...

The last survivors of his expedition returned to the mainland with tales of vast unforgiving sand in the north, with shifting "seas" that swallowed vehicles whole. The south was dense jungle, a nightmare to traverse and merciless in its effects on those trying. Drake himself had died when a wound became infected deep in the jungle. Drake's Folly would stick until the Priests of Mars came to claim the land.

 

The Adeptus Mechanicus were both more able to see the potential of the second continent and more able to realise it. Over the course of decades, the mountains were flattened and transformed into gargantuan mining complexes, whilst the golden sands were soon crisscrossed by mile upon mile of pipeline, transporting precious prometheum to processing facilities.

The number of Mechanium personel on planet is known only to them, for they have complete autonomy on the continent. Those making the trip from the mainland are never doing so of their own volition, for it is a terrible destination for them...

Far to the south, out of mind of the rest of the planet, lies Kalten, Bromhead's southern pole. Save for a few military posts (reserved for those far out of favour with high command, or those desperate to rise) there is little but a frozen, wind blasted landscape. Station Z only appears on one map, privately held by the Chief Marshal. What goes on there is a subject very few people discuss...