Sennach

Sennach, located south-east of Beyonne, is the home of hardy clans of humans. Hostile nature and the presence of Xeno raiders mark the planet as a Death World, whose inhabitants only dare to leave their mountain fortresses in convoys of armored vehicles. This has lead to their proficiency with mobile warfare, of which their tank divisions and mechanized infantry are proof.

Geography
Sennach features 4 large oceans, depending on the consulted sources. These are several kilometers deep and littered with rocky islands of volcanic origin. Framed by high cliffs or rocky shores, 4 coherent super continents interject these bodies of water.

Formed by strong tectonic activity in its past, all continents feature long and high mountain chains, bordering valleys whose lowest points often lay even below sea level.

Cioragh
The largest continent, located furthest towards the planet’s north pole, but stretching well beyond its equator.

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Kolragh
East of Cioragh lies Kolragh, twin continent of Genneragh.

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Genneragh
Even further east lies Genneragh, Kolragh’s twin. The continents are almost equal in size but separated by narrow and treacherous strait.

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Sidhagh
Furthest to the south on the opposite side of Sennach lies Sidhagh, the smallest continent. Much of its northern lands have been shattered into clusters of small islands by the impact of the crash of the initial colony ship. As the landing site of the surviving colonists, Sidhagh is home to the oldest clans of Sennach.

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Climate
Orbiting a weak Red Dwarf, Sennach features low temperatures through its whole, 384 days long year. Harsh winters follow mild summers and the distinct valleys are almost all-year filled with thick, heavy fog that rarely dissolves.

It only clears up during the brief summer, during which the trade between fortresses increases before the blizzard ridden winters set in and make travel ever more difficult, if not outright impossible.

Flora & Fauna
The valleys are the home of notorious predators that use the fog to their advantage. Wildlife is the least concern of the Sennachs however, as alien raiders also use the fog to ambush the human convoys on regular intervals.

Trees growing on Sennach can grow up to several hundred meters in height, piercing the fog in order to expose their leaves to the weak sunlight. Below that, a thick carpet of moss, lichens and mushrooms cover the ground.

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Pre-Imperial
When humanity set out to the stars during the Dark Age of Technology, several colony ships found their way to the Eressa sector. One of them set course to Sennach, but the uprising of the Men of Iron coincided with their arrival and the ensuing fight aboard the ship damaged it badly. With several important systems lost or badly damaged, the crew had to engage in an emergency landing, aimed at the northern regions of Sidhag. The ship was thrown wildly off course however and instead crashed into the sea just beyond the coast.

While many settlers could make it on solid ground with the use of escape pods, the majority of equipment was lost and could only partially recovered. At the start however, the colonists settled in makeshift camps close to the shore, from where they launched attempts to retrieve weapons and rations from their sunken ships. Once they had salvaged what they could, Vice-Captain Uilleam Cael was announced as their leader and ordered expeditions inland. The settlers’ forces were quickly decimated by the native predators and made a hasty retreat.

Changing plans, Cael instead opted to build a base at the foot of the nearest mountains, a plan that proved marginally more successful. While the attacks of xenos and wildlife were less frequent here, they still provided a constant threat, forcing the colonists to relocate their growing fortress further and further upwards, until they eventually ended up above the fog. Devoid of wildlife and providing a visual advantage, it would become the key to conquering Sennach

Outfitted with solar panels and hydroponics, the population started to stabilize and eventually even grow, making it necessary to expand.

Crossing The Fog
By the time the first caravans left the security of the fortress, Uilleam Cael had grown old and entrusted command of this new expedition force to his son, Judoc Cael. Having produced a small number of armored vehicles, the settlers mainly relied on a race of genetically grown equines, which they had derived from the ancient terran horse. These breeds were sturdy and undemanding and able to carry enough supplies to cross the fog and erect a new outpost. With this method, Cael’s descendants slowly settled on all of Sidhag and the clans of the continent still revere him as their semi-mythological ancestor.

Eventually, they even managed to cross the ocean and reach the other continents, though this lead to the eventual loss of contact and estrangement of the clans. Over the next millennia, contact between the clans would be limited to those within local reach, nurturing a sense of independence in each of them that has persisted through to the current day.

Macharian Crusade
As Macharius forces landed on Sennach, they found the clans unwilling at first to pledge themselves to an Emperor they had never heard from and a Warmaster whose ability they did not know. However, they were quick to change their mind after being presented with the warmachines of the imperial forges, which proved infinitely superior to their own armored carriages.

The Missionaria Galaxia in comparison struggled far longer to lay the seed of the Imperial Creed on Sennach, as the isolated nature of each fortress made it necessary to adapt to their individual customs without risking to contradict the works of other missionaries on the planet.

During the Crusade itself, the Sennachians proved to be fast learning troops, quickly adapting to their new metallic steeds. Both the armored and mechanized divisions preferred to fight their enemies from close range or with collapsing defense lines.

Macharian Heresy
During the Heresy, Sennach stayed loyal to the Imperium, considering themselves eternally indebted for the ability to secure their home world and have access to the stars.

Fortress Clans
The population of Sennach lives in fortresses, located in the mountains. These communities are tightly knit with flat hierarchies, tailored towards self-sufficiency. Such a community is referred to as a clan, as they are often indeed extended families, overseen by an elected leader who acts less as a governor and more as an adjudicator. Clearing disputes within or with other communities, this individual is referred to as an Agonarch and is typically of an age that provides the necessary experience.

Trade and other exchanges are conducted with the use of armored convoys crossing the fog-filled valleys. These missions are dangerous, for the fog is not only filled with predators, some of them able to rip open even the hulls of tanks, but occasionally, unidentified xeno raiders also use the fog to ambush the Sennachians, stealing supplies and abducting the clansmen.

To join a convoy is regarded as an act of selflessness and bravery and typically marks the transition from a youth to an adult. A man or, less commonly, a woman returning successfully from their first convoy mission can expect to be highly respected in their community and receive partnership offers or other benefits.

While equal in terms of rights, few women ever leave the fortresses. Being the ones who ensure the continued existence of the clan, they are left behind in the security of the mountains while the men risk their lifes in order to hunt and do trade. Thus, few women are ever witnessed by visitors and even fewer serve in the caravans or the sennachian regiments.

Clan Tarps
Each clan bears a distinct pattern of cloth as their coat of arms, which they incorporate into their daily clothing. The patterns and colors used for these tarps form a layer of symbols and historic references that is nearly impossible to unravel for outsiders. It is custom for soldiers or those who go on their first caravan mission to receive a cape featuring their clan’s pattern as a gift and good luck charm.

Hooligans
There are those who cannot endure the life of serfdom and restraint of the fortresses. Instead, they seek a life of freedom and become Hooligans, those who live outside of society. Often, they become permanent convoy guards, serving as mercenaries. Rarely though, some choose to entirely sever their ties to others and live solitary lives in the wilderness. The majority of the latter are never heard from again, aside from their mortal remains being found by caravans.

Government
Each fortress is largely independent given the nature of Sennach, but those in close proximity to each other form alliances. These are bonds and contracts, dealing with the exchange of goods or manpower, while the individual affairs of each fortress is left to the respective Agonarch.

Like all imperial planets, Sennach stands under the formal rule of a planetary governor. Traditionally, they have little influence on the planet itself, instead residing on a low-orbit space station. Their role is to ensure, or enforce, peace between the clans and the formation of regiments every decade to pay the imperial tithe.

Military
The soldiers drafted from Sennach are already highly experienced when they enter the service of the Imperium. Regiments are steadily reinforced from their home world and as such, can provide a long and detailed history of their service. Should a regiment be destroyed completely, it will be rebuilt under the same name in order to avenge the shame of loss.

Similarly, the soldiers are very proud of their vessel and their history, regarding them as heirlooms left to their care by their predecessors. They will go to great lengths to recover and repair their tanks.

The soldiers from Sennach have an ongoing antipathy for the Beyonnian Dragoons, whom they regard as savage criminals, unfit to serve the Emperor. It is common for violent arguments between those regiments to occur whenever they meet.

Sennach Mechanized Infantry
Recruited from the convoy guards of Sennach, the mechanized infantry can operate on its own but excels in conjunction with the Sennach Armored.

They use a variant of an armor unique to their homeworld, flak armor reinforced with rigid ferrosteel. Not reaching the level of protection of true carapace armor, it is still superior to what many guardsmen can enjoy.

Preferred Tank Variants
While the Sennach armored regiments feature all kinds of the omni-present Leman Russ, there are some variants they prefer, mainly because they have proven their worth on their home world. All tanks of the Sennachs will be equipped with searchlights as well as smoke launchers, for as much as the fog endangers their life on their home world, its tactical value cannot be underestimated.


 * Leman Russ Conqueror - Armed with a conqueror cannon, this version has become the standard variant for the Sennach Armored. While it lacks range and firepower compared to a standard Leman Russ, it compensates these flaws with a higher rate of fire and increased accuracy when firing on the move, both valuable talents in the thick fogs of Sennach.


 * Leman Russ Annihilator - Like its namesake, the Predator Annihilator, it features twin-linked lascannons, making it a formidable tank hunter. The easy to maintain while powerful lascannons have earned it the favor of the Sennachian commanders.


 * Leman Russ Exterminator - A ‘lighter’ variant of the Leman Russ featuring twin-linked auto-cannons. While its effectiveness against tanks is reduced, it is ideal to deal with swathes of infantry or light vehicles. Most often, it is attached to reconnaissance forces to provide additional firepower.


 * Leman Russ Punisher - Armed with a punisher gatling cannon, it has become a standard practice to include a Punisher into convoys on Sennach to deal with the fast moving alien raiders plaguing the planet. While nearly useless against tanks, the Punisher is ideal to shower the fast moving xenos in a hail of lethal bullets.

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