Doma

Doma is an Imperial world in Segmentum Ultima. It his the homeworld of the Doom Falcons Chapter of Space Marines and, though not known to its inhabitants, is also a Necron tomb world.

Ra Sephet Dynasty
As the unity of the Necron race begain to show signs of strain following the War in Heaven, a splinter force of Necrons under the leadership of Lord Sirophep the Shrouded broke ties with the Estomik Dynasty. Sirophep's personal ambition and thirst for power made it more and more difficult for him to get along with the political opposition, particularly harboring a rivalry with (future) Phaeron Okiri'sho.

Detaching themselves from the Estomik, Sirophep had a small but loyal and highly elite group of warriors follow him to sow the seeds for his own Dynasty. Finding sanctuary on a small, moderately temperatured planet in what would later become Segmentum Ultima, Sirophep chose this for his new crown world. At their point of entering the Great Sleep, Overlord Sirophep commanded five fringe worlds and three slave worlds despite the small force he commanded.

Passage of Time
While Sirophep's "young" Dynasty slumbered away peacefully in his crown world, the tombs in his slave worlds and all but one of his fringe worlds were found and destroyed by Eldar remnants, or otherwise fell to ruin. What would have otherwise been a sizable Necron force to be reckoned with was all but obliterated by the time they awoke from stasis.

Imperial Discovery
Sometime after the Horus Heresy, a contingent of Space Marines whose names and chapter have been lost to time stumbled across Doma during their explorations. Planetary surveys conducted by a team of Tech Adepts accompanying the Astartes revealed the location of an entrance to one of the tombs. Not knowing what they had found, the Mechanicus team excavated the site and proceeded to venture inside with the Space Marines, searching for lost tech from ages past. It can certainly be said that they found some, but it was not at all what they were expecting.

The ancient defenses and safeguards built into the tomb were still intact, and the Space Marines suffered heavy losses while retreating from the tomb. Unable to penetrate far enough to discover the tomb's true secrets, the Astartes planted charges and collapsed the entrance. Reporting it as destroyed, the records were eventually forgotten among the vast libraries of discoveries that the Imperium catalogued, and so a few centuries later the planet was colonized and tamed with no knowledge of the threat beneath their feet.

Founding the Doom Falcons Chapter
In another event misrecorded by the Imperium, during either the 11th or 12th foundings the Imperium assigned one of the new chapters, the Doom Falcons, to Doma to safeguard one of the few systems of stable civilization that existed near the Eastern Fringe. After the Doom Falcons existed on Doma for millenia virtually without incident, when Sirophep's dwindling forces began to awake neither force had any knowledge of the other. The decimated Ra Sephet Dynasty only knew for certain that they were trapped within their tomb and half their warriors had been destroyed in the collapse, while above them a Space Marine chapter was busily rearing new neophytes and guarding their relics without the faintest idea that they could be attacked from their own home planet at any time.

People
The human inhabitants of Doma are known to be industrious, clever, and good at working with their hands. While not as advanced in scientific development, they are able to efficiently mass-produce bolter rounds, missles, Predator shells, and other consumable resources that the Doom Falcons utilize during their campaigns. In a culture of pulling one's own weight and working hard for a living, common folk are friendly and welcoming with each other, building strong community ties in their semi-hive cities and smaller villages.

However, they are also largely untrusting of the planetary government and other officials in power, who they presume to not work for their pay and also to jump on any reason they like to whisk away neighbors who will never be seen again. Culturally they revere birds with respect, seeing them as having great freedom due to their ability to fly. Storks and falcons especially are held in high regard, with the former attributed to good luck and the latter attributed to nobility and warrior prowess (hence the chapter's name).

Imperial Cult
The unique flavoring of Domic beliefs in the God Emperor rely heavily on icons-of saints, of Space Marine heroes, even using specific colours to demonstrate specific aspects of their worship. In particular dark red is a dignified colour, representing the blood shed by the Emperor and his warriors for the protection of mankind. To a lesser extent silver is alost important, because the colour of mirrors serves to remind the people to take a good hard look at themselves before judging others so that they can become better people.

Additionally, citizens of the planet partake in a basic ritual every morning before breakfast and work to remind them of humbleness. They first rest their hands on a block of ice to symbolize the moderate/cold temperatures of their home planet, then lift their faces to the morning sun so they can witness the Emperor looking down to warm them.

The militant aspect of Doma's Ecclisiarchy takes the form of an Adepta Sororitas convent located in the capital city of Tkachevsky Gorod. The Order of the Purest Faith keep watch over holy relics located there, as well as assist some of the exploits undertaken by the Doom Falcons if Chaos involvment is suspected. Where the Space Marines are the Emeperor's Angels of Death, the Sisters of Battle are seen as His holy daughters, maiden guardians of the people's faith. As such, they command almost as much respect and awe as their Astartes brothers.

Climate
Although orbiting a sun considered larger than average, the temperatures on Doma are moderate at best during the summer months. The surface is roughly 45% land and 55% water, including frozen polar caps. A significant amount of it is freshwater, comprising lakes and wide rivers throughout the continents. Doma is not well known, but those who do know it always remember it as the planet of gold forests. A species of native tree called the golden birch comprises a significant portion of their forests, giving the horizon a breathtaking golden glow during the autumn months.

While semi-hive cities are large enough to maintain their own farms as food sources, the more rural regions sustain a relationship with hunting, fishing and forestry to provide sustanence and resources. During the harsh winter months it is a custom of hospitality and friendship to invite neighbors into one's home for a hearty meal of meat from the local wildlife, usually in the form of stew with mushrooms and roots along with potent homemade alcohol. Such a meal is thought to warm the spirit as much as the body, and give the community strength to work together until the weather becomes mild again.

Inquisitorial Involvement
Sometime early on in the history of the Doom Falcons, an Inquisitor from the Ordo Hereticus conducted an investigation on Doma after rumours circulated about them harbouring daemonic artifacts. After extensive questioning and exhaustive searches through their fortress monastery, they were deemed pure in the eyes of the Inquisition. While it is now a known fact that they have ownership of a tainted suit of power armour, it is displayed as a warning to heed so that the Astartes can avoid corruption and not as a heroic example.