Koein

Koein is the Teuton Brotherhood's homeworld. It is the 3rd planet out of five in the Teuton System and it is the largest in the system. It is a Temperate World inhabited by disunited Feudal techno-barbarians. The planet has one large continent with deserts, jungles, forests, mountains, rolling planes, large lakes, and one large and unforgiving ocean. It has a vibrant ecosystem but is quite deadly due to the natural predators as well as xeno incursions/infestations. Koein has been a battleground for the entirety of mankind's existence on it due to the wars waged amongst the humans, against xenos, against the both intelligent and instinctual predators, and chaos.

Humans
The humans living on Koein are descendants of a colonial effort that took place during the dark age of technology. The have regressed to a state of Feudal Techno-Barbarism due to their isolation during the Age of Strife and are now divided into countless warring noble factions. Each faction is ruled by an aristocracy of knightly nobles who wear a combination of primitive plate/chain armor and the "elites" wearing ancient power armor and use crude solid-slug ranged weaponry and well as melee weapons that the knightly orders of Ancient Terra would wield and rarely crude chain weapons. The nobility are tasked with fighting the wars and defending the peasantry, in return, they are given leave to rule. The majority of the human natives live in or around castles of stone and woodwork or in villages/towns surrounded by large walls, where they make a living from agriculture, smithing, carpentry, mining, harvesting wood, and the limited trade between the different human settlements.

Feral Orkz
After a Waaagh! had been defeated in the Teuton System in the later stages of the Dark Age of Technology, a feral ork infestation of the planet began to emerge. The initial Waaagh! had brought the human colony low and with the emerging warp storms, the colony was cut off from help outside of the system. The orkz were feral and therefore had little technology other than that of archaic weaponry, whereas the humans had fairly advanced tech. This kept the ork population in check easily but could not wipe them from the planet due to a lack of human numbers and the slow degradation of their technological capabilities. The orkz began to create many different tribes and had to deal with a large amount of infighting as well as fighting against the humans and natural predators of the planet. They tend to reside within the jungles and deserts of the planet where the predators are the most deadly and the least amount of human settlements are. Their tech is still quite archaic but they have started to make use of metal just like the humans and now fight more equally against the human nobility.

Wargs
Wargs are a native wolf-like creature that lives within the forests and jungles of Koein. They are larger and more intelligent than those that lived on Ancient Terra and hunt in large packs ranging from 5-10 wargs. They enjoy a good hunt and try to target small bands of orkz or humans when they can. Their powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth and claws allow them to punch through most of the primitive armor that the natives of Koein wear and their thick hides and heavily muscled bodies can take punishment that even an ork has a hard time dealing with. Their hides are range from charcoal to a light grey and their snakelike eyes are a bright yellow. These creatures are very aggressive but also tamable due to their high intelligence, and they have been known to be tamed by the orkz, humans, and even the Teuton Brotherhood.

Dessert Fiend
Desert Fiend are the most dangerous creatures on Koein. They are massive snake like creatures that look very much like the Terran King Cobra, but range in length from a bus to a small train and their width being anywhere from a small car to that of the train. The largest Desert Fiends are capable of eating an Ork Nob whole and they posses the ability to spit acid (they use their stomach acid) which is capable of melting most substances, even ademantium. These creatures are solitary, but have been noted to occasionally travel in pairs. They are very intelligent and their scaly exterior is able to withstand most types of weaponry (except for an Astartes grade weaponry). They are extremely intelligent and learn more about the prey living on the planet from every hunt they complete. They have adapted to the different creatures and know they are susceptible to Astartes weapons and ensure that when they do come face to face with an Astartes, they must ensure they are not exposed to their ranged weaponry and close the distance as soon as possible. Many Champions of the different noble houses and even some of the Brotherhood have gone to try an slay some of these beasts that reside in the northern most mountains and deserts but only two have ever been successful. Marshal Teuton himself was able to slay one of the largest known Desert Fiends at the cost of his left arm and ruining the left side of his face due to the Acid. He had the techmarines make the fangs of the Fiend into talons to replace the damaged talons of his powerclaw. The other succesful hunter was a noble from the house Lycurgas known as Eldricon. His defeat of the Viper drew planet wide attention and he was praised as a hero by his people. The Brotherhood took note and convinced him to join after the Chapter promised they would repair the many badly damaged suits of armor his people were using and provide a supply drop of food and medical supplies. After being promoted to Brother Knight, he was given a Power Sword made out of the right fang of the Fiend he had slain.

Scorpions
As the trend for bigger and scarier creatures living on Koein has been, the Scorpions are no different. Scorpions on Koein are fairly similar to that of those on Terra except they grow to be the size of an Astartes Rhino as an adult. They live in the same zones as that of the Desert Fiend and hunt in packs ranging from 2 - 5. They prefer to prey on the plentiful Roaches and Locusts of the deserts and mountains but are also known to take on Fiends when their is territorial dispute or a lack of food. The Scorpions are not nearly as intelligent as the Fiend but their large pincer and venomous sting can are capable of penetrating the scaly armor and wound it. Their shell is not capable of withstanding the acid of the Fiend, however, and unless they can close with the Fiend, they will surely be killed by the larger predator. These Scorpions make nests where their young reside and the adults take shelter when they are not out hunting. Scorpion nests can be a major problem for Orkz or Humans when they are located near one of their settlements because the Scorpions become very aggressive if they feel their young are threatened. These creatures avoid the Brotherhood since they make a sport out of collecting Scorpion trophies. However, they make no exception when the Brotherhood near their nests, they swarm the intruders. Their pincers can crush Astartes armor and their stinger can pierce it, but they are extremely vulnerable to fire and weaponry.

Roaches and Locusts
These creatures are the scavengers of the desserts and mountains, many different types of these creatures exist and they rely on carcasses of creatures and a fungus that grows on the mountains unique to Koein. These creatures are the mainstay of the Scorpion and Fiend diets and the Ork tribes that reside in the desert also eat these creatures. However, the Orkz avoid keeping too many around because large quantities of these creatures attract the unfriendly neighbors.

Horses and Cattle
Horses and Cattle were brought on the colonial mission and have grown to become a vary abundant of the many millennia that they have been on Koein. They reside in the southern zones of the planet, in the jungles, forests, and plains and have been used by the humans as both work animals and food. These creatures do not like the orkz and have not been tamed by them, so they are mainly hunted for food and leather by the orkz residing in the jungles. The average horse in usually similar to that of an Ancient Terran Warhorse and the hardiest breeds are used by the Nobility to charge into battle. The Cattle have diverged into multiple species, most types have been domesticated but their are some wild species that have become quite aggressive. The Lycurgan Bulls were one of these wild species that have only been tamed by House Lycurgas. They are large and powerful and capable of defending themselves from the Wargs. Instead of using warhorses, the Lycurgan nobles mount these bulls and use them in battle. Eldricon had famously fought a Fiend with a his Bull mount and he has a small statue in remembrance of the Bull that died protecting him.

Boars and Pigs
These creatures were also brought from Terra during the colonization and also have grown abundant. They are larger than when they first arrived and are mostly used by the Orkz as food and work animals. The humans detest the usage of these creatures because they are not the "noble" beasts like their horses and cattle. The Orkz like pigs because they tend to be fun to chase and taste better than the cattle and bugs of the planet. The boars have been turned into mounts for lesser orks who have not been able to tame a Warg.

Human Culture on Koein
The Humans on Koein live a Feudal lifestyle. They are a divided people ruled by many noble families, where war is the natural state. They are in constant battle against the Feral Orkz of the planets, the warp mutated predators, and each other. The planet is extremely dangerous to live on and most human settlements are fairly large but isolated, making trade or carving out a "nation" very difficult with the exception of few villages or towns being made by colonists from these larger settlements by the order of the Prince/Duke.

Nobility
This has led to life similar to the Feudal Age on Terra, the Nobles are the Warriors of society and have the best weapons and armor available in the Fortress'/Castle's/Town's/Village's arsenal. Only rarely are the peasants levied into service, and this is usually only done when an Ork Waaagh! has started, there is a xeno threat, or an predator infestation is nearby. The nobles, depending on where their settlement is on the planet, ride different types of mounts into battle. Many ride the Warhorses found on Koein into battle, armed in heavy plate and chain armor or even the rare power armor from the Dark Age of Technology. However, some houses prefer to fight on foot. The knights usually are armed with swords, but some Noble houses prefer axes, maces, or even spears. There is no real uniformity, even amongst the knights from the same house, but household tradition tends to lead to many of the household following a similar martial tradition.

The Nobles tend to to be very good warriors, but when they are at peace with the neighboring human settlements and there is no ork threat, the Knights tend to take on quests. These Quests usually involve going north to hunt Scorpions but also sometimes a very brave knight or group of knights try to take on a Fiend. Many knights have fallen during these quests but those who do succeed are praised as heroes and usually end up becoming part of the Household leadership. Some quests may not be slaying on of these beasts but also challenging an Ork Chieftan or Champions of other noble houses to personal combat. Most diplomacy between Orkz and humans is impossible, but these duels have become common and the orkz respect this tradition. This not only gives the Chieftan some sport but also determines whether he is worthy or not of being Chieftan in the first place. The results of these duels varies greatly but has formed into a tradition for the Noble Houses. For, dueling is now one of the most sacred of traditions and is how most disputes, that cannot be settled peacefully, are decided.

Monastic Knights
The Knights are also tasked with guarding against the demons that emerge from "The Great Storm" (Eye of Terror). There are an abundance of psykers found on the planet due to the proximity to the Eye and many possessions occur. The Aristocracy of the planet initially tried to purge all psykers from the populations but they just kept popping up and causing rebellions amongst the peasantry. So, instead, they started to try and use them instead. They have found that even though they are the most susceptible to possession, they are also the best at fighting demons and monastic orders of psychic knights have emerged, not tied to any Noble House in particular and usually have their own small Keeps and host of serfs. They call themselves Templars and are contracted by different Noble Houses to patrol the different settlements and look for psychic knights and peasantry and take them to the Monastic Keeps for training. Most Templars are peasantry that have shown psychic talent and have been found and trained, some are of Noble birth as well. However, most nobles that turn out to be psychic return to their household and take the position of Warrior Priests who protect the Household from psychic enemies such as Chaos Cultists/incursions, Ork Weirdboyz, or demons.

The Teuton Brotherhood only recruits from the Nobility of Koein and have adopted the Questing and Dueling Traditions into their own. They also eventually brought Librarians back due to this tradition in the Aristocracy and the Librarians have take this role of Witch Hunters.

Crusades
These Templar Orders also have the right to declare Crusades to either counter an Ork Waaagh!, cleanse a predator infestation, or destroy a xenos threat. These Crusades are usually led by the Order that calls for it and knights from the different Noble Houses in the area answer the call and fight under the Red Crossed Banner. This is the one and only time that multiple houses will forget about past grievances and fight alongside one another, but none of the noble houses are obliged to answer the call. Many houses are usually busy with their own problems and perhaps send a small host of knights and militiamen if they send anything at all. Other houses are very dedicated to these causes and most of their knights are sent off to fight in this cause along with many of the peasantry who have been given arms and armor to fight. Many other Templar Orders also answer the call and it is usually the Templars that make up the majority of the knights within the host. These Crusades are not common and usually only are called when a Great Doom approaches.

Peasantry
The peasantry live destitute and fearful lives. They view their overlords as saviors from the horrors that await in the dangerous world outside of their settlements and will do all they ask. Only a few peasants live half-way decent lives and those are usually the smiths, engineers, or traders within the settlement. The rest of the peasantry are serfs, farmers, lumberjacks, hunters, breeders, carpenters, miners, masons, butchers, tanners, tailors, cobblers, and militiamen. Living within the fortress' or towns/villages of the Noble Houses provides the most safety but the least opportunity for making a decent living. They must pay high taxes to the nobility so that they can maintain their arsenal for the eternal wars of the planet. Most peasants don't care for the politics of the nobility, they only care for the survival of their families and are more than willing to die alongside their masters in defense of their homes.

There are some Free Towns that have either rebelled from Noble ownership or have had their original overlords defeated and must try and survive on their own and usually make a decent living from trade. Since these towns do not have their own Knights to protect them, they must raise a fighting force of levies who can fight off the various threats around the planet. They can get protection from Templars but not for long, unless they want to become serfs of that order. So they do their best to survive on their own. Smiths and Engineers are in high demand in these Towns for making decent weapons and armor is absolutely necessary for that Town's survival and if the engineers can make firearms it has an even better chance. However, not only Orkz and predators will come knocking at the gates, many Noble Houses will seek to subjugate the Town because Towns tend to have the best industries when it comes to craftsmen. They are also usually located in resource rich areas, whereas, the castles and fortresses of knights are located in defensible positions. This leads to a great need in Towns being able to play on the inter-noble conflicts and use the rival noble houses to their advantage. It has been more than once that Free Towns have caused large scale wars between various factions for its own survival.