Volaria

Volaria is a mostly desert-covered planet in the Tamahl sector of Segmentum Obscurus, classified as a Mining World by the Imperium. It is a significant regional trade hub in the sector and one of its largest suppliers of various materials, particularly fuel. The planet's many mines and rigs are worked by countless slaves, as Volarian society is very feudalistic and revolves around slavery. Its harsh environment requires Volaria to be ruled with an iron fist, to prevent large numbers of people from trying to leave, and the planet's backwater location and status have made Imperial authorities overlook the rampant slavery. These conditions have made it infamous for breeding hardened and enduring people, including the notorious Kuritai and Varitai — Volarian slave soldiers. The planet is under the overall leadership of the aristocratic Ruling Council, consisting of nobles that own at least ten million slaves.

Geography and climate
Most of Volaria's surface is covered in scorching deserts, interrupted by the occasional oasis, metropolitan area or resource extraction facility. Much of the land is only sparsely inhabited or completely empty, spotted with small villages and some outlaw camps where escaped slaves and other exiles eek out a miserable existence among the dunes. The world's economic growth has allowed the Volarian nobility to construct several large cities near major water sources, which is where governmental and business functions are centered. From there, many scribes and bureaucrats of the aristocratic class run the industry of extracting and selling off various natural resources, which are procured from the thousands of mines, rigs, and quarries that are located not far from the population centers.

The planet is divided into provinces for administrative purposes, most of which are centered around a large city or other significantly-sized settlement. They are interconnected by maglev railways, or, in more remote outlying locations, ordinary roads. The climate makes it logistically difficult and costly to maintain large infrastructure, so it is prone to breakdowns. The few areas around the poles with a milder climate that are not deserts are mostly forests and a few mountains, which provide lumber, rock, and metal for construction. Large swaths of those areas are kept in pristine natural condition and house the estates of the Volarian elite.

The climate is typically very hot year round, being between 30 and 45 degrees in most areas. The regions with milder weather are also fairly sarm year round, only getting occasional rainfall in the winter.

Society and culture
Volarian culture is heavily based on slavery and rigid social classes. The people remain divided between the large lower class of slaves, a smaller middle class of freemen, and an even smaller high nobility. The latter maintain control over most of the planet, owning the resources and the majority of the population. They pay lip service to the God-Emperor and the Imperial officials that arrive on Volaria, but do not have much real allegiance to any higher power than their own. Social mobility is rare but not nonexistent, as free citizens and even slaves have been known to move up for outstanding merit, but in the 41st millennium such instances have become increasingly uncommon.

About 60% of the population are enslaved in some way, formally or informally. They are regarded as highly expandable in Volaria's brutal society, having access to little or no medical care and being largely reliant on the goodwill of their master. In this they are not much different than countless billions of other Imperial citizens who toil away in terrible conditions on Industrial and Mining Worlds, but the situation on Volaria is particularly harsh. At least many of those planets still treat the lower classes with some humanity as citizens of the Imperium, but to the average Volarian slave their owners are their entire existence. Many are so uneducated that they do not know much about the Imperium or that it even exists. Some better-hearted nobles that treat their slaves and servants humanely are present, but for the most part the upper aristocracy is either indifferent or looks down on them with disdain. But they are kept under strict control as they are vital for the running of the economy.

Another 30% of the population are freemen, middle class citizens that hold management positions or are otherwise better off. These tend to be professional craftsmen, engineers, or low- to mid-level functionaries in the planetary administration and businesses. They enjoy much more independence than their enslaved counterparts, but still are looked down upon by the nobles to some degree. There is some understandable jealousy from the slaves towards them, but conscious decision and the differences in their jobs prevent much contact between members of the two classes. Free subjects are usually the families of those who managed to earn emancipation through a great deed for their lord, or their descndents. Some are lesser nobles that have lost political struggles or otherwise fallen out of favor. Regardless of their background, the freemen form an essential middle class the carries out more complex and important but tedious tasks.

The remaining 10% includes the aristocracy. These are the slave owners, government officials, and businessmen of Volaria. They hold virtually all high positions of power on the planet and own everything else. Not all own slaves, but those that do are considered more powerful. The number of slaves owned is used as a way of measuring their powe and prestige. The most elite noble houses own upwards of a million slaves, and those that own at least ten million sit on the planet's Ruling Council. Noblemen also serve as officers in the Imperial Guard regiments raised on Volaria, known as the Volarian Imperial Host.