Editing Eyes of the Emperor (section)

===The Death World Marusthali===
{{Infobox 40k Planet
|name= Marusthali
|bgcolor=black
|fgcolor=white
|image=[[File:Desert planet j1.jpg|200px]]
|class= Death World/Space Marine Chapter Homeworld
|orbdist= 0.94AU ± 0.13AU
|gravity= 1.03G
|temp= Warm and arid
|pop= no civilian population
|governor=
|system= Marusthali System
|sector=
|subsector=
|segmentum= Ultima Segmentum
}}
Although they drew their manpower from a wide range of worlds, the Eyes of the Emperor trained all of their neophytes on the Death World Marusthali.  If this inhospitable planet was barren of life, its arid heat would still make human life difficult.  But it is plagued by horrific predators, including the feared '''olgoi-khorkhoi''', a gigantic acid-spewing worm-like creature.  After three failed colonization attempts, the brutal world's name was changed from "Kumul" (the dune) to "Marusthali" (land of the dead).

The world was the last that the Vardhana visited before he took command of the Legion.  Few were privy to what had drawn the Primarch to this desolate place, but his actions were above question.  For a whole season, Shakya Vardhana lived in the wastes of Marusthali, purifying his spirit before undertaking his Father's sacred charge.  This period of solitude and deprivation is echoed in the training of the Neophytes of the Legion.  After passing the Aspirant Trial, every Neophyte is brought to Marusthali to be implanted with the gene-seed and trained according to the standards of the Eyes of the Emperor.  Thus, this terrible world is the answer to one of the great riddles of the sons of the Vardhana.  Although they draw men from a wide variety of worlds and allow these warriors to retain something of their homelands' identities, all go through training together on Marusthali and must learn to co-operate with their battle brothers, regardless of origin.  Neophytes make this lesson a part of them or perish.


'''Notable places'''

The only man-made sights on Marusthali are the works of the Eyes of the Emperor.  Successful aspirants first meet the elegant lines of the '''Khiruhton''' spaceport, which perfectly marries a symbolic gateway form with its function as a landing pad.  Those who survive the march to the squat fortress, '''Lothal''' are sometimes awed by the scale of the building, but rarely marvel at its external appearance.  However, the interior is a masterpiece of architecture.  Great halls, carved from the living rock, are carefully lit to produce a daunting atmosphere.  This hallowed place is the heart of the Legion, housing the genetic repositories that ensure the survival of the Eyes of the Emperor.  Neophytes struck down with ''The Mark of the Vardhana'' are escorted to the bowels of Lothal, never to emerge.  

Farming on Marusthali is extraordinarily difficult, but the Eyes of the Emperor impose this onerous task on their recruits in the belief that a dose of humble work gives a finer temper to a warrior's spirit than a purely martial education.  Neophyte companies are seasoned in fortified farming communities on the flanks of the '''Anshan''' range.  Each commune is presided over by a scholar of the Acharya, with prospective Acharya among the Neophytes tasked with supervising their juniors.  For all the efforts of these youths, their survival is only possible thanks to the ''Springs of the Vardhana'', Marusthali's sole source of freshwater.  It is a matter of some contention whether the Primarch created or merely discovered the springs.

One of the last tasks of the successful neophyte on Marusthali is to dig himself a '''Stupa''' (rock dwelling) in the volcanic rock of '''Mount Zohhāk'''.  Here he must endure the passing of a full season, nourishing himself by hunting the great predators of the Death World and learning discipline in solitude.  After the disappearance of Shakya Vardhana, an occasional recruit would report that they had been saved by the intervention of the Old Man of the Desert, but none have verified these tales.  Whether the Neophyte dies or survives to join the Legion, his Stupa is destined to be his memorial.  The Eyes of the Emperor go to great pains to inter their fallen in the graves they have wrought with their own hands.  '''Ashtur''', the empty Stupa of Shakya Vardhana, is a centre of veneration.