Editing Hephaestus-IV (section)

==World Overview==

'''Hephaestus and the characters that come from it are produced as a result of ongoing RP plotlines and reference past Dark Heresy and Only War games.'''

The forge world of Hephaestus IV was a Forge World founded in the late 33rd millennium. The forge world was established as a bastion of technology as resource rich worlds were found in the outer sectors of the Segmenatum Obscura as the demand for war material in the systems surrounding the Cadian Gate and the Eye of Terror increased exponentially over the years. The Forge World is notable in that they have managed to hold on to a substantial level of knowledge from the time before the great crusade allowing for the manufacturing of ancient and terrible weapon systems. However, due to an inability to produce certain parts, some patterns have only recently reentered service with the opening of trade pacts with other Forge Worlds, notably Ryza. The Cult of the Light of Sollex has found strong roots on Hephaestus within the last millennium as the photonic light that emits from the planet’s weapon forges converts many priests to its belief.

The Tech-Priests of Hephaestus are devout followers of the Omnissiah and God-Emperor. The priesthood believes that the God-Emperor of Mankind and the Omnissiah are the same being, with the other being another aspect of the other, representing what mankind is and what mankind once was and could be again. There is liberty taken with their faith though, and it is common belief that augmentation should not be limited to the human form. While Hephaestus maintains that humanity is the superior species in the galaxy, most high level tech-priests in fact of this world do not resemble what they claim in theory. As a result of this belief, the higher in the ranks a priest raises, the less they will resemble a man, with high level Archmagi partially resembling animals or heretical alien species which would be unrecognizable as a man, though this is typically a coincidence, or so they claim. It is custom however to not over-modify your head, as to remind the priest what he once was. 

The system is ruled by a parliament of 239 Archmagi, known as the Archmagi Prime and presided over by a priest known as the Forge-Master Primus, with the Apprenti Primus as second in command. Each Archmagi is selected from the Forge-Masters of each of the major manufacturing facilities spread across the system, along with representatives of the Titan Legion, Legio Kreuzius, and the militant orders that exist within the system. The forges and facilities of each world in the system are all fairly independent with the parliament serving to ratify trade pacts with other worlds, officiate new patterns, and to act as tribunal for tech-priests who stray too far from the path of the Machine God. In times of war, a militant Archmagi will be selected to oversee the deployment of the Forge Worlds cybernetica detachments, Skitarii and other forces.

The planet itself is much like any Forge World, it is heavily built up with vast amounts of infrastructure. The sky is relatively clean by Forge World standards, as much of the world's power comes from plasma reactors and fusion. Smog lingers low over the main manufacturing nexus's from the byproducts of metal processing and waste run off. All about the planet are containment domes; shielded areas where phtonic weaponry is produced. These areas are also marked by vast storage towers for deuterium and oxygen gas, key parts of the manufacturing process. 

There is a source of contention between worlds in the system; on Hephaestus-XI is where the majority production of the Castellax class war robots lies, along with the manufactories of parts required for servitors, augmetics, and parts of the Thanatar class robot. Priests on Hephastus-IX demand the worlds upgrading to official Forge World status. However, for reasons unknown, Mars continues to deny the designation. There is a continuous rivalry between Hephaestus IV and XI. 

Due to proximity to the eye of terror, chaos invasion is always a danger, the forge world and its system came under light assault during the 13th black crusade and repelled it. Unfortunately the neighboring Agrippa sector was devastated by the assault and took the brunt of the attack, sparing Hephaestus. The forge world continues to supply the Cadian gate and surrounding imperial worlds.