Editing Setting:Brighthammer 40,000/2nd edition (section)

== Factions ==
=== The Praetorians ===
The Praetorians are a proud, conservative, and cultured people, who favor gentile and civilized life above all else.

Despite this, they have always been fierce warriors, with indomitable resolve. No gentleman would run from the field of battle like a coward, and the Praetorians are anything but cowards. It is this resolve alone that saved them from the first attack of their savage neighbors, the Kroot.

The war began over a boundary dispute. The Praetorians colonized a harsh, uninhabited world in Tau space by accident, and are technically living outside the Imperium. The Tau claimed their territory; the Praetorians refused annexation. With the only option for the Tau to go to war with the entire military might of the Imperium, they relaxed their claim, yet found a loophole in the peace treaties that would allow them to take Praetoria anyway.

Their allies, the Kroot, are not an official part of the Tau empire, instead acting as mercenaries or slaves.

With the promise of freedom if they were victorious, the Tau setup an elaborate plot to allow a fleet of Kroot slaves to break away from the Tau empire, who would then take Praetoria. Upon their victory, the Tau would put down the rebellious Kroot, and claim the planet. The Imperium as a whole could not respond because the Praetoria was in contested space between the Tau and Imperials, meaning that full scale war would break out if they retaliated. The Praetorians would be on their own.

The initial strike nearly destroyed the Praetorian homeworld, but for the luck of an astropath detecting the entrance of the Kroot fleet.

The Kroot invaded the Praetorian system, and the Praetorian fleet scrambled to respond to the unexpected attack. The endless waves of Kroot ships broke against them like the tide against a rock, and bought the time desperately needed to assemble defenders on the ground.

Though they could not hold in space, their fleet was not destroyed, and hid in the asteroid field, to repair and rebuild, holding against future assaults.

On the ground, the armies of the Praetorians marched, meeting the endless tide of savage Kroot in battle, each man cutting down dozens. The bloodletting was fierce, the field of combat ever changing.

The Praetorians are still on the defense, lead by their Gentleman Commander Sir Robin Fitzgerald, a man of tactical mind and Iron will. His fierce determination in the face of the foe has lead to countless victories for the Praetorians, even against desperate odds.

Only time will tell who will win the war for Praetoria; whether it will be claimed by the savage Kroot or defended successfully by the Praetorians.

=== Peacekeeper Korps of Frieden ===
The world of Frieden was once a paradise planet - the center of culture and civilization for the whole sector, a shining example of Imperial rule.

This, however, was not to last. The governor of the planet rebelled against the Imperium, declaring himself an Autarch and bringing the once bright, peaceful world under his steel-clad boot. Soon, the rebels took over nearly the entire planet - all but the Hive Ferrograd, defended by the brave and noble Colonel Jurten.

His heroism became a tale of legends in the Imperium; one city, and a single regiment of planetary defense forces of a world which very name meant "peace", forces that nobody seriously expected to ever see real battle - they stood against the entire world, valiantly protecting Ferrograd with their lives against Autarch's treasonous forces. Even when confronted with impossible odds, Colonel Jurten and Frieden 83rd never faltered, holding ground until reinforcements could arrive to help liberate the planet.

When the Imperium finally arrived in force, it was Colonel Jurten who led the way to depose the Autarch, his bravery confirming his earlier reputation even further - and it was him who finally struck the treasonous governor down in a culmination of the assault on his fortified palace. Unfortunately, it was all too late.

The Autarch, in his final moment of spite, launched a massive campaign of nuclear purging from his last positions, prepared specifically for this purpose. As the courageous forces of the Imperial Guard prepared to assault the palace, they could not help but watch as enormous thermonuclear missiles streaked through the air. The Autarch, finally overcame with madness, would rather destroy his entire world than let the Imperium have it. Even though the Imperial Navy shot down many of the missiles, they were too numerous and the attack too sudden to prevent the tragedy. Only the heroic action of Lieutenant Tiberius, who rammed his fighter into the final missile, destroying both with barely split-seconds left for him to eject, saved Ferrograd from total obliteration. Others were not so lucky.

Colonel Jurten and the men of Frieden 83rd could only watch in horror as everything that they fought to protect crumbled in thermonuclear fire. The entire biosphere was destroyed, along with countless lives; the once-paradise world now turned into barren, toxic hell, forcing the remaining population underground.

It was then that the Peacekeeper Korps were born; the Colonel, overcame with grief, took an oath that he will not allow such a terrible tragedy to repeat itself ever again. All of his men joined him, as well as many civilians, men and women with no families or homes left, destroyed by Autarch's insane reign.

Even though Jurten long since died in battle, taking a monstrous Tyranid Biotitan into the grave along with himself, his ideal lived on. Frieden now has one of the highest recruitment rates in all of Imperium, its people fighting amongst the stars with relentless determination to ensure that nobody would have to live through the same tragedy as they did.

The troops of Peacekeeper Korps are noble, compassionate and determined in their quest to ensure peace and end war - the Korps take great care to prevent civilians from being harmed during combat operations and have proven to excel at war relief operations, their crippled world teaching them well about the utmost necessity of caring for their fellow man. They, after all, want to protect others from the tragedies of war, not merely kill the Imperium's enemies.

When it comes to battle, the heroic tales of Colonel Jurten and his soldiers are proven right once again - the regiments originating from his 83rd will always stand against enemy odds, no matter how overwhelming; an unwavering shield protecting the innocents from those who would harm them. The men of Frieden are determined to protect and preserve peace all over the galaxy - no matter how much it costs them, never shall the tragedy of Frieden be repeated.

By the God-Emps himself, just imagine what would happen if the actual Death Korps met the Peacekeepers 40k. Oh, the horror!

=== The Elysians ===
The Hive world of Elysia sits in the middle of a busy and highly dangerous sector of space, situated between innumerable small nebulae, asteroid fields and small, low gravity worlds.

The world of Elysia itself is small and gravity is light, and is known for its towering spires and endless skies where aircars and more traditional aircraft never cease moving. The world is a center of commerce, and draws in people from all across the Imperium and beyond.

Despite the richness of their world, or perhaps because of it and the conditions of the systems surrounding it, pirates are a relentless problem in the nearby sectors of space.

Countless nearby sectors of space hide pirate strongholds, both human and Eldar. The ever-changing battlefield makes it nearly impossible to find and destroy these vile fiends, and space travel is always dangerous in the space around Elysia.

Moreover, a dread outcast Tau imperial named Ning Mu has moved into the surrounding space, capturing people for his vile experiments, creating hideously mutated monsters and rallying the pirates to new levels of dark depravity.

To combat this threat, the Elysian Sky Corps was born. Equipping their soldiers with the best Carapace armor available and jetpacks, they have become a familiar sight in the skies of a dozen nearby worlds, from the eternal twilight Slaan infested jungles of Zothique, to the towering spires of their sister metropolises and even into the asteroid fields inside the ever changing myriad colored nebulae near their home, the Sky Corps are ready with lasgun in hand to defend their world and their people.

The Sky Corps fights as many battles inside dense asteroid fields in space as on the ground, and the terrain they meet is often exotic and dangerous. Nevertheless, they never hesitate in the face of danger, and always bravely fly on, ready for any challenge.

=== Klendathans ===

(Wait, isn't this just the Federation? You know? That satirical space-Nazi government from that [[Starship Troopers|other sci-fi hellhole]] with [[Tyranids|big bugs]] and [[Imperial Guard|meat grinder mulch]]??)

The Klendathans (Klendathu is the capital of the Arachnids, what a twist!) are a semi-independent group living on the most distant fringes of the Imperium, and unlike many Imperial worlds are not lead by a hereditary aristocracy, but a democratically elected government, whom anyone who has earned their citizenship can vote in. To earn one's citizenship, they must simply serve the government, be it in the military or in a civil service role.

Despite this requirement, the majority of the work was, for a very long time, mere labor, with the majority of applicants doing nothing more severe than spending two years polishing floors.

All of this changed when rebellion suddenly erupted upon their homeworld, and the city of Aries (Like Buenos Aires, but not Bueno) was wiped out.

In the weeks that followed the eruption of rebellion, it became clear that the populace of Aries had been infected with the gene altering condition caused only by one group in the galaxy - the Zoanthropes.

Even as they cleared their world of the unfortunate mutants in their midst, the Zoanthropes came into their system in massive waves, seeking to steal as many of the Klendathans as possible in a short period of time.

The Klendathans soon learned why; on their tails were the inexhaustible hordes of the Tyranids (Tyranids, Arachnids: Potatoe, that British way of saying Potato),  the very first contact ever made with those terrible creatures.

Bravely, the Klendathans stood and faced their foes, donning some of the best Carapace and Powered armor seen in the hands of the Imperial Guard anywhere in the Imperium, produced by their sister world, which over the centuries had become a great forgeworld.

Wave after wave of the enemies broke against them, and eventually the Zoanthropes escaped into other sectors of space, taking their ill-gotten genetic information with them. The Tyranids first fleet was shattered, scattering across the nearby systems and spreading for thousands of lightyears, all the while pursued by the Klendathans.

The war is still waged across their sector of space; they stand resolute in defense against their terrible foe, and no matter how hostile the environment, they will fight, and they will win.

Among the guard the Klendathans are famed for their extensive use of powered armor, high quality carapace armor and light walkers such as sentinels. They are light on combat vehicles, as they are often fighting on terrain ill-suited for heavy tanks, but more than make up for it with the power of their mobile infantry (Oh come on you're not even trying!).

[[Starship Troopers|Would You Like To Know More?]]

=== The Adeptus Sororitas ===
The Brides of the Emperor: The Adeptus Sororitas.

In a universe filled with the hubris of powerful psykers and laughing tyrant gods, the emperor's secret service is sometimes not enough. Mankind needs protection against the powerful forces of the warp and the lords of Order, and sometimes, darker things.

The Emperor found a solution in a group of women fanatically devoted to the Imperium – the Adeptus Sororitas. Using his own godlike abilities, he infused them with a small part of his own essence – forever binding them to him, but protecting them from the crushing powers of the warp, and in those who are already psykers, awakening great power within them.

The Adeptus Sororitas are all women for the same reason Space Marines are all men. The process of becoming one will only work for a woman – the genetic enhancements and psychic soul-binding process will kill a man. The Adeptus Sororitas's legendary resistance to the powers of psykers and their influence simply do not transfer over to men – nor, indeed, to all women. Of the trillions of women in the Imperium, only a select few can become the Brides of the Emperor.

The secret behind what women can become Sororitas is in training – a kind which can last a lifetime – and above all else, an unyielding, unshakable faith in mankind, the Imperium, and the Emperor of Man. The Emperor's Binding brings it's great resistance to the powers of psykers because of that faith, but it requires rigid self-discipline, courage, and self-confidence as well as humility. Few can master the mindset necessary – and fewer still can master it sufficiently to become truly able to resist the most powerful psykers.

Those that do master themselves, however, find that they have joined one of the most powerful organizations in the Imperium, responsible for the protection of humanity from the threats of the warp. They are given access to the most rare and powerful forms of rediscovered powered armor, the latest weapons, and powerful space fleets. Alongside the Space Marines, they were the force that first broke the forces of Order during the Great Crusades, in their earliest form as the Sisters of Silence.

The Sisters of Silence still exist today, as a smaller part of the Adeptus Sororitas. 

===Necromunda===
A thriving mining world sustained by the harvest of minerals and fossil fuels from the beautiful, multicolored crystal fields that stretch between the industrial hive cities, and which give the planet it's name, being a literal pile of fossilized organisms. Notable hives include Primus, the main hive and center of hive politics, the Temenos Hive, home to numerous universities, libraries, and religious shrines.

=== Commissars ===
Commissars are carefully trained in the arts of war and serve to keep up morale and advise officers in its arts. Because war is relatively rare in Brighthammer 40k, they serve to keep the Guard in good working order. They are always the first in the charge, and the last in retreat. In times where their units fail, Commissars have been known to take their own lives rather than face the shame of defeat, knowing it was they who were supposed to keep the unit battle ready (think Ibram Gaunt crossed with how the Valhallans view Ciaphas Cain).

=== The Imperial Secret Service ===
His Imperial Majesty's Secret Service

When dark forces rise, the Secret Service is there to cut them out, quietly and stealthily. They are the secret agents of the Emperor, acting on his authority when all peaceful measures fail. When mad psykers arise, they are there to take them out. When corrupt governors starve their people, the Special Agents are ready to remove them. Notably, they are not as extreme as their Warhammer 40k counterparts (the Inquisition) and are mostly focused upon more James Bond and Metal Gear like Tactical Espionage Action.

* The Imperial Secret Service is split into four departments. Three are approximately the same size, and tasked with defending the Imperium from one type of threat:
** The Ordo Malleus, Order of the Hammer, works with Master Horus and his ascended Primarch brethren to pacify destructive emotional and psychic energies (Or Emotional Entities, as they are called.) Many of its mightiest secret agents are recruited from the ranks of the Adeptas Sororitas.
** The Ordo Xenos, Order of the Outsider, works to prevent outside threats from threatening all sapient life in the Imperium. Space Marines fight for the chance to join the Black Watch, tasked with fighting outside threats not even the mighty Space Marine chapters can handle. 
** The Ordo Res Publica, Order of Public Affairs, works to fight corruption and tyranny in the Emperor's name, so that his promise to protect the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of all mankind is not betrayed. 
** Finally, there is one order that reports directly to the Emperor, for they are his eyes and ears- The Ordo Sicarius. The Secret Service makes use of several different specially trained operatives, apart from general Special Agents. These individuals are usually trained at specialized combat schools from the elite of the elite.

* Callidus School is dedicated to infiltration tactics, scouting, information gathering, and is skilled in innumerable arts of misdirection and disguise.

* Eversor School is for assault, designed to take on even the strongest foes in single combat, and receive a number of physical, mental, and cybernetic enhancements. WRRRRRYYYYYY-

* Vindicare School is dedicated to long-range support, master of weapons, especially sniper-based ones. The noble fallen knight LIVII belonged to this organization.

* Culexus School trains specialized individuals who are capable of uplifting morale to immense levels and increase the performance and natural healing abilities of their companions, despite lacking psyker capabilities. (The reverse of the Pariah trait) These individuals are incredibly rare, but make highly effective team leaders.

*Vanus School is where the tactical mastery of the Ordo Sicarius is brought to full fruition, the tactical genii let out from this School have resulted in some of the most resounding victories in Imperial History

*Venenum School specializes in inconspicuousness, when the disposal of a Planetary Governor by any means other than natural causes would result in panic and anarchy, the Venenum School is brought in to venomously bring the despot closer to Deaths cold embrace.

All are recruited from existing special forces and receive the Inquisitions best training in general operations before proceeding on to their permanent combat school, in which they receive training in their specialized area.

After the training at their respective schools, they go to a third phase of training where all of them will attend the same school for team building and developing alongside each other to use each others strengths to eliminate all the weaknesses they had as individuals. After graduation, they are known as Imperial Special Forces, second only to the Astartes in terms of awesomeness.

=== The Catachan ===
They move as swift as the wind, invisible as a shadow, and strike with ruthless precision. The Catachan Jungle Fighters are the subtle knife of the Imperial Guard, whose strike and fade warfare style leaves them feared and respected by friend and foe alike.

Raised from the Deathworld of Catachan, these fearless men and women are absolute masters of all arboreal terrain. A single squad of Catachans, and it is rare to see more than that in any campaign, can be dropped behind enemy lines, and use their small-unit tactics and improvisation to let them punch far above their weight.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the legendary operation on Amoz-7: In a single night, a lone squad from the 24th Catachans eradicated an Eldar pirate base and rescued more than 90 civilians, without losing a single civilian and only suffering a broken arm during the fierce fighting.

The long and short of it, Rambo First Blood Part II stealth scene.

=== The White Ships ===
Wherever the Emperor's arm reaches, there the White Ships of His Majesty's Secret Service will go. Palaces of the psychic arts, they provide budding psykers with a fundamental education or a vessel to carry them to more specialized training in the form of the many offices of the Scholastia Psykana. Such advanced training is on a strict volunteer only basis, but those who seek out the highest levels may be inducted into the ranks of the Secret Service or some other great agency and brotherhood of heroes. For others the White Ships provide a haven and a healing rest from the trials of life and service. Sanitariums as well as schools, the abundance of psykers aboard means that the White ships almost invariably take aboard the mentally ill for treatment. Time and telepaths combine to wipe away the stain of almost any trauma, and the wide variety of medicine available to the medicae aboard such a vessel makes them fully able to cure almost any malady.

=== Schola Progenium ===
Far more than reading, writing and arithmetic are taught at the Schola Progenium. These facilities serve as academies for the best and brightest of the Imperium's children. Most are noted for their progressive and exhaustive curriculum, which can lead any graduate directly into a career as any one of a number of high ranked positions within the Imperium's power structure. Commissars are almost universal educated at these facilities, although some private academies do produce young men and women capable of passing the dreaded examinations of the Commissariat.

=== Adeptus Mechanicus ===
Immortal cyborgs bound to the latest technology, these priests feel it their Divine duty to honor the Omnissiah by improving others' lives through technology.