Editing Exirans (section)

==Homeworld==
The world of Exirus is situated at the edge of the Core Words region of space, just outside of the Core Words Confederacy's space. Aware of the presence of the interstellar nation but unable to interact with it to any degree, the Exirans were content to keep themselves prepared for aggressive action from any direction. In the forty-first millennium, Exirus is an industrial world reformed by Kaiser-Elect Orno after his return to the world at the conclusion of the Great Scouring. It produced tanks, but to help offset the population loss was not demanded to field Imperial Guard regiments to the Imperium. Due to a clerical error, this had remained the case for millennia. 

===Geography===
Exirus has a 0.1 addition in size to holy Terra, giving it a larger land mass. Water only covers 56% of the total area of the world, making the central mega-continent considerably larger than all of those on old Earth. Soil is not as fertile here requiring harder efforts by farmers to produce crops. The planet is resource rich with an abundance of carbon-based metallics. Gold was found in abundance on Exirus before the Heresy, which allowed the nobility to wear obscene amounts of it. But after, such material was lost and with the removal of the nobility it faded out of style. The planet's only continent is named ''Zielewelt''. It's northern area is highly mountainous while hill lands dominate its central area with roving plains found in the south.

===Politics===
Pre-Imperium, the myriad territories of Exirus were subject to the rule of the Kaiser Elect, chosen from among the thousands of Prince-Foremen that own territory and oversee production throughout the Exiran worlds.  In theory, the Kaiser was responsible for defense of the Realm and setting priorities for diplomacy. In practice, the challenges of directly ruling such a vast decentralized proved too great, and many Princes would act as free agents. Each of these princes would oftentimes own precious factories, plentiful farms, or rare mines. Some larger installations being split between multiple princes. These properties would be maintained by serfs, men and women that would be born, raised, and die on the Prince's land. Every Prince considered themselves of equal rank to the others, which only heightened the competitions that sprung up between them.  


The Free Cities were merchant republics, each ruled by a council of elders. A representative of the council would vote when the time came for the choice of a new Kaiser, but beyond this very little business was done with the wider Empire. The youth of the Cities would find themselves with a decent education and a built up income allowing them to purchase a rifle and armor. Joining up in the Lantzer regiments was a common practice, paying far better than any academic position or menial labor. These young men would be subject to the games of fancy between the Princes, but were able to after a decade of service retire quietly. 


===Military===
While normal Imperial Army units have been drafted from the main Exiran populace, their true power comes from the mercenary brigades. Exirus has a long tradition of wargames among the Prince-Foremen for territory and resources. These battles of Kriegspiel would play out on areas specially set aside for them, using real soldiers, real ammunition, and real tanks. These competitions came to emphasize mobility and armor, ditching the mass levees available to the average Prince in favor of an elite core of troops. Each squad consists of a dozen men or less, trained in a specific weapon. They often work with APC support, but with the abundance of other armored vehicles these people carriers go lightly armored and nearly unarmed, focusing more on delivering troops to the field as quickly as possible.


This is a consequence of the nature of Kriegspiel, which has often blinded Princes to broader strategic implications. There's been more than one occasion when Exirans might have taken the day if only their Prince remembered that he had air support at their disposal, or had pressed too far forward on the offensive only to be cut off from their supply lines.  And the shortlived nature of these conflicts has created logistic expectations that supporting forces cannot always fulfill.  


Despite these difficulties and drawbacks, when properly supplied and directed the Exirus Armored Mercenaries make for a fine tactical force. Due to frictions with the normal Imperial Army and its command structure, Princes are often allowed to command their mercenaries directly in the field. While this has proven effective, it proved troublesome during the Heresy when Princes would bring their entire mercenary force (and attached tanks) to the side of the Traitors. This nearly led to the downfall of Exirus.

{{/tg/-Heresy-IA}}