Farport

The History of Farport

The cities of Farport are "subhives". Not true hives such as those on Armageddon or Necromunda, but they still cover massive areas, span multiple levels and are home to millions of people. Between the cities the planet is largely scrub wilderness, with almost all the population living in the "subhives".

Farport's twin worlds consist of a large desert planet and a small craggy world with far more water. The majority live on Farport Major, the desert world, where the capital Dirtside is a denizen of crime and a haven for druglords, gangs and smuggling. The world was invaded by Chaos in 009M42, where Moonface was defeated, leading to the decline of the Catechism.

Dirtside is the largest settlement, and it is divided into zones. The commercial district sits in the centre and is a hub for trading across the system, with a direct link to the orbiting Farport Station, the largest space port in the sector. Farport is ruled by an imperial governor, but in truth the planet is dominated by the trading, manufactoria and commercial guilds - corporations - which rule the corporate landscape of the world.

History and Culture

Farport was settled in the Great Crusade, but until it became a vital trading hub the planet itself was not regarded as important. Low on resources and with a poor climate, the planet became nothing more than an Imperial Outpost. This changed with the rise of the Aleph Sector, and Farport gained its importance in the 35th Millenium with the installation of Farport Station, a mighty trading and resupply hub for entrants into the sector. This was particularly important as Farport was the major stopping point between the Aleph Subsector and Segmentum Solar and the stable Warp Lane to Necromunda.

The sudden rise in importance of the world left it short on labour, so the call went out for immigrants. Necromunda, mighty and overpopulated Hive World of the Segmentum Solar, being directly on the warp route responded, and workers came in their millions. Each expedition was sponsored by the Great Houses of Necromunda and so each influx of immigrants was normally almost exclusively from that House. As a result the labour forces immediately congregated with people from their own House, and each city of Farport effectively ghettoised and factionalised along House divides. Furthermore, while no longer answerable to the Great Houses on Necromunda the Immigrant Houses as they were sometimes known remained heavily entwined with the ambitions and struggles of their House upon Necromunda. More than once in the history of Farport has a violent dispute on Necromunda sparked near civil war between the Immigrant Houses on Farport.

In the 41st and 42nd Millennium, Farport remains an important world with a unique blend of cultures. It is not a happy world however. Law on Farport revolves around money and the pursuit of wealth. The imperial creed is present and adhered to, but there is virtually no distinction between common law and corporate law.

Corporate crimes are punishable by banishment, death and induction to penal legions, while murder is seen as a lesser offence. Even then, whether or not you get punished at all depends on the amount you are able to pay and who your allies are. Corruption is simply a way of life.

A particularly unsavoury tradition on Farport is the decree which makes all children born out of wedlock subject to the Imperial Guard tithe. The law was brought in to make the Imperial Guard levy easier to meet in a time of crisis, but now the corporations run the imperial tithe for the governor and administratum. Realising there was profit to be had from increasing the levy, the corporations institutionalised the law, then set up chains of brothels, while restricting the supply of contraceptives. Now in M42, babies from unwed mothers are routinely shipped to guard training worlds for induction into a number of guard regiments. As this more than fulfils Farport's obligations to the Imperium, the morality of such an approach is simply ignored. This caused particular difficulties with the citizens of House Escher, who while initially in favour of the new law (not least because they held a near monopoly on brothels) turned to outrage and then armed skirmishes when the Imperial Governor banned House Eschers birth control pharmaceutical facilities.

Worse was to come when the law extended to any child born out of recognised wedlock - which, in essence was all of House Escher, as no self respecting Escher female would ever marry their emaciated idiot males. While this situation undoubtedly appealed to the Astra Militarum Generals, it was about to plunge Farport into civil war. It was when a minor representative of the House known as T’Yah Wiir Kavar hit upon a novel idea; in Farport law, there was nothing specifying when a marriage was valid from or any requirement as to who or what they were married to. And with that revelation all of House Escher married the House itself in one of the oddest cultural phenomenon to date, so much so House Escher at Farport are also known as “the Wives of Escher” or "the Wives of Kavar". Nevertheless in the scandal, the Sector Corporate juggernaut Veritas seized control of most of the brothels on planet.

T’Yah Wiir Karvar

The Chaos War of 09M42

Moonface conquered over half the planet and devastated the populace

Around 30 years ago the combined forces of “Moonface” Catechism, Claws of Lorek, Anticross, Night Lords under Raziel along with Dark Eldar Pirates and a Ork Freebootaz attacked Portside, conquering nearly half the planet, and slaughtering much of the population. A combined taskforce drive first Moonface and then the Claws of Lorek from the planet within months of the invasion. However even now the planet bares the scars of the invasion. The purges of the Inquisition was left fresh in the mind of the older population and many of the now adults know to fear the ]I[ more than most.

The Chaos War Timeline

2411.009M42 The Invasion
The Ground War
2811.009M42 The War in the Battle

The war in the balance

2911.009M42 The Imperial Counter Attack

The Imperial Counter attack

0512.009M42 Moonfaces last gamble

The Imperial Governor
The current Imperial Governor of Farport is Bryant Percival and has served in office since at least the War against Chaos. Accused of being officious, particularly by the Corporations but also his own staff. Percival is a man under immense pressure, possibly far beyond his ability. Since the loss of Aleph and the coming of the Cicatrix Maladictum Farport has been under greater scrutiny than ever, becoming a unofficial capital of the Imperial presence of the Aleph sector. Both Inquisitors Varushko and Hathek's agents send regular demands. General Mannheim has become the personal shadow of the Governor, relaying requests, demands and outright threats from branches of the Imperial war machine when supply lines are risked by the Farport system, which has become the primary artery into the war efforts within the Aleph Sector.

Percival's response to this increased pressure is typical of his flamboyant nature; regular dinner parties and soirees where the elite of the planet and system attend and mingle amidst intense politicking - fighting each other keeps the attention off Percival.

Bryant Percival

Having the manage both Farport Major and Minor, it is nevertheless surprising the Percival does not live in the palace in Dirtside, rather, he lives aboard an orbiting space station. The official line is he lies above the petty politics of the Corporations, the truth is far more likely to be he constantly fears the threat of assassination from the Corporations or successors, or being trapped on world with no escape should the Imperiums enemies invade again.

Corporate Houses

While the bulk of the population is made up of migrants and former migrant families from Necromunda, it would be inaccurate to say the Houses are the power of Farport. The true powers are the Corporate Houses, which dominate both planetary and sector trade and commerce. Akin in some ways in power to the noble Houses of Necromunda, they each have their own sphere of influence:

Veritas: The largest and most important corporation, Veritas controls shipping and trade across the subsector with its merchant fleet charters. Founded in M33 by Rogue Trader Baron Eliphias Jovius Derubius Von Veritas XXI, the creme of Veritas maintain that it was Veritas that took Farport from a nothing backwater mudball and turned into a hub for commerce. The current Lord Veritas, a thin man with equally thin beard and cold demeanour, is well known for his adroit business sense and vicious adherence to Lex Talionis

Lord Veritas Circa 018M42

Haden: Largest competitor to Veritas and rival trading house.

Magna: The most important corporation running the manufactoria of the planet.

Athena: Primarily deals with logistics and the docks

Kotu have long been affiliated with the immigrant Van Saar House, though this alliance goes far deeper than most realise. 

In 278.M34 Farport along with several other worlds in the Aleph Sector were invaded by an Ork WAAAGH! Led by the Warlord “Gitstabba”. Up until this time the responsibility of arming and equipping the Planetary Defence Force was subcontracted to the Magna corporation, who had a supply agreement with a local Forgeworld who’s name was lost to time. Magna, had repeatedly neglected this contract in favour of more lucrative pursuits and so the defences of the world of Farport was woefully unprepared for the attack. The Van Saar, had long maintained their own armed force, which centred around the city of “Homestead”, a city of Van Saar founding. The whole planet of Farport fell to the Ork invasion save for Homestead which held off against Ork Waagh for weeks having heavily fortified the city. The primary defence of the city fell to Ober Coerator Gretel Kotu, a renowned military strategist. The siege was lifted after 2 months when the Shining Blades Astartes Chapter made planetfall, breaking the siege.

WAAAGH! Gitstabba

In the aftermath of the defeated WAAAGH! Magna, Hayden, Veritas and what would become Hydra sought to cover the mess that Magna had created. If Magna’s own failings were highlighted in the defence of the world, the other Corporations inadequacies may be highlighted. In the months that followed, the Corporate council and the Imperial Governor pinned the blame of the unreadiness of the PDF on the unreliable immigrant Houses, particularly Van Saar and of course Cawdor. With Van Saar, the Corporations pointed to a obscure corporate by-law stating that non-corporate and imperial organisations were forbidden from keeping formal military and paramilitary personell. Magna argued that if the Van Saar had tithed troops to the PDF as was proper then the Ork invasion would never have succeeded. This threatened to destroy the Van Saar immigrant House, who in M34 did not have the power to face down the Corporations. The Van Saar sought to distance themselves from Gretel Kotu, blaming her for the military forces under her command. This caused a schism within the House that lead to the creation of the Kotu Corporation. 

Ober Coerator Gretel Kotu

Thousands of Van Saar soldiers, despite the orders of the House, sided with Kotu. What’s more, her actions had not gone unnoticed among the nobility of the Aleph sector. Niloufar Zedah, young noble of the bloodline Thornglaive, genevowed of the Teglaagh Satrapy came to Farport. Niloufar Zedah while having a rich bloodline was in need of political power as her rivals had sought to oust her from her birthright on her homeworld of Krell. While she had intended an alliance of financial means, Gretel Kotu had what none of Niloufar rivals had - a well equipped and battle-hardened army. While Gretel had been condemned by little known corporate by-laws, she would be saved by one of the most well known. Gretel and Niloufar marriage ennobled Gretel, and with that, allowed her the right of forming her own Corporation. The newly named “Kotu” Corporation immediately shipped out to Krell where it violently suppressed the burgeoning tribal uprising and assasinated Niloufar’s rivals. By the end of the Krell uprisings 15 years later, the Kotu Corporation had gone from thousands of Van Saar soldiers to over a million mercenary soldiers and paramilitary personnel operating within the sector, forming security detail for numerous dignitaries as well as performing wet work for both nobles and corporations. 

Kotu resettled on Farport and while they had chased her away the fickle corporations now welcomed Gretel and her Corporation back with open arms. For her part Gretel held little ill will towards her former House, knowing they did what they had to do, even forming trading agreements that have lasted till this day. However Gretel and subsequently the Kotu corporation never forgave Magna for their actions. A bloodfeud between the two Houses has lasted ever since, while Kotu cannot hope to defeat Magna’s economic might, Magna cannot counter Kotu in any conventional war.

Today, Kotu are one of the primary traders and suppliers of military personnel and equipment not tithed to Imperial purpose, operating in multiple forms. Kotu have been hired by multiple planetary agencies across the Sector. Rumour has it they are on good terms with several Inquisitors who wish to maintain a lower profile when resorting to military solutions. Whether this is true or not is not known.


One notable issue the Corporation has suffered was the creation of the Federacy which plunged them into economic recession that has lasted since. Many contracts were with the Federacy worlds and losing these contracts was devastating. The Corporation was in no way able to influence the outcome of the Chaos invasion, simply able to ensure the protection of its assets. 

Hydra: Financial corporation and banking