THE PLANET HELVETIA |
During the years of isolation, the Helvetian society underwent many drastic changes, but the most drastic of all was that they developed into a matriarchy. The women of Helvetia are strong and forceful in their personalities, while the men have become timid and mild. The women do all of the fighting in the army, and they make up the ruling class. All of the leaders of society are female by law and tradtion. The planet is ruled by a Queen who also holds the Planetary Governorship. While the women serve in the military and political posts, the men fill the more menial positions of society. Men are also the ones who raise the children and do the domestic chores. Some men will be found in lesser technical jobs, but all battlefield technicians are female. Any male psykers that are born into Helvetian society are immediately given over to the Adeptus Telepathica, and gotten off-planet. The only psykers allowed on the planet are females who were born on Helvetia and Inquisitors. All of the Commissars of Helvetia are female and they are fanatical in their beliefs. The Helvetians believe that they are the chosen Daughters of the Emperors. Many of the Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas were born on Helvetia and come from the Helvetian Warrior Caste. The planet Helvetia is the fourth planet of eight revolving around a medium sized yellow sun. It has a temperate climate and has many large forests and very large mountain chains running across its two main continents, which are situated along the equatorial area of the planet. These two continents have many large rivers and fertile river valleys, and there are large areas of open plain. There is also a small continent at the northern pole, but the temperatures are too cold and hostile to support human life. The planet has ideal, almost paradise-like weather, but do not let this ideal climate fool you, Helvetia is a very dangerous planet to live on, with many large and agressive carnivores, from the huge Sable Cats to the huge Rex Lizards. Even the smaller carnivores are agressively dangerous. The Helvetians raise huge herds of Mastadons for food and leather goods that they export to the rest of the Imperium. They also export iron, copper, and uranium ores in large quantities. The Helvetian shipyards turn out many of the Imperium's smaller attack vessels. It is this importance to the Imperium that has allowed Helvetia to keep its matriarchy and also the fact that the Helvetian regiments have proven to be some of the finest in the Imperial Guard. The Helvetians maintain mining colonies on two other planets in the system, but most of the system is uninhabitable, being made up of gas giants and planets with toxic atmospheres. Helvetia has been attacked on numerous occasions by Ork hordes and has had to stand alone against them due to its distance from the main Imperium space and its proximity to the Eastern Frontier. Helvetia has also been attacked twice by Tyranid swarms. The last time, almost half of the Western continent was laid waste before the Helvetian PDF units and the Helvetian Imperial Guard regiments that are stationed on the planet were able to finally defeat the Tyranid swarm with some help from the White Scars Chapter of the Imperial Space Marines. |