Cadia
While many planets of the empire consist of gigantic cities (or are entirely designed around supplying these), others resemble fortresses. Cadia was one of the latter – an entire planet that served the empire as a bulwark against Chaos. Chaos is a dark power in the universe, with which the Imperium of Man wages an endless war.
Cadia was located right at the edge of the Eye of Chaos, which is also known as the “Eye of Terror.” This is a rift in the fabric of reality caused by the birth of Slaanesh, the youngest of the four Chaos Gods.
At this point, the Warp, which represents the realm of Chaos, overlaps with the real world. The rift is large enough for entire fleets of warships to pass through. Cadia was therefore particularly often targeted by Chaos, making it the first line of defense against its armies. Consequently, the population of the planet was heavily militarized:
- Almost three-quarters of the population of Cadia were armed, and the recruitment rate corresponded to that of new births.
- Before children even learned to read, they were already taught to assemble and fire a laser weapon.
- By the age of about 10, the children of Cadia were already drilled infantry soldiers.
In the course of the 13th Black Crusade, Cadia was destroyed by Abaddon the Despoiler… well, destroyed. The planet was torn apart and its remnants swallowed by the Warp. Only a small portion of the planet’s inhabitants survived this catastrophe.
“Good” and “Evil” are categories that do not amount to much in Warhammer 40,000. Even the Imperium of Man has a long list of atrocities in its history. However, there is a chapter of the Space Marines that is even uncomfortable for the Imperium. You can find out which one in this article: A chapter of the Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000 was ostracized by the Imperium for being too nasty, yet serves the Emperor anyway
