Underhiver Report: Debt Collection or Territory Dispute?

++++ EXCERPT FROM THE MYNERVA APEX SENTINEL ++++

++LOCAL HIVE NEWS REPORT++

Rumor around the Sumps is that the Rust Wolves, an Orlock backed gang, has crossed swords with the deadly beauties of the Nasty Girls Club; of Escher fame. The suspected cause of the dispute is unknown, but both sides attempted to exact maximum damage on their rivals.

According to some disreputable sources such as Two-Toed Jerry, the original dispute erupted after a gambling debt went sideways. Upon trying to collect on the alleged debt, the dangerous dames were able to keep the oxidized predators from leaving with anything valuable, securing the luscious ladies' place at the top of the local food chain.

Regardless of what started the conflict, the two groups have now reached an impasse. Two-Toed Jerry informs us that the Rust Wolves put a great deal of pressure on the Nasty Girls Club, even going so far as to lead one of the gang away in bonds, but whatever debt they were attempting to collect on has appeared to go unpaid. He also informs us that the Wolves have seen reduced presence in the area lately and that the Escher have established an increasing number of "Entertainment" services, which are reputed to hold illicit gambling activities.

The locals are worried that the tensions between the gangs will cause more conflict to be visited on the area. The recently arrived Enforcer Precinct, commanded by Captain Urban of the Z-Theta-Magenta patrol group, has been informed of the situation and is likely watching over the citizens. May the justice of Lord Helmawr be swift and terrible to any gang that dares to harm the loyal imperial citizenry of this great Hive!

Gang Focus: The Blood Stones of House Goliath

The Blood Stones, led by the Goliath known as Onyx, were among the first on the scene when the first charters to the Sumps were commissioned. The fact that their brutish frames barely fit in the tight confines of the Underhives and Sump pathways does not dissuade them in the slightest.

Onyx is not a smart Goliath by any means. When propositioned by the disgraced Rogue Trader Arnold Ferrell to obtain rare technology, Onyx did not even question the legality of the weapons they were hired to obtain. To seal the deal, Ferrell bequeathed a rare Xenos artifact that would definitely draw the ire of the Inquisition, were they to catch wind of the abominable weapon. Whether the gift was to earn the loyalty of the gang, or to simply remove the evidence from his possession, is anyone's guess.

Regardless of how they obtained the artifact, settlements near the Sumps have grown to appreciate the gang's ability to drive off other outsiders. One such settlement, known as Septivista, has decided it was better to have a pack of rabid dogs working for them rather than against them. They have contracted the Blood Stones to provide the settlement protection in return for a periodic sum of credits. Whether they are getting their credit's worth remains to be seen.

The History of The Drained Seas of Marimoor

The Spires of Necromunda have a flow to them. Water from the top spires trickles down through the hive, as pipes leak and wastewater is flushed downhive, and purified water is pumped back up into the top spires of the hive. Not all of it goes back up. Some of it trickles down so far, through even the Underhive, and arrives at the Sump.

After thousands of years the water had coalesced into underground aquifers. Thus began the Sump Seas of Marimoor, located under the Mynerva Cluster of Hive cities. The Sumps underneath those hives did not contain the pumping stations robust enough to keep the lower levels from flooding completely. Some hab domes completely filled with the runoff from the upper levels. Eventually the combined flow of the multiple hive cities of the Mynerva Cluster merged to form the Seas of Marimoor.

As the Sumps sunk beneath the surface ever deeper and into the Seas of Marimoor their treasures and forgotten caches became lost to time. Some compartments were fortunately sealed, and the detritus piling around them further locked their contents away, protecting them from the ravages of decay. Others were completely ruined by the ravages of corrosion and time.

Inexplicably the Seas of Marimoor began to recede. At first, it was thought to be a mistake in the data. As the years marched on, the amount of this reduction began to accelerate. Entire levels of the Sump began to reappear after being drained from millenia-old runoff. Pathways in the Sumpways began to appear, and soon pathways began to be found and plotted by enterprising Sump Prospectors.

Word began to spread. Tales of forgotten treasures unearthed by these prospectors reached far and wide, eventually reaching the ears of the Lord Helmawr himself. The Noble houses of Necromunda, eager to please their Overlord, were quick to assemble envoys to represent them in these unspoiled frontiers. They chartered expeditions to the drained sublevels with instructions to secure any resources for the glory of the respective Houses.

Rumors travel faster than a Promethium fire extinguished with water in the spires of the Hives and it wasn't long before criminal elements began to extend their own influence into the Dead Sump Seas. With Recidivist activity surging, Helmawr decided to send a token of his influence in the form of Palanite Enforcers to restore order.

Now the Sumps are embroiled with conflict. The rackets of the Underhive have begun to exploit the untold riches being exposed. The Enforcers are in equal parts imposing the will of their Lord and cutting off a piece for themselves. The Guilds are sponsoring multiple gangs to expand their own interests. Amidst all the commotion, dark forces are making their own machinations. Through it all, Archeotech and lost treasures are abound, and ripe for the taking for those who survive!