The great spires of Hive Desoleum are ruled from the glittering heights, and slowly rotting from the Underhive up, but it is in the industrious Main Hive that the true purpose and life of the city resides. Countless, vast factories produce innumerable armaments and devices to feed the Imperium’s war machine every day, staving off the dissolution of the Askellon Sector for just a little bit longer.
The
bulk of Desoleum’s midhive bustles with innumerable labourers
maintaining and working in massive manufactorum plants day in and day
out. "These dutiful workers abide carefully by the guidance of their
oath-cogs and serve their lords to the best of their ability". Over the
many centuries of toil the midhive has seen, little has disrupted this
multitude for long, from food riots to distant wars. However, even the
sturdiest foundation may give way to rot. The seemingly respectable and
dependable core of midhive life conceals a "dangerous" level of deviancy,
crime, and unrest. Although the midhive does not approach the
lawlessness of the lower levels outside of a riot or other disaster, it
is still far from a safe place for those without influence or power.
Ignaius Arms
The mark of the Ignaius Arms plant on a lasgun is known as a stamp of quality throughout the Askellon Sector, for the focusing lenses produced there are without peer. This sterling reputation and much-desired product provide the spire nobles who own the plant an endless stream of income, much of which they have wisely invested into the careful maintenance of the manufactorum that is the source of their wealth. The workers at Ignaius Arms take rightful pride in the quality of their product, and willingly endure long shifts to ensure that the honour of their brand is not defiled by shoddy workmanship.
Just beyond the hearing of these proud workers, rumours fly back and forth as to just how Ignaius lenses are made. The precision of their manufacture is called into question by envious foremen of other plants, or even attributed to hidden machines of inhuman manufacture deep within the bowel of the plant. If there is any truth in these rumours, it is well-guarded, but eventually the proud workforce of Ignaius Arms (or the even prouder owners) shall hear of them, which could possibly end their satisfaction with the current state of affairs.
The Jade Foundry
Control and maintenance of manufactorum plants is typically the responsibility of sponsoring noble houses from the hive spires. However, some plants produce technology too rare, unique, or advanced to be left in the hands of technological laypersons, and are placed in the direct supervision of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Jade Foundry (so-called for the vivid emerald hue of the display screens on the equipment produced there) is one such plant. Advanced auto-fabricators in the care of the senior Tech-Priests assemble capacious components into sensorium arrays for voidships. The auto-fabricators are a technological wonder beyond the capability of current Magi to reproduce, and can assemble a full sensorium array in a scant few months with sufficient materials—barely the blink of an eye compared to the normal pace of voidship construction.
Unfortunately,
certain lower-ranking Tech-Priests in the tech- shrines of Desoleum
have grown envious of overseers of the Jade Foundry, and crave
stewardship over the revered auto-fabricator units. Reports are
filtering up to the highest Magi in the Askellon Sector that the Jade
Foundry has been poorly maintained and that its caretakers have
neglected crucial maintenance rites. If an inquiry is launched, it could
shut down production for decades.
The Grand Shrine of the Oath
Although humble compared to the gilded marble edifices patronised by the spire nobility, the Grand Shrine of the Oath is the oldest and most revered of cathedrals used to convey the Imperial Creed to workers on holy days and festivals. Its well-worn pews can seat tens of thousands at a time, but such is its prestige that many times that number seek admittance to its hallowed halls when the work-shifts wind down for religious observances. Even a festival that frees one man in a hundred from his labours sees a hundred thousand petitions to attend the services held in the central Oathroom.
Naturally, it is quite impossible for the
shrine to admit so many, and most petitioners and pilgrims are sent
away, redirected to a lesser house of worship. "Most workers
phlegmatically accept their dashed aspirations, but there are often
those who resent being turned away. In the past, riots have sparked from
the protests of high-producing shifts being turned away after a record
year of production, or from unpopular and brutal foremen being let in
ahead of workers seen as more deserving of the honour".
The Worker's House
The Worker’s House is one of the few "respectable" places of leisure in the Main Hive. Its patrons are free to indulge in everything from hard liquors and hot meals to games of chance where they can wager their meagre salaries. The hostel maintains the privilege to offer frivolities by sending out a crop of indentured workers (usually those who indulged too freely and became indebted) to fill in for any hours of productivity lost as a result of these activities.
This rare source of respite has long been a release for countless hive workers. Even those who can’t afford attendance console themselves with the promise of an evening at the House after the next shift, or the one after that. However, over its long history, the Worker’s House has run up against the increasing pressures of ever-higher work quotas, and has had to become sterner with collecting debts in turn. "The promise of indulgence is slowly turning sour as more and more workers are seen working a double shift after a single night at the House".
Ludmilla's Den
“The Den,” as its patrons typically refer to it, is a typical example of the less-reputable type of leisure hall in the midhive. There are more like it seeded throughout every hab-block, subject to regular raids by both law enforcement and the "more respectable" work brotherhoods. However, Ludmilla’s Den is especially problematic in its persistence. Raids have shut it down several times, only for the mysterious and rarely-glimpsed proprietor to reopen elsewhere. These events have given it a dubious allure that exceeds that of the competition, and unsavoury characters from many hab-blocks away come to find it when it sets up in a new location.
The Shattered Foundry
The manufactorum formally titled “Work Plant Zero-Zero-Alpha-Five” on the official documents of Desoleum has earned another name among those who walk by its towering walls—the Shattered Foundry. Its machinery and its halls are wholly intact and free of damage, but repeated incidents of malfunction and disaster have claimed many lives over recent years, building a superstitious dread for the place among the locals. The Adeptus Mechanicus closed the plant down nearly two decades ago, only adding to its dark reputation across many hive levels.
The Tech-Priests have found nothing to indicate the repeated accidents were anything but random chance, and are likely to pronounce it once again "safe to operate". If they do, it is likely that whatever work crews are assigned there would riot rather than pass through its gates; the punishments of the courts pale compared to the grim legends that have built up around the Shattered Foundry.