Planet: Amargosa
Location: East coast of the human inhabited continent of Amargosa
Summary:
Arcanum is one of the major cities on the colony world of Amargosa, best known for its role as a center of food processing and logistics. Alongside Deming, which handles heavy equipment manufacturing, Arcanum processes and distributes agricultural output—an essential function for a planet whose primary export is food for the core worlds of the Compact.
During the Gelt Incursion of 429 IE, Arcanum is reportedly destroyed, with confirmed use of a clean fusion device, the same type of weapon used to obliterate Lansdorp. The city’s loss was a severe blow to both Amargosa’s local population and its strategic value to the Compact, as it represented a significant portion of the planetary food supply chain.
News of Arcanum’s destruction is relayed through fragmented communications, notably from Major Furlong of Southern Command, who confirms the city’s fate and urges survivors to flee to the mountains. By the time resistance leaders such as Colonel Diana Jovann begin regrouping, Arcanum is considered lost territory, and there is no indication of survivors or remaining infrastructure.
The attack on Arcanum is viewed as part of a strategic effort by the Gelt to depopulate Amargosa by eliminating its ability to sustain itself, without damaging its farmland or settlements beyond recovery.