Novus Mercatorius

Novus Mercatorius is an Imperial Agri-world turned de facto capital of the Mercatorius System. Before the Primus Ruining, Novus Mercatorius went by an older name of 'Assurius' and was known as the 'breadbasket of Mercatorius'. Following the devastation of Mercatorius Prime, the planet and its hive city Assur became the bureaucratic headquarters of the system, with the influx of wealthy refugees from Mercatorius Prime making the planet well known for its prosperity.

Novus Mercatorius retains a strong role in the provision of agriculture throughout the system, as well as having numerous mining facilities over its surface. While an immensely prosperous Imperial planet, the citizens of the lower hive in Assur and rural industrial communities are known to be extremely poor.

While the planet initially remained largely untouched by the Gracchian Uprising, rumours emerged of dissatisfied citizens throughout the planet affiliating themselves with various cults. As the planet came under attack in the Invasion of Mercatorius, the planetary defence forces found themselves overwhelmed by simultaneous attacks from both beyond the planet and from within as these cults rose up. By the time of the Mercatorius Crusade, the planet's defence forces were on the verge of complete annihilation, with the imperium having abandoned much of the planet's surface and half of Assur.