First time posting in this forum and I must say Alrikkson you have done a lovely job.
So what is this thread all about then you are most likely asking yourself (I hope). Well Me, and a group of mates are taking up Inquisitor again, but this time on 54mm scale. I adore Inquisitor, or at leats its potential (the game is a bit of a let down but meh). I love it because it is fluff driven and I love the whole Imperium fluff stuff. Its th ebest bit of the 40k universe, none of that silly alien crap, its about humanity and has that whole gothic meets steam punk thing going on. Any way, when it comes to Inquisitor I am an incredibley fluff driven character. I decided not to use my suual character, who has been so developed and used (and actually killed) I decided I wanted a fresh start with something new and kool. Any way, as my sculpting skills have got so much better I want a band that is bnoth very kool on the fluff and really kool when it comes to the models. With Inspiration from Inquisitor Tyrus's armour and Scibor's (on CMON) Terminator sculpts I have developed a theme I really like and a convo that I am greatly looking forward to doing.
Any way, the first thing I am gonna share if my fluff, for my Inquisitor, Inquisitor Valkyr. Its not quite finished, but here goes:
Inquisitor Valkyr: Fluff
Inquisitor Valkyr (then Prince Boris Klastoski) was the second son to the Royal Family that ran the planest Vostroyan (where the new Russian flavoured Guard regiment comes from). When Inquisitor X came to the planet needing stuff Valkyr Obliged, easing the otherise difficult relationship between the Tzar and the Inqusitor. In return he asked to be allowed to join the Inquisitor. As his honour stipulated the INquisitor returned the favour and cautiously let him tag along. In the ensuing fight against some Daemonic cult with Daemons and nasties and stuff. Boris surprised the Inqusitor proving his martial talents and bravery. Boris stayed with the inquisitor for just under a Deacde when he was offered abmition to the Inquisition. Needless to say his family weren't too keen on the idea and so he was disowned, leaving him to Change his name to Valkyr (which are, in Norse Mythology, winged angel tings that bring death at every turn). So he Joined the Ordo Malleus, keen and idealistic (not to mention pruitan). He became a daemon hunter with a formidable reputation for Martial prowess. Whilst he wasn't the smartest Person in the world, or at least the most studious member of the Inqusition he was effective in his duties, and for that he was, like all the effective, and active Daemon Hunters gifted a suite of Inqistorial Power armour, and so he became more effective and so he became more famous for hunting Daemons. Having slain an entire cult and its Daemonic allies on Mail V Valkyr was rewarded with the "Hammer of St Lethalis". This highly effective and symbloic weaon has remained by the Inquisitors side eversince, destroying inumerable enemies of mankind, and more lately reminding a few fellow Inquisitors of his Purity.
However as time went on Valkyr's attitude changes, partly in response to seeing more and egtting older and partly in respose to the gradual realisation that fighting Daemon like he was was like trying to hold the sea back from hitting a cliff - futile. So as the years turned to decades Valkyr fought less, and studied more.
He has spent the last 50 years developing his idealism, and furthering his research - becomming a Resurrectionist in belief. Any way, with the 13th Black Crusade on its way the incidences of the Obliterator Virus increased around the eye of Terror. Valkyr was one of the few inquisitors that formed the Ordo Sepultrum at the time of the Crusade. Whilst the rest of the small Ordo focussed on the Zombie Plague Valkyr foccussed on the Obliterator Virus, believing that the Virus may hold the key to creating a Divine Alter suitible for the God Emperor. In the last year he has been following a particular cult, or rather a particular individual with the Virus who left the eye of Terror region, moving to the Halo Zone to establish a cult. This partiular individual insu ique in that he is only a carrier, he has dispalyed no signs of the Virus himself, making him both highly dangerous (as he is clearly aiming to contaminate as many as possible) and also high interesting. In trying to capture this indivdual Valkyr misfortune to catch the disease. Since contracting the disease one month ago he has been able to stave off its development. So far it has not progressed beyond the first stage, but he is having to drain his energies fighting it, along with pursuing numerous lines, including psychic and intra-venus methods to keep the virus at bay. Bob has thus far kept the disease hidden from every one else, as he realises that even the slightly radical tint of the Ordo Sepultrum and his reputation (which is already on the slide) would not save him from execution, or at least sever limitations if those that got to him first were sympathetic. Whilst he knows his fate is almost certainly sealed Bob has become more hurried in his desire to complete his research.
Inquisitor Valkyr is looking to catch this individual, remove any traces of the Virus from the Halo system (where our capaign is set) and study them, but also prevent him from degenerating, staving of the finality of his condition. The Virus can be slowed by will power alone, but he is also having to undergo a ritual psychic treatment to help keep the Virus at bay. He has worked out that he has probably only got about two years left (and at 200 this will cut him severly short). Inquisitor Valkyr has now got a time scale with which to work to, which will changes his outlook and his belief in what is and isn't acceptable (which I see as a highly important plot hook). He is now, in a way, a more desperate character, willing to sacrifice more as he simply doesn't have the time to things the slower, and safer way.
Valkyr holds the majority of the Iquisition in contempt, which means he places additional emphasis on himself and his small group of Inquisitors that he trusts (his Ordo), which helps push this idea of his desperation, believing that once he is gone there will not be any one to continue his work and save the Imperium (bold, but characterful and important). Additonally he is chasing other ways to slow the progress of the Virus, and is having to have Psychic treatment ritually which is physically draining , and preventing him from devoting time to his work.
Phew. So that is my Inquisitors fluff. I will, over the next few days, post the fluff for the two other members of his band (a Magos and his Praetorian), along with my fairly shabba concept sketches (unlike SD I can draw ) along with my character sheets and when the parts arrive I will post pictures of Valkyr once I have finished making him and then again after I have finished painting him. Then, I will continue to update this thread as the cpaign develops and give you some mini battle reports and keep you up to date with how Valkyr develops.
Ras
Last edited by Rasputinii on Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:06 pm, edited 3 times in total.
So, justa brief few word to explain what is going on. In all you can see the same basics. The big ornate Power Armour with fur cloak draped over the shoulders. You will also notice the hat being that of the Vostroyan troopers, suggesting he still maintains some links with his pre-inquisitor past.
The first sketch he is armed like a Grey Knight. He has a Power Halberd (blade of canvas) and a built in bolt pistol. He also has extra large hands, that was deliberate, but they aren't meant to be power fists, just orantely huge gloves.
The Second his weaponary changes He is now carrying a shield as a I begun to feel that he needed a shield to really set him off. The only way to then make my Power Glave idea work was to take a Adeptus Custodius route and make his glave look more glancey and mount the Bolt Pistol at the end with the blade (again off picture).
With the third I had decided that I wanted to keep the idea of a shield. I really like that look, but no the shield I had in the second one. Additionally I wasn't too keen on the weapon, it was too un-Inquisitory. So I had a choice between Axe, Hammer and Sword. I don't like axes so that was out and he didn't seem to quite fit with a sword, so I went with my favourite weapon, a nice big hammer . This created problems with the Bolt Pistol, so I have becided to give it a MIU linked shoulder mount feel (although it is badly drawn). This final concept is how the model will look, although I prefer the proportions of the first concept, so think the first one with the last ones armour, and a reshaped shield, thats one isn't quite right.
So thats how he is gonna look. Next thing to post is the gangs fluff and then character sheets....
RasputinII wrote:With the third I had decided that I wanted to keep the idea of a shield. I really like that look, but no the shield I had in the second one. Additionally I wasn't too keen on the weapon, it was too un-Inquisitory. So I had a choice between Axe, Hammer and Sword. I don't like axes so that was out and he didn't seem to quite fit with a sword, so I went with my favourite weapon, a nice big hammer . This created problems with the Bolt Pistol, so I have becided to give it a MIU linked shoulder mount feel (although it is badly drawn). This final concept is how the model will look, although I prefer the proportions of the first concept, so think the first one with the last ones armour, and a reshaped shield, thats one isn't quite right.
Definately go with the Hammer, big Hammers are nice . Plus I'm sure they work even better when the guy weilding it is actually wearing Power Armour (stupid robes don't stop bolter shots).
This is all looking pretty good Ras, definately keep this campaign updated, sounds like it's going to be a good one.
Ok, well to break with my plan here is our setting. The following huge background piece was done By Lord Chilipepa, whome some of you will know from the Arena of Rezephua and Warhammer Palace. Any way, Chili is my mate and our GM, so I thought I would share his words on our setting:
The Coreolis Sub-Sector
The Coreolis Sub-Sector lies in the Halo Zones, on the north-eastern fringe of the Imperium: centred around the giant, dying star Eta Carinae, for fifty years the majority of it had been lost to Imperial influence under the shadow of Warpstorm Asmodai. Ten years ago, however, the warpstorm began to recede, drying up into pockets of still-dangerous space: as Imperial communication began to reach the planets within it once more, it was realised that the majority of the systems that once lay under Imperial control had fallen to the arch-enemy, with ferocious fighting still going on in the edge systems, nearer to the centres of Imperial rule.
At this time, the 13th Black Crusade was anticipated but essentially an unknown – the Lords of Terra proclaimed that the sub-sector had to be recaptured, as the loyal citizens of Coreolis could not be left to perish, and more importantly, the vast resources of the sub-sector, thought to be lost, now stood open to be reclaimed. Over fifty Imperial Guard regiments were mobilised, and the Ultima Segmentum Navy pulled back many of its ships and crews in the Damocles Gulf in order to muster a large enough force for the recapture of the sub-sector. Fierce politicking surrounded the initiation of the war effort, with Imperial highborns vying for various commands and honours – after almost a year of prodigious effort by the Administratum in both Ultima and Solar, the Coreolis Crusade was set in motion, under the command of Lord General Beltane, who had been re-routed from a position under Macaroth in the Sabbat worlds. Bringing with him over a decade of experience fighting the arch-enemy over a much larger battlefield and against a far more coherent and organised enemy, he was expected to return the Pax Imperialis to the region within a year or two, fighting a blitzkrieg war against a scattered and ill-disciplined foe.
It has been nine years, and still the sub-sector is consumed by war…
Star Systems
Sanctus Benedict
The Sanctus Benedict system, usually known as the Sanctus system, is centred around the shrine-world of Benedict IV, in the Benedict Binary solar system. It consists of four solar systems, and five habitable worlds.
Benedict IV: A Terra-grade habitable planet, where Saint Benedict is said to have lived. A visionary who led the Coreolis System into willing subservience to the Imperium during the Great Crusade, the capital of the star system is the holy city of his birth, Gulcazandra. The world is wealthy, but its devotion to Ecclesiarchy purposes makes it of little military value, as mass pilgrimages and church-centred town dominate the settled surface of the planet. The Crusade arrived before the forces of Chaos could take an interest in it, and as such the planet has been spared the worst of the war. The binary stars it orbits cause the summers to be almost unbearably hot in the southern hemisphere, and the winters to be excessively cold in the northern hemisphere, resulting in a landscape that is for the most part barren and populated with hardy, stunted native life-forms: buildings in the cities are heavily insulated, with temperature control systems being one of the premier status symbols on the planet.
Benedict VII: A poor sister to IV, Benedict IV is a small, rocky, cold world in the outer reaches of the Benedict Binary system, far enough away from the twin stars that revolve at its heart to avoid the worst problems caused by their eccentric orbits, but at the same time too far away for unsupported human life. Just as IV has been colonised by the Ecclesiarchy, so VII has been commandeered by the Administratum: compressed dome-settlements stud the northern hemisphere, using the tilt of the planet’s axis to maximise the heat and light they receive through the solar receptors that layer the dwarf cities’ protective shells. A drab landscape of dust and ice, it is the utilitarian heart of the Imperial sub-sector, processing the vast amount of information produced across Coreolis and relaying it back and forth between the sub-sector and Ultima Segmentum Administratum headquarters. It has recently become the communications hub for the crusade, through which the war effort is being co-ordinated – its population of bureaucrats and civil servants have been worked almost to death trying to maintain the complex command structure of the Crusade, transferring orders and co-ordinating the movement of ships and regiments from on high.
Ephebe: A small world orbiting a Solar-grade star at a reasonably short orbital radius, Ephebe was thought to be one of the most beautiful worlds that Coreolis had to offer, covered for the most part in blue seas, airy islands and small city-states: the world was too small and sparse in land-mass to be of any major industrial or military function, and so its inhabitants were mainly left to live in peace. However, when Asmodai retreated, it was found the states of Ephebe had joined together to oppose the threat of invasion: fifty-one years removed from any Imperial contact, they opposed the loss of their independence to Imperial rule as strongly as they had opposed that to the arch-enemy, hoping that the Crusade’s lack of time in which to deal with the Chaos threat would allow them to make a deal which would retain their privileged status. Initially, there seemed to be an indication that this would be allowed – however, after an incident involving the shooting down of an Imperial commander’s cutter, the Murduck, the world was attacked with the full force of the newborn Crusade. The defence was determined, and their knowledge of their home territory allowed them to make a surprisingly bloody fight of it – realising they could not make a clean capture of Ephebe without unacceptable loss in force, Crusade Command authorised the orbital shelling of the planet’s major cities, moving in after the rain of fire had ended and emplacing Imperial authority once more over the rubble. Now the islands of Ephebe are scarred with gigantic craters, several ruined cities still standing empty as a testament to the dangers of recidivism.
Hagil: Hagil is a small world, for the most part temperate in climate, and with many small, scattered oceans amidst connected landmasses – its inhabitants are often called “lakelanders” for the geography of their home planet. 2nd, 3rd and 5th Hagil Lakelanders are among the Guard regiments fighting in the Coreolis crusade, and the planet, despite its strategic unimportance, has a long history of martial pride and contribution to the Emperor’s armies. Their long-standing rivalry with the rich off-worlders of Ephebe has now become downright hostility, as many Hagil are convinced that the cause of the attack on Ephebe was a willing conversion to the Ruinous Powers by the Ephebians: the 3rd were reduced to below half their numerical strength in the island-fighting, and the casualties sustained are bitterly remembered.
Promeus: Promeus is a heavily urbanised planet, although it is not economically strong enough to construct hives as yet – the trade-hub of the Sanctus system, it is effectively the stock market of Coreolis, dominated by the Rogue Trader and Guilder elite who effectively own the world. The majority of the population live drab, standard-pattern lives in drab, standard-pattern habs, and those who are familiar with other worlds often find the atmosphere of consumerist standardisation on Promeus crushingly oppressive: however, the inhabitants of the planet seem not to mind, or at least not to care very much, and continue providing markets and workforces for their plutocratic leaders.
Kottmark
Along with Sanctus Benedict, Kottmark was one of the paired launching-points of the Coreolis crusade, lying closest to Imperial-controlled space, and as with Sanctus, with most of its worlds still under Imperial rule. It consists of six habitable worlds in four solar systems.
Kottsberg: A rocky planet of approximately 1.5 Terra masses, Kottsberg’s sun is a dwarf compared to Sol: the planet orbits closer than Earth to its parent, and yet even at the equator only coniferous trees, mosses and lichens grow in any great abundance, while the polar ice caps spread across a great deal of the planet’s surface to the north and south. Despite this, it is heavily populated and economically powerful: large sections of the poles have been tapped for promethium and mineral resources, and the large population have a reputation for being efficient and industrious, as well as proud of their world’s status and power. It is the father of 40 Kottsberger regiments, and its hereditary ruling caste are wealthy enough to equip their regiments well, earning their reputation as heavy infantry with large Storm Trooper corps and mass-produced, high-quality arms and armour from their home world. Of these, seven Kottsberger regiments (the 12th, 17th, 28th, 32nd, 35th, 37th and 40th) are engaged in the fighting for the sub-sector.
Pseudopolis: Pseudopolis is not a naturally habitable world: orbiting a red giant at a minimal orbital separation, its surface is constantly irradiated and baked with heat beyond any tolerance for complex life. However, it is also one of the most mineral-rich planets in the sector, supplying adamantium, gold, iron and tin on a vast scale through enclosed, temperature-controlled mining towns that stud its surface like tiny grey boils: the sealing mechanisms were destroyed by the miners when the Chaos attacks began and the inhabitants were forced to flee the towns, and have only recently been repaired, workers being shipped in from Kottsberg, Vellas and the penal regiments to operate the mines and fuel the progress of the Crusade.
Mendicant I: One of two planets in the Mendicant solar system, Mendicant I’s main purpose is transport and communications: scarcely bigger than Luna, its few towns and cities are essentially gigantic ports, forming the gate of trade through which the riches of Pseudopolis and Kottsberg flow. Few people who do not have to actually live on Mendicant I, the permanent population mainly composed of Mechanicus adepts and dock workers. The Navis Nobilite have restored their presence on the planet in the wake of the Crusade, as have the Astropaths: Mendicant I is the prime relay point for messages to Benedict VII, as well as the premier location to have a message sent or a ship chartered without being noticed – the Rogue Traders are known to have strong bases in the stations on the less developed eastern side of the planet (which, due to an orbital eccentricity, does not revolve on its axis), and the Guilders have a strong controlling hand in the traffic of the main docks, keeping in contact with their brothers on Promeus and in the Arlus system using the Astropathic enclave.
Mendicant II: Larger and more pleasant than I, Mendicant II is an old planet with a history dating back to before the Great Crusade – founded by colonists looking to shut themselves off from the troubles of the human race at large, it has retained its insular outlook, very much concerned with its own internal politics and offering no real reaction to the threat of Chaotic invasion until the Crusade arrived. The relatively recent construction of Mendicant I, supplanting II in importance, and the demands of the Crusade have fostered great resentment in the Mendicant elite, who had never previously had to conform to Imperial standards or a united “war effort” – as such, the eye of the Inquisition is on this planet as a potential hotbed for heresy and recidivism. It is thought that the orbital shelling of Ephebe was due to worrying reports filtering back from Mendicant II – while Ephebe as a planet was strategically insignificant, the Mendicant system sits at the centre of the Imperial space lanes into the heart of the sub-sector, making it crucial to the success of the crusade.
Vellas IV: A colonised world from back before the Age of Apostasy, Vellas IV resisted Chaotic incursion for forty years, after the centre of the sub-sector fell. When the Crusade finally arrived, they found the planet scarred but alive, its inhabitants rejoicing at the relief that forced their attackers to relent – separated from the True Imperium for so long, their technology and social structure had become somewhat adulterated, with no Cult Mechanicus presence on their planet and their communications severed by the strength of Warpstorm Asmodai. Currently, IV is being used as a staging-point for the next stage in the Crusade, the growing Guard presence on the planet almost trebling its decimated population – the natives have taken joyfully to the restoral of doctrinally correct Imperial authority, and in turn have been praised by High Command for their zeal and loyalty in the years of isolation. Their factories have been turned towards the making of ammunition and tanks, and the PDF regiments that fought in the defence of their homeworld have been inducted into the Guard for their valour: the whole population is keen to see the arch-enemy punished for its transgressions on their soil.
Kolitas: Vellas’ IV’s only moon, Kolitas was the home of the Cult Mechanicus in the system, and was utterly scoured of life by the chaotic forces during the planet’s invasion. Now defaced with the craters of orbital bombardment, its small, sealed settlements nothing more than rubble, life has begun to creep back onto Kolitas, in the form of black marketers and Rogue Traders from off-world. Reaver’s Rock, as it has become known, has become the base for their activities: a tiny, sealed shanty-town on a plateau on the far side of the satellite, it has been constructed solely from the ill-gotten wealth of its dangerously semi-legal founders. Coming mostly from Mendicant I and further reaches of the sub-sector, they have followed the Guard regiments in the knowledge that military equipment will sell well to the impoverished citizens further out in the Carinae nebula, and that local alcohol, drugs, and various other goods, will sell well to the Guard themselves.
Arlus
Named for the general who, during the Age of Apostasy, won the Arlus system back from the forces of Goge Vandire, the Arlus solar systems are some of the most valuable in the sub-sector, and were the first that the crusade struck for, pincering the system with forces moving in simultaneously from Sanctus and Kottsmark. The subjugation of the Chaos-held worlds took a bloody fourteen months, and cost tens of thousands of Guardsmen’s lives. The system consists of three solar systems, and four inhabited planets.
Boreas: A Hive World of the first order, Boreas fell in the late days of Coreolis’ isolation, the expanding Chaos forces overcoming its planetary defences and slaughtering the loyalist resistance in months of bloody, close-up fighting within the confines of the hives as insurgent elements rose from the lower levels, having waited for their signal to attack. Boreas and Hyrkan were the first major reconquests of the Crusade: their overlords crushed, the people of Coreolis have flocked back to the crater-pocked hives, eager for the chance to rise through the ranks of society there as the slaughtered aristocracy are slowly replaced. No replacement as yet has been found for the High Custodian, the former ruling rank, and as a result both lawlessness in the lower hive and politicking in the upper hive have soared, with the Guilders tightening their choke-holds on many areas of life in the absence of strong, personally administered Imperial law. Indeed, the only part of Boreas that is still working effectively in the wake of its liberation is its industry – under the direct supervision of Crusade command, the still-vast masses of workers housed on Boreas have been put to work yet again, hardly allowed respite after some years of slave labour under their former masters. As with the people of Vellas, however, they now feel motivated in their toil: the vast factories and production engines of their planet are the premier source of supply for the Crusade’s mechanised regiments, as well as producing the mountains of ammunition needed to fuel the Guard advance. The gangers skirmish and the fat nobles backstab, but in the heart of the hives, the great wheels of industry grind inexorably on, driven by the sweat of millions of citizens.
Hyrkan Prime: The former capital of the sub-sector, Hyrkan Prime is still the seat of political rulership now that it has been reclaimed by the crusade, although with half of Coreolis still in enemy hands, its official status is no longer mentioned. An old planet, its inhabitants fought to the last against Chaotic incursion alongside their brothers in Boreas when the wave reached them, but they were outnumbered and outfought, employing the same proudly unbending and traditional stratagems that they had used for thousands of years before against a fully modernised enemy. When the Crusade arrived, the ruling elite of Coreolis had been toppled, their cities conquered and their palaces burnt: files of crucified soldiers lined the avenues to the burning towns, and the forces of Chaos were heavily entrenched at every turn.
It was on Hyrkan Prime that the short-lived hope for the Crusade was born, and after Hyrkan that the unrealistic expectations for Dravere were fostered – following on from the capture of Boreas, Crusade forces struck first from Sanctus and then from the captured hive-world, systematically recapturing the cities and strongpoints of the brutalised world in a series of pitched battles that the arch-enemy foolishly committed to until, within three months and far too many self-congratulatory victory speeches, the planet was in their hands again. The cities have been razed or rebuilt, the bodies buried or burnt, and the landscape has healed to a degree – Crusade Command have taken over Hyrkan as their base of operations, using its central position between Benedict VII and Mendicant I to optimum effect, and have effectively supplanted the old semi-monarchical Hyrkanites as the rulers of Coreolis. The population of the planet, particularly its sprawling aristocracy, have mixed feelings towards this turn of events – on the one hand, they have undoubtedly been liberated from certain hell and damnation, and their planet’s prestige has been restored to a degree, but on the other, their rulers have been usurped by off-worlder tacticians and bureaucrats, the generals themselves showing very little interest now that Hyrkan is safely in Imperial hands. Furthermore, the power of the Arlus system itself has been shattered, centuries of entente and diplomacy between the three major systems overturned by the indiscriminate slaughter of the ruling castes – Kottmark and Sanctus now look set to rival if not surpass Arlus in political and economic clout, and as the leading world of Arlus, Hyrkan’s status as top planetary dog is severely in question. The Hyrkans have always been insufferably proud, and this turn of events pains them greatly.
Hyrkan Secundus: Hyrkan Prime was the seat of rulership in Arlus, a planet proud and upstanding in its traditions and its military strength: in its unassuming neighbour of Secundus, it found the strength to feed those armies and uphold those traditions, and thus to assert its dominance over the far more populous Boreas and the more industrious Dravere. Colonised by the same aristo-led settlers who colonised Prime, Secundus is an agri-world, smaller both in mass and in population than its dominant sister, but nevertheless highly significant in the geography of political power and military strategy. When the forces of Chaos descended upon Hyrkan, it was Secundus they seized first, strangling the supply of food to Prime – the two planets’ relationship has always been symbiotic, and without the supplies from Secundus, thousands starved. Now Hyrkan rule is nominally restored, but the Prime-born nobles who used to rule the planet have been partially usurped by Administratum officials, streamlining old practices, mechanising the workforce and generally re-routing the planet’s edible wealth into the stores of the war effort. Dangerous workers’ movements have sprung up in response to this, railing against the slave-labour conditions that are developing in the pursuit of the Crusade, and the nobility themselves have been quietly seething for some time.
Dravere: If the glories on Hyrkan were the birth of the Coreolis’ Crusades high ambitions, Dravere was where they died. Hot on the heels of the reconquests of the other two Arlus systems, the Imperial armies drove at Dravere with enthusiasm and vigour, hoping to recapture the vital forge-world as quickly as possible. The same strategies as had been employed on Hyrkan were wheeled out once more, but this time, the Chaotic forces seemed better prepared, some guiding hand that had been unseen on Hyrkan co-ordinating their defence and maintaining a level-headed strategy, where on Hyrkan and Boreas they had made great errors of judgement in fighting their numerically superior attackers: the unseen Chaotic command that had been operating deeper in-sector had finally responded to the Imperial threat, and was fighting back hard. Intended to be a blitzkrieg assault, the attack on Dravere degenerated into a muddy, blood-soaked stalemate, blips in the command chain causing the escalation of trench stalemates across the equator and aborted assaults in attempts to outflank the heretic fortifications to the north and south, all ending in abysmal failure and mass casualties in the extreme cold and often deadly pollution conditions of the large polar regions. After the pressure of bodies on their exterior lines grew too great, the Chaos forces withdrew from their outer defences, only to fight a vicious guerrilla war within the foundries and factories themselves, retreating one step at a time and destroying what they could not hold. The war took almost a year, and in that time it is estimated the Chaos defence forces killed three times as many Guardsmen as they themselves lost, and destroyed Mechanicus and Imperial property from before their occupation many millions of times that value again. Dravere is recovering, but the Mechanicus are returning only slowly, and it is estimated that it will be at least another five years before Dravere can even rival the output of Boreas and Kottberg, let alone rise to the dizzy heights of efficient industry it occupied before its fall. To this day, the command chain that allowed such an effective defence to be fought on the side of the arch-enemy has not been discovered, and a great deal of the Chaos troops that fought in the planet’s defence have not been accounted for, thought to have been pulled out by some unknown means when it became clear that the planet was lost, and they had done as much as they could to sabotage their enemies’ prize. It is estimated that the debacle on Dravere may have set the campaign effort back some five years, consuming four entire Guard regiments and decimating at least half a dozen more – the damage will have been even worse, if, as Administratum tacticians theorise, the Chaos forces in the sub-sector have used the delay to summon reinforcements under the dying cover of Asmodai.
Palatine
The Palatine system is the beating heart of the sub-sector: one of the largest star-systems in the Segmentum Obscurus, it contains six solar systems and a colossal nine inhabited worlds, including the mining station of Sanguinus’ Belt. Unfortunately, the heart has been beating none too well: currently, five of those systems and eight of those worlds lie in the hands of the arch-enemy.
Gethmur: So far the only planet to have fallen into the hands of the Crusade, Gethmur was obtained with surprisingly acceptable losses after the debacle on Dravere: it seemed the heretic forces did not value the world highly enough to make a concerted attack, and quickly withdrew to Palant before Imperial reinforcements could cut off their avenues of retreat. The population have welcomed the return of Imperial rule with reasonably open arms, and have begun to rebuilding of their cities as the invasion forces mobilise around them for the next stage of the advance: the Inquisition and the Commissariate, however, have great doubts about Lord Beltane’s decision to restore the local planetary government – there have been endemically spreading reports of enemy cells found intact and sheltered in the sub-strata of Gethmur society, as well as worrying accusations of heresy aimed at the Stellar Church, a long-standing institution on Gethmur that has always been thought to be a harmless variant of the galaxy-wide Solar Cult. Local traditions do certainly flirt with unorthodoxy, but not to any worrying degree: the complaints of the dogmatists have so far been ignored, and further troops from Arlus stationed on Gethmur for the next grand push.
Palant: Palant has been occupying the dreams and nightmares of the Imperial generals and tacticians of late – the next logical step in the reclamation of Palatine, it is the only safe gate to Chellen, the hub of the star system, as well as being phenomenally rich in resources: mined and cored for millennia before the descent of Asmodai, the surface of the planet is blanketed an utterly toxic layer of boiling cloud pollutants, vapour mills and chemical extraction facilities built on the spires of dead hives and the peaks of mountains that protrude through the churning vapours like islands in a poisonous sea still sucking the lifeblood from the phenomenally valuable planet. It is thought that the relentless promethium refineries on Palant fuel the majority of the heretic resistance’s armoured units and ships, converting what is now the intensive slave labour of its tiny population into the power of a heretic empire. The Chaos forces which initially seemed disparate and disjointed have proved to be a remarkably cohesive whole, under the command of several notorious heretic commanders, all of whom seem agreed on their shared and devastatingly effective use of the industrial planet – Palant must be seized, both to put a stop to the heretic superiority of resources and to provide vital materials for the unexpectedly protracted Imperial war effort. The forces swelling on Gethmur and Vellas are preparing for this very move, and it is undoubtedly around Palant that the next chapter in the story of the Crusade will unfold.
Chellen I: At the heart of Palatine, the Chellen system controls the Warp routes to every planet in the star system, making the two planets it contains strategically vital. A wealthy planet of wealthy people, Chellen I was dominated by the Chelli dynasty before its fall, the descendants of the original colonist rulers: though technically elected, Chellis had ruled Chellen for over a thousand years, giving their name to the planet and investing it with a rich cultural and martial tradition. Several Chellen regiments are still in Guard service, although none of them are taking part in the Crusade.
Chellen has been in heretic hands for over thirty years, its ruling caste exterminated, its population rounded up into camps and put to work fuelling the great military machine of the arch-enemy. Very little is known about conditions on Chellen itself, but it is known that the heretic navy, as far as it exists, operates mainly around this planet, fighting a cunning war against the technologically and numerically superior but locally ignorant and cumbersome Imperial fleet: the Carinae nebula offers great opportunity for the Chaotic vessels to operate at will, impossible to hunt out and destroy with simple force. It is also thought to be the centre of Chaotic command for the sub-sector, with rumours abounding of the presence of the individual known only as Sathorael, thought to be the uniting commander that coordinated the defence of Dravere from afar and has made the Imperial advances so painfully costly in lives. The fleet Psykers under Beltane have prophesied that Chellen is where the fate of Coreolis will hang by a thread, and that a great darkness awaits the Crusade there: however, in the conditions brought about by the still-present, if ever-shrinking Warpstorm, such vague pronouncements are not to be trusted, more likely to be the promptings of daemons than the light of truth.
Chellen II: In many ways, before its fall, Chellen was Hyrkan’s biggest rival – in the same way as the Hyrkans maintained their agricultural sister-planet, so the Chellens too colonised a symbiote, the nearby planetoid of Chellen II. Barely habitable, Chellen II is a dusty rock with minimal atmospheric cover, maintained by hardy xenos strains of vegetation that photosynthesise the light of the system’s old, red sun at an immensely efficient rate – it has no substantial mineral or agricultural wealth, and is too barren to support any significant industrial population. However, it has been converted into a vitally significant space-port, now the heretical rival of Mendicant I: materials from Chellen I, Palant and Sanguinus’ Belt are shipped en masse to the orbital construction docks, where the fleets of the arch-enemy are rearmed, refuelled and repaired, while their command operates out of Chellen I. Every Imperial plan for the assault on Chellen involves the preliminary torpedo bombardment of Chellen II, in an attempt to cripple the enemy space defence: however, the orbital defences of both planets were decidedly formidable when under Imperial rule, and it likely that the heretics have repaired and expanded them since the arrival of the Coreolis Crusade. As Lord General Beltane himself infamously said in a supposedly confidential discussion: “Chellen is going to be a tough nut to crack. Thankfully, if it doesn’t crack the first time round, we’ll only have the Navy boys to blame.”
There are rumours of Dark Mechanicus presence on Chellen II, although they have so far been impossible to substantiate one way or the other: if they are true, however, then they may indicate that Sathorael’s war has a greater significance to Abaddon and their ruinous masters than Crusade Command would be comfortable fighting against.
Soriel: A planet of approximately two Terran masses, Soriel orbits its shrunken, red sun in a close circle, soaking up a great deal of the puny heat and light put out by the guttering orb and trapping in its thick, humid atmosphere. As a result, the bloated planet has a climate like a great greenhouse, its huge continents blanketed with jungles and scrubland that trap the precious light and heat of its twilight star and lock its energy into the precariously balanced biosphere. It has resisted all but the most rudimentary colonisation, the continual gloom and the stifling humidity that prevails even to the poles enough to drive most humans stir-crazy – as are the many insidious life-forms that infest its great jungles, for the most part dwarfish and pale, but nevertheless harbouring a variety of toxins, diseases and parasites that make unprotected trespass in the central jungles unreasonably deadly.
Nevertheless, the Imperial colonists who settled Coreolis did land on Soriel, and at either pole, there are contained habitations that resemble something closer to military-standard bunkers than civilian buildings – for seventy years before the descent of Asmodai, the Soriel bases had been the property of the Adeptus Mechanicus. With the coming of the invasion, the north pole base was abandoned, its Explorators destroying what they could not take with them – the adepts on the southern pole, however, refused to be evacuated, apparently having discovered something of great importance in the southern hemispheric jungles. When Explorator-in-Chief Gideon Hark ordered their forced evacuation, he was overruled by Inquisitor Formont of the Ordo Xenos, although Formont’s reasons were never revealed: the Inquisitor was taking passage on the frigate Bluespur to Chellen when Asmodai erupted, and the ship is presumed lost in the Empyrean. No communication has been made with the base on Soriel either, although the remnants of Asmodai still rage around the planet, making both travel to Soriel and Astropathic communication near-impossible – with the words to every side fallen to the arch-enemy, Soriel is now presumed to be in the hands of the heretic forces.
Sanguinus’ Belt: Sanguinus’ Belt is not, in fact, a planet: rather, it is situated in a lifeless solar system, a vast, silent ellipse of asteroid debris, gaining its name from the iron ore that makes it red as a bloodstain against the blackness of space. For a hundred years before the fall, the Belt provided minerals on a vast scale to the planets of the Palatine system, with many of the meteorites that now drift in the belt bored dry or the fragments of older rocks that were entirely consumed by the march of the miners. Pre-fabricated, sealed and pressurised mining stations exist on seven of the largest asteroids, centred around Oberon Base on the largest of the floating rocks. When in Imperial hands, the bases put out thousands of tonnes of ore every day, shipping their produce to Chellen II and the foundries on Dravere: now, under the whip of the arch-enemy, it is estimated that the slave-labour of the captive miners and workers shipped in from off-world may be producing up to three times as much.
Smale: A small, unimportant planet, Smale is for the most part desert, orbiting too close to its star for human comfort – scrubby, dusty ecosystems cling to life to the north and south, with the majority of its native life-forms nocturnal in order to avoid the worst of the sun’s heat. It is thought that Smale was once a far more verdant world, before its star expanded to its current size: the vast majority of the land surface is now an arid wasteland, however, the seas having shrunk and become intolerably saline with the decrease in volume. Always carrying an uncomfortably high incidence of mutation and a reputation for lax law, Smalites had a poor reputation when the planet was still in Imperial hands, mostly making their living in the production of salt to be shipped off-world or the subterranean algae farming that sustained most of their population: the governorship of Smale was seen as an almost undesirable sinecure, to be tossed to some hard-working servant of the Imperium who had a day job as well. As a result, the planet was a haven for criminals and mutants, knowing that the eye of the Emperor was none too watchful in the underground hab-blocks.
What has happened to it now is unknown: it may have been bypassed entirely by the heretic forces, although if Sanguinus’ Belt is fallen, that seems unlikely. Separated from Crusade Command on Hyrkan by a vast expanse of warp-disrupted space, no communications can be sent to or received from Smale, and no reconnaissance missions have managed to penetrate so deeply into enemy-held space.
Kalheim Tertia: Horror stories of Kalheim Tertia are told by those refugees that have managed to escape into recaptured Imperial space: that the once-prosperous hive world has been turned into shattered wasteland, its already polluted surface shelled and poisoned beyond recognition by the heretic assault – to step in the open air is instant death from the host of tailored pathogens and toxins that lace the burning air. Most of the grand spires stand empty and broken, the corpses of their defenders left to rot in their labyrinthine interiors– the meatgrinder of the vicious cityfight that erupted between the loyalists and the invaders left so few alive that only a few of the great dagger-cities remain populated, brutal overseers wringing the last dregs of life from their captives as the chipped and fractured wheels of Kalheim’s once monumental industry grind slowly round. Once the a target of the Crusade’s push, the reports filtering back from enemy space have forced Crusade Command to re-evaluate their strategy: it seems that Tertia is now the skeleton of a world, all that made it great and valuable, even the lives of its citizens, set to the flame by the arch-enemy. Why the forces of Chaos would willingly ruin such a prize when Tertia could have been starved into submission is beyond the minds of the Command tacticians, and is commonly touted as an example of the heretic forces insane zeal, more willing to burn the wealth of the Imperium in impatience than take it for themselves.
Kalheim Tetra: Known as the pleasure gardens of Palatine, Kalheim Tetra was the planet of the star system’s elite: within six hours’ inter-planetary journey of the vital hives of Tertia, it was where the rulers of Chellen came to relax, as well as to meet the dignitaries of the other star-systems – known for the beauty of its landscape, it orbits the Kalheim star in a highly elliptical orbit, making it only suitable for habitation twice every 4.5 standard years, when it is bathed in brilliant sunlight, and its deep-frozen ecosystem comes into full bloom. This time was known as the trade season across Palatine, when the richest of the traders and merchant houses flocked to Tetra in order to make the most profitable deals, as well as enjoy the company of their economic peers – while in deep orbit, the chamberlains of the leisure planet for the most part entered suspended animation under the guard of a small number who would remain awake through the Freeze, as it was known, managing the cryostasis facilities in enclosed domes on the equator.
No news has come back as to the fate of Tetra, but if the fate of Tertia is anything to go by, its inhabitants have probably been slaughtered or shipped off to the work-pits on Tertia and Sanguinus’ Belt – the pleasure-world can hold no value to the arch-enemy.
Enobarbus
For the last five years, the Enobarbus star system has been the major theatre of war in Coreolis: consolidating on the firsts conquests in Arlus, Beltane moved his troops to protect the valuable star system’s flank, having to establish a viable defence against the heretic forces on the far eastern wing of the sub-sector before he could make his move on the Palatine. With two of the three systems in Imperial hands, and forces massing on Gethmur and Vellas for the first stages of the attack on Palatine, it seems that the Enobarbus system’s importance in the eyes of Crusade Command is soon to be eclipsed: however, the system is far from won, and has remained in a state of bloody deadlock for over two years.
Agricola: Agricola was the first planet in the system that the Imperial forces attacked following the bloody conquest of Dravere: the delay that had been won by Chaos on that planet had bought the heretics on Agricola time to dig in and reinforce, and when the assault came, it took over a year to subdue the traitor defences. The cities of Domitian and Crassus were flattened by the artillery exchanges, and much of the productive farmland razed beyond repair in the savage infantry battles that consumed every continent. In the end, however, the heretics were wiped out, forced out of their last settled strongholds and then annihilated from orbit: it is estimated that, having learnt from the debacle on Dravere, the Crusade forces may have killed upwards of four million of the arch-enemy’s foot soldiers in the war on Agricola, an effective Navy cordon preventing any escape for the heretics.
Prior to its capture by the enemy, Agricola was a wealthy, productive world, running on a two-class system: the wealthy upper and middle classes making a living from trade and the handling money in opulent, clean cities on the shores of Agricola’s broad oceans, while the planet’s unusually large caste of mutants and down-at-heel human labourers worked vast grain fields inland, small workforces with large machines overseen remotely and producing millions of tons of foodstuffs for interplanetary export every month, shipped out from the orbital port of Caligula. On the arrival of Chaos, many of the degenerated or disaffected farm workers joined sides with the invaders, motivated by promises of equality and the overthrow of oppression from the heretic general in charge, known to his subordinates as Azrael Moritor, but going by the title of “The Voice” to his followers planetside. Many of the middle classes too showed their true colours, decadent cults arising within the rich cities and crippling the planet’s defences before they could even land a shot on the descending drop ships. In the wake of the reconquest, it has been nearly impossible to tell unwilling slave from turncoat heretic, and as a result harsh purges have been conducted of the ruling and the working classes, almost all those who held positions of power - however minor - under Moritor, or who showed any taint of mutation being put to the death, despite all protestations of coercion and innocence: the risk was considered too great. With a governor imported from Hyrkan and an extremely heavy military and Arbites presence, Agricola is now being carefully watched – the full cleansing of the system must wait until after all of Enobarbus is secured, but for now the Inquisition must ensure that their main military base in the star system is not still a hotbed of treachery.
Moriana: A dusty, small planet orbiting close to a cooling star, Moriana was settled long before any of its immediate neighbours – there were humans on Moriana when the Great Crusade arrived in Coreolis, and it is their descendants that still live there today, albeit with their numbers sharply curbed by the conflict. Holding the advantage of being strategically unimportant, they held off the Chaotic invaders for some five years after the descent of Asmodai, holding on until at last both Agricola and Phantis fell: with their position to consolidate before they could move on to the Arlus system, the heretic forces under Moritor turned their attention on the thorn in their side, overwhelming the brave defenders in three months’ brutally one-sided conflict. For their pains, the rulers of the planet, along with the Ecclesiarchs of the Stellar Cult that had motivated Frateris Militae to join the fighting, were crucified along the shattered causeways to Moriana’s capital, Citadel Rock: some five thousand bodies, all told. The skeletons still remained when the Imperial relief force arrived, finding a world that had been abandoned by the arch-enemy: while the ancient settlements of Moriana were eminently defensible, the traitor forces seemed to decide the planet was not worth enough to expend effort in its defence, pulling their troops back to bolster the defence of Phantis instead. Their last act of spite was to execute as many of the population as they could lay hands on, gunning down slave-teams at work and setting light to many of the slums and camps in which they had allowed the surviving Morianites to prolong their existence, doing manual labour in quarries and mines. It is estimated that the Administratum and Guard presence currently on the planet is equal to a full third of the surviving population, despite the minimal Imperial forces that have actually been left in its defence: two years after its liberation, bodies are still being found.
Less horrific, but perhaps more worrying, is the possibility that the heretic retreat from Moriana may be more than it seems: there has been furious conflict over the re-establishment of the Stellar Church, with missions from Gethmur arriving to repopulate the ravaged ranks of the clergy: the puritans among Crusade Command have had misgivings as to the reconstruction of the unorthodox form of Emperor-worship, and there are many suspicions that there may still be enemy agents on the planet, masquerading as loyalist citizens. There have been reports of unauthorised activity in the equatorial deserts – to the high-clearance Imperial officials, this is most worrying of all, as Moriana is known to harbour ruins in the high desert, rumoured to be of either Dark Age of Technology or Xenos provenance.
Phantis: The third inhabitable word of the Enobarbus system, Phantis remains in the hands of the heretic forces. Agricola’s immediate neighbour, it is a large world, approximately three times the radius of Terra and many times its mass: famous for its twisting, mountainous continents and immense mineral wealth, it was the father of over a dozen Imperial Guard regiments before its fall.
For the most part, the mountainous interior of Phantis is its only inhabitable land – the planet’s scarce lowlands are inundated with seawater, making them for the greater number worthless marshes. The local fauna are also famously hostile, becoming larger and more dangerous the closer to the planet’s huge oceans one gets. As such, the Phantine settlements are built in the high mountains, enclosed fortress-towns that date back to a history of national warfare: the emphasis on military rigour and endurance that their location imparted on everyday life, as well as the planet-wide economic strength of mining, meant that the Phantine developed a reputation for hardiness unmatched by almost any other planet in the sub-sector. When the invasion came, they clung to their cities with commendable endurance – having tested their defences the once, however, Moritor withdrew his ground assault forces and began a campaign of attrition, the heretic airforce deploying en masse along with mobile artillery units in the lower mountains to drive the Phantine out of their settlements with gas and incendiary bombs. It is thought that of the two regiments of Phantine Guard who were on the planet when it fell, pockets of guerrilla resistance may still remain in the more deeply mountainous regions – however, the settlements themselves are now heavily-fortified heretic strongpoints, repaired and improved by their captors, as well as garrisoned with a far larger force than the Phantines had to defend their world. While the actual location of Moritor’s command is unknown, this is the planet on which he is staking his forces – if the heretic armies lose control of Phantis, then their access to the Dorsay corridor will be lost, and the Imperials will have open access to the Serpentine system, the small worlds of which are likely to fall in quick succession and allow the entirety of the Crusade to focus on the recapture of the Palatine. As such, Lord General Beltane has dispatched a large force to Agricola under the control of General Collan, preparing for a simultaneous attack on Phantis when the assault on Palant begins.
Serpentine
Situated on the far eastern wing of Coreolis, the Serpentine system contains no solar systems of major worth: consisting of the five systems of Aexegen, Gramski, Formoth, Obscuris and Pellucidas Reach, it contains six inhabited worlds, all under heretic control. While Formoth is of some religious significance, the reconquest of Serpentine is likely to be the last item on Crusade Command’s list of priorities – once Phantis is taken, Imperial control of the Dorsay Corridor will be complete, and any possibility of heretic counter-attack from this star system removed.
Aexegen: Settled around the same time as Moriana, the Aexegenarians were never truly brought under Imperial rule: as part of a willing pact of alliance at the time of the Great Crusade, they retained their entirely monarchical system of government, as well as local law enforcement, local military, and local customs: the Ecclesiarchy set up a limited mission on the planet, but was quickly out-competed and assimilated by the local branch of the Stellar Church, which had spread from Moriana. Satisfied that the staunchly traditionalist nations of Aexegen did not pose a threat of heresy, the Inquisition approved the policy of leaving Aexegen alone, not particularly interested in the politics of a distant fringe world. The economically prosperous Aexegenarians agreed to pay their tithes, and that was that.
When the invasion came, however, Aexegen was found woefully unprepared: two of its leading powers, the nations of Balhaut and Fidden, turned to the side of the invaders, enemy drop troops assisting them in a total war against the nations of Old Aexegen as the traitor fleet bypassed Aexegen entirely, making for Phantis and their first major conquests. The traditional military structures of the loyalist nations were woefully unprepared, and their soldiers died in droves in the conflict that followed, thrown away by generals in strategies that were millennia out of date. Nations that had existed for the best part of a millennium were overthrown in the course of six months’ bloody fighting, the heretic forces under their general Gilt Farchaval, a local turncoat, soon holding sway over the whole planet. To this day, no communication has been received from Aexegen, but if the examples of long-held enemy territories encountered so far are anything to go for, the liberation of Aexegen will probably bring with it a heavy burden of horror stories.
Gramski: Founded by the same settlers as landed on Aexegen, Gramski held a long-standing rivalry to that planet – both materially less rich and politically less powerful than its neighbour, the inhabitants of Gramski always resented the Aexegen, and ridiculed their ways. When the Age of Apostasy came, they took sides with Goge Vandire – as a result, their native political structure, previously left to its own devices as in the case of their rival, was stamped out by the vengeful Imperial forces, and the planet made into a domain of Aexegen, to be supervised and controlled by the Aexegenarians – who had firmly proved their loyalty during the war.
It is thought that with the descent of Asmodai and the heretic invasion, the Gramskians may have turned traitor once more, in an opportunity to revenge themselves upon their imported rulers – Gramskian pride has always been infamous, and the emissaries of the arch-enemy in the sector, particularly Moritor (who spearheaded the attack on the eastern wing), are known to be silver-tongued. So far, however, the only reports that have been had from so deep in enemy space have been highly vague, of little factual use: whether Grasmski will merit the deployment of Exterminatus in repayment for its double infidelity will have to wait until these rumours can be confirmed.
Formoth: A dry, tiny planet on the edge of Coreolis, Formont was the birthplace of Saint Jerome: amidst its tiny, agricultural settlements, the young saint was born and raised, before his ascension to the ranks of the travelling Ecclesiarchy. His birthplace had been made a shrine, which the most devout of the Imperial creed made pilgrimages to every year – despite this, Formoth’s out-of-the-way location had ensured it remained a fringe world of the lowest order, its tiny population eking an independent existence out of the soil, paying minimal tithes and having no formal planetary government. They even spoke their own peculiar, archaic form of Low Gothic, having been isolated from the Imperium at large by such a great degree: the world was cited by many as an example of what life must have been like prior to the Great Crusade, humanity struggling, alone and divided, amongst the stars.
The fate that befell Formoth under the hands of Moritor and his ilk is utterly unknown.
Obscuris: Obscuris was described by the famous Rogue Trader Karl Denham as “The most miserable rock in the entire Imperium”, and its inhabitants are not very much inclined to disagree. Shrouded in a thick, near-toxic atmosphere, it orbits its sun, a blue giant, at a colossal orbital separation – it is only its distance from the blazing orb that makes it remotely suitable for life. Populated solely by creatures of the lowest evolutionary order – higher life-forms being prohibited by the extremely low light levels and the toxicity of the air – it was settled by an Ark-ship some four millennia after the first settlers reached Aexegen, Gramski and Moriana, the denizens choosing to stay on their barely inhabitable planet rather than commit to another potential millennia void-bound. They constructed atmospherically-controlled settlements from the parts of their ships, and set to work making something out of nothing: Obscuris’ ice-fields were laced with heavy metals and organic polymers laid down by generations of the planet’s dead organisms, and the laborious tasks of extraction began to provide some small degree of wealth for the Obscurans, while others began farming the planet’s sparse algae and even rarer larger life-forms to provide food that the wasteland they had settled could not possibly otherwise provide.
Obscuris became notorious for mutation, the chemicals in the soil, the food and the air running rampant through the gene pool alongside radiation from its own baleful star: over time, the Obscurans became a hunched, pale people, bitterly resigned to their lot and resentful of their immediate planetary neighbours: by the time they regained contact with the Imperium, the process of genetic degeneration had gone too far for them to leave their planet. Genetic law enforcement had to be brutal in order to stay the hand of the Inquistion, any child who showed the least signs of a major deviation being shot at birth by the planet’s enforcers – government became corrupt and oligarchal as the planet’s inhabitants became cynical and jaded towards concepts of fairness and justice, accepting tyranny as just another injustice placed upon their doorstep. Obscuris became a hotbed of dissidents and criminals, knowing that Obscuris was an insignificant pimple in the eye of Imperial law, somewhere too far from civilisation to be pursued. Unlicenced traders and Xenos blockade-runners used it as a base, and the planet’s government reaped a hefty income from their illegal activities. An Inquisitorial investigation was pending when Asmodai cut Coreolis off – now Crusade Command are beginning to suspect, from various unsubstantiated sources, that Obscuris may have surrendered without a fight. If this is true, then the Obscurans are likely to receive little mercy.
Pellucidas IV: One of the two inhabited planets in the Pellucidas Reach, Pellucidas IV was a small trading planet: extracting iron ores and other minerals from their planet’s crust, the hardy settlers who had landed there ran interplanetary cartels with the agri-workers of Formoth and Pellucidas III. When Imperial contact was established, an Adeptus Mechanicus enclave was set up on IV, strengthening the planet’s tiny monopoly on technology in the eastern wing of the system: shipping in metals from Obscuris, the small Pellucidan population quickly became very wealthy, establishing a small ship-building industry in addition to their mining efforts. The Great Crusade brought both planets in the system, as well as Formoth, into the Imperium, and those first feelers of Imperial contact were amazed to find an established planetary trade cartel between the fringe worlds. This state of affairs continued right up until the loss of Coreolis, to the extent that Pellucidans established a reputation for incredible wealth, made out on the fringes: there was even a brief “gold rush” from Phantis and Agricola, although it quickly died out as the opportunists realised quite how limited the spaces for opportunity were on the fringe planets.
Pellucidas III: Settled in cooperation with IV, Pellucidas III orbits its parent star at a far more comfortable separation than its hot, dusty cousin – it provides the food that fuels both itself and its mining partner, resembling Formoth on a larger, more verdant scale. Never boasting a population large enough to fully subdue the countryside, the agricultural land on Pellucidas III remained largely near the seas, combining with the prosperous planet’s second major industry – the extraction of salt from its highly saline waters. When Obscuris made contact with the Pellucidas cartel, the wealth of the farmers on III rocketed to rival that of the ore-miners and ship-makers on IV: their produce was suddenly in great demand. Pellucidas III may have some day harboured hopes of becoming a fully-fledged agri-world, its rising economic power already rivalling that of Aexegen at the time of the descent of Asmodai: however, it is assumed that both Pellucidas III and IV are now firmly in enemy hands.
Other Notable Features
Eta Carinae
At the heart of the Coreolis sub-sector lies the supergiant star, Eta Carinae. Over a million times the power output of Sol, Eta Carinae is the father of the vast nebula that cloaks most of Coreolis, dating back to a huge stellar explosion in the pre-Imperial past that failed to destroy the titanic star – it is also the progenitor of the Stellar Church, an Imperial cult present on Gethmur, Agricola, Kalheim, Phantis and Moriana, similar in its beliefs to the much more widespread Solar Cult, but instead revering the supergiant as the Emperor. They claim that the explosion that produced the vast clouds of interstellar dust and gas was caused by Horus’ treachery, and that the fluctuations of the star’s stability, including continued minor disturbances and explosions, represent in a highly cryptic and codified form, the Emperor’s will. They have been approved by the Ecclesiarchy as an acceptable variant of Imperial belief.
Eta Carinae also outputs a gigantic amount of radiation, the cause of the unusually high incidence of mutation on Kalheim, Gethmur, Agricola and Dravere, the nearest systems to the star.
The Dorsay Corridor
Thought to date back to the Eldar Empire, the Dorsay Corridor is a stable warp-gate directly between Agricola and Phantis that survived the descent of Asmodai: linking a total of six warp-routes, so far no structures have been discovered responsible for this peculiarly safe corridor of warp-space, which otherwise sits at the heart of Asmodai’s remaining influence. There is some conjecture about the ruins on Moriana, but the planet is generally thought to be too far away from the actual location of the Corridor to be of any real bearing.
Phew. I know its long, in tuth I haven't read it all myself, but I will. If you read that well done, I guess it shows you how comitted to this we all are.
Welcome Inquisitor. So, you wish to learn of Inquisitor Valkyr. One of the least hidden character in the most Holy Inquisition. Give me one moment. Ah yes, Inquisitor Valkyr. I have his file here….
Yes… Inquisitor Valkyr, then Prince Boris Klastoski, was the second son to the Royal Family that ran the planet Vostroya, Born 201.793M When Inquisitor Grey came to the planet to requisition troops to fight a Daemonic cult on a neighbouring planet Valkyr obliged, easing the otherwise difficult relationship between the Tzar and the Inquisitor. In return he asked to be allowed to join the Inquisitor. As his honour stipulated the Inquisitor returned the favour and cautiously let him “tag” along. In the ensuing fight against the Tzeenchain cult, and its Daemonic followers Boris surprised the Inquisitor proving his martial talents and bravery. Boris stayed with the Inquisitor for just under a decade when he was offered admition in to the Inquisition. Needless to say his family weren't too keen on the idea and so he was disowned, leaving him to change his name to Valkyr (which are, in Norse Mythology, winged angel tings that bring death at every turn). So he joined the Ordo Malleus, keen and idealistic (not to mention puritan) he became a daemon hunter with a formidable reputation for martial prowess and valour. Whilst he wasn't the most thoughtful, and studious Inquisitor he was effective in his duties, and for that he was rewarded with a suite of Inquisitorial Power armour, and so he became more effective and so in turn he became more famous for leading operations against the Daemonic forces of chaos, and even beating mighty Daemon princes in single combat. Having slain an entire cult and its Daemonic allies on Mail VI Valkyr was rewarded with the "Lance of St Lethalis". This highly effective and symbolic weapon has remained by the Inquisitors side ever since, destroying innumerable enemies of mankind.
However as time went on Valkyr's attitude changes, partly in response to seeing more and growing older and partly in response to the gradual realization that fighting Daemons was like “trying to hold the sea back from hitting a cliff – entirely futile”. So as the years turned to decades Valkyr fought less, and studied more.
I have slain countless followers of the Chaos Gods, and yet more of their Daemonic servants, yet still more poor forth in to the domain of mankind. It is as if for every one that you kill another two daemons take its place. Such a fight is trying to hold the sea back from hitting a cliff – entirely futile. Whilst it must be done to prevent mankind from being over-run by those that should aim to destroy us, such actions will not ultimately free mankind from the forces of evil. To save mankind something big must be done, something that will change the course of history forever. However I am at a loss as to what needs doing…
+++ End Log +++
+++ Closing File +++
He has spent the last 50 years developing his idealism, and furthering his research. It is suspected that he has become a Thorian, although which faction we cannot be sure, although one should certainly consider the possibility of resurectionism.
When the build up to the 13th Black Crusade began incidences of the Zombie Plague and Obliterator Virus increased around the eye of Terror. Valkyr was one of the few Inquisitors that formed the Ordo Sepultrum just prior to the Crusade. As with the rest of the newly formed Ordo Inquisitor Valkyr took on the dual responsibility of studying and combating the two threats within Sepultrum’s jurisdiction. During the Crusade Valkyr led numerous operations against the Zombie plague hordes, writing copiously about his experiences after each battle. However it was against the Obliterator Cults that Valkyr spent the majority of his time. His battlefield experiences and writings against both the Chaos Legionary and non-Legionary obliterators have come to form the basis of standard operating procedure against such threats.
Valkyr is currently known to be in pursuit of an individual by the name of Nikolai Ivanovitch Lobachevksi. A renegade techpriest believed to be a carrier of the Obliterator Virus. If true this individual would be of tremendous importance to the Ordo’s research. Valkyr boarded the Gothic Class Cruiser, The Emperors Wing, two months ago, headed towards the Coreolis system where he believes Nikolai is headed.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD Speed 89 72 63(75) 65 79 91 89 95 90 5
Equipment: Power Armour on all locations except head. Vostroyan Helmet (armour 4) MIU linked Bolt Pistol (no in game relodes), mounted on a Powerfist Lance of St Lethalis (Anointed Power Halberd)
Valkyr is Left Handed
Special Abilities: Leader Heroic Force of Will Nerves of Steel
[I]Brother Exorcist Vic Oldman – known associate of Inquisitor Valkyr. Vic Oldman was born and abandoned on Port Maw (913.M) and was found and taken in by the Imperial Mission. As he grew older his faith grew stronger. The Missionary he was attached too was impressed, and when Vic reached the age of 13 he would travel around Hive Primus with the Missionary, preaching on the lower levels. As he grew older, his quoted as having said to his master “why do some people not believe?” to which his master replied, “because they have not been shown the light”. Despite the Mission’s warning, on his 18th Birthday Vic journeyed in to the underhive to spread the word of the emperor. He was not prepared for the violence and horrors of the underhive, but rather then give up he toughened up and continued his fight to bring the light of the emperor. When he returned to the upper hive some months later, he was cut, bruised and weary, but he brought with him nearly forty men and women who had seen the light of the emperor and were willing to join the Imperial Cult. When asked how he did it Vic replied: “When words fall short, actions, and violence will ensure the voice of the emperor is heard.”
Vic’s talents as a combat missionary were soon recognised and he was allowed to travel with one of the many Imperial fleets leaving Port Maw. For 10 years he travelled the universe, moving through the outer fringes of Imperial space, converting all he could, and destroying those he couldn’t.
However it was on Thoth where he met Inquisitor Valkyr. Vic was awaiting transport to the fringes of Segmentum Pacificus when Valkyr called for Volunteers to strike down a foul cult within the neighbouring hive. Vic was one of the few to answer his call. However neither man expected the cult to be so sizeable. As Valkyr’s force arrived in Hive Secundus they were shocked to find Cultist and Daemon running amuck through the City. Buildings were on fire and the sounds of screams filled the Hive. As the cleansing operation began Vic fought with a fanatical fury, his devotion vanquishing countless daemons and cultists alike. When all was finally defeated with the arrival of the Grey Knights and several regiments of Imperial Guard Valkyr decided to spare Vic from the Exterminatus. He had been impressed by the missionary’s devotion and commitment, and instead offered him a position in his Warband. Vic gladly accepted the position. As he saw the potential work he could do by the side of an Inquisitor. Since then Vic has remained by the side of Inquisitor Valkyr, battling foul Daemons, and more recently those with the Zombie Plague and Obliterator Virus with a Zealous fury. Indeed Vic’s daemon hunting abilities have earned him the title: “Brother Exorcist”.
Valkyr and Vic have become firm friends over the forty or so years they have known each other. Vic’s faith remains as strong as it ever was, although his fanaticism has tempered to meet Valkyr’s requirements. Whilst the two don’t always see eye to eye they have a healthy and mutual respect for each other, which explains the longevity of their patnership.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD Speed 68 63 57 58 52 74 63 81 77 4
Vic is Right Handed
Equipment: Pentagramic Wards Average Bionic Left Leg Blade of Admonition Pump Action Combat Shotgun (16 Sanctified Inferno Shells) Average Bionic Left Leg
Special Abilities: Nerves of Steel Word of the Emperor Furious Assault
Armour: Head: 0 Chest: 3 Right Arm: 2 Left Arm: 2 Abdomin: 2 Grion: 2 Legs: 2 (Left 3)
Magos Biologis Ibex
Magos Ibex was born, and grew up on Agripinaa, the forge world for Cadia. His intelligence and dexterity were quickly realised and he was inducted in to the Adeptus Mechanicus at the age of 14. Once within the organisation Ibex was recognised for his technical ability, but also his thirst for knowledge. Ibex rose through the ranks at a fairly standard pace, finally reaching the rank of Magos at 78 years of age. Like most Magos’ Ibex’s body is covered in bionics, with many of his organs, limbs and muscles being replaced with superior mechanical pieces. Ibex’s particular interest was with genetics. Since reaching the rank of Magos he has conducted numerous experiments with diseases and viruses and the effects they can have on mechanical organs.
With the coming of the 13th Black Crusade the Ordo Sepultrum was formed within the Inquisition, with the task of explaining and researching the Zombie plague and the Obliterator Virus. The Inquisitor members of this new Ordo called upon the services of the Adeptus Mechanicus at Agripinaa to supply “men” of technical expertise who could assist with their research in to the obliterator Virus. The Fabricator General gladly complied, sending several Magi and lower members of the Adeptus Mechanicus to aid the Inquisition and to gain more valuable knowledge. Magos Ibex was one of the 7 Magos’ seconded to the Ordo Sepultrum. Ibex jumped at the chance to study the Obliterator Virus and Zombie plague, diseases that he had been highly interested in for some time, but thus far been unable to study. Upon arrival he was assigned to Inquisitor Valkyr, who was of relative importance within the Ordo. Since that time, a year and a half ago, the two men have worked side by side. Ibex’s valuable technical and biological knowledge has given Valkyr a deeper insight in to the workings of the Obliterator Virus and Zombie Plague.
Whilst Valkyr and Ibex get on rather well with each other Ibex does not have an affinity for Vic. The Imperial Cult and the Cult Mechanicus do not, in general, make best of friends. They are like opposite poles to the same world. Whilst Magos Ibex is devoted to the same cause as Valkyr he has been reporting to the Fabricator General since his assignment to the Ordo Sepultrum. After the incident with Nikolai Ivanovitch Lobachevski Magos Ibex is under orders from the Fabricator General to bring Nikolai, the Obliterator Virus Carrier, back to V-6311 for interrogation and punishment. Ibex’s loyalty remains with the Adeptus Mechanicus first and foremost, and whilst he does plan to remove Nikolai from Valkyr’s custody he has no direct plan to harm the Inquisitor, nor to undermine him before the required act of betrayal.
WS BS S T I WP SG NV LD Speed 69 66 122 67 76 78 88 86 74 5
Magos Ibex is Right Handed
Equipment: Mechedendrites
Great Axe
Needle Pistol (6 Stun and 6 Choke)
Rebreather
Crude Bionic Head (Armour 2)
Average Bionic Right Eye
Advanced Bionic Left Eye with built in Motion Predictor
Average Bionic Lungs
Average Bionic Heart
Average Bionic Left Arm (S45)
Adavnced Bionic Right Arm (S77)
Special Abilities: Nerves of Steel
Armour: Head: 2
Chest: 3
Right Arm: 5
Left Arm: 3
Abdomin: 3
Grion: 2
Legs: 2
Last edited by Rasputinii on Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
Oh, if you want to follow the campaign we have set up an invisionfree board, and things are slowly getting started. We are each gonna do an IC personal Log for our Inquisitors, and there is official transmitions and communiques and stuff. Its good fun, so if you want to follow, or have a little read, or maybe even take part in the role play side then head on over to:
) along with my character sheets and when the parts arrive I will post pictures of Valkyr once I have finished making him and then again after I have finished painting him. Then, I will continue to update this thread as the cpaign develops and give you some mini battle reports and keep you up to date with how Valkyr develops. 
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