Post-E10 Conclave Update
A LIGHTHOUSE IN THE MISTS
Corbenic IV, a small forest moon of an otherwise forgotten Gas Giant within the shrouded space of the Mor Draenog, was not exactly a household name before the events of these recent days - but the suffusion of the energies of the Astronomicon in this place will have an impact upon its relevance to the Imperium in centuries to come. Held in a permanent geostationary orbit above the site of the Thorian ritual just beneath the cloud layer, a perfect mote of the Astronomicon remains unfading, bathing that region in golden light forever more, a perfect golden beacon, a lighthouse in the mists of the Mor Draenog. Perhaps, in time, the Imperial cult will build around this, raising a tower to contain its light, but for now...Navigators daring the Mor Draenog have a new light to guide ships by.
The light is a beacon to the faithful, and pilgrim ships whose Navigators have seen the light of the Emperor already begin to turn towards this world, drawn to this manifestation of their God. The Inquisition does not intend to be there when they arrive, however, and Taskforce INCANDESCENT is expected to fade into the shadows, unheralded for their victory to the wider Imperium, having tidied up another dirty little internal war between loyal Throne Agents on the behalf of their Masters. Any Pilgrims coming here will find a convenient truth manufactured by the Inquisition, instead, and, in time, they will fully transform this place into a new place of worship, and ensure that the truth remains well forgotten.
The Inquisitorial facilities are rapidly secured by Prosperitas Conclave forces under the direction of Interrogator Koenig, who is accompanied at all times by an Astartes of the Deathwatch, Watch-Brother Caleb of the Praetors of Orpheus -- ostensibly for his ‘protection’, but it is obvious to everyone that the Psyker is being held on a short leash to ensure that he cannot suppress any details that might incriminate Lady-Inquisitor Haslinger further than she has already admitted to. To the obvious disappointment of Inquisitor Corvinus, though, it seems that Inquisitor Darius Nasser and Inquisitor Zamiel Mordinian were not receiving any support from their former comrade - this is not to say the Conclave do not consider her partially guilty of the chain of events that led to this, though once again she is spared by Lord-Inquisitor Aetos who views her of more value an ally of the Conclave then an enemy - providing she pursues atonement for her past sins. This act of benevolence raises more than one set of eyebrows within the conclave, with several members very quietly questioning the Lord-Inquisitors judgement in this matter.
But what of the co-conspirators of the Thorians?
The mysterious "M" appears to have entered into an alliance with the Skitarii Mitra-Shadi, a renegade Inquisitorial agent who appears to have strayed from the light; Inquisitor Corvinus is quick to stress with any member of the Taskforce that Mitra-Shadi bears no relation to the current loyal Inquisitorial agent of Inquisitor Duplesis, Mitra Qureshi, who just happens to have a similar name, appearance and cadence of her voice. The Inquisitor's tone makes it clear that questioning this, or raising this issue outside of the Taskforce, may have severe consequences with him. Ordered to halt their pursuit of the Mechanicus, the Inquisitorial ships in orbit observe the fleet dividing in two, as potentially two different partners go their separate ways.
And what of M? An Ark Mechanicus is fleeing the Corbenic system bound for areas unknown, this figure is guilty of many crimes it would seem. Including, from paperwork uncovered from the Thorians, the Siege of Polarnus Station where it seems they overrode the defenses of the station to expose it to the Weeping Eye's attack, all to engineer access to a single item when Inquisitorial forces inevitably arrived to secure Blacksite 001, ITEM 001 PDBX, now seemingly a fertile sample of the God-Emperor's genetic data - that crime alone, is enough to execute them on, but it would seem they have enabled far more and far worse, and they cannot be let to roam free much longer.
Of the final partner, the Dark Eldar Haemonculi known as “Father”, he was hardly seen during the days the taskforce was deployed; judging from all reports, he seems to be directly responsible for the survival of Taskforce INCANDESCENT after its capture - by ensuring that his partners were whole unaware that the inquisitorial forces were not identified as such, which allowed them to survive. His motivations to do so remain unclear, and the Inquisition is hesitant to assume it was in any way altruistic.
What of other forces encountered?
Admiral Chandier’s forces were similarly affected by the wave of belief in the God-Emperor as the party - the Inquisitorial forces rendezvousing with her in the aftermath of Operation INCANDESCENT found a slaughter: empowered by Him-on-Terra, the Imperial forces loyal to Chandier rampaged through the Mechanicus “Proving Grounds”, taking vengeance on those who mutinied against the Admiral first, before turning against any abhuman or mutant that they could lay their hands on. Those imperial citizens who survived are rounded up by Dex Degurr who arranges transport for them off planet via various methods.The blind rage of the God-Emperor against the “impure” seemed to noticeably (though none dare mention it to Chandier) spare the Rising Flame its full attention. Worryingly, the Admiral shows absolutely no remorse for the slaughter of the abhuman, and is even more wild-eyed and fanatical in her loyalty and faith then she was when the Taskforce encountered her - Corbenic IV and the events that transpired there has hardened her further to the Imperial normal, and made her less tolerant of “impure” and “unfaithful” individuals. She is also less restrained when dealing with Inquisitors Haslinger and Corvinus when she is finally brought offworld, demanding immediate access to an Astropath to report into Crusade High Command all she has seen. She is granted access to one who, unbeknownst to her, is under strict instructions to send her message to an Inquisitorial Choir where it can be reviewed to assess the Admiral’s mental state and redacted as required before onward transmission. The Admiral is then sequestered at the inquisition’s grace to undertake a full assessment of her mental, moral, and physical health, which she accepts with gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, on-world, Callum Gearwright, the “Living Saint”, who inspired the Gearwright cult (though notes recently retrieved from Nasser’s offices reveal that most of the cult’s expansion was planned and sponsored by the Inquisitor, after initial seeds planted by his agents Argento Vern and Constantine bore root) clearly enjoys favour amongst the Taskforce, but the Inquisitors present are less trusting in miracles these days. An argument erupts over who will take responsibility for escorting the “Saint-Presumptive” (for the Inquisitors are still not so keen to jump to conclusions on Sainthood) - for a second time, tension between Inquisitor Haslinger and Inquisitor Corvinus flare up, and the only thing that prevents them from escalating into full violence is the arrival of the Lion of Terra under the command of her Captain Alexis Jacobin, serving as the flag vessel of [Ulian] - who has been sent to retrieve Admiral Chandier. When Callum is immediately drawn by the Golden Will towards the fronts of the Prosperitas Crusade, it makes the Warmaster-Emeritus' vessel the natural means transport for Cal - making it clear that not even Hasslinger can argue with the will of the “Saint-Presumptive”, whether their cult was artificially built or not. Neither Inquisitor allows any other vessel to act as Cal’s transport (in order to keep face), but Agents who strongly believe it is their duty to form the Saint’s personal guard are allowed to leave Corbenic aboard the Lion.
Warden Cernos Nox of the Black Ships leads a small force into the heart of the Thorian facility known as Blacksite AURAMITE - where many of the Astropaths not yet fed into the mad Thorian ritual were being kept in cells with psi-lined walls. Warden Nox is immediately granted authority over their securing by the Inquisitors, with the Black Ship Warden tending to the necessary needs of his Psyker charges, and instructing other agents in how to do so; in the coming days, a Black Ship will arrive to safely transport them to the much-drained choirs of the Prosperitas Sector - with their infused power actually enhancing communications. Afterwards, the Warden is forced to have a quiet word with Inquisitor Corvinus, and this makes it clear to everyone that he, like so many others, will find himself at the mercy of the Conclave’s beck and call in the future.
During Warden Nox’s operation, in the deepest cells of the facility, the Saint’s longest companion, Baris (a fellow native of Olethros Secunda, and a former Skitarii of Forge Naximus) is also found and released: having being kept as a hostage to ensure the Saint both remained sane and compliant to Nasser, Baris is unwilling to leave Cal’s side, and is granted permission to escort them from now on in an official capacity.
When the Lion of Terra does eventually leave, Inquisitor Corvinus makes a point of providing Baris with his own power armour; openly, he reasons that the bodyguard of a Saint-Presumptive will need adequate protection - although any agent paying attention will be able to recognise a move to politically ingratiate the Conclave with Cal, given their years of torture at the hands of the now-Excommunicae Inquisitors who once were part of it.
While the Inquisitions facilities are reclaimed by conclave forces, the question arises as to what to do with Nasser’s surviving acolytes and assets. After a brief discussion between the Inquisitors on station and the soon to be arriving Lady-Inquisitor Vetnori, it is determined that Malachi Strix shall be tasked with rounding up any remaining Thorian forces and escorting them off-planet. Whether they can be made use of or will require termination is still to be determined, after further assessment and interrogation, once it can be agreed who will take ultimate responsibility for their fate.
Strix’s efforts are assisted by Colonel Firenze (rtd.) who is always accompanied by Leonida Caerlyn, his handlership of the newly discovered psyker having been confirmed not long after the arrival of the Inquisitorial ships in orbit. Firenze is ordered to bring Leonida to Inquisitor Duplesis with all due haste after the operation is complete for sanctioning and further assessment.
In the meantime, the drifting HIMVS Lord’s Confidence is boarded by Inquisitorial forces and has power restored to it; most of its crew survived in the vessel for the few days they were been adrift, and welcome their rescuers - they mourn still those lost in the Drukhari attack on their vessel and those claimed by the cruel Mechanicus testing facilities on the moon beneath, but they are determined to have the ship continue on. Unfortunately, after pressure from Admiral Chandier, who became aware of the tainted blood of its Captain and wants her stripped of rank for that reason, Inquisitor Corvinus has little choice but to officially commandeer the vessel as an Inquisitorial craft - this will allow the ship to maintain its Captain, but the vessel is no longer part of the Imperial Navy, and any career her crew might hoped to pursue in the Navy are now largely ended.
Captain Jacobin and Warmaster-Emeritus Ulian however, bring with them news from outside Corbenic: the dissipated energies of the ritual carried out on Corbenic have not limited manifestations of the Emperor's will to the surface of the world, across the Sector the Holy and Devout have demonstrated at moments miraculous power for better or worse - there are tales of otherwise ordinary soldiers mounting desperate charges against superior Archenemy positions in some of the most entrenched battlezones of the Crusade and taking them by bayonet and divine rage; there are quieter stories of common Medicae containing sicknesses in the lower rungs of Sector society by demonstrating miraculous healing powers. And there are stories of the Faithful formerly sworn to the Temple finding redemption in glorious martyrdom. Though the Ecclesiarchy remains divided, the Faith of the common folk, at least, sees a significant improvement.
But of course, for every glorious martyr and common noble, there are those in whom the God-Emperor inspires vicious rage and hatred of taint that requires containment: the Prosperitas Redemption become obsessed by a figure wreathed in flame that haunts many of their ecstatic visions - to any of Taskforce INCANDECENT who hear the description of the figure, it is immediately apparent that somehow they have received visions of Argento Vern, who vanished from Corbenic IV in a pillar of sacred flame. The Redemption takes the mass manifestations of power as a sign that the end times they preach about are coming - in seeking the God-Emperor's approval, they descend upon the mutant, abhuman and those in their eyes who are unrighteous. Upon their lips is the Prayer of Divine Hatred;
Hate the Witch, For They Hide Amongst Us!
Hate the Mutant, For They Pervert Our Form!
Hate the Heretic, For They Defy Him!
Hate the Unfaithful, For They Ignore Him!
Hate the Criminal, For They Disobey Him!
Hate the Corrupt, For They Misuse His Resources!
Hate the Alien, For This Is Our Galaxy!
It is not just the fanatics of the Redemption that are affected thus: the HIMVS Bleeding Rose defies orders, and takes to warp, arriving in orbit of the Vilas-Lobo Mining World of Bachian IV, with intent of carrying out an Exterminatus-level bombardment of the world’s Abhuman population. When it becomes apparent the Noble House will not permit them to succeed, they attempt to ram their vessel into the planet. Predictably, they are torn to pieces by the planetary defences, but not without wreaking havoc on the defence network - something that will take many years to repair. Warmaster Khan responds to this development by immediately repositioning The Iron Lady in orbit of Shadowglow to deter any mutinous fanatics inclined to repeat the same feat there.
There will be untold other repercussions though - and it will be a long while before the true scale of the consequences of what transpired in Corbenic IV can be assessed - the light of the Astronomicon blinking out due to the Thorian ritual - even if it was only for a few hours, thanks to the Taskforce's rapid reaction - will not be without consequence. Whole fleets at Warp may have become lost forever, there was mass panic as Astropathic choirs lost their voice and Navigators became blind, messages that were already delayed on the tides of the Warp now lost forever… the scale of the damage cannot be denied, just acknowledged that it could have been much worse. Even if the Thorian conspirators had succeeded in returning the Emperor to existence, Him-on-Terra might have returned to a Galaxy in total ruins…
Not to mention that the brighter a light shines… the darker the shadows it casts are…
Across the Sector, the forces of the Eye and the Regency scrabble to take advantage of the temporary easing of passage between the roiling warp storms of the Eye of Terror and realspace - by sending fleets to warp to reinforce their own forces against the recently-inspired Imperial forces. And the beacon of holy light cannot have gone unnoticed deeper into the eye either; the Prosperitas Sector is becoming difficult to ignore…
But that is not all…
In the months to come, some will report a strange figure, barely in their adulthood, wearing ragged garments, no doubt snatched from somewhere, as they ill-fit their frame; their features are focused but with a somewhat confused expression; those who tried to challenge them found themselves stepping aside, and unanimously agreeing that they did so after they stared into their golden eyes, and understood. What they understand they do not share, but they are undoubtedly changed by it… some join the Guard to fight for the survival of humanity, others decide to pursue medicae training despite all odds, in order to better care for others.
And they wander on, waiting for their time to come…
CONCLAVE UPDATE
+ From the Black Relay of Astropathic Sanctum Phi-Capa-Mu+ + Thought for the Day + «Woe be unto those who believe they know better than His will.» ++ Begin Data Inload ++ ++ Pending… ++ ++ The current date is 4-430.599.M41 ++ ++ Astropathic Flash Begins ++
++ Be aware that the detail and annotations provided in these updates is available only to the servants of the Inquisition – the full contents of these reports is Consignarus Obscurus Maximus, and should not be shared beyond our ranks ++
++ OPERATION INCANDECENT SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED ++ ++ THE IMPERIUM WITHSTANDS ++
Inquisitor-on-Station - Lady-Inquisitor Inquisitor-Penitent Rilke Haslinger: “Hubris, Hubris almost brought this Imperium to ruin, and I cannot deny my part in this sorry affair; it is with grace I accept the mercy of the Prosperitas Conclave and the title of ‘Inquisitor-Pentient’ for my part in the events that have led to this; with my penance in alerting our forces to the dangers, of course. I could not have expected better of your mission Commanders, and I commend Interrogator Jensch and Elucidator Pilotspear, as my wise choices of mission Commanders; it seems our taskforce has succeeded, which reflects greatly upon the Inquisitors who trained them…”
“Interrogator Koenig will be, with agreement from Inquisitor Corvinus, taking responsibility for the cleanup operations on Corbenic IV, while accompanied by Acolytes, Stormtroopers and Astartes of the Deathwatch -- all supplied by Inquisitor Corvinus; he will also continue to take direction from Interrogator Jensch and Elucidator Pilotspear and Taskforce INCANDESCENT during the process.”
“The Porta Coeli will leave orbit shortly upon resolution of all action points laid out.”
Inquisitor-on-Station - Inquisitor-Militant Corvinus: “I feel my colleague has filled up enough time with her own means of congratulation, I shall simply acknowledge that, through your actions, there is an Imperium left for us to deal with, and move onto action points; well done on not dying, you didn’t even need encouragement this time.”
++ Requests for Actions - Taskforce INCANDESCENT Commanders ++
The Conclave requests advisement from Interrogator Jensch (via his second Interrogator Castronova) and Elucidator Pilotspear on the following points requiring immediate action: any Agent found to be speaking out of turn to their Inquisitor in an attempt to bypass their appointed Taskforce commanders will not be well-regarded - if you wish to influence your Commanders’ decisions on these matters, reach out to them;
++ COMMAND ACTION I - RETREATING FORCES ++
Captain Atticus Rintz, HIMVS Auspicium Alicuius, Leading the Inquisitorial Pursuit Fleet: “Interrogator, Elucidator, As per your recent comms we have prioritised intercepting Thorian vessels over those ships belonging to Naximus prime or the Rising Flame. A number of small escort-size vessels that were already in orbit of Corbenic have retrieved several dropships that took off from the surface of the fourth moon in the hours since our arrival, and are now beginning the hard burn out of the Gas Giant’s volume. We believe these vessels contain thorian forces that are attempting to escape the planet and I have dispatched several light cruisers to intercept them.
Additionally, Auspex readings are tracking three additional probable outbound forces in the void in the Corbenic system. With much of our resources dedicated to capturing the escaping Thorians, I only have enough vessels present to pursue one of these signatures. Please advise which represents the most critical pursuits that I should commit vessels to. Signals and most likely prognostications as to their nature follow
Signal 1 - Unknown Mechanicus Vessels “As ordered by Elucidator Pilotspear, the Porta Coeli’s Damnation Squadron (Cobra-class Escorts) halted their pursuit of the mechanicus forces leaving Corbenic IV’s orbit - as they began to leave the gravity well of the Gas Giant, these forces have begun to split and head towards different system jump points. The largest fleet appears to contain a single Ark Mechanicum with escorts that bears no familiar markings to our registers; this fleet appears to be bound coreward towards Subsector Primus.”
OOC: Outcomes of Failure to Pursue - The mysterious “M” is a riddle inside a series of increasingly confounding puzzle boxes and confused identities; pursuing the Ark Mechanicum may not put an end to whatever schemes they might have, but it may, at least, enlighten the Inquisition further. If M is allowed to slip away, there’s little chance of furthering that knowledge without further Inquisitorial efforts or Agent fieldwork.
Signal 2 - Unknown Vessel “Bit of a strange one -- we thought we detected a vessel of cruiser-scale with an Imperial silhouette briefly on our scopes; further examination drew trace radiation consistent with a stealth cloak device, I could dispatch vessels from our other pursuit forces to scour the area we detected the signal in to confirm if we did in fact spot a vessel, or if it was a sensor echo.”
OOC: Outcomes of Failure to Pursue - It is impossible to know who this is, or what they’re up to here without committing forces to this.
Signal 3 - Strange Signatures “We’ve picked up additional exotic signatures in the void around Corbenic, we believe these may be the vessels of Eldar Pirates here to escort the Xenos co-conspirator in the Thorian plans on Corbenic, but our vessels are yet to bring any to battle as they’re too damned nippy and keep slipping off of our scopes. They’re not a threat to us right now, and we’re uncertain what they’re waiting for, but my crew wouldn’t mind a chance to have a go at them, given the chance. However, it remains uncertain how much meaningful damage we could do. We may have more luck deploying the Deathwatch alongside Inquisitor Duplesis’s Agents to track them down than trying to pursue at void.
OOC Outcomes of Failure to Pursue - It is incredibly unlikely that pursuit of these vessels will bring any meaningful retribution against the Haemonculi known as “Father” at this stage. However, there is an opportunity to acquire intelligence on the Haemonculi.
++ COMMAND ACTION II - PILGRIMS ++
Interrogator Koenig: “An influx of Pilgrim vessels towards the psionic “Beacon” in the sky above Corbenic IV represents potential issues for our cleanup operations on the surface; we have collected and catalogued evidence throughout the Inquisitorial and Mechanicus facilities -- my thanks to the Taskforce INCANDESCENT intelligencers and investigators who volunteered to assist me so closely in our cleanup operation; however, we have yet to locate any further facilities -- and the dense forest with their aggressive swarms of flying insects makes orbital auspex unreliable in certain areas.”
“The challenge of the Pilgrims arriving is that it further confounds these searches, and I will be forced to order the controlled destruction of all evidence found at the base on Corbenic - it is a better and more convenient truth that this manifestation of His will comes unsullied by hints of prior occupation. I have taken the liberty of designating some sites where the beacon can be observed by pilgrims without interfering with our ongoing operations; but we all know containing pilgrims to fixed areas can be a matter of… ahah… herding felinids.”
“In addition, the uncontrolled arrival and departure of pilgrim vessels will enable our enemies to bring forces to Corbenic IV covertly -- and will make managing the security much more challenging.”
“I would appreciate your confirmation, Elucidator, Interrogator, of the best approach to pilgrim arrivals.”
++ COMMAND ACTION III - THE LIE ++
Lady-Inquisitor Vetnori, Ordo Redactus: “My dearest Elucidator, Interrogator Jensch, and Taskforce INCANDESCENT -- my vessel is inbound to Corbenic loaded with an array of false-pilgrims and truth-speakers, who will take responsibility for shaping the official narrative of what occurred on Corbenic IV; I would like you to advise me and make suggestions as to the most reasonable narrative we can spread amongst the pilgrims that will be arriving on Corbenic IV in the coming months -- a narrative that both conceals the [redacted] acts carried out upon this world, as well as provides a convenient and inspiring truth for the masses to follow.”
“The fortunate departure of the Saint-Presumptive Gearwright means that we can avoid utilising their presence as a part of our narrative, as we do not want to otherwise imbalance events in favour of any faction currently bidding to become the dominant sect of the Ecclesiarchy.”
++ Requests for Actions - Taskforce INCANDESCENT ++
The Conclave requests advisement from all members of Taskforce INCANDESCENT upon the following matters;
++ TASKFORCE ACTION - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ++ Inquisitor-on-Station - Inquisitor Corvinus: “Taskforce command has requested that any documents retrieved by inquisitorial agents be digitised and stored in Conclave archives with all due haste.
OC: If at the event you acquired an IC document but have lost the phys rep since the event, please reach out to the game team with a description of the document and we will try and provide you with a copy.
They have also requested any information that inquisitorial agents may have about the being known as “Inquisitor Weller” or the allegiances and purposes of any Adeptus Mechanicus present in the AO.
Players are welcome to send IC reports following the events of E10 to icmail.deathuntodarkness@gmail.com by Thursday 13th of June 23:59