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Catalog of Late-Roman and Early Anglo-Saxon relevant material culture from museum collections.

 https://1drv.ms/w/c/162c637db710b1f9/Efq_wo7U2yFDsKoG3iAOPOoBGcke8yq_9iFj2FPFx0n61g?e=6zQJiR

Darkness in the Mines of Tunnox

--->Sector Heracles Astropathic Alert.

[SOURCE: Tunnox Mining Colony, Borisian March, Sector Heracles, Segmentum Tempstus]


--->Astropathic Transcript Follows:

TIMESTAMP: Inconclusive

"THIS IS MAGOS EISTER, CHIEF ENGINSEER OF TUNNOX MINING COLONY. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED [Unintelligible]. I REQUEST [Language lost in transwarp relation. Indiscernible emotional conveyance]... IMPACT TO MINE OUTPUT IS SEVERELY HINDERED. AUGURIES INDICATE [Shadows cause the transmission to decay. Portents suggests the following sentence articulated a negative affect..]"
END OF TRANSCRIPT   {SAP: Suglitor Yeun, Tunnox Mining Colony/RAP: Cell Resident 34, Phelos IV}


Note:

Scanning for Astropathic Echoes has discerned a faint whisper in the either maddness, seemingly related to this event.

Alas, something dark is afoot in the mines of Tunnox.

{RAP: Astropathic Choir of Bihandra.}

The Literan Council

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LITERAN COUNCIL

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[ABSTRACT]

High Governess Navina called for the formation of the Literan Council on her capital world of Litera II in M42.001, following the publication of "The Memorandum." The stated purpose of the council was to form a unified sector government in the absence of Imperial Rule. After four standard months of deliberation, the Council drafted and ratified the Literan Concord, the constitution of the the new government. This established the Council of Literan as the permanent ruling body of the sector under the executive leadership of the Lord Commander's Seat.

There was some debate and Tension over the nature and placement of executive power, between the Sector Governor, the Cardinal Palatine and the Archmagos.  Judge Ornuc Aenbitas argued convincingly that "The Memorandum" specifically charged the office of the Sector Govenor rule, and legally any foundation of a legitimate government must rest on "The Memorandum." Archmagos Dulan grudgingly accepted High Governess Navina's leadership, under the weight of two millennia of precedent.

List of Members
- High Governess Saisi Navina, Imperial Commander of Sector Heracles
- Arch Magos Dulan, Forgemaster of Phelos IX and most Senior Member of the Cult Mechanicus
- Cardinal Palatine Tonnatas Barnerby, head of Church.
- Judge Ornuc Aenbitas, chief of Justice and parliamentarian of the Council
- Inquisitor Kalice Dellana, representative of the Heraclean Conclave and Astra Telepathica Matters
- Lord General Yubin Welles, Commander of the Interior Guard
- Lord Admiral Donello Aground, Advisor of Naval Affairs
- Professor Oria, Scribe and representative of the Euridition Council
- High Count Plyn Caverich of the Hevelus Cluster
- High Marq Gudruc Masiere of the Borisian Marches
- High Count Justin Thurman of the Dantan Subsector
- High Count Rudus Equin of Subsector Rittan
- High Marq Jules Napet of the Undiscovered March
- Astartes Captain Jutrios Sicatus, Liason for the Knights of Gryphonne Chapter

BIO: Inquisitor Kalice Dellana

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Input File you wise to View: "Dellana, Kalice [INQ]"
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Archivist Note: A suitable abstract of Inquisitor Dellana has yet to be constructed. Though admittedly this is a considerable shortfall in the strength of this database to lack a encyclopedic brief of such a prominent and important figure within Segmentum Tempestus, Taking it upon myself to remedy the problem once it was brought to my attention by one of my junior lexmechanics, I believe I have identified a document that will serve a suitable placeholder for her entry until a scholar of appropriate skill and mastery of source material undertakes her biography. Something I am sure the readers of this entry anticipate with as much eagerness as myself and the rest of the Erudition Council. Please accept my sincere apologies and enjoy. - HSD

///: From the Office of Inquisitor Germond Aynosis, Ordo Hereticus, Herculean Conclave
Distribution: For the 2,587 Herculean board of Elevation. Encryption Level: AMBER
Purpose: Recommendation to Elevate Interrogator Kalice to the station of Inquisitor

TEXT: Well met, my brothers who bask in the emperor's light. I offer my greetings and deepest gratitude for taking time to read my words of explication, as I submit to you my most promising student. I intend to be succinct, since I am painfully aware of the great insufferable tedium you are enduring for the good of our order and all mankind. Yet, the subject matter makes my task an easy one, because she is indeed ready to don the rosette and stand should to shoulder with the likes of us.
Our life of service requires a great deal more than other servants of the immortal God-Emperor of Mankind. The make and mettle of an Inquisitor must be finely balanced between extremes. We must possess the intellect to root out threats and the strength to destroy them, the charisma to lead others and the conviction to sacrifice them when needed, peerless knowledge of our foes and the wisdom to avoid becoming what we seek to destroy.  In my three quarters of a century I can think of no more qualified individual under my tutelage that personifies these qualities than Interrogator  Dellana.
Born on Graxis Majoris in M41.962 to the Zutchdin Class, she was sent to Scholae Progenium without her birth parents ever seeing her as part of that planet's tithe to Holy Terra, a requirement ever since the Graxian Insurrection of 266.  Lucky for our small sector of space, she was enrolled into Bihandra Instructorum. At Bihandra, she excelled scholastically, - succeeding in being published twice before graduating at the top of her class- Martially- she came in second twice in planetary marksmanship competitions within her category- and spiritually- leading a prayer group that become popular even among drill abbots. Naturally, all vocations were open widely to her and she chose the Inquisition.
Since meeting the vital and sharp young woman at the chilly mountainous Scholatorum, my confidence and admiration has grown daily for the 15 years she has served by my side. In that time, she has performed exemplarily. She is singlehandedly responsible for the capture of the heretic and apostate, Deromius Jalice. Her scholastic prowess has contributed to identifying and classifying the Druforean Stratumites as a minor Heresy. Lately, she has proved herself extremely adept at managing my Tolemet Station office in my absence for the past two and a half years.
Details of her record are enclosed in the file I have submitted with the cover letter. Her quality is made evident within. I recommend she is selected ahead of her peers for elevation to Inquisitor.
The Emperor Protects

AYNOSIS, GERMOND
INQUISITOR, HERETICUS
Herculean Conclave

END TEXT

Archivist Note: Inquisitor Dellana has served the Imperium for a Century and a Half. She is currently the Inquisition's representative in the court of the High Governess of Sector Heracles. She is a self proclaimed Amalathian, though some critics over the past decade she has taken an increasingly Monodominant bent.

CASE CONTEXT: Ruin of Xandi III

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--->[ARTICLE: Minor Heresies Stemming from Xandi III and their theological inconsistencies.]
--->[CONTEXT BRIEF, CASE: Ruin of Xandi III]
--->[ARTICLE: Popular Dialects of Xandi]
--->[ARTICLE: Architectural deviance from STC on Xandi III]

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ACCESS: "CONTEXT BRIEF, CASE: Ruin of Xandi III

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_________________________________________________________________________________
CASE CONTEXT: RUIN OF XANDI III
ASTROPOLITICAL ABSTRACT: Xandi III is an ecclesiastic world of average gravity and atmosphere, as far as habitable planets go, in them middle of the DANTAN SUBSECTOR in SECTOR HERACLES,  SEGMENTUM TEMPESTUS. The planet is the traditional Seat for the Cardinal Palatine of Sector Heracles. Historically, Xandi III was instrumental in reclaiming the Sector after the Horus Heresy. The planet survives on the donations of the Emperor's faithful and the profits of pilgrimage. Since the planet was settled for it's spiritual significance, instead of economic significance, it has become dependant on the Sector Community to allow it to continue to thrive.
LINEAGE OF CARDINALS PALATINE OF XANDI



--->Limited to M41 and beyond.



        -M40.803 Spatian Greer
        -M41.003 Simon Racutan 
        -M41.103 Yutini Wassex
        -M41.326 Ergus Nomador
        -M41.487 Algan Nomador
        -M41.491 Bergerius Shrike
        -M41.562 -VACANT-
        -M41.732 Gedor Velleran
        -M41.818 Gellox Phrax
        -M41.933 Tonnatas Barnerby
        -M42.016 Magsumas Prater 
        -M42.019 -VACANT- (Claimed by the False Cardinal Rafael)

        -M42.026 Diadus Vorn (Appointed by the Ecclisiarch of Terra, yet to consolidate Power)
                                                 Cardinal Palatine Vorn has yet to make planetfall on Xandi III to                                                            confirm his ascension to the Seat of Xandi.

RECENT HISTORY: THE MEMORANDUM originally did not affect Xandi much, since their connection to the rest of the Imperium is chiefly spiritual rather than political, a dangerously shortsighted opinion. Yet, the sector's economic downturn at the beginning of M42, sparked in large part because of the economic downturn put a great deal of strain on Xandi's income. To compensate, and because he disagreed with  paying Terra's Token to a Sector High Governess, Cardinal Palatine Magsumas Prater refused to submit to the sector's authority.  The Adeptus Arbites refused to prosecute for two years, claiming a lack of law to govern the peculiarity of the ditiation and a lack of any legal precedent. While the legators of the Adeptus Arbites searched through their emmense archives for a legal stance of the matter, Inquisitor Dellana of the Ordo Hereticus ordered that the Cardinal submit to the Sector Governess and pay the tithe, in addition to any money owed from previous failures to pay.
Cardinal Magsumas Prater tried to comply, but the planetary recession spiraled into a severe depression. Popular resentment against the Sector government stewed, allowing demagogues to rise in the street. Riots eventually saw the collapse of the planet's systems. Finally the Adeptus Arbites concluded they had grounds to prosecute Cardinal Prater for tithe evasion and executed him. The minimal detatchment present to keep order on the planet was insufficient because they misjudged the magnitude of the response and was overrun and themselves killed by the mob.  M42.018 Madness, riots and poverty consumed the planet. Millions die from hunger and violence.
Warlords and Demagogues struggled with one another for the power to control the starving population. Eventually, a preacher named Rafael gains control of the capital city and claims the title of Cardinal and claims all the trappings of the high Cardinal. It takes another year for him to consolidate power, but through the power of his own personality and conviction, and the weariness of conflict in the denizens of Xandi, he gained legitimacy in the eyes of the people on that planet.

The False Cardinal Rafael traveling through the ruined streets of Xandi III surrounded by faithful bodyguards. - Image Captured by a Loyal Imperial Subject, all contact with this individual has been lost.
Preoccupied with an insurrection on a strategically important mining world, the Sector lacks the forces to control Xandi.  The False Cardinal Rafael begins his campaign to bring the emperor's misguided flock into his fold across the Sector.  M42.020 Inquisitor Dellana names Rafael Hereticus Extremis.

Bio: Inquisitor Ignatius Ligatus

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Input File you wise to View: "Ligatus, Ignatius [INQ]"

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INQUISITOR IGNATIUS LIGATUS

HOMEWORLD: [NO RECORD KEPT]

ALIAS & HONORARIUMS: Margus Kempt, Solovus Drite,

AFFILIATIONS: Ordo Xenos,

PHILOSOPHY: Amalathian, 

Bio Brief: Possessing mild Psychic talents, the Black Ships took him and after receiving an Psionic assignment of THETA, he received training and employment within the Holy Ordos. Initially, he worked at a planetary office, using his abilities to detect any hint of malevolence, when dealing with ancient Xenos artifacts. 

Displaying promise, Inquisitor Lefeaux elevated him to the station of interrogator. He served with distinction, most notably on Meria's Mercy where he uncovered a radical splinter cell of a Nurgle cult that sought to summon a demon to the "Bread Basket" of Sector Heracles. 

Shortly after his display of insight, courage and resolve on Meria's Mercy, Iganatius Ligatus was elevated to Inquisitor. For his first assignment he was to monitor all out of sector shipping for illicit Xenos Trade.  During this time his mentor, Inquisitor Lefeaux famously went missing. 

After uncovering troubling records on two ceased cargo ships, he began his search for, "Victor the Heretech." His investigation has brought him to Druforus IV. 

He considers himself a field inquisitor, paying little attention to the troubles of Sector Politics. The only change the Memorandum has had on his operations are to make them more numerous.  He has promised to protect the people of the emperor from the alien, and he will do that regardless of the squabbles of interplanetary courts. This aloofness has made him unfavorable with other powerful Inquisitors in the Sector, like Dorn and Dellana, who believe he may have something to hide.

A Selection From "Confessions of a Heretic: The Inevitability of Recidivism" [-RESTRICTED-]

=I=//Extract File "Confessions of a Heretic: The Inevitability of Recidivism" [-RESTRICTED-]

Authenticate Clearance...

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=I=AUTHENTICATED: Welcome Inquisitor.

INQUISITORIAL CENSURE FOREWORD: This is a selection of illicit text. Despite that, these passages seem to be relatively inert and  are an effective tool as a cautionary tale from a man of high station, brought low by his own digressions and indiscipline. Very often, we cannot analyse the mind of the heretic, in many cases because there is not much of a mind left, either psychologically or physically. Yet, the subject matter and author of this text possessed enough presence of mind to describe his descent into corruption and the price of accepting the vile in search for the beauty of truth. As with all censured texts, you must remain on guard, "Vigilant always!"

BODY (Selected): Sometimes, for our own sake, we should simply accept we have looked deep enough into the chasm of tumult. Unless, of course, it festers. It ebbs at the sanity of your subconscious, planting small spores which blossom into questioning fungi. Read through pages of the proscribed texts again, then again, to find the deeper meaning. You know there must be more, there are tantalizing gaps that you lust to have filled. Yet as you reflect in the dark of your inner mind's eye, the lust goes unrequited, as though it spurns you for being unworthy, for not being mad enough.

So, you adopt the cloak of insanity, only for a time, to disguise yourself and gain your entrance into the court of shrouds. Then, when you have had your fill, and for good measure and odd pleasure you over consume. You realize it is time to take the cloak off,  but now, when you try to remove it you will cry out in pain! You tug at it but it feels as though you are ripping at your own flesh, and you no longer can tell where the trappings of insanity ends, and the old self, naive yet uncorrupted, begins.

Then you weep alone in the alleyways of that strange city at the bottom of the pit, where the grotesque denizens pay you no more heed than a false holy-man does a beggar after a sermon. You see two roads, equially grim, diverging into a bloody and dark wood. Either painfully remove that which has become your skin and be scarred forever, or embrace your new home, where you may blissfully forget what you lost, except in dreaded and terrible cold sweats in the night where you scream stabbed with the memory that you were once a creature of the light. ///END TEXT SELECTION///

Bio: Inquisitor Hastatus Dorn

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INQUISITOR HASTATUS DORN

HOMEWORLD: Scadia, Sector Heracles

ALIAS & HONORARIES: Crusade Father, Lord Abbot of the Brotherhood of St. Timon

AFFILIATIONS: Ordo Malleus,  

PHILOSOPHY: Monodominant 



Bio Brief: Born on the Feudal World of Scadia in Sector Heracles. His father Brutus Dorn, a great baron, answered the call of Crusade after his wife died during the childbirth of their third child, leaving the children under the wardship of a local magnate.  His father died in the Fourteenth Verinium Uprising, while fighting valiantly. Therefore, Hastatus and his two sisters were swiftly whisked off to Scholae Progium on [CLASSIFIED] known as Bihandra. Both of his sisters entered the Adepta Soroitas, the youngest survives and is a canoness in the order of the Nameless Martyrs.

        Dorn performed well in scholae, displaying intellectual acumen as well as physical prowess. In truth he matured into a rather fine physical specimen. What his schoolmates recall most is his dedication to the traditions of Scadia and his deep religiosity tempered by unshakable stoicism. He requested a special dispensation to enter the Crusader House of Xandi and serve as part of the Cardinal's Crimson. The senior Drill Abbot approved the request but then revoked it shortly before his graduation to fulfill a shortage of interrogators in the holy ordos.

        The Herculean Conclave assigned Dorn to Inquisitor Laquadus as an interrogator upon graduation. There he served alongside Nixious Barbossa, ten years his senior, shortly before Barbossa was accepted into the Ordo Malleus. [Access to Files Barbossa, Nixious [INQ] are sequestered] The two men seemed to be kindred spirits despite the age gap and became fast friends. After fifteen years of service to Inquisitor Laquadus, including a trip to Titan as part of a delegation of Ordo Malleus Inquisitors in outer rim worlds to discuss methods of fighting demons with the fabled grey knights, Dorn accepted a rosette in the Ordo Malleus but was also introduced into the local community of Inquisitors in the Sector known as the "Herculean conclave."

        His short time with they grey knights taught him that to be effective against the demon, wherever it appears, you must be prepared to fight him. So Dorn Slowly collected great warriors and trained them to for the threat beyond. He meanwhile, established numerous acolyte cells lead by his interrogators. Dorn requested and appointed more Interrogators than most Inquisitors would deem prudent, to hunt for signs of demonic cults across the system. Inquisitor Cefeax in the Ordo Xenos and the Herculean Conclave developed this model of investigating Xenos conspiracies and used it for more than a century to great effect.

        Dorn suffered from a lack of an extra-material threat. The boredom tempted his ambitions and lead him to overstep his traditional jurisdiction and prosecuted the Emperors justice himself of his strike teams and informants identified anything amiss, including heresy and Xenos influence. The Herculean Conclave groaned about this, but ceded that his efforts helped stave off existing dangers to the Imperium in their Sector rather than continually holding warriors in reserve.

        It did not take long for Dorn to receive a chance to confront a significant demonic menace head on. With the dissipation of the warpstorm in the Unexplored March worlds infested with Chaos and demonic entities presented themselves. Already of monodominant temperament, he ordered the Sector to organize a crusade into the marches to eradicate the demon worlds.  Though he was not a General of the crusade he certainly served as its spiritual leader and significantly altered its direction and objectives through the course of the campaign to reflect his own vision. [Campaign History Omitted] Ultimately, the crusade succeeded in purging the most heinous demonworlds in the subsector.  Though victorious, the conflict resulted in millions of casualties. On the first world they crusaders conquered, Crucible III, the Cardinal of Xandi consecrated it as a tomb World for the crusade's dead and the headquarters for a new order of the Adepta Soroitas to guard the tombs of the martyrs. This is how the Order of the Nameless Martyrs came to be.

        After the crusade Dorn entered quasi retirement, still full of his vitality, he took the station of abbot of a monastery on Scadia where he lives as a model Scadian lord, praying, hunting and participating in tournaments. He collects the greatest knights of Scadia into his retinue, arms them with the finest equipment and sallies from his beloved home world only when the his network of informants tell of a demonic presence. Then he charges headlong into the fray with his warriors.

        As a right of passage to enter Inquisitor Dorn's mesne as a warrior, they must climb to the top of the jagged peaks of the Enstor Heights and slay a scadian snow bear. The creature's pelt identifies a knight of Scadia as a member of their resident inquisitor's retinue.

The Undiscovered March

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[ABSTRACT]

Since the dissaptation of the Warpstorm which isolated the Endiscovered March for eight millennia Agents of the Imperium, Adeptus Mechanicus and Rouge Traders flocked to the system to discover the dangers and treasures. Naturally the volume of the reports on this sector of space bars access to its many secrets, a problem that is expounded by the fact that such reports are often sequestered or jealously guarded secrets.  For the information we do have we owe a great debt to the late Abelard Scitus, a monk in the Order of St. Fabian's Book on Scadia. He compiled, catalogued and analyzed the extant documents thus producing the most complete resource of the Undiscovered March to date.  Several readers are familiar with the Order of Fabian's Book since the famous Inquisitor Hastatus Dorn is their honorary Abbot.  This provided the foundation for Astra Militarum intelligence for the First Scadian Crusade.  As the honorable warriors of mankind exercise the Emperor's Will in the chaos infested subsector Abelard Scitus continued his work he titled "Rursus." His brothers are heirs to his work and do his memory much honor by continuing to refine and expand the Rursus for the homor and glory of the God-Emperor of mankind.

///RURSUS///

---> Enkattel Regnate

---> Dergonian Worlds

---> Worlds of the Demon's Claw

---> Am Parat Star Empire

[THE ENKATTEL REGATE]

The faction of The Undiscovered March we know the most about is also the most frivolous, yet that does not mean it is benign. Far from it. The rouge traders who were foolhardy enough to establish relations with these creatures discovered their nature far too late for their own good.

The creatures that make up the ruling elite of the Enkattel Regate are not isolated to the Undiscovered March Subsector. The Black Templars encountered their kind on Cephian IV, a rather remote system from Sector Heracles. In all truth, they are not from real space. They are a type of warp entity but they do not fit the most scientific definitions of demon. They are Vampir, polymorphic entities who feed on the life force of sentient races. Normally, they are shadow creatures who exist in greater numbers in peoples imagination and fears than reality. Yet, the warp storm allowed them to subjugate the human population on their worlds and establish a society to serve them.

They call themselves Maestru and Marasa, the former is the masculine the latter, feminine. Maestru Lords, Domns, arrange courts about them that consist of their extened family as well as any Sangjurat. The Sangjurat are human individuals who have been made half Maestru in return for their dedication and service. The most notable position in the Domn's Court is the Sangpazine, or blood guard. These are the Domns military companions who go with him in battle.

The human population on these worlds are serfs forced to serve their Domn. They are called Cottars. They provide him with food and labor and children for his Fortarzi. The serfs have an agreement to render specific services and taxes for the Domn and in return the Domn won't eat them. The most common punishment for a Cottar who has broken the law is to end up on the Domn's table.

While the elite of the Enkattel military establishment are the Domn and his Sangpazites, the bulk of their armies are from cottar levees. The Fortarzi are cottars taken as children into the service of the Domn. Normally, they take the healthiest of one in every twenty boys. They are trained to serve in his army and be a laborer for specific projects that fall outside of the normal agreements between a Domn and his Cottars. Though there is always some variation across the worlds these levees form Fortarz Regiments. They are often only equipped with Laslocks which are more precious to the Domn than their Fortarzi's lives.  The form in groups of ten called Zekes, lead by a Zekom, and groups of hundreds called Suta, lead by a Sutar.  All a Domns Suta form his regiment.  Fortarzi are not allowed to marry and are often condemned to short brutal lives though it can be an opportunity to rise into the ranks of the Sangjurat for the brave and the clever.

One dark truth of the Maestru is their form. They have the ability to alter themselves between their human form or their natural form, called the Adevar. If a Maestru goes too long without feeding a furious hunger take them over and they loose control over themselves. They become mildless beasts stuck in their Adevar form always seeking to feed. Many Domns keep these Adevar as dangerous pets and beasts of war.

[DERGONIAN WORLDS]

Scholars with access to the most sequestered of records know that the spirits of the warp are not always as random, or if my readers will excuse the term, chaotic, as they seem. A greater demon of Tzeentch rose to power on the planet Deragog, for which the name of his dominion is derived. He conquered great swaths of space where the warp storm was the most volatile and carved out a great garden of maddness in honor to his master.

The Scadian Crusade's primary focus was the eradication of this vile presence. The waning of warp energy with the abiding of the warp storm weakened the demonic kingdom and with faith the crusaders banished the spawns of Deragog's infernal imagination and exterminated the vile races he created to please his master.

After the Crusade a number of colonies were established on these worlds to harness their natural resources, with special inquisitorial oversight. Despite the occasional mass suicides, establishment of cults, and manifestations of demonic creatures, to be expected on such a world, the colonies succeed and were rather profitable to the sector as a whole. That is, of course, until the Am Parat Star Empire's counter attack to claim these worlds for their own.

[WORLDS OF THE DEMON'S CLAW]

There are many places in space that seem devoid of life, purpose or reason, yet somehow the scum of existence and order manage to build a home in these places.  The Demon's Claw is an unstable and hazardous part of space which bears the uncanny resemblance to a enormous claw. Small outcast worlds scratch a living off asteroid belts, space hulks and death worlds, often supplementing their scant productivity with void piracy. Many of these void pirates provide the members of the Enkattel Regnate with void transport or a mercenary navy. Such areas are beneath the notices of Sector governors and are the responsibility of subsector magnates to police and eradicate such wrinkles in a well ordered Imperium. Its continued existence is proof that the surrounding factions are unfit to rule the subsector.

[AM PARAT STAR EMPIRE]
...Information is limited and Fragmented. The consensus among augers is a small two to three system coalition of heretic worlds exist hidden amongst the last remnants of the warpstorm in the Undiscovered March.  

Lords and Dracine Knights of Azure's Dominion

Nominally, all the citizens of Azure's Dominion pay homage to the Dragon Emperor who rules in the name of Azure until the great dragon wakes again.  Yet in order to administer the growing empire the Emperor declares 400 families to be noble. The leader of that particular family is granted the title of  "Lord of the Dominion" and wears a diadem with a obsidian Gemstone from the Volcanic Prizon of Azure. Family Members display intricate silver broaches to identify their status.  Many families produce similar bronze broaches for clients to display their alligence.    

According to the Founding Documents and philosophy of the Dominion only the Dragon Emperor may make policies, pass judgement and lead armories.  Very quickly the Dragon Emperor s discovered they needed help so the created the Lord of the Dominion who can be authorized to exercise aspects of Imperial Power.  Only the Lord him or herself may exercise the power, but families and clients tend to make up the ideal body of aides, beurocrats , subordinates and bodyguards.   

There are a number of requirements a Lord must fulfill. They pay a tax, must provide a number of trained Dracine Knights to the Emperors Armies, and they must be able to perform their assigned duties in person.  Lords are not permitted to bequith their title to their heir without reviving  confirmation from the Dragon Emperor.   Many Lords retire and relinquish their diadem to their successor before their deaths. Traditionally the successor provides a pension for the household of the retired lord.

Dracine Knights are heavy cavalry soldiers mounted on the savage dracine, a swift, horse sized lizard with sharp hungry teeth.  These are often recruited from noble families and is considered a right of passage to serve atleast a decade as a Dracine Knight.  After a decade many choose to take off their wicked spurs and return to their families, but a number who excel remain and may be selected to be a Baneret.  The highest honor a Dracine Knight can achieve is to be selected as one of the five Dracine Lords. These are Lords of the Dominion who are charged with leading the five most elite cavalry squadrons.  

Azure's Dominion

A 500 years ago the spirit of the Great Dragon Azure called upon an Elven prince to serve him. The Prince, named Zireimen, managed to convert a number of Elves to their service of the Dragon and amassed not only an Army bit a nation. The Religonof Azure spread like the flame from the Dragon's breath across all the spires and elves, in the solemn secrecy of their hearts pledged their fidelity to Azure above all others. The Spire Lords sought to eradicate this threat to the Elven way of life and they outlawed worship of beings other than the gods of their forefathers. Having incited an existential war of faith the now organized Children of Azure fought the alliance of Spires to a draw in the north west city of Bala-Tol. There Zireimen accepted defeat on the terms that the followers of the Dragon be free to leave the City and live as Exiles.

Azure lead the Prince where his exiled children to a new home. The Exhiles, as they came to be called in history, disembarked on Volcanic Island where the Feyfolk had Imprisioned The dragon ages before. There they subjugated the tribal dragonkin race, the Drakes, and built a new civilization. They expanded, conquering and assimilating peoples, establishing an Empire they reverently named "Azure's Dominion."

Outsiders often refer to the Elves of Azure's Dominion as Dark Elves. This is for two reasons. Firstly where Spire Elf architecture is dominated by glorious towers, the great buildings of the descendants of the Exiles are a dark ashy color, often decorated with black volcanic glass. Secondly, though elves are typically dour and severe the cultural tone of Azure's Dominion seems much more sinister than the aloof intellectualism of the Spire Elves. Most Dark Elves do not take offense to that name but they refer to themselves in their own tounge as Brin-Ou, meaning Children of the Exiles.

The Dragon Emperor, and all his faithful subjects, seek to prepare the world for Azures coming at the Dawning of the next age. Though the Brin-Ou are the chief citizens of the empire, sometimes refered to as Azure’s Chosen, the dragon kin, called Azure’s Children, and men alike serve Azure’s Dominion. 

Spire Elves

The elves in the east are proud members of the oldest surviving civilization. Though they are disunited people, each pledging allegiance to their city-state, their Spire. Despite this they share a rich  cultural tradition and a disregard for the world outside the hegemony of their race. They are only called Spire Elves by outsiders, a name derived from the ornate towers which rise up in the center of their cities, they identify themselves by the Spire they call home.

Each spire governs according to their own customs though the most common form of government is an Oligarchy.  The Sidean model is popular, named for the ancient elven philosopher who proposed it.  Sidean Spires have a chamber of lords, representative Chiefs of the great households who rule, and the chamber of elders, the old and wise elves who debate, study and consult portents to guide the young and bold Spire Lords.

Most conflict between spires is short and decisive. The Spire Elves fancy themselves artisans rather than warriors so most spires have very few professional soliers. The bulk of a Spire elf army is made up of citizen phalangites doing their civic duty in defense of their home. Archery and horseback riding are much more difficult skills to master. The elf archers are the guards and police in civil times and the elite warriors in time of war. The cavalry are made up of young members of noble houses and they form well trained and equipped units of cataphracts.

The elves, as a whole, are fascinated with astrology. Many of their greatest philosophers were astrologers. Outside of that field man elves undergo formal and somewhat detached studies of magic and the Feyfolk. Other than that most elven intellectuals are consumed with their own cultural and intellectual tradition reflecting and commenting on the great elven poets and the wonderful hidden meaning in the architecture of the spires.

The elves themselves are exceedingly fair and graceful and their bodies do not fail as man's does. They do age though and with age comes long straight beards and silver hair. They often describe aging as growing weary and death at old age to them is like crawling into a warm bed after an arduous day.

The Spire Elves worship the ancient Gods of the Fey. Their religion is not zealous. They give to the gods their due in a matter of fact attitude with only skin deep reverence. Many elves have a belief that their race is on a slow ascent to god-hood, and they will continue to perfect their knowledge of the world until such time as they are the spiritual masters of it.

Timeline

ACCESS///INQUISITORIAL RECORDS -Limited-///
---> GRANTED
SEARCH:"SECTOR HERACLES CHRONICLE BRIEF"
...Searching Records...
...Generating Display...

CHRONICLE BRIEF: SECTOR HERACLES -Limited-

M32
Sector retaken by Crusade was lead by an unknown chapter of Astartes which did not settle in the sector. They are often believed to be successors of the White Scars. The Adeptus Ministorum establishes a Cardinal's Sea on Xandi III to oversee the indoctrination of the worlds into the Imperial Cult. Adeptus Terra establishes beurocratic framework throughout the sector following the rather successful conversion effort lead by the Venerable Cardinal Violno.
M35
Mars establishes forge worlds on Phelos and surrounding moons.  A Knight worlds emerges in a nearby system, on Belian, a once primitive agriworld, to help provide the base of a bio nutrients paste for Phelos' population. The Explorator who established the world was not materially limited so they simply gave the peasants harvester mechs and gave the nobles Imperial Knights to keep them in line. They also established ministries of the sacred sciences for better food production and maintenance.
M36
The sector quietly weathers the Age of Apostasy. Though Vandire executes Eiphus the Poet, Cardinal of Xandi III and refuses to name a replacement, the Sector Commander consolidated power and control of the sector and the strong presence of the Priesthood of Mars reinforced stability until the coming of Sebastian Thor.
M37
Kurscon Wahggg . Adamar the valiant (imperial knight) becomes a hero in the war against the green skins and myths begin to enshroud him after his death. Ultimately the Wahggg was halted by the excellent tactics and skill of High Admiral Stohrn, commander in chief of Battlefleet Heracles.
M38
The Cult Mecanicus proliferates throughout the sector, largely in the wake of devistation from the Kurscon Wahggg. This overwhelmingly agrarian and back world territory of space becomes more industrialized. The Cult of Mars establishes two forge worlds and establishes a parallel system of governance in the Hercules Sector. This is a relatively peaceful period of growth. This period is considered a slightly unorthodox time by the Ordo Xenos and stringent adherents to the cult of Mars alike. The increase in industrialization drew rogue traders to the sector.  Xenos technology became abundantly available and the trade was difficult to suppress.
M39
Civil war on a Maldos prevents payment of Tithe. The Sector level parties gets involved, primarily with a large Arbite led expedition to restore order and enforce the tithe. The Arbite forces reinforce the world's ruling family. Two nearby worlds join in dissent because they believe the Arbites are overstepping their authority on the grounds that sub-sector law and custom has precedence in resolving disputes. It is a particularly zealous movement which challenged secular imperial authority over the personal and local devotion to the emperor. This was declared a heresy (naturally) and the next 300 years were spent resolving it.
M40
First Dark Eldar Raids and the "Lost Fleet" occurred in 207.  In 219 the Dark Eldar raided the Knight world of Belian , home of adamar the valiant, and enslaved the majority of the population and their swift hit and run attacks managed to swarm and destroy or capture the Knights themselves. By the time Battlefleet Heracles arrived they found only a few stragglers which they destroyed. The same year Ordo Xenos inquisitor Dalmatus went missing. When the Mechanicus lost Belian it was forced to reorganized how it provided it's adherents in the sector with nutrients. The trade agreements made in the wake of this disaster brought the powerful Cult Mechanicus to heel under the Sector Commander.
M41
The warp storm in the sector, known as the Undiscovered March, begins to dissipate and the first Scadian Crusade follows. (Named by the overwhealming leadership and manpower originating from that world.) The crusade is relatively successful but culminates after the expurgation of the Derogian Worlds.With the fall of more Coreward sectors to Hivefleet Leviathan and Behemoth, the imperial tithe increased, stifling local efforts to consolidate Imperial power locally, this left the fledgling colonies and missions in the recently reclaimed Derogian worlds to flounder. The strain on the Adeptus Munitorum at a galactic level eventually lead to the "The Memorandum" issued by the Adeptus Administratum. For all practical purposes, Sector Heracles was no longer under Imperial Rule.
M42
-001 Times seem grim. Lord Commander of Sector Heracles, High Governess Navina, immediately calls for a counsel of Lords across the Sector on the capital world of Litera II. The Literan Council, as it was named, had representative members of each subsector and the major powers that were once parts of the Imperial Political and Social architecture. From this she established the new Government of Sector Heracles.

The Astropolitical Organization of Sector Herecles

[....Adeptus Administratum Archive] +ACCESS GRANTED+
...
[VIEW] SEGMENTUM TEMPESTUS
-------------------->Heracles Sector
---------------------------------> Astro Political Data

ABSTRACT...

---Civitas Imperialis Suspended---

IMPERIAL COMMANDER'S SEAT: Litera II: Subsector Helevus
--------------> Lord Commander Navina, Saisi
CARDINAL's SEAT: Xandi III: Subsector Dantan
--------------> Cardinal Satimer, Urich
FORGE PRIME: Phelos IX: Subsector Helevus
--------------> Magos Dulan

SUBSECTORS: Helevus, Dantan, Rittan, Borisian March and The Undiscovered March

Heracles Sector is a Rim Sector on the edge of Segmentum Tempestus. It is astronomically composed of a sparse segment of the Segmentum's outmost spiral arm. Despite its proximity to Hive Fleet Leviathan's path the sector has been bypassed by Tyranid invasion. This is likely because of the success of clensing of Ulik Sector. The Sector has also been fortunate enough to avoid any major Ork incursions, with the exception of the Barbari Wahg in M37.  The small and rather disperse sector does, however, fall prey to piracy and there have been significant problems with Dark Eldar raids in the past. Currently, the primary threat is the Am Parat Star Empire, a small empire which developed in the heart of the Undiscovered March while enveloped in a warp storm. As the storm receded in M41 it exposed the dangerous and heretical threat. To cope with the dramatic changes of late, Lord Commander Navina has began to strengthen her position as the sector commander in absence of the rule of Terra.

Cork Gaming Tiles

Gaming Tiles

Using Cork Board for Terrain

I'm greedy when it comes to gaming. I want to have a lot of options for miniatures and terrain. I also want those options to be portable and easy to store. I like the concept behind many camercial products like games workshop's realm of battle and  Dungeonscapes but I feel like these products lack flexibility and due to their prices it's harder to own a lot of them.  I started experimenting with my own tiles. Originally I used 12"x12" vinyl adhesive tiles with woodland scenics' grassland mat. This looked outstanding but was rather heavy and was only a one sided solution

(A small game of micro armour on my vinyl  tiles)

I did like the 1'x1' squares. So I kept my eye out for light and durable material that was readily available in that size.  At my local Walmart I found 12"x12"x1/8" cork board in the office supply section. They were incredibly cheap, and came in packs of four.  I spray painted one side green and left the other bare for a desert environment.  

(6mm Pz IVs on my Cork Tiles. The fighting positions are also cork)

With 16 I can make a 4'x4' table, perfect for Warmachine. 20 will get you a 40k friendly 4'x6' and 9 for for songs of blades and Heros in28mm.

I will continue to experiment with different ways to paint the tiles.  So far I have tried gray and textured stone for dungeon tiles.  I based each of them in black and then lightly sprayed the coat on top. I like the gray the best.

I think the textured spray would do great for cityscapes but it also works for a dungeon. Here is an example of cutting down the tiles for a dungeons crawl. I cut the be 3"x6" and the small rooms are 6"x6". 

 I think if I lay a net down before I spray the top coat I could create a tiled or cobbled floor effect.


And did I mention it's easy to store?

Let me know if you find something that works!

The Memorandum

The Memorandum

From the office of the Adeptus Terra in conjunction with the Adeptus Munitirun.

Memorandum for the Imperial Commander of Sector Herecles

1. As of M.41-999.72 Civitas Imperialis on all worlds in Sector Heracles is suspended.

2. Tithe Grades are redesignated to Aptis Non until such tile as Civitas Imperialis is restored.

3. Battlefleet Heracles conducts change of mission to facilitate the containment of Orpheus Sector when the memorandum goes into effect. BF Heracles is reflagged to Orpheus Secundus immediately.

4. 364, 49, 281, Heradrian, 99th, 123,124, 282nd, 621st Druforean and Adeptus Arbite Martial Detatchment "Blackshield"  Are retasked in support of Battlefleet Orpheus Secundus. Lord General Decarian is named Lord Marshal and will establish a fleet marine headquarters to provide command and control of all Astra militarum forces tasked in support of BF Orpheus Secundus.  

5. High Governess Navina is charged with sustaining the local sector beaurocratic  and legal infrastructure of Sector Heracles as well as providing for the defense of the emperors flock in her region of space.

///Original Signed///

I wanted to explore what the loosening of imperial rule means to the average citizen. What happens to the remnants of mankind who are severed from the heart of humanity? The ones who are miracously bypassed by Hive Fleets and Whaags.  Sector Heracles is the grim setting that explores the challenges of maintaining order and surviving in post imperial rule. (Naturally I do not own the rights to anything 40k at all)

Song of a Waning Age

Song of a Waning Age

I fell in love with Andrea Sfiligoi's fantasy skirmish Rules Song of Blades and Heroes. It's easy, fast paced, unique and most importantly it leaves plenty of room for imagination and creativity.  Though the fantastic new edition, known as Adanced Song of Blades and Heros, takes place in the whimsical world of Norindaal I decided to make my own world that accommodates all the adventures and characters I want to see.

The Song of a Waning Age setting takes place in a world after a decline of an elf and fairy golden age. The rise in the Dragon Cult and the corruption of Fae Magic through man's study of necromancy has destabilized the old regimes as younger people's challenge the old ones for dominance. Like the moon, as it wanes, there must be darkness before it waxes again.

Knights of Solar IV

KNIGHTS of SOLAR IV

Long ago the first men , the Star Fathers, descended from the heavens to make a home on Solar IV. The Great Civilizations from the heavens cultivated the land, made the air breathable and discovered the secrets of Marthane, the black gift of the rock. Yet, distress in the heavens caused the great Civilizations to collapse and as they warred amongst the stars they abandoned their children on the rugged and  unforgiving red planet. 

Without Order and Law, the gifts of the Civilizations of the Star Fathers, the denizens of Solar IV suffered at the hands of bandits and Tyrants alike. Until the Knights rose, mounted in their steel warmachines, to protect the people from the evils of anarchy. In exchange for their protection the people in the hamlets and villages swore to accept the Knights as their lords and masters and give him a share if the food, water and Marthane they produce.  Great Knights forged kingdoms and other fiefdoms in the red soil.

The Knights ride in armored and tracked tanks which can repel all but the most determined and ferocious bandit raids with their arming-valets serving as loaders and drivers. Each tank is unique, much of it it hand forged and machined with a great deal of care. Tanks are often heirlooms of a Knights family and only great and wealthy Knights have more than one or two in their household. Squires and the men-at-arms ride on lighter tanks and wheeled vehicles as scouts or support for their lords. It is customary that vehicles carry weapons in proportional strength to the vehicle. Tank destroyers are considered dishonorable and disreputable to use.

Not all civilization was lost when the Starfathers departed. Some cities managed to survive by ruthlessly controlling the land around them for the foods and other consumables they required to sustain themselves. Each forming an independent city-state. They govern themselves and raise their own armies to police and control their lands. The needs of the cities grew with their populations forcing them to expand and causing continuous conflict along their borders.

Before the Fall of the Great Civilizations the Star Cavalry served the Interplanetary Republic of Merica. Swearing an oath to uphold freedom, justice and liberty above all the abandoned regiments remained at their post resolving to do good and maintain order wherever possible until the Star fathers return again bringing order, law and justice with them. Until then they continue their ceaseless patrol on the red frontier.

Not all of Solar IV is conducive to sedentary life. Areas without access to subsurface water must live nomadic lives traveling from one Vaporator field and Greengrove  to the next for water and food. These nomads and scavengers are anything but uniform, each having their own particular cultures, beliefs and ethics, yet they all share disdain for the massive war machines of the Knights and city states. They prefer to use smaller fast moving vehicles to quickly surprise their opponents and escape with their loot from raids.

When the Star fathers abandoned Solar IV they took many of their secrets with them. Many learned individuals feared that their knowledge would be lost in the ensueing chaos or, perhaps fall into the wrong hands. Therefore they created the four priest hoods of the sacred Mysteries to serve as guardian cults and guilds of knowledge. The Mystery of the Machine is for all sorts of mechanical engineering and electricity. The mystery of medicine studies all healing as well as agricultural sciences. The mystery of Numbers is mathmatics, physics computer sciences and accounting. The Mystery of the Past chronicle events and looks for answers to understand the star fathers and the origin of man. 

The sacred Mysteries gained a great deal of power and prestige across Solar IV, preserving the scraps of civilization for the people's if Solar IV, but many have lost the path their progenitors intended for them to take. Nevertheless they continue guard their knowledge jealously. If you need your tank repaired or a crop saved for parasites often times the best bet is to call on a priest of the sacred mysteries.

GLOSSARY

Dark Metal: considered the best material for building armor and weapons but those who use it are often cursed with scars and shorter lives.

Greengrove: a place where the Star fathers cultivated the land and placed a special Vaporators to water grass and other plants in a small area in the Martian landscape. Many greengroves are long failed attempts to farm in areas without access to subsurface water.

Green Zone: Areas around the equator which managed to grow a self sustaining Eco system. Fresh water features, woods and scrubby grassland coexist with red Martian rock and sand. This is where a great deal of food is produced on Solar IV

Guzzleen: the fuel byproduct of marthane used for vehicles and generators.

Lord Nasa, the legend of: Lord Nasa was the greatest of the Star fathers and first to land on Solar IV. He tamed and defeated the monsters which ravaged the landscape. Bits of armor from his tanks torn off in battle bearing his name and heraldry are sometimes discovered and prized as a relic. Lord Nasa had many tanks, two of his most famous are Viking and Rover. The epic poem "The Enterprise" is one of the most famous and beloved works of literature on Solar IV is centered on Lord Nasa as a flawed Protaganist. Lord Nasa's sidekick in battle is the witty and badass Mary Kate.

Marthane: a petroleum found exclusively and in abundance on Solar IV. It comes from the microbes which lived in the subsurface lakes until they overpopulated themselves out of existence millions of years ago. 

Saltbugs: Small chitinous crawlers which subsist primarily on salt. They congregate around moist salty ground where they graze. They are potentially dangerous because humans are essentially big bags of salt water and being stampeded by more than a handful could overwhelm a lone and unarmed traveler. They taste alright, but like crawfish it's a lot of work for a little meat.

Star Fathers: A catch all name for the myriad men and organizations that colonized Solar IV.

Wrathmonger: [undecided] a magician who knows how to commune with technological relics know as an Eye of Destruction. If used properly and the stars (satellites more specifically) are in alignment then they rain destruction from the heavens on their foes. They Worship the god of Destruction SpaSurAM. Often they are roaming hermits  looking for targets worthy of SpaSuram  to destroy. A desperate or particularly dark hearted lord may seek to host one of SpaSurAM's Priests in order to garner favor. Most residents of the red planet live in fear of Wrathmongers and Serve and honor them To avoid their Ire.  The many Star Cavalry regiments have sworn to destroy all the Eyes of Destruction. A few city states follow suite yet any place that makes Wrathmongers unwelcome risks the wrath of SpaSurAM.

Vaporator: a moisture collector used in areas with little or difficult to reach subsurface water.

This is this is an example of a Star Cavalry Patrol made with miniatures from Reaper's CAV line.