Dark Heresy Handouts

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Valas
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Priority Inquisitorial Communiqué

Post by Valas » Fri May 11, 2012 3:14 pm

Authorization: Episolon 443.M38 Sub-Calixian Cipher 443. Famulous-Transmission

Thought of the Day: The faithful man does not face danger alone. He has the God-Emperor at this side

My Faithful Acolytes,

To the attention of the Emperor’s Inquisition have come certain facts concerning Arch-Cardinal Ignato that causes us to be suspicious of this exalted member of the Ecclesiarchy. In other circumstances such suspicions would be suffi cient cause to see Ignato arrested or executed under Inquisitorial authority, but given the peerless status that the Arch-Cardinal holds in the Calixis Sector, even the Emperor’s Inquisition hurries not to condemn him publicly. Though the authority of the Holy Ordos is infinite in theory, powerful enemies in the Ecclesiarchy have the capacity to greatly hinder our work should Ignato be prosecuted and his guilt not be proven.

Your task is to infiltrate the Cathedral of Illumination, Arch-Cardinal Ignato’s seat of power, and there gather evidence that might support the suspicions we have of him. To facilitate this it has been arranged for you to be received by the cathedral’s clergy as inspectors of relics, there to examine the various religious items and ascertain their veracity. You are to use the access this cover gives you to find out everything you can about Ignato and any other suspicious activity at the cathedral.

Should you discover evidence of malfeasance on Ignato’s part, you are to report back to me. On no account are you to confront Ignato directly without express orders from myself. Until such time as I inform you otherwise, your mission concerns only the gathering of evidence.

These orders are to be obeyed as if they came from the mouth of the Emperor Himself. Seek not riches, nor praise, but only the knowledge that you do the Emperor’s work.

By the authority of Him On Earth,

Inquisitor Chane

Valas
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Re: Dark Heresy Handouts

Post by Valas » Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:03 am

Message from Vid Feed in the Sacristy

Saint Drusus turns toward the vid feed and appears to stare straight into your eyes as he says...

These shoulders have carried the word of the God-Emperor to fill the chalice.

These arms have held back the tides of the enemy as they assail us without respite.

These hands have shaped the future of the stars and forged our victory in His name.

Service ends only in death. In death I can serve.

In death I can lead. I turn my back to the God-Eater.

I turn away from him and to the light so that my service to He Who Is On Earth does not end.

I turn from the promises of the tainted.

Valas
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Susicious Transmissions (Lector's Info)

Post by Valas » Sun Aug 12, 2012 4:03 pm

+++...course, secrecy is of the utmost importance. Should any leaks occur, on your head they shall be, and we all will suffer...+++

+++...understand. You may place your trust in me. As for the other matter, it is fully under my control and he will never see the light
while I yet live. This should be considered temporary and I urge you to create an alternative method of restricting his...+++

+++...concerns are noted. At this time our resources are diverted elsewhere. We place our trust in you, brother, to maintain
both the current operation and the interdiction of our wayward brother's...+++

+++...is complete and continues as planned. Within three months I anticipate the next stage can begin. I trust all the other members of
our synod concur that my current enterprise is indeed the plan most likely to...+++

+++...should further oversight be required. It behooves us to ensure that should any problem occur, our other members can have full access to your facilities so your progress can be ascertained. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that...+++

+++...insist, the means of entry requires the following code-symbols: the Open Hand, the Crescent Moon, and the Shattered Skull, input
in that sequence. I must insist that any interaction between this facility and our other members or proxies be kept to a minimum. You
know as well as I that...+++

Valas
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Stained leter from Ganger

Post by Valas » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:53 pm

Stained with dirt and blood, the lead ganger has a small envelope in a pocket within his robes. While several pages have been rendered illegible, the last page has a passage still untouched by ichor.

“...regret to inform you that the situation within the Blinding Gulch is rapidly becoming untenable. The gang warfare, something far below your own station, is increasing exponentially and I fear it will not be long before someone uses their knowledge of my location as a bargaining chip with the Magistratum.
I need to relocate as soon as possible. However, the deadlines you have placed upon my work will make this very difficult to accomplish without additional assistance. I have sent my envoy...”

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Ripped Letters from Ignato's Desk

Post by Valas » Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:08 am

Three leters peices , all of the ripped at various points leaving only partial letters.

Letter 1

Brother Vraine,

I fear that Ignato is out of control. The plan he put to Hand's Synod was abominable. I know that we must make sacrifices, that we must do things that those of lesser wills would consider evil. But what Ignato proposes... it is monstorous. We canot countenance it.

He must be dealt with. Of course, having one of our members in the position of Arch Cardinal is too valuable to throw away.. I understand that your particular capabilities will make it possible to take Ignato's place as the Arch Cardinal. I suggest this be done as son as possible, and that you begin preparing yourself both to take on Iganto's physical aspects and learn the necessary details of the Arch-Cardinal's mundane responsibilities.

I am of the opinion that Ignato must die. Others, however, believe that he should be instead be imprisoned, for his status with our allies and his capacity to contact tham are essential to some of our future plans. I suggest that imprisonment be out first choice, with the caveat that Ignato be killed at the first suggestion he can escape or is able to pursue his agenda in captivity.



Leter 2

My Brethren of the Secret Synod,

My position as Arch Cardinal has served well to explore potential operations for us, which might bring about our desired outcome of religious strife. I have in my possession, thanks to the Cathedral archives, a great many of the raw materials required for producing convincing false religious tomes. In addition, using our resources I have acquired the services of the most talented forger in the sector.

I believe that we can create a number of religious works purporting to be written by, or transcribed from the words of Saint Drusus himself. If the messages of these works were tailored towards creating the upheval we seek, we can foment the schism we require and our goals can be achieved with relatively little danger to the Maledictor's Hand itself. I have begun to create these false tomes as I write, and require only a little more time and the approval of you, my breathern, before this plan can be put into action.

I believe our goals are now in sight. The depravity of the Calaxis Sector will be a thing of the past, and we shall rule over a shining example of purity and holiness for the whole Imperium to follow


Letter 3

Brother Vraine,

We have reviewed your proposal and agree that it offers both an acceptably low risk and a high chance of success. Continue your other duties while pursuing the proposed course of action. Should any information leak, in particular through the forger of whom you speak, you are to eliminate all those with any knowledge, destroy all evidence, and see to it that you disappear. We suggest inflicting some catastrophe on the Cathedral of Illumination that will eliminate physical evidence and provide a cover for the disappearance of the Arch Cardinal.

We remind you that on no account should this work compromise the imprisonment of Ignato. We are pursuing alternative means of neutralizing him but

Valas
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Re: Dark Heresy Handouts

Post by Valas » Sun Sep 09, 2012 1:16 am

The 3 books Zeevja found:

The Life of Drusus.

It purports to be an account of Saint Drusus’ life, including extensive quotations from his own sermons. These sermons include several versions of a prophecy; after Drusus’ death the Calixis Sector will fall into moral decay, and the nadir of this decay will be marked when the ‘Dread Star of Sin’ rises and brings catastrophe with it as it moves through the sector. Drusus exhorts the faithful to take up arms when this star rises and puts the sinners to death, for only by violence and strife can the Calixis Sector be made fit for pious Emperor-fearing citizens to live in.

The Dread Star of Sin

The second book is a collection of observances and prophecies concerning the Dread Star of Sin. Many of them are old and well-known prophecies, the same legends and ancient verses collected by the Tyrantine Cabal in their quest to comprehend the Dread Star of Sin’s appearance. Others, however, are newly-written, and describe the Dread Star of Sin as the herald of a great upheaval for the Calixis Sector, which will see either an irreversible slide into sin and depravity, or the rising up of the sector’s faithful to put the sinful to death. The blood of sinners, one prominent prophecy reads, is the only way to quench the terrible fi res of the Dread Star of Sin.

The Blessed Word of Saint Drusus Upon Matters of Morality and Piety

It is supposedly written by Saint Drusus himself. It is a philosophical work in which Saint Drusus explains at length the various justifi cations for the use of violence for religious purposes. His conclusion is that it is not only valid for the faithful to use violence to punish heretics and further the Imperial Creed, but that such violence should be viewed as an obligation for the faithful.

Valas
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Shora Cartel Handout

Post by Valas » Tue Apr 16, 2013 2:45 am

The Shora Cartel appears, to outside observation, to be nothing more than an up-and-coming cartel of interstellar traders, minor merchant houses, and void born families who have successfully banded together over the last few years to improve their lot in a region notoriously difficult and dangerous to operate in. The Cartel’s reputation has yet to spread much beyond the Hazeroth Abyss and its nearby stars.

However, its rise has been noted by the economic powers of the sector who, though long established, always keep an eye on potential rivals and commercial shifts. As far as most of the emissaries and notaries of the great trade houses, Chartist captains, and sector grandees are concerned, the Cartel offers little threat or challenge economically as it is simply too small a group and founded on too precarious a footing to be worthy of being considered a potential rival.

Those that have encountered the Cartel in action, however, might offer a different opinion. It has proven itself efficient, well-resourced, and ruthless in its operations, as many who have crossed it have found out to their regret. Many independent interests, criminal groups, and even local governments where the Cartel has taken hold are starting to view it with growing disquiet and some suspicion, as are some within the Adeptus Arbites and Battlefleet Calixis, although the voices of concern in those last two organizations are still relatively few so far.

The suspicions that surround the Cartel are linked primarily with travel to prohibited areas outside of the Imperium, the trade in illegal xenos artefacts, and piracy. While none of these conjectures is without merit (or entirely uncommon or unexpected for that matter), many who have had dealings with the Cartel believe something even darker lurks behind its façade. Whatever that darkness may be, it is something most cannot identify but fills even the usually hardened voider families, commonplace smugglers, and dockside gangs with deep unease.

Apart from its more sinister dealings, the Shora Cartel operates exactly as one might expect of any successful trade cartel. It is made up of a diverse group of private commercial interests that trade between the worlds on the Calixis Sector’s Trailing border and has recently made inroads into the more established areas of the Josian Reach, as well as the northern edge of the Ixaniad Sector. The Cartel's membership includes independent free-trader captains and local void born clans, as well as planet-based merchant houses, trade guilds, prospectors, petty nobles, and the like. While these members continue to operate largely independently, the Cartel acts on their behalf to cement trade agreements, negotiate settlements, and quell discord between its members. It also works to control markets and prices, massing its power against competition, rivals, or outside threat.

The Cartel’s ruling body, known within the organization as the “Principals,” also provides resources, financing, and armed force and punitive measures at its members’ request. These Principals demand that members give them a (surprisingly moderate) cut of their profits, that potentially useful information be reported back to them, and that when they do make a direct request of their members, it is carried out promptly, expediently, and without question.

In terms of structure, the Cartel follows a simple pyramid layout. The largest, lowest tier of the pyramid is the Cartel’s production base and markets—local planet bound individuals, such as nobles, guild bosses, traders, prospectors, specialist artisans, and the like. These individuals might be quite powerful locally and control large bodies of men and material; indeed, their own organizations might know nothing of the master’s affiliation to the Cartel. The middle tier is composed of the Cartel’s agents and a number of groups with direct Cartel affiliation. This tier is primarily made up of starship trader captains, their crews, and associated void born clans. However, it also includes a number of mercenary groups and a small dedicated body of scribes, emissaries, and logisters who negotiate for the Cartel in more formal settings as a legitimate trade body. This tier of operation also incorporates a less legitimate “shadow” made up of smugglers, outlaws, hereteks, and assassins who also serve the Cartel.

The upper tier controls the Cartel. It is composed of the Principals—a rarely encountered group who deliberately hide behind layers of secrecy. Outsiders and many within the organization believe that the Principals are simply taking prudent means to protect themselves. Some believe they may be powers already present within the sector (such as a great house who wishes to keep its involvement under cover) or one or more Rogue Traders seeking to expand their power within the Imperium’s bounds. Others believe the Principals are renegades from outside the Imperium—pirates, noncompliants, and outlaws—and that the Cartel is backed by blood money taken in raids and destroyed shipping.

The illegal operations of the Shora Cartel operate in tandem with its more legitimate trading interests and are centered on intersystem smuggling operations. They deal primarily in illicit drugs, stolen items, controlled technologies, arms, and other black market goods, and in the worlds bordering the Hazeroth abyss, the Cartel has quickly come to displace other organized smuggler gangs, being the first to challenge the domination of the Cold Guild in generations. It has been utterly merciless in crushing any organized opposition against it and the Cartel will readily utilize targeted assassination and mercenary kill teams in order to employ a strategy of divide and conquer—backing one local criminal or mercantile faction against another.

The Cartel is also careful to leave petty gangs and local independents largely untouched, using their activities to mask the Cartel’s own and providing convenient scapegoats for the authorities. For those with the wealth or connections, the Cartel has other goods and services to offer. Its agents deal in forbidden xenotech, artefacts, and other trinkets from beyond the Imperium’s border. The Cartel can also do more, much more, for the right buyer; it can arrange to have enemies permanently “vanished,” provide clients with vast sums of financial backing, and arrange for shipping (or even whole outposts) to disappear without trace. However, the price for such services is total loyalty to the Cartel and its often strange requests.

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