Session 5

+++ Calimacrux Cell Progress Log +++

+++ Compiler: Varnias Nicodemus +++

+++ Clearance Level: Carmine +++

If Author Deceased: Forward to Inquisitor Havelock Trantor (Ordo Hereticus)

+++ Date: 6 270 815 M41 +++

Upon arrival in the Tu-Shar system, long range sensors detected a destroyer sized vessel in low orbit around the second planet. Further investigation revealed it to be the Inextricable Glory. The vessel had sustained serious damage to the starboard, planetward, side. The damage was consistent with plasma torpedo impacts. All systems were offline and no lifesigns were detected. A number of saviour pods had been ejected and corresponding transponder signals were detected on the surface of Tu-Shar.

The cell made a foray onto the stricken vessel. Ship's logs indiate that all was in order right up until the time of the disaster some three months ago. Records cease after this point. The only indications on the interior that anything had gone wrong were the raiding of the armoury and thruster burns on the deck of the entral shuttle bay. This indicates at least one person left in a hurry. No bodies were found on the ship aside from one of the resident techpriests. It seems he (it?) had stayed behind in order to ensure the warp drives did not explode. It did not die of any external cause but without knowledge of mecahnicus physionomy, we are unable to hypothesise as to the cause of its death.

During the investigation of the vessel, minor injuries were sustained by members of the cell. These were due to lack of experience with shipboard systems, specifically the gravitational generator systems.

The cell then made planetfall in the Burnished Hawk. The cluster of saviour pods on the surface of the planet had been abandoned but, due to the sheer mass of crew, it was not hard to track them down. The trail led to a clearing where a battle had been fought between the crew and the native tribesmen. The crew had, it seems, run out of ammunition and had been slaughtered. There are no indications of survivours and, after three months, chances of finding animate crewmembers are minimal.

+++ Date 6 271 815 M41 +++

The tribespeople of this planet are primitive and barbaric in the extreme. The cell approached one of their smaller encampments in order to find out what had happened in the clearing. The group was approached by thirty members of that encampment riding quadropedal ungulates native to Tu-Shar. Without much further ado, the men labelled us as 'demons from the sky' and fired upon us with smoothbore black-powder weaponry. They were cut down by the emperor's wrath embodied in Hastur's heavy stubber. Their settlement was destroyed as an example to the other barbarians.

While this action may have struck the fear of the god-emperor into the hearts of the savages, it has also hindered our attempts to communicate with them as they are want to run in fear at the sight of our gunship. One group, connected to Princess Yarni (one of the native potentates), did deign to speak with us and we arranged a meeting with the princess. We have now been identified as members of the aquilla clan, their term for imperial citizens. As such we are no longer 'Sky Demons' and are not likely to be attacked.

+++ Date: 6 275 815 M41 +++

Despite being only a 20 minute hop away in the gunship, Princess Yarni took four days to reach our rough encampment. Upon arrival, the princess was haughty and somewhat insolent. She, however, did apologise for the whoesale slaughter of our 'clansmen' (the crew of the Inextricable Glory).

The princess revealed that she had been visited by 'the speaker', presumably Priest Mallear. The visit had been brief and had left the planet a month ago, two months after he was due to leave. THe speaker had told Yarni's clan that they should welcome those of the clan of the aquilla as they would bring riches from the sky with them. The speaker had then left for the clan belonging to Thak 'the thrice cursed'.

Further questioning revealed that three months previously, great light were seen to rise from the grassland and soar high into the sky before rending the sky assunder with a near-blinding light. In return for her co-operation and to (hopefully) gain an ally on the planet, the princess was gifted with a las-pistol and a single charge pack.

+++ Date: 6 276 815 M41 +++

The cell investigated the site from where the 'great bonfires' had risen. What was foind was a great plain of metal around a crater filled with ash and wreckage. Preliminary analysis decided that one of the launch vehicles carrying the surface to orbit plasma missiles had malfunctioned, destroying the launch site in a cataclysmic explosion.

As these launch vehicles were not operated by Yarni's clan, the cell aproached another of the larger clans to look for answers. This tribal group was lead by Baron Arl, who we gained an audience with.

Arl styled himself as both mighty and powerful, and he looked upon the cell with some disdain. He told us that the speaker spoke with the voice of the one true god (possibly a non-standard term for the god-emperor). More of the speaker's clan had descended from the stars and brought with them gifts from the gods. These gifts were used, on prompting by the speaker, to strike down the largest sky-demon they had seen (the Inextricable Glory). One of the gifts had however turned on them (confirming our earlier hypothesis. The same people who had delivered the gifts returned a month ago to retrieve the speaker.

When questioned as to why there were no overt displays of devotion to the emperor, Arl claimed their symbol had been destroyed in the previous calamity. Now, the tribe were frightened that, if the symbol was displayed, the calamity would repeat.

Our discussion was cut short by the arrival of a warhost from the tribe of Killer Thak. Arl excused himself and attended to the defence of his settlement. The attack was lead by Thak himself and, as the horsemen charged into contact, he was seen to be wearing a rosarius. The horsemen surrounded the cell in a protctive circle as Arl's tribesmen regrouped. Thak introduced himself as Thak 'the thrice blessed' who had come to save the members of the mighty clan from the perfidious arl.

His rosarius was a gift from the speaker who had been taken from them by Arl. According to Thak, Arl only pretends to worship the emperor and recieves gifts from His enemies. This unnamed enemy was said to be insidious and crawls inside the mind to subvert the will. This desription points to the influence of the great enemy here on Tu-Shar.

Hastur confronted Arl with this accusation and the two duelled briefly before the two tribes charged each other. The resulting battle was short and brutal. Thak's cavalry eliminated the last organised resistance and set about torching the settlement. Arl was found in his tent, dead by his own hand. Amongst his posessions were a data slate with a partly damaged message. there was also a small aquilla icon, its wing had been broken off and the whole thing stank of warp taint.

After some celebrations, the cell took their leave of Thak's tribe and returned to the Fractus. On board, the message on the data slate was recovered and indicates the involvment of a Rogue Trader by the name of Ferrus.

+++ Date: 6 277 815 M41 +++

The cell left the Tu-Shar system on the Fractus and proceeded to the Montt System. Attempts to salvage the Inextricable Glory had failed. The rogue trader vessel had been scuttled but its cargo, three intra-atmospheric shuttles filled with promethium, has been recovered. This cargo has been turned over the the cell to be dealt with.