TEXT: Things that Dwell in Darkness
  The Nocturnal Warriors of the Hrud in Inquisitor
  By Joseph Garvin
  “Shooting at them is like shooting at shadows. Except shadows never try to shoot back.”
  - Imperial Guardsman Sergeant Eric Turrock, after the battle of Menengrad.
   
  “They’re a little more of an inconvenience than your average vermin. They have guns.”
  - Agri-farm co-ordinator Simon Daemortis.
  +++ A Study on the Most Foul Vermin of the Hrud by Savant Ahasuerus, servant to My Lord Euklid. +++
  Honoured Lord - 
  As requested, I have completed an introductory text describing the so-called ‘Nocturnal Warriors’ or Hrud. The Hrud claim 
  to a heritage far far older than that of Holy Mankind [Age proves Nothing, only Faith]. Their history, we are told, reaches 
  back millions of years, rivaling that of the Eldar in age. For most of that time, they have lived as they live now - as 
  scavengers and vermin, hiding among the dark tunnels of more powerful races. They name their ‘god’ as Qah, a creator  
  deity. This fiction is supposed to have created them, and transformed them to protect them from an enemy known as the 
  ‘Mirror Demons’ [Only the Unclean shy from their Reflection - the Holy know Ugliness to be Truth]. From that day to this, 
  they have lived hidden lives, residing in alleys and catacombs.
  No-one knows when Humanity first learned of the Hrud. 
  However, no matter how far back in Mankind’s 
  dark history it was, it is certain it was long 
  after the Hrud had learned of Humanity. 
  Wherever  there  are  dark  shadows, 
  hidden
   
  tunnels,
   
  forgotten 
  catacombs, there you will find 
  the  Hrud.  They  travel  the 
  stars  hidden  between  the 
  deckplates  of  Imperial 
  battleships, and live off the 
  refuse  and  leavings  of 
  hives.  Who  are  this 
  mysterious  race?  What  do 
  they desire?
  The Hrud believe themselves to be 
  the  creations  of  ‘Qah’,  He  Who 
  Lingers. Many millions of years before 
  the  present,  Qah  gave  the  Hrud  all  the 
  abilities they needed to survive the attack of 
  the  Naam-Khoh,  or  Mirror  Demons.  Able  to 
  conceal themselves in a self-created shadowfield, 
  slip through any barrier with their flexible skeletons, 
  and survive on the roughest food, the Hrud are the 
  ultimate survivors. They are an entirely nomadic 
  race, with any one group rarely staying in place 
  for more than a few generations. Most of 
  what they use they scavenge, though 
  they  have  a  developed 
  knowledge  of  plasma 
  technology that rivals that of 
  the  Imperium.  They  live  in  large 
  tunnel cities,  often spreading many  miles 
  through  an 
  existing settlement, entirely unnoticed. 
  The most important Hrud activity, both for the Hrud and the 
  Imperium, is a Hrud Migration. In these times, an entire 
  tunnel city will abandon their homes and seek out new 
  ones,  seizing  control  of  spaceports  and  starships  to 
  complete their journey. An unsuspecting world may 
  suddenly find its spaceport under siege from near-
  invisible
   
  enemies,
   
  its 
  orbiting spacecraft prowled 
  by  armed  creatures  who 
  can  slip  through  pipes  and 
  vents to reach anywhere, and its 
  commanders  assassinated  by  the 
  poisonous  touch  of  ragged,  foul 
  smelling  creatures.  One  of  the  largest 
  such migrations in the Imperium’s history 
  was  stopped  in  983.M41  by  Imperial 
  forces  under  then-General  Ursarkar 
  Creed.  However,  many  worlds  find 
  themselves cut off from large-scale trade until their 
  spaceports  can  be  repaired,  and  many  Trader 
  vessels have been found seemingly abandoned 
  and empty after the Hrud are finished with them. 
  Outside of the Migrations, Hrud remain mostly 
  concealed from Imperial eyes. The tunnel cities 
  can be easily  hidden  from prying eyes, and 
  those that pry too far are easily dealt with by 
  the skilled Hrud warriors. The Hrud do engage in 
  small  raiding  parties  into  human  settlements, 
  stealing equipment, weapons and raw materials. As 
  well as this, the Hrud utilise a large number of 
  human slaves, kept not for hard labour, but as 
  servants or even as pets. 
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the property of 
  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
  
  Hrud in the Inquisitor Game
  So,  if  the  Hrud  are  so  secretive,  why  would  they  be 
  involved in a game of Inquisitor? Well, for one, Inquisitors 
  are people who’s job is to find out secrets! Beyond that, 
  Hrud  can  make  excellent  opponents  for  a  warband. 
  Perhaps an Inquisitor’s trusted savant has been kidnapped 
  by Hrud to be used as a slave, and he must lead an 
  expedition into the tunnel-city to rescue him. Perhaps a 
  tunnel-city has been built around an ancient temple that 
  contains a powerful daemon weapon that needs binding. 
  Perhaps, even, the Inquisitor has simply heard rumours of 
  a Hrud infestation, and has set out to bring the Emperor’s 
  Holy  Light  (in  the  form  of  burning  promethium)  to  the 
  shadowy  Xenos. Whatever the  reason, Inquisitors  have 
  more reason to face off against the Hrud than would most 
  Imperial servants. 
  However,  for  some  warbands,  a  Hrud  may  well  be  a 
  member. The Hrud aren’t incapable of making alliances 
  outside of their species, though they may prefer to remain 
  unseen. A radical Inquisitor would find the skills of a Hrud 
  warrior  very  powerful,  as  would  a  renegade  faction.  A 
  Hrud’s loyalties could be bought with slaves, or technology, 
  or promises of protection for their tribe. As well as this, a 
  Hrud warband might not be out of the question. A Shaman 
  or tribal leader accompanied by a small retinue of warriors 
  and assassins could have a mission to counter any attempt 
  to  find  the  tunnel-city,  or  to  scout  out  a  new home  in 
  preparation for a migration. 
  In  brief  -  the  Hrud  are  secretive  and  deceitful,  and 
  Inquisitor  is  a  game  of  secrets  and  lies.  Whether  as 
  opponents, allies, or even a warband in their own right, the 
  Hrud make for fascinating characters for Inquisitor.
  Hrud Characters
  Most Hrud are pretty similar to one-another in terms of 
  capabilities. They aren’t particularly strong or tough, nor 
  are they amazing shots, relying more on their stealth to 
  see them through. The statline below should be seen as a 
  starting point for most Hrud characters. However, changes 
  shouldn’t  be  considered  taboo!  A Hrud  Assassin  would 
  have a superior Weapon Skill, while a Shaman might have 
  a high Willpower, and an even higher Sagacity than the 
  existing one. All Hrud have the following abilities - Bendie, 
  Ssaak,  Poisonous  Biology,  Corpse  Armour,  Nightsight. 
  Most Hrud are low level psykers, and would have one or 
  perhaps two low-difficulty psychic abilities. Occasionally a 
  Hrud will develop more powerful abilities, and become a 
  Shaman to the Hrud. Such an individual would have more 
  powers.
  Hrud carry a wide variety of equipment, both stolen and of 
  their  own  design.  Hrud  engineers  produce  unique  and 
  sophisticated warp-plasma weapons, usually around the 
  same size as a lasgun or autorifle, but also in pistol sizes. 
  Larger weapons are not unheard of, but very rare outside 
  of full scale migrations. The Hrud are famous scavengers 
  though, and much of their equipment is stolen, meaning 
  they can be equipped with nearly anything. Common, Rare 
  and  Exotic  equipment  would  all  be  available  to  Hrud 
  warriors, including a variety of weapons from other races, 
  such as the Eldar, the Kroot, and the K’nib. Armour other 
  than the Corpse Armour is very rare, and Power Armour 
  utterly unheard of.
  Bendie –  A  Hrud’s  flexible  skeleton  grants  them 
  remarkable abilities when it comes to movement. Able to 
  slip through the tiniest nooks and crannies, there are few 
  places sealed against the Hrud. A Hrud moves at Walking 
  pace when Crawling or Sneaking. They can move through 
  any gap, have the Catfall ability and have the Scale Terrain 
  ability from the Sons of Khaine article.
  Ssaak –  possessed  of  strange  abilities  to  twist  the 
  perceptions and wrap themselves in darkness, a Hrud can 
  almost hide in plain sight, an ability they call the Ssaak, or 
  “See-mist”. All visual awareness tests are at -50 to detect a 
  Hrud, no matter what the equipment (so Infrascopes would 
  not help). Auspexes act as normal, as do the Detection and 
  Psi-Track powers.
  Poisonous Biology – the Hrud are intensely poisonous 
  creature, rivalling Tyranids for the toxicity of their bodily 
  fluids.  All  Hrud  count  their  unarmed  attacks  as  being 
  poisoned with one poison, chosen when the character is 
  created  (so  Zhuun-Tar,  Hrud  Shaman,  might  have 
  “Poisonous  Biology (Choke)”  on  his  profile).  They  also 
  have +20 to all Poison Resistance Tests.
  Corpse Armour – the Hrud rarely wear armour in the 
  usual sense, instead trusting to their ‘natural’ armour. In 
  other species this would be a tough hide or a chitinous 
  shell, but in the Hrud it is waste matter and rotten flesh 
  packed around the Hrud’s thin form. Before a battle, a Hrud 
  character rolls for D3+2 levels of armour, applied to all 
  locations. The armour counts as Ablative.
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  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
  Hrud Profile
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  I
  Wp
  Sg
  Nv
  Ld
  Hrud
  40
  50
  40
  30
  60
  60
  70
  40
  40
  
  Hrud Armoury
  Hrud  Pistol –  Common  for  Hrud  in  a  Juuntaak,  Rare 
  outside, Exotic for non-Hrud. 
  The Hrud Pistol is a common side arm amongst those who 
  living  the  large  hidden  Juuntaak  where  the  Hrud  have 
  freedom to produce their own weaponry. Simply a compact 
  form of the Fusil, the Hrud Pistol packs a powerful punch.
  Type
  Range
  Mode
  Acc.
  Dam.
  Shots
  Reload Weight
  Pistol
  E
  Single
  -15
  2D10
  1
  3
  20
  Notes – Plasma Weapon
  Psy-gore Shardthrower – Exotic
  A weapon formed entirely out of the crystal it launches at 
  its target, the Psy-Gore Shardthrower is only ever found at 
  battlefields. These weapons are quite rare, as they cannot 
  be repaired or reloaded by any other than a Psy-Gore, who 
  renew them out of their own flesh. 
  Type
  Range
  Mode
  Acc.
  Dam.
  Shots
  Reload Weight
  Pistol
  F
  Full 
  Auto 
  (10)
  -
  D6+2
  100
  X
  25
  Notes – For each 10 shots fired (one Full Auto action), the 
  Shardthrower loses 2 points of weight, until with its final 10 
  shots, the weapon is used up, leaving just the handle.
  Lattarang Stripgun – Rare
  The  Lattarang  are  a  scavenging  race,  prowling  the 
  spacelanes for the remains of battle, when they will set out 
  and find whatever they can. The most novel and unusual 
  aspect of Lattarang technology is the ‘Stripgun’, a device 
  originally  designed  to  give   access   to   ships,   vehicles,
  locked boxes, and the like without damaging the interior. 
  Using a complicated array of magnetic and laser arrays, 
  the  Stripgun  cuts  armour  to  pieces  and  shifts  it  away 
  quickly. The Stripgun only ever damages something with a 
  constant Armour Value - that is, physical armour, cover, 
  boxes and the like. Natural armour, force fields and psychic 
  armour  are  all  immune.  Whatever  the  Stripgun  can 
  damage,  it  counts  as  Ablative  for  the  purposes  of 
  destroying it.
  Type
  Range
  Mode
  Acc.
  Dam.
  Shots
  Reload Weight
  Basic
  -20
  Single
  -
  D3
  10
  3
  40
  Notes  –  Damages  Only  Armour  or  Cover  -  Treats  all 
  Armour/Cover as Ablative
  Nekulli Whisperlance – Rare
  The  Nekulli  are  a  mysterious  race  from  the  Ultima 
  Segmentum. The earliest records list combat between the 
  Nekulli and the Ultramarines Legion during the Crusade, 
  showing that they are certainly a long established race. 
  The Nekulli Whisperlance is their primary weapon. In the 
  hands  of  a  Nekulli,  it  is  a  powerful  weapon  at  range, 
  enhancing the Nekulli’s natural sonic attacks. Even without 
  that  inherited  ability,  the  Whisperlance  is  a  powerful 
  weapon,  capable  of  chewing  through  armour plate  and 
  flesh alike.
  Reach
  Damage
  Parry Penalty
  2
  2D10+4
  -25.00%
  Notes – Strength Bonus only when wielded in two hands.
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the property of 
  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
     Click to play
     Click to play
     Click to play
     Click to play
  
  Slaan Neural Dominator – Legendary
  The Slaan Neural Dominator is considered little more than 
  a  rumour  by  the  Xenotechnologists  of  the  Adeptus 
  Mechanicus.  A  device  successfully  integrating  both 
  Abominable Intelligence in some form and warp technology 
  is considered by many to be impossible, and even among 
  those who think it possible, the very idea is unpleasant. 
  However, such devices exist. Many millions of years before 
  the first human clutched an axe, the ancient Slaan had 
  developed a device that would allow its wielder to control 
  the minds of others. However, darker rumours suggest that 
  this is only a by-product of its true purpose, one which is 
  unimaginably powerful. 
  The Slaan Neural Dominator allows its user to use the 
  Puppet Master psychic ability. This use is not Risky, and is 
  used with a Willpower of 40+D10, rolled each time the 
  ability is used. A character may spend ‘concentrate’ actions 
  before using the dominator, and each concentrate action 
  provides an additional 2D10 to the dominator’s willpower. 
  As with normal psychic concentrate actions, the bonus is 
  lost after the dominator is used.
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the property of 
  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
  About the Authors
  Joseph Garvin is troublingly proud of his place as the 
  Conclave's  8th  biggest  poster,  and  should  probably 
  actually play a game of Inquisitor now.
  Kenneth Gardner is an (occasionally) active member of 
  the Conclave, who is best known for his originality, and 
  sometimes rather twisted characters.
     Click to play
  
  Dark Magenta is an unofficial fanzine and is not endorsed by Games Workshop Group Plc in anyway. Text and layouts are © Dark Magenta and its proprietor. Artwork and characters are the property of 
  their respective owners. No part of this magazine should be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Dark Magenta is a non-profit-making organization and with the 
  aim of promoting the Inquisitor game, products and hobby.
  The tunnels were dank, dark and filthy. Every vile thing you can imagine littered the floor, from fecal matter to 
  rotting, half-finished meals. Crawling into their nest was like crawling through an open sewer, and it was an 
  experience that all four of us would remember to our graves. The tunnel was only wide enough for us to travel in 
  single-file, and it was barely tall enough for us to crawl through. Some areas were so narrow that we had to slither 
  on our bellies through the filth to get through. However, after what felt like hours, the tunnel seemed to open up 
  into a larger cavern, perhaps a dozen metres wide, and we were finally able to stand up straight. Our backs ached 
  after the long slog through the filth, but we remained ever vigilant. For the past nine days, various toxic gases had 
  been pumped through this nest, and should have killed off the most of the alien filth, but this species was 
  surprisingly resistant to poisons. It was almost a certainty that some of them would have survived.
  And that was where we came in - the PDF’s 162nd vermin population control team. It was our job to make sure 
  that alien pests such as these ‘Hrud’ met a messy end before they became anything more than an inconvenience. 
  However, this nest had gone unnoticed for so long that it had grown to an incredible size. Already, we had crawled 
  through hundreds of metres of tunnels, caverns, and caves. And so far, we still hadn’t seen anything to signify that 
  this nest had been occupied.
  “Stay alert.” Sergeant Vortis muttered as he brought his compact las-carbine up to his shoulder, his eyes 
  sweeping the room from side to side, looking for any trace of the alien menace. However, like all the others, this 
  room appeared to be completely deserted. As I followed his gaze, I noticed all manner of unusual devices and 
  equipment. At one side of the room, a large number of stolen Imperial weapons had been stockpiled. At various 
  points throughout the room, there were butchered lasguns or autoguns that had been hybridised with other forms 
  of technology which I didn’t recognise to create machine-heresies that the aliens probably planned to use as 
  weapons.
  “It’s a weapons workshop.” The Sergeant murmured, nudging one of the mutilated lasguns with his boot. “Looks 
  like they were gearing up for an attack…”
  “Sergeant…” interrupted Miller, our auspex operator, who had only just emerged from the tunnel. “…I think we’ve 
  got a live one somewhere in here.” He warned, as a wry, knowing smile spread itself across the sergeant’s 
  weather-beaten features.
  “You heard him, boys… Keep them peeled, and shoot anything that isn’t human.” At the sergeant’s orders, we 
  fanned out, examining each and every corner, crack, nook, and cranny for signs of the alien menace we had been 
  sent to destroy. Our lasguns swept across crudely fashioned work-stations, and all the while, our fingers were on 
  the triggers and our nerves were on edge.
  After only a few moments of searching the room, a bolt of superheated blue-hot plasma erupted from the 
  darkness up ahead and caught Corporal Friars square in the chest. He managed to let out a panicked scream 
  before his lungs, along with most of his internal organs, were vapourised to nothingness. In response, a half-
  dozen hurried lasgun shots peppered the area that the blast had originated from, but we were too late - the 
  creature had already repositioned himself. Only a heartbeat later, the creature in the dark fired again, this time 
  catching Miller’s left leg, burning the flesh and bone away to little more than a sprinkling of ash. With an agonised 
  cry, Miller collapsed onto the filthy tunnel floor. When he hit the deck, his face landed in a pile of cold, black filth 
  that I didn’t even want to guess at what it might have once been. As Miller rolled on the floor, screaming, we fired 
  into the darkness once more, but again, were denied the satisfying sound of an alien death-scream.
  “Shut up, Miller!” The Sergeant barked as he snatched up the auspex. The Hrud were almost impossible to see 
  with the naked eye, and this meant that your best chance of hunting them was by ear. However, we couldn’t hear 
  anything over Miller’s agonised screams and cries. “Miller, you will shut your damned noise-hole right now, or I’ll 
  put a las-bolt through it!” The Sergeant bawled, which seemed to shock Miller into silence for the time being. 
  Sergeant Vortis checked the Auspex, probably to see if he could get a better fix on the alien’s position, and for a 
  moment, I was so distracted watching him that I didn’t even see the slithering filth-creature approaching me from 
  the side. With a gargling war-cry, it leapt upon me, knocking me to the ground and stabbing at my flak-vest with a 
  crudely fashioned, curved iron knife that looked like it may have once been part of the inner wheel of a cog. At that 
  moment, I was thankful to the Emperor that the alien didn‘t have the intelligence to attack my unprotected throat 
  or face, and thankful to the PDF’s quartermaster for issuing us with these protective vests.
  The creature had raised his knife to make a second blow when its filthy, necrotic face was blown apart by a well-
  placed las-bolt. I pushed the alien’s corpse off of me with revulsion. Its blood smelt absolutely foul, and the 
  tattered rags that it wore were so filthy that I doubted if they had ever been washed.
  That was all we saw of the Hrud that day. Of the nineteen teams sent in to cleanse the survivors of the Hrud nest, 
  ours saw the least conflict, and when I think back to that dark, vile alien creature that attacked us, I am thankful 
  that we didn’t see more of them.
  - Excerpt from the logbook of PDF vermin control team member Michael Keveth, 898M41
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Inquisitor Skirmish/Articles/Things that Dwell in Darkness.pdf