TEXT: ™
  ™
  ™
  ®
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  THE ADEPTUS MECHANICUS
  OF THE CALIXIS SECTOR
  
  TM
  TM
  ROLEPLAYING IN THE GRIM 
  DARKNESS OF THE 41ST MILLENNIUM
  
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  CREDITS
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  Introduction 
  What’s in this book? ...............................................................4
  Chapter I: The Cult Mechanicus 
  Mars ..........................................................................................6
  The Cult Mechanicus ..............................................................9
  Mechanicum Hierarchy ....................................................... 10
  The Quest for Knowledge .................................................. 12
  The Mechanicum of the Calixis Sector ............................. 14
    Personalities of the Lathes ................................................ 14
    Path of the Lathes .............................................................. 15
    Sects of the Calixian Mechanicus .................................... 21
  Tech-Heresy .......................................................................... 24
  Chapter II: Servants of the Omnissiah 
  Alternate Career Ranks ....................................................... 28
    Acuitor Mech-Assassin ...................................................... 30
    Agent of the Lords Dragon .............................................. 33
    Calixian Malatek  .............................................................. 36
    Crimson Guard................................................................... 39
    Cult of the Pure Form ....................................................... 42
    Factor of the Lathes ........................................................... 45
  Elite Advance Packages ....................................................... 51
    Cistron ................................................................................. 52
    Discordant .......................................................................... 54
  New Skills and Talents ........................................................ 56
  Mechanicum Armoury ......................................................... 58
    Weapons of the Lathes ...................................................... 59
    Archeotech .......................................................................... 69
  Chapter III: Dominions of the Lathes  
  The Founding of the Lathes  .............................................. 73
  Power Factions and Sects .................................................... 78
  The Three Lathes  ................................................................ 82
  The Lathes System  .............................................................. 88
  The Lathe Worlds ................................................................. 94
    Diogenes IV ........................................................................ 95
    Encryption Code LPXT293721.1 (Lacuna) .................. 98
    Heterodyne Station ..........................................................101
    The Hippocrasian Agglomeration ..................................104
    Morio ................................................................................107
    Opus Macharius ...............................................................109
    Ryboth ..............................................................................114
    Sheol 17 ............................................................................118
    The Voca Consensio ............................................................121
  Chapter IV: The Light of Reason 
  GM’s Brief ...........................................................................125
  Synopsis ..............................................................................125
  Cometary Fragment Ø-777 ..............................................126
  Part I: Into the Dark ..........................................................128
    Locating Cometary Fragment Ø-777 ...........................128
    Boarding ...........................................................................130
  Part II: Machina Infernus ..................................................132
    Locations within the Comet ...........................................132
    Countdown to Calamity .................................................137
  Part III: What Lies Beyond ...............................................139
    The Breaching of the Warp ............................................139
    Closing the Gate ..............................................................139
  Epilogue ..............................................................................141
  Appendix: NPCs and Antagonists ....................................141
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  stron................ ............................................................... ......... ......... .......................... ............................................. .... ... 52
  scordant ................... ............................. ......... .................. ...................... .................................................. 54
  w Skills and Talentss ............. ....... ................................... ............... ................. 56
  channicum Armou
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  ch
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  Chapter III: Dominions of the Lathes
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   The Voca Consensioo ......................... .................. ............. ................... .........
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  77............ ... .......... ............. ......
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  “Hail the Omnissiah!  
  He is the God in the Machine, the Source of All Knowledge.”
  –Magos-Lector Vad Kapellax, 
  at the ﬁrst Convocation of the Lathes
  �
  n the Imperium of Man, while technology is commonplace 
  it is also mysterious and unfathomable. Such knowledge is 
  the carefully guarded domain of the Adeptus Mechanicus, 
  and has been for thousands of years. They are the Cult of the 
  Machine God, worshipping the Emperor as their Omnissiah, 
  the Perfect Sum of All Knowledge. Their Explorator ﬂeets 
  search across the galaxy for lost knowledge from ages long 
  ago. Their mechanically augmented Tech-Priests on thousands 
  of forge worlds strive to preserve what precious little data they 
  retain. Both quests, though are mere ﬂickering candles against 
  the oppressive darkness of stagnation and ignorance. With 
  each century, actual understanding descends to dogma, rote 
  instruction, and myth, as priceless knowledge is lost forever. 
  Within the Calixis Sector, the Adeptus Mechanicus is 
  centred on the Lathe Worlds, and from these three planets the 
  Mechanicum oversees its domains of forge worlds, research 
  stations, orbitals, and even entire systems. From these worlds, 
  precious knowledge and holy technology ﬂow throughout the 
  Sector, while the Cult Mechanicus carefully hoards even greater 
  secrets for its own, inscrutable purposes. 
  WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK?
  THE LATHE WORLDS allows DARK HERESY players to delve 
  deeper into the mysteries of the Adeptus Mechanicus within 
  the Calixis Sector. The Cult of the Machine God stretches 
  across this region and beyond, ruling each of its worlds 
  in the name of the Omnissiah, outside the purview of the 
  Inquisition or other Imperial agencies. The Lathes struggle to 
  control their domains, however, and dark areas of the Sector 
  hide countless tech-heresies and dangerous researches. 
  CHAPTER I:  
  THE CULT MECHANICUS
  The book begins with the history of the Adeptus Mechanicus, 
  from their rise on the Martian sands to becoming the Imperium’s 
  Masters of Technology as the Cult Mechanicus discovered 
  their Omnissiah. The Adeptus Mechanicus later established 
  themselves within the newly won Calixis Sector, and this 
  chapter covers their role in this region’s history. 
  CHAPTER II: SERVANTS  
  OF THE OMNISSIAH
  Chapter 2 introduces new Alternate Career Ranks and other 
  options for players such as powerful weapons, equipment, 
  and even ancient archeotech devices from millennia long 
  ago. Players seeking to learn more of the Cult Mechanicus 
  may adopt such roles as investigative Agent of the Lords 
  Dragon, deadly Acuitor Mech-Assassin, apostate Malatek 
  Tech-Priest, and more, while those seeking to oppose 
  the spread of technological augmentation might instead 
  choose to join the Cult of the Pure Form. 
  CHAPTER III: DOMINIONS  
  OF THE LATHES
  This chapter covers the Lathes System, including 
  the many planets and other bodies within, such as 
  the Three Lathes and the dreaded Panopticon Orbital 
  Station, as well as the Sector’s turbulent Mechanicum 
  factions and sects. It also features the varied holdings that 
  make up the Lathe Worlds themselves, ranging from the 
  prison-forge of Sheol 17 to the Heterodyne Agglomerations 
  orbiting high above the dead world of Uziel. 
  CHAPTER IV:  
  THE LIGHT OF REASON
  The ﬁnal chapter takes the Acolytes into the Lathes System to 
  investigate mysterious psychic disturbances. Their search brings 
  them to a forgotten comet where a renegade band of Tech-Priests 
  is engaged in forbidden research and is poised to unwittingly 
  unleash a cataclysmic Warp rupture upon the Sector!
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  TECH-HERESY
  
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  “Knowledge is power, and power is dangerous.”
  –Unknown
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  n the 41st Millennium, it is said that the mighty Imperium 
  of Mankind spans a million worlds. The vast ﬂeets and 
  billions-strong armies of the God-Emperor wage an 
  unceasing war against aliens, traitors and heretics from the 
  Halo Stars to the galactic core. The Imperium itself is a grim 
  and uncompromising authority where any form of autonomy 
  is the highest privilege. Among the Administratum of the 
  Adeptus Terra, departments exist to oversee, monitor and 
  control the countless souls within the Imperial domain. A 
  hundred centuries of civil wars, heresies, pogroms, and coups 
  have created a bureaucracy highly attuned to the dangers of 
  granting too much independence to its citizens, whether they 
  are planetary governors or lowly serfs. 
  However, there is one organisation in the Imperium that 
  stands apart and virtually independent of the Adepts of Terra. 
  This organisation’s red-robed agents appear on every Imperial 
  world and aboard all its ships. It holds entire worlds beneath 
  its sole authority, it controls virtually all of the facilities 
  necessary for the Imperium to make war, and yet it retains 
  unprecedented autonomy and control. This organisation is 
  called the Adeptus Mechanicus, and it has a history fully as 
  long and as tumultuous as that of the Imperium itself. 
  In an age when so much knowledge has been lost, it is the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus that supplies technical expertise to the 
  Imperium. The Tech-Priests manufacture and maintain a myriad 
  of essential items, from the mightiest plasma reactors to the 
  humblest vox sets to the Golden Throne of Terra itself. The 
  Tech-Priests are the ones who preserve knowledge from ages 
  past and explore new sciences for the future. By Imperial decree, 
  every new discovery made belongs to the Tech-Priests, whether 
  it might be a reclaimed data-vault or a salvaged spaceship. 
  THE FORGE WORLDS
  The forge worlds of the Tech-Priests are enormous weapon 
  shops for the Imperium’s war effort. The ships, tanks, and guns 
  needed at the battlefronts pour forth in staggering quantities 
  from continent-sized factories and orbital facilities. Like a 
  beating heart, an active forge world forms a hub of activity for 
  the surrounding sectors and sub-sectors of Imperial worlds. A 
  constant ﬂow of traders and merchantmen carry its production 
  to where it is most needed, returning ﬁlled with raw materials 
  to sate the voracious appetites of the manufactorums. 
  As mighty and powerful as a forge world can be, one left 
  alone would quickly ﬁnd itself in a dangerous position without 
  the support and protection of its surrounding worlds and other 
  forces. Without resources and manpower to draw upon, the 
  Tech-Priests would be forced to concentrate solely on protecting 
  their accumulated knowledge from scavengers and opportunists. 
  Seclusion, while it might offer a forge world safety from attack, 
  offers its own dangers. Warp storms have isolated many a forge 
  world, causing some to develop various peculiarities, often 
  leading to heresies unimagined generations earlier. 
  Protection and trade from the Imperium allow the Tech-
  Priests to dedicate themselves fully to their true calling: The 
  quest for knowledge. To a Tech-Priest, knowledge is the supreme 
  manifestation of divinity and striving for comprehension of 
  it is an act of worship. Preservation and re-discovery of past 
  knowledge is the most sacred act of all and a motivating spark 
  for any member of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  ����
  �
  n the current age, Mars has evolved into the workshop of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus. Its factory hives produce the bulk of the 
  most sophisticated technical equipment used in the Imperium. 
  Starships and other specialised constructs are fabricated at the 
  orbital manufactorums that spin around the equatorial belt. Ships 
  of Warﬂeet Solar are based in these huge ﬂoating docks, and other 
  vessels from all over the Imperium visit what are thought to be the 
  largest man-made objects in the entire galaxy.
  The Martian factory hives are some of the ﬁrst hives ever 
  built, and all are at least partially ruined. Some districts are well 
  maintained, and contain many areas of new construction, while 
  areas that are no longer in use are simply allowed to rot.
  A journey through the internal travel tubes of Mars would 
  allow a visitor to view areas of rising towers of plasteel and 
  crystal, marking new construction on vast tracts of industrial 
  wasteland. The travel lines weave between shining new 
  building columns with nets of spun steel bracings like the 
  rigging of sailing ships, to darkened older zones where broken 
  condensation traps spill their vaporous contents and enmesh 
  speeding tram liners in a perpetual fog. Wastelands cover 
  vast parts of the cities, deserts of broken plasteel slabs and 
  twisted girders, with the occasional solitary tower pointing 
  purposelessly towards the pink Martian sky.
  The beliefs of the Tech-Priests have been handed down 
  from their earliest forebears in the form of data-stacks and 
  illumined holo-scrolls, but sure knowledge of the days prior to 
  their rise is fragmentary and conﬂicting. It is said that before the 
  beginning of currently recorded history, there existed an age of 
  technological marvels unequalled in later millennia. This time is 
  called the Dark Age of Technology by archaeo-historians, and 
  it began Man’s conquest of the stars. Mars was allegedly the 
  ﬁrst planet to be terraformed in this golden age. The Red Planet 
  was gifted with atmosphere, and its arid deserts made fertile 
  by the titanic technological prowess of the men of those times. 
  However, as the Tech-Priests tell it, agriculture was never very 
  signiﬁcant to early Mars. Rather its true wealth lay beneath the 
  surface in the form of gems, minerals and metal ores. 
  “K
  “K
  “Kno
  no
  no
  no
  no
  noowl
  wl
  wl
  wlede gee is po
  po
  poweer,r,r,r,r,r, and
  nd
  nd
  nd pow
  ow
  ow
  owererer is s s s da
  da
  da
  dang
  ng
  ng
  ngererere ou
  ou
  ou
  ous.s.s.s.”
  –Unknoown
  wn
  n thhthe e 41st Millenn
  nn
  nn
  nnium,
  m,
  m, it t t isisisis saiaia d d that the mighty Impe
  pe
  pe
  peririririum
  um
  um
  um 
  of Mankind spa
  pa
  pans
  ns
  ns
  n a milililillil on
  o  worlds. The vast ﬂe
  ﬂe
  ﬂe
  ﬂeetetetets s annd d
  bib llions-stron
  on
  on
  on
  ong g arararmi
  mi
  mi
  mieseses of the God-Emperorororor r r wa
  w ge an n 
  un
  unceasing wa
  wa
  wa
  wa
  war against alalliens, traitors and herererereteteteticicics frfrfrfrom the
  h  
  Ha
  Ha
  Haalololololoololo Stat rs to o o the ga
  ga
  ga
  galalactic core. The Imp
  m erreriuiuiuium 
  m itititses lf is s a a a a grim 
  an
  an
  an
  and d d d d un
  un
  unco
  c mp
  mp
  mp
  m romisisisising
  ng authority where any
  ny
  ny
  ny for
  o m ofofofof aututon
  o omy y y y 
  isisisisis the
  h  highest priririviviviv lel ge. Among the Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Admi
  m nistratum ofof the
  he
  he
  he 
  Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Adep
  ep
  ep
  eptututututus Terra,, dep
  ep
  ep
  e ara tmments exist to o ov
  ov
  ov
  o ererses e, monnititititor
  o  and
  ndd 
  co
  c ntroroorool the co
  cooun
  unn
  untltltlesess s so
  so
  soulu s s wi
  withthin the
  he
  he
  he Imp
  mp
  mp
  mpererere iaiaial l l l do
  do
  do
  doma
  ma
  ma
  maininini . A 
  hunddrererered d centurururrieiei s s ofoff civil wars, heresieieieies,s,s,s, pog
  og
  og
  ogrorororoms
  ms
  ms
  ms, an
  an
  an
  and d co
  c ups 
  have
  ve
  ve crerer atedd a burureaucracy highly attune
  ne
  ne
  ned d totototo the
  he
  he
  he dange
  ge
  ge
  gers of 
  gr
  gr
  gr
  g an
  ann
  anntitititing too muc
  uch h independence to its cicicicitit ze
  ze
  ze
  zens, whetheer r r they 
  ara e e plplplplan
  a etarara y y y y go
  go
  gove
  vern
  rnnors or lowly serfs. 
  Ho
  Ho
  Ho
  H wever,r,r, the
  he
  herere is on
  on
  o e or
  o ganisation in tht e Imperium tha
  ha
  hat
  sttsttan
  an
  an
  ands
  d  apartrtrtrt and
  nd
  nd virtually independent of f f f ththththe Adepts of Terra. 
  Th
  Thhisisis organnisisisisatatatioioion’s red-robed agennts apppea
  ea
  ea
  e r r on every Imperial
  wo
  worlrld d annd ab
  ab
  ab
  aboa
  oa
  oardrd all its ships. It holds entntntire worlds bennea
  ea
  eaththth 
  its s s s so
  so
  so
  solelele aututututho
  ho
  ho
  hoririritytyty, it controls viv rtually alalalll l of the facililititititieieies s
  ne
  nece
  ce
  cessssssssara y fofofofor r r thht e Imperium to ma
  m ke war, an
  a d d ye
  y t it retains 
  un
  un
  unpr
  pr
  prec
  ec
  ec
  ec
  e ed
  e enteteteted d au
  autonomy and con
  on
  ontrol. This organisation n n isisis 
  ca
  ca
  called
  ed
  ed the Ade
  de
  de
  deptptptptus Mechanicus, andd it has a histststor
  or
  ory y fufulll y asas 
  lololong
  ng
  ng and
  n  as tuumu
  mu
  mu
  multl uous as that of the Im
  Im
  Im
  Imperium
  u  itselellf.f.f. 
  InInInInI  an age when
  en
  en
  en so much knowledge hasasass been loostststst, , ititi is the
  Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Add
  A ep
  ep
  e tus Mechanicicicicusususus that supplies technical experrtitititiseseese to o o tht e
  Im
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  pe
  pe
  p riririum
  um
  um
  um
  um
  um. Th
  T e Tech
  ch
  ch
  ch-P
  -P
  -PPririririese ts manufacture and maintain n n a my
  m ririririad
  ad
  ad
  ad 
  ofofofof essssssential itetetetems
  ms
  ms, frf om
  om
  om
  o
  the
  h  mightiest plasma reactorsrsrs to o ththththe
  hu
  hu
  humb
  mb
  mb
  m lel st vox setetete s s to the
  he
  he
  he Golden Throne of Terra itseelflflflf. Th
  Th
  Th
  The 
  Te
  Te
  Teech
  ch
  ch-P
  -P
  -Priests are the
  he
  he
  h  ones wh
  wh
  wh
  who o prp eserve knowledge from agess 
  pa
  pa
  pa
  paaststst and
  nd
  nd explore new
  ew
  ew sciences s fofofofor r ththththe future. By Imperial decree, 
  ev
  ev
  evererry y y ne
  ne
  ne
  n w did scoverry y made belongs
  gs
  gs
  gs to o tht e Tech-Priests, whether 
  itititit migighthththt be e e a a rerereclclcllclaimed data-vvau
  au
  au
  aultltlt or a salvlvlvlvag
  ag
  ag
  aged spaceship. 
  THE FORGE WORLDS
  Th
  T e fofof rgrgge e e wo
  wo
  w rlrlds
  ds
  ds of f f f thththe e Te
  T chh
  ch-Priests arerer  enormous we
  we
  we
  weapon 
  sh
  shops s fofofoor thththththe e e e Im
  Im
  Im
  Im
  Im
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  periririium
  um
  um’s’s’s wararar effort. The shih ps, tankks,s,s,s and gun
  u s 
  ne
  n eded
  ed at t ththhe e ba
  ba
  ba
  battttttttttlelelelelefrfrfron
  on
  ontststs pou
  ou
  our r foforth inininn staggerininining quantitiies 
  frfrom
  o  conntitine
  nentntntntn -s-s-s-sizizizized
  edd
  ed facacaca tototoriririeseses and
  nd orb
  rb
  rbital facacacacacililitities. Like a
  beatining g heeart,t, an n n acacacacactitititive
  ve
  ve
  ve for
  or
  or
  o ge
  ge
  ge
  ge
  ge
  ge wor
  or
  orldldld for
  or
  orms
  ms
  ms a hub
  ub
  ub of f f acctititivivivitytyty for
  or
  or 
  tht e surrou
  ouu
  o nd
  ndining g g g seseeses ctctctcttor
  or
  or
  or
  o s s s s an
  an
  and d d d sususuub-
  b-
  b-
  b seseseseseses ctctctc or
  or
  ors s s ofofof Imp
  mp
  mpperereriaiaiaial l l wo
  wo
  worlrlrlds
  ds
  ds. . . A 
  A 
  A 
  constaant ﬂow
  ow of f trtrrad
  ad
  aderererers s an
  an
  an
  and d d d d me
  me
  me
  meercrcrcr ha
  ha
  hantntntmee
  me
  men n cacacac rrrrrry y y ititits s s pr
  pr
  prod
  od
  oduc
  uc
  uctitition
  on
  on 
  to whe
  h re it is mos
  o t t ne
  need
  e ed
  ed
  ed, , rererereretutututuurn
  rn
  rninining g g g ﬁlﬁlﬁlﬁ lelelel d d d wi
  wi
  withththh raw
  aw
  aw
  aw
  aw
  aw matatatatereriaiaialsl  
  to sate the voraciou
  ous s apppe
  p tiitees s ofofofof the
  he
  he
  he
  he man
  an
  an
  anufufufufacacacactotototorurururums
  ms
  ms
  ms.
  As
  As
  As
  As migigigighthththty y y an
  an
  an
  an
  and d d po
  po
  po
  po
  po
  po
  p we
  we
  we
  we
  we
  we
  werfrfrfrfr ulul as s a a forgge world can be, one leleftftt 
  alalalon
  on
  one e wo
  wo
  wo
  woululululd qu
  qu
  qu
  quicicicicklklklklkly y y ﬁn
  ﬁn
  ﬁnd d ititses lflflfl in n a a a a da
  da
  da
  da
  dangerous position withoutut 
  thththe e sususuupp
  ppporororort an
  an
  an
  and d d prprprprotototececectitition
  on
  on
  on of f itits s susurrrrou
  o nd
  nd
  nd
  ndininining g g worlds and other 
  fofoforcrcrcesesese . . Wi
  Wi
  Withthththou
  ou
  ou
  out t rereeso
  sooururu ceces an
  and d ma
  manp
  npow
  ower to dr
  dr
  dr
  draw
  aw
  aw
  aw upo
  p n, the 
  Te
  Teech
  ch
  ch-P
  -P
  -PPriestststs wou
  ou
  ou
  o ldldldld be e e fofofoforcrcrcrced
  ed
  ed to o co
  co
  co
  co
  c nc
  ncenntrtratatatate e so
  soleelyly on prprprprototototececting
  n  
  thththheieieieir acacacaccumu
  muu
  muulalalalalal teteteteted d kn
  kn
  know
  ow
  ow
  o leleledg
  dg
  dge e e frfrfrrfrfrrom
  om
  om
  o
  scacacacave
  ve
  ve
  ve
  veng
  ng
  ng
  ngers s an
  and opportun
  un
  un
  unisisisistst . 
  Se
  Se
  Se
  Seclclclclususususioion, whih lelele it mi
  mi
  migh
  gh
  gh
  ght t ofofofofofoffefefefefefefefer r r r a foorge wo
  wo
  wo
  wo
  worlrlrld d sasafetyyt frorom attackk, 
  ofofofoffefefefersr its own
  w  dan
  a ge
  g rs. Wa
  W rpr  storms haave
  ve
  ve iso
  solalateted d maany
  ny
  ny a forge 
  worlld,d,d, cau
  au
  ausisising
  ng
  ng som
  om
  ome e tot  develop varrioioioioususususus pececululiai ririties, ofofoftet n
  leleleadinng to hereresesesieieies un
  un
  unim
  im
  im
  imag
  ag
  agininined
  ed
  ed
  ed generations eararararlililililierererere . . 
  Protecctititition
  on
  on
  o
  andd trarararade
  de
  de
  de frororom 
  m 
  m thththhe e e e Im
  Im
  Im
  I pe
  pe
  p ririr um
  um
  um allllllllow
  ow
  ow the
  he
  he
  he Tecececech-
  h-
  h-
  h-
  Pr
  Pr
  Pr
  Prieieieieststststs to ded
  ed
  ed
  edicicicicatatatate e them
  emmseseselvlvlvlvl eseseses fululululu lylyly to o thththeieieie r r r trtrtrue
  ue
  ue calalallililing
  ng
  ng: : Th
  Th
  Th
  The e e e
  quuesesest tfofofofor know
  ow
  o ledg
  dge.e.e.To o o o a a aTe
  Tech
  ch
  ch-PPririririesesesest,t,t,kno
  no
  no
  nowl
  wl
  wl
  wled
  ed
  ed
  edge
  ge
  ge
  g is s s sthththe esusususupr
  pr
  pr
  prem
  em
  em
  eme e 
  manifeestation of divinitity y an
  an
  an
  and d d ststriririiviviviving
  ng
  ng
  ng forr
  or
  o com
  om
  om
  ompr
  pr
  pr
  preh
  eh
  eh
  ehen
  en
  ensisision
  on of f
  it is ann act of worship. Preseervvrvrvatatattioioon n an
  an
  annd d d d rererere-dd
  -disisisco
  co
  co
  c ve
  veryryryry of f pa
  pastst 
  knowledge is the most sacred actctctt of f f alalala l l an
  an
  annd d d d a a a mo
  mo
  m tititiva
  va
  va
  vatiting
  ng spa
  parkrk 
  for anny y member of the Adeptus Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  a icicicususus.
  n thhe current age, Mars s ha
  has evolved intoo the
  he
  he
  he
  h wororrksksk ho
  hop p ofof thee 
  Addep
  e tus Mechanicus. Its fafactctctororory y hihives s prprprp od
  oduc
  uc
  uc
  uce e e ththththe e bu
  bulklk of f the
  moo
  moosts  sophisticated technical equ
  qu
  quipipipme
  me
  mentntnt useseed d d d d ininin the
  he
  he
  he
  he
  he Imp
  mp
  m ereriui m. 
  StStStStararsh
  sh
  sh
  ships and other specialised d co
  c nsnsnstrtrtruc
  uc
  uctsts arererer fab
  ab
  ab
  ab
  ab
  abririricacateted d d d atatatat the
  h  
  orororbibibibitatatatal l l manufactorums thhatatat spip n n ararrou
  ou
  ound
  nd
  nd the
  he
  he equ
  quuatatatatatorororororo iaiaiaial be
  beeltl . . Sh
  Shipips 
  of Wararrarﬂeet Solar are based
  ed
  ed in n thththesesese e e hu
  hu
  huge
  ge
  ge ﬂoa
  oa
  o tingg doc
  oc
  oc
  o ksksk , , an
  and d otothe
  h r 
  vesselelelels s from all over the Impe
  p rium
  um
  um visisisititit wha
  ha
  hat t t ararare e e thththhou
  ouugh
  ght t toto be e the
  lalalalargrgrggesesesest t man-made objects in ththe e en
  entititirerere gala axy.
  The Martian factory hives s ararare e e so
  s me
  me
  me of f f thththhe e ﬁr
  ﬁr
  ﬁr
  ﬁrstststst hiviveses eve
  ver r
  buililililt,t,t,t, and
  n  all are at leasst t pa
  pa
  partrtrtiaiaialllllly y y rururuined. So
  So
  So
  S me
  me
  me disisisisi trtrtricicictsts arere well 
  maainininintained, and contain many arereasa  of new 
  w 
  w cons
  nsstrtrtruc
  uctition
  on, , wh
  while
  area
  e s tht at are no longer in use are simply allow
  oww
  owwed
  ed
  edd to o o rorot.t.
  A jojojojourney through the inteern
  rn
  rnala  travel tuube
  be
  bes s s s ofofoff Marararars s s wo
  wo
  would d d 
  alallolololow 
  w a visitor to view arrea
  eaas ofofof risisisini g g tototowe
  we
  wersrsrs of f f f plplp asastetet elelell and
  nd
  nd
  nd 
  crrysy tal,l  marking new constststrururuction on
  on
  on
  onn vasasasasst t t t trtrrtrtrac
  ac
  ac
  actstst of f inindu
  dustririririalalala  
  wastelland. The travel lines we
  we
  weav
  av
  av
  ave e be
  be
  be
  betwwee
  ee
  een n sh
  shhininining ne
  new 
  w
  bu
  buili dididing colum
  um
  um
  umns with netstststs of f f f sp
  spun stet elelel brararacicicicing
  ng
  n s like
  ke
  ke the
  he
  he
  h  
  ririririgg
  gg
  gg
  ggininini g of sailing ships, too darararke
  ke
  kened older r zo
  zo
  zo
  zone
  ne
  nes s s wh
  wh
  w erere e br
  br
  br
  brok
  ok
  ok
  oken
  en
  en
  en 
  co
  co
  co
  conden
  e sation traps spill the
  he
  he
  heir vaporous co
  co
  contntnten
  en
  e tsts and
  nd
  nd
  nd enm
  nmesesese h h h
  sp
  sp
  sp
  speedidid ng tram liners in n n n a perpetual foog.g.g.g Wasasasasasa tetelalaland
  nd
  nds s co
  coove
  ve
  v r r 
  va
  va
  vaastststst parts of thhe e e e cicicicititititiese , deserts of brorororoke
  ke
  ke
  ke
  ken n n n plplplplasasasteteteteelelel slalal bs
  bs
  b and
  nd
  nd
  nd 
  twisteted d gigigigirdrdrdrderers, wititi h h the occaa
  ca
  c sisis on
  on
  onnalalalal solololollitititi arararary y y y y tototoowe
  we
  we
  wer r po
  poinintit ng
  ng 
  purposelelelelese slly y y y totototowa
  w rds thhe e e pipip nk
  nk
  nk
  nk Mararartitiian
  an
  a sky
  ky
  ky
  ky
  ky.
  The be
  be
  be
  belililiefefefefs s s s ofofof the
  he
  he
  he Tececech-
  h-
  h-Pr
  Pr
  Pr
  P ieiestts s s ha
  ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve beeeeeeeen n n ha
  hand
  nd
  nd
  nded
  ed
  ed
  ed dowwn n n n 
  from the
  h iriri earlilililil est t fofoforebeararars s s ininin the
  he
  hee forororm 
  m 
  m ofofofoff datatata-a sttaca ks and
  nd
  nd
  nd 
  ilililillulululumi
  mi
  m ne
  n d holo-scrololo lslsls, bu
  b t t sususurerere kno
  no
  nowl
  wl
  wl
  wled
  ed
  ed
  edge
  ge
  ge
  ge
  ge of f ththe e da
  days priorororor to o o o 
  tht eir rise is fragmentary y an
  an
  and d co
  co
  conﬂ
  nﬂ
  nﬂ
  nﬂ
  nﬂicicicictiting
  ng
  ng. . . ItItItI is s sasaidid tha
  h t t t be
  be
  be
  befofofoforererere the
  he
  he
  he 
  beginnning of currentntntlylyly rececececororororororororde
  de
  de
  de
  de
  d d d d hihihihistststororo y,y,y the
  he
  h rere exixiststststed
  ed
  ed
  ed an n n ag
  ag
  ag
  age e e e ofofoff 
  tech
  c noologicac l l l ma
  ma
  ma
  marvrvrv lelelels s un
  un
  unneq
  eq
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  ua
  uaalllllllled
  ed
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  e in n n lalalalateteteter mi
  mi
  millllllen
  en
  ennininia.a.a. Thihihiis s s s titititime
  me
  me
  me is 
  caalll ed the Darararark k Ag
  Ag
  Ag
  Age e e e ofofofof Tecececechn
  hn
  hn
  hn
  hnololog
  ogy y by
  b  archa
  ha
  haeo
  eo
  eo-h
  -h
  -hhisisisstotototoririririan
  a s, and 
  ititit beg
  eg
  eg
  egan
  an
  an Man
  an
  an
  an’s’s’s’s con
  on
  on
  onqu
  qu
  q esesst t ofoff the
  h  stars. Marsrsr wasasasas alll egedly the 
  ﬁr
  ﬁr
  ﬁrstst plalalane
  ne
  net t t tot be terrafformeed d d in this go
  go
  g ldldldlden
  en
  enn age. The Red Planete  
  was gigiftftfted
  ed
  edd witititi h atata mo
  m sp
  sp
  sp
  sphe
  he
  hererere, , an
  an
  an
  and d ititits arid deserts made fefertr ile e 
  by
  by
  by
  by
  by the
  he tititititan
  an
  annicicicicic tecececececechn
  hn
  hn
  hn
  hnololololo ogicici alala prowess of the men of those timeses. 
  Ho
  Ho
  Ho
  Howe
  we
  we
  weve
  ve
  v r,r as s s thththt e e Te
  Tech
  c -P
  -Pririese tss tell it, agriculture was s never r ve
  veryry 
  i
  iﬁiﬁ
  l M
  R h
  i
  l h l
  b
  h h
  
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  Studies of the oldest structures on Mars show that great 
  cities spread rapidly across the planet as Mars developed into 
  the ﬁrst human hive world. All this was to be brought to 
  the brink of disaster by the galaxy-wide period of collapse 
  known as the Age of Strife.
  THE AGE OF STRIFE
  If records dating back to those years can be said to be 
  fragmentary, those of the Age of Strife are no more than 
  dust. What little is known implies that two catastrophic 
  events occurred. First, the emergence of uncontrolled psykers 
  unleashed plagues of Warp-dwelling entities and daemonic 
  possession on many worlds. Only planets where the most 
  rigourous control and persecution of psykers was exercised 
  escaped the catastrophe. Second, great Warp storms engulfed 
  the galaxy in this period, and rendered interstellar travel 
  virtually impossible. The vast empire of early Man collapsed 
  almost overnight into isolated worlds that quickly regressed 
  technologically. Sensing Mankind’s weakness, foul aliens 
  invaded and enslaved many of the surviving enclaves, even as 
  ravening Warp-spawned Daemons claimed others. 
  Even Mars and Earth were beset, and initially fought 
  one another for possession of the few resources left in the 
  Sol system. However, famine quickly devastated the vast 
  populations of both worlds, and the weakened remnants were 
  reduced to little more than a form of techno-barbarism ,with 
  individual warlords squabbling over domination of their own 
  territories. It appears that on Mars, the technologies that had 
  permitted its settlement were either forgotten or lost, and 
  the whole planet teetered at the edge of extinction as its 
  terraforming broke down. As the Tech-Priests tell it, in this, 
  their darkest hour, a new creed emerged among the Martians. 
  It was a creed of survival based around selﬂess dedication to 
  a higher purpose, and it bound the last true men together 
  against the anarchy that beset them. Science became their 
  religion, and the Cult of the Machine God emerged to be 
  their ward against the encroaching darkness.
   
  THE RISE OF THE 
  MACHINE GOD
  It is said that the ﬁrst devotees of the Machine God undertook 
  terrible risks to seek out fragments of technology from their 
  devastated cities. The Tech-Priests recall that their forebears used 
  what they learned to set up protected enclaves that could shelter 
  them against the continuing rad-storms. Piece-by-piece, they 
  must have set about rebuilding the oxygen recyclers, moisture 
  traps, and food processors that would be necessary to support 
  themselves in the long term on an increasingly hostile Mars. 
   The enclaves had barely enough space for the devotees 
  of the Machine God, and none at all for unbelievers. It can 
  be imagined that mutants and marauders frequently assailed 
  the hastily-built shelters, and perhaps some of the earliest 
  were wiped out, yet after every setback the followers of the 
  Machine God learned and rebuilt. The Cult of the Machine 
  Studdieieieies s s 
  cities spr
  pr
  pr
  pr
  pr
  p ea
  ea
  ea
  ead
  the ﬁrrststststst hu
  the br
  br
  br
  brinininink k o
  know
  oww
  owwn n asasas t
  THE A
  IfIfIfIf rec
  ec
  ec
  ecor
  or
  or
  orrds
  ds
  ds
  ds
  frag
  agme
  meentntntntntarararara y
  dustst. Wh
  Whatatatat
  evenntsts occccu
  un
  unleleasashe
  heed d p
  possssesessision
  on
  rigoourrou
  ou
  o s c
  escaped ththhe
  the galaxy
  xy
  virtually y im
  almost over
  technologic
  invaded and
  ravening W
  Even M
  one anothe
  Sol system
  po
  popu
  p lalations
  d
  d
  
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  God demanded absolute devotion and self-sacriﬁce from its 
  followers, and to them a functioning machine became more 
  valuable than the lives of many men. 
   From the earliest records, it appears that the Priesthood 
  of Mars grew in strength and conﬁdence, and the scattered 
  enclaves began to unite and share their knowledge. Every 
  partial database or ruined document was carefully preserved and 
  added to their store of understanding. Every broken machine 
  was examined, catalogued, and collected. To the devotees of 
  the Machine God, their survival through the dark times was 
  nothing less than miraculous, an event divinely inspired by 
  the God In The Machine, Deus Ex Mechanicus. The savants 
  with the greatest understanding of technology saw themselves 
  as Tech-Priests, prophets able to interpret the will of the 
  Machine God through the rattle of Cogitators and the whine of 
  compressors. The reward for their dedication was manifest to 
  all: they could communicate with the machine-spirits present in 
  every mechanism and persuade them to do their bidding.
   The Cult of the Machine God adopted the name 
  ‘Mechanicum’ for themselves, disciples of the Machine God. 
  As their philosophy developed, the Tech-Priests came to 
  realise that knowledge itself was the purest expression of 
  divinity. That meant any object or being that was a receptacle 
  of knowledge became in some part holy. A data-stack or 
  machine intelligence that carried knowledge from ancient 
  times was no less divine than a man of ﬂesh and blood. Indeed, 
  they began to see men as organic machines subject to many 
  failings, with their only true worth lying in the knowledge 
  they accumulated through the application of intellect. The 
  Tech-Priests pushed themselves ever harder to overcome the 
  weaknesses of the ﬂesh and become more akin to machines; 
  logical and dispassionate, untroubled by passion or emotion. 
  Bionic replacement and augmentation became increasingly 
  commonplace as they sought to emulate machine-kind.
  Over the span of generations, the Mechanicum set about 
  rebuilding Mars into something very different to what had 
  come before. The great structures of steel and glass they 
  now raised were built not to house men but machines. The 
  manufactories and forges they rekindled were devoted to 
  the creation of engines and devices that would not serve the 
  Mechanicum, but be served by them. Plainsong machine-cant 
  echoed through the cathedral-like engine halls as ever more 
  information was laid upon the altars of knowledge. 
   It must have been during this period, while Earth was still 
  beset by conﬂicts, that the Tech-Priests began to look outward. 
  They looked beyond the rim of the solar system to where their 
  records told them early Man had colonised the stars. Warp 
  storms still girdled the Sol system, but through study and 
  observation the Tech-Priests realised that the storms waxed and 
  waned periodically. They concluded that during the brief lulls 
  between the storms it would be possible to send ships through 
  the Warp and out into the wider galaxy once more.
  It took centuries more for the Mechanicum to rebuild the 
  orbital shipyards of Mars, and further centuries to construct 
  the ﬁrst Explorator ﬂeet, but the task was pursued with 
  zealous devotion. Thereafter, expeditionary ﬂeets departed 
  from Mars whenever the conditions in the Warp permitted 
  it. The expeditions were sent to whatever worlds the Tech-
  Priests could ﬁnd mentioned in their archives as being 
  colonised in earlier times. Some ﬂeets vanished without trace 
  while others were ﬂung far off course by the ongoing Warp 
  storms, but a portion of them eventually arrived at their 
  intended destinations. New forge worlds were established, 
  each a reproduction of Mars and its temples to the Machine-
  God. Until the Great Crusade, contact with the expeditions 
  was so sporadic that only a trickle of rediscovered technology 
  was ever returned to Mars. Nevertheless, the Tech-Priests 
  persisted in this holy mission, secure in their faith that the 
  pursuit of knowledge justiﬁed any cost.
  THE ARRIVAL OF  
  THE OMNISSIAH
  On Terra, a new ruler had emerged, uniting the planet for the 
  ﬁrst time in ages. Known only as the Emperor, he seemed to 
  desire alliance with Mars, and debate had raged among the 
  Tech-Priests about how to receive this being. For many, the vast 
  breadth of knowledge the Emperor had demonstrated during 
  his conquest of Earth was adequate proof that he was the earthly 
  representative of the Machine God, a perfect fusion of mortal 
  ﬂesh and divine intellect they referred to as the Omnissiah. 
  Some Mechanicum members would not accept the proclamation 
  of the Emperor as the Omnissiah, and a schism threatened the 
  unity of Mars. A small rebellion by senior Tech-Priests gained 
  little support and was quickly put down. The ﬁres of combat 
  were still burning in the manufactories when the Fabricator 
  General and the Emperor signed the Treaty of Mars to formally 
  ally their two empires and guarantee sovereignty to each. Under 
  the terms of the treaty the Mechanicum undertook to supply 
  the weapons, ships, and war machines necessary for the Great 
  Crusade and for the defence of the burgeoning Imperium. In 
  exchange, they demanded that the Emperor’s forces turn over 
  to them all of the technologies they discovered. 
  THE GREAT CRUSADE AND 
  THE HORUS HERESY
  Despite the Treaty of Mars and the crushed rebellion, there 
  were still many among the Mechanicum that did not truly 
  accept the divinity of the Emperor. As the Warp storms 
  subsided and the Great Crusade moved through the galaxy to 
  re-unite Mankind under one rule, it discovered forge worlds 
  established by the Explorator ﬂeets and re-absorbed them 
  into the widening circle of Mechanicum power. On occasion, 
  the wildly divergent philosophies developed by forge worlds 
  brought fresh schisms to the Mechanicum and led to further 
  minor rebellions. The demands placed on the Mechanicum 
  grew higher and discontent mounted as the Great Crusade 
  pushed ever onward, but the Emperor remained dogmatic 
  that it must be maintained until all of humanity was freed 
  from the inﬂuence of the Daemon and the alien.
  God demanded absolute devotion and sele f-f sas crcriﬁiﬁcee frorom 
  m itits s 
  followers, and to them a functionining
  n
  mac
  achihine
  ne bec
  ecam
  ame mo
  morere 
  valuable than the lives of man
  any y me
  men.n. 
  From the earliest records
  ds, itit app
  ppea
  earsrs thaat the Priesthood
  od 
  of Mars grew in streng
  ngth and
  nd con
  onﬁd
  ﬁden
  encece, and the scattered 
  enclaves began to o un
  uniti e e an
  and d sh
  sharare e ththeieir knowledge. Every 
  partial database or ruruinined
  ed doc
  ocum
  umen
  ent t wa
  was s carefully prese erved annd d
  added to theirr stotorere of f un
  unde
  dersr tanding. Every bror ken machini e 
  was examinedd, catatalologu
  gued
  ed, and d collected. To the de
  d voteteess of 
  the Machine Go
  God,d, the
  heiri suru vival through h thhe e da
  darkrk tim
  imeses wasa  
  nothhing g less tha
  han mi
  miraracu
  c lous, an
  an eve
  ventnt divivvinininelelely y y inininsp
  sp
  spirired
  ed
  ed by y 
  the Go
  God d InI
  The
  he Macachihine
  ne, De
  D us Ex x Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  chan
  an
  anicicicususus. Th
  Th
  The e sasasava
  va
  vantntnts s s
  with the greatatesest t un
  unde
  derstanding g ofof tecechn
  hn
  hnolololog
  og
  ogy y sasasaw 
  w 
  w thththem
  em
  emseseelvlvlveseses 
  as Tece h-Pr
  Prieieststs,s, pror phets s ab
  able to o inininteteterprprprereret t ththe e will of f ththe e
  Ma
  M ch
  chini e Go
  God d ththrough the rattttlele of f f Co
  Co
  Cogigigitatatototorsr  and the whine of 
  coomp
  mpreressssor
  ors.s The reward fofofor r thththeieieir r r de
  dedidication was manifest to 
  ala l: the
  hey y co
  coulu d communicatate e wi
  wi
  withthth the
  he
  he macacachihihine
  ne
  ne-s-s-spipipiriririts prereresesesentntnt in n
  every y me
  mech
  chan
  anism and pe
  persrsua
  ua
  uade
  de
  de the
  he
  hem tot do htheiir bib dddinini g.g
  The
  he Culult t of the
  he Mac
  ac
  achihih ne
  ne God adopted the name
  ‘M
  Mec
  echa
  haninicu
  cum’
  m  for the
  hems
  mselelelve
  ve
  ves,s, disciples of the Machine God. 
  As
  As the
  heirir philosoph
  phy y de
  de
  deve
  ve
  velololope
  pe
  ped, the
  h  Tech-Pr
  P ieststs s came to
  realalisise e ththatat kno
  nowledge
  ge
  ge itststselelelf f f wa
  wa
  was s s thththe e e pu
  pu
  purereststst exp
  xpreressssssioioi n n ofoff 
  didivivininityty. Th
  That meantt any
  ny
  ny objbjec
  ect or being that was a a receptac
  acle 
  ofof kno
  nowl
  wled
  edge bec
  e am
  ame e e inin som
  o e part holy. A data-stack or 
  ma
  mach
  chinine e inintelligen
  ennce
  cee tha
  hat t carrr ied knowledge from ancient 
  tiime
  mes s wa
  was no less did vivivine
  ne
  ne tha
  ha
  han n a ma
  ma
  man ofofof ﬂesh annd d bloo
  ood.d. Indeed,d  
  thhey
  ey beg
  egan to see me
  men n n asasas orgrgrgan
  an
  anicicic mac
  ac
  achihine
  nees su
  subjbjec
  ect t toto man
  any 
  failinings
  gs, , with theeiriri onlnlnly y y trtrue worth lying in the knowledge
  theyy accc umulu atedd thr
  hrrou
  ou
  ough
  gh the application of intellect. The 
  Tech
  ch-P
  -Priesstss pus
  ushe
  heed d d thththem
  em
  e ses lves eve
  v r hardrder to ov
  ov
  o ercome the
  h  
  weak
  akne
  nessssese of f thhe e ﬂe
  ﬂesh
  shh and
  nd
  nd bec
  ec
  ecom
  om
  ome e e mo
  mo
  m rere akikin n n toto mac
  acchihine
  nes;s; 
  logica
  cal l and d disppasassision
  onatate,e,e untroubled by passion or em
  emotion. 
  Bi
  Bion
  onicic replaceme
  me
  m ntnt and
  nd
  n  augmentation became increasingly 
  coomm
  mmon
  onplp ace as the
  hey y y so
  so
  s ug
  ught to emulululate machine-kind.
  Ov
  Overer the span ofofof gen
  en
  enererations, thhe Me
  M ch
  c an
  a icicum
  um set aboutut 
  rerebu
  builildiding
  ng Mars inintototo som
  om
  o ete hing vere y y dididiffffffererren
  en
  ent t t toto wha
  hat t ha
  had d 
  co
  come
  me befefore. Thee grerereatatat strtruc
  u tures s of steel and glass they
  no
  now 
  w raraisised were bu
  buililt t t no
  no
  not t tototo hou
  ou
  ouse menn but machihine
  n s. The
  he 
  ma
  manu
  nufafactctor
  o ies annd d fofoorgrgrgeseses the
  he
  hey y rererekikikind
  nd
  ndleleled d we
  we
  wererer
  dev
  evototed
  ed to o
  thhe crrea
  eatition
  on of f engine
  nes s an
  an
  and d d de
  d vices tht at wou
  o ld not serve the
  ItIt too
  ook ce
  centntururiei s s more for the Mechanicum to rebuild the 
  or
  o bibitatal l sh
  shipya
  yardrds s of Mara s, and further centuries to construct
  ththe ﬁr
  ﬁrstst Exp
  xploloraratotor r ﬂe
  ﬂeet, but the task was pursued with 
  ze
  zealou
  ous s de
  devo
  votition
  on. . Th
  Thererea
  e fter, expeditionary ﬂeets departed 
  from Mars whhen
  enev
  everer the
  he con
  ondidititions in the Warp permitted 
  it. The ex
  expeditition
  ons s we
  werere sen
  ent t toto whatever worlds the Tech-
  Prieststs co
  coulld d ﬁn
  ﬁnd me
  mentntioione
  ned d in the
  h ir archives as being 
  co
  coloniniseed inin eararlil erer tim
  imeses. . So
  Some
  me ﬂeets vanished without trace
  while others were ﬂu
  ﬂ ng
  ng farar offff cou
  ourse e by the ongoing Warp 
  storms, but a portion ofof the
  hem 
  m ev
  eventually arrived at their 
  inintetetend
  nd
  n ed
  ed dese tit nations. New
  ew for
  orge
  ge worlds were established, 
  ea
  ea
  e ch
  ch a rep
  ep
  eproroduction of Marars s an
  and d itits s tetemples to the Machine-
  Go
  Go
  God.d.d Untntntililil the
  he Great Crusas de, co
  contntac
  act wi
  w th the expeditions 
  wa
  wa
  was s s so
  so
  so spo
  po
  p raradidid c c tht at only a trt icickle e ofof red
  edisisco
  c ve
  verer d technology 
  wa
  was s ev
  ev
  evererer reteteturururne
  n d to Mars. Nevererththelelesess,s  the
  h  Tech-Priests 
  persisisted ininin thihihis s s ho
  ho
  h lylyly mission, secu
  curere in n ththeieir faith that the 
  pu
  pu
  pursrsrsuiuiit t t ofofof kno
  no
  nowl
  wl
  wled
  eddge
  ge
  g jus
  u tiﬁe
  ﬁed d an
  any y co
  costst.
  THE ARRIVA
  V L OF
  THE OMNISSIAH
  On
  On
  On Terererrarara, a a ne
  ne
  new 
  w 
  w rururuleleler r r ha
  had d emerged, uninititing
  ng the
  h  planet for the 
  ﬁrst time e in age
  ges.s. Kno
  no
  nown
  wn only as thee Emp
  mpereror
  o , he seemed to 
  desire alliance wi
  withthth Marara s,s, and debate ha
  had d rarage
  g d d among the
  Tech-Priests aboutut how
  ow
  ow to rererececeive this beieing
  ng. Fo
  For many, the vast 
  br
  brea
  ea
  e dtd h h off kno
  no
  nowl
  wl
  wled
  ed
  edge
  ge
  ge the
  he Emp
  mperor
  or hadd dem
  emon
  onstraratet d during 
  hih s co
  conq
  nqueeststt of f Ea
  Ea
  Eartrtrth h wa
  wa
  was s ad
  ad
  a eq
  equate proofof tha
  hat t he
  h  wasa  the earthly 
  representative of thhe e Ma
  Mach
  chine God, a pererfefectct fususioi n of mortal
  ﬂesh and divine intetellllllecect t ththey
  ey
  e  referred d toto as s thhe Omnissiah. 
  Some Meccha
  ha
  hanicuum me
  me
  memb
  mb
  mbererers wo
  w ulu d no
  n t acacceceptpttheeproclamation
  ofoff the
  he Emp
  mp
  mpererror
  or
  or as s thththe e Om
  Omninin sss iai h,h  and
  nd a sch
  chisism 
  m thhreatened the 
  unity of Mars. A sma
  ma
  mallllll reb
  eb
  e elllion by seseninior
  or Tecech-
  h-Pr
  P iests gained 
  little support and wasasas quiuickly put dow
  own.n. The
  h  ﬁres of combat
  were still burning in thththe e e ma
  manu
  n factorrieies s wh
  when the Fabricator 
  Ge
  Gene
  ne
  n raral an
  an
  and d d the e Em
  Emmpe
  pe
  perororor r r signed the
  he Trereataty y ofof Mara s to formally 
  alalllylyy the
  heiriri two
  wo
  wo emp
  mp
  mpiririreseses and
  nd
  nd guarantn ee
  ee sov
  overereie gn
  gnty to each. Under 
  the terms of the
  he
  he trerereatataty y y ththe Mechannicicum
  um und
  n ertook to supply 
  ththe weapons, shihips
  ps, , an
  an
  a d war machineses nececese sary for the Great 
  Cr
  C usade and fofor r r thththe e e de
  defence of the
  he bururge
  geon
  oning Imperium. In 
  exchange theyy dem
  em
  eman
  ande
  d d that the Emp
  mpereror’s forces turn over
  
  ����������������������
  �
   During this time other dark forces were growing. The 
  Emperor’s own Warmaster, Horus, began to lay plans against 
  his master and sought support from all quarters for his 
  treachery. Much of the Mechanicum sided with the traitors in 
  the ensuing galaxy-wide conﬂict known as the Horus Heresy, 
  and Mars was once again riven by nuclear ﬁres and titanic 
  weaponry as the Mechanicum turned against itself. 
  The Horus Heresy and the purges that came after it set 
  the Mechanicum back immeasurably. Entire archives of 
  accumulated knowledge were burned, priceless data-stacks 
  toppled, and giant facilities ravaged in the ﬁghting. It was 
  a terrible wound that continues to echo down the millennia, 
  as the Adeptus Mechanicus still struggles to recover many of 
  those priceless, lost achievements of the glorious past.  
  THE CULT MECHANICUS
  The authority of the Adeptus Mechanicus in matters 
  technological is unquestioned. The common 
  Imperial citizen would consider it sacrilege 
  to intentionally misuse a machine, and 
  believes that diverging from speciﬁc rites 
  of maintenance courts disaster from a 
  machine’s angry spirit. Adeptus Mechanicus 
  engineers are a part of every crusading 
  ﬂeet and expeditionary force, and 
  Tech-Priests tend the essential 
  machineries of the Imperium on 
  every world and every ship. The 
  forge worlds have become essential 
  centres of manufacture and commerce 
  for entire sectors of space. Legions of 
  Adeptus Mechanicus war engines are 
  kept fully engaged scourging the enemies of 
  Mankind. Even the mighty Adeptus Astartes 
  send their own to Mars to learn the secrets 
  of the Machine and become Techmarines. 
  Without the Adeptus Mechanicus, the 
  Imperium would undoubtedly crumble.
  Perhaps because of this very importance, 
  some of the autonomy of the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  has also been gradually eroded over the millennia. 
  The events of the Horus Heresy and subsequent 
  convulsions in the Imperium have made forge 
  worlds subject to Inquisitorial scrutiny on a level 
  unthinkable in the earliest days of the Treaty of 
  Mars. Fear of accusations of heresy have limited 
  the discussion of ideas to safely prescribed paths. 
  True knowledge has gradually been replaced by 
  rote-learning and understanding by dogma.
  In hidden quarters, far from the harsh 
  lumens of the Mechanicum, some hold the 
  heretical view that the Machine Cult’s greatest 
  failing is that only the oldest of technology 
  is still worthy of study and use. The Tech-
  Priests continue to analyse, catalogue and 
  examine every piece they ﬁnd, but only 
  in the few rare cases that they 
  discover a working example can 
  it be reproduced. Even their copies of thousand year-old 
  machines are inferior and often dangerous to their operators. 
  The Cult Mechanicus treats any form of innovation with 
  supreme scepticism, and some posit that gaining knowledge 
  of the Machine has been supplanted by simple worship of 
  its function. As a result, with the exception of a few notable 
  individuals, there are few Tech-Priests in the 41st Millennium 
  who can approach the technical brilliance of their ancient 
  predecessors. With each century, a little more of Mankind’s 
  accumulated technological lore passes beyond understanding 
  and becomes myth and legend.
  he Ad
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   During this time other dark forces we
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  The Horus He
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  the Mechanicumm bac
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  THE CULT
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  believes tha
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  ten
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  Th
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  supreme sceptiticicism
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  MECHANICUS
  ptus Meccha
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  “A man may die and still endure if his work enters the greater work, for 
  time is carried upon a current of forgotten deeds, and events of great 
  moment are but the culmination of a single carefully placed thought. As 
  all men must thank progenitors obscured by the past, so we must endure 
  the present, so that those who follow may continue the endeavour.”
  –The Chime of Eons, Garba Mojaro 
  Techno-Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus
  �
  he head of the Adeptus Mechanicus is the Fabricator 
  General of Mars. He holds a position as a High Lord of 
  Terra, and also leads the entire Cult Mechanicus in his 
  capacity as the Magos Mechanicus. The hierarchies on individual 
  forge worlds may vary, but they generally fall into common 
  patterns familiar to any member of the Adeptus Mechanicus. 
  The Fabricator General of a particular forge world is supported 
  by a council of senior Tech-Priests selected from the world’s 
  population. The most frequently seen council is a form of 
  gerontocracy where the oldest Tech-Priests hold sway over the 
  forge world by dint of their superior knowledge and insight 
  into their chosen ﬁelds. In some instances a meritocracy may be 
  used to promote the most brilliant and upcoming Tech-Priests 
  into positions of authority on the council. Isolated or socially 
  degraded Adeptus Mechanicus societies might have councils that 
  take the form of aristocracies, democracies, or even lotteries. 
  THE HIGH TECH-PRIESTS 
  The ruling Tech-Priests in a forge world’s hierarchy may form a 
  seamlessly united front to keep ordinary Mechanicum members 
  in line, or might be at odds with one another over esoteric matters 
  of funding, priority, and core beliefs. Excessively ambitious 
  individuals are likely to fall foul of the Inquisition or their own 
  peers in the Adeptus Mechanicus at some point. This means 
  most ruling members of the Priesthood of Mars have a tendency 
  to be circumspect and dispassionate about their duties.
  MAGOS
  A Magos is an acknowledged master in a ﬁeld of technological 
  achievement, one who has spent a lifetime (perhaps several) 
  reﬁning his understanding of a particular branch of knowledge. 
  Many divisions of Magos exist, including ones unique to 
  particular forge worlds where especially rare expertise is 
  preserved. Some more commonly encountered examples of 
  Magos include Magos Biologis, Magos Alchemys, Magos Physic, 
  Magos Technicus, Magos Metallurgicus, and Magos Xenologis.
  LOGIS
  The Logis form the body of logisticians and analysts that 
  indirectly control a forge world’s resources. They predict future 
  trends and make forecasts based around a plethora of seemingly 
  unrelated factors to advise on projected needs. Among the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, Logis are regarded as prophetic ﬁgures and their 
  dispassionate analysis is given great weight in decision making.
  GENETOR
  Genetors are genetic scientists with great insight into the 
  human genome and all its multitudinous variants. They are very 
  heavily represented among the Adeptus Mechanicus, perhaps 
  in part due to the Mechanicum’s experiences with mutants 
  on Mars during the Age of Strife. Genetors often accompany 
  Imperial forces engaged in the exploration of new worlds to test 
  populations for signs of mutation outside prescribed norms.
  ARTISAN
  Artisans are constructors who design machines, structures, 
  spaceships, weapons, and other military hardware. An Artisan 
  commonly begins any project by examining the sacred records 
  to ﬁnd out if anything similar has been attempted before; if it 
  has, then the previous plans are used with only minor adaptation 
  where necessary. Artisans exercise overall control of the vast 
  labour force of servitors on any given forge world.
  THE INITIATES OF THE 
  CULT MECHANICUS
  The vast bulk of the Tech-Priests on a forge world are 
  workers, scientists, and engineers who direct and oversee the 
  functions of servitors, tend to the manifold requirements of 
  the machine-spirits, and conduct the experiments dictated 
  by the ruling Tech-Priests. Many initiates of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus are assigned to serve in technical support of the 
  Imperial authorities at some point in their lives. Tech-Priests 
  given extended assignments away from their forge world for 
  such duties typically view it as a punishment.
  ELECTRO-PRIEST
  Electro-Priests dedicate themselves to the mysteries of energy, 
  its ﬂow through conductive bodies and the motivating spark 
  it provides to machine-spirits. The most fanatical Electro-
  Priests are heavily modiﬁed to permit them to generate 
  electrical energy within their own bodies, transforming them 
  into living fonts of crackling power.
  THE UNIVERSAL LAWS 
  To understand a Tech-Priest’s mind is to understand an 
  intellect that has been manufactured and processed to 
  work as smoothly and seamlessly as a Cogitator. The 
  purpose of his being is encapsulated in the tenets of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus, his goals and purposes laid out by 
  prior generations of Tech-Priests attempting to map the 
  perfect path to enlightenment. Many of these concepts 
  are embodied in what are called the “Universal Laws” or 
  sometimes “The Sixteen Universal Laws,” a set of holy 
  commandments passed down through the centuries. 
  Whether sixteen “Universal” laws truly exist, and 
  whether all forge worlds would fully agree upon them, 
  is a subject of ﬁerce debate, but most of the Universal 
  Laws have been enshrined and widely proclaimed as 
  core principles of the Creed Mechanicus. Some of the 
  more famous or controversial laws are presented below. 
  
  ����������������������
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  ENGINSEERS
  These warrior Tech-Priests operate on battleﬁelds across the 
  Imperium alongside Imperial Guard units. Here, they use their 
  technical abilities to ensure that the mighty war machines of the 
  Hammer of the Emperor function properly. Wielding their mighty 
  double-handed wrench-axes in power-armoured ﬁsts, they stalk 
  the front lines as red-robed avatars of the Machine God, smiting 
  all who would stand against the will of the Omnissiah. 
  TRANSMECHANIC
  Transmechanics are specialists in the ﬁeld of communications 
  technology. By the nature of their speciality, Transmechanics are 
  often called upon to serve in other Imperial organisations for 
  extended periods of time, and often spend their entire existence 
  aboard Naval vessels or on Imperial Guard bastion-worlds. 
  LEXMECHANIC
  Lexmechanics compile and rationalise information so that it 
  can be entered into centralised data-stacks. Thanks to their 
  implants and conditioning, they function with machine speed 
  and accuracy, whether assembling battleﬁeld reports, economic 
  statistics, planetary analysis, or other matters of interest. Like 
  Transmechanics, Lexmechanics are commonly assigned duties 
  outside the Adeptus Mechanicus assisting the Adeptus Terra.
  SERVITORS
  Those without the capacity for knowledge and those who 
  betray the secrets entrusted to them by the Tech-Priests are 
  re-purposed into living machines by the Cult Mechanicus. 
  Servitors are mindless slaves, manufactured from living ﬂesh and 
  purposeful metal. They lack all volition of their own and are 
  usually programmed only for extremely limited tasks. A servitor 
  is ﬁtted with specialised prosthetics for their purpose: a cargo-
  hauler might have arms replaced with hooks, for example, and 
  legs reinforced with pistons for additional lifting power. The 
  overwhelming majority of any forge world’s population are 
  made up of servitors, ranging in form and function from mono-
  task mining cyborgs and holomats (holographic recording 
  units), to Gun Servitors and armoured Praetorians.
  THE COLLEGIA TITANICA
  Probably the most signiﬁcant military organisation of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus is the Collegia Titanica, more commonly 
  called the Titan Legions. Most forge worlds have their own 
  Legion, and particularly important worlds often have more than 
  one. A Titan Legion is a military force of almost incomparable 
  power in the galaxy, one that is capable of protecting or 
  conquering the most sophisticated worlds. The mere rumour 
  of a Legion being dispatched is enough to force the retreat or 
  capitulation of most foes. Those who choose to ﬁght must be 
  ready to do so on an unprecedented scale. The reason for this is 
  simple—the sheer might of the Titans themselves.
  It is said that when the Emperor ﬁrst came to Mars, He 
  found that the Tech-Priests had created immense war engines 
  they called Titans. The Titans were great humanoid-shaped 
  ﬁghting machines, bristling with the most potent weapons 
  the Tech-Priests could devise, towering entities that the Cult 
  Mechanicus viewed as being sacred avatars of the Machine 
  God. On the barren expanses of Mars, the Titans could step 
  across ﬁssures and stride effortlessly through seas of poisonous 
  dust that would have engulfed conventional troopers. The 
  great war engines were also thickly armoured and powered 
  by plasma reactors, so that they could operate continuously 
  for years at a time with only limited maintenance. When the 
  Great Crusade swept outward from Terra, the Titan Legions 
  of Mars accompanied it and proved their worth a thousand 
  times over in the battles that followed.
  During the Horus Heresy, the Collegia Titanica was split 
  between traitors and loyalists along Legion lines. Titans 
  fought on both sides during the Siege of the Imperial Palace. 
  Some, such as the Legio Ignatum, covered themselves with 
  glory, while others, including the Legio Mortis, gained a 
  reputation for vile infamy that has not been forgotten in ten 
  thousand years. The traitor Titan Legions ﬂed to the Eye of 
  Terror when Horus was defeated, and there they have become 
  warped into strange, daemonic beasts of adamantium and 
  steel. Many of the most powerful loyalist Titan Legions stand 
  permanent vigil around the Eye of Terror to guard against the 
  return of their corrupted brethren.
  
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  THE SKITARII
  The Skitarii are the ubiquitous warriors of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, and the term is often used to describe all of the 
  Mechanicum’s ﬁghting forces with the exception of the Titan 
  Legions. They protect the Tech-Priests’ expeditions when 
  they venture into hostile regions, and help to guard the forge 
  worlds, ships, and facilities of the Adeptus Mechanicus. When 
  Titan Legions go to war, they are commonly supported by 
  huge numbers of Skitarii (also dismissively known as Tech-
  Guard to outsiders) acting as auxiliary infantry. The types and 
  classiﬁcations of Skitarii vary immensely from forge world 
  to forge world and even between the retinues of individual 
  Techno-Magos. Common to all Skitarii is an utter devotion to 
  the Cult Mechanicus and a willingness to lay down their lives 
  in defence of the Tech-Priests and their sacred machines.
  THE CENTURIO 
  ORDINATUS
  The Centurio Ordinatus is the branch of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus responsible for the huge siege machines known 
  as Ordinati. Most of the Ordinati were built during the 
  Horus Heresy, when the Mechanicum turned their most 
  heinous technologies upon each other, and represent a level 
  of sophistication unachievable by later generations. After the 
  Heresy many of the giant weapons were lost or abandoned, 
  while others were purposefully hidden in secret armouries or 
  remote locations. The Centurio Ordinatus is responsible for 
  the recovery and operation of all surviving Ordinati. The re-
  discovery of an Ordinatus often triggers local civil wars over its 
  possession due to its incredible power. In these circumstances 
  it is the duty of the Centurio Ordinatus to secure the weapon 
  using any means necessary.
  Each Ordinati is a unique weapon of destruction, 
  constructed for a speciﬁc purpose or even for a single battle. 
  The Ordinati are named after the planet where they were built 
  to ﬁght, and always carry that name with them in the rare 
  instances they are transported from one world to another. One 
  example is Ordinatus Armageddon, which was constructed 
  during the First Armageddon War to destroy Titans with a 
  single hyper-powered shot from its nova cannon. Another is 
  Ordinatus Mars, which was built during the Horus Heresy 
  to level the walls of Jericho Castellum with the pounding 
  of sonic waves. Not all of the Ordinati are giant weapons; 
  Ordinatus Priam was made to bypass defences by tunnelling 
  directly through the planet’s crust, for example.
  ����
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  “The universe is not like a puzzle-box that you can take apart 
  and put back together again and so solve its secrets. It is a shifting, 
  uncertain thing which changes as you consider it, which is changed 
  by the very act of observation. A powerful man is not a man who 
  dissects the universe like a puzzle box, examining it piece by piece 
  and measuring each piece with scientiﬁc precision. A powerful man 
  has only to look upon the universe to change it.”
  –Techno-Magos Gaelos
  �
  ndividually and collectively, the Adeptus Mechanicus is 
  driven by what the Tech-Priests refer to as “the Quest 
  for Knowledge.” The Quest can take many forms, such 
  as research and exploration, or scouring ancient worlds for 
  archeotech, but its ultimate embodiment is in the pursuit of 
  ancient, near mythological devices known as STC systems. 
  STC systems were created at the height of the Dark Age of 
  Technology, when humanity was thought to have colonised 
  many hundreds of worlds. Some colonies prospered, some 
  failed, and others failed to achieve more than a subsistence-
  level existence. However, all of the ancient colonies 
  consistently maintained a high level of technology, thanks 
  to a huge database of information they carried from Terra. 
  This massive storehouse of technical knowledge was called 
  the Standard Template Construction (STC) system.
  The STCs are believed to hold the sum total of human 
  knowledge in the ﬁelds of technical accomplishment and 
  material sciences. The system included designs for every 
  imaginable device, from simple agricultural machinery to 
  data-cores and nuclear power-grids; in theory, every possible 
  advancement a growing colony might need or eventually 
  aspire to. However, the early colonists’ needs were simple, 
  and fulﬁlled with more conventional power sources and low 
  level technologies, so these form the majority of the STC 
  data the Adeptus Mechanicus have retrieved. Little, if any, of 
  the advanced theoretical knowledge contained in the STC 
  databanks was ever transcribed into the fragmentary physical 
  copies that have survived the intervening thousands of years.
  No intact STC system has survived into the 41st Millennium, and 
  very few examples of ﬁrst-generation STC design schematics exist. 
  Even so, the vast majority of the most common weapons, vehicles, 
  and systems in use throughout the Imperium have been faithfully 
  copied from ancient STC information. Where such information 
  exists, it is precious and sacred to its keepers, an artefact that has 
  been passed down over hundreds of generations. Magos Arkhan 
  Land is still remembered and celebrated thousands of years after 
  his death for his discovery of a single STC fragment in the 31st 
  Millennium. That single fragment yielded construction templates 
  for the famous Land Raider battle tank and Land Speeder aerial 
  attack vehicle, both named in honour of their discoverer.
  HE SKITARII
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  ge 
  rlrlds
  ds, sh
  shipips,s, and
  nd
  nd
  ndd fac
  ac
  ac
  acililililititititieieieieieies s s of the Adeptus
  us
  us Mec
  ec
  echa
  ha
  hanin cu
  cus.s.s.. Whe
  he
  he
  hen
  an n n Le
  Legigion
  ons s go
  go
  go
  go
  g
  to o o o wa
  wa
  wa
  w r,r  they are commonnlylylyl
  sup
  up
  uppo
  po
  po
  portrtrtrted
  ed
  edd by y y 
  ge
  ge num
  ummbe
  be
  be
  be
  b rsrsrsrsrs of f f f Sk
  Sk
  Sk
  Skititititarii (also dismissivelle y y know
  ow
  own n n asa Tech-
  h
  arararard d d tototoo oututututsisisis de
  de
  de
  dersrsrs) ) ) ) ) ac
  acting as auxiliary infafaf ntryy. Th
  Th
  Th
  The e e tytytypes and
  ssisis ﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁcatatatata ioioioioions
  ns
  ns
  ns
  n of f f Sk
  Sk
  Sk
  S itarii vary immens
  ns
  ns
  nsely from
  omm forge world 
  for
  orrge
  ge
  ge
  ge
  g wor
  or
  or
  or
  orldldldldld and
  nd
  nd even betwween ththththe e retinu
  nu
  nuueses of f individual 
  hno
  no
  no-M
  -M
  -M
  Mag
  ag
  ag
  agos
  os
  oss. . Co
  C mmon to o all Sk
  Sk
  Sk
  Skititititarii is an
  an
  an
  an uttt ere  devotion to 
  Cu
  Cu
  Cu
  Cultltlt Mec
  ec
  ec
  e ha
  ha
  hanininin cus and a willingness too lay
  ay
  ay
  ay down their lives 
  defefeffen
  en
  ence
  c  of f f f f thththe Tech-PPriesesesststststs and their sac
  ac
  ac
  acred machines.
  HE CENTURIO 
  RDINATUS
  e Ce
  C ntnttnturururioioio Ordr inatus is s the br
  br
  br
  bran
  a ch of the Adeptus 
  ch
  chhanicus
  us
  us
  u  respoonsibibiblele for
  or
  or
  or the hugg
  ug
  uge e e e siege machines known 
  Ordinini atatata i.i.i  Most ofo  the Ordinatatatati were built during the
  rururus s Hee
  Heererer sy, wh
  whenn the Mechaninininicu
  cu
  cu
  cum turned their most
  nou
  ou
  ous teech
  c nologies upon ea
  e ch othththherer, and represent a lelelevel
  sop
  o histicicication unachievabblele by latetetet r r generations. Afterr the 
  resy man
  any of the giaiaiantn wea
  e pons were e lost or abbandoned, 
  ilile othersrsr  were purposefullylylyly hidden n ininin secret armouries or
  o  
  moote locatta ions. The Centurioioio Ordininininattus
  u  is responsible for r
  rerecovery and operar tion of ala l survivivivivininining g Ordinati. The re-
  cov
  overy of an n Or
  O dinaatus s ofofofofo tet n triggers loc
  oc
  oc
  ocalalall civil wars over its 
  session duee to its incred
  ed
  edible power. In thee
  heses  circumstances 
  s the duty of f f f the Centurioioioio Ordrdrdrdinininata us to ses cuurer  the weapon
  ng an
  a y means s necessary.
  Each Ordinati i is a unique weap
  ap
  apon of f de
  dests ruction, 
  ns
  ns
  nstructed for a sppec
  e iﬁc purprppose or even fofor a siing
  ng
  ng
  nglele battle. 
  e e Ordinati are nammed
  e  after the planet wherererere e they wererere e e bu
  bu
  built
  ﬁgh
  gh
  g t, and always caarrr y that name withh them in the
  he
  he
  he rarare e
  tan
  an
  ances they are transpoortrtrtrted from one wo
  w rld to anoththththerererer. On
  On
  O e 
  mplple is Ordinatus Armag
  ag
  ag
  ageddon, which
  ch
  ch
  ch was connststststrurururucted 
  ing
  ng
  ng the
  h  First Armageddon n Wa
  W r to destroy Titans wi
  wi
  wiithththth a
  glelelele hyp
  yp
  y er-powered shot from itst  nova cannon. Another is 
  dididididina
  na
  na
  na
  natututus s s Mars, which was built du
  du
  du
  during the Horus Heresy 
  lev
  evvelelelel the
  he walls of Jericho Castellum 
  m with the pounding 
  son
  onicic wav
  av
  avese . Not all of the Ordinati arre e gig ant weapons; 
  didina
  na
  n tutus s s Pr
  Pr
  Pr
  Priaiaiam 
  m was made to bypass defences by
  by
  by
  by tunnelling
  ectctlyly thr
  hr
  hr
  hr
  h ou
  ou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  gh
  gh the
  h  planet’s crust, for example.
  “The unininiveveversrsrsrse e e is not likikikike e a puzzlele-b-bbox that t yoyoyou u u u cacacan n n tatatakekeke apa
  pa
  pa
  p rtrt 
  and d d pu
  pu
  pu
  put t t ba
  ba
  ba
  backckckck togetheheheher r agagagagaiaia n and sososo solve itststs sececececrereretststs. . . ItItIt is s s a a shshshs ififififtiting
  ng
  ng, 
  un
  un
  uncecececertrtrtrtaiaiaiain thththinining g g g which h h chhan
  an
  an
  angegegeg s s s asasas you con
  on
  onsisisidededer r r ititit, , , wh
  wh
  whicicich h h isisis cha
  ha
  hang
  ng
  ng
  ngeded 
  bybybyby thehehehe verererery y y acct t t t ofofofof obssererererva
  va
  va
  vatititition. A 
  A 
  A 
  A po
  po
  p we
  we
  werfrfrfrfululul man
  an
  an is s s no
  noo
  not t a a ma
  ma
  man n n wh
  wh
  wh
  who o o
  dididid ssects the uninininiveveveversrsrsrse e lilililikekekeke a puzzlzlz e e bo
  box, exa
  xami
  mi
  mi
  m ninining
  ng
  ng it t pipiecece e e bybybyy pieieieieceecece 
  an
  an
  an
  a d me
  m asasuru inining g g g each pieieieiecee with sccieieeientn iﬁc prprprececece isisisioioioion.n.n A pow
  owererfufufuful l ma
  ma
  ma
  man n
  ha
  ha
  haas s s s on
  on
  on
  onlylylyly to o o o lolololook
  ok
  ok
  o upo
  p n thhe e universe to chan
  angegege it.t ”
  –T
  –Tec
  ec
  ec
  echn
  hn
  hno-
  o-
  o-Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Mago
  go
  go
  gos Ga
  Gaelelos
  os
  nd
  nd
  nddivividually y y y and co
  c llec
  ec
  ec
  ectitit ve
  ve
  veelyly, the e Ad
  Add
  Adep
  ep
  epptututus s s Me
  Me
  Mechan
  annicicicicus
  u is 
  driven by what the
  he
  hee Tec
  ec
  ec
  ech-
  h Pr
  Pr
  P iestststs refer totoo as “the Que
  uest 
  for Knowledg
  dg
  dg
  dg
  dge.e ” The Qu
  Qu
  Qu
  Quesst ca
  ca
  can tat ke man
  an
  any y foforms, such 
  asasasas research and d exx
  e plplplplor
  o attioion,n,n,n, or scscscou
  ou
  ouring anc
  nc
  ncc
  n ieiei ntnt wor
  orldds for r
  ararararcheotech, but its ultitititima
  ma
  ma
  matetetete emb
  m od
  od
  o iment isisis in n ththe e pu
  pursrsuiuit t ofofofof 
  an
  an
  an
  ancient, near mythologic lall devvicicicese  knoown
  w  as s ST
  STC 
  C sysysts ems. 
  ST
  S C systems we
  we
  we
  werererere created at t ththhe e e he
  he
  heightht of f f ththe e Da
  Dark
  rk Age of f 
  Te
  Tee
  Tech
  ch
  ch
  chno
  no
  nolololol gy
  gy
  gy
  gy, h
  when hum
  um
  um
  umann
  a ity y y y wa
  w s thththou
  ou
  ought to hav
  ave e coolol niniisesesed d 
  many hundreds of wor
  or
  or
  orlds.s.s.s. Somme e e co
  co
  colololonininiesese prororosp
  sp
  spererered
  ed
  ed
  ed, so
  so
  some
  me
  me
  me 
  failed, and d d d otototothe
  he
  he
  hersrs faia led too achieieieve
  ve
  ve mor
  or
  ore e e thththhan
  an
  an a sub
  ub
  ubsisisiststststen
  en
  en
  ence
  ce
  cee-
  level l l l ex
  e isteetenc
  nc
  nc
  nce. How
  ow
  ow
  owev
  ev
  ev
  everererer, , ,  ala l l ofoff the
  he
  he anc
  nc
  nc
  ncieieientntntt colo on
  onnieieies s 
  co
  c ns
  n istentlylylyly maia ntained a hih gh level of teech
  chhno
  no
  no
  n lololology
  gy
  gy
  gy, , ththththan
  an
  an
  anks
  ks
  k  
  to a huge e e e da
  da
  da
  datatatataba
  ba
  ba
  base of infofof rmata ion they carararriried
  ed
  ed frorororom 
  m 
  m Te
  Te
  Terrr a.a  
  This massisisisive
  v stototoorererereho
  ho
  ho
  hous
  us
  us
  use e ofo tec
  ec
  ec
  echnical knowlled
  ed
  ed
  e ge
  ge
  ge wasa  calleled d
  the Standardrdrdrd Temm
  emmplp atata e e e Co
  Co
  Co
  Cons
  ns
  nstrtrrtruc
  u tion (ST
  ST
  STC)
  C)
  C sysysstetet m.
  m.
  m.
  m.
  The STCs
  Cs
  Css aree belliei ve
  ve
  ve
  ved d d tototoo holo d d thththe su
  s m 
  m 
  m tototototatatatal ofof hum
  um
  u an 
  knowledge in the
  he
  he
  h
  ﬁele ds of teet chnica
  c l ac
  ac
  a coomp
  mp
  mp
  mp
  mplishhme
  mentnt and
  nd 
  material sciences. The
  he
  he
  he sysysystem includ
  u ed
  ed desesesesigns
  ns for
  or eve
  very 
  imaginable device, from sisiisimp
  mple agr
  gr
  gr
  gr
  g iciciculululultuturaral ma
  ma
  m ch
  chininerery y to 
  data-cores and nuclear powererr-g
  -g
  -griids
  ds
  ds
  ds; ; ; inininin the
  he
  he
  heor
  or
  or
  or
  ory,y,y,y, eve
  ve
  v ryry possis ble e e 
  ad
  ad
  ad
  adva
  va
  va
  vanc
  n ement a growing colololony
  ny
  ny
  ny migigighthththtt neee
  ee
  eed d d or
  or eventntntntua
  ua
  u lllly y y
  aspipipipirererere to.o.o.o. However, the ea
  ea
  earlrlrly y y co
  co
  co
  cololololoninininiststststs’s’s’s’’ neeeds
  ds
  ds
  ds werererere e e sisisisimp
  mplele, , ,
  and fulﬁll d
  ed
  ed
  ed witititith h h h mo
  mo
  mo
  morererere con
  on
  on
  on
  on
  onve
  ve
  ve
  ve
  v ntntntioioiona
  nal po
  po
  powe
  we
  we
  w r r so
  so
  so
  soururururce
  ce
  ce
  ces s s s an
  and d lolow 
  w
  lelelevel technolololologig es, so the
  he
  he
  heseseses
  for
  orr
  o m 
  m 
  m thththe ma
  ma
  majojojoririritytytyy of f f ththe e e ST
  STC 
  C
  da
  d ta the Ade
  d ptus
  uss Mecha
  ha
  ha
  hanin cus ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve rettriririev
  ev
  eved
  ed
  ed
  ed. . LiLiLiLiL ttttttttlelelel , ifififif any
  ny, ofofoff 
  the advanced the
  h or
  orretetetteticicicicicalalalalal knoowl
  w eddge
  ge
  ge con
  on
  ontatatataininined
  ed
  ed
  ed
  e
  in the e e ST
  STC 
  C
  datatat ba
  ba
  ba
  b nks was ever transcrribi edd intnto o ththhe e e frfrf ag
  agme
  mentntarary phh
  physysysysicicicicalalalal 
  copies that havee survived thhththe inininteteervrvrvenn
  eninining ththousand
  nds s of yea
  ea
  earsrsrs.
  No
  No
  Nointntntacacact tST
  ST
  STC 
  C 
  C sysysystststem
  em
  emhasasassurururu vivivivivevev d d ininntotot the
  he
  he
  he41s
  1st tMi
  Mi
  Millllllen
  en
  en
  e nininium
  um
  um, ,an
  an
  an
  and d d d
  vev ryr  few
  ew
  ew exa
  xaamp
  mp
  mpleleles s s ofofof ﬁrsrsrst-t-t-gene
  neraratition
  on
  on
  on STC
  TC
  TC
  TC desese igigign n scscche
  he
  hema
  ma
  ma
  matititit cscscscs exixixixistststst. 
  Even so,o the
  he
  he
  he
  he vasasast t t ma
  ma
  majojorityty of f ththe e mo
  moostststst com
  om
  om
  ommo
  mo
  mo
  mon n n n we
  we
  we
  weap
  ap
  ap
  apon
  on
  on
  ons,s,s, veh
  eh
  eh
  ehici les, 
  and systems in usee thr
  hr
  hrou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  o
  h
  gh
  gh
  gh
  gh
  ghou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  out t t t ththththe e Im
  Im
  Immpe
  pe
  pe
  pe iririum
  um have been faithfully 
  co
  c pipied
  ed from 
  m 
  m an
  an
  ancicicien
  en
  en
  ent t t ST
  ST
  ST
  STC 
  C 
  C ininfofoform
  rmatatioi n.n. Whe
  h re such information 
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  Wars have been fought and worlds ruined over fragments of 
  STC data. The Adeptus Mechanicus has pursued any trace of 
  STC information with truly religious fervour for thousands of 
  years. For them it is the most holy of texts, a truly sanctiﬁed 
  connection to enlightenment from a lost age. It is their lost bible, 
  their holy grail, their cup of knowledge. The slightest rumour 
  of a new discovery or a hidden cache of STC materials brings 
  multitudes of Tech-Priests to investigate. Any resistance is apt to 
  bring the full force of the Adeptus Mechanicus to bear without 
  reference to any kind of Imperial authority. The Imperium 
  itself is bound by the Treaty of Mars to ensure that any such 
  discoveries are handed over to the Tech-Priests, but that has not 
  prevented avaricious Planetary Governors, Rogue Traders, and 
  even Inquisitors from ignoring the Treaty for their own gain.
  THE EXPLORATOR FLEETS
  The Quest for Knowledge has long carried the Tech-Priests far 
  into the depths of the hostile void, far outside of charted areas 
  of the galaxy. The Explorator ﬂeets are those tasked with the 
  highly perilous task of entering unexplored regions to analyse 
  and catalogue them, securing important data or artefacts by force 
  if necessary. Wilderness space harbours many secrets such as lost 
  colonies, wrecked ships, alien ruins, and hidden repositories of 
  knowledge. Explorator ﬂeets often spend centuries at a time away 
  from their home forge worlds, working their way methodically 
  through a star cluster or nebula. Only the discovery of something 
  truly signiﬁcant brings the ﬂeet back early. More often, an 
  Explorator ﬂeet vanishes into the unforgiving black, only years of 
  silence betraying its fate and prompting the dispatch of another 
  ﬂeet to the same area centuries later.
  The deep void harbours many dangers. There are aliens, 
  fugitives, and renegades that would destroy an Explorator 
  ﬂeet on sight just for the vast haul of technological plunder 
  it represents. There are lost colonies that do not desire to be 
  rediscovered, perhaps wishing to continue their own petty 
  ﬁefdom and not return to the Imperium’s fold, or worshipping 
  heathen gods that would bring the ﬁres of the Ministorum upon 
  them. There are uncharted natural and unnatural phenomena 
  that can wreck a ﬂeet, or strand it for an eternity.
  The number of ships the Adeptus Mechanicus dispatches on 
  such quests amount to only a fraction of those in service with 
  the Imperium, but they are exceptionally well-protected and well-
  armed. Perhaps the best example of this is the near-legendary Ark 
  Mechanicus, a class of ship with more ﬁrepower, greater range, 
  and signiﬁcantly stronger defences than any Imperial battleship 
  operating today. Such is the power of the Machine God and his 
  servants in the holy pursuit of knowledge.
   
  THE FOURTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “Intellect is the Understanding of Knowledge.”
  The Fourth Law is most commonly interpreted as stating 
  that the ability to comprehend and utilise knowledge 
  is the basis for the measurement of Intellect. It is 
  entirely possible for any sentience to realise the value of 
  knowledge (or stimulus, as some members of the Cult 
  Mechanicus might refer to it) while only possessing 
  simplistic levels of it. It is also possible for an Archive or 
  Holomat to contain vast quantities of knowledge and the 
  understanding thereof, without apprehending the value 
  of that Knowledge. Neither of these two examples would 
  possess true intellect in the eyes of a Tech-Priest.
  Wa
  Wa
  Warsrsrs hav
  av
  ave e be
  be
  be
  beeen
  en
  en
  en
  en fou
  ou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  ght and wo
  w rld
  ST
  ST
  ST
  STC 
  C 
  C da
  da
  datatata. Th
  Th
  Thhe e Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  A ep
  eptutututus s s Mechhan
  an
  an
  anicus
  ST
  S C 
  C 
  C inininfofoform
  rm
  rmatatatioioiooiooioon n n n wi
  wi
  withththth trurururuly relligigigigious
  ye
  y arara s.s.s.s Fororor the
  he
  hem 
  m ititit is s s s ththththe e mo
  m stt holo y 
  co
  co
  co
  conn
  nn
  n ececece tit onn to o en
  en
  enligh
  g tenm
  nm
  nmen
  en
  en
  ent t t t frfrfrfrom
  om
  om
  om a lo
  theieieir r ho
  ho
  h ly grar ilil, thhththeieieir r cu
  cu
  cu
  cup p ofofofof kno
  no
  no
  nowl
  w e
  of a new
  ew
  ew disisisisco
  co
  cove
  v ry or r a a hihihihidd
  dd
  dd
  dden
  en
  en
  en caca h
  multltl itititud
  ud
  udeseses of f f Te
  Te
  Tech
  ch
  ch-P
  -P
  - riesests to ininve
  vesttiga
  bring g g thththhe e e fufufulllllll forororce of f the e e e Ad
  Addep
  ep
  eptus s M
  rerefefeeferererenc
  nc
  nce e e tototo any
  ny
  ny
  ny kind d ofofofof Imp
  mp
  m errial 
  itseelflflf is s bo
  bo
  boun
  un
  und by the Trereatataty y y ofofo Mar
  didiscscscscov
  ov
  ov
  overerererieieies s s ararare e e handded
  edd ove
  ve
  v r r r toto the
  he
  he
  h  Te
  prprprprp ev
  ev
  even
  en
  enteteteteted d  d av
  av
  av
  a ararararicious Plalalalane
  neetatataryr Gove
  ev
  ev
  even
  en
  enn Inq
  nq
  nq
  nq
  nquiuiuiuiu sisisitototot rs from 
  m 
  m 
  m igigignoririr ng
  n the Tr
  THE FOURT
  R H UNIVER
  “Intntntelelelellel ct is the Understanding of Kn
  The Fo
  Fo
  Foururururth Law is moost commonl
  tht at the abib lity to comprehend
  isisis the
  h
  basasasisisisis for the measurem
  enntititirererelylylyy pos
  o siiblblblble e for any sentience
  know
  ow
  owleledg
  dg
  dge (or ststststim
  i ulus, as some
  Me
  Me
  Mechannicicicusu  mighthththt refer to it) w
  sisisisimplistic levv
  evels of it.t.t.t It is also pos
  Ho
  Hoololol mat to con
  ontain vasasasast t quantities
  un
  unde
  dersrstatatatand
  nd
  nd
  ndininng g g tht ereof,f, without a
  ofof tha
  hat t Kn
  Know
  owleleleledg
  dg
  dge. Neithher of the
  po
  possssesess s trtrue
  u intntelelele lectc  in thhe e e e eyes o
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  �����������
  ���������������
  ������
  “These worlds were entrusted to us by the Omnissiah—the Machine 
  God’s breath is in every gravitic ebb and ﬂow. It is the will of the 
  Omnissiah that we continue the Quest for Knowledge through all 
  travails and all tragedies; the Calixis Sector is the Machine God 
  testing us, my brethren, and we shall not be found wanting.”
  –High Fabricator Castellar
  �
  ost agencies of the Imperium in the Calixis Sector 
  view the Adeptus Mechanicus as a singular, 
  monolithic organization that thinks and acts with 
  one logical mind, each Tech-Priest moving in lockstep with 
  the others towards the inscrutable goals set down by the Cult 
  of the Machine God. However, the truth is something more 
  complex. In the Calixis Sector, the Adeptus Mechanicus has 
  many internecine challenges of its own. Over the centuries 
  since the Sector’s founding, the Calixian Mechanicus has 
  been riven by factionalism and rarely has been truly united. It 
  is said that even the machine altars of the Calixis forge worlds 
  conspire and whisper with secrets amongst the formulae and 
  schematics normally transmitted from one to the other.
  Despite these difﬁculties, the Adeptus Mechanicus is 
  nevertheless ﬁrmly entrenched in the Calixis Sector, a vital part 
  of the operations of nearly every planet, and a distinct, signiﬁcant 
  power of its own that commands respect. This is due in no 
  small part to the strong leadership that has guided the Calixian 
  Mechanicus over a millennia, centred around the inﬂuential and 
  tradition-bound Forge Masters of the Lathe Worlds. 
  PERSONALITIES  
  OF THE LATHES
  It is no accident that the Lathes are the central concentration 
  of authority within the Calixis Sector—the three worlds that 
  make up the Lathes contain the greatest Forges, the most 
  advanced technology, the most revered secrets of knowledge, 
  and the most experienced adepts of the Cult of the Machine 
  God. It is a truism amongst the Calixian Mechanicus that “as 
  go the Lathes, as goes the Sector.”
  HIGH FABRICATOR CASTELLAR
  At the apex of authority for the Adeptus Mechanicus in the 
  Calixis Sector is a singular title: the High Fabricator of the 
  Lathes. Currently, Arch-Magos Castellar holds this position. 
  A well-respected Arch-Magos who ascended to his current 
  title through diligence and shrewd political manoeuvring, 
  he took over from the disgraced High Fabricator Garamond. 
  However, during his lengthy tenure as High Fabricator, 
  Castellar has grown increasingly aloof and detached from 
  the Mechanicus interests within the Calixis Sector, preferring 
  to focus on the Explorator ﬂeets and expansion through the 
  Koronus Passage. It is commonly suspected that Castellar, 
  a former daring Explorator himself, has distinct leanings 
  towards the somewhat radical beliefs of the Disciples of 
  Thule. Whatever the truth, Castellar’s vision seems to be 
  ﬁrmly ﬁxed beyond the concerns of the Calixian Mechanicus 
  and directed towards exterior operations.
  One of the High Fabricator’s accomplishments include 
  the establishment of a sophisticated network of vox-heralds 
  throughout the forge worlds of the Sector, and in many 
  important Imperial planets as well, such as Scintilla, Malﬁ, 
  and Sepheris Secundus. 
  Chrono-gladiators are another particular interest of 
  Castellar’s, and it is he who helped establish the great slaughter-
  wheels of Hive Volg. The High Fabricator selects a new cadre of 
  bodyguards from the champions of the Chrono-gladiators every 
  decade. These matchless warriors serve with fanatical loyalty, 
  due in no small part to the knowledge that the High Fabricator’s 
  continued function is tied directly into the life-timers of each 
  Chrono-gladiator. Nominally, these timers are kept stilled as a 
  reward for the Chrono-gladiators’ service. However, should the 
  High Fabricator come to any harm, his bodyguards soon see 
  their lifespans measured in a handful of seconds.
  ARCH-MAGOS RALWURE THE GOLDEN
  The High Fabricator selects a single Arch-Magos to serve as 
  his second, an heir-apparent to share the burden of organising 
  and ruling the varied interests of the Mechanicus in the Calixis 
  Sector. Currently, this Arch-Magos is Ralwure the Golden, 
  Keeper of the Prime Logis Key. 
   The appointment of Ralwure was a surprise to the Lathe-
  Covenant council. Previously infamous as an extremely 
  conservative Suspensor Magos, Ralwure’s elevation polarised 
  the council between those welcoming his positions and others 
  displeased at his growth in personal power. He represents the 
  Imperio-Cognostician faction on the Lathe-Covenant council, 
  and has escalated the signiﬁcance of his role more and more 
  over the last few years, as the High Fabricator pulled away, 
  obsessed with events outside the core of the Calixis Sector.
  Ralwure the Golden is not as politically astute as many 
  would wish, and has made enemies amongst the various 
  sects of the Calixian Mechanicus. It is well known, for 
  example, that Ralwure considers the Techsorcists and 
  Secutors to be misguided at best, and it is rumoured that 
  the Arch-Magos reserves a particular distaste for high-level 
  support requests from the Inquisition.
  THE FIFTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “Sentience is the basest form of Intellect.”
  The so-called Fifth Law is often seen as being closely 
  related to the Fourth Law. Tech-Priests often view 
  Sentience as a commonly held trait, and they see it as 
  only the ﬁrst “tier” of Intellect, the lowest rung on the 
  ladder of Understanding. Superior Intellect is generally 
  agreed to be developed through the acquisition and 
  understanding of knowledge.
  These worlds we
  w rere entntruruststed to us by the e Omnissssiaah—
  h—
  h—thththe e Ma
  Machchchinine e 
  God’s brreaeatht is inin eveveryry graraviv tic ebb b annd d ﬂo
  ﬂo
  ﬂ w.w.w. It t t isisis thehehe wililill l l ofofof thehehe 
  Omnissiah that we e cocontntininueue the Quest forr Kno
  no
  nowl
  wl
  wledededgegege thrhrhrou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  gh allllll 
  travails and
  nd all traragegedid es; the Calixis SeSectctororor is s s thththe e e Ma
  Maachchchine Go
  God d d 
  testining g uss, my
  my brereththreren,n  and we shshalalll l no
  not t t bebebe fou
  ound
  nd
  nd wanting.”
  –H
  –Higigh h Fabricator Castellar
  os
  ost agencies of f ththe e e Im
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  periririum
  um
  um in n n thththe e e Ca
  Ca
  Calililixixixis s s Se
  Se
  Sectctctor
  or
  or 
  viview
  e  the Ade
  deptptptus
  us
  u
  Mec
  e hanicus as a singular, 
  mo
  m nolithic orgrgan
  an
  anizizizatatioi n that thinks and acts with
  one logigica
  cal l mind, eachh Tec
  ec
  ech-
  h-
  h-Pr
  Priest moving in lockstep with 
  thhe e otothersr towwarards
  d thee ins
  ns
  nscrcrcrutututab
  ab
  a lelele goa
  oa
  oalsls setett down n by
  by the
  he Cult
  ofof the
  he Mac
  achihinee God
  od. Ho
  Ho
  Howe
  we
  weve
  ve
  ver,r the
  he
  he truruththh is so
  some
  me
  meththining mo
  morere 
  co
  comp
  mplelex.x. In the e Ca
  Caalililixixixis s Se
  Sectc or
  o , the Adeptus Mechanicus has 
  maany
  ny intnternecine cha
  halllll en
  enge
  ges of its own. Over the centuries 
  siinc
  nce e ththe Sectorr’s’s fou
  ou
  ound
  ndining, the
  h  Cala ixian Mechanicicus has 
  be
  been
  en riviven
  en by factiona
  nalililism
  sm
  sm and
  nd
  nd rarararelelely y y ha
  ha
  has be
  been
  en trurulyly uniniteted.d It t 
  is saiaid d that eveen ththhe e e ma
  ma
  mach
  ch
  c inine e altars of the Calilixis forge worlds 
  cons
  nspipirere and whiisp
  spperer witith h ses crets amongst the formulae and 
  sche
  hema
  matit cs nor
  o malllly y y trtrtran
  an
  ansm
  smitted from one to the other.
  De
  Desp
  spitite thhese dididifﬁfﬁfﬁcu
  cu
  cultltltieieies,s,s, the
  he
  he Ade
  deptptp usu
  Mece haaninicu
  cus s isis 
  neve
  vertrthe
  helesss ﬁrm
  rmlyly entntn rererenc
  nc
  nche
  he
  hed d inini the
  he
  he C lalixixis Sectot r,r a vititalal parart t
  ofof the
  heope
  perationns s sofof neaeaearlrly y evere y planet, and a distinct, sign
  g iﬁcant 
  po
  powe
  wer r of its own
  wnn tha
  hat t t co
  commands respect. This is due in no
  smmalall l pa
  partrt to the sttroror ng
  ng leaeade
  d rsr hip thatata  has guided the Calixian
  Me
  M ch
  chan
  anici us over a mi
  mi
  millllllen
  en
  enninia,a,a  centred aroroun
  und d ththe e ininﬂu
  ﬂuen
  entitialal and
  nd 
  trtrad
  adititioion-
  n-bo
  b und Forgrge e e Ma
  Ma
  Maststs ere s of the Latthe Worldl s.s  
  PERSONALITIES 
  OF THE LATHES
  ItIt is s no
  no accccididen
  ent that the Latatthe
  he
  h s s arare e the central concentration 
  of authoriityty within the Ca
  C lilixixixis s Se
  Se
  Sectctctor
  or
  or—t
  —the
  he
  he thr
  hr
  hree worlds s s thhatatat 
  make up ththe e La
  Lathes contatat ininin the
  he
  he grerereatatatesesest t Fo
  Fo
  Forgeseses, thththe mo
  mo
  mosttst 
  addvancedd tecchn
  hnolo ogy, the
  h mos
  os
  ost t rerereve
  ve
  vererered d d sesecrcrete s s of knoowledge, 
  and the mostt exp
  xpererienced adeptpts ofoff the
  he
  he Cululult t ofof the
  he Machine 
  God. It is a truisism 
  m am
  amon
  o gs
  g t thhe Caalilixixian
  an Mec
  ec
  echa
  ha
  hanininicu
  cu
  c s s ththt atat “asasas 
  go the Lathes, as s go
  goeses the
  he Sec
  ector.”
  HIGH FABRI
  RICA
  CAT
  A OR
  OR
  T
  CASTEL
  E LAR
  T
  At the apex of aututho
  horirityty for
  or the
  h Ade
  d ptptus
  u Mechanicus in the 
  Calixis Sector is a sing
  ngulularar tititlele: th
  the e Hi
  High
  gh Fab
  abririca
  catotor r ofof the
  he 
  Lathes. Currently, Arcch--Ma
  Mago
  gos s Ca
  Caststelellalar r ho
  holdlds th
  thisis pos
  o ititioion.n. 
  A well-respected Arch-Mago
  g s s wh
  who asce
  cend
  nded to hihis cu
  currrren
  ent t 
  title through diligence and d shrewd
  w
  pololititicicalal manoe
  o uvvringg, 
  he took over from the disgraced Hi
  High
  gh Fabrica
  c toor Garamondd. 
  tototo foc
  ocus
  us
  us on thhe Explorator ﬂeeetsts and
  nd exppansion through the 
  Ko
  Ko
  Korororonu
  nu
  nus s s Pa
  Passssag
  age. It is commmo
  monlnly y su
  susp
  spec
  ected that Castellar, 
  a fofoform
  rm
  rmererer darararinini g Explorator him
  imseselflf, , ha
  has distinct leanings 
  tooward
  rds s th
  th
  the so
  so
  some
  m wh
  whata  radical belelieiefsfs of f th
  the Di
  D sciples of 
  Th
  Thhululu e.e.e. Wha
  ha
  hateteteve
  ve
  ver r the truth,h, Casastetellllarar’s’s visi ion seems to be
  ﬁr
  ﬁr
  ﬁrml
  ml
  mly ﬁx
  ﬁx
  ﬁxed
  ed
  ed bey
  ey
  eyon
  on
  ond d the e conc
  ncererns
  ns of f th
  the Ca
  Calixian Mechanicus 
  and directed
  ed tow
  owararards
  d  exterior opereratatioions
  n .
  One of the
  he Higigigh h Fa
  F bricator’s’s accccom
  omplplisi hments include 
  the estataablishmen
  ennt t t ofofof a sop
  op
  ophih sticated
  ed netetwo
  work of vox-heralds 
  ththhrororoug
  ug
  ugho
  ho
  hoututut the
  he
  he for
  or
  orge
  ge
  ge worlds of the
  he Sec
  ector, and in many 
  importannt Impe
  peririalalal plalane
  nets as well, su
  such
  ch as Scintilla, Malﬁ, 
  and Sepheris Sec
  ecun
  un
  undu
  du
  dus.s. 
  Chrono-gladiatatororrs s s
  ararre e
  another pa
  partrticiculularar interest of 
  Castele lar’s, and it isisi he e wh
  wh
  who o o he
  helpl ed establilish
  sh the
  he greatt slaughter-
  wh
  wheeeelsls of f Hi
  Hi
  Hive
  ve
  ve Volololg.g.g. The
  he
  he Higigh Fa
  Fabr
  bricicatatoror selelects a new cadre of 
  bodyguards from the e ch
  cham
  ampipion
  o s of the Chr
  hron
  ono-
  o-glglad
  a iators every 
  decade. These matcchlhlhlesesess s s wa
  warrr iors sererve
  ve witith h fafanatical loyalty, 
  due in no small pa
  partrt to o o thththe e e kn
  kn
  k ow
  owlel dgge thatt the
  he High h Fabricator’s 
  co
  contntininue
  ued d fufufunc
  nc
  nctitition
  on
  on is s tititied
  ed
  ed diri ecctltly y inintoto the
  he lifife-time
  m rs of each 
  Chrono-gladiator. . No
  No
  N mi
  mi
  mina
  na
  n lllly, these timmerers s arare e ke
  keptp  stilled as a
  reward for the Chrron
  ono-
  o-glglad
  adiators’ servvici e.e. How
  oweverer, sh
  s ould the 
  High Fabricator come
  me
  me to o o an
  any y harm, hih s s bo
  body
  dyguards
  d soon see
  their r lifesppan
  an
  ans me
  m asasururured
  ed
  ed in n n a a ha
  h ndfuful l of sececon
  onds
  ds.
  ARCH-MAG
  AG
  AGOS
  OS
  OS RALWURE
  R
  THE
  HE GOLDEN
  Th
  T e High Fabrir ca
  catotoor r seselel cts a single Arcrch-
  h-Ma
  M gos to serve as
  hihihis second, ann heieieir-r-r-ap
  ap
  appa
  p rentn  to share ththe e bu
  burdrden of organising 
  and ruling the varararieieied d d ininteterests of the Mec
  echa
  hanicus in the Calixis 
  Sector. Currrren
  enntltltly,y,y, thihis s Ar
  A ch-Magos
  os is s Ra
  Ralw
  l ure the Golden,
  Keeep
  ep
  eper of thhe e Pr
  Pr
  Prim
  im
  ime e Lo
  Logis Key. 
  The
  he
  he app
  pp
  ppoioiointntntme
  meentnt of Ra
  Ralw
  lwurure e wa
  was s a su
  surprise to the Lathe-
  Cove
  v na
  nantntnt cou
  ou
  ounc
  nc
  n ilili . . Pr
  Previouslyy infnfam
  amou
  ous s as an extremely 
  co
  cons
  nsererrva
  va
  vatitiive
  ve Sus
  uspensor Magos
  os, , Ra
  Ralw
  lwuru e’s elevation polarised 
  thththe co
  coun
  un
  u cicil l be
  between those we
  welclcom
  omining his positions and others 
  didisp
  spleleasassed
  ed at his gr
  g owwthh in n pe
  persr onall power. He represents the
  Im
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  p riririo-
  o-Co
  Cogn
  g ostiticician
  an fac
  actition
  o on ththe e Latht e-Covenant council,
  and d has escalateed d ththe e sisign
  gniﬁiﬁcance of his role more and more
  over the last fefew 
  w ye
  yearrs, as the High Fabricator pulled away, 
  obsesesss edd witith h evenntst  outside the core of the Calixis Sector.
  Ra
  Ralw
  lwur
  ure e th
  the e Go
  G lden is not as politically astute as many 
  wo
  woululd d wi
  wish
  sh, an
  and d haas made enemies amongst the various 
  sesectcts ofo the
  h  Calixian Mechanicus. It is well known, for 
  exam
  a plp e,e, that Ralwure considers the Techsorcists and 
  Secutors to be misguided at best, and it is rumoured that
  understanding of knowledge.
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  PATH OF THE LATHES
  The birth of the Lathe Worlds began with the birth of the 
  Calixis Sector itself, during the Angevin Crusade. A memorable 
  amalgamation of brilliant victory and tragic setback, the 
  Crusade set out in the fourth century of the 39th Millennium 
  to conquer the region then known as the Calyx Expanse. 
  Praetor Golgenna Angevin was placed at the head of this grand 
  military force consisting of millions of loyal Imperial souls, and 
  directed his efforts to cleanse the Calyx Expanse from debased 
  human cultures and several minor xenos cultures that opposed 
  the Emperor’s glory. Angevin’s remit was to purge the Expanse 
  of these obstacles to pave the way for Imperial colonisation. 
  Naturally, such a prospect intrigued the Tech-Priesthood of 
  Mars, and a sizable contingent of Adeptus Mechanicus forces 
  accompanied the Crusade.
  THE ANGEVIN CRUSADE (322.M39)
  Lord Militant Angevin’s grand strategy included a sweep 
  through the Calyx Expanse on two fronts, pushing the 
  enemies of the Emperor who chose ﬂight over destruction 
  before him, and then trapping them all together in the 
  Adrantis Region. Here, the full power of the Crusade would 
  come crashing down in one masterstroke. Ahead of the forces 
  of the Lord Militant raced a score of ships, such as Rogue 
  Traders vessels and the Explorator ﬂeets of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus. These ships helped identify potential targets and 
  scouted enemy strongholds for the more powerful naval units 
  arriving in their wake. At the sharp end of Angevin’s thrust 
  into the Calyx Expanse, these Rogue Trader and Explorator 
  ﬂeets saw furious action on a regular basis. Acts of heroism 
  and sacriﬁce were common, and on many occasions, the Lord 
  Militant acknowledged that his decisive successes would have 
  been impossible without the services and sacriﬁces of these 
  irregular forces. The glory the Explorator Fleets gained in 
  these actions helped set the Adeptus Mechanicus a position 
  of honour in the Calixis Sector for centuries to come.
  CONQUERING ADRANTIS  
  (359-369.M39)
  The ﬁrst actions of the Crusade proceeded exactly as planned 
  by the Lord Militant, and the greater part of the Calyx Expanse 
  had been brought under the control of the Imperium in a few 
  short decades. Unfortunately, after the enormous successes of 
  these early phases, the commanders in charge of the ﬁnal push 
  into the Adrantis region failed to make allowances for the 
  desperation of foes pushed to the very edge of extinction. 
  The Crusade’s offensive ground to a bloody halt, and 
  Imperial forces suffered far more grievous losses in four years 
  than had been inﬂicted during the ﬁrst two decades of the 
  Crusade’s advance. These losses were so devastating that the 
  Lord Militant was obliged to order his forces to regroup in 
  defensive positions within the Golgenna Reach.
  Shaken by the defeat, Lord Militant Angevin abdicated 
  command of the Crusade to a council of his generals as he 
  himself went into seclusion to mourn. Lacking coherent 
  leadership, the council of generals began to quarrel over 
  the authority that the Lord Militant set aside. The Adeptus 
  Mechanicus forces accompanying the Crusade considered 
  their agreements to lie with the Lord Militant, and held 
  themselves apart from these squabbles for power.
  The situation worsened as the enemies of Mankind began to 
  exploit areas thought safely subdued; ravaging warbands of Orks, 
  the Warp-worshipping Yu’vath race, and a mysterious group of 
  shadowy, xenos pirate raiders were amongst the greatest of these 
  opportunistic enemies that threatened the Crusade’s ﬂanks.
  When it seemed that the Crusade was on the verge of 
  losing all the territory gained by Lord Militant Angevin, 
  command of the main Crusade was seized by Lord General 
  Drusus. A leading personality amongst the followers of the 
  Lord Militant, Drusus was a popular and gifted commander, 
  and he organised a daring series of counter-attacks that 
  pushed the enemy forces back long enough for the Crusade 
  to gather its considerable strength. Drusus’ strength of 
  character was apparent to the Adeptus Mechanicus forces, 
  and they swiftly agreed to lend their forces to his command. 
  Once more, the Rogue Trader dynasties and the Explorator 
  ﬂeets of the Mechanicus led the way for the redeployment 
  and reinforcement of the Crusade’s offensives.
  THE PRIME LOGIS KEY
  One of the most prestigious objects linked to a forge world 
  in the Calixis Sector is the Prime Logis Key. It is the master-
  cipher to the most revered knowledge of a forge world, 
  handed down from one Fabricator to the next as part of 
  his investiture. Upon the completion of each Calixian forge 
  world, the Prime Logis Key is crafted at the planet’s core, 
  encoded by tech-rituals inspired, it is said, by the Omnissiah 
  himself. The Prime Logis Key opens any door, activates any 
  machine, and unlocks even the deepest data-vault upon the 
  forge world for which it is linked.
  Every Logis Key is irreplaceable, and the Prime 
  Logis Key even more so—for if it is lost, the innermost 
  sanctums of the forge world become nigh-inaccessible, 
  their content only provided upon receipt of the correct 
  blessed code-ciphers. Naturally, few Forge Masters 
  wish to risk the wrath of the Omnissiah in attempting 
  to create a replacement Logis Key. 
  human culturress and sev
  evereralal mininor
  or xen
  e os cultures thhatatat opp
  ppos
  o ed
  edd 
  the Empe
  p ror’s glglor
  ory.y. Ang
  ngev
  evinin’s’s remit was to pu
  pu
  purgrgrge e ththe e e Ex
  Ex
  Expa
  pa
  pans
  ns
  nse e e 
  of these obstacleses to o pa
  pave
  ve the
  he way
  ay for
  o  Imp
  mpereriaiaial l l co
  co
  colololonininisasasatitition
  on
  on. 
  Naturally, suc
  u h a a pr
  pros
  ospe
  pectct intrigued the Tececech-
  h-
  h-Pr
  Pr
  Prieieiestststho
  hood
  od of f
  Mars, and a a sizablble e co
  contntiningent of Adep
  eptutus s Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  c an
  anicici ususu  forces 
  accompanied the e Cr
  Crususad
  ade.e
  THE ANGEV
  EVIN
  IN CRUSAADE
  DE (322.M39)
  Lord Militannt An
  Ange
  gevin’s grand ststrararatetetegy
  gy
  g
  included a sweep
  through the e Ca
  Calylyx Expanse e on
  on two
  wo fror nts, pushing the 
  enemies ofof the
  he Emp
  mperor who
  ho cho
  ho
  hosesese ﬂight over destruction
  beforer
  him
  im, an
  and d ththen trapp
  pping thththem
  em
  em all tog
  ogete he
  her in thee 
  Adrantntis Reg
  egioion.n. Herere, the fulull l po
  powe
  we
  wer r ofofof the
  he
  he Crurusas de
  de wou
  ouldld 
  come crarash
  shining g do
  down in one ma
  maststterererstststroroke
  k . Ahead of the
  he forces 
  of the Lor
  ord d Mi
  Milil tant racced
  edd a sco
  co
  corerer  of ships, such as Rogue 
  Traders ve
  vesssselels an
  and the e Ex
  Exxplplplor
  or
  oratatator
  o  ﬂeets of tht e Adeptus 
  Mechanicus
  us. Th
  Thesese sh
  ships he
  helplped
  ed
  ed ide
  de
  dentntntififify y y po
  po
  potetetentntntiaiaial l l tataargrgetets s an
  and d 
  scouted en
  enem
  emy y sts rongholdlds s fofor r thththe e mo
  m re powerful naval units s
  arriving in n ththeieir wa
  w ke. At
  At the
  he sha
  harp end of Angevin’s thrust 
  intoo the
  he Calalyx
  yx Expanse, , ththesesese e e Ro
  Rogue Trader and Explorator 
  ﬂeets saw 
  w fufuririou
  ous s acction
  on on n a a a rereregu
  gu
  gulalalar r ba
  basis s.s. Actts s ofof herroioism
  sm 
  and sacriﬁce
  ce werere common
  on, an
  annd d d on
  on
  on many oc
  occa
  casiion
  ons, the
  he Lord d
  Militant ack
  ckno
  nowl
  wledged ththatt hisis dec
  ecisive successes s would have 
  been imp
  m os
  ossisiblble e without t ththe e seseservrvr icese  and sacriﬁces of these
  irregular r foforcrceses. Th
  T e glor
  o y y thththe Ex
  Ex
  E plorator Fleets gained in
  these actions he
  helplped
  e  set the Ade
  de
  deptptptus
  us
  us Mec
  ec
  echa
  ha
  hanininicu
  cu
  cus s s a a po
  posisis tit on
  o  
  of honour inin the
  he Calixis Sectoor r fofofor r r ce
  centturies totot  come.
  CONQUE
  UERI
  RING
  NG
  Q
  ADR
  D AN
  AN
  A TIS
  IS
  IS
  (359-369.M39)
  The ﬁrst actions of f ththe e Crrusade pr
  proc
  ocee
  ee
  eede
  de
  ded d ex
  exactly as planned 
  by the Lord Militant, an
  and d the greaateer r pa
  partrt of f f ththhe e Calyx Expa
  p nse
  had been brought und
  nderer the
  he con
  o trol of f ththhe e e Im
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  periririum
  um
  um in a a a fefefew 
  w 
  w 
  short decades. Unforrtutuna
  natetelyly, after ththe e en
  enor
  or
  ormo
  mo
  moususus suc
  uccesses of 
  these early phases, thhe e co
  comm
  mmanders in chararge
  gee of f thththe e e ﬁn
  ﬁnala pusush
  into the Adrantis region faiaileled to make allolowa
  wanc
  ncceseses for
  or
  or the
  he
  h  
  desperation of foes pushhedd to o ththe e ve
  v ry edge e of extxttinininctctctioioion.n.n. 
  The Crusade’s offensive e gr
  grou
  ound
  nd to a blb oo
  oody halallt,t
  and
  nd
  nd 
  Imperial forces suffered far mor
  ore gr
  grieievo
  vousus los
  o ses in four years 
  than had been inﬂicted during ththe e ﬁr
  ﬁrstst two
  wo dececades of the
  Crusade’s advance. These losses s we
  w re so de
  devaaststatatining g thatt the
  h  
  Lord Militant was obliged toto order his for
  orceces s toto reg
  egroroup
  up in n 
  defensive positions within the Golgenn
  nna a Re
  Reach.h.
  Sh
  S ak
  a en by y y thhe e defeatat, Lo
  Lo
  Lordrdrd Mili itant An
  Ange
  gevivin n ab
  abdid catet d 
  co
  comm
  mman
  and d ofoff the
  he Crururusas de to o a a co
  coun
  u cil of hisis gen
  enererals asas he
  hims
  m elf went into seclusion n tototo mourn. Lack
  ckining g co
  c he
  herent 
  leadership, the council off gen
  ennerereralals s began too qua
  uarrrrelel over 
  the authority that the Lord Mi
  Milililitatatantntn  set asiide. Th
  The e Ad
  Adeptus 
  Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicus
  u
  for
  or
  orce
  c s s ac
  ac
  acco
  co
  comp
  mp
  m an
  an
  anyiyiying
  ng
  ng the
  h  Crusaade
  de con
  onsiide
  d red 
  ththeir agreements to o lie wi
  withthth the
  he
  he Lord Militatantnt, , an
  and d he
  h ld 
  themselves apart from these sqqua
  uabb
  bb
  bbleleles fof r power.r.
  The situation worsened as thhe e en
  en
  enem
  em
  emieiei s of Mankikind
  nd beg
  egan to
  exploio t arreae s though
  g t sas felyl sub
  ub
  ubdu
  du
  dued
  ed
  ed; ; rararava
  v ging warba
  band
  nds of Orks, 
  ththe e Wa
  Warprp-wwororsh
  sh
  shipippiping
  ng
  ng Yu’u’u’va
  va
  vaththth racacace,e,e, and
  n  a mysteririou
  ous s gr
  group of 
  shadowy, xennos pirate raiders weererere amo
  mo
  m ngst the grereatatesest t ofof theese 
  opportunistic enemies that thr
  hreaeateteene
  ne
  ned d d tht e Crusade’e’s s ﬂa
  ﬂank
  nks..
  When it seemed that ththe e Cr
  Cr
  Crus
  us
  usad
  ade e was on the
  he verge
  ge of 
  lolosising
  ngg all the terririr toryryry gaiaine
  ne
  ned d by
  by
  b
  Lord d Mi
  Mililitatantnt Angevin, 
  comman
  and d ofofof the
  he maiain Cr
  Cr
  Crus
  us
  u ad
  ad
  ade e wa
  wa
  w s s seized
  ed by y Lo
  Lordrd Gen
  e eral 
  Drusus. A leading personalallitity y am
  am
  a on
  o gst the e fofollllow
  owerers s ofo  the 
  Lord Militant, Drusus was s a a po
  po
  popu
  pu
  pular and gig ftfted
  ed com
  ommander, 
  and he organised a darining g g seriess of coun
  unteter-r-atattatacks that 
  pushed the enemy force
  ce
  c s s s ba
  back
  ck lonng enough
  gh for
  or the
  he Crusade 
  to gather its considererab
  ab
  ablelele strt ength. Drurusu
  sus’s’ strtren
  e gth of 
  charac
  a tet r wa
  wa
  was s s apppa
  parererentntnt to o ththe Adeptutus s Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicus forces, 
  an
  an
  and d d thththey
  ey
  ey swi
  wi
  wiftftftlylyly agr
  gr
  gree
  ee
  eed d d toto len
  end d thheieir foforcrceses to hih s command. 
  Once more,, the
  he Rog
  og
  ogue
  ue
  ue Trarade
  d r dynaststieies s an
  and d thhe Explorator 
  ﬂe
  ﬂ ets of the
  hee Mec
  ec
  echa
  haninicus led the wa
  way y fofor ththe rede
  d plp oyment 
  an
  and d rerereininfofoforcrcrcem
  em
  emen
  en
  ent t ofo  the
  h  Crusade
  de’s’s offffen
  ensisive
  v s.
  himself. The Prime Logis Key opens any door, activates any 
  machine, and unlocks even the deepest data-vault upon the
  forge world for which it is linked.
  Every Logis Key is irreplaceable, and the Prime
  Logis Key even more so—for if it is lost, the innermost
  sanctums of the forge world become nigh-inaccessible, 
  their content only provided upon receipt of the correct
  blblesessesed d co
  co
  co
  code
  de-ccipipiphe
  heersrsrs. Na
  Na
  Na
  Natutututurararalllll y,y,y, few Forge Masters 
  wi
  w sh to risk the wrath of the Omnissiaiah h in attempting 
  to create a replacement Logis Key. 
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  DAWN OF THE LATHE WORLDS  
  (380.M39)
  The Adrantis region was ﬁnally subdued through great acts of 
  valour and much struggle. The victory could not have been assured 
  without the assistance of the Adeptus Mechanicus. A major force 
  under the leadership of Arch-Magos Mat Aleph Xenon turned the 
  tide, and in gratitude, High General Drusus signed a pact with the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus ceding control of several worlds in the Sector 
  to the Tech-Priesthood of Mars. These worlds included Hadd, 
  Het, and Hesh, a trio of worlds that were declared unsuitable for 
  other Imperial agencies due to the unusual gravimetric effects of 
  the system upon all three planets.
  The effort of transforming the Lathe Worlds into their present 
  forge world status was the work of many centuries. Layer by 
  layer, building by building, the planets evolved. The bones of 
  infrastructure were joined by a viscera of pipelines, tram-tracks, 
  and transportation tunnels. Soaring into the atmosphere rose 
  the towering structures of the Adeptus Mechanicus, its cog-
  wheeled iconography glaring down from scaffold-enshrouded 
  factories, research facilities, and transmat altars alike. As the 
  Lathe Worlds and their system developed, so too did the 
  Mechanicus holdings throughout the newborn Calixis Sector. 
  THE PRAECURSATOR AFTERMATH  
  (580.M39)
  Two centuries after the establishment of the Lathe Worlds, the 
  system was only partially tamed and the far-ﬂung holdings 
  of the Adeptus Mechanicus were still in the turbulent process 
  of consolidation. It was then that the ﬂedging Calixis Sector 
  was thrown into violent disarray. A conspiracy soon emerged 
  that reached tendrils into many different power bases, from 
  the Governor’s Council to the Imperial Guard. Even the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus and the Inquisition were not spared. The 
  ultimate goal of the conspiracy was never revealed (although 
  it is rumoured that entire data-vaults in the Tricorn contain 
  detailed theories and evidence), but what is known is that the 
  conspiracy centred around a group of agents known only as 
  the Praecursators. According to ofﬁcial reports, no upper level 
  members of the conspiracy were captured alive. Agents of the 
  Praecursators had inﬁltrated their target organisations at the 
  highest levels, which meant that rooting out the conspiracy 
  was extremely difﬁcult, even after the agents were discovered.
  An uneasy alliance of mid-level Administratum functionaries, 
  Adepts, and specialists from the various inﬁltrated groups was 
  formed and tasked with tracking down the Praecursators, 
  isolating them from their power base, and then taking them 
  into custody. The Adeptus Mechanicus was essential to this 
  effort, providing transportation, cogitator support, data-sifting, 
  and tailored meme-viruses to help root out the Praecursators.
  Ultimately, the Tech-Priests of the Lathes concluded that 
  a rogue Inquisitor Lord was at the heart of the conspiracy, 
  although much suspicion was also cast upon sects of the 
  Mechanicum as well, due to the heretical tech-rituals the 
  Praecursators’ activities displayed. 
  The Praecursators had gone to great lengths to isolate the 
  command structures of the Sector governance from several 
  key Mechanicus facilities. Theories amongst the Lathes 
  suspect that the conspirators were attempting to preserve 
  these facilities for general use by Calixian citizens. This 
  populist element of the conspiracy was particularly abhorrent 
  to all of the affected organisations.
  In the years following the unravelling of the conspiracy, the 
  Fabricators of the Lathe Worlds bent every effort to lessen the 
  strength of the Inquisition, within the Calixis Sector in general 
  and over the holdings of the Mechanicus in particular. A great 
  deal of inﬁghting arose from the collapse of the Praecursator 
  plot, and the Arch-Magos of the Lathe-Covenant demanded 
  that the Sector Governor cede control of the planet Synford. 
  Since then, Synford has become the primary producer of 
  Baneblade super-heavy tanks for the Sector.
  THE SIXTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “Understanding is the True Path to Comprehension.”
  The concept of “Comprehension” holds special 
  signiﬁcance for Tech-Priests. It is often viewed 
  as a state of transcendence, a level of Intellect that 
  encompasses all Knowledge. 
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  Despite the ancient nature of the plot, there is still lingering 
  ill will among some members of the Inquisition who trace their 
  ideological roots back to the lords and masters of that earlier 
  time. Some Inquisitors still hold suspicions that the entire plot 
  originated in the Lathe Worlds, in an effort to consolidate and 
  expand their control within the Calixis Sector. Centuries after 
  the end of the conspiracy, reports from the Inquisition claimed 
  that the Praecursators eventually evolved into a particular cult 
  of tech-heresy known as the Logicians.
  THE WAR OF BRASS (738-740.M40)
  Over a thousand years after the initial founding of the 
  Lathe Covenant, the hive worlds of the Gelmiro Cluster fell 
  into apostasy. Their leader in this descent into heresy was a 
  charismatic ruler who called himself the Emperor of Brass. This 
  mysterious ﬁgure led his followers into the foul worship of the 
  Ruinous Powers. Loyal to the Emperor of Brass, frenzied fanatics 
  from the wealthy and powerful worlds of the Gelmiro Cluster 
  murdered every functionary of the Adeptus Administratum, 
  ritually desecrating the bodies of the fallen. Signiﬁcant portions 
  of the affected planetary populations accompanied their new 
  overlords into treachery beyond redemption.
  Dissatisﬁed with holding the powerful worlds of the Gelmiro 
  Cluster in his augmented ﬁst, the Emperor of Brass sponsored 
  bloody uprisings on several other nearby worlds. Soon after, 
  a full-scale rebellion threatened the wider Calixis Sector. The 
  death toll continued to rise as he publicly tortured and executed 
  loyal Imperial servants and citizens. The Sector Governor was 
  forced to call upon all available forces to stem the bloody 
  tide. From across the Calixis Sector and beyond, loyal units 
  converged upon the Gelmiro Cluster. These Imperial forces 
  ﬁrst pushed through the neighbouring regions, and crushed 
  the nascent rebellions there with heartless efﬁciency. Amongst 
  these forces that rose to answer the Governor’s call were several 
  battle Titans of the Legio Venator, and an entire Explorator 
  ﬂeet with support from the mysterious Ordo Reductor.
  The campaign against the Emperor of Brass and his 
  burgeoning rebellion, known as the War of Brass, lasted 
  just over three years, but even in that short time the ﬁghting 
  proved especially vicious. In the end, several companies 
  of Space Marines were needed to reduce the ﬁnal hives 
  to rubble. In the ﬁnal, desperate battles at the heart of the 
  Gelmiro Cluster, several records were discovered hinting 
  that support and reinforcement had been supplied directly 
  from the Eye of Terror itself, linking the Emperor of Brass 
  to far more dangerous threats. 
  At the end of the conﬂict, the once-rich worlds of the 
  Gelmiro Cluster had been reduced to smoking remnants of 
  ruin and shame. Many planetary populations had become 
  nothing more than scav-mutants, doomed to wander across 
  the devastated wastes, surviving off the rotting remains of 
  their once-great civilisations. The Imperial agencies of the 
  Calixis Sector avoid the haunted worlds of the Cluster, now 
  classiﬁed as war worlds, to this day. 
  THE IRON WALL OF SILENCE DESCENDS 
  (740.M40)
  The Calixian Mechanicus forces suffered staggering losses during 
  the War of Brass. In the end, the battleﬁelds of the Gelmiro 
  Cluster were strewn with countless corpses of Skitarii and the 
  scattered remains of many more combat servitors. Indeed, so 
  high was the cost that the High Fabricator of the Lathes, Arch-
  Magos Kovikal Quietus, declared the imposition of the “The Iron 
  Wall of Silence,” a steadfast rule of segregation from all other 
  groups within the Calixis Sector. From that point onwards, any 
  cooperation, beyond minimal requirements of existing pacts, 
  were strictly forbidden in an effort to preserve the Calixian 
  Mechanicus forces and allow for a period of rebuilding.
  THE SEVENTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “Comprehension is the Key to all things.”
  The Seventh Law is widely seen as relating to the Sixth. 
  Debate rages about whether “the Key to all things” 
  is a literal or ﬁgurative expression. Many believe the 
  Seventh Law means that Comprehension of the forces 
  of the universe brings with it the keys to reality, the 
  ability to implement any change or creation desired.
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  THE MERITECH WARS (211-226.M41)
  Roughly ﬁve centuries after the ﬁnal collapse of the Emperor 
  of Brass and the scouring of the Gelmiro Cluster, a far more 
  insidious danger arose from the Merates Clans. Rebelling 
  against the Imperium of Mankind, the Clans drew many 
  renegades and other malcontents to their cause. They declared 
  independence from the Imperium, and began a systemic series 
  of raids and heavier incursions into surrounding Imperial 
  space, threatening both the Calixis and Ixaniad Sectors. At 
  the height of the conﬂict, the very survival of both sectors 
  was thrown into doubt as the seeds of rebellion and anarchy 
  were sown far and wide by the forces of the Merates Clans.
  Such confusion and violent resentment was unleashed 
  throughout the regions afﬂicted by the Clans that civil war 
  threatened to soak both sectors in blood. Production across the 
  affected regions ground to a halt, as those who were not dragged 
  into the conﬂict withdrew to defend their holdings and hope for 
  intervention. Trust was an impossible hope in the wake of the 
  Clans’ attacks, as entire populations that had seemed docile and 
  loyal for generations rose up to support the rebels.
  When all appeared lost to those loyal few who remained 
  within the beleaguered systems, the leadership of now-
  legendary Calixis Sector Governor Myram Harvala surged to 
  the rescue. A coalition of forces brought together from across 
  the Calixis and Ixaniad Sectors swept into the advancing rebels 
  along multiple fronts, crushing their forces and knocking their 
  reserves back into the Merates Cluster. Imperial Guard, Imperial 
  Navy, Adeptus Astartes, and Inquisition forces ground the 
  opposition to tatters as they pushed them deeper and deeper 
  into the heart of the now defunct rebellion. With victory all 
  but assured, the High Fabricator of the Lathes, Forge Master 
  Kovikal Quietus, sent three full Explorator ﬂeets directly from 
  the Lathe System. The centuries-old Iron Wall of Silence was 
  ﬁnally broken, without prior notiﬁcation or coordination. The 
  Explorator ﬂeets, with support from the Legio Venator, were at 
  the forefront of the puriﬁcation of the Merates Cluster. From 
  that point on, there was no mercy and no quarter. Entire worlds 
  were cleansed with weapons of such enormous destructive 
  power that many of the planets were shattered into asteroids. 
  By the time the forces of the Imperium and the Mechanicus 
  were ﬁnished sweeping through the Merates Cluster, not a 
  planet remained that had not been scoured of all life.
  A thorough Inquisitorial investigation was conducted after 
  Sector Governor Harvala declared the rebellion at an end. 
  While laudable, the brutal zeal with which the forces of the 
  Imperium, and the Adeptus Mechanicus in particular, had 
  conducted the ﬁnal phases of the counter-attack, had left not a 
  single witness or prisoner to be questioned or paraded before 
  the victorious processions along the avenues of Scintilla. Even 
  those prisoners who had been taken prior to the arrival of the 
  Mechanicum’s elite Crimson Guard were eventually lost to a 
  rash of unusual malfunctions and sudden, mysterious deaths.
  The Inquisitors exhausted all possible avenues of inquest, 
  and soon followed whispered rumours of the Logician 
  Tech-Heresy to the very doorstep of the Lathe System 
  itself. However, rather than cooperate with the forces of the 
  Governor, Fabricator Davos Phar responded with a brittle 
  show of icy indifference, imperiously dismissive of the 
  envoys’ requests, and accused the Inquisitors, their masters, 
  and the very Sector Governor himself of blatant disrespect 
  and towering hubris. Referring to them as “the miserable curs 
  of a thankless master”, the Fabricator ordered the frontiers 
  of the Lathe System and all other Adeptus Mechanicus 
  holdings in the Calixis Sector closed, and all the force at 
  the Fabricator’s disposal was bent to keep outsiders from 
  penetrating the sovereign territory of the Omnissiah. The 
  ancient Iron Wall of Silence was re-instituted, and stood again 
  unbroken for over ﬁve hundred years with brief exceptions, 
  until the Malygrisian Tech-Heresy erupted across the Calixis 
  Sector, forcing the Adeptus Mechanicus once again into the 
  affairs of the Sector at large.
  THE SECOND SIEGE OF VAXANIDE  
  (507.M41)
  Three centuries passed after the conclusion of the Meritech 
  Wars and the re-establishment of the Iron Wall of Silence 
  before the forces of the Lathes once again ventured forth, 
  answering the call of the Sector Governor to stop the incursion 
  of the Ork-infested space hulk Pinnacle of Savagery. Ninety 
  years earlier, a similar attack had cost the system greatly, and 
  the lack of response from the Lathes lessened their standings 
  amongst the notable rulers of the Sector. In response to this 
  fall from grace, and its attendant loss in trading status and 
  support, the Calixian Mechanicus sent out two full Explorator 
  ﬂeets to assist Battleﬂeet Calixis in facing the Ork menace. 
  The Pinnacle of Savagery and its supporting ﬂeet were met 
  at the edge of the Vaxanide system. A dramatic battle ensued 
  as the massive space hulk pushed deeper and deeper into 
  the system towards planets that still bore the scars from the 
  earlier Ork assault. The loyal ships of the Battleﬂeet Calixis 
  Squadrons peeled away attending Ork vessels from the 
  enormous space hulk and defeated them in detail. Meanwhile, 
  the brutal weapons of the Ordo Reductor and the Explorator 
  ﬂeets pounded into the space hulk itself, ultimately shattering 
  the vessel’s spine and spilling its vile contents into the void.
  THE LITANIES OF LEVITATION
  The College Cult Graviticus in the Calixis Sector have 
  developed their own variations of the tech-rituals 
  needed to properly prepare and activate grav-plates. An 
  incomplete translation from the original techna-lingua 
  is kept on record in the Tricorn Palace on Scintilla:
  //Strike the rune of activation to rouse the machine-spirit//
  It is by the will of the Omnissiah that the plate acquires energy
  It is by the energy of the plate that the machine  
  acquires activation
  It is by the activation of the machine that the Omnissiah speaks
  That the plate acquires function
  That the function acquires velocity and altitude
  That the grav-plate then rises
  Oh, arise, arise!
  It is by the will of the Omnissiah that the grav-plate  
  now functions.
  //All praise the machine-spirit!//
  WAR
  AR
  AR
  ARS
  W
   (211-226.M41)
  fteteer r thththhe e e ﬁn
  ﬁn
  ﬁnalalall cololollalalaps
  ps
  ps
  p e e e e e ofofof the Emp
  mp
  m eror 
  g g g ofofofof the
  he
  hee
  he Gelelelmi
  miror Clululul ster, a fafaf r more 
  frororoom 
  m 
  m thththt e e Me
  Me
  Meratees s s Clans. Rebelling 
  f f f Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Mankk
  nkkind, the
  he
  he
  hee Clans drew many 
  on
  on
  on
  on
  o tetetetentntnts s to theeiririri  cause. They declared d
  mpe
  p rium, and d d d be
  b gan a syystststtstemicicicic serererere ieies 
  cursions intototot  surrounding Imperial 
  the Calixiis an
  a d Ixaniad d Se
  S ctors. At
  ct, the verry y survival of both sectors 
  s the seeds
  d  of rebellion and anarchy y y y 
  by the fofofoforcr es of the Merates s Cl
  C ans.
  violent resentment was un
  u leashed d d d 
  afﬂicted by the Clans that t t cicivil wa
  wa
  wa
  war r r r 
  ectors inn blood. Productionn across ththththe e e 
  a halt, as those who were not draggged
  ed
  ed
  ed 
  to defen
  e d their ho
  h ldings and hope e fofofofor r
  n impossible hope
  p  in n the wa
  w ke of ththththe e
  opulation
  o s that had seemed docile and
  nd
  nd
  nd 
  up to sup
  u port the rebels.
  st to thhos
  o e loyal few who remained
  ed
  ed 
  systemss, the leadership of now-
  w-
  w-
  w-
  Governoor r Myram Harvala suurged to o o o 
  forces brrou
  o ght toge
  g ther from 
  m across 
  ectors swept into thee advan
  an
  an
  ancicicing rebels 
  shing their fof rces and kno
  n cking their
  ates Cluster. Im
  I perial Guaardr , Impe
  pe
  p rir al 
  and Inquisitioioion forces ground thhe e e 
  hey pushed theem 
  m deeper and deeper r
  w defunct rebellioioioon. With victory all
  bricator of the Lathththes, Forge e Master 
  ee full Explorator ﬂeeete s directly from 
  nturies-old Iron Wall ofo  Silence was 
  rior notiﬁcation or coordididina
  n tion. The
  pport from the Legio Venator,r were at 
  ﬁcation of the Merates Cluster.r. From 
  o mercy and no quarter. Entire wor
  or
  orrldl s 
  pons of such enormous destructive e
  po
  po
  po
  powe
  we
  we
  wer r r ththththatatatat man
  an
  an
  any y y y ofofofof the
  hee plalal ne
  netsts werere e e sh
  shata tererereed d d inininintotototo aststststererereroioids. 
  By
  By
  By
  By
  By the
  he
  he
  h tim
  im
  im
  ime e thththt e fofoorcrcrcrceses of f ththththe e e Im
  Impe
  peririumm and
  nd the Mecha
  haanininicu
  cu
  cus s s
  we
  we
  we
  we
  werererere ﬁninininish
  sh
  sh
  shed
  ed swe
  weep
  ep
  epininining g thththroroug
  ugh h h ththe e e e Merates Cluster, notott a 
  plplplplp an
  an
  an
  a etetetet rem
  em
  e aiaine
  ne
  ne
  n d d d thththatatatat had
  ad
  a notot bee
  een n n n scscscou
  ourered d of all lifi e.
  A 
  A 
  A thththor
  or
  orou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  gh Inq
  nq
  nquiuiuisisisitototoriririala inv
  nv
  nv
  nvestiigatition
  on
  o wasa con
  ondu
  ductc edd aftftterer 
  Sectctctc or
  o Gov
  ov
  ov
  o ernor r r Ha
  Ha
  Ha
  Harvrvrvr alalalla a a de
  declclarared
  ed the
  he reb
  ebelellil on at an end
  nd. 
  Wh
  Wh
  Whhile e e lalalaud
  ud
  u ablelele, ththththe e e br
  br
  br
  br
  brutututtala zea
  eal l wi
  wi
  w thth whihihich
  ch the
  he for
  o ce
  ce
  c s s ofof the
  he 
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  periririumm, an
  annd d d d thththhe e e Ad
  Ad
  Add
  Adep
  ep
  eptutuus s Me
  Me
  M ch
  chan
  anicicus
  us
  u in n n n pa
  pa
  pa
  pa
  p rtrtrticululularar, ha
  had d
  cond
  nd
  nduc
  uc
  ucteteted d d thththe e e ﬁn
  ﬁn
  ﬁn
  ﬁnalalall pha
  ha
  h sesesees s ofofofofof the
  he
  he
  he
  h cou
  ountnterer-a-atttttac
  ack,k,k had
  ad lefe t no
  no
  n t t a a
  sisisis ngle witititne
  ne
  nessssss or r r r pr
  pr
  prison
  onererer to o o be
  be
  be
  be
  be que
  uestststioione
  need d or
  or pararad
  aded
  e befefe or
  or
  o e 
  the victctctor
  o ioi us
  us
  us prororoce
  ce
  cessioions
  ns
  ns alololong
  ng
  ng the
  he
  h ave
  ve
  ve
  venu
  nuuesese of f Sc
  Scinintitilllla.a Eve
  ven n
  thththos
  os
  ose e pr
  p isisison
  o ererers s wh
  wh
  who o ha
  ha
  had be
  be
  been
  en
  en tak
  ak
  akken
  en
  en
  enn
  en
  en pririor
  or
  or
  or to ththe e ararririva
  val ofofof the
  he 
  Meechanici um
  um’s’s eliteete Cririmsonn Gua
  ua
  ua
  uaa drdrdrdrdrd werre e e e ev
  even
  en
  en
  e tutualallyly lost t totototo a 
  rash of unusual maalflflfunnctions and sud
  udde
  d n,n,n, mysysy tetet ririou
  ous deataths
  hs.
  The Inquisitors s ex
  ex
  exha
  h usted d ala l possiblelelelel ave
  ve
  ve
  v nu
  nueses of f f ininininqu
  qu
  qu
  quest,t, 
  and soon followed d whhispe
  pe
  pererered d rumours s ofofoff the
  he
  h
  Logg
  ogiciciciciaiai n n 
  Teech
  c -Heresy tototo the
  he
  he vererere y y do
  do
  door
  or
  orstep of ththhthe e e La
  La
  La
  L ththe Sy
  Sy
  Syststem
  em 
  itself. However, ratattathe
  he
  he
  her r r ththththann
  an
  a coo
  oo
  ooperate witith h ththe e e foforces of f ththhe e e
  Governor, Fabrici ator Dav
  av
  av
  avos
  os
  os
  o Pha
  h r responde
  ded d wi
  withththth a brittttlele 
  show of icy indifferennce
  ce
  ce
  ce, im
  im
  impe
  p ririiou
  ou
  o sly didismmisisisissisis ve
  ve of f f f ththe
  envoys’ requestst , and accu
  cu
  cu
  cusesesesed d ththththththe In
  In
  In
  I qu
  qu
  quisisisitititi or
  or
  or
  or
  o s,s, the
  he
  heeiririr masasasastetetetersrsr , ,
  and the ve
  very Sec
  e tor Governor
  o  himself of f f f blblata ant didididisrsrsrsresese pe
  p ctct 
  and towering hubbriririr s. Referring to thththem
  em
  em as “the misiserererrab
  abblelelele curs s
  of a thankless masteteter”, the Fa
  Fa
  Fa
  Fabricatata or
  orr ordrdrdrdererered
  ed
  ed
  ed
  ed
  ed
  ed the
  he
  he
  he frororontntntieieieiersrsrs 
  ofo  the Lathe System an
  a d d d alalll l l otothe
  he
  h r r r r Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Adep
  ep
  eptututus s s Me
  Me
  Mech
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicicus
  us
  us
  us 
  ho
  ho
  ho
  holdings in the Ca
  C lixiis s Secttor
  or
  o clolololoseseseesed,d,d,d and
  nd
  nd allllll the
  he
  he
  h
  for
  orrce
  ce
  ce
  c
  at t 
  tht e Fabricator’s disispo
  posas l was s be
  be
  bentntntnt to o o ke
  ke
  ke
  keep
  ep
  ep
  ep
  ep
  epp oututututsisis de
  dersrs frorororom 
  m 
  m 
  m 
  penetrtrtrtrating the sovereign territititor
  or
  ory y ofofof the
  he
  he
  he
  he Omn
  mn
  mn
  mn
  m isissisiah
  ah. Th
  Th
  The e e 
  anciciien
  e t t IrI on Wall of Silence was re--inininststststitititututututed
  ed
  edd
  e , , , an
  an
  ann
  and d d stststtoo
  oo
  oo
  oo
  ood d d ag
  aggaiaiaiain n n
  unbrok
  ok
  ok
  oken
  en
  en for over ﬁve hundred yeearrs wi
  wi
  wi
  wi
  wi
  withththhth bririririr efefefef exc
  xcep
  eptitiion
  on
  ons,s,s, 
  un
  u til the e Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Malylylylygr
  g isian Tech-Heresy ererup
  up
  upteteteed d ac
  ac
  ac
  acroror ssssssss the
  he Calalalixixixisisisi  
  Se
  Se
  Se
  Sector, forcinining g ththththe Adeptus Mechanicus
  u onc
  nc
  nce e e ag
  agg
  agaiaiaiain n ini totototo the
  he 
  afafafa fairs of thee Sec
  ec
  ecctototot r r ata  large.
  THE
  HE
  HE
  HE SEC
  ECON
  O D SIEGE
  GE
  GE
  GE OF
  OF
  OF
  OF
  OF
  OF VAX
  AX
  AXAN
  AN
  AN
  AN
  ANID
  ID
  ID
  IDE
  V
  (507.M41)
  Three centuries passed after the conclclclclus
  u ioioion n n n ofofofof the
  he Merererrerititec
  ech h 
  Wars and the re-establisi hment ofofofofof the Irorororoon n n n Wa
  Wa
  W llll of f SiS lelel nc
  nc
  nce e 
  be
  b fore the forces of the
  h  Lathees s s on
  on
  once
  ce
  ce aga
  ga
  g ininininin venn
  en
  en
  enntututututurerer d d fofortrth,h,h,h  
  answwere ing the call of the Sectctctctctor
  or
  or
  or
  or
  or Gov
  o erererno
  no
  nor r totooto stototot p p p p ththththe e inincuursrsr ioion n
  of the Ork
  rk
  rk
  rk-i-i-i-infested spacce e hu
  hu
  hulklk PiPiPinn
  nn
  nnacacacaclelel of f SaSaSaSava
  va
  va
  vagegeg ryryryy. . Ni
  Nii
  Ni
  N ne
  ne
  netytytyty 
  years earlier, a sim
  i ilarar atttac
  ac
  ack k ha
  ha
  had d d co
  co
  coostts the
  hee
  he sysysysystetetet m 
  m gr
  grea
  eatly,y, a d
  nd
  nd 
  the lack of response frorororom 
  m thththe e e La
  La
  Lathththeseseses lesssesene
  ned d tht eie r standiding
  nggs s s
  OF LEVITA
  T T
  A ION
  viticus in the Calixis Sector have 
  n variations of the tech-rituals 
  d
  i
  l
  A
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  The danger to the system was not yet halted, however, as 
  the signiﬁcant chunks of the space hulk continued to hurtle 
  through space towards the vulnerable planet. Again the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus moved to intervene, putting lives and ships at 
  great risk to slow the wreckage down, and ultimately bring it 
  to a halt. However, when the ranking admiral of the Battleﬂeet 
  suggested that any intact wreckage be destroyed, Arch-Magos 
  Haverill Gemm, commander of the Mechanicus forces, denied 
  the request, and the remains were claimed for the Lathe Worlds 
  as recompense. With no further consultation of the Imperial 
  Navy, the Explorator ﬂeets secured several ships to each chunk 
  of wreckage, ﬁred their engines, and brought the largest sections 
  back to the Lathe System for reasons unknown. The Imperial 
  Navy, concerned that xenos hostiles might still pose a threat, 
  lodged several complaints against this action, to no avail. 
  The disposition of any salvage from the Pinnacle of Savagery 
  was never released, and its present location is listed as “unknown” 
  in all Administratum sources. Though ancient treaties grant the 
  Mechanicum rights to new technological discoveries, claiming 
  the hulk while it still was categorised as a threat was singularly 
  uncommon in the Sector. Many amongst the Inquisition and 
  Imperial Navy suspect that the Calixian Mechanicus had planned 
  all along to secure the space hulk’s secrets for themselves.
  THE MALYGRISIAN TECH-HERESY  
  (742-770.M41)
  In the middle of the seventh century of M41, the insular and 
  isolationist Calixian Mechanicus was again thrust into the spotlight 
  when one of their own turned violently, irrevocably renegade and 
  dragged the Lathe Worlds into a sector-wide path of carnage. 
  Explorator Arch-Magos Umbra Malygris was a militant 
  renowned for his dedication to the destructive potential 
  of technology. Malygris devoted decades to studying the 
  weapons and munitions of bygone eras, poring for years 
  over ancient tomes and datastacks of ancient and suspect 
  provenance. A devotee of the Divine Light of Sollex, the 
  Arch-Magos attracted many of the most gifted weaponsmiths 
  and researchers under the aegis of his organisation. Leery of 
  the growing popularity of the militant adept, High Fabricator 
  Castellar moved to sanction Malygris and attempted to break 
  up the cabal he had surrounded himself with, fearing a 
  recurrence of the False Fabricator affair several decades earlier. 
  However, Malygris refused to relinquish any of his power, 
  and declared Castellar as nothing more than an “ineffectual 
  bureaucrat.” Thus, the stage was set for a massive conﬂict that 
  would reach across the breadth of the Calixian Mechanicus.
  Castellar attempted to use the Forge Guard to force 
  compliance upon the errant Arch-Magos. However, bizarre 
  system failures and binary invert-afﬂictions—themselves 
  creations of the inventive and insane mind of Malygris—
  rendered even the vaunted and mighty Forge Guard ineffectual. 
  Warned of the imminent attack, Malygris ﬂed the Lathe 
  System with a fully provisioned Explorator ﬂeet containing 
  vast amounts of research, ancient weapons, and blasphemous 
  examples of his own tech-craft. A surprising number of 
  Tech-Adepts rose up in support of Malygris, swayed by his 
  charismatic data-cants and heretical approach to advancing 
  technology. As a result, many of the ongoing works of the 
  Calixian Mechanicus became abandoned, threatening a full 
  dogmatic schism within the Lathe Worlds and the far-ﬂung 
  holdings of the Omnissiah’s Cult.
  Aware of the danger posed to the entire Calixis Sector 
  by the renegade Arch-Magos and his deluded followers, the 
  High Fabricator formally declared Malygris and all who 
  obeyed him as Apostate in the eyes of the Omnissiah. Next, 
  Castellar contacted Lord Sector Marius Hax upon Scintilla, 
  and requested assistance. This unprecedented outreach from 
  the formerly isolationist Mechanicus quickly drew Hax’s 
  attention to Malygris’ threat. Convinced of the seriousness of 
  the situation, Hax used his inﬂuence to dispatch several major 
  concentrations of Battleﬂeet Calixis to assist in the search 
  for the missing Explorator ﬂeet. No less than ﬁve full battle 
  groups of ships, comprising both loyalist Explorator vessels 
  and detachments of the Imperial Navy, formed the pursuit of 
  the heretical Arch-Magos. Malygris and his followers ﬂed to 
  the furthest reaches of the Sector, always managing to stay at 
  least one step ahead of his pursuers. Along the way, Malygris 
  tested his research and weapons systems in a series of attacks 
  that laid waste to several planets in his path rimwards towards 
  the Halo Stars. Malygris and his followers subjected Xeiros 
  Prime, Loss, and world-designate MMX215 to terrifying 
  experiments. Orbital apostasic arrays drove entire planets into 
  THE EIGHTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “The Omnissiah knows all, comprehends all.”
  The Eighth Law enshrines the Omnissiah as the 
  supreme being, the entity able to comprehend all 
  Knowledge in the universe.
  Th
  Th
  T e e e e da
  dang
  ngerer to o o thththe e e sysys ststs em
  em
  em
  e  was not yet halltetetetet d,d,d, howevererer, as 
  ththththe e e sisis gn
  gnniﬁiﬁcacantntn chu
  hu
  hu
  h nk
  nk
  nks s s ofofofofof the
  h  space hulululk k k k co
  coo
  contntntinininue
  ue
  ue
  ued to hururururtle
  thththhrorororoug
  ug
  ug
  ugh h sp
  sp
  spacacacace e tototowa
  wa
  wardrdrds s ththhththe e vu
  vulnlnlnerable plane
  nee
  neet.t Aga
  g in the
  h  Adeptptptptusu  
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  chan
  aniciciciccusususususs mov
  ov
  ovv
  oved
  ed
  ed
  e
  to o inintetetetervr en
  e e, putting lives and
  nd
  nd
  nd ships at
  gr
  greaeat t ririsk
  sk to o slslslsllslow
  oww
  ow
  ow
  ow the
  he
  he
  he wreck
  ck
  ckag
  ag
  agg
  age down, and d ultimaa
  matetetetelylylyly bring it t
  to a halalalalt. How
  ow
  ow
  owwev
  ev
  ev
  e ererer, wh
  wh
  wh
  wh
  wh
  wh
  w en
  en
  en
  en
  e  the
  he
  he
  he ran
  an
  anking admirala  of ththhe e Ba
  B ttleﬂeetetetet 
  sugggestetetet d d ththththatatatat any
  ny
  ny
  ny intntntact t wr
  wr
  wr
  wrececececka
  ka
  kage be destroyed, Arcrcrcch-
  h-
  h-Mago
  go
  gos s
  Ha
  Have
  veririllllll Gem
  emm,
  m,
  m,
  m, com
  om
  om
  omma
  ma
  mand
  nd
  nd
  nderererer of f tht e Mechanicusus fororororcec s,s,s,s, den
  en
  en
  enieieieied d
  thhe e rererequ
  qu
  qu
  quesesest,t,t,t, and
  nd the
  he
  he
  he
  he remains werere e e claimed for the Laathe e e e Wo
  Wo
  Wo
  Worlrlrlrlds
  ds
  d  
  ass rececececom
  om
  om
  ompe
  p ns
  ns
  ns
  n e.e. Witith h no fururrthththher consultation of the
  h
  Imp
  mp
  mp
  mpere iaiaial l
  Na
  Na
  Na
  Navy
  vy
  vy
  v , , thththe e e Ex
  Exx
  Ex
  Explplplplplororororo atatata or ﬂeetss sececececured several shihiihips
  ps
  ps
  ps to o eae ch
  ch
  ch
  ch chu
  hu
  hu
  hunk
  nk
  nk
  nk 
  ofofoff wrererereck
  ck
  ck
  ckag
  ag
  ag
  age,e,e, ﬁrererered d ththt eir engigine
  ne
  nes,s,s,s, and brought the largestt secececectititition
  on
  on
  o s s s 
  ba
  ba
  ba
  back
  ck
  ck to o o o thththe La
  La
  La
  La
  Lathththt e Systemm fororor reasons unkno
  no
  no
  nown. The e e Im
  Im
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  pe
  peririririalalal 
  Na
  Na
  Navy
  vy
  vy, coonc
  n ererrne
  ne
  ned d ththatat xennos
  os
  os hos
  o tiles might t t still poseese a thr
  hr
  hr
  hreaeaeaeat,t  
  lololodg
  dg
  dg
  d ed
  ed
  ed sev
  ev
  ev
  everererreralalal com
  om
  omplplp aiiaints s s ag
  ag
  ag
  agaiaiaiains
  n t thisis action,n  to no ava
  va
  va
  vaililill. .
  Th
  Th
  The e e didididisp
  sppos
  osittioi n of any
  ny
  ny salvage from the Pinnacle of f f f SaSaSaSavavagegegery 
  wa
  wa
  wa
  was s ne
  ne
  neve
  v r r r r rererereleleleleasa ed, and itits present location is s lililiststed as s s s “u“u“unk
  nk
  nk
  nkno
  no
  n wn
  w ” 
  inininin all Adm
  dm
  dm
  dm
  dminininistratatatum sou
  ou
  ou
  ourcrcrcr es. Though ancient trereatatatatieies s s s gr
  gr
  gr
  gran
  an
  ant t t the
  Me
  M ch
  chan
  ann
  aniciciccum
  um
  um
  u
  rights s totototo new technological disco
  co
  co
  cove
  ve
  ve
  veririeseses, clclclclaiiming 
  ththe e hu
  hu
  hu
  h lkklkk whihihihilelelel it stililill l wa
  w s categorised d d d asasasas a threaeaeaat t wa
  wa
  was s sis ng
  ngularly 
  un
  unco
  coomm
  mm
  mmmon
  on
  on
  on in n n n ththththe e e e Se
  Se
  Se
  S ctor. Many amo
  m ngst the
  he
  he Inq
  nqquiuisis tititition and 
  Im
  Impe
  pe
  pe
  pe
  periririririalalalalal Nav
  av
  av
  avy y y susususuusp
  sp
  spect that the Calalalalixi ian Me
  Meech
  ch
  ch
  chaniccususus had
  add planned 
  alall l alalalalalon
  on
  ong g g g g totototo secececececececuru e e the e space hu
  hu
  huulklklklk’s secretss for the
  he
  hems
  m elelelves.
  T
  (
  InI
  is
  w
  d
  re
  o
  w
  o
  p
  A
  a
  th
  C
  u
  re
  H
  a
  b
  w
  c
  sy
  c
  re
  W
  S
  v
  e
  T
  c
  te
  C
  d
  h
  b
  H
  o
  C
  a
  THE
  HE
  H EIG
  IGHTH UNI
  N VEERS
  RS
  RS
  RSAL
  AL
  AL LAW
  AW
  AW
  AW
  “Thehe Omn
  mnisi siiah
  ah kno
  nows
  ws allll, , cocococomprehends s all.”
  The e EiEiEigh
  gh
  ghth
  th
  th Law
  aw ens
  nshr
  hrinineseseses the Omn
  mn
  mnissiah as s the
  suprreme be
  be
  beining,g, thee entntitity y ab
  ab
  ab
  able to co
  co
  comprehend
  nd
  nd
  nd all 
  Kn
  Kn
  K owledge ininin the
  he
  h uninive
  versrse.e.
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  raving insanity. Bio-forged horrors stalked formerly-bountiful 
  wastelands, transgenic atrocities ravaged entire cities, and 
  enormous gene-lathes processed entire populations into 
  ulcerous, writhing seas of living tissue. 
  The renegade Arch-Magos’ pattern was broken when his 
  ﬂeet arrived at Synford II. Many of his materials exhausted, 
  Malygris turned to raiding Mechanicus facilities to acquire 
  the technology and resources he needed to continue his mad 
  schemes. The raids were indiscriminate and widespread, and 
  it was the Synford system that suffered Malygris’ attentions 
  the most—after scouring Synford II down to bare rock for 
  raw materials, the renegade’s ﬂeet bombarded the planet to 
  destruction, leaving only a shattered husk in their wake.
  However, the Calixian Mechanicus and Battleﬂeet 
  detachments had tightened the noose. Malygris was cornered 
  at the edge of the Synford system, caught between the 
  advancing Mechanicus Explorator ﬂeets and the ﬂanking 
  Imperial Navy detachments. At the forefront of the assault 
  was High Fabricator Castellar’s ﬂagship, Iron Promise. One of 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus’ few true battleships, Iron Promise 
  was a heavy combat vessel bearing a proud and long lineage. 
  Malygris’ ﬂeet opened ﬁre, attempting to overwhelm Iron 
  Promise with a storm of macrocannon batteries and lance 
  weapons. However, Castellar’s vessel had been retroﬁtted with 
  several unusual devices of war from the High Fabricator’s 
  personal vaults, and it was the blessings of these modiﬁcations 
  that granted the mighty ship a chance to survive the attack. 
  Void shields shorted out one after the other, and the massive 
  vessel trembled under repeated hammer blows of nova cannon 
  ﬁre. Reeling in ﬂames, with several decks exposed to the void, 
  the ship seemed nearly crippled, but Iron Promise had ﬁnally 
  reached optimal range for its killing blow.
  The jutting prow split like a blossoming ﬂower and gaped 
  wide, exposing an enormous weapon that rapidly gathered 
  corposant energy from the system’s sun. In moments, Iron Promise 
  struck back with one ﬁnal, searing blast of unspeakable power 
  and blinding light. The weapon’s scything beam engulfed the 
  enemy ﬂeet and shattered all but the largest ships in one blow. 
  The battle did not last much longer, as the Imperial Navy 
  and the Mechanicus ﬂeets ruthlessly destroyed any surviving 
  enemy ships—including any intact pieces of debris large 
  enough to support survivors. With a curt message of gratitude 
  to the Imperial Navy, Castellar and his forces turned about 
  and headed for their home port in the Lathe System. 
  Whilst Malygris and his followers had been decisively dealt 
  with in the Synford system, extensive purges of sympathisers 
  and secret partisans of the renegade Arch-Magos shook the 
  Calixian Mechanicus for years afterwards. The Divine Light of 
  Sollex sect was severely scrutinised, with many suspect Tech-
  Adepts quietly replaced and sent back to the Lathes for re-
  indoctrination. The taint brought through Malygris’ actions 
  kindled a distrust of the more militant groups of the Calixian 
  Mechanicus that exists to this day. Many fear that the tech-
  heresies of Umbra Malygris most likely live on, hidden in 
  secret laboratories and locked away in dark stasis chambers 
  throughout the Malﬁan sub-sector.
  THE RITE OF WAKING
  The Princeps of the Legio Venator cherish their 
  ancient traditions and ties to Mars. These traditions 
  include the many rituals and binary-cants required to 
  rouse their mighty Titans to war. Within each Titan 
  slumbers an ancient and complex machine-spirit. The 
  Legio Venator follow an obscure and long-forgotten 
  tech-ritual to fully awaken the God-machine and 
  prepare it for the coming battle.
  A massed congregation of Tech-Priests chant the 
  blessing in techna-lingua, asking for the Omnissiah to 
  lend strength to his creations. A senior Tech-Priest, often 
  accompanied by the Titan’s Princeps, sprinkles the feet of 
  the God-machine with sanctiﬁed oils and holy unguents, 
  that it may walk with purity. Honoured apprentices and 
  tech-adepts swing censers containing purifying herbs 
  that burn with scented smoke, warding off any baleful 
  inﬂuence. A slain Grox, chosen for its ferocity and 
  strength, provides the Titan’s ﬁrst taste of blood.
  Through this ritual is the machine-spirit of the 
  Titan roused and readied for battle. Upon the Titan’s 
  activation, the congregation is then assured that the 
  will of the Omnissiah is done.
  Few proper translations exist of techna-lingua as the 
  Calixian Mechanicus perform it. The Iron Wall of Silence 
  has done much to hinder such learning, but the Inquisition 
  vaults within the Tricorn on Scintilla contain one partial 
  transcription of this most holy and exceptional rite:
  As the blood of the slain is laid upon you, so may you 
  lay the enemy’s blood at the feet of the Omnissiah.
  Lay blood at the Machine God’s feet.
  As the rune of protection is inscribed upon you, so 
  may the litanies of protection ward your soul. 
  May your soul be guarded from impurity.
  As the warriors within you guide your weapons, 
  may you, in your turn, guide their lives.
  Stand true against the trials of war.
  
  ����������������������
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  SECTS OF THE  
  CALIXIAN MECHANICUS
  “Nothing and no one escapes the judgment of the Lords Dragon. The 
  Universal Laws are absolute, therefore so are we absolute.”
  –Magos-Draco Corsiva
  The Priesthood of Mars contains many sub-groups and 
  organisations. These range from the Titan Legions to the Knight 
  Worlds, from the Theoriticians and Lectors who catalogue and 
  excavate ancient knowledge to the Lexmechanics and Calculus 
  Logi who analyse and craft the holy code-rituals enshrined in 
  the machine altars, from the Electro-Priests and Skitarii who 
  defend the mighty forge worlds to the Magos of the Ordo 
  Reductor who eliminate the enemies of the Machine God—the 
  methods of serving the Omnissiah are vast and varied. The 
  Calixis Sector itself also encompasses a number of unique 
  additional sects, cults, and divisions.
  THE COLLEGE CULT GRAVITICUS
  High Fabricator Davos Phar established this sect within the 
  Lathe Worlds in an attempt to re-create some of the wondrous 
  technologies found on Mars. The College Cult Graviticus 
  operate and maintain grav-plate technology, ranging from 
  the relatively small plates found in Space Marine Land 
  Speeders up to the massive decks of the Imperial Navy, 
  and the even larger Suspensor Forges of Lathe-Hadd. The 
  unique gravitational properties of the Lathe System provides 
  a particular importance for the College Cult Graviticus, and 
  it is from their ranks that many Suspensor Magos have been 
  raised since the Calixis Sector’s founding.
  It is common for the College Cult Graviticus of the Lathe 
  Worlds to work with Explorator ﬂeets, as many devices and 
  conveyances suitable for surveying worlds contain grav-plate 
  technology, such as the rare and agile Lathe-pattern speeders. 
  Many of the re-discoveries of the Explorator ﬂeets have assisted 
  the College Cult Graviticus in making grav-plates more widely 
  available, and the Lathe Worlds are one of the premier locations 
  for the manufacture and refurbishment of this rare technology.
  THE DIVISIO INVESTIGATUS
  After a pilgrimage to Mars in 199.M41, High Fabricator 
  Davos Phar chose to re-create at the Lathe Worlds some of 
  the wonders he had witnessed on the home planet of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus. Thus, High Fabricator Phar chose to 
  build a small research group dedicated to the development 
  and testing of weapon systems, which he named the Divisio 
  Investigatus. Despite most considering its creation a tribute to 
  similar organisations on Mars, the Lathe-Covenant Council 
  considered it a radical and unwelcome innovation. Given only 
  a minimum amount of resources, personnel, and equipment, 
  the Divisio Investigatus has laboured without recognition or 
  even acknowledgement for centuries. The recent suspicion 
  of many militant groups of the Mechanicus sparked by the 
  Malygrisian tech-heresy has not helped the Divisio’s fortunes. 
  Nevertheless, the Divisio Investigatus has, from time to time, 
  presented small discoveries that the Magos of the Lathes have 
  (after exhaustive review) grudgingly accepted. 
  TECHSORCISTS
  A little-understood sect that acquires only a handful of recruits every 
  few years, the Techsorcists occupy an unusual role amongst the 
  Calixian Mechanicus. Techsorcists possess a deep understanding 
  of the effects of the Warp upon technology and machine-spirits. 
  They also have a particular interest in the tech-heresy of the 
  Empyric Device, and are often involved in investigations of 
  suspected technology that channels Warp energy.
  Magos Eremor created the Techsorcists in 824.M36. The 
  Magos had directed his Explorator ﬂeet to pass through a region 
  of space then known as the Calyx Expanse. A chance meeting 
  with Rogue Trader Solomon Haarlock led the two forces to 
  jointly explore a newly emerged space hulk, named Fatum Posterus. 
  The expedition ended with deep misgivings in the Magos’ heart 
  regarding the role of technology and the corruptive nature of 
  the Warp. From that moment, the Magos dedicated his research 
  to the task, and began teaching his Tech-Adepts in methods to 
  identify and cast out unclean machine-spirits. Eremor believed 
  that once the true code of a corrupt machine-spirit is known, it 
  can be recorded in a sealed data-vault, so that it may forevermore 
  be banished from the pure machine.
  Many Techsorcists are lost or mind-cleansed in the line of 
  duty, and their association with the Inquisition—speciﬁcally, 
  the Ordo Malleus—renders the sect highly unpopular with 
  Arch-Magos Ralwure the Golden and the more orthodox 
  members of the Lathe-Covenant Council.
  Techsorcists are trained in the use of special electrogrammatic 
  wards and meme-chants to clear their minds of corruption. 
  However, as a precaution, all Techsorcists are forbidden from 
  uploading their knowledge to the Machine Altar without 
  extensive trials and neuro-cleansing. 
  
  ����������������������
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  THE LORDS DRAGON
  When it comes to the judgment and enforcement of the 
  Universal Laws across the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are 
  many names that conjure dread. Within the Calixis Sector, 
  one of the most secret and most inﬂuential of these names is 
  the Lords Dragon. On Lathe-Hadd, menials whisper that the 
  Lords Dragon are also known as the Collegiate Extremis. 
  On Sheol 17, the prisoners who still retain their sanity refer 
  to them as the Scaled Ones, the Correctors of the Balance. 
  In the frozen corridors of Altar-Templum-Calixis-Est-17, 
  they are dismissed only as myth.
  In truth, the Lords Dragon exist in the Lathe System; they 
  sit in judgment from the orbiting Panopticon Station, ever 
  vigilant to uphold the sanctity of the Universal Laws. Tasked 
  with policing the Calixian Mechanicus and sworn to preserve 
  the Tech-Priesthood from corruption and tech-heresy, the 
  Lords Dragon are shadowy ﬁgures who are far more rumour 
  than fact. What is known with certainty is that this group of 
  Arch-Magos is entrusted with vast authority and resources to 
  carry out their judicial task. Numerous agents exist amongst the 
  Calixian Mechanicus who report to the Lords Dragon and serve 
  their will, but the Lords Dragon possess more fearsome tools: 
  the Logicutioners, the Magos Juris, and the Dragon Secutorii.
  The Magos Juris
  The visible face of the Lords Dragon in the Calixis Sector are 
  the Magos Juris, a group of Tech-Priests who have focused 
  themselves solely on preserving the Omnissiah’s will, instead 
  of the never-ending Quest for Knowledge that permeates 
  much of Adeptus Mechanicus culture. The Magos Juris devote 
  themselves fully to their cause, seeking to preserve the Cult of 
  the Machine God from any who threaten it.
  Magos Juris are most often involved in tracking down and 
  eliminating tech-heretics, smugglers, and others who have 
  justly earned the wrath of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Unlike 
  the Secutors and the Divine Light of Sollex, however, the 
  Magos Juris are primarily investigative in nature, rather than 
  militant, and amongst their number are many Lexmechanics, 
  Rubricators, and other such scholars who relentlessly sift 
  through data seeking their prey.
  The connection between the Magos Juris and the Lords 
  Dragon is kept strictly secret from any outside the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, and it is common for many, even amongst the 
  vaunted Inquisition, to believe that the Magos Juris are completely 
  independent of any other presumed-mythical agencies.
  The Logicutioners
  To enforce the edicts of the Lords Dragon, masked and hooded 
  Logicutioners, swathed in robes of deepest black, descend 
  from the Panopticon bearing devices of ancient and baroque 
  manufacture. The Praecursator Grid and the Agents of the 
  Lords Dragon provide the Logicutioners with peerless evidence 
  and information. There are no recorded instances of any suspect 
  escaping a Logicutioner unleashed upon his trail. 
  The Logicutioners are the implacable hands of the Lords 
  Dragon, and are said to possess master code-ciphers second 
  only to the Prime Logis Key.
  The Dragon Secutorii
  On the ﬁnal day of 815.M41, an encoded data-fragment 
  contained in a crystalline stasis shell was delivered to 
  Inquisitor Lord Caidin at the Tricorn Palace on Scintilla. 
  The Inquisition labelled it “the Euhedral datalith,” and the 
  data-fragment’s advanced cipher decay required several high-
  function cogitators to fully decrypt the partial message within. 
  Purported to be an urgent communication from an unknown 
  Tech-Priest on Lathe-Hesh, the data-fragment described an 
  encounter aboard the Panopticon with a nightmarish force 
  named “the Dragon Secutorii.”
  According to the Euhedral datalith’s unknown author, 
  the Dragon Secutorii are a force of exactly three hundred 
  Mechanicus Secutors—all specially selected veteran warriors—
  sworn to the Lords Dragon upon the annihilatrix altar in the 
  Panopticon. These warriors are not elite soldiers. Instead, 
  they are the ultimate sanction of the Lords Dragon, deployed 
  only as a measure of undeniable last resort. Furthermore, 
  the Euhedral datalith claims that the Dragon Secutorii have 
  been involved in a handful of decisive military actions in the 
  Calixis Sector, notably during the ﬁnal assault in the War of 
  Brass, as the centre of a deep-strike assassination of a Merates 
  Clan leader in the Meritech Wars, and as part of a boarding 
  party sent on a secret mission against the renegade ﬂeet of the 
  Malygrisian Tech-Heresy.
  Only a small amount of technical data was recovered 
  from the Euhedral datalith, but there are hints that the 
  Dragon Secutorii go into battle encased in massive suits of 
  specially augmented armour, and bear ancient weapons from 
  the deepest Lathe vaults. All inquiries from the Inquisition 
  have been rebuffed, and Lord Caidin considers the ﬁle scant 
  evidence for a formal investigation.
  THE FALSE FABRICATOR
  In 624.M41, the Lords Dragon formally accused the Forge 
  Master of Ryboth, Fabricator Garamond, of tech-heresy. 
  Garamond’s crime, according to his accusers, was that he 
  had tampered with a number of servitors and cogitators, 
  edging over the line towards Abominable Intelligence and 
  into the tech-heresy of the Silica Animus. Garamond’s 
  defence was spirited, and the evidence against him was 
  weak. After four months of debate and an appeal to the 
  High Fabricator, the issue was still in doubt.
  At the end, the judgment of the Lords Dragon would 
  not be denied. Garamond was stripped of his position, 
  but his inﬂuence, the length of his service, the sheer 
  amount of knowledge and technology he had provided 
  to the Calixian Mechanicus, and his eloquent defence 
  had swayed his fate away from the Logicutioners. 
  Instead, Garamond was to be exiled, sent away to the 
  far Sargos Sector, there to toil with the common tech-
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  THE DIVINE LIGHT OF SOLLEX
  The Divine Light of Sollex is a mystical group of Tech-Priests, 
  fanatical in their desire to destroy all those whom they believe have 
  dared blaspheme against the Omnissiah. Its followers specialize 
  in technology that involves photonic and laser components, 
  including some very sophisticated hololith projectors. Much 
  about the Divine Light of Sollex remains unknown even to 
  other Tech-Priests in the Sector, as they are an aloof group, 
  preferring to remain within their facilities upon the death world 
  of Haddrack. According to reports in the Panopticon, a group 
  of the Divine Light of Sollex encountered upon Sozomen’s Last 
  Stand conducted themselves much like duellists, boasting that 
  they enjoyed testing their expertise and re-discoveries against 
  each other in ritual combat with precise rules.
  High Fabricator Castellar is said to be quite sympathetic to 
  the Divine Light of Sollex, but if they have a true patron, it is 
  in Arch-Magos Ralwure the Golden. From his position in the 
  Lathes, Ralwure has often attempted to build inﬂuence with 
  the Divine Light of Sollex in order to turn their particular 
  zeal towards targets of his choosing. 
  There have been many advanced examples of technology and 
  machine-spirits that the Divine Light has displayed in carrying 
  out its particular agenda. The Lords Dragon have collected data 
  regarding hololiths of startling accuracy—and there are rumours 
  that some are so lifelike that they act as holo-decoy systems, 
  luring enemies into overlapping ﬁelds of ﬁre. Lasweapons with an 
  extremely high cyclic rate of ﬁre have also been displayed during 
  a battle between Tech-Priests of the Divine Light and a group of 
  Obliviates under the control of a heretek on Turanshush. 
  THE AUXILIA MYRMIDON
  One of the major power blocks for the Calixian Mechanicus, 
  the Auxilia Myrmidon is primarily concerned with the 
  protection of Cult Mechanicus strongholds, siegecraft, and 
  maintaining a high level of skill with the various weapons 
  systems and devices of war the Tech-Priesthood prized
  In the Calixis Sector, the Auxilia Myrmidon enjoys the 
  patronage of most of the Lathe-Covenant Council, meaning 
  that the Auxilia receives a great deal of inﬂuence and favour. Of 
  late, a large number of Auxilia Myrmidon Secutors have been 
  marshalling their forces for war—some say to get involved 
  in the ﬁghting on the Spinward Front of the Calixis Sector. 
  The High Fabricator has made note that the Myrmidons are 
  gathering together in unprecedented numbers on Heterodyne 
  Station, and a number of dataliths regarding large-scale tactics 
  and organisation have been channelled there via transmat.
  THE DISCIPLES OF THULE
  The guiding philosophy of Arch-Magos Paracelsus Thule is 
  alive and well throughout the Adeptus Mechanicus in the 
  Calixis Sector. During his infrequent visits, the Arch-Magos 
  has inspired widespread loyalty to his vision for the Quest 
  for Knowledge, and a signiﬁcant portion of Calixian Tech-
  Priests respect his wisdom. None are more fervent in their 
  admiration than High Fabricator Castellar—he once served 
  aboard Thule’s ﬂeet as a lowly Electro-Priest, and has never 
  forgotten the wonders that Thule showed him during his 
  travels aboard the Explorator’s ship.
  Disciples can be found at nearly all levels of Adeptus 
  Mechanicus society within the Calixis Sector—large numbers 
  of them act as archeoexhumators, searching locations such as 
  Seedworld AFG:218, Lythea Haarlock’s tomb, and the planet 
  known only as Designate 228-18. The Disciples were the 
  ﬁrst to locate and study the drifting sepulchres of the Yu’vath, 
  and then only after a direct order from the High Fabricator.
  THE EXPLORATORS
  The Explorator ﬂeets are not an uncommon visitor to 
  Adeptus Mechanicus outposts throughout the Calixis Sector. 
  The tempting presence of the nearby Koronus Passage, 
  leading into the unexplored reaches of the Halo Stars, acts 
  as a siren song for those Tech-Priests sworn to the Quest for 
  Knowledge. Explorators have arrived in the Calixis Sector 
  in great numbers, eager to explore the Koronus Expanse and 
  claim any treasures or useful knowledge for the glory of 
  the Machine God. Naturally, the overwhelming majority of 
  these Explorators are members of the Disciples of Thule and 
  venerate the teachings of its founder.
  Currently, an Explorator ﬂeet under the command of 
  Artisan Chaparral is forming in orbit over Lathe-Het, given the 
  blessings of High Fabricator Castellar. The High Fabricator’s 
  favour for the Explorators is in no small part responsible for 
  the inﬂux of support the group receives in the Calixis Sector. 
  Chaparral has petitioned the High Fabricator for the right to 
  add two Goliath-class factory ships to his ﬂeet. The Artisan’s 
  political manoeuvring is adroit, and it is rumoured that he 
  may have secured a number of mass conveyors en route to the 
  region from another forge world in a faraway sector, perhaps 
  even Ryza or Gryphonne IV.
  There are some high-ranked Tech-Priests who have objected 
  to Chaparral’s plan, amongst them Magos Juris Konstantyn 
  Ambolic. Ambolic is concerned that the seemingly endemic tech-
  heresy of the Calixis Sector should not taint any expeditions into 
  the Koronus Expanse. Caution, the Magos Juris insists, should be 
  applied rigorously to ensure that expeditions into the Expanse are 
  purely interested in the service of the Omnissiah.
  THE FIFTEENTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “Flesh is fallible, but Ritual Honours the Machine Spirit.”
  To a Tech-Priest, organic components (like people) are 
  weak, forgetful, and ultimately expendable for the greater 
  glories of the Machine God. Only the correctly prescribed 
  rituals can purify the fallibilities of the ﬂesh, and enable 
  the enlightened to interact with a machine-spirit. It would 
  be a grave crime for a Tech-Priest to dishonour a machine 
  spirit by not enacting the proper rituals in its presence. 
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  ositititi ion in the 
  La
  Laththese , Ra
  Ra
  R lw
  lwurure e haa
  h s ofofofteteten n n atatattetemp
  mp
  mp
  mpteteteted d d totototo buiuiuiuildldldld inﬂ
  nﬂ
  nﬂ
  nﬂuence wi
  wi
  wi
  withtht  
  ththe e Divivine
  ne Ligigighththth of f So
  So
  Sollllllex
  ex
  ex in n or
  or
  orde
  de
  der r totototo tururururn n theieiir particullarara  
  zeala  tow
  ow
  o arards
  ds tarra ge
  ge
  getststs of f f hihihis s ch
  choo
  o sis ng
  ng. .
  Thherere e ha
  have
  ve beeeeen n ma
  ma
  many
  ny
  ny adv
  dv
  dvan
  an
  ancec d ex
  examplples of tech
  ch
  ch
  chnology and
  ndd
  nd 
  ma
  m chhinini e-e-sp
  sppiriritits s thhthatatat the
  he
  he Divivivininine e e LiLiLight t ha
  has s did sp
  s layed inininin carrying g
  ou
  out its s pa
  paartrtrticicicicululararar age
  ge
  gend
  nd
  nda.a The
  he
  h Lords Dragon have collected
  ed
  ed
  ed data a
  rerega
  g rdrdining g g ho
  ho
  hololololililiththths s s ofofof startrtrtlililing accccururururaca y—and there are rumo
  mo
  mooururururs s s s 
  ththata som
  ome e ararare e so
  so
  so lififelele iki e e ththththat theey y y y act as holo-decoy y systems,s  
  luluringg
  ng ene
  nemi
  mi
  mieseses intntnto o o ov
  ov
  overlapp
  p ing ﬁelds s s s ofofofof ﬁre.  Lasweapo
  po
  po
  pons
  n wititith h an 
  ex
  extrtrem
  emmelely y high
  gh
  gh
  g cycycyclililic c rararatetete of ﬁre have alslslslso o be
  be
  be
  been
  en
  en
  en dis lplay d
  ed dururururininining g
  a a ba
  battttlele betetwe
  we
  w en
  en
  en Tecch-
  h Priests s of the Divinine LiL ght and a gr
  g ou
  ou
  oup of 
  Ob
  Obliliviv atateses und
  nd
  ndererer the
  he
  h  controlo of a heretek on Tururruran
  an
  an
  ansh
  sh
  shhususush.h.h. 
  THE
  HE
  HE AUX
  UX
  UX
  UX
  U IL
  IL
  ILIA
  IA M
  A
  YR
  Y M
  R
  ID
  IDON
  ON
  ON
  ON
  On
  One e e ofofofof the
  hee majajajor
  or
  or power blocks for the Calixixixixian
  an
  an
  an Mec
  e hanicus, 
  thththththe e Au
  Au
  Au
  Auxixixixiililil a a a My
  My
  My
  M rm
  rm
  rmidon is primarily concerererrneed d wi
  wi
  wi
  w ththth thee 
  pr
  pr
  pr
  protototototec
  ec
  ec
  ectitit on
  on
  onn of f f f Cu
  Cu
  Cu
  C ltltlt Mechanicus sts rongholds, siege
  g crcrcrcrafft,t,t and
  n  
  ma
  ma
  ma
  m inininintatatataat ininininini g g g g g a hihihihigh
  gh
  gh
  gh
  gh
  gh level of skill with the varrioious
  us
  us weaapons
  n  
  sysysystststs em
  emm
  emms s s an
  an
  an
  and d d d d de
  d vivivivice
  ce
  ce
  ces ofofofo war the Tech-Priesthoodd pririririze
  ze
  ze
  zed
  In
  In
  In the
  he
  hee
  h
  Calalalixixixis Sec
  ec
  ec
  ectototootor,r,r,r  the Auxilia Myrmidon enjoyss the
  he
  he
  he 
  pa
  pa
  patrtrtron
  on
  onag
  ag
  ag
  age e ofofofofofof mos
  os
  ost t offo the
  he
  he
  he Latatathe-Covenant Council, meaniing 
  ththatatatat the
  he
  he
  hee Aux
  ux
  uxx
  u ilililiaiaiaiaia rec
  e eieive
  v s s a a a a gr
  gr
  gr
  grea
  ea
  ea
  eat t t de
  de
  de
  de
  de
  deal of inﬂuence and favour. Of 
  lalatete, a a a lalalalargrgrgrgrge e e nu
  nu
  nu
  nu
  numb
  mb
  mb
  mb
  m erererererer of f Au
  Au
  Au
  Auxilia My
  My
  My
  Myrm
  rm
  rm
  rmidididon Secutors have been
  maarsrsha
  hallllllllinining g g thththththeieieieieieieir r r fofoforcrcrceseseseseses for war—som
  om
  om
  ome e e sasasasay y y y to get involved 
  in the
  h ﬁgh
  gh
  ghtitititing
  ng
  ngg on ththhe e e Sp
  Sp
  Spinininininwa
  w rd Front of f ththththe Ca
  Ca
  Ca
  Calilililixixixixis s s s Se
  Se
  Se
  Sectctctc or. 
  Th
  Th
  Th
  The Hiigh
  gh Fab
  ab
  abbririririr ca
  ca
  catototor r r ha
  ha
  has s ma
  ma
  made
  de
  de notote that the Myry mii
  mi
  mido
  do
  do
  dons
  ns
  ns
  ns arererere 
  gathhtherererere ining g totoge
  gethhtherererer in n n un
  unprecedenteteteted numbers on Heterodyn
  yn
  yn
  yne e
  Station,n and
  nd a num
  ummbe
  ber r ofofofo dataliths
  hss
  h  regarding
  ng
  ng
  n  large
  ge
  ge
  ge-s-ss-sca
  ca
  ca
  calelelele tactics 
  and orga
  ganinisasaasaas tititit on
  on hav
  ave e be
  been
  en
  en cha
  ha
  hann
  nn
  nnelelelellelleleleleled d thhththhere via transmat.
  THE
  HE
  HEE DIS
  IS
  IS
  IS
  IS
  IS
  ISCI
  CI
  CI
  CI
  CI
  CIPLE
  LE
  LE
  LES OF
  OF
  OF THU
  HU
  HU
  HUULE
  LE
  Th
  T e gu
  g idididining g phh
  phililos
  os
  osop
  op
  ophy
  hy
  hy
  hy
  h  of Archh-M
  -M
  -Mag
  agos
  os
  o  Parac
  acele sus s Thulle e isisis 
  alalala ivivivive e an
  an
  a d well throughout the Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  A ep
  ep
  e tutus Me
  Mech
  c annici us
  u  in the
  Ca
  Ca
  Ca
  Calililixixixixis s s Se
  Se
  Se
  Sectctctc or
  or
  or
  o . . . Du
  Du
  Durir ng
  n  his infrequen
  en
  ent t t viviv sisisitstss, , ththe e Ar
  Archh
  c -M
  Maggos
  o  
  haas s s inininsp
  sp
  spiri ed
  ed widididesesese pr
  pr
  pr
  prea
  ea
  ea
  ead lololoya
  y lty to his visisisisisioioioi n n fofor r ththththe e e e Qu
  Qu
  Qu
  Q est
  fof r r Kn
  Kn
  Kn
  Know
  o ledge,e,e, and
  nd
  ndd a sigignininiﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁcan
  an
  ant poortioioion n n ofofoff Calalalalixixixiaiaian n n Te
  Te
  Te
  Tech
  ch
  ch-
  Pr
  P iests rerererereresp
  sp
  sp
  spec
  ect hihihis s wi
  wi
  wi
  wisd
  sd
  sd
  sdom
  om
  om. No
  No
  Noone
  ne
  ne
  n arerere mor
  or
  ore e e fefefef rvrvrven
  en
  ennt t t ininin the
  he
  he
  heiri  
  ad
  a miraration tha
  ha
  ha
  han n Hi
  Hi
  Hi
  High
  gh
  gh Fab
  ab
  abbriririr ca
  ca
  ca
  catototot r r Ca
  Ca
  Castststelelellalalar—
  r—
  r—he
  he
  he onc
  nc
  nc
  n e e e seseseservr ed
  ed 
  ab
  a oardrdrd Thule’s ﬂeet asasasas a lowlylyly Elelelel ctctc roor -P
  -P
  -PPriririesesest,t,t, and
  nd
  nd hasasas nev
  everer 
  fof rgotten the wonders ththththatatata  Thulele sho
  ho
  ho
  ho
  howe
  we
  we
  w d d d hihihihim 
  m 
  m 
  m du
  du
  du
  duriririring
  ng
  ng
  ng hisis 
  travels aboard the Exploratoor’r’r’r’s s ship.
  Disciples can be found at t ne
  n arly allll lev
  ev
  ev
  ev
  e elelels s ofof Ade
  de
  de
  deptptptp us
  us
  us 
  Me
  M chanicus society within the Ca
  Calililil xix s Se
  S ctor
  or
  or
  o —l
  —l
  — arrarge
  ge
  ge
  ge num
  um
  umbe
  be
  be
  bersrsrs 
  ofo  them act as archeoexhumators, sea
  ea
  ea
  ea
  e rchih ng
  n loc
  oc
  oc
  oc
  o atatatata ioioions
  nss
  ns
  n suc
  uc
  uc
  u h h h asasas 
  Se
  S edworld AFG:218, Lythea Haarlock
  ck
  ck’s tommb,b,b, and
  nd
  nd thee
  h plalalane
  ne
  net t t
  known only as Designate 228-18. Th
  T e Disccipipleleleles s s we
  we
  w rereree the
  he
  he 
  ﬁr
  ﬁ st to locate and stuudy the drifting seeses pu
  pu
  p lchr
  h es of f f thththe e e e Yu
  Yu
  Yu
  Yu’vvatath,h,h, 
  an
  a d then only after a didirect order frorom 
  m 
  m 
  m ththththe Hiigh
  gh
  gh
  gh Fab
  ab
  ab
  abriririica
  ca
  ca
  ca
  c totot r.r..
  THE EXPLORAT
  A ORS
  T
  Th
  T e Explorator ﬂeets are not an un
  un
  un
  unco
  co
  co
  coomm
  mm
  mm
  mmon
  on
  on visisisititititor
  or
  o
  to o o
  Ad
  A eptus Mechanicus
  us outposts througho
  ho
  houtututut the
  he
  he
  he Calalalixixisisisisis Sec
  ec
  ec
  ectotoor.r. 
  Th
  T e tempting presence of the nearby y Ko
  Ko
  Ko
  Kororororonu
  nu
  nus s Pa
  Pa
  Pa
  Passsssss ag
  ag
  ag
  age,,e  
  leading into the unexplored reaches of the
  he
  he
  he Halo StStStStararararars,s,s,s, acttc s 
  as a siren song for those Tech-Priests swo
  worn
  rn
  rn to the Qu
  Qu
  Qu
  Qu
  Quesesesest t fofor r r
  Kn
  K owledge. Explorators have arrived in the Calixisisisi Sec
  ecc
  ectotor r
  in great numbers, eager to exp
  x lore the Korron
  o us Exppan
  an
  ansesesesese and
  nd
  nd
  nd 
  clc aim any treasures or
  or useseses ful knowledge e for the glglglglglor
  or
  or
  or
  o y y ofofofof 
  the Machine God. Naturally, the overwh
  wh
  wh
  whelming majajajajor
  or
  or
  or
  orititititity y y ofofo  
  tht ese Explorators are memb
  mbere s of thee Disi ciples of Th
  Th
  Th
  Thululululu e e e e an
  an
  and d
  ve
  v nerate the teachings of its fofoun
  unde
  de
  de
  de
  der.r.r.r.
  Currently, an Explor
  or
  oratatatator
  or
  or
  or ﬂee
  ee
  ee
  eet t t t under the coomm
  mm
  mm
  mman
  an
  an
  a d d ofoffof 
  Ar
  A tisan Ch
  Chapparral isis formi
  mi
  mi
  ming
  ng
  ng
  ng in orr
  o bib t over Lathe-HHetetete , , , gigigive
  ve
  v n n n n thththe e 
  blb essising
  ng
  ngs of High Fabr
  br
  br
  bricicicatatata or Castellar. The e Hi
  H gh
  gh
  gh Fab
  ab
  abririica
  ca
  ca
  catototor’r’r’s s s
  favour for the Explololorarators is in no small pa
  partrtrtrt resesespons
  nss
  nsibibibiblele for
  or
  or 
  the inﬂux of suppo
  po
  po
  portrtrtrt the group receives in the
  he
  he Calalalixixixisisis Sec
  ectototor.r. 
  Chaparral ha
  h s pe
  pe
  pe
  petititititioned the High Fabricicatatata or
  o for
  or
  o the
  hee rigigigi hthththtt to o
  add two o o Go
  Go
  Go
  Golilililiatatatath-class factory sh
  shhipipips s s s totototo his ﬂee
  e t.t The
  he Artrtrtr isisisan
  an
  an
  an’s’s’  
  polilililititititica
  c l manoeuvring is adroioioioit,t,t,t, and it is rum
  um
  umou
  ou
  ourerereed d d ththththatatatat he e e
  may have
  ve sec
  e ured a num
  um
  um
  umbe
  be
  be
  ber r ofofo  mass conveyors s s en
  en
  en rou
  ou
  outetetete to o ththththhe 
  regigigigion
  on
  on
  on frororom 
  m 
  m an
  an
  an
  anotototothe
  he
  he
  her r forge world in a faraw
  aw
  away
  ay
  ayy sec
  ecc
  ecctototototoor,r,r, pererererha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  haps
  ps
  ps
  p  
  even Ryza or Gryphonne IV.
  There are some high-ranked Tececech-
  h-
  h-
  h Pr
  Pr
  Pr
  Prieieieststts s s wh
  wh
  wh
  who o o o ha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve
  ve
  ve objected d 
  tot  Chaparral’s plan, amongst theem 
  m Mago
  go
  go
  gos s s s JuJuJuJuJuJ riririririr s s Ko
  K nstanttntyn
  yn
  yn
  yn 
  Am
  A bolic. Ambolic is co
  co
  co
  conc
  nc
  nc
  ncerned thatt the
  he
  h seeeeeeeemi
  mi
  ming
  ng
  n ly endemic tecececch-
  h-
  h
  he
  h resyy of ththththe Ca
  C lixis Sectororororr shoo
  houlululd d d no
  no
  no
  not t t t tatatatainininint any expedidididititititiion
  ons ini too 
  the Koorororonus Expanse. Cauutititition
  on
  on
  on, , , ththththe e Ma
  Mago
  g s Juris insisisisiststststs,s,s shooulu d be 
  ap
  appplplplplieieieied d d ririririgo
  go
  go
  gororororoususususlylylyly to o en
  en
  en
  ensusususurerere tha
  ha
  hat t ex
  exxpe
  pe
  p didition
  o s s ininininininintototototototo the
  he
  h Exp
  xpanses  are 
  THE FIFTEEN
  T
  TH UNI
  NI
  N VE
  V RSAL LAW
  pu
  pu
  pu
  p rerer lylylyly intntntntererere esesese teteteted d inininin the
  he
  he
  he serere vivicece of f ththe e e Om
  Om
  Om
  Om
  Om
  Omnininissssssiaiaiah.h.
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  �����������
  “Heresy, they call it. They are fools. The heresy is to have the 
  technology to achieve  your will, and to renounce it in favour of 
  politics and outdated traditions. I spit upon the Opus Machina, 
  and I am damned in the eyes of the Omnissiah. I am strangely 
  content, knowing that.”
  -Magos Vathek, infamous heretek known as the Unkillable
  �
  hroughout the tumultuous history of the Calixis 
  Sector, the spectre of tech-heresy has often plagued 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Lathe Worlds. Threads 
  of tech-heresy have spread from the far reaches of the Sleef 
  Outworld to the centre of Scintilla itself. The halls of the 
  Panopticon have often rung with binary-cant curses and dire 
  oaths against the pernicious hereteks that infest the Sector. 
  The reasons behind the prevalence of such tech-heresy in 
  the Calixis Sector are many, but one theory from Arch-Magos 
  Korvikal Quietus was that the Sector’s remote location, far from 
  the centre of Imperial control, is a major factor. Others claim that 
  the opportunities the Koronus Passage provides and the unique 
  features of the nearby Jericho Warp gate have drawn hereteks 
  like moths to a ﬂame. Whatever the truth, the Lords Dragon have 
  ruthlessly sought out and crushed tech-heresy wherever it can 
  be found, often working alongside the Inquisition—though the 
  Iron Wall of Silence sharply limits such cooperation.
  Amongst the most notable groups tasked with eliminating 
  and purging hereteks are the militant sects of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, such as the Myrmidons and the Divine Light of 
  Sollex—but there are other groups also highly interested in 
  keeping tech-heresy from corrupting the pure knowledge of 
  the Omnissiah. These organizations include the Magos Juris 
  and, indirectly, the Lathe-Covenant Council itself.
  A CLEAR AND  
  PRESENT HERESY
  Among the greatest threats these groups encounter in the 
  course of their duties are the Logicians. This particular cult 
  embraces a philosophy of progress based upon a single tome, 
  In Defence of the Future: A Logical Discourse.
  The Logicians are well equipped and supplied, but their 
  greatest dangers come from their seductive ideology and their 
  allies. Few amongst the Calixian Mechanicus suspect that the 
  Logicians are assisted by the secretive Recongregators faction of 
  the Inquisition, but given the relations between these two rival 
  organisations most would not register surprise at this revelation. 
  To a lesser extent, the Phaenonite faction also dabbles in 
  tech-heresy and has connections to the Stygiasts, a group of 
  apostate Tech-Priests. The Phaenonites have acquired through 
  their Stygiast partners a collection of cyber-augmented elite 
  warriors known as Maltek Stalkers, and the battles between 
  the Malteks and the Lathe Forge Guard have been savage 
  clashes that leave countless dead on both sides.
  WHAT IS TECH-HERESY?
  Tech-heresy is often interpreted differently across the galaxy. 
  There are many common schemes that the Mechanicus often 
  label as such, but it is rarely found in such prevalence as in the 
  Calixis Sector. The masters of the Lathes have placed their own 
  stamp upon the tolerance and deﬁnitions of tech-heresy; for 
  example, acquiring and studying xenos technology is rarely 
  considered such, due to the particular focus on Explorator 
  matters and the Thulian doctrine of High Fabricator Castellar. 
  Ralwure the Golden leads a conservative faction that considers 
  harming or interfering with an ordained Tech-Priest’s person 
  to be tech-heresy. In particular, this faction advocates severely 
  prosecuting Rogue Traders of the Koronus Expanse who 
  sometimes abduct Tech-Adepts and force them to serve as 
  Enginseers on their vessels.
  The High Fabricators of the Lathes decree (and the Lords 
  Dragon enforce) the following to be tech-heresy across the Calixis 
  Sector and the Lathe Worlds (including those domains outside the 
  Sector), though this is, of course, not a complete listing.
  CENSURE BETRAYAL  
  OF THE CULT MECHANICUS
  Simply put, all those who break a pact with the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus are to be reviled. Any apostates of the Omnissiah, 
  outcasts or exiles, and especially those who dare truck with 
  the daemonic, must be given no assistance, no quarter, and no 
  mercy. As enforced in the Calixis Sector, the Lathe-Covenant 
  Council has a number of rulings applying this censure to the 
  Tech-Witches of Ammicus Tole.
  Ammicus Tole, one of the Logician hereteks on Sinophia, 
  abruptly broke all ties with his parent group and began 
  gathering his own followers. It is presumed that Tole was 
  serially disloyal, for he had earlier also abandoned the Cult 
  Mechanicus for the Logicians.
  The Magos Juris assigned to the case discovered that Tole’s 
  group had become a cult, and he had led them into rituals of 
  the Warp that had irrevocably corrupted the technology that 
  they came into contact with. The Lathe-Covenant Council 
  acted quickly to alert the Inquisition, and assisted them in 
  rooting out the majority of the cult, although some remnants 
  did manage to escape offworld to Cyclopea. Among the most 
  egregious of Tole’s creations was the Prognosticaon, a device 
  of divination that could, with the proper use of sacriﬁcial 
  blood, closely predict the future. 
  THE SIXTEENTH UNIVERSAL LAW 
  “To Break with Ritual is to Break with Faith.”
  As imperfect, organic beings, most Tech-Priests believe 
  that they must rely on Ritual over understanding. Every 
  screw turn and button press is precisely documented for 
  every mechanism they build or use. There is a strong 
  belief that the slightest deviation from ritual is an 
  invitation to disaster and will lead to the unleashing of 
  uncontrollable forces. In matters such as plasma reactor 
  maintenance rituals, this has been demonstrably true.
  “Heresy, they call it. They y are fofoolols.s. Thehe hereresesy y is to have the 
  technology to achieve  you
  our r wi
  willll, an
  and d toto renenou
  ounce it in favour of 
  politics and outda
  dateed trrad
  adititioionsns. I I spspitit upo
  pon thhe Op
  O us Macchina, 
  and I am damned in thehe eyeyes s ofof thehe Omnisissiah. I amm strran
  a gelyly 
  content, knowing tha
  hat.t ”
  -Magos Vatheek,k, infnfam
  amou
  ous heretek known ass the
  he Unk
  nkilillalablble
  hr
  hrou
  o gh
  ghou
  out t ththe e tut multuous
  uss hisistototoryryry of f f thththe e e Ca
  Ca
  Calililixixixis s s
  Sectorr, , ththe sp
  spec
  ectrtre e of tecch-
  h-he
  he
  herereresysysy hasasas oftftften
  en
  en plalalagu
  gu
  gued
  ed
  ed 
  thhe e Ad
  Adep
  eptutus Me
  M chanicuss of f ththe e e La
  La
  Lathththe e e Wo
  Wo
  Worlrlr ds
  d . Th
  Thhrereread
  ad
  a s s 
  of tec
  ech-he
  hereresysy hav
  ave e spread frorom 
  m thththe e e fafaf r r rerereac
  ache
  hes of the Sleleefef 
  Ou
  Outw
  tworldld to o ththe e ce
  centre of f f Sc
  Sc
  Scinintitiilllllla ititselflfl . The e halls of the 
  Panoptpticicon
  on have often rung
  ng wititith h h bibibina
  n ry-cant cu
  cu
  cursrsrseseses andd diririre e
  oathhs ag
  agaiains
  nst t tht e pernicioious
  uss herereretetetek
  ek
  eks s s thththatatat infnfnfesesest t t thththe e e Se
  Se
  Sectctctor
  or
  or. 
  Th
  The e rereasason
  ons behind the
  he
  he prerer va
  valelel nc
  n e of such tech-heresy in 
  ththe Ca
  Calilixixis s Se
  S ctor are man
  anny,y,y, butut one theory from Arch-Magos 
  Ko
  Korvikikalal Quiuietus was tha
  ha
  hat t thththe e Se
  Sector’s remote location, far from 
  thhe e cecentntrere of Impe
  perial con
  ontrtrtrololol, , , isisis a majaja ororo faca tototor. Othhers s clclaiim 
  m that 
  thhe e op
  oppo
  portrtun
  uniti ieies ththe Ko
  Ko
  Korororonu
  nu
  nus s s Pa
  Pa
  Passssssag
  age prprprov
  ov
  o ideses and
  nd
  n the
  hee unin qu
  qu
  q e e
  fefeataturureses of f tht e ne
  nearararby
  by
  by Jerericicho
  h  Warp gate have drawn hereteteks 
  like
  ke motoths
  hs to a ﬂame
  m . Wh
  Wh
  Whatattev
  ever the truth, the Lords Dragon have
  ruthhlelesssslyly sought t ou
  out t t an
  and d crrusheed techh-heresy y wherevere  it can
  be fou
  ound
  n , often woorkining g g alalalon
  on
  ongs
  gs
  gsididide e e thththe e e InInInqu
  qu
  q isisititioion—
  n—ththou
  ough
  gh the
  he 
  Iron
  on Wala l of Silencece sha
  ha
  harprpr lyly limits suuch
  c  cooperaration.
  Am
  Amon
  ongst the mo
  mo
  m stst nototo ab
  ablel  groups tasked with eliminating
  and d pu
  purgr ing g hereeteteks
  ks
  ks arere the militant sects of the Adeptus 
  Mech
  chan
  anicicus, , suuch as s thththe My
  My
  Myrm
  rm
  rmidididon
  o s s an
  a d d d ththe Di
  Divivine Ligightht of f 
  Sollex
  ex—b
  —butut the
  h rere arerere othththererer grorooup
  upps s also
  so higi hlh y inintereststed
  ed in 
  ke
  keep
  epining tet ch-herere esesy y y frfrfrom
  om cor
  o rupting the pure knowledge of 
  thhe e Om
  Omnin sss iah. The
  hesese orgrganizations include the Magos Juris 
  and,d, ind
  ndiri ectly, the
  hee Latatthe
  he-C
  -Cov
  o enant Co
  C uncil itself.
  A CLEAR AND 
  PRESENT HERESY
  Am
  A ong g ththe greatetetestst thr
  hr
  hrea
  ea
  eatsts these groups en
  e counter in the 
  coursese of f ththeir dutiies arere the
  he
  h  Logicians. This particular cult 
  em
  embr
  b ac
  aceses a phihilosophy ofof prororogr
  gr
  g esess s ba
  b sed upon a single tome, 
  In Defencee of f ththe Future: A Loogigigicacacal l l Di
  Di
  Discscscou
  ou
  o rsrsr e.e
  The Lo
  Logigicician
  ans are we
  w lll equ
  qu
  quipipippe
  ped d d an
  an
  and d d sususupp
  pp
  ppliliied
  ed
  ed, bu
  bu
  but thheie r r
  greatest dange
  gersrs come from the
  he
  heiririr sed
  ed
  educ
  uc
  uctitive
  ve ide
  deologgy an
  an
  a d their 
  allies. Few 
  w am
  amon
  ongs
  gst t the Caalixian
  an Mecece ha
  ha
  hanininicu
  cu
  cus sususp
  sp
  specect t that the 
  Logicians are asa sisiststed
  ed by y the secrcretivive e Re
  Reco
  co
  cong
  ng
  ngrererega
  ga
  gatototorsrsr facacctiion
  on of f f 
  the Inquisition, butut giviven
  en the relatioions
  ns betetwe
  ween
  en
  en the
  he
  hesesese two
  wo
  wo rivivivalalal 
  organisations moostt wou
  ouldld not reg
  e isteer suurprpririsesee at t thththisisis rev
  ev
  evelelelatatatioioion.n.n. 
  To a lesser ex
  extetentnt, , ththe e Ph
  Phaenonite faction
  o  alslso da
  d bb
  bb
  bblel s s inin 
  tech-heresy annd ha
  has s co
  conn
  nnec
  ectition
  ons to the
  h  Styygig asts, a group of 
  apostate Tech-Priests. The
  he Pha
  haen
  enon
  onititeses hav
  ave e ac
  acqu
  quirired
  ed thr
  hrou
  ough
  gh 
  their Stygiast partntnerers s a a co
  collllectition
  on of f cy
  cybe
  ber-r-au
  augm
  gmen
  enteted d elelite 
  warriors known as Maltek Staalklkers,s  and
  nd the
  he batattltleses betetwe
  ween
  en 
  the Malteks and the Lathe e Forgrge e Guarard d ha
  have
  ve bee
  een n sasava
  vage
  ge 
  clashes that leave countless dead onn boto h side
  des.
  WHAT IS TECH-
  T
  HERESY?
  Te
  Tech
  ch-h
  -hereresesy isis oftften
  en intntere preted differently across the galaxy. 
  Th
  Therere e ara e ma
  many
  ny com
  ommo
  mon n schemes that the Mechanicus often
  label l as such, butut it t isis rararelely y fofoun
  und d in such prevalence as in the 
  Ca
  C lixis Sector. . Th
  The e ma
  maststerers s ofof the
  he Lathes have placed their own 
  ststammp p uppon
  on the
  he tololereran
  ance
  ce and
  nd deﬁnititions of tech-heresy; for 
  exxammplp e, acq
  cquiuiriring
  ng and
  nd stutudy
  dyining g xenos technology is rarely 
  considered such, duee to o ththe e pa
  partrticicular focus on Explorator 
  matters and the Thulian n do
  doctctririne
  ne of f Hi
  H gh Fabricator Castellar. 
  Ra
  Ra
  Ralw
  lw
  lwuru e tht e Golden leads a con
  onseservrvatative faction that considers
  ha
  ha
  h rm
  rm
  r ining g or
  or interfering with h an
  an ordrdaiained Tech-Priest’s person 
  tototo be e tetet ch
  ch
  c -h
  -h
  - ere esy. In particulu ar, ththisis fac
  action
  o  adv
  d ocates severely 
  pr
  pr
  pros
  os
  osec
  ec
  e utututinini g g Ro
  Rogu
  g e Traders of the
  he Kor
  oron
  o us Expanse who 
  soome
  me
  metitit me
  me
  mes s ab
  ab
  abdu
  du
  d ct Tech-Adeptss and
  nd for
  orce
  ce them to serve as 
  Enngigig ns
  nssee
  ee
  e rsrs on n n thththeieie r r ve
  ve
  vessels.
  Th
  Th
  The e e Hi
  Hi
  High
  gh
  gh Fab
  ab
  abriricacacatotorsrs of ththe e La
  Laththeses dececreree (a( nd the Lords 
  Dragon enforcecece) ththt e e fof llowing to be e tetech
  ch-h
  -hereresy across the Calixis 
  Sector and the
  he
  h Latatthe
  he
  he Woro lds (includiding
  ng tho
  hosese domains outside the 
  Sector), though h ththisisis is,s, of f co
  course, not t a a co
  comp
  mpleletete listing.
  CEN
  EN
  ENSU
  SU
  SURE
  RE
  RE BETRA
  RA
  RAYA
  Y L
  OF THE
  H CUL
  ULLT
  L  M
  T
  EC
  EC
  E HANIICU
  CUS
  Simply put, all l ththhos
  os
  ose e e wh
  wh
  w o break a pa
  pactct witith h the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus
  us
  us are to o be
  be
  be rev
  ev
  evilililed
  ed
  ed. . An
  Any aposstatatetes s ofof the Omnissiah, 
  ou
  outctcasastststs or r r ex
  ex
  exililileseses, , an
  an
  and d d esesespe
  pecic alallyl  tho
  hosese who
  h  dare truck with 
  the daemonic, must be gigive
  ven no assistanc
  nce,e, no o quuarter, and no
  mercy. As enforcedd in n thththe e Ca
  Calixis Sector
  or, ththe e La
  Lathe-Covenant 
  Council has a numb
  mbererer of f rururuliling
  ngs applp ying
  ng thih s censure to the 
  Te
  Tech
  ch-W
  -Wititch
  ch
  cheseses of f f Am
  Am
  Ammi
  mi
  micu
  cu
  c s s To
  T le.
  Ammicus Tole, , , on
  one e ofofo the
  he Logician he
  herereteteks
  ks on Sinophia, 
  abruptly broke allll tieieies s wi
  w thth his pararen
  ent t gr
  grou
  oup an
  a d began
  gathering his own fofollllow
  ow
  owers. It is preresu
  sume
  med that Tole was 
  serially disloloyal, for
  orr he e e ha
  ha
  h d d earlier r alalso
  so aba
  band
  ndon
  o ed the Cult
  Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicicus
  us
  us for
  or
  or the
  he
  he Log
  og
  ogiciciaians
  ns.
  The Magos JuJuJuririris asasa sisign
  gned
  ed to the casese disisco
  cove
  v red that Tole’s 
  gr
  g oup had become
  me a culult,t  and he had leled d ththem
  em into rituals of 
  thththe Warp that t ha
  ha
  h d d d irirrerevo
  v cably corrrrup
  upteted d ththe technology that 
  they came intoto con
  on
  ontatactc  with. Thee Latathe
  h -Covenant Council
  acted quicklkly y tototo alelel rtr  the Inquisiitition
  on, , an
  and assisted them in 
  rooting out t ththhe e e ma
  ma
  m jojorir ty of the cultlt, alalththou
  ough
  g  some remnants 
  dididid d d ma
  ma
  mana
  na
  nage
  ge
  ge to o o esese ca
  ca
  c pe
  p offworld d toto Cyc
  yclolope
  p a. Among the most 
  egrereregigiou
  ou
  ous s s ofofof Tololole’e’e s s crc eatitions wa
  was s ththe e Pr
  P ognosticaon, a device
  ofof divivinininatatatioioion n n ththt atat could, withth the
  he prorope
  p r use of sacriﬁcial 
  blbloo
  oo
  ood,d,d, cloloseselyl  predict the futturure.e. 
  THE SIXT
  X EEN
  T
  TH UNIVERSAL LAW
  AW
  AW
  AW
  “To Break with Ritual is to Break with Faith.”
  As imperfect, organic beings, most Tech-Priests beelililieve 
  that they must rely on Ritual over understandingg. . Evvere y 
  screw turn and button press is precisely documented d fofofofor 
  every mechanism they build or use. There is a strong
  ng
  ng
  ng 
  belief that the slightest deviation from ritual is an n
  invitation to disaster and will lead to the unleashingg of f
  uncontrollable forces. In matters such as plasma reactor 
  maintenance rituals, this has been demonstrably truee.
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  AVERT ANY TWISTING  
  OF THE SACRED GENES OF MANKIND
  There are many amongst the Calixian Mechanicus, particularly 
  Magos Biologis, who are devout to the belief that the form of Man 
  is, in itself, to be revered. This creed states that the gene-structure 
  of humanity is as the Emperor intended it—any unnecessary 
  alterations to the human gene-code is, therefore, anathema. The 
  exact deﬁnition of what is “unnecessary” meddling has waxed 
  and waned over the centuries since the founding of the Lathes, 
  but there are currently many amongst the Lathe-Covenant 
  Council who cast great doubt upon even the smallest changes. 
  Most shun more elaborate modiﬁcations such as those procedures 
  that produce enhanced Gland Warriors, though when enough 
  thrones are applied it is still discretely carried out.
  The Sector itself was nearly rent asunder by the tech-heresies 
  of Umbra Malygris only a few decades ago, and the blasphemies 
  he was responsible for are still strong in the memory banks 
  of the Calixian Mechanicus. Malygris pioneered the 
  dark art of bioforging, a horriﬁc forced mutation of 
  the human body into a hulking, armoured thing 
  capable of surviving for brief periods in vacuum. 
  The Apostatic Matrix, another of Malygris’ 
  inventions, twists the very fabric of the mind 
  to turn faith into heresy. He also developed 
  a method of fusing human biology with 
  that of alien races, mixing xenos gene-code 
  into his captives with a process that became 
  known as transgenics. The High Fabricator 
  has decreed that Malygris’ name be accursed 
  forevermore within the transmit data-streams, 
  but not even he can deny that Malygris 
  possessed a formidable genius.
  RENOUNCE THE  
  EMPYRIC DEVICE
  This tech-heresy involves studying and 
  constructing the device-patterns of the 
  Archenemy. To the Calixian Mechanicus, 
  any technology that touches upon or 
  manipulates the Warp, such as the hallowed 
  Gellar ﬁeld that protects voidships during 
  Warp transit, is to be considered cautiously 
  and is often suspect, for any malfunction 
  or deviation can spell disaster. Thus, 
  tech that directly seeks to channel and 
  direct the corruption of the Warp 
  is tech-heresy of the worst sort 
  and is often seen as a direct link 
  to apostasy. Using technology 
  to bind a Daemon is but one 
  example of this tech-heresy.
  The Arch-Magos Callophe 
  once studied the effects of human 
  psykers upon the material world, 
  but her research violated 
  many of the Mechanicus’ 
  most sacred precepts. In time, she was incinerated through 
  Inquisitorial edict, but she had left behind a staggering 
  number of empyric devices and an organised group of 
  hereteks known as the Empyric Engineers. 
  One of Callophe’s most well-known developments was 
  the psy-engine, a crude weapon capable of harnessing and 
  directing the power of a number of disembodied psyker brains. 
  Her followers also built ætheric resonators, weaponised frames 
  that channelled Warp energy into vicious, crackling blades. 
  ABJURE THE UNLIVING
  The Calixian Mechanicus refers to the protean engineering 
  for returning life to the dead as the tech-heresy Unliving. 
  Adapting technology to raise or communicate with the dead 
  is considered vile by the Lathe-Covenant Council, and is to 
  be stamped out wherever it is encountered. This has much to 
  do with a former member of that council, the outcast Magos 
  Vathek. Infamous both in the Tech-Priesthood and amongst 
  the Inquisition, Vathek devised several machines that operate 
  on a principle known as the “Sarcosan wave.” Sarcosan wave 
  generators restore a measure of life to the dead, 
  animating corpses with an unnatural hunger 
  in an unspeakable mockery of the living. The 
  Sarcosan wave generators built into Vathek’s 
  own carapace have allowed his survival in 
  many encounters that should have been fatal. 
  According to the agents of the Lords Dragon, 
  Vathek has made preparations to leave the Calixis 
  Sector for some distant destination. He has begun 
  forming around him a group of similarly apostate 
  Tech-Priests that has been dubbed “the Stygiasts.”
  The speculum umbrae is a 
  similar creation of the Animal 
  Mori, that purports to allow 
  communication with spirits 
  of the dead. Firmly renounced 
  by the Lathe-Covenant Council, 
  the current theory within the 
  Calixian Mechanicus is that such 
  devices instead are contacting the Warp or 
  are somehow transmitting “echoes” of living 
  souls rather than the truly dead. This has not 
  tempered the Logicutioners when they 
  ﬁnd those possessing such heresies. 
  ABHOR THE  
  SILICA ANIMUS
  Few things are more loathsome to the 
  Calixian Tech-Priesthood than any 
  who seek to resurrect the Iron Men 
  or other horrors of the Dark Age of 
  Technology. Tech-Adepts of the Lathes 
  reject with horror any idea of soulless 
  sentience, called by some the Silica 
  Animus or “Abominable Intelligence.” 
  Without a machine-spirit, a 
  device is but a shell. If that 
  th h a a a fofoformererer mem
  em
  embe
  be
  ber r r ofofof tha
  hat c
  k. InInInfafafamo
  mo
  moususus botototh h h ininin the
  he
  he Tececech
  quisition, Vathek k k de
  de
  deviviv sesed d seseeve
  v
  principle known as s thththe e e “S“Sararrco
  generators restoorere a mea
  easus
  anim
  im
  imatatatini g g coorprprpseses s s w
  in an n unsp
  speaka
  kablble e m
  Sarcosan wav
  ave e ge
  ge
  gene
  ne
  own carapa
  pacece hav
  av
  ave
  maany
  ny
  ny encouuntntererers s ththth
  Ac
  Ac
  A co
  co
  cordrdrdinining g g tototo the
  he
  he age
  ge
  g
  Vathek has madde prrep
  eppararar
  Sector for some didisttan
  annt t 
  forming aroundd him
  im
  im a g
  Te
  Te
  Tech
  ch
  c -P
  -Priririesesestststs tha
  ha
  hat t ha
  ha
  has s be
  be
  be
  Th
  Th
  The e 
  sisiimi
  milala
  Mo
  Mo
  Mor
  co
  co
  com
  ofofof th
  by
  by the
  he
  h
  thththe e cu
  currr
  Ca
  Calililixixixian
  an
  an M
  deviviceces s inininststea
  ead d a
  are some
  me
  meho
  how 
  w trt ans
  soululs s rararathththerer thaan th
  tetetemp
  mp
  mpererered
  edd thee 
  ﬁn
  ﬁn
  ﬁnd d thhose possss
  ABHOR TH
  SILLIC
  ICA AN
  Few thhinings
  gs ar
  Ca
  Calil xixian
  an Tec
  ec
  wh
  who o seseek
  ek to o 
  or
  or oththerer hor
  orr
  Te
  Tech
  chnology
  gy. T
  rer jej ct with ho
  seentience, cala le
  Anim
  imus
  u  or “A
  Withhou
  devic
  AVER
  A
  T
  R ANY T
  Y
  WIS
  T
  TING
  OF THE SACRED GENES
  G
  OF
  OF MAN
  ANKIN
  IND
  There are many amongst the Calixixiaian n Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicusus, , pa
  partrticicululararlyly 
  Magos Biologis, who ara e devoutto oththe e be
  beliliefef tha
  hat t ththe e foform
  rmof f Ma
  Man 
  is, in itself, to be revered. Th
  This crereed
  ed statatetes s ththatat the
  he gen
  e e-structure
  of humanity is as ththe e Emmperoror r inintetend
  nded
  ed it—an
  a y unnecessary 
  alterations to the humman gene-e-co
  code
  de is,s, the
  hererefof ree, an
  anathema. The e
  exact deﬁnition of wha
  hat t isis “un
  unne
  nececessssary”y” med
  eddling has waxed d
  and waned over the
  he cen
  entuturirieses sinincece the
  h  founding of the
  he Latathe
  hes,s  
  but there arre currrren
  entltly y ma
  many
  ny amoongst the Lathe
  he
  he-C
  -C
  -Cov
  oven
  enannt 
  Council who o cacastst grereatat dou
  oubtbt upon even the
  he sma
  ma
  m llllllest t t ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  ange
  ge
  ges.s.s. 
  Most shun more elalabo
  boratete mod
  odiﬁiﬁcacatit onn
  ons s such as s thththos
  os
  ose e prprproc
  oc
  oced
  ed
  edururureseses
  that producee enh
  nhan
  anceced d Gl
  Glan
  a d Warriors, , thou
  ough
  gh
  gh whe
  he
  hen n n en
  enou
  ough
  gh
  gh 
  thrones arre e ap
  applieied d itit is s ststilill l discretely cararriried
  ed oututut.
  The Sector itstselelf f wa
  was s ne
  nearly rent asun
  unde
  der r by
  by
  by the
  he
  h tech-heresies 
  of Umbra Malyg
  ygriris s on
  onlyly a feww decad
  adeseses ago
  go
  go, , an
  an
  and ththe blb asphemies 
  he was respoonsibiblele for
  or are stil
  of the Calixiaian Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicus. M
  dark art of biofofor
  orgiging
  ng, , a horrriﬁ
  the huma
  m n n bo
  body
  dy intn o a hulkin
  capablb e of sururviviviving
  ng for brieff
  The Ap
  A ostatiic c Ma
  Matrtrixix, anothe
  h r 
  inventtioions
  ns, tw
  twisistststhe very fabr
  bricic
  to turn fafaith h inintoto heresy. He alals
  a method of f fufusising
  ng humman
  an bi
  that of alien n raraceces,, mixixing xeeno
  no
  into his cap
  aptitive
  ves s wi
  withth a procecesssss
  known as trarans
  nsgeninicsc . Thhe Hi
  Hig
  has decreed d ththatat Malyg
  y ris’ nam
  am
  am
  forevermor
  ore e wi
  withthin the
  h trans
  nssmi
  mi
  mi
  but not ev
  e en
  en he e cacan de
  deny
  ny
  possessesed d a a foform
  rmidable gen
  e iuius.s.
  REN
  ENOUUNC
  NCE
  R
  THE
  EMPYRICC
  P
  DEV
  E ICE
  This tech-he
  hereresysy involves 
  constructingg
  the
  he device-pa
  pat
  Archenem
  e y. To o ththe Ca
  Calil xixix an
  an
  any techno
  nolology
  gy tha
  h t toucch
  manipulates the Wa
  Warprp, such as 
  Gellar ﬁeld that prorotetectcts s void
  Warp transit, is to be
  b con
  onsis de
  dere
  and is often suspectct, fofor r an
  any y m
  or deviation can spe
  pellll disisasa
  tech that did rectly seeeks
  k  to o ch
  chan
  a
  direct the corruption off the
  he
  is tech-heresy of the worsrst
  and is often seen as a direc
  ect t
  to apostasy. Using technolo
  to bind a Daemon is but on
  example of this tech-heresy.
  The Arch-Magos Calloph
  once studied the effects of h
  psykers upon the material w
  but her research
  violated 
  many of the Mechanicus’ 
  mo
  mostst s
  In
  Inqu
  quisis
  nu
  numb
  mbe
  he
  h rete
  On
  the ps
  did rectcti
  Her foo
  ththhat ch
  ABJ
  BJ
  BJU
  Th
  The e C
  fofofor r rereret
  Adaptii
  is con
  be stam
  d
  decadeses ago
  go
  go, , an
  and the blasphemies
  ll strt on
  ong g g ininin the
  he
  he mem
  em
  emor
  or
  ory y y ba
  ba
  bank
  nk
  nks s s 
  Malylygr
  grisis pioioi neere ed the 
  ﬁc c foforcrcr ed
  ed
  ed mutu ation of 
  ng,g,g, arm
  rm
  rmou
  ourer d thing 
  perererioioods
  ds
  ds in n n va
  v cu
  cu
  cuum
  um.
  ofoff Malalalyg
  yg
  ygririris’s’s’ 
  cof f f thththe emind 
  so
  so
  so dev
  ev
  e eleloped 
  ioioiololology
  gy with 
  os s ge
  ge
  gene
  ne
  n -c-code e e 
  tha
  ha
  hat t be
  be
  becac me
  m  
  gh
  gh Fab
  abricator 
  me e be
  be
  b  accursed 
  it t da
  da
  d tata-s-s-strt eams,
  tha
  ha
  hat t Ma
  Ma
  Malylylygr
  gr
  grisisis 
  ststud
  ud
  udyiying
  n  and 
  ttttererns
  ns
  ns
  of f the
  n Mec
  ec
  echa
  ha
  hanininicu
  cu
  cus,s,s, 
  he
  hes s up
  up
  upon
  on or 
  thhe e ha
  ha
  h llllllow
  ow
  owed
  ed 
  dshhipipips s du
  duririring
  ng
  n  
  ed caututioious
  us
  uslylyly 
  malflfunnctctioion n 
  ter. Thu
  hu
  h s,s, 
  nnel and 
  e Wara p 
  t t so
  sortrt 
  lilink
  nk 
  ogy 
  ne 
  he
  huma
  m n
  world, 
  doo wititit
  Va
  Va
  Vathththek
  ek
  ek
  the In
  on a
  
  ����������������������
  ��
  device, however, contains an animating intelligent force, it is 
  no longer technology that can be trusted and relied upon, it 
  is no longer part of the Omnissiah’s great plan—it is nothing 
  less than damnation made real.
  Both the Inquisition and the Magos Juris have hunted the 
  heretek Nomen Ryne for his blasphemies of the Silica Animus. 
  Ryne’s most infamous discovery was that of the so-called 13th 
  Pattern of Cogitation, an outlawed set of rubrications that can 
  give life and sentience to a soulless machine. Many claim that 
  the schismatical data-patterns in the deep infotombs of Lathe-
  Hadd are also his work, but no connection has been proven. 
  Naturally, the Calixian Mechanicus purges any and all machines 
  found to possess any data-markers of this 13th Pattern, and in 
  many cases the Techsorcists have been called in to assist.
  Ryne has so far escaped justice due to his cunning—he 
  has constructed a number of frighteningly lifelike automatons 
  shrouded in the robes of a Tech-Priest. These “False-Men” 
  spread as far as Alactra, and the Magos Juris intercepted a 
  number of them attempting to book passage into the Koronus 
  Expanse. Ryne’s work has also birthed other abominations, 
  such as the beast-minded mech spiders and murder-cogitators, 
  hand-held devices that can assassinate a machine-spirit. 
  One of Ryne’s greatest followers is a Tech-Priest formerly 
  associated with the Inquisition, Cyrrik Scayl. 
  Other examples of this tech-heresy include the mech-
  assassin automata known as Gholams and Golephs, both of 
  which have plagued the Calixis Sector for decades. Of late, an 
  entirely new pattern—the Caryatid—has emerged, bearing 
  far more advanced weapon systems and hunting protocols. 
  The Lords Dragon are said to be intensely interested to ﬁnd 
  out more about the Caryatids and destroy their source.
  LESSER TECH-HERESIES
  The true nature of what constitutes tech-heresy is vague 
  enough that it can encompass a truly wide variety of subject 
  and activities. Generally speaking, in the Calixis Sector there 
  are several deﬁnite actions that are considered amongst the 
  lesser tech-heresies (called such because they do not fall 
  under one of the other major categories).
  Misuse of Technology
  An extremely broad category, this usually refers to the adaptation 
  of technology to a use other than that for which it was intended. 
  Such misuse can be as simple as otherwise innocent technology 
  used against the Adeptus Mechanicus rather than for it, 
  transmitting blasphemies against the Omnissiah through a vox-
  network, or even abusing a chronically recalcitrant machine-spirit 
  (such as venting one’s frustration with the offending machine in 
  the presence of a Tech-Priest). Naturally, due to the imprecise 
  nature of this category, it is easily misunderstood and rarely 
  draws major attention from the Calixian Mechanicus.
  The case of Illucius Grizvaldi is an excellent illustration of this 
  particular lesser tech-heresy. Grizvaldi, a previously low-proﬁle 
  heretek, took over a small section of Scintilla and began liberally 
  transforming its citizens into bestial servitors loyal only to him. 
  The Inquisition intervened in the matter and Grizvaldi was 
  summarily executed, although his legacy lived on. From time to 
  time, other hereteks seek to match or copy Grizvaldi’s atrocity.
  Unsanctioned Communion with the Machine
  The inﬂuence of the Lathe-Covenant Council can be quite 
  powerful on the attitudes and outlooks of the Tech-Priesthood 
  at large within the Calixis Sector. The extremely conservative 
  faction, led by Arch-Magos Ralwure the Golden, has campaigned 
  at length to establish a set of activities as tech-heresy. Ralwure’s 
  diatribes on this subject are the stuff of the legend, and thanks 
  to his inﬂuence, the Council has decreed in his favour. Thus, for 
  the lay citizen (one not belonging to the Calixian Mechanicus) to 
  craft unsanctioned augments, or scavenge technology (particularly 
  the pernicious Reclaimators lurking in the depths of the Calixian 
  hive cities) has been declared tech-heresy. This policy has sought 
  to go so far as to also include interfering with or harming a 
  Tech-Priest’s person, but that has yet to be fully adopted. The 
  extent of this particular category is replete with a complex set 
  of precedents and exceptions that only those within the Cult 
  Mechanicus could truly understand.
  THE PRICE OF HERESY
  Those condemned for tech-heresy face a variety of 
  punishments, depending not only on the severity of their 
  actions but also their accusers. Minor slights that do not 
  draw untoward attention might only result in loss of resource 
  access or, more often, exile to the far regions of the Calixis 
  Sector, there for the Tech-Priest to reﬂect on the nature of his 
  incorrect thoughts. These often include actions not technically 
  heretical, but against the current tenets of the Council or 
  moduli-scholem of the Lathes hierarchies; such apostasies 
  result in the individual being labelled Malatek. 
  More serious heresies require greater punishments, such as 
  permanent removal of blessed augmentations, cranial scouring, 
  and corrective re-engramation, all followed with the heretic’s 
  formal declarations to the Lathes on the errors of their ways. 
  The most serious crimes demand the most serious of 
  punishments, with mere cessation of thought and bodily 
  disposal being the least imposed. Those found guilty of 
  heresies that would shake the Lathes are often sentenced in 
  closed tribunals, the better to ensure that others do not  learn 
  such heresies exist. Their fate is often Servitude, and their 
  minds are destroyed as their bodies are transformed into 
  base servitors for the rest of their wretched lives. Especially 
  heretical Tech-Priests might be sent to the horrors of 
  Sheol-17 ﬁrst, so that every possible datum can be extracted 
  from their brains, the better to root out the extent of their 
  heresies. Such is the will of the Machine God, and the will 
  of those who rule in his name. 
  de
  de
  de
  deviviviv ce
  ce
  ce
  ce, , , ho
  ho
  ho
  howe
  we
  we
  weve
  ve
  v r,r, con
  ontataaininins s an
  an
  an
  an aninima
  maatiting
  ng intntntn elelelllililige
  ge
  ge
  ge
  g ntnt for
  or
  or
  orce
  ce
  ce
  ce, , , ititit is s s 
  no
  no
  no
  no lon
  on
  on
  o ge
  ge
  ge
  ger r r r tet chhno
  n lology
  gy
  gy tha
  ha
  ha
  hat t ca
  can n be
  be
  be truruststed
  ed
  ed
  ed and
  nd
  nd
  nd relelelelieieieied up
  up
  up
  upon
  on
  on, , , itititi  
  isisisis no lolololong
  nger part ofo the
  he
  he
  he Omn
  mn
  mnnisisissisiah
  ah’s’s’s grerereatat plalan—
  n—
  —ititit is s no
  no
  no
  no
  nothththththininining g
  lelelel ssssss tha
  ha
  ha
  han n da
  damn
  m ation n ma
  made
  de
  de
  de rea
  eaal.l.l.
  Bo
  Bo
  Bothth the
  he Inqquiuiu sisitititit on
  on
  on and
  nd
  nd
  n
  the
  he
  he Mag
  ag
  agos
  os Jurururrisisisis hav
  avve e e e hu
  h nted
  ed
  e
  the
  he
  he
  he
  h  
  heereretetek k No
  Nomeen n n Ry
  Ryyne
  ne
  ne
  ne for
  or
  or
  or hisisis blalalalasp
  sp
  spphe
  he
  hemi
  mi
  mieseseses of f f ththththe e SiSiSiSililililica Anininininimu
  mu
  mu
  mus.s  
  Ry
  R nee’s’s mos
  o t ininini fafamo
  mo
  mo
  moususu disisisco
  c ve
  ve
  ve
  veryry wasas tha
  ha
  hat t ofofof the
  he
  he so-
  o-
  o-
  o-cac lllllllled
  ed
  edd 13t3t3t3th h h h
  Pa
  Patttterern n ofo Cog
  oggitititatatioion,n, an n n ou
  ou
  outltltlt aww
  awwed
  ed setetetet of f rurururubr
  br
  br
  b icicicatatatatioioions tha
  ha
  ha
  hat cac n 
  gigive
  ve lifife annd d sesentntn ieienc
  n e e too a sou
  ou
  oulllesss s s s ma
  ma
  ma
  mach
  ch
  ch
  chinininine.e.e.e. Man
  any y y y clclclclaim ththththat 
  ththe e scschismmataticicallal datata--a-pa
  pa
  patttttterererns
  ns
  ns in n ththhe e e e de
  de
  de
  deep
  ep
  ep
  ep infnfnfnfototototom
  om
  om
  ombs
  b  of Lathhe-e-e-e-
  Ha
  Hadd
  dd
  dd
  dd
  d  arererere alslso o hihihihis wo
  wo
  workrkrk, bu
  bu
  but t no
  no
  no con
  on
  o ne
  ne
  ne tctctctioioioion n ha
  ha
  ha
  has beeen proven.n. 
  Na
  Natutututurallllly,y, the
  he Calalalixixixiaiaian n Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  chan
  an
  anicicicusus purge
  g s s an
  an
  any y an
  annd d alalalall l machh
  chini ess 
  fofoun
  und toot pos
  ossesessss any
  ny
  ny datatata-a-a-ma
  markrkrkererers of this s s 13
  13
  13thth Patata tetetetern, and ininin 
  ma
  many casa eses the
  he Tececechs
  hs
  hsor
  or
  orciciciststts ha
  haave been n called in toto asssisisisist.
  Ry
  Ry
  R ne
  ne hasasas so o o fafafar r r esesesca
  ca
  cape
  peed d justice e e e du
  d e to his cunning
  ng
  ngg—h
  — e
  ha
  ha
  ha
  haas s s s s co
  coons
  nstrruc
  uc
  ucteteted d d a nu
  nu
  number of f f f frfrfrfrigigighthththten
  en
  en
  enini gly lifelike automaton
  on
  on
  ons s s 
  sh
  sh
  shroororooud
  udd
  ud
  udded
  ed in n n thththe e e ror bes of a Tech-
  h-
  h--Pr
  Pr
  Pr
  Priei sts . Th
  T ese “Falsee-Menn”
  sp
  sp
  sp
  sp
  sprerereead
  ad
  ad
  ad as s fafafar r asasas Alalactra, an
  a d the Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Mago
  g s Juris intetetercrcrcep
  ep
  ep
  epteteteed a
  nu
  nu
  n mb
  mb
  mb
  mbererererr of f f thththem
  em
  em attempting to book pa
  pa
  pa
  passsssss ag
  ag
  agge ininintototot the
  he
  h Koron
  on
  on
  onus
  us
  u  
  Ex
  Ex
  Ex
  Expa
  pa
  pa
  pans
  ns
  ns
  nse.e.e.e Ryn
  yn
  yne’s s wo
  wo
  w rk
  r  has also birthed d ototothe
  h r abominatioions
  ns
  ns
  ns, 
  su
  suu
  such
  ch
  ch
  c as s s s thththhthhe e e be
  be
  beast-minded mecch h spiders and murdrdrderere -c-c-c-cog
  og
  og
  ogititititatatator
  or
  or
  o s, 
  ha
  ha
  haand
  nd-hh
  -hheleleleld d de
  de
  devivivice
  ce
  c s that can
  an assassinaatetetete a mac
  ac
  ac
  achihihihine-spipipipiririririt.t.t.t. 
  One ofof Ryn
  yn
  yn
  yn
  yn
  yne’e s greatest followersrsrsrs is a a a a Tech-P
  -PPriririest formerly 
  asasasassso
  so
  socicic atated
  ed
  ed
  ed witititi h h the Inquisition, Cyrrik Scayl. 
  Ot
  Ot
  Othe
  h r ex
  ex
  ex
  exam
  am
  amm
  ammplp es of this tech-heresy inclulululude
  de
  de
  d
  the
  he
  he
  h
  mech-
  asasasa sasaasasssss in aututututom
  om
  om
  omatatatata known as Gholams and Golololep
  ephs
  h , bo
  bo
  boththth of 
  wh
  wh
  w icicich h h h ha
  have plagu
  gu
  gu
  g ed
  ed
  ed
  ed
  ed the
  h  Calixis Sector for decade
  de
  de
  des.. Of f f f latee, an
  an
  an 
  en
  en
  entirelylyly new
  ew
  ew patttetetetern
  rn—t
  — he Caryatid—has emerge
  ge
  ged,d,d beaarir ngg 
  fafafaf r r moree adv
  dv
  dv
  dvanced d we
  we
  we
  weap
  ap
  ap
  apon systems and hunting prototooco
  c ls. .
  Th
  Thhe e Lords Dr
  Dr
  Dr
  Dr
  D agon aree saiaiaiaid tot  be intensely interested to ﬁn
  ﬁn
  ﬁnnd 
  out t mo
  m re abo
  bo
  bo
  bo
  bout the Carya
  ya
  ya
  yatitititids
  ds
  ds and
  n  destroy their source.
  LES
  ES
  ESSE
  SE
  SER T
  R
  ECH
  T
  -HER
  E ESIES
  Th
  Thhe trtrtrue
  ue
  ue natatatururure of what co
  co
  co
  constitutes techh-h
  -h
  -herereresesesy y y isisis vag
  ag
  ague
  u  
  en
  en
  enn
  enou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  o gh
  gh
  gh tha
  hat ititi  can encompass a trurururuly wide varietetete y ofofof sub
  ub
  ubbjejejeectctctct 
  an
  an
  an
  and d d ac
  ac
  ac
  actititivivivitititiese . Generally speaking, inininin the Calixis Sec
  ec
  ector therererere e e e
  arararrare e e ses verarararararal de
  de
  deﬁnnite actions that arer  conside
  de
  dered d am
  am
  am
  amon
  on
  on
  o gs
  gs
  g t the
  lelelelel sssssssererer tech-he
  he
  he
  he
  herereresisiies (caalled such be
  be
  be
  beca
  ca
  cause e they do not fall 
  un
  un
  un
  un
  unde
  de
  der one of thee otht er major categories).
  Mi
  Mi
  Mi
  Misu
  su
  su
  s se
  se
  s  of Technologyy
  An
  An
  An
  An
  An extxtxtxtrerereme
  m ly broad category this usuaalllllll y refers to the adaptation
  Uns
  n anctio
  io
  ione
  ne
  ned d d 
  U
  Com
  om
  om
  om
  om
  o
  mu
  mu
  m ni
  nion wititi h h th
  th
  thhe e Ma
  Mach
  chhin
  in
  in
  ine
  Th
  Thhe inﬂuuen
  encecece of f f thththe e La
  La
  Lathththhthe-e-e Co
  Cove
  vena
  n ntn  Cou
  ou
  ou
  ounc
  ncill cann be qu
  q itititte 
  po
  po
  poo
  p we
  w rfr ull on n thththe atatattitititututude
  de
  des s an
  an
  annd d d ou
  outltloo
  ooksk  of the e Te
  Te
  T ch
  ch-PPririesesththood d
  atatata  large wititithih n thhe e Ca
  Calililixixis s Se
  Se
  Sectctctctororororor. . Th
  The e ex
  extrt emmelly y co
  cons
  nsererrva
  va
  v titive
  ve
  v  
  fafafaction,n,n, led
  edd by Archh-M
  Mag
  ag
  agos Ralalalwu
  wu
  wurereere the
  he Gololde
  den,n has cam
  ampa
  paigigne
  ned d 
  atatatat length totot  establililish
  sh
  sh
  sh a set of aca tititivivivititititiesesess as s tetech
  ch-h
  -heresy. Rala wu
  wurere’ss 
  dididiatribes on
  o thih s suubjbjbjjececece t t t are ththt e e stststufufuff f f ofof the
  he
  he
  h leg
  egen
  end,d,d  andd tha
  hank
  nks 
  tototo his inﬂuencc
  nc
  n e, thee Cou
  ou
  ou
  ouncilil has dececcrerereed
  ed
  edd
  ed in n n hihis s fafavo
  vouru . Thusussus, , fofor r
  the lay citizen (one nototot belelele on
  on
  ongig ng
  ngg to o thththe e e Ca
  Ca
  C lilixixian
  an Mececha
  h nicus)s)s)s) to o
  crcrrcraft unsanctiion
  o ed auggme
  me
  mentntnts,s,s,or r rscscsccav
  av
  aven
  en
  en
  e ge
  ge
  ge
  getececececechn
  hnn
  h ololog
  ogy y (p(para ticularlrlr y y
  ththththe pernicioous Reclaimatatata oro s s lululurkrkrkkinining g g g ininini the
  he
  h dep
  epthththths s s ofofo the
  he Calixiaan n
  hive cities) has been declclclararared
  ed
  ed tech-
  h-
  h he
  hereresys . Th
  Th
  Th
  Thisis pololololicicicicy y y y ha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  has so
  s ughtht 
  totototo go so far as to alslslso o o inininclclclud
  ud
  ude e inteeterfrfere ining g g wi
  wi
  wi
  w thth or r ha
  ha
  h rm
  rmininining g a a 
  Te
  Te
  Te
  Tech-Priest’s person, , , bu
  bu
  but t t ththata hasa yetetet to o be
  be fulullulu lylylylylyy ado
  dopttpted
  e . Thhe e
  ex
  ex
  ex
  extent of this partiicu
  culalalar r r cacacatetetego
  g ryry is s s rerereplplpletetete wi
  w th a com
  omplplex
  ex set 
  ofo  precedents and exxceceptptptioioions
  ns
  ns
  n tha
  hat on
  on
  o lylylyly thooseses witititithihihih n n ththe Cult 
  Me
  Mech
  c aniccusus cou
  ou
  ouldldld trururulylyly und
  nd
  nderererststtan
  an
  and.d
  THE PRICE OF HERESY
  Th
  T ose condemned for tech-heresy fafaface
  ce
  ce
  a
  vararieiety
  of f 
  pu
  pu
  pu
  punishmentts,s  depending noto  only on the
  he
  he
  he sev
  ev
  e ererritity y ofof the
  he
  he
  heirir 
  ac
  ac
  ac
  actions but also their accus
  ussererers. Minininor
  or slililigh
  gh
  gh
  g tstss tha
  hat t do
  do nottotot 
  dr
  d aw untoward attention might t on
  onlylylyly resesesult ininin los
  os
  os
  oss s ofoffof ressou
  ou
  ou
  ourcrcrce 
  access or, more often, exilele to o o ththththe e fafafar region
  on
  ons s s ofofofof the
  he Calalalixixisis 
  Se
  Se
  Se
  Sector, thherererere e fof r the Tech
  ch
  c -P
  -P
  -P
  -Pririririest to reﬂ
  eﬂﬂect on
  on
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  SERVANTS 
  OF THE 
  OMNISSIAH
  ALTERNATE  
  CAREER RANKS
  �
  ELITE ADVANCE 
  PACKAGES
  �
  NEW SKILLS AND 
  TALENTS
  �
  MECHANICUM 
  ARMOURY
  
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  “Your banal chattering is unnecessary. Are you able to grasp the 
  importance of my experiments? Begone from my sensory range, lest I 
  have you disassembled for servitor parts.”
  –Malatek identiﬁed only as “The Fabricator”
  �
  o most within the Calixis Sector, the domains of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus appear as a single, impenetrable 
  ediﬁce. To the outside observer, they seem to be a 
  uniﬁed organisation whose presence and inﬂuence is felt almost 
  everywhere. Those privy to the secrets of the Mechanicus, though, 
  know all too well of the overlapping layers of military might, of 
  the conciliators who promise things beyond imagination, and of 
  the factions that cast out any who fail to conform. Some even 
  know of the darker side of the Mechanicus—the watchers and 
  assassins who bring swift and unyielding punishment to the 
  enemies of the Mechanicus. Some choose to reject the institutions 
  of the Machine Cult, forming rival cults to oppose them. Others 
  are born directly into the system, their lives an endless torrent of 
  work and toil from birth to death. It is a horriﬁc system, one not 
  understood by many, but one that is vital to all. 
  ����������
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  “Keep your voices down! You don’t want the Lords Dragon to hear, 
  do you? They spy on everyone!”
  –Talsia Yantor, Agent of the Lords Dragon
  �
  he following section details a number of Ranks that 
  may be taken during a character’s Career progression 
  as alternatives to the normal path of his Career. These 
  Alternate Ranks change the character’s potential abilities and 
  direction, and in some cases their prior history. A player does 
  not swap his character’s Career Path, but rather his character’s 
  fate takes an unusual detour for one Rank along the way. 
  These Alternate Career Ranks serve two functions: the ﬁrst is 
  to offer players the opportunity to personalise his character, 
  and the second is to give characters a very deﬁnite place 
  within the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Calixis Sector.
  TAKING AN  
  ALTERNATE RANK
  Alternate Ranks are attractive, and for good reason. Gaining 
  new Skills, Talents, and tools to distinguish a character from 
  others of the same path are all excellent reasons for acquiring 
  an Alternate Rank. To select an Alternate Rank, a Player must 
  ﬁrst secure his GM’s permission. Several of the Alternate 
  Ranks require adopting a speciﬁc social role that may be at 
  odds with an existing plot line or campaign. Second, most 
  Alternate Ranks include one or more prerequisites that a 
  player must fulﬁl before taking the rank. Finally, Alternate 
  Career Ranks have a minimum Rank at which the character 
  can take them (and some can be taken by more than one 
  Career Path). The Rank can be taken at this minimum Rank, 
  or at any Rank thereafter (unless noted otherwise).
  Once his character meets all the requirements, and the GM 
  agrees, the player may select the Alternate Rank. In every case, 
  the Alternate Rank is “swapped” for the Rank he would otherwise 
  take, and its Advance Scheme is exchanged for the one found in 
  his Career’s normal Path. From this point onward, the character 
  has access to these Advances, and the Player may spend his xp 
  freely on them. The Rank may also indicate some unique ability 
  or Trait that is gained as well—apply this immediately.
  Despite offering up a slew of new abilities and potential, 
  taking an Alternate Career has its downsides. A character may 
  (and probably will) miss out on certain Skills and Talents from 
  his original Rank, have his maximum ability with certain Skills 
  capped out early, or be forced to pay more xp for them. This is 
  the price a character pays to study a new and specialised area. 
  The GM may allow a player to pick up missed Skills and Talents 
  if appropriate, but only as Elite Advances (see Missed Career 
  Ranks on page 29) during the Player’s next Career Rank.
  Because taking an Alternate Rank complicates the 
  character progression system, it is only recommended for 
  experienced players and GMs.
  
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  EXAMPLE
  Grasson, an Assassin with close ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus, decides 
  to accept the offer to become an Agent of the Lords Dragon, the secret 
  observers of the Lathe Worlds. He exchanges his usual Rank 4 of the 
  Assassin Career for Rank 4: Agent of the Lords Dragon and fulﬁls 
  the requirements listed in the Agent of the Lords Dragon Alternate 
  Career Rank. He does not cease to be an Assassin, he is now just an 
  Assassin who also trained for a speciﬁc purpose. Grasson’s player now 
  has access to the Skills and Talents listed under the Agent of the Lords 
  Dragon Advances at the costs listed there, and may spend xp freely on 
  them from this point forward. However, all the time he spends learning 
  the secrets of binary interrogation and ﬁghting against tech-heresy 
  means that he misses out on certain opportunities from Assassin Rank 
  4. When he moves on to Assassin Rank 5, if he wishes to still obtain 
  Assassin Rank 4 Advances, and has the xp to spend, he must take them 
  as Elite Advances and pay additional Experience Points for them.
  MOVING ON
  Once a player has accumulated and spent enough xp to advance 
  to the next Rank, he does so as normal. If his Career Path splits, 
  he must choose one path as he normally would, his Alternate 
  Career standing in the stead of any previous choice he needed 
  to make. The player must then follow his chosen Career Path 
  normally, although again, he may ﬁnd that this tangent has left 
  him missing certain Skills needed as prerequisites for some of 
  the Advances offered by the new Rank, and to acquire them 
  he must obtain them as Elite Advances. More likely, however, 
  he continues to develop Advances from his Alternate Career to 
  make up for missed Advances.
  MISSED CAREER RANKS
  Having taken an Alternate Career means that a character has 
  deviated from the regular path of experience and training he 
  would have undergone, and while the character has gained 
  new and often unique abilities from this extracurricular 
  activity, he misses out on what would have been his regular 
  development. In this case, Talents and Skills from the missed 
  Rank that can be reasonably obtained by the character (with 
  the GM’s approval) can be gained as Elite Advances for their 
  listed costs in the missed Rank plus an additional 50 xp.
  MORE FORGE WORLD INFORMATION
  Further background information on life within a forge 
  world, as well as additional weapons, equipment, 
  and cybernetics can be found in THE INQUISITOR’S 
  HANDBOOK. These extra rules can add more depth to 
  any DARK HERESY campaign, and are an invaluable 
  resource for GMs looking to further emphasise the role 
  of the Adeptus Mechanicus in their games. 
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  ACUITOR MECH-ASSASSIN
  “We still have no explanation for the death of the passenger. The only 
  witness claims the void-lock unexpectedly opened just as that poor soul 
  walked nearby, while the outer lock was also open. For both to be open 
  is impossible when the auspex registers open void against the hull, yet it 
  happened. I doubt we will ever know why he was so desperate to leave 
  that system, though I am relieved he did pay in advance.”
  –Captain Artesia Carnelline, Killian’s Prize
  Killers come in all sizes and shapes, some silent and subtle, others 
  brazen, some clad in ﬂesh, some in cloth, and some in steel. There 
  are countless orders dedicated to the art of death in the Calixis 
  Sector, and one among them is the Acuitor Set of the Lathes, 
  less formally called the Mech-Assassins. These executioners are 
  answerable only to Magisters Samadhi of their own order, and 
  usually move according to their masters’ will without scrutiny, 
  hidden beneath heavy red robes. Though most are trained in the 
  art of stealth, initiates of the Acuitor Set often inﬁltrate in plain 
  sight; after all, the Priesthood of Mars is a wholly inscrutable 
  order to all but the most knowledgeable outsiders, and even the 
  greatest citizens across the Calixis Sector do well to treat these 
  strange, mechanical half-men with reverence and fear. It is rare 
  for lay folk to question the actions of even a lowly initiate of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus, odd or arcane as his behaviours may be, and 
  so the Acuitors pass, seen but ignored. To anyone but the great 
  lords of the Machine Cult, and certain individual Inquisitors with 
  close ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus (or bitter enemies within 
  it), nothing distinguishes an Acuitor Mech-Assassin from the 
  shufﬂing, augmented, and veiled ranks of Tech-Priests who fulﬁl 
  the innumerable duties that allow the Sector to grind forward one 
  more day. Nothing, at least, until it is far too late. It is, in no small 
  part, this anonymity that makes the Acuitor Set so very deadly.
  Though the truth of the origins of the Acuitor Set is 
  scattered throughout the Lathe Worlds like scraps of data 
  disrupted with an ferromagnetic purge, some shadowy 
  records still remain. During the days of the Angevin 
  Crusade, a pious Magos by the name of Samadhi led his 
  modest forces to several key victories in the Mechanicus’ 
  grand campaign against the Adrantians in what would 
  eventually become the Calixis Sector. After the Grant of the 
  Lathes in 380.M39, when the Lathe Worlds were granted 
  to the Cult Mechanicus for their efforts in the Crusade, 
  Samadhi used his new-wrought inﬂuence to form a secret 
  organisation. Some stories say that this was with the tacit 
  permission of the already-powerful Lords Dragon, based 
  on a promise of future service to their cause. He then 
  trained and dedicated the members of this sub-cult to the 
  art of eliminating the enemies of the Omnissiah. Samadhi 
  established the hidden fortresses scattered throughout the 
  realm of the Lathes, such as Rasamal on Lathe-Hesh and 
  Tumala in the heart of the shrouded Panopticon, in which 
  his disciples could be sharpened into perfect tools of the 
  Omnissiah and terrifying instruments of death. 
  It is whispered that, one day, Samadhi himself vanished 
  into the depths of the archive of Tumala, perhaps ﬁnally 
  betrayed by the frailty of ﬂesh, or perhaps becoming one 
  with the ancient cogitators contained in the fortress. No 
  matter the circumstances of his departure, Samadhi’s disciples 
  rallied around the data-tracts that the ﬁrst Grand Magister of 
  the Acuitor Set left in his wake. His adherents believe that 
  these data-tracts, based on recordings of his own cogitations, 
  contain his ultimate scheme—a plan in which all disciples 
  participate, but that none fully understand. Decanting his 
  stored knowledge into their own minds, the agents of the 
  Acuitor Set followed in their patron’s footsteps and tirelessly 
  hunted any they saw as obstacles to the Adeptus Mechanicus. 
  Starting with the ﬁrst disciples to succeed the patron of the 
  Acuitor Set, all those who have claimed the title of Magister 
  within the organisation have taken on the cognomen “Magister 
  Samadhi” upon their ascension to this elevated rank, and 
  through them, Samadhi’s name has become death itself.
  TALENT: COGS WITHIN COGS
  Prerequisites: Int 35
  An Acuitor Mech-Assassin who interfaces with any 
  machine may make a Challenging (+0) Tech-Use 
  Test. If he succeeds, he may pre-set that machine to 
  activate, deactivate, or follow another such simple 
  protocol within its usual repertoire, at either a given time 
  within the next 24 hours or upon his remote command, 
  provided that he is within a number of kilometres equal 
  to his Intelligence Bonus of the machine when he wishes 
  to activate it. The Acuitor must choose the machine’s 
  action upon making his Tech-Use Test, and makes 
  any other necessary Tests (such as Security to bypass a 
  guarded cogitator’s internal defences or Forbidden Lore 
  (Archeotech) to decipher an ancient device’s function) 
  while programming the action.
  TALENT: WHISPER OF SAMADHI
  Prerequisites: Int 35, Mimic, Deceive
  Acuitor Mech-Assassins are consummate inﬁltrators, and 
  while they have little trouble passing as normal Tech-
  Priests when dealing with commoners across the Sector, 
  their targets are hardly limited to those outside of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus. Part of the ancient data tracks of 
  Samadhi helps them to overcome this problem, however. 
  When dealing with other Tech-Priests, an Acuitor may 
  lace portions of the Secret Archive of Samadhi into his 
  binaric cant, subtly scrambling the judgement of the 
  listener. As such, when dealing with other Tech-Priests, 
  Acuitor Mech-Assassins may use their Intelligence 
  Characteristic instead of their Fellowship when using 
  the Deceive Skill, and may use the Mimic Talent to 
  copy the subtleties of the vocal codes and ciphers of any 
  Tech-Priest they impersonate with it.
  
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  In this day and age, the Acuitor Set has quietly expanded, 
  and though its members are still ﬂeetingly rare, there are 
  several worlds upon which they recruit those gifted in treading 
  the Omnissiah’s darker paths. Most of the recruits are already 
  seasoned Tech-Priests, those who have already had to call upon 
  their unique skills to slay their foes, either because of battleﬁeld 
  appointments, poor luck, or a logical reason that required violent 
  conﬂict. After passing rigourous trials, recruits are infused with the 
  data-tracks of the order’s long-missing founder. Though recruits 
  remain individuals, each carries a part of the vast, calculating 
  mind that spun the Acuitor Set into being. With the knowledge 
  contained in the ancient data-tracks, all Acuitor Mech-Assassins 
  can act according to a single, immense plan without ever setting 
  eyes on other agents after their training or even grasping the 
  true extent of the design. The labours of all become one in the 
  shadows, casting the grim silhouette of Magister Samadhi over 
  the Calixis Sector long ages after his disappearance.
  So it is that these disguised agents roam the Sector, maintaining 
  voidships, repairing cogitators, unjamming weapons, and 
  occasionally slaughtering their unsuspecting prey. The methods 
  by which a Mech-Assassin can kill are varied; some value a clean 
  kill at a distance, while others prefer to slay with elaborately 
  created traps or carefully scripted malfunctions. There are also 
  those who like to feel the “wet-iron” of their victims run in crimson 
  rivulets down their bladed mechadendrites. Many Acuitors also 
  train themselves to enter a state of terrible frenzy on command, 
  ﬂooding their minds with the Samadhi data-tracts that it might 
  guide their movements in the thick of battle. This practice makes 
  them fearless in the knowledge that all proceeds according to 
  the Grand Magister’s plan. These counterpoints—clinical, 
  razor-sharp forethought, and savage battle-fury—balance 
  to make a fully trained Acuitor Mech-Assassin one of the 
  deadliest individuals the Lathes have ever honed.
  In all cases, however, the sharpest weapon an 
  Acuitor possesses is his mind. Whenever 
  possible, an Acuitor elaborately plans a 
  kill, running simulation after simulation 
  in his augmented cranium and including 
  a wide array of factors that few without the 
  gifts of the Omnissiah could effectively 
  consider. He might stalk his target for 
  months or years at a time, gathering 
  ever more information to be 
  ﬁled away for his grim purpose. 
  An Acuitor Mech-Assassin’s honed, clicking 
  mind allows him to utilise nearly anything as a 
  lethal weapon; steam pipes become a scalding trap 
  to an unwary passer-by, a ﬁrearm becomes a time-
  bomb for its user, and an ancient cogitator becomes a 
  shadowy maze from which a known Heretek’s mind 
  cannot escape, even as his body sits helpless before 
  it. Even if he cannot kill with his surroundings, 
  an Acuitor might depressurise a voidship’s cabin 
  or redirect a reactor’s vent into a nearby air 
  duct, all to force an enemy into a vulnerable 
  position. Inﬁnite possibilities for murder 
  unfold before a member of the Acuitor 
  Set, and ﬁnding the best one for an enemy of the 
  Omnissiah is simply his role in the great Quest for Knowledge.
  BECOMING AN ACUITOR MECH-ASSASSIN
  Tech-Priests who are chosen to become Acuitors are pulled 
  from across the Lathes and beyond, and instructed in secret 
  fortresses scattered throughout the Calixis Sector, such as 
  Tumala and Rasamal. Most candidates are those who have 
  proven both faithful and capable of using the skills of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus to deadly effect. To become an Acuitor 
  is to become a part of a pattern greater than oneself, as all 
  members of the Set mentally carry the data-tracts of Magister 
  Samadhi, which guide them to the targets of their wrath and 
  aid them in making short work of those who oppose the Lathes. 
  Those who can survive the weight of the data-tracts and even 
  begin to decipher the ancient, inscrutable memories, become 
  killers of the greatest calculable efﬁciency and ruthlessness.
  Required Career: Tech-Priest 
  Alternate Rank: Rank 2 or Higher (500 xp)
  Requirements: Logic 
  Beneﬁts: Cogs Within Cogs (Talent)
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  Advance
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  Type
  pe
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  100
  Skilill
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  100
  Skill
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  100
  Skill
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  Demolition
  100
  Skill
  —
  Security
  100
  Skill
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  10
  100
  Sk
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  10
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  Sk
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  Sk
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  10
  100
  Skill
  Tech-Use
  Ba
  Battttlele Rage
  100
  Talent
  Frenzy
  Ex
  Exototic Wea
  e po
  pon n n Tr
  Tr
  Traiaiaininin ng
  ngg (Any y y One)
  10
  10
  1 0
  Talent
  —
  FrFren
  enzy
  zy
  20
  200
  Ta
  T lelentnt
  —
  Wh
  Whisispe
  p r of Sam
  amad
  adhihi
  300
  Talent
  Int 35, Mimi
  mi
  m c,c, Dec
  ec
  e eie ve
  
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  AGENT OF THE  
  LORDS DRAGON
  “The phrase 'be seeing you' has a different meaning for us, my dear 
  Inquisitor Caidin. When we say this, it is to be taken quite… literally.”
  –Arch-Magos Karolinious Benz, 
  Magos-Draco of the Lords Dragon
  Shrouded in mystery, and whispered about only by fools and 
  madmen, is the legend of the Panopticon. Supposedly hidden 
  deep within the Lathes System, this orbiting void station 
  is rumoured to be the real authority behind the Calixian 
  Mechanicus, and the seat of power for an organisation whose 
  name is synonymous with dread: the Lords Dragon.
   Dispatched to the then-unconquered Calix Expanse 
  thousands of years ago through Logis-Prophesies, secretive 
  Tech-Priests sought out worlds to eventually bring under 
  the Mechanicum’s control. They were to locate any sites that 
  would be advantageous once the upcoming Angevin Crusade 
  had ﬁnished, and to ensure that the Mechanicum claimed 
  the most important worlds as their own, before the Adeptus 
  Ministorum gained a foothold in the new Sector. The ﬁrst 
  agents to arrive quickly discovered a small system colonised 
  aeons ago during Mankind’s earliest steps into the 
  galaxy. The irregular orbits of its main worlds created 
  violent shifts of gravity, and had resulted in the 
  formation of three unusual asteroid belts. Only the 
  bravest or most foolish of ship captains could ever 
  hope to safely navigate the gravitic nightmare 
  of the system’s asteroids, and thus the Lords 
  Dragon, the ancient cabal of Arch-Magos 
  tasked with policing the Mechanicum 
  within the Sector, took the hidden centre 
  of these belts as their new home.
  The Panopticon Orbital was built 
  as a habitat and headquarters for the 
  Lords Dragon, but more importantly 
  as a hub of observation. The Lords 
  Dragon knew that they would 
  need to observe the emerging 
  Calixis Sector to ensure that 
  tech-heresy and affronts to 
  the Machine God never went 
  unpunished. 
  Using 
  scarcely 
  understood devices from the 
  Dark Age of Technology, the Lords 
  Dragon established an extensive 
  monitoring network—the Praecursator 
  Grid—across the Pondus system, using the 
  space around their new home as a ﬁeld test. 
  If their system allowed observation without 
  direct interference, then they knew that they 
  could expand the grid to cover all the forge 
  worlds that would eventually be built, and 
  even some worlds outside the Mechanicus’ 
  sphere of authority.
  They soon discovered that the surviving descendants 
  of the original colonists had actually thrived in their cruel 
  environment, and performed genetic modiﬁcations to 
  improve their usefulness even further. Lest others such as 
  the Ecclesiarchy claim them, the population was interred 
  into massive Great Holds and kept in stasis in the fringes 
  of the cometary clouds surrounding the system. When the 
  Crusade arrived in the system many years later, it would 
  ﬁnd a group of harsh, uninhabited worlds suitable only for 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus, and once established, the Lords 
  Dragon could bring the population back, each one of them 
  ready and willing to work for the glory of the Omnissiah. 
  Such is the scope of the Lords Dragon and their guidance 
  for the greater good of the Machine Cult. 
  With the success of their observation technology, the 
  Lords Dragon began to involve themselves directly in the 
  Angevin Crusade. They went back to their usual methods 
  of seeking out corruption from within, ensuring that the 
  worlds the crusade conquered were purged of tech-heresy. 
  They took steps to ensure that the Explorator ﬂeets found 
  their way to what would become the Lathes System, and then 
  did what they could to engineer the ceding of the worlds to 
  the Mechanicum. As each new forge world was lit, the 
  Lords Dragon monitored. Within each new 
  voidship hull laid or Skitarii regiment 
  raised, their surveillance kept close 
  watch for any signs of deviant thought 
  or deed. Hardly a moment went by 
  when the Lords Dragon were unable 
  to view exactly what the Mechanicus 
  was doing within the gestating Calixis 
  Sector, or, at least, that is what they 
  would wish all who dwell in the Lathe 
  Worlds to believe.
  The Lords Dragon have always made 
  the Inquisition wary. From the Inquisition’s 
  perspective, only it has the proper remit 
  and power to safeguard humanity against 
  the terrors within, without, and beyond, 
  and it does not relish the idea of others, 
  operating outside of its purview, attempting 
  to do the same. The Tricorn Palace has spent 
  many fruitless years petitioning the Lathes for 
  access to the Panopticon Orbital, but every 
  request has been denied. To make matters 
  worse, the Inquisition is seemingly unable 
  to even prove its existence, though many 
  suppose this is unlikely given the 
  nature of the Holy Ordos. 
  More disturbing are the continued 
  reports that the Praecursator Grid 
  extends beyond the borders of 
  the Cult Mechanicus, and that the 
  Lords Dragon have the ability 
  to spy upon many important 
  Ecclesiarchical holdings, the 
  domain of Sector Lord Hax, 
  and the Tricorn Palace itself. 
  Some even believe that all 
  est steps into the 
  in worlds created 
  resulted in the 
  belts. Only the
  ins could ever 
  nightmare 
  he Lords 
  h-Magos 
  anicum 
  centre 
  built 
  the
  tly 
  s 
  e
  sator 
  sing the 
  ﬁeld test. 
  n without 
  that they 
  the forge 
  uilt, and 
  hanicus’ 
  Lords Dragon
  voidship
  raised, th
  watch for
  or deed.
  when the
  to view e
  was doing
  Sector, or, 
  would wish
  Worlds to b
  The Lord
  the Inquisitio
  perspective,
  and power to
  the terrors wi
  and it does no
  operating outsid
  to do the same. 
  many fruitless ye
  access to the P
  request has be
  worse, the In
  to even prov
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  nature o
  Mo
  repor
  exten
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  a
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  �����������������������������
  ��
  the cybernetics manufactured within the Calixis Sector 
  are part of this Grid, and that everyone who has ever 
  received a bionic is actually an unwitting spy in service to 
  the Lords Dragon. If such a revelation were found to be 
  true then the outrage, especially from groups such as the 
  Cult of the Pure Form, would be immense, and the Calixis 
  Sector could ﬁnd itself in a civil war the likes of which 
  it has never seen. The Inquisition has mounted numerous 
  operations to inﬁltrate the Lords Dragon but has not met 
  with any reported success, their agents either returning 
  empty-handed, or simply not returning at all.
  Yet for all their clandestine work and surprisingly adroit 
  political manoeuvring, the Lords Dragon are surprisingly 
  willing to work alongside the Inquisition when the situation 
  demands (and often when it does not). Unlike most 
  within the Calixian Mechanicus, the Lords Dragon are not 
  especially secretive when it comes to cooperation with other 
  organisations, as long as they can stay behind the scenes. This 
  has given the Lords Dragon a fearful reputation amongst the 
  Lathe populations, and they seem to intentionally foster this 
  dread. They actively encourage the servants of the Mechanicus 
  to believe the stories—that they are always watching, that 
  they can operate in plain sight without anyone knowing, and 
  that the fabled Dragon Secutorii are waiting for the moment 
  when they will swoop down and destroy everyone who has 
  ever cursed at a machine. This could be a ruse to disguise 
  possible gaps in their observational systems or limitations of 
  their power, creating the impression that the Lords Dragon are 
  more effective than they actually are. Some even whisper that 
  the dreaded Praecursator Grid does not exist at all, and only 
  the threat that it exists acts to keep the Lathe Worlds properly 
  respectful of the Omnissiah. Few are willing to determine 
  if these rumours might be correct, and only those dwelling 
  within the Panopticon Orbital know the real truth. 
  To be such an agent is to act in the name of the Omnissiah and 
  to always watch for tech-heresy in any form, no matter the source. 
  Such deviance within the Sector often comes from the highest 
  Magos as well as the least disciplined novice Tech-Priests, as well 
  as from unsanctiﬁed xenos abominations that would pollute the 
  Machine Spirit. Their extensive surveillance technologies across 
  the Lathe Worlds are not absolute, and only through extensive 
  travel and investigation can they properly act to ensure the 
  preservation of the Mechanicum. Agents may have differing 
  standards as to what constitutes tech-heresy, however, despite 
  what appear to be rigid deﬁnitions. The cabal is remarkably united 
  in its goals, though, for the Cult of the Machine God’s survival 
  is of paramount importance. Only through the proper worship 
  of the Omnissiah and his blessed technologies can humanity 
  continue, let alone achieve the perfection of the Holy Machine. 
  All who serve the Dragon in the Lathes know that Mankind is 
  but one blasphemous experiment or unholy xenostech activation 
  away from falling once again into darkness, and it is their duty to 
  prevent this, no matter what the rest of the Sector might wish.
  BECOMING AN AGENT  
  OF THE LORDS DRAGON
  Like the Inquisition, the Lords Dragon are quite cautious 
  when it comes to whom they pick as their representatives. 
  Each carefully selected Agent must be trustworthy and 
  incorruptible, and they must take the secrets of the Lords 
  Dragon to their graves. To join the Lords Dragon is to gain 
  knowledge of one of the greatest secrets in the Calixis Sector, 
  the Praecursator Grid, and although most Agents never see 
  the Panopticon Orbital, all are aware of its unique ability to 
  use this Grid to observe and gather data from every forge 
  world across the Calixis Sector. Agents of the Lord Dragon are 
  loaned to Inquisitors on a surprisingly regular basis, although 
  many within the Inquisition see this apparent high level of 
  assistance as just another example of the Lords Dragon’s 
  desire to inﬁltrate all aspects of the Sector. 
  Upon becoming an Agent of the Lords Dragon, the 
  character gains the Rigor Mentis Trait.
  TALENT: ALL-SEEING EYE
  At some point during his service to the Lords Dragon, 
  an Agent will be instructed in how to gain limited access 
  to the Praecursator Grid. To access to the Praecursator 
  Grid, the Acolyte should make a Hard (–20) Tech-Use 
  Test. If he succeeds, the Acolyte gains the most recently 
  recorded information, usually no more than a day old. If 
  the Acolyte gains 3 or more Degrees of Success, he gains 
  complete access to the Grid on that planet, and may look 
  through any pict feed and access any archived data. Access 
  to the Praecursator Grid must be gained personally, and 
  the GM has ﬁnal determination on whether the Acolyte 
  can access the Grid, as well as whether the Grid is 
  functioning within the requested area. 
  TALENT: METAL FATIGUE
  Tech-heresy is a grave matter, and one that the 
  Mechanicus does not take lightly. Hereteks and others 
  who would misuse the Omnissiah’s gifts are the greatest 
  enemies of the Lords Dragon, and they have developed 
  many ways to drive information from those they capture. 
  One of the more insidious interrogation methods is that 
  of Metal Fatigue, where a small bionic implant is used to 
  slowly disintegrate the subject’s cybernetic components. 
  This causes an excruciating pain that very few can resist, 
  and those who do often die in agony, bereft of their 
  bionics. The Acolyte can use Metal Fatigue by making 
  an Opposed Tech-Use Test against the subject’s 
  Toughness. For every Degree of Success the Acolyte 
  gains, the subject takes 1 Damage and suffers a –10 
  penalty to the Interrogation Test that follows. If the 
  subject takes Damage equal to his Toughness Bonus, 
  he permanently loses one randomly chosen cybernetic. 
  The subject of the interrogation must have at least one 
  cybernetic implant for the Acolyte to use this Talent.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  Required 
  Career: 
  Adept, 
  Arbitrator, 
  Assassin,  
  Tech-Priest 
  Alternate Rank: Rank 4 or higher (2,000 xp)
  Monthly Income: The Acolyte changes to Mechanicus 
  Class for income.
  Other Requirements: Cannot have Peer (Ecclesiarchy) or 
  Good Reputation (Ecclesiarchy). 
  ������������������
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  ����
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  Advance
  Co
  Costst
  Ty
  Type
  pe
  Pr
  Prer
  ereq
  equi
  uisisitetes
  Common Lore (Machih ne Culu t)t)
  10
  100
  Sk
  Skili l
  —
  Common Lore e (M
  Mac
  achihine
  ne Culult)t) +10
  10
  10
  1 0
  Sk
  S ill
  Common Lor
  ore e (M
  (Mac
  achihine
  ne Culult)
  Common Lore (Tec
  ech)h
  100
  Skill
  —
  Common Lore (Tech) +100
  100
  Sk
  S ililill
  Comm
  mm
  m on Lor
  ore (Tec
  ech)h)
  Deceive
  10
  100
  Skill
  —
  Inquiry
  100
  Skill
  —
  Interrogation
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Scrutitiny
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Search
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Shadowing
  10
  10
  100
  Skililill
  —
  Silent Move
  10
  1 0
  Skill
  —
  Tech-Use
  100
  Skill
  —
  Hatred (Tech
  ch-H
  -Herereticics)
  100
  Talelelentn
  —
  Resistance (Fearar)
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentnt
  —
  Resistance (Ps
  Psyc
  ychihic c Po
  P wers)
  100
  Talent
  —
  Strong-M
  Mininde
  ded
  100
  Talent 
  Willpower 30, Resisiststan
  an
  ance
  ce
  ce (Ps
  Psyc
  y hic Powe
  wersrs)
  Deceivi e e +1
  +10
  200
  Skill
  De
  D ceive
  Forbidden Lo
  Lorere (Ad
  Adep
  eptus Mech
  chhan
  an
  anicicicus
  us
  us)
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Sk
  Skilili l
  —
  Fo
  F rb
  rbididde
  den n Lo
  Lorer (Ad
  A eptus s Me
  Mech
  ch
  chan
  anicicus
  u ) +10
  200
  Skill
  Forbidden Lore (Addeptutuus s Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  channicus)
  Forbididden n Lo
  Lore (Heresyy)
  200
  Skill
  —
  Forbididde
  den n Lo
  Lorere (Inqu
  q isisititioion)n)n)
  20
  2 0
  Skill
  —
  Inquiry +1
  +10
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Skilill
  In
  Inqu
  quiriry
  Interrrogatatioion +10
  200
  Sk
  S ill
  Interrogation
  Scrutinyy +10
  10
  200
  Skill
  Scrutiny
  Se
  S arch
  ch +10
  10
  200
  Skill
  Search
  Shadow
  o ining g +1
  +10
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Skilill
  Sh
  Shad
  adow
  owining
  Silent Mov
  ove e +1
  + 0
  20
  2 0
  Skill
  Siilent Mov
  o e
  Tech-U
  -Usee +10
  10
  200
  Skill 
  Tech-Use
  Al
  All-l Seeing Eye
  ye
  200
  Talent
  Willpower 40, Tech-UUsese 
  Mental For
  ortrtresess
  20
  200
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  Wi
  Willpo
  p wer r 50, , StStS rororong
  ng
  ng-M
  -M
  Minininde
  de
  ded
  Metal Fatitigu
  gue
  20
  20
  200
  Ta
  T lelel nt
  Inteteerrog
  oggattioion
  Peer (Adep
  eptutus Me
  Mechanicus)
  200
  Talent 
  Fellowshhip 30
  TRAIT: RIGOR MENTIS
  The Lords Dragon might enjoy the level of dread that 
  they inspire within the Lathe Worlds, but even they 
  would not risk their greatest secrets for something 
  as trivial as a reputation. Those who ﬁnd themselves 
  selected to join the Lords Dragon’s ranks undergo 
  signiﬁcant hypnoath conditioning that makes them 
  resistant to interrogation, speciﬁcally interrogation 
  related to the Lords Dragon themselves or anything to 
  do with the Panopticon Orbital. It is an unconscious 
  form of mental defence, and even if the Agent were aware 
  of it, he would be unable to crack it intentionally. 
  The Acolyte may re-roll any Interaction Test made 
  to resist the effects of Interrogation, Charm, Deceive, or 
  any other method that an adversary might use to gain 
  information relating to the Lords Dragon, the Panopticon 
  Orbital, or anything related to the Praecursator Grid.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  CALIXIAN MALATEK 
  “They think me mad... but I shall show them! Their very eyes will 
  burn with the power of my genius!”
  –Tech-Priest Nohant Wyller, 
  after ejection from the Diogenes Sect
   The Quest for Knowledge has always been the guiding light 
  that all in service to the Omnissiah throughout the Sector 
  follow in one way or another, but this is most frequently 
  displayed in the form of gathering lost knowledge, not 
  expanding upon existing knowledge. The sheer quantity of 
  data that is known to be lost from ages long ago would 
  keep most Tech-Priests of the Lathes content with such 
  tasks. Combined with glacial approval processes, as well as 
  factional rivalries that tend to stiﬂe what little progress is 
  ever made, the ﬁnal dictates governing the proper manners 
  for the expansion of technology is enough to frustrate even 
  the most serene of Calixian researchers. 
  Not all Tech-Priests are willing to follow such dictates, 
  and there are some in the region who break this obstructed 
  method of thinking, not just out of necessity, but because they 
  believe they have a duty to do so—a divine duty in 
  some cases. These radicals often choose to take 
  a more intuitive or practical approach to the 
  gathering and expansion of knowledge, 
  even when that approach goes against 
  the cold logic of typical Mechanicus 
  doctrine. These individuals take risks 
  with existing technologies, and spend 
  long years studying devices deemed 
  worthless, unsafe, or too powerful. 
  Many develop eccentricities beyond 
  even the norm within the Cult 
  Mechanicus. In most cases, these traits 
  cause them to be shunned by their 
  colleagues, and often they have been 
  cast out from their forge worlds.
  Nevertheless these Tech-Priests 
  within the Sector are not considered 
  Hereteks, but are instead are branded 
  with the epithet Malatek. Their 
  actions are not considered criminal 
  or heretical, but at the same time they 
  cannot be allowed to continue either—
  at least within view of anyone who 
  might consider them heretical. Tech-
  Priests branded in this manner tend to 
  ﬂee into exile away from the Lathes, but 
  most consider their expulsion to be a minor 
  setback. They usually take their research 
  to a new location, far from the blessed 
  trio of worlds, to begin from scratch, all 
  the while hoping that they can one day 
  return to their forge world in triumph, 
  proving their detractors wrong with 
  a string of undeniable technological 
  successes and scientiﬁc marvels.
  Some within the Inquisition of the Sector see useful tools 
  amongst these apostates. The Ordo Xenos takes a particular 
  interest in many such Tech-Priests, as so many of them are 
  attempting to use or study xenos technology in ways that others 
  within the Mechanicum would not dare. Those Inquisitors 
  and their Acolytes whom their peers have deemed Radical 
  often have Calixian Malateks at their side when conducting 
  investigations into these and other areas. Already operating 
  outside of the usual dogma of the Inquisition, these Inquisitors 
  gain the power of science run rampant when taking on 
  Malateks as Acolytes and Throne Agents. Better yet, they can 
  often justify the use of these wild and unpredictable individuals 
  to their fellow Inquisitors by ensuring that they are guarding 
  against tech-heresy, even if they might be exploiting it.
  BECOMING A CALIXIAN MALATEK
  There is no set process for a Tech-Priest of the Lathes System 
  or from the Lathe Worlds to becoming a Malatek, and in most 
  cases the title is bestowed by others, rather than voluntarily 
  selected. What is common, though, is that the Tech-Priest 
  reaches a point in his life where his own goals and beliefs 
  start to exist at odds with the predominant line of thinking 
  within the Mechanicus, enough so that the Tech-Priest’s 
  peers form the opinion that he is uncontrollable and 
  potentially destabilising to the sanctity of the forge 
  world. Nevertheless, some Tech-Priests may 
  see the adoption of the title Malatek as 
  a liberating experience, something 
  that frees them from the bonds of 
  their superiors, and allows them 
  to achieve their true potential 
  in the eyes of the Omnissiah. 
  Still, whatever the reasoning or 
  circumstances that led to the 
  Tech-Priest’s 
  branding 
  as 
  apostate, there is often no 
  way back, and even those 
  who 
  consider 
  themselves 
  successful in their extreme 
  endeavours often fail to regain 
  their status among their former 
  colleagues on the Lathes.
  Upon becoming a Malatek, 
  the character gains the Outside 
  Looking In Trait.
  Required Career: Tech-Priest 
  Alternate Rank: Rank 6 or higher 
  (6,000 xp)
  Other Requirements: At least 
  one Forbidden Lore Skill.
   
   
  some in the region who break this obstructed 
  nking, not just out of necessity, but because they 
  ave a duty to do so—a divine duty in 
  hese radicals often choose to take
  ve or practical approach to the
  expansion of knowledge, 
  at approach goes against 
  c of typical Mechanicus 
  se individuals take risks 
  technologies, and spend 
  udying devices deemed 
  safe, or too powerful. 
  p eccentricities beyond 
  rm within the Cult 
  n most cases, these traits 
  o be shunned by their 
  d often they have been 
  their forge worlds.
  ss these Tech-Priests 
  tor are not considered 
  are instead are branded 
  ithet Malatek. Their 
  ot considered criminal 
  ut at the same time they 
  wed to continue either—
  n view of anyone who 
  er them heretical. Tech-
  ed in this manner tend to 
  away from the Lathes, but 
  their expulsion to be a minor 
  usually take their research 
  ation, far from the blessed 
   to begin from scratch, all 
  ing that they can one day 
  forge world in triumph,
  detractors wrong with 
  ndeniable technological 
  scientiﬁc marvels.
  ,
  g ,
  reaches a point in his life where his own goals
  start to exist at odds with the predominant line
  within the Mechanicus, enough so that the T
  peers form the opinion that he is uncont
  potentially destabilising to the sanctity
  world. Nevertheless, some Tech-
  see the adoption of the title
  a liberating experience
  that frees them from t
  their superiors, and a
  to achieve their tru
  in the eyes of the
  Still, whatever the r
  circumstances that
  Tech-Priest’s 
  br
  apostate, there i
  way back, and 
  who 
  consider
  successful in th
  endeavours often f
  their status among
  colleagues on the La
  Upon becoming 
  the character gains t
  Looking In Trait.
  Required Career: Te
  Alternate Rank: Rank
  (6,000 xp)
  Other Requiremen
  one Forbidden Lore Skil
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  ���������������� ���������
  ���
  Advance
  Co
  Costst
  Ty
  Type
  pe
  Pr
  Prer
  ereq
  equi
  uisisitetes
  Deceive
  10
  100
  Skill
  —
  Forbidden Lore (Pi
  P ck One) †
  100
  Skill
  —
  Inquiry
  100
  Sk
  S ill
  —
  Scholastic Lore (P
  (Picick k On
  One)e) †
  10
  1 0
  Sk
  S ill
  —
  Scrutiny
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  S ill
  —
  Armour of Co
  Contemmptpt
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Taalelelentntnt
  Wi
  Wi
  Willllllpo
  po
  powe
  wer r 40
  4
  Exotici Weapoon n Tr
  Traiainining
  ng (Pi
  Pick
  ck One
  n ) †
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentntnt
  —
  Paranoia
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentn
  —
  Peer (Ac
  A ademmicics)s)
  100
  Talent
  Fellow
  o shhipip 10
  Peer (Astropatths
  hs)
  10
  1 0
  Talent
  Fellowship 20
  Peer (Inquisititioion)n)
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentn
  Fe
  Fe
  Fellow
  ow
  owsh
  sh
  shipipip 20
  Peer (Underwor
  orldld)
  100
  Talent
  Fellowship 10
  Forbidden n Loorere +10
  10
  200
  Skill
  The same Forbidden
  en Lor
  or
  ore e e Sk
  Skilill
  Forbididde
  den n Lo
  Lorere +20
  200
  Skill
  The same
  m  Forbidden
  en Lor
  or
  ore e +1
  +10 0 Skill
  Seara ch
  c
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Sk
  Skilili l
  —
  The Po
  P we
  wer r Wi
  Within ††
  200
  Talent
  Armour of Contempt, Fo
  Forb
  rbidididde
  den Lore (Ps
  Psyk
  ykerers)s) 
  and/or Forbidden Lorre (W
  (W
  Warararp)p)p
  The Po
  Powe
  wer r Wi
  Withthouut ††
  20
  20
  200
  Ta
  Talentnt
  Ar
  Armo
  mourur of f f Co
  Contnttem
  em
  emptptpt, Fo
  Fo
  Forb
  rb
  rbidididde
  de
  den n Lore (Arch
  cheo
  eotetech
  ch) )
  and/or Forbidden Lore e (XXen
  ennos
  os
  os)
  The Po
  Powe
  wer r Be
  Beyo
  yond ††
  200
  Talent
  Armour of Contempt, Forb
  rbididde
  de
  den Lore
  (D
  (Daemonology
  g ) and/
  d/
  d or
  or
  or Sch
  ch
  cholololasasastic Lore (Occu
  cultlt)
  Scholal stticic Lor
  ore +10
  30
  3 0
  Skill
  Th
  The samee Scholastic Lore Skikikillllll
  Schoolalasticic Lor
  ore +20
  300
  Skill
  The same Scholastic Lorere +10
  10 Skill
  †Ma
  M y be tak
  akenen up p to 3 times at t t thththisisis Rank.
  ††Can onlyly selelecect t one of thesese.
  TRAIT: OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
  Despite the fact that Calixian Malateks are not 
  hunted outlaws or hated hereteks to be executed on 
  the spot (at least, not yet), they do stand apart from 
  their Mechanicum brethren in the Sector. They may 
  continue to hold whatever titles they once had, and 
  in rare cases may even be allowed to stay on their 
  forge world, but they will never shake the stigma of 
  being one who stands on the outside of Mechanicum 
  society, looking in at what they once were. Malateks 
  treat the Disposition of any member of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus as being two steps lower than whatever 
  it would normally be. This effect is cumulative with 
  other Malateks that happen to be part of the same 
  cell of Acolytes, as larger concentrations of these 
  outsiders are likely to make the Mechanicum trust 
  them even less than they already do.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  TALENT: THE POWER WITHIN
  The Malatek’s dangerous experiments with captured 
  psykers lead him to believe that either true progress can 
  be made by looking inwards to the emerging psychic 
  race that is humanity, or that there is a technological 
  means to stop the psychic downfall of Mankind. The 
  Acolyte is treated as having the Resistance (Psychic 
  Powers) Talent, takes all Fear Tests caused by psychic 
  powers at one level lower (Fear (2) becomes Fear (1), 
  Fear (1) is ignored, etc), and once per session may 
  automatically pass a Forbidden Lore (Psykers) or 
  Forbidden Lore (Warp) Test with the Degrees of 
  Success equal to his Intelligence Bonus.
  TALENT: THE POWER WITHOUT
  The Malatek’s iconoclastic work with Cold Trade 
  prizes lead him to believe that the lack of true divinity 
  is what makes xenos technology so inferior, or that 
  only by harnessing the power of xenos technology 
  can the alien’s foul presence be vanquished from 
  the Omnissiah’s domain. The Acolyte can use all 
  xenos weapons and wargear with only a –10 penalty 
  to their operation, takes all Fear Tests caused by 
  xenos at one level lower (Fear (2) becomes Fear (1), 
  Fear (1) is ignored, etc), and once per session may 
  automatically pass a Forbidden Lore (Archeotech) 
  or Forbidden Lore (Xenos) Test with the Degrees 
  of Success equal to his Intelligence Bonus.
  TALENT: THE POWER BEYOND
  The Malatek’s unsanctioned tests on captured heretek 
  devices lead him to believe that the power of Chaos 
  is something to be pitied, as it will never know the 
  purity of the machine, or that harnessing the weapons 
  of the Warp in conjunction with the blessings of the 
  Omnissiah is the true path to defeating Chaos. The 
  Acolyte can use all daemonic weapons and wargear, 
  as well as any equipment deemed “corrupted” by the 
  power of the Warp, with only a –10 penalty to their 
  operation, takes all Fear Tests caused by Daemons at 
  one level lower (Fear (2) becomes Fear (1), Fear (1) is 
  ignored, etc.), and once per session may automatically 
  pass a Forbidden Lore (Daemonology) or 
  Forbidden Lore (Occult) Test with the Degrees of 
  Success equal to his Intelligence Bonus.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  CRIMSON GUARD
  “They came upon our position like a river of red; an unbroken line of 
  armour and guns stretching across our battle lines. Without a word 
  they opened ﬁre, and I witnessed destruction the likes of which I had 
  never seen. Minutes passed, and still they kept ﬁring. With so few of us 
  left, I knew it was the end, and at that moment, as I took one last look 
  at the grim facades of these soldiers, I knew the Machine God was real. 
  I threw my weapon away and awaited his judgement.”
  –Last recorded testament of Vasallis Noch,  
  the Butcher of Sahcrin
  In the wake of the War of Brass, the Skitarii Legions of the 
  Lathe Worlds were in utter ruin. Entire forge worlds found 
  themselves with virtually no troops left, their warrior cohorts 
  smashed and their command structures decimated. Outside 
  of the wounded Legio Venator, the Mechanicum of Calixis 
  lacked a strong standing army, and for the ﬁrst time in 
  hundreds of years were suddenly vulnerable.
  To alleviate this weakness, High Fabricator Kovikal Quietus 
  used the Iron Wall of Silence to start a discreet rearmament 
  drive throughout the Calixian forge worlds. A number of 
  the more militarily minded 
  Tech-Priests were moved 
  into positions where 
  they could work to 
  replenish the ﬁghting 
  ranks, and the remnants 
  of 
  the 
  Calixian 
  Explorator Fleets were 
  used to ferry these new 
  recruits to various training 
  installations, usually under 
  the guise of supply runs to 
  keep their true nature hidden. 
  It took many years to bring 
  this grand plan together, but once 
  everything was in place Quietus 
  found himself with a new force 
  consisting of some of the best-
  trained and best-equipped troops 
  in the Sector. He dubbed this 
  new force the Venatorii, the new 
  hunters of the Calixis Sector, a 
  force that was to remain separate 
  to the recovering Skitarii forces and 
  act as the true elite of the Lathes. 
  With their unique organisation and 
  frightening red armour, the few 
  outside of Mechanicum circles aware 
  of them soon began to call this 
  untested army the Crimson Guard.
  The Calixian Conclave, always 
  watching when new powers appear 
  in the Sector, took a keen interest in 
  the formation. Quietus may have 
  instigated a wall of silence, but the 
  eyes and ears of the Inquisition were 
  everywhere, and hidden agents 
  of the Ordo Hereticus watched 
  each step of the Venatorii’s development. But the Conclave 
  unexpectedly decided this Crimson Guard was not a threat for 
  their concern. They would keep their eyes upon them though, 
  and perhaps even call upon them should the need arise. 
  The Inquisition has called upon the Venatorii on numerous 
  later occasions since their formation, most dramatically during 
  the Meritech Wars. The savagery with which the Venatorii 
  fought cemented their reputation throughout the Calixis 
  Sector, but the Inquisition soon found themselves shut off once 
  again as the Iron Wall of Silence slid back into place.
  It took another ﬁve hundred years, and a new heresy born 
  of the Tech-Priest Malygris, to end this era of exclusion. Those 
  Inquisitors whom the Mechanicum approve of have received 
  Venatorii support. The Inquisition guardedly uses such forces, 
  knowing that they are undoubtedly reporting back to their 
  Mechanicum masters, but viewing it as an opportunity to see 
  these Crimson Guards in action and gauge their prowess. 
  To be a single Venatorius within the Crimson Guard is to walk 
  at a level above common warriors, even the Skitarii. Equipped 
  with powerful integrated weapon technologies that draw their 
  energy from the soldier’s own Potentia Coil, a single maniple of 
  Venatorii can unleash a ceaseless storm of death at their enemy. The 
  Venatorii wear thick crimson carapace armour recovered from the 
  deepest data crypts of Lathe-Het, and use millennia-old designs 
  for powerful lasriﬂes. This unique armour, itself a product of the 
  peculiar gravity of the Lathe Worlds, covers 
  their features entirely, leading to a solid and 
  inexorable wall of faceless red and black 
  that can often defeat enemies with fear 
  before a single shot is even ﬁred.
  The higher ranks of the Crimson 
  Guard are more frightening still. The 
  Triarii maniples are amongst the most 
  experienced, their bodies altered with 
  additional cybernetics and ancient 
  las technologies that few outside of 
  the Lathes can match. The graceful 
  Celerii, taken from the best the Triarii 
  have to offer, rise on broad Alatus-
  pattern jump packs and act as the 
  Venatorii’s shock troops. The elite 
  Celerii Tribuni ofﬁcers, far more 
  machine than man, represent not 
  only the best ﬁghters but also the 
  ﬁnest strategic thinkers within 
  the Crimson Guard. These dread 
  commanders can bring a terrifying array 
  of weapons to bear, and their presence 
  can quickly turn the tide of a conﬂict.
  Through the power of their 
  unique organisation, their training, 
  their augmentation, and the weapons 
  technology each soldier carries, the 
  Crimson Guard rival any of the armed 
  forces within the Calixis Sector, and 
  the Fabricators of the Lathes have 
  done everything in their power to 
  make sure this fact is well known 
  among their would-be rivals.
  allll of f Silence toto statatartrtrt a discreet rearmament 
  the
  he Calixian n fofoforgrgrge e e wo
  w rlds. A number of 
  rilily y mi
  mindedd 
  e e move
  ved 
  whe
  h re 
  rk to 
  hth ing 
  na
  nantnts s
  ixi ian 
  were 
  e neew 
  trraiaining
  n  
  llyly undere  
  ply runs to o 
  ure hidde
  den.n. 
  years to br
  br
  brinining g 
  ge
  g ther, but on
  oncecece 
  place Qu
  Q ieietututus s 
  h a new for
  o cece 
  e of f ththe be
  beststs -
  qu
  quipippe
  p d troo
  oops
  ps 
  du
  dubb
  b ed this 
  totoririi,i, the
  he new 
  lixixisis Sece tor, a 
  rema
  mainin sep
  epararatte e
  kititarariiii for
  orces and 
  te of the
  he Lathes. 
  orga
  ganinisasatition
  on and 
  armour, ththe e fefew 
  w 
  icuum circleles aw
  awarare e 
  gan
  a  to call thihis s
  Crimson Guard.d.
  Conclave, always s
  w powers app
  ppear 
  a keen interest in 
  uietus may have 
  silence, but the 
  nquisition were 
  hidden agents 
  cus watched 
  with powerful integratted
  edd weaeaeapo
  pon n tetechnolo
  energy from the soldier’rs ow
  ow
  own n n Po
  Po
  Poteteentntia Coil
  Ve
  Ve
  Vena
  n toorii i can nun
  un
  unleasasash a a a cec asaselelesesess s sstststorororm of deat
  Ve
  Vena
  naatototoririr i we
  wearara thihihick
  ck
  ck criririmsson
  on cararrap
  ap
  apacacace e armou
  deep
  ep
  epest data crypts of Lathe-H
  -HHetetet, , an
  an
  a d d use m
  for powerful lasriﬂes. This un
  uniqique
  uee arm
  rm
  rmou
  our, it
  peecu
  c liar gravivitytyty of f f ththt e L
  thththeieieir r fefefeatatatururureseses entntntiriri elely, l
  inexorab
  ab
  ablee walalall l l ofof fa
  that cann oftften
  en
  en defe ea
  before a sininglglgle e e sh
  sh
  s oto i
  Th
  Th
  The hihigh
  gh
  gherere  ran
  Gu
  Guararard d ararare e mo
  mo
  more fr
  Triarii ma
  manininiplples are
  expeeririen
  enncececed,d,d their
  addid tition
  onalalal cyb
  ybbere n
  lalalas s s tetetech
  ch
  chno
  no
  nololoogig es t
  thththe e La
  La
  Lathththeseses can m
  Ce
  Celeleleriririi,i,i, tak
  aken
  e  from
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve to o ofofo fef r, ris
  pa
  paattttttererern n jujump pa
  Ve
  Ve
  Vena
  natotorii’s shoc
  Ce
  Celelerii Tribuni
  ma
  machine than
  an
  on
  only the
  he besest t ﬁ
  ﬁn
  ﬁ est t
  stratetegigic
  the Crimso
  son n Gu
  Gu
  comman
  a deersrs can
  an briri
  of wea
  eapo
  pons
  ns to o be
  bearar
  can quicklkly y tuturn
  rn the
  he
  Th
  Throroug
  ugh h ththe e
  un
  uniqique
  ue orgrgan
  anisi ata io
  ththeieir r au
  augm
  gmen
  entation
  tetech
  chnolology
  gy each s
  Cr
  C im
  i son Gu
  G ard riv
  forces withih n the 
  ththe e Fabricators o
  done everything
  make sure this
  among their wou
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  BECOMING A CRIMSON GUARD SOLDIER
  Although originally built from the remnants of the Lathe’s 
  Skitarii legions, modern Venatorii are recruited far earlier in 
  their military careers. Taken from the most promising of recruits, 
  they are further augmented with additional cybernetics and 
  implants, including the Potentia Coil that powers their unique 
  and dangerous integrated weapons. Once their basic training and 
  augmentation is complete, a process that usually takes between 
  ﬁve and eight years, they join the lower ranks of the Venatorii 
  cohorts, and are stationed on the various Mechanicus installations 
  and forge worlds throughout the Calixis Sector. Those who prove 
  more skilled than their fellow soldiers might ﬁnd themselves fast-
  tracked for Triarius augmentation training, or even secondment 
  to the Inquisition should such a request be made.
  All Starting Skills, Talents, Traits, Gear, and Wealth listed 
  here fully replace the Rank 1 Guardsman listing on pages 25 
  and 68 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.
  Required Career: Guardsman
  Starting Skills: Common Lore (Machine Cult, Tech), 
  Speak Language (Low Gothic), Tech-Use.
  Starting Talents: Exotic Weapon Training (Integrated 
  Melee Weapon), Exotic Weapon Training (Integrated Ranged 
  Weapon), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive).
  Starting Traits: Heart of Steel, Mechanicus Implants, 
  Skin of Iron.
  Starting Gear: Crimson armour, red Mechanicus robes 
  (Good Quality clothing), Venator Blade, charm (Mechanicus 
  devotional icon), Integrated Lathe-Lasriﬂe.
  Starting Wealth: 100+1d10 Thrones
  Monthly Income: Military Class
  Restrictions: Must have the Forge World Home  
  World Origin.
  ALTERNATE RANK STRUCTURE
  It is likely that as the Acolyte spends experience on this 
  Alternative Career, he will advance several Ranks in the 
  Crimson Guard path. Players can use the following titles for 
  their Venatorius within the Crimson Guard at those Ranks, 
  instead of the standard ones listed for the Guardsman Career. 
  These titles do not change the paths the Acolyte may choose 
  when moving through the Guardsman Career.
  Rank Name 
   
   
  XP
  1 
  Venatorius Novicius 
  0-499
  2 
  Venatorius 
   
  500-999
  3 
  Venatorius Veteranus 
  1,000-1,999
  4 
  Venatorius Decani  
  2,000-2,999
  5 
  Triarius  
   
  3,000-5,999
  6 
  Triarius Executus  
  6,000-7,999
  7 
  Celerius  
   
  8,000-9,999
  8 
  Celerius Tribuni  
  10,000-14,999
  FORGE TRAINING
  The Venatorii differ from the Imperial Guard in virtually 
  every way, and as a result the skill sets and personality traits 
  that they bring into combat are quite removed from the 
  norm. Crimson Guard do not use Table 2–6 Guardsman 
  Characteristic Advances from page 69 of the DARK HERESY 
  Core Rulebook, but instead use Table 2-1: Crimson Guard 
  Characteristic Advances below. 
  TRAIT: HEART OF STEEL
  Not known for being warm or personable, the soldiers 
  of the Crimson Guard are unforgiving, blunt, and at 
  times quite harsh to those unfamiliar with the cold, 
  logical way the Adeptus Mechanicus operates. The same 
  things that make them difﬁcult to relate to for others 
  actually make them more trustworthy in the eyes of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus, and thus a Crimson Guard soldier 
  may substitute their Intelligence Characteristic for their 
  Fellowship Characteristic whenever interacting with 
  other members of the Cult Mechanicus.
  TRAIT: SKIN OF IRON
  Mechanical augmentation and cybernetic replacements 
  are not only common, but also expected for the Machine 
  Cult. By the end of their careers, most Tech-Priests have 
  very little of their original body remaining; their ﬂesh, 
  blood, and sometimes even parts of their brain replaced by 
  pure synthetic and mechanical components. The Crimson 
  Guard are no different in this respect, and as a Venatorius 
  advances through the ranks he usually gains more and 
  more enhancements. Upon selecting this Alternate Rank, 
  the character must select one Common Quality cybernetic 
  that their character automatically gains. Every two Ranks 
  after this (so Ranks 3, 5, and 7) the Acolyte must either 
  select an additional cybernetic, or upgrade one of his 
  existing cybernetics to Good Quality.
  ������
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  Characteriststicic
  SiS mple
  In
  Innteterm
  rm
  med
  ed
  ediai tet
  Tr
  Traine
  ned
  Expert
  Weapon Skill
  10
  100
  250
  50
  500
  750
  Ballistic Skill
  10
  100
  250
  50
  500
  750
  Strength
  25
  250
  50
  500
  75
  750
  1,000
  Toughness
  10
  100
  25
  250
  50
  5 0
  750
  Agility
  50
  5 0
  75
  750
  1,000
  2,500
  Intelligence
  10
  1 0
  250
  500
  750
  Perception
  500
  750
  1,000
  2,500
  Willpower
  250
  500
  750
  1,000
  Fellowship
  N/A
  N/A
  N/A
  N/A
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  ���������������������
  ����
  ��
  Advance
  Co
  Costst
  Ty
  Type
  pe
  Pr
  Prer
  ereq
  equi
  uisisitetes
  Awareness
  10
  100
  Sk
  S ili l
  —
  Drive (Ground Vehicle)
  10
  1 0
  Sk
  S ill
  —
  Secret Tongue (TTech)h)
  100
  Skill
  — 
  Speak Language
  g  (Hi
  High
  g  Gothihic)c)
  100
  Skill
  —
  Speak Language
  ge (Lo
  Low 
  w Go
  Goththicic)
  100
  Skilill
  —
  Basic Weappon Trarainining g (L(Lasas)
  100
  1 0
  Ta
  Talelentntn
  —
  Electro-Grafft t Us
  Use
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentntnt
  —
  Exotic Weapon n Tr
  Traiining
  ng (Pi
  Pick
  ck One
  ne) ) †
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentntnt
  —
  Luminen Chararge
  ge
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talel ntt
  Mechanicicus
  us Imp
  mp
  mplalalantntnts
  Melee Weapon Traraininining g (C
  ( hain)
  100
  Talent
  —
  Pistol Training g (L(Lasas)
  10
  1 0
  Talent
  —
  Pistol Training g (P
  (Plalasm
  sma)
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentntnt
  —
  Sound Constitututition
  on †
  100
  Talent
  —
  Technical Kn
  K oc
  ock
  100
  Talent
  Intelligence 30
  Co
  C mmmonn Lor
  ore e (M
  (Mac
  achine Cult) +10
  10
  10
  200
  Skill
  Common Lore (Machine
  ne Cululult)t)
  Coommon Lor
  ore e (T
  (Tec
  ech)h +10
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Skilili l
  Co
  Co
  Comm
  mm
  mmon
  on
  on Lor
  or
  o e e e (T
  (T
  (Tec
  ec
  ech)h)
  Dr
  D ivi e e (H
  (Hoverer Veh
  e icicle)
  200
  Skill
  —
  Forbidde
  den n Lo
  Lorere (Adeptus Me
  Mech
  ch
  chan
  an
  anicicicus
  us)
  200
  Skill
  —
  Logic
  20
  2 0
  Sk
  S ili l
  —
  Pilot (A
  (Alalatutus s JuJump
  mp Pac
  a k)k)
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Skilill
  Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicus
  u Imp
  mp
  mplalantntnts
  Security
  200
  Skill
  —
  Bi
  B naryry Cha
  hatttterer
  200
  Talent
  —
  Disturrbib ng
  ng Voioice
  ce
  20
  20
  200
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  —
  Electrricalal Suc
  uccour
  20
  2 0
  Talent
  Mechanicus
  us Implants
  Ferric Lure
  200
  Talent
  Mechanicus Implants
  Luminen Bl
  Blasast
  200
  Talent
  Mechanicus Implants
  Lumine
  n n Sh
  Shoc
  ock
  20
  20
  200
  Ta
  T lelentnt
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  chan
  anicus
  us
  u Imp
  mp
  mplalalantntnts
  Maglev Grarace
  ce
  200
  Talent
  Mechanicicus
  us
  u  Implants
  Mechadendritite e Us
  Use (P
  (Pici k One)
  2000
  Talelent
  Mechanicus Implants
  Melee Weap
  apon
  o Traraininining (Powerer)
  2000
  Talel nt
  —
  The Flesh is Wea
  eak k †
  200
  Talent
  Mechanicus Implants
  Forbidden Lore (Arch
  cheo
  eotet ch)
  300
  Skill
  —
  Pilot (Alatus Jump Pac
  ack)k) +10
  10
  30
  30
  300
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  Pi
  Pi
  P lololot t t (A
  (A
  (Alalalatututus-s-s-Pa
  Pa
  Pattttttererern n n JuJuJump
  mp Pac
  ack)k
  Secret Tongue (T
  ( ech)h) +10
  10
  30
  300
  Skill
  Secret Tongu
  gue e (T
  (T
  (Tec
  ec
  ech)h)h)
  Tech-UUse +10
  30
  30
  300
  Sk
  Skill
  Teech-UUsesese
  Tech-Use +20
  30
  3000
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  Te
  Te
  Tech
  ch
  ch-U
  -U
  -Usesese +10
  10
  10
  Energy Cache
  3000
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentntnt
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  chan
  an
  a icicus
  uss Imp
  mp
  m lants
  Ferric Summons
  300
  Talent
  Ferric Lure, Mechanicus s Im
  Implplan
  antsts
  Luminen Shield
  30
  300
  Talent
  Mechanicus Imp
  mplalantnts
  Peer (Adeptus Mechanicus)
  30
  300
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  Fel 30
  30
  Luminen Barrier
  40
  400
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  Luumi
  mine
  nen n Sh
  Shieieldld, Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicus
  us Imp
  mplalantn s
  Luminen Flare
  4000
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  Lu
  Lumi
  mine
  nen n Bl
  Blasast,t, Mechanicus Implants
  Luminen Surge
  40
  400
  Talentt
  Luuminen Shock,k  Mechanin cus Implants
  Maglev Transcendence
  400
  Talent
  Maglev Grace, Mechanicus Implants
  †May be taken up to 2 times at this Rank.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  CULT OF THE PURE FORM
  “The ﬂesh is strong!”
  –Common Pure Form maxim
  The Adeptus Ministorum and the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  have never enjoyed a healthy working relationship within 
  the Calixis Sector. Conﬂicts between the two organisations 
  tend to be wars of words, though, political battles fought 
  in the capital worlds of the Sector, rather than outright 
  conﬂict between men and machines. Nevertheless, there 
  have been several overt conﬂicts, such as the attack on the 
  Explorator vessel Omega Inquiry from an Adepta Sororitas 
  strike force on the far edges of the Halo Stars. There are no 
  ofﬁcial records of the encounter, but the Tricorn contains 
  sealed datavaults hinting at an abhuman strain that the 
  Mechanicus had uncovered far from civilised space, and the 
  Ministorum’s reactions of horror when their spies reported 
  the discovery. Retaliatory bombardments 
  obliterated two outpost convents, and was 
  about to escalate further before secretive 
  diplomacy and unnamed offerings settled 
  the matter. Such incidents are still rare, 
  but with the gradual rise of a group 
  calling itself the Cult of the Pure Form 
  this could begin to change.
  It is not known exactly who founded the 
  Cult of the Pure Form, but their inﬂuence 
  began in the Malﬁan Sub-Sector 
  in the immediate aftermath 
  of the Malygrisian Heresy. 
  The traitorous Tech-
  Priest and his followers 
  decimated 
  untold 
  worlds 
  with 
  their 
  devastating weaponry, 
  and some began to think 
  that the existence of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus would 
  lead to another, inevitable 
  war. The followers of this 
  emerging cult feared that 
  this coming doom would 
  scour humankind from 
  the galaxy, leaving 
  only the cold, barely-
  human 
  ﬂesh 
  and 
  machine 
  hybrids 
  of the Mechanicum 
  behind. This twisted 
  line of logic grew quickly 
  until the ﬁrst major anti-
  Mechanicum movement of the Calixis 
  Sector’s history began to swell, with loud 
  marches and violent demonstrations. 
  In an unexpected move, and one that likely came 
  about due to Cult Mechanicus political manoeuvring on 
  Scintilla, the Sector Synod declared the leaders of the 
  emergent cult Apostate. Over the next ﬁfty years these 
  leaders began to disappear, some dying in mysterious 
  accidents and others in outright assassinations. Some 
  thought that the Inquisition was to blame, and others 
  whispered of the Ofﬁcio Assassinorum’s involvement, but 
  very few were aware that the Lords Dragon had carried 
  out this early intervention, and that their clandestine 
  methods had managed to stiﬂe the movement before it 
  could truly become established. Displeased that the Lords 
  Dragon had stepped beyond their usual bounds and were 
  acting outside of the domains of the Lathes Worlds, the 
  Inquisition sought to move against them. To appease the 
  Calixian Conclave, the Lords Dragon handed over what 
  information they had on the new sect. Their hope was 
  that the Inquisition would continue the aggressive work 
  against the Cult, but the Inquisition instead scaled back 
  these efforts to more passive monitoring. 
  For a time, it seemed as though this early intercession had 
  succeeded, but, like an unchecked weed, the Cult of the 
  Pure Form rose once again. This time, the cult threw out 
  its previous methods in favour of a slower approach, and 
  rather than attempting to whip the people of a single 
  sub-sector into a frenzy, the new Pure Form leaders 
  instead chose to let their hatred for 
  the Mechanicus simmer on worlds 
  across the entire Sector. Unlike 
  before, the Sector Synod made no 
  moves to denounce the Cult of the 
  Pure Form; some even whispered 
  they had begun to covertly 
  support 
  it. 
  Many 
  Inquisitors 
  began investigating the cult to 
  see if they had been motivated by 
  something other than a fervent love 
  of the Emperor, but over time, some 
  members of the Calixian Conclave—
  especially puritans of the Ordo 
  Hereticus—began to see them 
  as actually displaying agreeable 
  philosophies, as well as acting 
  as a valuable check against 
  the Mechanicum within 
  the Sector. This has 
  not gone unnoticed 
  in the Lathes. Slowly 
  but surely, the rising 
  cult is sparking a 
  conﬂict, one that 
  has edged closer to 
  ignition with each 
  passing year.
  Retaliatory bombardments 
  outpost convents, and was 
  te further before secretive 
  unnamed offerings settled 
  h incidents are still rare, 
  gradual rise of a group
  e Cult of the Pure Form 
   to change.
  n exactly who founded the 
  orm, but their inﬂuence 
  lﬁan Sub-Sector 
  te aftermath 
  n Heresy. 
  Tech-
  owers 
  ntold 
  their 
  ponry, 
  to think 
  ce of the 
  nicus would 
  er, inevitable
  wers of this 
  feared that 
  m would 
  d from 
  aving 
  rely-
  and 
  brids 
  icum 
  twisted 
  w quickly 
  major anti-
  vement of the Calixis 
  egan to swell, with loud 
  ent demonstrations. 
  against the Cult, but the Inquisition instead 
  these efforts to more passive monitoring. 
  For a time, it seemed as though this early inte
  succeeded, but, like an unchecked weed, the
  Pure Form rose once again. This time, the cu
  its previous methods in favour of a slower a
  rather than attempting to whip the peopl
  sub-sector into a frenzy, the new Pure
  instead chose to let th
  the Mechanicus simm
  across the entire Se
  before, the Sector Sy
  moves to denounce th
  Pure Form; some eve
  they had begun
  support 
  it. 
  Many
  began investigating 
  see if they had been
  something other than a
  of the Emperor, but ove
  members of the Calixian
  especially puritans o
  Hereticus—began t
  as actually display
  philosophies, as
  as a valuable 
  the Mecha
  the Sect
  not go
  in theL
  but sur
  cult is
  conﬂic
  has ed
  ignitio
  passin
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  The Cult of the Pure Form’s members differ from other 
  Ministorum sects within the Calixis Sector in that they do not 
  hate the Adeptus Mechanicus purely for their worship of the 
  Omnissiah (although that certainly is part of it). They are not 
  anti-technology either; they simply wish to wrest control of 
  such power away from the Mechanicum so that “uncorrupted” 
  humans might control it. Their true ire stems from the extensive 
  use of cybernetics and other mechanical implants that virtually 
  every member of the Adeptus Mechanicus possesses. To the 
  cult, the most pure form in the universe is that of the human 
  body, and to deﬁle it by removing untainted ﬂesh and grafting 
  on artiﬁcial limbs is nothing short of heresy. 
  Many of the members of the Cult of the Pure Form have 
  cybernetic implants when they join, and soon undergo a ritual 
  known as the Purity of Flesh to remove the implants from their 
  bodies. This violent ritual usually leaves the participant missing 
  limbs or eyes, and can rob them of their ability to hear or even 
  speak, but once completed the new cult member enters the 
  ranks of the “Shriven,” blessed men and women who have seen 
  the purity of Mankind, have unshackled themselves from their 
  prisons of cybernetic augmentation, and who now walk the 
  path of the God-Emperor. The bulk of the cult’s ranks are made 
  up of those lucky enough to have lived without the deﬁlement 
  of cybernetics, and are referred to as the “Untouched.” Each 
  Untouched member comes to the sect for different reasons, but 
  most are spurred on by a love of the God-Emperor and an 
  inherent mistrust of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  However, the Cult of the Pure Form does not sit by and wait 
  for people to see its point of view, and has instituted their own 
  group of missionaries. This third group is the most powerful 
  within the cult, and are known as the “Reformed.” Acting as the 
  public face of the cult, the Reformed are a large, sector-spanning 
  network. They commonly preach that the God-Emperor had 
  not a single cybernetic in the days when He walked amongst 
  mortals, and that if He was pure of ﬂesh, then so too should His 
  subjects be. The Reformed consist of Shriven who have reversed 
  the process of bionic implantation, creating implants not of 
  unholy cybernetics, but instead made out of pure ﬂesh. These 
  vat-grown limbs and organs are often quite crude, and in many 
  cases misshapen, but in the eyes of the cult they are pure and 
  represent the future that it sees for Mankind.
  TALENT: REFORMED SKIN
  Either because he has decided to bring the word of 
  the Pure Form to the Calixis Sector, or because he 
  simply cannot live without his cybernetic implants, the 
  Acolyte has chosen to take on the new ﬂesh and join 
  the ranks of the Reformed. A member of the Cult of 
  the Pure Form can take this Talent as many times as he 
  has missing limbs/senses/respiratory systems/etc. due 
  to removing them via the Purity of Flesh talent, or any 
  time he loses a limb due to Critical Damage. When 
  taken, he gains a replacement that will either be a vat-
  grown limb, or perhaps the reclaimed and puriﬁed ﬂesh 
  from a Servitor. Treat this replacement as a Poor-Quality 
  cybernetic of the same, although it is not a cybernetic 
  and does not add to the his Toughness Bonus. There 
  are no vat-grown equivalents for Auger Arrays, Cortex 
  Implants, Cranial Armour, Mechadendrites of any type, 
  Mechanicus Implants, Mind Impulse Units, or any 
  other form of cybernetic from any other DARK HERESY 
  supplement. Any Fate Points gained from the Purity 
  of Flesh Talent are lost when the limbs/senses/etc. are 
  replaced. This Talent costs no experience to purchase, 
  and other than in life-threatening situations the 
  character is under no obligation to replace his missing 
  limbs with vat-grown alternatives.
  TALENT: GIFT OF PURITY
  The Acolyte has forsaken the cybernetic, cast out 
  the desire for the bionic, and joined the ranks of the 
  Untouched. Never will sacred ﬂesh be sullied by the 
  implantation of devices that rob the Acolyte of his purity. 
  The character cannot, under any circumstances, choose 
  or accept the implantation of cybernetics/bionics, even 
  if the result of refusing them would be death. If the 
  character ﬁnds himself implanted with cybernetics/
  bionics against his will, then he must remove them as 
  soon as possible, exchanging this Talent for the Purity 
  of Flesh Talent. This Talent costs no xp to purchase, 
  and is automatically granted to members of the Cult of 
  the Pure Form who have no cybernetics/bionics when 
  they take the alternate rank.
  TALENT: PURITY OF FLESH
  The Acolyte has participated in the Purity of Flesh 
  ritual and emerged alive. Taking his place amongst 
  the Shriven, he has become truly blessed, and despite 
  his missing limbs, eyes, and other organs, he feels 
  more complete now than he ever did with his soulless 
  metallic attachments. Truly the God-Emperor of 
  Mankind is watching him! All cybernetics/bionics 
  that the character had previously must be removed, 
  including internal cybernetic implants. If doing so 
  would normally result in the character’s death, such as 
  in the case of a Bionic Respiratory System, the character 
  instead permanently reduces his Toughness by 1d5 and 
  Wounds by 1 (and the character must immediately take 
  the Reformed Skin Talent to stop himself from dying). 
  The effects of removing these cybernetic implants 
  follow the rules for Critical Damage (see page 201, 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook), and for implants that 
  have additional effects (MIUs, Cranial Armour, etc.), 
  these beneﬁts are lost once the cybernetics have been 
  removed. The character gains 1 additional Fate Point 
  for every two bionics that he has removed (with the 
  exception of Mechadendrites) and the character must 
  remove all his cybernetics/bionics. This Talent costs 
  no experience to purchase and is automatically granted 
  to members of the Cult of the Pure Form who have 
  cybernetics/bionics when they take the Alternate 
  Rank. The character counts as having the Gift of Purity 
  Talent for the purposes of refusing new cybernetics.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  BECOMING A CULTIST  
  OF THE PURE FORM
  There are many ways to be tempted to join the Cult of the 
  Pure Form. For some, it is due to a feeling of betrayal, where 
  replacement cybernetics have caused more harm than good, 
  and the poor soul shackled by them is looking for a form of 
  release among the ranks of the Shriven. Others, after hearing 
  the words of the Reformed, have come to understand that the 
  continued existence of the Adeptus Mechanicus is nothing but 
  a disaster waiting to happen, and that it is their holy duty to do 
  something to stop them. Others join out of a fear that if they 
  begin to receive cybernetics that they will lose something of 
  their own souls, and eagerly join the ranks of the Untouched 
  to avoid this horriﬁc fate. A select few might even be contacted 
  directly by the cult’s senior members, as their membership 
  would greatly beneﬁt the cult’s standing and appeal across the 
  Sector. The cult also offers a strong brotherhood and a cause to 
  motivate new meaning into previously meaningless lives. Those 
  who achieve such purity in their ﬂesh may ﬁnd their spirit even 
  stronger than before, and certainly stronger than those who 
  foolishly trust their bodies to the machine.
  Upon becoming a member of the Cult of the Pure Form, 
  the character gains the Excommunicate Mechanicum Trait.
  Required Career: Adept, Arbitrator, Assassin, Cleric, 
  Guardsman, Imperial Psyker, Scum
  Alternate Rank: Cleric—Rank 2 or higher (500 xp); All 
  others—Rank 4 or higher (2,000 xp)
  Other Requirements: Any Acolyte who possess any 
  bionics/cybernetics when taking this Alternate Rank must 
  take the Purity of Flesh Talent before he may take any 
  further advances. Acolytes who do not possess any bionics/
  cybernetics when selecting this Rank must select the Gift of 
  Purity Talent before they may take any further advances.
  ����������������������
  ������
  ����
  ����
  ��
  Advance
  Cost
  Ty
  Type
  pe
  Pr
  Prer
  ereq
  equi
  uisisitetes
  Blather
  100
  Skkilill
  —
  Charm
  100
  Skill
  —
  Ciphers (Cult of the Purure e Fo
  Form
  rm)
  100
  Skill
  —
  Common Lor
  o e (Ecclelesisiararch
  chy)y)
  10
  1 0
  Sk
  Skilill
  —
  Common Lore (IImp
  mpereriaial l Cr
  Cree
  eed)d)
  1000
  Skill
  —
  Basic Weapon Traraininining g (P
  (Pririmi
  mitive)
  10
  1 0
  Ta
  Talent
  —
  Flagellant
  10
  100
  Ta
  Talentnt
  —
  Hatrred
  ed (Adep
  eptutus s Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicus)
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentntn
  —
  Peer (Ecclessiaiarcrchy
  hy)
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talelelentnt
  Fe
  Fe
  Fellllow
  owsh
  ship 30
  Pistol Trarainining g (P
  (Primitive)
  100
  Ta
  Talelelentntnt
  —
  Co
  Commman
  and
  200
  Sk
  S ilill
  —
  Co
  Comm
  mmon
  on Lor
  o e e (M
  (Machinee Cululult)t)t)
  200
  Skill
  —
  Dece
  ceivive
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Sk
  Skill
  —
  Intitimi
  mida
  datete
  20
  20
  200
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Ba
  Basisic c We
  Weap
  apon
  o  Training (M
  (M
  (Meleleltatata)
  200
  Talent
  —
  Ai
  Air r ofof Aututhority
  200
  Talent
  Fellowship 30
  IrIron
  on Disiscipline
  200
  Talent
  Wi
  Wiillllllpower 30
  30, , , Co
  Co
  Comm
  mm
  mman
  an
  a d
  Pi
  Piststolol Traraininining g (M
  (Melta)
  20
  2000
  Ta
  Ta
  T lelentntnt
  —
  Me
  Medidica
  cae
  30
  3 0
  Skill
  —
  LiLitatany
  ny of f Hate
  300
  Talent
  Hatred
  Pe
  Peerer (In
  Inqu
  q isition)n)
  300
  Talent
  Fellowship 30
  Gi
  Giftft of Purity †
  FrF eee
  Talent
  —
  Pu
  Purirityty of Flesh †
  FrFree
  ee
  Ta
  Talentn
  —
  Re
  Refoform
  rmed Skin †
  Special
  Talent
  Gift of Purity or r Pu
  Puririr tytyy of Flesh
  †Ca
  Can n only be takeken n un
  undededer r r spspececiﬁc circumstances. See page 43 for details.
  TRAIT:  
  EXCOMMUNICATE MECHANICUM
  The Cult of the Pure Form is not a secretive group, in 
  which members meet covertly in dank basements or 
  crumbling hab blocks. They have made their presence 
  felt and do not feel the need to hide their beliefs. 
  The Mechanicum, in turn, view them as dangerous, 
  misguided fools, and treat them with open disdain at 
  best. Should any member of the Machine Cult learn 
  of the Acolyte’s true allegiance, there could be dire 
  consequences. If discovered, treat any member of the 
  Mechanicum as having the lowest possible Disposition 
  towards the character (and vice versa). The GM may 
  even, in extreme situations, determine that acts of 
  violence might be called for. Additionally, all forms of 
  Interaction—even just speaking with members of the 
  Machine Cult—are to be treated as Arduous (–40) 
  before factoring in other modiﬁers.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  FACTOR OF THE LATHES
  “The subtleties of human society are often dismissed by our brothers 
  and sisters, but these mysteries too tick in accordance with the ordered 
  principles of the Omnissiah. Like a ﬁne chronograph, the human 
  mind clicks and grinds in complex patterns set out in His image. And 
  like a cogitator or a manufactorum or a voidship, this machine must 
  be understood—and mastered—by some Priests of our order, so that 
  the grand Quest for Knowledge can continue.”
  –Factor Jhuston, to his disciples
  Many members of the Adeptus Mechanicus often choose to 
  ignore the niceties of Imperial society, cleaving instead to their 
  own esoteric, arcane practices. The Priests of Mars, however, 
  must ofttimes negotiate, wheedle, and bargain with the ﬂesh-
  ﬂapping and uncouth individuals who hold themselves highly in 
  the Imperium, that they might further the Quest for Knowledge. 
  Within the Lathes, the Magos devised a common solution to 
  this problem, through the use of specialisation. The Lathes 
  trains their Magos Metallurgicus to reﬁne the secrets of the 
  true ﬂesh, Magos Alchemys to create mystic unguents, and even 
  Magos Biologos to unwrap the riddle of the helix; 
  therefore, the Magos of the Lathes determined 
  that they would utilise specialised personnel 
  here as well. Instead of wasting the valuable 
  cognitive-cycles of its highest members, the 
  Lathes instead trains a small portion of its initiates to read the 
  muddy and inscrutable outputs generated by outsiders as well 
  as the pure, precise language of the machine. The Factors of 
  the Lathes are ambassadors to the wider Sector, used when the 
  Lathe Worlds ﬁnd the most expedient path is to deal with the 
  uninitiated on their own ﬂeshy terms.
  Myth has it that a forgotten Mech-Deacon created this class, 
  in the wake of a cataclysmic misunderstanding that began with a 
  Scintillan Priest mistaking a particularly venerable Adept of Mars 
  for a malfunctioning cogitator, and ended with several orbital 
  bombardments. Since then, the Factors of the Lathes have served 
  for centuries with distinction as ambassadors between the Lathe 
  Worlds and the rest of the Calixis Sector. While the Factors are not 
  loved by all members of the Cult Mechanicus, they nonetheless 
  efﬁciently bring about the desired results, and thus are supported 
  and employed heavily within the Lathes. Those chosen undergo 
  decades of intense training and physical modiﬁcation in the 
  Hesh Protocol Academies, that they might become optimised 
  instruments of the Omnissiah. As a result, not only do Factors of 
  the Lathes lack the typical look of a Tech-Priest, having shed their 
  bulky augmetics in favour of subtle but no less potent equivalents, 
  but they are also capable of regurgitating vast amounts of data that 
  most of their brethren would deem worthless. Such information 
  ranges from a clinically thorough knowledge of the political 
  history of the Calixis Sector to truly inscrutable subjects, such as 
  the how to properly input and cycle nutrients when meeting 
  with the hive nobles of various planets.
  To be a Factor is to accept that imperfection itself can be a 
  part of a perfect plan. The Omnissiah’s purity may be found in 
  steel and circuitry, but a Factor must also be able to understand, 
  and even appreciate, what he sees as the inferior workings of 
  bone, blood, and tissue. Though Factors are often as heavily 
  augmented as their brethren, they bear few visible signs of their 
  metallic ascension. Their augmetics are instead crafted with 
  loving precision to resemble ﬂesh; usually the Factor conducts 
  this work himself, as few others within the Priesthood of Mars 
  would deign or desire to make such things. Mechadendrites 
  are kept small, subtle, and hidden in clothes, or able to collapse 
  into sub-dermal compartments when not needed. Few Factors 
  permanently incorporate larger mechadendrites into their bodies, 
  but some of these ambassadors ﬁnd servo-arms and other artiﬁcial 
  limbs too useful for their tasks within the Machine Cult to forgo 
  entirely, and thus have studied the difﬁcult art of attaching and 
  removing their external augmetics as required. 
  Whether a Factor revels in his unique position or bemoans the 
  travails that it entails, all ambassadors of the Lathes maintain a 
  certainty of purpose. Time and time again, the Factors have been 
  critical to the successes of the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Calixis 
  Sector, moving one Lord Governor to support a purge of a unique 
  new form of tech-heresy, or securing promises of assistance from 
  a Rogue Trader whose resources can reach a becalmed Explorator 
  Fleet in the Koronus Expanse. Certain Factors are even involved 
  with the Inquisition, using these invaluable connections to 
  further the causes of the dread Lords Dragon, and some become 
  Acolytes of Inquisitors who value their subtlety, or simply ﬁnd 
  their company less grating than that of others from the Martian 
  Priesthood. Further, while their order does not specialise in 
  such things, Factors can be excellent inﬁltrators, as each is a 
  fully trained Tech-Priest in his own right, whose form betrays 
  Ma
  Mago
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  �����������������������������
  ��
  no overt signs of its true nature. While their apparent lack of 
  augmentation is usually used to put others at ease, several Factors 
  have become embroiled in political and even military conﬂicts, 
  catching foes unawares thanks to their appearance.
  As they are not immediately recognisable as Priests of the 
  Machine Cult, Factors of the Lathes often signify their ofﬁce via 
  their garb or other ornamentation. They usually wear heavily 
  adorned Mechanicum robes, and sometimes even have shifting 
  electoos embedded in their skin, emblazoned with the sign of 
  the Cogwheel, visible when they wish to state their allegiance 
  but vanishing if they need to act more covertly.
  BECOMING A FACTOR OF THE LATHES
  Calixis Sector Tech-Priests chosen to become Factors train on 
  Lathe-Hesh, where their bodies and minds are shaped so that they 
  can fulﬁl the function for which they have been selected. This 
  training and augmentation (or modiﬁcation of existing augmetics) 
  can take a highly variable span of time—some Factors pass 
  through the Protocol Academy within years, while others take 
  decades to integrate the subtle etiquette sub-routines needed for 
  proper interaction with the myriad factions of the Calixis Sector.
  Required Career: Tech-Priest 
  Alternate Rank: Rank 1 or Higher (0 xp)
  Beneﬁts: Fabricated Flesh (Trait)
  Characteristic Advancements: The Agent may purchase 
  Fellowship Advances at 100 (Simple), 250 (Intermediate), 500 
  (Trained), and 750 (Expert), replacing that Characteristic entry 
  in Table 2–9: Tech-Priest Characteristic Advancements on 
  page 89 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.
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  Advance
  Co
  Costst
  Ty
  Type
  pe
  Pr
  Prer
  ereq
  equi
  uisisitetes
  Blather
  100
  Skilill
  —
  Blather +10
  100
  Skill
  Blather
  Carouse
  100
  Skill
  —
  Charm
  100
  Skilill
  —
  Deceive
  100
  Skill
  —
  Diplomacy
  10
  1 0
  Sk
  Skill
  Fel 30
  Disgguise
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Skill
  —
  Inquiri y
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Inquiry y +10
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  In
  In
  I qu
  quiriry
  Logic
  100
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Sc
  S ho
  h lalaststicic Lor
  ore e (B
  (Bureaucracy)
  100
  Skill
  —
  Sc
  Scho
  holalaststicic Lore (H
  ( eraldry)y))
  100
  Skill
  —
  Scho
  holalaststicic Lore (Imperial Cr
  Cree
  ee
  eed)d)d)
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  —
  Mi
  Mimi
  mic
  100
  Ta
  Taalel nt
  —
  Peere (Ad
  Admi
  minin stratum))
  100
  Talent
  —
  Pe
  Peerer (Go
  Gove
  v rnment)
  100
  Talent
  —
  Pe
  Peerer (Military)
  10
  1 0
  Talent
  —
  Pe
  Peerer (No
  Nobibililityty)
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  T lelentntnt
  —
  Ch
  Chararm 
  m +10
  20
  2 0
  Skill
  Chhara m
  De
  Dece
  c ivive +10
  200
  Skill
  Deceive
  Di
  Diplplom
  omacy +10
  200
  Skill
  Diplomacy
  Sc
  Scrurutit ny
  20
  200
  Sk
  Skilill
  —
  Ma
  Maststere  Orator
  30
  300
  Ta
  T lel ntnt
  Fel 30
  30
  Ta
  Talelentnted (Diplomac
  acy)y)y)
  400
  Talent
  Diplomacy +10
  TRAIT: FABRICATED FLESH
  Prerequisites: Tech-Priest
  A Factor of the Lathes bears few of the usual marks of 
  being a Tech-Priest; his cyber-mantle is fully hidden by 
  false ﬂesh or even vat-grown skin, and any augmetics 
  or bionic limbs that he possesses appear to be a part of 
  his body, or at least as common augmetics that many 
  within the Imperium possess. 
  The Tech-Priest retains all of his standard abilities 
  and Traits as described on page 27 of the DARK HERESY 
  Core Rulebook, but it requires a Hard (–20) Scrutiny 
  or Tech-Use Test to notice any signiﬁcantly off-putting 
  signs of his mechanical parts that mark him as a Tech-
  Priest. If he possesses mechadendrites or other large 
  attachments that would obviously set him aside as a 
  member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, he may attach or 
  remove any number of them at will, in a ritual that takes 
  1d5 hours to complete and causes 1 level of Fatigue 
  but has no other deleterious side-effects. So long as his 
  augmentations are not distractingly noticeable to those 
  he is interacting with, a Factor of the Lathes gains a +5 
  bonus to all Fellowship-based Tests when dealing with 
  Imperial citizens outside of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  
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  LATHESMASTER
  “It should be working now! If not, try praying some more,  
  or strike it again!”
  –Foreman-Primus Sarnia Maufry
  The public face of the Adeptus Mechanicus—or the portion 
  they allow Calixian society to see—are the Tech-Priests and 
  Enginseers that roam the Sector. Bedecked in their deep 
  crimson robes and adorned with all manner of machines 
  and mechadendrites, these arcane beings talk of the great 
  Omnissiah, pray before machines of all shapes and sizes, and 
  speak in a language indecipherable to the average citizen. 
  What most do not know is that the Mechanicus in the Sector 
  is made up of far more than just Tech-Priests. There are, of 
  course, the legions of servitors, but within the Lathes, and 
  across their various Calixian enclaves, there is a secondary 
  class of workers—the Lathesmasters. These people make up 
  most of the population of many Calixian forge worlds, and it 
  is their skilled labour and mechanical expertise that has kept 
  the Lathes functioning for generations.
  There are few surviving records detailing the origins 
  the Lathesmasters. Many simply assume they are natives 
  of the system, but most records indicate there were no 
  inhabitants when the Mechanicum took possession of the 
  Lathes. Common tales say they were imported as labour at 
  some later time, just as the Mechanicus would import any 
  required tool. Some even whisper of 
  improbable genetic experiments 
  of the Lords Dragon, surely 
  another of the cabal’s self-
  aggrandising 
  rumours. 
  Whatever their origins, the 
  Lathesmasters 
  appeared 
  to be perfectly adapted to 
  forge world life. Each is far 
  stronger and visibly shorter 
  than most other humans in 
  the Sector, but this was not 
  seen as a downside as their 
  stocky bodies made for 
  tough, rugged workers. They 
  possessed innate resistances 
  and immunities to the harsh, 
  polluted environments typical 
  of most forge worlds, and seemed 
  unaffected by the unforgiving and ever-
  changing gravity that was common 
  to the Lathes. They were, in essence, 
  the perfect workforce for the system, 
  smaller in number but even better than 
  the standard servitor complements most 
  forge worlds use exclusively.
  As decades passed and the Lathes grew 
  in power, a strong family-lodge mentality 
  began to grow. This impressed into their work, 
  and forge-groups developed ﬁerce rivalries over 
  performance. Soon, these transformed into direct competition 
  between the three main Lathes. The Tech-Priest overlords 
  fostered this competition, channelling the Lathesmasters’ 
  drive back into their work, and soon work quotas were ﬁlled 
  at an ever-faster rate. Motivated by their leaders and the 
  divinity of the Omnissiah, this unseen worker army helped 
  shape the earliest days of the Calixis Sector.
  Eventually this drive for exceptional work effort decreased. 
  When the reward for meeting a work quota ahead of schedule 
  was simply to move onto the next quota, certain elements 
  began to question not only their purpose, but also their place 
  within the Omnissiah’s plans. In response, large swathes of 
  Lathesmasters organised into groups called “Cores,” and made 
  demands that the priesthood of the Lathes were unwilling to 
  grant. On Lathe-Hadd, a world where primary production 
  was focused around ammunition, discontent was at its highest, 
  and if not for the Forge-Provost’s swift response, a rebellion 
  might have spilled out across the world.
  Deciding that the risk to productivity was too great, 
  a collection of Tech-Priests from Lathe-Het gathered to 
  create what would be called “Rerum Novarum.” This charter 
  described the exact requirements of the workforce, but at 
  the same time also made provisions to reward those that met 
  their work quotas with something other than just another 
  work quota. Most importantly, however, it declared that 
  there would be no distinction between the work conducted 
  by the priesthood and that of the Lathesmasters—all work, 
  no matter who completed it, was to be done in the name of 
  the Omnissiah, and therefore all work was considered 
  divine. It was a mostly symbolic declaration, and 
  in truth much of the priesthood saw the edict 
  as nothing more than a hollow appeasement of 
  a society one step above the servitors, but 
  the Lathesmasters accepted it, and soon 
  quotas were being ﬁlled once again.
  For decades, the Lathes returned to 
  peaceful production, with only the 
  occasional ﬂare of civil unrest. The 
  Lathesmasters were allowed to keep 
  their work-groups, and canny 
  members of the priesthood 
  used these groups against one 
  another in competition. It 
  was not until after the War 
  of Brass that the spectre of 
  rebellion from the Cores 
  once again appeared, but this 
  time it was the fault of the 
  priesthood, 
  speciﬁcally 
  the 
  Divisio 
  Genetor, 
  a highly experimental 
  faction within the Lathes 
  consisting of Tech-Priests 
  with little or no oversight. 
  e Mec
  ec
  echa
  ha
  hanininicu
  cu
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  wo
  woulululd d im
  im
  impo
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  p rtrt any
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  hihisp
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  entststs 
  relelely y y 
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  for 
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  arsrsh,h  
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  d d seemed 
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  thhe sy
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  em,
  n betteter th
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  plements mo
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  Lathes grew
  ily-lodge mentality 
  ssed into their work, 
  d ﬁerce rivalries over 
  by
  by the
  he pririesesth
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  o d an
  annd th
  th
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  L thes
  no matter who comp
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  m leted ititit, wa
  was s s tototo be d
  the Omnissiah, and therer foforerere allll w
  divine. It was a mos
  o tltly y y sy
  sy
  symb
  m o
  ini  truth
  th mucch fofof the
  he
  he pririesth
  as notothihing
  ng
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  or
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  th
  than
  an
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  a society one ststtep
  ep
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  ma
  maststs erers acc
  qu
  q otasas wererere e be
  be
  b ining 
  Fo
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  For r r de
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  deca
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  cade
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  pe
  pe
  p ac
  ac
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  oc
  occa
  ca
  c sisision
  on
  onalal ﬂare 
  La
  La
  Lathththesese ma
  m sters w
  thththeieir r wo
  w rk-g
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  memb
  m ers o
  us
  u ed these
  an
  a otheer r 
  wa
  was no
  not t 
  of Brarassss
  reebe
  bellllioion
  on
  once
  ce aga
  ga
  titime
  me it t 
  pr
  prieiesth
  ththe e 
  a a
  hih
  faction
  cons
  nsisting
  wiith litittle or n
  
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  Fascinated with the Lathesmasters’ biological differences, 
  the Divisio Genetor began to delve deeper into the genetic 
  history of the Lathesmasters. Some scattered reports from the 
  time indicated that the Divisio Genetor’s sudden interest was 
  actually prompted by the Lords Dragon, but if true it has never 
  been conﬁrmed. The Divisio Genetor had lofty goals for their 
  experiments, and planned to see if further modiﬁcations of the 
  Lathesmaster genome were possible. If successful, they could 
  move Lathesmaster populations to other forge worlds with 
  even harsher conditions, creating a workforce that did not 
  rely on programmed servitors but rather comprised motivated 
  workers dedicated to the glory of the Omnissiah.
  Starting with coerced and abducted Lathesmasters who 
  worked in the Lathe’s harshest conditions, the Divisio Genetor 
  set to work on modifying their genetics to acclimatise them 
  to extreme temperatures and areas of low oxygen. These 
  invasive experiments, which would later be called the Grinder 
  Atrocities, had an unusually high mortality rate, and once 
  news of cruelty and mass fatalities spread the Cores of Lathe-
  Hesh rose as one in anger. Word travelled quickly to Lathe-
  Het and Lathe-Hadd, and soon all the Cores were demanding 
  the cranial drives of the Divisio Genetor’s leaders. Thinking 
  that previous suppression tactics would sufﬁce, the Forge-
  Provosts were sent in to quell the populace. This backﬁred 
  horribly, and three of Lathe-Hadd’s most prominent Cores—
  nearly a half-million men and women—were massacred. All 
  work within the Lathes came to a grinding halt.
  With pressure on all sides, and rumours that the vengeful 
  Dragon Secutorii might soon involve themselves in the 
  conﬂict, the priesthood delivered a series of encyclicals in 
  the hope of bringing the matter to rest. Edict 1311-188-7 
  gave over much of the freedoms that the work-guilds desired 
  and put an end to the experiments. At the same time, the 
  edict gave the Mechanicum greater authority to transplant 
  Lathesmasters to other areas of the Calixis Sector. The Cores 
  never got their desired retribution for the actions of the 
  Divisio Genetor, but numerous leading Genetor Magos soon 
  found themselves transferred to the Panopticon Orbital, 
  where they were never heard from again. After a ceremony of 
  reuniﬁcation within the Nidus Omega on Lathe-Het, a place 
  where, until that day, no Lathesmaster had ever set foot, the 
  Lathesmasters collectively agreed to the new conditions, and 
  production started once again.
  As it turned out, the Divisio Genetor’s experiments had 
  been rather prescient, as it was not long before Lathe-Het 
  was stripped of its manufacturing capability and the vast 
  Lathesmaster population found itself transferred to other forge 
  worlds across the Sector. With so many different areas needing 
  the expertise of these skilled workers, the information from 
  the Divisio Genetor’s experiments allowed the Mechanicus to 
  ensure that Lathesmaster populations were always the right 
  ﬁt for whatever environment they found themselves in. As 
  for the Lathesmasters that now inhabit almost every major 
  Mechanicus installation across the Sector, they have yet to 
  rebel again, and seem genuinely content with their position in 
  the Omnissiah’s plan and their place in Calixian history.
  F
  ththe
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  BECOMING A LATHESMASTER
  A Lathesmaster is not something a citizen becomes, but is more 
  something he is born into. They are the hardy and intractable 
  workers of the Lathe Worlds, immune to the extremes of forge life, 
  and differ considerably from other Calixian populations. Shorter, 
  bulkier, and far stronger than the average hiveborn, a Lathesmaster 
  could almost be considered genetically designed for heavy 
  manual labour. Some Inquisitors respect these traits, as well as 
  their technical expertise and familiarity with the Cult Mechanicus, 
  and take promising Lathesmasters from their guilds so that they 
  might serve a higher purpose. Their Mechanicum Masters often 
  encourage such efforts, perhaps the better to gather information, 
  and implant their own agents within rival organisations. 
  All Starting Skills, Talents, Traits, Gear and Wealth listed 
  here totally replace the Rank 1 Scum listing on pages 27 and 
  83 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.
  Required Career: Scum
  TRAIT: GENETIC PANTROPY
  Lathesmasters are capable of withstanding more extreme 
  environments than most humans, and have their own 
  unique traits and abilities that make them such a hardy 
  workforce. The Grinder Atrocities took this one step 
  further, actively manipulating their genes in order 
  to prepare them for varied environments, especially 
  dangerous ones. In the years since these controversial 
  experiments, most have undergone some level of 
  genetic manipulation and are capable of surviving in 
  very difﬁcult conditions. A Lathesmaster may re-roll 
  any Test that is the result of extreme environments, 
  such as very hot or cold conditions, areas of low 
  oxygen, or even toxic atmospheres. Additionally, he 
  suffers no adverse effects in areas of slightly higher 
  and lower gravity, and can move normally in them.
  TRAIT: LABOURER BUILD
  Whilst they are still very much human, Lathesmasters 
  have certain physical aspects that mark them apart from 
  what might be considered “normal.” They are thick and 
  heavyset, with broad shoulders and large, tightly packed 
  muscle groups. They are not quick on their feet, but 
  make up for that with their endurance levels and above-
  average strength. Lathesmasters do not use the Fit for 
  Purpose Trait that is usually part of the Forge World 
  Homeworld Origin. Instead, they gain +3 Strength and 
  +3 Toughness upon creation, but start with –5 Agility. 
  TALENT: RITE OF IGNITION
  The Adeptus Mechanicus has many rites and rituals 
  associated with coaxing machine spirits to life, so 
  many, in fact, that knowing all of them would be quite 
  impossible. Lathesmasters tend to be more practical 
  than their Tech-Priest masters, and often there are tense 
  conditions when it is not always practical to chant a 
  three hundred line Canticle of Initiation. Most have 
  their own, self-taught “rite of ignition,” a form of prayer 
  to the machine-spirit that involves striking the object in 
  question several times, usually with sufﬁcient force for 
  activation. They tend not to enact this rite in the presence 
  of Tech-Priests, as many would consider it heresy, but 
  few can argue with its effectiveness. The Lathesmaster 
  may substitute their Strength Characteristic for their 
  Intelligence Characteristic when making a Tech-Use 
  Test to start or activate machinery. More sophisticated 
  or delicate machinery may not respond well to the Rite 
  of Ignition, so GMs have the ﬁnal say regarding which 
  objects this Talent may be used upon.
  TALENT: STRENGTH OF THE LATHES
  Blistering heat, dense smog, toxic fumes, open ﬂames, 
  and exposed electrical conduits are all common sights 
  on the forge worlds of the Calixis Sector. To most 
  people this sort of environment would be a death 
  sentence, but to the Lathesmasters it is home. After 
  long years in such settings, these hardy workers never 
  shy away from such conditions, and most even thrive in 
  such dreadful environments. Any time a Lathesmaster 
  would gain a level of Fatigue, except those caused by 
  psychic powers, he may make a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test and if successful, he does not gain 
  the level of Fatigue. Additionally, Lathesmasters take 
  half as long to recover from Fatigue as normal.
  Starting Skills: Climb, Contortionist, Common Lore 
  (Machine Cult, Tech), Speak Language (Low Gothic), 
  Survival, Tech-Use.
  Starting Talents: Iron Jaw, Melee Weapon Training 
  (Primitive), Melee Weapon Training (Power), Pistol 
  Training (SP).
  Starting 
  Traits: Dark Sight, Genetic Pantropy,  
  Labourer Build.
  Starting Gear: Light Flak Coat, Flak Helmet, work tunic 
  (Common Quality clothing), charm (Mechanicus devotional 
  icon), vial of Sacred Machine Oil, Combi-Tool or Lascutter, 
  Good Quality Bionic Arm or Common Quality MIU, Stub 
  Automatic with 2 reloads, Percussion Mallet.
  Starting Wealth: 40+1d10 Thrones
  Monthly Income: Drudging Class
  Restrictions: Must have the Forge World Home  
  World Origin.
  RUGGED GENETICS
  Lathesmasters are naturally strong and quite sturdy, and tend 
  to get stronger as they grow older. They also have a natural 
  afﬁnity for technology, a trait needed for the role they play in the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus. Lathesmasters do not use Table 2–8 Scum 
  Characteristic Advances from page 83 of the DARK HERESY 
  Core Rulebook, but instead use Table 2-2: Lathesmaster 
  Characteristic Advances on page 50..  
  
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  250
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  500
  750
  1,000
  Strength
  10
  100
  25
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  500
  750
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  10
  100
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  50
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  1,000
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  100
  25
  25
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  Skill
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  —
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  10
  Sk
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  100
  Su
  Su
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  Sk
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  Skill
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  Tech-Use +10
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  Skilill
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  Skilill
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  Talent
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  Bu
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  40
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  a ce (Coldld)
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  10
  100
  —
  Re
  Resisiststance (He
  H atat)
  Talent
  100
  —
  Re
  Resisisttan
  a ce (Po
  P isi on
  on)
  Ta
  Ta
  T lelentntnt
  10
  1000
  —
  Ritete of f Ig
  Ignition
  Talent
  100
  —
  Sounnd d Co
  Cons
  n titution ††
  Talent
  100
  —
  Strer nggthth of f the Lathes
  Ta
  T lent
  10
  10
  100
  —
  Talentted
  ed (Tr
  Trad
  a e) (An
  An
  A y y On
  On
  One)e)e) †
  Ta
  Talelelent
  10
  10
  100
  Th
  Th
  The sasasame
  me
  me Trarar de
  de Skill
  True Grit
  Talent
  100
  To
  To
  Toug
  ughn
  hnesess 40
  Awareness
  Sk
  Skilill
  20
  20
  200
  —
  Demolition
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  20
  20
  200
  —
  Logic
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  20
  20
  200
  —
  Trade (Pick One)e) +20
  20 †
  Skill
  200
  The saame
  me Trarade
  de Skill +10
  Binary Chatter
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  20
  200
  —
  Crushing Blow
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  20
  2 0
  StStrereng
  ngthth 40
  The Flesh is Weak ††
  Ta
  Talelentnt
  20
  200
  —
  †May be taken up to 4 timeses at this ran
  ank.k  
  ††May be taken up to 2 times at t this rank.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  ��������������
  ��������
  “Travelling is a brutality. It forces you to mix with heretics, and lose 
  sight of all the calming structure of the Lathes. You are constantly off 
  balance. Even the essentials of air, the land, and the waters are not 
  yours. All that you have is your soul and your unshakable faith in the 
  Omnissiah. And that, my pupil, can be enough to last you.” 
  –Arch-Magos Pavese, to his most recent 
  recruit for Cistron training
  �
  n Advanced Character Creation, Alternate Careers allow 
  a change in a character’s advancement by way of his 
  ongoing experience. Beyond, this there are also things that 
  can dramatically change a character’s motivations or his base 
  behaviours that have little or nothing to do with his Career. This 
  may be due to a character’s personal philosophy, a traumatic 
  occurrence in their past, or possibly a twist of fate that has made 
  the character something more than just his Career. Whatever 
  the reason, the character is now looking at other options for 
  personal advancement. One way of reﬂecting these occurrences 
  is by the use of Elite Advance packages. These build on the 
  rules for Elite Advances (see sidebar below), which allow an 
  Acolyte to spend his xp outside the usual development found 
  in his Career Path. This allows the character to gain unusual 
  Skills or Talents to which he otherwise would not have access. 
  Regardless of how the character’s xp is spent, he advances 
  through the Ranks of his Career path normally.
  For every potential life-altering event that can happen to an 
  Acolyte, there is a corresponding Elite Advance Package, and 
  as such a GM should use Elite Packages as a kind of campaign 
  toolbox, a framework to show off his creativity and customise 
  the development of his campaign and the Player Characters.
  There are no exact rules for creating Elite Advance 
  Packages; it is up to the GM to decide what these packages 
  should cost relative to their abilities or the potential advances 
  that they grant. While trying to create such a package, the 
  GM should keep in mind that in the 41st Millennium, 
  nothing can be gained without paying a real price. This does 
  not mean just the xp cost, but also costs to an Acolyte’s sanity, 
  his Characteristics, and possibly even the degradation of his 
  very soul. This means that Insanity Points, Characteristic 
  Point loss, and Corruption Points are all on the table for 
  Elite Advance Package creation. There can also be other costs 
  such as restrictions on behaviour, dress codes, food or drink 
  intake, medicinal use, or others. These packages can also 
  have hitherto-unknown personal enemies or masters that the 
  Acolyte must now recognise, and quite possibly, confront.
  To develop other, unique packages, players should look to 
  the Character options shown in Chapter 2 and the examples 
  that follow for ideas. Other Elite Advance Packages can be 
  found in other DARK HERESY books, such as THE INQUISITOR’S 
  HANDBOOK. The rules for Dark Pacts (see page 241 of the 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) also offer a similar system 
  for accounting for unusual abilities. Elite Advance Packages 
  should always be led by the narrative, and should reﬂect on 
  some force, ideology, faction, or an in-game occurrence, not 
  just as an excuse to give Skills and Talents to a character that 
  he cannot normally acquire.
  The examples shown here allow a GM to offer an Acolyte 
  a new element to his base make up, such as the emergence 
  of a new kind of psychic ability, or to bring forward an 
  event that happened to the character long ago, one that was 
  hidden from their mind, and now that past memory begins 
  to come to the surface. 
  The use of an Elite Advance Package is, of course, optional, 
  as they modify and can potentially upset the balance of 
  the usual character progression system. These packages are 
  recommended for experienced groups only, and GM guidance 
  and approval is required.
  ELITE ADVANCES RULE SUMMARY
  A character’s nature and development is broadly 
  determined by his Career Path. However, the 
  Advancements listed are not the sum total of all that a 
  character could learn. A character might be exposed to 
  certain Skills or Talents during play, or, as a result of his 
  experience, deliberately seek out new abilities to combat 
  or exploit the things he encounters.
  Sometimes the GM offers an Acolyte an opportunity to 
  take an Elite Advance as a consequence of the character’s 
  actions, or developing events in the adventure. These Elite 
  Advances may come with additional side effects, such as 
  Corruption or Insanity Points, or the character becoming 
  indebted to an NPC or part of a conspiracy.
  An Acolyte can also request an Elite Advance for a 
  Skill or Talent not listed on his Advancement Scheme, 
  but this must be reasonable and appropriate for the 
  character and the situation he is in. To make a request 
  an Acolyte needs the following:
  Logical justiﬁcation for the character to have the 
  ��
  Elite Advance.
  An explanation for how the Acolyte gained the Advance, 
  ��
  how he got it, time taken, resources expended, etc.
  An offer of how many Experience Points or other 
  ��
  costs the player is willing to pay to gain the Advance. 
  The further a Skill or Talent lies outside the character’s 
  normal frame of expertise, the more it should cost; 
  likewise for particularly rare or unusual knowledge.
  The GM may decide not to grant the Elite Advance, 
  or request a higher xp cost than that suggested, or 
  impose some other counterbalancing penalty. The GM 
  may also rule that the player needs to pass a series of 
  Tests on order to successfully learn the required Skill 
  or Talent; this usually ties into the explanation for how 
  the Acolyte gained the Advance.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  CISTRON
  “The eyes and ears of a Cistron are deadlier than any weapon they carry.”
  –Magos De Jeffari, to his disciples.
  On the Lathes, beyond the ancient and dark workshops and 
  manufactorums, there sit hidden laboratories full of aged 
  and decrepit cogitators, whose function is to create the dark 
  functionaries. Here, candidates are brought to go through a 
  series of technotic engram-branding and implant procedures 
  that transform an apostle of the Machine God into a sleeper 
  agent for the Lords Dragon—a Cistron.
  The process for doing so is laborious and the chances for 
  success are very low; more often than not, the candidate is found 
  to be mentally incapable handling the transformation of their 
  skills and personality into someone totally unlike themselves. 
  Of those who might be able to handle the conditioning, 
  the psychic readjustment of the candidate’s personality and 
  memory may crush the candidate’s psyche, and they become 
  no more than another ﬂesh source for servitors. Those who 
  do survive, and even thrive, under the process, are then made 
  ready for a new personality and skill set.
  Cistrons are then loaded with a new identity, a series of 
  false memories, and the skills and talents necessary to become 
  another anonymous person in some part of the Sector. They 
  quickly become another cog in the world of which they are 
  to be located. The candidates understand that while their 
  original persona is in torpor, they unknowingly work hard to 
  foster a sense of well being and complacency in those whose 
  lives they will touch. They want to be seen as trustworthy and 
  valued wherever they are, thereby making it easier for them 
  to gather the necessary intelligence for their assignment. 
  Once a Cistron is ready, both physiologically and 
  psychologically, he is then placed into stasis. Then the 
  agent is taken clandestinely to a location somewhere in 
  the Calixis Sector (and rumours abound that Cistrons are 
  also sometimes sent into the lawless Koronus Expanse) 
  and released into the general population. The Cistron is 
  also given the proper documentation, work permits, and a 
  false identity trail, enough to establish the persona in this 
  new setting. Once on site, the Cistron seeks out a position 
  allowing him to accomplish its programmed task. This can 
  take days, weeks or even years. The agent is not consciously 
  aware of his assignment, which may even change over time 
  as circumstances dictate. In that case, another hidden agent, 
  the Minder who watches over ﬂocks of Cistrons in a region, 
  conducts subconscious upgrade-cants to the Cistron. The 
  patience of the Mechanicus can know no bounds if the 
  knowledge they wish to uncover is important enough, and 
  most agents spend years carefully embedding themselves 
  into readiness. Once a Cistron has accomplished his 
  mission, the agent returns to his Minder, guided through 
  more layers of engram-branding. 
  Occasionally, a Cistron’s programming never takes complete 
  hold or becomes eroded, or his Minder may perish before 
  he can implement the agent’s activation protocols. Often the 
  Cistron is simply forgotten, his existence lost in accidental 
  Lathe data-purges or datastack failures, living an entire life 
  without activation unless unlikely events somehow trigger 
  their primary persona. A Cistron might wander throughout 
  the Sector with the knowledge he has gained, never knowing 
  why the urge to wander has become so powerful. 
  ANYONE, ANYWHERE, AND  
  WAITING TO AWAKEN
  Cistrons are the hidden Mechanicum agents who are rumoured 
  to be seeded all throughout the Calixis Sector. These agents of 
  the Lords Dragon are in place for a number of reasons. Some 
  are believed to be there to record and bring back information 
  about the other factions of the Imperium who may not want 
  the Mechanicus to further its pursuits. Others are thought to 
  exist to execute intricate plans to remove stubborn obstacles 
  to the Quest for Knowledge and the increased glory of the 
  Lathes, in the name of the Omnissiah. Some Cistrons are 
  in place as insurance against outside attacks, watching and 
  waiting for the correct activation cant-protocol to send them 
  out against those who would threaten the Lathes.
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  While this shadowy world of intrigue and espionage 
  is dangerous, there are things in the Cistron’s own psyche 
  that are even more frightening. While the technotic 
  conditioning and other engram implants are usually 
  foolproof, occasionally one of these extremely well trained 
  and talented individuals ﬁnds their true self ﬁghting against 
  their false past to gain dominance again. A Cistron’s Minder 
  is drilled to recognise the signs of an unplanned awakening 
  and to bring the agent in for retraining, or neutralise the 
  agent outright. Occasionally though, a Minder misses the 
  signs, or the Cistron has lost his Minder, and the agent is 
  now awakening without knowledge of what is true about 
  the Cistron’s past, or what the Cistron should do next. 
  Once the awakening has begun, the Cistron is now 
  ﬁghting a war on two fronts. The Cistron’s very identity is 
  being torn in different directions, and only time will tell 
  which persona will prove dominant. Another worry to those 
  who may be in the vicinity of a rogue Cistron is that some 
  agents were conditioned against their will. Now this trained 
  and conditioned operative, who may or may not believe in 
  the path that was laid out in the his indoctrination, is looking 
  for closure, or maybe revenge.
  TAKING THE CISTRON ELITE ADVANCE
  In taking this advance, the character’s background and origin 
  are literally recreated. The past the character knows is revealed 
  to be no more than technophasic engrams that have been 
  branded into the character’s mind. While the character still 
  remembers them, they are no more real than simple ﬁctions. 
  The real history of the character is now breaking through the 
  false memories, and coming to the fore.
  Career: Any career can take this Elite Advance, but it may be 
  the most rewarding for Adepts, Arbitrators, and Clerics.
  Advance Cost: 300xp
  EFFECTS
  Skills and Talents: The character gains either the Nerves of 
  Steel or Talented (Any Skill) Talent, as well as the Forbidden 
  Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus), and the Secret Tongue (Tech) 
  Skills. Additionally, the character now uses TABLE 2–9 
  TECH–PRIEST CHARACTERISTIC ADVANCES on page 89 of the 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook. The character also has the 
  ability to spend xp on the Cistron Advances shown in Table 
  2–3: Cistron Advances.
  Insanity Points: For each Advance purchase taken from 
  the Cistron Advances chart, the character gains 1d5 Insanity 
  Points, as the psyche of the character battles between the two 
  minds lodged within it.
  Hunted: The character must take Hatred (Adeptus 
  Mechanicus) or Hatred (Other Organisation) depending on 
  how the character proceeds with this new knowledge. Is 
  the Mechanicus hunting the character for betraying them, 
  or is some other Imperial organisation, such as the Adeptus 
  Ministorum or the Navis Noblite, hunting the Cistron for 
  spying on them?
  Easy to Control: The Cistron’s mind has been realigned to 
  make him more susceptible to reprogramming, so he suffers 
  a –10 Penalty on Willpower Tests to resist mind control or 
  interrogation.
  ����������������������
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  ����
  ���
  Advance
  Co
  Costst
  Ty
  Type
  pe
  Concealment
  10
  100
  Sk
  Skilill
  Contortionist
  10
  100
  Skill
  Deceive
  1000
  Skill
  Disguise
  1000
  Skill
  Inquiry
  100
  Sk
  S ill
  Logic
  100
  Skilill
  Search
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skilili l
  Shadow
  owining
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  Silent Move
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  Tech–Use
  10
  10
  100
  Sk
  Sk
  Skililill
  Basic Weaponn Traraininining g (choosse onne)e)
  10
  10
  100
  Taalelel nt
  Melee Weapon
  on Traraining (choose on
  on
  one)e)e)
  10
  10
  100
  Talent
  Pistol Weapo
  pon n Tr
  Trainining (choosese one
  ne
  ne)
  10
  10
  100
  Ta
  Ta
  Talentntnt
  
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  ��
  DISCORDANT
  “They, in their audacity, silence the holy machine spirit. With their 
  touch, they quiet the chattering of the cogitator. With a thought, they 
  can eliminate the hallowed cacophony of the manufactorums. They are 
  an Anathema to the Omnissiah, and they can not be allowed to exist.”
  –Arch-Legos Breathed, while in an audience 
  with Arch-Magos Mat Aleph Xenon
  There are tales told in the dark and shadowy hovels that are home 
  to the Lathe-World workers. There, in the smoke and haze, while 
  drinking bottles of locally-made spirits, one can hear rumours 
  and stories of a kind told nowhere else. One such story, tells 
  of those who have become more than human. Those who can 
  reach out and, with a thought, access and disrupt the most holy 
  machines of the Omnissiah. Those who work the forges hold 
  these beings in equal parts horror and awe. Some who toil in the 
  Lathes might see them as liberators from the crushing labour and 
  despair of their forge emplacement, while others might cringe at 
  the chaos and disruption such monstrosities might bring to the 
  order and structure of the workers’ lives.
  These beings, which the Lathes formally label 
  Discordants, are still more rumour than reality. Such data 
  that exists on them indicates that they are extremely rare, 
  possibly one in a trillion within the Calixis Sector. Once 
  born, many Discordants never realise their frightening 
  potential, as their ability stays quiescent until stress or 
  high emotion triggers it in a moment of need.
  Once active, they soon realise there are many 
  who will hunt them relentlessly, either to  
  exploit or destroy.
  ANATHEMA TO THE 
  MACHINE SPIRIT
  Discordants are truly rare individuals, 
  who can suppress a machine spirit and 
  effectively force a machine to turn off, halt 
  its function, or possibly even explode. Just 
  by being near higher forms of machinery, 
  the Discordant can cause them to 
  freeze, break down, or even alter 
  their function for short periods 
  of time. Those who possess 
  such ability are usually cut 
  off from most societies 
  that 
  require 
  these 
  machines to continue 
  their existence. Some may even 
  be seen, by more superstitious 
  factions, to harbour some kind 
  of curse that brings trouble 
  and ruination to everything and 
  everyone they work with. Those 
  who do not ﬁnd an “accidental” death 
  are sure to ﬁnd their unusual talents 
  more called upon by those of a criminal or 
  heretical mindset than those who labour to bring the plans of 
  the Lords Dragon to fruition. With such an unsettling ability, 
  it is little wonder that at times the entirety of the Lathes are 
  bent on ﬁnding, controlling, or destroying Discordants (often 
  all three). Various factions of the Adeptus Mechanicus may 
  try to harness such gifts to use against their political or social 
  enemies. Certainly, members of the Inquisition would love to 
  bring such a force against not only the Mechanicum, but also 
  those who hide from the Emperor’s Light. All in all, the life of 
  a Discordant is one of constant fear and hiding. 
  TAKING THE DISCORDANT  
  ELITE ADVANCE
  Nearly any character can become a Discordant, yet to do 
  so places the character in extreme danger. Discordants are 
  anathema to almost everything in the Calixis Sector. Their 
  ability to quiet a machine-spirit is horrifying, not only to 
  the Mechanicum, but also to those who rely on those very 
  technologies. Those who are not trying to destroy the character 
  will instead want to capture him and ﬁnd out how he can do 
  such a thing. Taking this Package could very well result in 
  not only the character, but anyone the character is with, to 
  be hunted down or worse. 
  While this can allow for 
  exciting gameplay, a player 
  must understand exactly the 
  risks he is introducing for his 
  character and fellow Acolytes.
  Career: Any Career.
  Restrictions: Any character with a Psy 
  rating or cybernetics of any sort can 
  not take this Elite Advance Package. 
  Also, once he has taken this Elite 
  Advance, the character can never 
  have any psychic, Faith, or 
  Warp based powers.
  Advance Cost: 300 xp
  EFFECTS
  Denormal 
  Fault: 
  A 
  Discordant suffers a –10 
  Penalty to all Fellowship 
  Tests involving any character 
  who 
  has 
  bionics 
  or  
  any implanted machinery 
  in his body. 
  ndidica
  cates that they are extremely rar re, 
  ion
  on
  o  within the Calixis Sector. Once 
  ntsts never realise their frightening 
  ty y y ststs ay
  ay
  ays s s qu
  qu
  quieescscscen
  en
  e t un
  u titil l ststreresss or r 
  ititit in n a mome
  m ntntnt of f need
  ed.
  so
  so
  s on
  on realise there are many 
  m relentlessly, either to 
  TH
  THE
  IT
  IT
  rerereind
  n ivi iduals,
  hihihine
  ne spirit and d
  hininine e tot  turn n off, halt 
  y y y ev
  even
  en
  e exp
  xp
  xplol de. Juuststs  
  or
  or
  orms
  ms
  ms of f f ma
  ma
  mach
  ch
  chinininerere y,y,y, 
  cau
  au
  auseses  them to 
  or
  or eve
  ve
  ven n ala ter 
  t pererioioiods
  ds
  d  
  osseessssss 
  cutt 
  es 
  se 
  ue
  ue 
  ma
  may y evven 
  up
  upererststiti ious 
  som
  ome kik nd 
  gs
  gs
  troroub
  uble 
  ryryththining g an
  and d 
  with.h. Tho
  hosese 
  cidentat l” deaath 
  unusua
  u l tat lents 
  ose of a crimi
  mina
  n l or 
  be hun
  untete
  Whhilile e thth
  exciting
  ng g
  mu
  mustst und
  nde
  risks he is s inin
  character annd d fefellll
  Ca
  Ca
  C re
  reeer
  er: Any Cararee
  eer
  Re
  Reststrictions
  ns:  An
  Any y c
  rarating or cyybe
  bernrnetet
  not take thihis s ElElitite
  Also, oncece he e h
  Ad
  Advance, the
  he ch
  ha
  have
  ve any
  ny
  Wa
  Warprp basas
  Addva
  vanc
  nc
  EFFECTS
  T
  De
  Deno
  norm
  rma
  Di
  Discscor
  orda
  dan
  Pe
  Pena
  naltlty y tot
  Te
  Teststs s invoolv
  wh
  who 
  ha
  h
  any imp
  in his
  
  �����������������������������
  ��
  Sysop Failure: The character may never have any kind of 
  Bionics or implanted machinery, as they will instantly fail in 
  a spectacular fashion.
  Mechanical Disruption: A Discordant cannot be tracked, 
  targeted, or in any way viewed by any kind of machinery. This 
  means that auspex, auger arrays, and imaging cogitators of all 
  kinds do not “see” the Discordant, and instead merely show 
  empty space where the Discordant is, or the cogitator screen 
  becomes covered in interference, or some other malfunction the 
  GM wishes to impose. Targeters cannot focus on the Discordant. 
  Characters using cybernetic senses such as sight or hearing do 
  not register the Discordant. Medicae cogitators cannot diagnose 
  or treat a Discordant, and the character must rely on others 
  with medical knowledge to treat any wounds. This does not 
  mean that a Discordant can not be shot, but it does mean that 
  the character shooting the Discordant cannot use a targeter or 
  sight to gain a bonus to hit the Discordant. While it is up to 
  the discretion of the GM what does and does not affect the 
  character, this should offer a solid basis for comparison.
  Discordia: This is the ability to allow a Discordant to use his 
  will to reach out and quiet a machine-spirit located within a 
  piece of technology, effectively shutting it down for a certain 
  length of time. To do this, a Discordant must be within 
  touching distance of the machinery he wants to affect, and 
  make Discordant Test as a Full Action. To do this, he makes 
  a Discordant Roll by rolling 2d10 and adding his Willpower 
  Bonus. Compare that to the level number relating to the 
  device’s machine spirit as listed on Table 2–4: Machine 
  Spirit Discordia. The numbers assigned in this table are to 
  be used as suggested baseline values, and the GM should feel 
  free to adjust them as needed for the individual item to be 
  affected and the nature of the adventure setting. 
  If the roll equals or exceeds the Discordia Level for that 
  device, then the machine spirit has been momentarily silenced 
  and the device fails for one Round. This ability is more difﬁcult 
  to use against more simplistic machine spirits, as their spirits are 
  more diffuse and harder to quiet, so many basic weapons and 
  cybernetics are nearly immune to the power. More advanced 
  machine spirits of a cogitator or a vehicle, however, like those 
  in a Gun Cutter or Land Raider, are somewhat easier to disrupt 
  as they are more pronounced and integral to their device's 
  proper function. If the character is trying to affect more than 
  one item at a time, then add +1 to the difﬁculty of the roll for 
  each additional piece of tech the character wants to affect. If 
  the character wants to shut the tech down for a longer period, 
  add +2 to the difﬁculty of the roll for each additional Round 
  desired. If the character wishes to silence the machine spirit in 
  the tech permanently, add +7 to the difﬁculty to the roll. All 
  of these effects can be attempted together, in which case the 
  modiﬁcations are cumulative.
  ����������������������� ����� ��
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  Machine Spirit
  Le
  Leve
  vel
  Slight (simple bionicss, lasgun
  un, ch
  chaiains
  nswo
  wordrd)
  13
  13
  Common (simpple cog
  ogititatator
  ors,s, aus
  uspe
  pex,x, pow
  owerer 
  armour, explosive co
  c llar)
  12
  12
  Advanced (cortex implal ntts,s, oth
  therer lararge
  ge 
  cogitators, MI
  MIU,
  U cyb
  ybererne
  netitic c sesens
  nses)
  11
  1
  Elite (Land Raididerer, ma
  manu
  nufafactctor
  o um
  um 
  cogitators, advanc
  nced aututom
  omataton
  on unin ts)
  9
  ON THE RUN
  Things were not going well for Karinne Tarydo. 
  The last ambush should have sliced razor-sharp, and 
  instead she and her fellow gangers had barely got out 
  alive. One of the Deathskins nearly took her down and 
  she’d been lucky when his heavy stubber blew up in 
  his ﬂabby hands. She’d used his own ﬂensing knife to 
  carve him up good. Stupid blunter had no edge to him, 
  but now his gang would remember her whenever they 
  saw what she’d left of his face. 
  She smiled at the thought, her ritual scars exaggerating 
  the action, but that had been her last good memory. 
  The gang’s condenser-tap had failed, and she’d gone out 
  in search of parts but none of the local Ironmongers 
  could help, their own tech sapping ﬂat in each visit. 
  She’d returned though to ﬁnd her gang ribboned, ﬂesh 
  scattered and blood painting the crèche walls. No other 
  gang could have taken out the Bloodlines like that, none 
  even knew of their latest hole. And none had the blades 
  to carry out such a deed. Even the Babyfaces with their 
  upper-tower tech couldn’t have sliced that well. 
  She’d been running ever since. Word somehow got 
  to the other Fleshcutter gangs, and none would touch 
  her. No gang when you were below the Line in Hive 
  Desoleum didn’t cut well. That only left Down, and the 
  days had blended depending on if any lumins were active 
  where she was at. Most failed just as she found shelter. 
  It found her just as she’d managed to get her scanner 
  to ﬁnally work, only for it to shower her with arcs that 
  hurt like her initiation cuts. Her eyed had cleared, only 
  to see red death studying her in the dark. The form was 
  female but made of tech like bloody metal, and Tarydo 
  knew it was the thing that had sliced her gang. 
  The killer leap at her, and reﬂex brought her twin 
  blades up as Tarydo screamed her warcry at it. And the 
  thing just exploded, ribboned like her gang.
  Tarydo smiled and spat on the largest lump of 
  viscera and wiring. Things were now looking sharp.
  
  �����������������������������
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  �
  he ways of the Cult Mechanicus are many, and even the 
  most proﬁcient of Tech-Priests knows that there can be 
  no perfection other than the Omnissiah. Through training 
  and study, the weak ﬂesh is improved so that it can better defend 
  itself, convince others of the correctness of the Mechanicum, 
  bring down the unfaithful, and even predict the future. 
  SKILLS
  DIPLOMACY
  Advanced, Fellowship, Interaction
  Diplomacy is the art of conducting negotiations between 
  two or more factions. This allows the character opportunities 
  to handle business, social, or state affairs without arousing 
  hostility. A Diplomacy Test is an Opposed Test, as each party 
  tries to convince the other that his desires in the situation 
  should be given priority.
  To start a Diplomacy Test, the GM determines how many 
  Rounds the Acolyte and his target or targets have to discuss 
  the current situation. Each Round, the Acolytes and all target(s) 
  involved make Fellowship Tests. If the Acolyte succeeds and 
  his opponent(s) fail, then he has been able to sway his target 
  or targets to agree to one point in the discussions. For each 
  Degree of Success, the winner is able to bring his target or 
  targets into agreement for another point in the discussions. 
  If all parties succeed, then the character who had the most 
  Degrees of Success has been able to sway the others to agree 
  to one point in the discussion for each of Degree of Success he 
  had beyond the others. If the Acolyte gets the target to agree 
  to all of his points in the negotiations, before the targets have 
  convinced him of theirs, then the Acolyte has succeeded in the 
  talks. If none of the factions in the discussions are able to sway 
  all of the targets in the talks to his viewpoint before the limit 
  the GM created, then the discussions end with all agreeing to 
  only the points that have been succeeded so far. If at any time 
  in the discussions all parties fail the Test, then the discussions 
  are broken off, as talks fall to petty bickering and retorts.
  This Skill costs 200 xp and is available to all Acolytes at 
  Rank 3 or above with Fellowship of 40 or higher.  Diplomacy 
  +10 is available at Rank 5 or higher for 300 xp, and Talented 
  (Diplomacy) is available at Rank 6 for 300 xp. 
  LOGIS PROPHESYING 
  Advanced, Intelligence
  This skill encompasses the ability to analyse all of the past 
  and present information available for a given situation, in 
  order to be able to ﬁnd the most probable future outcome. 
  This method of techno-divination has many forms, from data 
  stack analysis, to neural pathway insight, and even systematic 
  binary omens. The use of this skill allows one to focus so 
  perfectly on the past and current events centring on a speciﬁc 
  person, place, or thing, that the user can then predict the 
  next logical step or event that object will experience. While 
  the user is able to extract the most probable future outcome, 
  that is by no means the outcome that will happen. The roles 
  of outside inﬂuences, no matter how minute, can lead to 
  outcomes that the user of this skill can not even hypothesise.
  To use this Skill, the GM assigns a Test Difﬁculty depending 
  on the outcome the character is trying to discern; Table 
  2–5: Logis Prophesying Examples gives guidance on the 
  Difﬁculty to be assigned on the Test. The more information 
  the character has about the object or person, the easier the 
  Skill Test becomes. As a rough guide, a Success with this 
  Skill allows the user to know the most probable outcome 
  or location, with each additional Degree of Success either 
  offering the next step in the chain of events for the object or 
  the next most probable location.
  This skill costs 300 xp and is available to Tech-Priests at 
  Rank 4 and above. The Logis Prophesysing +10 for this Skill 
  is available to Tech-Priests at Rank 7.
  TALENTS
  LUMINEN BARRIER
  Prerequisites: 
  Luminen 
  Shield, 
  Electoo 
  Inductors,  
  Potentia Coil.
  Much like the celebrated Electro-Priests, the Acolyte can draw 
  upon all of his power to create a shimmering barrier of pure 
  energy, one capable of deﬂecting any attack. As a Full Action, 
  the player can activate a Luminen Barrier which remains active 
  for a number of Rounds equal to the Acolyte’s base Willpower 
  Bonus. The barrier has a Rating equal to the Acolyte’s base 
  Willpower Characteristic. As long as the barrier is active, the 
  Acolyte can attempt to stop incoming Ranged and Melee 
  attacks by rolling a 1d100 and comparing it to the barrier’s 
  Rating. If the roll is equal to or under the Rating, the attack 
  is stopped completely. If the roll is over the Rating, the attack 
  penetrates the barrier and causes Damage as normal. This roll 
  is made before reductions for Armour and Toughness Bonus. 
  If the 1d100 roll ever results in a 01-05, the barrier stops the 
  attack, but is overloaded in the process. It instantly collapses, 
  and the Acolyte must pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness 
  Test or gain 1 level of Fatigue. An Acolyte can use Luminen 
  Barrier a number of times equal to his Willpower Bonus every 
  24 hours; however, upon the second activation of the ability 
  within 24 hours, and upon each subsequent activation in that 
  time, he gains 1 level of Fatigue.
  Luminen Barrier is available to Tech-Priests Rank 6 
  (Technomancer or Mech-Deacon) and above and costs 400 xp.
  he ways of the Culult t Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicusus arere man
  a y, and even the
  most proﬁciei nt of f Te
  Tech
  ch-P
  -Pririeseststs knows tha
  hat there cac n bee 
  no perfefection n otothe
  her r ththan
  an the
  he Omn
  m issiah. Thhrough h trainin ng
  n  
  and study, the weak k ﬂe
  ﬂesh
  sh is s im
  imprprovved so that it can n beetter deffend d
  itself, convince othherers s ofof the
  h  correctness of ththe e Me
  Mech
  chan
  an
  a icicum
  um
  u , 
  bring do
  down
  w the
  he unfnfaiaiththfuful, and eve
  ven prprpred
  edicicict t t thththe e e fufufutututurerere. 
  SKILLS
  DIPLO
  LOMA
  MACY
  Advaanc
  nced
  ed, Fellow
  owship
  ip, , In
  Inntetetera
  ra
  ractctctio
  io
  ion
  Di
  D plom
  omacy y is the art of f co
  co
  cond
  nd
  nduc
  uc
  uctiting neggotiations be
  b tw
  tween
  tw
  t o or
  or mor
  ore e factions. Th
  Thisiss allllllow
  ow
  o s the character opportunities 
  toto han
  andldle e bu
  b siness, soocicialalal, , , or
  or
  or staate affairs without arousing
  ho
  hoststililitity.y. A Diploma
  macy Tesesest t t isis an Op
  Op
  O posed Te
  Teests , asas each party 
  trries s toto con
  onvivinc
  nce e the e otothe
  he
  her r th
  th
  thatatat hisiss desessirireses in n th
  the e sisitutuata ioion n n
  shhou
  ouldld be e gig ven pr
  p ioioririritytyty.
  To
  To statartrt a Diplooma
  macy
  cy
  cy Tese t, the GM determines how many 
  Ro
  Roun
  unds
  ds the
  he Acolylytete and
  nd
  nd his target or targets have to discuss 
  the e cu
  currrrent situatioon.n. Eacaca h h h Ro
  Ro
  R unnd,d,d, the
  he
  he Acolytees s and d alall l tatargget(s(s) )
  invo
  volvlved
  ed make Feelll ow
  owsh
  sh
  shipipip Tesesestststs. IfIfIf the
  he
  he Aco
  colylytete suc
  ucceceed
  eds s an
  and d
  hih s op
  oppo
  ponent(s) fafaailil, , ththhen
  en he e has been able to sway his target 
  or tararge
  gets to agree e toto one
  ne point in the discussions. For each 
  Degr
  gree
  ee of f Su
  Succcesess,s,s the
  he
  he wininner isisis able toto bringg his targe
  get t or
  o  
  targetets s inintoto agr
  g eeme
  me
  m ntntnt for
  or
  or ano
  no
  nothththerere poioio ntnt in n ththe e didiscscusussision
  ons.s. 
  If allll partiese  suc
  ucceceed
  ed, ththhen
  en
  e  the character who had the
  h  most
  De
  Degr
  gree
  ees s of Succeessss hasasas bee
  e n able to sway the others to agree 
  to one
  ne poio nt in thhe e didiscscscususu sision
  o  for each h of Degree of Success he
  ha
  had d be
  beyo
  yond
  n  the othththererrs.s.s. If f tht e Acolytte ge
  g ts the
  h tararge
  get to agr
  gree
  ee 
  to allll of f hih s pointss in thththe e e ne
  negotiations
  n , be
  be
  befofoforere the
  he
  h  tararge
  getsts hav
  ave e
  co
  conv
  nvininceced d him ofo  the
  heiririrs,s,s the
  he
  h n n the Acolyte has succeeded in the 
  talklks.s If f no
  n ne of thhe fafafactctctioioions
  ns
  ns in n n ththe e discussisisions are ablee to sw
  sway
  ay 
  alall l ofof the
  he targetst in n thhthe e e tatatalklklks s tototo hisisis vieieiewp
  wp
  wpoioio ntntnt befefe or
  ore e ththe e lilimi
  mi
  m t
  the GM
  GM creatated, thenn the
  hee disiscu
  cussionss end witi h all agreeing to 
  on
  o ly thee poiointnts that havve e be
  be
  been
  en
  en suc
  u cec eded so far. If at any time
  inin the
  he disiscu
  cussssioions
  n  all partiiesess faiaia l l ththe e Te
  Te
  T st, thenn thee discussions 
  are brokken
  en offff, asa  talks fall tototo petetettytyty bicicicke
  ke
  keririring
  ng
  ng and
  nd
  nd retetetor
  or
  ortststs.
  This Skikillll cos
  osts 200 xp an
  an
  and d isisis ava
  va
  vailili ab
  abblele to all Acolololytes at
  Rank 3 or r abbov
  ove wi
  w th Fellows
  w hihih p p ofofof 40 0 0 or
  or
  or higighe
  h r.  Diplomacy 
  +10 is availabble at t Ra
  Rank
  n  5 or high
  gherer for
  or
  o 300
  00
  00 xp,p,p and
  ndd Tala ented 
  (Diplomacy) is ava
  vaililab
  ablele at t Rankk 6 for
  or 300
  00
  00 xp.p.p. 
  orrder to be able to o ﬁn
  ﬁnd d the mo
  m st probable future outcome. 
  This method ofof tec
  echn
  hno-
  o-didivivina
  natition
  o  has many forms, from data 
  ststacck k an
  analalysysisis, , toto neu
  euraral l pa
  paththwa
  way y insight, and even systematic 
  binary omeens
  ns. Thhe us
  use ofof thihis s sk
  skill allows one to focus so 
  perfectly on the past an
  and d cu
  currrren
  ent t ev
  even
  e ts centring on a speciﬁc 
  pe
  p rson, place, or thing, tha
  hat t ththe e usser can then predict the
  ne
  ne
  n xtxtxt log
  ogicical step or event tha
  hat t ob
  objejectc  will experience. While
  ththe us
  ussererer is s ab
  able to extract the mo
  mostst probable future outcome, 
  thththatat is s s by
  by
  by no o me
  means the outcome e ththatat wilill happen. The roles 
  ofof oututsisiside
  de
  d
  inﬂ
  nﬂue
  uences, no matatteer r ho
  how 
  w minute, can lead to 
  outctcom
  omeses tha
  ha
  hat t t ththe userer of thisis skikillll can
  an notot eveen hypothesise.
  To
  To
  T useses thihihis s s Sk
  Sk
  Skilill,l, the
  he GM asassis gn
  gns s a a Te
  Testst Dififﬁc
  ﬁculu tyty depending 
  on
  on
  on the
  he
  he outututco
  co
  come
  me
  me the
  he
  h
  charaactcterer is s trtryiying
  ng to o did scern; Table
  2–5: Logis Pro
  ro
  roph
  ph
  p es
  esyiy ng Examp
  mpleles givivese  guidance on the 
  Difﬁculty too be e asasassisign
  gned
  e  on the e Te
  Testst. Th
  The e more information 
  the character haas s s ab
  ab
  a ou
  out t thht e objectt or r pe
  persrson, the easier the 
  Skill Te
  Te
  Test bec
  eccom
  om
  omeseses. As
  As
  As a rough guiuide
  de, a a Su
  S ccess with this 
  Sk
  Sk
  Skilill alalalloloows
  ws
  ws the
  he
  he useseser r r toto know the mo
  mostst proroba
  bablb e outcome
  or locattioi n, witi h h ea
  ea
  each
  ch
  ch add
  dd
  d itional De
  Degr
  gree
  ee of f Su
  Succccese s either 
  offering the nexxt t stststep
  ep in ththe chain of eve
  ventnts s fofor the object or 
  the next most prob
  obab
  abblelele loc
  oc
  ocatata ion.
  Th
  Thisis skikik llllll cos
  os
  ostststs 300
  00
  00 xp p annd is ava
  vaili ab
  ablele to o Techh-Priests at
  Rank 4 andd above. Th
  Th
  The e e Lo
  Lo
  Logigis Prophesyysising
  ng +10 for this Skill 
  is available to Techh-P
  -PPriririeseststs at Rank 7.
  TALENTS
  LUMINEN BARR
  RR
  RRIE
  IER
  Prerequisites:
  Lum
  ummininen
  en
  e  
  Shield,
  Elelectctoo 
  Inductors, 
  Po
  Poteteentn ia Coioioil.
  Mu
  Mu
  Much
  ch
  c likikike e thththe e ce
  ce
  celelelebr
  br
  bratatated
  ed
  ed Elel ctroro-PPririeseststs, ththe Acolyte can draw 
  upon all of his po
  po
  powe
  we
  wer r toto create a shhim
  imme
  meriring barrier of pure 
  en
  e ergy, one capa
  pablble e ofoff deﬂecting anyy attttac
  ack.k. As a Full Action, 
  thththe player can actctctivivivatatate e a a Lu
  L minen Ba
  B rrrrieier r wh
  whicich remains active 
  for a number of f Ro
  Ro
  Roun
  un
  u ds equal to the e Ac
  Acololyty e’s base Willpower 
  Bonus. Thee barararririerer has a Rating eq
  equa
  ual l toto the Acolyte’s base
  Willllllpo
  p wer Ch
  Charararac
  ac
  acteteristic. As lonng g asas the
  he barrier is active, the
  Ac
  Ac
  Acolololytytyte e ca
  ca
  can n atatattetetemp
  mpt t to stotop p ininco
  comi
  ming
  ng Ranged and Melee
  attaack
  cks s by
  by
  by rololollililing
  ng
  ng a 1d100 and com
  ompa
  pariring
  ng it t to the barrier’s 
  Ra
  Ratiting
  ng
  ng. . IfIfIf the
  he roll is equal to o or
  or und
  nderer the
  h  Rating, the attack 
  isisis stototopp
  pp
  p ed
  ed com
  o pletely. If ththe e rorollll is over the Rating, the attack 
  pe
  pene
  netrtratatesese  the barrierr and
  nd cau
  auseses Damage as normal. This roll 
  isisis mad
  ad
  ade e be
  befofore red
  educ
  uctition
  ons s fofor Ar
  Armo
  mouru  and Toughness Bonus. 
  IfIf the 1d100 rololl l ev
  everer resesulults in a 01-05, the barrier stops the 
  attack, but is ove
  verlrloa
  o ded d in the process. It instantly collapses, 
  and d tht e Ac
  Acololytyte e mu
  must pasa s a Challenging (+0) Toughness 
  
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  ��
  LUMINEN FLARE
  Prerequisites: 
  Luminen 
  Blast, 
  Electoo 
  Inductors,  
  Potentia Coil.
  The Acolyte has mastered the ability to channel his will 
  through the Potentia Coil into a powerful blast of energy 
  that brings the fury of the Omnissiah to all who might stand 
  in his path. On a successful Ballistic Skill Test, he may direct 
  this energy at a single target within 20 metres The attack 
  deals 1d10 plus his Willpower Bonus in Energy Damage, 
  and has the Blast (X) Quality, where X equals the Acolyte’s 
  Willpower Bonus. This counts as a Half Action, and each time 
  the Acolyte uses this Talent, he must ﬁrst pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or gain a level of Fatigue.
  Luminen Flare is available to Tech-Priests Rank 5 (Tech-
  Priest) and above and costs 300 xp.
  LUMINEN SHIELD
  Prerequisites: Electoo Inductors, Potentia Coil.
  Focusing his energy in all directions at once, the Acolyte is 
  capable of creating a hazy ﬁeld of static, strong enough to 
  turn aside incoming blows and stop weapons ﬁre in its tracks. 
  As a Full Action, he may activate a Luminen Shield which 
  remains active for a number of Rounds equal to the Acolyte’s 
  base Willpower Bonus. The shield has a rating equal to the 
  half the Acolyte's Willpower Characteristic, rounded up (e.g. 
  an Acolyte with a Willpower of 43 would have a Luminen 
  Shield with a Rating of 22). As long as the shield is active, 
  the Acolyte may attempt to stop incoming Ranged and Melee 
  attacks by rolling a 1d100 and comparing it to the shield’s 
  Rating. If the roll is equal to or under the Rating, the attack 
  is stopped completely. If the roll is over the Rating, the 
  attack penetrates the shield and causes Damage as normal. 
  This roll is made before reductions for Toughness/Armour. 
  If the 1d100 roll ever results in a 01-04, the shield stops the 
  attack, but is overloaded in the process. It instantly collapses, 
  and the Acolyte must pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness 
  Test or gain 1 level of Fatigue. An Acolyte can use Luminen 
  Shield a number of times equal to his Willpower Bonus every 
  24 hours; however, upon the second activation of the ability 
  within 24 hours, and upon each subsequent activation in that 
  time, he gains 1 level of Fatigue.
  Luminen Shield is available to Tech-Priests Rank 4 
  (Enginseer) and above and costs 200 xp.
  LUMINEN SURGE
  Prerequisites: 
  Luminen 
  Shock, 
  Electoo 
  Inductors,  
  Potentia Coil.
  The Acolyte is able to channel even more power through his 
  hands, sheathing them in a glowing torrent of power that can 
  rend armour and bone alike. He must touch his enemy for this 
  ability to work. In combat, he must either make a successful 
  Challenging (+0) Weapon Skill Test or be Grappling to 
  deliver the blast. Each Luminen Surge deals 2d10+3 points of 
  Energy Damage. This counts as a Half Action, and each time 
  the Acolyte uses this Talent, he must pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or gain a level of Fatigue.
  Luminen Surge is available to Tech-Priests Rank 4 
  (Enginseer) and above and costs 200 xp.
  THE FLESH IS WEAK (X)
  Prerequisites: None.
  The Acolyte’s body has undergone signiﬁcant bionic 
  replacement, to the point that he is far more machine than 
  man. This Talent grants the character the Machine Trait (see 
  page 330, DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) with Armour Points 
  equal to the number of times this Talent is taken. The Acolyte 
  may purchase this Talent multiple times, in accordance with his 
  Career Path. In this case, note the number of times this Talent 
  has been taken (e.g. The Flesh is Weak [3]).
  The Flesh is Weak is available to Tech-Priests at Rank 2, 
  Rank 4, Rank 6, and Rank 8. It costs 100 xp at Ranks 2 and 
  4, 200 xp at Rank 6, and 300 xp at Rank 8.
  ��������������������
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  Test Difﬁculty
  Example
  Easy (+30)
  De
  D terminining g ththe e lolocacatition
  on of f a a Se
  Servrvititoror drone on the followining g da
  day y afafteter r ststud
  udyiy ngg its schedule for several
  we
  week
  eks;s picickiking
  ng the
  he sysystetem 
  m a a transpport t viv sits next based on
  on rev
  evieiewi
  wing
  ng pasasseseng
  ngerer manifese ts of the last year.
  LUMINEN FLARE
  RE
  Prerequisites: 
  Lu
  Lumi
  minen 
  Blasast,t,t
  Elelel ctctc oo
  o  
  Inductors, 
  Potentia Coil.
  The Acolyte ha
  has s ma
  m ststere ed the abibililil tytyty to o o ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  anne
  ne
  nel hihihis s wi
  wi
  willllll 
  through the Potetentntiaia Coil intoo a pow
  ow
  owererfuful blast of energy 
  that brings ththe fufuryry of f the Omninissssiaiah h toto all who might stand 
  in his patath.h On n a a su
  succccessfulu Balallilil ststs icicic Skik llll Test, he may direct 
  this energrgy atat a sininglgle targete wititithihihin n n 20
  20
  20 mete rerer s s Th
  Th
  T e ata taack 
  deals 1d
  1d10 plulus s hihis s Wi
  W llpowe
  wer r Bo
  Bo
  Bonu
  nus s ininin Ene
  ne
  nergrgy Da
  Da
  D mage, 
  and has s the e Bl
  Blasast t (X) Quala ity,y, whe
  he
  hererer X equals the Ac
  A olyte’s 
  Willpowe
  wer r Bo
  Bonu
  nus. This coun
  un
  u tsts as s s a a a Ha
  Half Action, and each time 
  the Acolytyte e us
  useses thih s Ta
  Talelentnt, , , he
  he
  h mus
  us
  u t ﬁrst pass a Ch
  Ch
  C allenging 
  (+0) Tough
  ghne
  nessss Tes
  est or ga
  gaininin a lev
  ev
  evelelel of f f Fa
  Fa
  Fatititigu
  gu
  gue.e.e
  Lumiinen n FlFlara e is availab
  ablele to o o Te
  Tech
  c -PPriests Rank 5 (Tech-
  Priest) annd d ab
  abov
  o e and co
  c sts s 30
  300 0 0 xp
  xp.
  LUMIN
  INEN
  EN SHI
  HIEL
  E D
  Prerequi
  u siitetes:s: Electoo Induc
  uctotoorsrsrs, , Po
  P tentia Coil.
  Focusingg hisis ene
  nergrgy in all diriri ec
  ecctitit on
  ons at once, the Acolyte is 
  capablle e of crereatatining a hazy ﬁeleleld ofo  static, strong enough to
  turn aside
  d inc
  ncom
  omining blows annd d d stststop
  op weapo
  po
  pons
  ns
  ns ﬁre in its trtracks
  ks. .
  As a Fulll Ac
  Actition
  on, , he
  h  may actcttivivivatatate e e a a a Lu
  Lu
  Lumi
  mi
  mine
  ne
  nen n n Sh
  Sh
  Shieieieldld whihihich
  ch 
  remains active
  ve for
  or a number off Rou
  ou
  ound
  nds equal to the Acolyte’s 
  base Willpowerer Bon
  onus. The sh
  s ieieldld hasasa  a rating g g eq
  e ua
  u l l toto the 
  half the Acoolylytete's's Wilili lplpow
  ower Cha
  ha
  harararactctcterererisisistitic,c,c, rou
  ou
  ound
  nd
  nded
  ed
  ed up p (e(e.g.gg. .
  an Acolyte witith a a Wi
  W llpower r ofofof 43 wo
  wo
  woululd have a Luminen 
  Shield with h a Ra
  Ratiting
  ng of 22
  2 ). As s lolong
  ngg as s ththe e shield is active, 
  the Acolyte may atattetemp
  mpt to stop inco
  comi
  miing
  ng
  ng Ran
  a ged and Melee
  attacks by rolling a 1d1
  d100
  00 and compa
  pa
  pariiring
  ng
  ng it t t tototo the
  he
  he shihihieleleld’d’d s s s
  Rating. If the roll l isis equ
  qualal to or undderere the
  hee Ratatatinining,g,g the attack k
  is stopped complete elely.y. If f ththe roll is ov
  overr the
  he
  he Ratatining, the
  h  
  attack pennetrates the e shhieieldld and causes Dama
  ma
  m ge
  ge
  ge as no
  no
  n rm
  rmmalal. .
  This roll is made before red
  educ
  uctition
  ons for Tougghn
  hn
  h esess/
  s//Ar
  Ar
  A mo
  mo
  moururur. . . 
  If the 1d100 roll ever results in n a a 01
  01-0
  -04, the
  he shielld ststtop
  op
  ops s s thththe e e 
  attack, but is overloade
  d d in the
  he proroce
  cessss. Itt ins
  nstantly colllaaps
  pseses, 
  and the Acolyte must pass a Chalalleleng
  ngin
  ing (+
  (+0)
  0) Toughness 
  Test or gain 1 level of Fatigue An
  An Acolyytete can
  an use Luminen
  LUMINENN SUR
  UR
  URGE
  GE
  GE
  Prerequisites::
  Lum
  um
  uminininen
  en
  en
  Shock, 
  ElElec
  ectotoo o 
  In
  Indu
  ductctors, 
  Poo
  Potetetenttiaiaia Coil.
  Th
  Th
  The e e Ac
  Ac
  Acolololytytyte e isisis ablblble e e tototo cha
  ha
  hann
  nn
  nnelelel eve
  ve
  ven n morere pow
  owerer thr
  hrou
  ough
  gh his 
  hands, sheathing the
  h m 
  m 
  m ininin a glolowi
  wing
  ng
  n  torrent of f po
  powe
  wer that can 
  rend armour and bone alilike
  ke
  ke. He
  Hee mus
  ust touch hiis en
  enem
  emy y fof r thhisis 
  ability to work. In comb
  mbbatatat, he
  he
  he mus
  ust t either mak
  ake a a su
  succc essful 
  Ch
  Chhalalleleng
  ngin
  inng g g (++0)
  0) Weapo
  poon 
  n 
  n Sk
  Sk
  Skilili l l Te
  T st or be
  be Grarapp
  pplil ng
  ng to 
  de
  d lilive
  ve
  v r thhe blblast.t Each h Luumi
  mine
  nen n Su
  Su
  Surgrge e deals 2d10
  10+3
  +3 pointnts of 
  Enere gy Damage. This countsts as s s a a a Ha
  Halfl  Action,n and
  nd eac
  a h h time 
  the Acolyte uses this Talentnt, he
  he
  he mus
  us
  u t pass a Ch
  Chalallelenging 
  (+0) Toughness Tes
  est or gainin a lev
  ev
  evelele  of Fatit gu
  gue.e.
  Lu
  Lumi
  mine
  nen n Su
  Surgrge e isisis ava
  va
  vailililab
  ab
  ablelele to o o Tech-Pririeseststs Rannk 4
  (Enginseer) and abov
  ov
  ove and co
  c ststs s 20
  20
  200 xp
  x .
  THE FLESH IS WE
  W AK (
  K X)
  Pr
  Prer
  ereq
  equi
  uisisitetes:s:s Non
  on
  one.e.e.
  The Ac
  A olyte’e’s body has
  und
  nd
  nderere go
  gone signiﬁc
  ﬁcan
  ant t bib onic 
  replacement, to the point thatt he e isis far more ma
  mach
  chine e than 
  man. This Talent grants the e ch
  chharara acactet r the Machhinine Tr
  Trait t (see 
  pa
  p ge 330
  3 , DARK HERESY
  SY
  SY Cor
  orre e e Ru
  Ru
  Rulelelebo
  bo
  b ok
  ok) withh Arm
  rmou
  our r Po
  Pointst  
  Y
  eq
  equa
  ual l tototo the
  he
  h num
  um
  umbe
  be
  ber r r ofofof tim
  im
  imeseses thihihis s s Ta
  Ta
  T lelent is s tatake
  ken.n. The
  he Aco
  colylyte 
  may purchaasesee this Talenttnt mulultitiplplple e titit me
  m s, in acco
  cordrdan
  ancece with his 
  Career Path. In this case, nototte e thththe e e nuumber of f titime
  mes ththiss Talent
  has been taken (e.g. The Flelesh
  sh
  sh is s We
  W ak [3]).
  The Flesh is Weak isis ava
  va
  vailililab
  abblele to o Tech-P
  -Pririeseststs at t Rank
  n  2, 
  Rank 4, Rank 6, annd Ra
  Raank
  nk
  nk 8. . ItIt costs 1000 xp p atat Ranks 2 and 
  4, 200 xp at Rank k 6,6, and
  nd
  nd 300
  00 xp at Rank 8.8.
  w
  ; pickiking
  ng the
  he sysys
  a
  p
  v
  v wi
  wing
  ng pasasseseng
  ngerer
  y
  Ordinary (+10)
  Discernining
  ng the
  he whe
  h reab
  abou
  o ts of a labourer after reviewing the
  h  lasast t seseve
  veraral l da
  daysys of f hihis work schedule; 
  de
  d termininining g ththe e de
  detaills s off a hive e noble’e s me
  meal nex
  e t t we
  w ek based
  ed on hihis s didinining
  ng hab
  abitits s ofof the
  h  lasa t month. 
  Difﬁcult (–10)0)
  Pr
  Pred
  edicictiting
  ng the
  he tav
  averern n a loloca
  c l l me
  m rcha
  h nt will go for
  or
  o his drink
  nks s th
  threree e nin gh
  ghtsts hen
  ence
  ce after examining 
  th
  the e lalastst sev
  evererala days of stoorer rec
  eceie ptts;s; for
  oretettelliling
  ng the
  h  weapon a he
  h retic c us
  u eses in n hihis s ne
  n xt combat
  th
  thro
  roug
  ugh h an
  analalys
  y is of what gam
  am
  amblblining g de
  de
  dens
  ns
  n he frfrfreq
  eq
  eque
  uentntnts.s
  Very Harrd d (–(–30
  30)
  An
  Antiticicipa
  patit ng a Spo
  p ok
  ok-aadd
  dd
  d leleled d d scscs um
  um
  u ’s’ss nex
  ex
  ext t t su
  su
  supp
  pp
  ppliliererer wititith h h on
  onlyly fragmented vid-
  d-captpturureses of his dress 
  ststylyle; preredid cting a a cu
  cultltlt’s’s’s new
  ew
  ew mee
  ee
  eetititing
  ng
  ng loc
  oc
  ocatatatioioi n n n ba
  ba
  basesed d d on
  on
  on wasasastetee debris patterns along
  ng hab
  ab walkways. 
  
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  “Ah yes, I remember these! It has been many long decades since I last 
  saw one. They really don’t construct them like they once did.”
  –Venerable Technomancer Kasmus Zhef
  �
  asters of technology and the guardians of knowledge, 
  the Tech-Priests of the Lathe Worlds are responsible 
  for the weapons, wargear, ships, vehicles, and even the 
  most basic tools that every citizen of the Calixis Sector uses. Each 
  year, fragmented data from ancient designs are recovered from 
  Lathe-Het, and the forges of Lathe-Hesh are put to work building 
  them. Across the sector, starships are repaired and components 
  constructed at the immense Perinetus shipyards, and strange 
  technologies are studied and replicated within the Cyclopean 
  research stations. Some forge worlds have items they are famous 
  for, such as the stasis technology of Belacane, whereas others, 
  like Lathe-Hadd, build whatever they can to maintain their 
  faltering position in the Mechanicus hierarchy. There is no end 
  to the patterns and peculiarities of Calixian technology, and the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus toils constantly and without rest to uncover 
  the next great technological marvel, or to rediscover a lost piece 
  of archeotech that could turn the tide for the Imperium.
  This section covers a range of some of the greatest creations 
  and darkest technological secrets of the Lathe Worlds. New 
  weapons, wargear, servitors, and even ancient pieces of 
  Archeotech are all presented here for GMs and players, as 
  well as the new weapon Qualities that govern their use.
  INTEGRATED WEAPONS
  Part weapon system and part bionic, the integrated weapons 
  of the Crimson Guard give them a clear advantage over 
  most conventional forces. Each one is linked directly to a 
  Potentia Coil, giving them a near-endless amount of energy 
  to draw from, and allowing these ancient weapons to deliver 
  punishing volleys of ﬁre without pause. Thanks to this type 
  of weapon, the Crimson Guard rarely have to worry about 
  logistical trains or the vagaries of ammunition quality, but as 
  a downside, the weapons are virtually useless when separated 
  from a constant power supply. This means that there is little 
  chance of fallen Venatorius’ weapon being taken and turned 
  against the servants of the Machine God.
  To use Integrated Weapons the character must have Exotic 
  Weapon Training (Integrated Ranged Weapon) and/or Exotic 
  Weapon Training (Integrated Melee Weapon).
  INTEGRATED WEAPONS RULES
  Integrated Weapons are linked to and draw power directly 
  from the Potentia Coil, and as such, only those who possess 
  this implant can make use of this weapon type. There are 
  ways to jury rig Integrated Weapons so that they can be used 
  without a Potentia Coil, as described in the Jury Rigging 
  Integrated Weapon Systems sidebar on page 59. While 
  connected to a Potentia Coil, Integrated Weapons have 
  unlimited ammunition and do not need to be reloaded (unless 
  otherwise noted). Integrated Weapons do not Jam; whenever 
  an Integrated Weapon would suffer a Jam, the user instead 
  takes 1 Level of Fatigue as the drain on their own Potentia 
  Coil starts to wear them down.
  Integrated Weapons are always physically linked to their user, 
  and cannot be dropped or discarded without ﬁrst disconnecting 
  them from the user’s Potentia Coil or other power source. 
  Disconnecting or reconnecting an Integrated Weapon to a 
  Potentia Coil requires an Ordinary (+10) Tech-Use Test and is 
  a Half Action. Some Integrated Weapons take the place of limbs, 
  or are mounted within the body such as at a shoulder or above 
  the hip. In these instances, quick removal might be impossible 
  and might require dedicated medical staff and the correct 
  facilities before they can be disconnected. It is up to the GM to 
  determine how difﬁcult removing such a weapon would be, as 
  well as whether it is possible to remove it in the ﬁrst place.
  CREATING INTEGRATED WEAPONS
  Aside from the selection of speciﬁc Integrated Weapons 
  described below, other ranged weapons can be modiﬁed 
  and converted into Integrated Weapons. Any Las weapon 
  can be converted into an Integrated Weapon, gaining the 
  beneﬁts mentioned in the previous section. Plasma and Melta 
  weapons can be modiﬁed to become Integrated Weapons; 
  this has the effect of making them far more efﬁcient, as they 
  use less ammunition for each shot. Integrated Plasma and 
  Melta weapons double their standard Clip Size as long as 
  they remain connected to a Potentia Coil (or similar power 
  source). Integrated Weapons that are also Plasma weapons 
  can still Overheat, although they lose the Recharge Quality 
  as long as they remain connected. Integrated Solid Projectile 
  and Launcher weapons do not gain any of the usual beneﬁts, 
  but instead gain the Reliable and Storm Weapon Qualities.
  Melee weapons can also be Integrated, although this can only 
  be done to Chain, Shock, or Power weapon types. Integrated 
  Chain weapons gain the Razor Sharp Quality. Toughness Tests 
  to resist Stunning from Integrated Shock weapons suffer an 
  additional –30 Penalty. Integrated Power weapons increase 
  their Damage and Penetration by +2. Primitive weapons, 
  ranged or melee, cannot be upgraded in this manner.
  Upgrading a weapon to an Integrated Weapon follows the 
  standard rules for weapon upgrades (see page 141 in the DARK 
  HERESY Core Rulebook), except that the character attempting 
  to upgrade the weapon requires Forbidden Lore (Adeptus 
  Mechanicus) as a Trained Skill before he may attempt the 
  Test. The components required to create Integrated Weapons 
  are only available on Forge Worlds.
  ��
  ����
  ������
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  �� ���������������
  Na
  Name
  me
  Weight Cost
  Availability
  In
  Intetegratatedd Wea
  eapo
  pon n 
  0 5 k
  200
  E
  l R
  “Ah h yeyes,s, I rem
  emem
  em
  e bebebeber r thththesesesese!!e!e! It t t t ha
  ha
  ha
  has bebebebeenenen many long decades since I last 
  sasaw on
  one.e Thehey y rerererealalalallylylyly don
  on
  on
  on’t’t’tt con
  on
  on
  onsts ruct them like they once did.”
  –V
  –Venerable Technomancer Kasmus Zheef
  asasstetetetersrsrs of f f teteteech
  c nology and the guardians of knowledge, 
  thththththe e e e Te
  Te
  Te
  Tech
  ch
  ch
  c -PPriests of the Lathe Worlds are responsible 
  fofofofofor r r thththththe e e weeap
  a ons, wargear, ships, veh
  eh
  eh
  eh
  e icles, and eve
  v n the
  mo
  mo
  mo
  m ststt basasasa icicic too
  oo
  oo
  o lslsls tha
  hat every citizen of thee Calixis Sector uses. Each 
  ye
  ye
  ye
  y arr, frfrfrf ag
  ag
  agme
  me
  me
  mentntntn ed
  e data from ancientt designs are recovered from 
  La
  La
  La
  Lathhththhe-e-e-He
  He
  He
  Het,t  and
  n  the forges of Lathe
  he
  he
  he-Hesh are put to worrk bu
  b ildingg 
  ththththem
  em
  em
  em
  em. . Ac
  Ac
  Ac
  Across the sector, starshih ps are repaiired and componnen
  en
  en
  entst  
  co
  co
  cons
  ns
  nsstrtrtrtruc
  u ted at the immennse Perinetus shihihihipy
  py
  py
  pyarararards, annd ststststrarararang
  ng
  ng
  nge e e e
  tetetetech
  ch
  ch
  chno
  n logies are studied
  ed
  ed
  ed and replicated d d within the
  he
  he
  he Cycycycyclolololope
  pe
  pe
  pean
  an
  an
  an 
  rererereseseesearararch
  ch
  ch stations. Somme e forge worlds have e items they arere fam
  am
  am
  amou
  ou
  ou
  o s s
  fofofofofor,r,r,r, suc
  uc
  u h asa  the staasisisis technology of Belacacane, whherereaeaeaeas s otototo he
  h rs, 
  lilililike
  ke
  ke
  k
  Lathe-Hadd,d,d,d, build whatever they can to o o o ma
  ma
  ma
  maininintatatat ini  their 
  fafafafaltltltl erere ini g g posiition
  on
  on
  o in the Mechanicicus hieieierarchy
  hy. Th
  Th
  Th
  Therererere e is no end 
  tototoo thee patterns s s s and peculiarities s of Calixian teech
  ch
  ch
  chno
  no
  no
  nology, and the
  Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  A ep
  ep
  eptututus s Mech
  ch
  ch
  c anicus toils constantltltltly and wiiththththou
  ou
  ouut rest to uncover 
  ththththe e e ne
  ne
  nextx  grerereat technologici all mararararve
  v l, or to red
  ed
  ed
  ediscover a lost piece 
  ofofof archeotece h that couldldld turn the tide forororor the
  he
  he
  he Imperium.
  This sec
  ec
  e tit on covers s a a rar nge of some e e ofofofof the greatest creations s
  an
  annd d dark
  rk
  rk
  rk
  rk
  rkese t technological ses crets ofofoff the
  h  Lathe Worlds. New
  ew
  ew 
  we
  weeap
  ap
  a onns,s  wargear, servitor
  o s, andd even ancient pieces of f f 
  Arch
  ch
  c eootetech arerer  all presentntnted herre e e e fof r GMs and players, as s
  we
  weelllll as s s thththe e e ne
  ne
  n w weapon Qua
  u litiesesese tha
  h t govern their use.
  INTEGRA
  T
  T
  A ED WEA
  T
  PONS
  Pa
  Pa
  Partrtr wea
  eapon systtem and part bibibibion
  on
  on
  onic, the integrated weapons 
  ofofoffo the
  he
  he
  h  Crimsson
  o  Guard give ththththem
  em
  em
  e  a clear advantage over 
  mo
  mo
  mo
  m ststs con
  onventional forcese . Eachh one is linked directly y to a 
  Po
  Po
  Po
  Potetetentntntiaiaia Coil, giving g thhem
  em a nea
  ea
  ea
  ear-endless amount of energy 
  tototototo drararaw 
  w from, and allolol wi
  wi
  w ng
  n  thesesesese anc
  n ient weapons to deliver 
  pu
  pu
  pu
  puunininin sh
  sh
  shhinining g volleys ofo  ﬁre witi houtt pau
  a se. Thanks to thhisisisis type
  ofofofofof wea
  ea
  eaapo
  po
  po
  p n,n  thee Crims
  m on Guard rara elelelely have to worry abbou
  o t
  lolololoogigigigigiststststicicici alalal trararainins s or
  o  the vagararararies of amm
  mm
  mm
  mmunition quality, but as s
  a a a do
  do
  do
  do
  down
  wn
  wn
  wn
  wnsisisisisiside
  de
  de
  d , , , ththe we
  w apponn
  on
  o s ara e virtualllllllly y y y us
  us
  us
  usele ess when separated 
  frfrfrom
  om a con
  on
  on
  o stststan
  an
  ant poweer r supply. This mea
  e ns
  n  that there is little
  ch
  chhan
  ance
  ce
  c of f f f fafafaf llllllen
  en
  en Venattor
  o ius’ wea
  e pon be
  be
  beininini g g taken and turned 
  ag
  agains
  nst t ththhthe e e seseses rvrvrvan
  an
  ants of thhthhe e Ma
  M chhinini e e e Go
  Go
  Go
  God.
  To
  Too usesee Intntnttnteg
  eg
  e rararar teteteed We
  W ap
  a ons the ch
  ch
  ch
  c aracter r mu
  muu
  musts  have Exotic 
  We
  Weap
  appon
  on
  onn Trarararar inininininininininining (I(I(Intntnteg
  eg
  egrararated Ranged
  edd
  e Weapon)n)n)n) and
  nd
  nd
  nd/or Exotic 
  Weappon
  on Traraininininininining g g (I(I(Intntnteg
  eg
  egraratet d Melee We
  We
  We
  We
  W ap
  ap
  ap
  a on).
  INT
  NT
  N EGRA
  R TE
  TE
  TE
  TE
  TED
  A
  WE
  W AP
  AP
  APON
  ON
  ONS RUL
  U ES
  R
  Integratata ed
  edd Wea
  ea
  ea
  e po
  po
  po
  po
  pons
  ns
  ns
  ns
  n arerererererer lininininke
  ke
  ke
  k d d d tototo and
  nd
  nd
  nd
  nd
  nd
  n
  draw po
  po
  po
  po
  po
  powe
  we
  w r r did rer ctly 
  from the Pototo en
  en
  e tititit a a Co
  Co
  Co
  Coililililil, an
  an
  an
  an
  annd d d asa suc
  uc
  uch,h,h,h onlnllnly y y ththththhos
  os
  ose wh
  wh
  who o o po
  p ssess 
  this implant can
  a  makke us
  usse e ofofofofo  thihihih s we
  we
  we
  w ap
  ap
  apon
  on
  on typpe.e.e. The
  he
  herereree aree 
  ways to jury rig Intn egrar ted d We
  We
  We
  Weap
  ap
  ap
  ap
  a on
  ons s so
  soo tha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  h t t t thththey
  ey
  eyy can
  an
  an be e e us
  us
  used
  edd
  ed 
  withhout a Potentia Coio l,l  as s s s de
  de
  de
  descsccriririririribe
  be
  b d d inin the
  he
  he
  he Ju
  Ju
  Juury
  ry
  ry
  ry Rig
  ig
  iggi
  gi
  ging
  ng
  ng 
  In
  Inntetetegr
  gr
  g ata ed Weapon Sy
  Syyststem
  em
  em
  ems sididebb
  ebbarararar on n pa
  pa
  p ge
  ge 59.9.9.9 Whihihihih lelelelele 
  connnec
  ec
  ec
  ec
  eccteteteteted d d tototo a Potentitit a a a Co
  Coo
  Co
  Co
  C ilil, In
  In
  I tetegr
  gratated
  ed Wea
  ea
  ea
  eapo
  po
  po
  pons
  ns
  ns
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  nd
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  ec
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  DISCONNECTED INTEGRATED WEAPONS
  Whenever an Integrated Weapon is disconnected, it quickly 
  loses the beneﬁts of its near-limitless power source. The 
  weapon usually retains a residual charge, but this quickly 
  fades until the weapon becomes useless. Ranged Integrated 
  Weapons retain a clip size of 1d5, and once the remaining 
  shots have been ﬁred, it cannot be ﬁred again until it has 
  been reconnected or recharged. If the weapon had the 
  Reliable Weapon Quality, it loses this Quality. Disconnected 
  Integrated Weapons can Jam, and if this occurs they lose all 
  their remaining ammunition immediately. Integrated Melee 
  weapons lose all power within 1d5 rounds and revert to a 
  Primitive weapon of the same type (e.g. an Integrated Power 
  Sword will be treated as a standard Sword once its power 
  has drained). Integrated Weapons only regain their special 
  beneﬁts once reconnected.
  RECONNECTING AND RECHARGING 
  INTEGRATED WEAPONS
  Once a disconnected Integrated Weapon has been 
  reconnected to a Potentia Coil or other power source, it 
  regains all the usual beneﬁts of being an Integrated Weapon. 
  If an Integrated Weapon cannot be reconnected, it can be 
  manually charged if the character has access to an external 
  power source. This requires a Hard (–20) Tech Use Test, 
  and grants an Integrated Ranged weapon an additional 1d5 
  shots and gives an Integrated Melee weapon 1d5 Rounds of 
  power before it ceases operating again. If the Tech-Use Test 
  is failed by two or more Degrees of Failure, the recharge 
  attempt has damaged the weapon, rendering it useless. The 
  Luminen Charge Talent can be used to recharge disconnected 
  Integrated Weapons, treating the Toughness Test as Hard 
  (–20), with the same penalties as the Tech-Use Test above 
  should the Toughness Test be failed.
  WEAPONS OF THE LATHES
  The Lathe Worlds are host to many astonishing weapon designs. 
  As rare as they are deadly, these weapons sit high above the 
  common small arms that permeate the Calixis Sector, and form 
  the backbone of the Mechanicus’ military in the sector.
  Integrated Lathe-Laspistol
  Despite being the smallest integrated weapon in standard use 
  among the Crimson Guard, the Integrated Lathe-Laspistol is 
  no less deadly than its larger cousin. It has a good rate of ﬁre 
  and decent penetrative abilities, but lacks the range of the riﬂe.
  Integrated Lathe-Lasriﬂe
  Originally derived from an ancient archeotech design, the 
  Integrated Lathe-Lasriﬂe packs a greater punch than regular 
  Lasguns. The standard weapon of the Crimson Guard, Lathe-
  Lasriﬂes are fast becoming a more and more common sight 
  throughout the Calixis Sector.
  JURY RIGGING INTEGRATED  
  WEAPON SYSTEMS
  The Potentia Coil is an arcane device that is, for the 
  most part, simply unavailable to anyone outside the 
  Cult of the Omnissiah. For that reason, integrated 
  weapon systems are largely outside of the forces of the 
  Mechanicus, as more conventional weapons are often 
  more convenient than attempting to force an integrated 
  weapon to work with a non-standard power source. 
  That said, there are many who have tried to make 
  captured or stolen integrated weapons operate without 
  the need for a Potentia Coil. The results are often far 
  from perfect, but at least the weapon can be used.
  NON-STANDARD POWER SOURCES
  Assuming the player has an external power source of 
  some kind (Hellgun backpack, Isotropic Fuel Rod, etc.), 
  it can be adapted for use with the Integrated Weapon by 
  making either a Hard (–20) Tech-Use Test or a Hard 
  (–20) Trade (Armourer) Test. If the Test is successful, 
  the Integrated Weapon regains the beneﬁts of being 
  an Integrated Weapon, albeit with some disadvantages 
  (see below). If the Test is failed, then the character has 
  been unable to adapt this power source to the Integrated 
  Weapon, but may try again with a different power 
  source if he has one. If this Test is failed by two or more 
  Degrees of Failure, something has gone horribly wrong, 
  damaging the weapon and burning out the power 
  source. Treat both items as destroyed.
  IT’S WORKING… JUST!
  As connecting an Integrated Weapon to something other 
  than a Potentia Coil is tantamount to tech-heresy, it is 
  unsurprising that the machine-spirits of these weapons 
  would rebel against such an impure method of power 
  generation, resulting in some signiﬁcant drawbacks.
  As noted above, once connected to a non-standard 
  power source the Integrated Weapon regains all its usual 
  beneﬁts. However, if the Integrated Weapon is a ranged 
  weapon, it also gains the Unreliable Weapon Quality (and 
  loses the Reliable Weapon Quality if it happened to have 
  it), and any Jam results in a forced disconnection from the 
  power source, requiring it to be reconnected as described 
  above. If the integrated weapon is a Melee weapon, then 
  the unusual and unregulated energy currents ﬂowing 
  through the weapon give it the Unbalanced Weapon 
  Quality (and cause it to lose the Balanced Weapon Quality 
  if it happened to have it). If the user ever fails a Weapon 
  Skill Test to Parry an incoming attack, a roll of 91 or 
  higher results in a forced disconnection from the power 
  source, requiring it to be reconnected as described above.
  p
  y
  fafade
  des s un
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  weap
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  Weaponns s reretatainin a clilip p p sisisiize
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  Inteegr
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  Pr
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  RE
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  WEAPONS OF THE 
  The e La
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  Integrated Lathe-Lasblaster
  The Lathe-Lasblaster sits at the pinnacle of Lathe-based las 
  technology. Issued only to Triarii Crimson Guard and higher, 
  the Lathe-Lasblaster differs from the Lathe-Lasriﬂe in that the 
  entire forearm is removed and replaced, making it almost a 
  form of cybernetic weapon. With a targeting system linked to 
  a user’s bionic retinal implants, the Lathe-Lasblaster can cut 
  down countless foes in a matter of seconds.
  The Integrated Lathe-Lasblaster must replace either the user’s 
  left or right arm. The gun itself replaces the hand and forearm, 
  joining at the elbow. The arm cannot be used for anything 
  else once the Lathe-Lasblaster has been installed. Installing an 
  Integrated Lathe-Lasblaster is a time-consuming and delicate 
  procedure that requires trained professionals, and therefore 
  follows the rules for attaching bionics and implants (see page 
  153 in the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook). An Integrated Lathe-
  Lasblaster is not a normal cybernetic, however, and thus does not 
  add to the user’s Toughness Bonus. Jury-rigging an Integrated 
  Lathe-Lasblaster is an exceptionally difﬁcult task; all Tests for 
  adapting external power supplies, as well as recharging depleted 
  Lathe-Lasblasters, suffer an additional –20 Penalty.
  Phased Plasma Riﬂe
  Once a technology that could have supplanted all other forms 
  of offensive ﬁrepower, plasma technology is now all but lost to 
  the Imperium. Very few forge worlds possess the knowledge to 
  create plasma weapons, and most of those only manage to do so 
  by following ancient sets of instructions created millennia ago. 
  As one of the more dangerous special issue weapons within 
  the Crimson Guard, the Phased Plasma Riﬂe does away with 
  many of the drawbacks common to Imperial plasma weaponry, 
  all but eliminating the need for recharging, and signiﬁcantly 
  reducing the excess heat that conventional plasma weapons tend 
  to generate. This technology is guarded jealously, and since it 
  was rediscovered the Tech-Priests of the Lathes have refused 
  any attempts to adapt the technology for more general use. 
  From their perspective, the Phased Plasma Riﬂe is a weapon of 
  purity, and to change it in any way would deﬁle the machine-
  spirits that drive each weapon. With the Adeptus Mechanicus’ 
  glacial opinion unlikely to change, this weapon will remain 
  only within the hands of the Crimson Guard.
  Catalytic Mass Driver Weapons
  Despite a strange and unexplained aversion to melta-weaponry, 
  the Crimson Guard are not bereft of armour-cracking ﬁrepower. 
  Catalytic Mass Drivers are one of the strongest weapons in 
  service to the Venatorii, and one of the few known integrated 
  ballistic weapons. The gun uses energy from the Potentia Coil 
  to propel tiny shards of metal at alarmingly high velocities, 
  enough to rip through most known types of personal armour. 
  The basic Catalytic Mass Driver is also one of the few integrated 
  weapons that is known to run out of ammunition, yet the 
  projectiles it ﬁres are so tiny that the drum-sized magazines can 
  last for many hours of constant use. The Heavy Catalytic Mass 
  Driver is a larger version of the standard riﬂe-sized weapon. It 
  does only slightly more damage than the regular weapon, but 
  its rate of ﬁre is considerably higher.
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  NEW WEAPON SPECIAL QUALITIES
  HAYWIRE (X)
  Haywire weapons use blasts of electromagnetic radiation to destroy the inner workings of machines and technological devices. 
  Everything within the ﬁeld’s radius (in metres), indicated by the number in parenthesis, is affected. Roll 1d10 on the table 
  below (adding any modiﬁers from the weapon) to determine the strength of the effect. As the ﬁeld dissipates, the effect lessens 
  one step each Round until it becomes Insigniﬁcant (i.e. a result of Major Disruption would become Minor Disruption the 
  following round and then cease to have an effect the round after that). Additional Haywire attacks in the same area do not 
  stack, but instead create a new effect that will either be ignored if lower than the current effect or replace it if higher.
  MAXIMAL
  Maximal weapons have two ﬁre settings, allowing the wielder to either use the weapon at its lower setting to conserve 
  ammo (and allow a higher rate of ﬁre), or make single, powerful blasts requiring the weapon to recharge between shots. 
  Before making an attack the user can choose to either ﬁre the weapon normally, in which case it uses its regular listed 
  proﬁle, or to ﬁre it on Maximal. When the weapon is ﬁred on Maximal, it adds 10 to its range, adds 1d10 to its Damage, 
  and +2 to its Penetration. If it has the Blast Quality then this is improved by +2, i.e., a weapon with Blast (3) becomes 
  Blast (5). The weapon also uses three times the normal amount of ammo per shot and adds the Recharge Quality.
  PROVEN (X)
  Weapons with a Proven Quality always inﬂict massive trauma, and treat any die roll for Damage lower than the Proven 
  rating (as indicated by the number in parenthesis) as if it were the Proven rating. For example, a Proven (3) weapon 
  would treat any die roll of 1 or 2 as a 3 for the purposes of calculating Damage.
  RAZOR SHARP
  The edges of these claws or blades are honed to an unnatural degree and can slice through most armour with ease. When 
  the Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill Test for an attack with this weapon results in two or more Degrees of Success, double 
  the weapon's Penetration Value for that attack.
  STORM
  The weapon doubles the amount of hits inﬂicted on the target. For example, when ﬁring a weapon with the Storm 
  Quality in fully automatic mode, each Degree of Success yields two additional hits (up to the weapon’s ﬁring rate, as 
  normal). Storm Weapons consume ammunition at twice the normal rate.
  TWIN-LINKED
  A twin-linked weapon represents two identical weapons connected together and linked to ﬁre at the same time, often through 
  one pull of the trigger, increasing both the chances of hitting and the damage that can be caused. A weapon with the Twin-
  linked Quality gains a +20 bonus to hit when ﬁred and uses twice as much ammunition. In addition, the weapon may score 
  one additional hit if the attack roll succeeds by two or more Degrees of Success. Finally, the weapon’s reload time is doubled.
  TABLE 2–8: HAYWIRE FIELD STRENGTHS
  Roll
  Field Strength
  1-2 
  Insigniﬁcant: There is no noticeable effect on nearby technology.
  3-4 
  Minor Disruption: All actions utilising technology, including driving vehicles, ﬁring Ranged weapons without 
  the Primitive Quality, Tech-Use Tests, and any physical actions attempted while wearing power armour or 
  employing cybernetics suffer a –10 penalty. The Base Movement of anyone in power armour is reduced by 1.
  5-6 
  Major Disruption: All actions utilising technology, including driving vehicles, ﬁring Ranged weapons without 
  the Primitive Quality, Tech-Use Tests, and any physical actions attempted while wearing power armour or 
  employing cybernetics suffer a –20 penalty. The Base Movement of anyone in power armour is reduced by 3. 
  Melee weapons with technological components function as a Primitive weapon of the analogous type.
  7-8 
  Dead Zone: Technology within the affected area completely ceases to function. Power armour becomes 
  unpowered, reducing the wearer’s Movement to 1. Vehicles slow to a halt. Characters with cybernetic replacements 
  to any internal organ(s) suffer one level of Fatigue each round they remain in the Dead Zone. Melee weapons 
  with technological components (i.e., power swords) function as a Primitive weapon of their type.
  9-10 
  Prolonged Dead Zone: As Dead Zone (if this result is rolled, the ﬁeld lasts for two Rounds as it lessens to Dead 
  Zone during the following Round).
  
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  Graviton Pulse Launcher
  Thanks to the unusual gravitic phenomena that affect the Lathes, 
  the Calixis Mechanicus are experts in gravity manipulation, and 
  the Graviton Pulse Launcher represents one of the many fruits 
  of their expertise. Based upon the graviton gun, the launcher 
  projects an orb or nucleus of barely contained gravitic energy. 
  The orb descends rapidly, limiting its range, but once a target is 
  struck, the ﬁeld containing the energy collapses and a vast pulse 
  of energy radiates outwards, violently crushing anything nearby.
  Everything caught in the blast area is pressed to the ground 
  and must take a Hard (–20) Strength Test or be knocked 
  down. Being thrown to a solid surface from a standing 
  position and forced to the ground in this way is enough to 
  inﬂict 1d5 Impact Damage with the Primitive Quality to the 
  Body, although what the character or object is thrown against 
  and how far they fall may well make this effect far worse. 
  Additionally, anyone attempting to move or perform physical 
  actions within the blast radius for 1d5 Rounds afterwards 
  must ﬁrst pass an Arduous (–40) Strength Test. At the GM’s 
  discretion, the blast may shatter brittle objects, collapse loose 
  ﬂooring, rupture containment vessels, damage vehicles and 
  machinery, plus wreak any other havoc deemed appropriate.
  Coil Whip
  Often seen in the hands of Venatorii Decani, and sometimes 
  even the fabled Electro-Priests, Coil Whips are long, 
  segmented chains that glow brightly with electrical energy. 
  Swung in a great arc that ﬁlls the air with forks of man-made 
  lightning, this integrated melee weapon can knock a man in 
  full power armour off his feet with a single blow.
  Lathes Arc-Welder
  Whilst not technically a weapon, this manufactorum tool 
  is mostly used for delicate construction work in the Lathes 
  system, but can easily double as an extremely dangerous 
  melee device. Capable of ﬁring intense blasts of heat at 
  very short ranges, an arc-welder easily cuts through most 
  personal armour, and the resulting electrical damage to the 
  target can fry organs from the inside out.
  Aside from its proﬁle in melee, an arc-welder is capable 
  of cutting through metres of adamantine plating, up to 40 
  centimetres thick every minute (thinner material can be cut 
  through faster). Arc-welders are usually mounted on the wrist 
  and can rapidly extend outwards for use, making them easily 
  concealable. All enemy Weapon Skill Tests to Parry arc-welder 
  attacks suffer a –20 Penalty due to its method of operation.
  WEAPON EMPLACEMENTS
  As the primary source of munitions for both the Margin 
  Crusade and the wars on the Spinward Front, the Lathe 
  Worlds search endlessly for technologies to help the Imperium 
  win decisive victories and break campaign deadlocks. In the 
  Lathe-Het data-crypts, legions of scribes toil without rest 
  for the next rediscovery, and scattered sects of Tech-Priests 
  upon the dwindling world of Lathe-Hadd look through their 
  own fragmented cogitator stacks, in the hope of discovering 
  something that might give them relevance once more. These 
  sects have met with some success, reviving weapon lines 
  long thought lost to the ages. Ancient Rapier and Tarantula 
  designs returned to production, and more soon followed. It 
  remains to be seen if these re-engineered designs result in a 
  technical renaissance of Lathe-Hadd, but it shows that even 
  as their world slips into atrophy, some Tech-Priests remain 
  dedicated to the Quest for Knowledge.
  To use a Weapon Emplacement, the character must have 
  Exotic Weapon Training (Rapier Laser Destroyer) or Exotic 
  Weapon Training (Tarantula). Additionally, due to their complex 
  control methods, characters using Weapon Emplacements must 
  also have either Common Lore (Tech) or Tech-Use Skill before 
  they can use these weapon types.
  WEAPON EMPLACEMENT RULES
  Weapon Emplacements are stationary platforms that act as 
  small-scale artillery pieces. They can be targeted independently 
  of their user as though they were a separate character, and have 
  Toughness 60 and 30 wounds. They have the following Talents 
  and Traits: Size (Hulking), Fearless, Machine (10), Strange 
  Physiology, and Unnatural Toughness (x2), and are considered 
  to have an Agility Bonus of 4 (for the purposes of Movement 
  only). They cannot take actions independent of the controlling 
  character, and cannot make Charge or Run Move Actions. If 
  engaged in melee, they are struck automatically (although the 
  Weapon Skill Test should be made to determine Degrees of 
  Success/Failure). Weapon Emplacements do not suffer Critical 
  Damage, and can only be repaired via a Difﬁcult (–10) Tech-
  Use Test where each Degree of Success regains one Wound. 
  All Weapon Emplacements are supplied with control 
  equipment, usually in the form of a large, detachable, hand-
  held control device, or sometimes a backpack control vox. 
  These controls have a range of 500 metres. The character 
  that controls a weapon emplacement can divide their Actions 
  up between themselves and the Weapon Emplacement (e.g. 
  a character might use a Half Action to make a Half Move 
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  Action, and then a Half-Action to make the Standard Attack 
  Action needed to ﬁre their Weapon Emplacement). As always, 
  Actions cannot be repeated, so a character controlling a 
  Weapon Emplacement cannot ﬁre a ranged weapon and a 
  Weapon Emplacement’s weapon in the same turn.
  Het-Pattern Rapier Laser Destroyer
  When the designs for the Rapier were rediscovered deep 
  within the data-crypts of Lathe-Het, the ancient artillery 
  platform was rushed into production within the century. Still 
  a relatively rare weapon, the Het-Pattern Rapier differs from 
  the more common Graia-Pattern in that it has less armour. Its 
  offensive abilities are no less potent, though, and it can still 
  easily crack open a Leman Russ at 200 metres.
  Hadd-Pattern Tarantula Sentry Gun
  The Tarantula automated defence turret is a common 
  sight across the Imperium. Many different patterns and 
  conﬁgurations exist, and their ability to mount multiple 
  weapon systems, from Lascannons to Multi-Meltas, make 
  them efﬁcient and ﬂexible heavy weapon platforms. The 
  Hadd-Pattern Tarantula, recently unearthed by the Tech-
  Priests of the secretive Aurora Novos sect, differs from most 
  standard Tarantulas in that it lacks the automated point-
  defence machine-spirits that make them such excellent 
  sentries. Nevertheless, the Hadd-pattern is capable of 
  moving swiftly via its external controls, shifting its role 
  from a defensive weapon or sentry gun to that of a more 
  mobile heavy weapons carrier.
  Each Hadd-pattern Tarantula has a pair of heavy weapons, 
  slaved to ﬁre as a single weapon with the Twin-Linked weapon 
  Quality. The cost is for the Tarantula and its control systems; 
  the cost of both heavy weapons (and any ammunition) must be 
  added to the weapon.
  A Hadd-pattern Tarantula can be conﬁgured in one of the 
  following ways:
  Heavy Bolters (120m; –/–/10; 2D10 X; Pen 5; Clip 200; 
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  Lascannons (300m; S/–/–; 5D10+10 E; Pen 10; Clip 20; 
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  Reload 2 Full): +10,000 Cost
  Multi-Lasers (250m; –/–/10; 3D10+3 E; Pen 4; Clip 200; 
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  Reload 3 Full): +4,000 Cost
  Plasma Cannons (120m; S/–/–; 2D10+10 E; Pen 8; 
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  Unreliable): +17,000 Cost
  Multi-Meltas (60m; S/–/–; 4D10+12 E; Pen 12; Clip 10; 
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  Reload 2 Full; Blast [1]): +17,000 Cost
  MELEE WEAPONS
  Although the Omnissian Axe is by far the most commonly 
  seen melee weapon of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Tech-
  Priests possess a myriad of additional weapons for use in 
  close combat. Like many other weapons in service to the 
  Mechanicus, some of these devices began as simple tools that 
  just happen to make excellent weapons. Others are designed 
  to be both weapons and tools, ensuring that the Tech-Priest is 
  fully prepared for whatever adversary or task comes his way.
  Navitus-Pattern Percussion Mallet
  Never intended for combat, the Navitus-Pattern Percussion 
  Mallet was designed to enhance the brute strength of the user 
  in any task that required a hammer—anything from beating 
  weld-nails to hammering dents out of hull plating. Used widely 
  among the menials that toil endlessly within the forges of 
  the Lathe Worlds, Percussion Mallets are relatively common, 
  although ﬁnding someone willing to sell one and risk the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus’ wrath is often a far harder task.
  The Navitus-Pattern Percussion Mallet doubles the User’s 
  Strength Bonus when calculating Damage (or increases the 
  users Unnatural Strength multiplier by 1), and can be used 
  as a Thrown Weapon.
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  Omnissian Rod
  The Omnissian Rod is an exceptionally rare 
  device, gifted only to the highest-ranking 
  members of the Cult Mechanicus. Longer than 
  a man is tall, the rod is adorned with the double-
  headed eagle of the Imperium as well as the cog 
  and skull symbol of the Mechanicum, in a way that 
  shows the unity of the two organisations and the 
  alliance the God-Emperor struck with the Mechanicum 
  millennia ago. The Omnissian Rod is more than just a 
  symbol, however, but is in fact a dangerous weapon, capable 
  of blasting enemies at range and smashing them to pieces in 
  melee. The Rod comprises ﬂexible, linked sections that come 
  apart into a thick chain at the whim of the user, and each 
  swing crackles with barely contained energy that is very hard 
  to defend against. The rod can return to a rigid length of metal 
  in an instant, making it an excellent defensive weapon. Energy 
  can also be channelled along the length of the rod, and ﬁred in 
  a series of blasts that have a similar effect to a plasma weapon, 
  meaning that no one can escape the Magos’ fury.
  The bearer of an Omnissian Rod receives a +20 bonus 
  to Interaction Tests involving followers of the Machine God, 
  and due to its prominent display of the Imperial Aquila—
  something of an oddity among the Adeptus Mechanicus—it 
  will improve the Disposition of those loyal to the Imperium 
  interacting with the bearer of the rod by one step. An 
  Omnissian Rod is gifted only to high-ranking Tech-Priests, 
  and thus not available for normal purchase except through 
  illegal trading dens and the like. 
  Venator Blade
  Only ever seen in the hands of the Crimson Guard, the Venator 
  Blade is a long dagger of Lathe construction. Like other Lathe 
  weapons, its exceptional craftsmanship makes it almost impossible 
  to destroy, whilst dealing far more damage than normal. 
  A Venator Blade grants its user a +15 to Weapon Skill 
  Tests and cannot be destroyed by the effects of a Power Field. 
  It counts as having an Armour value of 35 if directly attacked. 
  Venator Blades are always considered Best Craftsmanship, 
  and these bonuses are already included in their rules.
  GRENADES AND 
  AMMUNITION
  Many of these grenade patterns are ancient 
  tech-relics, and the Mechanicus is loath to see 
  them in use, even though it might preserve one of 
  their own. Even some of the ammunition variants 
  are issued sparingly, for ﬂesh can be replaced, but 
  hallowed technology cannot. 
  Haywire Grenades
  Despite their harmful effects upon machines, haywire 
  devices are sanctioned by the Adeptus Mechanicus, and 
  various patterns of Haywire Grenade are manufactured 
  throughout the Calixis Sector.
  Purity Rounds
  Designed for use within more primitive projectile weapons such 
  as crossbows and hand bows, the “Purity” round has recently 
  come back in to favour, as the Cult of the Pure Form expands 
  its inﬂuence. Each round has a small haywire generator that 
  activates the moment the shot strikes its target, leaving little 
  chance to escape. Purity Rounds are purchased like regular 
  crossbow and hand bow quarrels, and can be adapted for stub 
  revolvers and stub automatics but their cost is doubled.
  ARMOUR
  That warriors in the service of the Machine God require 
  armoured protection is yet another sign of the weakness of 
  the ﬂesh. That their own armour is amongst the ﬁnest in the 
  Sector is yet another sign of the superiority of the Lathes. 
  Crimson Armour
  Only issued to the Crimson Guard, this armour is in many ways a 
  standard set of Storm Trooper carapace armour. Where it differs are 
  both its weight, reduced signiﬁcantly thanks to the extraordinary 
  manufacturing techniques of the Lathes, and the internal systems 
  built into the armour’s intimidating, skull-shaped mask. 
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  6m
  1d10+2† E
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  3000
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  0.0.5k
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  Crimson Armour
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  6
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  12,500
  Extremely Rare
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  Crimson Armour comes equipped with a Good Quality 
  photo-visor, granting the Dark Sight trait and an immunity 
  to ﬂash grenades. The armour also gives the user a +10 bonus 
  to Intimidate Tests.
  WARGEAR AND EQUIPMENT
  Those operating within the inner circles of the Lathes avail 
  themselves of more ancient and powerful devices, the better 
  to ensure the continued glory of the Machine God, as well as 
  their own successful acquisition of Knowledge.
  Core-Gel
  Although the more stringent members of the Mechanicus 
  Priesthood consider it heretical, this transparent material is fast 
  becoming a necessary part of the day-to-day operations within 
  the Lathe Worlds. Viscous and highly conductive, core-gel acts 
  as a surrogate for Electoo-inducers and MIU links, giving those 
  who lack these forms of implants access to cogitators and data-
  crypts. It is most often found on Lathe-Het, where the gel has 
  become almost mandatory to access the older and more decrepit 
  data-crypts with no longer supported interface technologies. A 
  character can use an application of Core-Gel to access machinery 
  that would otherwise require an Electro-Graft or MIU interface, 
  even if he does not possess these implants. Core-Gel decays 
  quickly, and must be cleaned away and reapplied every hour. Each 
  canister of core-gel contains enough for two applications.
  Scatter-Caster
  The Scatter-Caster is an exceptionally heretical device, that the 
  Tech-Priests of the Lathe Worlds despise for the way it disrupts 
  their control over servitors and Servo-Skulls. Also known as binary 
  bombs or cant grenades throughout the low echelons of Enginseers, 
  these heavy generators pump out discordant frequencies, lingua 
  technis gibberish, and invalid scrapcode, blanketing a wide area in 
  disruptive white noise that sounds like static to most people, but 
  is unbearable to those of the Mechanicum. A Scatter-Caster has a 
  range of 25 metres, and anyone with Mechanicus Implants suffers 
  a –10 to all Tests whilst they remain within this area. Giving 
  orders to servitors, Servo-Skulls and other familiars becomes next 
  to impossible, imposing a –50 penalty to all Tests to control them. 
  Good Quality scatter-casters have a range of 50 metres, and Best-
  Quality scatter-casters have a range of 100 metres.
  CYBERNETICS
  Cybernetic augmentations are common throughout the 
  Lathes; indeed, a Tech-Priest who does not continue his 
  transformation from weak ﬂesh to holy machine as he ascends 
  in rank is rightly viewed with suspicion as to his faith. 
  Alatus-Pattern Jump Pack
  Broad and baroque in design, the Alatus-pattern Jump Pack 
  differs from other, similar, devices due to the way it is surgically 
  attached to the user and draws its power internally from their 
  Potentia Coil. Plugs and connections from the unit link directly 
  into the user’s nervous system, allowing them to control the 
  Jump Pack’s movements with the slightest thought. Often 
  taking the form of a sweeping pair of mechanical wings, 
  the Alatus-pattern Jump Pack is a common sight among the 
  elite Celerii formations of the Crimson Guard—the personal 
  bodyguards of the Venatorii commanders.
  The Alatus-pattern Jump Pack doubles the user’s base 
  movement value, or can be used to gain the Flyer (12) Trait for up 
  to one minute. Extended ﬂights tend to drain Potentia Coils far 
  quicker than short jumps, so the user must pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test after using the jump pack to gain the 
  Flyer Trait or gain one level of Fatigue. The mechanical wings 
  grant the user the Fear (1) Trait, and can be used to buffet the 
  enemy in combat, granting the user a +10 to all Parry Tests. 
  The Pilot (Alatus Jump Pack) Skill, and the Mechanicus Implants 
  Trait are required to use an Alatus-pattern Jump Pack.
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  Th
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  Hayw
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  0.0.5k
  5kg
  200
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  Purity Round
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  Haywire (2)
  —
  30
  300
  Very Rare
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  10kg
  450
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  Enhanced Potentia Coil
  Designed as a more heavy-duty replacement for 
  standard internal power units, the Enhanced 
  Potentia Coil can be taxed at a far greater 
  level in order to enhance the many abilities 
  common to members of the Machine Cult. 
  Installation of an Enhanced Potentia Coil 
  involves difﬁcult and invasive surgery, and 
  thus the time taken to add the Enhanced 
  Potentia Coil is 1d5+1 weeks. Poor-
  Quality Enhanced Potentia Coils leave 
  the user with a noticeably hunched form, 
  permanently reducing their Agility by 1d10. An 
  Enhanced Potentia Coil can be used for all of the 
  following beneﬁts:
  Luminen Blast/Luminen Flare: Gain +1d10 Damage, 
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  a Penetration value equal to the user’s Willpower 
  Bonus, and the Shocking Quality.
  Luminen 
  Shock/Luminen 
  Surge: 
  Gain 
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  a Penetration value equal to the user’s 
  Willpower Bonus as well as the Shocking 
  and Tearing Qualities.
  Luminen Shield/Luminen Barrier: 
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  Luminen Charge: Tests are 2 steps 
  ��
  easier (i.e. Hard (–20) Test becomes 
  a Challenging (+0) Test).
  Maglev Grace/Maglev Transcendence: 
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  Maintaining these abilities becomes 
  a Free Action. Maglev Grace can be 
  performed once every 6 hours. Maglev Transcendence can 
  be performed twice every 6 hours.
  Electrical Succour: Takes half a minute to conduct and 
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  becomes an Easy (+30) Toughness Test.
  Ferric Lure/Ferric Summons: Become Free Actions.
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  Integrated Weapon: The weapon gains the Reliable 
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  Weapon Quality.
  Lathes Mechadendrite Stabilisers
  The Lathes are known for mysterious and frequent gravity 
  shifts, which can overcome even experienced Tech-Priests 
  when they are in areas not properly shielded with additional 
  grav plating. Years of study indicated that replating the 
  myriad facilities would be impractical, so many in the far 
  edges of the system began surreptitiously developing a radical 
  mechadendrite design to aid in their work. Instead of adding 
  additional manipulation capabilities, pairs of gyroscopically 
  stabilised, heavily clawed talons can anchor a Tech-Priest 
  ﬁrmly onto a surface, where he can conduct his furtive 
  research more peacefully. Though somewhat heretical, more 
  and more are appearing across the Lathe Worlds. 
  Lathes Stabilisers require a Half Action to activate or deactivate. 
  Once active, if the Acolyte remains in place, he counts as being 
  Braced and gains the Sturdy Trait. The Acolyte also ignores 
  modiﬁers to his Movement in areas of High, Low, or Zero 
  Gravity and in areas with Tremors or other uncertain stability, as 
  well as gaining a bonus to Climb Tests. The Mechadendrite Use 
  (Utility) Talent applies to this Mechadendrite.
  Perinetus-Pattern  
  Servo-Harness
  As one of the main voidship construction 
  and repair facilities within the Calixis Sector, 
  forge world Perinetus has developed numerous adaptive 
  technologies to make working in zero-gravity environments 
  easier and more efﬁcient. One such device is the Perinetus-
  Pattern Servo-Harness, a large, backpack-like cybernetic 
  that gives its user the ability to carry and use more tools 
  simultaneously as they ﬂoat around damaged and unﬁnished 
  vessels. Additionally, small manoeuvring thrusters sprout from 
  various points across the harness, allowing for greater control 
  in environments without gravity.
  At a minimum, each Perinetus-Pattern Servo-Harness 
  consists of one Manipulator Mechadendrite, one Utility 
  Mechadendrite, a Combi-tool, a Fyceline Torch, and a Plasma 
  Cutter. The torch is identical to a Flamer. The plasma cutter 
  can burn through a metre of adamantine plating up to 20 
  centimetres thick every minute (thinner material can be cut 
  through faster); it may also be used as a Plasma Pistol with 
  a Range of 10m. A Perinetus-pattern Servo-Harness also has 
  several manoeuvring thrusters, that grant the user the Flyer 
  (6) Trait when used in areas with very low or no gravity.
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  Name
  Co
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  Av
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  Alatus-Pattern 
  Jump Pack
  3,,00
  000 Ad
  Adep
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  M chanicus Only
  Enhanced 
  Potentia Coil
  6,6,00
  000 Ad
  Adep
  eptutus Mech
  c anicus Only
  Lathes Mechadend
  ndriritete 
  Stabilisers 
  30
  300
  Ad
  A eptus Mechanicus Onlly
  Perinetus-Pattt erern n 
  Servvo-
  o-Ha
  H rn
  rnesess
  1,500 Ad
  Adep
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  Me
  Mech
  ch
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  us
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  Servo-Claww
  600
  Ad
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  Me
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  an
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  us
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  A character with Talents that allow him to make Multiple 
  Attacks may use any weapon (or equivalent) on his Perinetus-
  Pattern Servo-Harness for any of the attacks he would normally 
  be allowed, subject to all normal limitations including weapon 
  Class. Additionally, the user may use his normal Reaction 
  to make a single shot or strike with any one weapon on the 
  harness. The attachments on the Perinetus-pattern Servo-Harness 
  can be swapped out for other items, such as other forms of 
  Mechadendrites, Bulkhead Cutters, and even full-sized Servo-
  Arms. The Talents Mechadendrite Use (Manipulator) and (Utility) 
  are required in order to use a Perinetus-pattern Servo-Harness, 
  and the user must possess the Mechanicus Implants Trait.
  Servo-Claw
  A large number of Mechanicum technologies, such as Manipulator 
  Mechadendrites and Servo-Arms, are designed for a speciﬁc 
  practical purpose; whatever use they have as a weapon is often 
  secondary and incidental. The Servo-Claw is the opposite, a form 
  of Mechadendrite designed purely for its combat applications that 
  can also be used as a makeshift tool. Consisting of tightly wound 
  bundles of synthetic muscle ﬁbres contained within a small metal 
  framework, the Servo-Claw ends in a sharp, serrated claw that can 
  cut through armour and snap bones with remarkable ease, leaving 
  the user’s hands free for other matters.
  A Servo-Claw is usually mounted at waist height, as not 
  to interfere with the movement of the arms or any other 
  Mechadendrites. It can be used to make any normal Attack 
  Action as if it were a regular Melee weapon, or can be used to 
  make a Standard Attack as a Reaction (but never both in the 
  same Round). This attack is made with the user’s Weapon Skill, 
  and deals 1d10+10 Rending Damage with a Penetration of 4 
  and the Tearing Quality. The servo-claw never adds the Strength 
  of the user to its Damage. It can be used to grip and lift objects 
  using its Strength of 50 and Unnatural Strength (x2) Trait, and 
  can be used as a makeshift Manipulator Mechadendrite, with 
  a –10 penalty to all associated Tests. The Mechadendrite Use 
  (Manipulator) Talent applies to this Mechadendrite.
  SERVITORS & AUTOMATONS
  The Mechanicus of the Calixis Sector make use of a wide range 
  of servants, often preferring the absolute loyalty and obedience 
  of the mindless over the suspicions and ambitions of fellow 
  sentients. Servitor retinues are common for many Tech-Priests 
  in isolated areas where nothing can be allowed to disturb their 
  forbidden experiments, or on extended Explorator quests. 
  Mechanical automatons and drones, though often skirting 
  the edges of tech-heresy, are also frequently used in situations 
  where covert intelligence gathering is desired. 
  Spatha-Pattern Combat Servitor
  Originally intended as a heavy-duty utility servitor that could 
  operate in hazardous conditions, the Spatha-pattern servitor 
  ﬁrst gained notoriety during the ill-fated siege of Cyclopea. 
  Home to a host of research stations manned only with servitors, 
  three raider vessels entered the system in the hopes of boarding 
  and pillaging whatever they could before Imperial forces 
  could respond. The Fabricator that controlled the network of 
  Cyclopean stations had no choice but to do the unthinkable, and 
  modify the Spatha engram patterns so that he could repel the 
  invaders. Astonishingly, the Spatha-pattern servitors proved to 
  be better at this task than their previous duty, their heavy armour 
  and mechanical attachments making them natural combat 
  servitors. It took a further ﬁfty years for the leaders of the Lathe 
  Worlds to sanction the Fabricator’s variant design, a relatively 
  short approval period by Mechanicus standards, but by then the 
  notoriously impatient man had taken the design and left the 
  Sector for greener pastures. In more recent years, Spatha-pattern 
  servitors have been pressed into service as bodyguards in some 
  of the more remote areas of the Lathe Worlds. 
  Spatha-Pattern Combat Servitor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  45
  45
  50
  42
  35
  25
  45
  50
  05
  Movement: 3/6/9/18  
   
   
  Wounds: 15
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10.
  Talents: 
  Ambidextrous, 
  Combat 
  Master, 
  Fearless,  
  Resistance (Heat).
  Traits: Auto-stabilised, Dark Sight, Machine (4), Sturdy, Two-
  Weapon Wielder (Ballistic), Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee), 
  Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: Integrated Archeotech Lasblaster (Basic; 80m; S/–
  /4; 1d10+6 E; Pen 8; Tearing) or Micro-Flamer (Pistol; 10m; 
  S/–/–; 1d10+4 E; Pen 2; Clip 8; Reload 2Full; Flame, Reliable) 
  or Micro-Plasma (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+6 E; Pen 6; Clip 
  12; Reload 3Full; Maximal, Overheats, Reliable) and either a 
  Powered Gauntlet (1d10+12 E; Pen 6; Power Field, Unwieldy) 
  or Electro-Claw (2d10+5 E; Pen 2; Shocking).
  Armour: Servitor Machine-Flesh (All 4).
  Gear: Internal micro-bead (to receive/relay instructions only).
  Remidium-Pattern Medicae Servitor
  One of a number of patterns used throughout the Calixis Sector, 
  the Remidium-pattern servitor is known for its reliability and 
  steady hands (such as they are). Often used when true medical 
  staff are absent, the Remidium can perform numerous common 
  procedures, including basic cybernetic implantation.
  Remidium-Pattern Medicae Servitor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  20
  10
  45
  40
  45
  45
  35
  15
  05
  Movement: 4/8/12/24   
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Medicae (Int) +20.
  Talents: Master Chirurgeon, Mechadendrite Use (Medicae), 
  Talented (Medicae).
  Traits: Dark Sight, Machine (1), Natural Weapons (Medicae 
  Tools), Toxic.
  Armour: Servitor Machine-Flesh (All 1).
  Weapons: Medicae Tools (1d10+4 R; Pen 2; Toxic).
  Gear: Internal micro-bead (to receive/relay instructions only), 
  Medicae Mechadendrite (3 doses of De-Tox, 3 doses of Stimm).
  
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  Velox-Pattern Security Servitor
  Found mostly on research stations across the Lathe Worlds, as 
  well as Explorator vessels leaving the Calixis Sector for regions 
  unknown, the Velox is an exceptionally fast and overly aggressive 
  type of combat servitor, programmed to track down and eliminate 
  would-be intruders. Tightly bundled coils of vat-grown muscle 
  give the servitor its incredible speed and dexterity, and its arms 
  each mount an integrated coil-whip, which the Velox tends to 
  use in a frenzied spinning motion, pulverising whatever happens 
  to be in its way. Kept dormant when not in use, they are rightly 
  feared by friend and foe alike.
  Velox-Pattern Security Servitor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (6)
  (6)
  40
  —
  40
  30
  30
  10
  20
  40
  05
  Movement: 6/12/18/36  
  Wounds: 12
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) +10, Dodge (Ag) 
  +10, Survival (Int) +10.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Berserk Charge, Double-Team, 
  Fearless, Frenzy, Leap Up, Lightning Reﬂexes, Swift Attack, 
  Two-Weapon Wielder (Melee).
  Traits: Dark Sight, Machine (4), Programmed Instinct†, 
  Unnatural Agility (x2), Unnatural Speed, Unnatural Strength 
  (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: A pair of Coil-Whips (1d10+13 E; Pen 4; 
  Flexible, Shocking).
  Armour: Servitor Machine-Flesh (All 4).
  Gear: Internal micro-bead (to receive/relay instructions only).
  †Programmed Instinct: Velox Servitors are programmed 
  to defend speciﬁc areas, and often have the complete layout 
  of their home facility or voidship imprinted upon their 
  internal cogitators. Additionally, numerous patrol routes are 
  pre-programmed, to ensure the most efﬁcient sweep patterns 
  whenever an intruder is detected. However, when used outside 
  of their pre-programmed element, Velox Servitors tend to get 
  quite confused, and can sometimes attack anyone they detect, 
  whether they are trespassing or not. If a Velox-pattern Security 
  Servitor is ever encountered outside of its natural patrol area, 
  it loses the Lightning Reﬂexes Talent and always attacks the 
  closest target, even if that target is an ally.
  C.A.T. (Cyber Altered Task) Unit
  A wondrous invention that stretches back into the earliest days of 
  Mankind’s exploration of space, the Cyber Altered Task unit is 
  purpose built to inﬁltrate derelict space ships, enemy installations, 
  and space hulks. C.A.T.s generate complete layouts of the areas 
  they have been sent into, ascertain the presence of hostiles and 
  other life forms, and then, most ingenious of all, tap into any 
  local computer or cogitator system in order to download every 
  single shred of data before recovery. Small and unassuming, they 
  are often ignored by enemy forces, able to skulk about gathering 
  data without alerting anyone to its presence. Many areas of the 
  Imperium utilise these rugged machines, from Chartist Captains 
  and Explorator Fleets, to Adeptus Astartes.
  C.A.T. Unit
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (8)
  05
  —
  10
  25
  40
  40
  40
  10
  05
  Movement: 3/6/9/18  
  Wounds: 12
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Concealment (Ag) +10, Dodge (Ag), 
  Security (Ag) +10, Silent Move (Ag) +10, Tech-Use (Int) +10.
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Data Thief†, Total Recall, 
  Unremarkable.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Machine (3), Size (Scrawny), Unnatural 
  Intelligence (x2), Unnatural Perception (x2).
  Armour: 3 (All)
  Weapons: Small Manipulator Claw (1d5-2 I; Pen 0; Primitive).
  Gear: Auspex, Long-Ranged Vox-Thief, Electro Grafts, 
  Internal micro-bead (to receive/relay instructions only), 
  MIU Interface Port.
  †Data Thief: The C.A.T.'s primary purpose is to gather and 
  store information, and it is remarkably adept at breaking 
  into computer systems, even ones not of human design, and 
  raiding them for information. By making a Security Test as 
  a Full Action, a C.A.T. can log into any computer system, and 
  then spend several minutes downloading everything available 
  within. The GM should determine how difﬁcult it would be to 
  break into the system (the more alien the computer system, the 
  harder the Test would be); once the system has been cracked, 
  the C.A.T. needs to spend one full minute per level of Difﬁculty 
  downloading (for example, a Hard (–30) Security Test means 
  would take 3 minutes to fully download the data).
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  ARCHEOTECH
  “Take care with that! We have not fully ascertained its  
  function, and the ticking is accelerating.”
  –Technographer Adar Millez
  Mankind reached its technological zenith during the Dark Age 
  of Technology. Masters of all things mechanical, there was 
  nothing humans could not solve with the knowledge of science 
  and logical thinking. As the millennia wore on, this knowledge 
  began to slip away. The greatest advances were lost to the ages 
  through war, carelessness, natural disasters, and other causes, 
  and passed into the realm of what is now called archeotech. 
  Every now and again a piece of archeotech is found, enough 
  that these ancient wonders might be given life again, and their 
  machine-spirits restored to a fraction of their former glory.
  The items of archeotech listed below have no Cost or 
  Availability Rating, as while they are not necessarily unique 
  they are almost impossible to ﬁnd, even in elite Cold Trade 
  dens. Even identifying pieces of archeotech should be difﬁcult, 
  and characters that lack Forbidden Lore (Archeotech) should 
  have next to no idea what the function of any found archeotech 
  is (unless it would be obvious). GMs are encouraged to work 
  archeotech into their campaigns, perhaps making it the goal 
  of a group of Mechanicum-aligned Acolytes, or perhaps 
  something that needs to be kept out of enemy hands. All of 
  the archeotech weapons listed below requires Exotic Weapon 
  Training speciﬁc to that item, and therefore can only be taken 
  as an Elite Advance and with the permission of the GM.
  Holo-Clone
  The Holo-Clone’s origins are a lingering Lathes mystery. Long 
  ago, a work party of Lathesmasters discovered a cache of these 
  ancient devices deep within one of Lathe-Het’s many subterranean 
  vaults. Word of the discovery spread quickly, and the entire cache 
  was sent to Forge Master Castellar as a gift. However, before 
  the venerable Magos could receive them, they were stolen and 
  whisked away from the planet, possibly an act of the radical 
  Disciples of Thule. Holo-Clones still show up from time to time, 
  and fetch a heavy price on the Calixian black market. 
  A Holo-Clone creates a duplicate image of the user, and is 
  used to fool attackers into thinking that the user is in two places 
  at once. Anyone using a Holo-Clone gains a +30 bonus to all 
  Dodge and Parry Tests that he is called to make for as long as 
  the device is active. Attackers who pass a Very Hard (–30) 
  Perception Test as a Half Action before making their attack 
  can identify the holographic image, negating this bonus for that 
  Round. Holo-Clones have enough power to last for 1d10+6 
  minutes, and take 1d5 hours to recharge. Each is small enough 
  to be clipped on a belt, or worn about the neck.
  Lucius-Pattern Vision Cowl
  The so-called Vision Cowl appears to be a strange form of 
  hyper-advanced auspex, often worn like a hood. It covers most 
  of the face, and places a small data-display over each of the 
  user’s eyes. From here, a set of augmented reality holograms 
  appear before the user, and a small control interface on the 
  side of the cowl allows the user to cycle through its functions. 
  The Mechanicus no longer possesses the technology required 
  to replicate the device, so examples of this ancient technology 
  are closely guarded. The Calixian Conclave possesses a small 
  number, and they are kept in equipment vaults and given only 
  to the most trusted Inquisitorial agents.
  Activating a Lucius-Pattern Vision Cowl requires a Half 
  Action. Once active, the user can see any living creature within a 
  50-metre radius, even through walls and underground. The cowl 
  can also be used to ascertain the vital signs (Wounds, Critical 
  Damage, Fatigue) of a living creature via an Ordinary (+10) 
  Medicae Test, or locate points of weakness in structures and 
  walls with an Ordinary (+10) Evaluate Test. It can be used to 
  ﬁnd and track nearby chemicals and radiation trails, as well as to 
  isolate and pinpoint vox-transmissions within ﬁve kilometres via 
  an Ordinary (+10) Tech-Use Test. Once activated, the cowl 
  tends to blur normal vision slightly, imposing a –10 penalty on 
  all Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill Tests, and the user’s vision is 
  limited to 50 metres. The cowl provides no armour to the head 
  and cannot be worn over (or under) a helmet.
  Midath-Pattern Power Glove
  The forge world of Midath is a lingering enigma for the 
  Calixian Mechanicus. Some of the Lathe’s earliest records speak 
  of Midath as a grand forge world, capable of building super-
  heavy vehicles, void-ships, and even Titan components. Such a 
  forge world would be a wondrous boon to the Calixis Sector, 
  if only it could be found. The forge world has been “missing” 
  for as long as anyone can remember, to the point where some 
  question whether it was ever real in the ﬁrst place. 
  There are many arguments for and against the existence 
  of Midath, but one of the strongest proofs is an exceptionally 
  rare melee weapon known as the Midath-pattern Power Glove. 
  Consisting of a single sheath that extends all the way to the 
  shoulder, the ﬂexible golden material that makes up most of the 
  glove is of a substance unknown to the Mechanicus. It bends and 
  ﬂexes without resistance, and never crinkles or rufﬂes, maintaining 
  its smooth, reﬂective surface at all times. Once active, the glove acts 
  much like a standard power ﬁst, albeit a low-powered one, but as 
  the power ﬁeld surrounds the entire length of the user’s arm it can 
  be used to parry quite effectively. Unfortunately, it is this same 
  power ﬁeld that tends to cause damage to the nervous system the 
  longer the glove is activated, limiting its use in extended combat 
  actions. Those who have studied the Midath glove determined 
  that each glove was made to order, matching the speciﬁcations of 
  their user in every way. Who these weapons once belonged to will 
  likely never be known, and most of the remaining gloves sit in the 
  private collections of high Calixian nobles 
  A Midath-pattern Power Glove imposes a –10 penalty 
  on all Weapon Skill Tests made when attacking, but a +10 
  bonus to Parry Tests. Every Round that a Midath-pattern 
  Power Glove remains active, the user must take an Ordinary 
  (+10) Toughness Test or suffer 1d10 Toxic Damage that 
  ignores Armour and Toughness Bonus. 
  ARCHEOTECH
  T
  “T
  “T
  “Tak
  ak
  ak
  ake e e e cacacacarererere witititi h h thththat! We
  We
  We havavavave e no
  not t t fufufufulllllllly y y y asasasascecececertrtrtrtaiaiaiaiainenenened d d itititititits s s 
  fufufufuncncncnctititition
  on
  on
  on, , an
  an
  an
  and d d thththe e titit ckkininining g g g g isisisi accccelelereratatatatininining.g.g.g.”
  –Tec
  ec
  echn
  hn
  h og
  og
  ograraraph
  ph
  pher Adar Mi
  Milllll ez
  ez
  e
  Ma
  Ma
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  he
  hed d d itits s tetetetech
  ch
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  ze
  zenininin th durinining g thhthhe e e e Da
  Da
  Da
  Dark
  rk
  rk
  rk Age
  ge
  ge
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  ofofofof Tececechn
  hn
  hn
  hn
  hnololog
  ogy.y. Mastersrsrsrs of f alalall l l thththhininnings
  gs
  gs mecececha
  h ninininicacacacal,l  there was 
  no
  no
  nothththhininining g hu
  huma
  mans
  ns couuldldl notototot solololo ve wititith h h thththe know
  ow
  ow
  owleleleledg
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  an
  an
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  ng
  ng. As
  As
  As
  As the
  he
  he
  he milililllelelenn
  nn
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  or
  orre e e e on, ththis knowledge 
  be
  be
  be
  began n toto slip p aw
  aw
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  ay
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  grea
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  w re los
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  throroug
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  sn
  snessesss,s,s, natataturururu alalalal disisisisasasteerssrs, and oto her r r r cacacacaususususeseseses, , , ,
  and pa
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  m ofofof wha
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  ow
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  ch
  ch
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  ch
  ch
  ch. .  
  Everery no
  no
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  w an
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  he
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  rm
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  Th
  Th
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  ems s of arcrcrche
  he
  heotototecch h h h lilililiststststed
  ed
  ed
  ed beleleleloww have no Cost or 
  Avaiaia lalabibililitytyty Rata ini g,g as s s wh
  wh
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  eyy
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  e essarily unin qu
  qu
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  lmos
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  v n in elite Cold Tr
  T adde e e e 
  de
  de
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  ng
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  ces of archeotech shhou
  o ld be did fﬁfﬁfﬁfﬁcu
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  an
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  he
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  us
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  Ms arere enc
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  gn
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  Mechanicumm-a-a-a-alilililigned Acolytetetetes,s or perhaps 
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  my
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  thhe e ararch
  cheo
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  ch
  ch wea
  ea
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  w 
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  We
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  w th the perrmi
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  h  GM.
  Hol
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  Holololol -CC
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  ne
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  ag
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  ne
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  Wordrdrdrdr of f f thththe e e dididisccovery spread quickly, an
  an
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  entire cache
  he
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  wa
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  was s sesentntt to o o o Fo
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  Forgrgrgrge e e Ma
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  we
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  n rararar blblblble e Ma
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  gos s s s s co
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  c uld receive them, they were sttolo en
  en
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  wh
  wh
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  ke
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  aw
  away
  ay
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  m 
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  m ththththe e e plplplp an
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  Di
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  Hololololo-C
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  -Clolololone
  ne
  ne
  ne
  n s still show up from time to time, 
  an
  an
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  and d d d fefefefeetctcch h h a a a a he
  he
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  heeav
  av
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  a y y y y y prpricicicice on the
  he
  he
  he Calalalalixixixixiaian black market. 
  A 
  A 
  A 
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  A Ho
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  Holololoolo C
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  ne
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  ma
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  at onc
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  ny
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  one e usususinining g a a Ho
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  Holololololo-C
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  Tests that he e is called d d tot  makke e for ass lon
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  A tackkerererrs who pa
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  d 
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  Percepptitititiit on
  on
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  Halflflf Actctctioioioioioion n n be
  be
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  t
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  Round. Holo-
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  Th
  T e Mechanicus no longer pos
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  he techn
  h olo ogy y requuiriririred
  e  
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  ep
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  Psybernetics
  Throughout the ages, many Tech-Priests have studied 
  humanity’s disturbing ability to harness the Warp. Most of 
  these studies have been conducted with a biological slant, as 
  the Tech-Priests search for the root-causes of the mutations 
  that grant these gifts. Some Tech-Priests have taken a different 
  tact, looking for technologies that can harness the power of 
  the Warp and, if implanted like a regular cybernetic, give the 
  user psychic powers. Research into these “psybernetics” was 
  deemed high tech-heresy millennia ago; within the Calixis 
  Sector, any attempt to revive this technology is met with 
  harsh sanctions from the Lords Dragon and the Inquisition. 
  Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped some radical Tech-Priests 
  on remote and hidden research installations across the Lathe 
  Worlds from attempting to comprehend such mysteries.
  Psybernetics are implanted within the user’s head, and 
  follow the standard rules for cybernetic implantation (see page 
  153 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook). Once implanted, 
  the user gains 2d10 Insanity and 1d10 Corruption Points 
  as the ability to access the raw power of the Warp ﬂoods 
  their psyche. Assuming he is not driven insane, the user 
  automatically gains a Psy-Rating equal to half his Willpower 
  Bonus (rounded up) and one randomly generated Minor 
  Psychic Power for every point of Psy-Rating. He gains a 
  new, randomly generated Minor Psychic Power every time 
  his Psy-Rating increases, but cannot take Discipline Powers. 
  Psybernetics are extremely heretical devices, and unauthorised 
  possession is a highly dangerous affair.
  Reclamator Riﬂe
  The self-styled “Fabricator” of the Cyclopean Network, a 
  man with no patience for the weaker minds of his peers and 
  the impediments they caused to his research, eventually left 
  the Calixis Sector in disgust. Various Lathes factions fell upon 
  the abandoned stations in orbit of Cyclopea, hungry for the 
  knowledge the Fabricator had left behind, and one small sect of 
  Tech-Priests discovered a hidden data-core ﬁlled with research 
  into lost forms of radiation weaponry. The ﬁrst result of the 
  Fabricator’s research appeared to be the proscribed Rad Cleanser, 
  but it hinted at a more dangerous process that could reclaim 
  implanted cybernetics from still-living targets without damaging 
  them. The sect took the data to the Lathe System to create the ﬁrst 
  of these “Reclamators,” but the peculiar shifts in gravity made the 
  process extremely difﬁcult. To protect its fragile inner workings, 
  they kept the incomplete Reclamator in stasis for long periods of 
  the year, and the ﬁrst prototype took over a decade to build. The 
  results, however, were both remarkable and deadly, and the sect 
  has since begun secretly manufacturing more of the riﬂes to fund 
  their research into large scale “Reclamator Chambers,” one of the 
  many other items hinted at in the Fabricator’s notes.
  The Reclamator Riﬂe completely ignores Armour and has 
  no effect on technological items. Victims killed in this manner 
  leave any weapons, armour, cybernetics, and any other non-
  living items completely intact and undamaged. Reclamator 
  Riﬂes require six hours and some sort of power source to 
  recharge. They also take a very long time to construct, and tend 
  to fail catastrophically in areas of high and low gravity, gaining 
  the Inaccurate, Overheats, and Unreliable Weapon Qualities.
  �����������������������
  Name
  Classs
  Ra
  Rang
  nge
  Ro
  RoF
  Da
  Dam
  Pe
  Pen
  Cl
  Clip
  ip
  Rl
  R d
  Special
  Wt.
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  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
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  0.5kg
  Midath-Pattern 
  Power Glove
  Me
  M lelee
  —
  —
  2d10 E
  7
  —
  —
  Sp
  Spec
  eciaial, Power Field
  3kg
  Psybernetics
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  †
  N/A
  Reclamator Riﬂe
  Ba
  Basic
  35m
  S/
  S/–/– 3dd10
  1  R
  †
  18
  †
  Sp
  Spec
  eciaial,l, Sho
  h cking, Toxic
  8kg
  Vision Cowl
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  —
  †
  3kg
  †See item entry foror add
  ddititiona
  n l rur les.
  
  DOMINIONS  
  OF THE  
  LATHES
  THE FOUNDING  
  OF THE LATHES
  �
  TAMING OF  
  THE LATHES
  �
  POWER FACTIONS  
  AND SECTS
  �
  THE THREE LATHES
  �
  THE LATHES SYSTEM
  �
  THE LATHE WORLDS
  
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  “The Imperium is a vast and divine machine, with each cog, wheel, 
  belt, and pin serving all the others in a complex and sanctiﬁed 
  pavane of advantage and support. Today, we usher in a new era of 
  cooperation and prosperity for all within the domains and demesnes 
  of this newly established Calixis Sector, as we cede these worlds to 
  our brothers of the Adeptus Mechanicus, to hold and bend to their 
  will in perpetuity, to the betterment of all.”
  –Imperial Governor Drusus addressing  
  the ﬁrst Cynod of the Lathes
  �
  ound near the centre of the Sector, along the border 
  of the Golgenna Reach and the Drusus Marches, is an 
  entire system the Adeptus Mechanicus dominate and 
  rule: the Lathes. Its three main planets, ceded to the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus during the ﬁnal stages of the Angevin Crusade and 
  since transformed into massive forge worlds in their own right, 
  have been vigourous furnaces of production and research at the 
  core of the Sector for over two thousand years.
  Since their founding, the Mechanicum of the Lathes have 
  converted nearly every object in the system to the purposes 
  of the Machine God. They have occupied almost every stable 
  anchor point in the system with research stations, agrodomes, 
  and Skitarii garrison bases. Reaching out from the central 
  system, the Magos of the Lathes have stretched their power 
  and inﬂuence across the Sector using all manner of coercion 
  and manipulation. From the Lords Dragon conducting their 
  diligent interrogations on the prison planet of Sheol-17 to the 
  Magos Biologis of the Hippocrasian Agglomeration labouring 
  over the churned devastation of Morwen VI, the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus has spread throughout Calixis, and the Arch-
  Magos of the Lathe-Covenant drive to maintain ﬁrm control 
  over their far-ﬂung holdings. These Lathe Worlds, the common 
  title given to the various stations, planets, and systems the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus of the Lathes claim rule over, represent an 
  enormous power within the Calixis Sector. 
  Unfortunately for the Arch-Magos of the Covenant, 
  controlling the ambition and thirst for knowledge of countless 
  adepts, scattered widely over the vastness of the Sector, is nearly 
  impossible. Factions and sects vie for control of their own 
  individual ﬁefdoms, secret research cabals operate with furtive 
  aims, and forbidden experiments occur wherever the endless desire 
  for knowledge overrides control or sanity. Added to this litany 
  of difﬁculties are the caprices of Astropathic communication and 
  the insurmountable vagaries of Warp travel, as countless stellar 
  phenomena and other, stranger anomalies wreak havoc with all 
  attempts at interstellar command, often rendering even the most 
  careful and diligent leadership efforts completely fruitless. Entire 
  tech-heresies might rise, Explorator ships become lost in their 
  travels and forgotten, and research outposts fall to disuse and 
  decay, and worse, as the Lathes strive in this impossible task. 
  
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  “Like three glowing jewels within the crown of the Mechanicus are 
  the Lathes. Their power is manifest, their importance is paramount, 
  and their logical attraction beyond compare. Without these worlds 
  the Calixis Sector would not exist, and without them it could not 
  continue to exist today.”
  –Fabricator-General Castellar at the Convocation of the 
  2431st Conclave of the Lathe-Covenant
  �
  s the Angevin Crusade ground on into its fourth standard 
  decade, the Imperial forces pushing towards the planet 
  Orendal through the Adrantis region met with greater and 
  greater resistance, contending with more and more severe Warp 
  storms and incurring staggering losses. Essential to those victories 
  that were achieved were the Explorator ﬂeets of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, bravely providing reconnaissance and resupply 
  services across all fronts. As the situation within the Calyx Expanse 
  grew more and more grim, supply and support challenges for 
  the forces of the Imperium were mounting. Mechanicus legends 
  speak of the saviours of the crusade, the sudden appearance of a 
  massive Adeptus Mechanicus ﬂeet, complete with ancient Lathe-
  class Fabricator vessels and full deca-legions of Skitarii. Supported 
  with no less than a demi-legio of medium and light Titans to 
  bolster the war machines of the Legio Venator already present, 
  these forces proved indispensable for the ﬁnal push to meet Lord 
  Militant Angevin and his forces at Orendal. 
  Arch-Magos Mat Aleph Xenon, commanding the enormous 
  might of the reinforced ﬂeets and armies of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, requested as reward for his efforts the stewardship 
  of a small system, Pondus Impare, just inside the borders of the 
  Imperial stronghold of the Golgenna Reach. The erratic orbits 
  of its planets and the strange behaviour of gravity within the 
  system rendered it nearly useless to most colonisation or mining 
  plans. However, situated as it was in the borderlands between 
  the paciﬁed Imperial regions and the half-tamed expanse of 
  Adrantis, and given the role of the requester himself, the Lord 
  Militant did not hesitate to grant this request.
  Having a massive friendly force garrisoning a system so close to 
  the embattled frontier was ideal for the Imperial generals. The Lord 
  Militant himself, sorely grieved with the terrible losses suffered 
  in the latest push, had withdrawn from all command decisions, 
  leaving his forces in disarray and confusion. General Drusus, 
  rising to command the Crusade, maintained a strong relationship 
  with Xenon, and the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus continued 
  to serve reliably throughout the remaining phases of the war.
  During the remainder of the Crusade three massive Fabricator 
  ships landed on the three primary planets of the Pondus system, 
  and began to churn out infrastructure needed to supply the 
  material needs of the crusade through the ﬁnal stages. The needs 
  of the forces tasked with the paciﬁcation and policing of an entire 
  ﬂedgling Sector were vast, and only fully developed forge worlds 
  would be able to meet the growing and desperate demand.
  In less than two decades, the unceasing efforts of the 
  Fabricator ships had laid the foundations for three independent 
  forge worlds: Het, Hesh, and Hadd, named after the ancient 
  ships now permanently residing on each world. With single-
  minded purpose, their inhabitants bent their every ﬁbre 
  towards the production of weapons, vehicles, and ammunition 
  to feed the ravenous beast that was the Imperial war machine. 
  Enormous autofactories stripped the planet surfaces for raw 
  materials, crawling their slow, implacable way across the planets, 
  leaving nothing but dry, ruined desolation in their wakes. 
  Imperial soldiers and naval personnel, manning the vast cargo 
  ships sent to collect the equipment and ship it to the front lines, 
  could only stare in awe at the incredible changes being wrought 
  upon the planets in such a short time. Upon seeing the vast 
  canyon systems the criss-crossing pattern of the autofactories 
  had knurled into the surface of the planets, many commented 
  that they appeared to have indeed been turned on a lathe.
  Arch-Magos Xenon referred to his new domain as “The 
  System where the Lathes Dwell,” to honour the venerated 
  machine-spirits bound within the ancient and powerful artefacts, 
  but this proved to be cumbersome for ofﬁcial documentation. 
  Soon the name was shortened to “The System of the Lathes,” and 
  then simply “The Lathes System” towards the end of the Angevin 
  Crusade. However, the tendency of Imperial personnel to refer 
  to the planets, rather than the system, caused it to appear as the 
  Lathes on most star charts. Over the course of the intervening 
  centuries, even the Adeptus Mechanicus itself has come to refer to 
  its domains across the entire Calixis Sector as the Lathe Worlds.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  EXODUS OF STEEL
  Over the next thousand years the Adeptus Mechanicus consolidated 
  its power over the Lathes and their surrounding system. Factories, 
  orbital assets, and research stations spread throughout the system, 
  taking advantage of the opportunities the various anomalies and 
  variances existing within the system offered. The density of forge 
  worlds alone was enough to set the Lathes apart. Controlling a 
  system so rich in strange phenomena and material resources, with 
  the full power of three ancient Fabricator ships at their immediate 
  disposal, was nearly unprecedented in Mechanicus history, and 
  much was made of the opportunity. Entire research groups were 
  transferred from Mars and other outlying facilities to these fresh 
  new holdings in the ﬂedgling Sector. 
  One of the central aspects of the system that lured 
  Mechanicus researchers were the three major asteroid belts, 
  all situated at curious angles to the ecliptic plane, intersecting 
  at various turbulent points. It was clear from the structure 
  and composition of the three belts that they did not share a 
  common origin, and thus each offered its own potential. In 
  addition, in those regions where two, or even all three, belts 
  converged, an extremely rare array of conditions held sway. 
  Researchers from Mars and beyond were eager to come to 
  the system to pursue lines of inquiry as varied as gravimancy, 
  cryomantic mining, and kinetic discordance.
  Most prominent among the system’s many fascinating 
  properties, however, were the tearing gravity storms and 
  horriﬁc pressure shears that had rendered the system all 
  but useless to other servants of the Imperium. Vast cities 
  in space were erected solely to observe these phenomena, 
  poring over probable causes and effects, and into possible 
  applications for any powers thus discovered. Arch-Magos 
  expert in transportation, Warp technologies, communications, 
  and weapons theory descended upon the system, swelling the 
  ranks of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Lathes.
  In order to feed the countless millions now labouring 
  throughout the system, enormous food manufactories and 
  agrology platforms were constructed under the auspices of 
  the Rustica Mandate. These vast complexes were established 
  throughout the system to provide sustenance to all those servants 
  of the Omnissiah who still required such basic needs. The stations 
  were carefully placed throughout the region, so as to maximise 
  the logistical impact of each station and its production. 
  Empty and remote regions often existed amidst the 
  research stations, weapons platforms, and agrology domes 
  that sprang up across the system, the very gravitic anomalies 
  that made the system so fascinating often causing these 
  isolations. Many of these regions provided ideal storage 
  locations and study facilities for captured crafts, exotic 
  xenos vessels, space hulks of various provenances, and 
  more, that had been brought to the Lathes for innumerable 
  other reasons. The ofﬁces of Lord Inquisitor Caidin and his 
  predecessors have ﬁled many complaints and demands for 
  information and even for the outright surrender of several 
  specimens. There are no records of any such demands being 
  approved, due in large part to the sovereignty of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, especially within their own domain.
  To ensure the security of the many assets that have since 
  been brought under the protection of the Lathes, many Omni-
  Vigilens and Indoctrination Bases have been established 
  throughout the system for the Crimson Guard and their Titan 
  allies, the Legio Venator. Although the greatest presence of 
  both the Crimson Guard and the Legio Venator is to be found 
  in Adeptus Mechanicus holdings outside the Lathes System, 
  both entities maintain strong forces within the system, 
  including the Legio Venator fortress world of Lycosidae, and 
  even the Panopticon Orbital Station. The Mechanicus know 
  that should the Lathes fall, their own power within Calixis 
  would soon fall with them. 
  DESCENDANTS OF THE LATHES
  The Lathes System is subject to a unique array of stresses and 
  stellar phenomena that make it fascinating to the full spectrum 
  of Mechanicus adepts. This, combined with the alluring 
  density of planetary bodies suitable for conversion into forge 
  worlds, and the presence of multiple resource-laden asteroid 
  belts, made the system irresistible. The inhabitants of the Lathes 
  are the standard cross-section of any active forge world, but 
  have expanded to occupy nearly every niche possible in the 
  system. After thousands of years of acclimation and adaptation, 
  however, there have been two primary genetic divergences 
  from the standard Imperial norm. 
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  Due in large part to the crushing and indiscriminate gravitic 
  shears that buffet all three of the primary worlds, as well as the 
  rest of the entire system, adepts and menials alike descended from 
  the original colonial stock have generally low, powerful bodies. 
  Most Magos Biologis theorise that these alterations make these 
  deviations, dubbed Lathesmasters, the ideal workers for this 
  harsh, chaotic environment. A second, less well known, genetic 
  offshoot, however, caused a branch of inhabitants that are massive 
  in stature, often more so than Ogryns. These giants, unfortunately, 
  cannot leave the system or their bodies soon collapse. Whether 
  it is the gravitic anomalies, some sort of mineral dependency, or 
  perhaps even a strange symbiosis with the system’s sun, these huge 
  creatures die within days of leaving their home system. There are 
  many whispers within the Calixis Sector concerning the daunting 
  size of this secondary branch. Rumours abound concerning 
  their dimensions and strength, and the possible causes of such 
  deviation from the genetic norms. It is when outsiders witness 
  these large specimens that fresh rumours of mutation or genetic 
  experimentation once again arise. A constant struggle is waged 
  between the Lexmechanic Canonicus of the Lathe-Covenant and 
  the Calixian Conclave, who seem determined to categorise the 
  larger genotype of the Lathe World as Abhuman.
  Because of this altered but stable genotype, Tech-Priests, 
  Skitarii, and menials alike originating from the Lathes are 
  shorter than average, but stronger and more durable. In fact, 
  most standard humans would require some form of augmetic 
  enhancement or gravitic support to survive for long in the 
  Lathes System. However, there are many out-system humans 
  that call the Lathes home as well, called to the system from 
  all over the Imperium. Because of this diversity, there are even 
  more factions within the structure of the system than would 
  usually be expected, even among the fractious, individualist 
  adepts of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  At the very top of the feudal hierarchy of the Lathes 
  and their vassal territories are those adepts belonging to 
  the Lathe-Covenant. Following the original documents of 
  confederation—called the Pact of Blood and Oil—and these 
  adepts control the web of relationships, obligations, and 
  enmity that deﬁne the position of the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  within the enormous power structure of the greater Sector. 
  Power within the Covenant is slow to shift, but when there 
  is an adjustment it often involves varying translations of the 
  responsibilities, duties, and claims contained within the Pact 
  and their relationship to the governors of the Calixis Sector.
  The two most obvious factions vying for control of the 
  system and its far-ﬂung holdings are the Disciples of Thule and 
  the Followers of the Divine Light of Sollex. Devoted to the 
  teachings and example of Explorator Arch-Magos Paracelsus 
  Thule, his Disciples are utterly focused on the search for ancient 
  technologies from ages past, often to the exclusion of all else. 
  Those adepts who follow the Divine Light of Sollex, on the 
  other hand, are weaponsmiths without compare, devoting all of 
  their time and energy to the development and production of the 
  most destructive technologies imaginable. These adepts are truly 
  ruthless in their pursuits, and are suspected of several incidents 
  of genocide, as well as the sudden and complete deaths of entire 
  biospheres in more remote corners of the Calixis Sector.
  Serving as the native defence force, and the arm
  rmed
  ed wining g 
  off the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Sector, is the e Cr
  Crim
  imso
  son n 
  Fabricator Gen
  en
  e ereralall and his dep
  epututy,y, Arch-Magos Ralwure. 
  Wh
  W ili e the bu
  burereau
  aucrcracy of the Cov
  oven
  enan
  a t grows and grasps for 
  po
  powe
  wer r r inin purururu su
  su
  su
  suitit of ththe quotasas and
  nd production levels of their 
  pa
  paa
  p ststststt, Fo
  Fo
  Fo
  Fo
  Forgrgrgrge e e Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  M stststerere Jan
  ande
  den Sa
  Same
  mekh
  kh Alpha of Lathe-Hesh also
  bu
  burn
  rns wi
  withtht
  indignation
  on at t ththisis bete rayal of the foundational 
  etthihicsc  of the Mechan
  a icicus
  us. An
  And ov
  over all, lies the eerie stillness 
  of Lata he-Hadd, the
  he Sililen
  ent Fo
  Forgr e, where political conﬂict has 
  foforcrced
  ed nea
  ea
  e rlrly y ev
  everery y fafactctory y an
  and wo
  w rkshop on the planet to 
  faalll  stitillll, wa
  waititining g fofor r a a rereve
  velation that refuses to arrive.
  rest of the entire system, adepts and me
  meninialals s alalikike e de
  descscen
  ende
  ded d frfrom
  om 
  the original colonial stock have gen
  enereralallyly low
  ow, , po
  powe
  werfrfulul bod
  odieies. 
  Most Magos Bioloogis ththeo
  eoririsese tha
  hat t ththesese e alalteteraratition
  ons s ma
  m ke theesese 
  deviations, dubbed Lathe
  hesmassteersrs, , ththe e idideae l wo
  workers for this 
  harsh, chaotic environmentn . A seseco
  cond
  nd, , lelessss wele l l known, genetic 
  offshoot, howe
  wever,r, cau
  ausesed d a a brbran
  anch
  ch of f ininha
  habibitatants ththat are massive
  ve 
  in stature, often mo
  more so o ththan
  an Ogrgryn
  yns. Theeses  giants, unfortuuna
  n tetely, 
  cannot leave the sysystetem oror the
  heirir boddieies soon collapse.e Whe
  heththerer 
  it is the graviti ic anoma
  m lilieses, , sosome
  me soro t of minerall dep
  eppen
  en
  ende
  de
  denc
  ncy,y,y or r 
  perhapps ev
  even
  en a strtran
  ange
  ge sym
  ymbibioso is with thhe e syyststem
  em
  em’s’ss sun
  un
  un, , thththesesese e e hu
  huge
  ge
  ge 
  creatures die wi
  w thinin day
  ays s ofof leaeavivingg the
  h ir hom
  ome e sysysystststem
  em
  em. . . Th
  Th
  Thererere e ararare e e 
  many whispers wi
  withthinin the
  he Calalixis Sector coonc
  ncerererninining
  ng
  ng the
  he
  he dau
  auntntining g
  size of thhisi  secon
  onda
  daryry braranch. Rummou
  oursrs abo
  bo
  boun
  un
  u d coonc
  n erning 
  their dimensions and
  nd strength, andd the
  he pososossisisiblblb e e caauses of such 
  deviation from the
  he gen
  e ete ic normss. ItItt is s s wh
  wh
  when
  en
  en outututsis de
  dersr wititi ness 
  these large specimen
  ens s that fresh rumou
  ouursrsrs of f f mu
  mu
  mutatatatitition
  on
  on or r r ge
  ge
  gene
  ne
  netititic c c 
  experimentation on
  oncece aga
  g in arise. . A 
  A co
  co
  consnsnstatantnt struggle is waged 
  between the Leexm
  xmececha
  hanin c Canoninicu
  cus s s ofofof the
  he Lathe-Covenant and 
  the Calixix an
  an Con
  onclclav
  ave, who seeeem 
  m 
  m de
  de
  deteteterm
  rminined to categorise the 
  largerr gen
  enotyp
  ype e ofof the
  he Latathe Wororo ldld as s s Ab
  Ab
  Abhu
  hu
  huma
  maan.n.
  Beca
  c use ofof thihis s alaltered but ststab
  ab
  ablelele gen
  en
  enotototyp
  yp
  ype,e,e, Tec
  ech-
  h-Pr
  Prieieststs,s,s  
  Skitariiii, and me
  meninialals alike or
  origiginininatatatining g from the Latathes are
  shorter ththann ave
  verar ge, but ststroong
  ng
  ngererer and more durable. In fact, 
  most staand
  ndarard hu
  huma
  m ns wou
  ou
  ouldldld req
  eq
  equiuire some form of augmetic 
  enhancemennt t or
  or graravivitiic supp
  pp
  ppor
  or
  ort t t tototo surururvivivive
  ve
  ve for
  or
  or lon
  on
  ong g inin the
  he 
  Lathes Systeem.
  m. However, thherere e arara e e ma
  m nyy out-system humanss 
  that call l the e La
  Laththese  home asas welelell,l, called to the system from 
  all ov
  o er the
  he Imp
  mpere ium. Bec
  ecau
  au
  ausesese of f tht is diversity, there are even 
  more facctition
  ons s wi
  withinin the
  h strtruc
  uc
  uctututurerere of f thththe e e sysyyststs em
  emm tha
  han wo
  woululd d
  usually be
  b exp
  xpec
  ecteted,d  even amon
  on
  ong g g thththe frfrfractititiou
  ou
  ous, ind
  nd
  n ivivididua
  u lilistst 
  adepts of ththe e Ad
  Adep
  eptus Me
  M ch
  chan
  anicicicus
  us.
  At the
  he verery y top of the
  he feu
  eu
  euda
  dal l hierarchy of the Lathes 
  and their va
  vassssalal territories arere tho
  h se adeptp s belonging to 
  the Lathhe-Co
  Cove
  vena
  nantn . Followwining g thththe e e or
  or
  origigiginininalalal doc
  oc
  ocum
  umen
  en
  entstst of f
  confederation—
  n—ca
  called the Pac
  a t t ofofof Bloloodd and
  nd
  nd Oilil—and the
  h se 
  adepts conntrtrolol the
  he web of rerelalatitition
  on
  onships, obligations, , and 
  enmity that t de
  deﬁn
  ﬁne e ththe e po
  posis tiion
  on
  o
  of f f thththe Ad
  Ad
  Adep
  ep
  eptututus s s Me
  Me
  Mech
  chan
  an
  a icicus
  us
  us 
  within the eno
  normou
  ous s po
  p wer r ststruruructctcturure e e ofof the greattere  Sector. 
  Po er
  ithhin the
  h Cov
  ovenant is slolow totot
  shih ft but
  hen there
  Gu
  G ard. A massive weapon, forged from the ranks of f loya
  yal l
  Sk
  Skititarariiii, combat servitors such as the famed Spatha-pattern
  crea
  eatition
  on, an
  and skilled Secutor warriors, the Crimson Guard 
  isis sca
  catttterered
  ed acrcros
  o s s the Sector. They are deployed in units 
  ththatat ran
  ange
  ge in n sisize
  ze from 
  m individual squads guarding outlying 
  ststatatioions
  ns to o reregigime
  mentntalal com
  ombat units stationed on major bases 
  and d fortrtreresss wor
  orldlds s wa
  w tching over the most sensitive and 
  important asseetsts of f ththe e Mechhanicus. Under the auspices of 
  the Crimson Guara d d wi
  withthinin the
  he Lathes System itself are units 
  ththt att have not actualallyly bee
  een n co
  contn ained within the standard 
  ch
  ch
  chaiaiain n n ofo  command for
  or cen
  entuturirieses, , inincluding the Brazen Guard 
  Pr
  Prae
  aetotorii. Ostensibly, the
  he Cririms
  mson
  on Gua
  u rd serves the Lathe-
  Co
  Cove
  vena
  n ntnt ﬁrst and foreremo
  mostst, bu
  but t tht e reality is much more 
  co
  co
  c mp
  mp
  mplelex x x ththt an
  a
  thihis, with h variou
  ous s co
  comm
  mmanders and Arch-
  Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  M gigigi com
  om
  omma
  mand
  ndining g ththe e fefealtyy of f va
  variriou
  ous s units and divisions, 
  inininclclcllud
  ud
  udinining g g thththe e e Gr
  Gr
  Gr
  Gran
  an
  an
  andm
  dm
  dmasasteter r ofof the
  he Leg
  e io Venator and the 
  Forge Masterrs s ofof the
  he Lathes.
  Within the ran
  anksksks of the adeppts arere whih spered even darker 
  schisms, factiions s wh
  wh
  wh
  w os
  ose e existence sisitsts on the shadowy border 
  betw
  tw
  tweee
  een he
  he
  hearararsasasay an
  an
  an
  a d d d lelelege
  ge
  g ndd. The implplacacable Lords Dragon are
  sasaaididid to o stst lalalk k he
  he
  hererereteteteksksksks thr
  hroughout thhe e Se
  Sectctor, while the fabled 
  mech
  ch
  c -assassin cults haun
  un
  un
  unt ththe darkest fefearars s ofof the most faithful 
  servants of the Omniissiaiaiah.h  The adepts s ofof the Ordo Reductor, 
  in theiririr blood-red rob
  ob
  obess, thththt rereaten destruc
  uctition
  o  to any who stand 
  ag
  ag
  agaiaiains
  ns
  nst t t thththe e Co
  Co
  Co
  C ve
  ve
  vena
  na
  nantntnttn , , , wh
  wh
  whilili e e e thththhe e adeptsts of f the Hippocrasian 
  Se
  S ct are said to study life e tototo the
  h  vere y y edge
  ge of f de
  d ath and beyond. 
  Many other cabals, more e e sisisininin sts ere or mystererioiousu , lurk around the e 
  edges of rumour and ininnu
  nu
  nuen
  endo
  do, shhaping g ththe e relationships and d d 
  pa
  pa
  patterererns
  ns
  ns of fefefealty withihih n n thththe e e La
  La
  La
  Laththes Sysystetem 
  m lilike the
  h  violent and 
  inininco
  co
  comp
  mp
  mprerehe
  he
  hens
  ns
  nsibibiblelele she
  he
  heeararars s s ofofoff loc
  occalalall grara ivityty.
  The curren
  e t balance e ofof power withihin n ththe e Lathes System 
  is difﬁcult to decipher,r eve
  ven n to thosese ade
  deptpts s who must daily 
  contend with it. Nom
  ommininalallyly standdining g atatop
  op the furiously 
  bu
  bu
  burn
  rn
  rninining g g g fofoforgrgrgeseses of f f f thththe e e e Ad
  Ad
  Ad
  A ep
  ep
  eptutus s Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicicus
  u  in the Calixis 
  Sector is Hi
  Hi
  High
  gh
  gh F b
  abbriririr ca
  ca
  caatotot r r Ca
  C st lellalar,r, rululining from the forge-
  temples off Lathe-Hetetet and leadingg the
  he ade
  depts of the Lathe-
  Covenant as thhe e ﬁr
  ﬁrrststst amo
  m ng equualals,s, for
  or the greater glory 
  of the Omnissiah
  ahh. . Ho
  H wever, ten
  ensision
  ons abound between the 
  Fabricator Gennereralall and his deppututy Arch Magos Ral ure
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  �����������
  �����������
  “We have before us the rawest of diamonds, my brothers. But with the 
  diligence and dedication you have shown in all things, this system will 
  soon be the most glorious jewel in the crown of the Mechanicus Calixis.”
  –Arch-Magos Mat Aleph Xenon addressing 
  the ﬁrst Conclave of the Lathe-Covenant
  �
  or their assistance in the prosecution of the Angevin 
  Crusade, the Adeptus Mechanicus was gifted with the 
  Pondus Impare system, eventually renamed the Lathe 
  Worlds. It was in this system that three ancient Fabricator 
  ships were sacriﬁced to the war effort. The massive vessels, 
  constructed in the orbital shipyards around Mars thousands 
  of years before, had never been intended to enter a planet’s 
  atmosphere. However, it was decided that they would be 
  incapable of feeding the hunger of the Imperial war machine 
  if they remained in orbit. In a concerted effort involving 
  almost the entire Adeptus Mechanicus ﬂeet, each of the 
  three primary planets received one of the priceless artefact 
  ships, lowered into the gravity well on the glaring plumes of 
  countless retro-jets and ancient gravitic plates. Immediately, 
  the three Fabricator ships began to construct the massive 
  mobile mining/factory crawlers that would harvest the 
  planets’ resources for the war effort.
  Before the ﬁnal thrust into what would one day become 
  the Drusus Marches, the Cynod of the Mechanicus and High 
  General Drusus signed the Pact of Blood and Oil, outlining 
  the rights and responsibilities of the forces of Mars within the 
  Calixis Sector in perpetuity. Ultimately, the loyal forces of the 
  High General, wielding weapons the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  of the Pondus System provided for them, were able to defeat 
  the enemies of the Imperium. The three planets, each housing 
  an irreplaceable artefact of the Dark Age of Technology, had 
  churned out enough weapons, machines of war, and ammunition 
  to drown the enemies of Man. The surface of each planet had 
  been scoured clean in the endeavour, the crawling manufactories 
  chewing through the land and transforming it into the materials 
  of war. More and more advanced factories, warehouses, 
  templums, and hab-blocks grew across the planets as the skeletal 
  structures of true forge worlds were laid down in concentric 
  circles around each of the grounded Fabricator ships.
  The effort of transforming the Lathe Worlds into their 
  present forge world status was the work of many centuries. 
  Layer by layer, building by building, the planets evolved. The 
  viscera of pipelines, tram-tracks, and transportation tunnels 
  were laid amidst the bones of evolving infrastructure. Higher 
  and higher into the darkening atmosphere rose towering 
  structures, the Cog Mechanicus glaring down from scaffold-
  enshrouded factories, research facilities, and worshipping 
  centres alike. Carbon poisons saturated atmospheres as the 
  native inhabitants migrated into sealed habitats beneath the 
  surfaces of the planets, or slowly died of stubborn pride. As 
  the Lathes System developed, so too did the Mechanicus 
  holdings throughout the newborn Calixis Sector. 
  Surveyor maniples conducted an exhaustive survey of the 
  entire system. Each item found within was assayed for its 
  best value to the efforts of the Mechanicus, assigned relevant 
  resources, and the taming of the Lathes begun. Harbinger 
  stations and Scrutinatus platforms were pushed throughout 
  the system. In the earliest days thousands of adepts died 
  studying the system’s star and watching over the entangled 
  loops of the intertwining asteroid belts. Many more adepts 
  perished in the efforts to catalogue the system, but centuries 
  of disasters, looting, misﬁling, and simple neglect means that 
  only the most cursory reports survive. 
  Several strange, notable anomalies can still be found in the 
  data remnants kept deep beneath the Nidus Omega on Lathe-
  Het. Records show several celestial bodies that apparently no 
  longer exist, but are referenced in several different entries, such as 
  an entire cometary fragment, originally of some importance, that 
  was either misidentiﬁed or mislabelled and thus lost to the mists 
  of time. A legion of blank-faced servitors bears the responsibility 
  of digging through these partial data scraps in the incense-laced 
  darkness of the Elogium beneath the Nidus. The efforts of these 
  fallen servants is tireless, and yet the High Fabricator and his 
  fellow Forge Masters hold little hope to see more than a single 
  reconstituted datum over the course of a lifetime.
  One of the most infamous info-gaps is that there are 
  no early records to show the existence of the planet now 
  designated Cella. Because of the partial nature of the records, 
  it is impossible to know if Cella was, in fact, present all along, 
  or whether those early adepts, who struggled to bring an entire 
  system into the Mechanicus fold, actually constructed it. Several 
  archaeological expeditions have been suggested, but the High 
  Fabricators have denied every request for time or resources 
  throughout the millennia. If the rocky bones of a natural planet 
  are present, however, there is no way to tell now without such 
  an effort. Layer after layer of storage space, warehouses, stasis-
  vaults, and data-tombs have accumulated over the entire planet’s 
  surface and deep into its mantle and core as well. Most adepts 
  merely assume that it is an artiﬁcial construct, taking pride in 
  the Mechanicus Calixis and its ability to craft worlds out of 
  nothingness. Those few outsiders who have visited the system, 
  however, often express serious doubt that a planet nearly the 
  size of Terra itself could have been constructed artiﬁcially.
  One of the most important mandates delivered to the 
  legions of adepts reforming the system was the need for 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Lathes System to be as 
  independent as possible. This was a policy dictated from the 
  high towers of Mars itself, despite the close ties between 
  the Imperium and the Mechanicus. To this end, the adepts 
  instituted a web of life that stretched across the system, 
  connecting those few regions of stable gravity to each other 
  with a pipeline of transportation routes, agrodome stations, 
  and transfer points, that would ensure that all the Omnissiah’s 
  servants requiring food would have it, without the need for 
  importation from Imperial worlds. The Rustica Mandate 
  required the largest deployment of independent stations in 
  the system, and is one of the most ambitious engineering feats 
  to be seen throughout the Lathe Worlds.
  hers. But with the 
  gs, this system will 
  Mechanicus Calixis.”
  Xenon addressing 
  e Lathe-Covenant
  n of the Angevin
  as gifted with the
  named the Lathe 
  ncient Fabricator 
  e massive vessels, 
  d Mars thousands 
  o enter a planett’s’s’  
  t they would be
  b  
  erial war mach
  ch
  ch
  chine
  effort involololo ving 
  eet, each ofo  the
  priceless artefact 
  glaring plplumes of 
  ates. Imme
  m diately,
  truct the e massive
  ould haarvest the
  one day
  a  become
  hanicus s and High
  g  
  and Oil,l  outlining
  n  
  f Mars s within the
  h
  oyal foorces of the 
  eptus Mechanicus 
  were able e to defeat
  nets, eachh housing 
  f Technollogy, had 
  r, and ammmunition 
  of each plane
  n t had 
  ling manufaactc ories
  t into the mateteterials
  ories, warehoususususes, 
  nets as the skeletetetal 
  own in concentricicic
  or ships.
  Worlds into their 
  f many centuries.
  nets evolved. The 
  portation tunnels
  astructure. Higher 
  re rose toweringg 
  wn from
  om
  o  scafff old-
  and worshipping 
  mo
  mo
  mospp
  sphe
  he
  heres s asasas the
  he 
  bibibibitatatatstststs ben
  en
  en
  e ea
  ea
  ea
  e thththth the
  he
  he 
  tutuubb
  bb
  bbbor
  orn n n pr
  pr
  pr
  pridididide.e. As s 
  ththhe e e Me
  Me
  Me
  M ch
  chan
  an
  anicicici us
  us
  u  
  Su
  Su
  Survrvrvr ey
  ey
  eyor
  or
  or man
  an
  anipipipleleles s s co
  co
  co
  cond
  nd
  n uc
  uc
  u teted d an exhaustive survey of ththe e e
  en
  en
  entititirerere sysysysystetetem.
  m.
  m. Eac
  ac
  ac
  ach h h ititititem
  em
  em fou
  ou
  o nd
  nd witithin was assayed for its s
  be
  be
  beststststs valalalue
  ue
  ue to o thththhe e e efefeffofofortrtrts s s ofofofof the
  he Mec
  echa
  h nicus, assigned releva
  va
  va
  vantntntnt 
  resources, and
  nd
  nd the
  he
  he tam
  am
  amminining g g ofofof the
  he Latathe
  hes begu
  gu
  gu
  gun.n.n.n. Hararara bibib ng
  ng
  ng
  n erer 
  stations and Scrcrcruttininatatattus
  us
  us plalalatftftftfor
  or
  or
  o ms
  ms
  ms
  m wererererere pu
  pu
  pu
  puush
  sh
  sh
  shed
  ed
  ed
  e
  thr
  hr
  hr
  hrou
  ou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  gh
  ghou
  ou
  out t 
  the system
  e . In the
  he
  he earararlililiesesest t t da
  da
  da
  da
  daysysysysys tho
  ho
  ho
  hous
  us
  usan
  an
  an
  ands
  ds
  ds
  ds of f f ad
  ad
  ad
  adep
  ep
  ep
  eptststs dieieied d
  studdyiy ng the system’
  m’
  m s s s stststs arararr a d
  nd
  nd
  nd
  n
  watatata ch
  ch
  chinining ov
  ov
  ov
  overerer the
  he
  he
  he entnttan
  anglgled
  ed 
  looops off the
  he inttertwwinininininininininini g g g asasasteteterorororor ididid belelelltststs. . Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Many
  ny
  ny
  ny
  ny mor
  or
  or
  ore ad
  ad
  adep
  ep
  epptststss 
  perished in the efefeffofofofofofortrtrtr s s to catalalalog
  og
  ogue
  ue
  ue the
  he
  he sysysy tetem,
  m butututu cen
  en
  en
  entututuririririeseseses 
  of disasters, lootototo ini g, misﬁling, andd simplplple e e ne
  neglglec
  ect t means that 
  only the mos
  o t cursory reports survive. 
  Severararar l strange, notable anomalieseses can
  an stitilllll be e fofoun
  unnd d d d inininin the
  he 
  data remnants kept deeeeeeeep p p p beneath h h h thththththt e e e e Ni
  Ni
  Ni
  N du
  du
  d s s Om
  Om
  Omeg
  eg
  ega a a on
  on
  on
  on Lathe-
  Heet.t  Records sho
  h w 
  w 
  w 
  w seseseseve
  ve
  verararal l cecececececelelelestststs iaiaial l bo
  bo
  bo
  bodidididieseseses thaat t t ap
  appa
  pareentntntlyly no o 
  lolololonger exist, but are e rer ferenc
  nc
  n ed
  ed in n n seseseve
  ve
  ve
  v rarararal difffffffferere en
  ent t en
  entrtrieieies,s,s suc
  uch asas 
  an entire co
  c metary fraagmennt,t,t, oririririgigigiginally y y y ofofof som
  om
  ome e e im
  imm
  impo
  po
  p rtrtan
  ancec , , , , ththththat 
  was eithher misidentitiit ﬁe
  ﬁ d d orororo misisisislalalal be
  belllllled
  ed
  ed and
  nd
  nd thu
  hu
  h s s loloostst to o ththhe e e miists 
  of time. A leg
  egion ofof blalal nk
  nk
  nk
  nk-f-f-f-facaced
  edd sererervivivitotot rsrs beaeaarsrs the
  he resesspo
  po
  pons
  n ibiliti y 
  of digging
  ng throu
  ou
  ou
  ough thesesesee pararararrtititialal data a scscscscrararaps
  ps
  pss in ththe e e e inini cense-laaced d 
  darkness of ththththe Elogium be
  beene
  ne
  neath thhe e e Ni
  Ni
  Ni
  N du
  dus.s.s The
  he
  he
  he efforts of thhesese
  fallen
  e
  serererva
  va
  vantn s is tirelelelelesesess, and yett the
  he
  he Higigigh h h Fabricatoror and his 
  feelll ow Forge Mastetetetersrsr hololold d little hop
  op
  ope e e tototo see morore e ththan a siningle
  rererereco
  co
  co
  c nstituted datuum 
  m 
  m over the cou
  ouursrsrse e ofofof a liffetetim
  ime.e.
  One e of thee most infamo
  moususus infnfnfo-
  o-
  o-gaps
  ps is s ththatata  the
  hererer  are 
  no eararararly recorrds
  ds
  ds
  ds to show thee exixixistststen
  en
  ence of f ththe e plannetetette now
  o  
  design
  gn
  gn
  gnated Celelelellalalala. Becausususe e e of the
  he
  he pararartititialallall nataturu e ofof the
  he
  he
  he rececececorords
  ds, 
  it is im
  im
  i possiblelelele to o know
  ow if Ce
  Ce
  Celllllla a wa
  wa
  was,s,s, in fact, prprrp ese ennt t alall allong, 
  or whether tho
  ho
  ho
  hoses  early adepts, who
  ho
  ho strtrtrug
  ug
  u glg ed to o o br
  br
  b ining g an entn ire
  systtem
  em
  e  into ththththe e Mechanicus folold,d actctctua
  ua
  ualllllly y co
  c ns
  ns
  nstrruc
  ucteted d itit. . Se
  Seve
  verar l 
  ar h
  chhaeologicicicicalalalal expeditions have e e be
  be
  been
  en
  en sug
  ug
  ugge
  ge
  ge
  gests ed
  ed
  ed
  e , , bu
  but t ththe e High
  gh
  ghh 
  Fabricators ha
  ha
  ha
  have
  ve den
  enieied ev
  ev
  evererery y rererequ
  qu
  quesese t t fofofofofofofofor r r r tiime
  me
  m
  or r reresources 
  throughoutt the
  he
  he
  he millennia. If the roc
  oc
  ocky
  k  bon
  on
  on
  oneseses of f a a na
  natutural planet 
  are prp esent, how
  o ever, there is no wa
  wa
  wa
  way to telle l l l l no
  no
  noo
  noow 
  w wi
  withthou
  o t suuch
  ch
  ch
  ch 
  an effort. Lay
  ay
  ay
  a err after layer of storrag
  ag
  ag
  a e spacce, warararrarreh
  eh
  e ou
  ouseses,s,, statatatasisisis s-s-s-
  vaultst , and da
  daatat -t- ombs havve e aca cumuu
  mu
  muulated d ovvererer the
  he
  he
  he
  he entntn irire e e plplplan
  an
  a etet’s 
  surfacce and de
  de
  de
  deepp
  ep
  ep intnto its ma
  mantn le and
  nd
  nd
  nd
  nd cororre e asasasasas welelele l.l. Mos
  ost t ad
  adep
  eptstsstss 
  merely assume e e e thhata  it is an artiﬁcial l l co
  co
  co
  constrruc
  uc
  uct,t,t, tak
  ak
  ak
  akinining g g prprprididide e e e inininin 
  the Meechanicusususus Cala ixis and its abiibilililitytyty to crcrcrafafaft t t t wo
  wo
  wo
  wo lrlrlds
  ds
  ds
  ds out of f
  no
  no
  noththththini gness. Tho
  ho
  ho
  hosesese few outsiders who
  ho
  ho hav
  avv
  ave e vivivivivivisisisisisiteted d ththe e e e system, 
  ho
  ho
  ho
  however, often exp
  xp
  xp
  xprereresss  serious doubtbtbt tha
  ha
  hat t a a a plplan
  anetet neaeaeaearlrlrlrly y y y ththththe e
  size
  ze
  ze of Te
  Te
  Te
  Terrrrrrr a a itself cou
  ou
  ouldld have beenn con
  on
  onstststruruuctcted
  ed artrtiﬁiﬁcicialalala lylylyly.
  On
  O e of the
  he
  hee most t im
  im
  impo
  po
  po
  p rtannt t t ma
  ma
  mand
  nd
  ndd
  ndatatatteseseses deleliviviviverere ed
  ed to thhe e e
  legions of ade
  de
  deptp s s refoorm
  rm
  rm
  rminininining g g g thththe e e sysysystststem
  em
  emm wasas the
  he nee
  eeed d fof r r r r 
  the Adeptus Mech
  ch
  ch
  c an
  a icus witititithihihih n n n thththe e e La
  La
  Lathththt eseseses Sysysy tetem 
  m toto be as 
  indepeendent as pos
  os
  os
  ossisisisible. Thihihiis s s s wa
  wa
  wa
  waas s a a a po
  po
  polilicy
  cy dicictatateted d frfrom
  om the 
  high towers of Marrarars s itself, de
  de
  de
  desp
  sp
  sp
  sp
  s ititi e e ththththe clclos
  ose e titieses betwe
  w en 
  tht e Imperir um and
  nd
  ndd
  n  the Mec
  ec
  ec
  e ha
  ha
  hanininininicu
  cu
  cu
  cu
  cus.s.s.s To o thththisis end
  nd, ththe adepts 
  instststituted
  edd a web
  eb
  ebb of f lililifefefe tha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  h t t t t stststststrererereretctctctctche
  he
  he
  hed d d acroossssssss the
  he systet m,
  m  
  connnec
  ec
  e tititing tho
  ho
  hosesese few
  eww
  eww reg
  eg
  eg
  egioioions
  nss
  ns
  ns of f f f f ststststabb
  abblele graraviv ty to o ea
  ea
  each
  ch
  ch
  ch other 
  with a pipipipelelelininine e e ofofof traraarans
  ns
  nspo
  p rtrtrtrtatatatioioioion n rororouttu eses, agrodome statataatititition
  on
  on
  ons,s,s,s, 
  and transfferererere poioioio ntntntts,s,s,s, tha
  haa
  hat t wo
  wo
  wo
  wo
  woululululd d d d en
  en
  en
  ensu
  su
  su
  surerere tha
  ha
  haat t alall the Omnisssiah’h’s
  seervrvants reqquiuiuiuiuiuiiriririring
  ng
  ng
  ng foo
  ood d wo
  wooululululu d d d d ha
  ha
  ha
  haave
  ve
  ve
  ve
  v it,t,t witithout the need fofofofor 
  importtrtatatatioioion n n n frfrfrf om
  om
  om
  om Imp
  mp
  m erereriaial l l l wo
  worlrlrlrlrlds
  ds
  ds
  ds
  ds. Th
  Th
  T e e Rustica a a a Mand
  nd
  nd
  ndatatatate e
  rer qu
  qu
  quuiririred
  ed
  ed the
  he
  he
  he
  h larara ge
  geststt dep
  ep
  eploym
  yment of ind
  n ep
  e ennde
  de
  de
  dentntntnt stations in 
  thththe sysysyysystststtstem
  em
  em
  emm, an
  and d d d isis one
  n of f thththththt e e mo
  mo
  moost ambitious engineering feats 
  totototo be e seseseseen
  en
  en thr
  hr
  hr
  hrou
  ough
  ghou
  o t t ththe e La
  L thththe e Wo
  W rlds.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  Working outward from the Lumen Stations, which keep a 
  constant watch over the ﬂuctuating energy waves of their sun, 
  legions of adepts struggled diligently to harness the system and 
  make it their own. It was the work of several decades to anchor 
  the Sagitarium Stations above Desideratum. Myrmidons of the 
  Ordo Reductor, working closely with a host of war sages and 
  Secutors, laboured tirelessly to hang these stations and their 
  lesser cousins around the desert planet. For nearly two thousand 
  years now, every form of weapon known to man has punished 
  the planet’s surface, scattering hab-sized shell casings, re-entry 
  shafts miles deep, and other gigantic wreckage across the 
  empty wastes. Rumours occasionally surface of strange artefacts 
  blasted up out of the planet’s crust, but the Factors of the High 
  Fabricator quickly dispel them, as all ofﬁcial records declare 
  that there was never any xenos presence within the system.
  Even as the rest of the system took shape, a shell of stations 
  was constructed at the margins to present an amicable facade 
  to the rest of the Sector. These Excipio Stations also provided 
  a convenient cover for massive defensive works, a ﬁrst line 
  of defence should the need ever arise. An army of workers 
  built these dual purpose stations, primarily servitors who 
  were immediately repurposed or destroyed outright once the 
  stations were complete. The Excipio Stations now provide an 
  elaborate mask of unity and friendship while defending the 
  system from unwanted scrutiny or encroachment.
  The skeletal structures of the docks, ﬂoating in high 
  anchor around the three Lathes, were among the ﬁrst works 
  to be completed. When the system was young and the Calyx 
  Expanse not yet fully tamed, Explorator ﬂeets were seen as an 
  essential adjunct to the Lathes System’s responsibilities. Even 
  after the formation of the Calixis Sector, the support and 
  coordination of these ﬂeets was seen as vital to the directives of 
  the Mechanicus Calixis. Vast Explorator ﬂeets are still regularly 
  sent forth into the Koronus Expanse and beyond after ancient 
  treasures and undiscovered phenomena to further the Quest 
  for Knowledge. The history of the Lathes overﬂows with 
  celebrated Explorators, among them Secutor Josefus Sendar 
  Ion the Bloody and the tragic ﬁgure of Magos Jonwa Kline, lost 
  beyond the Rifts of Hecaton over three centuries ago. The most 
  famous, of course, is Arch-Magos Paracelsus Thule himself.
  Often these Explorator ﬂeets carry with them sacred 
  archeotech and other technologies not available to the average 
  run of humanity. The launching of such a ﬂeet is an delicate 
  and momentous event, and the adepts of the Lathes treat is as 
  such. When the ﬂagship Sacred Wheel of Certainty was launched 
  in M41.721, over a hundred thousand Lathesmasters attended, 
  singing in binary cant as the enormous ship slid out of its 
  cradle and into orbit around Lathe-Het. Massive atmosphere-
  scrubbers cleaned a path through the pollution at that moment, 
  so that as a billion arc-torches lit the darkness and ﬂocks of 
  candle-bearing cherubs ﬁlled the skies, those on the surface 
  were able to witness the departure of the enormous vessel. 
  Over hundreds of years the Lathes System transformed 
  itself into one of the most important Mechanicus holdings in 
  the entire quadrant. The shaping and development has never 
  stopped, however, and the system has continued to be crafted, 
  wrought, and changed down through the years to ﬁt the shifting 
  priorities of Forge Masters as they come and go. Currently, 
  the Lathes are enduring a tumultuous period of confusion, 
  conspiracy, and deceit, but undoubtedly they will arise stronger 
  than before; the consequences, if not, are too horrible for even 
  the logic-engines of the Covenant to conceive. 
  THE RULE OF IRON LAW
  The Lathe Worlds comprise every planet the Mechanicus claim 
  rule over within the borders of the Calixis Sector and beyond 
  into the Koronus Expanse (though the latter is without any 
  Imperial recognition, given the nature of that lawless region). 
  The challenges of leading such a diverse and individualistic 
  group as the adepts of the Omnissiah are manifold, ranging 
  from the eternal problems of void communication and 
  transportation, to the more insidious issues of oversight and 
  tech-heresy. Over time, an elaborate structure has evolved 
  within the rigid conﬁnes of the Pact of Blood and Oil to 
  assist the Lathe-Covenant in managing its holdings.
  The Lathe-Covenant requires a careful balance between three 
  distinctly separate ofﬁces: the High Fabricator of the Lathes, the 
  High Council of the Arch-Magos, and the Consilium Magos. 
  The High Council is a small cabal of Arch-Magos drawn from all 
  the Lathe Worlds, responsible for every facet of production in the 
  Mechanicus Calixis. The Consilium Magos, on the other hand, 
  is a much larger body, again made up of adepts from throughout 
  the Lathe Worlds. It is the duty of the Consilium to interface 
  with outside agencies of power such as the Sector Governor’s 
  council and the Holy Ordos. The Consilium hears petitions from 
  these bodies, analyses their cases, and then advises the High 
  Council. Ancillary to these assemblies are the Magos Vagus, the 
  remaining magos in the Sector. Any magos may attend Covenant 
  sessions, call for a hearing before the High Council, or request an 
  audience with the High Fabricator, although this will most likely 
  be denied unless they are able to pique his interest.
  In theory, the Lathe-Covenant is independent of the High 
  Fabricator, and he, in turn, is only one among equals within the 
  High Council. However, over the past several hundred years, the 
  balance of power has slowly shifted away from the Covenant 
  and into the hands of the High Fabricator, effectively anointing 
  him, unofﬁcially, as the sole ruler of the Lathe Worlds and 
  marking the Covenant as little more than an advisory body. 
  Working outward fromm the
  he Lum
  um
  u en
  en Stataatitition
  on
  ons,s whihihich
  ch
  ch kee
  ee
  eep p p a a
  constant watch ove
  ver r ththt e e ﬂu
  ﬂu
  ﬂ ctctc ua
  ua
  ua
  ua
  uatitititing
  ng
  ng
  ng
  n ene
  ne
  ne
  nergrgrgy y y wa
  wa
  wave
  ve
  ves s s ofofof the
  he
  heirir sun
  un
  un, 
  lelelelegigigigion
  on
  on
  ons s s ofofo ade
  deptp s ststrurugg
  gglelel d d didiidililililige
  ge
  ge
  gentntntntlylylyl to ha
  ha
  harn
  rn
  rnesesess s s s thththe e sysysysttem
  em
  em
  e
  and
  nd
  nd
  nd 
  make it thh ieiir r ow
  ow
  ow
  own.n.n.n. It t t wa
  wa
  w s ththt e e e wo
  wo
  wo
  workrkrk of f f seseseve
  ve
  verarar l l l de
  de
  decacacade
  de
  des tot  ancho
  h r 
  ththe e Sa
  Sagigitataririum
  umm Stataatitit on
  on
  o s s ab
  ab
  ab
  ab
  ab
  abov
  ov
  ov
  ov
  ov
  ov
  o e e e De
  De
  Desisiside
  de
  deraratut m. Myryryrrmii
  m dons of thhe
  Or
  O do
  do
  do Red
  educ
  uctotor,r, wor
  orrkikikiking
  ng
  ng
  ng clolololoseeseelylylylyly witi h h a a a host of war sages and 
  Secutors, labouru ed
  ed tiriririrelelelesese slslslsly y y y tototo han
  an
  an
  ang g g g thththththese stations and their 
  lelesssserr cou
  ousisis ns
  nss arorororoun
  unn
  und d d thththththhe e e e de
  de
  de
  desesesesertrtrtrt plalalalane
  ne
  net.t. For
  or
  or
  o nea
  ea
  e rly two thousand 
  ye
  yearararars s s s noo
  no
  no
  now,w,w,w, eve
  ve
  ve
  ve
  very form ofoffoff wea
  ea
  ea
  eapo
  po
  po
  p n n n kn
  k own n to man
  an
  an has punished 
  thththhe e e plplplplan
  an
  an
  anetetetet’s’s’s surface, sccatatatatatteteeteteririririring
  ng
  ng
  n hab
  ab
  ab
  ab-s-s-s-sizizizized
  ed
  ed shell casinininings
  gs
  gs
  g , re-entry 
  sh
  sh
  shhafafafaftstststs mililileseses deep, and
  nd
  nd
  nd
  nd oththt err gigigigigan
  an
  an
  antitititic c c c wr
  wr
  wr
  w eckage acrcrcrcros
  o s the
  emmptpty y wa
  wa
  wa
  waststststtesesese . Ru
  Ru
  Rumours occasisisisisiion
  on
  on
  on
  o alllyl  surfacececece of f f f ststs range arrtetetetefafafacts 
  blblblblasasasa teteteted d d d up
  up
  up
  up outututut of f f f thththe e e planet’s cruststststt, , , bu
  b t ththththhe Faactctctctc or
  or
  or
  ors s s s of the Higigigigh 
  Fabricicatator
  or quiuiuiuick
  ck
  ck
  cklylyly disisispe
  pe
  pel them, as allllllll ofﬁcial rececececor
  or
  or
  ords
  d  declare 
  thhthththat the
  herere wasas nev
  ev
  ev
  everererer any
  ny
  ny xen
  e os presence within the sysstetetetem.
  Ev
  Ev
  Ev
  Even
  en
  en
  en as s thththhe e e rerereststtstst of f f f ththththe e e e sysysystststemm took shape, a shell of f f f ststststatatatatioioioions 
  wa
  wa
  wa
  was s co
  co
  co
  cons
  ns
  ns
  nstrtrtruc
  uc
  uc
  uc
  ucteteteet d d d d atatatat the
  h marararargigigigins
  ns
  n to present an ami
  mi
  mi
  mica
  ca
  ca
  cablb e fafafaca
  ca
  ca
  cade
  d  
  totoo the
  he
  he
  he resesest t t ofofoff the
  he
  he
  he
  h Sec
  e toor. Theseseese Exc
  xc
  xcipio Stations alalalala so
  s  provide
  de
  ded d
  a a a co
  co
  convven
  en
  en
  e ieieientntnt cov
  ovv
  overererere  for masasassisisisive
  ve
  ve
  v defe ensive works, a a a a ﬁrst line
  ofofof defefefen
  en
  en
  e ce
  ce
  ce sho
  h uld d thththe e e need ever r ararararisisisise.e  An army of f wo
  w rkerererers s
  bu
  builililt t t ththththhesesesese e e dual purposeseses  stations, pririririma
  m rily servitors who 
  we
  weererere imm
  mm
  mm
  mmmed
  ed
  ediately repurrpo
  po
  po
  po
  p sed or destroyyed
  ed
  ed
  ed outright once the 
  ststatatioioions
  ns wererere e complete. Thh
  T e Excipio Stattatioioioions
  n  now provide an
  elelab
  abor
  or
  oratata e e ma
  ma
  mask
  sk of unity an
  an
  an
  and friendship whihiihilelelele defending the
  h  
  sysyystststem
  em
  em frororom 
  m un
  un
  unwa
  w nted scrututututini y or encroachmen
  e t.
  Th
  Th
  The e sk
  sk
  s elelete alalal strtrtructures s s ofofofof the docks, ﬂoata ing in high h 
  ann
  an
  anch
  ch
  chor
  or
  or
  o aroror un
  un
  und d thththe e e thththrereree e e La
  La
  La
  Lathththes, , , , we
  we
  we
  werererere amo
  m ng the
  h  ﬁrst works 
  tototot be e e co
  co
  co
  comp
  mp
  m leteed.d.d.d Whe
  he
  hen n n thhe e e e sysysysyststststem
  em
  emm wasasasas you
  ou
  ou
  oung
  ng
  ng
  ng and
  n  the Calyx 
  Ex
  Ex
  Expa
  pa
  pans
  ns
  ns
  nse e no
  not yet fufufulllly y y tatatame
  me
  m d,d,d,d, Exp
  xp
  xp
  xplolololorarararatotototor r r r ﬂeets we
  we
  we
  were seen as an
  esesesseseseentntntntntiaiai l l ad
  adjujuncct t t tototo the
  he
  h Lathe
  hes s s Sy
  Sy
  Sy
  Sy tstststem
  em’s respons
  nssibibibibilities. Even
  afafafteter ththe e foform
  rmatattioioion n n ofofof the
  hee Callixixixixisisisis Sector, the support and 
  coor
  ordidina
  natition
  on of f thesese ﬂe
  ﬂeets was seseseseen
  en
  e  as vital to thee directives of 
  thhe Me
  Mech
  chan
  anicus Calalalixxisisis. . Vast Expplorator ﬂeets are sts ill regularly 
  sesesentntnt for
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  “Put three of them in a sealed chamber and you would ﬁnd no less 
  than ﬁve factions and two secret sects. I swear to you, I believe I 
  have met Tech-Priests whose left brain and right brain belonged to 
  two different splinter groups.”
  –Rogue Trader Choras Donagal, 
  First Trader of the Golgenna Reach
  �
  he Lathe Worlds are, in theory, one seamless, perfect 
  mechanism where all serve in unity of purpose under 
  the rule of the Lathes. On a practical level, however, 
  they are nothing more than a loose conglomeration of factions, 
  each consisting of millions of insular, isolated adepts, most far 
  distant from their masters. Each adept pursues their own Quest 
  for Knowledge with which to enrich the Omnissiah and the 
  greater glory of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Occasionally, they 
  ﬁnd themselves capable of working in unison towards their 
  disparate goals. However, quiet often, Tech-Priests across the 
  Sector ﬁnd themselves at odds with their brethren, with those 
  for whom they should maintain the highest esteem. It is in 
  those moments, when loyalty to the Omnissiah, loyalty to 
  one’s self, and loyalty to one’s faction or chosen sect collide, 
  that the true measure of an adept is often known.
  History is replete with examples of adepts who have 
  pursued their own Quests for Knowledge against the better 
  judgement of their peers. The False Fabricator of Cyclopea 
  and his elaborate Servitor army, the dangerous allure of the 
  Pharrian Profanation, and of course, Arch-Magos Malygris 
  himself, all stand as ready examples of the danger that can be 
  posed from abjuring the teachings of the Omnissiah in favour 
  of personal advancement or power.
  It is, therefore, extremely important for any adept entering the 
  crucible of the Lathes to exercise a certain amount of awareness 
  towards the various factions and sects that comprise the Lathes 
  System and the diverse feudal holdings of the Lathe Worlds. 
  THE LATHE-COVENANT
  The ruling body of adepts that preside over the Mechanicus 
  Calixis, the Lathe-Covenant is the ﬁrst and foremost faction 
  throughout the Lathe Worlds. The Magos Vagus, adepts who 
  adhere strictly to Lord Militant Angevin’s Pact of Blood and Oil, 
  marking the confederation and independence between Governor 
  Drusus and the representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus over 
  2000 years ago, are also included within this powerful bloc. 
  The power of the Lathe-Covenant is derived not only from the 
  documents that established the Mechanicus Calixis, but also from 
  the mere fact of their present possession of authority. This position 
  allows them and their allies to apply a great deal of pressure in 
  the pursuit of material, personnel, and other resources.
  Even among the Covenant, however, one cannot ﬁnd a 
  monolithic coalition. Varying translations of the rights, 
  responsibilities, and duties of the Lathe Worlds to the 
  governors of Calixis and indeed, to each other, strain the 
  various sub-factions. There are divisions that believe fervently 
  in the Mechanicus Calixis’ duty to support and raise up the 
  more benighted sub-sectors of Calixis, while others render 
  unto the Sector Lord only grudgingly, seeing the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus as more of a senior power to the rest of the 
  backward Imperium than an integral, co-equal part.
  DISCIPLES OF THULE
  One of the most numerous factions within the Mechanicus 
  Calixis, the followers of Arch-Magos Paracelsus Thule believe 
  that the eternal Quest for Knowledge is best pursued in the 
  ﬁeld. Disciples of the itinerant Arch-Magos are the most fervent 
  supporters of the Explorator ﬂeets. They believe the best way to 
  serve the Omnissiah and utilise the limited resources on hand is 
  to seek out the ancient technologies of the past and to follow 
  the paths of the ancients wherever they may lead. Such concerns 
  as fame, political ramiﬁcations, and even personal safety matter 
  nothing to the Disciples of Thule as they pursue their quest into 
  the deep, cold recesses of space in the hopes of pushing the 
  boundaries of knowledge further and further back.
  The Disciples of Thule are not a proscribed or radical sect, 
  although they are not entirely welcomed into the Mechanicus 
  body politic due to their singular focus on exploration to the 
  detriment of all else. Others look upon these dedicated adepts 
  with bemused tolerance for the most part, unless one of their 
  expeditions claims the resources or personnel of a rival adept, 
  at which point the conﬂicts can quickly escalate.
  
  ����������������������������
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  THE MAGOS FIDELIS
  Among the many factions of the Mechanicus Calixis are those 
  adepts who believe that the fracturing of the Lathe Worlds 
  has grown out of hand. They look upon the petty bickering, 
  empire building, and general discord sown throughout the 
  Sector as a waste of precious resources that could be better 
  served going to any of a number of more legitimate causes, 
  most often their own. A loose confederation of like-minded 
  adepts rather than a formal faction, the Magos Fidelis 
  nevertheless hold considerable power, as quite often the 
  merest threat of intervention from Mars is enough to cause a 
  wayward adept to back down.
  The adepts of the Magos Fidelis are among the most 
  conservative and traditional members of the Mechanicus. 
  Faithful followers of the Omnissiah, often characterised as 
  excessively orthodox within the Cult Mechanicus, most of the 
  tech-adepts and lesser Lathesmasters nevertheless afford them 
  great respect for their dedication and the force of their belief. 
  The most fervent members of the Magos Fidelis believe that a 
  more ﬁrm hand, directly from Mars, is needed to set the Lathe 
  Worlds to rights, although at present all petitions for direct 
  intervention have not garnered any response. 
  THE DIVINE LIGHT  
  OF SOLLEX
  A fanatical group of Secutors whose roots were lost to the ravages 
  of time, this cult devotes all of their energy and effort towards 
  the development of more and more devastating weapons and 
  the martial doctrines that best utilise them. Adepts who worship 
  at the altar of Sollex care nothing for the more productive or 
  peaceful applications of technology, and only for the destruction 
  that may be wrought, bending these weapons against those who 
  would misuse the teachings of the Omnissiah.
  Within the Lathes System the Cult of Sollex works openly, 
  the devotion of Lathe-Hesh and its charismatic Forge Master 
  a strong support in their various works. Members of the cult 
  operate throughout the system, working on various projects 
  and systems, digging through the archives of Cella, manning 
  the Sagitarium Platforms orbiting Desideratum, and the 
  workshops and storage bays of Lycosidae. Among the most 
  contentious efforts of the followers of the Divine Light are the 
  various gravimancy research stations, where the Cult insists 
  the strange powers ravaging the system could be harnessed 
  to create truly apocalyptic weapon systems. No such system 
  has been perfected, but the research and testing for such a 
  weapon is ongoing across the entire system.
  Those who look askance at the followers of the Divine 
  Light most likely do so as a result of various rumours and 
  whispered reports planet-wide eradications in the name of 
  weapons testing. Although the Ordos Calixis have investigated 
  these rumours rigourously, so far no proof of such errant waste 
  of biological resources has been found.
  THE CULT ACHANUM
  A recent development on Lathe-Hadd, rumours place this 
  loose association of adepts far from the centre of control on 
  the planet, and rather in the more desolate region of Hadd 
  Sur. The brutal removal of production facilities, theoretically 
  to make way for some grand project as the Forge Master 
  decreed, ravaged this area very harshly. But as years pass and 
  still no advancement is made, the populace of the Silent Forge 
  has grown more and more restive, searching farther and 
  farther aﬁeld for purpose and guidance. The Cult Achanum, 
  the whispers suggest, offers exactly this.
  Preaching from the rust-streaked, hollow shells of now-
  empty fabrication halls, the leaders of the Cult Achanum 
  speak in strident tones of the Omnissiah. These compelling 
  speakers claim that the Omnissiah holds a special fate for each 
  of His consecrated brethren, from the highest Forge Master 
  to the lowliest menial. Fate is preordained, and the Machine 
  God, knowing all, wishes only that His followers accept these 
  paths and walk them in courage. The Cult interprets desire and 
  ambition as dangerous aberrations, counter to the wishes of the 
  Omnissiah. A loyal follower of the Cult should not strive to 
  break from their path, but rather accept what has been handed 
  down to them. The present state of affairs on Lathe-Hadd is 
  part of the Machine God’s plan, they say, and thus should not 
  be fought, but rather accepted in quiet contemplation awaiting 
  his design to unfold. Many wonder if this  exists more to ensure 
  the placidity of the natives than to afﬁrm the Cult.  
  THE ALIUM UNION
  Among the most conservative and traditional adepts of 
  the Mechanicus Calixis are those who claim membership 
  in the Alium Union, the Calixian chapter of the Imperio-
  cognosticians. The members of the Union staunchly believe 
  that those who toil quietly, for the betterment of the Omnissiah, 
  can serve the Quest for Knowledge just as well as the more 
  vainglorious adepts who dash about the stars seeking ancient 
  secrets. Members of the Alium Union see great beneﬁt to the 
  Omnissiah and, indeed, the Imperium itself, in the daily duties 
  every member of the Mechanicum, from the High Fabricator 
  of the Lathes to the lowliest menial, performs. 
  Ironically, there is a backlash effect occurring on Lathe-
  Hadd, in direct reaction to the grinding silence the hubris of 
  the planet’s magos has brought about. In this environment, 
  the Alium League has gained support and sympathy from 
  many divergent quarters. Seeing the Silent Forge as the price 
  paid for overreaching, these members of the Union seek to re-
  establish the credibility of their home through small tasks of 
  renovation and production, hoping to bring the planet back 
  into service one small manufactorum at a time. Although only 
  a small number of adepts on Lathe-Hadd are openly members 
  of the Alium Union, there is more and more support within 
  the Halls of Ignavus for this humble approach.
  
  ����������������������������
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  SCIONS OF THE  
  IRON SPHERE
  The Scions of the Iron Sphere are a brotherhood of rabidly 
  devoted adepts who look upon the Omnissiah as the pinnacle 
  of human evolution and development, and see all ﬂesh as not 
  only a weakness in the face of time and adversity, but as a prop 
  that keeps Mankind from achieving his full potential. The Scions 
  believe that the Adeptus Mechanicus alone has been vouchsafed 
  the future of humanity, and, in fact, they see all other humans as 
  an inferior sub-species, an evolutionary dead end that has proven 
  itself too weak to deserve the Omnissiah’s blessing. This sect is 
  not formally recognised within the halls of the Nidus Omega, 
  but nevertheless wields a surprising amount of power within the 
  inner sanctums of the Mechanicus Calixis.
  The devotion of the Scions of the Iron Sphere is such that 
  most ascendant adepts of the order undergo a procedure known 
  as the Rite of Pure Thought, in which the right lobe of their 
  brain is removed, and replaced with a bank of cogitators and 
  micro data-stacks to enhance the adept’s ability to process and 
  store information, while removing the distractions of emotion 
  and the false paths of creative thought. Those Scions who have 
  undergone the procedure epitomise the cold, detached persona 
  that many followers of the Omnissiah project, save that the Scions 
  are actually incapable of human warmth or original thought.
  The Scions of the Iron Sphere hold to the belief that no 
  agreement with other human agencies need be honoured; after 
  all, there can be no binding agreements between thinking 
  men and unreasoning animals. This aspect of the Scions’ 
  belief system is the best-kept secret of their fellowship. If the 
  agents of the Sector Governor or the Holy Ordos should ever 
  become aware of the cult’s beliefs and inﬂuence, the damage 
  to relationships that are essential to the operation of the Lathe 
  Worlds would be incalculable.
  THE HIPPOCRASIAN SECT
  Consisting primarily of Magos Biologis and Genetors, the 
  Hippocrasian Sect is a fellowship of like-minded adepts 
  forming organically around the study of life and the transition-
  state between living and death. The Hippocrassians, unlike 
  the vast majority of the Biologis adepts, have come to focus 
  almost solely on the study of death, the passing of the life 
  essence from corporeal to incorporeal, and the process of 
  decay that immediately begins to encroach upon the dying 
  ﬂesh. The Sect itself has never been clear as to the end use 
  of their research, and has responded to inquiries from the 
  Lathe-Covenant and even the ofﬁce of the High Fabricator 
  himself with vague statements of prolonged life, improved 
  augmetic implantation, and the like. To date, however, the 
  Hippocrasians have ﬁled no ofﬁcial ﬁndings or discoveries 
  regarding these ﬁelds, or, in fact, any others.
  Although the vast majority of the followers of the Sect 
  can be found in the haphazard collection of space craft and 
  observation stations orbiting the death world of Morwen VI, 
  there are adherents of the Sect spread throughout the Lathe 
  Worlds. Any research station with a Biologis cadre most likely 
  has at least one Magos sympathetic to the fascinations that drive 
  the Hippocrasians. Reports indicate that the Ordo Hereticus 
  holds certain suspicions of the Sect, and the Lathe-Covenant 
  has received warnings that Chaos taint might fester without 
  proper Inquisitorial oversight. To date, however, absolutely 
  no proof of any heretical inﬂuence has been found, and there 
  is no reason to believe the adepts of the Hippocrasian Sect 
  are anything other than what they appear; simple researchers 
  merely studying the frailties of the ﬂesh. 
  THE FERROUS WHISPER
  Among the diverse members of the Mechanicus Calixis are many 
  who harken back to the heady days of Martian independence, 
  many thousands of years ago when the red planet was free. Those 
  adepts yearn once again for Mechanicus autonomy, for a galaxy 
  where the adherents of the Omnissiah stand as allies, a body 
  separate from, but equal to, the Imperium. These adepts often 
  refer to themselves, and their philosophy, as the Ferrous Whisper. 
  The High Fabricator of the Lathes, the Lathe-Covenant, and 
  most Forge Masters working within the Mechanicus Calixis deny 
  the existence of the Ferrous Whisper. Sympathy within the halls 
  of power is high, however. Particularly susceptible to this line of 
  thinking are those lower in the hierarchy of the Mechanicum, 
  who seek ways to raise their own station at the cost of others. 
  Within the Tricorn Palace and the Ordos Calixis, the movement 
  is seen as a dangerous heresy, alarmingly seductive to weaker 
  adepts, and thus something to be watched and controlled at 
  every opportunity. In fact, the rulers of the Calixis Sector are 
  acutely aware of the danger this philosophy poses, as they would 
  sever the close ties between the Mechanicus and the Imperium. 
  More worrisome still, they do not know if this sect is only local 
  to Calixis, or perhaps a tendril reaching across Imperial space. 
  Surely if so, the often fragile relationship between Mars and 
  Terra could one day falter, leaving the Imperium ripe for a new 
  civil war of devastating consequences. 
  THE LEVELISTS
  In direct opposition to the Ferrous Whisper is a Tech-heresy 
  abhorrent to almost all members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, 
  that of the Levelists. These rare progressive adepts believe that 
  the Omnissiah never intended that the Mechanicus be the last 
  repository of all technological knowledge, to be hoarded and 
  parcelled out to the rest of humanity in tiny packets. Levelists 
  believe that the dusty gates of the Machine God should be 
  opened wide, and that all of Mankind should be allowed the 
  full spectrum of the Omnissiah’s bounty.
  Of course, these populist, egalitarian views horrify the vast 
  majority of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Most adepts, in their 
  own unique ways, are devoutly loyal to their conception of the 
  Omnissiah, and feel that the very eyes of the uninitiated upon 
  the mysteries of the Cult Mechanicus sully those mysteries 
  nearly beyond cleansing. Further, the idea of surrendering 
  power accumulated over the course of millennia strikes the 
  overwhelming majority as utterly unthinkable. While many 
  within the Imperium’s ruling castes would welcome such 
  sharing of technology and knowledge, the common man has 
  become accustomed to unknowable mysteries and the even 
  more mysterious adepts to wield them. Most see technology 
  as frightening and strange, and untold generations have 
  winnowed out any desire to know more. 
  SCIONS OF THE
  IRON SPHERE
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  ogninininin ses d d wi
  wi
  wi
  withthththinininin the
  he
  he
  he halalalallslslsls of f the Ni
  Ni
  Nidus Ommeg
  eg
  eg
  ega, 
  bu
  bu
  but neve
  ve
  v rthe
  he
  helelelelelel ssssssss wieieieieldlddlds s a a a susususurprprprpririririsisisising
  ng
  ng
  ng amo
  mount of power within the e
  inininne
  ne
  ner r sanctutuums
  ms
  ms
  ms
  mss of f f thththe e Me
  M ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicicicus Calixis.
  Th
  T e devotion
  on
  on
  on of f thththe e e e Sc
  Sc
  Sc
  Scioioioionsn  of ththe Iron Sphere is suc
  uc
  uc
  uch h that 
  mo
  m st ascenda
  da
  dantntn ade
  de
  deptptptpts s s s ofofofof the
  h  order und
  ndere go
  g  a proceedu
  du
  du
  durerere kno
  n wn 
  as the Rite e e e ofofof Purururure e e e Th
  Th
  Thou
  ou
  ou
  ouught, in which the riigh
  gh
  gh
  ght t t lololobe of tht eir
  brain is rem
  em
  emoved, , , an
  a d d replaced with a bank
  nk
  nk
  nk of co
  co
  co
  cogitatorsrs and
  n  
  micro o o da
  da
  da
  da
  d tatatat -stack
  ck
  ck
  cks s toot enhance the adeptt’ss’s’s abibibility to process s and d
  sttststs orororrorre e ininini formatatatatioioion,n,n, while removing thhe e e e didididiststststrarararactctctctioi ns of f emototototioioioion n n n 
  an
  an
  an
  and d d thththe faf lslse e e paa
  p ththths s s ofofof creative e ththou
  ough
  gh
  gh
  ght.t.t. Those Sciionns s s s wh
  wh
  wh
  who o ha
  ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve
  ve 
  un
  un
  un
  u de
  dergrgone e e e ththt e e e prprp oc
  oced
  e ure epitomise e ththththe e cold, detach
  ch
  ched
  e persosona
  na
  na
  na 
  ththththht atatat man
  an
  a y y y fofollllllow
  ow
  owerers ofo  the Omnissiiah
  ah
  ah
  ah prorojejectctc , sasaave
  ve
  vee tha
  ha
  ha
  hat thhe e Scionsn  
  arararare e e e acacctututualalalallylylyly inc
  nc
  ncap
  ap
  apab
  ablel of human warm
  rm
  rm
  rmthththth or r r ororororigigigigininininalalal tho
  ho
  ho
  hought.
  The Sc
  Scioioions
  ns
  ns of f ththhe e Iron
  on Sphere e ho
  ho
  ho
  holdldldld to o o ththththe be
  be
  beliefe  that no 
  ag
  ag
  ag
  aggreemmen
  en
  ent t t wi
  wi
  withthth othhere human agencieieies s s ne
  ne
  need
  ed
  ed
  ed be honoured; after 
  alalll,l,l,l the
  he
  h rer
  can
  an
  an be no binding agreemeentn s between tht inking 
  me
  meen annd d d un
  un
  unrerereasasa oning animals. This aspect of the Sc
  S ions’
  belililil effef sysysysy tetetem 
  m 
  m isisis the best-ke
  k ptp  secret ofofofof their fellowship. If f tht e
  aggen
  en
  e tststst of f f thththe e e Se
  Se
  Sectctctor
  orr Governo
  nor r r or
  or
  or
  or the
  he
  he
  he Holy Ordos should eve
  ve
  ve
  ver r r r
  be
  be
  be
  beco
  co
  come
  me
  me
  me awa
  wa
  warerere of the cult’s beliefs and
  nd
  nd
  nd inﬂuence, the damage
  totoo relatatatioioioions
  n hihihips
  p  that are essentn ial to the
  he
  he
  he operation of thththe La
  La
  Lathththe 
  Wo
  Wo
  Wo
  Wo
  W rlds
  ds
  ds
  ds wou
  ou
  ouldl  be incalculabblel .
  THE HIPPOCRAS
  R
  IAN SECT
  Co
  Co
  Co
  Co
  C ns
  ns
  nsisisi ting
  ng
  ng
  ng pririr ma
  maarir ly of Magos Bi
  B ologis and Gen
  en
  en
  en tetor
  or
  or
  ors,s,s,s, the
  Hi
  Hi
  Hi
  Hipp
  pp
  ppocrasisisisian
  an
  an
  an Sec
  ec
  ect is a fellowship p ofofofo  like-mi
  mii
  mind
  nd
  nd
  ndedd adepts 
  fofofoorm
  rm
  rm
  rm
  r inini g g orga
  ga
  ga
  ganinininica
  ca
  ca
  c lll y around the study of life andd the
  he
  he
  he trarararans
  n ition-
  n
  ststststtatatatatatte e e be
  be
  betw
  tween n n n lililil viviviv ng
  ng
  n  and death. The Hippocrassssssians
  n , un
  un
  un
  unlilililike
  ke
  ke 
  thththththe va
  va
  vaststststs majajajajor
  o itititity y y y ofofofofofof the Biologis adepts, have com
  om
  om
  o e e e too focuss
  us
  us 
  alalalallmo
  mo
  mo
  mostt sololololo elele y y onn the
  he
  he
  he stut dy of f death, the passingg of f ththththe lilililifef  
  esesesesssesesenc
  nc
  n e frfrrfrom
  om
  om
  om
  o  corpoorerererealalalal to incorporeal, and the proce
  cesss of 
  de
  de
  de
  deca
  ca
  ca
  cay y y y thatatat imm
  mm
  mm
  mm
  m ediatelylylyly beg
  eg
  eg
  egins to encroach upon the dying
  ng
  ng
  ng 
  ﬂe
  ﬂesh
  sh
  sh
  sh. . Th
  Th
  T e e e Se
  Se
  Sectcttctt itself has ne
  ne
  ne
  neve
  ve
  ve
  ver r been clear as to the end use 
  ofof the
  he
  heeiririr resesesesesea
  ea
  ea
  ea
  e rcrcrch,h,h,h and hasasasas resesesespo
  po
  po
  pond
  nd
  nd
  ndded to inquiries from the 
  La
  Laththe-e-Co
  Co
  Co
  Co
  Cove
  ve
  ve
  v na
  na
  na
  na
  n ntntntnt and
  nd
  ndd eve
  v n ththththe offﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁcce e e e ofofofofofof the
  h  High Fabricator 
  himselelf f wi
  wi
  withthth vag
  ag
  ag
  ag
  aggue
  ue
  ue
  ue
  ue
  uee statatateteteeme
  m nts of prololololong
  ng
  ng
  nged
  ed
  ed
  ed lifi e, improved
  au
  au
  au
  au
  a gm
  gm
  g etic imp
  mpplalalalantntnttation, and
  nd
  nd the
  he
  he
  h  like. To datetetee, ho
  ho
  ho
  howe
  we
  we
  weve
  ve
  ve
  ver,r,r,r, the
  he
  he
  he 
  Hi
  Hippp
  pp
  p oc
  oc
  o rarasisian
  ans s ha
  haa
  have
  ve
  ve
  v ﬁled d no
  n
  ofﬁfﬁfﬁcicicicicialalalalalal ﬁndings or did scovvererererieieieies 
  regardrdininini g g g ththesese e ﬁe
  ﬁee
  ﬁeldlds,s,s, or,r,r,r in faf ct, an
  an
  anny ototothers.
  Although
  gh
  gh
  gh
  g
  the
  he vasasasast t ma
  ma
  ma
  m jojojoj rir tyt  of f f ththththththe followw
  owwererere s s s ofofofofofof the
  he
  he
  he
  he
  he Sect
  can be found
  nd in thhe ha
  haph
  phaz
  azzararrd d co
  co
  collllllec
  ecc
  ectitititititition
  on
  on
  on
  on
  on
  o
  of f f sp
  sp
  spac
  ac
  ace e e crcrcrafafaft t t an
  annd 
  observation statioioi ns orb
  rbitititining g ththe e de
  de
  d atatth h wo
  wo
  worlrlrld d d ofofofo Mor
  or
  orwe
  we
  we
  wen n n VI
  VI
  VI, , , 
  there are adherents s ofof the
  he
  he
  h Sec
  ect t sp
  sp
  spprererer ad
  ad
  a
  thr
  hrou
  ough
  gh
  gh
  ghou
  ou
  ou
  out ththththe e e La
  La
  La
  Lathththe e 
  Wo
  W rllds. Any research statation
  onn witititititi h h a a a Bi
  Bi
  B ololog
  ogisis cad
  adrere most lilike
  kelyly 
  ha
  ha
  h sata leastoneMagossympa
  pa
  pa
  paathete ictothththefafafaf scscscscinationstha
  hatdrive
  ho
  ho
  holdldldlds s s ce
  ce
  certrtrtaiaiain n n su
  su
  su
  susp
  sp
  spicicicioioions
  ns
  ns
  ns of f ththt e e Se
  S ct, and the Lathe-Covenantntt 
  ha
  ha
  haas s s rerereece
  ce
  ceivivivived
  ed
  ed wararararnininin ng
  ng
  ngs ththt atat Cha
  haos
  o  taia nt might fester withouut t
  pr
  pr
  pr
  pr
  prop
  op
  opp
  operererer Inq
  nq
  nq
  nqquiuiuiuiuiuisisisisisisitotototototoririririririalalalalalal ove
  ve
  versrsrsr igigigi htht. . To
  To date, however, absolutely 
  no
  no
  no prorororoofofofof of f f f an
  an
  an
  any y y he
  he
  he
  hererereretitit ca
  ca
  cal ininini ﬂu
  ﬂu
  ﬂu
  ﬂu
  ﬂuen
  en
  en
  en
  ence
  ce
  c hasas bee
  e n founnd, and there 
  isisis no o o reasason to be
  be
  be
  b lililiev
  ev
  evve e ththththe e e ad
  ad
  addep
  epp
  eptstst of f f f thththththe e e Hi
  Hipp
  ppoc
  ocrarasis ann Sec
  e t
  arararare e e an
  an
  anyttytythihihih ng
  ng
  ngg othththhererer tha
  ha
  ha
  han n wh
  wh
  wh
  whatatatat the
  he
  he
  heey y y ap
  appe
  pearar; ; sisisiisimp
  mp
  mp
  mp
  m le researchers 
  me
  me
  me
  merer ly stututuutut dy
  dy
  dy
  dyininining g g thththththe e e frfrfrfraiaiaiailtltltltieieieieies s s s ofofoff the
  he
  he
  he ﬂesese h.h. 
  THE FERROUS WHISPER
  Am
  Am
  Am
  Among the diverse members of the Mececececececha
  ha
  h ninin cu
  cu
  cus s Ca
  Calilixix s are many 
  wh
  wh
  who o ha
  ha
  h rkrken
  en
  en bacaca k k k tototo the
  h  heady days ofof Mararararartitian
  an ind
  ndep
  epen
  e de
  de
  denc
  nc
  nce, 
  ma
  ma
  many
  ny tho
  ho
  ho
  housusususan
  an
  an
  ands
  d of f ye
  ye
  yeararars s s ag
  ag
  ago o wh
  wh
  when the red plane
  ne
  neet t t wa
  wa
  w s s frfreeeeeeeee . . Th
  Th
  Th
  Thososo e e e 
  adepptss yeaeaeaearnrn once ag
  ag
  ag
  agaiaiaiain n n n fofofor Me
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicicusu auton
  on
  onom
  om
  omy,y,y,y forororor a galalalalax
  ax
  ax
  axy y y 
  wh
  wh
  wh
  where the ad
  ad
  ad
  adhe
  he
  he
  h rer ntts s s ofof the
  he
  he
  he Omnn
  mn
  mn
  m isisissisisiah
  ah
  ah statatand
  nd
  nd as s s alalallililieseses, , , a a a a bo
  bo
  bo
  body
  dy
  dy
  dy 
  ses pa
  paa
  paratee frororom, but equ
  qu
  qu
  quall to, the
  he
  he Imp
  mp
  mp
  m erre iuiuium.
  m.
  m.
  m The
  he
  hesesesese ade
  de
  de
  deptptptpts s s ofofofofteteteteen n
  refeer to the
  he
  he
  h ms
  m elves, and the
  he
  he
  he
  h iriririr phih losososoph
  ph
  ph
  ph
  phy,y,y,y as s ththhthe e Fe
  Fe
  Fe
  Ferrrrrrrrou
  ou
  ou
  ous s Wh
  Wh
  W isispe
  peer.r 
  The High Fabricator of the
  he
  he
  he
  he
  he Latatta he
  he
  hes,s, the
  he
  hee
  h Latata he
  he
  he
  he
  h -C
  -C
  -C
  -Cov
  ovven
  en
  en
  enan
  an
  ant,t, and
  nd 
  mosts  Forge Masters working wititithihihihin n the Me
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  aniccusussus Calalixixxisis den
  eny y 
  the e e existence of the Ferrous Whispererererer. . . Sy
  Sy
  Symp
  mp
  mp
  m atatathy
  hy
  hyy withihihihin n ththe e ha
  ha
  ha
  h llllllls s s
  ofofofof power is high, however. Particularlrlrly y y y sususususcscsccep
  ep
  eptititiblble e toto thihihihis s liline
  ne of f 
  ththththininininking are those lower in the hierarararch
  ch
  ch
  chy y y y ofofof the
  he
  h Mececha
  haninin cu
  cum,
  m, 
  wh
  who o seek ways to raiises  their own statiion
  onn
  o at t ththththe co
  co
  costst of f otto he
  he
  h rsrs. 
  Witht in the Tricorn Palace and the Ordos s s s Ca
  Ca
  C lililixixixixis,s,s, the
  he
  he
  he mov
  ov
  ovem
  emen
  en
  e t t 
  is seee n as a dangerous heresy, alarminglglgly y y y sesesedu
  du
  ductctctc ivivivive e toto weaeake
  kee
  ke
  k r r
  adep
  e ts, and thus somethiing
  n  to be watatatch
  ch
  chhed
  ed
  ed
  edd and
  nd
  nd con
  onntrtrololleled d atat 
  evere y op
  o portunity.y In fafaactctct, , thththe e e rururulelelersrsrs of f f ththththe e e Ca
  Ca
  Ca
  Ca
  Caalilililil xixixixis s s Se
  Sectctoror are 
  acacacutu ely aware of the dange
  ger r this phihihilololoso
  so
  soph
  ph
  phy y y po
  po
  po
  poseseseseesees,s,s, as s ththththey
  ey
  ey
  ey
  ey wou
  o ld 
  seseve
  ve
  ve
  ver r the close ties between the
  he Mecececha
  ha
  hanin cuus s s an
  an
  annd d d d ththththe e Imm
  I pe
  peririumm
  um. 
  Mo
  Mo
  More worrisome still, they do no
  not t kn
  kn
  know
  ow
  ow if thhisisisiss sececececece t t isisisis onlnly y lolocac l 
  totototo Calixis, or perha
  haps
  ps a ten
  en
  endr
  dr
  drill reaeaeach
  ch
  chinining g g acacacrorosss Imp
  mp
  mp
  mpereriaial l sp
  space. 
  Su
  Su
  Su
  Surer ly if so, the ofoften fragille e relalalation
  on
  onsh
  sh
  shipipip betetete we
  we
  we
  ween
  en
  e
  Marars s annd 
  Te
  T rra could one da
  d y falter, leavvinining g thhe Impe
  p riium
  umm
  um ripipipipe e e e fofor r a a ne
  new 
  cic vivivivil l l l war of devastating consequ
  quen
  en
  ences. 
  THE LEVE
  V LISTS
  In direct opposition to the Fe
  Ferrr ous Whhispe
  pe
  pe
  pe
  p r r r isisis a Tec
  ech-
  h-he
  herer sysysysy 
  ab
  ab
  ab
  abhorrent to almost all memb
  mb
  mbererers s of the
  he
  he Ade
  de
  de
  de
  deptptptp us
  us
  us
  us Mec
  echa
  hanicu
  cu
  cuus,s, 
  thata  of the Levelists. These rare prrog
  og
  ogrerereresssssssivivivive e e e ad
  ad
  ad
  ad
  a ep
  ep
  ep
  eptstss beleliei ve tha
  ha
  ha
  hat t t 
  the Omnissiah never intendded
  edd tha
  ha
  ha
  hat ththththe e e Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  ch
  c an
  anicici us
  us be e thhe lalalaststs  
  repo
  p sitoryy of f alll technologigigigica
  ca
  ca
  cal l l kn
  kn
  kn
  k owleleleledg
  dg
  dge,e,e, to o o be
  be
  b hoa
  oarded
  ed
  ed and
  nd 
  pa
  pa
  pa
  parcrcelled out to the
  h  rest t t ofofof hum
  u anity y in tininininy y pa
  pa
  p ck
  ckets.s.s.s Lev
  evelelisiststs 
  believ
  e e ththt at the
  h dus
  us
  ustyty gatatates of f thththhe e Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Maach
  ch
  ch
  ch
  chinininine e Go
  God d sh
  shou
  ouldld be e e
  oppened wide, and tha
  ha
  ha
  hat t t all of Mankik nd
  nd
  nd
  nd sho
  ho
  ho
  ho
  houlululululd d d d d be
  be allllllllow
  owed
  ed the
  he 
  fufuf lll  spectrum ofofofof the
  he
  he
  he Omnissiah’s bou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  ountntntn y.y.y.y
  Of cou
  ou
  oursrsrsrse, the
  he
  heesesesese populist, egalililitatatataariririan
  an
  an
  an vieieieiews
  ws
  ws hor
  orririfyfyf the vasasasast t
  ma
  ma
  majoojoriririritytytyty of f f f thththt e Ad
  Ad
  Adep
  ep
  eptututut s s s Me
  Me
  Me
  Me
  M ch
  ch
  chh
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicici us
  us
  us
  us. Mo
  Mo
  Moststs ade
  de
  de
  deptptp s, in their 
  own n n un
  un
  un
  u iqique
  ue
  ue
  u way
  ay
  ay
  ays,s,s, arererere dev
  ev
  ev
  evou
  ou
  ouutltltltly y y lolololoya
  ya
  ya
  yal l l totototot the
  he
  he
  heiriririr con
  on
  o ce
  ceptptptptioioioi n n of the
  hee 
  Om
  Omninininissssssssiaiaiaiah,h,h, and
  nd
  nd
  nd fee
  ee
  eel l l thththatatat the
  he
  hee vererererery y y ey
  ey
  eyyeseseses of f f ththththt e e un
  un
  unnininininitiateed d d up
  up
  up
  upon
  on
  on
  on 
  thhtht e mysteries off the
  he
  he Culululult t t Me
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicus
  us
  u sulululullylyly tho
  ho
  hoose myssteteteteririririeseseses 
  ne
  ne
  neararara lylyly beyond d d clclclea
  e ns
  ns
  nsinining.g.g.g.g. Fururururu ththththererererr, , , ththththe ididea of f surren
  en
  en
  ende
  de
  de
  deriririring
  ng
  ng
  ng 
  powe
  we
  wer ac
  ac
  a cumu
  mu
  mulalalateteted d d ov
  ov
  ov
  ov
  overererer the
  he
  he
  he cou
  ou
  ou
  ou
  oursrsrsrsr e e ofo millenn
  nn
  nn
  nniaiaiaia strtrtrtrikikikikeseseses the
  he
  he
  he 
  ovvere wh
  w elelelelmi
  mi
  mi
  ming
  ng
  ng
  ng majajajajajjor
  or
  orr
  o itititity y y asasas uttttttttt erererlylyly untntntnthih nk
  nkab
  ab
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  ��
  THE TENNINITES
  There is, within the psychological foundation of every forge 
  world, a deep-seated fear of Abominable Intelligences. Tales 
  from millennia gone by, of ages now more impossible legend 
  than story, speak of the near-extinction of the human race at 
  the hands of legions of faceless iron golems, crafted sentiences 
  that dared not only to think, but to think they were equal 
  to Man. The Omnissiah and the Fabricator-General have 
  forbidden the study of such ﬁelds, and any adepts who delve 
  into this illicit branch of research are branded as Khamrian 
  hereteks and hounded from the society of the Mechanicum, if 
  not immediately rendered to Servitude. There are those adepts, 
  however, who skirt the proscribed disciplines, seeking to better 
  understand the hallowed machine-spirits that serve Mankind 
  without, hopefully, falling into tech-heresy. The Tenninites 
  are one such a group that exists in Calixis, though there are 
  undoubtedly others even more furtive in their research. 
  Working primarily in small stations scattered throughout 
  the Lathe Worlds, the Tenninites focus primarily on ancient 
  machine-spirits, coaxing them back to active service and 
  seeking ways to enhance their awareness and performance. They 
  have achieved several minor breakthroughs that some might 
  consider tech-heresy, but few outside adepts dare utilise these 
  implementations given their source. Many assume there are also 
  major discoveries that the Tenninites dare not reveal, lest they 
  face the full wrath of the Lords Dragon. The sect assumes they 
  are under constant surveillance, and likely inﬁltration as well, 
  but so far has not faced outright action against them. This is 
  surely an indication of their skills in keeping their other results 
  all carefully hidden, until the proper time of revelation. 
  AES OMNISSIAH
  Within an abandoned assembly vault, only a few levels above 
  the Baltean Maze on Lathe-Hadd, a small group of disaffected 
  adepts began a project in secret that soon caught the imagination 
  of entire hab blocks of Hadd Nord. Starting with the smallest 
  of components, diligently repaired, cleansed, and puriﬁed, a 
  humanoid efﬁgy began to take form on the scarred ﬂoor of the 
  vault. The brotherhood accepted only the purest materials, and 
  each piece was meticulously refurbished before joining the statuary. 
  Over the past few years it has grown and expanded. Datanets 
  have been incorporated into the pristine structure, repurposed 
  Servitors plugged into the form, and even as it grows, the possible 
  shape of its completion cannot be guessed. Those performing the 
  construction only say that an invisible hand guides their action, 
  each action taken without fully conscious thought. 
  Recently these activities have gained wider notice, and 
  individual adepts from across the Lathe Worlds, many hungry for a 
  purpose that has so far eluded them, have sought out the fellowship 
  gathering on the Silent Forge. There are accusations of Omnissiad 
  heresy, but the adepts say that the form being constructed far 
  beneath Lathe-Hadd’s surface is only an experiment in purity of 
  form. Such focusing of idle hands to a purely academic task is 
  ideal for honing skills that otherwise may rust from disuse, and 
  nothing more. The quality of the components being incorporated 
  into this academic exercise, however, has raised the suspicions of 
  several different agencies within the Mechanicus Calixis.
  THE CARNICULA
  Over a decade ago, a schism erupted within the adepts of 
  the Hippocrasian Sect, as several research vessels of the 
  Hippocrasian Agglomeration pulled away from Morwen VI and 
  sought less crowded skies in which to pursue an independent 
  program of research. The Carnicula are not solely ﬁxated on 
  mortality and decay, but rather on multifarious approaches to 
  lengthening the lifespan of various vat-grown constructs. Even 
  their Hippocrasian brethren see the adepts of the Carnicula as 
  unwholesomely ﬁxated on the ﬂesh and, in fact, many of them 
  have augmented their bodies with new biological components. 
  Although not heretical by the strictest of deﬁnitions, most of 
  the Mechanicus Calixis ﬁnd these ﬂeshly augmetics inefﬁcient, 
  terribly distasteful, and even an affront to the Machine God. 
  The Carnicula has become loosely aligned to the Organicists 
  of wider Mechanicus recognition. Although most of the Lathe 
  Worlds do not look upon them with great favour, whenever an 
  ageing Arch-Magos ﬁnds his biological components going into 
  ﬁnal system shutdown, they waste no time in seeking out the 
  Carnicula and its dedicated Biologis research ships. 
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  ����������������������������
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  “There are no greater treasures in the Calixis Sector than the Lathes. 
  Without the power and production of the Lathes, the Sector would 
  never have been conquered. Without the wisdom and the guidance of 
  the Lathes, the Sector could never have been held. Only a fool would 
  deny the eminence of the Omnissiah in the Order of the Sector.”
  –Omniprophet Alea Jhet addressing  
  the Civil Council on Scintilla 
  �
  he spiritual core of the Lathes System, and, in fact, all the 
  Mechanicus Calixis, are the three forge worlds built upon 
  the bones of ancient Fabricator ships landed thousands 
  of years ago. Now consisting of layer after layer of construction 
  and infrastructure, the original topography of each planet is 
  hopelessly buried to time. Wreathed in the noxious fumes of a 
  thousand thousand factories, unaugmented humans are barely 
  capable of surviving upon their surfaces, but the servants of the 
  Machine God toil ceaselessly for the Glory of the Omnissiah 
  and the Lathes, and anything else is triviality to be ignored. 
  LATHE-HET
  First of Equals, Lathe-Het is the home of the Lathe-Covenant’s 
  Nidus Omega, the massive structure that houses the ruling 
  councils of the Mechanicus Calixis. Lathe-Het was the ﬁrst 
  world in the system to receive its massive Fabricator ship 
  during the Angevin Crusade and thus the ﬁrst to be fully 
  developed into a forge world, rising to prominence over the 
  ﬁrst thousand years of consolidation within the System. Most 
  of its manufactories have since been moved off planet, however, 
  into orbital stations and other holdings across the system. 
  Forge Master Samekh on Lathe-Hesh eagerly claimed the last 
  major production facilities to be removed, those assembling the 
  enormous Valdor Tank Hunters and mounting their priceless 
  main weapons. The planet is now almost totally given over to 
  data-vaults, Ludus TechnoMats, and Scriptoriums, as well as 
  the mechanics of governance for the Lathe Worlds. In addition, 
  vast data-vaults store enormous amounts of information, 
  collected over millennia, which the adepts of Lathe-Het hoard 
  as a further source of power and inﬂuence. Most Explorator 
  ﬂeets operating under the aegis of the Lathe Worlds are also 
  coordinated, resupplied, and supported through the tireless 
  efforts of the adepts and minions of Lathe-Het.
  Lathe-Het is referred to as the First of Equals, home of the 
  Lathe-Covenant’s Nidus Omega, from which the adepts who 
  rule over the Adeptus Mechanicus’ vast holdings conduct 
  their daily business and management. The Nidus Omega is 
  a huge hall deep within the core of Lathe-Het, constructed 
  far beneath the ﬁrst ancient Fabricator ship. Countless 
  ofﬁces, lecture halls, generatoria, assembly vaults, and data 
  repositories ﬁll this cold warren of steel and stone. At the 
  centre of the Nidus sits the Grand Atrium of the Lathes, a vast 
  assembly hall where the ofﬁcial work of governing the Lathe 
  Worlds is conducted. An enormous bowl of a room, the Grand 
  Atrium contains enough seating, both public and private, to 
  accommodate every adept of the rank of Magos or higher 
  within the system and all of its far-ﬂung holdings. Only 
  twice has this been attempted: after the death of Sector Lord 
  Drusus for a formal reading of sealed grants and directives, 
  and during the Malygrisian Heresy. 
  Beneath the Grand Atrium is the Covenant Elogium, 
  a secure storage facility for primary source documents and 
  records from the age of the Angevin Crusade. Although 
  various agencies across the Sector have cast serious doubt 
  on the accuracy of this data, the Lathe Worlds maintain 
  their veracity. Included within the Elogium are the original 
  agreements between the Adeptus Mechanicus and General 
  Drusus that formed the Lathe Worlds and the foundation of 
  the Lathe-Covenant millennia ago.
  HIGH FABRICATOR OF THE LATHES 
  ARCH-MAGOS CASTELLAR,  
  FORGE MASTER OF LATHE-HET
  The current High Fabricator of the Lathes is Arch-Magos 
  Castellar, Forge Master of Lathe-Het. The High Fabricator 
  of the Lathes holds sway over all the Lathes System and all 
  works and followers of the Omnissiah within that jurisdiction. 
  However, he has allowed some of the power his predecessors 
  had collected to seep back to the Covenant recently with his 
  growing ﬁxation on the Explorator ﬂeets. Rumoured to be at 
  least sympathetic to the Thulian cause, Castellar fundamentally 
  changed the nature of Lathe-Het, moving more and more 
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  production off planet to make way for the support and 
  coordination apparatus needed to direct the many Mechanicus 
  Calixis Explorator ﬂeets. Unfortunately, his withdrawal has 
  created a power vacuum, with a chaotic effect on the Covenant. 
  Various inﬂuence blocs have scrambled to ﬁll that space and 
  institute their own agendas in his place.
  The transfer of manufacture away from the primary world 
  has surprised and alarmed many adepts around the Lathes 
  System who feel that it was only to make way for what they saw 
  as bureaucratic nonsense. No forge world, it was said, should 
  willingly give up its fundamental purpose in the pursuit of 
  temporal power. In direct opposition to the High Fabricator is his 
  nominal lieutenant, Arch-Magos Ralwure the Golden, keeper of 
  the Prime Logis Key and foci for those seeking other governance-
  patterns. A staunch conservative and stalwart member of the 
  Imperio-Cognisticians faction, Ralwure has attempted to slow 
  this perceived decline, although admittedly whether Castellar 
  has even taken notice of his hostility is debatable.
  BRAZEN GUARD PRAETORII
  Guarding the hallowed halls of the Nidus Omega and other 
  key regions around Lathe-Het are the Brazen Guard Praetorii. 
  Special units under the overall command of the Crimson 
  Guard, these highly trained soldiers serve the dual purpose of 
  ceremonial guards and a specialised investigatory and policing 
  force for the forge world. Although divided into two primary 
  formations, with the Praetors Excelsus standing guard directly 
  over the Covenant and the Praetors Ratio the more active 
  policing force, they are all trained and equipped in the same 
  way, and hold the same devout loyalties to the Covenant and 
  the Arch-Magos who command them. The Praetors Excelsus 
  alone wield the ceremonial Glaive Mechanicus, a multi-
  headed halberd/spear hybrid with power feeds that connect 
  directly into the Brazen Guard’s body.
  Brazen Guard Praetorii
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (6)
  (8)
  40
  40
  38
  45
  40
  43
  44
  48
  19
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
   
  Wounds: 20
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Common Lore (Machine Cult, 
  Tech) (Int), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Tech-heretic) (Int), 
  Interrogation (WP), Search (Per) +10, Security (Ag), Tech 
  Use (Int), Tracking (Int) +20. 
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Combat Master, Independent 
  Targeting, Lightning Reﬂexes, Logis Implant, Swift Attack, 
  Resistance (Fear, Psychic Powers), The Flesh is Weak (4), Two 
  Weapon Wielder (Melee), Total Recall.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Fear (1), Mechanicus Implants, Multiple 
  Arms (4), Natural Weapon (Servo-Fist) (x2), Sturdy, Unnatural 
  Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Armour: Crimson Armour (6 All, 10 with The Flesh 
  is Weak [4]).
  Weapons: Integrated Lathe-Laspistol (40m; S/2/-; 1d10+6E; 
  Pen 2; Integrated, Tearing), Ceremonial Glaive Mechanicus† 
  (Melee; 1d10+14E; Pen 8; Integrated, Power Field), Servo-
  Fist (Melee; 1d10+6; Pen 0) or Integrated Lathe-Lasriﬂe 
  (100m; S/2/-; 1d10+6E; Pen 2; Integrated, Tearing).
  Gear: Red Mechanicus robes (Good-Quality Clothing), Good 
  Quality Bionic Arm, Bionic Locomotion, MIU.
  †Requires two hands to use.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS 
  The conﬂicting atmosphere of the Nidus Omega 
  ��
  and the Lathe-Covenant are ripe for political intrigue 
  and espionage as various factions vie for power and 
  representation, from the seediest back alleys to the 
  halls of the Nidus itself.
  Theft or misappropriation of items held within the 
  ��
  Covenant Elogium is rare, but it has been known to 
  happen. When important records the Mechanicus covet 
  regarding the ownership of a small planet disappear, it 
  falls to the Acolytes to recover them and discover who 
  has stolen them, and why.
  A plot has been discovered within the disaffected 
  ��
  populace of the under-used forge world. A plan to 
  overthrow the High Fabricator and replace him with 
  some unknown agency is in the works. The Acolytes 
  must defend the Conclave, identify the instigating 
  agencies, and stop them before the entire forge world 
  is thrown into anarchy.
  Message Source: Agent Obitus-12, 
  Identity E-3 (Lathesmaster 15)
  Initial Signal Source: Omnio-Templum 
  Orbis, Lathe-Het Orbit
  Signal Ampliﬁcation: Shadowveldt, 
  In-system station Omicron
  Encryption:  
  Tri-Ocular Corneal Aleph-Edor
  All indications suggest that 
  leadership of the Lathe Worlds has 
  fragmented, High Fabricator Castellar 
  an all-but absentee overlord. A great 
  deal of unrest on all three Lathes, 
  as production also diminished on 
  Lathe-Het. Lathe-Hesh seems over-
  producing at approximately 46%, 
  orbital and remote station production 
  representing approximately 71% of 
  remaining shortfall. Common wisdom 
  of the monolithic Mechanicus body 
  politic is suspect. Lathesmasters 
  are vanishingly rare. Have yet 
  to record a specimen, but their 
  existence is common knowledge. 
  Mission will continue. Several 
  references decrypted to the “Dragon 
  Lords,” possibly an internal security 
  organisation similar to the Holy 
  Ordos? Must recheck translations as 
  Binary to Gothic allows many text-
  drift errors. 
  Faith in the Emperor is enough.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  LATHE-HESH 
  The very portrait of a classical forge world, Lathe-Hesh is 
  covered with enormous factories, towering production lines, 
  and vast assembly yards that churn out specialised weaponry 
  and vehicles for the Sector militaries and for the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus itself. Huge plains of marshalling yards and 
  tank parks hold a generation’s worth of ﬁghting vehicles and 
  massive artillery waiting to be deployed where needed. Picking 
  up more of the overall production as its sister worlds shift more 
  to management or fall fallow, the adepts of Lathe-Hesh are 
  the most ardent followers of the Omnissiah within the Lathes 
  System and, indeed, possibly all of the Lathe Worlds.
  Lathe-Hesh consists mostly of construction facilities for 
  large or specialised combat vehicles, such as battle tanks and 
  larger war machines. The most recent additions to the august 
  roll of manufacture are the enormous Valdor Tank Hunters, 
  whose facilities were moved entirely from Lathe-Het very 
  recently. Home to the most conservative adepts, Lathe-Hesh 
  looks at those of Lathe-Het as manipulative politicians, and 
  Lathe-Hadd’s as indolent layabouts.
  There are more temples and sites sanctiﬁed to the Omnissiah 
  on Lathe-Hesh than on any of the other Lathe Worlds. Of all 
  the holdings of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Calixis 
  Sector and neighbouring regions, it is upon Lathe-Hesh 
  that the Lords Dragon are most fervently feared, and entire 
  sermon-cants are made to massed congregations in the hopes 
  that an agent of the Lords Dragon are listening. 
  The most holy construct on the planet, the Curia 
  Mechanicum, is a towering bastion of faith in the Machine God, 
  piercing the foul clouds of noisome pollution that cling to the 
  planet’s surface. Built to enclose the planet’s sacred Fabricator 
  ship, the entire complex is a maze of black basalt and burnished 
  brass. The Curia is the centre of worship on the forge world, 
  but also houses the ofﬁces and manufactories directly under 
  the supervision of the Fabricator of Lathe-Hesh. Also housed 
  within the Curia are the ofﬁces of the Ofﬁcio Vigilis, a unit of 
  the Crimson Guard unique to Lathe-Hesh. Some of the most 
  gifted Artiﬁcers working within the Calixis Sector call the 
  Curia home, lavishing years of doting attention on a single 
  weapon system in the name of the Divine Light of Sollex.
  Although most adepts consider the heart of the planet to 
  be the Curia Mechanicum, the soul is almost certainly the 
  Ordinatus Yards, a continent-sized array of fabrication sheds, 
  manufactories, assembly halls, and detailing amphitheatra, all 
  dedicated to the refurbishment, rebuilding, and repairing of 
  the enormous Ordinatus Platforms. It is here that these ancient 
  and enormous creations are brought back to life after battle, 
  imbued with the most powerful and responsive machine 
  spirits, and lavished with the utmost care upon every rivet 
  and seam. Adepts from near and far visit the Yards merely to 
  honour the mighty machine-spirits that have been resurrected 
  there over the millennia, even though they are almost always 
  silent, as the call to resurrect an Ordinatus platform only 
  comes perhaps once in a generation.
  FABRICATOR OF LATHE-HESH,  
  FORGE MASTER JANDEN SAMEKH ALPHA 
  Forge Master Samekh is an ardent and open follower of the 
  Divine Light of Sollex, despite the relatively recent actions of 
  Arch-Magos Malygris that cast suspicion upon that fellowship. 
  He dedicates more and more of the manufacturing power of 
  his world to the production and perfection of weaponry each 
  year. Although nominally only responsible for the production 
  of Lathe-Hesh, he has become the ﬁgurehead for the 
  followers of the Divine Light throughout the Lathe Worlds. 
  The prestige the presence of the Fabricator ship affords, and 
  the of Ordinatus Yards themselves, cannot be underestimated 
  as sources of Samekh’s growing power within the sect. 
  Forge Master Samekh is a cold, detached man, even for those 
  within the Mechanicus. Exceedingly resentful of any concerns 
  that pull him from the manufactorums and laboratories within 
  the Curia, he nevertheless wastes no time in confronting any 
  possible issues that might disrupt the operation of his forge 
  world or challenge his understanding of the vision of the 
  Omnissiah. Within the halls of the Nidus Omega, Samekh is a 
  constant opponent of Fabricator Castellar and a sometime ally 
  of his second, Ralwure the Golden. His utter contempt, in fact, 
  for both High Fabricator Castellar and Forge Master Wahh of 
  Lathe-Hadd is well-known, and those seeking to undermine or 
  counteract the inﬂuence of either Arch-Magos often come to 
  Lathe-Hesh seeking Samekh’s guidance and assistance.
  AGENTS OF THE OFFICIO VIGILIS
  The members of the Crimson Guard assigned to Lathe-Hesh 
  have, over the centuries, come to look upon their Forge Master 
  as their commander in all but name. Although afforded the same 
  training as the more standard units of the Crimson Guard, the 
  agents of the Ofﬁcio Vigilis are then further trained in the arts 
  of guile, trickery, and information manipulation. Samekh and the 
  current commanders translate the Ofﬁcio’s remit as the spiritual 
  purity and dedication of purpose of the adepts and minions of 
  Lathe-Hesh. However, on many occasions, agents of the Ofﬁcio 
  have been dispatched across the Lathe Worlds to investigate other 
  leads and suspicions on the Forge Master’s personal direction. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  Ofﬁcio Vigilis Agent
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  40
  40
  32
  41
  36
  43
  44
  41
  25
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 20
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Common Lore (Machine Cult, 
  Tech) (Int), Deceive (Fel) +20, Disguise (Fel) +20, Dodge 
  (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Tech-Heresy) (Int), Inquiry (Fel) +20, 
  Search (Per) +10, Shadowing (Ag) +10, Tech Use (Int), 
  Tracking (Int) +20. 
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Independent Targeting, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes, Logis Implant, Mimic, Resistance (Fear, Psychic 
  Powers), The Flesh is Weak (4), Two Weapon Wielder 
  (Ballistic), Total Recall.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Mechanicus Implants, Natural Weapon 
  (Servo-Fist), Sturdy.
  Armour: Crimson Armour (6 All, total 10 with The Flesh  
  is Weak [4]).
  Weapons: Integrated Lathe-Laspistol x2 (40m; S/2/-; 1d10+6E; 
  Pen 2; Integrated, Tearing), Venator Blade (Melee; 1d5+8R; Pen 
  2; Razor Sharp), Servo-Fist (Melee; 1d10+6; Pen 0).
  Gear: Red Mechanicus robes (Good-Quality Clothing), Good 
  Quality Bionic Arm, MIU.
  LATHE-HADD
  In the earliest days of the Lathes, Lathe-Hadd was home to 
  several enormous infotemples that had been set down around 
  the Hadd Fabricator ship. The data stored within these temples 
  was essential to the operation of all three Lathe Worlds at the 
  height of the Angevin Crusade. For production, Lathe-Hadd 
  was responsible primarily for the ammunition and ordnance that 
  the Crusade desperately needed. Although such production was 
  honourable and instrumental, for reasons lost to time, these duties 
  came to be construed as belittling to the Magos of Lathe-Hadd. 
  Unrest and centuries of discord followed as the adepts petulantly 
  went about their appointed tasks, many petitioning to leave the 
  world at their earliest opportunity. A growing movement on the 
  planet agitated for the production of such expendables to be 
  taken off planet to make way for more prestigious works. The 
  dissemination of much of the data held within the infotemples 
  further lessened the prestige of Lathe-Hadd. 
  In the 6th century of M41, Arch-Magos Villem Warik Wahh 
  was named Forge Master of Lathe-Hadd. Rumours claiming he 
  had manoeuvred himself into that position through manipulating 
  the simmering feelings of resentment and bitterness among the 
  tech-adepts were never proven. These feelings had developed 
  over centuries as Lathe-Het rose to a position of prominence, 
  and the factories of Lathe-Hesh provided waves of vehicles and 
  enormous weapon systems famed throughout the Sector. Wahh 
  declared that he would see Lathe-Hadd rise to a position of 
  equal importance within the Sector.
  This position, and the dissatisfaction from which it stemmed, 
  was inconceivable to most of the Calixis Mechanicus. One of 
  the greatest satisfactions within the Adeptus Mechanicus is to 
  see an important job well-done, and without the ammunition 
  and armaments Lathe-Hadd provided, the Crusade would never 
  have succeeded. The vast majority of the Magos on the forge 
  world, however, followed their new Forge Master in his demands 
  that the production of these mundane products be moved to off-
  world facilities, so that room could be made for greater projects 
  more beﬁtting one of the three original Lathe Worlds. Over the 
  next two hundred years, almost all major manufacturing and 
  assembly plants were moved off planet, causing gaping holes 
  in the planet’s surface, and leaving the vast ancient infotemples, 
  now sadly bereft of any but purely symbolic power and 
  importance, crouching alone around Fabricator ship Hadd.
  The stage was set for Lathe-Hadd to rise to equal 
  prominence with its sister worlds, and to prove its artisans 
  and manufactorums the superior of any in the Sector. 
  Unfortunately, this did not come to pass. 
  Forge Master Wahh had pursued his agenda of division 
  and discontent too well, and the adepts of Lathe-Hadd had 
  fractured into countless minor factions, none of which could 
  agree upon the most basic of tenets with any of the others. 
  Proposal after proposal went before the Adunatio of Lathe-
  Hadd, and the other factions vociferously struck each down. 
  The Fabricator of the Lathes ﬁnally granted the request for 
  the relocation of the many manufactorums, to see it removed 
  from his docket; the facilities were soon moved off planet, 
  into orbit, or to several of the stations along the Praeclusio 
  Anchor Points. Soon Lathe-Hadd was stripped of the vast 
  majority of its manufacturing capability and paralysed in its 
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  Someone is wreaking havoc with the production 
  ��
  schedules of a particularly important war engine, 
  desperately needed for the Spinward Front. The 
  Acolytes must discover who is sabotaging the work 
  and why, and stop them.
  An agent of the Ofﬁcio Vigilis is returning to the 
  ��
  Forge Master with important information concerning a 
  rising heretekal cult on Lathe-Hadd, when he is rendered 
  inactive. The Acolytes must ﬁnd the killer, obtain the 
  information the agent was carrying, and ﬁnd proof of 
  the existence of the cult.
  A plot to discredit the Forge Master in the eyes of 
  ��
  the Lords of Mars has been uncovered. The Forge 
  Master has been called to the Conclave to answer 
  false charges that agents within the Fabricator of the 
  Lathes’ ofﬁces have made. The Acolytes must discover 
  how deep the conspiracy goes and uncover the truth, 
  communicating it within the Nidus Omega to prove 
  the Forge Master’s righteous intentions.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  search for a new identity. Somehow (many speculate through 
  manipulating the various factions against each other) Wahh 
  was able to avoid blame for the dissolution of his planet’s 
  capabilities, and maintain his position as Forge Master.
  The Fabricator of Lathe Hadd rules from the Halls of Ignavus, 
  built around the now-defunct Fabricator ship on Hadd Nord. 
  Within the hall, all adepts of the forge world come together in 
  a constant dance of subterfuge and manipulation, hoping to 
  bring their own projects to the fore. Despite the silencing of 
  the major manufactorums, the planet is still home to countless 
  smaller workshops and laboratories housing the experiments 
  and projects of thousands of adepts, all eager to see their work 
  rise to the prominence of global production. Debates and 
  discussions within the Halls can become quite heated, another 
  uncommon trait surfacing among the adepts of Lathe-Hadd. 
  It is not uncommon for visiting adepts to surround themselves 
  with bodyguard servitors or other security measures.
  Since the stripping of Lathe-Hadd’s manufacturing capability, 
  the world has been in a state of ﬂux, constantly searching for 
  the one project or product that can raise the planet back to 
  a position of prominence. Desperation is endemic, and those 
  Magos who have stubbornly stayed are frantic to ﬁnd a new 
  path to distinction. Any path, in fact, is seen as better than the 
  current state of unproductive stagnation.
  In this reckless search for a new identity, any number of 
  strange beliefs, theories, and cults have taken root among a 
  feckless ruling class despairing of ever recapturing their old 
  status. For decades now, the vast majority of the factories and 
  manufacturing works have lain still, internal squabbling and 
  political machinations paralysing the planet even at the cost 
  of productivity. Recently, many adepts have taken to referring 
  to Lathe-Hadd as the Silent Forge.
  Though it might be silent, it still holds its secrets, such as the 
  ancient and mysterious construct known as the Baltean Maze. 
  What appears to be the surface of the planet, still covered in layers 
  of construction and infrastructure despite centuries of neglect, is 
  in fact a man-made construct, an artiﬁcial crust formed of many 
  steel platforms, each attached to the others through a labyrinth 
  of girders, sliding connectors, and gasket-like adamantium 
  mesh. Each platform is suspended above the mantle of Lathe-
  Hadd upon enormous gravitic generators, the likes of which 
  man has not constructed for thousands upon thousands of years. 
  Between the false surface and the hidden mantle lies the Baltean 
  Maze, a network of supports, power conduits, and energy 
  transfer channels that tie the gravitic platforms and the planet’s 
  actual surface together. Many believe that beneath the maze are 
  the legendary deep infotombs, enormous receptacles of faulty 
  or heretical data, relegated to the permanent dark to protect 
  the very Mechanicum itself. Whispers cant of malign data-
  spirits rising from the deeps, capable of possessing all forms of 
  technology. The Lathesmasters deny that these schimsaticals, as 
  the legends call them, actually exist, and act quickly to suppress 
  any evidence that might suggest their presence. 
  FABRICATOR OF LATHE-HADD,  
  FORGE MASTER VILLEM WARIK WAHH 
  Adepts serving elsewhere among the Lathe Worlds see Arch-
  Magos Villem Warik Wahh as either dangerously incompetent 
  or suspiciously ineffective. Seeming to never cease in his work to 
  bring together the divided adepts of his world, he nevertheless 
  has yet to manage any consensus among them. Suggestions 
  and suspicions abound around Wahh, as many believe that any 
  being capable of rising to rule over a forge world could not 
  possibly be as ineffectual as he appears to be, and thus darker 
  motives are often implied. Perhaps, go the infra-cants, he works 
  for some other, more ruinous master, and perhaps the silencing 
  of an entire forge world is only the beginning.
  Forge Master Wahh, contrary to the standard image of 
  the cold, aloof Fabricator, is a gregarious and approachable 
  personage. He projects an air of helpful and energetic 
  efﬁciency that was instrumental in his earning his present 
  position. It has only been time and experience, however, 
  that were able to prove these traits false, and no matter how 
  energetic the Forge Master seems to be in the pursuit of his 
  duties, nothing ever seems to be resolved. As a result, Lathe-
  Hadd is awash with frustrated ambition and desire, awaiting 
  only the right spark to leap into open rebellion. Watching 
  over this straining energy conduit is the Crimson Guard 
  stationed on Lathe-Hadd, the Magos Hiscere.
  NPC WEAPON TRAINING  
  AND WEAPON DAMAGE
  All NPCs presented are assumed to have the appropriate 
  Weapon Training Talents for their weapons, unless 
  otherwise noted. It is up to the GM to determine what other 
  weapons the NPC might be capable of using if a special 
  situation arises. Similarly, it is assumed these beings are 
  also versed in the knowledge necessary to  perform their 
  livelihoods, and the GM may also deem that they have 
  other knowledge or lore depending on the adventure.
  NPC PROFILE PRESENTATION
  In all the entries presented in this book, the characteristics, 
  movement values, and weapon damages have been 
  presented with all modiﬁcations included. Weapon 
  damages include the effects of the character’s Strength 
  Bonus and Talents that always apply to Damage, such 
  as the Crushing Blow Talent. Talents, Traits, and special 
  rules that have a variable effect, or only apply in particular 
  circumstances, have not been combined into the proﬁles 
  presented here. It is also important to note that these 
  creatures and NPCs are not necessarily bound to follow 
  the same strictures for their proﬁles as Player Characters.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  MAGOS HISCERE
  Much like the agents of the Ofﬁcio Vigilis, the Magos Hiscere 
  are an elite unit of the Crimson Guard assigned to Lathe-
  Hadd. Over the centuries the unit has evolved, forming its 
  own doctrine and method of operation, taking much of its 
  identity from the current Forge Master. The current Crimson 
  Guard of the Magos Hiscere are more agents provocateur 
  than Arbitrator or palace guards. These adepts specialise in 
  inﬁltrating the various cults, sects, and factions at work across 
  the planet, and bringing Forge Master Wahh the information 
  necessary for him to maintain his control of the planet and his 
  position within the Covenant. 
  Magos Hiscere
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  40
  40
  32
  41
  39
  41
  47
  41
  19
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 20
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Common Lore (Machine 
  Cult, Tech) (Int), Deceive (Fel) +20), Demolition (Int) +20, 
  Disguise (Fel) +20, Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Tech-
  Heresy, Cults) (Int), Scholastic Lore (Inﬁltration, Espionage) 
  (Int) +10, Search (Per) +10, Tech Use (Int). 
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Lightning Reﬂexes, Logis Implant, 
  Resistance (Fear, Psychic Powers), The Flesh is Weak (2), 
  Total Recall.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Mechanicus Implants, Natural Weapon 
  (Servo-Fist), Sturdy.
  Armour: Crimson Armour (6 All, total 8 with The Flesh  
  is Weak [2]).
  Weapons: Integrated Lathe-Laspistol (40m; S/2/-; 1d10+6E; 
  Pen 2; Integrated, Tearing), Sicarius Blade (Melee; 1d5+8R; Pen 
  2; Razor Sharp, Toxic), Servo-Fist (Melee; 1d10+6; Pen 0).
  Gear: Red Mechanicus robes (Good-Quality Clothing), Good 
  Quality Bionic Arm, MIU.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  A faction called the Cult Achanum has arisen on Hadd 
  ��
  Sur, far from the Halls of Ignavus. There are hints of 
  possible chaos taint, and their leader appears to be a 
  newcomer on Lathe-Hadd. The Acolytes must investigate 
  for possible heresy, but even the few agencies they can 
  trust on this planet may hinder their efforts. 
  The Acolytes arrive on planet to investigate the 
  ��
  Forge Master’s lack of progress and possible Chaos 
  or heretek taint. One of the Magos Hiscere, though,  
  attempts to inﬁltrate the Acolytes’ band to misdirect 
  them away from the Forge Master. 
  New concerns about the schismaticals within the 
  ��
  Baltean Maze have arisen, and the Acolytes must 
  inﬁltrate Lathe-Hadd, venture deep into the planet’s 
  crust, and ﬁnd what is hidden there.
  Message Source: Agent Obitus-12, 
  Identity D-1 (Lathesmaster 7)
  Initial Signal Source: Transfer 
  Station 22B-11097, Lathe-Hadd Orbit
  Signal Ampliﬁcation: Tacitum Aleph, 
  Out-system station Theta
  Encryption:  
  Tri-Ocular Corneal Aleph-Tarl
  Once past the façade of the Excipio 
  Stations, movement, even for native 
  assets, within the Lathes System 
  is strictly controlled. Lathe-
  Hadd appears more tomb than forge. 
  Decrease in Lathes System output 
  possibly related. Signs of deep 
  internal schism and civil unrest 
  are clear. Multiple potential entry 
  points for Project Fulcrum, should 
  that become necessary. Travelling 
  in-system recorded the location and 
  probable output of several agro-
  stations. Assume Lathes System 
  entirely self-sustaining contrary to 
  primary theories.
  Paramount is the Emperor, and 
  Perfect are His works.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  �����������
  �������
  “The Lathes would present a solid-seeming veil of common purpose 
  to the Calixis Sector at large, but their fractured reality is far from 
  the monolithic, uniﬁed face they project to all outsiders.”
  –Margrave Francesca Gryval, First Imperial 
  Consul to the Lord Sector Calixis
  �
  he Sentanim system is home to much more than the 
  Lathes themselves. Veiled in mystery, the aberrant nature 
  of space and time itself protect secretive adepts as they 
  pursue their manifold projects and agendas, far from the prying 
  eyes of outsiders. Should an agent manage to pierce the security 
  of the outer system, they ﬁnd gravity itself turned against them, 
  as local spacial anomalies make it almost impossible to navigate 
  without inside aid. Gravitic shears and storms, congested lanes 
  of transport tying each planet or region tightly together, and 
  the countless assorted detritus and debris of two thousand 
  years of expansion clutter the system further, forming a nearly 
  insurmountable maze to any outsider attempting to enter.
  SENTANIM 
  The various bodies of the Lathes System revolve around a 
  star that gives life even as it threatens to rip it away. Sentanim 
  presides over the Lathes System in dangerous splendour while 
  powerful, mysterious forces wrack the stellar orb mercilessly 
  from within. It provides the energy for countless solar 
  generators and agrodomes, but something churns within the 
  heart of the blue-white star, causing enormous energy founts 
  to launch into the surrounding space, blasting the system with 
  alarming doses of lethal energies. Some suppose that there 
  are swirling micro-singularities strangling the sun’s heart, or 
  brutal giga-tides reﬂected in the gravitic storms that terrorise 
  the rest of the system. Several Lumen research stations stand 
  wary guard over Sentanim, gauging how best to predict and 
  mitigate the violent sprays of particles and radiation. The 
  hungry star has swallowed more than one research station 
  whose adepts drew too close in their search for answers. 
  DESIDERATUM 
  A burnt orb hanging suspended over the turbulent sea of its 
  temperamental star, the wastes of Desideratum provide the 
  primary testing range for macro-class weapons within the 
  Lathes System. Several stations and platforms orbit the world, 
  although many are nothing more than frameworks for the 
  support of weapon systems. Others, such as the Sagitarium 
  Platforms, feature fantastical weapons, created from datascraps 
  of days long ancient, that would boggle the minds of historians 
  and war-savants across the galaxy. Mounting enormous, 
  variable-calibre cannons, the ceramite and adamantium plates 
  of their barrels shift position to form weapons able to ﬁre 
  almost any conceivable ammunition. A less pure-minded 
  researcher would ﬁnd such a weapon irresistible. 
  Message Source: Agent Obitus-12, 
  Identity N-1 (Adept 32)
  Initial Signal Source: Sagitarium 
  Station Calamus, Desideratum Orbit
  Signal Ampliﬁcation: Invidia Rex, 
  In-system station Upsilon
  Encryption:  
  Tri-Ocular Corneal Aleph-Tine
  Ostensibly a testing facility, the 
  weapon on this station is capable 
  of ﬁring projectiles that could 
  conceivably break the crust of a 
  planet. There are several such weapons 
  orbiting the planet of Desideratum, 
  whose surface shows the abuse of 
  hundreds of years of weapon testing. 
  The speciﬁcations for the monster 
  cannon have been recorded and will 
  be transmitted via separate signal. 
  Should these weapons ever be deployed 
  in war, nothing will stand against 
  them. Procured probable location of 
  “Lords Dragon” base within asteroid 
  belts, and am preparing to continue 
  mission. Will advise further.
  My mind is closed, my heart is full.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  So many shells, warheads, and energy beams have blasted the 
  surface of the planet that its original geology cannot be guessed. 
  The entire surface is now churned beyond recognition, hiding 
  any number of unexploded shells and failed experiments, as 
  the Fabricators of the Lathes have forbidden any servants of the 
  Omnissiah from landing on the planet itself. 
  CELLA
  The earliest cartographic charts of the system do not mention 
  this small planet, but there is no denying its existence today. 
  Cella has, for over 1500 years, provided the adepts of the 
  Lathes with a safe and secure location to store countless 
  artefacts, experiments, or samples that have proven too 
  dangerous or incomprehensible to maintain in regular storage. 
  The surface of the planet, if there is one, is buried beneath 
  warehouses, storage facilities, and enormous data-stacks. 
  Automatic defences that kill without hesitation guard the 
  many warehouses, which are little more than a blind behind 
  which the true treasures of Cella are stored.
  Hidden beneath venerated shrouds of undisturbed dust, 
  the core of the planet holds the wealth and horrors of over 
  2000 years of exploration and discovery. Arcane xenos devices, 
  forbidden weapons of the Arch-Enemy, even artefacts from ages 
  lost in time are stored within. Massive Scriptoria contain all of 
  the information needed to release any of these objects, but only 
  to those inducted into the highest mysteries of the Omnissiah. 
  The greatest treasures of Cella are kept within colossal stasis 
  vaults near the very centre of the planet. Here are suspended 
  the twisted wrecks of starships of half a dozen alien races and 
  countless ships wrested from Renegade forces. 
  LYCOSIDAE
  Massive chunks of barren rock now ﬂoat as silent testimonials 
  to an ancient planet’s original location, some unknown 
  cataclysm having destroyed it thousands of years ago. 
  Circling this planetary graveyard is a cold and desolate moon 
  following its lonely path despite the death of its celestial 
  partner. Lycosidae, fortress world, bastion of the Omnissiah, 
  is the stark and unforgiving home of the Legio Venator within 
  the Lathes System, and is the Armoury of the Lathes.
  Ceded to the Titan Legion in the ﬁrst centuries of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus’ ownership of the Lathes System, the 
  best defensive strategists in the Imperium have shaped and 
  formed Lycosidae to serve as a redoubt and citadel of last 
  resort, should the Lathes System come under overwhelming 
  attack. The Titans and Skitarii of the Legio are only the 
  primary lines of defence, however. Secreted away within the 
  halls and storage facilities of Lycosidae are some of the most 
  destructive weapons Mankind has ever wielded. Weapons that 
  have not seen use since the days of the Heresy wait silently 
  for the call to battle, when the fate of the forge worlds of the 
  Calixis Sector may depend upon their devastating power.
  THE RUSTICA  
  MANDATE STATIONS
  Throughout the system, this network of agrology domes and 
  distribution stations keeps fed those inhabitants of the system 
  dependent upon the crude energy transfer of actual rations. A 
  carefully managed complex of stations and distribution nodes, 
  the stations of the Rustica Mandate assure that the Lathes System 
  is entirely self-sufﬁcient. The stations are located throughout 
  the system, within easy transport of any life-sustaining Adeptus 
  Mechanicus holdings. However, countless Lathesmasters are 
  dependent upon the food these stations provide. Should these 
  supplies be disrupted, millions would starve within weeks, 
  making them a high-security target. 
  THE PRAECLUSIO  
  ANCHOR POINTS
  Regions of semi-stable gravity exist throughout the Lathes System, 
  safe from the treacherous gravity shears and micro-singularities 
  that haunt it. These points allow the adepts to cache fragile large 
  cargoes, important secret research stations, and various derelicts 
  awaiting the attention of reclamation teams throughout the 
  NAVIGATING THE LATHES
  Given the many challenges of piloting through the 
  turbulent gravity storms and avoiding the many 
  anomalous hazards of the Lathes System, any Piloting 
  or Navigation Skill Tests taken within the system 
  always begin as Very Hard (–30), and are then 
  modiﬁed from there according to the manoeuvres being 
  attempted. Any failed test should result in something 
  quite drastic, with each Degree of Failure indicating a 
  commensurate increase in catastrophe.
  Message Source: Agent Obitus-12, 
  Identity D-21 (Lathe-pilot 6)
  Initial Signal Source: Docking 
  Station Umbra, Cella Orbit
  Signal Ampliﬁcation: Malitia IV,  
  In-system station Lambda 
  Encryption:  
  Tri-Ocular Corneal Aleph-Kayl
  Security becoming more and more 
  intense. In-system planets are locked 
  down in equivalent of Scintilla 
  Defensive Condition V. Planet 
  designated “Cella” appears to be 
  a storage and holding facility. No 
  sign of natural features on planet. 
  Possible artiﬁcial structure? 
  Military presence is intense, freedom 
  of movement almost nil, fear of the 
  “Lords Dragon” continues to intensify. 
  Current Mandate does not cover deeper 
  penetration but is highly recommended. 
  There must be something here worth 
  all of this e�ort. What appear to  
  be atmospheric vents on the surface 
  give depth readings far beyond what 
  seems possible. 
  Clarity of purpose is a gift of  
  the Emperor.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  Lathes System. The Praelcusio Anchor Points provide safe and 
  secure locations for the most clandestine projects, and the most 
  dangerous artefacts and test subjects. Treasures being kept at these 
  points include the remnants of an ancient Ork Rok, a nearly intact 
  space hulk once infested with Genestealers, and a mysterious 
  gleaming vessel that has deﬁed entry. The prize of the collection, 
  though, are large fragments of a vast xenos world-ship. Recovered 
  in ancient times, the Mechanicus has shifted this wreckage from 
  stronghold to stronghold for centuries, while generations of adepts 
  attempted to rip its secrets from its smooth, bone-like hull.
  THE BELTS OF ETIAM 
  YOHD, LAPIS NOON,  
  AND CRINETA RESH 
  One of the most intriguing features of the Lathes System are the 
  three interlocking asteroid belts that span the system just outside 
  the orbit of Lathe-Hadd. The three belts follow erratic paths 
  that defy most astro-logicians, spinning and rotating wildly 
  around Sentanim like the rings of a gyroscope. It is supposed 
  that each belt is the scattered remains of a planet that once sailed 
  through the dark and silent void, victims of the gravity shears, 
  singularities, or other phenomena that plague the system and 
  make it so interesting to the Adeptus Mechanicus.
  The composition of each belt is unique, supporting the 
  theory that each marks the destruction of a different planet. The 
  massive rocks of the Etiam Yohd Belt are as dark as the void, 
  chunks of oily obsidian that hint at an entire planet of midnight 
  rock. The Lapis Noon Belt consists almost entirely of ﬁne shale 
  soaked in frozen, raw promethium that ignites in fantastic 
  detonations during collisions. Finally, the Crineta Resh Belt 
  includes entire planetoids of multifaceted crystal, that psykers 
  and mystics across the Calixis Sector covet for their practices. 
  The Tragula Zones are multiple sites where the three 
  belts intersect, creating wandering realms of destruction and 
  violence as countless tonnes of rock and precious minerals 
  collide in eternally sparking, glittering splendour. Although 
  the various navigational challenges and the unstable nature of 
  the zones themselves make observation difﬁcult, many adepts 
  try to place observation platforms precariously along the 
  Tragula Zones, hoping to unlock the mysteries of the Lathes 
  System’s past and its strange gravitic anomalies.
  THE EXCIPIO STATIONS
  The public face of the Lathes, these are the stations most often 
  open to outsiders. Although consisting mostly of cargo transfer 
  points and docking facilities for mass haulers and high liners, they 
  also hold trade hostels, factorum houses, and many other cogs in 
  the machine of commerce and intra-Sector relations. Each Excipio 
  Station is grav-stabilised for ease of navigation and to make non-
  augmented humans feel more at home. Aside from the various 
  bureaucratic establishments and service industries that have 
  grown up to accommodate visitors and transitory personnel, there 
  are numerous fauxctories placed throughout these regions which 
  churn out a variety of simple, benign products, a show for less-
  important visitors that would like to see the forges in action. Aside 
  from the bulk cargo haulers, only rarely are outsiders allowed to 
  pass beyond here to delve deeper into the Lathes System.
  It is here that the enormous shipping vessels that transport 
  the products of the Lathes around the Calixis Sector take on 
  their native Lathe-pilots. Specialist Lathesmasters with limited 
  augmentation designed to assist them in navigating the space of 
  the system, the Lathe-pilots know every mote of dust ﬂoating 
  within the system, and share a special connection with the strange 
  phenomena that plague its spaceways. Highly prized for their 
  ability to pilot large craft through crowded lanes of trafﬁc, they all 
  hail from the system, although many have since been emigrated to 
  various Lathe Worlds and other Adeptus Mechanicus holdings.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  Something has gone terribly wrong on Desideratum. 
  ��
  One of the ancient weapon components has reactivated, 
  and no one knows what kind it is, or why. The Acolytes’ 
  Master has received word of the situation, and sent his 
  Acolytes to offer assistance. They must investigate 
  and neutralise the threat to the entire system,  Forge 
  Masters to keep them away from the area. 
  The Acolytes are assigned to inﬁltrate Cella inside 
  ��
  an abandoned freighter. Once at the mysterious 
  planet, they are to retrieve a stolen item from another 
  recently captured vessel already hidden inside, and 
  return it to its rightful owners. 
  Word has reached the Conclave that hostile agents 
  ��
  are planning to inﬁltrate the Lathe Worlds through the 
  Excipio Stations. To preserve relations with the Lathes, 
  the Acolytes are assigned to aid in security and stop the 
  hostile actions, even if they should turn out to be fellow 
  Inquisitorial Acolytes on a mission of their own.
  Message Source: Agent Obitus-12, 
  Identity B-3 (Menial 12)
  Initial Signal Source: Excipio 
  Station Texo
  Signal Ampliﬁcation: Tacitum Nox 3, 
  Out-system station Alpha
  Encryption:  
  Tri-Ocular Corneal Aleph-Mitre
  Inﬁltration via Excipio Station 
  Texo successful. Current identity 
  abandoned, proceeding under new cover 
  level. Adepts in all public areas 
  appear excessively friendly and open. 
  However, all visiting civilians 
  are adroitly handled away from 
  several key areas. Surmise source of 
  gravitic control and stabilisation, 
  most likely defence and clandestine 
  activities control. Obedient to 
  mission brief, asset abandoning 
  station to continue deeper into the 
  system. Suggest further analysis and 
  possible direct inﬁltration. The Texo 
  is not what it appears.
  Trust in the Emperor is the only 
  protection the faithful need.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  PANOPTICON STATION 
  “Once there were places on the ancient charts that said ‘Here be 
  dragons,’ to warn travellers of treacherous, unknown waters. Well, 
  young pupil, that empty space you seem ﬁxated upon within the 
  readout of your auspex display? There be dragons.”
  –Senior Adept-Pilot Tabel Rha-sa
  There is, ﬂoating within the maze of debris, gravitic shears, 
  and rogue singularities that abound within the mid-orbital 
  ranges around the star Sentanim, a mysterious void. This 
  stable grav-point does not appear on any chart or map, it 
  is not in any record or data-remnant, and its location is 
  known only to a select few of the highest-ranking adepts in 
  all of the Mechanicus Calixis. Rumours abound of a secret 
  space station located somewhere within the Lathes System, 
  and the perceived wisdom of the adepts speaks of a dark 
  and mysterious realm where the most powerful creatures of 
  Mechanicus myth and legend walk freely. Many may even 
  have heard a title, mumbled over a cup of joilique or infusions 
  of illegal toxicant scrapcode, over hooded, sidelong glances: 
  Panopticon Orbital Station.
  In the 9th century of M38, a mysterious vessel, its red 
  and steel ﬂanks glowing dully in the blue-white light of an 
  unstable sun, entered the Pondus System. The skull-prowed 
  craft began an extensive survey of the region, powerful auspex 
  beams reaching out in all directions, testing, measuring, 
  and cataloguing. Almost immediately, a series of intriguing 
  anomalies presented themselves. Strange gravity shears that 
  deﬁed explanation ripped through the system. The star at its 
  centre beat to a cadence unknown to even the most gifted 
  celestial adepts or decryption cogitators. Extraordinary readings 
  emanated from the looping, intertwined asteroid belts. It soon 
  became clear that the system was a rare and exciting specimen, 
  something that the Adeptus Mechanicus would very much like 
  to claim as its own, once the Pax Imperialis reached into the 
  Calyx Expanse. It was also clear, however, that this single ship 
  lacked the ability to perform an exhaustive study, and so all 
  work ceased, the Explorator vessel moved through the system, 
  and entered the Warp on the other side. 
  Almost a century later, several slightly smaller ships, similar 
  in design and colour, arrived. Spreading throughout the system, 
  these ships moved with a quiet purpose. The entire area was 
  scanned and charted, and exhaustive reports were ﬁled on every 
  planet, recorded anomaly, and stellar feature. Remnant colonies 
  of humans, cut off from the Emperor’s light for millennia, were 
  later found on three planets within the system. It was decided 
  that they would serve as an ideal work force, should the Cult 
  Mechanicus lay claim to the system. On Mars and Terra, quiet 
  efforts to do just that began, while the specialised Explorator 
  ﬂeet retreated from the planets and entered the dangerous region 
  of intertwining asteroid belts looping through the system. The 
  ﬂeet suffered a great deal of damage as it penetrated into the 
  chaotic region, countless adepts and crewmen losing their lives, 
  but they had come prepared. Deep within the unstable violence 
  of the colliding belts, an ancient artefact was activated, creating 
  a bubble of stable gravity and a quiet sanctuary from the 
  grinding impacts. They started construction within this secure 
  zone, and quickly a bastion began to take shape. 
  Even as the citadel was being constructed, a ﬂeet of smaller 
  vessels spread throughout the system. A legion of auspex 
  clusters, pictographic scanners, and omnipotentia augury 
  arrays seeded every planet and each of the three asteroid 
  belts. Soon the entire system was under surveillance, every 
  action, every word, every transmission observed, analysed, 
  and recorded. The initial deployment of the Praecursator 
  Grid and the obsidian stronghold were completed at nearly 
  the same time, making the Cult Mechanicus masters of the 
  system before either the Imperium or the current inhabitants 
  even knew of their presence.
  For several centuries, Explorator ﬂeets pushing into the 
  newly discovered region used the station as a clandestine 
  way-stop. During the Angevin Crusade it served as a secret 
  command-and-control node for advanced Mechanicus scouting 
  forces. After the system came under Mechanicus control the 
  Station remained a tightly held secret, only the highest-
  ranking Arch-Magos aware of its existence. The Fabricator-
  General himself proffered it to the Lords Dragon, as they 
  accepted the burden of shepherding the newborn Mechanicus 
  Calixis for the Omnissiah, ever-watchful for the taint of tech-
  heresy. For millennia now it has served several purposes: as 
  the clandestine headquarters of the Lords Dragon, a top-secret 
  weapons research and development base, and a repository for 
  weapons and artefacts deemed so dangerous that the leaders of 
  the Mechanicus Calixis must deny their very existence.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  With bones of iron mined from sacred Mars itself and 
  sheathed in the polished obsidian stone of the Etiam Yohd Belt, 
  the Panopticon Orbital Station is the most heavily armoured 
  redoubt in the Lathes System. Colossal Harbinger Sentinels 
  crouch upon every available surface like ancient gargoyles, 
  their auspex optics and audit-tracking audiometrics plumbing 
  surrounding space for danger. The station serves as the central 
  nexus of the Praecursator Grid, now expanded across the 
  Lathe Worlds and even into several non-Mechanicum holdings. 
  Vast data storage tombs and processing vertices ﬁll enormous 
  chambers within the Station, ghostly wisps of heat rising into 
  the sepulchral air. Machine-spirits toil ceaselessly to follow 
  faces, words, and deeds, watching for the slightest hint of 
  heretical taint. So sophisticated are the linked data-stacks, in 
  fact, that constant vigilance must be maintained, lest elements 
  of the system stray too close to Abominable Intelligence. 
  EYES OF THE DRAGON
  The Lords Dragon, easily the most feared group within the 
  Mechanicus Calixis, have used the Praecursator Grid to keep a 
  careful watch over all those within the Lathe Worlds for 
  centuries now, wary of the siren-song of corruption 
  that has felled so many adepts. It also assists 
  them in maintaining their many secrets 
  and the illusion of omniscience. Within 
  dark chambers lined with sacred 
  iron, the Lords Dragon regularly 
  rededicate themselves to their holy 
  purpose, standing vigil over several 
  precious artefacts from the ancient 
  eras of Mars’ ascendancy. Vast, 
  cog-shaped altars hold ﬁelds of 
  ﬂickering electro-tapers illuminating 
  the enigmatic visage of the Cog 
  Mechanicus glaring down from every 
  wall. Most adepts of the Lords Dragon 
  are quiet and focused upon their own tasks 
  within the dimly lit halls, habits of secrecy too 
  strong to break even within the Panopticon, their 
  most sacred and secure sanctuary.
  Countless myths have been spread about the region of the 
  Panopticon as an integral part of the ﬂoating citadel’s defences. 
  Since before the Mechanicus ofﬁcially came to the system, 
  tales were being told, of a dead region in space where ships 
  disappear without warning or trace. Countless vague accounts 
  passed from crew to crew of space craft that ventured into the 
  conjunction of clashing rocks and passed out the other side, 
  their crew vanished, their data-stacks scoured bare. The most 
  frightening element of these tales is that many of them are true. 
  Whenever a ship comes too close to the Panopticon Station, it 
  leaves the Lords Dragon with little choice. Each ship is either 
  destroyed outright or boarded. The crews of those boarded 
  ships can never be released, and the data-stacks of the ships are 
  completely scrubbed of any incriminating information. Some 
  of those crewmen are allowed to remain aboard the Station and 
  live out their lives serving the Lords Dragon. Most, however, 
  either meet their end as menial servitors on the Station or are 
  rendered non-functioning, their remains recycled.
  As the Mechanicus Calixis grew and expanded the Lords 
  Dragon occasionally found themselves in need of assistance from 
  other Mechanicus agencies. The Lords Dragon are a small, elite 
  body, and there have been crises over time that were beyond their 
  ability to contain. The most valuable commodity these agents 
  possess has been trust, and so, over time, other factions and units 
  have been brought into the secret fold of the Panopticon Station. 
  Here the massive, armoured forms of the Myrmidons now stalk 
  the halls, caring for the machine-spirits of enormous siege batteries 
  of the Ordo Reductor, waiting with barely restrained power for 
  the next call to battle. Beside these hulking forms stride the 
  legendary mech-assassins. There are even whispered tales that the 
  dreaded Magister Samadhi, enigmatic commander of the Acuitor 
  Set mech-assassins, resides somewhere deep within the Station.
  The original blunt shape of the Station has been expanded 
  over time, the Dragon Secutorii and the Ordo Reductor Siege 
  Masters coordinating each addition. Independent research 
  areas, testing facilities, and the hab units for a growing number 
  of adepts and menials constantly increase its impressive size. 
  Enormous blast doors conceal Ordinatus-scale weaponry, and 
  folded skeletal structures of elaborate docking arms and 
  transfer points are kept ready for arriving vessels. 
  High along the Central Bastion, the Cog 
  Mechanicus glares down upon the Station 
  and all who would dare approach it.
  The interior of the Station, kept in 
  a constant dim red glow, has grown 
  more and more labyrinthine with 
  each new addition. Down each 
  crimson hallway drift clouds of 
  holy incense, pumped through the 
  station’s atmosphere recyclers at 
  regular intervals. What was once an 
  observation post and staging ground 
  for Lords Dragon forces watching over 
  the Mechanicum is now home to nearly 
  half a dozen different organisations, every 
  one an enigmatic mystery even to each other. 
  The heart of the station has been given over to the 
  Acuitor Set, who have further fortiﬁed it into the stronghold of 
  Tumala, guarding the ancient mechanisms that keep the asteroids 
  at bay. A fortress within a fortress, Tumala is almost entirely self-
  contained, void-moats dividing it from the rest of the Station, and 
  an independently armoured hull further securing the artefact and 
  installations within. The darkest heart of the station, Tumala is 
  open only to the mech-assassins and their lords, and a select few 
  of the highest-ranking Lords Dragon Magos.
  Long ago, the original Magister Samadhi came to the station 
  for reasons now lost to time. Somehow an agreement was 
  reached with the Lords Dragon, to establish Tumala as a primary 
  training base for his disciples. In the later stages of the Magister’s 
  life he returned to Tumala to personally train his mech-assassin 
  followers, and to meditate in deep binary-datadreams upon the 
  nature of his purpose and that of his Set. Today, each master of 
  the Acuitor Set reviews these ancient meditations as he puts aside 
  his personal name and assumes the identity of Magister Samadhi, 
  donning a stylised iron mask that is never removed. Legends say 
  though that the original Samadhi never died, and, in fact, still 
  wanders the halls of Tumala to this very day.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  THE MYRMIDONS
  The Myrmidons of the Ordo Reductor hold the outer districts 
  of the Station, where thick, armoured walls encompass vault-
  like weapon batteries and their control altars, along with the 
  massive energy capacitors needed to power them all. Their huge, 
  augmented forms stand eternal guard over the entrances to the 
  Station, no ship approaching save under their wary eyes. Most 
  Myrmidons communicate through binary chatter link only, 
  having taken a vow of audio-silence upon accepting a position 
  upon the Panopticon. In suits of colossal, ancient armour, these 
  silent warriors are easily the most intimidating denizens of this 
  most daunting place, each of their multiple arms capable of 
  rending trespassers to component ﬂesh. Bearing weapons out 
  of Mechanicus myth and legend, even away from their dreadful 
  batteries the Myrmidons are terrible to behold. 
  Myrmidon
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (9)
  (8)
  47
  48
  68
  45
  40
  43
  44
  48
  19
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
   
   
  Wounds: 22
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Command (Fel) +20, Common 
  Lore (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int), Forbidden Lore (Tech-
  Heresy) (Int), Intimidate (S) +10, Parry (WS) +10, Scholastic 
  Lore (Construction, Siege Craft) (Int) +20, Security (Ag), 
  Tech Use (Int) +20.
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Combat Master, Counter Attack, 
  Drive (Surface), Independent Targeting, Lightning Reﬂexes, 
  Logis Implant, Navigate (Surface), Swift Attack, Resistance 
  (Fear, Psychic Powers), The Flesh is Weak (4), Two Weapon 
  Wielder (Melee or Ballistic), Total Recall.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Fear (2), Multiple Arms (4), Mechanicus 
  Implants, Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (x2), 
  Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Armour: Cataphract Armour† (12 All, total 16 with The 
  Flesh is Weak [4]).
  Weapons: Integrated Phased Plasma Riﬂe (100m; S/2/4; 
  2d10 E; Pen 6; Integrated) or Nuada Pattern Aurora 
  Cannon (Heavy; 450m; S/-/-; 8d10+10 E; Pen 12; Clip 
  4; Reload 2 Full; Accurate, Integrated, Reliable) or Taranis 
  Siege Battery (Heavy; 250m; S/3/-; 5d10+8 X; Pen 8; Clip 
  12; Reload 2 Full; Blast (2), Integrated, Reliable), Disruption 
  Maul (Melee; 1d10+16 E; Pen 8; Integrated, Power Field, 
  Haywire (Contact)) or Siege Hammer (Melee; 2d10+19 I; 
  Pen 10; Proven (3), Unbalanced, Unwieldy), and two Servo-
  Fists (Melee; 1d10+12 R; Pen 2).
  Gear: Red Mechanicus robes (Good-Quality Clothing), Good 
  Quality Bionic Arm, Bionic Locomotion, MIU.
  Masters of Ordnance: Myrmidons have mastered the use of 
  the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of the Omnissiah. 
  They receive a +20 bonus to both their Ballistic Skill and their 
  Intelligence when taking any Test dealing with the operation 
  or maintenance of any weapon of Heavy Class or higher.
  Shield Breakers: The Myrmidons are experts in the 
  reduction of established defences. Any Myrmidon 
  receives a +20 bonus to any Skill Test involving the analysis 
  or destruction of enemy defences. 
  †Cataphract Armour adds +30 to the wearer’s Strength Characteristic 
  and lowers Movement by 1, which is added to the proﬁle above.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  One of the local factions has sent the Acolytes on a 
  ��
  clandestine mission to investigate the Lords Dragon, 
  and they have inﬁltrated the station’s weapons experts. 
  Having inﬁltrated the station, they ﬁnd that collecting the 
  information and escaping is the true challenge.
  The Acolytes are recruited to investigate the 
  ��
  behaviour of a high-level Magos on Lathe-Hadd. 
  Initial research reveals that the Magos in question has 
  been investigating the Myrmidons, and it becomes a 
  question of who to believe, and who has the Lathe 
  Worlds’ best interests in mind?
  The High Fabricator has been convinced that the 
  ��
  machine-spirits of the Praecursator Grid have evolved 
  an Abominable Intelligence. The Adepts have been 
  vouchsafed with the secrets of the Panopticon and 
  tasked with investigating the machine-spirits and 
  combating the Intelligence, if, in fact, it has arisen.
  Message Source: Agent Obitus-12, 
  Identity N-23 (Adept 7)
  Initial Signal Source: Transport 
  Fortis Machina, Inbound, Etiam  
  Yohd Belt 
  Signal Ampliﬁcation: Occult 
  Occularis, In-system station Chi
  Encryption:  
  Tri-Ocular Corneal Aleph-Parl
  The name of the hidden facility is 
  the Panopticon Orbital Station. 
  If half of accepted intelligence 
  is correct, this must be target 
  Alpha should Project Fulcrum prove 
  necessary. Coming into visual range 
  now. The station is immense. How 
  does it not register? Visual scans 
  indicate terrible XXXX–
  –XXXX Your menial will not be 
  returned. Your interference will 
  not be permitted. 
  Your warning will not be repeated. 
  The Omnissiah is the root of  
  all Truth.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  ����������
  ������
  “With each new planet we claim, with each new forge we light, we 
  move closer to our unstoppable Grand Design for the Lathes.” 
  –Fragmented data-scrap found amidst the ruins of Kyber III
  �
  he Lathes System is the undisputed centre of the Cult 
  Mechanicus within the Calixis Sector, the font of all 
  blessed technology in this region. The rule of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus reaches far beyond this one system, though, to 
  hundreds of planets, thousands of orbitals and research stations, 
  and unknown numbers of Explorator vessels across the region 
  and beyond. They are all still collectively known as the Lathe 
  Worlds, those places where the Mechanicum holds sway or owns 
  outright. Most are huge industrial forge worlds, generating giga-
  tonnes of material to drive the Calixis Sector from one day to the 
  next, and fuelling the colossal war effort of the Spinward Front 
  and its other battles across the region. Others range from isolated 
  research facilities, orbital void stations, and far-ﬂung Explorator 
  ﬂeets, to data-crypt worlds, failed experimental colonies, and other 
  unique emplacements. Outsiders assume each is under the ﬁrm 
  control of the Lathes, all part of a sector-wide, singular machine 
  of uniﬁed thought dedicated to the Glory of the Omnissiah. Like 
  many other such beliefs concerning the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  within the Sector, they are woefully ignorant of the actual truth.
  The various sub-factions underneath the Lathe-Covenant 
  councils oversee the administration of the various Mechanicum 
  holdings across the Sector. Areas that entire manufactorums once 
  occupied on Lathe-Het are now devoted to such bureaucratic 
  functions, something that has become a strongly fractious point 
  within the higher ranking Magos-sects. Here the obsessive zeal 
  for gathering and recording data most lower Tech-Adepts display 
  has gone unchecked, creating endless information tombs for the 
  reports, directives, proclamations, regulations, and other records 
  each world generates, as well as those heavily edited Praecursator 
  Grid monitor-streams that ﬁlter down to this level. So much data 
  is gathered and kept that it has become impossible to perform any 
  meaningful analysis or even organisation, as the Lexmechanics 
  struggle just to sort and ﬁle 
  the incoming waves of 
  information that unceasingly 
  crash over them. Bands 
  of servitors mindlessly 
  ferry 
  data-stacks 
  across the planet, 
  weaving patterns 
  of information 
  like ant-trails, the 
  goal of preserving 
  ancient knowledge 
  more important than 
  actually utilising it. 
  Adepts watching over their worlds furiously construct new 
  datum-vaults to contain it all, each quarrelling with each other 
  over the relative importance of their charges and the data they 
  generate. Massive shrine-vaults score the surface, devoted to 
  the premier forge worlds or research facilities, some so layered 
  in consecryptions that few, if any, are able to gain access. 
  Many other vaults fall into disrepair as rival Adepts re-route 
  their maintenance servitors to other repositories, or are even 
  razed to make room for more privileged or powerful monitor-
  sects. Other crypts are destroyed in deliberate data-purges after 
  regime changes in the ruling councils, or razed as their worlds 
  are condemned for harbouring tech-heresies. More still simply 
  fall to the predations of time and are forgotten, eventually 
  collapsing into dusty ruin and destroying centuries of history. 
  This is but a fraction of the difﬁculties the Lathes face. Just 
  as Holy Terra and the Administratum nominally oversee the 
  Imperium, a surely impossible task considering the difﬁculties 
  of reliable Astropathic communication and Warp travel, so the 
  Lathes also strive but fail to control their own empire within 
  the Sector. Even with perfect monitoring, understanding, and 
  compliance, the Lathe Worlds would be ungovernable. 
  Often, change happens faster than the Lathes can react or 
  plan. Planets revolt to overthrow their Tech-Priest masters, 
  to be crushed into subservience or reborn as hostile regimes. 
  Records of entire systems are lost in data-quakes, their existence 
  erased and their oaths of knowledge-tithes forgotten. Tech-
  heresies fester across the Sector only to burst like rotten fruit, 
  despoiling the minds of once-loyal Mechanicum servants against 
  the Omnissiah’s proper worship. Explorator ﬂeets vanish from 
  Imperial space, never to be seen again or worse to return with 
  unholy technologies and heretical xenos wisdom. Commonly 
  punitive ﬂeets arrive to correct wayward Lathe Worlds, only 
  to ﬁnd their target long since destroyed, absorbed into a rival 
  Calixian sect, reformed in their ways, or simply no longer 
  where the outdated records indicated it should be. Astropathic 
  communications between the Lathes and their dominions go 
  unheeded, misinterpreted, or simply ignored. This is exacerbated 
  as the Lathe-Covenants and the Astropathic Choirs of Lathe-Het 
  hold each other in barely restrained contempt for the dogmatic, 
  outdated, and inefﬁcient belief-patterns the other holds. Even 
  with the mysterious Praecursator Grid aiding their efforts, 
  and frequent loyalty programming engram-branded into their 
  servants, the Arch-Magos of the Lathes are often only able to 
  give the illusion of oversight and control over their worlds. 
  So it is that the Lathes turn, striving in their impossible goal 
  of perfect control over their dominions within the Calixis Sector. 
  The great cogwheel of the Opus Machina is raised upon all of the 
  worlds, yet it is in actuality a mere symbol of unity for the Cult 
  Mechanicus. The Magos of the Lathes issue decrees and orders 
  to their charges, designed to enforce the tenets of the Machine 
  God the prosperity of the Mechanicum, with enough power 
  behind their binary directives to encourage compliance. These 
  orders are followed, ignored, lost in Astropathic translation, 
  misunderstood, or transformed into myth, depending on the 
  recipients. The sheer inertia of these processes maintains much 
  of this Empire of the Machine in the Calixis Sector through the 
  millennia, its massive geared teeth grinding endlessly, but with 
  each year wearing away more and more. 
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  ����������������������������
  ��
  DIOGENES IV
  “Of course it is dangerous here, but what we seek to prove is beyond 
  such petty concerns. Even if we die, we will be immortal!”
  –Magos Kellix Altar Oll, veteran researcher
  For the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are few, if 
  any, missions more worthy than the pursuit of knowledge. Within 
  the Calixis Sector, this goal has launched endless Explorator ﬂeets 
  and Quaestor Expeditions in search of ancient technologies, 
  remnants of STC systems, lost forge worlds, and other relics of 
  days when science ruled Mankind. Though the Lathes treasure 
  such vestiges as reminders of when Mars was truly ascendant, 
  they also realise that there is still more knowledge to be found, 
  some discoveries made long ago but since forgotten, others 
  perhaps even new to humanity. Only through investigation 
  and experimentation can such information be gleaned and 
  understood, and thus from the Lathes sprout thousands of 
  thousands of stations into the Sector. Some remain in the Lathes, 
  the better to understand and monitor the peculiarities of their 
  own system. Many went to inhabited planets and forge worlds, 
  others attached themselves to long-duration voidships, but a 
  majority were independent stations, isolated orbitals or detached 
  laboratoria designed to operate on their own in the void. Into 
  the dark they went, often not to be heard from for centuries–if 
  ever–again. Diogenes IV is one such station, a tiny mote amidst 
  a dazzling but deadly arrangement of pulsars. 
  As the name suggests, Diogenes is the fourth of this station 
  pattern to be established in the Calixis Sector. Hundreds more 
  also exist, as the structure is simple to manufacture and designed 
  to support a wide variety of experimental research. Each is an 
  angular affair, covered with docking ports, sensoria spikes, and 
  other devices as needed for their research. This particular station 
  was launched only a few hundred years after the establishment of 
  the Lathes, and is located in a barely stable area of space near the 
  rimward border. Surrounding it are several pulsars, each on its own 
  worthy of study, but when grouped in such an improbable cluster 
  they make for an irresistible attraction for closer examination. 
  A PRECARIOUS PERCH
  Diogenes IV’s position is relatively safe, one of the few areas 
  within the boundaries of the cluster where no one body 
  overpowers the rest. While it makes for a somewhat stable anchor, 
  it is a gravity hill, where even the slightest of disturbances might 
  send it spiralling towards one of the powerful nearby stars. 
  This also means that travel to and from the station is extremely 
  challenging, rivalling some of the fell passages through the 
  Lathes System. Often ships hover on the outskirts of the area for 
  long periods after emerging from the Warp, carefully plotting 
  their path across the gravity-conﬂuences and Materium eddies 
  before progressing inwards. It is not uncommon for vessels to 
  limp into the station leaving trails of torn components in their 
  wake, evidence of too close encounters to gravity shearing points. 
  Some of the Tech-Priests aboard the station are convinced there 
  are other bodies orbiting the area that exacerbate the cluster’s 
  difﬁculty, undetected either through the overpowering energies 
  of the pulsars or somehow otherwise illusive to the many arrays 
  and sensoria aboard. Such speculation might explain some of the 
  more destructive passages ships have faced.
  At times, the conﬂuences become so intense that no travel is 
  possible, and any on the station must remain until the gravity 
  tides subside. Those with docked ships sometimes wait out 
  such storms aboard their own cabins, but few vessels have the 
  shielding to protect against such devastating phenomena, and 
  most are forced to berth inside the facility. The station itself 
  is not conducive to waiting out the events, with many areas 
  barely lit and covered with pitfalls or fallen wiring. There 
  are few accommodations within Diogenes IV, and those are 
  almost all designed for the comforts of Tech-Priests. For 
  these reasons and more, there are few visitors to the station, 
  few inquiries as to its progress, and few notices of even its 
  existence. For those engaged in their own privative research 
  within, this is an ideal state of affairs. 
  CENTURIES OF DARKNESS
  Diogenes IV has remained in isolation for many centuries, 
  weathering the gravity storms and other dangers of the cluster. 
  Ancient Tech-Priests scuttle about the station, guiding their 
  data-gathering devices and conducting esoteric experiments 
  unfathomable even to others of the Mechanicum. Thousands 
  of servitors exist in vast linkages to cogitator banks, their 
  brains permanently wired into the mechanisms to aid in the 
  processing and digestion of the constant data bombardment 
  from hundreds of sensoria vanes lining the exterior. Hundreds 
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  more roam the hallways on mysterious errands for their 
  masters. Much of the station is as dark as its surroundings, 
  and passageways are littered with detritus and broken glow-
  globes from years of neglect. Entire compartments have fallen 
  into disrepair, with little effort at restoration as attention 
  towards research is more paramount. 
  It is in the darkest areas, though, that the most dangerous 
  experiments are undertaken. Uncounted decades of solitude 
  has led to a disregard for safety protocols or other niceties, 
  and only results are of consequence. Minds already focused to 
  an inhuman degree are warped further still in this reclusion, 
  and the Tech-Priests attain a state beyond mere madness. One 
  sect is certain that the pulsars are causing extreme stress-lines 
  in the local Empyrean boundaries, and are determined to ﬁnd 
  a way to force the stars to synchronise their pulsations so 
  as to create a vast entryway into the Warp such that vessels 
  could enter without the need for actual Warp drives. That 
  it might allow hordes of Daemons to enter realspace is of 
  little concern, but so far their stellar oscillator arrays have 
  proved fruitless. Another is certain that they can redirect the 
  magnetic ﬁelds of the pulsars to gain entrance to another 
  spatial region, and thus mimic the methods certain xenos 
  races use to travel. The Lost Talon faction are devoted to 
  studying a relic dating from before the Sector was founded, 
  which seems to resonate in time with the pulsars and perhaps 
  even guides their vibrational rates. Groups of unmonitored 
  Magos Ætheric constantly tempt the Warp with their fell 
  experiments. A small sect has even come to worship the 
  RESEARCH STATIONS OF CALIXIS
  Diogenes IV is by no means the only void-based research station that the Adeptus Mechanicus operates in the Calixis 
  Sector. None of the archivist-adepts know for certain, though, how many were established, or even how many still exist, 
  as their data-scrolls long since turned to dust through age or mistreatment over the long centuries. Below are just a 
  fraction of those still remembered, for good or ill, in great info-tombs of the Lathes. 
  Calyx Omnus III:
  ��
   One of the ﬁrst stations, established even as the Expanse became a Sector. It is still operational to this 
  day, swinging in a wide path about the Golgotha Reach itself as it charts stellar patterns and gravity wave propagations. 
  The original Tech-Priests have long since lost their ﬂesh and have merged with the facility, which is now covered with 
  the still-pulsing mechanisms that were once humanoid. With each passing century, more and more join the Harmonium 
  Machina, guiding the station across the void and aiding new Tech-Priests as they begin their endless assignment. 
  Dalthodge’s Pax: 
  ��
  Named for its founding Tech-Priest, this orbital worked to expand the boundaries of plasma containment. 
  The resulting crater left on its (now dead) host planet of Hadine can be seen from the other side of the system. 
  Galomn II: 
  ��
  The second of two stations in high anchor above Dusk, there to perform isolated experiments on engrammic 
  branding techniques. It fell with all hands after a mysterious servitor rebellion, a feat thought impossible. Pic-captures of the 
  carvings on the station walls, twisted versions of the electo-runes used in the new trial protocols, led to many in the Lathes 
  to suspect it was an undercover Ordo Malleus mission that resulted in the station’s later outright theft. 
  Iridium Eta Rho: 
  ��
  Renowned throughout the Lathes, this orbital high above Heed is held as a shining example of proper 
  research. It transmits information back in regular reports, and its Tech-Priests are devoutly respectful to visiting dignitaries. 
  The station itself has nearly doubled in size and population, mostly to support the throngs of Magos from across the Sector 
  eager to view such a success. Bitter detractors on other stations attempt to denigrate the station for its lack of actual discoveries 
  or new data, but few allow such petty jealousies to alter their view of this true beacon to the Omnissiah. 
  Lumin-Exol IX: 
  ��
  This station is one of the fabled series of stellar lab-torpedoes, and operates in close orbit around Canopus’s 
  star. Each adamantium-hulled station is layered with powerful void shields, the better to protect themselves from intense radiations 
  as they dive down to touch the burning outer photosphere before rising back up to relative safety. Lumin-Exol IX has endured 
  many such drops, but as their Tech-Priests have grown ever more eager for data, their descents have grown ever longer. 
  Opal Lexit: 
  ��
  Established near the Threnos Zone, this station monitored the poorly worded litanies to the Omnissiah, 
  and probed into the thirteen planets within. A resupply vessel found it destroyed some decades after its last transmission, 
  though no determination as to the cause has been entered into its records. This could be due to the inconclusive nature 
  of the debris ﬁeld examination, which contains evidence of both Imperial and xenos weaponry. 
  Regola Sensorium:
  ��
   Purposefully set in an empty region of interstellar space, Regola’s Tech-Priests quested to 
  measure the very dimensional fabric of the void. Within the facility, grav-plated to prevent its presence from disturbing 
  the surrounding Materium, factions argued to prove their own theorems concerning the nature of realspace. An unknown 
  contagion swept through the station, however, violently destroying higher functions, and then the rest of each body, 
  as each insensate host ripped their own blessed technologies from their bodies. Only the oscillating tonal data was left 
  preserved, which was subsequently impounded and buried in the High Fabricator’s own vault, never to be revealed. 
  Terimiv I: 
  ��
  This station was the creation of Magos Genille Karl, a loyal disciple of the Malatek Sain Charnos and an intense 
  student of the Empyrean. Her goal was to measure ﬂuctuations in Warp tension, especially regarding violent emotional outbursts. 
  Her experiments turned darker, though, as data suggested direct ties between strong emotions and Warp disturbances. As time 
  passed, the station became an abattoir of torture and depravity in order to create greater and greater realspace ﬁssures, all in the 
  name of gathering Knowledge. The entire facility ﬁnally disappeared in a Warp burst that psykers detected for scores of light-
  years away, and damaged several voidships already in the Sea of Souls. Terimiv was never replicated, but disputed sightings of a 
  ghastly object resembling its original form have been reported across the Sector, and even beyond in the Koronus Expanse. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  pulsars as manifestations of the Omnissiah, and seek to re-
  ignite them through invert-matter explosions. Diogenes IV 
  hosts many such as these in its holds, the darkness of isolation 
  breeding darkness of thought and deed, all in the name of the 
  Omnissiah. As more years pass, it is certain that one will erupt 
  beyond the cluster to threaten the rest of the Sector. 
  MAGOS ÆTHERIC
  Given the nature of the Lathes, it is little surprise that the 
  Mechanicum of Calixis has developed several unique sects 
  devoted to the study of gravity and its effects upon the Materium, 
  all falling under the College Cult Graviticus. The Magos Ætheric 
  are one such faction, aiming their research more towards how such 
  forces interact with the delicate membrane that exists between 
  the Immaterium and realspace. The hazardous nature of their 
  work usually demands their bodies be toughened with rippling 
  layers of vat-grown lattice tissue, so that they can withstand 
  nearby gravimantic ﬂuctuations without being torn apart, and 
  years of experience allow them to maintain their stance while 
  being pulled into the intense ﬁelds. Their experiments usually 
  involve controlled collapsed matter implosions to learn what, if 
  any, Warp ﬂuctuations then occur. 
  While most Magos Ætheric rely on passive augury arrays 
  to gather their data, some of the more reckless on Diogenes 
  IV dare to utilise mass implosion spikes and Gellar bubbles to 
  puncture the boundary, and venture into the Sea of Souls for 
  short periods, tethered in place with graviton beams. While in 
  the nightmare realm, they conduct arcane experiments on the 
  effects of even shielded exposures to ﬂesh and metal, all the 
  while viewing images that no mortal can view for long and 
  stay sane. Servitors are also used for such dives, though no 
  protective shielding is used, and often what emerges must be 
  hurriedly destroyed. Some of the Magos have conducted their 
  experiments for so long that reality has lost meaning; their 
  engrammic pathways eroded smooth, they drift through the 
  station without purpose, sometimes ending their journey at a 
  far voidlock. Others face even more dread fates should their 
  protective devices ﬂicker even the slightest, their souls quickly 
  consumed as fell denizen-beings from within the Warp take 
  control of their bodies. Given the unnatural behaviour most 
  of the ancient Tech-Priests on Diogenes IV already exhibit, 
  however, visitors might have grave difﬁculties in discerning 
  the unnatural from the merely mechanical. 
  Magos Ætheric
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  22
  24
  38
  42
  32
  45
  38
  41
  22
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 13
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Chem-Use (Int), Common Lore 
  (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int) +10, Logic (Int) +10, Forbidden 
  Lore (Warp) (Int) +20, Scholastic Lore (Astromancy) (Int), 
  Speak Language (Low Gothic, High Gothic) (Int), Secret 
  Tongue (Tech) (Int) +10, Tech-Use (Int) +20.
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Chem Geld, Electrical Succour, Electro 
  Graft Use, Energy Cache, Fearless, Luminen Blast, Luminen 
  Charge, Maglev Grace, Meditation, Mechadendrite Use. 
  Traits: Mechanicus Implants, Sturdy, Unnatural Toughness (x2). 
  Armour: Flak cloak and cybernetic body (All 4).
  Weapons: Hand Flamer (Pistol; 10m; S/–/–; 1d10+4 E; 
  Pen 2; Clip 2; Rld 2 Full; Flame) or Laspistol (Pistol; 30m; 
  S/–/–; 1d10+2 E; Pen 0; Clip 30; Reload Full; Reliable), 
  Chainblade (Melee; 1d10+5 R; Pen 1; Balanced, Tearing). 
  Gear: Basic MIU interface and 1d5+1 other implants, Utility 
  Mechadendrite, Lathes Mechadendrite Stabiliser, tools, 
  respirator, data-slate, personal cogitator, 2 pistol clips.
  Hidden Rider: Magos Ætheric who have spent too long 
  within the Immaterium often attract unwanted attention from 
  those within. Any of these Tech-Priests have a 30% chance of 
  Possession (see page 331 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook), 
  though of a subtle nature. Acolytes must pass a Very Hard 
  (–30) Scrutiny Test or a Hard (–20) Psyniscience Test to 
  detect that another will now controls that body. 
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The Acolytes are racing after a rogue psyker, who for 
  ��
  reasons unknown sought to hide within Diogenes IV. 
  The Tech-Priests resent any intrusion or disturbance, 
  and actively hinder the Acolytes should their search 
  take them into sensitive areas on the station. The psyker 
  himself seems to be growing more powerful each time the 
  Acolytes encounter him, and might threaten the station 
  itself should they not be able to capture him soon. 
  The Conclave has requested the Acolytes’ master 
  ��
  conduct a covert investigation of this station, worried 
  at the lack of current information as to its function. The 
  Acolytes might enter using other guises, or seek a stealthy 
  approach and try to stay hidden. Once aboard, they must 
  assess any threats that the research there might pose while 
  keeping their true identities secure, but leaving Diogenes 
  IV is always more difﬁcult than arriving. 
  The Acolytes are returning after an arduous but 
  ��
  successful mission, when their vessel is dragged out of 
  the Warp and deposited near Diogenes IV, almost falling 
  into one of the nearby pulsars. The vessel’s Navigator 
  says that a realspace ﬁssure was the cause of the abrupt 
  exit, possibly a natural occurrence, but what might the 
  station and their experiments have to do with it?
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  ENCRYPTION CODE 
  LPXT293721.1 (LACUNA)
  “It shall be as if you never existed, and only the darkness  
  shall mourn your passing.”
  –Reassembled from the data-ﬁles of Inquisitor Voyitz 
  following his unexplained death
  Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Calixis 
  Sector maintain whispered accounts of a hidden planet amid 
  the domains of the Lathe Worlds. This planet has no ofﬁcial 
  designation, and any record of its discovery or founding—if 
  the planet ever existed at all—is absent from every known 
  record and star chart. Those who know of it do not freely 
  articulate what they have learned, for fear of becoming the 
  target of powerful and unseen forces. Only within the most 
  clandestine and inﬂuential cabals and circles of the Lathes 
  does the planet have a name: Lacuna.
  Lacuna is a small, airless world whose exact location remains 
  a carefully guarded secret. A layer of ﬁne, jet-black sediment 
  known as Lacuna Dust covers the planet’s entire surface. This 
  dust is inert to the electromagnetic waves of the visible light 
  spectrum, among others, meaning that the planet is perpetually 
  covered in unnatural darkness. The planet’s remarkable surface 
  composition and lack of atmosphere also make the planet 
  impossible to detect against the blackness of space, especially 
  by the feeble light of its pale sun. Rumours and conjectures 
  about the planet are rife, and the Lathe-Covenant is quick to 
  refute that any world matching Lacuna’s description exists 
  within their domain. However, small handfuls of Lacuna Dust 
  occasionally appear in the many black markets of the Calixis 
  Sector from time to time, further fuelling the rumours and 
  suppositions concerning this mysterious planet.
  The Obsidian Forge is the only foundry on Lacuna. Here the 
  ruling Fabricator, a Magos who has assumed the title Obscurus, 
  performs the necessary litanies and observances to maintain his 
  technological charges. Inside this secluded complex are dimly 
  lit workshops and laboratories, teeming with logi-sealed and 
  hypnoath-bound Tech-Priests, each one endlessly tinkering 
  with and dissecting devices that would tantalise any Explorator. 
  So thorough are the encryptions placed within these servants’ 
  synaptic cogitators, many are unable to ever fully comprehend 
  the extent of their work at any given time.
  At the centre of the facility, automated gun-turrets, 
  armed Skitarii, and a host of other, more subtle security 
  measures safeguard a pair of great bronze doors. Each door 
  is reinforced with layers of adamantium, and etched with 
  intricate copper devotions and inlaid circuits dedicated to the 
  Omnissiah. Beyond this formidable entranceway, a labyrinth 
  of vaults and chambers encompasses the many artefacts 
  and relics of Lacuna. Every sector of this convoluted maze 
  contains a deadly security apparatus, each a unique and 
  devious contraption capable of eliminating anyone lacking 
  the Fabricator’s authorisation. Tales of the priceless treasures 
  within these guarded tombs vary from ancient archeotech, to 
  STC printouts, and even technology stretching back to the 
  earliest days of Man’s conquest of the stars.
  The Obsidian Forge is where the Skitarii and other 
  military forces of Lacuna stand silent vigil against any who 
  would try to breach the darkness surrounding the foundry. 
  The most specialised of these are the deadly Vigilies 
  Servitors. These warriors wield potent and rare weapons, 
  proﬁcient at destroying adversaries of a mechanical nature, 
  and are Lacuna’s ﬁrst and ﬁnest guardians. However, some 
  say that the Fabricator Obscurus has another weapon 
  under his control; one powerful enough to devastate entire 
  legions and even strike Imperial warships from orbit. 
  Whether or not these rumours have any validity, the mere 
  possibility of one of the legendary Ordinatus Platforms 
  on Lacuna makes it an alluring target for any who desire 
  power and the ability to crush their enemies.
  SHADOWS AND DUST
  The Obsidian Forge is not the only structure on this world 
  of almost perpetual darkness. The secluded nature of Lacuna, 
  combined with the dim days and pitch black nights, attracts 
  many Magos who believe their work too risky or important 
  to draw attention. As a result, additional autonomous research 
  stations and hidden complexes dot the planet’s gloomy 
  exterior. The exact number of these facilities and their ofﬁcial 
  occupants are mysteries, save to the Fabricator Obscurus, and 
  each exists in almost absolute secrecy.
  
  ����������������������������
  ��
  Only those within the Lathe Worlds who wield considerable 
  inﬂuence and authority are typically able to learn of Lacuna’s 
  existence, let alone obtain the authorisation to set foot upon its 
  surface. This clearance is surreptitiously presented in the form 
  of a writ of Celatus e Arcanus. The writ states that, as long as 
  there is no evidence of heretical activity or planetary peril, the 
  bearer is allowed to pursue his research on Lacuna in absolute 
  seclusion. Those who obtain such writs are wise to hide their 
  existence, lest they become objects of contention and conﬂict.
  On Lacuna, the holders of these writs are known only 
  to the Fabricator himself. Additionally, a record of each writ 
  is transcribed onto memory parchment and bound within a 
  great tome. This book remains with a designated servitor, 
  whose sole function is to carry and maintain his sacred charge. 
  The volume’s comprehensive bio-genetic locks are precisely 
  calibrated to recognise only the Fabricator’s unique structural 
  dimensions. Any unauthorised attempts to access the work 
  automatically trigger a self-immolation protocol within the 
  manuscript’s sub-dermal systems.
  Yet the Fabricator Obscurus carries another work, and 
  ritually encoded mag-locks and thrice-oiled cyclilic-autolinks 
  seal the black tome from any who dare look inside. Said to 
  hold physical copies of all the STCs and data regarding the 
  many secrets of Lacuna, this collection is a sacred work, and 
  its safekeeping is one of the Fabricator’s highest duties.
  Due to this general lack of direct supervision, it is 
  unknown how many of Lacuna’s facilities are still active, 
  what manner of research is taking place, or even whether or 
  not the occupants are still alive. Some holdings have silently 
  changed hands multiple times over the years, and it is not 
  uncommon for entire shadow wars of espionage and covert 
  raids to ensue between rival Magos over secret experiments 
  and relics. The Fabricator Obscurus frowns upon such overt 
  acts, as he continuously monitors his realm via a network of 
  orbiting satellites and ultraviolet pic casters.
  Any evidence of potential hostility or questionable activity 
  provokes brutal, callous, and efﬁcient reprisals from Lacuna’s 
  military forces. However, very few Magos are willing to 
  directly accuse their rivals of anything, for doing so may 
  compromise their own secrecy. This has led to a tactic known 
  as Acts of Illumination, which refers to the strategic use of 
  lighting against opponents, in order to draw attention down 
  upon the intended target at a crucial moment. The Fabricator 
  Obscurus sees this stratagem as a useful way of culling the less-
  deserving inhabitants and maintaining his own authority.
  Those able to navigate the many rivalries and conspiracies 
  of Lacuna’s occupants are allowed to reap the rewards of a 
  planet with almost unlimited access to resources from across the 
  Lathe Worlds. The Fabricator Obscurus relays every requisition 
  communiqué, having veriﬁed its source-code, to the Lathe 
  System, which processes it with all the haste due to labours 
  vital to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Unlimited test subjects, use 
  of restricted items or xenos specimens, rare power sources of 
  untold complexity and purity, and the raw materials to build an 
  entire frigate are all available with but a brief binaric cant and 
  the authorisation codes of a writ bearer.
  Oftentimes, the true dangers on Lacuna result not from petty 
  rivalries, but instead from the hidden depths of the facilities 
  themselves. Many members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, whom 
  most would consider dangerously radical, have deceived, 
  bribed, and occasionally murdered their way onto the planet’s 
  surface, with the intent of gaining access to these secluded 
  chambers and the abundant resources within for their own 
  depraved works. These cunning individuals pose a constant 
  danger to the domain of the Fabricator Obscurus, whose forces 
  remain constantly vigilant for signs of their works.
  THE TATTERED MAGOS
  There are many whispered half-truths and rumours among 
  the scattered dwellers of Lacuna. One such tale is that of the 
  Tattered Magos, a ghostly apparition and supposed denizen 
  of the Warp that stalks the planet’s fabled darkness. Legends 
  say that he was once a renowned Tech-Priest who disappeared 
  during a catastrophic meltdown that obliterated his lab, as 
  well as any knowledge of his rumoured experiments involving 
  Warp energy. Whatever his purpose, something must have 
  gone terribly wrong—or incredibly right—as, when next he 
  was seen, the Magos was quite changed.
  The Tattered Magos is known to manifest as a spectral 
  apparition, shrouded in charred and tattered robes, with 
  mechadendrites and cybernetics that show signs of damage and 
  scorching. Caught between the physical and immaterial realms, 
  the Magos is able to pass between the two at will, but appears 
  unable to remain in one or the other indeﬁnitely. He can only 
  fully manifest within the physical realm for a brief time, and his 
  appearance often alters by decades or even centuries from one 
  manifestation to the next. Whether or not this ghostly ﬁgure 
  has any reasons for remaining on Lacuna is unknown.
  A DISCOVERY IN THE BLACKNESS
  Inquisitor Byrun Voyitz of the Ordos Hereticus ﬁrst 
  brought Lacuna, or LPXT293721.1 as he designated it, 
  to members of the Calixian Conclave. Shortly before his 
  unexpected death, he had discovered a consistent pattern 
  of alterations amongst the data ﬁles of Heretek Apostate 
  Gelfalom Vornsik, that Voyitz believed to represent a 
  planet or ship. The recovered fragments of the Inquisitor’s 
  last transmissions tell of his discovery of a dark world, 
  feebly lit and almost indistinguishable from the inky 
  black void. His ship’s sudden destruction prevented the 
  transcription of the remainder of the communication. 
  The two attending Astropaths who attempted to receive 
  the transmission were subsequently found dead at their 
  stations, impaled upon their autoquills. 
  NEW TRAIT:  
  IMPROVED NATURAL WEAPONS
  Some creatures have teeth as sharp as the ﬁnest hunting 
  dagger, or claws able to crack apart carapace armour 
  like a cheap Amasec bottle. Their Natural Weapons no 
  longer count as Primitive.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  The Tattered Magos
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  38
  45
  42
  46
  36
  47
  42
  48
  28
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 14
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Common Lore (Machine Cult, 
  Tech) (Int) +10, Deceive (Fel), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore 
  (Adeptus Mechanicus, Psykers) (Int) +10, Forbidden Lore 
  (Warp) (Int) +20, Intimidate (S) +10, Literacy (Int), Logic 
  (Int) +10, Psyniscience (Per) +10, Scholastic Lore (Archaic, 
  Legend, Occult) (Int), Search (Per), Secret Tongue (Tech) (Int), 
  Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Tech-Use (Int) +10.
  Talents: Autosanguine, Binary Chatter, Chem Geld, 
  Disturbing Voice, Mechadendrite Use, Resistance (Psychic 
  Powers), Strong Minded, Swift Attack, Technical Knock.
  Traits: Fear (2), From Beyond, Mechanicus Implants, Phase.
  Armour: Faded Flack Robes (3 All).
  Weapons: Warp-Infused Panoptic Automata Pistol (35m; 
  S/2/–; 1d10+3 I; Pen –; Clip –; Reload –; Reliable, Warp 
  Weapon), Tainted Omnissian Axe (Melee; 2d10+9 E; Pen –; 
  Power Field, Unwieldy, Warp Weapon).
  Gear: Cerebral Plugs, Data-Slate, Glow-Globe, MIU, Personal 
  Auspex, Tattered Mechanicus Robes, Utility Mechadendrite, 
  Optical Mechadendrite.
  VIGILIES SERVITOR
  Among the various servitors of the Lathe Worlds are combat 
  patterns capable of facing and overcoming speciﬁc enemies and 
  situations. One such pattern, the Vigilies Servitor, is uniquely 
  equipped to destroy foes who would twist the sacred complexity 
  of the machine towards their own corrupt purpose. Each is a fast 
  and deadly adversary, with vat grown muscular enhancements, 
  servo-muscular ﬁbres, mechanical augmentations, and advanced 
  combat protocols for a variety of threats. Highly proﬁcient in 
  both ranged and melee combat, these elite guardians are the 
  physical embodiment of the Machine Cult’s wrath.
  Vigilies Servitor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (8)
  45
  42
  45
  45
  40
  20
  35
  44
  ––
  Movement: 5/10/15/30  
  Wounds: 16
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Dodge (Ag), Search (Per) +10, 
  Tracking (Int) +20.
  Talents: 
  Counter-Attack, 
  Crushing 
  Blow, 
  Fearless, 
  Independent Targeting, Lightning Reﬂexes, Swift Attack, 
  Resistance (Fear, Psychic Powers), Two Weapon Wielder 
  (Ballistic), True Grit, Wall of Steel.
  Traits: Armour Plated (x2), Automated Threat Protocols, 
  Dark Sight, Fear (1), Improved Natural Weapons, Machine 
  (4), Mechanicus Implants, Multiple Arms (4), Size (Hulking), 
  Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2). 
  Armour: Machine (8 All).
  Weapons: Power Lance (Melee/Thrown; 10m; 1d10+14 E; 
  Pen 6; Power ﬁeld) or Servo-Fist (x2) (Melee, 1d10+10 I; 
  Pen 0), Sunder Shield (Adamantine) (Melee; 1d5+14 I; Pen 
  2; Defensive, Power Field), Integrated Catalytic Mass Driver 
  (Basic; 120m; S/–/5; 1d10 R; Pen 12; Reliable), Integrated 
  Grenade Launcher with Fire Selector for Haywire Grenades 
  (Basic; 45m; S/–/–; N/A; Pen –; Clip 8; Reload Full; Haywire 
  (3), Storm, Reliable) or Krak Grenades (Basic; 45m; S/–/–; 
  2d10+4 X; Pen 6; Clip 8; Reload Full; Storm, Reliable).
  Gear: 2 Drums of Haywire and Krak Grenades, Auger Arrays, 
  Cerebral Plugs, Micro-Bead, Photo-Visor.
  Automated Threat Protocols: All Vigilies Servitors utilise 
  detailed combat and tactical analysis, and response protocols 
  for a variety of situations. The downside is that, while highly 
  efﬁcient and very effective, the programming is speciﬁc to a 
  fault, often placing the warrior at a disadvantage when dealing 
  simultaneously with varied opponents. As a reaction, the 
  Vigilies Servitor can nominate a single target in combat. The 
  Vigilies Servitor then gains +10 to all WS and BS Tests against 
  that target until the end of his next turn. However, the Vigilies 
  Servitor also takes a –10 penalty to all WS and BS Tests against 
  any other opponents until the end of his next turn.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  While tracking a known Heretek across the Calixis 
  ��
  Sector, the trail has led the Acolytes to the darkness-
  shrouded world of Lacuna. However the Fabricator 
  Obscurus believes that no such individual could have 
  evaded his forces and inﬁltrated his domain. Preferring 
  to trust his instincts, the Inquisitor has instead provided 
  his Acolytes with a secret way onto the planet. Once 
  on the surface, they must uncover where their quarry is 
  hiding and foil whatever intentions he has, all without 
  attracting the notice of the ever-vigilant Fabricator.
  A rumour of a dangerous and powerful artefact located 
  ��
  on a hidden Lathe World has attracted the attention of 
  two rival cells within the Adeptus Mechanicus. Both sides 
  wish to obtain this relic and use it for their own furtive 
  objectives; however, the Inquisition wants the item for 
  its own vital obligations. The Acolytes must stop both 
  sides from obtaining control of the item without alerting 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus to Inquisitorial involvement. 
  First, however, they must locate the planet.
  A Magos working on Lacuna has created a device to 
  ��
  help combat a new and dangerous threat to the stability 
  of the Calixis Sector. However, the Fabricator Obscurus 
  is duty bound not to reveal the identities of the Magos 
  currently inhabiting the planet. What’s more, a rash 
  of raids across the surface has left many facilities as 
  little more than burned out ruins. The Acolytes must 
  determine what is causing these attacks, and stop them 
  in order to save the device they so desperately need.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  HETERODYNE STATION
  “And lo, did the Opus Machina appear before our Fathers, and reveal 
  the Omnissiah to us, that we might know the Truth.”
  –Excerpt from the Vox Rotuli Uziel
  For most within the Calixis Sector who would think of such 
  things, the image of one of the planets that the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus controls brings forth the highly industrialised, 
  heavily polluted scene of a typical forge world. The majority 
  of the Lathe Worlds indeed ﬁt this pattern, each almost 
  identical when viewed from orbit. Thick layers of smoke and 
  waste gases nearly obscure surfaces covered with technological 
  development, even as huge reﬁnery platforms churn from 
  one ore-spike to another. Pyramidal cathedrals of metal 
  and plasteel tower into the skies, lost in the noxious clouds. 
  Endless vessels move across the planet, carrying the products 
  of the forges across the Sector: munitions, vehicles, weapons, 
  voidship components, even pre-fabricated foodstuffs. New 
  worlds in the Sector that the Adeptus Mechanicus comes to 
  occupy almost invariably become forge worlds, living symbols 
  of the Opus Machina on a planetary scale. Few worlds escape 
  such a fate. Uziel is one such planet, barely touched after the 
  Cult Mechanicus claimed control. On it resides Heterodyne 
  Station, where Tech-Priests oversee a planet’s population 
  slowly transforming from inconsequential labourers to 
  valuable resources for the Lathes. 
  A WORLD LEFT BEHIND
  There are few authoritative reports as to when Uziel was 
  originally settled; most believe it was long ago in the heady 
  days after the Angevin Crusade completed its holy work and 
  birthed the Calixis Sector. Early reports spoke of a sparse 
  world with few resources of note. Its location, on the edges 
  of the Hazeroth Abyss, gave it no strong military value. It 
  did, however, have acceptable environmental standards to 
  easily support humans and continue the rightful and ordained 
  occupation of the Sector. As such, colonist-transports were 
  dispatched to claim the world, ﬁlled with pilgrims ready to 
  take an empty world and turn it into a beacon to the God-
  Emperor, another light in this formerly dark region of space. 
  That light soon went out. There were untold other hundreds 
  of worlds in the Sector of more importance, so little effort was 
  spent to investigate. Warp storms in the area also limited any 
  proposals to reclaim the planet. Years passed into centuries, 
  and Uziel became just one of many failed colonies whose 
  sparse records cluttered the many dusty data-crypts buried 
  on Scintilla. It was only through accident that, little over a 
  hundred years ago, Rogue Trader Jad Osperoux rediscovered 
  the world through an ill-timed exit from the Immaterium, 
  leaving his vessel near its system. 
  The long years of isolation had devolved the surviving 
  colonists to little more than relative primitives, banded 
  together for protection against the packs of feral beasts 
  that roamed the land. There was little or no functioning 
  technology remaining, and those devices that still operated 
  were kept more as venerated relic than useful mechanism. 
  Most served as base labourers through feudal oaths to those 
  above them, tied together in protective networks. Only oral 
  histories could relate the tales passed down through the 
  generations, of how the colony split along religious schisms 
  and attacked one another, destroying what civilisation they 
  had established. Those areas that still retained defensive 
  works thrived, and those that controlled them became 
  leaders and then barons, rulers over the lands they protected. 
  The largest fortiﬁcation, dubbed Heterodyne, was now the 
  de facto centre of civilisation. 
  Osperoux found no proﬁt on Uziel, but news of it fetched 
  him enough Thrones to refurnish his ship. The Ministorum 
  made ready to revisit the world, only to ﬁnd that others had 
  been working quietly to claim ownership before their mission 
  could begin. A senior Factor of the Lathes presented the ﬁnal 
  proclamation, arrived at through a series of adroit political 
  schemes and trades, the details of which have never been revealed. 
  The Lathes took ownership over the world, a most unusual 
  action given the lack of any clear use to the Mechanicum. 
  THE ARRIVAL OF THE MACHINE CULT
  Outside observers could not fathom the Lathes’ interest in 
  this world, there being none of the ores, minerals, or even 
  archeotech deposits that normally called their attention. Even 
  more puzzling still, the Mechanicus landed with little of 
  their normal, overwhelming presence, normally designed to 
  efﬁciently, if brutally, transform a world into a factory. Instead, 
  the arrival of the planet’s new owners was something rarely 
  seen in the Sector: peaceful and subtle. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  Huge ships did land, but far from the castle-like fortresses that 
  dotted the populated areas. Scores of Factors, chosen for their still-
  human looking appearance, used their wondrous technologies 
  and camouﬂaged augmetics to dazzle the populace and install 
  themselves as counsellors and advisors. The barons and other 
  leaders grew to appreciate such assistance in maintaining their 
  power, and came to rely on such aid. Slowly, seeds were planted. 
  A society already conditioned for obedience was swayed towards 
  adoration of the mechanical, while still retaining its primitive 
  trappings. Over the years, the Factors worked to prepare for the 
  introduction of the Tech-Priests and even more remarkable devices, 
  all of which were part of the great Machine God’s bounty. 
  More wonders appeared. The great beasts of the hills 
  were hunted and captured, then broken into placid domestic 
  animals, their ferocity destroyed with chem-implants and 
  their bodies improved with mechanical limbs. New tools 
  of light and mirrored metal allowed stonework of perfect 
  design. Fields that once barely sustained a family could 
  now feed multitudes. Archers found their bows could shoot 
  farther, and their arrows able to even move in ﬂight to better 
  hit their targets. Through it all, the Tech-Priests grew in 
  number and now walked the streets openly, replacing the 
  departed Factors as their role was no longer required. No 
  longer were they thought of as grotesque abominations, but 
  instead exalted avatars of a god who manifested his divinity 
  with each new technological miracle. 
  And yet through all of these changes over the last hundred 
  years, little has changed from the basics of before. The ﬁelds are 
  still tilled and sown, though the beasts that draw the ploughs 
  might have cybernetic wheels for legs, and the hands that 
  scatter the grain are often mechanical. Knights practice their 
  skills to defend their domains, but with inertial-lances and 
  riding steeds laced with ropes of synthetic muscle. The castle 
  walls still stand, ﬁrmly made of stone and mortar, now adorned 
  with huge Opus Machina icons. Guards walk the battlements 
  and man cannons, though now they are servitors and their 
  cannons ﬁre plasma. The tech-barons now watch over their 
  subjects with eyes augmented with metal and circuitry, their 
  hold over their peoples now increased through engrammic 
  engravings and loyalty implants. Life continues on Uziel, but 
  now it is life underpinned with the Vitæ Mechanica. 
  The planet now thrives under the guidance and care of the 
  Mechanicum without losing its prior essence, a most unusual 
  occurrence for a Lathe World. Its population grows, and it has 
  even become a foodstuff exporter to nearby forge worlds. It 
  is a shining example of the glories the Mechanicus can bring 
  to a world. This new era for the planet is all guided from one 
  location which the ﬁrst Factors on the planet immediately 
  claimed for themselves: Heterodyne Station. 
  THE SECRETS OF HETERODYNE
  Though it outwardly resembles the other castles of Uziel, 
  Heterodyne has a false façade. While only cursory scrutiny 
  of the planet’s feudal society reveals the new technological 
  modiﬁcations and support, the station maintains its primitive 
  appearance even under close examination. The walls are stout 
  stone, but underneath are layers of plasteel and ceramite. 
  Sleek panels can slide away for macrobatteries and lascannons 
  capable of destroying airborne threats. The wide courtyard 
  covers recessed pads for launching speeders and orbital cutters. 
  Throngs of Tech-Priests scuttle about within; few, if any, 
  tech-barons are allowed inside, and only after careful cranial 
  screening for loyalty to the Cult Mechanicus. Only true servitor 
  drones, manufactured in the bowels below, man the battlements 
  and defences. The castle itself descends many kilometres 
  underground, where vast cathedral-laboratories host the true 
  nature of the Mechanicum’s designs for Uziel. 
  Here only the Tech-Priests are permitted, creating new 
  technological offerings for the people, always ensuring their new 
  devices are easily adopted. They train and augment the preachers 
  who speak the word of the Omnissiah to their ﬂocks with devices 
  to aid their message. Huge pens house captured beasts, ready for 
  cybernetic-surgeries and their transformation into more productive 
  biological assets. Those who sin against the Machine God are 
  altered to become Serﬁtors, and those who might discover the 
  hidden truths are transformed into much worse. 
  Why the Lathes decided to undertake this possibly singular 
  operation on this world remains unclear, though perhaps it 
  was always their plan given the name of the station they now 
  occupy. Certainly, it takes much longer and requires more 
  energy than other forge-implementations require. For over a 
  hundred years, though, it has guided the populace from a 
  primitive existence, useful only perhaps as servitor-base, into 
  a fervent people, united in their faith in the Omnissiah and 
  ready to ﬁght and die in his name. Other worlds may have 
  been transformed though similar means, but none either have 
  survived the process or had their presence revealed. 
  On Uziel, the Mechanicum have moulded a people into the 
  proper worship of technology, something that some within the 
  Lathes hierarchy calculate is more valuable than drone servitude. 
  With little actual machinery in their previous lives, the peoples 
  of Uziel now embrace its beneﬁts, and know how to properly 
  acknowledge the Omnissiah from whom all such blessings 
  ﬂow. Other, rival Tech-Priests insist the world is instead a new 
  tech-heresy, for without proper understanding there can be no 
  proper worship. This has not dissuaded those within Heterodyne 
  from progressing, slowly melding in newer technologies. 
  On other worlds, the Lathes contemplate similar procedures, 
  perhaps involving planetary mind-wiping or vat-growing 
  populations, all the better to start with peoples untouched 
  with misconceptions of the Machine God or bound with other 
  beliefs. Uziel sustains, though, feeding its people and those on 
  other Lathe Worlds, pledging its warriors to battles against the 
  foes of the Mechanicum across the Sector, and offering new 
  knowledge in growing the Cult Mechanicus. It may take many 
  more generations until they are fully satisﬁed with their work, 
  but the Tech-Priests of Heterodyne are patient. 
  FIEDELUS KNIGHT
  Like all else on this world, the Mechanicum has taken an 
  existing structure and altered it for their own needs. The 
  Fiedelus Knights had long protected their liege-barons against 
  the great killing beasts as well as rival lords, and it only took 
  subtle modiﬁcations to transform them into warriors ﬁt to 
  serve the Cult Mechanicus. Their weapons resembled their 
  ones of old, but were now more powerful and reliable. Their 
  steeds, bolstered with behavioural implants and mechanical 
  upgrades, could carry much more and for longer distances. 
  Hu
  Hu
  Hu
  Huge
  ge shihihihipspspsp dididid lan
  an
  an
  and,d,d,d, bututut farar frorom 
  m ththe e e cacacastststtlelelele-l-l-l-llikikikikike e e fofofortrtreresssseseseses tha
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  Scororo esese  of Fa
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  hosesesen fofofor r thththeir r r r stststs ililill-l-l-
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  barorororoons and other 
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  on
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  wl
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  wly,y,y,y, seedss wererere e e planted. 
  A 
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  ad
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  nd
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  ndititioioioione
  ne
  ned d d fofofofor r ob
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  mi
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  ve
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  ve
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  ke
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  nd
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  em
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  ka
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  de
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  alall l of whihich
  ch
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  Ma
  Mach
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  God’s bo
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  unn
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  Mo
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  M rerere won
  onde
  ders app
  pp
  ppea
  ea
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  he
  he
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  ea
  ea
  eaststststs of the hills 
  werere hunn
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  and ca
  ca
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  th
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  then
  en
  en
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  ke
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  annim
  imalals, the
  heeiririr ferereroc
  oc
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  ye
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  wi
  with
  th
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  ndd
  nd 
  thheieir r bo
  bo
  b didid eseses imp
  mp
  mprororove
  ve
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  e ha
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  m s. New tooolslslsls 
  of ligight and
  nd
  nd miririrroroorerered d metal ala lowe
  wed sts onnew
  ew
  ework ofof pererererfefefefectctctct 
  de
  desisign
  gn. . FiFiFielelelds
  ds
  ds tha
  ha
  hat t t on
  on
  once
  c  barele y y sustained a a family cou
  ou
  ou
  ouldl  
  no
  no
  n w 
  w 
  w fefefefeed
  ed
  ed
  ed mululultitititututude
  de
  des.s. Archers found their bows co
  co
  co
  could shh
  shhoo
  oo
  oo
  oot t 
  fafafaf rtrthe
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  nd
  nd the
  he
  h ir arrrrr ow
  ow
  ow
  ow
  o s ab
  ab
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  ablelelele to o even move in ﬂight to be
  be
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  hihih t t th
  th
  th
  theieieir r tatatarg
  rg
  rgets. Thr
  hrr
  hrough it t t t ala l, the Tech-Priests grew
  ew
  ew
  ew in
  nu
  n
  b
  mbb
  mbererer and
  nd
  nd now
  ow
  ow walked the e e ststststreetts openlyly, rererereplplplplac
  ac
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  actors as s s s their rolee wasasas no o lololong
  ng
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  lololong
  ngererer wererere e th
  th
  they
  e  thooug
  u ht of as grotetetetesque abominatitiion
  on
  ons, but 
  ininststtststeaa
  ead ex
  ex
  e alala ted avatars ofo  a god who manifififessesesteteted d d hihihis s did vivivinin tyy 
  wi
  wi
  wi
  w th
  th
  th
  thh eac
  ac
  ach ne
  n w technologigigigical miraclclcle.e  
  An
  An
  An
  And d d ye
  ye
  yet t through alll l of the
  he
  he
  heses cha
  h nges ove
  ve
  ve
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  dr
  dr
  dred
  ed
  edd 
  ye
  ye
  ye
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  stililll l titititilllllllled
  ed
  ed
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  ha
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  dr
  draw
  aw
  aw the ploughs 
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  gh
  gh
  ght t t ha
  ha
  ha
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  ve
  ve
  ve
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  he
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  an
  ands
  d thaat 
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  gr
  grr
  graiaiain n n arare ofofftetet n n mechanical. Knnigigigghth s s pracacacctit cececece the
  he
  he
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  sk
  sk
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  nd
  nd
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  ne
  nertrtrtiaiaial-lalalancesesess andd 
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  ng
  ng
  ng
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  wa
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  rm
  rm
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  do
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  rned
  ed 
  wi
  withthh hug
  u e Opus Macacacachihihih na
  na
  na
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  an
  an
  an
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  on
  on
  ons,s  tho
  ho
  ho
  hough h no
  no
  no
  now 
  w they are servitors and their 
  cacacac nn
  nn
  nnon
  on
  on
  on
  ons ﬁre e e e e e plplp asasasasa ma
  ma
  ma
  ma. The tech
  ch
  ch
  ch-b
  -b
  -b
  -bararararon
  o s now watch over their 
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  ug
  ug
  ugmented with h me
  me
  me
  metatatatal l l l an
  an
  an
  and d cic rcuitry, their 
  ho
  hooldld ove
  ve
  ver their pe
  peoples s no
  no
  no
  now increased ththrorororoug
  ug
  ug
  ugh h h h en
  en
  en
  engr
  gr
  gr
  gram
  am
  am
  ammi
  mi
  mi
  mic c
  en
  engr
  g av
  av
  avininings
  gs
  gs and loyalty implantntntnts. Life continue
  ue
  ue
  ues on Uziziziziele , but
  no
  no
  no
  noo
  now 
  w iti is lililifefefe und
  nd
  ndere pinned with the Vitææ
  tæ
  tæ Mececechaanininin ca. 
  Th
  Th
  Th
  Thh
  The e plplplp an
  an
  anetetet now
  ow
  ow thr
  hrives und
  nd
  ndere  the guidance and d caarererere of f thhe
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  an
  a icicicum
  um
  um
  um
  um
  um witititho
  ho
  hout losing g its prioioioior essenc
  n e, a most unus
  u ual
  oc
  oc
  o cu
  currrrrrrrr en
  en
  en
  ence
  ce
  c for a Lata he World. Its population grows, and it hassass 
  ev
  even
  en bec
  eccom
  om
  om
  o e e a fooddststststtstufu f f exporter to nearby forge worlds. It
  is a shihih nining
  ng
  ng
  ng exa
  xa
  xamp
  m le of thhe glglglg or
  or
  o ies the Mechanicus can bring 
  co
  co
  co
  c ve
  ve
  versrsrsrs rececececesesesesseses d d d pa
  pa
  pa
  pads
  ds
  ds for
  or
  or launc
  n hiing
  ng
  ng spe
  pe
  pe
  peed
  ed
  ed
  eders and d d d or
  or
  or
  orbibibibitatatal l l l cutterers.s.s. 
  Th
  Thhrorororong
  ng
  ngs s s ofofofo
  Tececech-
  h-
  h-Pr
  Pr
  Pr
  Prieieieiestststs s scscscscutututtltltle e e ab
  ab
  abbou
  ou
  ou
  out t t wi
  wi
  wi
  withthththinininin; ; ; fefew,w,w,w, if f any, 
  tetetetech
  ch
  ch
  ch
  c -b
  -b
  -bbararararon
  on
  on
  o s s s arararre e e e alalalallolololowe
  we
  we
  wed d d ininininsiside
  de
  de, an
  an
  an
  and d on
  on
  on
  onlylyly aftftftfterererer cararararefefefefulululul craninininiala  
  screenninining g g fofofofofor r r lolololoya
  ya
  yaa
  y ltltlty y y tototo the
  he
  he
  he Culululult t t Me
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicici usususs. On
  On
  On
  Onlylylyly trurururue servitorr 
  dr
  dr
  drones, manuufafafactctctctctctc ururrured
  ed
  ed
  ed
  ed in n n ththththe e e bo
  bo
  b we
  welslslsls belelelelow
  ow
  oww, ma
  ma
  ma
  man n n thththt e e e ba
  ba
  ba
  battt lemee
  m ntntntn s s
  and defences. Th
  Th
  The e cacacacac stststs lelelel
  itstststselelelelelf f f f de
  desccscscen
  en
  e ds
  dss man
  any y kikilolololometres 
  underground,d, where vasasasasa t t t t cacacaathththed
  ed
  ed
  eddrararar l-l-lalalal bo
  boorarar totot ririeseseses hos
  os
  os
  ost t t ththe e e true 
  naturere of the e Meechanicum
  umm
  u ’s’s’s’s’s desesesigigigigi ns
  ns
  ns
  ns for
  or
  or Uzizizielele . .
  Here only y the Tech-Priririeseseseseststststst
  arererer
  perere mi
  mitttted
  ed
  edd, , crcreaeaeaatitit ng
  ngg new
  ew 
  technologicaal l ofo ferings for the pe
  pe
  pee
  peop
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  opplelele, , , alalalwa
  wa
  waysys ensnsururururining g thththeieir r ne
  ne
  new 
  w 
  devices are eaasisisilylyly adopted. Theyy trarararaininin and
  nd
  nd aug
  ugme
  mentn the
  he
  h prerereeacacacache
  he
  h rsrs 
  who speak the e e wo
  w rd of the Omnininisssssssiaiaiaiaiah h h tototoo the
  he
  he
  h irir ﬂoc
  ocksks wititi h h de
  deviviviv ceces s
  to aid their messsaage
  ge
  ge. Huge pens ho
  ho
  hoousususu e e cacacaptptptp urured
  ed beaeaststs,s, reaeady
  dy
  dy foror 
  cybernetic-surgeriesesesand
  nd
  nd theirtrarar nsnsnsnsfofofof rm
  rm
  rm
  rm
  rmatatatioioion n n inininintototomorore prrod
  od
  od
  oduc
  uctitititive
  ve
  ve 
  biological assets. Tho
  hoosesese who sininin aga
  ga
  ga
  ga
  g ininininstststststst the
  he
  he
  hee Macachihih ne
  ne God
  odd arere 
  altered to become Serﬁtototorsrsrs, an
  an
  and d d ththhosososo e e e e wh
  wh
  wh
  w o o mi
  mi
  mi
  mi
  mi
  migh
  gh
  gh
  gh
  gh
  ght t t t didiscscov
  ovv
  overer the
  hee 
  hidden truths are e e trran
  an
  ansfsfsforororme
  me
  med d d ininto muc
  uc
  ucch wo
  wo
  wo
  worsrsrsrse.e. 
  Why the Lathhes dec
  ecididided
  ed
  ed to o o un
  u de
  d rtrtrtrtak
  ak
  ak
  ake e e e thththththt isisi pos
  ossisiblbly y sis ng
  ng
  ng
  ngululularararar 
  operation on this world d rerema
  m ininins s unn
  un
  u clclclc ea
  eaar,r,r, tho
  ho
  ho
  houg
  ug
  u h h pe
  perhh
  r ap
  ap
  a s s ititit 
  was always their plan give
  veen the na
  na
  namee of f f f ththththe e e e ststststatatioion ththeyy now
  ow
  ow
  ow 
  occupy. Certainly,y,y it takes much lon
  onn
  onge
  ge
  ge
  ger r an
  an
  and d rerequ
  quirires mor
  ore e
  energy than n otothe
  he
  her r r fofoorgrgrge-e-e-implpllem
  e en
  entaatititionns s s rererequ
  qu
  quirire.e.e For
  or ove
  ve
  ve
  ver a a 
  hundred years, though, it has guidided
  ed
  edd the
  he
  hee popp
  op
  opululu ac
  ace e frfrfrfrom
  om
  om
  om a 
  primitive existencce, usesesesefuf l only perhaaps
  p  as seseses rvrvrvititititor
  or b
  -b
  -basase,e,e,e, intntntnto o 
  a fervent people, united in their fafafaititititi h in the
  he
  he Omn
  mnisissisisiiah
  ah
  ah
  ah and
  nd
  nd 
  ready to ﬁght and die in his name.e.e.e. Otherr wor
  or
  orrldldldlds ma
  ma
  ma
  may y y ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  vee 
  been transformed tho
  houg
  uggh h simi
  milalalar r r me
  me
  m anns, butututt non
  on
  on
  one e e eieieieie thththerererer hav
  av
  a e e 
  survived the process or had d ththththeieieieir presencee rev
  ev
  ev
  evvea
  ea
  ea
  ealeled.d.d.d. 
  On Uziziz el, the Mech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicicicum
  um
  um
  um have moulded d d d a a a a pe
  pe
  pe
  peop
  op
  oplelelee intntnto o o ththe e e e 
  prp op
  op
  op
  operere  worshipip of f tetetetech
  ch
  ch
  chno
  n logy, something g g g ththththatatatatat som
  om
  ome e e wi
  wi
  wi
  withththinini the
  he
  he
  he 
  Lathes hiei rarchy calalalcu
  culate is more valua
  ua
  uablblblblb e e e e thththththan
  an
  an
  a drororone
  ne
  ne
  ne sererervivivivitutututude
  d . 
  With little actuualalalal machinery in their prev
  ev
  ev
  evioioioioiousususus livivivvesesese , , , thththe e e pe
  pe
  pe
  peop
  oplel s 
  of Uziel now emb
  m race its beneﬁts, and d d d d d kn
  kn
  know
  ow
  ow
  o
  how
  ow
  ow
  o
  to o o prprprprop
  opere lyl  
  acknow
  ow
  ow
  owleleleledg
  dg
  dg
  dge e the Omnissiah h h frf omm who
  ho
  hom 
  m 
  m alalall l l sususuch
  ch
  ch
  ch blelelelesssssinini gs 
  ﬂo
  ﬂo
  ﬂo
  ﬂow.w Otherr, rival Tech-Prieststststs ins
  ns
  nsisisi t t thhe e wo
  wo
  worlrlrld d d d isisis ins
  ns
  ns
  nstetetetead
  ad
  ad
  ad
  ad
  ad a neww 
  tet ch
  chh-h
  -h
  -hheresy, for wittho
  ho
  ho
  houtututut prororope
  p r un
  un
  unde
  de
  dersrsrstatatand
  nd
  ndininining g g g thththerererre e e cacan n be
  be no o o 
  proper worororrsh
  sh
  sh
  shipipipip. . Th
  Th
  Th
  Thisisisis has not dissuaded tho
  ho
  ho
  h sesee witititithihihihin n He
  He
  He
  Heteteteteterorooror dy
  dy
  dy
  d ne
  ne
  ne 
  frfrfrfrom
  om
  om
  om prorororogressing, slowly melding
  ng
  ng in n n n ne
  ne
  ne
  n we
  we
  wer r r teteetech
  ch
  ch
  chno
  no
  nololologigigieseses. . . 
  On other worlds, the Lathes co
  co
  contntntntntntem
  emplatatatate e e sisisisimi
  mi
  mi
  milalal r r r prprproceddurururesesese , , , 
  perhaps involving planetary y y y mind-wwipipipippininining g ororo  vat-ggrororowi
  wi
  wi
  wing
  n  
  populations, all the better to startrtrt witititith h peoples unntotototouc
  u hed 
  with misisisisco
  co
  co
  conc
  nc
  nc
  nceptions s of the Macacacacacachihihihine
  ne
  ne
  ne God or bounnd d d wi
  withth othher 
  belililil efe s. Uziel sustains,s, tho
  ho
  ho
  houg
  ug
  ug
  ugh,h,h,h feeeeding its peoplplplplp e e an
  and d ththose on 
  ototthe
  h r Lathht e e Wo
  Wo
  Wo
  Worlrlrlr ds, , , plplplpled
  ed
  ed
  edgigigiging
  ng
  ng
  ng itsts wararriorors s s s totototototo batata tltlt eses aga
  g inst the 
  fofofofoeseseses of f f f ththththe e e e Me
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  an
  an
  anicicicum
  um
  um
  um acrcros
  oss s thththe e e e Se
  Se
  Se
  Se
  Se
  Sectctctororo , , an
  and ofoffering
  ng new 
  know
  ow
  o leleledg
  dg
  dg
  dge e e e inininin grororowi
  wi
  wi
  wing
  ng
  ng
  ng the
  he
  he
  he Culululululu t t Me
  Me
  Meech
  ch
  ch
  chan
  anicicicusus. ItI  may
  a tak
  ake many 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  The Knights themselves needed little, their faith absolute in 
  their Machine God without any need for engrammic implants. 
  Each now carries the cogwork Opus Machina as their shield, 
  displaying their faith and the glory of the Omnissiah as they 
  ride to battle. Many have even left the planet to join regular 
  Skitarii formations in other parts of the Sector, there to spread 
  the glory of Heterodyne to rival Tech-Priests. 
  Fiedelus Knight
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  34
  28
  37
  35
  32
  32
  30
  36
  28
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Common Lore (Machine Cult) (Int) 
  +10, Climb (S), Dodge (Ag), Secret Tongue (Uziel Cant) 
  (Int), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Tracking (Int), 
  Wrangling (Int). 
  Talents: Chem Geld, Double Team.
  Traits: None. 
  Armour: Heavy Flak Cloak and Beast Leathers (3 All).
  Weapons: Inertial Hammer (Melee; 1d10+8 I; Pen 2; 
  Proven, Unbalanced) or Inertial Lance (Melee, 1d10+8 I, Pen 
  4; Proven, Unwieldy), Impact Shield (Melee; 1d5+3 I; Pen 0; 
  Defensive, Power Field), Shortsword (Melee; 1d5+5 R; Pen 
  1; Balanced) or Laspistol (Ranged; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+2 E; 
  Pen 0, Clip 30; Rld Full; Reliable).
  Gear: Cyber-Steed†, Frag Grenades, Krak Grenades, any one 
  Bionic Replacement or Cybernetic Sense. 
  †Cyber-Steeds use the rules for a Beast of Burden (see page 349 
  of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) with the removal of the 
  Bestial Trait and adding the Machine (2) Trait. The steed and 
  rider are treated as one being when ridden, giving +2 Armour to 
  the Legs and Body of the rider. 
  SERFITOR
  Servitors are a common sight on any Lathe World, where 
  their tireless efforts aid in everything from basic factory 
  work to combat operations. There are many working inside 
  Heterodyne Station, though another variant unique to Uziel 
  is more predominant across the rest of the planet. On this 
  planet, those who transgress against the will of the Cult 
  Mechanicus are not permanently transformed into mindless 
  drones, but instead sentenced to the harshest of labour: the 
  role of augmented Serﬁtor.
  Like all products from Heterodyne Station, Serﬁtors are another 
  experiment in improving the manner that the Cult Mechanicus 
  controls its subjects. They might be taken for the more mundane 
  servitors on other worlds, for much of their difference is not 
  readily apparent. Their minds are not destroyed, only inhibited 
  from independent thought through a series of cranial implants. 
  Each is linked to central command devices that the tech-barons 
  keep under careful control, so that vast groups of what was once 
  shambling ﬂesh can operate in perfect harmony. Mem-chips were 
  also implanted, granting them skills that would take many seasons 
  to learn. Their bodies are braced with vat-grown tissue, so they can 
  work with little rest. The sentence is not without consequence, for 
  their bodies are altered through other, more obvious, mechanical 
  intrusions to make them better workers. Arms are replaced with 
  automated grain-tillers, legs with churning pistons to crush 
  raw ores for smelting, eyes with thermal scanners for watching 
  livestock; these and more are common Serﬁtor augmentations. 
  Now freed from contrary thought, they work for the betterment 
  of their lord and the Omnissiah they all serve. 
  After their sentence is over, their personalities are restored 
  to active awareness. Their lives, however, are permanently 
  disﬁgured, and few can pay to have their augmentations 
  properly removed. Most are forced to continue labouring in 
  exchange for implants they cannot excise, or live out the rest 
  of their lives disﬁgured and crippled, a visible reminder to all 
  not to displease the Machine God. 
  Serﬁtor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  13
  14
  45
  41
  18
  12
  23
  33
  08
  Movement: 1/2/3/6 
   
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Trade (any one) +20. 
  Talents: Iron Jaw, Resistance (Heat, Cold). 
  Traits: Machine (3). 
  Armour: Cybernetic Augmentations (3 All).
  Weapons: Fieldwork Armatures (Melee; 1d5+8 R;  
  Pen 1; Tearing). 
  Gear: Control Implants, Good Quality Cybernetic Senses (Eyes), 
  Micro bead (to receive/relay instructions only), peasant robes. 
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  A grain shipment is found poisoned, nearly wiping 
  ��
  out an entire forge world with gene-taint shifting. The 
  origin is traced back to Uziel, but why would one Lathe 
  World seek to harm another? The clues may lead to 
  rival organisations within and without the Mechanicus, 
  many eager to see this heretical world fail. 
  During a mission, a nearby servitor suddenly seems 
  ��
  to go berserk, screaming in pain and ripping away 
  at its own bionics until it ceases to function. A study 
  of the corpse indicates extensive internal cybernetic 
  modiﬁcations for remote data transmissions, as if the 
  servitor was more a controlled spy than mere menial. 
  Who was controlling it, and why are other servitors in 
  the area suddenly attacking the Acolytes as they get 
  the closer in their investigations? 
  The Acolytes are sent to investigate a tech-baron from 
  ��
  Uziel who has fallen in with what could be a cult devoted 
  to the Ruinous Powers. He appears more interested in 
  learning their patterns of worship than participating 
  in their foul deeds, as if to study their methods of 
  indoctrination and subservience. Further investigation 
  reveals that the possible heretic is highly augmented, far 
  more than any mere tech-baron, and displays skills above 
  anything possible outside of the elite Mechanicum. Is 
  this an agent of Heterodyne Station, and, if so, what is 
  their true interest in the cult?
  The
  their M
  Each n
  display
  riride
  de to
  Skitari
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  Fieede
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  WS
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  34
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  +1
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  (I(I(I(Intt),), S
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  Beststiaiaial l l 
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  ����������������������������
  ���
  THE HIPPOCRASIAN 
  AGGLOMERATION
  “Death is but the beginning. To capture what happens  
  afterwards is our goal.”
  –Magos Adeb Xam of the Caste Necrosis
  Flesh is weaker than pure machine, yet ﬂesh has unique 
  attractions of its own, mysteries that cannot be resolved if 
  the biological material is simply discarded. Flesh changes, 
  ﬂesh begets new ﬂesh, ﬂesh comes to life, and ﬂesh dies. It 
  is this latter quality that especially fascinates sects within the 
  Magos Biologis of the Lathes. The Magos Biologis commonly 
  study biological systems; those of the xenos in order to defeat 
  them, those of the human in order to improve them. Their 
  work has led to great victories against several alien species 
  and improved augmetic systems, but often to no avail to their 
  standing. They are somewhat shunned within the Lathes, due 
  to their association (ofttimes unjustiﬁed) with some of the 
  more notorious failed experiments and atrocities that have 
  occurred in the Sector and within the Lathes System itself. 
  Traditional Tech-Priests ﬁnd their interest in organic tissues 
  distasteful, and some even view it as tech-heresy no matter 
  the justiﬁcation. This has driven many of the Biologis to the 
  remote areas of the Sector, there to conduct their researches. 
  One such location is on the Adrantine Fringes, in the 
  Morwen System. Orbiting the sixth planet is a void station 
  devoted to studying the impermanence of the ﬂesh, where 
  Tech-Priests can seek to unravel the mysteries of death itself 
  in relative seclusion. The planet below is devoid of native 
  life, making it a ﬁtting place for such investigations. The 
  Hippocrasian Sect operates here, ostensibly an outpost of the 
  Magos Biologis and devoted to corporeal research for the 
  betterment of the Calixis Sector. Like many of the Mechanicum 
  stations in the Sector, however, it contains hidden secrets 
  within. Tech-heresies of the basest sort fester deep under the 
  brightly lit main laboratories, where forbidden sects conduct 
  unholy experiments far beyond the station’s mandate.
  A WORLD OF DEATH
  Though records from before the Angevin Crusade are 
  incomplete at best, they indicate the Morwen System was 
  once verdant and lush. Some evidence indicates that it even 
  supported a xenos civilisation, which may be the reason 
  it was attacked so thoroughly during the initial stages of 
  the Crusade. An entire battleﬂeet attended to the world, 
  obliterating any existing life in a cataclysmic bombardment 
  of lance and torpedo that lasted a full six days. The ﬂeet 
  then rested a day, searching for any evidence that anything 
  living survived, before completing the annihilation with 
  a ﬁrestorm cannonade that burned any remaining oxygen 
  from the atmosphere. Satisﬁed with their utter eradication, 
  the ﬂeet departed for other combat operations. Such total 
  devastation is normally done on the order of the Inquisition, 
  but the lack of a more simple cyclonic torpedo attack to 
  accomplish the task indicates otherwise. Other planetary 
  attacks during the Crusade were often as destructive, though 
  seeking only to kill off any xenos or rebellious armies, and 
  not to remove all life no matter the type. Whatever their 
  enemy might have been, the Crusade required its complete 
  extermination and was willing to take valuable time during 
  the war to ensure this goal to the best of their ability. 
  It took years for the gigatonnes of ash and dust to settle 
  onto the surface, so great as to ﬁll many of the immense 
  craters covering the planet. The world remained silent for 
  scores of decades, with only cyclopean monolithic structures 
  still standing to indicate life once existed there. An Explorator 
  vessel performed a cursory examination of these huge 
  formations, but was unable to even pierce their heavy plate 
  surfaces. Records from this landing are inconclusive as to if 
  the Tech-Priests detected any data of interest, though they did 
  report certain anomalous readings. The ship soon departed, 
  but its report did lead to the arrival of a more dedicated 
  presence of the Machine Cult in the system.
  THE AGGLOMERATION COALESCES
  The Magos Biologis came to the system with a Hippocrasian-
  pattern orbital, a tall torus of interlocking modular tubes 
  commonly used as void-based laboratory installations. 
  Their Oath of Data before the High Fabricator called for 
  investigations into the cessation of the ﬂesh and methods 
  to prevent or delay such biological failures, and soon Tech-
  Priests from across the Sector were drawn to the station as 
  word spread across the Lathe Worlds of innovative discoveries 
  coming from its mortuaria slabs. Their presence brought new 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  alchæmical elixirs, tissue-welding devices, organ regeneratives, 
  and other techniques to aid in research. Now dubbed the 
  Hippocrasian Sect, those on the station continued to push the 
  weak ﬂesh to new strengths. Experiments were conducted on 
  hundreds each day, culled from cells and slave pens though 
  few of the Hippocrasians were too curious as to their origin. 
  The research outgrew the station within a few short 
  centuries, and additional facilities soon sprouted in nearby 
  orbit along with ships set in high anchor. Support orbitals, 
  dedicated docks for mass loading, plasma depots, and 
  more began crowding the space around the original station 
  in a chaotic spread. Such an assemblage became a useful 
  waystation for Explorator vessels making their way outwards 
  to the Nebula. Those on the Lathes who still viewed the sect 
  with suspicion deemed this yet another example of how the 
  study of the ﬂesh can lead to unorganised results, and decried 
  the undisciplined ﬂotilla as the Hippocrasian Agglomeration.  
  THE END OF DEATH
  The work of the Hippocrasian Sect has always trod a ﬁne line 
  between authorised standard Magos Biologis work and tech-
  heresy. Many of their researches delves into genetic sculpting 
  and vat-ﬂesh grafting, ﬁelds were somewhat common within 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus (especially in servitor creation). 
  Some of the Tech-Priests dared to continue even farther along 
  these lines, creating their own ﬂesh gholams, and then using 
  these as experimental subjects into decay and regenerative 
  protocols. Some even attempted to use deviant engrammatic 
  brands to rework nervous systems, convinced that ﬂesh could 
  be forced to reject necrotic decay. These shambling mockeries 
  resist death itself with their stringent protoplasm, and the 
  Caste Necrosis is certain that these represent an important 
  step into the perfection and extension of the ﬂesh. 
  The Ethereals have instead aimed their study into the 
  transformation from life to death, and the nature of this process. 
  As the body leaves one state for the other, these Tech-Priests bring 
  all their auguries and sensoria into play, seeking to observe what 
  many before them insist cannot be measured. Their true target is 
  the soul, hoping to detect and even capture this elusive item as it 
  departs a dying body. Few of the Mechanicum hold such beliefs 
  as worthy of consideration, but years of examinations have led 
  these researchers to believe that such things do exist, and also that 
  such essence can be ensnared just as it escapes. For what purposes 
  they might use such ethereal membranes, none can imagine. 
  Some have begun using heretical xenos devices to aid them in 
  their quest, surely damning their own souls in the practice. 
  Many other cadres work their dark research in other manners. 
  The Preservationists act to forestall the ending of breath though 
  any means necessary, no matter what effects their nightmarish 
  actions might have on the body or mind. As long as death is 
  held at bay, they claim success. The Leagues of Ice use techniques 
  involving cryogenic states to stave off tissue failure, employing 
  alternating intensities of temperatures, especially those where the 
  ﬂesh itself turns solid and brittle, to reinvigorate the body. Their 
  few successes remain disputed. The Mechanicals refuse to believe 
  that death actually occurs, and instead use technological aids to 
  continue to motivate the corpse, and foul unguents to maintain 
  the ﬂesh. The bodies refuse to respond to such attentions, but this 
  has not dissuaded this group from further experimentation. 
  These are but a few of the dangerous groups operating within 
  the Agglomeration, each a splinter from the original founding, 
  but now so divergent in their goals and methods as to be nearly 
  unrecognisable. Others, like the Carnicula, have quit the Sect 
  to pursue their research elsewhere in divergent patterns. Their 
  obsession with death still unites them all however, and, for many, 
  their experiments soon result in their unity with this state. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  CASTE NECROSIS TECH-PRIEST
  The Caste Necrosis exists as a hidden chancre within the 
  Hippocrasian Sect, their experimentation having taken them 
  far into areas the Lathe-Covenant has ruled heretical. Those 
  who know of the heretical cult believe it is either the direct 
  work of Magos Vathek, or at the least, inspired through his 
  dark experimentations into the re-animation of dead tissues. 
  Some even believe that the arch-mutant Archimedes Noxt 
  created the Caste, secretly funding and guiding their efforts 
  in order for him to better control his own unstable ﬂesh. 
  The clique of Tech-Priests who began the Caste know that 
  their work would sentence them to Servitude or worse, but are 
  conﬁdent that their experiments and the knowledge they gain 
  are worth any penalty. They mask their work using secured 
  mortuaria halls stricken from the station’s records, or even on 
  other nearby orbitals. In these lairs, ﬂesh is grown, treated, 
  destroyed, and rebuilt, all to better fathom its limits, and then 
  venture beyond them. They originally built scores of ﬂesh 
  gholams merely as a ready supply of living beings which could 
  be studied as they perished under controlled conditions, but 
  soon the gholams themselves became their main line of study. 
  Developing new ﬂesh for their constructs led to experiments 
  in ﬂesh modiﬁcation using forbidden extracts and heretical 
  techniques, creating new gholams for further new experimental 
  avenues. As their creations grew more resilient, the Tech-Priests 
  began implanting ﬂesh harvested from particularly successful 
  gholams into their own forms, even replacing their own 
  cybernetic upgrades with these horrid tissues. Some within the 
  Caste have taken their intense study of decay into the darkest 
  of areas, and surely have attracted the attention of the Ruinous 
  Powers, in particular Father Nurgle. 
  Caste Necrosis Tech-Priest
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  22
  24
  38
  42
  32
  45
  38
  41
  22
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 13
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Chem-Use (Int) +10, Common 
  Lore (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int) +10, Logic (Int) +10, 
  Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus, Mutants) (Int) +20, 
  Scholastic Lore (Chymistry, Occult) (Int), Speak Language 
  (Low Gothic, High Gothic) (Int), Secret Tongue (Tech) (Int) 
  +10, Tech-Use (Int) +20.
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Chem Geld, Disturbing Voice, 
  Electrical Succour, Electro Graft Use, Luminen Charge, 
  Mechadendrite Use, Rite of Fear. 
  Traits: Mechanicus Implants. 
  Armour: Cybernetic body (All 3).
  Weapons: Ripper Pistol (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+3 I; Pen 
  7; Clip 8; Reload Full; Tearing, Toxic), Power Knife (Melee; 
  1d10+5 E; Pen 5; Balanced, Power Field), 3 Blind Grenades, 
  3 Photon Flash Grenades. 
  Gear: Ichor-befouled Mechanicum cloak, MIU interface and 
  1d5 other implants, Medicae Mechadendrite, surgical tools, 
  data-slate, personal cogitator, 2 pistol clips.
  The New Flesh: Members of the Caste Necrosis often 
  augment their bodies with their latest experiments, surely a 
  blasphemy to the Omnissiah in all eyes but their own. Such 
  tissue is beyond normal biological processes, and grants the 
  Tech-Priest the Regeneration Trait. After it has successfully 
  removed any Damage, it then also gains the Fear (1) Trait, 
  but once the Tech-Priest is slain, the corpse becomes even 
  more hideously deformed, and gains Fear (2). 
  Necrotic Gholams: A Caste Necrosis Tech-Priest may be 
  accompanied with 1d5 necrotic gholams. These use the rules 
  for a servitor drone (see page 344 of the DARK HERESY Core 
  Rulebook), with their restored but necrotic ﬂesh doubling for a 
  servitor’s normal mechanical implants, and engram branding as 
  their control mechanism. Necrotic gholams gain the Fear (1), 
  Regeneration, and Toxic Traits to reﬂect their foul creation. 
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The Acolytes are sent to investigate a horriﬁc outbreak 
  ��
  of servitor attacks, but despite the hindrance of Lathes 
  agents, they determine that these are actually a deadly 
  form of ﬂesh gholams. Their efforts attract the attention 
  of a group of decrepit Tech-Priests, eager to see the 
  Acolytes reduced to test subjects back at Morwen. 
  The Acolytes are sent to Morwen VI, there to 
  ��
  investigate mysterious deaths of a training mission of 
  Brontian Longknives on the surface. There are few clues 
  to be found on the dead world, though many of the 
  Guardsmen report disturbing visions; some are found 
  undergoing self-mutilations beyond the ritual scarring 
  the regiment is known for. Is the planet truly dead, 
  or could something buried under the still-standing 
  structures be inﬂuencing those who would stay too 
  long on the planet and its unnatural emanations? 
  The Acolytes are on the trail of Archimedes Noxt 
  ��
  when they ﬁnd a trail of other heretics with similar 
  mutations. When captured, one of them claims he 
  purchased his new abilities in the Adrantine region, 
  and even the threat of excruciation does not persuade 
  him to reveal anything else. Their path leads them to 
  the Hippocrasian Sect, but gaining access to the station 
  itself or any of the other orbitals requires more than 
  simply showing the Rosetta. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  MORIO
  “Old Arazi used to claim he saw the secret docking bay, where they 
  loaded the bodies of dead coglovers for transport out of the system. 
  He could never ﬁnd out why.”
  –Terian Oltsweet, dockyard rating
  Far away from the Lathe Worlds, hidden in the ﬂickering 
  light of the Halo Stars, sits a tiny system. It consists of a 
  simple, pale red dwarf star, barely able to keep itself alight 
  in the void. Around it a single planet orbits, a ball of rock 
  and cold mud whose name is listed only on a few ancient 
  star charts, as Capulus. The planet itself is unassuming and 
  of little interest for mining or colonisation. No more than 
  a collection of dirt with little atmosphere or water, it has 
  nothing that would attract any looking for wealth or power. 
  Even its single moon seems, at ﬁrst glance, to not be worthy 
  of any effort. The moon is in an unnatural orbit, such that it 
  is always on the dark side of Capulus, so no light from the 
  feeble star ever shines directly upon the moon’s icy terrain. As 
  it glides alongside Capulus, it seems to be hiding itself, afraid 
  to come into the light and allow its secrets to be known, and 
  that is exactly how the Masters of the Lathes want it. For on 
  the little moon, known in stories and rumours as Morio, the 
  Mechanicus hides one of its most unsettling secrets.
  The dusty plains of Morio have no real atmosphere to speak 
  of, its entire surface mostly exposed to the vacuum and cold of 
  the void. The side of the moon that faces away from Capulus is 
  scarred from ancient collisions with asteroids and space debris. 
  There are no signs of past or present life on this side, either 
  alien or human. On the side facing the planet, Morio is covered 
  with the lights and spires of a staggering hive city, larger than 
  almost any other in the entire sub-sector. Here, the towers and 
  cathedral-factories of the Machine God climb majestically 
  beyond the surface of Morio, as well as burrow deep within it, 
  nearly to its long silent, cold core. This is the Sepulchre of the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus for all of the Calixis Sector.
  When any of the Omnissiah’s followers fall in the Calixis 
  Sector, all possible care is given in trying to get the remains 
  of the fallen to Morio. Ancient, sarcophagal crypt ships make 
  passage through the treacherous Warp routes between the 
  Dominions of the Lathes and Morio, carrying their precious 
  cargo. Once they have arrived, the bodies of the deceased are 
  brought down to the moon in waves of short range cargo 
  craft. While basic servitors do most of the actual labour, there 
  are those of the Adeptus Mechanicus whose duty it is to 
  prepare their fallen brethren and to administer the ﬁnal rites 
  of the Machine God. Known as the Mortifers, these humble 
  brethren have several duties to perform before allowing 
  their charges to rest. This is not only the cemetery world 
  for the followers of the Machine God in the Calixis Sector, 
  it is also where the Mechanicus take back and refurbish the 
  cybernetics of those who have fallen, so that they may be 
  offered to upcoming generations of Tech-Priests.
  The Sepulchre is the next step not only for the remains 
  of the followers of the Omnissiah. Here the ﬂeshy remains 
  of the fallen are processed into corpse wafers, to be used in 
  religious observances of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is also 
  the main reclamation point for the detached bionics and 
  cybernetics, so that they can be used once again by others 
  in the Adeptus. Building and maintaining cybernetics is a 
  time and resource consuming task that also becomes more 
  and more difﬁcult every year, as those with the knowledge 
  to create or maintain such wonders die without passing on 
  that information to the next generation of Tech–Priests. 
  Reclaiming these cybernetics and using them for training 
  purposes, or to augment others who seek the perfection 
  of the Omnissiah, allows the Mortifers to reduce the need 
  for current resources. It also serves a more holy purpose, 
  allowing a line of ascension within the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  to continue far beyond the span of even the eldest of Magos. 
  Worthy Tech-Priests might gain the mechadendrites of a 
  famous Logos from within the system, or receive the same 
  bionic eye that once spied the paciﬁcation of Calixis. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  But there are other reasons why the Mechanicus hide the 
  Sepulchre. Knowledge is power, and here is where knowledge 
  is preserved and used to grow the power of the Cult Mechanicus 
  throughout the Sector. For Morio is also where the memories 
  of the fallen are stored, so that they may be kept from oblivion. 
  In the farthest recesses of the Sepulchre, the Mortifers and their 
  servitors stubbornly work on their great task. They administer 
  and maintain ancient cogitator systems and arrays, far more 
  complex and delicate than anything known currently within the 
  Calixis Sector. Here the Mortifers connect the cortex implants 
  and cybernetic synapse overlays of the fallen to this gigantic 
  system, known as the Cenotaph Calixia. The accumulated 
  knowledge and experiences of the now-dead Tech-Priests are 
  retrieved, so that they can be accessed later. 
  Currently, the ability to retrieve and utilise such information 
  is rudimentary at best, but near-heretical experimentation with 
  the holy machinery has allowed for greater efﬁciency in recent 
  years. Dark whispers of what the Mechanicus might do with 
  such concentrated knowledge scatter across the cognoscenti of 
  the Sector. Stories among the Mortifers tell of outsiders who 
  were caught investigating the Cenotaph being placed into the 
  ancient oubliettes of the moon, never to be seen or heard from 
  again. Nothing can be allowed to halt the great work from 
  continuing, and one day the Sector will see its grand results, and 
  know the glory that every true Tech-Priest already believes. 
  CARETAKER GANASH
  No one knows how old Ganash truly is, or even if this is his 
  real name. He has toiled on Morio longer than records exist, 
  and some say in half-jest he was already on the moon when 
  the Cult Mechanicus arrived to establish a new cemetery hive. 
  As time passed, he rose in rank as the hive transmogriﬁed into 
  the Cenotaph, the moon became the central repository for 
  the accumulated knowledge of the Mechanicus in Calixis. He 
  slowly began the implementation of his programs to recycle the 
  cybernetics of the dead, turning it from more local procedures 
  and into a sanctiﬁed rite under the direction of his Mortifers. 
  He is now and ever shall be the Caretaker Eternal, seemingly 
  as endless as the moon itself.
  Ganash is a gaunt and pale thing. What little ﬂesh remains 
  between the voluminous, ancient black robes and the long-
  dulled surgical metals of his cybernetics is tight and waxen 
  from age and neglect. Most suppose that his frame and 
  demeanour have become shaken with age and the burden of 
  his duties, but none can recall him any other way. Despite 
  the little care Ganash may have for his own fragile shell, his 
  care for those who have come to Morio and the Sepulchre 
  on their ﬁnal trip is obvious. He handles his charges as if 
  cradling the most precious of treasures. The creation and care 
  of the Cenotaph Calixia, and his fevered desire to use it to 
  save the knowledge of his fallen brethren from oblivion, is 
  commendable. A worried few within the Holy Ordos wonder 
  what the Adeptus Mechanicus will do with such a vault of 
  knowledge once they are able to successfully and safely 
  retrieve information from it, and what Ganash will do with 
  the kind of power that comes from such a feat.
  Caretaker Ganash
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  27
  30
  32
  39
  48
  47
  52
  19
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 15
  Skills: Common Lore (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int) +20,  
  Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus, Cults) 
  (Int) +10, Literacy (Int), Logic (Int) +10, Medicae (Int) +20, 
  Scholastic Lore (Chymistry) (Int), Search (Per), Secret Tongue 
  (Tech) (Int), Tech Use (Int) +20. 
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Chem Geld, Electrical Succor, 
  Feedback Screech, Jaded, Logis Implant, Master Chiurgeon, 
  Mechadendrite Use (Medicae, Utility), Nerves of Steel, 
  Resistance (Fear), Rite of Awe, Rite of Fear, Total Recall.
  Armour: Carapace Armour (6 All).
  Weapons: None 
  Gear: Ancient black robes (Good-Quality Clothing), Good 
  Quality Bionic Arms and Legs, Common Bionic Respiratory 
  System, Auger Arrays, Medicae Mechadendrite (x2),  
  Utility Mechadendrite.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The Acolytes are sent to a factory world to investigate 
  ��
  the unusual deaths of several visiting Enginseers. 
  Unfortunately, persons unknown took the bodies before 
  they arrived, and the local Mechanicus do not want to 
  talk about it. Rumours indicate that the Enginseers may 
  have stumbled upon a dark programme to reanimate the 
  dead. The Acolytes must ﬁnd where the bodies of the 
  fallen have been taken, keep the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  from creating some heretical abomination, and follow 
  the trail to the crypt world of Morio.
  Shortly after receiving new cybernetic implants, the 
  ��
  Acolyte who has the procedure begins to have vivid 
  dreams of his own murder, to the point where the 
  dreams come upon the Acolyte even when awake. As 
  the dreams progress, the Acolyte can now see that the 
  implant was once in a different person—the murder 
  victim. Investigation leads the Acolytes to Morio, where 
  they discover that some of the reclaimed cybernetics 
  have not been properly purged before reassignment, 
  perhaps deliberately, in order to experiment on data 
  assessment methods. Those on the crypt moon will not 
  welcome such inquisitiveness into their affairs. 
  A valued Tech-Priest agent of the Acolytes’ Master 
  ��
  has fallen, and they are assigned to accompany his 
  remains to Morio. Their real assignment is to recover a 
  hidden auspex secreted within his augmetics, which was 
  too cleverly melded for normal removal. Their goal is to 
  allow the Mortiﬁers to do their work, then steal away 
  the auspex before the device is wiped (or worse yet, the 
  information extracted), and return it to their Master. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  OPUS MACHARIUS
  “Courage like Steel, Completion in Death!”
  – Legio Venator Battle Cry
  Within the Drusus Marches lies the forbidding forge 
  world of Opus Macharius. Named in honour of Lord Solar 
  Macharius, this planet became part of the Lathes near the 
  end of the Angevin Crusade, and is the home of the revered 
  Legio Venator. From here, as well as their permanent posting 
  within the Lathes on Lycosidae, the Titan Legion stands 
  vigil against any who threaten Imperial sovereignty in the 
  region, and plays a critical role in maintaining order and 
  stability throughout the Calixis Sector.
  THOSE WHO WALK AS GODS
  Of all the wonders of the Machine Cult, none can compare to 
  the awesome might of a Titan. A relic of humanity’s forgotten 
  glory, the term can refer to any of the massive bipedal combat 
  walkers the Titan Legions wield to serve the Cult Mechanicus. 
  They are magniﬁcent engines of destruction, each brandishing 
  weapons capable of levelling entire hab-blocks, and employing 
  dense armoured carapaces and powerful void shields. Within 
  every Titan’s core resides a uniquely aggressive and powerful 
  machine-spirit patterned after the terrible predatory beasts of 
  ancient Terra, each requiring immense willpower to wield and 
  control. The servants of the Adeptus Mechanicus reverently 
  maintain and worship these colossal engines of war; for in 
  their eyes, every Titan is no less than the walking embodiment 
  of the Machine God’s power.
  The process of constructing a Titan is a close secret 
  within the Adeptus Mechanicus, and each is an immense 
  undertaking, requiring centuries of experience and countless 
  blessings and rituals throughout the process. These colossal 
  machines are held in such high standing that every Titan is 
  granted a High Gothic name upon completion. In the same 
  vein, the death of a Titan is a true tragedy for those who 
  aided in its construction, with entire Foundries mourning 
  the loss of one of their sacred creations.
  When not serving on some distant warzone or guarding 
  one of the Legio’s many fortresses, the Titans of Legio Venator 
  rest in the Titan Pens on Opus Macharius. Here they undergo 
  any necessary critical repairs, upgrades, or reﬁttings. The 
  planet’s massive manufactorums contain these pens within 
  their sprawling bulk, and continuously produce parts and 
  armaments for their sacred charges. A single pen often houses 
  multiple Titans at a time, while some of the more illustrious 
  or massive machines warrant an entire forge to themselves. 
  All who maintain the Legio’s machines view their labour as 
  a great honour, and duels and conﬂicts frequently occur over 
  the right to house Titans of particular reverence.
  The Titan Pens also contain facilities to see to the medical 
  and physical needs of the legion’s members, including 
  hospitiller complexes, hab quarters, and training bays. Many 
  veteran members of Legio Venator live and train here beside 
  the Legio’s aspirants, and serve as an example to those who 
  have yet to face the enemy in righteous battle. Unfortunately, 
  these facilities sometimes serve as the ﬁnal abode to any 
  Princeps that succumbs to the extreme physical and mental 
  toll of controlling the destructive spirit within a Titan. These 
  tortured individuals are sights inspiring both reverence and 
  pity. Some are carefully managed in their declining days as 
  inspirational heroes of the Mechanicum, but most live out 
  their remaining days as pitiful, broken shells of the walking 
  gods they once embodied.
  A GLORIOUS LEGACY
  Legio Venator was a relatively young legion when it 
  accompanied Imperial forces at the commencement of 
  the Angevin Crusade. The Legio was glorious to behold, 
  its immaculate red and polished brass carapaces ﬂashing 
  with each burst of ﬁre, as they relentlessly delivered utter 
  annihilation to all who refused Imperial rule. Winning much 
  glory and honour during the opening phases of the campaign, 
  the legion gained a fearsome reputation for completely 
  decimating their opponents.
  During the Bleak Years, the legion fought with particular 
  distinction against a massive Ork Waaagh! that fell upon the 
  crusaders with barbaric fury. A critical victory in the struggle 
  came with the destruction of a massive Mega-Gargant, 
  identiﬁed in the Ork’s bestial tongue as Spine Smasha. Following 
  a coordinated orbital lance strike, Princeps Senioris Angevelo 
  Vsevolod of the Warlord Titan Valorus Ira, with support from 
  a Warhound Pack Centurion, engaged the damaged greenskin 
  engine. The battle was close and ferocious, and it was only after 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  Warhound Celerus Moria sacriﬁced itself through drawing the 
  Mega-Gargant’s ﬁre that the Valorus Ira was able to target the 
  enemy’s internal core with its volcano cannon. The resulting 
  meltdown decimated the Ork hordes, and the sight of their 
  idol’s destruction robbed them of their will to ﬁght.
  After pushing into areas thought secure, the foul Yu’vath 
  brought their insane Warp-science and techno-sorcery to bear 
  on the beleaguered crusaders. The Legio Venator encountered 
  a particularly massive and atrocious Yu’vath Warp construct 
  leading the opening attack of one such offensive. Dripping 
  with ethereal energy, the monstrous creation propelled itself 
  forward on ﬁve twisted legs, and wielded inexplicable weapons 
  that drew on the power of the Warp itself in three misshapen 
  arms. Four Titans fell to the abomination before the Desidius 
  Rae, heavily damaged and venting plasma from its ruptured 
  core, challenged the beast in close combat. The embattled 
  Princeps diverted all available power to his Titan’s power ﬁst, 
  which caused his ﬁrst strike to overload the already weakened 
  core containment ﬁeld. The Titan’s ensuing ﬁery death ensured 
  the complete and utter destruction of its Warp-spawned foe.
  Following the arrival of Arch-Magos Mat Aleph Xenon 
  and the conclusion of the Angevin Crusade, Legio Venator 
  attained the right to requisition one of the newly created 
  Lathe Worlds as its own. However, before the process of 
  selecting a world could begin, Legio Venator joined other 
  Titan Legions in the glorious and historic Macharian Crusade. 
  The remaining Legio forces within the newly formed Calixis 
  Sector instead set to work establishing fortresses within the 
  Lathes themselves, including one on Lycosidae. 
  Upon the completion of the Macharian Conquests, the 
  Titan battle groups returned with fresh tales of heroism as 
  well as regret at the loss of Macharius himself. In recognition 
  of his glory and the legion’s participation in the great crusade, 
  the Lathe Covenant designated a forge world within the 
  Drusus Marches “Opus Macharius,” and ceded it to the Titan 
  Legion as its new home world.
  Over a thousand years later, the Legio Venator was one of 
  the forces to heed the call to arms against the self-proclaimed 
  Emperor of Brass. The Titan Engines were invaluable in breaking 
  the rebellions bordering the Gelmiro Cluster, ruthlessly cleansing 
  any worlds that rebelled against their Imperial masters. During 
  the ﬁnal assault on the remaining hive clusters within the system, 
  the Legio Venator came face to face with a new and terrible 
  enemy: Chaos Engines. What followed was a four day conﬂict 
  in which Engines on both sides relentlessly stalked their foes 
  through ruined spires and destroyed hab blocks. Several of 
  Legio Venator’s damaged Titans even volunteered to act as bait 
  to lure the Chaos Titans into ambushes, occasionally sacriﬁcing 
  themselves to destroy their targets.
  The eventual arrival of two Imperator Titans signalled the end 
  of the ﬁghting, as the remaining Chaos forces were unable to 
  stand up to the might of these awe-inspiring machines. Entire 
  swathes of ruined cityscape vanished beneath the power of their 
  mighty armaments, as the Chaos Engines that did not escape off-
  world fell to the overwhelming onslaught. The battle groups then 
  GLORIOUS REMNANTS
  One of the more obscure types of war machines the 
  Legio Venator employs on the battleﬁeld are the 
  ancient Knight Engines. Individual Princeps pilot 
  these small, one-man Titans, each hailing from the 
  nobility of the distant Knight Worlds. The history of 
  the Knight Engines is extensive, and stretches back 
  into the depths of the Imperium’s murky past, during 
  the turbulent era known as the Age of Strife.
  Though now generally serving as support and 
  reserve forces, the Knight Engines of Legio Venator 
  continue to ﬁght with distinction, utilising their 
  increased mobility to the best possible advantage. No 
  less than eighteen Knights from four separate worlds 
  serve across the Calixis Sector, and they continue to 
  wreak particular havoc against the marauding Orks on 
  Kulth. Here, elite formations of Burst-pattern Lancer 
  Engines dart across the battleﬁelds, expertly striking 
  the ﬂanks of their opponents with torrential ﬁre. 
  Meanwhile, the Paladin Engines of the Adamantine 
  Order stand deﬁant against the barbaric xenos in superb 
  displays of martial combat, time and again striking 
  down their crude warmachines with righteous fury. 
  These honourable warriors are all dedicated servants 
  of the Omnissiah, and each expects nothing less than a 
  glorious death in the service of their Martian lords. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  turned their efforts towards supporting the remaining loyalist 
  forces, and the entire cluster was eventually left a smoking ruin, 
  though the cost in lives had been high. However, the escaped 
  Chaos forces would return to face the Legio again, under the 
  banner of the Forsaken Reavers Chaos Warband.
  When the Meritech Wars erupted across Imperial space 
  almost ﬁve hundred years later, the Legio Venator dispatched 
  forces to help quell the massive uprising. These included the Ignis 
  Inferorum, an ancient Imperator Titan dating back to the Dark 
  Age of Technology, which strode the battleﬁeld like an avatar of 
  wrath, its twin Plasma Annihilators belching ﬁery retribution. 
  The defenders found themselves hopelessly outmatched and, in 
  the end, not a single living creature survived.
  Following the conclusion of the Meritech Wars, the Legio 
  Venator focused on rebuilding and strengthening its holdings, 
  occasionally dispatching battle groups to honour treaties and 
  obligations from the distant past. The Legion currently has 
  forces operating in both the costly Margin Crusade and the 
  on-going Achillus Crusade. Here they have encountered the 
  deadly bio-titans of the Tyranid Hive Fleets, and many valuable 
  Engines have fallen to these ferocious monstrosities. As a result, 
  Princips Majoris Maxilohv has decreed that no additional 
  battle groups are to leave the Sector, except to fulﬁl the Legio’s 
  current treaties, until the destroyed Titans are replaced. Such an 
  undertaking is expected to require centuries.
  AS ONE BEING
  One of the most critical roles of the facilities on Opus 
  Macharius is the training of aspirants and crews to function 
  as a single, cohesive unit. The Princeps, as the leader of the 
  crew, and his Moderatii, who implement his directives, must 
  learn their Engine’s unique quirks, tolerances, and individual 
  temperament so that each can instinctively anticipate and 
  interpret the Titan’s intentions during combat. Without this 
  mutual link, the Titan is slow to react and unruly, the rebellious 
  machine spirit struggling against its crew instead of directing 
  its boundless rage against the enemy. In contrast, a Titan and 
  crew who have bonded are a true wonder to behold: man and 
  machine communicating and reacting without a moment’s 
  hesitation to deliver the wrath of the Omnissiah down upon 
  their foes. To truly walk as one with their Titan’s machine-
  spirit is akin to a holy experience for all within, the Princeps 
  in perfect communion with his Engine, and his Moderatii in 
  seamless anticipation of his commands. 
  To better achieve this end, the Legio Venator conducts 
  endless training drills, and has authorised the creation of an 
  area known as Perdition. This large section of the planet’s 
  surface is now a vast expanse of artiﬁcial warzone. Within 
  this purposeful desolation, the Legio train to deal with almost 
  any threat and combat situation. Here countless captured 
  enemies and prisoners from across the Sector are penned in 
  place, surrounded with enormous ferro-crete walls that house 
  automated sentry guns and targeting servitors, and used in live 
  weapons training. The lowly wretches within live out their 
  dangerous, and often very short, lives perpetually rebuilding 
  the remnants of buildings and battleﬁelds, only to have them 
  destroyed anew each session. 
  Food and other essential supplies arrive at designated zones 
  within the complex, with little care given to rationing or the 
  maintenance of order among the conﬁned. This process has 
  resulted in the rise of ruthless individuals, who are able to 
  organise and intimidate prisoners into massive work gangs 
  to curry favour from their mechanical overseers. The Tech-
  Priests responsible for this labour force frequently encourage 
  such behaviour, often dropping additional supplies, such as 
  slightly higher quality protein-pastes and starch packs, as 
  motivation for exceptional productivity. Fighting amongst 
  these groups is quite common, and is believed to add to the 
  authenticity of the Legio’s training.
  DEFIANT TO THE LAST
  Princeps Senioris Lenodius von Maxilohv is the Princips 
  Majoris of Legio Venator and is over 250 standard years 
  old. His body is permanently conﬁned to his command 
  throne, an ornate brass device that contains the necessary 
  life-support systems and tox-scrubbers to keep him alive 
  and allow him to interface with his Titan’s machine 
  spirit. He retains only his head, right arm, and half of his 
  torso, following a stand-off with Titans of the Forsaken 
  Reavers Chaos Warband.
  During a clash against these foul raiders, Maxilohv 
  intercepted orbital surveillance that ﬁve of the Fallen 
  Engines were attempting to ﬂank the Imperial assault 
  through a canyon south of the battle. As the rest of his 
  command could not abandon this critical phase of the 
  attack, Maxilohv disengaged his Engine Imperialis Potestus 
  from the battle and challenged the enemy Titans alone.
  The canyon’s rock walls reportedly echoed with 
  the twisted scrapcode of the lead Chaos Warlord Titan 
  when the lone Imperial Engine encountered them, while 
  the meaning of Maxilohv’s brief reply burst is lost to 
  history. While the servants of Chaos could not all bring 
  their weapons to bear on him at once, neither could 
  they miss. Maxilohv’s Titan sustained massive damage 
  from the withering enemy ﬁre, including a direct hit 
  to his command bridge. Maintaining control of his 
  Titan through sheer force of will, Maxilohv continued 
  to engage the enemy despite his terrible injuries. Upon 
  seeing the ﬁnal Chaos Titan fall, Maxilohv ﬁnally lost 
  consciousness, and his Titan ground to a halt. Following 
  the battle, he was placed within the command throne he 
  currently occupies. After repairing his Titan, tech-rites 
  added the new honour to its glorious annals.
  
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  ���
  DIVISO PERDITUS PRINCEPS
  A Diviso Perditus Princeps embodies the Legio Venator’s 
  penchant for ensuring that every trace of the enemy has been 
  annihilated by ﬁre and death, regardless of the cost. Veterans 
  of many conﬂicts, these individuals elect to remove the parts 
  of their brain that house their slowly crumbling mental state, 
  and replace them with implants that maintain and enhance 
  their cognitive processes. This procedure obliterates the 
  Princeps’s own fracturing personality, instead allowing him 
  to direct his Engine’s spirit with cold and calculating logic. 
  However, with time, the continued melding with their 
  Engine’s predatory temperament gradually alters this emotional 
  void, creating individuals who believe that methodical and 
  overwhelming application of force is the only logical way 
  to ﬁght an enemy. Occasionally, the machine-spirit’s nature 
  also intrudes upon the Princeps’s mental consciousness, and 
  inﬂuence the Princeps to continue ﬁghting even when logic 
  would dictate withdrawing from a conﬂict. They are supremely 
  conﬁdent opponents, undaunted in the face of danger after 
  decades of wielding the power of a walking god.
  Diviso Perditus Princips
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  46
  40
  36
  38
  35
  40
  32
  50
  40
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 14
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Command (Fel) +10, Common Lore 
  (Machine Cult, War) (Int) +10, Common Lore (Imperium) 
  (Int), Dodge (Ag), Drive (Walker) (Ag) +20, Forbidden Lore 
  (Adeptus Mechanicus) (Int), Literacy (Int), Navigation (Int) 
  +10, Scholastic Lore (Legend) (Int), Scholastic Lore (Tactica 
  Imperialis) +20, Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Air of Authority, Ambidextrous, Autosanguine, 
  Blademaster, Combat Master, Deadeye Shot, Fearless, 
  Iron Discipline, Marksman, Meditation, Peer (Adeptus 
  Mechanicus), Sure Strike, Talented (Drive) (Walker), Two 
  Weapon Wielder (Ballistic), Wall of Steel.
  Traits: Inner Strength†.
  Armour: Best Quality Flak Vest (Body 4), Ceremonial Flak 
  Gauntlets (Arms 2).
  Weapons: Best Quality Power Sword (Melee; 1d10+9 E; Pen 
  6; Balanced, Power Field), Best Quality Mark IV Laspistol 
  (Pistol; 70m; S/2/–; 1d10+3 E; Pen 0; Clip 15; Reload Full; 
  Accurate, Reliable), Ceremonial Sword (Melee; 1d10+4: Pen 
  0; Balanced, Mono).
  Gear: 2 Charge Packs for Laspistol, Formal Dress Uniform, 
  MIU Cybernetic, Flask of Amasec, Dataslate, Micro-Bead, 
  Legio Encryption Crystal.
  †Inner Strength: A Titan Legion Princeps is possessed of a 
  mental strength rarely seen in human form. Legio Venator’s 
  history is full of accounts of these noble warriors ﬁghting on 
  through brute determination and stubbornness, when a lesser 
  man would have already perished from his injuries.
  During his turn, a Princeps may make a Challenging (+0) 
  Willpower Test to ignore the non-fatal effects of any critical 
  injuries until the end of his next turn. This trait can be used 
  multiple times, with each subsequent application increasing 
  the difﬁculty of the Willpower Test by one step.
  LEGIO VENATOR REDACTUS MODERATUS
  Moderatus is the term for the various crew members within 
  the command bridge, who maintain and monitor a Titan’s 
  vital and secondary systems during deployment. Their 
  labours supplement and facilitate the Princeps’ control of 
  the Titan, and allow him to focus on the battle itself. Within 
  the Legio Venator, the task of interacting with the Princeps 
  falls primarily to the Redactus Moderatus, who sits below 
  the command throne within every Titan command bridge. 
  These experienced individuals ﬁlter all the data and reports 
  of the other Moderatii, and relay any vital information into 
  the command throne’s cogitators via synaptic link. They are 
  essential members of every crew and often serve as advisor and 
  second-in-command to the Princeps. Redactus Moderatii also 
  ensure the survival of their commanding ofﬁcer, and each is 
  willing to sacriﬁce himself for his Legion and his Princeps.
  Legio Venator Redactus Moderatus
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  36
  40
  34
  36
  32
  40
  38
  40
  36
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 13
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Command (Fel) +10, Common 
  Lore (Machine Cult, War) (Int) +10, Common Lore (Imperium) 
  (Int), Dodge (Ag), Drive (Walker) (Ag) +10, Forbidden Lore 
  (Adeptus Mechanicus) (Int), Literacy (Int), Navigation (Int) 
  +10, Scholastic Lore (Legend) (Int), Scholastic Lore (Tactica 
  Imperialis) +10, Scrutiny (Per) +10, Tech-Use (Int) +10.
  Talents: Die Hard, Foresight, Heightened Senses (Sight), 
  Nerves of Steel, Technical Knock, Unshakeable Faith.
  Traits: As One†, Dark Sight, Loyalty Above All††.
  Armour: Best Quality Light Flak Coat (Body, Arms, Legs 3).
  Weapons: Legio Pattern Compact Lasgun (Basic; 70m; 
  S/4/–; 1d10+2 E; Pen 0; Clip 30; Reload Full; Accurate, 
  Compact, Reliable), Civitas Laspistol (Pistol; 25m; S/2/–; 
  1d10+1 E; Pen 0; Clip 25; Reload Full; Reliable), Ceremonial 
  Sword (Melee; 1d10+4: Pen 0; Balanced, Mono.)
  Gear: 2 Charge Packs for each weapon, Formal Dress Uniform, 
  MIU Cybernetic, Photo-Visor, Re-Breather, Injector, Stimm (Two 
  Doses), Auspex, Combi-Tool, Data-Slate, Micro-Bead.
  †As One: A Princeps and his Moderatii train extensively, 
  until each can anticipate the other’s moves and intentions 
  in almost any situation. This means that a Titan crew can 
  achieve a level of coordination rarely seen in unmodiﬁed 
  humans. A Moderatus may assist a member of his crew by 
  either automatically allowing him to lower the Difﬁculty of 
  a Skill Test by one step, or, rolling as normal to lower the 
  Difﬁculty by two steps. The normal limits on assisting another 
  individual still apply. This ability may be used a number of 
  times equal to the character’s Intelligence Bonus.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  ††Loyalty Above All: The Redactus Moderatii of Legio 
  Venator have a sworn duty to protect and serve their Princeps, 
  up to and including sacriﬁcing their own life for his safety. As 
  a reaction, a Moderatus may move a distance equal to his Half 
  Move Action in order to place himself between the Princeps 
  and a successful attack. The Moderatus automatically takes 
  any Damage that would have applied to the Princeps as a 
  consequence of this action, and the Princeps reduces his own 
  incoming Damage to zero.
  SHIELD WARDEN
  Shield Wardens are the elite guardians of Legio Venator, 
  whose sole responsibility is the defence of their assigned Titan 
  Engine from those who would do it harm from within. During 
  combat, each warden neurally links himself to the Titan’s hull 
  sensoria and integrity actuators. Here he remains, actively 
  monitoring the hull’s integrity and ready to quickly converge 
  upon any enemy incursion like the auto-immune cells of some 
  great beast. All wield deadly equipment speciﬁcally suited to 
  the conﬁned spaces of a Titan’s interior, and are physically 
  augmented using vat grown and synthetic muscle ﬁbres. Their 
  great shield’s rigid design makes use of the same material 
  as a Titan’s outer hull, and each is equipped with magnetic 
  punch-seals and pistons to create makeshift barricades and 
  temporary hull repairs. However, their most notable feature 
  is the Internal Injector Mass, a specialised implant within the 
  Shield Warden that uses stimulants and other chemicals to 
  turn this skilled soldier into an enraged bomb when close to 
  death, yet leave the Titan’s precious interior undamaged.
  Shield Warden
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  42
  45
  40
  55
  32
  36
  32
  40
  22
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 18
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Ciphers (War Cant) (Int), Climb 
  (S) +10, Common Lore (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int) +10, 
  Demolition (Int), Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) (Int), 
  Literacy (Int), Scrutiny (Per), Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Die Hard, Double 
  Team, Fearless, Frenzy, Hardy, Jaded, Mighty Shot, True Grit.
  Traits: A Good Death†, Darksight, Sturdy, Unnatural 
  Strength (x2).
  Armour: Custom Legio Flak Armour (All 5).
  Weapons: Expulsus Flamer (Basic; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; 
  Pen 3; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full; Flame) or Rend-Pattern Shotgun 
  (Basic; 40m; –/2/4; 1d10+5 I; Pen 0; Clip 30; Reload 1 
  Full; Scatter, Tearing) with Mono-Blade Attachment (Melee; 
  1d5+10 R, Pen 0; Mono), Flechette Charges (Grenade; 
  SBx3m; S/–/–; 1d10+6 X; Pen 0; Blast [3], Tearing), Shield 
  (Melee; 1d5+10 I: Pen 0; Defensive, Primitive).
  Gear: 2 Fuel Tanks (Worn on Back) or 3 Drum Magazines, 
  Cerebral Plugs, Custom Fitting Legio Uniform, Photo-Visor, 
  Recoil Gloves, Respirator Unit (Implant), Internal Injector 
  Mass and Charge, Micro-Bead.
  †A Good Death: True to the legion’s ideals, every Shield 
  Warden has a fail-safe device that activates via pre-set 
  subconscious triggers. The device lies near the cardiopulmonary 
  organ-cluster, and is capable of injecting a cocktail of combat 
  drugs and hormones that turn the Shield Warden into a suicidal 
  battering ram prior to detonation. When the Warden is reduced 
  to half his Toughness Bonus in Wounds, the Internal Injector 
  Mass activates. The Shield Warden then becomes Frenzied and 
  must pass a Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Check each round or 
  suffer cardiac arrest. If this happens, the IIM Implant detonates, 
  killing the Shield Warden and dealing damage according to the 
  following weapon proﬁle: (2d10 X; Pen 0; Blast [2], Tearing).
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The Acolytes’ Inquisitor has learned of a plot to 
  ��
  take the life of three inﬂuential members of Legio 
  Venator, which could prove a devastating blow to the 
  Titan Legion, and seriously compromise its morale 
  and combat capabilities. The Acolytes are tasked 
  with discovering who or what is behind this plot and 
  stopping it from occurring. However, there is suspicion 
  that the murderers have enlisted the aid of a traitor 
  within the Legio’s venerable ranks, and the Acolytes 
  must tread carefully lest they arouse the Legion’s ire.
  Within the walls of Perdition, a vessel of the Ruinous 
  ��
  Powers seeks to undermine the strength of the Legio 
  from within. The Princips Majoris fears that such an 
  attempt, if realised, could result in the destruction or 
  corruption of one or more of his valuable Titans and 
  their crews. However, the cost of purging their massive 
  training ground would be immeasurable. The Acolytes 
  must navigate the twisted and shattered wasteland of 
  Perdition, and discover the source of the unseen threat.
  A foul Chaos warband has emerged from the Warp 
  ��
  and fallen upon Opus Macharius with sudden and 
  insane fury, bringing with it hordes of Chaos troops 
  and even members of the feared Chaos Titan Legions. 
  Caught off-guard, the Legio is desperately scrambling 
  to recall its forces from across the Sector, and has 
  called upon anyone willing and able to aid them in 
  this time of need. The Acolytes must make their way 
  to the embattled forge world and tip the balance of this 
  bitter conﬂict in the Imperium’s favour. However, the 
  Acolytes soon discover that the master of this warband 
  has a secret agenda beyond simple destruction.
  
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  ���
  in his wisdom. Most have also continued the Mechanicus 
  practice of eschewing their biological bodies in favour of 
  mechanical upgrades, meaning that almost every individual 
  has at least minor augmentations. 
   The surviving refugees were forced to scavenge what they 
  needed to survive during Ryboth’s centuries-long isolation. 
  Luckily the planet’s surface, though dangerous, was often 
  accessible at night, while the intricate networks of maglev lines, 
  warrens, and passageways beneath the planet’s exterior provided 
  shelter and passage during the deadly daylight hours. These 
  tunnels are murky and perilous regions, where other, unknown 
  denizens and creatures escaped the radioactive ﬁres to gradually 
  evolve and adapt to prey on the unwary. Many channels 
  throughout Ryboth are large enough to accommodate massive 
  transports and gigantic maglev engines, meaning that untold 
  horrors of unnatural size frequently roam the darkness with 
  impunity. Some subterranean areas have even developed entire 
  ecosystems and individual climates, due to the unique nature of 
  the forges above and the events following the calamity.
  Many of the Priesthood of Mars managed to weather the 
  apocalypse, and continue to wield power and inﬂuence amongst 
  the remnants of the population. Some of these Tech-Priests seek 
  to regain Ryboth’s former splendour through reconstruction or 
  strength of arms. Others have forsaken the planet’s reclamation, 
  seeing it as a waste of their time and an inescapable eventuality. 
  These individuals turn their efforts towards more idiosyncratic 
  pursuits, spending much of their time scouring the waste for 
  whatever relics and lost pieces of Archeotech they can ﬁnd.
  RYBOTH
  “Amazing. On any other world, you couldn’t get within a standard 
  kilom of that thing. Here, no one’s around to stop us.”
  –Last words of Gurborz the Junker  
  (corpse segments still being recovered)
  In the Markayn Marches lies the ravaged planet of Ryboth. 
  Once a vital forge world dedicated to the veneration of the 
  Omnissiah, the planet is now a desolate, irradiated wasteland. 
  Its doom came in the form of a deadly and destructive gamma 
  ray burst, originating from the death of a nearby star. Ryboth’s 
  Fabricator, Legarius Hershtolt, was aware of the possibility of 
  this event via the observations of his Lexmechanics and Logis 
  Prophesiers. However, they calculated that the planet would 
  suffer no noticeable effects from this spectacular event, and 
  Hershtolt even decreed a grand logi-cant to supplicate the 
  Omnissiah for his guidance in the matter. 
  Instead of missing Ryboth, as the analyses projected, the 
  burst struck the planet with tremendous amounts of energy. 
  Any individuals on the surface were instantly killed as the 
  force of the burst peeled away layers of Ryboth’s protective 
  atmosphere, and the vulnerable planet below experienced 
  planet-wide increases in radiation levels. The manufactorums, 
  though offering limited protection due to their sheer size 
  and structural composition, were insufﬁcient to shield most 
  of their populations. Casualties were extremely high, and in 
  many places, total, as the survivors desperately sought shelter 
  and protection from the calamity engulﬁng their planet. 
  Ultimately, it was the heavy amount of airborne pollutants, 
  resulting from the industries of the Adeptus Mechanicus, that 
  saved the planet from complete devastation.
  Following a cessation in communications with the thriving 
  forge world, the Lathe-Covenant swiftly dispatched an 
  expedition to assess the fate of Ryboth. When the Explorators 
  arrived, they discovered dangerously high levels of radiation 
  emanating from the planet’s surface, as well as a dense ﬁeld of 
  orbital debris resulting from the destruction of Ryboth’s orbital 
  facilities. The leader of the expedition, Magos Explorator 
  Toborias, eventually decided that the most efﬁcient course 
  of action was to wait and observe until conditions stabilised 
  before beginning any reclamation efforts.
  OUT OF THE ASHES
  After over two centuries of isolation, the planet’s surface radiation 
  began to at last decrease, and members of the expedition ﬁnally 
  descended upon the planet’s surface. Once there, they found a 
  world littered with the mummiﬁed corpses of those who had 
  failed to reach the protection of the forges’ now crumbling 
  inner sanctums. Initially, it was thought that none survived the 
  radioactive purge of the planet’s inhabitants; however, the people 
  of Ryboth proved more resilient than anyone anticipated. 
  Whether through luck or adaptation, a number of the 
  planet’s natives managed to survive the catastrophe, and 
  even to rebuild parts of their shattered culture beneath the 
  ravaged surface. The surveyors from the Explorator ﬂeet 
  simply designated them Rusteks. These hardy survivors 
  continue to venerate the Omnissiah, and eagerly await the 
  day he once again reclaims their world and moulds it anew 
  
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  ���
  The use of servitors also survived the forge world’s 
  destruction. Following the cataclysm, the inhabitants managed 
  to salvage and repair many constructs, as well as acquire a 
  few new ones from off-world sources. Others are the product 
  of semi-operational servitor maintenance and construction 
  bays that continue to function due to the efforts of surviving 
  Artisans. These creations are crude when compared to those 
  of other Mechanicus holdings, their robust designs combining 
  salvaged and refurbished implants and simple neurological 
  modiﬁcations. Regardless of their origin, these unthinking 
  workers can be found in every settlement, and are as vital to 
  Ryboth’s inhabitants as those of other forge worlds.
  Unfortunately, there are those inhabitants who feel that 
  cooperation holds little value on a world such as Ryboth. Such 
  individuals readily kill and raid other survivors in order to obtain 
  valuable resources or unearthed treasures. Many lone members 
  of the Adeptus Mechanicus have also begun to descend on the 
  planet and ruthlessly scavenge any useful technologies they can 
  from its ruins. Though the risks of these endeavours are often 
  great, the rewards can be greater still.
  EMPIRES OF RUIN
  Two of the most well-known surviving Magos on Ryboth are 
  Magos Veserimus, former Master of Foundry MFS1249 and 
  keeper of six of the Twenty Seven Rites of Initialisation, and 
  Magos Gresix, the Lord of a Thousand Voices. These Magos 
  have managed to acquire and maintain power bases within 
  the ruins of the forge world, and both wield great inﬂuence 
  over the devastated planet. 
  Magos Veserimus has bent all his efforts towards uniting 
  the scattered survivors of Ryboth beneath the proper rule of 
  Mars. He is a staunch Magos Fidelis, and views the destruction 
  of Ryboth as vindication of his beliefs that the Lathe Worlds 
  have strayed from the true path. He attracts many followers 
  and his augmented forces are a crucial factor in the reclamation 
  of the lost world. Veserimus has even managed to restore a 
  fraction of his foundry, and subjects once again toil to forge 
  weapons of war beneath his cold and calculating guidance.
  Magos Gresix’s pursuits and ambitions are far less explicit than 
  those of Veserimus, and he seems to care little for the ultimate fate 
  of Ryboth. His domain, deep beneath the bowels of the massive 
  Manufactorums of Forge Secundus, is unique in functioning almost 
  exclusively with servitor labour. Those rare Rusteks encountered 
  beneath this hive are unusually reluctant to speak to outsiders, and 
  are careful to avoid being seen conversing in public. 
  Magos Gresix himself is never seen, choosing instead to 
  speak through his servitors, which have a curious manner of 
  echoing each other when conducting business transactions 
  for additional parts or subjects. No one is quite sure what 
  Magos Gresix does deep in his dark lair, though it is clear 
  that he trusts none save those slaved to his will. Whatever his 
  plans, all who dwell near Magos Gresix live in perpetual fear 
  of becoming unwitting participants in his designs.
  Of Hershtolt himself, there are few details following the 
  calamity. Before the burst hit, Forge Primoris automatically 
  locked down, while every defence system immediately 
  activated and brutally massacred the trapped menials and Tech-
  Priests alike. Since then, no one has been able to penetrate the 
  defences of the forge to ascertain the fate of the Fabricator. 
  The Lathe-Covenant cannot name a new Fabricator, as to 
  do so for any reason other than death or heresy requires 
  considerable many years of debate and decision-tree analysis. 
  Explorator Toborias remains obsessed with gaining access 
  to Forge Primoris, and is rumoured to trade handsomely for 
  information regarding its design and security protocols.
  THE RYBOTH SYSTEM
  The Ryboth system is small, containing only three 
  planets orbiting a dim yellow sun. These planets 
  include the small barren rock of Ryboth and the gas 
  giant MKZH-12, where the mining station Tranthos 
  Gamma hangs suspended in low orbit. Though Ryboth 
  is no longer the economic juggernaut it once was, the 
  system still boasts many intriguing features.
  When the Great Storm hit, Ryboth’s many orbital 
  docks and geosynchronous defence platforms were 
  caught completely unprepared. After the failure of their 
  void shields, cataclysmic system failure quickly followed 
  and extinguished all known life in orbit. The result is 
  an expanse of orbital debris that poses a grave hazard to 
  anyone trying to land on the planet’s surface. Worse still, 
  the innumerable hulks and ﬂoating wreckage provide 
  an ideal haven for piratical raiders and exiles, who 
  frequently prey on any ship foolish enough to venture 
  into the region without heavily armed escort.
  A small picket force of the Adeptus Mechanicus ﬂeet 
  once routinely patrolled Ryboth’s system and other nearby 
  Lathe holdings. While engaging their Warp drives for 
  a brief jump, the energy of the gamma ray burst swept 
  through the void and struck the ﬂeet. The ships immediately 
  disappeared into the Warp, and all contact with the ship’s 
  crews was lost. However, rumours of sightings and strange 
  occurrences lead many to believe that, though lost to the 
  Warp, the crew did not all perish.
  After the cataclysm of Ryboth, all contact with mining 
  station Tranthos Gamma ceased until the arrival of the 
  Explorator expedition. Though the station appeared 
  to have suffered no signiﬁcant damage from the event, 
  the crew was nowhere to be found. Mining operations 
  eventually resumed, though the current inhabitants must 
  often endure long periods of isolation as gases are shipped 
  to nearby forge worlds for reﬁnement and processing. 
  Tales of misfortune, crews going mad, disappearances, 
  recurrent freak accidents, and other, more sinister 
  occurrences are rife and keep the overseers busy within 
  the facility. However, despite these reports, the station 
  remains operational, and a vital holding for the Lathes.
  
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  EXPUNGED
  When the Great Storm struck the planet, many of the existing 
  Ryboth-pattern servitors escaped direct exposure, and only 
  suffered radiation damage to the task programming in their 
  circuit-engrams. These mindless menials often had their 
  programming partially erased or corrupted, leaving them 
  with many incomplete sub-routines and protocols, but also 
  reconﬁguring many of their neurologic-patterns into heuristic 
  directives their creators never envisioned. This fractured 
  cognitive state left many unable to cope with the hostile 
  environment they now inhabit. Those who did not perish 
  now wander the wastes. Some mindlessly continue their task, 
  but others roam the landscape seeking basic guidelines for 
  existence, something they can neither identify nor recognise, 
  and that would surely horrify the Mechanicum. 
  Expunged
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  35
  —
  60
  40
  28
  10
  20
  40
  ––
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
   
  Wounds: 15
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10.
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Crushing Blow, Fearless, Heightened 
  Senses (Vision).
  Traits: Dark Sight, Fragmented Programming†, Machine (4), 
  Mechanicus Implants, Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (x2).
  Armour: Machine (4 All).
  Weapons: Integrated Servo Fist (Melee; 1d10+6 I; Pen 6), 
  Integrated Chain Blade (Melee; 1d5+9 R; Pen 2; Tearing), or 
  Breacher (Melee; 1d10+11 R; Pen 4; Tearing).
  Gear: Internal micro-bead (Damaged).
  †Fragmented Programming: Whenever an Expunged is 
  encountered, the GM may either roll a d10 and consult the list 
  below, or select an appropriate cognitive state for the servitor.
  01–02 Preoccupied:
  ��
   The Expunged is ﬁxated on performing 
  a routine task and stops at nothing to accomplish it. This task 
  may include such things as: stacking boxes, walking forward, 
  endlessly banging on a door, or any other simple and/or 
  nonsensical task. If the servitor is obstructed from performing 
  his task, he gains the Frenzy Talent until either the impediment 
  is removed or he is destroyed.
  03–04 Helpful:
  ��
   The Expunged has a damaged authority 
  parameter and task-codes, making it automatically attempt 
  to aid the ﬁrst living thing it comes across, in accordance 
  with the capabilities of its speciﬁc pattern. The servitor 
  binds itself to the ﬁrst Acolyte who interacts with it, 
  obeying only his commands and acting against anyone 
  who would harm that character. 
  05–06 Confused:
  ��
   The servitor has lost its self-identiﬁcation 
  subroutines, meaning it no longer knows its own original 
  load out or capabilities. Instead, the servitor’s damaged 
  cogitators have attempted to reconstruct its subroutines, and 
  so while it acts as if it was competent to perform assigned 
  duties, it actually is not. This deﬁciency might not be noticed 
  for some time, depending on the nature of its assignment. 
  07–09 Murderous: 
  ��
  The directives are so twisted that the 
  servitor sees all non-servitors as threats to his nonexistent 
  masters, relentlessly attacking his victims on sight. The 
  Expunged gains the Frenzy Talent and Charges any living 
  creature without the Machine Trait he sees, and continues to 
  attack until he loses sight of his opponent(s).
  10 Questing:
  ��
   The servitor’s programming has been 
  deleted or was never fully implanted, and its mind is a 
  “Blank Slate” that it is attempting to ﬁll. This servitor 
  disturbingly behaves in a child-like manner, and aids the 
  Acolytes if they help it (such as mending its wounds or 
  repairing faulty augmetics), but defends itself if attacked 
  in any way (including attempts at reprogramming). 
  RUSTEKS
  Rusteks are the descendants of Ryboth’s menials who managed 
  to survive the “Reforging” and the cruel barren wasteland that 
  resulted. Scavenging crude or recycled bionic implants from 
  across the wastes, these hardy remnants maintain their faith in the 
  Omnissiah as they eke out a squalid existence amidst the ruins of 
  the once great foundries. They hold cortex implants in especially 
  high regard as connections to the knowledge of the distant past, 
  and many are passed down from generation to generation within 
  family groups. This practice often has unintended side-effects, 
  however, as some implants have rather undesirable legacies.
  Rustek
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  20
  20
  40
  40
  20
  25
  30
  25
  20
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
   
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Carouse (T), Common Lore (Machine 
  Cult) (Int), Common Lore (Tech) (Int), Search (Per), Speak 
  Language (Low Gothic) (Int).
  Talents: Hardy, Resistance (Radiation).
  Armour: None.
  Weapons: Manipulator Claw (Melee; 1d5+5 I; Pen 0), Poor 
  Quality Stub Revolver (Pistol; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+3 I; Pen 
  0; Clip 6; Reload 2 Full).
  Gear: 12 Stub bullets, Ragged Robes, Salvaged Parts.
  Hand-Me-Downs: Many of the salvaged cerebral implants 
  frequently endure mistreatment, traumatic deaths, and other 
  damaging events. Whenever Testing to improve a Rustek’s 
  Disposition, there is a 25% chance that his Cerebral Implant 
  instead malfunctions or projects a dormant personality. When 
  this happens, the GM should randomly determine a new Base 
  Disposition and adjust it accordingly, using the rules on page 
  230 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  THE TARNISHED
  The Tarnished are raiders and murderers who use their skills 
  and knowledge of technology to further their own personal 
  gain. Though they still worship the Omnissiah, these 
  individuals beseech him for wealth and destruction instead of 
  knowledge. They view the Omnissiah as a granter of power 
  and fortune, whose divine will manifests in the destructive 
  power of their weapons and the performance of their 
  equipment. These ruthless degenerates frequently undergo 
  rudimentary and unorthodox augmentations, using salvaged 
  cybernetics and jury-rigged components in order to enhance 
  their combat effectiveness. They believe such acts allow them 
  to directly channel the Machine God’s favour. These barbaric 
  marauders respect only strength and violence, with only the 
  greatest warriors among them attaining positions of power.
  Tarnished Raider
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  22
  24
  38
  42
  32
  45
  38
  41
  22
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
   
  Wounds: 13
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Carouse (T), Common Lore (Tech) 
  (Int), Dodge (Ag), Drive (Ground Vehicle) (Ag) +10, Gamble 
  (Int), Intimidate (S), Search (Per), Survival (Int) +10, Speak 
  Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Tech-use (Int) +10.
  Talents: 
  Hardy, 
  Resistance 
  (Radiation), 
  Sprint,  
  Unshakeable Faith.
  Traits: Mechanicus Implants.
  Armour: Composite Armour (Arms 2, Body 3, Legs 3).
  Weapons: Manipulator Claw (Melee; 1d10+5 I; Pen 0), 
  Servo-Claw (Melee; 1d10+10 I; Pen 4; Tearing, Unwieldy), or 
  Integrated Arc-Welder (Melee; 1d10 +5 E; Pen 10; Unwieldy), 
  Poor Quality Stub Automatic (Pistol; 30m; S/3/–; 1d10+3 I; 
  Pen 0; Clip 9; Reload Full; Unreliable), Laslock (Basic; 70m; 
  S/–/– 1d10+4 E; Pen 0; Clip 1; Reload Full; Unreliable) or 
  Poor Quality Autogun (Basic; 90m; S/3/10 I; 1d10+3 I; Pen 
  0; Clip 30; Reload Full; Unreliable).
  Gear: 12 Stub Bullets, 10 Charge Packs, or 2 Autogun Clips; 
  Salvaged Parts.
  Omnissiah’s Favour: The Tarnished believe that they are the 
  Omnissiah’s true servants on Ryboth, often hurling themselves 
  into battle with reckless abandon and trusting in the will of 
  the Machine God to grant them victory. During Combat, a 
  Tarnished may make an Ordinary (+10) Willpower Test 
  which, if successful, grants the character +10 to his next 
  Attack roll. This ability may be used a number of times equal 
  to the character’s Willpower Bonus.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  Somewhere, buried deep beneath the planet’s surface, 
  ��
  lies a powerful machine-spirit that appears to have gone 
  insane, possibly due to mutated scrapcode-replications 
  the Great Storm created. It has even begun to transmit 
  its madness to other machines, and infect their spirits as 
  well. Explorator Toborias has learned of this wayward 
  spirit, and requested that the Acolytes silence it before it 
  becomes one of the feared Abominable Intelligences.
  Before its destruction, the manufactorums of Forge 
  ��
  Primoris were close to beginning production on 
  an advanced prototype weapon. Unfortunately, the 
  template for its construction was lost in the cataclysm 
  that consumed Ryboth centuries ago. However, a 
  rumour is circulating that the template has resurfaced 
  in the wastes, and the Acolytes must recover this sacred 
  artefact before it falls into the wrong hands.
  Mining station Tranthos Gamma is an unhallowed 
  ��
  and unlucky post amongst the many holdings of the 
  Lathe Worlds. While overseers are quick to quash any 
  insubordinate thoughts, the high number of accidents and 
  strange occurrences amongst the station’s dark corridors 
  and endless mazes of maintenance ducts has become 
  noticeable. The Acolytes are to make their way to Tranthos 
  Gamma to investigate the matter, not knowing the mutated 
  horrors that they will ﬁnd lurking in the cold darkness. 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  SHEOL 17
  “Me? I hope to never set foot upon that accursed rock again. It’s all 
  that damned scuttling. Every day, every minute, and deep down you 
  just know they are watching you.”
  –Derjek Varn, Rating aboard the Drusine Wanderer
  In a far-ﬂung asteroid belt, orbiting a lonely star with no name, 
  resides the infamous prison complex known as Sheol 17. A 
  ferrous mass encompasses this foreboding, black spire, which 
  uses a network of massive support struts and enormous fasteners 
  to anchor its great bulk. A tangled maze of pipes and cables 
  swathes the entire structure, and evokes images of a great spider 
  nest in the boughs of a gnarled, black tree. Within this ominous 
  web, hanging like bulbous egg sacs in the void, are clusters 
  of Conﬁnement Units, any of which houses up to a thousand 
  recidivists and malefactors. From across the Sector and beyond 
  they come, each a special prisoner of the Lathes, condemned for 
  crimes against the Machine God, each with secrets that the Lathes 
  demand be revealed. For them, there is no simple execution or 
  Servitude—they must face Sheol 17 instead. 
   THE RITES OF INFORMATION EXTRACTION
  Upon arrival, the Tech-Priests of Sheol 17 strip prisoners of 
  any nonessential cybernetic implants and inter them in arcane 
  life-support chambers known as Expurgation Bays. Here they 
  remain in a chemically induced coma, while canted supplications 
  to the Omnissiah and condemnations of those who violate his 
  doctrines bombard their minds and cogitators.
  The Expurgation Bays routinely interrupt this ﬁtful slumber in 
  order to probe the accused for any damning or useful information. 
  To this end, in addition to life-support systems, each chamber 
  contains an Explication Array. This device inﬂicts tortuous pain, 
  discomfort, and despair on the helpless subject within, while 
  the chamber’s automated life support systems ensure that the 
  prisoner is spared the mercy of death. The Archivids, spindly 
  constructs that resemble the arachnids of ancient Terra, eagerly 
  oversee the routine ministrations of these sinister implements. 
  These servitors record all utterances, biological or cybernetic 
  responses, and synaptic ﬂuctuations in exhaustive detail on data 
  scrolls that feed perpetually from their distended torsos. 
  The Explication Arrays are also capable of interfacing with 
  any implanted cogitator systems and memory coils, ruthlessly 
  stripping every bit of cognitive data from the subject’s 
  augmented cortex. Data-factorisers, code scrubbers, and other 
  harvesting protocols thoroughly examine all inloaded data for 
  virulent scrap code, corrupt memory ﬁles, and other detrimental 
  information. If any security protocols and sub-routines within 
  the Heretek’s mind try to resist, logic-cants, cipher-shunts, 
  and cognitive-fractors relentlessly disassemble them until no 
  pre-programmed resistance remains. This process of forcefully 
  retrieving data from an augmented brain is absolutely 
  excruciating to the condemned, but the Archivids are unable to 
  respond to such factors, only to record the data acquired.
  Subjects who prove particularly resistant to the blessed 
  mechanisms within the Expurgation Bays disappear into the 
  spire itself, where they fall beneath the ministrations of the 
  Magos Interrogus and his Excruciator Servitors. These macabre 
  Tech-Priests excel at peeling away lies and extracting the truth 
  from the most unwilling of subjects. Meanwhile, the Excruciator 
  Servitors continuously monitor the vital biological and synaptic 
  functions of the unfortunate specimen, while applying even more 
  agonising tools, chemicals, and inducements to his unyielding 
  ﬂesh. Together, these servants of the Omnissiah exploit every 
  nerve, synapse, circuit, and servo within their victim’s body to 
  the greatest possible effect, bringing the accused to the very 
  limits of sanity and sentience.
  When the Archivids obtain a pre-set amount of data, they 
  convey it to the Vault of Censure, at the deepest point beneath 
  the spire, for partitioning, analysis, and archiving. This agonising 
  process continues until every last byte of incriminating data 
  from the condemned resides in the vault. Once certainty is 
  achieved, the Cleansing Pits receive the prisoners and grant 
  them their absolution: ﬁnal death, or life as a servitor. 
  Sheol 17 hosts diligent coteries of Tech-Priests who 
  continuously toil to create servitors for a myriad of functions. 
  Endlessly they prod and cut, graft and splice, commonly 
  using the condemned as unwilling test subjects for novel or 
  more efﬁcient servitor patterns. Such things constitute the 
  ﬁnal experiences of the Hereteks on Sheol 17, before their 
  brain ceases to register such trivialities as conscious thought, 
  and Sheol’s rune of a cog within a cog is branded into their 
  ﬂesh. While the ranks of arachnoid Archivids and specialised 
  Excruciator Servitors claim many recidivists on Sheol 17, a 
  select few serve their penance as one of the infamous Murder-
  Servitors, who seek nothing more than to rend the ﬂesh of their 
  victims, and drag the shredded corpses back to their masters.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  ARCH-HERETEK
  The Adeptus Mechanicus considers many paths of knowledge 
  and discovery to be heretical in the eyes of the Omnissiah. To 
  pursue such paths risks inviting the wrath of the Priesthood 
  of Mars, and many worlds and systems have burned for the 
  transgressions of a misguided few. However, there are those 
  amongst the Lathe Worlds who have chosen to eschew these 
  restrictions. These fallen members of the Mechanicum are 
  known as Hereteks, and they pursue technology and knowledge 
  without restraint, delving deep into studies of xenos technology, 
  the Warp, and other forbidden topics. They are incredibly 
  dangerous individuals whose heretical beliefs undermine the 
  very foundations of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Many spend 
  their ﬁnal days imprisoned on Sheol 17, but some manage to 
  escape, or even set up their own secluded lairs within the nearby 
  asteroids where they plot to free more of their tech-brethren. 
  Arch-Heretek
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  42
  45
  48
  45
  30
  50
  35
  40
  32
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 15
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Charm (Fel), Common Lore 
  (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int) +10, Common Lore (Underworld) 
  (Int), Deceive (Fel), Disguise (Fel), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore 
  (Heresy, Adeptus Mechanicus, Any One) (Int), Intimidation 
  (S), Literacy (Int), Scholastic Lore (Occult) (Int) +10, Scrutiny 
  (Per), Secret Tongue (Tech) (Int), Speak Language (Low 
  Gothic), Tech-Use (Int) +10.
  Talents: Binary Chatter, Die Hard, Feedback Screech, Mighty 
  Shot, Nerves of Steel, Paranoia, Resistance (Fear, Psychic 
  Powers), Strong Minded, Technical Knock, Warped Logic†.
  Traits: Mechanicus Implants.
  Armour: Flak Robes (3 All).
  Weapons: Hellpistol (Pistol; 35m; S/2/–; 1d10+3 I; Pen 
  3; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full), Mono-Blade (Melee; 1d5+4 R; 
  Pen 0; Mono).
  Gear: 3 Charge Packs, Cerebral Plugs, Data-Slate, MIU, 
  Personal Auspex, Utility Mechadendrite with Mono-Blade 
  Attachment plus any other suitable Implants.
  † Warped Logic: Those who study the forbidden secrets of 
  the universe often ﬁnd their minds opened to new perspectives 
  that inspire irrational and twisted logical threads and theories. 
  A gifted few are even able to convey their ideas to others, 
  sowing seeds of doubt and corruption in new and fertile 
  ground. An Arch-Heretek may substitute his Intelligence 
  Bonus in place of his Fellowship Bonus when using either 
  Charm or Deceive to compel an individual to do something 
  they would not otherwise be inclined to do. If the Test is 
  successful, the target acquires 1d5 Corruption Points. This 
  ability may be used a number of times equal to the Arch-
  Heretek’s Intelligence Bonus.
  SHEOL-PATTERN MURDER SERVITOR
  Sheol 17 is just one of many facilities where those who have 
  committed offences against the Omnissiah ﬁnd absolution as 
  one of the skull-masked killing machines known as Murder 
  Servitors. The Sheol-Pattern, adapted for use within the 
  conﬁnes of the remote prison complex, is unique in that it 
  utilises a powerful solvent weapon, capable of stripping away 
  organic matter without harming the station’s many vital 
  systems. Though some of these twisted ﬁends prowl other 
  Mechanicus holdings, most remain on Sheol 17 to form a 
  deadly line of defence against potential prison breaks and 
  trespassers within the facility. Brandishing gleaming mono-
  talons and deadly Viscerator-limbs, they ceaselessly stalk their 
  designated domains, relentlessly searching for any signs of life. 
  After locating prey, they attack in a savage orgy of rending and 
  slashing, sadistically reducing their quarry to bloody tatters.
  Sheol-Pattern Murder Servitor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (10)
  55
  36
  42
  50
  44
  20
  40
  40
  ––
  Movement: 8/16/24/48  
  Wounds: 14
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) 
  +20, Concealment (Ag) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Search (Per) 
  +10, Silent Move (Ag) +20, Tracking (Int) +20.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Berserk Charge, Crippling Strike, 
  Crushing Blow, Frenzy, Lightning Reﬂexes, Step Aside, Swift 
  Attack, Two Weapon Wielder (Melee).
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Dark Sight, Improved Natural 
  Weapons, Machine (3), Multiple Arms, Unnatural Speed, 
  Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2). 
  Armour: Armour Plates and Machine Body (All 3).
  Weapons: Mono-talons (Melee; 1d10+10 R; Pen 2; Razor 
  Sharp), Viscerator-limb (Melee; 1d10+14 R; Pen 2; Tearing, 
  Unbalanced), Bio-solvent Jet (Basic; 15m; S/–/–; 1d10+4 E; 
  Pen 2; Clip 8; Reload 2 Full; Flame†, Toxic).
  Gear: Micro-bead, Photo-visor.
  †The weapon uses this Trait only for attack effect purposes, but does 
  not set targets on Fire. 
  CAPTIVE SOULS
  There are whispers of Expurgation Bays hidden within 
  the deepest crevices of Sheol 17 that contain Hereteks 
  who display blasphemous and unsanctioned psychic 
  abilities. These cells supposedly harness technology of 
  a forgotten age, and are said to resonate with the moans 
  and cries of the souls within. Scattered accounts of these 
  devices tell of unexplained power ﬂuctuations, invisible 
  forces hurling objects about, and sudden visions of death, 
  destruction, and madness. Perhaps most disturbing of all 
  are the descriptions, of the sickly glow surrounding the 
  bays themselves and of ﬂeeting impressions of tortured, 
  screaming faces upon their metal shells.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  EXCRUCIATOR SERVITOR
  These specialised constructs serve as aides to the dreaded 
  Magos Interrogus of Sheol 17. Each Excruciator Servitor 
  is able to monitor prisoner vital signs, as well as assist in 
  any necessary triage. These automatons also wield ﬁendish 
  modiﬁcations called Excruciator Arrays, ghastly devices 
  capable of inﬂicting all manner of pain and torture on their 
  victims. Tirelessly, they serve the Magos Interrogus in their 
  grisly work, heedless to cries of pain and pleas for mercy.
  Excruciator Servitor
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  —
  40
  50
  20
  20
  20
  30
  ––
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
   
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Interrogation (S) +20, Medicae (Int) +20.
  Talents: Master Chirurgeon.
  Traits: Improved Natural Weapons, Machine (4). 
  Armour: Machine (4 All).
  Weapons: Excruciatus Array† (Melee; 1d5+8 R; Pen 2; 
  Special, Tearing, Toxic).
  Gear: Internal Micro-Bead (to receive/relay instructions only).
  †Excruciatus Array: This specialised implant includes a 
  host of horriﬁc interrogation tools, all grafted directly onto 
  the servitor’s arms. Normally applied with surgical precision 
  to a victim’s unwilling ﬂesh, these tools can also be used as 
  debilitating weapons should the need arise. When using an 
  Excruciatus Array in combat, any Wound that deals at least 
  one point of Damage, after taking into account Armour and 
  Toughness Bonuses, causes the target to suffer Blood Loss.
  ARCHIVID
  Archivids are one of Hasrix’s proudest designs. Each spindly 
  creation is roughly one metre long, with a ﬂeshy body, three 
  pairs of articulated cybernetic legs, and trailing scrolls of data 
  relating to their numerous charges. Archivids freely roam the 
  station, quickly scaling the winding walls and ceilings of 
  the station’s irregular interior with ease. They seem to take 
  a distinct pleasure in administering to their captive wards, 
  tittering with excitement as they cluster around any active 
  bays to record the results of their labours.
  Archivid
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  32
  40
  40
  30
  10
  36
  30
  ––
  Movement: 6/12/18/36  
  Wounds: 10
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) +20, Dodge (Ag) 
  +20, Lip Reading (Per) +10, Silent Move (Ag).
  Talents: Electrical Succour, Hard Target, Swift Attack.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Improved Natural Weapons, Machine (3), 
  Quadruped (6 legs), Size (Scrawny).
  Armour: Machine (3 All).
  Weapons: Torso-Mounted Compact Webber (Exotic; 25m; 
  S/–/–; Dam 0; Pen 0; Clip 10; Reload 2 Full; Blast [5], 
  Snare), Servo-Fist (Melee; 1d10+4 I, Pen 2).
  Gear: Cerebral Plugs, Auger Arrays, Internal Micro-Bead (to 
  receive/relay instructions only), MIU, Ammo Hopper Equivalent 
  to 10 clips of Webber Ammo, Scrolls, Implanted Auto-quills.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The Conclave has learned of a possible attempt to rescue 
  ��
  a known heretek from the prison of Sheol 17. There is 
  also reason to believe that recidivist agents hidden within 
  the facility are responsible, and this dangerous radical 
  will undoubtedly aid them in their diabolical ends. The 
  Acolytes must inﬁltrate the prison without alerting the 
  unknown traitors, and bring the conspirators to justice.
  A new prisoner has just arrived on Sheol 17 for 
  ��
  processing. However, the Calixian Conclave wants the 
  prisoner as part of their own investigation, and it is up 
  to the Acolytes to retrieve him. Perhaps he is actually a 
  double agent, or he has information that the Inquisition 
  doesn’t want to disappear into the vault. Unfortunately 
  for the Acolytes, the Lords Dragon look unfavourably 
  on any outside interference in their affairs.
  The Inquisitor has intercepted a secret transmission from 
  ��
  Sheol 17, indicating a mass escape. All attempts to raise 
  the Arch-Magos have failed, and no Lathe World forces 
  are close enough to assist. The Inquisitor has ordered the 
  Acolytes to make for Sheol 17 and prevent the dangerous 
  radicals within from escaping. However, the Acolytes soon 
  discover that the events on Sheol 17 have farther reaching 
  consequences than they could possibly imagine.
  WEBS OF INTRIGUE
  The Overseer of Sheol 17, Arch-Magos Aracdis Hasrix, 
  is a shadowy ﬁgure within the Lathe Worlds hierarchy. 
  For centuries, the reclusive keeper of this prison has 
  dwelt within his spire, jealously guarding his position 
  and the secrets of his inner sanctum. The Archivids 
  throughout the facility are said to mirror his own 
  unique modiﬁcations, the most prominent of which are 
  the mechadendrites which sprout from his back and 
  torso. These powerful cybernetics resemble the legs of 
  some great insect, and are easily capable of conveying 
  the Arch-Magos throughout his domain.
  Hasrix is a very inﬂuential ﬁgure in Lathe World 
  politics, with strong contacts in both the Lathe-Covenant 
  and the Lords Dragon. Some suspect that his reach may 
  even extend into the ranks of the Calixian Conclave 
  itself, and rumours of the dreaded Black Ships hanging 
  suspended in geostationary orbit near the spire are 
  common. Whether or not Arch-Magos Hasrix stands to 
  gain from these clandestine transactions remains to be 
  seen. The Overseer of Sheol 17 continues his position and 
  status, and any allegations that he takes too personal an 
  interest in his mysterious vault or inquiries concerning his 
  other questionable pursuits, have remained unproved.
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  THE VOCA CONSENSIO
  “We had been on the front lines for nearly sixty days, and I just 
  wanted to sleep. If you are caught missing a morale concert it is ten 
  lashes and days in the hole, though. By the end of it, I was ready to 
  head back to the line and take the ﬁght to those heretical scum. None 
  of us can wait for the next one. The songs still ring in my mind...”
  –Guardsman Gilbert Vires, along the Kuluth battlefronts
  Any good leader knows that when handling a crisis, morale can 
  make or break a group. Whether trying to make manufactorum 
  goals so the planet can pay its Imperial tithe, or waging a pitched 
  battle against the forces of Chaos itself, even the Tech-Priests of 
  the Adeptus Mechanicus realise that for those still weak with 
  ﬂesh, morale is often just as important as their equipment or battle 
  stratagems. The toils of such undertakings can be psychologically 
  draining for those not blessed with True Knowledge, and even the 
  best of these men can ﬁnd themselves failing in their duty. During 
  these times, a good leader looks to improve morale so that their 
  goals can be reached, even though such weakness might appear 
  anathema to proper Mechanicus behaviour. Sometimes this can 
  mean time for recuperate, other times it can be offering more 
  rewards to those who survive, or even simple, crude punishment 
  until spirits achieve proper levels of enthusiasm. Much thought 
  went into this process amongst the Tech-Priests of Calixis, in 
  order to improve the efﬁciency of those without proper emotional 
  control augmentation. Whilst others in the Sector might rely 
  on unreliable Adeptus Ministorum sermons, the impassioned 
  speeches of planetary Governors, or the threats of Commissars, 
  the Tech-Priests turned to more pure methods. 
  While other methods rely on faith to improve morale, the 
  Cult Mechanicus instead rely on technology and new melodious 
  hymns to the Omnissiah. Many within the Mechanicus are not 
  yet completely unfeeling and even the most enhanced Fabricator 
  may appreciate the mathematical precision of instrument and 
  voice combined in song. So the Adeptus Mechanicus, in order 
  to raise morale in the Sector, have created a travelling choir to 
  visit worlds across the Sector. 
   The Voca Consensio is both the vessel and the huge but 
  portable musical device, a choir and orchestra that consists 
  of one hundred and ﬁfty servitors, one hundred who have 
  been modiﬁed to be instruments, and ﬁfty who have been 
  altered to have perfect singing voices. These servants of the 
  Omnissiah have been overhauled and calibrated to make the 
  best possible performers in the Sector. Vocal servitors have had 
  their larynx and vocal cords replaced with the best cybernetics 
  available, while their lips, tongues, and palates have been 
  augmented with enhanced and reﬁned vat grown musculature. 
  Their gilded skins shimmer with metallic oils, reﬂecting on 
  cranial masses of artiﬁcial follicles that sway in time with the 
  songs. Over one hundred thousand different pieces of music, 
  Imperial Marches, hymns, cants, and odes have been laid 
  into the servitors’ minds via cortex implants. Instrumentalists 
  have had their reconstructed instruments implanted and their 
  bodies redesigned, with Manipulator Mechadendrites and 
  cybernetic respiratory systems added to allow them to play 
  with mathematical precision. Flocks of vat-cherubs also dance 
  in the air, their acoustically refractive bodies and wings moving 
  to maximise each harmony. The encompassing walls are layered 
  with endless rows of statuary and ornamentation, from mythic 
  gargoyles to icons of the Angevin Crusade, all echoing with sub-
  sonic themes. The arc-candelabras and ﬂoating lumens pulse 
  and ﬂicker their electric ﬂames with each verse, strengthening 
  song with light. When silent, this cathedral to song still makes 
  for a wondrous panorama that most would believe not possible 
  for the Cult Mechanicus to conceive, let alone produce. Even 
  those opposed to the lack of unaugmented humans within the 
  process to allow for “true depth of feeling” must admit that he 
  result is perfection in all measurable aspects.
  The Voca Consensio was once part of a large Explorator ﬂeet used 
  to ﬁnd new forge worlds. Now the Mechanicum uses this ancient 
  vessel in a most profound but unusual way. To keep these amazing 
  gifts to the Machine God in top shape, a host of Enginseers and 
  logisticians are kept on board, not only to maintain the ship 
  but also to keep its glorious melodium performing at maximum 
  efﬁciency. Few realise that this programme is measured in more 
  than mere morale improvement. 
  The process of altering servitors to perform such tasks is, of 
  itself, a tremendous endeavour, but there are stories heard long 
  after the planets have been visited that seem to indicate the 
  Voca Consensio is something more. The idea of using subliminal 
  conditioning is nothing new, and these are readily detectable in 
  the glorious songs it produces. These stories, though, speak of 
  using the Voca Consensio not to add glory to the Emperor, but to 
  turn Mankind to the whims and desires of the Cult Mechanicus. 
  There are rumours of deeply hidden sub-harmonic datastreams 
  embedded within choral beatitudes, algorythmic engravings 
  tied to certain repetitive melodies, and even hypno-gestures 
  
  ����������������������������
  ���
  attached to the swaying of the performing servitors, that 
  turn the choir and orchestra into an enslavement tool for the 
  Machine God. No ﬁrm proof has come to light, though many 
  still investigate both the ship and its captain, a Tech-Priest once 
  disgraced, but now ascendant, named Lexel Cantus.
  FABRICATOR MAGOS LEXEL CANTUS, 
  CAPTAIN OF THE VOCA CONSENSIO
  Magos Cantus hails from Lathe–Het, and, from early on, his 
  career focused on research in cybernetic augmentation and 
  programming. His rise through the ranks was suddenly stalled, 
  and rumours began to circulate that he was using forbidden 
  xenos technologies in his work. These rumours, whether true 
  or not, quickly led to Cantus being ostracised and exiled from 
  the Lathes. Supposedly, Cantus came close to being branded as a 
  heretek, but suspicious ties to those within the Covenants spared 
  him from such a fate. He barely managed to obtain passage on an 
  outgoing vessel, limping from the system in a sad, near derelict 
  craft, barely able to break orbit, let alone go into Warp. 
  Cantus was nothing if not driven, though, and within ﬁve 
  years the Magos had not only rebuilt the Voca Consensio back to 
  its original speciﬁcations, he had also upgraded it with enhanced 
  auspex arrays, more efﬁcient plasma conduits for its engines, and 
  other experimental modiﬁcations that bordered on blasphemy. It is 
  said that while Cantus was improving its Astropathic Imaginarium, 
  the Fabricator of the Lathes had his great moment of awakening, 
  and saw the potential for a group of voices to bring the true light 
  of the Omnissiah to the Sector, as well as more practical pursuits. 
  And so the fallen Tech-Priest was recalled to duty. 
  Now Cantus leads an entire battalion of Tech-Priests in the 
  operation and upkeep of the Voca Consensio, both the craft and 
  the choir. Their hidden work ensures that wherever it goes, the 
  glory of the Omnissiah rises to new heights, and throngs ﬂock 
  to join the Machine Cult. Those who work with Cantus ﬁnd him 
  to be singularly obsessed, working only to bring his choir to as 
  many souls as possible within the Sector. There are some who 
  think this may be the way that Cantus can ﬁnd his way back to 
  his former status within the Lathes. There are others, however, 
  that whisper something much darker. They believe that Cantus 
  is not just working to come back to the fold of the Lathes, he is 
  attempting to become High Fabricator. His rise in prominence 
  has not gone unnoticed, and those still remembering his earlier 
  heresies claim that he is using the Voca Consensio to bring the 
  masses under his sway, and have them march on Castellar and 
  his Brazen Guard. Their minds held under even deeper layers 
  of hypno-programming, these weak sheep stay enthralled to 
  Cantus’ song until the time is right for rebellion. Whispers are 
  gathering across the Lathes that to listen to the Voca Consensio is 
  to lose one’s very mind and soul, not to the Omnissiah, but to 
  Cantus. The target of these accusations disputes it all, blaming 
  it on envious lesser beings, and, so far, no real evidence has 
  come out to dissuade the rulers of the Lathes from continuing 
  this highly successful programme. 
  Fabricator Magos Lexel Cantus
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  35
  30
  28
  45
  32
  48
  44
  52
  29
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
   
  Wounds: 15
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Command (Fel), Common 
  Lore (Machine Cult, Tech) (Int), Dodge (Ag), Forbidden Lore 
  (Archeotech, Adeptus Mechanicus, Heresy, Xenos) (Int) +10, 
  Literacy (Int), Logic (Int) +10, Medicae (Int), Search (Per), Speak 
  Language (High Gothic, Low Gothic), Tech Use (Int) +10.
  Talents: Autosanguine, Binary Chatter, Chem Geld, Concealed 
  Cavity, Die Hard, Electrical Succor, Electro Graft Use, Energy 
  Cache, Foresight, Independent Targeting, Logis Implant, 
  Mechadendrite Use, Prosanguine, Resistance (Fear, Psychic 
  Powers), Rite of Fear, Sound Constitution, Total Recall.
  Armour: Carapace Armour (5 All).
  Weapons: Laspistol (30m; S/–/–; 1d10+2E; Pen 0; Reliable), 
  Mechanicus Power Axe (Melee; 1d10+5E; Pen 6; Power Field).
  Gear: Mechanicus robes (Good Quality Clothing), bionic 
  arm, auger arrays, Good Quality cybernetic eyes, Optical and 
  Utility Mechadendrites.
  ADVENTURE SEEDS
  The planet of Kuluth has been cloaked in war for 
  ��
  over ﬁve years, but someone or something is wreaking 
  havoc with the operational schedules of a particularly 
  important war engine. Whilst investigating, they 
  discover the Voca Consensio in orbit, performing concerts 
  across safe areas of the front. Will they ﬁnd that it is 
  there to aid in motivating the troops and workers, or is 
  it part of some more sinister purpose in the war? 
  Investigations on a forge world indicate multiple 
  ��
  servitor failures, many leading to riotous and deadly 
  failures in their behavioural programming. The only 
  common denominator seems to be that their systems were 
  upgraded using possibly illegal and unsanctiﬁed engram-
  patterns, copied from a visiting Mechanicus vessel that 
  ofﬂoaded several failed servitors for new, fresh units. 
  The
  ��
   Voca Consensio itself can provide transport for the 
  Acolytes to a variety of worlds across the Sector, its possibly 
  darker and hidden purposes perhaps a mere hint until 
  much later, after the Acolytes have become accustomed to 
  travelling with Cantus and his choir for many voyages. 
  DETECTING AND RESISTING  
  THE CHOIR’S CALL
  To attempt to detect the hidden programming within a 
  choir broadcast, an Acolyte must ﬁrst pass a Hard (–20) 
  Perception Test, adding +10 to their roll if they have the 
  Paranoia Talent. If successful (and the GM determines that 
  there is indeed a subliminal message), then the character 
  can make a Very Hard (–30) Willpower Test to resist 
  the message, adding +10 for each Degree of Success 
  on their Perception Test. Should the GM have created 
  multiple instructions within the choir’s song, each Degree 
  of Success from the Willpower Test gives the character the 
  ability to resist one such instruction (minimum of one).
  
  THE LIGHT 
  OF REASON
  GM'S BRIEF
  �
  COMETARY  
  FRAGMENT Ø-777 
  �
  INTO THE DARK
  �
  MACHINA INFERNUS
  �
  WHAT LIES BEYOND
  �
  NPCS AND  
  ANTAGONISTS
  
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  “The Aquila, inverted. The Navigator, bound by the Machine. The 
  Acolyte ascendant, his path marked by shadow and death. The tarot 
  is clear on all these things, but there is more… yes, I see it… and it 
  sees me! The black light shall shine in the outer void, lest the seal can 
  be closed ‘ere it is breached…”
  –Reading of the Emperor’s Tarot, three days ago
  �
  hose who serve the Omnissiah are dedicated to 
  uncovering and utilising the wisdom of the ancients 
  through pursuing the Quest for Knowledge. A vast 
  body of law and precedent imposes all manner of dire restraints 
  upon those who seek to expand the frontiers of Mankind’s 
  knowledge, however, lest they repeat the doom that befell the 
  humanity during the all but forgotten Age of Strife.
  There are ever those for whom the lure of forbidden knowledge 
  is too strong to resist. In stripping themselves of mind, body, and 
  soul of the biological, some Tech-Priests remove themselves from 
  the lure of the Warp in order to prevent such disasters, or so they 
  hope. In truth, even the machine can be polluted with the essence 
  of Chaos. There are countless factions and sects within the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus that have not strayed so far into heresy as to openly 
  proclaim the worship of the Ruinous Powers, yet to an outsider 
  might appear just a step away from doing so. Many are fuelled by 
  the raw thirst for knowledge that animates all true servants of the 
  Omnissiah, while others have allowed hubris or greed to be their 
  master. For a few, the excision of biological matter does nothing 
  to lessen the taint of Chaos and instead hastens its corruption, for 
  as the mortal self is cut away, there remains no immortal soul to 
  rail against the insidious intrusion of the Warp.
  Deep within the cometary cloud of the Lathes System, one 
  such group labours to bring its heretical pursuits to fruition. 
  An extreme sub-sect of the Brotherhood of Steel has, for 
  decades, sought one thing—the ability to breach the Warp 
  and to draw upon its limitless depths without the use of 
  psychic powers wielded by a weak, biological mind. To the 
  Brotherhood, such a thing would make all ﬂesh obsolete, and 
  allow the machine to ascend to its true place as master of 
  humanity. Vessels could cross the Warp without the steersmen 
  of the Navis Nobilite. Thoughts could be transmitted across 
  the trackless void without recourse to the Astropathic Choirs 
  of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. Perhaps the very thoughts 
  of the teeming multitudes of humanity could be controlled, 
  the mental capacity of trillions turned to a single cause. What 
  awesome war machines might be constructed by those able to 
  breach the wall between reality and the Warp, and wield the 
  impossible powers dammed beyond? 
  With each scrap of their biological inheritance they cut away, 
  the Brotherhood loses another chance to realise the horrible error 
  they are making. In those whose bodies are all but metal and 
  silicon, almost nothing of the soul they were born with remains. 
  Where any other mortal creature would either ﬂee in terror or 
  surrender itself entirely to the power of the Warp, the Brotherhood 
  continues blithely on, unaware of the storm of Chaos that rages 
  all about them. While Chaos might ﬁnd little to anchor itself to 
  in the soulless Brotherhood, the pursuits of the Brotherhood 
  endanger Mankind far more than they can possibly imagine. 
  A hollowed-out comet in the outer reaches of the Lathes 
  System hosts an empty heart bearing a device utterly inimical to 
  nature—the Paradox Reactor. In ages past, Explorators discovered 
  a machine remnant of an extinct xenos species encased in the 
  rock and ice. Some claim the species that made the relic were the 
  long-lost Yu’Vath, others that it was some other race entirely. For 
  long centuries it was studied, before the Brotherhood claimed 
  it. They have been slowly piecing it together, reconstructing 
  something that, in all likelihood, was deliberately hidden, and 
  are now approaching the ﬁnal stages of their work. 
  The Brotherhood hopes that, when activated, this device 
  will punch a hole right through the thin skein separating 
  reality from the Warp, and allow them to channel its power as 
  previously only a psyker could. The Brotherhood know that 
  their device is likely to unleash such power that every scrap 
  of biological matter in the entire system, if not the sub-sector, 
  will be scoured to ash or dragged into the Warp when the 
  Paradox Reactor device goes online, but that only conﬁrms 
  their belief that the ﬂesh is weak and must be purged. 
  The countdown to the activation of the Paradox Reactor 
  has begun, and doom stalks the Lathes. Should the Lathes 
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  he Light of Reason is a DARK HERESY adventure that 
  pits the Acolytes against a powerful and extreme faction 
  within the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Brotherhood of 
  Steel has unearthed tainted technology, with which they hope 
  to harness the raw potential of the Warp using only the power 
  of the machine. Such things have been forbidden to Mankind 
  since time immemorial, and undreamed of destruction lurks 
  within the cometary cloud of the Lathes System. 
  The adventure explores many of the themes presented 
  throughout this book. It throws into stark relief the teachings of 
  the Cult Mechanicus and illustrates the perils that await Mankind 
  should they be transgressed. The Acolytes ﬁnd themselves 
  confronted with the very worst kind of tech-heresy, and ultimately 
  discover, as so many have before them, that all forms of blasphemy 
  lead humanity to damnation, as Chaos consumes all. 
  Should they prove equal to the task, the Acolytes are presented 
  with the opportunity to end the heresies of the Brotherhood of 
  Steel. In so doing, they must face all manner of foes, from the 
  dreadful servants of the Brotherhood itself to the fell denizens of 
  the Warp unleashed as the Paradox Reactor is activated. Should 
  they fail to stiﬂe the Brotherhood’s foul works, then the fate of the 
  Lathes and the surrounding sub-sector may hang in the balance.
  INTRODUCING  
  THE ADVENTURE
  The Light of Reason can be played as a one-off adventure, 
  in which case the Player Characters need only know that they 
  have been dispatched to investigate reports of unidentiﬁed 
  energy spikes emanating from a point in space somewhere in 
  the cometary cloud of the Lathes System. However, as most 
  adventures are part of the ongoing narrative of a campaign, it 
  pays to give the matter of how the Acolytes become involved 
  in these events more thought. Below are a few possible ways 
  of getting the Acolytes involved in the adventure.
  INTRODUCTION 1:  
  SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
  The Acolytes have been ordered by their Inquisitor to 
  investigate suspicious psychic effects emanating from the outer 
  reaches of the Lathes. The Adeptus Mechanicus are deeply 
  unhappy with such Inquisitorial scrutiny, especially because 
  no such readings are showing up on their own augurs.
  INTRODUCTION 2: FRIEND OF A FRIEND
  The Acolytes could become involved in the events of the adventure 
  as part of a more complex chain of events. If the Game Master 
  intends to use the Lathes and the Lathe Worlds as the setting for 
  a number of adventures, then this adventure could serve as an 
  introduction to their characters and themes. If they have made 
  allies within the Adeptus Mechanicus, these individuals might 
  approach the Acolytes and ask them to investigate suspicious 
  goings-on in the system, perhaps hoping to distance themselves 
  from what they calculate to be a catastrophic failure. 
  INTRODUCTION 3: HIDDEN HANDS
  If one or more of the Acolytes are servants of the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, a great way to introduce the adventure would be for 
  them to be contacted by a group of their brethren, asking their 
  aide in what they know is likely to be a difﬁcult affair involving 
  a renegade faction within their order. How much the powers that 
  be in the Lathes System actually know of what is going on in the 
  outskirts of their realm should remain an open question, and one 
  that can be followed up in any future adventures set there.
  ��������
  �
  he Light of Reason is divided into three main 
  sections. Broadly speaking, these cover the Acolytes 
  locating and inﬁltrating Cometary Fragment Ø-777, 
  exploring it and discovering the Paradox Reactor, and 
  ﬁnally halting (or at least surviving!) the culmination of the 
  Brotherhood of Steel’s heretical endeavour.
  PART 1: INTO THE DARK
  The Acolytes arrive by gun cutter in the outer fringes of the 
  cometary cloud that surrounds the Lathes System, and must 
  locate the Brotherhood of Steel’s hidden facility. Having done 
  so, they must attempt to gain entry however they decide it 
  is best to do so. Canny Acolytes might choose to inﬁltrate 
  the comet using stealth and guile, while those of a more 
  duplicitous nature might attempt to deceive its Tech-Priests 
  openly. Some might even attempt to force their way onto the 
  comet, though such a course of action is beyond the skills of 
  most Acolytes and more a task for the mighty Space Marines. 
  Having found a way inside, Part 1 is concluded.
  PART 2: MACHINA INFERNUS
  Throughout Part 2, the Acolytes explore the comet’s perilous 
  depths and confront as many of its occupants as the Game 
  Master deems necessary to keep the pressure on. There are plenty 
  of locations to explore and numerous sights to witness. Part 2 
  comes to a conclusion when the Acolytes discover what the 
  Brotherhood of Steel is attempting to achieve and determine to 
  do something about it. Events, however, take a drastic turn as the 
  countdown to the activation of the reactor reaches zero.
  PART 3: WHAT LIES BEYOND
  In Part 3, the Brotherhood of Steel activate the Paradox Reactor. 
  The Acolytes might attempt to stop them, but soon the horriﬁc 
  truth is revealed, as the power of the Warp is unleashed and 
  daemonic servants of Chaos invade the facility. Simply surviving 
  this calamitous event is a challenge in itself, but can the Acolytes 
  close the breach and avert a still-more awful disaster?
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  INTRODUCING 
  THE ADVENTURE
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  g t t t of
  of
  of Reason ca
  ca
  ca
  c n n be
  b  played asassas a one
  ne
  ne
  ne-off adven
  e ture, 
  inin whihiich
  ch
  chh
  ch casa e thththt e e Player Cha
  ha
  ha
  harararactctctctctererererers ne
  ne
  ne
  need
  ed
  ed
  ed onlnly y y kn
  kn
  kn
  know tha
  ha
  ha
  h t tht ey 
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve bee
  ee
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  een dididisp
  spp
  spatched to inve
  ve
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  de
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  enererrgy
  gy
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  g spipike
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  em
  emman
  a ating from a point in n n n sp
  sp
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  a e e so
  s me
  m where in 
  ththe e co
  come
  me
  me
  metatataryryry clololoud
  ud
  udd of the La
  La
  La
  Laththththes Sysysy teteem. How
  ow
  ow
  owev
  ev
  ev
  everererer, , asasasa  most 
  ad
  adve
  ventnturru eses arerere pararart t ofofoff the
  h ong
  n oing
  ng narara rative of a caamp
  mpp
  mpaiaiaiign, it 
  pa
  pa
  pa
  p ysys to o gigig ve
  ve
  ve the
  he
  he matatatteteter r ofofoff how thee
  he
  he Aco
  co
  co
  c lylylyytes becomee involved
  in the
  hesese eve
  ventntnts s s mo
  mo
  morerere tho
  hought. Be
  B lololow 
  w arararare e e a a fef w 
  w possible ways 
  of getettiting
  ng the
  he
  he Acoolylylytetetes s involved in n tht e addve
  v ntntntnturururure.e
  INT
  NT
  NTRO
  ROODUCTI
  TI
  TION
  ON
  ON 1: 
  SPECIA
  IAL CIR
  IR
  IRCUMSTANCES
  Th
  Th
  Th
  The e Ac
  Acololytyty esess hav
  av
  av
  a e e e be
  be
  been
  e  ordered by their Inquuisisisisiti or to
  inve
  vestigigatate e su
  susp
  sp
  sppicicicioioioious
  us
  us
  us psysysych
  ch
  chicicic efff ects emanating from thhe ou
  ou
  ouuteteteter r
  reacche
  hes s s s s ofofofofo the
  he
  h Latatatathe
  he
  he
  hes.s.s.s. The
  he
  he
  hee
  he Ade
  de
  deptus Mechanicus are deepply 
  un
  un
  unnha
  ha
  ha
  happ
  pp
  pp
  ppy y y wi
  wi
  wi
  withthththt
  suc
  uc
  uc
  uch h h h In
  In
  Inqu
  qu
  q isisisisititititor
  or
  or
  oriaiaiaial l l scscscscscscrururutitit ny
  n , especially beccau
  au
  au
  ausesesese 
  no
  no suc
  uc
  uc
  uch h h rerer ad
  ad
  ad
  adinings
  gs
  gs
  gs arerererer sho
  ho
  hoowi
  w ngg up on
  on
  on
  on the
  he
  he
  heiriririr own
  wn
  wn
  wn aug
  ug
  ug
  ugurs.
  INTROODUCTI
  TI
  TII
  T ON
  ON
  ON
  ONN 2: FRI
  RI
  RI
  RI
  RI
  RIEN
  E D OF
  O
  A FRIEN
  E D
  Th
  T e Acolytescou
  ou
  ou
  ouldldldldldbecececom
  om
  ome e eininvo
  vo
  vo
  volvlvlvlvlvved
  ed
  eddin n nthththe eev
  ev
  even
  enn
  entstststststsof f f thththththe eadve
  venture e e 
  as pararara t of a more e co
  comp
  mp
  mp
  m lelelelex x ch
  ch
  ch
  chhaiaiaiaiaiain n ofofof eve
  ve
  ve
  ventntnts.s.s. If f thththe Gaa
  Game
  m Masteer r
  intends tototoo useseses  the Latathe
  hes an
  and d thththththe e La
  La
  La
  La
  L ththththe e e Wo
  Wo
  Wo
  Worlrlrlrlds
  ds
  ds
  ds as s s thththe e sesesettttttininining g fofor r
  a number of f ad
  ad
  ad
  adve
  ve
  v ntnturese , ththen
  en thihih s s ad
  addve
  ventntntnturururure e cou
  ou
  ouldldld serererve
  ve
  ve as s s s an
  an
  an
  an 
  introduction to their ch
  ch
  ch
  charararacacaca ters and
  nd the
  heeme
  me
  m s.s. If f ththey
  ey hav
  ave e ma
  ma
  made
  d  
  INT
  NT
  NTT
  NTRO
  RO
  RO
  RO
  RODUCTI
  TI
  TI
  TI
  TIION
  ON
  ON
  ON
  ON
  ON
  O  3: HIDD
  DDEN
  EN HAN
  ANDS
  IfIfIf one
  ne
  ne or r mo
  mo
  mo
  mo
  m rererere of f f ththththe e e e Ac
  Ac
  Ac
  Ac
  A olololollo ytytytytytytesesese arerere sererrva
  vantnts s ofof the Adeptus 
  Me
  Me
  Me
  Mech
  ch
  ch
  c an
  an
  an
  an
  a icicicususus, , a a a gr
  gr
  gr
  greaeaeaeat t wa
  wa
  wa
  w y y y tototoo intntntntrorororodu
  du
  du
  du
  d cececececee the
  he
  h adv
  dven
  entuturere wou
  ouldl  be for 
  themm to o be
  be
  be
  be con
  on
  onntatatatactctctctcted
  ed
  ed
  ed by y y a a gr
  gr
  grou
  ou
  oup p p p ofofofof thee
  heiririririr brereththreren,n, ask
  skining g ththeieir 
  aiaiaia de
  de
  de
  d  in what the
  he
  he
  he
  he
  h y know is s s lilililike
  ke
  ke
  kelylylyly to o o be
  be
  be
  be a difififﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁc
  ﬁ ulululululu t t t afaffafairir inv
  nvololviving 
  a renegade
  dee facacacacactit on within n n n ththheieieieieir r r ororororde
  de
  d r.r. How
  ow
  ow
  ow muc
  uch h h thththththe e e e po
  po
  p we
  wersrs that
  be in the Lathes System 
  m 
  m 
  m acactutututualalallylyly kno
  no
  noow 
  w 
  w 
  w 
  w ofofofof wha
  ha
  ha
  ha
  h t t t t isisisis goioing
  ng
  ng
  ng on n inin the
  he 
  ou
  ou
  outskikirts of their realm sho
  ho
  h ulululululululd d rererema
  ma
  ma
  maaininininin an n n op
  op
  op
  open
  en que
  ueeststs ioion,n, and
  nd
  nd
  nd
  nd one 
  thata  can be followed up in any fututututturururu e e ad
  ad
  adve
  ve
  veentntntn urururu eses setete the
  herere.
  he Light of Re
  Re
  Re
  Reasa on is didid vivivivide
  de
  de
  ded d d ini to thr
  hr
  hree
  ee
  ee maiaiain n n 
  sections. Broadly sp
  s eaking, th
  thesesesese e e e co
  co
  co
  c ve
  ve
  ver the e Ac
  Ac
  Acolololytytyteseses 
  locating and inﬁltrararating Cometararrary y y Fr
  Fr
  Fr
  F ag
  agment Ø-7
  -7
  -777
  77
  77, , , ,
  exploring it and discoverir ng the Parararad
  add
  adox
  ox
  oxx Rea
  ea
  eactc or
  or
  or, an
  an
  an
  and d 
  ﬁnally halting (or at least su
  su
  su
  surviving!) the culmininination n ofofof the
  he
  hee 
  Brotherhoo
  oo
  ood of Steel’s hereteteteticicical endeavour.
  PA
  P RT 1: INTO THE DARK
  The Acolytes arrive by gun cutututteteteter r r r inininin the
  he
  he
  he oututututerererer frir ng
  ng
  n es of f f thththt e e e 
  cometary cloud that surroundds s ththththe e e e La
  L thes Systeteem,
  m  and mus
  us
  ust 
  locate the Brotherhood of Steel’s s s s hihih dden facility.y.y. Hav
  a ing g g do
  do
  done
  ne
  ne
  n  
  so, they must attempt to gain en
  entrt y however ththththey
  ey
  ey dec
  ec
  ecidididi e it 
  is best to do so. Canny Acollyttes might choos
  os
  os
  ose e e e totot
  inﬁ
  nﬁ
  nﬁ
  nﬁltltltrarararatete 
  the comet using sts ealth an
  a d d guile, while tho
  hoosesesese of f a a a mo
  mo
  moo
  m rererere 
  duplicitous na
  n tutuurererere might attemptp  to deceive ititits s s s Te
  T chh
  ch-P
  -PPririririeseseststststs 
  openly. Some might even attemp
  m t to force the
  he
  he
  heiriririr way
  ay ontntto o o o thththt e e
  comet, though such a course e e e ofo  action is bey
  eyy
  eyonn
  ond thhe e e sk
  skk
  s ilililillslslslsl of f 
  most Acolytes and more a tasasasa k k for the migh
  gh
  ghtytytytyy Spaacee
  ce Mararararininini esesesess. .
  Having found a way
  ay
  ay
  ay ins
  ns
  ns
  nsidididide,e  Part 1 is connclclclclud
  ud
  ud
  uded.
  PA
  P RT 2: M
  A
  A
  M CH
  A
  INA
  N  INFERNUS
  A
  Throughoutu  Part 2, the Acolytes s ex
  ex
  exxplplplplplore thhe come
  met’t’t s s s pe
  pe
  pe
  peririlolololousus 
  depths and
  nd
  n  confront as many ofoff its occupantst as s s thththe e e Ga
  Ga
  G me
  mee 
  Ma
  Ma
  Ma
  Maststststerererer deems necessary to keep
  ep
  ep
  ep the pressure e on. . Th
  Th
  Th
  Th
  Therere e e ararare e plplen
  en
  entytyty 
  of loc
  oc
  ocations to explore e an
  an
  an
  and d nume
  m rous sigigights tototo wittititne
  ne
  ne
  ne
  nessssssss. . Pa
  Pa
  Pa
  P rtrtrt 2 
  comes to a con
  on
  onclclcllususususioioioion n whenn the
  h Aco
  co
  c lylylytetetes s dididiscscscov
  ovv
  overererere wha
  h t t ththhe e e e
  Br
  B othe
  h rhoo
  oo
  oo
  ood d d d ofofofof Steel is attempting to o o acacacaca hihihiev
  ev
  eve e e an
  an
  and d d d de
  de
  de
  deeteteterminine e e totototo 
  do
  do
  do
  do som
  om
  om
  ometetethih ng about it. Events, how
  ow
  owev
  ev
  ev
  ever, taake
  ke
  ke
  k a drararararastststicic turn n asasass the
  he
  he
  he 
  countdown to the activation n n ofofofofof the
  he
  he
  he reactorororr reaeaeaeach
  ch
  ch
  chh
  ches zero.
  PA
  P RT 3: WHAT L
  A
  IES BEYOND
  InInInIn Part 3, the Brororor thherererho
  hoood
  od
  od
  od of StStS eel activate the
  he
  he
  he
  he Pararad
  adox
  ox Reaactor. 
  The Acolyty es migigigighthththt attttttttempt to stop the
  he
  he
  heem,
  m,
  m butut soo
  oon the ho
  horriﬁc 
  trtrtrtrututututh h h h isisisis rev
  ev
  ev
  eveaeaeaealeleled,d, as s ththe e power ofofofofofof the
  he
  he
  he Wararararp p p is unleash
  shed and 
  da
  daem
  em
  emon
  onicicic sere va
  vantts s ofof Cha
  haos
  os
  os
  os inv
  nv
  nv
  nvvad
  ad
  ad
  ad
  ade e e e thththththe e e fafaciilil ty. Simp
  mpplyl  surviving 
  thhis calamitou
  ou
  ous ev
  ev
  even
  en
  en
  ennt isisisisis a cha
  ha
  ha
  halllllll en
  en
  en
  enge
  ge
  ge in ititseelflf but cac n the Acolytes
  
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  �
  he location within which the Brotherhood of Steel is 
  pursuing their blasphemous endeavour was once categorised 
  in the annals of the Lathes System’s astrographics registry 
  as Cometary Fragment Ø-777. Soon after the ﬁrst Explorator 
  arrived though, it vanished from the registry, purged by a deep-
  core datakiller protocol. It was what the explorers discovered at 
  the heart of the fragment that lead to this extreme reaction, the 
  consequences of which are even now becoming manifest.
  Upon setting foot on the surface of the fragment, the explorers 
  quickly determined that it was no natural object—it had been 
  created deliberately. Following the winding honeycomb of tunnels 
  that bore into the comet, the explorers eventually came upon a 
  vast central chamber, with a massive shaft skewering the heart. 
  Suspended in a null-gravity state at the very centre of the chamber 
  was an arcane fragment of xenos technology. Though obviously 
  ruined, the object pulsed with black light, and writhed with a 
  hideous vitality that stretched their sanity to the breaking point. 
  In an instant, the explorers turned upon one another. Despite 
  having excised much of their emotional dependencies, some were 
  consumed with the desire to own the thing for themselves, others 
  with soul-wrenching terror at its sheer unnatural presence. The 
  truth of what occurred in that dark-lit central chamber was never 
  fully understood, but when a recovery mission was launched to 
  investigate what had befallen the ﬁrst group of explorers, only a 
  handful of survivors were brought back to the Explorator vessel.
  Subsequent investigations, carried out under the strictest of 
  contact protocols, determined that the object in the comet must 
  have been placed there deliberately as some form of quarantine. 
  All knowledge of the discovery was purged from the Lathes’ 
  data-mills, and further investigation entrusted only to those of 
  the highest authority. Further study indicated that the remnant 
  had been placed there not to protect it, but to protect everything 
  else from it. Debate escalated as to whether or not the object 
  itself be investigated further, and if so, to what end? 
  Ordinarily, the matter might have been resolved through 
  rational discourse, but this was not to be. One of the senior magos 
  harboured sympathies for the Brotherhood of Steel. Seeing the 
  xenos remnant as a means of furthering the sect's aims, the magos 
  enacted a brutal coup. In a single night of remorseless fratricide, 
  all those with knowledge of the comet were slain. By morn, 
  Cometary Fragment Ø-777 was in the hands of the Brotherhood, 
  and a new phase in its history had begun.
  Throughout the centuries that followed, the sect undertook to 
  determine exactly what the object represented. Exposure to the 
  remnant drove many utterly insane, until it was found that the less 
  biological matter a Tech-Priest had remaining in him, the lesser 
  the effect. In time, those with little more than a scrap of grey 
  matter remaining to betray their heritage came to dominate the 
  research, only serving to conﬁrm the Brotherhood's utter belief in 
  the weakness of the ﬂesh and the ascendancy of the machine. 
  Three centuries after the initial discovery of the comet, 
  the Brotherhood of Steel made a breakthrough of sorts, and 
  identiﬁed what they believed to be the species that had created 
  the remnant. The realisation that the technology might have 
  been created by the dreadful Warp-worshipping Yu’Vath, the 
  vile xenos that the Angevin Crusade almost bled itself dry to 
  defeat, was terrible indeed. Armed with this fearful knowledge, 
  the Brotherhood ploughed onwards into realms of thought and 
  theory long forbidden to the human race. 
  In time, the sect found that the remnant somehow 
  interacted with the Warp itself. The Brotherhood’s hidden 
  masters saw in the fragment a means of realising their vision 
  of a future wherein Mankind is shorn of all ﬂesh. The 
  consequences were truly shattering. If the Warp itself could 
  be tapped, and psykers made obsolete, then the last obstacle 
  to the ascendancy of the machine would be smashed asunder. 
  If the Brotherhood of Steel could breach the Warp and tap its 
  power at will, then literally anything was in their power. 
  THE YU’VATH THREAT
  ROGUE TRADER players will recognise the Yu’Vath, an 
  incredibly ancient and powerful xenos race now long 
  dead only through long and devastating wars during the 
  Angevin Crusade. Their relics and slave races still live on 
  though, especially in the lawless Koronus Expanse, where 
  they exist to tempt and destroy Explorers. GMs can ﬁnd 
  more about this deadly race in THE KORONUS BESTIARY, 
  either to add more ﬂavour to their possible presence in this 
  adventure, or to use their constructs in other adventures. 
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  DANGER!
  The environment in which The Light of Reason is set is one of extreme and continuous danger. The interior of the comet 
  has been hollowed out and had multitudes of untested machine-systems grafted into it. At its heart lies a blasphemous hybrid of 
  human and xenos machinery, built to defy the laws of nature itself. Deep within the guts of the comet, creatures of mere ﬂesh 
  and bone must be constantly alert, for it was built to accommodate beings so digressed from the standard human template that 
  they care nothing for the hazards represented by grinding gears, venting gas, searing radiation, and even shifting gravity.
  The net result of all this is that the Acolytes should feel constantly on edge, as if at any moment a vast piston could 
  engage and the walls of the tunnel they are walking through slam together to crush their bodies to a paste. The Game 
  Master should remind the players of this lurking sense of very real threat at every opportunity, and from time to time 
  bring it to the fore using one of the following hazards. 
  A good way to use these hazards is to have them triggered by other events. Should the Acolytes ever fail an 
  Awareness Test, for example, a number of hazards equal to the number of the Degrees of Failure could be triggered. 
  This represents the Player Characters becoming distracted by other events and not noticing one of the many dangers 
  of the environment until it is (potentially) too late.
  HAZARD 1: MECHANICAL PERILS
  This is a general category covering a wide range of perils, including access hatches slamming shut as the Acolytes pass, ﬂoor 
  and ceiling shifting, pistons slamming shut, and gears engaging. Each Player Character must pass a Challenging (+0) 
  Agility Test to avoid the danger, but the Game Master should feel free to adjust this difﬁculty as desired for the area. Failure 
  results in the character taking a 1d10 I Pen 0 hit. The GM should also consider the nature of the mechanical peril and whether 
  its triggering closes off the path the Acolytes have taken, or cuts off some of the group from the rest.
  HAZARD 2: AIR PRESSURE CHANGES
  A sudden drop in air pressure deprives the Acolytes of breathable atmosphere. Perhaps the Acolytes open a portal, only 
  to ﬁnd a vacuum beyond it, and must seal the unintentional breach as quickly as possible before their own air supply 
  vanishes. Agility or Perception Tests can both be used to avoid or provide warning of the danger; Suffocation Damage 
  is described on page 210 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.
  HAZARD 3: GRAVITY FLUCTUATIONS
  With the number and type of arcane machine systems inside the facility, it is little wonder its passageways and chambers are 
  subject to all manner of esoteric ﬂuctuations. One such ﬂuctuation is in the gravity ﬁeld, which can switch from normal to high, 
  low,  or even zero-gee without warning. These treacherous environments are presented on page 213 of the DARK HERESY Core 
  Rulebook. Having been triggered, there is a 50% chance each minute or so of the gravity reverting to its original state. Should 
  the Acolytes be ﬂoating at the time, this may incur Falling Damage as detailed on page 210 of the Core Rulebook.
  HAZARD 4: RADIATION HAZARDS
  The majority of the Brotherhood of Steel and their servants care little for the effects of radiation, their bodies all but stripped 
  of ﬂesh, and their essential machine components shielded from the harm it might otherwise wreak. Should such an effect be 
  triggered by the Acolytes, they must pass a Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test each Round they spend within the ﬁeld, or 
  have their Toughness permanently reduced by –1 for each Degree of Failure. Those affected in this manner may be treated for 
  radiation poisoning after the adventure (at the Game Master’s discretion), but must suffer the consequences for now.
  HAZARD 5: LOOSE ELECTRICITY
  Many walls and hallways host numerous mechanical components, from plasma conduits to vapour gushing ventilation 
  grilles, which might be dangerously electriﬁed. When triggered, the effect could range from a mild shock to a leaping 
  arc of searing power. There are several ways of determining which Acolytes fall victim to the electrical charge. One way 
  is to have it conﬁned to a single object, such as a hatch or ﬂoor plate, and the ﬁrst Acolyte to touch this suffers the effects. 
  Another is to randomly determine how many and which Acolytes are electrocuted. Because the potential damage is so 
  variable, each Player Character hit suffers a 2d10 E Pen 0 hit each Round they are in contact with the object, as does 
  any character in physical contact with the affected Acolyte.
  HAZARD 6: EXTREME TEMPERATURES
  Whenever the Acolytes enter a new area, the GM should provide a brief indication of the temperature. When moving into an area 
  where the temperature is especially high or low (or becomes even more extreme), the characters must pass a Challenging (+0) 
  Toughness Test, or become Fatigued. This effect passes within ten minutes of moving into an area with normal conditions, but 
  resting, taking appropriate drugs, and donning (or removing) heavy gear and clothing should allow the character to take the 
  test again. Should all of the Player Characters lose consciousness in such circumstances, the GM can determine their fate; 
  perhaps each waking up in a cell in the holding battery, the Excoriation Servitor moving in to begin its grizzly work.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  THE PARADOX REACTOR
  It would be many more centuries before the Brotherhood found 
  a way to utilise the remnant of Yu’Vath technology, but when 
  they ﬁnally did, their creation was awesome indeed. With the 
  remnant at its core, the Brotherhood of Steel turned the entire 
  cometary fragment into a massive breaching charge, with which 
  they intended to punch through the thin barrier separating reality 
  from the Warp. The remnant deﬁed all natural laws in the canon 
  of the Cult Mechanicus, and would power what the Brotherhood 
  labelled the “Paradox Reactor.” So anathemic to the laws of the 
  universe was the remnant that its power could split reality itself 
  asunder. That which should not be would come into being, 
  and in so doing blast apart the fabric of the universe itself. The 
  unbridled power of the Warp would create a font of undreamed 
  of potentiality, and the Brotherhood of Steel would be its master.
  As the Brotherhood’s Tech-Priests worked tirelessly to 
  construct the Paradox Reactor, the masters of the Brotherhood 
  bent their energies to cold visions of conquest and domination. 
  The ﬁrst use to which they would put their font of dark 
  power would be to usurp the Astronomican. Knowing that 
  the energies unleashed by the Paradox Reactor would owe 
  nothing to the laws of classical reality, they formulated a means 
  of equipping their own servants to be able to discern its black 
  beacon from anywhere in the galaxy. No longer would the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus rely upon the Navis Nobilite to guide its 
  Warp vessels, and the Brotherhood’s ascension to power over 
  all of the entire Adeptus Mechanicus would be assured.
  WITHIN THE COMET
  Ø-777 is a honeycomb of winding tunnels, hollowed out by 
  whoever, or whatever, had sought to hide the fragment of 
  Yu’Vath technology from the galaxy. Over the centuries since 
  it took ownership, the Brotherhood has massively augmented 
  the interior, so that its tunnels are lined with all manner of 
  machine devices from pulsing conduits to shrieking pistons. 
  The Tech-Priests and their servitors have little difﬁculty 
  traversing this machine hell, but those unused to such a hostile 
  environment are likely to ﬁnd it dangerous in the extreme. One 
  thing that mortal Acolytes almost immediately perceive, and 
  which is hidden from the Brotherhood of Steel because they 
  have so little in the way of soul to sense it, is the all-pervading 
  sense of dread that permeates the very stone. The closer one 
  gets to the heart of the comet the more overpowering this 
  impression becomes, until an intruder is forced to ﬂee or 
  prostrate himself before the Yu’Vath remnant.
  �������������
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  he Light of Reason begins with the Acolytes 
  entering the Lathes System’s cometary cloud aboard 
  the Lysithea, a small but highly capable gun cutter that 
  their master has made available to them. The vessel has only 
  a small crew and is outﬁtted for speed and stealth rather than 
  offensive action. The task of locating Cometary Fragment 
  Ø-777 must fall primarily to the Acolytes. 
  There are several ways of opening the adventure, but a suitably 
  engaging one is to have the Acolytes called to the vessel's bridge, 
  as its captain announces that they have entered the region of space 
  in which the comet is believed to be lurking. The pitch of the 
  engines changes to a low hum as the vessel’s systems are switched 
  over to silent running, the captain looking up from his command 
  terminal as the Acolytes step on to the cramped, dark bridge.
  OBJECTIVES
  Whichever means of introducing the adventure the Game Master 
  uses, the Acolytes are likely to have more or less the same set of 
  objectives. These have been communicated to the team before 
  the mission began, and can be presented as a missive from the 
  team’s master. Read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  To my most trusted servants I bequeath the following orders, that 
  they might serve our lord the God-Emperor and hold back the 
  darkness but one more day.
  Item the ﬁrst. They shouldst locate the source of certain anomalous 
  ætheric signals emanating from the cloud of comets that surround the 
  Mechanicum's Lathes System.
  Item the second. That should the source prove man-made, as it 
  is my suspicion that it should, then they inﬁltrate it and discover 
  who is responsible and what they mean to achieve.
  Item the third. That if what the perpetrators mean to achieve is 
  potentially dangerous, as it is all but certain to be, they shouldst 
  stop it happening, regardless of risk.
  LOCATING COMETARY 
  FRAGMENT Ø-777
  The Acolytes have been transported to the Lathes System by 
  way of a Warp-capable vessel in service or allied to their master. 
  Having boarded a smaller and far more stealthy gun cutter called 
  the Lysithea, they have been inserted into the Lathes outer ranges, 
  in order to locate the source of the anomalous signals detected on 
  the edge of the system. The cutter has a small crew and is lightly 
  armed; its strengths are its speed and its ability to go undetected. 
  The ship is ordinarily used to pursue outcasts and enemies of 
  the Holy Ordos, and its crew are all veterans in bringing such 
  heretics to justice. When faced with determined defence, however, 
  the cutter must withdraw and call in reinforcements. Once the 
  Acolytes cross to Cometary Fragment Ø-777, the cutter moves 
  off the location to await the outcome. 
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  While there is no reason the crew of the Acolyte’s gun 
  cutter could not be entrusted with the task of locating the 
  comet, a far more satisfying course of action would be to 
  allow the Player Characters a chance to do so. The captain 
  has every reason to assume that the Acolytes know what 
  they are looking for, so he defers to them in this matter 
  unless they speciﬁcally order otherwise. 
  There are several ways the Acolytes might go about locating the 
  source, and the Game Master should be open to any suggestions 
  the players themselves might propose. The most obvious solution 
  is to use the vessel’s own augury arrays, but this should only be 
  attempted by a Tech-Priest Player Character as botching it could 
  lead to the Brotherhood of Steel becoming instantly aware of 
  the approaching vessel. A Sanctioned Psyker could attempt to 
  use his powers to locate the source, though this too has its risks 
  (such as a psychic incursion caused through a failed attempt to 
  manipulate the Warp). A variety of skills can be used, from Tech-
  Use in the case of the Tech-Priest, to Psyniscience in the case of 
  any character with the appropriate psychic ability. It should take 
  several attempts to complete the search, and there is a price to pay 
  should an attempt go badly awry. The GM must determine the 
  Difﬁculty, depending on the Test, who is taking it, and how it is 
  to be used, but each should be at least Difﬁcult (–10).Whichever 
  skill is used for each test, ﬁve such attempts must be passed before 
  the location is narrowed down sufﬁciently that the vessel’s captain 
  may initiate a ﬁnal approach. Each time a Test is failed, note the 
  Degree of Failure and reference Table 4–1: Failed Detection 
  to determine what, if any, consequences such a failure might 
  entail. Of course, the players should not be made aware that 
  they need to pass a test ﬁve times before they successfully locate 
  their target. Game Masters should use the aforementioned table 
  without the players knowing what they are up to and should use 
  the opportunity to make the players sweat a little!
  APPROACHING  
  THE TARGET
  Having located the source and identiﬁed it as a cometary 
  fragment, the Acolytes must decide how they intend to 
  approach it. They might wish to do so stealthily with an 
  unseen inﬁltration, or they might decide to launch some sort of 
  diversion to divert attention from their approach. They might 
  even attempt to approach openly, in which case they had better 
  be ready with a plausible false identity, for the inhabitants are 
  likely to shoot ﬁrst and ask questions later. Lastly, they might 
  attempt an all-out assault, though doing so would spell an early 
  end to the adventure, and probably the Acolyte’s careers.
  Should the PCs decide (sensibly) to order the Lysithea’s 
  captain to approach the comet stealthily, then this can be 
  handled without their direct involvement. The captain is a 
  veteran of such operations, and this is the course of action 
  he recommends, should the Acolytes ask him for the beneﬁt 
  of his experience. Running his vessel at minimum power and 
  engaging stealth systems the like of which the Acolytes have 
  probably never seen before, the vessel swings about into the 
  comet’s long tail, so as to approach in the dead zone of any 
  augurs on the fragment. Matching trajectory with the comet, 
  the cutter is able to approach to within a kilometre of it, the 
  view ahead all but obscured by the dense vapour streaming 
  off of it. At this point, the Acolytes can attempt to cross the 
  gulf of space as described in the next section.
  Should the Acolytes order the captain to engage in a 
  method of approach less subtle than this, he strongly objects, 
  but he is bound to the Inquisition, and the Acolytes are his 
  seniors in this matter. Unless the PCs have a very convincing 
  plan, the captain is unlikely to agree to an all-out assault, and 
  if forced to, he refuses to commit to a course of action that 
  would result in the destruction of his vessel. In short, the man 
  is loyal and brave, but he is not stupid.
  THE LYSITHEA 
  Hull: Highly modiﬁed, rapid patrol ship/gun cutter 
  Class: Zephyr
  Dimensions: 498 metres long, 86 metres abeam.
  Mass: 36,000 tonnes approx.
  Accel: 46 gravities max sustainable acceleration
  Crew Complement: 25 crew, 470 servitors.
  The Lysithea is all but unrecognisable from her original 
  form, having been subjected to an almost total rebuild. Her 
  greatest asset is her unparalleled stealth capability, which 
  has been utilised by her masters on numerous occasions, 
  much to the detriment of the enemies of Mankind. Easily 
  transported in larger vessels across the system, once 
  dropped off on the outskirts of a system she excels at 
  approaching nearby planets undetected. 
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  BOARDING
  There are numerous ways a group of Acolytes might attempt to 
  board the comet, the three most obvious of which are discussed 
  here. In the event that the players come up with some other 
  method, the Game Master should consider how plausible 
  it sounds, and what effect it might have on the narrative as 
  presented throughout the rest of the adventure. Anything too 
  drastic is likely to make it difﬁcult to conclude the adventure as 
  presented, so Game Masters should consider what might ensue 
  if the players are allowed to put their plan into action, and feel 
  free to overrule it if needed. However, any such veto should be 
  enacted “in character," using the vessel’s captain or other NPCs 
  to point out what might go wrong, or even act to block it if 
  necessary. Below, three of the most obvious means of boarding 
  Cometary Fragment Ø-777 are presented.
  STEALTH
  The most obvious means of getting on board is by doing so 
  unseen. To achieve this, the Acolytes must don an armoured 
  vacuum suit and make a guided space walk from their vessel to 
  the comet, using the tail streaming from its lee side to approach 
  in its augurs’ blind spot. This approach masks the Acolytes’ 
  presence, for, in addition to the dust and vapour pouring from 
  the fragment, a vast plume of gas given off by the numerous 
  machine systems within the reactor is also present. In all 
  likelihood the Acolytes have never attempted such a stunt before, 
  and doing so should be a memorable event, if a dangerous one. 
  Having “touched down” on the comet, the Acolytes can gain 
  entry using one of the numerous access points scattered across 
  its surface, and play can proceed to Part 2. 
  In order for a character to cross from the silent gun cutter to 
  the distant comet, they must make a void walk. The accuracy 
  of the walk is determined entirely by how well the character 
  pushes off from the cutter, and because they cannot risk drawing 
  attention to themselves, they may not make use of personal jets 
  or the likes. Each character making the void walk must take a 
  Hard (–20) Strength Test plus a Very Hard (–30) Agility 
  Test. Success on both means that the character crosses the void 
  safely and lands at the intended point. If either Test is failed, the 
  character deviates, how badly determined by the total Degrees 
  of Failure x50 metres, though they still land on the comet. Each 
  void suit has only an hour’s worth of oxygen in its tank, so the 
  Acolytes do not have time to get waylaid locating one another 
  should they each land in different places, and they may have to 
  enter the comet individually and ﬁnd one another once inside.
  For each separate entry the characters make into the comet, 
  there is a risk of the Vigilance Level being increased by one 
  point (see page 136). Each entry used requires a Hard (–20) 
  Security Test. If the Test is failed, entry is still gained, but 
  the Vigilance Level is increased by one point.
  DUPLICITY
  Especially wily players might decide that the best way of 
  gaining access to the station is to claim they have every 
  right to be there and requesting (or demanding) permission 
  to board. This approach can be very entertaining, and make 
  for a fair bit of on-the-ﬂy roleplaying. Unless the Acolytes 
  have some highly dubious connections they are unlikely to 
  convince the Brotherhood of Steel, but that doesn’t mean 
  they shouldn’t try. Initial attempts should be made by vox as 
  the ship approaches, and require three consecutive Opposed 
  Skill Tests. There are a number of Skills the Acolytes might 
  use, including Deceive, Blather, Charm and the like; and the 
  Brotherhood character using his Willpower to oppose unless 
  the GM determines otherwise. The Brotherhood is bereft of 
  human emotions, and certain skills are less likely to succeed. 
  Skills such as Charm and Blather require some degree of 
  emotion or empathy for best effect, but Skills like Deceive, 
  or, if used inventively, Logic do not and thus gains a +30 
  bonus when used. Success does not result in the Acolytes 
  being accepted for who they claim to be, but should at least 
  convince the sect not to blast them to atoms (yet). 
  If these three Opposed Tests are made, the Acolytes are 
  allowed to board, but only via a shuttle sent to pick them up. 
  From that point onwards, GMs should follow the Countdown 
  to Calamity presented later.
  Each time one of these Opposed Skill Test is failed, the 
  Vigilance Level (see page 136) is increased by one point.
  SPACE COMBAT
  The issue of combat between the Lysithea and the defenders 
  of Ø-777 is beyond the scope of both this adventure and 
  the usual game of DARK HERESY. That being the case, the 
  Game Master might have to improvise, should the players 
  seek to use what few weapons the gun cutter has against 
  the comet. The best course of action is to simply describe 
  the damage caused by a few near hits, which cause shields 
  to collapse and showers of sparks to erupt from command 
  terminals. Faced with the prospect of losing the his ship, 
  the captain withdraws, and the Acolytes must formulate 
  another means of inﬁltrating the comet. Keep in mind, of 
  course, that the defenders are now aware that an enemy 
  is attempting to interfere with their plans, and while they 
  do not delay the activation of the Paradox Reactor, they 
  are more prepared for enemy action.
  SPECIAL ISSUE VOID SUIT
  The Lysithea’s stores contain sufﬁcient void suits for all of 
  the Acolytes. These special issue items can sustain life for 
  a little more than an hour before the compact power cells 
  fade and must be recharged. The suit includes an internal 
  vox-link, self-sealing repair nodes, a grapnel/clasp system 
  with thirty metres of ultra strong line, plus a photo-visor. 
  The suit provides 4 points of Armour to all locations, 
  and thanks to its high quality manufacturing does not 
  impose any penalties on the wearer’s Skill Tests. It also 
  includes a light impellor, which provides a Movement of 
  6 in zero gravity conditions. The suit’s weight is 25 kg, 
  should characters choose to keep it on once inside the 
  comet, where normal gravity resumes.
  BOA
  O RDING
  Thherere e ara e e nu
  n me
  meroousu way
  ayys s a a a gr
  gr
  grou
  ou
  oup p p ofofof Aco
  colylytetet s s migh
  ght atattet mp
  mpt t too 
  bo
  boarard d ththe e co
  comet, the thr
  hr
  hree
  ee
  ee mos
  ost b
  ob ivious of whihich
  ch arere disiscusssed
  ed 
  he
  herere. . InIn the
  he eveentnt tha
  ha
  hat t t ththe e plplayers come up with some otother 
  meeththod
  od, tht e Game
  me Masasa teter r shhould consider how plausible
  it sou
  ound
  nds, and wha
  hat t efefeffefectc  it mi
  mi
  might ha
  ha
  h ve on the narrrrata ive as 
  prresesen
  enteted d througho
  houtt the
  he
  he resesest t t ofofof the
  he
  he adv
  dv
  dven
  entuturere. An
  Anytythihing
  ng too
  oo 
  drasastitic c isi  likely too mak
  ak
  ake e ititi dififﬁc
  ﬁ ult to conclude e the adventure as 
  presesen
  enteted,d  so Game
  mee Masasastetersrs should consider what might ensue
  if the
  he plal yerss are allllow
  ow
  owed
  ed
  ed to o put their plan into action, and feel 
  freee to o ov
  overe rurulel  it ifif nee
  ee
  eede
  de
  ded.d.d. How
  ow
  owev
  ev
  everer, , , an
  any y susuch
  ch veteto o sh
  shou
  ou
  ouldld be e 
  enacacteted “in ch
  c araractetet r,r,r" ususu inining g thhe vessel’s’  captain or othe
  h r r NP
  NPCs
  Cs 
  to poiointnt out wha
  hat t mi
  mi
  migh
  gh
  ght t go
  g  wrong, or even act to block it if 
  nececessssarary.y Below, ththt reree e ofof the most obvious means of boarding 
  Coome
  metataryry Fragmen
  ent t Ø-
  Ø-
  Ø-77
  77
  7 7 ara e presen
  ented.
  STE
  TEALTH
  T
  L
  Th
  The e mo
  mosts  obvious mea
  eaans
  ns
  ns of f ge
  ge
  g tttttinining on boa
  o rd is byy doing
  n
  so o
  unseen
  en. To
  T  achhiei ve thihihis,s,s, the
  he
  he Aco
  co
  colylylytetetes s s mu
  mu
  musts don
  on an n ararmo
  mo
  m urured
  ed 
  vacuum
  um suiu t t and make
  ke a guiuiuide
  ded space walk frororom their vessel to
  the coome
  met,t, using
  n  the tail l ststtrereream
  am
  aming from its lee side to approach 
  in itss aug
  ugururs’s’ blilind spot. Thihihis s s ap
  approa
  oach masks the Acolytes’ 
  presenncee, , fofor,r, in addition to o thththe e du
  du
  duststst and
  nd
  nd vap
  ap
  apou
  ou
  our r po
  po
  pouru inining g g frfrf om
  om
  om 
  the fragme
  mentnt, , a a vast plulul mee of f f ga
  ga
  gas s gigigive
  ven n ofofoff f by
  b  the num
  u erous 
  machine system
  ems within the
  he
  h
  rea
  ea
  e ctctctor
  or is alalso
  so presentt. In all 
  likelihood theAco
  colylytes have nevere  attttem
  emmptptpted
  ed
  edsuc
  uch h ha a aststun
  u t before, 
  and doing so sho
  houluld d be
  be a memmorablele eve
  ve
  ventntn , ififif a dan
  an
  ange
  ge
  gerorousus one
  ne. . 
  Having “touche
  h d d do
  down
  wn” on
  o  the
  h  com
  omet, ththe e Ac
  Ac
  A ololo ytytteseses can
  an
  an gaiaiain n n
  entry using one ofof the
  he num
  umererous accesss poioio ntntnts s scscscatatattetetererered d acacacrororossss 
  its surface, and plalay y cacan n pr
  proc
  ocee
  eed to Part 2. 
  In order for a cha
  hararactcterer to o crcros
  o s from
  om the sililent gu
  g n cutter to
  the distant comet, they y mu
  mustst mak
  ake e a vo
  voidid walalk.k. The
  he accccururacacy y
  of the walk is deterermi
  mineed d en
  entit rerelyly by y ho
  how 
  w we
  wellll the
  he cha
  hararactc erer 
  pushes off from the cutter, an
  and d be
  b causu e theyy can
  annot ririsk
  sk drarawi
  wing
  ng 
  attention to themselves, they maay noot make
  ke use of f peersrsonnalal jetets s 
  or the likes. Each character mak
  a ing g ththe void wallk must take a 
  Hard (–20) Strength Test plusus a Very Hard
  r
  (–30) Agility 
  Test. Success on both means that the character crosses the void
  safely and lands at the intended point. If either Test is failed, the
  ch
  ch
  charararacacacteteter r de
  de
  deviviviatatateseses, ho
  how badly y de
  deteterm
  rminined
  ed by the total Degrees 
  of Failure x50
  50 metetetrereres,s  though they stitillll lan
  and d on the comet. Each 
  void suit has on
  onlylyy an n n ho
  h uru ’s worth of f ox
  oxyg
  ygenn in its tank, so the 
  Acolytese  do not t ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve tim
  im
  ime e to get way
  aylalaidid loc
  ocating one another 
  sh
  shhou
  ou
  ouldd the
  he
  hey y y eaeaach
  ch
  ch lan
  an
  and d d inin different plalaceces,s, and
  n  they may have to 
  enter the comet inindididiviviv du
  du
  d alallyly and ﬁnd one
  ne ano
  nothher once inside.
  For each separaratatate e en
  en
  entrtry y tht e charac
  actetersrs mak
  ake e ini tot the comet, 
  there is a risk of the
  hee Vigigililan
  a ce Level beieing
  ng inc
  ncrereased by one
  po
  p int t (seee pag
  a e 1336)6)6). . Ea
  Ea
  Each
  ch
  ch entryry used rerequ
  quirirese  a Haard (–20) 
  Se
  Secu
  curirity
  tyy Tes
  es
  est. IfIfIf the
  he
  he Tesesest t isis faia led,d entntryry is ststill gained, but 
  the Vigilance Level isis inc
  nccrereasased by one po
  poinint.t.
  DUPLICITY
  Es
  Esspe
  pe
  p cicialallyly wililily plplplay
  ay
  ayererers s s mi
  mi
  m gh
  g t de
  d cicide
  de tha
  hat t ththe be
  b st way of 
  gaining access to o o ththhe e ststatation is to o claiaim 
  m ththey
  ey have every 
  right to be there an
  and d rerequ
  questing (or dem
  eman
  andiding
  n ) pe
  permission 
  to board. This appproroac
  ach h h ca
  ca
  c n n be
  b  very en
  entetertrtaiainingg, and d make 
  fofor r a a fair biti  of f on
  onn-t-t-the
  he
  he-ﬂ
  -ﬂ
  - y rolepllay
  aying.g. Unlnless the Acolytes 
  ha
  have
  ve
  v  som
  om
  ome e hihihigh
  gh
  ghlylyly dub
  ub
  ubioious
  uss conneecttioions
  ns the
  hey y are unlikely to 
  convince the Broroothththerererho
  hood
  od of Steel,l butut tha
  hat doesn’t mean 
  tht ey shouldn’t tryry. In
  In
  Inititiaial l attempts sho
  houluld d be
  be made by vox as 
  ththhe ship approac
  ac
  ache
  he
  hes,s,s and
  nd require thr
  hree
  ee con
  onsesecutive Opposed 
  Skill Tests. The
  hererere arerer a number of Skikilllls s the Acolytes might 
  use, including
  ng Dec
  ec
  e eieive
  ve, Blather, Cha
  harm
  rm and
  nd the like; and the 
  Brototo herhood d ch
  ch
  charararac
  acteter using his Wi
  Willllpo
  powe
  w r to oppose unless 
  thththe GM
  GM
  GM detetetererermi
  mi
  m ne
  nees s oto herwisise.e. The
  he Brorotht erhood is bereft of 
  huuma
  m n n em
  em
  emotototioioions
  ns
  ns, an
  and ce
  certain skkilillsls arere lesess s lil kely to succeed. 
  Sk
  Skilillsls suc
  uc
  u h h asas Cha
  h rm and Blalaththerer require some degree of 
  em
  em
  emototo ioioion n or
  o empathy for besest efeffefect, but Skills like Deceive, 
  or
  or, , ifif usesesed inve
  v ntivelly,y, Log
  ogicic do not t and thus gains a +30 
  bo
  bo
  bonu
  nu
  n s s wh
  when
  en used.d Suc
  ucce
  cessss doe
  o s s no
  not reresult in the Acolytes 
  beini g accepted
  e  for
  or who
  ho the
  hey y claim to be, but should at least 
  convince the sec
  ect t no
  not t to blast them to atoms (yet). 
  IfIf the
  hesese thr
  hree
  ee Opposed Tests are made, the Acolytes are
  alallolowe
  wed d toto boa
  oardrd, but only via a shuttle sent to pick them up. 
  FrFrom
  om tha
  hat t po
  point t onwaardrds, GMs should follow the Countdown 
  toto Calam
  a itity presented later.
  Ea
  Each
  ch time one of these Opposed Skill Test is failed, the 
  Vigilance Level (see page 136) is increased by one point.
  another means of inﬁltrating the comet. Keep in mind, of 
  course, that the defenders are now aware that an enemy 
  is attempting to interfere with their plans, and while they 
  do not delay the activation of the Paradox Reactor, they 
  are more prepared for enemy action.
  6 in zero gravity conditions. The suit’s weight is 25 kg, 
  should characters choose to keep it on once inside the 
  comet, where normal gravity resumes.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  FORCE
  The least desirable course of action is for the Acolytes to attempt 
  to force their way on board. If the players insist on pursuing 
  this approach, they are likely to meet far more opposition then 
  they can possibly deal with, as the inhabitants mobilise their 
  considerable resources to repel the invaders. Landing might 
  not present too many difﬁculties, though multiple Sentry-Guns 
  (see below) immediately ﬁre at the Acolytes upon their arrival, 
  likely forcing them to take cover. Gun Servitors (see page 340 
  of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) also emerge to deal with 
  the intruders. Depending on how such a boarding attempt pans 
  out, the Acolytes might be able to gain a foothold before the 
  opposition can fully muster against them, but they are soon 
  forced to ﬂee into the labyrinthine tunnels that honeycomb the 
  comet. From that point, on the GM can run the adventure as 
  presented, but increase the chances of the Acolytes meeting 
  serious and determined enemies; the Brotherhood is now 
  actively hunting them down, and doubling the number of 
  guards and patrols as they are presented later on. It should 
  be noted, however, that even with enemies on board the 
  Brotherhood is committed to activating the Paradox Reactor 
  and does so regardless of any other concerns.
  In this instance the Vigilance Level rule presented on page 
  136 is not used, as the Brotherhood of Steel go to full alert 
  and stay that way. Any encounter with even the lowliest of 
  the menials leads to violence, and even the normally placid 
  mono-tasked servitors act against the Acolytes with violence.  
  OPTIONAL 
  COMPLICATIONS
  Whatever means of inﬁltrating the comet the Acolytes use, a 
  number of complications can be introduced to make things 
  more entertaining. Any number of these can be introduced at 
  the appropriate moment to keep the Acolytes suitably tense, 
  especially if the Player Characters are having things too easy.
  COMPLICATION 1: SENTRY-GUNS
  The pitted surface of the fragment is laced with access points, 
  unidentiﬁable machine components, and numerous gas-
  belching vents. In amongst all of this, the Brotherhood of Steel 
  has secreted a number of point defence Sentry-Guns to guard 
  against intrusion. This complication can be introduced if and 
  when the Acolytes attempt to move about on the surface of the 
  comet, either during the initial inﬁltration, or should they end 
  up doing so at any point later in the adventure. The comet's 
  surface is littered with Ice Cover (AP 8; see page 199 of the 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook). 
  Each Sentry-Gun is a Hadd-Pattern Tarantula armed with multi-
  lasers, and slaved to a rudimentary war spirit that automatically 
  opens ﬁre on the ﬁrst moving object within 100 metres that 
  enters an arc 90 degrees to its front facing, unless that target is 
  transmitting the correct warding ciphers (faking these requires a 
  Difﬁcult (–30) Tech-Use or Deceive Test). The weapon ﬁres 
  with a Ballistic Skill of 20, and continues to ﬁre until the detected 
  target ceases movement for ﬁve seconds, at which case it switches 
  to the next nearest target or powers down to standby state. Other 
  rules for this weapon system can be found on pages 62 and 63. 
  COMPLICATION 2:  
  ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
  Much of the machinery covering the surface serves a vital purpose, 
  and as such it must be properly maintained so as not to jeopardise 
  the Paradox Reactor's imminent activation. While many of these 
  external systems can be accessed from within the comet, some of 
  them can only be properly serviced using a small, one-man tender 
  equipped with a variety of servo-claws and other articulated 
  systems. The service tender is crewed by a single Technomat, 
  and while not equipped with any actual weapons, its numerous 
  plasma welders, saws, cutters, and claws are likely to prove fatal to 
  any victim it runs into during the course of its duties. 
  The tender’s proﬁle is given on page 142. Because its 
  operator is not expecting trouble the Acolytes automatically 
  gain the beneﬁt of Surprise should they choose to ambush it. 
  Once the tender becomes aware of the Acolytes’ presence, it 
  sounds the alarm (taking a Full Action to accomplish). The 
  Vigilance Level is increased by one point (see page 136) for 
  each Acolyte the tender’s operator sees.
  FORCE
  The least t de
  desisirarablble e co
  c urse of f acacctition
  on
  on is fof r the Acolytes to attempt
  to forcece the
  heirir way
  ay on board.d If f f thththe e players insist on pursuing 
  this appror acach,h, the
  hey y are likely to o me
  meete  far mor
  orre oppositionn then n
  they can posssisiblbly y de
  d al witi h,, as s thththe e e inininha
  ha
  habibibitatatantntnts s s mo
  mo
  mobibib lil sese the
  heir 
  considerable resesou
  ources to repe
  pel l thhthe e e ininvaders. Landing might
  not present too o ma
  many
  ny difﬁcultitieses, , ththou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  g  multiplp e Se
  S ntry-G
  -Gun
  u s 
  (see below
  o ) im
  imme
  medidiatatelely y ﬁr
  ﬁrre atat the
  he
  he Aco
  co
  colylylytetetes s s up
  up
  upon
  on
  on the
  he
  heirir arrrrr ivivalala , 
  likely forrcingg the
  hem 
  m to take co
  cove
  ver.r.r. Gun
  un
  un Serere viv tors (see page 340 
  of the DARK H
  K
  ERE
  ERESY
  SY Core Ru
  R lebo
  book
  ok) ) alalalsoo
  so eme
  m rge to deal with
  Y
  the intruders. Dependiding
  ng on how suuch
  ch a boa
  oa
  o rdrding attempt pans 
  out, the Acolytes mi
  migh
  ght t be
  b able to gaiain n a fofofootototho
  ho
  h ldl befefefor
  or
  ore e the
  opposition can fulullyly mususteter r agaiinst ththt em
  emm, , bu
  bu
  but t thththey
  ey
  ey arerere soo
  oon 
  forced to ﬂee into thee lab
  abyryrinintht ine tunn
  nnelels s thththatat hon
  on
  oney
  ey
  eyco
  comb the 
  comet. From that poiint, on
  on the GM can run n thhthe e e ad
  ad
  adve
  ve
  v ntnturure e asas 
  presented, but increase ththe ch
  chan
  anceces of the
  h  Acolylylytetes s me
  me
  meetetetinining g g 
  serious and determined ene
  nemi
  mieses; ; ththe e Br
  Brotothe
  herhhood d isisi
  now
  ow
  ow 
  actively hunting the
  h m 
  m do
  d wn
  wn, an
  and d do
  doub
  u lilingg the numbe
  ber r ofofof 
  guards and patrols as they arer prereseentnted
  ed latatere on. It should 
  be noted, however, that even witith h en
  e emmieies s on
  o
  board the
  h  
  Brotherhood is committed to activatiting
  n
  the
  he Pararad
  adox
  ox Rea
  eactctor
  or 
  and does so regardless of any otother coonc
  ncererns
  ns.
  In this instance the Vigilance Level rule presennteted d on
  on pag
  age e 
  136 is not used, as the Brotherhood of Steel go tot fulull l alere t
  and stay that way. Any encounter with even the lowliest of 
  the menials leads to violence, and even the normally placid 
  mono-tasked servitors act against the Acolytes with violence. 
  beelcl hih ng
  ng ven
  entstss. .  InInn amo
  mo
  m ng
  n st all of this, the e Br
  Brotothe
  h rhood of S
  has secreted
  ed a num
  um
  umbe
  be
  ber r r of point deffence Sen
  entrtry-y-Gu
  Guns
  n  to gu
  against intrussioion.n. Thihihis s s co
  co
  c mp
  m lication cann be e inintrtrod
  oduc
  uced if 
  when the Acolytees atatattetetemp
  mp
  mpt t t tototo movve about on
  on the
  he sururfafacec  of
  coome
  me
  m t,t,t, eititithe
  he
  her r du
  du
  duririring
  ng
  ng the
  he
  he inininitititialala inﬁ
  nﬁltratition
  on, , or
  or sho
  houluld d they
  up doiing so at any
  ny
  ny poioiointntnt latata erere in n thhe addventnturure.e. The
  he com
  om
  surface is littered withh Icecece Cov
  overer (AP 8; see pa
  page
  ge 199
  99 of
  DARK H
  K
  ERESY Core Rulelebo
  boook
  ok
  ok).).). 
  Y
  Ea
  E ch
  ch Sentry-y-y Gun is aHad
  addd-
  d-
  d-Pa
  Pa
  Patttttterere n n Ta
  T rantula aararme
  med d wi
  withth m
  lasesersrs, an
  and d slslav
  av
  aved
  ed
  e to o o a a a rurudid me
  meentntntarara y y y wa
  w r spirit tha
  hat t au
  autotoma
  matitic
  open
  ens ﬁre on the ﬁrst mo
  moving
  ng
  ng objbjbjececect wi
  w thin 100
  00 metetreres s 
  enters an arc 90 degrees to its s s frfrf on
  on
  ont t fafacing, un
  unlelessss tha
  hat t taarg
  transmitting the correct wardid ng
  ng cipipiphe
  he
  hersrs (faking the
  hesese req
  equir
  Di
  D fﬁcu
  cult (–30)
  0) Tecch-
  h-
  h-Use or r De
  De
  Dece
  ce
  ceivivive Test). The
  he weaeapo
  pon n
  t
  wi
  withth a Balalliliststticic Skikillllll of f 20
  20
  20, an
  an
  and d d co
  co
  contntntinininue
  ue
  u s tot  ﬁre untntilil the
  he detete
  target ceases movement for ﬁve seccon
  on
  onds
  ds
  d , atat whichh casase e itit swit
  to the next nearest target or powe
  wersrs dow
  ow
  own to standby
  by statatete. O
  rules fof r this weapon system
  emm can
  ann be e e fofofoun
  un
  und on pagess 62 2 an
  a d 6
  COMPLICATION 2: 
  ROUTINE MAINTEN
  ENAN
  AN
  ANCE
  Much of the machinery co
  co
  covering
  ng
  ng the
  he
  he sururu fafacece servees s a vivitatal l pu
  purpr
  an
  and d asass suc
  uc
  u h h itit musu t t t be
  be
  be prororope
  pe
  perlrlrly y y ma
  ma
  maininintatat inined so o asas notot to o jejeop
  opara
  the Parado
  d x Re
  Reactor's s immi
  mi
  mine
  nentntt actctctivivata ion. Whilele man
  any y ofof t
  external systems can be accecesssssed
  ed
  ed frorom 
  m within the
  he com
  ometet, som
  them can only be properly seservrviciced
  ed
  ed using a sma
  m llll, on
  one-e-ma
  man n te
  equipped with a variety y ofof serere vo
  vo-cclal ws and
  nd oththerer articul
  systems. The service tennde
  der r isis crer wed by a sininglgle e Techno
  and while not equipp
  pped
  edd witith h h an
  any y actual weaeapo
  ponsns, , itits nume
  plp asma
  ma
  ma welelelde
  de
  dersrsrs, sasaaws
  ws
  ws, , , cu
  cu
  cuttttt erere s,s, and
  n  claws arere likikelely y toto pror ve fat
  an
  an
  any vivivictctctim
  im
  im it t rururunsnsns intntnto o o du
  du
  duriring
  ng the cou
  oursrse e ofof itsts dututieies. 
  The tend
  nderer’s’ss prororoﬁlﬁlﬁle e isis given on n pa
  page
  ge 142. Because
  op
  operata or
  o is s no
  no
  not t t ex
  ex
  e pe
  p ctcting trouble ththe e Ac
  Acololyty es automatic
  ga
  gainin the
  he
  he ben
  en
  eneﬁ
  eﬁﬁt t t ofofo Surprise sh
  shou
  o ldld the
  hey y ch
  choose to ambus
  On
  On
  Once
  ce
  ce the
  he
  he ten
  en
  ende
  d r r become
  mes s aw
  awarare e ofof the
  he Aco
  colyl tes’ presenc
  so
  so
  s un
  unnds
  ds
  ds the
  he
  he alarm
  r  (taking a Fulull l Ac
  Actition
  on to o ac
  accomplish).
  Vi
  V gilanc
  n e Level is inc
  n reassed
  ed by y one e po
  poinint (see page 136)
  each Acolyyte the
  he ten
  ende
  der’r’s s op
  opereratator
  or see
  ees.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  COMPLICATION 3: BUGS IN SPACE
  Many planetbound make the mistake of assuming that the void is 
  empty and lifeless, while the Voidborn know full well that space 
  is, in actual fact, host to all manner of strange and often disturbing 
  life forms. One such creature, known as the void-ﬂuke within 
  the Malﬁan Sub-sector, attaches itself to objects rich in iron ore 
  and slowly breaks them down by way of its highly specialised 
  digestive tract. These metre-long creatures infest asteroids and 
  orbitals across the sub-sector, and while usually harmless, can 
  be dangerous if encountered in large numbers, or when they are 
  seeking a new food source. Right now, Ø-777 is infested with 
  large numbers of void-ﬂukes eager for meals. 
  This complication can be played on the Acolytes whenever 
  they are on or near the surface, where the creatures might 
  sense and seek out new sources of nutrition. Once attracted 
  they latch onto the source; in a matter of minutes the 
  creatures’ lamprey-like mouths can bore quickly through most 
  substances, their unique saliva breaking down the minerals. 
  Anyone unfortunate enough to have a void-ﬂuke attach itself 
  to his space suit had better ﬁnd an airlock very quickly indeed, 
  for his life must surely be measured in minutes if he cannot.
  The proﬁle for the void-ﬂukes is presented on page 142. 
  Initially, the Acolytes face only a single specimen, but each 
  Round they fail to slay the ﬁrst, another quickly arrives. 
  The main danger the vile creatures present lies in the risk of 
  explosive decompression should their teeth penetrate a Player 
  Character’s void suit. Should an Acolyte suffer Damage from 
  a void ﬂuke, use the special rules for Vacuum Damage found 
  on page 210 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook. 
  ���������
  ��������
  ��������
  �
  n Part 2 of the adventure, the Acolytes inﬁltrate the Brotherhood 
  of Steel’s hellish realm in order to determine exactly what 
  heresies are being conducted within. Unaware of the intrusion, 
  the renegade Tech-Priests continue the countdown towards 
  activating the Paradox Reactor, with disaster drawing nearer with 
  every passing second. It concludes as the countdown reaches zero, 
  by which point the Player Characters should have discovered 
  something of the awful truth of what is about to transpire.
  LOCATIONS WITHIN  
  THE COMET
  The comet housing the Yu’Vath remnant is vast, and its interior 
  is a warren of winding tunnels and chambers. The Brotherhood 
  of Steel has built numerous additional tunnels and chambers 
  (see page 144 for interior map), the most pertinent of which 
  are described below. There are also numerous other tunnels and 
  areas not shown, and should they consider it (and if the Game 
  Master agrees) the Player Characters can use them to get from 
  one location to another. This is extremely dangerous, however, 
  as the likelihood of becoming horribly lost is great. If attempting 
  to reach a speciﬁc location using the hidden corridors, a Hard 
  (–20) Navigation (Surface) Test is required. If the Test is failed, 
  the player ends up in a location chosen by the Game Master, with 
  the Degrees of Failure determining how much distance or effort 
  now separates them from their intended destination. The GM is 
  also encouraged to portray these unused passages with sporadic 
  lumen failures, crumbling ceilings, disquieting creaking sounds, 
  and other things to show how unsafe these areas are. 
  Each location includes a brief description, plus details 
  of what hazards or enemies the Acolytes might face whilst 
  exploring it. In some cases the Acolytes are presented with an 
  opportunity to discern something of the facility’s true purpose, 
  or even to inﬂuence the events of Part 3 in some manner.
  MAIN HANGAR
  The facility contains a small hangar bay able to accommodate 
  three or four service vessels at a time. It currently houses 
  one Arvus Lighter in a stand-by state, and a second that is 
  undergoing routine maintenance. 
  Should the Acolytes need them, the ﬁrst can be made ready 
  within about a minute by passing a Challenging (+0) Pilot 
  (Military Craft) Test, but only once its two crew have been 
  silenced. The crew use the Heretek proﬁle (see page 340 of the 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook). The other Arvus is unattended, 
  but its main command terminal has been partially disassembled. 
  A suitably skilled character would need to spend around ﬁfteen 
  minutes inside to restore the Lighter to an operational state, 
  requiring a successful Difﬁcult (–10) Tech-use Test.
  SPA
  P CE
  minining g g g thththatatat the
  he
  he voioioioid d d d isisisis 
  w fufufullllll welelell l thhat spacee 
  and often disturbing 
  e void-ﬂuke within 
  ects rich in iron ore 
  s highly specialised 
  infest asteroids and 
  ually harmless, can
  rs, or when they are 
  777 is infested with 
  Acolytes whenever 
  he creatures might 
  on. Once attracted 
  er of minutes the 
  ickly through most 
  down the mineralsls. 
  d-ﬂuke attach itssele f 
  ery quickly indeed, 
  utes if he cann
  n ot.
  nted on page
  ge
  g  142.
  pecimen, but each
  er quickly y arrives. 
  t lies in the risk of 
  h penetrate a Player 
  uffer Daamage from 
  um Dama
  m ge found 
  ulebookk. 
  n Part 2 of the e e ad
  ad
  ad
  ad
  adventure, theeAcolytees sinininﬁlﬁlﬁlﬁ trtrt atate e ththe eBr
  Br
  Br
  B otototothe
  he
  he
  herh
  rh
  rh
  rhood 
  of Steel’ss hellish realm in order to detetetetterere mi
  mine
  ne exa
  xactctlyly what
  heresiesesesese  are being conducted within. Una
  na
  na
  na
  nawa
  wa
  w rerer of f ththe e inintrusion,n,n,n, 
  the rerene
  n gade Tech-Pr
  Pr
  Priests contininue
  ue
  u
  the
  he
  he
  he cou
  ou
  ou
  ountntdo
  down
  wn
  wn tow
  ow
  owarards
  ds
  d  
  actiitiva
  v ting the Paradox
  ox
  ox
  ox Reaeaeae ctor, , , wi
  wi
  wi
  wi
  wi
  w ththththt disisisisasasasastetet r r drdrd awwinining g g g ne
  ne
  ne
  n arer wititith h h
  ev
  ev
  every passing secoo
  co
  cond
  n . ItItt con
  onn
  o cllclclc ud
  ud
  ud
  udesesesses as s s ththththe e e e co
  c untdtdtddow
  ow
  o n n rereacache
  he
  hes s ze
  zeroro, 
  by which point the
  he
  he
  he Player Ch
  Ch
  Chhararararacacacacteteters sho
  ho
  hoululld d d ha
  ha
  ha
  have
  ve
  ve
  ve disisco
  covererered 
  something of the awf
  wf
  wf
  wf
  wf
  wfulu  trururuthththth of f f wh
  whatatat is s abb
  ab
  abbou
  ou
  out t t totototo trarar nsnspipirere.
  LOCAT
  A IONS WITHIN 
  THE COMET
  Th
  Th
  Th
  The comeet housing g ththththhe e Yu
  Yu’Vath reremn
  mn
  mnan
  an
  ant t isisis vasast,t, and
  nd its inttererior 
  isi  a warren of winininindididid ng tunnels and
  nd
  nd cha
  hamb
  mbbererers.s.s The
  he Broroththererho
  hood
  od 
  ofofofof Steteteel has buiuiuiuiltltltlt numerous ad
  ad
  addidid tit on
  onala tun
  unne
  nelslslsl and
  n  chaamb
  mbers 
  (see page 144 4 4 fofofofor interior map
  ap),),), the
  he
  he mosst t pe
  pe
  p rtrtininen
  e t ofofoff whihich 
  are de
  d scribed d d d be
  be
  be
  below.w Theererere arer alslslso o o nu
  nu
  nume
  me
  m rorousus oththerer tun
  un
  unnne
  ne
  neelslsl and
  n  
  areaas s not show
  ow
  ow
  own, and sho
  hooulu d ththhey
  ey
  ey con
  onsiside
  d r iti  (annd d ifif the
  h Gamme
  Mastter agreeeeeeees)s)s)s) the Player Characacteetersrsrs can
  an
  an usee the
  he
  h m 
  m 
  m toto getett from 
  one e location
  on
  on
  on to another. This isis extxtxtrerereme
  me
  melylyly dannge
  gerorousus, ho
  h we
  w ver, 
  as the
  h  likellihihihihoo
  o d of becomming g g hoorrrrrribibiblylyly loso t t t isisis grereatat. . IfIf attttem
  e ptpttini g 
  to reach a spe
  p ciiﬁc
  ﬁ loc
  ocattion ussinining g g thththe e e hih dd
  dd
  dd
  dden
  e cororrirido
  dorsrs, a a Hard
  rd
  rd 
  (–20) Naviviviviga
  ga
  gation (Surface) Tesst is s s s rereerererequ
  qu
  qu
  quu
  quiririred
  ed
  ed
  ed. . IfIf the
  he Tesest is failed, 
  t
  ththththe e player end
  nd
  nd
  nds up in a location cho
  ho
  hooses n by the
  he
  he
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  ame e Ma
  Masts er, with 
  the e Degreees s s ofo  Failure determining
  ng
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  The e GM
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  colylylytetes s mi
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  ed
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  MAI
  A N HANGAR
  G
  The facility containins s a small ha
  ha
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  A susus ititab
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  mi
  minu
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  STRATEGIUM
  The Strategium is the Brotherhood's main command facility. It 
  consists of a large auditorium-style space, the tiered main level 
  lined with almost ﬁfty servitors and low-level Tech-Priests 
  attending hundreds of terminals. Pict-slates of varying sizes cover 
  the walls, each displaying dizzying streams of machine code, 
  graph, and pict-thief captures from all around the comet. Though 
  only those suitably equipped can see it, the air itself is ablaze with 
  yet more data, numerous interlocked tiers that are accessible only 
  to those with the requisite clearance. Grating machine code blurts 
  from overhead vox-horns, the atonal chatter conveying much 
  more data than the spoken word is capable of with each burst.
  Acolytes used to the domains of the Cult Mechanicus are 
  likely to discern several things slightly amiss in the strategium, 
  however. The air, normally heavy with cloying incense, smells 
  stale and acidic, while a low, atonal buzz is just audible at the 
  edges of hearing. The cyber-cherubs that haunt the vaulted 
  ceilings appear more than a little feral, as if malnourished or 
  diseased. Especially alert Tech-Priest PCs cannot help but note 
  the stream of anomalous code intertwined with the regular 
  machine language blurts. None of this information should require 
  any Test to discern, and all should indicate to the Acolytes that 
  things are not as they should be in a proper Mechanicus facility. 
  As the countdown to the activation of the Paradox Reactor 
  draws closer, the staff increases, until by the height of the adventure 
  every Tech-Priest not assigned speciﬁc duties elsewhere is present 
  to witness the culmination of the Brotherhood’s centuries-long 
  endeavour, amounting to around two hundred individuals.
  The Strategium also has roughly a dozen Arch-Hereteks  (see 
  page 119) as senior commanders. The main entrance is guarded 
  on the outside by two Murder Servitors (see page 119), and more 
  can be deployed at a single word from those within.
  HAB ZONES
  While they require little in the way of human comfort, most 
  Tech-Priests still need a place to study, conduct routine 
  maintenance, and occasionally to rest. This is true even of the 
  Brotherhood of Steel, although their hab cells are spartan and 
  utilitarian even by the standards of the Adeptus Mechanicus. 
  The hab zones contain little of interest or comfort to the 
  average Acolyte. Tech-Priest Player Characters might be 
  able to locate all manner of useful supplies, however, and the 
  complex warren of cells would certainly be a good place to 
  eavesdrop on the occupants of Ø-777.
  As with many of the areas within the comet, the hab zones 
  are rarely all they ﬁrst appear to be. The air is thick with the 
  reek of disturbing machine unguents, though those Acolytes 
  with some prior experience with primitive shamans or wyrds 
  might ﬁnd them familiar. The hab zones also contain a range 
  of Mechanicum paraphernalia, including long streams of votive 
  script bedecking the walls, a number of the Cult Mechanicus’ cog 
  wheel icons, and hundreds of small, personal shrines set into the 
  walls, the wax of centuries of burned candles pooled beneath.
  Should the Acolytes decide to make a detailed search of one or 
  more of the hab zones, they may also ﬁnd evidence offering some 
  hint of the nature of the heresy surrounding them. A successful 
  Hard (–20) Search Test reveals several damning items, 
  including parchments containing forbidden Dismal Texts, data 
  crystals entirely ﬁlled with scrap code ciphers, and even tokens 
  and fetishes imbued with the taint of the Warp. It appears that the 
  items are not being used in the way a conventional cult might use 
  them—they appear not to be speciﬁcally hidden, and there are no 
  signs of any altars, shrines, or reliquaries. Clearly, the Brotherhood 
  is not even aware that Chaos is active in their midst.
  HOLDING BATTERY
  The Brotherhood of Steel has relied for centuries upon secrecy to 
  keep its activities hidden, but its masters have taken precautions 
  against intrusion. The holding cells take the form of ceramite-
  lined chambers, accessed through an armoured hatch that is 
  locked and guarded at all times. There are twenty cells in the 
  battery, each only just large enough to accommodate a single 
  prisoner. So long as the Acolytes have not caused a comet-wide, 
  full scale alert, when they ﬁrst arrive only a single Excruciator 
  Servitor (see page 120) attends the Holding Battery. 
  Breaking into a cell requires a Hard (–30) Security 
  or Strength Skill Test, which takes around a minute to 
  perform. Breaking out of one requires the same tests, but each 
  attempt takes up to one hour of time. This is assuming that no 
  Brotherhood personnel are about, of course, and the tests are 
  much harder or longer to perform if they are.
  THE TAINT OF CHAOS
  What the soul-shrived Brotherhood is blind to, the Acolytes 
  might very well ﬁnd overwhelmingly obvious. The simple 
  fact is that the renegade Tech-Priests have been led astray 
  by the machinations of the Ruinous Powers—instead of 
  the Brotherhood masterminding the creation of a new font 
  of power, the truth is that denizens of the Warp are using 
  the deluded Tech-Priests to break through to the material 
  universe. It is likely that the players will determine this as 
  the adventure progresses, but should they not, the Game 
  Master might wish to allow appropriate Acolytes to make 
  Psyniscience Tests as they enter new locations, or after 
  triggering the various environmental hazards presented 
  on page 127. Success should provide varying hints that the 
  Ruinous Powers are at work, and that the Brotherhood of 
  Steel is unaware of the fact. Phase 4 of the Countdown to 
  Calamity (see page 138) makes explicit allowance for this 
  if does not come up earlier.
  LATHES-PATTERN ARVUS LIGHTER
  Hull: Utility shuttle
  Class: Lathes sub-type XK-1112
  Dimensions: 8.5 metres long, 8.2 metres wide
  Crew: 1 pilot, 1 co-pilot/loadmaster.
  Passenger Capacity: 12
  The Arvus Lighter is a utility shuttle designed to transport 
  personnel and goods from a planet to a ship in orbit, or 
  between vessels in void-lock. It is slow, unwieldy, and 
  unarmed, but very useful for transporting cargo.
  STR
  TR
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  The e e StStStStraratet gium
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  All but one of the cells are empty, though even these contain 
  stains and scraps of unidentiﬁable biological matter that could 
  put the Acolytes off their next meal. Several contain desiccated 
  corpses, faces frozen in hideous rictus grins and fell runes carved 
  into their dry ﬂesh. The single occupied cell contains a very 
  special prisoner, who the Brotherhood have been attempting to 
  interrogate and study as part of their plan to create what they call 
  an “Ætheric Navigational Beacon.” This prisoner is Ballis Aleene, 
  a Navigator whose family believed slain in a Warp accident 
  several decades ago. Aleene is unconscious when discovered, and 
  it takes a Very Hard (–30) Medicae Test to revive him. The 
  Navigator’s head is covered in scars from where the Brotherhood 
  have enacted all manner of vile experiments upon him in an 
  effort to better understand his abilities, and thus aid in creating 
  the false Astronomican. Once he regains consciousness, Aleene 
  promises to enact vengeance upon the Brotherhood of Steel, and 
  immediately joins the Acolytes to do so. Having been subjected 
  to the Brotherhood’s evil for many years, the Navigator is quite 
  mad (and should be roleplayed as such), but he is also fairly 
  certain what the apostates are endeavouring towards. Whether 
  or not the Acolytes believe the mad Navigator is up to them, 
  though. See page 143 for Aleene’s proﬁle. 
  ARMOURY
  Hundreds of guardians and sentries of all types are tasked 
  with protecting Ø-777, equipped with the most fearsome 
  weaponry the Brotherhood of Steel has access to. The armoury 
  takes the form of a central hub, with ten individual armoured 
  chambers connected via short companionways. Each chamber 
  is used to store a different class of weapon or system such, as 
  bolter ammunitions or photonic fuel ﬂasks.
  Tech-Priest master artisan Onaka Ghul mans the central 
  hub, jealously guarding what he considers his personal domain. 
  Master Ghul uses the Heretek proﬁle on page 340 of the DARK 
  HERESY Core Rulebook. He is hard-wired into his position by 
  way of articulated attachments that limit his movements to within 
  three metres of his station; if these are destroyed (this happens if 
  any Critical Damage is inﬂicted on his “legs”) he is immediately 
  immobilised and suffers –20 to all subsequent Skill Tests. 
  Only those that present the correct requisition codes are 
  allowed to take the requested ammunition, and with only with 
  great reluctance. A dozen utility servitors attend to Master 
  Ghul, and he has access to a further ﬁve Industrial Servitors 
  (see page 341 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) for tasks 
  that require a large amount of heavy lifting.
  SERVICE ZONES
  A general category that covers the vast majority of areas within the 
  comet, service zones are areas where machine systems of all types 
  can be accessed, operated, and maintained. To the uninitiated 
  they appear to serve no speciﬁc purpose, and even a servant of the 
  Omnissiah might have trouble identifying many of the processes 
  the machinery serves. Many of the machine components serve 
  systems that should not exist, and to perceive but a fraction of 
  their function is to court insanity and damnation. 
  While no speciﬁc events need be keyed to the general service 
  zones, they are dangerous places to pass through, and so the 
  hazards described on page 127 are especially appropriate for 
  use here. In addition, the GM can spring unexpected patrols 
  and similar encounters on the Acolytes as they pass through 
  these areas, altering their composition and number based on 
  the Vigilance Level (as described on page 136).
  QUESTIONING THE MAD NAVIGATOR
  Ballis Aleene provides the Game Master with a useful 
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  they may have missed or misinterpreted. Too much 
  exposition can make the players feel as if their efforts 
  are secondary to the plot, so GMs are encouraged to 
  roleplay any conversations and to resolve them with an 
  Interaction Test (see page 230 of the DARK HERESY Core 
  rulebook) to ascertain how much information is gleaned. 
  Appropriate tests include Charm, Deceive, Command, 
  and Interrogation. The Navigator begins the conversion 
  at Disdainful/Resentful/Suspicious/Brave, meaning the 
  test is Difﬁcult (–10). Each time a Test is failed, he gets 
  one level harder to interact with. Each time one is passed, 
  reference Table 4–2 Navigator Interaction and the 
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  Passage through the seemingly innocuous service zones is 
  also a good time for unnatural encounters. These should hint 
  at the maleﬁc truth of what is happening here, and play up the 
  notion that the very fabric of the comet is now steeped in the 
  rancid taint of Chaos, even if its masters are unaware of the fact. 
  Here are a few encounters the GM might like to use:
  An Astral Spectre (see page 350 of the DARK HERESY Core 
  Rulebook) manifests before the Acolytes as they traverse an 
  especially dark stretch of passageway. 
  A pack (1d10+5) of giant rats bursts from a dank conduit and 
  attacks the Acolytes without warning. These count as Walking 
  Creatures, as presented on page 349 of the DARK HERESY Core 
  Rulebook, but with the Toxic Trait to their bites, and have been 
  driven to a mad frenzy through Warp exposure.
  A single Mutant Abomination (see page 342 of the DARK 
  HERESY Core Rulebook), the escaped and feral subject of some 
  vile Brotherhood experiment, resents the Acolytes’ intrusion 
  into its secret haven and attacks from its hidden lair.
  A ﬂock (2d5) of feral Cyber Cherubs descend from the 
  darkness overhead, screeching their atavistic rage at the 
  Acolytes. If these foul creatures are not wiped out within ten 
  Rounds, the noise causes the Vigilance Level (see page 136) 
  to raise by one. See page 143 for the their proﬁle.
  STORAGE BAYS
  There are numerous general storage bays scattered across the 
  interior of the comet, ﬁlled with all manner of supplies and 
  components. Most of the storage bays are unattended, though 
  the Acolytes might encounter a servitor fetching supplies for 
  its master, or even a Tech-Priest searching the vast chambers 
  for some obscure item of technology. 
  As with the other regions inside the comet, even the storage 
  bays are not entirely what they appear to be. Attentive PCs 
  can easily ﬁnd clues of unusual materials, and many chambers 
  are tainted with a range of noxious and entirely unnatural 
  smells. Some walls are engraved with sigils designed to ward 
  off the creatures of the Warp, hinting at the forbidden nature 
  of the things that have been stored there in the past.
  Should the players declare they are looking for something 
  speciﬁc, the GM can assign a scarcity value to the item and 
  use this as the Difﬁculty Level for a subsequent search. Very 
  basic supplies and tools should require an Easy (+30) Search 
  Test, while speciﬁc components for esoteric machinery should 
  require a Very Hard (–30) Test, and most other items likely 
  to be somewhere in between.
  PARADOX REACTOR COMPONENTS
  The Paradox Reactor at the core of the fragment is served 
  through numerous bizarre subsidiary systems. Most have 
  been developed over the centuries to support some other 
  function of the reactor, while others are extrapolations of the 
  technology found in the Yu’Vath remnant. They have such 
  titles as the Graviton Renormaliser, Warp Feedback Antifuse 
  Chambers, Shunt Manifold Cells, Implosion Compressor 
  Valves, Inverted Stellerators, Perturbation Inhibitors, and 
  Heliotronic Transmission Coils. None of these terms should 
  make any sense to the Acolytes, even those initiated into the 
  deepest mysteries of the Omnissiah.
  Clues that the reactor is utilising or manipulating a form 
  of unnatural energy are evident all about. Tech-Priests at their 
  terminals sit frozen in time, or whispering continuous streams 
  of profane blasphemy without realising it. Servitors stumble 
  about with grey cerebral matter bubbling from every oriﬁce. 
  Random messages ﬂash on pict-slates as a PC passes by—
  sometimes directed at the Acolyte himself. Often, the ever-
  present machine noises appear to shape themselves into words, 
  insinuating themselves into the Acolytes’ subconsciouses and 
  implanting all manner of unnatural and disturbing notions.
  In addition to the conventional dangers presented on page 127, 
  the GM should consider introducing threats of a more metaphysical 
  nature when near the reactor components. Many of these systems 
  are interacting with unnatural powers, and the xenos technology 
  some use can project a veritable aura of wrongness. The Acolytes 
  should, at the very least, get spooked for no apparent reason, 
  while occasionally palpable waves of terror should pass through 
  the tunnels as blasphemous processes are engaged. The best way 
  to represent this effect is to call for Disturbing (–0) Fear Tests 
  at seemingly random points, contributing to the overall feeling of 
  dread and keeping the players on their toes.
  PARADOX REACTOR CONTROL CHAMBER
  The Paradox Reactor is operated from a control chamber near 
  the heart of Ø-777, and only the very highest ranked of the 
  Brotherhood Tech-Priests are allowed access to it. The control 
  chamber bears more than a passing resemblance to a high temple 
  of the Machine God, and each terminal, screen, port, and conduit 
  has afﬁxed to it long streamers of script-covered parchment. The 
  sense of wrongness and blasphemy that pervades so much of the 
  facility is at a fever pitch in the control chamber, and none who 
  enter it can fail to notice that the parchments are covered with fell 
  sigils. The air is smoky with pungent, noxious oils, and guttering 
  lumens cast ﬂickering shadows across the rune-encrusted walls. 
  It is highly unlikely that the Acolytes will get anywhere 
  near to the Reactor Control Chamber in Part 2 of the 
  adventure, unless they somehow gained access to the facility 
  through tricking the Brotherhood into believing they are 
  one of their number. Should the Acolytes gain entry to the 
  Reactor Control Chamber, whether by force or guile, the GM 
  should consider moving the time line forward in order to 
  bring about the dramatic conclusion of the adventure.
  A staff of two dozen Tech-Priests and their menials and 
  servitors crew the control chamber and, unlike the main 
  Strategium, this complement remains more or less stable as the 
  activation of the Paradox Reactor approaches. Two Murder 
  Servitors (see page 119) stand guard, and another is nearby at 
  the ready should the Tech-Priests call for aid.
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  deepest mysteries of the Omnissiah.
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  PARADOX REACTOR CORE
  At the very heart of the comet, fed via kilometres of pulsing 
  conduits and surrounded with unfathomable machine systems, 
  lies the Brotherhood of Steel's ultimate blasphemy. The core takes 
  the form of a spherical space, a wide shaft linking it to the comet's 
  surface at either pole. At the very centre of this space, suspended 
  in a quantum neutral zone where none of the fundamental 
  interactions are possible, is the Yu’Vath remnant. The open core 
  of the reactor is consumed by a writhing mass of shadow tens of 
  metres in diameter that obscures the metre-wide object within. 
  The inner surfaces of the core and those of the shafts that link it 
  to the comet’s poles are covered with all manner of esoteric and 
  blasphemous machinery, and numerous gantries and walkways 
  allow the Brotherhood’s servants to approach almost to an arm’s 
  length of the hideously pulsating shadow-mass at its heart.
  Roughly a hundred servitor Drones (see page 344 of the 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) attend the Paradox Reactor Core, 
  each ﬁtted with a wide array of highly unusual and specialised 
  equipment. Five to eight-strong patrols of Gun Servitors (see 
  page 340 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook) conduct regular 
  sweeps along the numerous gantries and walkways, and several 
  high-ranking Brotherhood magos tend to the most sensitive and 
  esoteric of the many heretical machine systems serving the core.
  The Reactor Core is the setting of the adventure's pivotal 
  scene, and so just like the Reactor Control Chamber, GMs should 
  consider how the Acolytes gaining access to it too early might 
  affect the ﬂow of events. Should the Acolytes gain access to the 
  core before the Countdown to Calamity (see below) has reached 
  zero, then the GM may want to move events forward in order to 
  get the most dramatic effect from the event and the location.
  VIGILANCE LEVEL
  The Vigilance Level is a means of representing the general level of readiness and security amongst the Brotherhood of Steel. It 
  begins at 0, and each time a particular event occurs, it goes up one level. Some of these events are described previously in the 
  adventure, while others occur during the timeline to be presented. In addition to the listed events, the Game Master should feel 
  free to increase (or perhaps even decrease) the level, as beﬁts the Player Characters’ actions.
  Vigilance 
    Level
  Response from the Brotherhood of Steel
  0
  The Brotherhood is not expecting trouble, and only those guards speciﬁcally mentioned in the setting 
  information are present. At this level, any Interaction Tests (see page 230 of the DARK HERESY Core 
  Rulebook) performed are likely to be at the Indifferent level (+0), unless the Acolytes are attempting 
  something the Game Master deems harder (or easier) to achieve.
  1
  Patrols ordered in all major locations, consisting of 4-8 Gun Servitors. These are carried out at roughly 
  one hour intervals.
  2
  All Interactions at Difﬁcult (–10). Guards are doubled at locations noted as guarded.
  3
  Patrols stepped up to 30 minute intervals.
  4
  All Interactions at Hard (–20). Guards are posted to all major locations (typically 1-4 Murder Servitors).  
  Patrols increased to 15 minute intervals.
  5
  All Interactions at Very Hard (–30). Patrols increased to every ﬁve minutes. All locations guarded.
  6
  All patrol strengths doubled.
  7
  All guard posts reinforced to three times original strength.
  
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  COUNTDOWN TO CALAMITY
  Even as the Acolytes explore the facility, the renegade Tech-
  Priests continue with their preparations to activate the Paradox 
  Reactor. Throughout Part 2, the brotherhood’s servants are 
  enacting each of a series of long-prepared-for steps. These 
  follow a precise timeline, at the end of which the reactor is 
  brought online and the Warp explosively breached. The events 
  that follow proceed in the order presented, and while the 
  Player Characters might become involved in some, others can 
  be assumed to play out without their knowledge. The only 
  event the Acolytes have no real choice about getting wrapped 
  up in is the ﬁnal one, when the reactor goes fully online.
  How much time passes between each event in the 
  countdown is left largely up to the GM to determine, based 
  on how the action is ﬂowing. Otherwise, about an hour 
  should be left between each event.
  Each time one of the following events in the timeline 
  occurs, it should be accompanied by a vox-horn announcement 
  audible throughout the entire facility, to be read aloud to the 
  players. Game Masters who enjoy using props to enhance 
  their gaming sessions might like to obtain a voice-changing 
  device to make these announcements more dramatic! 
  DELAYING THE INEVITABLE
  At each phase in the timeline, the Acolytes have an opportunity to 
  stymie the Brotherhood of Steel’s plans. While they cannot stop 
  the activation of the Paradox Reactor, they might be able to buy 
  themselves extra time to escape, or some other beneﬁt. If none of 
  the stated opportunities present themselves to the players, then the 
  Game Master might like to allow them to make a Difﬁcult (–10) 
  Logic Test in order for the idea to present itself, but equally, the 
  GM should be open to any plans the players themselves might 
  come up with that lead to a similar outcome. 
  Each time one of the following events occurs, the Vigilance 
  Level is increased by 1.
  PHASE 1
  “Hail the Omnissiah. Securitas Protocol Alpha Zero One engaged 
  in eight minutes. All Tier Three personnel report to station. All Tier 
  Two personnel to ready state. All Tier One personnel stand by...”
  In the aftermath of this announcement, the tunnels ﬁll with 
  hundreds of low-ranked servants of the Brotherhood of Steel as 
  well as countless servitors of all types. The servitors are almost all 
  mono-tasked and therefore unaware of most factors outside of 
  their direct duties. The menials and lower-ranked Tech-Priests are 
  concentrating on getting to their stations, and unless the Acolytes 
  openly draw attention, they are unlikely to pose a threat.
  Should they wish to disrupt Phase 1, the Acolytes can seal key 
  hatches with a successful Hard (–20) Security Test, thus closing 
  off sections of the station. This would cause low-level menials to 
  be absent in later stages, increasing the duration between Phase 
  3 and 4 by an amount of time the GM considers appropriate 
  (around an hour should be sufﬁcient and allow the Acolytes to 
  attempt any extra mischief they might have planned).
  In addition, all external access points, including the main 
  hangar bay, are sealed in Phase 1, making escape almost 
  impossible until events have run their course. Anyone wishing 
  to open any external access point must pass a Very Hard 
  (–30) Security Test, or ﬁnd some other means of doing so.
  PHASE 2
  “The Machine God Watches. Ætheric Quench Arrestor operational. 
  Securitas Escalation Zero One engaged. All Tier Two personnel 
  report to station. All Tier One personnel to ready state. Standby for 
  heliostatic shunt. Plasma containment coils engage in eight minutes.”
  A deep, bass thrum passes through the comet, and the hairs 
  on the back of the Acolytes’ necks stand on end as esoteric 
  machine systems are powered up. Middle-ranked Tech-
  Priests and the more senior of their menials rush to attend 
  their stations. These individuals are far more likely to notice 
  anything anomalous in their surroundings, so if the Acolytes 
  have attempted any obvious trickery, it should be one level of 
  Difﬁculty harder to achieve than would normally be the case. 
  Interfering with the ability of these personnel to reach their 
  stations should signiﬁcantly prolong the interval between 
  Phase 4 and 5, buying the Acolytes time to ﬁnd out more 
  of what is going on or to sabotage other systems. It carries 
  the risk of alerting the facility’s defenders to the presence of 
  intruders however—see the Vigilance sidebar for details.
  PHASE 3
  “Our Great Task moves to completion. Quark Shield active. All 
  Tier One Personnel to station. Pseudo-Astronomican parameter 
  prognostication underway."
  As this announcement echoes away down the corridors, the 
  Acolytes hear a series of subsonic booms as yet more arcane 
  systems are brought online. With the Quark Shield active, no 
  communication is possible with anyone outside of the comet. 
  Should the Acolytes wish to communicate with the gun cutter, 
  they must attempt to disrupt the operation of the systems engaged 
  in Phase 3, and may do so from any of the Service Zones, all of 
  which have data-ports that can be accessed by a suitably equipped 
  Tech-Priest Acolyte. Disrupting the Quark Shield enough to get a 
  message out to the cutter requires a Hard (–20) Tech-Use Test, 
  but the Acolyte might decide to attempt additional damage whilst 
  accessing the terminal. A Hard (–20) Scrutiny or Tech-Use 
  Test reveals that even a slight manipulation of the plasma coils 
  feeding the Quark Shield system is sufﬁcient to cause an explosive 
  destabilisation in another zone. If the Player Character can pass 
  a Hard (–20) Demolitions Test, then he can set off a large 
  explosion in one location of his choice. Though doing so does 
  not alter the timeline, it is likely to cause signiﬁcant fatalities and 
  draw the Brotherhood's attentions to that area for some time.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  PHASE 4
  “We begin the ﬁrst step of the Grand Transformation, and will 
  no longer rely on weak ﬂesh to walk the stars. Warp breach phase 
  conductors operational. Predicted pseudo-astronomican ætheric 
  beacon effect within established parameters.”
  The air all about the Acolytes seems to reverse its charge, and 
  any of their number blessed with the psyker’s gift feel instantly 
  that something incredibly wrong is occurring. Any such Player 
  Characters may make a Challenging (+0) Psyniscience Test, 
  the Degrees of Success determining how much they perceive of 
  the processes being unleashed about them. 
  One Degree of Success reveals that the Brotherhood of Steel 
  ��
  is manipulating the stuff of reality using a machine of kind.
  Two Degrees of Success also determines that the machine 
  ��
  is of xenos origin (a further Very Hard (–30) Forbidden 
  Lore (Xenos) Test reveals that it is likely the xenos in 
  question are the Yu’Vath).
  Three Degrees of Success also reveals that the Brotherhood 
  ��
  of Steel is attempting to breach the Warp.
  Four or more Degrees of Success indicates that, should the 
  ��
  Brotherhood succeed, they will create a font of Warp power 
  so powerful it is likely to outshine the Astronomican itself, but 
  likely destroy much of the Lathes System in the process. 
  PHASE 5
  “Warp containment ﬁeld activation in sixteen minutes. All Tier 
  One personnel report to operational duty stations immediately. 
  Stand by for Warp breach. Repeat. Stand by for Warp breach.”
  As the last of the facility’s staff make for their duty stations, 
  the companionways resound to the sound of internal hatches 
  slamming shut and interlocks being engaged. Only those 
  tunnels connecting directly to the Paradox Reactor Core 
  and its immediate surroundings remain accessible. From now 
  on, the Player Characters encounter armoured hatches every 
  hundred metres or so along any corridor they pass along, and 
  each speciﬁc location is sealed off. A successful Hard (–20) 
  Security or a Difﬁcult (–10) Tech-Use Test must be made 
  to pass through each of these hatches.
  Should the Acolytes have reached any of the named Paradox 
  Reactor Components by Phase 5, they are in a position to cause 
  serious disruption to the ﬁnal activation. The machine systems 
  in these locations are alight with fell energies and whining with 
  barely contained power; it should be obvious to the players that 
  something quite drastic is soon to occur. Interfering with the 
  machine systems is an unpredictable business, and while doing 
  so does not halt the activation of the reactor, it is likely to cause 
  other effects. The Game Master should allow the players to state 
  what sort of trouble they want to cause, and allow them to make 
  whatever Tests seem appropriate. Suitable effects might include 
  routing plasma ﬂow through particular areas in order to slaughter 
  dozens of enemies at a time, locking down individual regions 
  by ﬂooding them with radiation, causing some components to 
  vanish into the Warp or be shunted to another reality entirely, 
  and any other inventive effects the players can imagine.
  Unless the Acolytes have taken steps earlier in the timeline to 
  delay the last phase, the action should move on towards Phase 
  6 fairly quickly. As it does so, the use of the environmental 
  hazards described on page 127 can be increased, and the Game 
  Master can call for frequent Fear Tests in order to convey the 
  sense of horror that only mortals can feel as the Paradox Reactor 
  is edged ever closer towards activation. As the countdown nears 
  Phase 6, the Acolytes should ﬁnd their sanity being tested in 
  ways the Brotherhood of Steel’s servants, so bereft of the souls 
  that once made them human, cannot perceive.
  PHASE 6
  “…eight, Omnissiah preserve our engrams, purging aetheric 
  sluice chamber, six, perturbation ﬁeld disengaged, four, paradox 
  scale approaching absolute… two, standby for breach! One…”
  Reality itself freezes, the silence not witnessed since the moment before 
  creation itself. Aeons pass in the blink of an eye ,and the fabric of the 
  universe expands outward before snapping back into place with a 
  soundless detonation so ominous the soul itself quails in terror.
  “Zero plus eight and counting…  ætheric beacon effect negative. 
  Repeat. Pseudo-astronomican beacon effect negative. Reading… 
  reading … anomalous ætheric bow wave on sub delta scale… 
  stand by… stand...”
  A high pitched shriek echoes weirdly through the very fabric of 
  Cometary Fragment Ø-777, followed closely by a sound as of a 
  vast mass of ﬂesh and bone ripped asunder by the claws of a god. 
  The shriek grows louder and is immediately followed by what 
  can only be described as cackling laughter.
  “Intrusion protocol Extremis! Repeat, intrusion protocol Extremis! 
  The Experiment cannot fail! All available securitas personnel to…”
  The voice transforms into a mix of ﬂeshy howls and mechanical 
  wailing. Then, the screaming begins...
  At this point, the Brotherhood of Steel activates the Paradox 
  Reactor, and the Yu’Vath remnant folds sub-atomic space in upon 
  itself, creating a paradoxical exchange of fundamental interactions 
  so opposed to the laws of nature that reality itself cracks asunder 
  and the Warp is breached. The Brotherhood of Steel is about to 
  discover the price of meddling in powers they have no means of 
  controlling, when they ﬁnd out what truly lies beyond.
  actor 
  nears 
  ed in
  souls 
  eric 
  dox 
  …”
  efore 
  f the 
  th a 
  tive.
  g… 
  e… 
  c of 
  of a 
  god. 
  what 
  mis! 
  …”
  ical 
  radox 
  upon 
  ctions 
  under
  out to 
  ans of 
  
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  �
  he Paradox Reactor has been activated and the Brotherhood 
  of Steel has unleashed the fell power of the Warp, but now 
  they are to discover how far down the path to damnation 
  they have travelled without even perceiving their souls’ demise. 
  Instead of a Warp beacon to rival the Astronomican, the 
  Brotherhood of Steel has opened a Warp gate, through which a 
  full-scale daemonic incursion is about to be unleashed. 
  Depending on exactly where they are when the reactor is 
  activated, the Acolytes experience the breaching of the Warp in a 
  slightly different manner. Because of the sealing off of the various 
  areas within the comet as the countdown towards activation 
  progressed, the Acolytes are likely to be somewhere fairly close 
  to the core when the reactor is activated, but if they are not, the 
  climax can be altered easily enough to accommodate this.
  THE BREACHING  
  OF THE WARP
  At the moment the countdown reached zero, the Yu’Vath 
  remnant released a blast of ætheric energy that punched a hole 
  straight through the very stuff of reality and brought a Warp 
  gate into being. This event was not unlike a Warp ship entering 
  the Sea of Souls, except that it is not self limiting, and the gate is 
  likely to expand until it becomes a vast lesion to rival the greatest 
  of Warp storms. Given time, the gate will expand to engulf the 
  entire Lathes System, a fate that will doom billions of souls to 
  eternal damnation, as well as deprive the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  of its greatest asset in the region. Without the industrial output 
  of the Lathes and the worlds they control, the infrastructure of 
  the Calixis Sector might be brought crashing to ruins, while the 
  ongoing war efforts across and beyond the Sector must surely be 
  compromised. As if all of this were not bad enough, the Acolytes 
  are faced with a more immediate peril. The breach has created 
  a portal into the Empyrean, and even now the nameless things 
  of the Warp are crawling through it. Within minutes, countless 
  numbers of slavering daemons are pouring through the newly 
  created Warp gate, and so the Acolytes are presented with a stark 
  choice indeed. Will they attempt to somehow close the gate 
  while they still have time, or will they ﬂee for their lives before 
  they are overwhelmed by the gibbering tide of insanity?
  By this stage in the adventure, the interior of Ø-777 has 
  changed drastically. No longer is it a realm of lingering dread—
  Chaos has broken through, and the denizens of the Warp now 
  have free reign. Game Masters should populate the facility with 
  creatures from beyond, drawing on the Adversaries section of 
  the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook (see page 350). Charnel 
  Daemons and Lesser Incarnate Daemons are particularly 
  appropriate, and Game Masters should tailor their numbers to 
  the levels of the Player Characters. Especially powerful Acolytes 
  might face more suitable foes such as Bloodletters or Horrors, 
  or even Greater Daemons if the GM desires. Realistically, there 
  is no chance of the Acolytes ﬁghting the creatures off, and if 
  they stick around too long they are certain to be slain or driven 
  mad with fear. Far better they attempt to close the gate or ﬂee, 
  both of which options are discussed below.
  CLOSING THE GATE
  Should the Acolytes attempt to close the gate, they should be 
  rewarded for their heroism with a fair shot at doing so. This does 
  not always equate to guaranteed success, however, and in such 
  cases a dramatic death is sometimes just as engaging an ending! 
  There are several possible ways of closing the gate, and 
  players should be encouraged to invent more, but however they 
  proceed, they must do so quickly. The GM is advised to keep 
  this part of the adventure moving as fast as possible in order 
  to maintain the tension and drama. The players should not be 
  given too much time to think over their actions—they should 
  simply throw themselves into their role as beﬁts their status 
  as agents of the Inquisition. If possible, the manner in which 
  the gate is closed should be “keyed” to the types of character 
  leading the effort to do so, and several might pool their efforts 
  to achieve the impossible. A Tech-Priest, for example, would 
  look for a technological solution, while an Imperial Psyker 
  would seek to use his own special abilities to achieve the same 
  ends. Below are some possibilities based on the most common 
  Player Character classes found in DARK HERESY:
  An Adept Player Character is unlikely to have any speciﬁc 
  abilities that would help close the gate, but he should be in a good 
  position to lead the efforts of others, or help keep them aware of 
  other threats around them. In this case, the brave Adept should be 
  allowed to re-roll failed Fear Tests until the end of the adventure.
  Arbitrators are both tough and incorruptible, and as such 
  have more of a chance of standing deﬁant before the denizens 
  of the Warp than lesser men. Recounting key passages from the 
  books of Imperial Law emboldens the heart of the Arbitrator and 
  his companions, and by doing so he might hold the foe at bay 
  for a brief time. The Arbitrator gains the Armour of Contempt 
  Talent for the remainder of the adventure. The Arbitrator may, 
  as a Half Action, recite the words of the Imperial Law for the 
  beneﬁt of his companions, in which case all within earshot gain 
  the same Talent each Round that he does so.
  Assassins should be allowed to strike at a key being of the 
  Warp as it emerges through the gate. This is a Charnel Daemon 
  (see page 350 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook), and it is 
  surrounded by a swarm of Incarnate Lesser Daemons (as described 
  on page 351 of the same source). This creature is clearly the 
  greatest of the vile things to have breached the gate, and the 
  lesser denizens are quite obviously afraid of it, and are doing its 
  bidding. To attack the Charnel Daemon, the Assassin must ﬁrst 
  avoid or engage at least a dozen of the Incarnate Lesser Daemons, 
  and if he can do so without getting bogged down in combat 
  with any at all, the Charnel Daemon is automatically Surprised 
  in the ensuing combat. If the Charnel Daemon is slain the entire 
  horde breaks apart, an anarchic tide of ﬂailing daemonic limbs 
  ﬁlling the reactor core and buying the Player Characters an extra 
  ten minutes or so with which to make an escape.
  ���
  ���
  he ParadoxReaeactctororhasasbeeeen n acctitiva
  v ted and the Brototthe
  he
  h rh
  rhoo
  ood d
  of Steel hasas unlleaeash
  shed
  ed the
  he felell power of the Warararp,p,p, butu now
  ow
  ow 
  thhey
  e are to o didiscscov
  overer how
  ow farar down ththhe pa
  pa
  paththth to o o da
  da
  damn
  mn
  mnatatatioioion n 
  they have travvelled d wi
  withthou
  out t ev
  even
  en perercec ivining g thththeieieir r r sososoulululs’s’s’ dem
  em
  emisisise.e.e.
  Instead of a Wararp p be
  beacon
  on to riva
  v l thhe e e As
  As
  Astrtrtron
  on
  o om
  om
  omicican
  an
  a , ththhe e
  Brotherhood of Steteelel hasas opened a a Wa
  Warprp gatatate,e,e, thr
  hr
  h ou
  ough which a
  full-scale daemoninic c inincursr ion is about to o o be
  be
  be unlnlnleaeae shed. 
  Dependini g on
  on exa
  xactlyl  where the
  heey y arare e e wh
  wh
  when
  en
  en the
  hee reaactctctororor is 
  activated, the Acolylytetes s ex
  experiencee the
  hee brerereacacachihihing
  ng
  ng of f thththe e e Wa
  Wa
  Warprprp in n a a
  slightly different man
  anne
  ner.r Because of f ththe e e sesesealalining off of the various 
  areas within thee com
  omett as the co
  coun
  untdtdtdow
  own n towards activation
  proggresssed
  ed, ththe e Ac
  Acololytytes are likikelely y y totoo be e so
  s mewhere fairly close
  to the corre wh
  when
  en the
  he reaeactc or is acctitiva
  va
  vateteted,d, bututut if f f they
  ey
  ey arerer notot, , tht e e 
  climaxx can be e alalteterered d easily enoug
  ugh h h tototo accc om
  ommooda
  d te this.s.
  THE BREACHING 
  OF THE WA
  W RP
  At the mom
  omen
  ent the coun
  untdtdow
  own n n rereached zero, the Yu’Vath 
  remnant releleasased
  ed a blastst of æt
  æthe
  he
  h riric c c enere gy that punched a hole
  straigi ht thr
  hrou
  ough
  gh the
  h  very y ststufufuff f f ofofof realil ty and brought a Warp
  gate into o beining.g. Thihis s ev
  event wa
  wa
  was s no
  no
  not t t un
  un
  unlililike
  ke
  ke a Warararp p p sh
  shhipipi entntere ining g 
  the Sea ofo Sou
  oulsls, except that itit is s s no
  no
  not t t ses lf limiting, and
  nd the gate is 
  likely to ex
  expaand
  nd untntil it becoome
  mes s a a a va
  vastst lesion to rival the greatest
  of Wararp p storms
  ms. . Gi
  G ven time, ththhe e e ga
  ga
  gate will expand to engulf the 
  entire Lata he
  hes s Sy
  Syststem
  e , a fate tha
  ha
  hat t t wi
  will doom bibibillions of sooulu s toto
  eternal damn
  mnatatioion,n, as well as de
  de
  deprprprivivive e e thththe e e Ad
  Ad
  Adep
  ep
  eptututus s s Me
  Me
  M ch
  chan
  annicicicusu  
  of its greatest t asasseset in the region.n Wititho
  h ut the industrial output
  of the Lathes s and d ththe wo
  w rlds the
  hey y co
  co
  contntntrorol, the infnfnfrar sttrur ctcturu e e e off 
  the Calixix s Se
  Sectoror migightht be br
  brou
  ough
  gh
  ght t t crcrcrasasashihihing
  ng
  ng to ruruininins,s,s whihihile the
  he
  he
  ongoing war efeffortrts s aca ross and
  nd bey
  ey
  eyon
  on
  ond d d ththhe e Se
  Sector must surely be
  compromised. As s ifif allll of this werre e no
  not t ba
  ba
  bad d d en
  enou
  o gh, the Acolytes
  are faced with a morore e im
  imme
  m diate e pe
  pe
  periril.l. The
  he
  he brer ach has created 
  a portal into the Emmpy
  pyrerean
  an, annd evven now
  ow
  ow the
  he
  he nam
  am
  amelelelesese s s s thththininings
  gs
  gs 
  of the Warp are crc aw
  awliling
  ng thr
  hrough it. Witithihihin n n mi
  mi
  minu
  nu
  nutetetes,s, countlel ss 
  numberers of slavering
  n daeaemo
  mons
  n  are pouriring
  ngg thr
  hr
  hrou
  ou
  ough
  gh
  gh the
  he newwly 
  created Wa
  Warp gate, and so ththe e Ac
  A olytes are preseentntn ed
  ed
  ed wititth h a a ststs arark k
  choice indeed. Will tht ey attttem
  emptpt to o somehow clclos
  ose e thththe e e ga
  ga
  gatetete
  while they still have time, or wilill l ththey
  ey ﬂee foror the
  h ir liveseses befefefororore e e 
  they are overwhelmedd by tht e gigibb
  bbererining g titide of f insanity?
  By this stage in the
  h  adventure, , ththe e ininteteririor
  or of Ø-777 has 
  changed drastically. No longer is itt a rea
  ealm
  l
  of f liling
  ngere ing g dreaad—
  d—
  Chaos has broken through, an
  and the de
  d nize
  zens
  n  of f ththe e Wa
  Warprp now
  ow 
  have free reign. Game Masters sh
  should pop
  opululatate e ththe e fafacicililityty witith h 
  creatures from beyond, drawing on the e Adversarieies s sectctioion ofof 
  the DARK H
  K
  ERESY Core Rulebook (see page 350).). Cha
  h rnel 
  Y
  Daemons and Lesser Incarnate Daemons are particularly 
  appropriate, and Game Masters should tailor their numbbers to
  the levels of the Player Characters. Especially powerful Acolytes 
  might face more suitable foes such as Bloodletters or Horrors,
  CLOSING THE GATE
  A
  Sh
  S ouldld the
  hee Acolytees attetemp
  mpt t toto clolosese the
  he gate, they should be
  rewa
  wa
  w rdrdrded
  ed foro  their heroism with a faairir sho
  hot t atat doing so. This does 
  no
  no
  not t alalalwa
  wa
  waysysy equ
  quuatate e to guaranteed susuccesess,s, how
  owev
  ever, and in such 
  cacacaseses s a a drdrdram
  am
  amatataticicic deaeaath is sometimes s juj stt as s en
  enga
  gaging an ending!
  Th
  Th
  Therere e ararare e e seseseve
  ve
  verararal po
  possible ways ofof clolosising
  ng the gate, and 
  plpllayerers sh
  shou
  ouldldld be e e en
  ennco
  co
  c uraged to inventt mor
  ore,e, but however they 
  proceed, the
  h y y mu
  muststst do o o so
  s quickly. Th
  The GM
  GM is s ad
  advivisesed to keep 
  this part of the
  he adv
  dven
  en
  entututurere mov
  o ing as fasst t asas pos
  ossisiblble e in ordr er
  to maintn ain the teens
  nsioioion n n an
  an
  and d d dr
  dram
  am
  ama. The playe
  y rsrs sho
  houluld d not be 
  gigigive
  ve
  ven n n tototoo o o mu
  mu
  much
  ch
  ch tim
  im
  ime e e tototo thihihink
  nk
  nk ove
  ver r theieir acactition
  ons—
  s—ththey should 
  simply throw the
  he
  hems
  m elve
  ves s s ininintototo the
  heeirir role asas beﬁ
  eﬁtsts the
  heirir status 
  as agents of the Inquiisisititition
  on
  on. . IfIf pos
  ossisiblb e, the man
  anne
  ner r inin which 
  the gate is closed shoululd d d be
  be
  be “ke
  ke
  keye
  yeed”
  d  to the tyype
  pes s ofof cha
  h racter 
  leead
  ad
  a ing g the efefeffofort to do
  do
  d so, and
  nd
  nd sev
  ev
  evereral mightt poo
  ool l ththeieir r effoorts 
  totoo ach
  ch
  chieieieve
  ve
  ve the
  he
  he imp
  mp
  mpos
  os
  ossiblble. A Tecece h-
  h-
  h Pr
  P iest, for ex
  exam
  amplple, wou
  o ld 
  lookk for a technological solollutututioioion,n,n, whihile an Immpe
  peririalal Psysyke
  ker 
  would seek to use his own sp
  specece iaial l l ab
  ab
  a ili ities to achieve
  ve the
  he same 
  ends. Below are some possibililititiesess basased
  e  on the mo
  mostst com
  o mon
  PlP ay
  ayerr Cha
  h ractcter claasssssseseses fou
  ound
  nd in n n DARK
  ARK H
  K
  ERESY:
  An
  An Ad
  Adep
  ept Plalal yeer r Ch
  Ch
  Chararracaca teteter r r isisis unlnlnlikikelely y to hav
  ave an
  any y spspeciﬁc c
  t
  abilities that would help close the ga
  gatetete, bu
  but t he shoulld d be
  be in n a a go
  good 
  position to lead the efforts of othe
  hersrsrs, ororor help keep the
  hem 
  m aw
  a ara e of 
  other r thhreats around them.
  m.
  m In n n thththisisis casasase,e, the brave Adeptpt should be 
  alallolowe
  wed d toto re-e rorolllll faiaia leleled d d Fe
  Fe
  Feararar Tesesestststs untntntilili the end of the e ad
  adve
  v nture.
  Arbitrator
  ors are both tough h an
  an
  and d d inincoorruptible, and
  nd as s such 
  have more of a chance of staand
  ndininng g de
  deﬁant before ththe e de
  denizens 
  of the Warp than lesser men.n. Rececou
  ou
  ountntn ing g key passag
  ageses frorom 
  m the
  bo
  bookks s ofof Imperriai l Law 
  wem
  em
  embo
  bo
  b ldlden
  en
  ens s s thththe ehe
  heart of the
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  an anarchic tide of ﬂailing daemonic limbs 
  ﬁlﬁllingg the reactor core and d buying the Player Characters an extra
  ten minutes or so with which to make an escape.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  Clerics (and Adepta Sororitas) are raised to abhor the 
  unclean, and there is nothing more so than denizens of the 
  Warp. By the strength of his faith alone, a Cleric can hold 
  hordes of daemons at bay. So long as he is the closest of the 
  Acolytes to the daemons spilling through the gate, any of the 
  creatures of the Warp that attempt to charge them must ﬁrst 
  pass a Horrifying (–30) Fear Test.
  Guardsmen can be entrusted with holding the hordes at bay 
  while their companions seek to close the gate in some way. Failing 
  that, they can make a bold last stand as their friends ﬂee in terror 
  before the attacking daemons. Needless to say, some of the more 
  trigger-happy Guardsmen might be tempted to open ﬁre on the 
  portal in the hope of destroying it with brute force. Sadly, such 
  a tactic fails utterly, merely serving to draw the attentions of the 
  creatures swarming through it onto the foolish mortal creature.
  Imperial Psykers are well disposed to shutting the Warp 
  portal, but there is enormous risk in doing so. To close the 
  gate, the psyker must pass ﬁve Very Hard (–30) Willpower 
  Tests, and each time he fails one he must take a Fear Test. The 
  ﬁrst Fear Test he must take is Disturbing (–0), the second 
  Frightening (–10), and so forth, getting harder each time, 
  until the gate is forced closed long enough for the group 
  to ﬂee, or the character’s mind snaps and he is reduced to a 
  gibbering wreck by the sheer horror before him.
  When it comes to Scum, there may not seem a huge amount 
  such characters can do beyond using their existing Skills and 
  Talents to aid their companions. However, it is said that the 
  Emperor smiles upon even the lowest of sinners in his hour of 
  need. Should the character act in such a selﬂess manner that he 
  puts his companions before himself, he should be granted an 
  immediate Fate Point, usable until the end of the adventure. 
  Of all the character types, Tech-Priests should be the best 
  placed to set right this terrible blasphemy. To do so, such a 
  character must beseech what remains of the facility’s machine 
  spirit core to shut down the reactor in such a way that it closes 
  the portal. This can be done from a command terminal on a 
  gantry in the reactor core itself, or from the reactor core control 
  chamber. The former is of course crawling with daemons, while 
  the latter is ﬁlled with brotherhood Tech-Priests struggling to 
  understand what has happened, and (unsuccessfully) trying to 
  reverse it themselves. In order to force what remains of the 
  reactor’s machine systems to turn upon themselves and seal the 
  portal, a Tech-Priest must pass ﬁve Very Hard (–30) Tech-Use 
  Tests. Each time a test is failed the character suffers malignant 
  feedback from the Yu’Vath remnant, and gains 1d5 Corruption 
  Points. If and when he succeeds (bearing in mind the efforts 
  of either hordes of daemons or renegade Tech-Priests to stop 
  him), the reactor core systems come alive one last time, and the 
  gate is forced shut for all eternity. The Acolytes must still ﬂee, 
  however, as searing radiation ﬂoods the entire comet. 
  There are numerous other character classes that might have a 
  special way of closing the portal, or of aiding their companions 
  as they attempt to do so, but these are beyond the scope of this 
  adventure to describe in any detail. Instead, Game Masters are 
  encouraged to consider the character types the players are using, 
  and, most importantly, to be open to any dramatic ideas the 
  players themselves might come up with in the heat of battle.
  ESCAPE
  As a less glorious option, but a perfectly sensible one given the 
  circumstances, the Player Characters might well decide to ﬂee 
  in the face of the full scale Warp breach and daemonic incursion 
  that the Brotherhood of Steel has unleashed. Even if they 
  manage to shut down the reactor, they still need to vacate the 
  facility, as the Brotherhood quickly concludes that the Acolytes 
  must have been the reason their experiment failed. 
  To escape, the Acolytes must ﬁght their way through 
  crowds of Tech-Priests and menials in total disarray, and keep 
  from taking too long, as, should the reactor still be active, 
  the daemonic hordes are sure to catch up and overwhelm 
  them. The GM should use the map to determine the route 
  the Acolytes take, and call for an encounter with a group 
  of the comet’s defenders in each location. These encounters 
  should range from combat with Murder Servitors, to attempts 
  to intimidate groups of panicked menials, or even controlling 
  large numbers of Gun Servitors bereft of sane instructions. At 
  the end of the ﬂight, the Acolytes should reach the hangar 
  bay and be forced to take one of the two Arvus Lighters 
  (bearing in mind that one needs repairing). Before they can 
  board either shuttle, however, the Acolytes must face a group 
  of roughly a dozen Arch-Hereteks (see page 119 for their 
  proﬁles) with the same idea, providing a suitably bloody 
  climax to the adventure. Though they do not know it, one of 
  these individuals is a very senior master of the Brotherhood 
  currently using the name Acturan Dineth; his proﬁle can be 
  found on the following page.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  CALLING IN THE CAVALRY
  However the Acolytes react to the opening of the Warp portal, 
  the Lathes, alongside other agents of their own patron, are soon 
  on scene. The Arvus can rendezvous with the Lysithea, and as they 
  step onto the bridge they witness a squadron of Lathes battleships 
  pounding Ø-777 to dust. At last, the reactor core explodes, 
  and a wave of terror passes through each Acolyte as writhing 
  things shriek impossibly through the void. In an instant, the 
  overwhelming sense of dread the Acolytes have felt since setting 
  foot on the comet is gone, only to be replaced with a lurking 
  sense that surely, the Mechanicum of the Lathes must have known 
  what was going on right on their very doorstep.
  EPILOGUE
  What ensues in the aftermath of the adventure should be 
  largely up to the GM to determine, based on the needs of the 
  ongoing campaign, but there are several factors that should 
  be addressed no matter what. 
  The Acolytes have witnessed the initial stages of a daemonic 
  ��
  incursion, which, had it not been contained, might have 
  taken a deployment of Grey Knights to eliminate. Most 
  mortals who do so are executed for their own good and for 
  the safety of Mankind, and so the Acolytes are subjected to 
  a brutal and painful series of purity tests to ensure they are 
  not tainted. Whatever the result of these tests, the Acolytes 
  should feel lucky not to be mind-wiped, but may come out 
  of the affair stronger for their spiritual ordeal.
  The characters are likely to have made a deadly foe in the 
  ��
  form of the Brotherhood of Steel, especially if Acturan Dineth 
  escaped. Tech-Priests they might meet from now on could 
  belong to the sect, and a Mech-Assassin could be lurking in 
  any shadow, ready to wreak the Brotherhood’s cold revenge.
  Should the Acolytes have rescued Ballis Aleene, they have 
  ��
  made a powerful ally. House Aleene, a powerful and active 
  Great Navigator House in the Calixis Sector, will surely be 
  ready to come to their aid in future adventures. 
  The role the Lathes’ hierarchy may have played in this 
  ��
  blasphemous experiment is still undetermined. Perhaps it was all 
  the work of a rogue sect, or perhaps many similar experiments 
  of heretical science are happening across the Sector under the 
  direction of the Lathes. Only the increased investigation of 
  diligent Acolytes can possibly reveal the truth... 
  REWARDS
  In addition to the standard xp rewards as described in the DARK 
  HERESY Core Rulebook, the Game Master should consider 
  rewarding players for their conduct leading up to and during 
  the activation of the Paradox Reactor. If the players worked out 
  that the Powers of Chaos were manipulating the Brotherhood 
  then they should gain an additional 50 xp, and if they took 
  steps to combat it in any way, a further 50 xp is appropriate. 
  The key event of the adventure is the breaching of the Warp, 
  and the players should receive additional rewards depending 
  how they acted at this moment. Any characters that used the 
  additional special rules relating to their own character class in 
  order to close the portal or assist another character in doing so 
  should receive at least an additional 100 xp.
  ����������
  ���������
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  he majority of character types referenced throughout 
  The Light of Reason are to be found in this book. In 
  addition to these, several others are to be found in the 
  DARK HERESY Core Rulebook Adversaries chapter, and two 
  unique ones are presented here.
  MAGUS ACTURAN DINETH
  Acturan Dineth is one of the hidden masters of the Brotherhood 
  of Steel; he was present on Cometary Fragment Ø-777 to witness 
  the activation of the Paradox Reactor, and to report back to his 
  peers on its success (or otherwise). The Acolytes are most likely 
  to encounter Magus Dineth in the aftermath of the opening of 
  the Warp portal, as he and his compatriots attempt to escape 
  the comet via one of the two Arvus Lighters in the main bay. 
  Though intent upon escape, the magus is well able to put up a 
  ﬁght, and does so if the Player Characters get in his way.
  Magus Acturan Dineth
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  35
  38
  45
  48
  30
  46
  40
  46
  38
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
   
  Wounds: 14
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Common Lore (Int) (Machine Cult, Tech) 
  +10, Common Lore (Int) (Imperium), Deceive (Fel) +10, Dodge 
  (Ag), Forbidden Lore (Int) (Adeptus Mechanicus, Archeotech) 
  +10, Forbidden Lore (Int) (Inquisition), Literacy (Int), Logic 
  (Int) +10, Scholastic Lore (Archaic, Cryptology, Legend), Search 
  (Per) +10, Secret Tongue (Int) (Tech), Speak Language (Int) 
  (High Gothic, Low Gothic), Tech-Use (Int) +10.
  Traits: Mechanicus Implants.
  Talents: Autosanguine, Binary Chatter, Foresight, Logis 
  Implant, Paranoia, Peer (Adeptus Mechanicus, Underworld).
  Armour: Augmetic Implant Armour (All 5)
  Weapons: Omnissian Axe (Melee, 2d10+9 E; Pen 6; Power 
  Field, Unwieldy); Archeotech Plasma Pistol (Pistol; 50m; 
  S/3/–; 1d10+8E; 8; Clip 12; Rld 1 Full; Maximal).
  Gear: Auger Array, Optical Mechadendrite.
  ARCH-HERETEK
  There are several dozen senior members of the Brotherhood of 
  Steel present on the comet to witness the culmination of what 
  amounts to centuries of blasphemous endeavour. Proﬁles and 
  further details can be found for Arch-Hereteks on page 119.
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  EXCRUCIATOR SERVITOR
  The Holding Battery is attended by a single Excruciator Servitor, 
  which the Acolytes must defeat before they can free the captive 
  Navigator. Should any Player Characters be careless enough to 
  be captured, they are likely to experience its specialist abilities 
  close up. The proﬁle can be found on page 120.
  GUN SERVITOR
  Gun Servitors are commonly used to mount patrols of the 
  comet’s extensive network of tunnels. Their proﬁle can be 
  found on page 340 of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook.
  MURDER SERVITOR
  The Brotherhood of Steel makes extensive use of Murder 
  Servitors to guard key locations throughout its facility. Their 
  proﬁle can be found on page 119.
  RENEGADE TECH-PRIEST
  The majority of the Brotherhood’s Tech-Priests fall under this 
  general category. They use the Heretek proﬁle on page 340 
  of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook or can be adopted using 
  the Calixian Malatek rules on page 36. GMs are encouraged to 
  introduce any variation they feel appropriate (such as additional 
  skills such as Forbidden Lore (Xenos) and the like).
  SERVICE TENDER
  The Service Tender is in essence a large exo-suit, piloted by a 
  servant of the Brotherhood of Steel permanently grafted into it.
  Service Tender
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  22
  22
  64
  62
  21
  20
  25
  30
  05
  Movement: 2/4/8/16 
  Wounds: 25
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Pilot (Service Tender) +10, 
  Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Chem Geld, Fearless.
  Traits: Dark-Sight, Fearless, Flyer (10), Size (Hulking).
  Weapons: Augmented Fists (1d10+3 I, Pen 0)
  Gear: 2 x Manipulator Mechadendrites, Utility Mechadendrite, 
  Augur Arrays.
  VOID-FLUKE
  These small, lamprey-like creatures infest the exterior of the 
  cometary fragment, and eagerly attack any source of nutritious 
  metal or mineral, especially unwary Acolytes. 
  Void-Fluke
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  27
  —
  14
  22
  31
  08
  31
  10
  05
  Movement: 5/10/15/30  
  Wounds: 6 
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Dodge (Ag), Stealth (Ag) +10. 
  Talents: Resistance (Vacuum, Cold).
  Traits: Bestial, Burrower (3), Dark Sight, Improved Natural 
  Weapons, Flyer (5), Size (Scrawny), Strange Physiology.
  Weapons: Leach Teeth (2d5+1 R; Pen 1; Tearing)
  Armour: Voidproof Hide (All 2).
  Leach Attack: If the void-ﬂuke's Attack is successful, it 
  adheres to the enemy and for every two Degrees of Success 
  it eats through 1 Armour Point in the location struck. If any 
  location falls to zero, the suit cannot provide void protection 
  and the wearer may suffer Vacuum Damage (see page 210 of 
  the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook). Removing a void-ﬂuke 
  requires a Full Action and a Difﬁcult (–10) Strength Test.
  r 
  s 
   
   
   
   
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  NAVIGATOR  
  BALLIS ALEENE
  Navigator Ballis Aleene is in a bad way when the Acolytes 
  ﬁnd him, but so long as they can get him back in the action 
  he can serve a useful role in the adventure, especially if the 
  Acolytes do not have (or have lost) a psyker of their own. 
  While Navigators are not psykers in the true sense, they 
  nonetheless know much of the ebb and ﬂow of the Warp, 
  and Aleene is able to perform the role of a psyker PC when 
  it comes to closing the portal. Game Masters might like to 
  turn control of Aleene over to one of the players, especially 
  if a PC has died or the group has no psyker. Bear in mind 
  that Aleene is quite mad, and can take no further part in the 
  campaign even should he survive the adventure. See page 134 
  for further details on Navigator Aleene. 
  Navigator Ballis Aleene
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  25
  25
  25
  29
  42
  58
  50
  29
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
  Wounds: 7
  Skills: Awareness (Int), Common Knowledge (Imperium) (Int) 
  +10, Forbidden Knowledge (Warp) (Int) +20, Forbidden Lore 
  (Mutants, Psykers) (Int), Logic (Int) +10, Navigation (Stellar, 
  Warp) (Int) +20, Pilot (Spacecraft) (Ag), Psyniscience (Per) +20, 
  Scholastic Knowledge (Astromancy, Interstellar Cartography) 
  (Int) +20, Speak Language (Low Gothic, High Gothic) (Int) 
  +10, Secret Language (Navis Nobilite) (Int) +10.
  Gear: Ragged prisoner’s jump suit.
  The Final Gaze: Having been ruthlessly tortured and 
  experimented upon over the course of several years, the 
  Navigator’s ability to see into the Warp and to draw out its 
  power is severely curtailed. Though he does not admit it, 
  Aleene knows that to open his bruised and scarred Warp Eye 
  and gaze into the Warp would certainly kill him. Nonetheless, 
  he is willing to do so, should it bring about revenge upon the 
  Brotherhood of Steel. There are two instances when Aleene may 
  use his power, though in both cases he perishes immediately 
  after doing so. The ﬁrst is in closing the portal (as detailed in the 
  adventure, where he counts as a Sanctioned Psyker character), 
  and the second is during the escape, when the group runs into 
  the Arch Hereteks in the main hangar bay. In this latter case, he 
  opens his Warp Eye one last time, deliberately drawing forth 
  such power as to decimate the soul of any caught in his gaze.
  Every mortal being within Aleene’s line of sight and 30m 
  when he opens his Warp Eye for the last time takes 2d10+5 
  Energy damage, ignoring armour and Toughness Bonuses, 
  unless they are forewarned, in which case they may must 
  pass a Hard (–20) Willpower Test in order to tear their 
  eyes away in time and avoid the damage. Daemons and those 
  with the Untouchable Trait are unaffected. Immediately after 
  Aleene opens his Warp Eye, he collapses to the ground, and 
  dies within d10 Rounds, during which he may do nothing 
  more than soliloquise in a suitably dramatic fashion.
  FERAL CYBER CHERUBS
  These ﬁlthy and raucous creatures are a mockery of the vat-
  grown constructs that bless more holy places with their 
  presence, and the Emperor alone knows what blasphemous 
  cross-breeding led to their creation. 
  Feral Cyber Cherub
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  05
  12
  20
  30
  03
  24
  11
  07
  Movement: 6/12/18/36  
  Wounds: 5 
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Dodge (Ag) +10, Stealth (Ag) +20. 
  Talents: Lightning Reﬂexes.
  Traits: Improved Natural Weapons, Flyer (6), Machine (1), 
  Size (Puny).
  Weapons: Claws and tiny needle fangs (2d5+2 R; Pen 0)
  Armour: Cybernetic Body (All 1).
  Swarm Attack: These creations ﬁnd strength in numbers, 
  swarming over their opponents in massed attacks. They 
  ﬁght in groups of 3-4 cherubs, each group attacking one 
  enemy (chosen at random) rather than spreading their 
  attacks across all their enemies. 
  
  �����������������������
  ���
  
  ™
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  LEARN THE SECRETS OF THE MACHINE GOD!
  For ten thousand years, the Tech-
  Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  have led the Cult of the Omnissiah. 
  From their bastion Forges on the 
  Lathe Worlds, they control all Holy 
  Technology in the Calixis Sector. 
  This book reveals the secret history of the Lathe  
  Worlds, from their mysterious founding to their  
  current struggles against tech-heresy. The High 
  Fabricator of the Lathes oversees these domains, 
  including the dread Panopticon Orbital, Sheol-17’s 
  prison-forges, technofeudal Heterodyne Station,  
  and Morio’s ancient datacrypts.  
  Gain access to new Alternate Careers such as the Mech-
  Assassin and Agent of the Lords Dragon, then arm 
  yourself with weapons and gifts of the Omnissiah.
  In a thrilling new adventure, journey to a lost  
  comet-station. There, stop renegade Tech-Priests  
  from heretical experiments into the Warp!
  Begin your Quest for Knowledge 
  in the Name of the Omnissiah!
  A copy of the DARK HERESY Core Rulebook 
  is needed to use this supplement.
  The Lathe Worlds                      DH18
  ISBN: 978-1-58994-768-9   
  9 781589 947689
  53995
  1363JUL12
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/UNSORTED (help requested)/Roleplaying Games/Dark Heresy/First Edition/Rulebooks/Dark Heresy - The Lathe Worlds.pdf