TEXT: Forges of Malice
  A Medusa V Campaign and report
  By Richard Anastasios and Friends
  THE SETTING
  Medusa V, Battle Zone Perseus, Medusan Sector.
  CHARACTERS OF NOTE
  • Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Kaezevich Mandarthou.
  • Interrogator Tefrich Portrack
  • Iron Warriors Warsmith Seeryx.
  • Jerramiah the Warp-seer.
  • Terros Matter.
  • Shrakra Tos.
  CHARACTER INFORMATION
  Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor Kaezevich Mandarthou
  Believed the oldest member of the Inquisition alive to date,
  Kaezvich began his Inquisitorial duty seeking rouge psykers with
  the Black Ships. Believed to be the brightest star of the
  Inquisition at the time, many had high hopes for him becoming
  a Lord of a sector, and maybe one day even a Segmentum, but
  after being severely injured, physically and psychologically, by
  one of his quarry, he was a changed man. 10' tall, he is a giant of
  a man, yet thin and emaciated. Blinded by his ordeal he
  developed a form of warp sight, seeing the very souls of men and
  shadows of things to come. A borderline Istvaanian, he is
  disgusted with the complacency of the Imperium, and feels only
  through conflict will it once again be strong. Kaezevich has come
  to Medusa V to aid in the withdrawal of troops, and see to it that
  the Imperial forces do not retreat without having earned that
  very reward.
  Interrogator Tefrich Portrack
  Fully encased in a life supporting Power Armour system, this
  Interrogator lost much of his physical body after an encounter
  with a genestealer cult in the service of Inquisitor Tyrus.
  Believing Kaezevich to be a liability, he was assigned to serve with
  Kaezevich both to be tutored and to watch his master for any
  potential for heresy.
  Iron Warriors Warsmith Seeryx
  Commander of the 8th Grand Company of the Iron Warriors,
  Commodore of the Forge-Breaker, Master of The Caged, The
  Bloodsmith. Warmsith Seeryx is one of the damned, one of the
  traitor Astartes. A being of cold, calculating bitterness, Seeryx and
  his Company of Iron Warriors have carved a bloody swathe
  through the Imperium since the Horus Heresy. Sealed forever
  inside his ancient Terminator Armour, Seeryx stands nearly 4
  meters tall, head and shoulders above his Terminator retinue,
  and the tallest lackies of the Imperial Astartes. His face is split in
  two, the flesh of one side stripped away, the bare skull heavy with
  bionics clamped to the bone, the skin of the other side showing
  wires and tubes buried deep beneath the surface. He earned the
  title “The Bloodsmith” upon his activities within the Eye of Terror
  during Abbadon's 14th Black Crusade. Fighting upon every
  planet that held an Astartes Force, Seeryx collected geneseed
  from at least one Space Marine in every conflict, totalling to more
  than 1,000, and from every Chapter involved within the conflict.
  Then he alone, unarmed, teleported directly into the heart of the
  Inquisitorial Facility upon Nemesis Tessera, and stole the
  Hammer of St.Josephene, and slaughtered his way back to the
  surface. Returning to his Capital Ship, he then took the hammer,
  the geneseed, and an elite force of his Chosen to Meddrenngard.
  Placing the organs and the weapon within the Forges of
  Purtrabo, he created a vessel to capture a Daemon, and indeed
  he did, taking the essence of a Daemon Ship after the Chaotic
  victory. The Eternal Vladamach tricked the beast into servitude,
  bestowing upon him the name of Vldamach the Caged. Now, he
  seeks another goal, upon Medusa V, and one only he knows of.
  Terros Matter and Shrakra Tos
  Acolytes of Seeryx's grand Sorcerer, Alcatraa, they have been sent
  to Medusa V to search for a fabled Warp-Seer. Terros Matter has a
  powerful mind, yet it spends much time within the warp, as he is
  wont to understand its core. Shrakra Tos is far more elemental,
  drawing on his indominatable rage to boil his enemies blood and
  create raging infernos.
  Inquisitor Kaezevich,
  My liege. I hope this finds you well. My endeavours within the
  Medusan sector have born fruit. The supposed Warp-seer
  Jerramiah is indeed here, supposedly within the Perseus
  sector of Medusa V, if the locals are to be trusted. I have
  attached to this message my current co-ordinates, and details
  of Jerramiah's activities within the last six months. All haste
  is required as it is rumoured the closing proximity of Van
  Grothe's Rapidity is going to act as a catalyst for the recent…
  turbulence within the sector.
  To Herran.
  Grothes Warp Storm is coming closer to us. Men begin to talk
  of war. Simmin say he find Warp-seer, but he only have one
  eye-on-a-stalk so I go check too. You tell Tonin to send message
  to Master about it, or we could die like others who fail the
  Gods. No more notes I can send or work-masters find them
  and we be caught. Remember my work place is in the Hive
  now, I get moved because they don’t trust twists with the
  burn-juice any more.
  Seeryx
  Transmission must be encrypted for fear of discovery. The one
  you seek has been found. You may set your forces down upon
  grid ay-tl-455 Perseus sector. Further information will be sent
  in-transit.
  shrakra
  
  SCENARIO 1 REPORT, SEEKING DIRECTION
  Having both arrived at the War-Seer's location within hours of
  each other, the Inquisitorial Interrogator and his small PDF force
  search amongst the burnt out ruins of a hive building, whilst the
  Acolytes Matter and Tos arrive in their transport.
  Wasting no time Tos reaches out, searching the warp for any soul
  flickers. Feeling the probe, Tefrich sends his forces to the outside
  of the building, whilst Tos circles the structure to enter the rear.
  Tefrich manages to find the Warp-Seer, but he appears little more
  than an old man, ragged robes and a staff made from a large
  antenna, he is difficult to persuade. 
  Meanwhile, outside the PDF forces find Terros' disembodied
  figure. Reaching out to secure him, they inadvertently return him
  to his body as his mind senses the interference. Stabbing out he
  crushes the minds of two of the troopers, and stuns the
  remaining two with a mind shriek that leaves them on the
  ground.
  The following summons to Shakra by his fellow acolyte prompts
  Tefrich to turn at the last moment, with Tos about the beat his
  skull in with a mortar-block. Tefrich's knifes leap into his hands
  and lash out, and after several moments of fighting, Shakra flees,
  one of his arms remaining behind, a result of the Interrogator's
  skill and speed with the blade. But turning, Tefrich finds the
  Warp-Seer gone, with no trace remaining.
  SCENARIO 2 REPORT, 
  A BATTLE LOST AND FOUGHT
  Inquisitor Kaezevich leads the force sent to defend bunker 42
  from an attack by Iron Warriors forces attempting to secure a
  foothold in battlezone Perseus. Having already suffered defeat
  and retreated, Kaezevich's arrival is too little too late. Yet still he
  takes a small group of hardened veterans into the newly secured
  Chaotic facility, and placing demolition charges manages to deny
  the forces several stockpiles of munitions. Kaezevich himself
  manages to gather some information from a conversation
  overheard between two of Seeryx's Chosen, yet as the explosions
  rock the facility, he is discovered.
  His mental prowess not to be underestimated, he lashes out in
  quick succession, managing to daze both the ancient warriors,
  and clouding their minds temporarily. Cutting down one as it
  stumbles to block his exit from the small structure they were in,
  the Inquisitor's power-halberd cuts through the power armour
  and cripples the Astartes leg, causing him to fall. Kaezevich
  manages to escape, but a bolter round from the second Iron
  Warrior throws him to the ground, and only the valour of two
  surviving veterans save him as he is dragged to freedom.
  SCENARIO 3 REPORT, THE BREACH
  Despite savage attacks by the Dark Eldar upon Seeryx's ground
  forces, he still succeeds in breaching the outer walls of Hive
  Perseus with a small assault force, delving deep into the hive for
  reasons known only to a few. Kaezevich garnered from the
  discussion he heard those weeks ago that Seeryx too seeks the
  Warp-Seer, yet for far more diabolical reasons.
  Kaezevich and Tefric both seek more answers, and thus stage a
  daring capture of one of the two Acolytes waiting for Seeryx and
  his forces. Tos and Matter are waiting for to convene with the
  master in the shelled out ruins of a commercial hub, deemed
  unimportant to Imperial Command and not worth good, fighting
  men. The Inquisitor and his Interrogator by-passed the Chaos
  sentries with ease, a combined psychic attack felling a Traitor
  Guardsman and creating a hole in the net seeking to catch
  intruders.
  Yet despite this, the treacherous terrain created by the constant
  barrages by enemy forces slowed them down too much, and by
  the time they reached the structure containing the two acolytes,
  The Bloodsmith himself was too beginning to traverse the
  terrain. With all haste, the Imperial servants scaled the building
  side before jumping in the second story window into the room
  adjacent to the Matter and Tos. Planting a small suggestion in
  Shakra's mind, they lured him into the room, and ambushing the
  chaos servant, threw him through the open window, the
  resulting impact with the ground all but killing him. The
  commotion however roused Terra into action, and stabbing out
  with his mind he slammed the Interrogator head-first into a wall,
  knocking him unconscious.
  Kaezevich had already escaped, and not knowing the fate of his
  acolyte, was forced to flee with a captive in hand.
  SCENARIO 4 REPORT, ESCAPE
  Despite being captured, Tefrich is not entirely helpless, and his
  body is both encased, and enhanced by the life-preserving suit he
  wears. Yet after being tortured psychically for days on end, his
  sanity is beginning to fray, and hallucinations wreak havoc
  amongst his senses.
  Yet when a menial servant came in to check the captive, Tefrich
  snapped his chains with his improved strength and used them to
  strangle the pathetic mutant.
  Fleeing his cage he stalks the dark halls of an underground
  warehouse, the storerooms used as holding cells for other
  prisoners. Releasing two captured guardsmen, the trio fights
  their way past several more mutants, and then faces a final
  guardsman. An Iron Warrior Chaos Space Marine. An attempt to
  collapse a ruined wall onto the beast by luring him towards it
  failed when he detected one of the guardsmen who were to
  dislodge the masonry. Yet, whilst slaughtering the guardsmen,
  Tefrich managed to escape through the exit without being
  detected.
  SCENARIO 5 REPORT, THE SEER
  Having had the information of the Warp-Seer torn from his mind,
  Tefrich Portack and his liege, Kaezevich are forced to abandon
  their duties of overseeing the evacuation of several sectors of the
  Hive. More of Seeryx's forces have pushed into the city, and
  reportedly destroyed two contingents of Imperial Guard and an
  Eldar force attempting to stop them. Also, the warp-storm draws
  close, and soon the planet will be drawn into the immaterium.
  Utilizing the divining powers of several sanctioned psykers, the
  Inquisitor is able to locate the Seer within the hive, and speeding
  to the location with a small force of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers
  was to find the Seer waiting for him. Yet also waiting for the
  Inquisitor was an ambush composed of Mutants and Traitor
  Guardsmen lead by Terros Matter. As the Storm Troopers and
  Chaotic forces clashed, Kaezevich and Terros have a pitched
  battle of wills, and despite his sheer mental ability, Matter fails to
  overcome the Inquisitor and lurches away from the battlefield,
  every orifice of his head leaking blood.
  Approaching the Seer, the Inquisitor demands answers of why
  the Bloodsmith sought him, his initial search no longer applying,
  as the question of the Seers power was no longer an issue. The
  Seer responded only that he did not see the future, or the past.
  He could see that which would change the destiny of a man,
  whether for good or for ill. Looking at Kaezevich he spoke of a
  Hammer and a Book, but moments before escorting the Seer
  from the Battlefield, a monstrous entity rushed into the old
  man's body. With blazing eyes, a new voice roared; “I will feed
  again, The Caged will be Freed!”. Lashing out with unimaginable
  power the Daemon caused each guardsman to suffer a fatal brain
  hemorrhage, and only the mental defenses of Kaezevich and
  Tefrich kept them alive, yet the Interrogator was so severely
  damaged he was forced into a coma, and Kaezevich only
  maintained consciousness long enough to see the Seer walk
  away in the direction of the Chaos encampment.
  
  FINAL REPORT, 
  THE HAMMER, THE SIGHT AND FLIGHT
  Without his acolyte, with almost all Imperial forces dead,
  retreating or fighting, Kaezevich was running out of options. He
  had received word that a Fleet that matched that belonging to
  Warsmith Seeryx had smashed aside a Dark Eldar fleet and shot
  down Imperial defence stations above Battlezone Perseus. The
  last report was of them bombaring The Mission upon Johanne's
  Island as they headed towards Hive Perseus in low orbit. The
  Inquisitor knew this would be his final chance to stop Warsmith
  from gaining access to that which would give him unimaginable
  power. Rumour had it that a blasphemous ceremony had already
  taken place, and The Warsmith had been branded with the
  Brazen Star of Chaos for his efforts within the hive. With more
  power than ever, Kaezevich did the only thing he could think of.
  He met with Reclusiarch Tharian of The Blood Thirsters Chapter,
  and petitioned his aid in assaulting the central command of
  Seeryx's Chaos emplacement. After hearing the stakes, the
  Chaplain ordered five of the orders Death Company marines to
  be prepped for Thunderhawk Transport.
  The Thunderhawk weathered a beating from the Chaos Anti-Air
  defences, yet the vessel managed an emergency landing on the
  roof of the Chapel of St. Augustine, The Bloodmsith's
  blasphemous command post. Fighting down the stairs, the Space
  Marines slayed dozens of Mutants, and it was underneath the
  roof, in the top floor that Seeryx, the host of Vladamach the
  Caged, Jeremiah, and Terros Matter were all preparing for
  escape. Hefting his mighty, now twisted, Warhammer Seeryx
  commanded the being to return to his weapon from the Warp-
  Seer. Collapsing in a heap, Terros leapt out of his body and
  seized control of one of the less willful Death Company and
  proceeded to attack his brothers. Leaping into combat Seeryx
  simply slew two of the Death Company with mighty strokes of his
  Daemon Weapon. Reclusiarch Tharian and Kaezevich were
  forced to defend themselves as the Warmsith bore down on
  them. Blow after blow was traded between the Inquisitor, the
  Chaos Space Marine and the Loyalist. Terros overcame one of the
  Marines with his host form, yet the other severed the legs of his
  possessed brother in return, crying out in mourning as he hewed
  the head from the torso. Then moving over to the Chaos Acolyte,
  The Death Guard Marine exacted vengeance, in his weakened
  state after experience the death of the marine, Terros Matter was
  unable to protect himself from the spinning blades of the
  Chainsword as they mirrored his hosts death, decapitating him.
  Retrieving the fallen Seer, the Death Guard Marine activated a
  transponder, which drew him from the battle into the teleporting
  sepulcher aboard a Battle Barge in orbit, engaged with Seeryx's
  fleet. 
  Seeing the loss of the Seer, Seeryx snarled in rage and with a
  mighty two handed stroke, smashed both Kaezevich and Tharian
  clean out of the building. The Space Marine snagged the
  Inquisitor as they fell, and activating his transponder was
  teleported from the battle, yet to a different Battle Barge, as the
  one containing the Seer was been obliterated moments before…
  Inquisitor Baptise,
  Unfortunately, I cannot answer your question. Due to the
  unfortunate escape of the Warsmith Seeryx, and the
  consequent destruction of the Battle-barge containing the
  Warp-Seer Jeremiah, I was unable to ascertain whether or nor
  the information Seeryx was seeking was disclosed to him.
  Clearly there was more that was to be learnt from Jeremiah,
  other wise he would not have been sustained. I will delve
  deeper into this mystery and pending a full report, will
  request all Ordos dispatch members to locate the Warmsith. It
  appears after the nightmare of Medusa V, we are waking to
  something far worse.
  Inquisitor Kaezevich
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  This campaign was actually tied to the progression of four armies during the Medusa V campaign, a Dark Eldar army, although they had
  little to do with the Inquisitor Campaign, an Iron Warriors army (which did actually achieve a Unit Citation within week 7 for battlezone
  Perseus), a Blood Angles (Blood Thirsters) force and an Imperial Guard force. All four armies participated in a combination of Inquisitor,
  Battlefleet Gothic and Warhammer 40k. It’s been a great summer of gaming – Richard Anastasios.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Inquisitor Skirmish/SG_site_files/FO80InqForges.pdf