This thread will have various player handouts, putting items here for centralization and ease of finding it.
This item was given to the Acolytes by Interrogator Sand in The Edge of Darkness: A senior agent of the Inquisition, scholar and medicae. He comes across as a superior and somewhat jaded man. Sand is the one who charges the Acolytes to undertake the investigation into Saul Arbest.
Coded Data-Slate: This worn-looking brass cased data-slate carries basic copies of the information found in their briefing, a series of maps and data about the Coscarla and (largely empty) files on the Arbasts, including pictures of them and addresses taken from the Administratum register. The slate also has basic short range audio and visual recording and playback functions. The slate features a five key input code which Sand will give them, if it is accessed without this, its core memory will be wiped.
The body has been positively identified as that of one Saul Arbest, male, 23 years of age, hive worker, unskilled labourer certified. Formerly of the Tantalus Indenture, registered habitation: chamber 6/23 stack 7-17# Coscarla Division, southern zone, Hive Sibelius.
Subject found dead on the mid-hive transit rail three days ago as the car returned to the main depot. Preliminary examination at the scene suggested death by drug overdose. Post mortem performed by the biologis forensic, however revealed certain anomies that necessitated our involvement.
The cause of death was in fact total systemic failure brought on by tissue rejection of an implanted synthetic graft organ. Said organ destroyed his central nervous system while attempting to overcome the immune response.
The man has no prior criminal record, he was rendered invalid by indenture'€"laid off if you will, some sixty days ago now and was reported missing thirty-two days ago by his sister, one Lili Arbest, resident of the same hab-stack. More than enough time to get himself into all sorts of trouble, I'm sure you'll agree. These grafts are no more than eight or ten days old at most. We have nothing else on him.
Coscarla Division Briefing
Reference/Subject: Coscarla Division, (Geo/Dem)
Designation: Workers Habitation Zone
Locale: Mastraven Zone, Lower Mid-Tiers, Landward Quadrant, Hive Sibellus
Hive Co/Ord: 2345#'ˆ'/789/9870001
Preparation: Autosavant Dal Maxentia
Attribution: Interrogator Omardha Sand
Ordinanator: Conclave Calixis/Covenant Sibellus/Chamber Obscuro
TFTD: 'œHistory is but a catalogue of counted sins'
Geohistorical and Demographic Overview:
The Coscarla Division is a sub-district of Hive Sibellus on the Sector Capitol world of Scintilla. Built in the remains of what was once the splendour of the House Coscarla Estates, the district is a seventy kilometre square conglomeration of warren-like tenement-habs and their attendant infrastructure that has grown up between the vast ruined arches and fallen statuary of its noble past.
The Coscarla was until recent years a relatively prosperous mid-hive district, predominantly populated by indentured labour classes, but has since suffered deprivation, disaster and a loss in status thanks to a series of misfortunes and incidents. Primary among these have been the damage caused buy unrestrained wildfires during the recent Rienholt Blackouts (the Coscarla being one of seventeen effected hive zones), although the long term withering of the fortunes of the Tantalus Combine, (see Addendum) had begun to have significant adverse effects long before that calamity.
The Coscarla Division currently awaits Administratum revaluation of its status (projected due process time until preliminary ruling: 3-7 years standard), but unsub-data indicates over 60% of the Coscarla is now effectively a waste/scav zone and the viable population is now confined to smaller sub-zones clustered around transit and utility access points.
The division's population is also in catastrophic decline, its infrastructure remains effectively crippled and lawlessness, poor social cohesion and poverty all exponentially increasing year-onyear.
Addendum: [The State of the Tantalus Combine]
The Combine, a long-standing cartel of several Houses Minoris of the Sibellan nobility has seen a drastic decline in its fortunes over the last decade. Its fall from power has been brought on by hostile competition from the Skaelen-Har Hegemony and severe damage to its assets and prestige endured during the period of intrigues and vendettas known popularly as the 'œVthorran Promenades' [cert.ref: Activities of the Lucid Court].
The resulting effects on several districts of the Sibellus and Tarsus Hives, formerly under the Combine's sway, have been profound. In the Coscarla Division where Tantalus was the majority power, the Combine has sold on the indenture contracts of thousands of skilled workers and the labour force that remains now works only to meet their master's debts. As a result, whole swathes of families have been up-rooted or have deserted from the district, thus the effective economic and monetary input to the region is now negligible.
The Tantalus Combine is suffering a long, drawn-out death and is kept going only by its own fading inertia and the legal wrangling over the disposition of its carcass. It has ceased to exist effectively as a cohesive organisation or political entity.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Mission Details: The Inquisition offices on Scintilla have been formally issued with a request for assistance from the settlement of Stern Hope on Iocanthos. The report, while vague, suggests suspicious disturbances, possibly psychic or warp-based, occurring in the area of a new cathedral raised to honor Saint Drusus. The cathedral lies at the hear of the remote outpost and its successful completion will do much to further the Imperial faith on this troubled world, a laudable goal and one that the Holy Ordos shares.
You are requested and required to proceed to the planet Iocanthos where you will assist a Senior Inquisitorial Agent, Aristarchus the Seer, in investigating the incidents and ensuring that the consecration of the cathedral goes as planned. Your pincpal tasks are you gather data about any phenomena encountered and, where needed, eliminate any threats that you find. For the duration of the mission, Aristarchus has the honour of command over you in my name. Assist him and afford him the same loyalty as you would give me, in the God-Emperor's name.
Passage for you has been arranged on the trade-hauler Brazen Sky for immediate departure to Iocanthos. Make yourself known and familiarize yourself with your new fellow Acolyte on board. His name is Damien and he is an Imperial Sanctioned Psyker and may have greater incite into the situation through his Emperor-Gifted talents than others.
Landing close to the site of the incident is impractical due to its geographical location in a mountain range and the potential hostility of the natives. Instead you will make planetfall at Port Suggering (Iocanthos' primary Imperial outpost) and meet Aristarchus there. From Port Suffering arrangements have been made for your journey to Stern Hope.
Ref '€" Ghostfire Pollen: Iocanthos's sole tithe. It is a powerful psychoactive substance used as the bae for a considerable number of combat drugs used by the Imperial Guard's penal legions throughout the Segmentum Obscurus.
Addendum I: The Cathedral Mission
Missionary-Abbot Orland Skae successfully petitioned for the first Iocanthan cathedral to be built in the settlement Stern Hope two years ago, and since then reports indicate that he has gathered a sizeable congregation of native converts and worthy off-world pilgrims to his cause. Skae himself, a very distant scion of Scintillian nobility, has managed to garner both off-world donations and considerable local support to his mission, so far succeeding where others have failed.
Addendum II: Reported Phenomena
As the cathedral structure has neared completion, unusual
phenomena have been evidenced both at the site and in the
surrounding area. These include strange lights in the hills,
animal attacks, missing persons, and upsurge in accidents and
unexplained deaths. These incidents have culminated recently
in more serious and obviously unnatural events such as manifestations of phantom sounds, walls weeping blood, telekinentic disturbances and other such phantasmagoria.
Addendum III: Planetary Briefing
Society: Iocanthos is an anarchic pseudo-feudal society, where all power-relationships are based on violence or its threat. A war-torn and brutal world, the control of the planet rests with various warlord and clan factions that compete to harvest or steal the planet's only tithed material, Ghostfire pollen, in order to turn it over to the Imperium in exchange for supplies. The most powerful warlord is currently King Vervai Skull who is currently acknowledged as Iocanthos' de facto planetary governor. Iocanthos boasts a single fortified Administratum-controlled spaceport settlement, Port Suffering, where the tithe is collected and trans-shipped.
Founding: Iocanthos was taken by General (Saint) Drusus's 2nd Army Group during the first great crusades through the sector. As the planet lacked any significant technology, Drusus's forces defeated the indigenous people, known as the Ashleen, in a single week of bloody fighting. Drusus later remarked in his memoirs that the only memorable aspect of the planet was the cast fields of wild flowers which resembled 'œShimmering fields of rippling explosions, caught at that fleeting moment between beauty and destruction' [Ref. pg. 526 '€" Breaching the Darkness]. As ever, the general was perceptive as the Ghostfire would become central to the world's future.
Additional Notes: In times past, Iocanthos served as a penal dumping ground for undesirables that the Scintillan authorities for various reasons didn't wish to execute or expatriate further afield. Such exiles were given minimal supplies and allowed to thrive or falter without further interference. The current population is largely a mixture of their descendants and the native Ashleen.
Imperial xeno-botanist Mogren Thunt was the person who discovered that the pollen of the native Ghostfire flowers contained powerful psychoactive properties and refined their use.
After being graced with a powerful vision telling her to build a temple, 'œWhere the flowers burn', Sister Semberle of the Adeptus Sororitas came to the world and ordered the building of the Abbey of the Dawn in one of Iocanthos's flint mountain ranged. The Sororitas facility is forbidden to outsiders.
Past Inquisitorial Involvement: To the average Iocanthan, the Inquisition is merely another half-legendary power from beyond their world, and while there are records of several Inquisitorial missions to Iocanthos in the past, hey are all classified beyond your clearance rating. I have reviewed them and judge none to be currently relevant to your mission. The planet historically registered a slightly higher per captia level of psyker birth, but not significantly so. The Sisters of the Abbey of the Dawn regularly report any unusual heretical activity to the Conclave. Other than this, the Holy Ordos retain no standing presence on Iocanthos.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
The Seer's personal Dataslate Journal found in his chambers after the events at the black cathedral.
Download a high quality version of the slate here: Journal
Ref Perq/048899/SH
Author: Inquisitor Aristarchus
Subject: Personal Log
Name: Saint Drusus
Location: Stern Hope, Iocanthos
Sector: Calixis (Scintillan Sub)
A damaged yet active data slate journal of The Seer Aristarchus found in the Crying Clota days after the events in the Black Cathedral with the daemon Tysiak'¦
God-Emperor, I cannot believe it, but it is true. Skae took me into the cathedral and I saw the very vision of Saint Drusus himself! He spoke to me, the unworthy soul that I am. Yes it all makes sense now, my posting here, the gift of the Tarot deck, all leading me here, so I can be his Vessel, the blessed instrument of his rebirth!
The rest of the dataslate is damaged or hold nothing of additional significance'¦
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Additional Find: "The Haarlock line is a family of ancient and power Rogue Traders, whose origins go back over 4000 years to the blood days of the Age of Apostasy where the Imperium turned on itself in fratricidal civil war."
Data Slat on Solomon
Known Heretic Dossier Sheets
Because of the size and format of these, they are better downloaded as a PDF file and viewed in an PDF viewer.
Erasmus' Belasco Dueling Pistol - While certainly lethal, Belasco dueling pistols more often serve as ostentatious displays of wealth and status than as field weapons. Most can only fire one powerful las-blast before needing a reload, but they are extremely accurate over longer ranges. Erasmus' personal dueling pistol. According to his personal records he killed over a dozen men with weapon in both sanctioned and unsanctioned duels.
Best Quality (RT Pg.119)
Belasco Dueling Pistol Pistol, 45m, S/–/–, 1d10+5 E, Pen 4, Clip 1, Rld Full, Accurate, 1.5kg, Very Rare, Best +10 WS, Never Jams, Laser Dot Sight +10 WS in Single Shot Mode.
Bidding Starts at 3000 Gelt
"Brimstone", Hell Rifle - Hell Rifles are frowned upon by more puritanical elements within the Ordo Malleus as a sign of Radicalism. Their effectiveness, however, cannot be disputed. Intricate weapons that often appear ancient, Hell Rifles fire impossibly sharp shards of matter that may be Daemonic in origin. No Inquisitor of the Calixian Ordo Malleus has relinquished a specimen to the Adeptus Mechanicus, so the true function of the weapon may be lost forever. How the Haarlock line got their hands on one of these is unknown. The Holy Orodos would consider this a heresy to see this on sale here. This one bares a small engraving on the stock that reads, "Brimstone".
Felling: Designed to puncture and to mangle, this weapon is capable of toppling even the mightiest foes. If the weapon hits, it ignores a number of levels of Unnatural Toughness possessed by the target equal to the number in the parenthesis. For instance, a Felling (1) weapon ignores the benefits of Unnatural Toughness (x2) and would reduce the benefits of unnatural Toughness (x3) by one multiplier.
Bidding Starts at 15,000 Gelt
Cryptus Shotgun Shells - On the world of Cryptus, the Templum of The Sacred Lights of the God-Emperor was renowned for being constructed entirely of glass. Its foundations were laid on the day the planet was reclaimed by the Imperium during the Angevin crusade. In 702.M39, the cathedral was unexpectedly attacked by a hitherto unknown renegade cult calling themselves the Light-burners. During the fighting, as the cathedral's Frateris Militia rallied and drove back the assault, several cultists broke through the militia's lines, reached the towering gates of the cathedral, and sacrificed themselves to summon forth five towering daemons wreathed in black flames. At the moment the daemons set foot within the cathedral, a sonorous bell was heard and moments later the glass shattered and the cathedral exploded into a stream of white fire. The fires that swept out of the cathedral extended for almost a mile and burned for over a month. When the fires finally died out, nothing was left of the great edifice but thousands of white glass shards covering the ground. Experiments by members of the Holy Ordos revealed that the glass was naturally resistant to the Warp and caused great pain and harm to the foul denizens of the immaterium. Over time, the Ordos Malleus ended up with nominal control over the ruined site, grudgingly accepted by the Ministorum save for the hundreds of pilgrims who regularly process to the blasted wasteland on the anniversary of its destruction.
The glass, when used in a shotgun shell, causes the weapon's attack to be treated as Sanctified which has certain effects on Daemons and some Warp creatures (as will be noted in their description). Furthermore, any Daemonic or Warp creature struck at short range by a shotgun loaded with Cryptus shotgun shells must make a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test or be blinded for 1d5 rounds.
Bidding Starts: 25 Shells, 250 Gelt
Omnisian Axe - A holy icon of the Cult Mechanicus, the Omnisian axe is granted to adepts who have shown their faith to the Machine God in battle. No common weapon, it is forged with the finest materials and using secrets of tempering field generation. These fearsome weapons have no equal amongst power weapons. Saw-toothed and marked with sacred equations, to the followers of the Machine God, the bearer of an Omnisian axe is a most blessed figure, a furious incarnation of the Machine God's power in war. The axe also functions as a multi-tool. An Omnisian axe may never be bought or deliberately obtained – it is gifted only to tech priests by their superiors. This particular axe was given to Vengard Durkarius the Tech-Priest Prime and favored Engineer of Erasmus. It should be returned to the Machine God's cult, and its sale is simple heresy.
Omnisian Axe (Inq HB Pg. 136)
Omnissian Axe, Melee, 2d5+5E, Pen 6, Power Field, Unwieldy, 7kg
The bearer of one receives +10 bonus to interaction tests involving the followers of the Machine God.
Bidding Starts at 10,000 Gelt
Balecarne Moon Blades - Moon blades are primarily used by the elite Crescent Brotherhood of the Balecarne tribe, who originate from the feral world of Munsk, located in the Josian Reach. Over time, the tribe has spawned sister-tribes on the neighbouring worlds in the system. Moon blades are two crescent-shaped blades, each about 30 centimetres in length. The wielder holds a blade in each hand, gripping it in the centre—usually a piece of leather is wrapped around the middle of the blade to protect the wielder's hands. The points of the crescent point outwards, away from the wielder's body. Moon Blades are difficult to use, taking many years to fully master. Experts, especially members of the Crescent Brotherhood, can wield the blades with deadly force and may also use them as short-range throwing weapons. These blades are stained with blood, and a small tag reads, "Lord Garus Mornax met his end by these blades."
New Quality: Fast - The size and speed of this weapon makes it hard to Parry. Opponents that would Parry an attack against a weapon with the Fast quality take a –20 penalty on their Weapon Skill Tests.
Bidding Starts at 1000 Gelt
Haarlock's Daggered Vambraces - Amid the madness and slaughter of battle, a few seconds delay can cost even the mightiest warrior his life. Many deathblows have been dealt in the time it takes to drop a gun and draw a sword. Daggered Vambraces are an attempt to remedy this problem. Vicious curved blades affixed to stiff metal bracers, Daggered Vambraces allow their wearer to wield a ranged weapon in each hand and still strike in melee. The bearer may make melee attacks with the vambraces even when his hands are otherwise occupied. These vambraces are mono edged and of the best quality. Once owned by Erasmus Haarlock, the tale is that he had these commissioned during his travels on the edge of the Halo Stars. They bear a seal certifying their commission for the Rogue Trader. In which battles he might have worn these there is no record.
Daggered Vambraces, Mono, Best (Daemon Hunter Pg. 69)
Matched Set of Shuriken Pistols - The ancient Eldar race has little to do with the Calixis Sector, and they are believed to consider it accursed. Save for the occasional privations of their corsairs and a handful of wandering outcasts, they and their potent technology remain little more than a myth for most. Eldar artefacts, as a consequence, are rare and hugely valuable when traded on the sector's black market. Eldar weapons are particularly prized, fetching huge sums from private collectors. Shuriken weaponry is one such type—these guns are graceful dealers of death that use sophisticated gravity accelerators to hurl volleys of miniature razor disks to literally slice their victims apart in seconds. Beautiful Eldar craftsmanship, they appear to be made out of matching wraithbones.
Enoulian Whisper Line - From the time Solomon Haarlock ventured into what would become the Calixis Sector, the Imperium has encountered and eliminated dozens of xenos species. In the uncharted regions beyond the sector's borders, however, alien races still abide, awaiting an opportunity for vengeance. The Enoulians are one such species, and their hatred for the Imperium is strong. Another sign of the Enoulians' advanced civilisation is their use of nearly monomolecular cords as lariats and garrottes. These lines are deadly in combat, but only the Enoulians seem able to use them without heavily reinforced gloves. This line is set up under magnification with violet light displaying it in grand fashion.
Staff of the Martyred Psyker - This tall bone staff stands well over six feet in height. It is recorded as being made of the fused and carved bones of countless psykers who gave their lives for the Emperor in the various wars throughout the Calixis Sector. The top of the staff is carved of ivory of a brain on fire.
Staff of the Martyred Psyker, Force Staff (Inq Handbook 187)
Force Staff, Melee, 1d10 I, Pen 0, Balanced, Force Weapon 3kg
Force Weapons
Class: Melee (Primitive)
Made from the rarest materials and interlaced with psychic reactive and channelling circuitry of a design said to have originated with the Emperor himself when he walked among mortal men, force weapons are capable of channelling the mental power and aggression of a psyker into deadly, reality rending force. It is theoretically possible to create force weapons in almost any form, and several unique and potent variants, such as the Nemesis weapons of the Grey Knights and the legendarily destructive Daemonhammers, exist. The three commonest types of force weapons are given here, the force sword, force axe and force staff. Unless wielded by a psyker, force weapons simply count as a Good Craftsmanship Mono variant of their standard Primitive weapon type (see pages 128 and 142 of Dark Heresy). However, in the hands of a wielder with a Psy Rating, they are much more. For every point of Psy Rating the wielder has, the weapon's Damage and Penetration increases by +1. For example, a force sword wielded by a character with Psy Rating 3 would inflict 1d10+3 R (plus SB) and have a Penetration of 5. In addition to normal Damage, whenever a psyker damages an opponent, he or she may, as a Free Action, channel psychic force and killing will into the blade. Treat this effect as a power with a Threshold 6. On a success, the wielder and victim make Opposed Willpower Tests. For every degree of success, the force weapon's wielder deals an additional 1d10 points of Damage ignoring the victim's Armour and Toughness Bonus. Force weapons cannot be destroyed by a power weapon's field. A force staff also acts as a Psy-Focus (see page 151 of Dark Heresy).
Bidding Starts at 3000 Gelt
Sword of Shadow - This dark grey blade is of an unusual ally which includes adamantine. The craftsmanship is simply amazing. It is said that the Rogue Trader Faris Haarlock parried a blow from a Chaos Champion's power axe with this weapon without putting a scratch on the blade's surface. Blessed by Chaplain Elizur of the Blood Raven Space Marine Chapter on the eve of the Ninth Flagellant Heresy this power inscription reads "Let the stars die and Mankind end before this sword returns unblooded to its sheath."
Sword of Shadow, Best Quality, Balanced, Fast, Mono
Bidding Starts at 7000
Scale Armor, Monrass - The Scar Dragons are in danger of vanishing on Monrass since their scales are valued for the construction of a particularly durable form of armour. Despite their fearsome nature, men, eager to reap the rewards that the creatures' skin can bring, have hunted Scar Dragons to near extinction. Once killed, the hunters skin the dragon and drag off the carcass to be sold as meat (which is very tough but considered a delicacy on and off-world). The scales are turned into suits of armour. It is a highly skilled job that can only be performed by a member of the Scale Jakkers Guild. The manufacture of such armour takes many months, as each scale needs to be properly aligned and then bonded to the tough hide that forms the basis of the suit. Once complete, a suite of scale armour is very valuable and offers the wearer significant protection against both primitive and advanced weapons. The scales seem to be especially resistant to weapons that agitate air molecules to create heat, such as melta weapons. Some, who have witnessed the effectiveness of the armour have spoken of establishing a captive dragon population off-world in order farm the creatures for their desirable skin.
This suit was won by Erasmus after dueling a great chieftain on Monrass in single combat, so the story goes.
Scale Armor, Monrass, Good Quality
Scale Armour - Arms, Body, Legs; AP 3 15kg
In addition to the normal benefits conferred by wearing this armour, wearers gain a +10 bonus on Agility Tests made to avoid catching fire.
Bidding Starts at 1000
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Gown of Silken Dreams -- This beautiful gown is cut from Nightweave Silk, a form of flexible crystalline material that shimmers with a spectrum (favoring hues of violet) of soft inner light when worn in twilight or darkness. Your friends will be hypnotized by the fascinating patterns. Turn heads at your next turn at court. The origins of this gown are unknown, but it was found neatly put away among Erasmus' items. Speculation runs rampant on which concubine of his might have worn this.
Nightweave Silk
This silk is an opulent fabric woven from a crystalline material that shimmers with a spectrum of soft inner light when worn in twilight or darkness, producing almost hypnotic fascination in onlookers. Nightweave silk is valued for its effect, great beauty, and rarity by the high lords and ladies of the sector, and is sold only by traders who operate on the Halo Stars' margins (who remain tight-lipped about its origins). Despite its favour in numerous courts, it is considered ill-omened by many void born, and some psykers claim to detect the faintest echo of suffering and something inhuman in the silk, likewise shunning it.
Bidding Starts at 1000 Gelt
Cruorian War Beast, Stuffed -- This full sized stuffed War Beast has been perfectly preserved and posed in a combat posture. Mounted on a small stand a bronze plaque mounted on the stand reads: “What is the measure of a man but the creatures he's killed with his own two hands?â€
Cruorian War Beast (Creatures Anathema pg 53)
No one knows where the war beasts known as Cruorians hail from, only that they've plagued several worlds in the Calixis Sector. The name comes from Magos Biologis Harven Cruor, who first discovered the war beasts within xenos ruins in the Bloodfall system. Massive in form, Cruorian war beasts seem to revel in battle, showing no fear even when faced by the full might of the Imperial Guard. Standing on four long legs, each ending in thick claws, and fur that ranges between dark green and blood-red, a Cruorian war beast presents a frightening aspect. Short spikes protect the head, neck, and spine, although from what one can only hazard a guess. The forefeet have opposable thumbs, and it's possible the Cruorian are slightly more intelligent than most think—they've been witnessed using crude melee weapons for example.
Bidding Starts at 6000
Stone Griffon Statue -- A piece of a building, carved in stone, with no indication of where it came from. The tag simply says, “Found in the vaults.†The statue stands eight feet tall and four feet wide, and weighing easily several hundred kilo.
Bidding Starts at 5000
Porcelain Fox Mask -- This mask is of a stylized fox with a long beak like nose. It is crafted of the most delicate porcelain from unknown foundry. The mask lacks any way to actually attach it to the face. A small chip is missing near the mouth and a hint of blood stain remains there suggesting violence to the wearer.
Bidding Starts at 1000
Ork Teef Necklace – This necklace of Ork Teef is worked in gold with small rubies implanted on each of the teef. It is a piece that would not be out of place among the Hive Nobles seeking to show off to their fellows.
Bidding Starts at 9000
Hexagramatic Ward -- A single ward worked in the design of the Haarlock Line, this ward is designed to be placed on a carapace breastplate or full carapace armour. Powerful wards, null-psy lattice
circuits and prayers of protection are woven into armour carrying this upgrade, often visually represented by ornate carvings and graven icons embellishing its surface. Armour upgraded in this way serves not only to protect the wearer's body but also their soul.
Hexagramatic Wards (Inq HndBk Pg 189)
Armour with this upgrade provides it wearer with a +20 bonus on Tests made to resist any direct psychic attack or manipulation used against them. Additionally, the armour provides double the Armour Points against attacks of psychic force or warp energy that directly deal Damage (such as the Psychic Blade or Fire Bolt powers), and keeps its value against attacks made with the Warp Weapon effect. Upgrades: Carapace breastplate, full carapace armour and power armour.
Bidding Starts at 3500
Saint Meredith's Wristlet -- Saint Meredith was famous 3,509 years ago for bringing the faith of the Emperor to people trapped on planets that were consumed by heresy. The skulls of this bracelet are said to be carved from the saint's teeth. Her teeth and fragments of her skull were all that survived her last encounter with the enemies of mankind, according to reports. Saint Meredith was famous for defeating deamons of the warp in deadly combat.
Any weapon held in the hand whose wrist holds this bracelet is considered to be a Warded Weapon. DotDG 120.
The Effects of a Ward
A ward creates a barrier that a daemon or warp entity finds difficult to breach. Areas, objects, and even people may be warded by inscribing the relevant occult formulae. Daemons and warp entities wishing to interact with a
ward (crossing a warded space, picking up a warded object, attacking a warded character, etc.) must pass a Willpower Test to do so. If the daemon or entity fails this Test by three or more degrees, it suffers Malediction. If it passes this Test, then it may act freely (cross the ward, attack the character normally, etc.) If it passes this Test by more than three degrees of success, the ward is completely overcome and destroyed. Note: Even if it passes the Test, if the ward remains intact the daemon or warp entity must take the Test again if it wishes to cross the ward subsequently (i.e. make attacks against a warded character the following Round, cross back over the warded area, etc.)
Warded Weapons: Close combat weapons (other than Power, Daemon or Force types) may also have wards inscribed onto them. Such weapons deal Holy damage, and any daemon suffering a Critical Hit also suffers Malediction (see page 118). However, temporary wards on weapons quickly become eroded in heavy combat, typically failing after a single Combat encounter (the GM has the final say-so on this).
Bidding Starts at 5000
Genestealer, Stuffed -- A fine example of the taxidermist's art, this hideous creature would be a sure-fire conversation starter. Eyes seem to follow you around the room. Age and Origin: Unknown.
A Genestealer is a species of Tyranid used as the ultimate shock trooper. Their purpose is to advance ahead of a Hive Fleet and pinpoint potential planets for the Tyranids to devour. They are amongst the most deadly creatures in the Galaxy, combining high cunning, lightning-fast reactions and movement, with large, extremely sharp claws that can rip through the toughest armour in seconds
Bidding Starts at 10,000
Hrud Fusil -- Little is known of the reclusive and dangerous race known as the Hrud other than that they dwell only in darkness and possess strange, warp-based technology which, it is said, allows them to walk between worlds and even corrupt the flow of time with their baleful presence. The fusil is one of a scant few Hrud artefacts that occasionally come up for sale and is always in high demand. It is a form of “plasma musket†that uses an unfathomable mechanism to phase a plasma bolt between realspace and the warp, bypassing its target's defences. Though somewhat unpredictable, the weapon's unique qualities make it useful for assassins and Inquisitorial agents alike. Fusils traded on the black market have been crudely modified to accept Imperial plasma cells. However, if a fusil's mechanism becomes badly damaged it cannot be repaired by human hands.
Moliochin Fire Heart -- This fine gem, the size of a bird egg, glows in the dark with a flickering flame of yellow and orange. It is said to bring the owner good luck to new ventures. Why trust in blind luck when you can make own your own? The Haarlock line's own luck was great in its heyday.
Acts as a Charm
Bidding Starts at 1000
Idol of Sleef -- This strange carving out of green stone is said to represent an alien god. Note the facial tentacles and delicate membranous wings. Said to be found on the Dead World of Sleef.
Bidding Starts at 5000
Fragment of Eldar Wraithbone -- The mysterious alien race known as the Eldar grow all sorts of unusual items from these wriathbones. No collector should be without one.
Bidding Starts at 1500
Eldar Spirit Stone -- Taken from the breast of a dead Eldar Warp Spider, this stone is said to contain the memories and soul of the fallen alien. Emits a soft rosy light in a darkened room. Prized among the elite as backup source of light in a power outage.
Bidding Starts at 2000
Crimson Bestiary -- Xenos bestiaries, books purporting to detail and catalogue a variety of alien creatures, are commonplace in the libraries of the wealthy. Most contain little more than lurid illustrations and superficial descriptions of the more notable enemies of mankind and whatever local fauna is deemed appropriate. They range from the opinionated and often widely inaccurate works illuminated by Ecclesiarchy scribes to rarer works more grounded in reality and culled from scholastic learning, perhaps even from first-hand accounts. Of this latter kind, the Crimson Bestiaries (so called for their distinctive serpent skin bindings) produced by the Great Library of Fenksworld are highly regarded. The volumes skirt dangerously close to the edge of knowledge that Ordo Xenos will allow in the public domain.
This version is clearly very useful, and filled with notes in the margins made by the various Rogue Traders of the Haarlock line. The notes and added works makes this book invaluable to Xeno hunters and Acolytes alike.
This particular Crimson Bestiary requires a successful Average (+10) Literacy Test to successfully reference (See Table 7-4: Investigation Benchmarks on page 186 of Dark Heresy). If this test is passed, a character using the tome to learn something relating to the Calixis Sector and the surrounding stars gains a +15 bonus to his next Forbidden Lore (Xenos) Test.
Bidding Starts at 3000
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Grimoire of True Names
The Ordos Malleus rivals the Administratum in its exacting approach to record-keeping. However, while the Administratum has access to entire planets of cogitators, information concerning the Ruinous Powers is rarely entered into a machine for fear of corrupting the machine spirits. Over the millennia, Daemon hunters have recorded vast amounts of information concerning cults, sorcerers, and the daemons they have fought. Within the Calixis Sector, following the death of the Seventeen Holy Martyrs in 385.M41, Lord Inquisitor Heydrich Tarlemon ordered that the Ordo Malleus of the sector was to collate all records regarding the names and activities of any daemons they had encountered. Over the centuries since then, these records have grown to encompass thousands of tomes and, as a result, scribes serving the Holy Ordos have been forced to reduce the information down to accessible, portable versions of the complete Nomina Daemonica Tenemus found within the Tricorn Palace on Scintilla.
While large and cumbersome, a Grimoire of True Names is but a condensed account of the miles of bookshelves archived by the Ordo Malleus concerning the myriad cults and Daemonic adversaries that have plagued the Calixis Sector. Unfortunately, deciphering the records of long-dead Inquisitors is often as much luck as scholarship. Grimoires are very rarely encountered outside of the hands of the Ordo Malleus. Ironically, outside of the daemon hunters they are most often found in the hands of Warp-cultists and jaded nobles who have taken them from fallen Acolytes or Inquisitors.
The bearer of a Grimoire of True Names may use the grimoire to seek knowledge on any Daemon of note he encounters. Doing so requires two successes on a Hard (–20) Forbidden Lore (Daemonology) Test; each research attempt takes thirty minutes. This difficulty may be increased by the GM based on the amount of information the character already has about the Daemon in question. A successful result on the Test, combined with calling out portions of the Daemon's True Name during any attack, allows the character to automatically confirm any Righteous Fury damage result when attacking the Daemon. Because of the mad nature of the Warp, the exact pronunciation and mental imagery of a daemon's True Name will fade after 2d10+Intelligence Bonus days and must be re-studied.
Bidding Starts at 10,000
A Book Unbound
An apparently leather folio filled with loose parchment pages. The leather is, in fact, xenos-hide, and the loose leaves inside contain fragments of various archaic and proscribed works, interspersed with fragments of a personal journal.
The contents of the folio, if put into some order, will grant the reader +10 to Forbidden Lore (Xenos) with regards to the arts of the eldar corsairs and the forgotten inhabitants of the Halo Stars. The folio also contains unrelated lore and partial instructions on the creation of Dybuk.
All you know about a Dybuk is: A Dybuk is a grotesque fusion of living flesh and daemon bound together in a bloody and depraved ritual summoning.
Bidding Starts 15,000
Bloody Seal
This gilt seal, the width of a human palm, shows the symbol of the aquila clasping keys in its claws. The seal is still stained with dried blood that will not come off. When the rim of the seal is twisted, it projects
a hololith of the face of Gorge Vandire, once marking the bearer as his personal emissary.
Rego: Forbidden Lore (Heresy) Success
Rego recognises this as a symbol of the pre-Thorian Ecclesiarchy. Contained within the seal are engrams to unlock all pre-Thorian and archaic ciphers used in Imperial records. Owning such a thing is considered heresy in itself.
Bidding Starts at 25,000
Silver Key
A large and ornate key made of tarnished silver, inscribed with archaic human symbols said to predate the Dark Age of Technology. A unique relic of human civilization.
Speak Language (Archaic), No one in the group speaks this. Sorry, no translation.
Bidding Starts at 40,000
Greyskin Psalter
A battered but sizable prayer book of archaic style and design, bound in unidentifiable grey skin. The book is displayed open. Penned in the hands of each of the Rogue Traders of the Haarlock line, starting with Solomon, ending with Erasmus. The ultimate for collectors of Rogue Trader arcana.
Test Speak Language (High Gothic) and Common Lore Imperial Creed)
Looking at the text you four will realise that it is gibberish, with words and phrases in entirely the wrong order.
Bidding starts at 50,000
A Shattered Pauldron
An Adeptus Astartes shoulder plate, torn and badly damaged. It is sandy in colour with the symbol of a palm tree and fanged skull blazoned on it. Origin unknown.
Bidding Starts 50,000
A Xenoflesh Mask
A vile looking hood-like mask of withered grey-green flesh, featureless but for a wide, circular, lamprey-like mouth. Marked: Xenotype Unknown.
Damien: Psiscience
Your psychic senses directed at it generate a queasy feeling of crawling horror and dank forgotten places.
Bidding starts at 50,000
An Onyx Statute
A beautifully carved statue of a three-eyed, bat-winged felid, around a metre tall. At the statue's neck is a strange gorget of what appears to be tarnished copper.
The gorget around the statues neck is a Halo Device, Halo Devices are diverse in form and made of a metallic material with verdigris patina. They are believed to come from ancient and dead worlds and are said to grant immortality to those who possess them. There is a secret trade in such items to corrupt members of the elite and the wealthy who dare break the Inquisitorial ban. This secret trade is the focus of aggressive countermeasures by the Inquisition. They are xenos artefacts originating from within the Halo Stars beyond Imperial space. They have strange properties and an ill repute, and ownership of them is forbidden by the Ordo Xenos.
Bidding Starts 100,000 Thrones
An Unknown Portrait
A somewhat disturbing, blurred looking portrait, about half a metre square, encased in a solid block of crystal. Etched in azure lettering at the bottom, in High Gothic, is the phrase “The Mirror of my Blood.â€
Bidding Starts at 150,000
A Primitive Doll in a Glass Jar
A small rag and stick doll, trapped in a dusty, stoppered bell jar. The air within the jar seems somewhat smoky and looking at the stitched eyes of the doll will fill any onlooker with unease.
Damien Psyniscience 46 vs 46 Success on the nose!
A tormented and particularly vicious Astral Spectre is trapped within the jar. Use of the Psyniscience Skill will reveal this fact. Breaking the jar, which is ordinary glass, will free the spectre.
Astral Spectre
Spectres are powerful entities composed of congealed psychic energy and warp-stuff. When manifest in the physical world, they take the shape of incorporeal spectres: patches of moving darkness, unnatural mists boiling with flickering images, half-transparent figures that cast no shadow and a host of other forms.
Bidding Starts at 250,000
Cyber Hexalid
CCyber-familiars are semi-intelligent machine versions or cybernetic adaptations of living creatures controlled by a master, loyalty to whom is hardwired in the creature's brain. Some cyber familiars are created as assistants to serve prominent adepts and the Mechanicus, or merely as amusements for the wealthy, while others are fitted for war with implanted weapon systems and all manner of crude but effective augmetics. This cyber mastiff however is not shaped like a hound, it is in fact in the form of daemon beast known as a Hexalid.
Inquisitor's Handbook pg 143
You fought and killed a Hexalid on Iocanthus.
Bidding Starts at 100,000
The Gilded Widow
A life-size automaton formed from gold and encrusted with agates and rubies, dressed in an archaic gown of crimson and purple silks. The automaton has an open aperture in its chest, revealing an intricate clockwork mechanism of staggering complexity. The figure is seated on a high-backed throne with an inbuilt table set before the figure, all carved with geometric and occult symbols. The gilded figure's head rests on its chest, and in its right hand it holds a ruby chalice, whilst in its left hand is an ivory set of the Emperor's Tarot in a silvered slip-case. The label reads “The Most Sacred and Wondrous Oracular Device, Known to Men as the Gilded Widow.â€
The device is extremely unnerving to look at, even when inert. Chronometers malfunction nearby, auspex systems register malfunctions, and Damien dares not use his psychic powers in its presence.
This is the crown jewel of the auction.
Bidding Starts at 500,000
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
Thrungg's Museum of Apostasty on Sepheris Secundus
Jericus begins to document the chamber, pausing at the more interesting items, as Damien and Haxtes use their special talents as well to sniff out more dangers, hidden items or ripples in the warp. One by one Jericus moves to an item, records it, and inspects it, and moves on. Man have small cards with various information write on them. Its a museum, meant to teach, and as such many items have accompanying information with them.
* A Long Las with several scratched X's in the stock that was used by a Ratling to slay the Siegemaster during the Gunmetal Uprising. (Best Quality)
* A Eldar Sword. (Good Craftsmanship, Mono Upgrade)
* A Bolt Pistol used by Commissar Gild during the Lugg City Massacres to execute over a hundred of his own men.
* A laspistol with an odd knotwork pattern on the grip. (Unstable Quality)
* A Xeno Cloak from the thick skin of a Cruorian War Beast. (Good Quality Mesh Combat Cloak)
* This mask is of a stylized fox with a long beak like nose. It is crafted of the most delicate porcelain from unknown foundry. The mask lacks any way to actually attach it to the face. A small chip is missing near the mouth and a hint of blood stain remains there suggesting violence to the wearer.
* A decanter of Amasec so old that it no longer has a label (but remains sealed and fresh).
* A large and ornate key made of tarnished silver, inscribed with archaic human symbols said to predate the Dark Age of Technology. A unique relic of human civilization. (Speak Language (Archaic), No one in the group speaks this. Sorry, no translation.)
* A fine chrono depicting an ancient and fading symbol on a thin titanium chain with a Auspex built into it. (Forbidden Lore Inquisition Test Jericus Success: The Symbol was once used by the Ordo Chronos.)
There are dozens of books of various religious or heretical content, but a few are notable:
* Liber Ex Mentis a forbidden text rumored to cause insanity simply by reading its pages. (Forbidden Lore Daemonology Damien Success)
* The Musing on Faith of Palatine Selera. This small unassuming leather bound journal was transcribed from the original text and will be valued by members of the Ecclesiarchy. (Common Lore Imperial Creed Hextes Success)
* Xenos bestiary, a book purporting to detail and catalogue a variety of alien creatures, are commonplace in the libraries of the wealthy. It contain little more than lurid illustrations and superficial descriptions of the more notable enemies of mankind and whatever local fauna is deemed appropriate. You can see some of the information seems inaccurate.
There are various other minor objects on display such as a single Bolt Shell from an Astartes bolter, a pair of feeding brands used by ancient Scintillans to cook and eat their food at the same time, ork teef necklace, and a clay brick made from mud from Holy Terra (although this is easily uncovered as false).
As you pore over the dozens of heretical artefacts Haxtes' auspex keep acting up when he's near a data-slate that is on display in the back of the room.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
