# Hounds, Witches and the Hunt



## Smokes (Nov 27, 2009)

I'm currently working on a series of novels taking place in the Calixis Sector. I've been working on them for some time but I want to do a few short stories, etc. to add to the background fluff before I continue to work on the rest of it. The first bit is a message sent to our protagonist (Name is redacted because of major plot device and theme) from one of her "allies" within the Ordo Calixis. I'll post the rest of the bits once I'm done with them.



+++INCOMING ASTROPATHIC MESSAGE+++

ID:23ZR.G6PO.CXCL

+++MAGNETA LEVEL CLEARANCE VERIFIED+++

WRIT OF CARTA EXTREMIS
AUTHORIZED BY CALIXIAN CONCLAVE
INQUISITOR LITILA, SICARIUS
DATE: 507.M41
TRICORN PALACE
+++REDACTED+++

+++ REDACTED+++ I figured this would be of great interest to you. Lord Caidin himself has sanctioned the excommunication of a Daemonhunter, Christophus Villa-Kell, due to the ever growing list of charges brought against him. I had never heard of him but apparently everyone important in the Ordo Calixis at the meeting wants him dead. This is all the intelligence my agents have been able to glean along with the official charges and a few additional transcripts of some messages that have been intercepted. The conclave already is talking about you becoming a Lord someday and this may win over anyone who doesn't already love you.

+++BREAK+++

CARTA EXTREMIS: CHRISTOPHUS VILLA KELL

By the power and grace of the God-Emperor of Mankind, and the authority and majesty of His Holy Inquisition, I call thee, Christophus Villa Kell, Hereticus Diabolus Extremis and lay on your soul the crimes witnessed in this carta: that you have betrayed your vows sworn to this conclave, that you allowed the Dismal Texts to be hidden, wielded the knowledge found within, that you consorted with both heretic, daemon and alien, that you betrayed your masters within this conclave, that you turned thy hand upon your brothers and sisters and that you have not only allowed the daemon, alien and witch to live but used them as unholy tools against His Imperium.

By the judgment of your peers and beneath the eyes of the Golden Throne you are called to answer for your crimes, and be so condemned. If so judgment is found the faces of your brothers and sisters will be turned forever from you along with the gaze of the God-Emperor. Thy soul is now underneath the hammer of the Malleus, thy body upon the pyre of the Hereticus and thy soul damned for eternity.

Aegult Constantinides Caidin
Lord Inquisitor of the Calixian Conclave, Master of the Chalice

+++BREAK+++

NAME: Christophus Villa-Kell
KNOWN ALIASES: Iscot Braman, Argenti Xon, Xathircus,...(TEN ADDITIONAL ALIASES KNOWN)

KNOWN ASSOCIATES AND ORGANIZATIONS: Ocularians, Logician Cells on Malfi, Vaxanide, Scintilla, Canopus and Kalf, Astra Telepathica, Calixian Malleus (See notation 1), Daemonhosts "Fear", "Scouring" and "The Pale Void", Cold Trade, Amaranthine Syndicate, Xenos (Slaugth, Rak'Gol,...CONTINUED), Sektoth the False Whisperer, Heretics (Inquisitor Threllian, The Void Wanderer, Jericus Sisterhood, The Family and The Brood (See Notation),...CONTINUED), Adeptus Mechanicus

CONFIRMED HERESIES: Trafficking of the forbidden, Consorting with the manifold threats within, without and beyond, executed Witch-Hunter(s) Randa, Febindin, Xol, Inquisitor(s) Fehyden, Bogs, Jeremiah, and their respective acolytes, proscribed capture, theft and use of unsanctioned psykers, sabotage of the Black Ship Mericus, responsible for the "Scoured Morning" incident on Sozomen's Last Stand and the deaths of the Arch-Diocese of The Periphery.

MODUS OPERANDI: Makes use of extensive network of agents who are largely ignorant of his true identity, forbidden technology, weapons and tools, extreme levels of secrecy, paranoia and misinformation. Unknown as to whether he utilizes a inner circle of trusted agents or has allies within the Ocularian faction.

THREAT RATING: Excommunicate Traitoris, Hereticus, Diabolous

ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL: Capture or eliminate at all costs

KNOWN MOTIVATIONS AND GOALS: Due to the nature of the Ocularian faction it is obvious from the evidence that Kell is heavily involved in the capture of extremely powerful psykers and their use in divining the future for unknown reasons. The use of the malefic is purely for the destruction of anyone in his path and the possible gleaning of information from the daemonic. Kell is rumored to have spent extensive time trying to use the warp to his own ends but the results are unknown.

Additional Notations

Former Thorian of the Calixian Malleus prior to his departure from the Ordo Calixis.

Known to have infiltrated various witch cults within the Calixis Sector
+++BREAK+++

+++TRANSCRIPT BEGINS+++
INTERCEPTED VOX COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TWO SUPPOSED AGENTS WHO REMAIN UNIDENTIFIED ON CLOVE. CODE HAS BEEN BROKEN BY INTERROGATION CELL +++REDACTED+++ AFTER SUCCESSFUL CAPTURE OF ONE OF KELL'S ACOLYTES

A: Aevilns authi zelinit gele hp (It's done)
B: Provs ardent ichib? (Did you find anything useful?)
A: Dev bet hani ele (Nothing. All we could get were more curses and screams. It's been a long month as you can understand. My people are tired.)
A: Ajani pumbu lului conv vlai (I'm just wanting to know whether or not what we did was necessary.)
B: Aevil nv (It was.)
B: Majin ard neph ul zana quell tin (Our master has ordered us to move. The Inquisition are closer now than before. Destroy everything, liquidate anyone unnecessary and find the star that is hidden in the open.

+++BREAK+++
BLACK SHIP MERICUS
LOCATION: JOSIAN REACH
TASK: SUB-SECTOR WITCH SCOURING

CLEARANCE ACCEPTED / AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED
INQUISITOR KELL

-DISABLE SECURITY MEASURES IN HOLDING DECKS CETA, OMEGA AND ZETA
-INITIATE SHIP WIDE LOCKDOWN
-OVERRIDE ENGINARIUM POWER LEVELS
-SHUTTLE BAY DOORS OPEN
-GUN SERVITOR MODE DAMAGED

Total losses: 11,570 lives (Inquisitor Bogs deceased. Calixian Conclave notified)
3 psykers unaccounted for


+++BREAK+++

As you can see +++REDACTED+++ he has been very busy lately. While you've been blood-hounding every heretic on Malfi and whipping up the locals into a bloody fury he's been causing the Calixian Conclave a lot of anger, embarrassment and hatred. The Calixian Telepathica blame the Ordo Calixis for everything who in turn get the Ecclesiarchy involved who also blame them for the deaths of their major leaders in the Periphery sub. Besides the growing storm nobody has any idea where he is but everyone wants to find him. If you capture him and deliver him to the Tricorn on a silver platter they will parade you for the next one hundred years. If you execute him you'll have another trophy on that already impressive list of traitors that you have killed.

That is a win win situation my friend and this is right up your ally. I don't have any reason for this to be my fight as I am busy elsewhere. If you do need more tools however I can arrange for one of my agents to aid you. An assassin's blade may just do the trick here if you can find him. Don't worry about having to get the High Lords to authorize a deployment; it's already been done and it should be cleared in the coming weeks. Novus would be proud of you my dear.

In His name we serve.

+++END MESSAGE+++


----------



## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

Looks like a pretty interesting start, I'll follow this. I like how you've organized this first prologue/chapter.


----------



## Smokes (Nov 27, 2009)

TRANSCRIPT OF MEETING BETWEEN INQUISITOR LORD'S GREND, K'NAEL, AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF CAIDIN, DIOZ

AUTHORIZED BY LORD +++REDACTED+++ ORDO SICARIUS
+++VOX FLY OPERATIONAL+++
DATE: 507.M41
TRICORN PALACE / SCINTILLA
+++CAPTURING+++

G: Even with our vastly different beliefs my brothers we can agree that +++REDACTED+++ has done more for this conclave than any in our long history.
D: She is young but that isn't a problem. In fact it is a blessing.
G: In these dark times we need men and women of her calibre, zeal and strength. I just don't want her to be pushed into a position that isn't suited for her.
K: +++REDACTED+++ is very direct in her methods but has limited the amount of collateral damage in her operations. The amount of radicals and renegade Inquisitors that she has executed has indeed upset the balance in the sector but her actions are not unwarranted.
G: Inquisitor Lord Greces managed to avoid our scrutiny for over a hundred years but he was put on the stake by her after a very long investigation. Even for all of her fire she does know the value of investigation which is nigh impossible for a Monodominant.
K: I support her eventual ascension to Lord as do countless others within the conclave. It is only a matter of time.
G: +++REDACTED+++ may be on the path of the puritan now but we must watch her closely as the fate of countless of our kind is always a terrifying inevitability.
D: Have faith.
K: It isn't a question of faith. It's whether or not we are able to limit her corruption.
D: We will continue to monitor her progress and that of her agents.

+++END VOX INTERCEPT+++

INTERCEPTED MESSAGE BETWEEN INQUISITOR CARVON AND +++CLASSIFIED+++

My master she is gaining more popularity within the conclave. I also support her meteoric rise as she may be the savior of our sector in these dark times. Is it wrong to dream so? To hope that she has the capability? Perhaps she is the divine avatar that we have been searching for? Her potential is terrifying as we have all seen but she has her enemies. Every radical in the sector wants her executed for heresy and every heretic is no doubt jumping at every shadow that they see. She has put to death thousands of heretics, renegades, cultists, daemons and xenos in just over thirty years of service to the Holy Ordos. Her master, Novus, was a bombastic zealot but he did have admirable passion to his cause and the Ministorum.

His death was unfortunate but also necessary no? Without his end this prodigy would have never reached such heights. She has eclipsed his career ten-fold. Many are saying that she is changing the Monodominant way for the good. How many plots has she uncovered? How many heretics have burned on her pyres? How many of our corrupted fellows have been hunted down and destroyed? Even the Adeptus Astartes Chapters such as the Ultramarines who aided her in the hunt of the Meritech Clans in the Halo Stars or the Deathwatch kill-teams that assisted her in the eradication of several Tyranid organisms on Dusk have praised her. Cardinal Olranna lauds her as being the brightest of any who have served the God-Emperor in our sector. But we must remember that she is not immune to corruption. I will continue to watch for signs of His influence in her. Emperor protect us if she falls from such great heights.

+++END TRANSMISSION+++


----------

