Fortress Orpheon

[Heavy Encryption]

-Fortress built by an Astartes Chapter—specifically, the Angels Encarmine—for Melidoche Traquiel, the first Planetary Governor of House Traquiel. Incredibly robust in defenses; front door appears to be operated by a gene-encoded locking mechanism that responds to the blood of some members of the Traquiel lineage (possibly only the biologically female descendants).

-Contains the true mausoleum of House Traquiel; many of the tombs and their mechanical preservation functions remain in operation, though some have failed due to lack of tending for more than a century.

-Location was lost 120±6 years ago; however, Anvephone Traquiel discovered its location at some point, and conveyed it's general coordinance to Vector van Flange such that the Magos could create a means to reach it. It appears that she used the Fortress as a secret and secure base of operations. In her private offices, we located a Condemnor, or Moros Device, as well as her personal logs and research regarding what she refers to as the Asterii, likely her own terminology for what we call the Cinquefoils. These logs hold a massive wealth of information, and include references to "Condemnor Archivists" and "Fifth Order Champions," which indicate a more advanced knowledge of the societal structure of the Xenos. Anvephone also references a "Mentor" of some kind, who taught her much of this information, and may hold more; we have since determined the identity of this individual to be King Quinque.

-It is Dehvon's wish that the location of Fort Orpheon continue to remain a secret, such that the family may make pilgrimages to the mausoleum, but that the rest of Asterion remain unaware of its presence.

-It is likely that the Fortress was abandoned due to the presence of a (hypothesized Cinquefoil) device, hereafter called the Null Singularity, that exists deep below the main structure. The potency of null psychic field it generates is sufficiently overpower to prevent any approach from psychically awakened individuals, and be potentially lethal even to non-psykers who remain in close proximity for too long.

Archmagos Wakes's Assault

-Due to the deterioration of his mind from the scrap code virus, Archmagos Wakes became paranoid that Anvephone Traquiel had gotten ahead of him in researching the Asterii, and launched an attack on Fort Orpheon, in which he attempted to destroy the entire site by initiating a self-destruct. This attack was successfully halted, and Archmagos Wakes killed in the process.

Astartes Trials

-Between the upper rooms of Fortress Orpheon and the lower chamber holding the Null Singularity is a gauntlet of trials designed to test certain qualities in Astartes, prior to them being allowed to view the device below, which seems to have been incorporated into their personal mythologies and customs. The trials each test different virtues; inscriptions in High Gothic can be found at the end of each of the four chambers. (It is worth noting that our initial entrance to the Fortress was via a tunnel drilled through to the Null Singularity; thus, we approached the trials both in reverse order and pathing.)

-Chamber One: Contains a vast array of treasures and armaments; as we presumed that touching any such items would incur the perils of failure, we do not yet know what occurs if any are taken. The inscription at the end of the chamber reads: "Thou has prove'd thy honor, Brother, and that thy convictions of duty canst overcome the corruptions of avarice. Step Forward! Show that thy courage is unrelenting, and that thou knowest no fear."

-Chamber Two: Constructed to appear as a subterranean cave, though clearly artificial. One must follow contoured paths to reach the other side. Hanging overhead is a massive array of glass shards, sharp enough to penetrate robust armor, which shake and fall easily when perturbed by sound. Fallen shards are quickly replaced by new ones in the same position on the ceiling. In addition, incredibly realistic holograms (which produce a sensory effect of sound without triggering the trap) will ambush those that cross the chamber, harmless save for their surprising and threatening psychological effect; this seems to be meant to elicit yelling or screaming, causing the glass daggers to fall. As such, proceeding in complete silence is the solution to the trial. The inscription at the end reads:  “Thou has prove’d thy knowest no fear, and are prepare’d to be the bulwark against terror. Step Forward! Show thy strength of heart."

-Chamber Three: This chamber contains a variably shifting maze, which must be traversed to reach the exit. The walls can change position subtly enough as to avoid notice, likely occurring when not under observation; the floor, however, holds a consistent pattern, the symbols of which indicate troop movements and battle strategies. If these are followed correctly to a victorious outcome, an exit shall be reached. The ending inscription reads: “Thou has prove’d thy strength of persistence, hope, and intellect, that no foe shall best you in battle. Step Forward! Show thy final virtue.”

-Chamber Four: An incredibly deep chasm spanning roughly twenty meters separates the entrance and exit of this room. No bridge spans the distance, however a gravity manipulation device on the ceiling will catch those that step out over the void and transport them to the other side. The inscription at the end reads: “Thou has prove’d thy Faith, Brother. Step forward! Face the mysteries of this place and come away with the Emperor’s light in your heart.”