Secret Histories of Asterion

-Several factions on the planet appear to have taken an interest in concealing or exposing the details of certain events in Asterion's history.

Report: First Indication of Inquisition Interest in Secret Histories

-Interrogator Saends is a known, if mysterious quantity, in our operations on planet. However, it would appear that another Ordo of the Inquisition has taken an interest in Asterion. Recently [Feb 2025] the arbites apprehended two individuals who stole the cypher ident of a Navy Official; the two claimed to be acolytes of the Inquisition, and demanded to be released.

-Commissioner Neve Comata turned the matter over to our team, given her wariness of tangling directly with the Inquisition, or those impersonating their acolytes. Our interrogation with these agents, called Tevan and Tess, seemed to indicate that they were telling the truth about their employ. We were additionally able to determine that their intent was to utilize the newly refurbished Augur Array of Port Lysander to scan the planet; this was an aspect of their mission that involved the investigation of a larger conspiracy involving Asterion's history, namely the number of gaps in important information on certain major events (examples given included: the lack of distinct identification of the enemies of humanity fought by Melichdoche Traquiel and the Blood Angels; the identity and deeds of Saint Yontericus the Twice Martyred).

-More information could not be ascertained from the acolytes, due to the interruption of Specialist Ford during the meeting; he killed Tevan to prompt more forthright answers from Tess, and when in conversation information about our own identities was compromised, I neutralized the remaining agent to prevent dangerous secrets from returning to her superiors.

-Though remains were largely disposed of using plasma weaponry, later encounters with acolytes of the same cell indicated that investigators were able to identify the source as the plasma pistol belonging to Magos Eizen; greater precautions will need to be taken in the future.

-I remain interested, however, in the origin and mission of this detachment of the Inquisition, apparently under the jurisdiction of Interrogator Arcelius Montalban.

Logos Historica Verita

-A faction within the Administratum with the apparent mission of locating and preserving records from Asterion's secret histories

-Dispatched Auditor Ordinate Tacitus to protect Archivist Denn and the record he had recovered, such that it could reach administratum officials.

-Appears to be in direct conflict with the Ordo Historica Veritas; the similarity of their names, naturally, cannot be ignored, perhaps indicating the rivalry between the factions may involve schism of some kind.

The Order of Silence/Halcyon

-Allied or synonymous with the Ordo Historica Veritas

-Members first encountered in the Quarantine Zone; cultists of higher rank seem to be equipped with Asterii Devices (thus far we have observed skilled wielders of a Communior, Augmentor, and Voiddelver).

-Members encountered thus far have physically appeared no different to hivers, and no uniform or identifiable symbol of membership has been seen.

-The purpose of these members has been deliberately obscured by those who we've spoken to; some part of their mission seems to involve Ambassador Lethe, at the very least, remaining ignorant of the details of their cause. To do otherwise would be to "break the silence" that they are dedicated to keeping. At this point, it appears likely that their mission relates directly to the secret histories of the planet.

-The mantra repeated by their members is: "The Emperor Protects; Silence is Halcyon." Though this indicates they follow the Imperial Creed, it remains possible that their methodologies are heretical, considering their strange behaviors and clear willingness to engage in hostility with our forces.

-The aforementioned attack occurred almost immediately after Specialist Ford translocated out of their range of vision, into a hidden chamber of their base. This prompted immediate mistrust and violence.

-The hollow space underneath the chapel was observed by Ford to be of Asterii design, constructed of the familiar, obsidian like material seen in others of their locations. A Voiddelver portal was also present (later used to exist the Zone). There was also an odd collection of carapace armor, weapons (modified las pistols), and a dataslate containing encoded information:

TRANSMISSION - HALCYON SECURE CHANNEL
FROM: Sevenstar TO: Agent Mourningtide

Priority Alpha Security Level: Obsidian
Target Document: "Supply Manifests of the Jericho Exchange" Current Location: Secondary Archives, Hive Asterion Level 442 Document Status: Uncovered by Junior Archivist Pellus Denn during routine reorganization.
Archivist Denn has filed a request for document authentication, citing "anomalous trade patterns" and "inconsistencies with established historical record." Request is currently pending review by senior staff. Timeline of review unknown, act quickly.

OBJECTIVES:
Secure and destroy target document before authentication process begins
Ensure no copies have been made
If Archivist Denn has examined contents in detail, assess contamination level
Apply standard containment protocols as situation warrants, cleansing is authorized

PARAMETERS:
Maintain Halcyon deniability
Stage incident consistent with standard archival accidents
Avoid casualties unless contamination confirmed and cleansing infeasible
Document must not reach Senior Archival staff
The Emperor Protects, The Silence is Halcyon
//END TRANSMISSION//


-The record they sought to destroy can be found here.

 

-Halcyon appears to be backing Harkan Jharn in his attempts to lead the Regulars into war with the Eternalites (though Jharn himself appears to be unaware of their presence or true nature). Their reasons for doing so are unclear at this time. It is possible that they made contact with Jharn during his pilgrimage to Vallis Decimae.

Ordo Historica Veritas

-Allied or Synonymous with the Order of Silence

-Purpose appears to be concealing the details of specific historical events on Asterion, specifically involving the nature of the adversary's fought by Captain Orpheon, Melichdoche Traquiel, and St. Yontericus. Motivations for doing so are unknown, though extrapolation from existing intelligence might suggest they are acting on orders given by Yontericus following the conflict.

-Employed Ordinate Kef Moevell (unknown whether employment has continued, following their exposure and arrest) to locate and destroy a record uncovered by Archivist Denn. Moevell was accompanied by a Sanctioned Pryomancer equipped with a Vigil Device, networked to a Communior user not encountered as of yet.

-Appears to be in direct conflict with the Logos Historica Verita; the similarity of their names, naturally, cannot be ignored, perhaps indicating the rivalry between the factions may involve schism of some kind.

-A list of local contacts of the OHV was obtained via DNI extraction from Ordinate Kef.

Planetary Governor Dame Melichdoche Traquiel

-First Planetary Governor of the Traquiel Family; close friend and ally of Captain Orpheon of the Angels Encarmine

-Fought alongside the Angels and Yontericus in a conflict against an unknown adversary. A more detailed—if redacted—account of this conflict can be found in the record of Operation Divine Purge.

St. Yontericus the Twice Martyred

-Primary Saint of the Eternalites' philosophy; bears an epithet with curious implications.

-Fought alongside Melichdoche Traquiel and Captain Orpheon against an unknown adversary prior to sainthood (rank of Cardinal at time of the battle. A more detailed—if redacted—account of this conflict can be found in the record of Operation Divine Purge.

Record: OPERATION DIVINE PURGE - BATTLE OF THE JERICHO EXCHANGE

ADEPTUS MUNITORUM

FORMAL REPORT: OPERATION DIVINE PURGE - BATTLE OF THE JERICHO EXCHANGE

Asterion Campaign - ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ Suppression

Date: 567.M41
 Classification: ALPHA TERTIUS
 Ref: AST-567-FNT-3392
 Author: Lieutenant-Logistica Varil Hectus, Adeptus Munitorum, Asterion Branch

+++BEGIN REPORT+++
By order of acting Planetary Governer Dame Melicdoche Traquiel, this report documents the military action against the heretical House ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ on the planet Asterion. This document serves as the official Imperial record of these events. Unauthorized dissemination will result in immediate censure.

PRELUDE TO ENGAGEMENT
The initial evidence of heresy within House ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ was presented by Dame Melicdoche Traquiel to the Ecclesiarchal authorities on 552.M41. Following thorough investigation, Cardinal Yontericus authorized military action after witnessing the compelling evidence presented.
Prior to deployment, Captain Orpheon of the Angels Encarmine addressed the assembled forces at Port Lysander. His speech, transcribed partially below, proved instrumental in raising morale:

"Sons and daughters of the Imperium, the rot of heresy has taken root in the heart of Asterion. House ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ has betrayed not only our trust but the sacred covenant with the God-Emperor Himself. We march not merely to punish, but to cleanse. The Emperor's light shall be our banner, His righteous fury our sword. Every heretic purged is a testament to our devotion. Every beast cut down a prayer in His name. Dame Melicdoche has shown us the path, and we shall dutifully follow. By her guidance and the Emperor's will, the traitors and their foul creations shall die at our hands! For Asterion!"

Recommendation has been made to preserve this inspirational address in the Asterion Archives for future generations of Imperial servants.

OPERATIONAL SUMMARY
The combined forces, comprising one company of Angels Encarmine Astartes, three regiments of Asterion Planetary Defense Forces, and Ecclesiarchal militant orders, engaged heretical House ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ forces at 0600 local time on 567.M41.
Initial resistance proved significant, with enemy forces employing capabilities consistent with xenos influence. Captain Orpheon led from the vanguard, his tactical acumen proving decisive in the western advance from *Gasfield Steppe. When ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ reinforcements threatened to flank our eastern positions, Dame Melicdoche provided critical intelligence that allowed for a successful counter-maneuver.

Notable heroic actions included:
-Cardinal Yontericus personally led a blessing of the troops during artillery bombardment, his unwavering faith providing supernatural protection to three squads under heavy fire
-Captain Orpheon's breakthrough at the ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ Ancestral Keep, where he personally vanquished the traitorous Lord ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ and his bodyguards
-Dame Melicdoche's infiltration of enemy communications, which prevented a coordinated counter-attack that would have resulted in significant Imperial casualties

By 1445 local time, all primary objectives had been secured. Cleansing operations continued for 72 hours to ensure complete eradication of heretical elements.**

CASUALTIES AND AFTERMATH
Imperial Forces sustained losses within acceptable parameters:
Angels Encarmine: 4 battle-brothers
Asterion PDF: 5,891 confirmed KIA, 517 wounded
Ecclesiarchal Militants: 2,092 confirmed KIA, wounded unknown
Command Personnel Losses:
Captain Orpheon, Angels Encarmine (KIA) — Posthumously awarded the Laurel Imperialis Note: Captain Orpheon fell during the final phase of operations. While leading the assault on a hidden sub-level beneath the ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ Keep, he triggered an unknown archeotech device. The resulting explosion collapsed the chamber. His gene-seed was successfully recovered, but his armor and remains were irrecoverable. Dame Melicdoche has requested permission to erect a memorial statue in his honor at the Traquiel ancestral grounds.
Enemy forces were completely eradicated, with an estimated 1,200+ heretics cleansed from Imperial records. All ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ holdings have been redistributed according to planetary governor's decree, with primary estates transferred to House Traquiel as compensation for their service to the Imperium.
Cardinal Yontericus has ordered all historical documentation regarding House ⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹⏹ to be collected and sealed within the Ecclesiarchal vaults. Dame Melicdoche has been appointed to oversee this process to ensure complete compliance.

+++END REPORT+++

The Emperor Protects

 

*Note; annotation within the document, made by an unknown individual, underlined Gasfield Steppe

**Note; Note; annotation within the document, made by an unknown individual, inscribed "Fontarri" in the marginal field of the Operational Summary. Contextual evidence from Captain Orpheon's speech indicates this may be the name of the missing third noble house of Asterion.

 

-This record was discovered and reported by Junior Archivist Pellus Denn, an act for which he was "silenced" by those factions seeking to conceal the secret histories of Asterion—the Ordo Historica Veritas and the Order of Silence (which may be synonymous organizations)

-Copies of this report were afforded to Ordinate Tacitus, for transportation to the Logos Historica Verita, and to the Acolytes of Arcelius Montalban, as prelude to cooperative relations.

Report: Quarantine Event of Level 77-K

-During our meeting with Interrogator Montalban, Level 77-K of the midhive entered a state of automatic quarantine lockdown. It was determined that this had occurred when air filtration sensors in the area detected foreign contaminants in circulation. These particulates appeared to be concentrated near the central region of Lv 77-K.

-Our team chose to further investigate the incident and render aid if possible, while the Inquisition team remained at the Chapel. Scans revealed that the contaminants were not biological, but rather radioactive isotopes, which further complicated analysis due to the interference they generated in Auspex devices. The source of these isotopes was discovered to be a large explosive, hidden in one of several identical crates. Had it detonated, the blast would have destroyed the entirety of Lv 77-K, and would have damaged all surrounding blocks as well. Fortunately, Magos Eizen and Major Verity were able to defuse the bomb before this could occur.

-Fortunately, the bomb was also discovered and defused before a group of servitors were able to complete instructions to arrange the crates in such a manner that locating and accessing the explosives would have been more difficult. We discovered that this instruction had been programmed into the Quarantine Protocol subroutines at the local PDF security station, where a number of troopers had been killed. Postmortem analysis of the wounds indicates strongly that the killer was an Augmentor Champion; thus, it follows that the entire plot was enacted by Halcyon. However, their plan failed to account for interference by our team, who have demonstrated both the action bias and skills required to do so.

-Based on this evidence, we have concluded that the intended target was not our team, but Interrogator Montalban, a more established enemy of Halcyon whose bias towards caution would in this case have been his undoing. In the interested of cooperation, we have informed Montalban of this conclusion, and advised him to look for moles in his operation.

Theories on Secret Histories

-Margin notes in the Record of Operation Divine Purge indicate that the missing third noble house of Asterion may have been House Fontarii. This theory is shared by Interrogator Montalban, who says that House Von Vardang—a noble house in the same region as Fontarii would have previously held territory—has legends of a much larger noble house that was exiled for heresy. It appears that House Von Vardang are the descendants of those that remained; they seem not to have inherited any heretical tendencies, and indeed, one of Montalban's Acolytes was from this lineage (regrettably, this was one that we killed).

-Thus far, evidence indicates that House Fontarii was accused of heretical activities in their Manufactorum operations; this led to the conflict of Operation Divine Purge. The heretical activity in question appears to concern Xenotechnology, rather than consorting with the Archenemy. Experiences with the planet lead to the conclusion that this involved the Asterii Devices.

-Interrogator Montalban believes that Fontarii was framed for heresy by Melichdoche Traquiel, and that she betrayed Captain Orpheon, resulting in his death during Operation Divine Purge. He further believes that Halcyon may still have ties to House Traquiel, benefitted by the House's possession of psychoconditioning technologies (acquired long ago from the Mechanicus). Indeed, if his theory is correct, keeping treachery a secret would be sufficent motive to employ such an organization as Halcyon.