The Corpse Starch Factory Incident
-Reported Incident at Corpse Starch Factory in Underhive sector Norimar required investigation, to determine whether the Gilded Comet's supplies were safe for use. The team's work uncovered the following:
-The victim of the initial incident, Emil, worked in the factory; he abruptly when into a frenzied panic and cut his own arm off as it became covered with strange patterns. Bright lights and a complete annihilation of the the manufactorum's local Machine Spirits, along with most of the facility's mechanical components, accompanied this occurrence. These events were witnessed by the worker Quynes, who later committed suicide after reporting the event. Footage recovered from the scene's security systems confirmed that events matched his description.
-The individual that Emil had been processing for Corpse Starch Production seemed to be the source of this incident, so the team searched for related incidents. This lead us to Rorn, a local medicae who's death showed marked similarities to that of Emil, specifically in that it was accompanied by a potent electromagnetic pulse, which damaged an elevator system, and that the subject seemed to experience incredibly pain. Unlike Emil, however, Rorn was murdered by agents of local infractionists known as the Hourglass Gang. It would appear that the medicae had confronted them on the theft of stimms from hospital transports to be used in the making of Obscura, and his persistence in the matter lead directly to his death.
-The manner of this death, linking the two cases, was investigated further through interrogation of Hourglass Gang leadership; it was revealed that the infractionists employed an executioner who carried a modified syringe gun that injected targets with a thin crystal of xenological origins—the crystal is perceivable only in the visible light spectrum, and will not be detected by any alternative means. Victims would subsequently perish by suicide to end most potent agony perceivable by the mind and body; in the moment of their death, they release an EMP blast in a large radius. Further encounters of this phenomenon have indicated, however, that should the subject is does not die immediately, due to restraint, intoxication, or psychic compulsion, they will instead mutate into what I have termed a "Shard Host." The purpose of this mutation shall become clear in light of further information.
-We managed to recover one such crystal from one of the victims, and have been forced to deploy it on numerous occasions in the interest of mission completion. This crystal was, however, destroyed in our assault on the Headquarters of the Maekla Combine.
-Our contact with the Hourglass Gang ultimately provided us with a tenuous ally (since this event occurred, our connections have solidified through trade deals for Obscura, and contracting of the gang to oversee operations of the Dock). Kadrin Mephisdo, a member of the gang's leadership, became our primary point of contact, and provided us with intel on how to locate the executioner. This lead us to an encounter with Silensia Aprecii and her co-conspirator, whom she turned into a Shard Host in her attempt to defend her and the psychic, crystalline Xeno entity (which I shall henceforward refer to as the Shard) that she had encountered. The Shard is capable of exerting emotional and mental influence over those it makes contact with, and can assume complete control over those injected with slivers of its crystalline form. It's intents appear almost juvenile in nature, seeking to learn from its encounters of human physiology through injection; it is fitting, then, that Silensia's mind had been altered to perceive the Shard as her beloved child. After combating the Shard Host, our team was able to calm Aprecii and convince her of our interest in aiding her and her charge, given the Lord Captain's interest in Xenotechnology. She and the Shard have since been secretly transported to the Gilded Comet.
-It is worth noting that our investigation was hindered—but not to the point of failure—by agents of rival Rogue Trader von Nanokra. Team was also forewarned to the presence of Inquisitorial agents, lead by Interrogator Gideon, who would be investigating the same incident, informed of possible heretical activities by Nyla Syaurn of the Sanctified Cloister, whom had received confessions from both Quynes and Emil. As the local Inquisition is controlled by Lord Inquisitor Kabella Vyne, who has come into conflict with the Keojrah-Glynt Company on other occasions, contact with such agents could prove problematic.