Inquisitor Ziegfried Daubenton, Ordo Malleus – what we know or are able to surmise part 1.

+++Accessing Ordo Abstruse Datacoils+++
+++Sub-designation: Ordo Malleus+++
+++Ident code: 4612 Alpha Epsilon+++
+++Access granted: Welcome Interrogator Ignatius Basildon+++
+++Thought for the day: Piety is its own reward.+++
Log entry: 2378ZD

Subject: Inquisitor Ziegfried Daubenton, Ordo Malleus – what we know or are able to surmise part 1.

Ziegfried Daubenton started his somewhat chequered career approximately 67 years ago according to standard Terran reckoning. However, his specific origins and the bulk of his career are the subject of some speculation, as much of his history is absent from Imperial records. The reasons for this absence are also the subject of some speculation: with many holding that they have been expunged by the Holy Ordos for the protection of the souls of all mankind; whilst others speculate that agents in the employ of Daubenton himself have accessed these records, acting on his orders, and purged them from the data coils to cover up his whereabouts and activities. Either way, remaining references to Daubenton are somewhat piecemeal, and as often as not, occur as part of the investigative notations of his peers.

Whatever the true reason or reasons, most within the hallowed halls of the Holy Ordos of the Abstruse Sector agree that Daubenton walks a dangerous and radical path. Many believe he has gone rogue, and the most vocal of his decriers, being of extremely Puritanical persuasion are already calling for him to be declared Traitoris Diabolis Extremis and Excommunicatus.

What can be ascertained is that Daubenton spent much of his early career in the service of Inquisitor Lord Heinrich Griswald of the Ordo Hereticus (may the Emperor welcome him into His Holy Light), on a systematic 10 year campaign to purge the cults of the arch enemy on worlds at the fringes of the Abstruse Sector and (the then warp storm interdicted) Seriphos Sector. According to Ordos records (or at least those that remain intact), the campaign largely enjoyed success until a little over 8 years in and the so-called Hoboken incident.

Hoboken was a fertile agri-world prior to the occurrence of the warp storm, and indeed the ‘incident’, and provided the Croydius sub-sector with a bountiful supply of cereal crops and food-amphibians of several types for those that could afford them, as well as algal slimes which were processed into nutrient rich food-bricks for the poor. As it was also one of the worlds lying closest to the warp storm that was cutting off the Abstruse sector from its nearest sectoral neighbour (Seriphos), I would hypothesise that it was sadly inevitable that there would evidence of warp taint. Further I would hypothesise that the discovery of contaminated or mutated exports (similar incidents have reportedly occurred with perishable goods originating from the Cadian Gate region of the galaxy) may have been a deciding factor in Griswald’s decision to take the purgation campaign to Hoboken in the first place.

In terms of the chain of events taking place at Hoboken, what can be noted as fact is that Griswald and his entourage spent seventeen months (standard Terran reckoning) on world, rooting out the minor cults that had sprung up in abundance amongst the population (notably worshipping the Chaos Pantheon in terms of how they interpreted the warp-bruised sky, the mutated vegetation and so on), prosecuting their way up the heretical network with extreme prejudice.  Many hundreds are said to have been purified by cleansing flame.  Many artefacts are said to have met a similar end, although many arcane tomes were retained for further study and subsequent incineration. Given the way subsequent events seem to have played out, it is safe to assume that Daubenton (previously held to be of sound and stalwart character) may have taken a more than casual interest in the forbidden lore contained these accursed texts.

A common trope throughout the history and folklore of mankind relates to “cutting off the head of the serpent” with regard to ending dissent, heresy and tyranny amongst other uses.  The analogy would not be considered out of place here from what can be pieced together regarding the conclusion of the purgings on Hoboken.  As can all too often be the case (sadly), the very roots of the heretical activities reached deep into the household of the planetary governor {name expunged}, the top strata of both the Officio Administratum and the Ecclesiarchy itself. I would surmise that one of these bodies was infiltrated by {name redacted}, a member of Griswald’s team. Griswald must surely have orchestrated events in order that these ‘top’ level heretics be caught red-handed in their fane conducting their malefic practices.  What they reportedly did do (from the fragmentary evidence remaining), was to interrupt the summoning of a warp entity at a critical moment.

Due to the interruption, it seems the warp-entity (evidence suggests a creature of Khorne) was not adequately contained, and was able to rampage throughout the fane, slaying or maiming all the cultists and most of Griswald’s team. Griswald himself was seriously injured and beaten into a coma. The entity was almost impervious to both las rounds and solid shot, and was only subdued by Daubenton, through the application of copious amounts of Blessed Water, which according to {name redacted}, the creature found to be extremely debilitating, causing it to curl inward upon itself in the manner of a foetus and shriek in “a most unholy manner”. During the mayhem that ensued, I would hypothesise that in defence of his fallen master, Daubenton put into practice some of the forbidden ritual lore he had studied and bound the foul creature to the physical body of a maimed cultist. During the closing moments of the binding, Daubenton lost his right hand to a bite from the creature, but seemingly was possessed of enough mettle to master the pain and shock to complete the binding.  The team is known to have extracted wounded comrades from the site, and to have put the fane to the torch.

Upon leaving the planet, as Inquisitor Lord Griswald was comatose, Daubenton (as the next most senior ranking Inquisitor) took authority, and declared Exterminatus on Hoboken. In the ensuing weeks, Daubenton had an augmetic hand fitted, and Griswald began to recover from his injuries.  It is my understanding that seeds of dissent between Daubenton and Griswald had been sown, when Griswald learned of the binding ceremony. However, in gratitude to Daubenton, Griswald did not censure him; they did however agree to a not entirely amicable parting of ways (however, records do indicate that they encountered each other at least once more in the coming years). I would hypothesise that Daubenton allowed Griswald to continue under the misapprehension that the Daemonhost he had created had been destroyed. Given that other more recent fragmentary information indicates that Daubenton has been travelling in the company of what is believed to be a Daemonhost (nay some reports indicate more than one Daemonhost), it is likely that the creature was not destroyed after all.