Inquisitor Ziegfried Daubenton, Ordo Malleus – what we know or are able to surmise part 3.

+++Accessing Ordo Abstruse Datacoils+++

+++Sub-designation: Ordo Malleus+++

+++Ident code: 4612 Alpha Epsilon+++

+++Access granted: Welcome Interrogator Ignatius Basildon+++

+++Thought for the day: Doubt is a crutch for the weak of spirit.+++

Log entry: 2379ZD

Subject: Inquisitor Ziegfried Daubenton, Ordo Malleus – what we know or are able to surmise part 3.

Since my last log entry, some progress has been made in rebuilding the purged Ordos records pertaining to Inquisitor Daubenton. I doubt that these records will ever be completely restored, but as progress continues to be made in this regard, I am confident that this will make my research easier.

The Grand Inquisitorial Synod of Addiscombe Vulgaris is a bi-centennial conclave of the Ordos Abstruse, which all Inquisitors, regardless of rank are expected to attend.  The only exception to this would be for those that would be at risk of undermining their ongoing Holy investigations by withdrawing from the field at such a point in time. Even so, this is frowned on by many, who believe absence from such an event smacks of self-importance. I am sure that those who are absent from these events would be of the opinion that those in attendance don’t dedicate enough time and effort to putting the heretic, the alien and the daemon to the sword. Again, I digress.

On this particular occasion, which was (until recently) very well documented by a number of sources including the venerable Archibald Smythe (who at the time was chief scribe to Inquisitor Lord Griswald), the conclave had been under way for approximately three hours (Terran standard) when Daubenton arrived. In the words of Smythe himself:

“Proceedings were interrupted shortly after the cathedral bells tolled to signify the 11^th hour of morning. The north doors to the Grand Enclave Hall were flung open with such force that the left-hand door was literally ripped from its hinges. All heads turned toward the crashing sound in time to observe my master’s old under-study, Inquisitor Daubenton, striding vigorously down the aisle dragging a pitiful, chain bound specimen by the nostrils, before flinging it to the floor at the feet of the Grand Master of the Ordos. Impressively, this poor unfortunate turned out to be none other than Sebastius von Sikder, the self-proclaimed “Bastard of Chowrastra”, a heretic of great ill repute.”

The so-called Bastard of Chowrastra (reportedly a rogue psyker of gamma-level potency), had been at large for almost 20 years, spreading dissent and heresy willy-nilly throughout the Chowrastra region. For those readers that are not familiar with it, it is a remote region of the Abstruse sector, encompassing 61 systems of the Bangaloria sub-sector.  Prior to being brought to Imperial justice, he had been thought to be responsible for seeding dozens of cults throughout the Chowrastra region, and providing certain banned texts and malefic artefacts to enable the ritualistic worship of the Chaos pantheon. Indeed, in the wake of von Sikder’s passing, there had been no less than 1,423 episodes of severe civil unrest, with a staggering 23 of these incidents resulting in the overthrow of local Imperial rule by the unruly citizenry, and a further 19 evolving into civil war. Appallingly, 6 of these incidents culminated in the eradication of all human life from the host planets. By proxy, a conservative estimate puts the body count that can be attributed to von Sikder at somewhere in the region of 21 billion souls (may they find their way to Emperor’s light).

Upon Daubenton’s entry to the Hall, attendees of the conclave within a close vicinity that were psychically gifted began to notice symptoms such as gushing nosebleeds, searing head pains and extreme nausea, and seemed unable to look into his vicinity as he passed. Those that were psychically un-gifted felt an urge to draw back from Daubenton as he passed, and could observe a child-sized abhuman following closely in his wake.  Based upon what we now know, it is likely that this Beastman was Methuselah, an individual born with dwarfism, and also possessing the normally recessive “pariah” gene.  An individual possessing the pariah gene (according to studies conducted by [name redacted]) has a number of key effects:

i. The individual exudes a sphere of psychic blankness which affects their vicinity. Any psyker entering this sphere of influence will experience excruciating pain, nausea and haemorrhaging. Any psychic abilities that reach into this sphere of influence are nullified; any daemonic entities that pass into this sphere are also affected. Minor entities are banished to whence they came; more powerful entities will endure severe “injuries” (can one truly “injure” such a creature in any real sense?) that will cause it’s grasp on the material realm to severely weaken.

ii. The individual is, to all intents and purposes, soulless. They have no detectable presence whatsoever in the Empyrean.

iii. Likely closely linked to point ii. above, the individual will have undefinable, undetectable aura that infuses them. This aura makes the individual seem inexplicably repellent to those they encounter. Others will automatically loathe the individual.  This seems to be an automatic response.  Indeed the only individuals that can bear to be in the presence of a Pariah are other Pariahs. Due to this aura, in all but the rarest of cases, the individual will be abandoned as a mere child, as their families abhor their very presence. This must make for an incredibly lonely existence, it is therefore no surprise that mental illness is often prevalent in these poor unfortunates.

Given these effects, it is no real wonder that von Sikder (by all accounts, typically an arrogant, self-assured individual) seemed so pitiful, being subjected to this creature’s close proximity.

As so often is the case, I appear to have digressed once again. Suffice to say that even Daubenton’s critics were very impressed by the prize he was presenting (even if much of this garnered respect was given somewhat grudgingly). The presentation of von Sikder to Inquisitor Lord Griswald was to herald the next phase in Daubenton’s career, as well as a less than comfortable collaboration between Daubenton and Griswald on the interrogation and excruciation of von Sikder. This ultimately concluded in von Sikder being mechanically reclaimed and processed into the form of an arco-flaggellant.

In the twelve years following the conclave, dozens of colleagues are able to confirm that Daubenton spent much time in the Ordos citadel, involved in much research and study, which ultimately culminated in him making an official transfer from the Ordo Hereticus to the Ordo Malleus. This research is thought to have centred around rumours of minor daemonic incursions along the fringes of the warp storm; and faint astropathic communications seemingly originating from core-ward sectors of the galaxy that seemed to mention the Path of the Martyr, and the legendary Tomes of Thrixis.