Mythos
Any reconstructed war will bring up misinterpretations, uncertainty and false records that cast shades of doubt upon its broader truth. Many, if not most, of Mankind's brutal and unnecessary wars are accompanied by propaganda and outright lies. Layered between false records created through intentional misdirection are, of course, also those birthed by honest mistakes.
The strange, comprehensive and layered redactions that make up the War of the False Primarch make this doubly so.
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| + Orthodox and Partisan Inquisitors parley over Parthos during the closing stages of the War + [//mikl_h-w/@duckcalledsue+] |
The Codex Apocrypha of Inquisitor Hammana Xu, compiled in the years between the end of the war and enaction of the Edict of Obliteration, was an attempt by the Ordo Pacificus to collect together as many of the more unusual and esoteric rumours – however outlandish – of the period. It is a strange artefact, a combination of sincere semi-academic research and obvious flights of fancy. Becoming obsessive, even disturbed, Hammana Xu's ultimate fate is, perhaps fittingly, unknown.
Presented below is a redacted selection drawn from the Codex Apocrypha.
"Truth needs not the ornament of many words."
[extr. compile begin]
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Pazuzu, Bearer of Atom's spear, Chained Guardian of the Final Vault.
A weapon of terrifying atomic power and uncanny sentience, the Kadath-pattern Domitar Pazazu was largely held to be myth amongst the Orthodoxy. Despite repeated reports of potential sightings in Morqub, including during the warfare on Null, the device's existence remained unconfirmed. Rumours, however, grew increasingly rife. Supposedly, the Sons would unleash it upon the Pentarchy in retaliation for the Ishim and New Vale atrocities; and the construct was supposedly encountered and 'slain' by Chapter Master Gorn – immediately before his own death.
Post-war this unique automata and its weapon were never recovered.
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| [//nick_t/@k0rdhal+] |
'We found the Spear drifting beyond the Galactic Rim, embedded in a vast corpse the size of an Imperator. A slain Demiurge, one of Atom's many brothers, laid low in a war far more ancient than we could comprehend.We lost several hundred servitors extracting it. Their flesh and internal workings scorched beyond recovery by the Spear's nuclear fury. Many lasting mere minutes. A vast coffin of Neo-Cartesian inscribed lead was constructed, to cage it's rage on its return to Chernobog..''Warning anomalous radiation spike detected. Warning anomalous radiation spike detected. Warning...'
[//Vox Loop recovered from Vigilant Station, The Undeniable Bulwark. Mechanicus survey teams noted the extreme levels of radioactive contamination, akin to being exposed to an unshielded fission reaction. No survivors recovered.+]
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Diologus
A seemingly supernatural intercessionary figure that fought on behalf of the Partisans, the Diologus was largely surmised to be an agent of psychological warfare devised by the Marines Mendicant. This branch of the Partisan cause appeared to have deliberately and repeatedly inculcated rumours into the human elements of the fleets of the Pentarchy of Blood.
The brazen transparency, hopelessly disproportionate feats and seemingly magical manner in which the Diologus was said to operate led to the rumour being dismissed at intermediate level – which resulted, almost inevitably, in it becoming common currency amongst the already-superstitious Imperial Navy crews.
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| [//The image purported to show a legendary Storm Tyrants killteam that had gone missing some years prior to Volnoscere's revelation in Morqub. Reportedly lost fighting in the peculiar xenos anomaly, Baraqu, their bodies had never been recovered. The black-armoured figure is unidentified, but was widely held ot be the image of the Diologus+] [//jericho_a/@5_grots_in_a_humie_suit+] |
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"A reaving piratical Astartes who operates in the shadows around Volnoscere but whose ultimate allegiances are unknown? What childish nonsense. Flog 'em. Flog everyone who's spread the rumour, and flog everyone who heard it."
[//Discipline Master Desh, Imperial Navy+]
The various supernatural feats attributed to this pirate included the story of the Dour Pride , in which the Death Eagles' battleship was 'emptied of the crew and complement while in transit, and later found, completely empty, listing in the void'. Stories abounded of the victim's remains being found on various asteroid belts and mountain ranges across the Heliopolis sector. Despite – perhaps because of – their exaggerated nature, the rumours continued to spread; doubtless assisted by further actions of the Marines Mendicant.
The rumours of the Diologus were not in this sense, unusual. Bogeyman figures stretched back to time immemorial, and it was one amongst many during the War – even within this same tome are notes on 'Orion' and 'John Noddy', amongst others.
Multiple confirmed sightings of a shadowy Astartes of some considerable prowess, began surfacing during the Sorrowful Years, however. A Space Marine that wore black armour and had a faintly glowing red power sword. More and more of these reports of a lone space marine confronting and defeating Pentarchy Kill Teams added substance to the rumours. When one part of the rumour was shown to be true through pict feeds, they all gained validity and in turn gained power.
"A single renegade space marine that could wipe out entire starships. And no one knows what happens to the crews."
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The true nature or origin of the Diologus remained undetermined after the war. The easiest answer is that the figure was a construct; a series of staged moments where different Marines Mendicant operatives were deployed to spread the lie, but one should perhaps be understanding of the credulity of the Naval crews and the readiness with which they accepted and spread the rumour. In the context of the War, in which even the Orthodoxy had to address the 'falsehood' of the Partisan's leader, the atmosphere of a war in which Primarchs might be fighting made almost anything seem possible.
Honoured and Savoured Lord,
Attached are pict-captures from the outbreak of the most recent battle on Viroy-7. We believe this to show the Diologus and some of his traitor kin. Records indicate sightings of his cabal operating in the area of the Viroy-7 system thirteen weeks ago. Astartes ident tags were found hiding inside a nearby lifter-servitor shortly after this pict was taken. Those ident tags belonged to the Storm Tyrants.
If this is the recently missing Storm Tyrants DECA-357 killteam, they’re now flying the black banner. Imperator Salvete. If it is him, we must inform the High Lords. Tell no one you’ve seen this, destroy all trace of this transmission and send emergency broadcast code 579to Styyttttttttklkhhheh. D. n Z
[//unconfirmed broadcast, Natakjuwa System space+]
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Volnoscere
M32 – personal: G____ J____, Speaker for the Chartist Captains (brt).+Vox-spatter RESOLUTIONFAIL+It is sealed. It is done. It is with a shaking hand that I put the last seal in place[voxspherics]Ten High Lords lost. A Segmentum in flames. Wars on a thousand fronts, and aliens at the Gates[voxspherics]+vocaldata creant: UNKNOWN+ [What now? What comes next?]That's how it began. Now? Now we begin to count the cost. And part of that is not just sealing this awa[voxspherics]t has clearly faile [voxspherics]re. No; with this seal, you and I are going to ensure that no-one else ever has to pay the cost of asking that question.+vocaldata creant: UNKNOWN+ [What question?]What question? Let the Imperium never again say those accursed words: I want to know.