Lords Dragon

“Nothing and no one escapes the judgment of the Lords Dragon. The Universal Laws are absolute, therefore so are we absolute.”
–Magos-Draco Corsiva
When it comes to the judgment and enforcement of the
Universal Laws across the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are
many names that conjure dread. Within the Calixis Sector,
one of the most secret and most influential of these names is
the Lords Dragon. On Lathe-Hadd, menials whisper that the
Lords Dragon are also known as the Collegiate Extremis.
On Sheol 17, the prisoners who still retain their sanity refer
to them as the Scaled Ones, the Correctors of the Balance.
In the frozen corridors of Altar-Templum-Calixis-Est-17,
they are dismissed only as myth.
In truth, the Lords Dragon exist in the Lathe System; they
sit in judgment from the orbiting Panopticon Station, ever
vigilant to uphold the sanctity of the Universal Laws. Tasked
with policing the Calixian Mechanicus and sworn to preserve
the Tech-Priesthood from corruption and tech-heresy, the
Lords Dragon are shadowy figures who are far more rumor
than fact. What is known with certainty is that this group of
Arch-Magos is entrusted with vast authority and resources to
carry out their judicial task. Numerous agents exist amongst the
Calixian Mechanicus who report to the Lords Dragon and serve
their will, but the Lords Dragon possess more fearsome tools:
the Logicutioners, the Magos Juris, and the Dragon Secutorii.
==Secret History==
“The phrase 'be seeing you' has a different meaning for us, my dear Inquisitor Caidin. When we say this, it is to be taken quite... literally.”
–Arch-Magos Karolinious Benz, Magos-Draco of the Lords Dragon
Shrouded in mystery, and whispered about only by fools and
madmen, is the legend of the Panopticon. Supposedly hidden
deep within the Lathes System, this orbiting void station
is rumored to be the real authority behind the Calixian
Mechanicus, and the seat of power for an organization whose
name is synonymous with dread: the Lords Dragon.
Dispatched to the then-unconquered Calix Expanse
thousands of years ago through Logis-Prophesies, secretive
Tech-Priests sought out worlds to eventually bring under
the Mechanicum’s control. They were to locate any sites that
would be advantageous once the upcoming Angevin Crusade
had finished, and to ensure that the Mechanicum claimed
the most important worlds as their own, before the Adeptus Ministorum gained a foothold in the new Sector. The first
agents to arrive quickly discovered a small system colonized
aeons ago during Mankind’s earliest steps into the
galaxy. The irregular orbits of its main worlds created
violent shifts of gravity, and had resulted in the
formation of three unusual asteroid belts. Only the
bravest or most foolish of ship captains could ever
hope to safely navigate the gravitic nightmare
of the system’s asteroids, and thus the Lords
Dragon, the ancient cabal of Arch-Magos
tasked with policing the Mechanicum
within the Sector, took the hidden center
of these belts as their new home.
The Panopticon Orbital was built
as a habitat and headquarters for the
Lords Dragon, but more importantly
as a hub of observation. The Lords
Dragon knew that they would
need to observe the emerging
Calixis Sector to ensure that
tech-heresy and affronts to
the Machine God never went
unpunished. Using scarcely
understood devices from the
Dark Age of Technology, the Lords
Dragon established an extensive
monitoring network---the Praecursator
Grid---across the Pondus system, using the
space around their new home as a field test.
If their system allowed observation without
direct interference, then they knew that they
could expand the grid to cover all the forge
worlds that would eventually be built, and
even some worlds outside the Mechanicus’
sphere of authority.
They soon discovered that the surviving descendants
of the original colonists had actually thrived in their cruel
environment, and performed genetic modifications to
improve their usefulness even further. Lest others such as
the Ecclesiarchy claim them, the population was interred
into massive Great Holds and kept in stasis in the fringes
of the cometary clouds surrounding the system. When the
Crusade arrived in the system many years later, it would
find a group of harsh, uninhabited worlds suitable only for
the Adeptus Mechanicus, and once established, the Lords
Dragon could bring the population back, each one of them
ready and willing to work for the glory of the Omnissiah.
Such is the scope of the Lords Dragon and their guidance
for the greater good of the Machine Cult.
With the success of their observation technology, the
Lords Dragon began to involve themselves directly in the
Angevin Crusade. They went back to their usual methods
of seeking out corruption from within, ensuring that the
worlds the crusade conquered were purged of tech-heresy.
They took steps to ensure that the Explorator fleets found
their way to what would become the Lathes System, and then
did what they could to engineer the ceding of the worlds to
the Mechanicum. As each new forge world was lit, the
Lords Dragon monitored. Within each new
voidship hull laid or Skitarii regiment
raised, their surveillance kept close
watch for any signs of deviant thought
or deed. Hardly a moment went by
when the Lords Dragon were unable
to view exactly what the Mechanicus
was doing within the gestating Calixis
Sector, or, at least, that is what they
would wish all who dwell in the Lathe Worlds to believe.
==Other Interests==
The Lords Dragon have always made
the Inquisition wary. From the Inquisition’s perspective,
only it has the proper remit and power to
safeguard humanity against the terrors within, without, and beyond,
and it does not relish the idea of others,
operating outside of its purview, attempting
to do the same. The Tricorn Palace has spent
many fruitless years petitioning the Lathes for
access to the Panopticon Orbital, but every
request has been denied. To make matters
worse, the Inquisition is seemingly unable
to even prove its existence, though many
suppose this is unlikely given the
nature of the Holy Ordos.
More disturbing are the continued
reports that the Praecursator Grid
extends beyond the borders of
the Cult Mechanicus, and that the
Lords Dragon have the ability
to spy upon many important
Ecclesiarchical holdings, the
domain of Sector Lord Hax,
and the Tricorn Palace itself.
Some even believe that all
the cybernetics manufactured within the Calixis Sector
are part of this Grid, and that everyone who has ever
received a bionic is actually an unwitting spy in service to
the Lords Dragon. If such a revelation were found to be
true then the outrage, especially from groups such as the
Cult of the Pure Form, would be immense, and the Calixis
Sector could find itself in a civil war the likes of which
it has never seen. The Inquisition has mounted numerous
operations to infiltrate the Lords Dragon but has not met
with any reported success, their agents either returning
empty-handed, or simply not returning at all.
Yet for all their clandestine work and surprisingly adroit
political maneuvering, the Lords Dragon are surprisingly
willing to work alongside the Inquisition when the situation
demands (and often when it does not). Unlike most
within the Calixian Mechanicus, the Lords Dragon are not
especially secretive when it comes to cooperation with other
organizations, as long as they can stay behind the scenes. This
has given the Lords Dragon a fearful reputation amongst the
Lathe populations, and they seem to intentionally foster this
dread. They actively encourage the servants of the Mechanicus
to believe the stories---that they are always watching, that
they can operate in plain sight without anyone knowing, and
that the fabled Dragon Secutorii are waiting for the moment
when they will swoop down and destroy everyone who has
ever cursed at a machine. This could be a ruse to disguise
possible gaps in their observational systems or limitations of
their power, creating the impression that the Lords Dragon are
more effective than they actually are. Some even whisper that
the dreaded Praecursator Grid does not exist at all, and only
the threat that it exists acts to keep the Lathe Worlds properly
respectful of the Omnissiah. Few are willing to determine
if these rumors might be correct, and only those dwelling
within the Panopticon Orbital know the real truth.
==The False Fabricator==
In 624.M41, the Lords Dragon formally accused the Forge
Master of Ryboth, Fabricator Garamond, of tech-heresy.
Garamond’s crime, according to his accusers, was that he
had tampered with a number of servitors and cogitators,
edging over the line towards Abominable Intelligence and
into the tech-heresy of the Silica Animus. Garamond’s
defense was spirited, and the evidence against him was
weak. After four months of debate and an appeal to the
High Fabricator, the issue was still in doubt.
At the end, the judgment of the Lords Dragon would
not be denied. Garamond was stripped of his position,
but his influence, the length of his service, the sheer
amount of knowledge and technology he had provided
to the Calixian Mechanicus, and his eloquent defense
had swayed his fate away from the Logicutioners.
Instead, Garamond was to be exiled, sent away to the
far Sargos Sector, there to toil with the common tech-adepts
for his remaining length of function.
==Becoming an Agent of the Lords Dragon==
Like the Inquisition, the Lords Dragon are quite cautious
when it comes to whom they pick as their representatives.
Each carefully selected Agent must be trustworthy and
incorruptible, and they must take the secrets of the Lords
Dragon to their graves. To join the Lords Dragon is to gain
knowledge of one of the greatest secrets in the Calixis Sector,
the Praecursator Grid, and although most Agents never see
the Panopticon Orbital, all are aware of its unique ability to
use this Grid to observe and gather data from every forge
world across the Calixis Sector. Agents of the Lord Dragon are
loaned to Inquisitors on a surprisingly regular basis, although
many within the Inquisition see this apparent high level of
assistance as just another example of the Lords Dragon’s
desire to infiltrate all aspects of the Sector.
Upon becoming an Agent of the Lords Dragon, the
character gains the Rigor Mentis Trait.
Required Career: Adept, Arbitrator, Assassin, Tech-Priest
Alternate Rank: Rank 4 or higher (2,000 XP)
Monthly Income: The Acolyte changes to Mechanicus Class for income.
Other Requirements: Cannot have Peer (Ecclesiarchy) or Good Reputation (Ecclesiarchy).