Marabas, Lord of Change

Deep within the oldest vaults of the Tricorn, ancient tomes
can be found that chronicle the Inquisition’s first forays into
what would eventually be known as the Calixis Sector. The
records speak of watchful eyes that kept the Crusade pure
of faith and purpose, and desperate battles against dire foes.
Amongst those records, there is one book in particular that
tells of the Inquisition’s battles against the dark being known
as Marabas, Lord of Change.
The book records that Marabas was a greater Daemon of
Tzeentch, the Chaos god of plots, schemes, and mutation.
For reasons unknown, Marabas schemed and fought against
the Crusade, inspiring heathen worlds to resistance and
pacified worlds to rebellion across the sector. Its cults and
agents caused widespread death and destruction, and the
Inquisition tracked and fought it on a dozen worlds. Marabas
was eventually slain on Malfi, when the Daemonhunter Zaalin selflessly rammed the hive-spire it occupied with her
gun-cutter. In the wake of the devastation, those surviving
from Zaalin’s band invoked the rites of banishment, exiling
Marabas to the warp for 1,000 years and a day.
Over time, the Inquisition has forgotten its battles against
the Daemon, and its attention has drifted to other concerns.
The same cannot be said, however, for Marabas. During its
centuries of exile, the Daemon has nursed a great grudge
against those it sees responsible for its fate; the Calixian Conclave. Now, however, the time of its banishment is ended,
and Marabas prepares to bathe the Calixis Sector in blood
and fire once more.
==Schemes of Revenge==
The minds and thoughts of Daemons are not to be understood
by mortal men, but Marabas is consumed with a goal that
most could comprehend; revenge. It desires vengeance, and
since those who banished it are long dead, it will only be
sated by tearing down the Calixian Conclave entirely.
Though this may seem an impossible goal, Marabas
approaches it with the care and malicious dedication of
one who knows it has all eternity to see its dreams become
reality. The children of Tzeentch are schemers and tricksters
by nature, and Marabas moves forward with its goals by
sowing the seeds of a thousand fragmented and seemingly
contradictory plots and schemes. Only it can see the distant
end result, and the collapse of its enemies.
==Playing Marabas==
At its heart, Marabas is the quintessential
criminal mastermind, an evil overlord whose
malign influence can be seen behind any number of
unrelated plots. It delights in manipulating its enemies,
and using unwitting cats-paws and pawns to do its dirty
work. Therefore, GMs should not introduce Marabas
as the villain immediately. It works much better as
a hidden nemesis, and it should be some time (and
several adventures) before the players should suspect its
existence.
Marabas is a Daemon of Tzeentch, and thus prefers to
work through cults and followers dedicated to that god.
Organisations such as the Menagerie (see Disciples
of the Dark Gods) are ideal. In addition, Marabas’s
schemes are so convoluted and complex as to be almost
incomprehensible, so it is perfectly reasonable for it to
be the hidden ‘puppet master’ behind a plot that has
nothing to do with its goal of destroying the Calixian
Inquisition.
As players defeat cults and other organisations,
the GM should have them discover evidence of an
unknown power that is manipulating them behind the
scenes. Also, given Marabas’s hatred of the Inquisition,
it gleefully sends its lackeys to attack the Throne Agents
directly, rather than running and hiding. This behaviour,
especially if from a cult the players might have otherwise
disregarded, can also hint that something bigger is
going on.
Even when the players discover the presence of
Marabas, they have to do a lot of digging to find out
what exactly it is. If they are bold enough to decide to
confront the Daemon directly, it is most fitting that the
final confrontation take place in the oldest and most
forgotten hive-sectors on Malfi (though it could happen
anywhere). There they’ll find Marabas, summoned into
existence by its most loyal cultists, and guarded by
followers both human and daemonic.