vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Isstvan III Atrocity - The Tide of War: Time waits for neither mortal nor Primarch, and though the Loyalists had been defeated and cast into the role of the hunted on Isstvan III, the last remnants stubbornly refused destruction, and the price Horus had paid in warriors and weapons to achieve the deed was heavy. The lingering shreds of the Loyalist forces on Isstvan III had no chance of escaping and its total extermination was now no longer a luxury the Warmaster could afford. At last Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children, had rejoined him, but the news he bore was unsettling. Time was no longer on Horus' side, new plans needed to be laid and acted upon with haste if the Emperor were not to discover that Horus and his allies were moving against Him. The time for forging allies to his treachery was over; the time to act was now or else risk losing everything. With bitter bile the Warmaster ordered a retreat from the surface of Isstvan III, leaving a cemetery in his wake, charging Fulgrim and Mortarion to drag Angron from the planet's surface if needs be.In departing, Horus ordered the guns of the Vengeful Spirit turned once more upon the carcass of the Choral City, not with virus weapons but conventional warheads, and pulverised its ruins flat before leaving Isstvan III a corpse-cinder in the wake of the Traitors' progress. The bombardment of the planet triggered tectonic convulsions: the earth trembled, fissures opened in the ground, and buildings toppled even as Legion brothers fought one another under the collapsing roofs. Across Isstvan III, in ever-shrinking circles of defiance, the last Loyalists of the four Traitor Legions died under the blades of warriors who had once been their brothers. But they died knowing they had taken a blood price from those who had betrayed them. Calth, Signus, Prospero, already the contagion of war and massacre was spreading, but for Horus, the next goal of his campaign to become the new Master of Mankind lay not in a distant system, or even yet on Terra itself; but at Isstvan V and the bloody harvest he would reap anew there.
Isstvan System - Isstvan System: The Isstvan System, also spelled Istvaan System in older Imperial records, is a relatively unpopulated Imperial star system proximal to the Segmentum Obscurus. It is most infamous in Imperial history as the system where the first major battles of the Horus Heresy were fought early in the 31st Millennium, including the Isstvan III Atrocity and the Drop Site Massacre of Isstvan V. The system is now all but abandoned, but at the time of the Great Crusade, Isstvan III was a Civilised World and home to 8 billion Imperial citizens.
Isstvan System - Isstvan III Atrocity: Isstvan III, also spelled as Istvaan III in Imperial records, was an Imperial Civilised World.Its population of more than 8 billion people was destroyed by a virus-bombing ordered by the Warmaster Horus during a major deployment of Space Marine Legion forces at the end of the Great Crusade in 005.M31 at the Battle of Istvaan III. This action had been ordered by Horus against his own Astartes troops deployed to the surface of Isstvan III.The internecine battle that followed between the Sons of Horus, Emperor's Children, World Eaters and Death Guard Traitor Legions and their own Loyalist elements within the ruins of the planetary capital Khry Vanak (translated as the "Choral City" into Imperial Low Gothic) was the first overt sign of Horus' turn to Chaos, and the first battle of the Horus Heresy.
Isstvan System - Isstvan V Drop Site Massacre: Isstvan V, also spelled as Istvaan V in Imperial records, was the barren Dead World covered in xenos ruins in the Isstvan System where the infamous Drop Site Massacre of the Horus Heresy took place in ca. 006.M31 that deeply damaged the Loyalist Space Marine Legions in the worst betrayal in Imperial history.During the massacre, the Traitor Legions of the Warmaster Horus redeployed following the virus-bombing of the Traitor Legions' own Loyalist members at Istvaan III at the start of the Horus Heresy during the Battle of Isstvan III.Upon learning of the terrible atrocity Horus had committed from the survivors of the frigate Eisenstein, Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian of Terra, ordered seven Loyalist Legions of Space Marines deployed under the Emperor's authority to the Isstvan System to bring Horus to account for his actions.The Iron Hands, Salamanders and Raven Guard made up the first wave of the attack, and were making significant progress against Horus' maddened Chaos Space Marines.Then the Loyalist reserves were called in to finish the job, but the four supposedly loyal Space Marine Legions comprising those reserves -- the Iron Warriors, the Alpha Legion, the Word Bearers and the Night Lords -- had also secretly betrayed the Emperor and were prepared to swear themselves to the service of the Warmaster and Chaos.The three Loyalist Legions were almost annihilated in the resulting crossfire from the eight revealed Traitor Legions but several thousand survivors from each of these so-called "Shattered Legions" managed to escape off-world, though they were too decimated to play much more than a supporting role and conduct behind-the-lines guerilla strikes in the defence of the Imperium from Horus' Traitors.
Isstvan System - Notable Planets: One of the final reports provided to the Divisio Militaris of the early Imperium in 002.006.M31, just before the Drop Site Massacre, indicated that the Isstvan System comprised the following elements and their conditions:Isstvan I - Pre-Compliance Human mining outpost; tithe exempt.Isstvan II - Gas giant; primary satellite host to lower order autochthonic anomalies.Isstvan III - Mortis Terribelum; wreckage field in orbit; Status Unknown; Ad Temperesta augur mission in progress.Isstvan IV - Secondary system augury node; Therion Fleet auxillia, tracking lock terminated.Isstvan V - Target Prioris; Legiones Astartes Execution Fleet inbound; Status Unknown; Ad Temperesta augur mission in progress.Isstvan VI - Gas giant. Primary satellite host to pre-Compliance outpost, 34 minor satellites pending survey.Isstvan VII - Xenos structures detected; surface survey pending.Isstvan VIII - Dwarf planet; host to pre-Compliance outcast Human elements. Suppression operation pending.Isstvan Asteroid Range - Remnants of planetary cataclysm; Cross-Reference: extinct autochthon xenos/ruins on Isstvan I and V. Some evidence of pre-Compliance Human outcast activity.Isstvan Extremis - Augury network nexus; silenced by Legiones Astartes action prior to Isstvan III Atrocity.
Isstvan V - Isstvan V: Isstvan V, also spelled as Istvaan V in Imperial records, was the Dead World in the Isstvan System proximal to the Segmentum Obscurus where the infamous Drop Site Massacre of the Horus Heresy took place in ca. 006.M31 that deeply damaged the Loyalist Space Marine Legions in the worst betrayal in Imperial history.During the massacre, the Traitor Legions of the Warmaster Horus redeployed following the virus-bombing of the Traitor Legions' own Loyalist members at Isstvan III at the start of the Horus Heresy during the Battle of Isstvan III.Upon learning of the terrible atrocity Horus had committed from the survivors of the frigate Eisenstein, Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian of Terra, ordered seven Loyalist Legions of Space Marines deployed under the Emperor's authority to the Isstvan System to bring Horus to account for his actions.The Iron Hands, Salamanders and Raven Guard made up the first wave of the attack, and were making significant progress against Horus' maddened Chaos Space Marines.Then the Loyalist reserves were called in to finish the job, but the four supposedly loyal Space Marine Legions comprising those reserves -- the Iron Warriors, the Alpha Legion, the Word Bearers and the Night Lords -- had also secretly betrayed the Emperor and were prepared to swear themselves to the service of the Warmaster and Chaos.The three Loyalist Legions were almost annihilated in the resulting crossfire from the eight revealed Traitor Legions but several thousand survivors from each of these so-called "Shattered Legions" managed to escape off-world, though they were too decimated to play much more than a supporting role and conduct behind-the-lines guerilla strikes in the defence of the Imperium from Horus' Traitors.
Isstvan V - The Great Crusade: The Isstvan System was unusual in having several different worlds within tolerable ranges of Human life, as well as several autochthonic species of life with similar genetic origin, leading the Magos Biologis of the Mechanicum to classify it as being the likely subject of past terraforming in the age before the coming of Mankind into the galaxy.At the time when the Great Crusade reached the system in the late 30th Millennium, the third planet of the system (designated Isstvan III) was the site of a thriving indigenous Human population which had taken root during the Age of Strife, overbuilding a long-dead xenos civilisation of an unknown origin.Rendered barren many Terran millennia earlier after a long period of tectonic instability and volcanism, Isstvan V still showed signs of original xeno-sentient occupation, particularly in the fragmentary remains of continent-spanning road networks, shattered dam-like structures over long dried-out watercourses and, most prominently, certain remnant macro-fortifications.These blind and empty shells were devoid of any maker's marks or the evidence of the advanced technology which had undoubtedly been used to produce them, but the molecularly-dense artificial stone of their construction remained as a testament to the power and arts of their long-dead creators.These towers and redoubts stood silent vigil on a cold world empty of life save for lower orders of hardy flora, and a post-volcanic landscape made up of hulking, irregular mountain ranges, broken deserts of black sand, weather-beaten mootland and a few stout, land-locked seas of sulphurous water.
Isstvan V - Operation Carthage: The Desert Lions Space Marines were assigned to retake Isstvan V from the forces of Chaos after the end of the Horus Heresy at some point in the early 31st Millennium during a campaign known as Operation Carthage alongside a cohort of Battle-Automata from the Adeptus Mechanicus' Legio Cybernetica.The Chapter had been tasked with the difficult job of reducing the enemies' planetary fortresses. To deal with the problem, the Desert Lions programmed the Legio Cybernetica robots to assault the Chaotic citadels in a seemingly mindless fashion.Though the robots were easily defeated and almost wiped out by the defenders, the automatons also succeeded in providing invaluable intelligence to the Astartes on the nature of the Chaos forces' defences, including their firing plans and the various blind spots in the fortresses.With this information, when the Desert Lions launched their own assault upon the fortresses, they were able to quickly reduce the defenders and bring the world back under Imperial control. Only 7 Desert Lions Space Marines were lost during the assault. In gratitude, the Desert Lions inducted all of the surviving robots of the Legio Cybernetica cohort into the Chapter as honourary Battle-Brothers.
Isstvan V - Canon Conflict: The system/planet's name is alternatively spelled Isstvan.An older version of this battle reports that initially the Emperor was quite reluctant to crush the revolt, as the reasons for the actions of the Warmaster were unknown.In this version of the story, Fulgrim initially tried to reason and negotiate with his brother Primarch Horus only to be seduced by the power of Slaanesh.
Isstvanian - Isstvanian: An Isstvanian (also spelled Istvaanian) is a Radical Inquisitor, denounced by many of their fellows as warmongers and destroyers, who believes that Humanity must be strong to survive and ascend to its rightful place amongst the stars. Strength to the Isstvanian mind is only truly created in times of trial, conflict, and sorrow. In times of disaster, Mankind shows its potency and its potential: unbending, decisive, and valiant, while the weak are cast on to the flames of history as fitting sacrifices to the Imperium's greater glory.The Isstvanians believe that the survival and strength of the domains of the God-Emperor depend on a process of continual trial and eventual triumph that ensures that they continue and grow. In the Isstvanian ideology, only by passing through near-destruction can the weaknesses of mankind be shed and the strong prosper. These are the convictions of the Isstvanians, and the beliefs for which they willingly spend the lives of the Imperium's citizenry and soldiers and the genesis of the wars, misery, and bloodshed that they create within the realms that they are sworn to protect. For if they do not act, then Mankind's strength will fail, the Imperium's defences weaken and it will be beaten down until Humanity is rendered extinct.Interestingly, several well-respected members of the Inquisition have recently come out in favour of the Kiniel Proposal, a motion proposed by the infamous Isstvanian Inquisitor Gastus Kiniel. The proposal seeks to enforce military service upon all members of Imperial society fit for conscription. Given the current abundance of threats to the Imperium of Man's future, this may well be considered by the High Lords of Terra, and has already gained considerable support within the ranks of the Inquisition.It is testament to the manipulative skills of Kiniel that he has secured the support of many Monodominant Inquisitors with the fire and passion of his xenophobic sentiments. Needless to say, this militarisation of untold billions of Imperial citizens would be a great victory for the Isstvanians, and possibly even Humanity as a whole.
Isstvanian - Angevine Crusade into the Calyx Expanse: Not all wars have at their heart the conspiracies and designs of an Isstvanian, but the war that created the Calixis Sector did, according to those Isstvanians who passed the torch to their successors within the Calixian Conclave today. For millennia before an Imperial Crusade was launched to claim it, the Calyx Expanse was known thanks to the writings of the Rogue Trader Solomon Haarlock who declared it to be a "chalice of great and ancient wickedness" that would only be purchased for the Imperium with a "great effusion of blood."It was this malign reputation that drew the notice of Isstvanians, who saw it as a cauldron of wrath and fire into which servants of the Imperium could be plunged, and so be tempered by a war of the bloodiest kind. Of those Isstvanians active in Segmentum Obscurus at that time, it was the great and notorious Inquisitor Lord Stark who saw the possibilities of the Calyx Expanse as a field of trial. He used the patronage and the alliances he had assembled over hundreds of standard years to draw together a conspiracy of Inquisitors of Isstvanian convictions. Under the direction of Lord Stark, these disparate Radicals bent their will to create a movement for war to be waged in the Calyx Expanse.It took a solar decade of political manoeuvring in every branch of the body of the Imperium before their objective was at last in sight: the raising of a warrior to the rank of Lord Militant and the granting to that warrior of a writ to persecute a crusade within the Calyx Expanse. The design of Inquisitor Lord Stark and his fellow Isstvanians was a success in all but one, crucial detail. At the last minute, the High Lords of Terra decided to pass over Lord Stark's carefully groomed choice for Lord Militant and instead invested Golgenna Angevin as Lord Militant of the crusade.So it was that the Isstvanians succeeded in creating their crucible of blood and fire but saw the forces plunged into it led, not by a fierce and blooded warrior of their choosing, but by a weak and vain man obsessed by status and patronage. No matter what great qualities lying poets would later give him, to the Isstvanians Angevin's weakness was plain enough that it would require no testing to be proved. To them Angevin's slow decline and the rise of a stronger figure was inevitable, for the only other alternative was that the crusade would turn to a slaughter and the Calyx Expanse remain a place still of darkness.
Isstvanian - Strength Through Trial: Isstvanians are named after the infamous planet Isstvan III. At the outset of the Horus Heresy, the greatest conflict that Mankind has ever faced, the Traitor Warmaster Horus virus-bombed Isstvan III and in that moment ignited an interstellar civil war that would see brother kill brother, the galaxy in flames, and the death of billions. Isstvanians point to this moment as the moment that Mankind's future was forged. Though the Imperium was forced to its knees and teetered on the edge of the abyss, it ultimately triumphed, and from that triumph came strength: strength to face the reality of Chaos, strength not to trust, nor cease in vigilance, and strength to act with fury and decisive might.For them, the dark times of the Horus Heresy were moments of transformation and revelation that made the Imperium rise to greatness, whilst times of relative peace and prosperity have brought nothing but venal weakness and corruption. To the Isstvanian, the strength of the Imperium was born out of the trial of the Horus Heresy, its achievements wrought out of the necessities of survival. The Imperium, however, cannot rely on the trials and triumphs of the past. The Isstvan III Atrocity was the true birth of the Imperium, but for the future, Mankind must achieve its own revelation and strength in moments of blood and pain. It must face times of terror and disaster and emerge with its head unbowed and its soul made stronger.
Isstvanian - Evolution of Might: Isstvanians believe that strength is the vital quality in a hostile universe. It is vital, because it is strength that allows Humanity to defend itself, strength that keeps it unified, and strength that allows it to destroy those that would destroy it. Without strength, Mankind would be doomed to extinction in such a hostile galaxy. The strength which Isstvanians value is a result of surviving and triumphing over trials; they believe the more severe the trial, the greater the strength that results. This true strength is the vigour of a battlefield veteran -- their body is sacred, their soul yet armoured, their skill at arms is without peer.Isstvanians and their servants create trials for Mankind by creating conflicts in which Humanity can struggle, and disasters in which they can find their true strength. When many are tested, some fail, and if the trial is a real test of mind, body, or spirit, those that fail may not survive at all. Those who cannot survive and cannot triumph are consumed. The Isstvanians view this as a blessing, as it removes weakness from the Imperium and leaves only what is strong. This elimination of those who are tested and found wanting is a principle that Isstvanians put into brutal practice: they winnow out the weak-willed, easily tempted, and decadent with war, revolt, and bloody crisis.
Isstvanian - Revelation of Adversity: Isstvanians believe that revelations and wonder follow in the wake of the mayhem they create, and that it is not just strength that results from disaster and conflict. They point to many of the Imperium's greatest achievements that resulted from extraordinary and violent events. In the times of greatest strife and bloodshed, the Imperium took its greatest steps forward in all areas of achievement.A favoured example often used in Isstvanian polemics is the coming of Sebastian Thor, his reformation of the Ecclesiarchy, the elimination of the hidden weakness of Ecclesiastical dominance, and the renaissance of Imperial power which followed it. All of these were only made possible in Isstvanian eyes because of the bloodshed and tyranny of the Age of Apostasy that came before it. Others point out that the genesis of the Imperium itself and those that defend it, from the Space Marine Legions to the Adeptus Mechanicus, were born out of the Emperor's great War of Unification.To the Isstvanian, the truth is clear for those unafraid to grasp it. These moments in which Mankind makes a great leap forward are only ever made possible in the face of annihilation, the willing sacrifice of blood, and the revelatory experience of imminent destruction. Many go further and state that the more terrible the danger and the greater the price of failure, the greater the heights that the Imperium will ascend to in order to overcome it. Therefore, they reason, if Humanity is ever to truly dominate the stars, it must pass through ever greater and more terrible conflicts than before. The Isstvanians also believe that it is the Inquisition's role to aid and manage this process for the betterment of all; their gifts to the Imperium are the conditions of blood and sorrow from which it may be reborn.
Isstvanian - The Creation of Disaster: To the eyes of the most extreme Isstvanian Radicals, a disaster is an extreme trial that leaves those it touches either remade or crushed by its passing. It is a trial by fire in which the epitome of Isstvanian doctrine is rendered into a moment of pure revelation. Those Isstvanians who follow this path often manipulate the circumstances that lead to a disaster and let events take their course, rather than create them outright -- although such agents will engage in major acts of sabotage and terror if it suits their purpose.The more established, comfortable, and indolent the circumstance in which such a disaster occurs, the more it achieves the ends of an Isstvanian as the greater the shock to the system. Should one of these Inquisitorial patrons of calamity find in their judgement that a world is too soft, too fat, and satisfied with its own success, they will see it as their duty to make that world pay for its privilege. If it is strong despite its appearances, it will survive, but if it was wanting, then that world will be brought down in fire and ruin, and the Imperium will be stronger for it.For a desert settlement, such a disaster might be the destruction of their water supply; for an Imperial Navy battlefleet, it might be the destruction of a critical warship carrying the command staff; and if a sector comes under the judgement of an Isstvanian cell, then the result might be the assassination of the Lord Sector or the destruction of an entire planet.
Isstvanian - The Iron Gauntlet: One paradox of the Isstvanian position is the desire to build up the Imperium's might at the same time as insuring that it is challenged. As a result, Inquisitors of the Isstvanian creed not only create conflict, but also expend much of their energies to help forge the iron fist of Imperial might so that it might triumph in war. The Astra Militarum, Navis Imperialis, the leadership of planetary governors and Imperial Commanders, the Adeptus Arbites and even, where possible, the Adeptus Sororitas, Adeptus Astartes, and the Inquisition itself all come under the Isstvanian's scrutiny and judgement.Each is a vital part of the Imperium's war machine that must be honed and sharpened in the face of the enemy. Most Isstvanians have close ties with the militant branches of Imperial authority and use their influence and resources to manoeuvre strong individuals of proven ability into key positions. While this may seem a practice more in accordance with the conservative doctrines of the Puritan factions of the Inquisition, it is in fact merely a consequence of the Isstvanian quest for creating strength through trial. Often an Isstvanian will promote or manipulate a capable warrior into a position that brings them closer to carefully selected conflicts. In this way, Isstvanians both forge the weapon and ensure it remains strong for when it is truly needed.
Isstvanian - Isstvanians Within the Holy Ordos: The Isstvanians, like any other Radical faction of the Inquisition, are but a small percentage of the Holy Ordos, and most make no overt show within the Calixian Conclave of their allegiance and creed, the better to go about their true work. The Isstvanians' presence and ideology is long-established within the Holy Ordos furthermore, for every true "warmonger" (as they are often disparagingly named by their comrades) there are still more fellow Inquisitors who give some credence to the Isstvanians' concerns and theories, if not their more extreme acts.Rather than a grand conspiracy, one of the faction's greatest strengths is that it holds to a single ethos rather than an organisation. In practice, this means that while Isstvanians can and do band together to form covert cells to plan and carry out their interventions, just as many operate on their own, following their own compass of conviction without recourse to each other's knowledge or approval.Isstvanians see every facet of the Imperium as worthy of their attention, and everything in it either as a possible tool for creating vital conflict or for defending Humanity. As such, Inquisitors of Isstvanian conviction can be found throughout the Ordos Hereticus, Xenos, and Malleus, each with their own particular sphere of interest and expertise. Those within the Ordo Hereticus use the internal strife and factionalism within the Imperium to create civil wars and blood feuds, while also playing on the fear of the mutant and the witch to create violent reactions to perceived threats.Isstvanians within the Ordo Xenos attempt to bring the Imperium and intelligent alien species into open war by provoking conflict or by stirring up hatred and fear of the alien.And though their involvement is rarer, the Ordo Malleus provides Isstvanians with such nightmarish possibilities that give even the most diligent Isstvanians pause: inciting malign Chaos Cults to violent action, releasing forbidden lore or artefacts to attract the attention of the weak and corrupt, or even the "controlled" release of Daemons to sow terror and thereby prove the need for ever greater vigilance and brutal response.A significant number of Isstvanians are affiliated with no single ordo, however, and must find their own focus and means of achieving their ends, changing fluidly and quixotically between creating strife and purging evil according to what they judge the Imperium to need.
Isstvanian - Current Conspiracies: Isstvanians are commonly seen as rash and headstrong individuals who will not allow the Imperium a moment's respite from strife and conflict. The relative current stability of the Calixis Sector might, therefore, indicate a small or inconsequential involvement by the warmonger Inquisitors within the sector.Nothing could be further from the truth. Isstvanian actions have been woven into the fabric of the sector since before the Angevin Crusade that founded it, and a hardened core of Isstvanian Inquisitors operates at the heart of the Calixian Conclave. The current situation is simply the quiet before the coming storm as far as they are concerned, a storm that may be unleashed if several powerful Isstvanian conspiracies bear fruit.
Isstvanian - Hyades Locks: A number of powerful Isstvanians within the Tyrantine Cabal have discovered passages within the deep archives that speak of the Hyades Locks, a subject with which they have become rapidly obsessed. The nature of these devices is uncertain, but the fragments of ancient legend and prophecy speak of them as "great locks to the portals through which all shall pass to endless sleep, held fast by ages and secured by the key," and indicate that they are present on a number of worlds within the sector.It seems clear to the Isstvanians that opening these locks will destroy the worlds on which they rest. The efforts of a number of Isstvanian Inquisitors, including Lady Amaros, have uncovered indications that one of these devices exists in the heart of the Golgenna Reach. Using any means at their disposal, these Inquisitors are racing to discover the exact location of this and other Hyades Locks, and the keys to open them.Whether the key is metaphorical, allegorical, or literal is currently unclear, as the only reference to it is contained within the Propheticum Hereticus Tenebrae and speaks only of a "key once held by the herald." The intent of the Isstvanians, should they find both lock and key, is simple: open the lock and let the death of a world shake Calixis out of its dormancy and content. Unfortunately for the Isstvanians, the matter of the Haydes Locks pertains to events and powers already in motion far outside the Warmongers' usual remit. They are dangerously late comers to a particularly dark and terrible game and may well suffer for it.
Isstvanian - Madness of Marius Hax: Sector Governor Marius Hax is a fair and even-handed man who many believe is slipping into paranoia and tyranny. This change has not been one of his own making, nor a consequence of some weakness of mind. It is the product of careful manipulation by agents serving masters of the Isstvanian conviction, Inquisitors who see the myriad threats and dark prophesies that are rising like shadows all around the Calixis Sector as a coming trial by fire, in which Hax must prosper or the sector must die.Devoted to ordered rule, and harsh in his judgement of anything that threatens it, Hax has had his nature played on by carefully engineered assessments of the sector's stability, steered by incidents which cause him to question the loyalties of his servants and the adepta. Moreover, advisors who serve other, secret masters have been carefully positioned to bend his ear.By these means, a number of Isstvanians have succeeded in making Hax increase the military power of the Lord Sector's office beyond its direct necessity and secure the armed forces loyal to him alone, such as the notorious Chaliced Commissariat. These manipulators are also nudging the Lord Sector's perception and mental state further and further into fear of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. Inch by inch, they are creating Marius Hax as a fanatic who will rise to a crisis at the head of a tide of blood and iron. Such a deadly crisis is surely not far off.
Isstvanian - Acolytes of the Isstvanians: Many Acolytes who serve Isstvanian Inquisitors are drawn from the militant arms of the Imperium or from worlds where strife and destruction is a way of life. Given their bombastic and warmongering nature, this preference is unsurprising. Many Isstvanian Inquisitors have contacts within the Astra Militarum, Adeptus Arbites, Departmento Munitorum, and Navis Imperialis who they use to recruit warriors, killers, and saboteurs into their service.Given their proclivities, Isstvanian Inquisitors are particularly fond of recruiting and sponsoring "survivors" into their service, a practice that is far from uncommon throughout the Holy Ordos, but sits particularly well with the Isstvanian mindset. Particularly prized are individuals who are veterans of great conflicts or who have overcome appalling adversity and beaten the odds to survive. So valued are the progeny of such calamitous events that some extremist Isstvanians will engineer a particular kind of catastrophe so that they can recruit the hardened individuals who emerge from its rubble and ashes.Many Isstvanian operations are undertaken covertly within the Imperium, often in direct opposition to Imperial authority. Acolytes who serve an Isstvanian master must be more than mere blunt tools; they must be resourceful, capable of autonomous action, and of course deniable, should they be discovered. Many are trained infiltrators recruited from Death Cults or other organisations that exist on the borderline between Imperial sanction and heresy. Isstvanian Inquisitors must first make sure to completely sever any remaining ties to their Acolytes' past lives and ensure that any previous loyalties are stripped away.
Isstvanian - The Isstvanians and Other Inquisitorial Factions: The Isstvanians' agendas as warmongers and agents of anarchy tend to conflict with those of most other Radical and Puritan factions within the Inquisition. Those who perhaps comes closest to concordance with Isstvanian convictions are the philosophies of the Recongregators, who wish to tear down the stagnant monoliths of the Imperium and replace them with bold agencies of change. Both factions frequently foment rebellion within the Imperium, operate covertly, and create mayhem and disorder. This agreement is, however, largely superficial, as the creation of conflict, disorder and mayhem is an end in itself to the Isstvanians; what comes after is an inevitable consequence of the disaster acting on mankind.On occasion, agents of the Isstvanians and Recongregators work in concert, but it rarely results in more than the briefest alliance. Like the Recongregators, the destabilising nature of Isstvanian operations puts them in frequent and bitter conflict with the powerful Amalathians who value order and continuity above all else.Other factions, both Puritan and Radical, are seen by Isstvanians as being of little importance in terms of what they believe or do, but are seen as vital for creating conflict within the Inquisition itself. It is not uncommon for Isstvanians to wade in on one side or another of a clash between Inquisitors of rival factions for no other reason than to make the strife between members of the Inquisition all the more intense.This, however, can lead to profound trouble for the Isstvanian forces involved, particularly if they have meddled in the affairs of powerful or supremely dangerous factions such as the Xanthites or the Libricar, whose retaliation is likely to be both brutal and swift. Like all Radical factions, the Isstvanians are either viewed as contemptible or dangerous by the Puritan majority, while many other Radicals see Isstvanians as destructive and impetuous fools who upset and destroy things of which they have no deeper understanding, and whose actions ultimately weaken the Imperium.
Isstvanian - Isstvanian Domains: Like much of the Imperium, the Calixis Sector is no stranger to war, and it is to these zones of conflict that the Isstvanians flock. Less interested in local, isolated struggles, such as the constant fighting on Iocanthos or the civil war on Acreage, Isstvanians seek out places where the fighting may spill out across star systems, setting countless worlds ablaze with carnage and strife.Such Inquisitors commonly travel the fringe where the rule of the Imperium is most in dispute, and xenos forces, Renegade worlds, and the slow seep of Chaos are strongest. The Halo Stars and the Koronus Expanse, in particular, are a breeding ground for conflict, one which the Isstvanians have been known to nurture when it suits their purposes.
Isstvanian - Isstvanian Operations: Across the sector, Isstvanians and their agents seek to stir up conflict and tear down weak leaders and regimes. In the process, they have been known to invite invasions and cover up small, benign problems until they mutate into large, malignant ones.Isstvanians also work covertly within the networks of the Recongregators, ostensibly appearing to aid them in their efforts, only to send carefully engineered events spinning out of control at the eleventh hour. This has earned them a dire reputation among both the Recongregators and the Amalathians, who both have, intentionally and unintentionally, ended up working on the same side against the "unpredictable" Isstvanians.
Isstvanian - Isstvanian Inquisitors: The Isstvanian faction attracts a certain kind of Inquisitor, such as the merciless and cruel Amaros. Having made a name for herself in the Ordo Xenos purging indigenous life forms in the Josian Reach, Inquisitor Amaros was repeatedly appalled by the lack of action that local sector authorities were taking to combat what she saw as the spread of potentially dangerous xeno-forms.To remedy this problem, she manipulated a cabal of smugglers and bio-pirates into modifying and distributing gene-engineered aliens as pets and guard-forms. The result was the Trygor Xeno Plague, which led to the deaths of countless citizens and the Euthanous Edict which in turn led to the purging on a dozen worlds of all non-Human life. Amaros' whereabouts are currently unknown.
Isstvanian - Isstvanian Secrets: The Isstvanians prefer not to waste excessive efforts on concealment or moving behind the scenes in the same way the Recongregators or Amalathians are known to do. Rather, they act swiftly and decisively, bringing with them fire and ruin.In years past, Ork invasions have cut through the Calixis Sector, spreading destruction in their wake and rallying the sector's forces against them. Some Isstvanians believe that the time is almost ripe for another such invasion. Through rumour and divination, they have begun to get an idea of where and when a strike might occur. Rather than try to avert the disaster, they are, of course, creating havoc in its path. They are destabilising worlds that they perceive as weak and diverting questionable military commanders to the area. Thus, when the hammer blow of the Ork attack is felt, it will ring out loudly across the entire sector.
Isstvanian - Notable Isstvanians: Lady Olianthe Rathbone - Lady Olianthe claims membership of none of the three great Holy Ordos. She originated among the Calixis Sector's nobility and still favours magnificent ballgowns and elaborate wigs, which would not look out of place in the ballroom of some governor's palace. Beneath the finery, her piercing, ice-cold grey eyes betray a keen and ruthless intelligence. Some say she was originally an Interrogator in the employ of Lord Inquisitor Anton Zerbe but there is never any obvious familiarity shown between them. Lady Olianthe is very difficult to know and impossible to befriend, and manages to suggest that everyone around her is her inferior without actually stating it out loud. Secretly a deep-seated Radical, Lady Olianthe is an Isstvanian and believes that for the Imperium to become stronger, it must be exposed to war and catastrophe. The Calixis Sector, to her way of thinking, is bloated and irredeemable, and desperately needs a major cataclysm to weed out its weak and corrupt citizens. While she is not averse to combating particularly horrible threats like Chaos Cultists or the mutants she personally despises, Lady Olianthe is also constantly on the lookout for ways to manipulate the power structures of the Calixis Sector towards strife. She intends to do this by subtly coaxing the sector's leading noble houses towards conflict or rebellion. She is willing to pursue this agenda personally, treating her Acolytes as little more than intelligence gatherers who have no idea of her destructive ambitions.
Istrouma - GB 6-77: GB 6-77 is the designation given to the white dwarf star that is in close proximity to the Tome Keepers' homeworld of Istrouma. It has been observed by Imperial scholars that some kind of unidentified alien technology surrounds the white dwarf star.There sits around this star an anomaly of artificial design. Much like the Ring of Iron of Mars, the anomaly takes the form of a giant continuous band that surrounds the star at the stellar equator. It orbits at a distance of approximately five thousand kilometres. Based on the diameter of the star, the ring is estimated to be around eighty thousand kilometres in circumference. It rotates at the same speed as the star, though due to a lack of defining features, it appears static in long-range scans.Short-range scans reveal the ring to have apertures on its outer face and protrusions on its inner face. The protrusions take the shape of truncated square pyramids and appear to have no function. The apertures open when approached by small voidcraft.The interior of the ring is void-sealed but lacks any kind of atmosphere, necessitating void suits be worn at all times. It is heat-shielded, suggesting some kind of power source is still operational, though there are no indications where the power source may be. There are no windows.The interior, like the exterior, is devoid of features, though there are what appear to be control panels with crystalline viewing screens at regular intervals along the section that was explored by the Tome Keepers. The panels do not activate when touched. The walls, like the entire void station, are made of an unidentifiable metal alloy. Samples could not be taken as the metal appears to be impervious to both tools and weapons.Attempted destruction of the anomaly has proven impossible both from the interior and the exterior. Reprisals have not been forthcoming as a result of investigations by the Adeptus Mechanicus.The Tome Keepers have long used the construct's airless corridors to practice void combat routines.At some point in the 37th Millennium, a stellar flare from GB 6-77 lit up the night sky of Istrouma for almost a solar hour. Unseen in the glare, the alien construct surrounding the star contracted briefly, then returned to its normal size. For all intents and purposes, the anomaly appears to do nothing. It has been classified Xeno-Ignosis. The Tome Keepers monitor the anomaly in perpetuity.
Iterator - Iterator: An Iterator was an Imperial rhetorician, propagandist and educator who was a part of the Imperial Corps of Iterators created by the Emperor of Mankind to accompany every expeditionary fleet of the Great Crusade during the late 30th and early 31st Millennia.The Corps of Iterators was created by the Emperor specifically to spread and reinforce the atheistic and rationalist Imperial Truth among all the worlds conquered during the Great Crusade and brought into Imperial Compliance.Iterators were present on every Imperial world where they served as educators and propagandists who sought to insinuate the Imperial Truth into every aspect of Human life.Iterators paid particular attention to the eradication of any religious or superstitious beliefs among the populace, replacing them with calm, cool rationalism and a strong, almost Victorian belief in scientific progress.Iterators also served as sources of knowledge and inspiration for the Astartes of the Space Marine Legions and Imperial Army troops who served in the various expeditionary fleets.None could explain as well as an Iterator the advantages brought by Imperial civilisation or the reasons why the conquest of tens of thousands of new worlds by the Imperium was a necessary requirement for Human advancement despite the sometimes terrible cost.
Ithaka - Ithaka: Ithaka, commonly referred to by its inhabitants as the "Cradle of Snakes", is an Imperial Ocean World and Feral World located in a sector of space known as the Reef Stars in the Segmentum Obscurus. This is a known recruiting world of the Iron Snakes Space Marine Chapter. It is from this tempestuous water world that the Iron Snakes draw most, if not all, of their Neophytes.Since Imperial records first began to mention the Chapter, the Iron Snakes have taken it upon themselves to be the particular protectors of the Reef Stars, although they undertake this protection in their own, autonomous manner. The inhabited worlds of the Reef, while varied in their level of technological development, each were given some form of advanced communications technology that could be used to summon the Iron Snakes to their world when a dire emergency demanded it. This technology often became highly ritualised into the cultures of the Reef Stars' human colony worlds. The Iron Snakes are little more than a half-remembered myth or legend to some worlds in the sector, but an awe-inspiring reality to others. Regardless of how they are viewed, the Iron Snakes take their duty to the Reef Stars as seriously as only the Astartes can, and will go to any lengths possible to protect the sector and its citizenry.
Ithaka - Geography: Despite being designated an Ocean World by the Imperium, Ithaka does possess significant landmass, including tropical islands and viciously cold polar regions. The Iron Snakes are therefore able to train in a series of different environments, although the sea is most precious to them.
Ithaka - Fauna: Ithaka is a world largely covered in very deep oceans and home to a wide variety of native sea life, including the great serpentine Water Wyrms which play an important role in the Iron Snakes' own distinctive Chapter cult. A kraretyer, or mature male bull Water Wyrm, is known to grow up to 300 metres in length. The Chapter uses these Wyrms in hunting exercises for its Initiates, and in the ritual punishment of Oethanar. The Water Wyrms are known to cause a retyarion (wyrm-storm), which are ferocious squalls that seem to follow the movement of the marine serpents across the planet. A retyarion eventually causes a seunenae ("the folding walls of iron"), which is a giant, kilometres-high tsunami that rises out of the deep waters and comes crashing into the settled islands. The water from Ithaka's oceans is considered sacred by the Iron Snakes, and is carried by the Chapter's Astartes to anoint every planet upon which they step foot. This ritual is called the "Rite of the Giving of Water". When the Iron Snakes return to their homeworld from a mission, what remains of the water they took with them is given back to Ithaka.
Ithaka - Iron Snakes Fortress-Monastery: The Iron Snakes' actual fortress-monastery, which they refer to as the Chapter House, is located on Ithaka's moon, Karybdis, and features a great bell as large as a Space Marine Drop Pod. The Chapter House is a mighty bastion with sloped turrets lined with Earthshaker Cannons, massive curtain walls, and hardpoint blisters of Hydra batteries. The Chapter House contains armouries, forges, training halls, a chapel and an Apothecarion. It also contains a central pool known as the Hall of the Balneary. The Balneary is fifty metres square and filled with sacred sea-water imported from Ithaka, far below. The Tholos lies beneath the Chapter House, anchored deep in the rocky crust of Karybdis. The Tholos is a stockade for the Astartes of the Iron Snakes that was seldom used due to the meticulous discipline of the Chapter. Its most common residents were prisoners of war, held pending interrogation under the watchful eyes of the Veteran Astartes of the Iron Snakes who served as the wardens known as Archons.
Ivanus Enkomi - Ivanus Enkomi: Ivanus Enkomi, known as "The Voice of the Chapter," is the current Reclusiarch and High Chaplain of the fearsome Minotaurs Space Marine Chapter. A skilled tactical commander, he leads his forces from the front in battle, exhorting them to ever greater heights of hatred and destruction against the foes of the Emperor of Mankind.During the infamous internecine Adeptus Astartes conflict known as the Badab War, Chaplain Ivanus Enkomi was at the forefront of the Minotaurs' offensives in several key battles.