"Ghostfire pollen does not induce visions though it does induce a state of fearlessness. That is why it is an active ingredient in some forms of frenzon. They are probably reacting to rumours from some of their fellows near our destinaton. As for your guardsman friend... do not feel the need to protect him. As a blank, he represents a powerful tool, and like any good tool he has many possible applications. I will have to consult with others but rest assured that he will not be executed."
“Now, while I'm certain that the mission briefing you received from our honoured master describes in some detail the nature of our purpose here, I have had the benefit of spending a few weeks in this... unfortunate... outpost, and I have not been idle. You see, Iocanthos, for all it's squalor, is near to my heart. The venerated Saint Drusus himself, to whom I have the very great honour of being distant kin, claimed this world for the Imperium, sweeping over the savage peoples and bringing them into the light of the God-Emperor. As you know, the cathedral of Stern Hope is due to be consecrated to this great hero, and I would not see the memory of this Saint diminished by heresy and such holy purpose thwarted by a backwoods witch or some such.
“So, Stern Hope... the information I have been able to discover does seem to suggest some psychic phenomena occurring there. While I cannot say, based on the muddled reports we have received, whether this is the result of some reckless, previously undetected psyker or of something far darker, the evidence suggests that all such strangeness has occurred in or around the new cathedral. Bleeding statues, manifestations, haunting noises, sounds of scratching from the walls...”
Aristarchus trails off and stares distractedly a moment into space before retrieving a data-slate from his bag and reading it for a few moments before continuing.
“Ah yes, Stern Hope lies to the north, high in those mountains you may have seen on your way here. On a more civilised world, we would have gone directly to the outpost by air, but that's not possible here, so we must travel by the outpost by the 'Pilgrim's Road' as they call it, a rutted dirt path is more like it. I've managed to secure us transport, an all-terrain flatbed, and I'm hoping one of you drives, as I've never been much of a hand at the wheel. We must pass through the barren shale wastes first though, and this is not a journey to be taken lightly. The locals claim that the wastes have witnessed all of the greatest battles of Iocanthos' long and bloody past and remain to this day a favoured battlefield of the clans. No one knows for certain, but rumours claim that all manner of terrible things lurk out there, although bandits and marauders are the most likely threat, so we ought to be prepared for this eventuality. Do you have any questions?”
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Topic: Dark Heresy: Illumination IC - Faith Betrayed (Read 40065 times)