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Report Into The Cynfyd Gene-seed Irregularity
By Inquisitor Goodfry Pavelo Petrov. Ordo Militum.
Transit Means: Navis Nobilite Message Boat Wings of Mercury.
Upon my arrival on the planet by its main, and only, commercial star port I immediately travelled to the northern continent of Coldforge with all the haste that could be bought with the minimum of cost. To my dismay the only terrestrial way onto Coldforge is to hire the ferryboat for an extortionate amount of the local ration-credit based currency and I have been informed that any attempt to touch the atmosphere and enter air space will be treated as an act of aggression and be treated with proportional retaliation (I).
As you may have noticed I have decided to forgo any investigation into the Chapter Astartes Crimson Tears. Their decadely reports and gene-tithe have been consistent and punctual, often down to the hour, and have proven them selves time and again to be a clone of their parent chapter. (II)
The northern terminus of the ferry is a bleak little stone jetty jutting out of the end of a peninsula in a cold sea. It has all the life and cheer of a graveyard in the wintertime. There is very little worth mentioning on the continent. No indigenous population (III). No structures save the Fortress-monastery. No recourses worth the effort of extracting. In theory you could walk this land for a year and the only thing you would notice is that the local scrubby pine trees only grow to about three foot tall in the shadow of the occasional rock formation in a vain attempt to hide from the bitter arctic wind (IV). There is a path marked by the simple means of placing two lines of stones on either side of it. Although given that there are only two visible features on the landscape at all, discounting jetty because its behind you, it should be obvious that you follow the path in the direction of the big foreboding, ominous fortress some thirty miles distant.
The Fortress looks unsettling from the coast, I discovered that it looked terrifying closer to. The rock face is grey and I am almost certain for show. I suspect that it is a skin for a more durable material. Possibly plasteel or adamantium braced fero-crete. The doors are apparently large enough to fit a Gryphanone Pattern Baneblade through sideways. Or they seemed it at first glance. Upon closer inspection I realised that this was merely to intimidate visitors and is in fact just an elaborate carving on the wall. The real doors are at most twenty feet wide.
As I approached them I found that they were already ajar. As I was peering through the gap I heard a voice from behind me bid me enter.
I will admit that I am going slightly deaf in one ear and perhaps can not see as clearly as I once could (You get past 400 and see how well your body holds up!) but for the life in me can not think of how he got behind me undetected. Its not like there is anything to hide behind. Entering there is a parade ground of sorts. It is quite large and hemmed in on all sides by the rest of the fortress structure. At one end there is a large statue of Sanguinius. The plinth upon which the statue is placed merges seamlessly with the building behind it. The door, of similar proportions to the main one, is built into the plinth.
The statue is a copy of the one in the Courtyard of the Crimson Tears chapter (V). It is not until you get closer that you realize the differences. The hands are clawed, the upper lip is in curled into a snarl revelling fangs, the blade is serrated and the wings look more like they are a part of him and not just something the artist stuck on as an after thought. All in all it looks a bit deamonic is my opinion. But we can't go around locking up all the inept artists. Yes, I know we acutely could, but it usually proves to be a waste of time and effort.
The marine who was escorting/guiding/taking me to the master of this chapter led me through a series of passageways that were labyrinthine to the point of bafflement and despite my considerable mental discipline and numerous tracking system bionic implants I was soon quite lost.
On the subject of art the inner walls of the fortress are painted with an amazing level of skill, the likes of which would outshine any art gallery or cathedral.
After about five to ten minuets of wandering I was brought before the master of the chapter.
He is biology seems to have drifted slightly from the basic Astartes Bio-form. I have never seen a Space Marine that was quite as thin as Chapter Master Brand. Emaciated may be a better word. If there was any spare meat on his entire body it is under his fingernails. Also the eyes are edge to edge as black as his close-cropped hair.
After I had explained my purpose here I was given access to the hall of records where the various documented forms of history are kept.
Now begins the joyous task of documenting it all for the records of the Holy Inquisition.
(I)They shoot your space/aircraft down and take bets on where the corpses will land. Although it may be possible to make planet fall it is unlikely that it is possible in one piece.
(II)Moreover it's one of the chapters we use to train new members of the ordo in the correct forms of behaviour among the Adeptus Astartes.
(III)Unless you count the yaks and occasional wolf.
(IV)Which is unceasing and is said to drive you quite, quite mad if you are not strong of mind.
(V)The traditional one found on every world in this part of the galaxy; sword point on the ground, hands resting on pommel of sword, wings at resting stance, body held proudly.
Thought For The Day: Fury is a two edged sword. Be cautious how you swing it.
