Following the esoteric warp paths provided by Ribben the 10tharrived at Ichovor in a few weeks. They quickly crushed the feudal world’s meagre planetary defences and descended upon the surface. Essentially a worthless target – especially right after Regulus – the Word Bearers still set out to do what they do best: Spreading the Word (i.e. taking some slaves and murdering the rest). Sergeant Adrotos was eventually located (in a rather bad state). He revealed that the planet has once been an Eldar world, but had become a human colony during the Dark Age of Technology. The humans had taken to the worship of the grandfather during the Age of Strife – but their civilization had fallen into ruin (quite literally). The feudal culture now prevalent wasn’t receptive to the Word; it is possible that they were the descendants of the people that wiped out the Nurglings (or maybe they just died off – it’s been known to happen).

The arrival of a major Imperial fleet seemed to spell the end of the investigation. A total of 4 BCs, 6 CAs and 11 DDs were much more than the 10thFleet could handle. Adrotos volunteered to remain behind in the Temple City of Nurgle, hoping to learn more about why Calixis is important to Nurgle – and thereby come closer to fulfilling his personal quest. Before departing the 10th Host launched a barrage of viral, biological and chemical warheads into Ichovor's murky atmosphere, dedicating the world once more to the service of Nurgle. Then they hauled ass back to Diamantina!

Commander Ribben, Champion of Nurgle, had something of a request for Castor: To send an infiltration team – or alternatively a squadron of ships – to look for Sergeant Adrotos of the Death Guard who had been lost on the planet Ichovor for some time. His own forces were unfit for infiltration and not powerful enough to enter by force. Castor decided to do better; once he had dealt with Regulas, the heart of the Celestine Alliance of agri-world he would take the entire 10th Host to Ichovor.

Regulus fell rather easily, despite its rulers having spent several fortunes on fortifications, defence weapons, privateers, and mercenaries: Turns out privateers run when they see Word Bearers and fortifying an entire world against and Astartes assault…is simply not possible. After filling every hold (and then some) with food and slaves Castor made sure to seed the world with whatever strategic area-denial weapons in his arsenal; Regulus would not provide as much as a bucket of grain for the Imperium until cleansed.

Another boon presented itself; a small Imperial squadron of Battlefleet Calixis was found tracking the 10th Host. Using great sorcerous rituals Castor was able to obscure parts of his fleet as they snuck up on the enemy; as short, vicious battle ensured. No less than two light cruisers were captured by Astartes boarding parties; admittedly one would never fly again and was towed to Diamantina, but it was still a spending victory. One destroyed got away though, probably racing right back to the sub-sector base as Fenksworld to report.

Castor’s first major engagement as Apostle of the 10th: An all-out assault on the Imperial hive world of Samson IV at the fringes of the Hazeroth Abyss. Arguably not the most important or well-defended system in the Imperium, the Samson IV campaign was still a great undertaking. Planned and executed by Warleader Tam Caron: The campaign was ultimately quite successful, reaping a good bit of plunder and numerous slaves, as well as ruining much of Samson’s industrial capacity. It was also very costly; hundreds of Astartes dead and several Host vessels lost. Paved the ground for a major shakeup of the 10th’s chain of command and TOE.

The pleasure world (or should we say perversion world?) of Cyprian’s Gate lies at the far side of the Hazeroth Abyss; literally a sector away from the prying eyes of the Imperium and its dreary laws. It was the first target after Castor took command of the 10th. It was infiltrated by the 10th Host using the Bringer of Faith, posing as a rogue trader come to spend his ill-gained fortune. The most interesting part about the world was the presence of the Brethren of the World. As it turned out they were the descendants of cults created by Lorgar when he passed through this sector some time after its founding.

On the rare occasions where the learned Adept has need of explaining the workings of the Warp (aka. the Empyrean, aka. the Immaterium) to a layman he often resorts to using the parable of the ocean voyage: The ocean is the warp and instead of a ship sailing across the watery surface you have a voidship plunging through the great unknown. Solar systems get described as tiny islands in a dark and vast ocean. Navigation is difficult because clouds are almost always obscuring the stars, save the brightest star of the all - the Astronomican. Currents and storms can throw a ship of course - or sink it utterly. And the predators of the deep...the shark and the sea serpents and the leviathans...well, there be Daemons on the charts for a reason.

The Warp actually has very little in common with planetary oceans, but let's stick with it for lack of a better metaphor. But if we must use the ocean to explain the Warp, let us instead go under the surface. That adds dimensions to our tale that the surface of the ocean lacks. So...let the voidship be a submersible. The submersible is protected by a pressure hull. That hull is all that stands between its occupants and a watery grave. This hull very rarely loses integrity, but when it does the effect is spectacular: Sea-water gushes into the sub, flooding it. If the breach is large there is naught to be done; there is no escape for crew and passengers, and the vessel itself sinks to the bottom of the sea. If the breach is small, however, the crew might be able to stem the flow of water long enough to surface.

It's more or less the same with a voidship and its Geller field; the Geller field protects the ship - without it everyone dies a horrible death and the vessel is lost. There is no water involved of course; instead the Geller field maintains a bubble of normality around the ship. Without this bubble the full entropic effects of the Warp will grab hold of the ship and its occupants. Destruction is not far away. Even a small 'leak' in the field can create a lot of trouble; the weird energies of the Warp can do untold damage to a voidship, even if the Geller field doesn't collapse completely. And of course there are the Daemons...but that's another issue altogether.

Entering the Warp requires preparation, just as it does for a sub to go under the water. The Warp drive must be brought online and charged - which requires stupendous amounts of energy - and all manner of calculations and preparations are made before reality is finally rent asunder and the ship slips into the Empyrean. A sub doesn't require a Warp drive of course, just some ballast tanks, propulasion and adjustable planes - but the principle of preparation and readiness is the same, even if there is no tearing reality apart in the case of the sub. And just like the sub can't dive in shallow water the voidship cannot enter the Warp where there is a powerful gravity well nearby; gravity equals the shoals of the Warp if you will: Most ships need to be in a system's outer reaches before entering the Warp - the orbit of Saturn is considered the safe Warp threshold in the Sol system for example. Finally; where the sub creates bubbles and turbulence in the water as it dives, so too does the voidship create ripples and disturbances in the space-time continuum as the Warp drive engages. And when the transition has been made both types of ship are simply gone, leaving no trace of their existence behind.

Let's presume for a moment that you've got both the entry and exit strategies covered. That only leaves the actual journey. Which pretty much involves pointing your ship in the general direction of the star you're going to and pushing the 'Engage' button on the Warp drive control station. Right? Wrong. Very wrong. Navigating in the Warp is difficult; much worse than steering a submersible with nothing but the most rudimentary telemetry to work with. The ship's empyric augury arrays collect some data, which is sufficient to perceive the ship's immediate surroundings. Ships without Navigators use these data to navigate by running them through massive cogitator banks. It's not perfect, but it works for short trips. If the ship is fortunate enough to have a trained Navigator on board its ability to traverse the Warp improves dramatically; Navigators have a unique psychic capacity to perceive raw Warp-data without the need for additional machinery. Simply put they just peer into the augury arrays and their minds plot courses with far greater accuracy than a mere machine can accomplish. Needless to say Navigators are rarely completely sane...and many suffer from bodily mutation. Such is the price they pay for peering into the Warp for a living. The Astronomican is another important factor; if this beacon of Imperial might shines brightly Navigators can use it to fix their position: Much like ancient mariners used stellar formations fixed above the poles of their worlds to navigate by. If the light of the Emperor grows dim - or is obscured altogether - their ability to navigate (pardon the pun) is somewhat curtailed, but still significant.

For navigation to mean anything you have to know where you're going. That's when those tiny islands in the great, dark and often storm-tossed sea come in. Having a real-space bearing is a good starting point, but nowhere near sufficient to get you where you want to go: Once you go under the surface you'll lose you target and won't have more than a general idea of where you must go to reach it. Again Navigators and the Astronomican makes it a bit easier, but you're still essentially going blind. You'll need to resurface frequently to get your bearings, then dive again (with all the complexity entering and leaving the Warp entails). Repeat as often as needed. It works, but it can take months to reach even nearby stars, making large-scale interstellar civilizations...impractical. That's where Warp routes come in. Warp routes are paths through the warp that have been charted in detail, taking note of markers, currents, ebbs and flows or whatever they call it. Even in a realm of Chaotic energy there are patterns that offer a way of telling one place from another (but routes do change and need constant monitoring and updating for charts to stay viable). The houses of the Navis Nobilite guard the knowledge of such routes jealously: The greater the house the more routes they will know and the greater the extent of their travel networks - and the greater their power and wealth will be. Ships without Navigators also stick to the same routes; Chartist vessels have the data required to travel between their designated ports of call, but rarely more than that.

Once the course is set the ship's warp drive will be able to move it in the direction specified by the ship's navigator - be he at true Navigator or a mere man and his machines. The Warp is in constant turmoil, so regardless of the course laid in there will be a drift. The Navigator and the Helmsman will work diligently between them to keep a ship on its course, but there will always be some deviation, however slight. It's more a skill thing than a power thing: The Warp is rarely turbulent enough to actually force a ship along, despite its warp drives; it's far more common to be pushed ever so slightly off course. And remember what I said about dimensions - the Warp has very many, so it's tad bit more complex than up-down and north-south. Try keeping your bearing in seventeen dimensions, with drifts and flows and sheers in all of them and you'll know what I mean. But barring major turbulence or outright storms the ship will move where its Captain wills.

Then there is speed. Speed is generally taken to mean time used to cover a distance. Well, in the Warp both time and distance cease to behave in a fashion that's predictable, so already the 'speed' thing gets a little murky. But as a general rule the deeper you go the faster you move. I don't have a good ocean metaphor for that one, except perhaps if the core of the world was filled with watery tunnels and you could move through them and reach the other side faster than you would if you had to traverse the surface ocean. In the Warp it's more about how many dimensions you're willing to play with; deeper essentially means taking on more dimensions and using them for travel. The more dimensions are involved the greater the complexity of navigation...and consequently the risk of getting lost - possibly forever - increases dramatically. Which is why a ship that has a Navigator who can see the Astronomican it can make longer journeys at greater speed; they can go deeper, faster, without risking destruction. Lesser Chartist captains who must do without such luxuries can only move between local systems at a much slower pace. As a side note lesser charts need only contain a fraction of the data complete Navis Nobilite charts holds, because the Chartist barges using them will never go that deep.

Finally your destination island is looming ahead of you. Then there is getting to the surface...unfortunately leaving the warp is not as simple as pushing a big red button or pulling a panic lever. Cutting the warp drive just leaves you adrift on the currents of the Immaterium; it doesn't return you to real space. So not only is it pointless in terms of getting out, it will actually throw you off course - which is never a good thing. Disengaging the Geller field also doesn't work, but it's infinitely more stupid: It's not the field that's keeping you in the Warp - it's whats keeping the Warp out of you! Losing the Geller field is like breaching the pressure hull of the sub; the outside comes rushing in to fill the vessel., which is a very, very Bad Thing! One final solution that doesn't work: Supposing you're close to a solar system you might think that heading in-system will yank you out of the warp once you're deep enough in the gravity well. That works about one time in a million; the rest of the time it's like running your sub at full speed into submerged reefs just off the coast of the island you're trying to reach...'Total Warp breach imminent'...those are the last words you'll ever hear, droning out from the ship's intercom system.

To leave the warp you first have to ascend to the surface - remember we're using the submarine metaphor - before you can break through into the air.This is one point where the metaphor fails to convey the message: The warp is not an ocean. It doesn't have just three dimensions; it has many, many more. Even with a Navigator on board it might not even be apparent which way is 'up'. The difficulty increases if the ship's aethyric auspexes are damaged or local warp conditions makes navigation difficult. Then there are Warp storms; not only can the push you of course, but they can be a real show-stopper for those trying to escape the Warp: As you near the surface the risk of destruction rises many-fold, as the storm gains in destructive power as you draw closer to reality. Not unlike the effects of a real-ocean storm; you can ride the waves when out at sea, but once you get close to land things suddenly get more dramatic and dangerous. Thus most ships will just have to risk riding out the storm - which will likely leave them wildly of course.

Now that you sub has finally reached the surface there is another problem; the sea is covered by a thick sheet of ice. Unless you can find a suitable spot for breaking through you're going to be stuck down there. Fortunately - unlike the sub - the voidship as an advantage; it has a Warp drive than can rip open a hole in the icy surface of reality and let it slip back into real space. Congratulations - you've made it to your destination. One final thing remains; getting a fix on the current real-space time. Time in the warp gets compressed at variable rates (generally speaking greater the deeper - faster - you go). For a slow Chartist vessel the compression ration could be as low as 1:2 one week of ship-time for ever two weeks in real space - but for the fast Nobilite highliners it could regularily go as far as 1:5 or greater. As a result ship crews tend to outlive any on-world relations that they might have, further setting them apart from the land-based kin.

Communication needs mentioning: It's perfectly possible for a vessel in the Warp to send and receive astropathic messages. Caveats do apply; the deeper in the Warp the harder it is for astropaths to send and receive. Turbulence and storms can also disrupt communications; but that's not unique to vessels under Warp drive. Most Astropaths - and Captains for that matter - are rather reluctant when it comes to communicating: The uneducated think it's asscociated with 'bad luck'. Those in the know are aware of the possibility of a ship attracting the attention of aethyric predators and the strain that can place upon a ship's Geller field. Reception of messages is perhaps less dangerous, but it is still not to be undertaken lightly: There is always the chance of insanity, psychic backlash or even bodily entropy. To be fair the danger is there in real space as well, but aestimates indicate that the frequency of incidents go up while under Warp drive - and that the average magnitude of at-warp incidents is much greater. If as ship must communicate it will generally rise close to the surface before transmitting.

One final thing: It is possible for ships in the Warp to detect one another. The chance is very slight, but it is there: Geller bubbles are at most a few hundred kilometers across; they are less detectable than a single snow-flake caught in a roaring blizzard. Powerful augury arrays help of course, as does having an idea as to the location of the other vessel and where it might be headed. Navigators are another great asset in this regard as they can interpret Warp data more accurately than servitor operators; some skilled Navigators can even track the paths of other vessels through the Warp with some accuracy. Since ships can detect one another they can engage one another as well; combat within the Warp is rare because detection chances are so low - and because when it does happen it is a brutal, short-range affair: Geller bubbles must overlap, meaning ranges are a few hundred kilometers at most - practically point-blank range in terms of space combat. That's too close for torpedoes to arm or lances to target properly, meaning that it's usually down to battery fire. Furthermore void shields cannot be brought up to strength because of the power drain of the Geller field, so ships are protected solely by armor. Needless to say few sane captains are willing to risk entering into combat on those terms.

Fork and Than are two senior Brotherhood Warriors. The former is a young male in excellent physical condition; he's one of the Word's best shots. The later is a heavyset middle-aged (some would say past his prime) NCO; he's got a lifetime of experience abusing people and turning cult zealots into true soldiers.

This stunning (if a little rough - a diamond in the making so to speak) feral shaman from Nim-Kor is the granddaughter of the savages’ head witch. Hails from a long line of shamans. Under the tutelage of Lumin; she'll be a great sorceress one day.

Duremo the Warsmith made a brief appearance at Diamantina. He could have been a real asset cracking open the Calixis Sector. Unfortunately he was recalled by his Legion for a more important mission; the Second Siege of Terra.

The Divine Hearalds is the remnants of a detachment of Titans that followed the 10th during the Great Crusade. All that remain to them is one Warlord titan, two Reavers and four Warhounds. They travel the galaxy in a single Titan Tender, which contains sufficient titan lander capacity to put down the entire titan detachment in one go. there is also a 2.000-strong skitarii regiment, plus all the other odds and ends you need to make Chaos titans tick.

The Divine Heralds hold that the Emperor was NOT the Omnissiah - the Messiah of the Machine God. That's not very original; the majority of the Dark Mechanicum agrees with that.  Where they diverge from 'mainstream' Mechanicum dogma is that they hold the Emperor to have been a Prophet of the Machine God, but that he became corrupted by human emotions and ambitions and therefore fell into apostasy. Most of the brethren and the Word Bearers they used to work with in the past consider this and odd notion (at best).

Their Warloard titan has been dormant for ages. According to their beliefs it will only come alive when the Omnissiah walsk the galaxy. He will call out to the god-machine and it will wake and lead the Hearlads to their Messiha. The Warlord is called the Divine Herald - for it is who who will proclaim the Omnissiah.

Imran Dhral - Coryphaeus (war leader) of the 10th Host. Formerly Captain of the 3rd Company. Emerged as the best leader and strategos during the post-Samson war games.

Update: Doing quite well, Castor is mighty pleased with himself for picking him as Warleader..

Nim Gral - Anointed (terminator) Captain of the 1st Company. A child of Colchisian refugees, but not a Great Crusade veteran. The veterans look to him for guidance.

Update: Killed in melee with Tiger's Chapter Master.

Ta'zaak: Captain of the 2nd Company. The most heavily mutated marine in the 10th. Fused with his power armour. Lives only for the Word and War.

Update: Wiped out along with his entire Company during the opening hours of the fight for the Tiger's Battle Barge.

Drosos - Captain of the 3rd Company. Veteran Sergeant under Imran Dhral. Has the misfortune of being named similarly to the Patron of the Calixis Sector, Saint Drusus.

Update: Has performed very well.

Lorgos Tak - Captain of the 4th Company. Promoted by Obel Gar. Highly competent, but bears watching.

Update: Has performed well. Castor believes that he knows the 'identity' of the Gal Vorbak commander. Still bears watching.

Katarn Colchis - Captain of the 5th Company. A Colchisian marine. Devoid of creativity or initiative, but 10.000 years of lead men into battle have made company command a reflex for him. He is also very good at teaching new recruits and seasoning young marines (without getting them killed). Assigned to one of Castor's own companies because he is unflinchingly loyal to whomever is the current Apostle.

Update: Has stoically slaughtered his way through every battle. Still completely unimaginative, but possessing an uncanny ability to kill while remaining alive. More importantly this ability seems to rub off - to an extent - on his subordinates.

Baltus - Captain of the 6th Company. Served as a Captain under Obel Gar, but was an officer long before that.

Update: Lost, along with much of his command during the boarding of the enemy flagship at Karrik.

Tam Caron - Captain of the 7th (Assault) Company. Former Coryphaeus; the merciful Castor let him live on in a role more suited to his nature.

Update: Proved his worth many times over aboard the Tiger's battle barge; with Nim Gral dead at the hands of enemy the assault might have ground to halt were it not for his extreme aggressiveness and willingness to sacrifice the lives of the other marines.

Juron Gaik - Captain of the 8th Company. Recently promoted from the ranks of the veteran sergeants by Castor.

Update: Has performed well. His company has survived better than most thus far.

Tholkis - Captain of the 9th Company. A native of Sicarus. One of Castor's own veterans.

Update: One of the few marines to fall during the ground-based part of the Icefang Assault. Shot dead by a head-shpt from scout-sniper using a lascannon. He was swiftly avenged by one of the Reaver titans.

Jovus Err - Captain of the 10th Company. The only Chaplain to retain command after Castor's reorganization.

Update: Has performed very well. Presumably invoked a daemonic pact to be carried to safety when Castor's assault on the enemy flagship turned sour; maybe that counts as abandoning your men, or maybe it counts as having preserved an important asset?

Anaximander - Captain of the 12th Company. Formerly of the Adeptus Astartes. Turned renegade and worked as a mercenary and pirate for millennia before finding true purpose in the Word. One of the deadliest warriors in the 10th - and a fine leader.

Update: Has performed very well indeed.

Sis Tak - Dreadnaught veteran of the Great Crusade. He spends most of his days slumbering and meditating. He's fairly sane and a source of much wisdom. He also has the ear of many of the older veterans.

Update: Sis Tak is one of two surviving dreadnoughts; the other three having been killed. The good news is that several more dreadnoughts will soon be joining the ranks - the 10th has no shortage of hopelessly crippled marines to entomb!

The Calixis Sector has a limited number of Astartes available:

GREEN KNIGHTS

Only native Chapter. Fleet-based (homeworld destroyed). Aestimate: 200 Brother-Marines. Low: 100. High: 400. Heavily involved with the Deathwatch; hence the uncertain aestimate. Considerable fleet assets.

BLACK TEMPLARS

Has one major and several minor Crusades going in the extended area (Finial and surrounding sectors). Aestimate: 200. Low: 50. High: 500. There are no doubt 5 full companies of Black Templars engaged in fighting the Reaving, but most seem occupied elsewhere (i.e. not in Calixis).

TIGERS ARGENT

Based in Finial. Aestimate: 200. Low: 0. High: <1000. Fully engaged with the main Reaving, but elements could conceivably try to strike back at the Word Bearers to avenge the loss of the Strike Cruiser and it's marine company.

DEATH EAGLES

Vague reports. Aestimate: 0 Low: 0. High: 500+. Unverfiied reports has the relatively unknown Death Eagles Chapter turning up in the 6th Circle of Finial. They may have ties to the Black Templars or Tigers Argent. If they are present at all it's unlikely they bring more than approx. 500 men - and they will likely end up in the Finial meat-grinder.

MIDDLE AESTIMATES

BB: 1 verified (Port Wrath, Golgenna Reach, fleet flagship), 1 unverified (Kulth), 1 non-warpcapable (Scintilla). The Calixis Sector has never had many battleships. There may be as little as one warp-capable hull of this class; and a the sector flagship it's unlikely to suddenly appear at the front.

BC: 17 (half at Porth Wrath, the other half in the Malfian and Markayn subs). The good: this is what passes for battleships out here on the rim. The bad: They are fast, deadly and there are more than enough of them!

CG: 5. Analysts are having trouble coming up with a credible aestimate for grand cruisers; it looks like there aren't very many (possibly none at all!).

CA: 50. Divided into 8-10 battle squadrons. Another result of Calixis' relative lack of heavy ships is an overabundance of heavy cruisers - and those cruisers are oten pushed into the role of the ship-of-the-line, a taks they are not quite qualified for.

CL: 30. Squadrons of 2-3 CLs and FFs are making life hard for the raiders. Other CLs fill fleet scouting roles.

FF: 30. Squadrons of 2-3 CLs and FFs are making life hard for the raiders. Other FFs are tasked with convoy protection and long-range scouting.

DD: 100. Analysts are having a difficult time pinning down the number of tin-cans. They are, however, of little concern to the main fleet.

System defence fleets not accounted for (can be considerable).

Lesser craft not accounted for.

LOW AESTIMATES

Numbers could be 30%-50% lower: Some previously Calixian ships have been reported in Finial, probably reassigned by Segmentum command, so there is reason to belive the above numbers are a bit high. It should also be remembered that the Calixian still have the renegades/orks of the Spinward Front to contend with. Plus there are rumours of the Screaming Vortex opening. The Calixis sector also borders the halo Stars and they have to contend with all manner of other xenos threaths.

HIGH AESTIMATES

Fleet aestimates have turned out to be too low during the whole Crusade; it may be that the basic assumptions are too low. Also the Calixis sector has had considerable time to prepare and may have had time for native production to be geared up (for the lesser ship types at least). The possibility of reinforcements from Scarus and Ixanid sectors, plus internal consolidation (i.e. abandoning less important fronts and systems). Major ship up to 50% more, lesser vessels (CL and smaller) up to 100% more.

The Calixis Sector is a tough nut to crack...you warleader has tried as best he can to map out your options. The list is not exhaustive, nor are all the options necessarily exclusive.

---

Guten tag, Herr Apostle!

These are your options:

Spinward approach: Indirect approach. Work you way rimward along the spinward side of Calixis, into the unpopulated regions between that sector and Scarus. Once you reach the core of the Periphery region, occupy Kulth, swing to trailing and strike for Scintilla. This option assumes that the Imperium is stilling enganged on the Spinward Front and that the rumors about the Screaming Vortex opening are true.

Pros: Avoids direct confrontation. Buys time to gain power. Possible new allies. Good springboard for attack on Scintilla (via Kulth - staging base - and Iochantos - source of cult troops). It is the route that has the least need for infiltration.

Cons: The route is the longest. It will take several years at best. It also hinges on outside events (the Screaming Vortex and Imperial dispositions on the Spinward front) over which you have no control.

Frontal approach: This option calls for a direct assault on Scintilla by way of the Markayn Marches. Defeat the Imperial navy in space, seize Solomon and use it as a forward base, harves cult troops at Iochantos and launch an allout assault on Scintilla.

Pros: Fast and effective. Least complicated plan. 

Cons: By far the riskisest strategy. You might not even have the nav assets to take Solomon, let alone attack Scintilla.

Back approach: Indirect approach. Seek a route through the Hazeroth Abyss - it is said a stable route exists that terminates at Guytoga. If the route can be found and Guytoga subverted you have both gained a portal for deeper infiltration and a way of late bypassing the main defensive lines of the Calixis sector.

Pros: Avoids direct confrontation. Buys time to gain power. Allows you to use the Word and infiltration for maximum effect. If successfull this is about the only option that could allow for an actual surprise assault on Scintilla, backed by heavy subversion and infiltration. 

Cons: This option hinges on the success of the infiltration teams and finding routes that may not even exist. It also assumes that you can outwit the Haegum and the Emperor reborn (more so than the other options).

Raiding Calixis: Waiting game. Send reinforced raiding groups into Calixis.

Pros: The only region in the Calixis sector worth raiding is the Josian Reach. It's not as well defended as the Markayn Marches (because it has fewer priority targets and offer no easy routes to Scintilla). Here you raiders can actually do something good.

Cons: It's still more dangerous and less rewarding than raiding in the Finial sector, so why bother? It also brings you no closer to Scintilla - it is just a waiting game.

Raiding Finial: Waiting game. Send reinforced raiding groups into Finial sector.

Pros: Offers rich targets and (relatively) little risk (since the Finial fleet is busy with the Reaving). Essentially the best raiding option.

Cons: It's still just raiding. Good for building you up, but it does nothing for your Calixian agenda. It also doesn't contribute one iota towards your deal with Asmodeus.

Ash is a vat-grown clone, birthed from one of the tanks aboard the Angyr Angst. The name 'Ash' is a short form of VatMas49, which is his designated number. Kruger spliced his genes. Kruger grew him in a tank. Kruger birthed him Kruger taught him everything he knows. As a result he's more than a little colored by Kruger's view of life - and very loyal to his master.

Ash is tall, slender and hairless, with 'sculpted good looks' (his face is completely symmetric) and a big-time user of antibacterial gel (leaving his skin with a slightly oily sheen). He wears the traditional greenish robes of Kruger's staff, unless his tasks requires him to wear some form of protective gear (or disguise - probably required in his new role as infiltrator).

He has a full cybernetic upgrade package; worthy of a full member of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Additional implants include 2 Mechadendrites (one has a plasma torch, the other a multi-tool), a MIU and a built-in vox caster. He's rarely seen without at least some toolsets, auspexes and sacred dataslates. If combat comes calling he can wield a range of melee weapons; he's no slouch, but he's not Astartes either. Ranged combat is done by a powerful, yet compact las-carabine. He has a suit of light carapace armour somewhere in his quarters; the same type used by naval armsmen acros the galaxy.

Philosophically he's influenced by Uriel (as are all of the crew of the Angyr - Kruger included): There is so much wrong in the galaxy that it has to burn, all of it, so that something new and pure can rie from the ashes. "It is the 2nd or 3rd Terraforming that yields the strongest harvest," is one of his sayings.

In terms of tech-use and techno-lore his good points include: Librarium searches, machine spirit tweaks (including security bypasses), and remote control (he's quite the expert at directing servitors and drones). He's also quite skilled with bio-systems; you cannot be one of Kruger's children and not know these things!

His only weak spots are personal combat; he's got little training and no special combat augmentation. He is also not good at miniaturization; or perhaps he does not really see the need for it. What gear Ash makes or uses is usually rough, plain, clean and utilitarian - nothing overly fancy or ornamented, nothing to detract form the item's true purpose.

If he must contribute in battle he does so best when remotely directing servitors and drones. One of his most prized tech-artefacts is a painstakingly restored Imperium scout drone: A combat-programmed servitor brain housed inside a flying armoured shell. It packs a bolter and a plasma pistol-equivalent weapon (powerful, but short-ranged). It is also quite stealthy and has a good auspex array (so it's good for scouting).

Meet Alfonzo Barca member of the 81st coterie of the glorious 10th Host.He remembers little of his beginnings but that is normal for one of the faithful for what is there to remember from a time before the Word? Alfonzo started his life on the slave decks of the Bringer of Faith, a frightened young boy part of the slave gangs that fuel the mighty warship's gun deck and its sacrificial skinning pits.

He joined the Brotherhood of the Obsidian Knife for protection after his closed family was murdered or taken for sacrifice by a rival gang. He got protection but also bettered himself and got a way of the dark and short life of the slave decks and on to the god decks above. He learned the to speak and read the holy words of Lorgar, he learned pay homage to the true gods and he knew why he had once feared the dark and the violence of the slave decks as a young boy, for there in the dark the true believers hunted the infidels.

Alfonzo knew no fear now except the righteous fear of the gods that any true believer will freely tell you that he has. He was now not prey but one of the predators of the dark - the others had even more reason to fear the dark now. The rival gang that hunted the family of the newest recruit was killed by the Brotherhood and their hearts eaten for strength; for does not the Word say the revenge and hate is to be taken and nurtured in blood and warm entrails and skulls, wet and reeking of terror, placed on the altars to honor the Gods? Yes, you know it does, the word speaks only true that is know to all but the infidels.

Alfonzo was tempered in battle in the below deck murder games and in intra-cult war that is looked on with favor by the Bearers of the holy word as a divine way to bring forward recruits to bolster their holy ranks. He knew well the words of Lorgnar, was fast in battle, cunning and cruel, but utterly devoted; these were the  words used to describe him by his brothers in the obsidian blade.

Alfonzo was taken in the night by the Berars of the true word, pain and utter pain followed, night and day full of terrors as the gods and Doctor of the Legion flayed his soul and his flesh and in time accepted him as a one of the true belivers, a scout of the 10th Host of the Word Bearers Legion. Alfonzo showed the same cunning and cruel devotion as a scout. And as the 10th under a new apostle was in a period of holy war there was the possibility to rise from the rank of scout to brother in a relative short time (too short a time grumbles the old guard).

Alfonzo has the mark of the obsidian brotherhood tattooed on his chest, and the symbol of the legion over his heart. On both shoulders there are chaos eight-pointed stars and down his back there is a page from the Book of Lorgnar written in demonic script. "Samus. That's the only name you'll hear. Samus. It means the end and the death. Samus. I am Samus. Samus is all around you. Samus is the man beside you. Samus will gnaw on your bones. Look out! Samus is here." tattooed on his right flank as a tribute to the patron daemon of infiltrators. "Victory attained through violence is victory indeed. But when a enemy turns on it self- that is the essence of true, lasting victory " tattooed on his left flank as a tribute to those who are the enemy within.

Alfonzo has a new mark 8 Power Armour with a mark 6 helmet (the previous owner of the armour took a head shot from a heavy bolter). The armour is in excellent condition, save for the scars of numerous superficial bolter hits. He spends his free time decorating it in the manner of the Legion. His favored weapons (apart from cult fighting/skinning blades) are bolter and an ancient power maul - a brutal weapon from a more brutal age.