Lacrymole
The Charnel Spectre incident, or the Lacrymole Encounter
as it is sometimes known, occurred during the early days of
the Achilus Crusade, before the death of Warmaster Achilus
and before the true extent of the Imperium’s foes had been
uncovered. As the Crusade fortified the regions around the Well
of Night countless scouts ranged out in all directions. Assessing
new worlds for conquest and spying on heretical populations
and blasphemous alien empires they sent information streaming
back to the Warmaster. Among these reports was the appearance
of an ancient space hulk—the Charnel Spectre. The Spectre was an
item of interest to the Inquisition as it had been sighted centuries
before and records spoke of it containing the remnants of a
relic ship of the Great Crusade; a ship which might have once
belonged to the fledgling Inquisition.
A mission was organised; and led by Inquisitor Malas Dyce of
the Ordo Xenos and supported by a Deathwatch Kill-team it set
off to find the space hulk’s location. After months of false leads
Dyce and his team finally tracked the Charnel Spectre, following
its erratic wake in the warp, to the edge of the cursed Credence
system just beyond the boundaries of the Iron Collar. There they
boarded the vessel and began their search for the relic ship. What
they encounter instead was a nest of xenos which had apparently
been living on the space hulk and using it as a base for centuries.
At first the Kill-team thought they might be facing a Genestealer
infestation (common on such ancient
space hulks) as clawed shapes moved
in the shadows and hissing sounds
were heard echoing down the
corridors. It was not until it
was almost too late that
they realised the aliens
were shape-shifters.
Laying deadly
traps for the Kill-team
the aliens had some of
their number appear as
vile alien beasts, or clawed
horrors like the Genestealer,
and draw the Battle-Brothers
and the Inquisitor and his
Acolytes into a hunt. Only
then would others pick off
lone members of the group
from behind (the Acolytes
first among these) and
assume their forms, then get
close enough to strike with
surprise. After only a few
hours of attack only Dyce
and a few Battle-Brothers
remained, and the Battle-
Brothers were deeply suspicious that Dyce was an alien imposter.
To save himself and return his report, the Inquisitor slipped away
from the Kill-team during a firefight and made good his escape
from the Charnel Spectre, leaving all of his companions behind.
Upon his return Dyce was convinced the aliens encountered
on the Spectre were the fabled Lacrymole, claiming they were one
in the same with those creatures slain by Inquisitor Grundvald
and thought put to rest. With no proof however, and the loss of
a Kill-team he was derided by his peers and ended his career as
a broken and babbling old man whispering of aliens in the dark.
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