An artist’s rendition of Kossogtha, a greater daemon of Nurgle. The heretical artwork was based on a line drawing within The Tome of Heretical Works, a book used by cultists to uncover a means of freeing the imprisoned beast.

The creatures of the Warp are just “aliens” too, but they are not life forms as we understand the term. They are not organic. They are extra-dimensional, and they influence our reality in ways that seem sorcerous to us. Supernatural, if you will. So let’s use all those lost words for them… daemons, spirits, possessors, changelings.—The Primarch Horus, the arch-traitor of the Imperium

INQUISITORIA 84738/84.134

MISSION REPORT BY: Acolyte Konrad Gallas
FILE: Greater Daemon Kossogtha
CROSS FILE: Cult Activity, Disease Cult
INPUT DATE: 6 240 743.M41
INPUT CLEARANCE: Inquisitor Level Theta-One
SUBMITTED TO: Inquisitor Elam Vaarak

Your Lordship:

As you are aware, there has been at least one attempt by the Death Guard to open a portal to the Immaterium and unleash the horrors of the Warp against our beleaguered military forces on the world of Dozaria.

During a recent Adeptus Arbites raid on a heretical cult in the capital city of Alicante, documents were found that suggest that a cult, known as The Scourge, is attempting to summon a greater daemon called Kossogtha to aid the Death Guard invaders.

Several ancient, printed tomes were found in the raid, and they provide a partial understanding of the cult’s beliefs.

According to the Book of Dyzan, a heretical work of M34, Kassogtha was imprisoned by the Eldar in a psychic construct known as the Pyramid of Aerius approximately 12 million years ago.

The pyramid was built—and buried—on what is now a long-lost Exodite World known as Lyricus. The key to the pyramid was spit into three pieces and hidden in various locales on another planet.

A pict taken in Level B-43 of the underhive of the city of Alicante. The level is deep beneath the hive city, largely abandoned by all but mutants and vermin, and is noted for areas of toxic fumes.

Another heretical work, The Tome of Hertical Works, suggests that the Eldar have long since forgotten the location of Lyricus but states that the insane prophet Hosea (burned as a heretic in M36) found evidence to suggest that one of three Imperial worlds could be this lost planet.

Only one lies within the Corvus Cluster: Dozaria.

Seven of the eight heretics arrested in the Arbites raid refused to answer Enforcers’ questions, despite the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. The eighth heretic, before she died under questioning, admitted that the cult was seeking an ancient data bank [location below] that might contain a clue to the location of the three keys.

All manner of cultists infest the lower levels of the underhive.

[ Location: Hive City Alicante, Underhive Level B-43, SW Quadrant, Section 51E, Subsection 2G. ]

Upon receiving this information, I have taken it  upon myself to seek out this data bank immediately—and, if nothing else, prevent the cultists from possibly finding the information they seek. Given the state of current war on Dozaria, it would be a disaster if the cult could release such a powerful Warp entity on the planet. It could shift the balance of power.

As you have taken our Inquisitorial storm troopers to Polarian to deal with the Kassig Plague outbreak, I have enlisted the assistance of two squads of Enforcers from Precinct 13 of the Alicante underhive—the closest Precinct House to the aforementioned location.

I shall be leading this mission myself, and as we are departing in a few minutes, I submit this report for transmission.

— END REPORT – GALLUS —

TheGM: Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Actually, I just made this up as the background of a small, multi-battle Inquisitorial skirmish campaign to determine whether the daemon Kossogtha will become a factor in the war on Dozaria.

The Gaffer and I have been playing a lot of skirmish games (using GW’s old Shadow Wars: Armageddon rules), so I figured it was time to tie those battles more closely to the larger 40K fights that shape our narrative campaign. Thus, if the daemon is freed, he will be available for our larger 40K battles.

If anyone’s interested, here’s the rules for the first scenario, Data Dump. A battle report will follow after we’ve played the scenario, and more scenarios and battle reports will follow sporadically as we find time to play  a game.

Click here to see more of the great artwork of Naznamy.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.