Forgery!

+++ Date: 4029709/M38

+++ Ref: Ast/38571391/INS

+++ By: Sister Sarojini, Order of the Sacred Oath, Convent Prioris, Holy Terra

+++ To: Inquisitor Lerneaus

+++ Re: Anguis Codex

+++ Thought: Trust no one else, and trust yourself less.

Inquisitor,

I have completed my initial evaluation of the codex you entrusted unto my care.

The codex is not an abridged version of the Codex Astartes, as was initially thought. It is instead a form of insignium - a handbook about uniforms and regalia. Focusing on the Adeptus Astartes, this insignium would properly be referred to as an Insignium Astartes, and we have further identified this insignium based on the location of its discovery, Anguis.

A number of characteristics point to this insignium dating from the early years of M31.

Chief among these is the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes that are depicted within. While over half of the pages are damaged and/or decayed to the point where the material is no longer legible, the pages that can still be read either partially or in their entirety all portray Chapters known to have been created in the 2nd Founding (with one notable exception that I'll cover later). In and of itself this might not be conclusive as similar codices have been created during some of the foundings in order to catalogue the Chapters created during those foundings, though this has been far from a universal practice and the accuracy of these codices has varied.

Another characteristic pointing towards M31 is the style of the embellishments that decorate the insignium. Chief among these is the decorative bars that separate certain elements of information, the bars being augmented at each end with small vertical hashes, with the top and bottom of the hashes and the ends of the bars forming stylized versions of a cross motif that was commonly used by Imperial forces during the Great Crusade. This style of decoration fell out of favor during the latter half of M31, and though it has occasionally been used over the years, such uses have been very rare and have generally been tied to emulations of written works from the Great Crusade.

The cover of the codex also points to an origin some time in M31. The lettering style used on the cover and as titles of pages was common during the rebuilding of the Imperium after the Great Heresy, used most commonly by Terran scribes through about 300.M31. In addition, the gold filigree upon the cover depicts scenes of battle that appear to be smaller renditions of scenes from the time known as the Scouring, the years immediately following the defeat of the Warmaster as the still-loyal forces of the Imperium fought to destroy the remaining traitor forces and recover territory lost to the traitors and other forces when the Warmaster broke faith with the Emperor.

The style of writing and formatting within the insignium bear a strong resemblance to the second version of the Gant Manuscript within the Ceris Archive and it appears to have been written by the same hand. Certain phrases are common between the two books, further pointing to both similar authorship and date of origin.

However, deeper investigation leads me to suspect that the insignium is a clever forgery.

I mentioned previously that all but one of the Chapters that can be seen in the insignium are known to be from the 2nd Founding. The one exception is the Accusers Chapter. There are no other records of such a Chapter ever existing - no Chapter listings in any of the versions of the Codex Astartes or other insigniums include the Accusers, nor are any Chapters known to have used the livery portrayed for that Chapter in the insignium.

The entry implies that the Accusers were created from the Ultramarines Legion, making them one of the Primogenitor ("First Born") Chapters. This is supported by several phrases most often used to indicate the various Primogenitors, including:

+  "true son of Macragge" (indicating that the Chapter Master was born on Macragge)

+  "disciple of the Primarch's teachings" (indicating that the Chapter Master was fully indoctrinated in the Codex Astartes)

Though records are scant, I found records of three members of the Adeptus Astartes named "Megaeros" from the time of the Great Crusade. There was a Commander Megaeros of the Ultramarines Legion, but the limited records we have indicate that he was killed in action during the Scouring, those records being the posthumous awarding of the Comminus Imperator. The other two were from other Legions (Sergeant Megaeros of the Iron Hands Legion is thought to have been killed during the drop site massacres on Isstvan V; and a Captain Megaeros is mentioned in the annals of the Alpha Legion, though his fate is unknown).

Of the ships named in the text, there are no records of the Ultramarines Legion operating a battle-barge named Indomitus; and the Guilliman's Charter belongs to a Chapter created during the 3rd Founding. Two of the strike cruisers, the Contus and Cruciare, fought under the flag of the XIIIth Legion. There are no records of an Ovatio Tonare belonging to the Ultramarines, but the Battle of Tonare was fought during the Scouring, so the vessel may have been either commissioned or re-named subsequent to that battle.

Since many records were lost during the reign of Goge Vandire, I also resorted to requesting from some of the Primogenitor Chapters any information they might have on a Chapter named the Accusers. Most of the Chapters didn’t even answer my appeal, including the Inceptors, Aurora Chapter, Novamarines, and Genesis Chapter. Only two of the Chapters responded: the Praetors of Orpheus and the Doom Eagles. Both of these Chapters provided curt answers that they had no records of such a Chapter ever having existed. Assuming these responses were accurate, the information contained in the Insignium Astartes Anguis appears to be highly suspect.

The lack of cooperation on the part of the Adeptus Astartes was expected, however, and I suggest that a visit to the Chapters in person might garner a response where an astropathic appeal failed. If you choose to pursue this, I recommend the Praetors of Orpheus and Ultramarines as they have proven to be the most approachable.

Another fact to consider is the existence of a servant of the Dark Powers colloquially known as "the Accuser." This being was first identified by the Praetors of Orpheus Chapter during the Nova Terra Interegnum, though there have been several reports of this individual since that time. Most recently, a combined Novamarines/Praetors of Orpheus force faced the Accuser during the Skilthras Wars early in this millennium. This fell warrior did not wear armor colored as the Accusers in the insignium, instead wearing armor of deep black. This warrior led a force comprised primarily of Alpha Legion Chaos Space Marines. Though the identity of this creature has never been identified, there is a strong possibility that he is the former Alpha Legion Captain Megaeros.

This codex has been labeled as the Insignium Astartes Anguis and is tentatively identified as a forgery pending further investigation.

I am at your disposal should you decide to appeal directly to the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes in this matter.

Sister Sarojini