False Interpretation of the Namis Arkaid

Among the items recovered from the fortress of Inquisitor Lerneaus was a sheet with a few brief notes on it. The scrap of paper was entrusted into the care of Inquisitor Lord Naukara, who transferred it to the Order of the Sacred Oath on Holy Terra for evaluation.

+++ Date: 2006791/M38

+++ Ref: OM/32099147/ED

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

+++ To: Inquisitor Lord Naukara

+++ Re: Inquisitor Lerneaus

+++ Thought: The strong are strongest alone

Inquisitor Lord,

The document you forwarded has been evaluated as you instructed. This document is a passage from the "Namis Arkaid" which is an obscure epic poem originating from the Memnos system in the Segmentum Obscurus.

The Memnos system was brought back into the light of the Imperium in M35 by the Imperial Fists Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, who discovered a lost pocket of humanity upon a world that had been obscured by intermittent Warp storms. As the inhabitants of the system were brought into compliance with the Imperium and the Imperial Cult, this epic poem was studied. As far as could be determined, the humans upon Memnos V were the remnants of a colony pre-dating the Wars of Unification. In the thousands of years that they had been separated from the rest of the species their culture and technology had debased to pre-industrial levels. Situated near the Eye of Terror, the population suffered minor levels of mutation and were frequently attacked by the nightmarish denizens of that region of space. The more egregious strains of mutation were culled when the population was brought into compliance, though the percentage of psykers was higher than normal and was sufficient to provide for the needs of the Emperor. When the Dominion of Fire took place, the forces of the Great Enemy overran the world. Those that weren't destroyed were enslaved and worship of the Dark Powers spread. The world was later cleansed in the aftermath of the Dominion of Fire and is no longer habitable.

The "Namis Arkaid" was said to be an epic poem re-telling the key events of one of the many wars against the Dark Born (which appear to have been some form of Chaos servants). In this poem the world is attacked by the warriors of the Dark Born, only to be rescued by the intervention of the "son of Meleus" who is described as a champion from the stars. This poem is thought by most Imperial scholars to be either epic myth or a form of prophecy. The latter seems more likely as the Imperial Fists recorded significant battles against renegades in recovering Memnos.

The version of the poem that Inquisitor Lerneaus studied was the Calmain translation of M37. This translation was not well-received by most Imperial scholars. One of the most interesting elements of this translation, though, was that the scribe Calmain wrote both the original and translated forms side-by-side. In this, he inspired the later Arkues and Fitzimoor translations (the former considered the definitive translation). The passage in question is translated somewhat differently in both the Arkues and Fitzimoor translations, so the use of the Calmain translation by Lerneaus was deliberate as it allowed for certain alternative interpretations that may have supported the renegade's objectives.

If Inquisitor Lerneaus' notes are interpreted correctly, he speculated that the poem was actually a documentation of the involvement of the Accusers. That line of speculation seems highly unlikely, though, as even the elements that he uses to support it are inconsistent with the known facts.

If we assume that the Megaeros in question was Chapter Master Megaeros of the Ultramarines Legion, whether or not the description of him as the "Son of Meleus" is unknown as the records of that ancient Space Marine have been lost to time. Meleus itself is a name that occasionally appears in Macraggian male citizens, though, its use is very rare and it is considered archaic. Similarly, the parentage of the Great Crusade era Space Marines named Meleus (from the Iron Hands and Alpha Legion) is also unknown. It is interesting to note that the name Meleus was known to be used in the Iron Warriors Legion, with at least two battle-brothers of that legion bearing the name. Likewise, "Champion of Terre" would seem to imply someone that was from Holy Terra or fought at the great Siege of Terra during the Horus Heresy. Regardless, we can't specifically tie a "Son of Meleus" to any specific legion or individual Space Marine.

The reference to a "champion of Terre" and "fabled Sol's war-like child" is also interesting as it implies that the individual to whom it refers was based at Holy Terra (likely the Imperial Fists Legion, the Adeptus Custodes, or perhaps an older member of one of the legions pre-dating the re-discovery of the Primarch of that legion). Alternately, it could be one of the heroes of the Siege of Terra (again, the Imperial Fists Legion, though the Blood Angels and White Scars Legions also fought at that great and terrible event). Neither the Ultramarines nor Iron Hands Legions were present at that battle.

A more sinister interpretation might be that the Namis Arkaid is actually describing traitor Space Marines, twisting the views of a "champion of Terre" to a renegade. This might explain the higher levels of mutation that were discovered upon that world when the Imperial Fists Chapter finally brought it into compliance.

Regardless, the singular lack of any records on a Chapter named "Accusers" and wholly speculative nature of Inquisitor Lerneaus' notes serve to completely undermine his arguments. The only other documentation the Order has for that Chapter is the Insignium Astartes Anguis, though that has by this time been proven to be a forgery. Based upon the proof of Inquisitor Lerneaus' subornment by the Alpha Legion, this fragment would appear to be an example of his efforts to plant seeds about the existence of the Accusers Chapter in preparation for some plot by the traitor Legion.

The fragment of the Namis Arkaid has been placed in the Telemus Archive under guard by Sisters of the Order of the Argent Shroud.

Sister Sarojini