944.M30.
Kingdom of Disorder, Third Layer Space.
Nareth picked up the Dice of Prophecy. "Should I divine Blackstone IV, or the artifacts to control it, the Hand of Darkness or the Eye of Night?"
He had decided that this divination would serve to prepare for the attack on the Coronid New Zone during the Heresy.
His divination target revolved around the Blackstone Fortress.
The Blackstone Fortress is named by the Aeldari as the Talisman of Vaul, after their god of smiths, Vaul.
Legend says it existed during the ancient species' brutal war, the War in Heaven.
In Nareth's memory, the first Blackstone Fortress was originally discovered in the late 31st Millennium.
He could afford to discover it after the Heresy.
But he faced a threat: In his memory, after the Isstvan system campaign, Horus launched an attack on the Cyclops Cluster.
As it happens, the future Imperial-designated Blackstone IV was located within the Cyclops Cluster, in the Rebo system.
Nareth reasoned that even if his forces were at a disadvantage, the sudden appearance of Blackstone IV during a rebel attack could turn the tide of battle.
Securing control of a Blackstone Fortress in advance would allow him to support the defense of the Cyclops Cluster and even the entire Coronid New Zone.
Unlike the Ramilles-class Starfort, which cannot be moved after deployment and can only defend crucial systems, the Blackstone Fortress possesses a degree of mobility.
Controlling a Blackstone Fortress' movement requires two ancient xenos artifacts, the Hand of Darkness and the Eye of Night.
After the Imperium discovered six Blackstone Fortresses in the Gothic Sector, they could not comprehend the technology within.
After a long period of study, the Mechanicus only managed to crack their power systems.
Though their progress was limited, they were able to tap into the power source, installing extensive weapon systems and defensive equipment to use them as naval bases.
Even with such crude utilization, no enemy of the Imperium could stand against a Blackstone Fortress in a direct firepower duel.
Their defensive capabilities far surpassed most of the seventeen naval bases in the Gothic Sector, rivaled only by the sector's primary naval base, Port Deep.
In the 40th Millennium, Abaddon learned the secrets of the two artifacts and the Blackstone Fortresses from Moriana, one of the four founders of the Inquisition and a fallen Chaos prophet.
He launched the 12th Black Crusade, the Gothic War, in the 41st Millennium to seize the Blackstone Fortresses.
A flicker passed through Nareth's eyes at the thought.
"After the Coronid New Zone is secured, it will become the future Gothic Sector."
"Besides Blackstone IV in the Cyclops Cluster, the remaining five are also within my domain."
"Though not yet discovered, they are mine. Don't even think about them, Abaddon."
Nareth turned the triangular prism in his hand. Although he knew the Blackstone Fortress was in the Cyclops Cluster, the vastness of space meant he didn't know the exact location of the Rebo system.
The Cyclops Cluster was not only a key area now but also in his memory, boasting over a hundred worlds rich in mineral resources like Lascall, making it the first developed region of the Coronid New Zone.
Horus, coveting the Cyclops Cluster's industrial output, struck directly at this star region after launching his rebellion.
Even with the Cyclops Cluster's rapid development, Blackstone IV remained undiscovered before the Heresy.
After the Rangdan War, Chapter Master Flamini of the Sixth vigorously developed the Cyclops Cluster, but even he hadn't been lucky enough to find Blackstone IV.
Nareth speculated that the Blackstone Fortress was located in a remote, difficult-to-navigate area of the cluster, which was why it had remained undiscovered.
In fact, the star regions explored and worlds colonized by the Imperium of Man are far fewer than the number of worlds within Imperial bounds.
Countless planets have never been found, the Cyclops Cluster included.
To discover it early, he still needed the Dice of Prophecy.
"First, divine Blackstone IV. I can send Ramires, an expert on starforts, to study it."
"As for the Hand of Darkness or the Eye of Night, obtaining either would grant remote control over the Blackstone Fortress directly."
"All the Blackstone Fortresses are within my domain, but that might not be the case for the Purgatory or Ornsworld. I'll divine the Hand of Darkness first."
Having made his decision, Nareth sifted through the information he knew about the Purgatory in his mind.
'The Purgatory holds an Aeldari artifact, the Hand of Darkness.'
'The Hand of Darkness is an xenos artifact used to control the Blackstone Fortresses.'
'...'
All the information Nareth knew about the Purgatory pertained to the Hand of Darkness. He knew nothing else about the planet.
After the details about the Purgatory flashed through his mind, he silently intoned:
'The star chart from the Kalium Gate to the Purgatory.'
'...'
After intoning it eleven times, he tossed the Dice of Prophecy.
The moment the triangular prism left his hand, it began to spin as if entangled by threads, far more slowly than previous divinations involving Uniqueness offerings or other events that increased the Dice's cooldown time.
Nareth frowned slightly. "Kingdom of Disorder can isolate interference from gods like the Four. Divination with the Dice should not be affected by external forces."
"The current situation suggests the target of the divination is on a level equivalent to a high-ranking existence."
"The Purgatory itself might not be that exceptional; the key is probably still the Hand of Darkness."
The Dice of Prophecy ascended noticeably slower than it had for fragments of Be'lakor, like the Blade of Shadows.
"The Hand of Darkness is actually more significant than Be'lakor's fragments!"
The triangular prism climbed slowly, but stopped just as it seemed to pass its apex.
Nareth moved his mind. Black mist churned and surged towards the triangular prism.
The stalled prism began to tumble.
It spun upward like a pinwheel, but its speed continued to decrease, though it successfully reached its peak.
The triangular prism rotated downwards, finally falling gently into his open palm.
Nareth looked at the star chart laid out before him like a holographic projection, a smile touching his lips.
"Though it's in the Segmentum Obscurus, it's indeed not within my domain."
"I suppose this is, first, steal from the father, then steal from the son. First, Horus's Aureus, and now Abaddon's Hand of Darkness."
"Abaddon, that artifact of yours is mine."
After this amused remark, he turned the now dim, lusterless triangular prism in his hand.
"The cost isn't small. The Dice of Prophecy's cooldown time will increase again, considerably."
Muttering to himself, Nareth gently set the prism down.
He stepped into the fourth layer of space.
Seated on his throne, Nareth extended his spirituality, touching the orbs of Lord Flamini, the "Winner," of the Sixth Chapter, and William Wood, the "Marionettist," of the Twelfth Chapter.
Through the subtle connection, he sent the known information about the Purgatory to their orbs and commanded them to perform divinations.
The state of the Dice of Prophecy had already made him understand that obtaining the Hand of Darkness from the Purgatory would not be easy.
Nareth then returned to the real world and, through their mental link, commanded John, also a "Winner," to perform a divination.
The "Winner," in his cramped quarters filled with crystal balls, Tarot cards, and pendulums, grabbed parchment and a quill, wrote swiftly, then leaned against his bed.
The obsidian eyes of the gyrinx, sharing a soul-bond with its owner, grew blurry.
Within the illusory vision, grey-white rivers flowed across a blood-red landscape.
The image shattered.
Through the mental link, Nareth saw the revelation received by the "Winner."
He frowned slightly. The divination had yielded little information.
Moments later, Nareth returned to the Kingdom of Disorder, extending his spirituality to receive feedback from Flamini and William's prayers.
The "Winner" had glimpsed a blood-red scarecrow walking across a blood-red land.
The "Marionettist" had divined a monkey-shaped creature herding a flock of sheep.
A gleam flashed in Nareth's eyes. The blood-red scarecrow and the monkey-shaped herdsman were the main ingredients for the Hanged Man Pathway's Sequence 5, "Shepherd" potion.
He thought briefly, then issued orders, mobilizing the First Chapter, "Judges" capable of capturing large quantities of potion materials, and the Tenth Chapter, focused on the Hanged Man Pathway, to head for the Purgatory.
....
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