| abstract
| - For many long centuries, the Explorator Fleet of Magos Paracelsus Thule has pushed as far beyond the boundaries of the Imperium as possible, never content with those places already under the Emperor’s rule. It is very likely they voyaged into the Koronus Expanse secretly long before Purity Lathimon discovered the Koronus Passage. The scarcity of contact with the Disciples of Thule makes it difficult to confirm anything of their movements, and the Mechanicus within the Calixis Sector states that Thule’s fleet did not venture into the Expanse before the Maw was discovered. Quite how this is possible is unknown; while rumours and legends of the Koronus Passage have existed for several millennia, since Explorators and Rogue Traders first mapped what has since become the Calixis Sector, Thule’s Explorators have only rarely been seen entering it from either side, leading many to suspect that the Magos and his closest followers know of other, secret routes through the Great Warp Storms. This alone has resulted in more than a few clashes between Rogue Traders and the Adeptus Mechanicus as the former have attempted to wrest these secrets from the Explorators. Thule’s fleet has not existed as a single coherent entity since the fourth century M41, and his followers are united more out of a sense of common philosophy and collective respect for their nominal leader. Many of the smaller fleets that identify themselves as Disciples of Thule are led by Magi who studied under Thule himself at some earlier point in their careers. Others simply have adopted Thule’s philosophies -- for his views are ones commonly and often controversially aired amongst the Tech-Priests of the Calixis Sector and surrounding regions -- but bear no specific connection to him. In any case, few who identify themselves as Disciples of Thule are ever seen in Port Wander or the Calixis Sector more than once a decade, and some who have been encountered in the Expanse have not returned to Imperial Space in over seventy years. The latter group -- those who follow Thule’s example, rather than the man himself -- are becoming increasingly common with each decade that passes. The last time that Paracelsus Thule was seen in Imperial space was upon Port Wander, nearly two centuries ago. While rumoured sightings of his flagship (a non-standard cruiser-class vessel known as the Revelation) within the Expanse are numerous, nobody seems able to confirm where he is, or even if he is still alive. With adherents to his philosophy swiftly becoming the majority within the Disciples of Thule, even those who follow him have little idea as to his location or his fate. Amidst all the rumour and speculation, stands one man -- Mortigen Hale. One of Thule’s oldest students and a prominent member of the Disciples of Thule, Hale claims to know for certain that his old mentor is still alive. More importantly, he claims to know his location. Hale recently returned to the Calixis Sector to repair and resupply, and brings with him news of Paracelsus Thule’s greatest triumph -- the supposed discovery of an intact STC database, deep within the Koronus Expanse. Thule, Hale claims, has spent the last few decades unlocking its secrets and will soon return with the knowledge he has discovered. The uproar this claim has caused is considerable, with many condemning Thule of heresy for presuming to delve so deeply into sacred STC lore. Others claim that Thule and his followers are all insane, tainted by long exposure to the wilderness of the Expanse, and that this talk of an intact STC database is nonsense. A few say that perhaps Thule’s followers have found something far worse, something vile and destructive beyond the imaginations of men. Thule himself is not present to answer these accusations, and his last words before departing into the Koronus Expanse in the 7th century M41 provide little in the way of understanding as to what he sought: “I am driven to seek it, this ageless artifice. It is power and knowledge beyond any I have encountered, and it calls to me more strongly than anything I have ever known.” The most recent rumours of his whereabouts say that his flagship is twisted and deformed, a mockery of its former glory. This does not bode well for Thule, if he even still lives to command the Revelation.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)