+++ INQUISITORIAL FILE 67B +++
+++ TREATISE ON LORD SAKARBAALS WARBAND +++
+++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT THE DESIRE FOR CHOICE IN LIFE, FOR CHOICE INVITES HERESY +++
Brothers,
In the Emperor's name I humbly submit this work so that future generations may be better armed with knowledge to resist the treasonous forces of Lord Sakarbaal of the Emperor's Children.
Lord Sakarbaal himself I believe to be one of the original members of that accursed Legion. Records, fragmentary as they may be, indite him as the warlord who took two entire hives on the EuroAtlantik continental shelf during the dark days of the Siege of Terra ten thousand years ago. Like the rest of his Legion he took part in the poorly understood Slave War between the treasonous forces following their defeat during the Horus Heresy. He has been encountered as part of various large Chaos forces since, usually in a high ranking role if not leading the crusade outright. Unlike other Emperor's Children warbands Sakarbaal's force has largely maintained their pre-heresy structure and discipline. They are fanatical devotees to the chaos entity known as Slaanesh, which may seem antithetical to the skill and discipline that Sakarbaal's contingent has exhibited in repeated campaigns against the Imperium.
This is the main subject of my treatise, and what makes this force such an abomination in the eyes of the Emperor. As stated in my previous work on the known dispositions of this Chaos war fleet, only the flagship bears a contingent of chaos space marines (anywhere from 2-5 thousand have been approximated, our sources are not clear). The rest of the fleet are crewed by un-enhanced humans. Initially the Holy and Righteous Inquisition believed these to be slaves or thralls as is the case with other traitor legions and renegade Astartes. However, interrogation of prisoners from the Silesian campaign reveal this not to be the case. The overwhelming majority of Sakarbaal's forces are WILLING servants of Slaanesh, who are fanatically devoted to their master and show no hesitation to fight to the last. That deity embodies lust, excess, and pleasure (indeed, those things are present in abundance: our intelligence suggests that each ship is a floating palace, and every Astartes member of Sakarbaal's retinue possesses a large harem, their master earned his epithet "the carnal" for the sheer size of his own). But Slaanesh also embodies the desire for adulation: which I believe to be the most powerful motivator amongst this brood of traitors. As shocking as it may seem, there is a strong element of democracy in this warhost. It appears as though aboard each ship there is a democratic assembly of all the crew members that elects a pair of leaders for each vessel. These leaders in turn appoint the ships captain and all of the officers, and the results of these elections are generally supported and respected by the Astartes aboard the battle barge. The lust for popular support and the votes of the masses brings the favor of the Prince of Pleasure to this fleet, and worlds conquered by Sakarbaal are set up in a similar fashion. By giving the people a voice in their day to day lives, this sinister warmaster not only gains their fanatical loyalty (as he "freed" them from the shackles of the imperium) he also damns their souls to Slaanesh, as the great among them are forever thirsty for the adoration of their peers. Worlds that fall to this warhost are extremely hard to retake as once the Slaaneshi have established control and enfranchised the lower classes the populace will fight to the last to prevent the return of Imperial rule.
Sakarbaal was last seen in M. 38, carving out an empire in the ring of former Eldar worlds near the Eye of Terror (an empire that to a large extent has not been reclaimed by Imperial forces). That sightings of this warfleet closer to vital Imperial system is a matter of great concern. I will publish more on Sakarbaal himself in my next report.
Inquisitor Flavius Tiberius Aetius
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