Harrow'e'een on Ophatran Secundus - Spirits of the Warp

 

Excerpt from Esoteric Pilgrimage Destinations of the Gothic Sector, Volume 7, by Adept Matthias Laetorius.

"The Harrow'e'en celebration on Ophatran Secundus coincides with the traditional yearly arrival of the Emperor's Tithe Fleet. Although major functions begin a day before the first voidship docks with the orbital stations above the planet, there are several preparatory stages. The most important ritual observance, which sets the date of Harrow'e'en, is a confluence of officials from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the Navis Nobilite. The assembled adepts consult the planet's ancient orrery, and contact the fleet's chief astropath to pinpoint the imminent arrival."

 

 

 
"Once the arrival date has been formally announced by the Imperial Governor, and the Bells of Warning are sounded, the citizens of the capitol throng to the shrine district. The multitudes pass through the Crusader Gates and into the Ecclesiastic precinct. Crusaders stand in watchful vigil and priests find positions that carry their voices to the crowds. The people of Ophatran believe that vengeful and malignant warp entities cling to the voidships, and that the veil between the Empyrean and reality are thin on Harrow'e'en. The priests recite horrifying tales of these creatures of the Immaterium, and the prayers to combat them."

 

 

 

 

"The most exciting event, certainly from the perspective of the children, is the day preceding the docking of the first voidship. On this day, most of the citizens stay indoors, and those that venture out are likely to meet with a raucous procession led by ‘Spirits of the Warp’. Children that are able to recite their hymns are allowed to wear outlandish costumes, and they roam the streets seeking citizens for the procession to test.

 

Anyone targeted and detained by these roaming rapscallions must stop and recite the proper prayers of protection, or suffer chastisement from the Adepta Sororitas that accompany the procession.”

 

 

 

 

 

  

The Festival of Saint Christphorus - Compiled PDF

Last year I posted a slightly insane "Twelve Days of Christophorus" narrative focusing on the "Gretch" tradition of Ophatran Secundus.

A frequent request was to compile it together into a PDF, which I managed to do. I posted it up on DriveThruRPG as a free download.

Lots of photographs of Imperial citizenry and how I imagine a functioning out-of-the-way Imperial planet might be, without a looming invasion at all times.

PDF available here:
The-Festival-of-Saint-Christophorus

Relic Dealer and Kiosk - 40k

I built a bunch of 40k civilians when I had some free time, and I'll be working through them periodically. First up is another relic dealer, with a small kiosk.

The base model is a Reaper 'Clergy' figure, with some greenstuff, wire, a Bretonnian reliquary, and a servo from the devastator kit.

The kiosk is a combination of 3d printed parts, plastic bits from a Grey Knights kit, plasticard, and a track unit from an old Disney Atlantis toy.

The Festival of Christophorus - The Gretch Who Stole Christophorus

Excerpt from Esoteric Pilgrimage Destinations of the Gothic Sector, Volume 7, by Adept Matthias Laetorius.

"On the Eve of the Feast Day of Saint Christophorus, each precinct enacts the symbolic ritual of the ‘Gretch Who Stole Christophorus’. Sacred relics of Christophorus are taken from their shrines and given over to the costumed actor portraying the Gretch. The actor portraying the loathsome green monster makes a traditional display of the stolen relics, and leaves to find a hiding place. After thirty-nine and one half minutes pass, the precinct Ecclesiarch makes a show of investigating the reliquary, loudly declaring “Saint Christophorus's Day is ruined”. The eager children then race off to recover the 'stolen' relics."

"The children roam their district hunting for the hidden Gretch and his cache. Upon finding the nefarious character, they drive it away from the relics in a ferocious mock battle. The children are awarded special confections and printed tracts detailing the lives of Imperial Saints for their enthusiasm in recovering the relics. Although some claim that the Gretch tradition hails from ancient Terra, I have found through rigorous research that many millennia ago Ophatran Secundus was on the periphery of a large Orkish invasion, and it is my belief that the Gretch lives on as a cultural memory from that trying time.”

 

 

The Festival of Christophorus - The Vostroyan

Excerpt from Esoteric Pilgrimage Destinations of the Gothic Sector, Volume 7, by Adept Matthias Laetorius.

"The ninth day of the Festival of Christophorus is dedicated to the destruction of heretical and subversive writings. On this day, an archaic and fearsome device of unknown STC pattern, called ‘The Vostroyan’ by the locals, is stationed in the Plaza of Conviction.  The grim engine houses an incinerator, which serves to immolate any prohibited books hurled within. Common examples of such texts include anti-Imperial propaganda and xenologies which are too accurate in their portrayals. In the year I attended, there were an unusually high number of pro-mutant writings, which presaged a coming wave of conflict in the capitol.”

 

Disclaimer: Photoshop was used in the second image, I intended on using some LEDs inside but didn't have a bright enough setup- maybe in the future...

The Festival of Saint Christophorus

Excerpt from Esoteric Pilgrimage Destinations of the Gothic Sector, Volume 7, by Adept Matthias Laetorius.

"The rituals and observances associated with Saint Christophorus last twelve days, at least officially. However, centuries ago, the Ophatran Synod decreed that no relics may be sold, transferred, or bartered within the twelve day period honoring the patron Saint of the planet. As a result, the day preceding has become a boisterous market day in which hundreds of relics, books, and religious artifacts change hands. The multitudes of merchants and peddlers hawking their wares, many of dubious provenance, is a sight to behold- preferably from a balcony.”

 

Harrow'e'en on Ophatran Secundus

 

Excerpt from Esoteric Pilgrimage Destinations of the Gothic Sector, Volume 7, by Adept Matthias Laetorius.

"The Harrow'e'en celebration on Ophatran Secundus coincides with the traditional yearly arrival of the Emperor's Tithe Fleet. Although major functions begin a day before the first voidship docks with the orbital stations above the planet, there are several preparatory stages. The most important ritual observance, which sets the date of Harrow'e'en, is a confluence of officials from the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and the Navis Nobilite. The assembled adepts consult the planet's ancient orrery, and contact the fleet's chief astropath to pinpoint the imminent arrival.

Once the arrival date has been formally announced by the Imperial Governor, the citizens of the capitol throng to the shrine district. The multitudes pass through the Crusader Gates and into the Ecclesiastic precinct. Crusaders stand in watchful vigil and priests find positions that carry their voices to the crowds. The people of Ophatran believe that vengeful and malignant warp entities cling to the voidships, and that the veil between the Empyrean and reality are thin on Harrow'e'en. The priests recite horrifying tales of these creatures of the Immaterium, and the prayers to combat them.

 The most exciting event, certainly from the perspective of the children, is the day preceding the docking of the first voidship. On this day, most of the citizens stay indoors, and those that venture out are likely to meet with a procession led by a ‘Spirit of the Warp’. Children that are able to recite their hymns are allowed to wear outlandish costumes, and roam the streets seeking citizens for the procession to test. Anyone stopped by these roaming waifs must stop and recite the proper prayers of protection, or suffer admonishment from the Adepta Sororitas that accompany the procession.”

 

Relic Hunter Mendicants - New Additions

I've been slowly working on some more Black Crab / Meridian Miniatures offerings. Some of the newer ones don't fit the look of the 40K relic hunting beggars I've been working on for the last couple years (they have more of a Mordheim vibe, and I'll be getting to them). I singled out a few that seemed to work in the 40K setting.  The miniature with all the paper prayers is a 'witch' from Wilhlem Miniatures that I added in. She has a new face, courtesy of Statuesque.

Fluff text:

Excerpt from Esoteric Pilgrimage Destinations of the Gothic Sector, Volume 1, by Adept Matthias Laetorius.

"On occasion, in the more scared pilgrimage destinations, one may encounter high ranking adepts that have abandoned their important stations for the life of a pious mendicant. Sanctioned with a special indulgence by the Adeptus Ministorum, taking such a vow releases them from their former positions and allows them to serve the Emperor in new ways. Naturally this causes the Administratum a certain degree of consternation, and it is said that many a bloodline engineered by the Orders Famulous has been unexpectedly disrupted by noble pilgrims abandoning their duties due to sudden bursts of fervor and spiritual visions.”

The group is growing...