Harrow'e'en on Ophatran Secundus - 2025

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 yearly arrival of the Emperor's Tithe Fleet. The people of Ophatran believe that horrifying and devious warp entities cling to the arriving voidships,  and that these malignant spirits  seek to  travel to the planet surface. The veil between the Empyrean and reality are thinnest on Harrow'e'en according to the citizens, so the Tithe Fleet arrival is a time of great peril. The Adeptus Ministorum has of course contemplated this interesting belief and decreed there to be no conflict with the Imperial Faith. The priesthood of the planet support it fully.”

  

 

 “The day preceding the docking of the first voidship is the most active as the populace prepares for the arrival. 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’. This parade is sponsored by the Order of the Ossuary, a sanctioned mendicant society of relic venerators. The most devout among them may be selected to personify a Spirit of the Warp, a symbolic representation of the fears of the populace.” 

 

 

 

 “Children that are able to recite their hymns of protection are allowed to wear bizarre and creative costumes. These wildly attired rapscallions spend the day roaming the streets seeking citizens for the procession to test. Anyone detained by the roaming children must stop and recite the proper prayers of protection to the nearest Sister of the Order Famulous.  Woe to the unprepared citizen who is surrounded by these enthusiastic imps and knows not their Harrow’e’en prayers!”

 

Harrow'e'en on Ophatran Secundus

 

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

The attentive reader has likely deduced that the citizens of Ophatran Secundus celebrate an unusually high number of holidays, some of which can be traced to the pre-industrial era of the planet, or even to Holy Terra. One such event is Harrow’e’en, celebrated in ancient times as a harvest festival and tied to primitive ideas about the nature of spirituality. Harrow’e’en now coincides with the traditional yearly arrival of the Emperor’s Tithe Fleet, and is celebrated a day before the first voidship docks with the orbital stations above Ophatran Secundus.”

The arrival of the interstellar voidships cause many  citizens of Ophatran Secundus great concern. The local Ministorum Preachers teach that the veil between the Empyrean and reality is at its thinnest on Harrow’e’en. Hostile warp entities are said to cling to the ships and make their way to the planet surface on this day. Pious citizens  practice reciting prayers and charms in the preceding weeks to protect themselves. They must put their warding phrases into practice if they happen to meet the ‘Spirit of the Warp’ and its attending procession as they go about their daily business.”

 

 

Within each neighborhood, a particularly pious citizen dresses in a fearsome ‘Spirit of the Warp’ costume, and is accompanied by members of the Adepta Sororitas. The Sisterhood round up and test citizens who happen to be outdoors, to make sure they can recite their prayers correctly. Successful recitations are awarded a purity seal, and those who have neglected their duties are taken to be chastised and re-educated. In some districts, children that successfully recite their prayers to the Spirit’s entourage  are awarded fanciful costumes and roam the streets, seeking out citizens for the procession to round up.”