1. Locations

The Emperor's Song

Tributary World Void Station Research Station
Cyclopia in Askellon Sector

“Such majestic beauty...the work of thousands of sculptors...all wasted on blind Astropaths and joyless Tech-Priests who will never appreciate it!”

–Rogue Trader Saorise Romalla, upon her first visit to the station

Shining in the darkness of Askellon is the Astronomican Relay Station The Emperor’s Song. This mighty fortress has been a fixture of the Cyclopia Sub-Sector for over four thousand years, established in a past age to enhance the Emperor’s Light in this troubled area of space. While Askellon is within the range of the Astronomican, the presence of the Pandaemonium and other unstable Warp fields hampers the strength of the ætheric beacon. The Emperor’s Song aids in overcoming these hazards to allow for fewer dangers in Askellian Warp travel.

Construction on the station began when the Navis Nobilite realised that seemingly malevolent pulses from the Pandaemonium caused a number of vessels to end up wildly off course (with some vanishing altogether). Growing the wealth and importance of Askellon required stable travel, and the only way to ensure this was to establish a relay station that could amplify the strength of the Emperor’s Holy Light. The Navigator Houses in Askellon approached the  Adeptus Astra Telepathica and began negotiations to create the relay station.

As is often the case within the Imperium, the plans to create this station met with many delays and bureaucratic hold ups, taking nearly three decades to move forward. Debates raged on everything from the shape of the station to the materials that would be used; these delays caused a number of ships to be lost and eventually the Adeptus Administratum overruled all and The Emperor’s Song became a reality.

A Shining Jewel In the Night

The purpose of The Emperor’s Song is for its hosted Astropathic Choir to strengthen the Astronomican's beacon throughout the darkness of Askellon. By combining their talents, these initiates boost the signal emanating from Holy Terra and ensure that it reaches as much of the sector as possible. The many psykers stationed on the Song are members of the Choir, learning how to use their powers and discovering what a great gift their abilities are for the Imperium. A triumvirate of Chosen, members of the full Astronomican, aid and amplify the abilities of the psykers and oversee their day-to-day care. These specially selected individuals view this service as another step on their eventual path to serving on Terra in
the Chamber of the Astronomican.

Over five thousand psykers serve on the station, with roughly a thousand at any given time devoting all their energy to boosting the signal of the Astronomican. The remainder of the psykers see to the everyday operation of the station and spend their time in prayer and contemplation, preparing for their turn among the chorus. While not nearly as intensive as serving in the true Chamber of the Astronomican on Terra, the mental fortitude required to boost the signal in Askellon is still quite significant. Many psykers perish every month due to the psychic strain, and the Adeptus Astra Telepathica regularly supplies the station with fresh recruits.

Running the station is the Council of the Song. Composed of five individuals of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, it oversees operations and coordinates with the station’s Adeptus Mechanicus presence for repairs and other needed work. The Council consists of Baul Illur, Nagama Pradaam, Cator Sevill, Errol Dreil, and Greil Samak. Samak is the High Illumaster of the council, selected by his regional superiors on Juno to run the station. Greil Samak is something of an anomaly among his peers in the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. Where most members of the prestigious order care only for service, Greil has deeper ambitions—he wants to rise in power and control as much as possible of the order and the power they wield. His placement here on the fringe at The Emperor’s Song is a setback to the ambitious man, and he is convinced that rivals higher up in the order had him sent here to remove him from influence on Terra. Taking the placement in stride, though, the master Astropath is convinced that he can win favour from the many Rogue Traders and other movers and shakers here in Askellon. He has worked closely with Magos Sigmun Lornan, leader of the station’s Machine Cult, to form a strong bond between his supporters and the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is only a matter of time before this relationship pays off.

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The Choir

The power of the Choir resonates throughout the station and the surrounding space. Such directed power of the Astronomican produces a physical manifestation—for those who are unfamiliar with the power—in the form of a constant hum or buzzing behind the eyes of anyone walking the halls. For psykers who travel to the station, the buzz is gone, replaced by majestic singing and an unearthly cacophony that reaches deep into the core of their being. The psykers on the station have trained for years to block out the song of their brethren; if they did not do so, they would be driven mad by the constant sounds.

Throughout the Cyclopia Sub-Sector, travellers speak of a sense of calm and comfort they feel when passing through the area. In fact, the worlds nearest to the station have unusually low occurrences of heresy and violence. The Ecclesiarchy is quick to spread the word of these “miracles of the Emperor,” though Askellian Tech-Priests claim it is purely anecdotal evidence and not based on any fact. There have been reports that this inner peace is detrimental to the Imperium, however, as tithes from within the sub-sector to the Astra Militarum have lessened in quality. Some military commanders leading wars in this region consider the station a bad omen for such reasons, despite that it basks in the Emperor’s Holy Light.

Over the centuries, a number of Imperial Agents have attempted to investigate tales of strange happenings within and without the station, including unsettling voices on secure vox channels, unholy ichors dripping from ventilation outlets, and even mysterious runes appearing on the outside of viewing portals. On all occasions, Samak has resisted these agents with great zeal, stating that his Astropaths are entirely too precious for outsiders to disrupt their daily actions. Though most of these stories are dismissed as taproom claptrap, many believe things are not right on board the Song, and more individuals are beginning to take notice of these reports.

April 1st, 2023