Whispers from the Warp, pt 2

Kay has investigated the ghostly signals.

She concludes (as much as one can conclude regarding Warp-related phenomena) that the Eternal Lament has acquired a "ghost," the spirit of a dead person that refuses to leave. While it has some things in common with a daemon, it's not quite the same. Daemons are of the other side, this is a spirit from this world.

Kay also thinks there may actually be more than one spirit haunting the ship, but doesn't have any concrete proof of that.

Whispers from the Warp, pt 1

Several times during the trip to Dusk, Barotta has received a radio broadcast or seen a flicker of a face on a shipboard monitor. And he's no longer the only one. Several Astartes, a few daughters, and crewmembers report the same. Always the same voice, and in the rare cases where there is an image feed, the same face: Lt. Gomez.

At best it's only a warp echo, but it could also be daemonic forces at play. These things can happen on a ship under Warp drive, even with the Gellar field intact. If only Barotta had a psyker or sorcerer or some such, then it could perhaps be dealt with. For now, it's best to just ignore it.

Samus - Lord of the Ruinstorm

Samus is a name that's been whispered in fear for eons. It is the name of a daemon prince that took a particular interest in the Astartes, ever since the Luna Wolves unwittingly released it from captivity during the Great Crusade. It fought Astartes on several occasions, but due to its 'kill or be killed' attitude, it was always banished back to the Warp, albeit at significant cost in lives. After the end of the Horus Heresy, Samus faded back into obscurity, but he was never gone.

Samus has gained in prominence of late, in no small part due to the shrines erected in his honor by the Deacons of the Word. He is less likely to personally manifest in the Materium, but has been known to send his emissaries to possess mortals, sometimes for prolonged periods. Why he has gone from rampaging monster to insidious manipulator only the True Gods know, but perhaps he was grown more potent over the millennia, and gained in wisdom also.

The Children of Samus is a cult of wyrds, assassins, and other ner-do-wells that some say follow the daemon prince like they would a God.

Balphomael - the Horned Darkness

The Horned Darkness, sometimes called Balphomael, other times by different names, is a daemonic entity of immeasurable potency that has lurked in the shadows of the Calixis since long before the Angevin Crusade. It was ever the foe of the Ordo Herticus, who time and again would uncover a cult or coven, stomp it out, only to find two more had taken its place.

Balphomael is the quintessential dark prince, a power broker without peer, a liar and manipulator - and if needed, a ruthless killer. But first and foremost, the Horned Darkness craves worship and obeisance and sacrifice in the fashion of a God. In return, it grants its worshippers fell powers and unnatural long life.

Seemingly owing no direct fealty or allegiance to any other of its kind, the Horned Darkness is something greater than even the mightiest of daemon princes. Perhaps, as some members of the Ordo Calxisi believed, it is a minor Chaos God. Although, as its power is focused only in a relatively small area, it may be nearly as mighty as the Four within Calixis and surrounding areas.

Some claim that Balphomael's heavenly abode is the Screaming Vortex (it is but one of many myths regarding the 'true' nature of the Vortex). One day, soon, the Vortex will open, and the Horned Darkness will be unleashed upon the galaxy. His followers will be raised up to daemonhood, and together they will remake all of the Materium and Immaterium (sounds unlikely).

Since time immemorial, the Horned Darkness has attracted the ire of Malal, to the extent that Malal's champions (not that there are very many) will go out of their way to purge the followers of Balphomael. The reverse is not true: the Horned Darkness will hide or run, but it will not openly fight Malal.

For a time, the Prophet of Light was the enemy of the Horned Darkness, opposing it at every turn, and refusing to spread its gospel. After leaving Calixis, the Prophet seems to have put this enmity behind him, and Balphomael's brethren are allowed to set up their little shrines. According to some dark whispers, the Prophet has forced some sort of pact on Balphomael, and the Horned Darkness is bound to his will.