Nemesis Tessera is an Ice World in the Eye of Terror, and the site of a top secret Inquisition fortress that is the most forward established Imperial position in Chaos-held territory.
The Nemesis System is relatively close to the Cadian Gate and includes at least one other barren planetoid as well as an inhospitable gas giant encircled by debris rings. Nemesis Tessera's slush-filled expanses are constantly churned by roving blizzards whose ice squalls obscure its distant star and prevent its faint light from reaching the surface.
Inquisition Fortress[]
The world became an Inquisition domain following the 1st Black Crusade, and a secret multi-level Inquisition facility was constructed, reportedly at the behest of the Emperor Himself. The base is located several kilometres below ground. Below the base proper are numerous dungeons and reliquaries housing captured Chaos artefacts and lore collected by Inquisition agents from throughout the Eye of Terror.
The facility is under the overall command of the Ordo Malleus and is protected by a well-hidden fleet of defence monitors, exotic Inquisition spacecraft, disguised civilian vessels and Space Marine (Grey Knights) Battle Barges. Perimeter security is provided by a full regiment of Waspica Allegiance Imperial Guard Storm Troopers while squads of Grey Knights (including Terminators) are tasked with internal security and with repelling any breaching actions. Due to its function and location, the whole facility is fortified with powerful psychic wards and maintains multiple hidden Purity Seals which serve as alarms in case of daemonic or Chaotic incursion.
Security Lapses[]
The Nemesis Tessera base's security has not been foolproof. It was breached in the late 41st Millennium by former High Inquisitor Bronislaw Czevak who repeatedly used a functioning Webway portal stored in one of its Reliquary Chambers to enter the facility for his own purposes.
13th Black Crusade[]
The Fortress World was the main target of the first phase of the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41. The Forces of Chaos committed an extraordinary amount of resources in a brutal campaign to capture the planet. Space battles were fought in the vicinity of the world, and a siege by a Traitor warfleet culminated in the deployment of millions of enemy troops and tons of materiel on Nemesis Tessera's surface.
However it appeared that after several days of relentless surface and orbital assault the fortress held fast, and the attacks were repulsed by the Inquisition's defenders. In the opinion of military observers, the Imperial defenders, assisted by the world's hostile environment and the Traitors' loss of naval superiority, would soon claim the lives of any surviving Traitors and Heretics on the planet's surface.
Notable Personnel[]
- Gamal Cyarro - Cyarro is an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus. Cyarro is famous for his tenacity in hunting and bringing to justice Renegade Space Marines of the now disbanded Relictors Chapter, which was the subject of an Inquisitorial Carta.
- Torquemada Coteaz - Torquemada Coteaz is an Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Malleus who gained his reputation for being a fearsome Daemonhunter through years of action against the Forces of Chaos. He is now known as the High Protector of the Formosa Sector. His base of operations is the Inquisitorial fortress of Nemesis Tessera.
Sources[]
- Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pp. 40, 56-57
- Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 45
- Dark Heresy: The Radical's Handbook (RPG), pg. 147
- The Inquisition: An Illustrated Guide, pg. 20
- The 13th Black Crusade (Background Book), pp. 24, 74
- Dark Adeptus (Novel) by Ben Counter
- Atlas Infernal (Novel) by Rob Sanders