The Xenarites are a secretive sect of Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus that seek to study and make use of xenos technology. The sect is considered Radical by the Inquisition and is under investigation. The Xenarites are broadly similar to the Inquisition's own Xenos Hybris.
The Xenarites are absolutely dedicated to the exploitation of alien technologies as discovered among various xenos artefacts for the benefit and advancement of Humanity. As this is an obvious violation of the tenets of the Cult Mechanicus, which finds all non-Human technologies to be blasphemies against the Machine God, the Xenarites operate covertly within the larger hierarchy of the Mechanicus. The Xenarites often arrange to dispatch members of their sect to investigate alien sites across the galaxy in the hope of being able to study or even retrieve artefacts of alien technology.
Such expeditions can often result in conflict with xenos who are not quite ready to give up their secrets or even with other, more Puritan Imperial forces, including Inquisitors and more orthodox Tech-priests determined to prevent the spread of heretical alien taint. As a result, such conflicts have resulted in a bad reputation for the Xenarites and has seen the sect move to cloak its activities in even deeper secrecy and to heavily defend its research sites from all interlopers.
History[]
During the Horus Heresy, the Forge World of Stygies VIII was assaulted by the forces of the Traitors in service to the Warmaster Horus. This vital outpost of the ancient Mechanicum was only saved from falling into the Warmaster's clutches due to the unexpected aid of the Craftworld Aeldari, who had no desire to see the forces of Chaos strengthened by the addition of Stygies VIII's economic power.
This xenos intervention led to the birth of the Xenarite sect, whose Tech-priests believed that alien species did have technologies and knowledge that could prove beneficial to Mankind. The Xenarite sect initially established themselves in the forge city of Vulcanis, and Stygies VIII has remained a major centre of Xenarite activity and influence into the 41st Millennium.
Of course, the Xenarites' beliefs, so contrary to both the teachings of the Imperial Creed and the Cult Mechanicus, brought them into conflict with both the Inquisition and the orthodox Mechanicus Tech-priests, who soon drove the sect and its practices deep underground.
It is known that Inquisitor Kessel once stopped a group of Xenarites from activating an Asuryani Wraithlord construct by mustering a force of Mechanicus Skitarii which included his future Acolyte Logan Storm.
Notable Xenarites[]
- Epsilus Dammek-Yoth - Dammek-Yoth was an Arch-heretek and Xenarite from the Forge World of Stygies VIII, once greatly respected for their research on the Necron menace, who infiltrated the Ark Mechanicus Caestus Metalican, when Magos Dominus Faustinius took command of it and led an expedition to the Necron Tomb World of Silva Tenebris. Once the Explorators established a foothold on the stasis crypts of Silva Tenebris and the Necrons began to awaken from the Great Sleep, Epsilus used Tech-priests in the crew of the Ark Mechanicus that they had already corrupted to stage an uprising aboard the Caestus Metalican, in order to claim the Necrons' xenotech - and especially the knowledge of biotransferance - for their own.
- Scaevola - Like Epsilus Dammek-Yoth, Scaevola is a Xenarite Tech-priest from Stygies VIII who travelled aboard the Ark Mechanicus Caestus Metalican to Silva Tenebris in order to claim Necron technology. Unlike the Arch-heretek, however, Scaevola is a magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus in good standing, and openly joined Magos Dominus Faustinius' command staff in the role of Tech-acquisitor. She was in charge of understanding the Tomb World's bizarre technosorceries, and advising Faustinius on how best to exploit, study and appropriate them, while choosing the best relics and most useful information to be sent back to Stygies VIII. This role frequently saw Scaevola clash with Faustinius' fellow advisor Lector-Dogmatis Videx of Metalica, who was there to encourage the Battle-Congregation's hatred and contempt of the alien and all their works. Where Scaevola saw priceless knowledge that could advance Humanity's understanding by millennia, Videx beheld nothing more than heretical xenos blasphemy fit only for destruction.
- Callias Rhoda - Rhoda is a Xenarite Tech-priest from Stygies VIII who is a close peer with Magos Dominus Hyperion Ismene Themis IV. When Rhoda learned that Themis was journeying to the world of Tarnagua in the Sabbat Worlds sector to search for ancient weapons and wargear once wielded by the forces of Chaos during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade based on the records of that conflict kept by Mechanicus Adept Romulus Gwelt, he gave the magos two Kastelan Robots, Axiom-88 and Rhombus-4, led by the Cybernetica Datasmith Galenos, to aid him, which Hyperion gratefully accepted. However, the Xenarite is still Galenos's master, and any data that Hyperion discovered on Tarnagua was secretly transmitted by the Datasmith back to Rhoda.
- Hieronomus Tezla - Tezla was a Tech-priest native to the Forge World of Stygies VIII who was trained as a Rune-priest. Rune-priests specialised in perhaps the most arcane branch of scientific lore that was often frowned upon by the more mainstream branches of the Adeptus Mechanicus, a discipline known as "intuitive mechanics," which was the technical name for speculation and improvisation. Tezla excelled in these areas and was recruited into the ranks of the Xenarites native to Stygies VIII before his training was even completed. Tezla rapidly became an important member of their sect, showing a natural talent for locating and studying alien artefacts, and an an unusually inquisitive disposition for a servant of the Omnissiah. His examination of a crashed Fra'al spacecraft in the Tamahl Sector and his subsequent etheric-plasma theorums won him great renown amongst his peers. Similarly, his studies of Ork power field generators on the world of Polaris are considered to be the authoritative texts on the subject. Recently Tezla's interests were drawn to the Aeldari Maiden Worlds of the Halubra Fringe. He was last heard from while leading a heavily armed force of servitors to the moon of Eldrathon IV where he hoped to discover a buried Aeldari Warp Gate. He has also since become a Manipulus, a type of Tech-priest who is capable of storing and manipulating the energies of the Motive Force.
Sources[]
- The Inquisition (Background Book), pp. 22, 83-84, 94
- Kill Team: Gamma-Zhul-881 (Specialty Game), "Gamma-Zhul-881"
- Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus - Heretek DLC: Mission 1 (Video Game)
- White Dwarf Weekly 85 (2015), "Regiments of Renown"
- White Dwarf 261 (UK), pp. 65, 85
- White Dwarf 265 (UK), pg. 102