Innocence Proves Nothing

Ignatius Hawk favoured a psycannon, power sword and artificer armour when in battle. For a notoriously outspoken individual he was untypically secretive concerning his specific position within the power struggle between the Puritan and Radical factions that was presently consuming the Inquisition.

His usual comment was that, "An Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus should focus on erasing the daemon taint in mankind rather than pointless debate. Debate creates confusion amongst the weakminded by implying choice where none exists and that gifts aid to Chaos."

Although lauded by both factions rumour had it that he was secretly of the ultra radical Daemon Traitor faction. The ultra radicals were said by some to have moved so far from the traditional radical position that they were close to the puritan fundamental position. Others dared to whisper that a few of the ultra radicals were so little short of a complete grasp of chaos powers that they themselves were virually daemons with mortal frames whose aim was to destroy the Inquisition itself.

All this Hammerhand had heard through the whispered gossip the apprentices used to help whittle away time as they laboured on precision tasks in the manufactory temples of the Enginseers. He doubted any of this could help him now.

Despite his predicament Hammerhand found that his thirst for engineering insights allowed him to note that the Hawks psycannon was not of standard manufacture. Where had that come from he wondered?

Coolly he was pleased to note that his mind was still functioning reasonably normally as he was also able to consider what he should do. Should he, he wondered, confess immediately to some minor offence in the hope that this would get him out of the Hawks clutches rapidly, or should he keep quiet until he knew what this was about. His conscience was clean apart from some minor apprentice larks with some of his mates. He doubted he could have done anything to have draw the Hawks attention. Worryingly the old adage of the Inquistion kept flitting between his thoughts. Innocence Proves Nothing!

Enter the Hawk

At dawn Inquisitor Ignatius Hawk summoned Hammerhand the apprentice from his slumbers. Hawk was well known for allowing deviants a ritual defence of their weak minded works. Hawk knew that in pride men often spilled their secrets that otherwise they would defiantly carry into the cold of their grave.

Hammerhand that dawn knew his time had come too soon.

In appearance the Hawk upheld his name through his dazzling glare. More powerful men than Hammerhand had faded to spluttering traitors before Hawk's eyes. Otherwise Hawk had medium stature was spare framed with only slight a tendency to belly fat. But with powerfully muscular limbs Hawk had easily lopped appendages from more than his fair share of chaos deviants, tau lickspittles and weak minded fools that in his view threatened the Imperium.

When Hammerhand entered the chamber Hawk stood before the sole small window, almost blocking the sole source of light and air in the room. The sun's incandescent dawn blaze spilled around Hawk's spare frame outlining him in a dazzling mantle. In the gloom of the rest of the room Hammerhand made out a small table in the middle with a single low stool beside it.

"Sit." Snapped Hawk, stepping toward Hammerhand. An explosion of light filled the room as Hawk stepped forward. Blinded by flooding brightness Hammerhand fumbled his way to the stool and obediently sat.

Hull down Hammerhand firepower

Hammerhand Arrives

A bit about Hammerhand.

Hammerhand dreams. He trained as an apprentice Enginseer in the Imperial Foundries on Mars. He dreams and dreams. Some of his dreams are still of becoming an Enginseer. Following exactly and faithfully and honorably the blueprints of the Imperium. But some dreams are more troublesome. One dark night some bound tightly to his soul and have caused him no end of trouble.

You realise that sometimes he dreams of improvements to the war machines of the Imperium, including - yes, including deviation from the sacred perfection of the master plans. Naturally for the greater good. And yes just as naturally also for him. And, yes unfortunately, on a good-bad day he told his Enginseer Master of his dreams.

Hammerhand now wants to tell of his questions, his creations, his apprentice pieces, his master works and perhaps reveal his sources of inspiration.

Once shortly after he started his apprenticeship on Mars Hammerhand asked himself,

"What is the point of the armoured fist units of the imperial guard?"

"Not much use in close combat, and in terms of firepower a single squad of infantry with BS 3 aren't going to stop a charging squad of chaos deviants before they chop the grunts to bits. OK so the Chimera has reasonable armour stats with D3 multilaser and heavy bolter shots. Only the heavy bolter has decent stats. But if the grunts had a lascannon and sharpshooter skills and I enginseered the Chimera to mount an autocannon in the turret and twin linked heavy bolters on the hull that would give them a bit of shootyness"

Alas Hammerhand's works on the Chimera gained him demerits for failing to follow the Forgeworlds way.