- "When you read my story, written within these pages, remember one thing; I never wanted any of this. All I wanted out of life was to serve the God Emperor, to make a family, to die in peace knowing I contributed to the Imperium. Instead I became what I feared the most; a heretic.""
- —The introduction to the books
One of the most heretical texts in existence, part of what makes Diaries Of A Heretic so unique is it's simplicity. It is not a tome detailing arcane knowledge, that can be used to bring forth demons. It is not a skin wrapped book revealing terrible truths of the world. It is not even the inscribed memories of a Traitor Astartes, detailing his and his brother's fall to Chaos. It is instead the story of an ordinary Imperial Citizen, his capture by Chaos forces, and the unbelievably bizarre and horrifying series of events that follow.
History
The first recorded discovery of a copy of Diaries Of A Heretic was by an inquisitor sorting though the personal library of a recently defeated Chaos sorcerer. The book stood out to them because, amongst the cursed tomes of flayed flesh written in virgin blood, it was made of parchment and standard administratum grade ink. As was standard for unknown texts, the inquisitor had a expendable servant read the text, and no adverse effects were had. Deciding the book was not important enough to study further, he placed it within his own collection, included it in his inquisitorial report, and moved on.
This scenario repeated numerous times, with the books being found in various places; such as cursed libraries, in the hands of cultists, any place that while connected to chaos, were not totally saturated by it. A connection only began to be made when two Inquisitors were comparing their strangest finds, and found that each had a copy of the book. Although the books were made of different materials, the tale told was the same, and the Inquisitors began to reach out to their fellows to see if they too had found copies.
Eventually a group of Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors came together to fully investigate the tale. They have tracked it across time and space, using all resources at their disposal, but have found little. The most important fact they have found is that the book is still being written; earliest copies only have twenty chapters, but now some are being found with excess of a hundred chapters. The author, whoever they are, has written of some events such as the 13th Black Crusade that help date the tale. They also, disturbingly, addressed a message directly to the Inquisitors investigating the book within chapter one hundred and three.
Summary
The tale begins during the late 41st millennium, on an unnamed Hive World and in an unnamed Hive City. The author describes themselves as a low raking Administratum clerk, unmarried and living alone. Reports and rumours of unrest begin to come from the underhive, but the true extent of the problem is revealed when cultists begin to fight their way up. The Hive City begins to fall apart, even with the arrival of Imperial Guard reinforcements, and the author eventually abandons his job when his office building is bombed. He instead wanderers as close to the fighting as he dares, observing the cultists using warp powers against the Imperial forces, and even summoning lesser Daemons. Finally the author and other civilians are evacuated to a bunker, which is sealed for ten weeks. When the doors finally open, it is by Chaos Space Marines, who claim the civilians as slaves.
The Author
The author rarely reveals personal information, and most of it comes from within the first few chapters. His name is never given, and after chapter three the author is known by others as "The Scribe". He worked as an Administratum clerk recording traffic in one the levels of the Hive City, and describes the work as "mind numbingly dull." They lived alone in a hab-block apartment, without wife or significant other, and during the cult uprising the hab-block where his parents live is destroyed, although it is unclear even to the author which side was responsible.
They have a keen grasp of both language and numbers; it is these skills that earns him his place within the Warband, becoming in charge of making sense of the Warband's hectic finances, and acting as a sort of chronicler for the narcissistic Chaos Lord leader. Further along the tale the author gain new skills; use of weapons such as las-pistols and knives, maintenance rites for numerous types of equipment, and some sorcerous knowledge.
There are numerous theories as to how the author has managed to survive so long. One obvious theory is that the tale is false, created as part of some unknown scheme. Another is that, while the author exists, the tale has been altered in some ways, perhaps to display Chaos in a more favourable light. A common theory is that the author is some kind of creation, either planted on the Hive World or created with false memories, manipulated both to survive and to tale their tale. Some suggest that the author is, unknown to both himself and most (if not all) around him, a partial blank.
Extracts
A collection of extracts from the Diaries.
- "Peering out the porthole I saw our destination. Hanging against a backdrop of chaotic colour was a massive structure, many times bigger than our own vessel. Hundreds of ship flew around it like moths flocking to a lumen globe. Huge windows gave off a twisting light, showing the cursed sigils and marks that adorned the hull. It was a slice of Hell, and I had not even entered yet."
- —Chapter Four: The Daemon's Tankard - The author's approach to the Daemon's Tankard
- "The hunched figure approached me, his staff clicking on the bone floor. His trailing black robe hid his body totally, but he seemed thin, beyond unnatural so. I could not see his face either, but I could see his eyes. They were two black pools, darker than any shadow I had seen, and I as I looked into them I felt like I was falling into an endless void. He tilted his head, and I felt rather than saw his malicious smile. "Well," he said, "You are interesting.""
- —Chapter 13: Hall of Bones
Quotes
(Feel free to add your own)