40K Lore: Keepers of Secrets
The Tides of Chaos are rising, Loremasters, let us delve into their dark mysteries that we might be safe.
The Tides of Chaos are running rampant through the Imperium. Though we tried warning against the dangers of Jolliness at this time of year, and yet you insisted on celebrating throughout the Sanguinalia. Well now there are Daemons everywhere, and what are we to do? Fight them with grim determination and the knowledge that our battle brothers/sisters/non-binary siblings are our stalwart companions, and the only truer comrade-in-arms is your STC-manufactured Lasgun.
Now this is what true love looks like.
Still, knowledge is power–which as we all know corrupts and begets heresy–but the absence of knowledge is also a danger. You must take care to maintain the perfect balance of knowledge–too much knowledge and…well, heresy. Not enough, and you endanger everyone by empowering those Daemons that hoard knowledge like Hive Worlds hoard industrial nightmarescapes that aren’t fit for human life.
I speak, of course, of the Keepers of Secrets, Slaanesh’s greatest Daemons. Keepers of Secrets are the Greater Daemons of Slaanesh. Created subconsciously by the Prince of Pleasure, these Daemons are the ultimate manifestation of his desire for physical excess and pleasure in battle.
It is sometimes said that what happens under the purview of Slaanesh’s dread gaze stays under the purview of Slaanesh’s dread gaze, and the Keepers of Secrets are the manifestation of this aphorism’s truth. They know all your excesses. They know your secrets. They know how to seduce the hearts of mortals and banish the natural love of the Emperor with unnatural lust, excess, and thoughts of pride about things other than a job well done and a good, honorable death in service to the Emperor.
Each Keeper of Secrets has a unique appearance that mirrors Slaanesh’s mood at the time of its creation. Their looks can range from terrifyingly-haunting-but-almost human to bestial, though all are tall and lithe with long claws and limbs and a crown of horns that sprouts from their head and intoxicating eyes that look like black crystals.
As well as being vicious warriors, Keepers of Secrets are also capable of weaving powerful spells of misdirection and mystification. They invade the thoughts of their enemies, sending them visions of glory, titillating their egos, and caressing their inner desires to lead them astray. They seek to give and receive sensation in all forms, be it pain or pleasure, but there is nothing more enjoyable to them than the corruption of the noble and pure. They also are surrounded by a breeze that confuses all enemies around and allows the daemon to prey on them easily.
The Keepers of Secret live to feed from others’ emotions, especially fear, hope, and despair. They love the sensation of cutting through flesh and bestowing the feeling of pain onto their enemies. As well as striking amazingly fast with their limbs, they also cause corruption in another way: they love to turn emotions such as courage, bravery and valour into selfishness and other emotions.
Now at this point, you might be wondering–if these are Keepers of Secrets, how can we know so much about them? Well–let me assure you that Slaanesh loves nothing if not excess–let us look at the Imperial Archives and delve into what the Lexicanum has to say about some of the foul Keepers of Secrets!
K’alith also known as K’alith the Prurient, was a Keeper of Secrets. His spinal column is believed to have formed the powerful Spineshiver Blade.
Lesh’Jae’Thi’Hah is a Keeper of Secrets of Slaanesh and a member of the Quadrifold Abominatum.
N’Kisha is a Keeper of Secrets that led Slaanesh‘s Daemons in invading the Craftworld Iyanden, during the Thirteenth Black Crusade.
Sidroh the Sinuous is a Keeper of Secrets who led Slaanesh‘s forces during the Thirteenth Black Crusade‘s invasion of Cadia.
Yria, also known as Yria the Seducer, is a Keeper of Secrets of Slaanesh. The Daemon was active during the Horus Heresy and took part in the War Within the Webway.
Ah. Well, perhaps they live up to their names…let me search out the others, ah yes, it seems there’s another Keeper of Secrets, and judging from the name, this one has some foul and menacing history to it. Surely this one is a blight upon the stars, warping the thoughts and minds of men. Rhug’guari’ihlulan. That’s the sort of name you could set a black crusade by.
Rhug’guari’ihlulan is a Keeper of Secrets.
Editor’s note: our Loremaster has wandered off, shaking his head and muttering with despair about how he might have had an easier life if he’d been a guardsman.
Perhaps we should have unsealed the files on Amnaich or Zarakynel?
