Schismaticals of the Deep Infotombs

The Schismaticals originate from deep infotombs on Adeptus Mechanicus worlds. These tombs are commonly thought to be largely empty, where Tech-Priests only come for invocations or for quests for Archaeotech. However, unknown to many, a great deal of activity occurs within the ancient Cogitator banks of the tombs as their cores contain dark data spirits known as schismaticals. These are memory clouds of suppressed ideas, and archives of forbidden data which had not been destroyed. Allowed to remain, these vile plains and whispers take on a life of their own and gain volatile urges. By incorporating other data patterns into itself, the schismaticals are capable of corrupting other Machine spirits who serve as corrupted echoes of itself. From there, they wait in ambush in order to attack a Machine spirit that would allow them to reach the surface and consume any supplicants that can take them to the Forge above.

Once it has freed itself from the infotombs, a schismatical works to form an army of corrupt machine spirits to serve in its cause. By replicating itself, it can create machine covens, each of which is populated by individual schismaticals that seek to continue its mission. Any Vox-aware device is capable of being converted by a broadcast whilst others require a data conduit link for the infection to spread, so long as it bears a cogitator. Simpler devices can also fall under its power, from vox-casters to augmetic limbs. Within a Forge, the Tech-Priests are the last of the converts who are either persuaded, threatened or driven mad by the schismaticals' control over their cybernetic bodies and thus become unwilling soldiers in its mission. Even a dead tech-adept can continue to work under the schismaticals' command through its control over their cybernetic implants.