Prospero Subcommittee Opening Brief
Title: Council of Nikean Enforcement
Setting: Tizca, Prospero
Overview:
Following the controversial Edict of Nikaea—a ruling that forbade the use of psychic powers among the Adeptus Astartes—the Emperor has dispatched the Custodes, the Sisters of Silence, and Leman Russ with his Space Wolves to occupy the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero. This act is more than mere enforcement: it is a direct response to the Thousand Sons' defiance of the Council's verdict. The Edict struck at the core of the Legion's identity, as they had long embraced psychic mastery not just as a battlefield tool, but as a philosophical and cultural cornerstone. Their libraries, gene-lore, and psychic academies are now deemed heretical under Imperial law.
For the Thousand Sons, this is not merely the loss of tools or doctrine—it is the enforced dismantling of their very national and cultural identity. Their pursuit of psychic excellence is woven into their history, their hierarchy, their way of understanding the universe, and their pride as a Legion. Psychic power was not a crutch or excess—it was the crucible through which they tempered their minds, planned campaigns, and secured bloodless victories. In countless engagements, their mastery of foresight, telekinesis, and battlefield manipulation allowed them to outmaneuver, disable, or even disarm opponents with minimal loss of life. Their command of sorcerous strategy saved untold numbers of Imperial lives and brought victory where none was thought possible.
To lose this is to be told that the very essence of what makes them who they are must be erased. It is not just a military occupation, but an ideological purge—a demand for cultural self-destruction. The occupying force's mission: oversee the dismantling of all warp-related research, psychic training, and arcane repositories.
What begins as a bureaucratic enforcement operation rapidly escalates into a volatile political debate, as multiple factions arrive under the guise of oversight. The Council is formed to decide the limits of psychic practice, how to implement the Edict on a planetary scale, and whether Prospero has violated Imperial law.
Key Themes:
The ethics of forbidden knowledge
Obedience vs. foresight
The use and misuse of psychic power
Imperial unity vs. internal fracture
Reminder to Delegates:
Your personal beliefs, faction loyalties, and ambitions may conflict. All actions—debates, schemes, and decisions—will ripple beyond Prospero.
The fate of the Imperium may hinge on your words.