Preview the Dan Abnett Short Story Included in Dark Heresy Second Edition

“They had gone out into the Low Worlds, where death was expecting them. Indeed, of all thing things out there in the dark hoping to make their acquaintance, death was probably the most hospitable.”
   –Dan Abnett, Into the Dark…

Dark Heresy Second Edition invites you to join a team of Acolytes, dedicated to exterminating heresy in the Imperium at any cost. You must travel across the innumerable worlds of the galaxy, confronting horrors beyond imagination in the name of shielding humanity from the corruption of Chaos.

For the Dark Heresy Second Edition Core Rulebook, author Dan Abnett wrote a short story entitled Into the Dark…. Dan Abnett is a prolific author within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, having written the Gaunt’s Ghosts series and the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies, among others. In his new short story, players find a taste of what they might expect from their adventures as an Acolyte in an Inquisitor’s service.

Download the first two pages of Into the Dark… (pdf, 2.7 MB) from the support page for Dark Heresy Second Edition, and read Dan’s thoughts on working with the Warhammer 40,000 universe below.

Dan Abnett on the Warhammer 40,000 Universe

FFG: What aspects of the Warhammer 40,000 background appeal to you most as a writer, and what makes Warhammer 40,000 stand out from other science fiction and futuristic settings you’ve worked with? 

Dan Abnett: It’s an incredibly well-developed universe with an unmistakable aesthetic. The tone and atmosphere of Warhammer 40,000 are what truly make the universe memorable. This tone is derived from the art of John Blanche and shows up in the darkly ornate, almost medieval, imagery throughout the Imperium. It depicts a culture in the midst of magnificent decay. Everything within the universe is very well defined, but there’s vast scope for writers’ and artists’ imagination.

FFG: You’ve been writing about Inquisitors and those who serve them for a while now. What most interests you about Inquisitors, Acolytes, and their adventures?

DA: Warhammer 40,000 is originally a table-top miniatures game focused the battlefront, but Inquisitors give us a way to see the society away from the frontline of battle. That thought really appealed to me when I started writing the Eisenhorn and Ravenor books. The stories of the Inquisitors take us to the darkest depths of the Imperium, into the shadows of everyday life, into the opulent realms of the nobility and the slums of the underclasses. It’s a way to explore the universe that you don’t get from a military angle.

FFG: The villains are often as memorable as the heroes in Warhammer 40,000 stories. Who was your favourite nemesis to write for, both in terms of the character and what he or she offered to the plot? 

DA: I’d have to say Pontius Glaw, the villain of the Eisenhorn books, who was a true menace because he was powerful, but also extraordinarily clever. Cherubael stands out as well, although sometimes he’s almost a hero (except that he’s a daemon).

FFG: What games do you play yourself in your free time? 

DA: I play all versions of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer, both tabletop and roleplay, alongisde other RPG classics, such as Traveller, Dungeons & Dragons, and Call of Cthulhu. That’s when I get the chance, though, which is all too seldom! I like to play anything Warhammer 40,000 when I can, just to stay in the universe. The Horus Heresy board game is also great. It creates a totally different scale of action for the players.

FFG: What was your inspiration for the Into the Dark… short story included in Dark Heresy Second Edition? Without giving too much away, what can players expect from the tale?

DA: The short story really offers an example of how an Inquisitorial team operates, how the characters might interact, and what each Acolyte brings to the table regarding skills. It also illustrates exactly how mysterious things can be in the grim darkness of the far future. Sometimes even the heroes don’t know what they’re doing or why!

Thanks, Dan!

Click the thumbnail on the right to download the first two pages of Dan Abnett’s short story, Into the Dark…, and experience the beginning of the Acolytes’ adventures. Then, prepare to tell your own stories in the darkness of Warhammer 40,000. Preorder Dark Heresy Second Edition at your local retailer today!

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