From the Dark Heresy timeline pdf:

742.M41 A Pattern Revealed: The Tyrantine Cabal conclusively identifies the “Calixian Pattern Killings” going back at least eleven hundred years.

Do we know anything else about these Pattern Killings? I don't think I've ever come across them in the books. They must be related to Komus or the Tyrantine Cabal would not busy themselves with it. Perhaps it even has ties to the Haarlock mystery?

We do,

some vague information is given in the IH, in the section containing the background packages for Arbitrators.

in "Disciples of the Dar Gods", there is a section about the "murder room". The fluff sounds like, but since I do not remembe an obvious link this will for sure be my own little theorie of conspiracy.

Hi Laughing God,

we created some characters this week, so im pretty shure that there is a background package called 'calixiian pattern killings' for arbitrators. Must be in Inquisitor´s Handbook. Iirc it's a series of murders with a distinct pattern, though the pattern is described only vaguely. A characteristic of the murders is a distinct psychic element, that is not further explained but resists analysis. The arbitrators with that background package have some recognized that pattern too, making them more a detective/commissar kind of arbitrator.

Greetz - Gildor Inglorion

Well, the Murder Room from Disciples doesn't link the killings to Komus.

So I have no real idea why the Tyrantine Cabal was the organization to identify the patterns. Perhaps they stumbled across it while investigating possible pre-cursor events to the Tyrant Star's appearances.

However, if they spread the word around so-to-speak its most likely because they've concluded that it has nothing to do with the Tyrant Star itself...

Bladehate, I concur. The only connection between the CPK and Komus is the Tyrantine Cabal, I like the idea that the Cabal merely stumbled on the pattern and, as you say, have no further lead on the matter.

As to what the CPK actually are, I don't know. I like the Murder Room generally, but both it and the CPK seem...distinct. Ish. How to make them compelling? I honestly can't say, to be honest. At the moment, I'm dry of ideas for it, but I'll keep thinking just in case...

would not the murder case in Damned Cities (Haarlock Legacy part 2) qualify as a Calixian Pattern Killing?

The Laughing God said:

Well...ask yourself the other way around:

Which bizarre or strange murder would not qualify as a Calixian Pattern Kill?

The information handed by the official source is vague. And I would say: by intention of the game designers. From the mentioning of "tapping of a cane" and "flappinig of a coat" in the descriptions of wittnesses, I would say the developers orginally tried to give it a Jack-the-Ripper tone & theme or something.

I think before FFG comes up with further material, we all can have our little theories about what it is... and I guess for a long, long time.

I agree on the Jack-the-Ripper vibe, had exactly the same feeling when I read it (that's based on IH, IIRC).

[There's a nice Freudian slip, initially I posted with "killing" instead of "feeling"]

If I was going to bring it into my game I was going to have it being a daemon weapon in the form of a straight razor or heavy surgical blade with some Khornate origins. People pick it up thinking it'll be a nice bit of well crafted stainless steel worth a few thrones and begin serial killing with the 'psychic' residue being various nasty aspects of the demon weapon.

Probably have it sharp as sin with "Mandrake" levels of shadowing, silent move and concealment conferred to the user... along with an irresistable desire to kill and spill blood

Hi folks, this is my first post and all, so I figured i toss in my two cents.

I've been pouring over most of the source books lately, and whenever i come back to that Arbites package, I figure the causes came back either to the Slaugh and their minions/operatives offing people that get to close, or that UNKNOWN HERETIC from the most wanted list at the back of DotDGs. I'd hope it would be Slaugh related, because pinning something on some Question mark seems like a cop out when they have been doing a fairly good job at giving us some decent story options.

Its left open ended as a GM's choice for games, personally if I was going to have him/her running around it would probably be likely a Istvaanian Inquisitor and if I was feeling nasty, it would be the acolytes Inquisitor