Van Skorvold Cartel
The Van Skorvold Cartel was a mercantile clan active in the Geryon Subsector that specialised in human trafficking, supplying labour across the subsector for the Departmento Munitorum, the Imperial Navy and even the Adeptus Mechanicus (in the form of base stock for the construction of Servitors).[1a] The group's headquarters were a converted defence platform in orbit of the planet Lakonia.[1b]
The cartel's crest was a planet flanked by a pair of stylised human twins.[1a]
At one point the head of the cartel was Diego Van Skorvold. After his death, leadership of the cartel passed to his offspring, Callisthenes and Veritas Van Skorvold.[1a]
For many years there were rumours that the cartel was engaged in criminal activities, specifically the smuggling of artefacts and illegal mutants. Eventually the persistence of these claims led the Adeptus Administratum to organise a raid on their base of operations, led by Consul Senioris Chloure. Although he had support from the Imperial Navy and the Adeptus Mechanicus, Chloure decided to seek the assistance of the Space Marines to make sure the star fort was taken - to that end, he intentionally leaked information that the cartel had come into possession of a lost relic of the Soul Drinkers Chapter, an ancient weapon known as the Soulspear. Sure enough, the Soul Drinkers sent a response force of roughly 300 Marines, led by Commander Caeon to seize the station.[1a]
Although Caeon himself was killed during the mission, both Callisthenes and Veritas were captured[1a] and their star fort was destroyed[1c] - the ultimate fate of the cartel is unknown, however.
