Name: Jericho Cross
Race: Human
Alignment: Khorne
Personality: Jericho Cross is a man of cunning vision, cruel and callous as it might be, and is never above manipulation to set up all the more glorious a slaughter. While he gleefully spills blood in the name of Khorne, blindly charging into his death does little more than insult the Blood God he has served as faithfully as he has, so he operates with a clever mind. Tactics and strategy come readily to the Corsair, and he takes pleasure in planning out how his raiders will route and crush the enemies of Chaos for the glory of the very same. Overwhelming force does not match his modus operandi, striking with precision force that sets the vital veins of the enemy defenses hemorrhaging in the most magnificent way possible. As a Corsair, Jericho has learned to trust little, and respect less, operating on the grounds that everything intends to try and betray him for their gain at some point or another, which makes dealing with others far easier. He trusts them no farther than he might expect them to praise the Corpse Emperor, which is to say, not in the slightest. He himself makes no gain from betrayal, and only ever leaves the service of a warlord upon completion of terms, or their betrayal of him.
Jericho heavily favors the use of his renegades and pirates over the interference of warp spawned daemons. They do not bother the Corsair, but he finds greater value in the ability for his mortal men to infiltrate and strike from within, something overt daemonic beings, both summoned and possessed, typically lack. Taking his raiders from the veteran elite of the Imperial Guard, and other Imperial organizations he might tempt into service, they often operate with surprisingly efficient and militaristic skill, striking in lightning raids using organized tactics coupled with bloodthirsty rage that blends in a deadly combination. His band is solely dedicated to Khorne, and boasts as many bloodrage lost berserkers as it does veteran soldiers that form the backbone of his most complicated plans. Jericho knows how to use all his men to the best of their ability, and loves nothing more than to lead a perfect raid on an enemy completely caught unawares for the assault.
Appearance:
Mutation(s)/Special qualities or powers:
Daemonic Strength
Daemonic Agility
Baleful Gaze - Khorne has seen fit to gift his mortal champion with a gaze that can literally set alight the air in warpfire and boil the blood of those he sets his dark vision upon, fueled by burning hate for all that dare cross his path.
Fell Rage - Jericho displays unusual control over the blood rage that many Khornate followers experience, capable of funneling and controlling the rage to the perfect moment to let loose with focused, and far more potent, bouts of unholy rampage that amplify his abilities even further.
Bio: It is said that the Red Herald of the Corsairs that bear the title that Jericho Cross now finds himself with was born with the Blood God's mark upon his hide. Whatever the truth may hold, Jericho Cross was always destined for fell service to the Dark Gods. It was merely a matter of which would claim his soul, if any of them would in dedicated form. He was raised on a war torn world, on the outskirts of Imperial controlled space, often visited by corsairs and pirates of both celestial and terrestrial forms, eventually being taken from his home by such corsairs of space. He was the serving boy of their Captain, a vicious man, but one bloated on success and with little ambition beyond his corner of space he had locked down. Within a few years Jericho grew enough to learn of the Dark Gods and their whispering promises of power, and slew the former Captain of the Escort vessel they had used for piracy, claiming the slain in the name of Khorne, born from his anger of being so restricted when such freedom of purpose was within their grasps.
With any crew that cared not for the new Captain put down or sacrificed for further power, the first goal of Captain Cross was simple. Corrupt his crew of renegades into a full fledged Chaos band. It was not hard, each raid left them thirsty for more blood, and within several years his vessel was feared by many who heard of his raids, but such a small ship was not fitting of a crew of vicious, bloodthirsty pirates. So, in the most daring raid yet for the Corsairs, they struck an Imperial void station that was preparing to dispose of a daemon infested Slaughter-class Cruiser. They were more focused on the daemon vessel trying to escape than outside raiders striking, and despite being heavily outnumbered, Captain Cross and his raiders set the station alight, burning into the atmosphere with the ruined remains of their former Escort vessel, rammed into the void station which destabilized its orbit. The Slaughter-class Cruiser begrudingly accepted the growing band of pirates and renegades as their crew, and the legend of the Corsairs of the Red Herald began here.
With the
Wrath of Anagoranz and his rapidly growing crew of traitors and hereteks, Jericho had the means and the prey. And he would wander the Imperium's supply lines at a whim, born not of the Eye of Terror so never having to surmount the Cadian Gate, and wreaked merry havoc amongst the Imperium, and others as well. Tau colonies felt the stinging bite of the Corsairs, Eldar Maiden Worlds put to the torch in the name of Khorne, Ork Waaaghs crippled by lightning raids for the sport of it, his lack of borders would create a burning hatred by many races of the Universe that knew the Red Herald's arrival and survived in his wake. Numerous Imperial efforts, even the rare ones that jointly worked with Xenos out of necessity, failed to corner the catty, clever Corsair. Rather, when the time that victory seemed certain, Jericho's pirates would vanish into the warp, leaving more destruction and anger. But his most brazen act yet would not be against the worshippers of the Corpse Gods, oh no. His most brazen act would be against the Eldar, who's own Corsairs were often rivals equal against his own.
A minor Craftworld, known to humans as Nisdral who prided themselves on Void combat, had been attempting to counter him at every turn, and the Red Herald grew tired of this interference. So, he baited the Proud, yet relatively inexperienced, Eldar craftworld into a trap, personally leading the near total force of his Corsairs onto the Craftworld itself. Despite every desperate measure, Jericho would personally take the heads of the Autarch in charge of the defense, alongside the most senior member of each Warrior Aspect Temple present, before sending the ruined Craftworld plunging into a dying star, leaving as the star began to supernova, taking the entire star system for the glory of Khorne. This act would make him a grave enemy of the Eldar, as even the sacking of a minor Craftworld indicated a threat well above most monkeigh. Jericho would earn his title of Red Herald after this, and the formal name of his band of renegades, the Corsairs of the Red Herald, was decided then.
The actions against the Eldar got the attention of the Imperial Inquisition, more so than he already had, and for a long time Jericho would gleefully hunt the Inquisition itself, priding himself on having collected at least one head of every known Ordos of the Inquisition. The Red Herald was making himself known in many circles, and Jericho would serve in many warbands, acting as a mercenary for Chaos bands that needed a special touch that only his band of pirates and renegades could supply. It was through this that he would find himself working with an Undivided champion in a legendary effort, a Black Crusade. Khorne would be pleased with his warband's contributions, Jericho would decide as he set course to rally with the rest of the allied warbands, regardless of the long term success of this Black Crusade.
Deeds:
Theft of the
Wrath of AnagoranzSacking of the Craftworld Nisdral
Personally led hundreds of raids that torched and left worlds dead and decrepit in the name of Khorne
Collected the heads of numerous Inquisitors, at least one from each Ordos Majoris and Minoris
Weapons:
Bane of Kin - The name carved on the dangling skull of Jericho's Berserker's Glaive, a weapon too heavy for most mortals to wield two handed, yet Jericho carries it as if it were near weightless, a testament to his unholy strength. Of course, the blade's trapped daemon rages and wallows in insanity, a raging voice in the back of the master Corsair's head, eager to kill forever more, to satiate its bloodlust that it can never truly experience again. Yet, in the fevered pitch of a melee, such constraint is not necessary, adding to the legendary brutality that the Corsairs rapidly became known for. It's name comes from its first kill in the hands of Jericho, slaying his first born son after the man, an Imperial Commissar who took on a different last name to distance himself from the Renegade father, crossed paths when attempting to stop the Corsairs raid. Blade and Corsair have never been separated since.
Blood God's Reach - A cruelly built Grapnel device built into his left wrist gauntlet, the barbed weapon can be launched a considerable distance, and either haul the Corsair alarmingly quickly towards a target that thought itself safe from close assault, or wrench some poor, unready soul into the waiting blade of the Red Herald. Often times rends flesh and bone upon impact and retract, meaning its a fairly common occurence for targets of the Grapnel to come back dead, or close enough to not survive impact. Of course, Jericho can easily use this claw up close to rend flesh and lesser armor alike, or pin a foe for a more potent blow from his sword.
Master Crafted Stub Revolver - The only true ranged weapon that Jericho carries is a heavy, sturdy stub revolver that is chambered in large, oversized rounds that are barely contained within the weapon itself. Needless to say, this pistol is almost a formality rather than a real weapon, although against lesser foes, it has little problem dispatching them.
Gear:
Ignatus Power Armour
Collar of Khorne
Frag Grenades
Krak Grenades
Collection of Heads
Followers:
Corsairs of the Red Herald - Jericho leads a band of pirates and renegades into battle, each swearing a blood oath to Jericho and the Chaos God Khorne, upon their induction. Each man is a fierce and cunning fighter in their preferred method of battle, whether it be in the glorious maelstrom of a point blank boarding action, or the skilled shot of a sniper's needle rifle from hundreds of meters out. Most are former Imperial Guard veterans and seasoned Naval Armsman who, upon encountering the Corsairs in battle, saw fit to see the error of their ways and turn from the Corpse Emperor's false light.
The
Wrath of Anagoranz - The personal Slaughter-class Cruiser that the Corsairs, led by Jericho, stole early in their careers from Imperial authorites who had seized the vessel and intended to burn upon the discovery of daemonic possession. The Daemons within were Khornate by nature, raging against their cage and eager at every chance the new crew gave them to sing their dark song of overcharged Lance batteries and Destructor Cannons at any target, regardless of supposed things like cause or side. Perhaps the only thing more dangerous than this high speed Cruiser appearing out of the Warp on the flanks of a battle line is the call to repel boarders after its, as untold numbers of Corsairs pour in from Assault Craft launched by the
Wrath of Anagoranz, named as such from the name of the most powerful Daemon within the Cruiser, and fully intent on stripping the boarded vessel in question clean of anything valuable or useful to bring back for the hired Hereteks to splice into the Cruiser, to the point that her capabilities barely are comparable to a normal Slaughter-class, instead acting well above in all categories.
