Personality: Cantus was inducted from a Feral World, and as such has always had somewhat of a short and sharp temperament; he does not, will not, suffer fools and imbeciles to deride him or question him - whether they be a Marine or the Chapter Master himself! Nevertheless, after introspective conditioning and contemplation, he has gained somewhat of a stoic but easygoing quality to his persona - at least as much as an Astartes actually can - complimented for his patient and soft bedside manner, especially to ease the passing of the dying, as well as his near unreadable face. Although he hides his emotions well, his loyalty to the Emperor and to his Chapter as a whole cannot be questioned, he does take many things emotionally hard, but he would willingly die for any of his Battle Brothers.
Appearance: Slighter than some of his more muscularbrethren, though taller than average for a Space Marine, Serviel could easily be mistaken for a son of Sanguinius; curling golden locks of a medium length frame his almost perfect features, his marble-white skin unmarked by time or wound, and his glacial blue eyes always watching above his slender aquiline nose and thin lips which, when peeled back, reveal what could well be mistaken for vampiric fangs. No-one, not even he, really knows why he looks more like a Blood Angel - some suggesting that there was a mix up with the gene-seed and others that his people were of Baalite stock - whatever the reason, he is assuredly the picture of what Ancient Terrans believed to be an Angel.
In terms of his armour, it is a standard suit of Mark VI 'Corvus' power armour in the colours of his Chapter - except with the usual penchant for white, and the customary blood red Prime Helix symbol, found to be the province of all apothecaries. The only reverse being that, unlike his brothers of the Warp Skulls, his beaked Diagnostor helmet has a central stripe of red running from front to back.
Mutation(s): None, as of yet; he is one of the 'lucky' few that have not been subject to any mutations.
Bio: After being taken from one of the many warring tribes of his homeworld, a world and people he can no longer remember, by the nomadic fleet of the Warp Skulls very soon after their unleashing on the rest of the galaxy, it was noticed that apart from his deceptive strength he was also possessed of a keen intellect and more than willing to learn.
Over time he became interested in the sciences and processes of the Astartes physiology, undergoing the specialist training required of all Apothecaries and coming away from it as nearly a completely different person.
During his time with the Chapter he eventually reached the rank of 'Skulltaker', a specialist rank held by the Chief Apothecary of the Warp Skulls, pretty much just a fancy title that was bestowed on one who had achieved great things and daring feats in the field, something that Cantus most certainly had - yet also involved recovering the heads of your fallen comrades after death.
Over the course of the Chapter's campaigning he has saved multiple lives, saving wounded brothers while under fire, and even saving the life of the Chapter Master on one occasion. He has no idea if his superior still remembers this, but he shall never forget it.
Now, however, he has become ever more withdrawn upon discovery of mutation among the Chapter - something he and his fellow Apothecaries should have seen long before any bodily warping could occur. This was sadly not the case, and he now works every waking hour to find the root cause of these abominable changes, something that may not seem to concern others (such as the Librarians) but that is slowly causing him to grow more annoyed and even panicked.
So, a meeting is soon to take place between the highest ranking of the Chapter...and he shall be with them when the fate of their Chapter is decided.
Deeds: W.I.P
Weapons and Wargear: Apart from his Hesh M38 Mk II bolt pistol, with chain-bayonet, and a Mark XI Pattern Chainsword, as an Apothecary he also equips himself with the items of his position and rank; the Narthecium and the Reductor, one for healing his wounded comrades, and the other for removing the precious Progenoid Glands from those that have fallen or will not survive.
Personality: Medeis was the incredibly reserved sort before mutations started en masse, and being covered in a crystalline exoskeleton hasn't helped much. Being forced to confront so much horror has opened him up a little however, and the Chief Librarian doesn't tend to hesitate to speak his mind. Unfortunately for those around him, "his mind" is usually a stream of vitriol or something incomprehensible. Other than that, he is rarely forceful with his opinions, preferring to simply advise, and only demanding action when he winds up as the most senior individual in a given room. As a commander he is often described as "forceful", as if he puts as much willpower into directing his troops as he does into using his psychic powers.
Appearance: Once a slightly-shorter-than-average marine with a larger-and-harder-than-average skull, the librarian's once-Caucasian skin now appears to range from black, glittering with points of starlight, to green, blue, or purple swirling apparently at random. The lighting and angle seem to have as much effect on his exoskeleton as his current mental state. No longer able to grow hair, he appears surprisingly androgynous outside of his tactical dreadnought armour. The armour itself twinkles brightly with battle honours, though even decorated as he is, the Librarian has a long way to go. His helmet is probably the most notable part of the whole suit. A custom-made piece, it incorporates a psychic hood and a psychically sealed mouthpiece in addition to the standard equipment. The mouthpiece resembles a shrieking maw that opens just as Medeis is preparing to spit fire. The vox-casters built into his helmet are often set to simply broadcast the impressively creative torrents of venom he comes up with as he assaults the enemy.
Mutation(s): Crystalline Exoskeleton
Bio: Medeis was one of the first members inducted into the Chapter, and when he survived his initial training, he was immediately suggested for the position of Chief Librarian. That, of course, took more training, but he excelled at nearly everything thrown at him, and it wasn't long before he was given his first command. It was on this mission that he revealed the true depth of the power available to him, as he led his escort of Sternguard Company veterans through the space hulk Da Killkrooza. The most notable revelation, at least for those nearby when it happened for the first time, was Medeis' ability to vomit black fire. It first happened as he cursed and swore his way to victory, until the stream of vitriol turned into hungry warp fire as he spat it at his enemies. The stuff appears to burn anything it touched, though what and how fiercely it burns seems largely dependant on how enraged he is at the time. After that revelation, he demanded a new and modified helmet with an integrated psychic hood, to allow him to spit fire and take advantage of his helmet's utilities at the same time. For the rest of the campaign, however, he was left unhelmed to breath the horrific black flames on the greenskin horde.
With the entire Chapter assaulting the same space hulk, the mission was relatively quick. Relative being the operative word. Some estimate as long as a year may have been spent rooting out the xenos threat to curry the favour of the Explorator fleet nearby. Chief Librarian Calvaria was at the fore the entire time, leading his squads to often surprising victories against the Ork menace. Some whispered of precognition, but couldn't prove anything. All they knew was that their leader was a sombre and relentless warrior, and when backed up by others in tactical dreadnought armour, they became a freight train of pain that not even a numberless horde could slow. His second most notable feat during the campaign, and the one most want to hear about, is the time he knocked a Meganob through a bulkhead and into space. Medeis and his squad hacked their way through a small horde of Nobz being led by a Meganob and a Weirdboy the old fashioned way, as it seemed the Weirdboy was putting all his effort into suppressing the Librarian's powers. But once the magical Ork was dealt with, the psyker powered up his force fist, and a single back-handed swing smashed the lead Ork right through a heavily reinforced bulkhead, tearing a hole in the side of the ship and sending the Meganob to a rather unpleasant death. After carefully sealing off that small portion of the space hulk, the rest of the mission was comparatively uneventful.
After being re-equipped by the Explorator fleet, the Warp Skulls redeployed to reclaim the trio of worlds under siege by the greenskins. Orbital bombardments strove to break up the largest concentrations of Orks, and Thunderhawk gunships were right behind them, delivering the Vanguard Company only moments ahead of the line companies who were following in drop pods. During this campaign, Chief Librarian Calvaria fought with two squads from the Devastator Company, combining them to form a viciously effective firebase; an unassailable anvil for the Vanguard Veterans to break the greenskins against.
The other two planets went much the same way, with the Librarian leading the less glorious but extremely critical squads with his inspiring willpower and terrifying fire-breath. But even as effective as the Astartes were, their leader's shrewd tactical mind was sure they could do better, and it was on his demands that the Chapter was equipped with Hallucinogen grenades, though no one was actually required to carry them unless placed under his leadership.
Once the Orks were reduced to tiny concentrations of nothing but ferals, the Warp Skulls left the local populaces with what weapons they could, and briefly instructed them in the defence of their settlements, before seizing all those eligible for the trials required to become a space marine. Desiring to swell their numbers and shorten future campaigns, Medeis was instructed to survey the new recruits for potential psykers. Unfortunately none of them survived the trials. He concluded it was probably for the best, however, the the mutations began to strike.
Deeds: Breaths warp fire, Bitch-slapped a Meganob through a bulkhead into space, Convinced the Mechanicus to equip his entire Chapter with Hallucinogen grenades, Honoured as a leader from fireteam to company level.
Weapons: Hesh Pattern MkIII Stormbolter, Force Fist (think power fist, but also a force weapon), Hesh Pattern M38 Mk II Bolt Pistol.
Gear: Auspex in helmet, Hallucinogen Grenades, Psychic Hood.
Division: Mechanicum, specializes in maintaining and repairing older technologies, such as earlier-model bolters, power armor suits, and vehicles.
Personality: Cold, calculating, and logical to a fault. Ravion always analyses every situation in minute detail before acting, even if this is to the detriment of others. He has almost no care for the whims, pleas, and emotions of others, and never lets them influence his decisions unless absolutely necessary. Ravion would also be considered religiously fanatical to even other tech-priests, taking his worship of and faith in the Omnissiah into account for almost everything. He sees organic bodies as inherently weak in all aspects, and seeks to remedy this weakness of his own form at every opportunity, constantly adding, modifying, and changing his bionic and cybernetic parts.
Appearance: Swathed in the red robes of the Cult Mechanicus, Ravion's physical form is guessed at by most. He appears hunched over, standing at around five feet six inches. His face, when not cloaked by the shadow of his hood, is covered in technological gadgets and parts, covering his mouth and cheeks, both eyes, and parts of his bald scalp. The mouthpiece covering features a multitude of wires, cords, and tubes running down into his robe. The eyepieces glow with a menacing red tinge, constantly clicking and ticking as the magnifications auto-adjust. Both of his hands have been replaced with bionic copies, capable of much more than a mortal hand. He has a large metal pack upon his back as well, with a myriad of small appendages extending and contracting from the main frame. His legs, although hidden from view, emit a constant whirring sound as he moves, and clatter with a metallic din with each footstep.
Bio: Born on the Forge World of Agripinaa, Ravion spent his entire life around machinery, and quickly learned that he preferred its company to that provided by humans. Growing up as a young inductee in the Cult Mechanicus, he was almost joyful to adhere to the teachings of the Omnissiah, and received much praise from it.
By the time he was a full adult, he was a welcomed member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and assigned to an Explorator as his apprentice. The explorator was a “Disciple of Thule”, one who ventured with a myriad of others into uncharted sectors of space, searching for lost human technology. As an apprentice, Ravion accompanied his mentor on many dangerous journeys, but learned much about antiquated human technology and took quick to repairing and maintaining it in particular.
After his apprenticeship ended, Ravion was assigned to serve with the Ultramarines for a time, using his expertise in ancient technologies to a great extent while among them. He grew to appreciate the technologies of the Adeptus Astartes, and learned much more from the Machine Spirits of their arms and armor. During his service, he was noted for being a chief aide in repairing the Chapter Master’s own antique bolter, which earned him much praise and respect from both the Astartes and the Adeptus Mechanicus.
He would go on to serve with the Imperial Guard regiments on Cadia, learning about the technologies utilized by the fortress world. On Cadia, he become familiar with the intricacies of the Baneblade super-heavy tank and its many variants, as well as the designs of the ubiquitous lasgun of the Imperial Guard.
Eventually rising to the rank of Magos, Ravion Hybris would find himself assigned to the service of the Warp Skulls, a newly-created Chapter of Space Marines crafted in the 21st founding. With his notable skills in working with Astartes-owned technology, Ravion is a valuable asset for the Chapter, for now….
Augmentations: Electro-Graft(allows direct connection to computers, etc.), Respirator unit and Vox-synthesiser(voice manipulation and air toxin resistance), Cyber-Mantle(controls all augments), Potentia Coil(provides power to all augments), Cranial Circuitry(Enhanced mental abilities), Bionic left and right arms(act identical to normal), Bionic left and right leg(act identical to normal), Auger Arrays in both eyes(acts as an Auspex scanner)
Weapons: Carries a laspistol with 3 charge packs, and a Chain Axe with extended shaft, and the skull symbol of the Adeptus Mechanicus embedded on either side of the blade casing.
Gear: Has integrated Carapace armor in his various cybernetic attachments, effectively covering most of his body. Prayer Charm to the Omnissiah, a supply of Sacred Machine Oil for repair and maintenance, Maintenance and Repair kit.
Name: Constantine Drustos Rank: Forge Master Personality: Constantine could be described as a cold, withdrawn, man. And those appellations would certainly be correct, for he often prefers the company of machines and servitors to that of his battle brothers. Along with this he is seen as an incredibly logical man, often leaving wounded comrades in pursuit of the mission or only giving them barely any aid, to the point of almost seeming uncaring and being compared -more than once- to the Tech Priests that trained him.
In spite of this traits, Constantine does deeply cares for his battle brothers and for the well-being of the Chapter as a whole. His withdrawal into his forge is motivated not for a distaste of his battle brothers, but rather to maintain the Warp Skulls well supplied with whatever they need and his extreme focus on logic, the one that has more often then not lead him to leave a battle brother behind, is born of a desire to keep the well being if the Chapter as a whole.
Appearance: Constantine could be described as an ugly man, his face a carpet of scars, which has left him with a bald head, with his right eye replaced by a bionic prosthesis. Apart from this, his height is slightly taller than that if a normal space marine, and his left arm has been replaced with a bionic prosthesis as a result of a loss in combat.
In terms of his armor, Constantine wears an artificer suit of Mark VI 'Corvus' armor, although it is painted in the dull red of the Adeptus Mechanicus to signify his time spent amongst the Martian Priests and he has the symbol of the Cog Mechanicus inscribed on his breast plate while the symbol of the Warp Skulls is painted on his left pauldron.
Mutation(s): One of Constantine's arms, the right one to be precise, is covered in a chitinous-like substance! similar to the carapace of the crustacean found on Old Terra, but much harder than it was on the old animal of Earth, the strength of the chit ions material almost like that of adamantium. Along with this, Constantine has one extra mutation, tiny layers of skin that are starting to grow over his techno harness, almost as if his body was trying to re-incorporate the mechanical appendages into it's body.
Bio: Constantine Drustos was, once upon a time that he no longer remembers, the child of a pair of low-level members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, not enough to be privy of the secrets of the Martian cult but enough to be qualified as members. As such, the young Constantine was expected to follow in his parents footsteps, becoming one more cog in the enormous machine that was the factory world.
The Emperor however, seemed to have different plans in motions for young Drustos's for as soon as he reached the age of 13, a ship from the Warp Skulls came looking for recruit. Constantine was one of the lucky few who were chosen to begin the arduous process to become a Space Marine of the Warp Skulls, leaving behind the polluted atmosphere of his home planet along with a pair of heartbroken -yes proud- parents.
Constantine's training proceed regularly for a newly inducted Space Marine, he exceeded in all tests he was put through -as any marine in training ought to- yes the senior marines overseeing the tests noticed a cold pragmatism in the man, more so than in most Astartes, often leaving fellow neophytes to their deaths even if rescuing them or providing assistance of some kind wouldn't have endangered their current objective. In spite of this fact, Constantine son became a full fledged member of the Warp Skulls.
It wasn't until the Warp Skulls rescued the Adeptus Mechanicus exploratory fleet that Constantine Drustos made his name among the Warp Skulls, for one of the Factory he hip had been boarded by the greenskins that were threatening the fleet under the command of one of their so called Mekboyz -one of the so called 'Big Mek' as he would learn at a latter date- something which drew a fast response from the Chapter Master.
And so it was that Constantine along with a squad if his battle-brothers were sent to the Factory ship with the intent of saving it and, in the worst case to render it useless for the Orks. Once they arrived, they found that the greenskins had butchered almost all the crew of the vessel and had damaged it in their intents to take control of the vessel. In the effort to retake the vessel, Constantine challenged the leader of the greenskins to a single duel, a combat in which he lost his right eye -while gaining many of the scars that still adorn his body like trophies- and had his left arm mangled until it was practically necessary to remove it.
In spite of the grueling damage that the marine had suffered, Constantine remained aboard the vessel, helping with it's repairs as best as he could while a team of more experienced Magos arrived. When the group of Magos finally arrived, they noticed that -while the Factory ship was still in terrible conditions- the marines that had tried to do some repairs along with what remaining crew remained showed some remarkable skills with machinery and so it was that the Adeptus Mechanicus petitioned the Warp Skulls to train those same marines in some of their ancient rites, Constantine amongst them.
And so it was that Constantine Drustos went to Mars along with a few of his brothers, were they learned the rituals of the Martian priests, becoming some of the first Techmarines belonging to the Warp Skulls and upon his return to the Chapter, based on recommendations from those who had trained the new Techmarines, he was named Master of the Forge.
Now, the Chapter sees itself on the edge of the abyss due to the rampant mutations that occur amongst battle brothers, but for Constantine this seems less important than other threats. In his opinion, if they are still loyal to the Emperor and the I period in both mind and soul, then their bodies, no matter how mutated, are proof of nothing if not mere chance and a flaw that should be corrected.
Deeds: Saved one factory ship from the Explorator Fleet from a group of Ork boarders intent on taking the ship under the command of one of the so called Mekboyz; Defeated the Mekboy in singular duel; Helped with repairing the factory ship.
Weapons: Eviscerator Chainsword (modified to include the Cog Mechanicus on it's hilt)
Gear: Servo-Harness ( with the addition on an extra one which is modified to incorporate a Conversion Beamer), Bionic right Eye, left Bionic Arm, 4 Frag grenades, a trio of servitors (one modified for combat and two modified for helping Constantine with his duties as Master of the Forge).
Personality: Rokurou is like many Raven Guard, quiet and solemn. When he does speak, it is normally not very straightforward, speking in roundabout ways and often taking a bit to long to reach his point. Old habits die hard, and most Raven Guard spoke this way, and he has yet to completely shake this way of speaking. His rather serious nature is also a carry over from the Raven Guard, but his aggresiveness is his own. For a Raven Guard he has a surprisibgly short fuse, and it is an unlucky day when he unleashes his cold fury upon his ennemies. He also has a unique outlook on his chapter, seeing them not only as sons of Corvus Corax, but his sons as well. For, it was Corvax who granted them life, but Rokurou who gave them substance. From his tactical strategem did they follow, and from his idea of Chapter organization they are formed in. He refuses to 'waist' the lives of his marines, and will fight to the end to save even one Space Marine.
Appearance: Rokurou Caras is a son of Corax through and through, at least in appearance. His skin is the porcelain white all Raven Guard have, and his eyes and hair are pitch black. His face is without scars, adorned only by two honor studs on his left temple. Even outside of his terminator armor Rokurou is an imposing man, even for a space marine. Nearly the size of an Ogryn himself, he is huge, towering over even other Space Marines. When in his terminator armor he becomes even more imposing. His massive suit of Indomitus pattern Terminator armour carries little adornment for a chapter master, the most ostentatious decoration being the large 4 pointed white star on his breast plate. It is in the color's of his chapter.
Mutation(s): The Chapter Master was pure for a while after the mutations began, but has recently devloped his own mutation. Only Chief Apothecary Serviel Cantus and the Master of the Forge Constantine Drustos know of it currently, and only because he had to reveal it to both of them. A great pair of skeletal wings have sprouted from his back, membranous skin is stretched thin over the seemingly emaciated wings. Though he can move them to some extent, such as closing and opening them, they cannot propel him to flight or any other such propulsion, in spite of their massive size. His Terminator armor has been modified to accomadate them. If one were to look closely at the skin stretched across the bont wings, you could see the faces passing over it surface, faces contorted into silent screams of agony.
Bio: Born on Deliverance, the homeworld of the Raven Guard, and taken for trials at the age of 15, Rokurou was a promising recruit. Skilled at the stealth the chapter was known for as well as showing an equal aptitude for ranged combat and CQB, but showing a true passion for only the latter. After being lifted from a scout to a full fledged Battle brother Rokurou Caras showed himself a true son Of Corvus Corax, but it did not last so perfectly. He became obsessed with the Primarch, and specifically his little recorded action following Isstvan V, and his rapid rebuilding of the Raven Guard. He believed that following the Codex Astartes was a mistake, and that the sons of Corvus should form their own tactical and organisational doctrine's though his solemn and quiet nature kept his beliefs from ever causing problems. After a string of succesful campaigns in which Rokurou showed true aptitude in combat he was elevated to the ranks of the first company and given the honour of donning a suit of Tactical-Dreadnought armor. For another few decades he served this way, until the time of the 21st founding. Shortly before a new chapter was formed from the gene seed of the Raven Guard, the 1st company captain fell in battle, and a meeting was held to decide upon both his Succesor, which he never named, and who would be chosen to lead this new chapter. It was decided that Rokurou, for his actions just after the captains death in leading the vicious counter attack to reclaim his body, would be honoured and elavated to the Chapter Master of the newly Christened Warp Skulls.
Rokurou Caras determined to lead his new chapter to Greatness, and with the Raven Guards final gift to him, a pair of twin linked Chain fists with hardwired flamers, Rokurou lead his chapter far from his home. They came to a system under attack from a massive Ork fleet, led by one Mordock Big Toof, a dangerous Freebota Kaptain who's fleet was threatening to become a Waaagh! However, the planets were not the main focus of the vivious xeno, that was an Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleet. Rokurou now had a choice, save the planets, or the Explorator fleet. He chose the latter, and led his chapter into a decade long war against the Ork fleet. Throughout this war, the Chapter Master lead several daring boarding actions and raids on the ork fleet, at one such boarding action he was caught between 3 Deff dreads, and very nearly died at their hands. He was saved by future Chief apothecary Serviel Cantus, and therefore able to lead his chapter in the final action of the war. He lead the boarding action of Da Killkrooza, Mordock Big toof's Space hulk flagship, by teleporting virtually every Terminator including himself onto the massive ship. After a full week of carving through the ship they reached the bridge, where Rokurou fought the Freeboota Kaptain one on one. He ended the fight by impaling the ork with both chainfists and ripping him into three pieces. Following this and their escape, he ordered the captainless ship obliterated with concentrated fire.
By saving the Explorator fleet and agreeing to escort it far from the Imperium, the Wapr Skulls were gifted enough Hesh pattern bolters for three chapters, and 50 Strike cruisers as well as the use of their factory ships and forge Tenders. Following this, he led the liberation of the three planets they left behind before continuing along with the Explorator fleet.
for another 30 or so years all was well... and then with the third generation of scouts came mutated, and it spread like a terrible disease through the chapter. In order to hide this, he had the chief apothecary choose only the purest unmutated geneseeds to give to the tythe fleets. However, this led to their current predicament. With only a handful of truly pure gene seeds remaining, he has called the 7 Captains, master of Sanctity, and chief Librarian and Apothecary to a meeting of the Chapter council... they must choose their chapter's fate.
Deeds
As Raven Guards 1st Company Veteran- Spearheaded the breach of the Hive city Terak on Ulus VI, slew Chaos champion Torvath the unbowed in personal combat, lead the boarding action against Eldar Craftworld Sera-Vae, principal defender at the siege of Dodraxis, destroyed the base of Ork Warboss Zok-Big boss along with his squad, slew Ork Madboy Frak maggot head
As Chapter Master of the Warp Skulls- Lead a Campaign against the fleet of Ork Warlord Mordock Big Toof to save a Mechanicus explorator fleet, Lead the boarding action against Da Killkrooza Spacehulk flagship of Mordock Big Toof, Slew Mordock Big Toof in personal combat on the bridge, ordered the destruction of Da Killkrooza, Re-took the worlds Arax Primus, Arax Secundus, and Terix V from remnants of Mordock Big Toof's fleet
Personality: Firm, strict and uncompromising. Mensis is a cold and uncaring warrior on and off the battlefield, taking no joy from killing. His men live in fear and awe of their commander, displaying unquestionable loyalty and those in his retinue match Mensis's chillingly silent demeanor as they kill and maim their enemies. He and other Captains rarely share words that don't include battle plans or official counsel. He openly ignores other marines when crossing paths seeing no necessity in small talk, though he does not penalize those of his own company who take comfort in social activities. He spends his free time detailing battle plans and studying military literature from ancient times forever mastering the craft of war. He also delves into the observed tactics of Xenos and Renegades alike to further understand the enemy. Despite being a silent monolith, those of his command squad have noticed a change in Mensis. His behaviour has become more erratic and unpredictable, causing him to enact severe punishment for the slightest step out of line. Though this is something becoming more observant to those outside of his command squad, no one can ignore the bestial roaring and grunting coming from the training cages when he is practicing his ways of killing.
Appearance: Mensis is sightly darker skinned than most of his battle brothers, with chiseled features and stringy limbs, making him lean and taller than most. His eyes are amber, his black hair shaved at the sides and swept back into a topknot. His body is covered in old scars form his days as a munition-child along with the number 34001 branded on his neck. He wears Mk.IV power armour in the colours of the chapter with a black stripe running through the helmet. His armour bears scarring from past campaigns and honorifics in the form of purity seals and makeshift badges made in the field.
Mutation(s): Mensis is slowly becoming more eratic and prone to frenzies of rage in battle. His mental state is deteriorating and his eyes become cloudy and bloodshot before his wrathful episodes. Along with his mind his teeth have become crooked and his hair has started falling out, revealing a scalp of pulsating veins and jutting bone.
Bio: Mensis was born on Hurges IX a desert war world infamous for its vat grown warrior children, sold to pirates and warlords alike as weapons. He was one of the unlucky few who was sold to a native warlord. The wars on Hurges IX were petty race wars waged by the many ethnic dynasties of the planet whose sole fighting force were vat grown indoctrinated warriors. Unwavering, fearless and battle-ready by age 7, Mensis was deployed in the bloodiest conflicts where the children and men resorted in trench warfare to slowly win ground. Every day was filled with avoiding the sights of enemy sharpshooters, surviving sunstroke and being blessed enough to avoid stray artillery fire. Salvation was found at the hands of the Warp Skulls, who had overthrown the dynasties of Hurges IX and brought the system back into Imperial control. During their bloody reclamation the Warp Skulls came across Mensis's child soldier unit and noted their suitability for recruitment. Mensis was the only survivor of the trials and was to become a fully fledged Space Marine.
Mensis showed great promise as a neophyte, often taking charge of the situation and demonstrating an eerily natural skill for killing. He was often reprimanded for speaking out against orders, deeming them inferior and formulating a far superior plan to follow. His advanced tactical prowess was a curse to his superiors and withing a few years he found himself at the command of his own squad of marines.
Mensis and his squad had the highest mission success record of any other in the Tactical Company. He supplied wise council to the Tactical Captain at the time and was sought after by many others for advice and validation on battle plans only to have them destroyed and then reformed by Mensis stern tactical mind. On the field of battle his ten man squad were a thing of legend. Silently they trudged through the enemy lines, taking no revel nor declaring no greater faith than the enemy. There was only the intent to destroy the obstacle and fulfill military duty, it was with little surprise that Mensis was besieged by his own Captain for relief in battle.
The Warp Skulls were locked in battle with an Eldar fleet, both sides suffered heavy losses and the tide was turning in favour of the Xenos. Mensis and his squad accompanied the Tactical Captain aboard the Eldar flag ship. Their misison was to reinforce the vanguard and take out the command, but everything went wrong. The Eldar had been waiting at the breech for the Warp Skulls, having ambushed the Vanguard and preparing for the reinforcements. The engagement was a slaughter, Mensis lost his entire squad due to the carelessness of his Captain who had chose to charge into the breech and fall into the trap. After the initial murder, Mensis, his captain and a dozen marines managed to defeat the defenders. Mensis chastised the Captain and demanded they fight on and complete their mission, against the retreat order of his superior. His authority overpowered the will of his Captain and they continued on through the ship. They flawlessly traversed the ship and made their way to the bridge, waiting there was an Autarch burning with frustration at the elusive marines. Mensis and his Captain engaged the Autarch in combat whilst the other marines saw to the execution of the crew. The combat was fierce, the Tactical Captain was an even fight for the Autarch but Mensis was in a different league. He used his captain as cover between himself and the Eldar, ducking and weaving in-between their blows, striking the Autarch when oppurtunity arose before dipping behind the captain. He used his superior as a glorified meat shield. But the perfect time to strike had come. The Eldar over stepped and the swing of his blade went wide, Mensis nudged the Captain into the path of the blow. The Edars blade became lodged in the thick skull of the former Captain, rendering it useless, Mensis threw the dead astartes aside and his powerfist shattered the Autarch's chest and sent his corpse flying through the air. The fight for the bridge was won, the reactor was set to critical and the flagship destroyed.
Mensis was given command of the Tactical Company and the Warp Skulls saw a vast improvement in the forces prowess in battle. Mensis now maintains his Company's greatness despite the looming shadow of corruption slowly descending upon the chapter.
Deeds: -Defeating an Eldar Autarch and subsequent destruction of a Void Stalker. -The defence of "Trench World" an Imperial World transformed into a scarred land by Orks. Mensis and a small force of Warp Skulls saw to the protection of the planet's people and assisted the PDF in retaking the world from the Ork menace. -The Murran Massacre, where Mensis and a small force were sent to the planet Murran to destroy a rebel force of mutants and heretics. Mensis' Strike Cruiser Kosm opened fire on civilian settlements to draw out the rebels. The Captain put every man, woman and child showing signs of corruption to the sword.
Weapons: Storm-bolter and Power Fist, combat knife.
Personality: Upon meeting Skyrax, most people are immediately put in mind of a snake wearing the face of a man. Despite leading the Vanguard Company, famously made up of the Chapter’s most bellicose and battle hungry veterans, he has a calm and controlled manner. He smiles often, is complementary of both his superiors and underlings, rarely raises his voice and is generally respectful to those around him. And yet few of his comrades like him or even trust him. There is something fundamentally slimy about him, a sensation that, no matter what he is saying, he is contemplating how best to use you for his own advancement. More than once, he withheld crucial information from other Captains or officers, to make sure that he can swoop in to save the day after their apparent blunders. Privately, he justifies these actions with the rationale that he is better suited to a position of command, from whence he can serve the God- Emperor and the Imperium better. Whatever methods he uses to secure himself one are therefore simply means to a glorious end.
Appearance: Skyrax’s most prized possession is his armour; a complete set of Mk6 ‘Corvus’ Plate, complete with flare greaves and the distinctive, beak-like helmet, gifted to him by a grateful Planetary-Governor after Skyrax saved his life in battle. One pauldron bears the chapter insignia and the other the Crux Terminatus, a symbol of great skill and long standing service, one he earned upon a Dark Eldar ship by fighting side by side with the Chapter Master himself. His blue plate is kept spotless, regularly wiped clean of the gore of battle and serviced whenever possible. In fact, he personally takes care to service all of his gear with near religious dedication, only occasionally letting the Chapter serfs touch them. More than one Chapter serf has disappeared after scratching or scuffing his armour.
Conversely, his face shows the marks of his centuries of warfare, both in the two service studs above his right eye and the multitude of scars that paint an intricate pattern across his face. His head is shaved clean of all hair, in case the enemy should attempt to snatch at it, and one of his left eye has been replaced with a cybernetic augmentation. More often than not, his face is carved into a smile. Whether it’s a feral grin of satisfaction at a perfectly executed kill or sycophantic grimace directed at a superior officer depends entirely on the situation.
Mutation(s): Since the inception of the Chapter, Skyrax has held himself aloof from those Astartes who sprouted wings or grew fangs. He considered himself better than that and trusted that the Emperor would preserve the sanctity of his flesh. Although he has managed to keep it secret so far, Skyrax has recently developed a distressing mutation of his own; his throat has twisted and changed as his Betcher's gland grew, becoming swollen and mutated. In times of intense stress or extreme danger, Skyrax loses control and vomits out a torrent of volatile acid, more than twice as much as normal Betcher's gland and several times as potent, that melts metal and rock into slag. At the moment, he is able to conceal it by simply continuing to keep a tight hold on his temper but he is sure that his remaining pupil has started to slit and lizard-like and that some patches of his skin are fusing into scales…
Bio: Born on a simple feudal world, Skyrax was raised in a harsh environment. When he was no older than eleven, he was trained to help corral the vicious lizard-like predators of his homeworld. The sale of the domesticated beasts was the only business around and the only reason there was an Imperial outpost on the planet at all. He learned to dodge their strikes, leap onto their backs and lash a rope through their maws. He was fast, smart and had reflexes fast enough to avoid losing limbs, unlike many of his peers. And the more he corralled, the more often he was asked to descend into the pit and lash up another. He realised that, to use an old Terran saying, the reward for digging a hole is a bigger shovel. It was then that he realised that a man needs to be more than just more skilled than his compatriots if he wants to advance in life; he needs to be more cunning, more calculating and more ruthless as well. He would likely have eventually slipped up and lost a limb to their snapping jaws eventually, had not the ships of the Warp Skulls arrived and claimed him as their own.
The trials were brutal and many boys that Skyrax had known his whole life fell before his eyes. He prevailed though and was one of the lucky few to be bestowed the greatest honour an Imperial citizen can receive; the geneseed of a Space Marine. When he was a full marine, he fell in with the Chapter scouts, ready to do his part to defend the Imperium of man. His squad sergeant reported that he was eager, full of zeal but perhaps a little too keen to advance. He suggested that Skyrax be kept at the level of scout until the sergeant deemed him ready for a higher rank. This might have helped cool Skyrax’s heels a bit but some weeks afterwards, fate proved to have other plans. During a routine reconnaissance operation into the ruins of a city, the squad was ambushed by a Kroot patrol. The sergeant was overwhelmed by the Xenos numbers, taking a score with him as went. One by one, Skyrax’s fellow scouts went down until it was just him, holding his ground at the top of heathen temple. His sniper rifle was almost empty, his bolt pistol lost and the blade of his combat knife lodged in the skull of a foe some hours before.
But even armed only with what ammunition he could scrounge from the dead and a few grenades, he held off several waves of the alien brutes, eventually repositioning with his squadmate’s rocket launcher. Using a Krak missile to collapse one of the crumbling buildings onto the enemy, Skyrax drastically changed the odds. A week later, when the Chapter’s Thunderbirds came to reinforce the squad or recover their geneseed, they found him sitting atop a pile of Xenos corpses with the sergeant’s chainsword in his hands. From the look of it, the blade had seen recent use. Given that the marine who had advised against his advancement was now dead, there was no one to object to Skyrax being immediately promoted to Tactical marine.
He served for a score or so of years as a tactical marine in good standing, making a name for himself as skilled melee fighter. Within the due course of time, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, leading squads into the thickest parts of the action. After almost a century of action, another opportunity for greatness presented itself, though this one was a little less heroic. When his squad had secured their dropsite, clearing out the chaos worshipping scum surrounding it, he voxxed to command that Squad Vulpine, his Squad, had completed their objectives. Instead of the reply he expected, he received a communication addressed to Squad Rhylinore, another of the Squad’s deployed in the area. They were warned that more enemies were coming in from the north and that they would need to reposition. It transpired that the atmosphere of the planet had interfered with the voxx equipment badly enough that command could not tell which Squad had received the message. In a moment of what he perceived to be divine clarity, Skyrax signalled that the message had been received but neglected to pass it on to Squad Rhylinore. It was an opportunity handed to him by the Emperor, he was sure, an opportunity to once again be the hero. He had his squad regroup and ready themselves to move out. The Astartes quickly made their way to Squad Rhylinore’s dropsite. Moving ahead, Skyrax had his men halt as he surveyed the battle below.
The reinforcements of the renegade troops had hit the other Squad unaware, throwing the entire battle into confusion. The centre of the ground was a melee, Astartes and humans hacking away at each other as the enemy blazed away with heavy stabbers directly into the conflict. Making a quick decision, Skyrax had his Squad circle round to take the enemy reinforcements by surprise. He judged that the most heroic way to save Squad Rhylinore would be to decimate the enemy firing down upon them and then descend into the melee to wipe out the survivors. A more tactical approach would have been to immediately engage the reinforcements at long range and advance at all speed, drawing fire from the other Squad and therefore saving Astartes. However, glory was Skyrax’s goal, not victory. The plan went off without a hitch, Squad Vulpine massacring the enemy before helping to extract their fellow marines. It would not be the last time Skyrax put his own advancement before the lives of his battle brothers.
After several such incidents (two of which he returned the only one alive from an engagement) he was promoted to the Vanguard Veterans and nicknamed “the undying”. Easily the youngest member of the Vanguards, Skyrax did not receive half the respect and deference he had as a Squad sergeant, which was perhaps just as well. He had hardly settled into his new role when another momentous change came; his allegiance was changed from the Raven Guard to a newly formed fleet chapter, the Warp Skulls. Those in command considered this new position to be a fit rewards for his previous exploits and, given what would happen to both Skyrax and the chapter in the future, might have been right. Skyrax was thrilled, eager to make use of his new position to ascend as far as he could as fast as he could. In a newly formed Chapter, he reasoned, it would be far easier to advance than in an order as old and established as the Raven Guard.
For three decades, he accumulated kills and glory in the Vanguard. In this time, he added many spectacular deeds to his honour roll, such as cutting a mysterious Xenos beast in half with his power sword or gutting a colossal greenskin monster. He gained quite a reputation among his comrades, though it greatly differed depending not he rank of the marine in question. Among the tactical and scout squads, he was often held up as an example. That one so you could ascend so quickly was a great inspiration. But among the Veterans, the Sternguards and some of the other, more senior companies, he was often referred to with caution or even outright contempt. Some have noticed that glory almost always goes to Skyrax, whether it is deserving or not. While undoubtedly a greatly skilled warrior, for who else could survive while serving in the vanguard Veterans, it seemed to them that Skyrax had gained far more commendations than could possibly be his due.
It was not until some ten years ago that he finally attained enough glory and renown to advance. During an intense boarding action against a Dark Eldar flagship, the Vanguard Veterans arrived at the bridge of the ship at the same time as the honour guard of Chapter Master and Rokurou Caras himself. The Xenos leader had already fallen to the honour guard but his bodyguards, warriors known as Incubi and each wielding two handed Klaives, were still very much alive. Their terrible onslaught was slowly but surely driving the warriors of the honour guard and the Vanguard Veterans back, dropping more marines every second. Eventually, there were but two marines on the bridge, standing back to back and surrounded by foes; Chapter Master Caras and Skyrax the Undying. The Chapter Master moved with surprising grace and speed for one in tactical Dreadnaught armour, bringing his chainfists swinging around to shatter Eldar skulls or parry their colossal blades sublime skill. At his side, Skyrax sought to guard his leader’s back, batting away what attacks he could and intercepting those he couldn’t upon his Storm Shield. The two warriors flashed from stance to stance, guard to strike in a desperate attempt to keep one step ahead of their inhumanly agile adversaries. Although the fight lasted for not more than three minutes, it ended with the bridge strewn with the corpses of Xenos and Astartes alike and Chapter Master Caras standing over Skyrax’s bleeding form. In the last few seconds of the battle, the final Incubi had slipped an attack through his guard and hacked a rent in his helmet with the tip of his foul weapon. Skyrax’s left eye was ruined. For one bleeding on the deck of an alien ship, however, he was in high spirits. The Chapter Master commended him for his skill at arms and, after seeing the Vanguard Captain lying dead on the ground, promoted him immediately to the rank of Vanguard Captain and granted him the right to bear the Crux Terminatus. Such glory was clearly worth the cost of an eye. After all, he had another.
For the last decade, he has served as the Vanguard Captain, spearheading every assault he can, butchering every opponent he comes across and bathing himself in glory for Emperor and Chapter. While many mutations burst out in the Chapter around him, Skyrax thought himself safe, favoured perhaps. This illusion was shattered by the mutation of his throat to produce a strange and burning fire, something he has carefully concealed from his fellow marines. Eventually, he decided that having such a powerful and secret weapon ready at all times was most useful. For the moment, in fact, he is content in his position as Vanguard Veteran Captain. But soon perhaps, this will not be enough. Soon, he may hunger for still more…
Deeds: Lone Survivor of a Kroot massacre of his scout Squad, brought down a building on them before finishing of the remainders with his sergeant’s chainsword. Bisected a Xenos beast of unknown designation with a single swing of his power sword, cutting it down the middle into two pieces. Gutted a Squiggoth that was rampaging through an Ork Kruzer, slashing open its belly with his blade and quickly ending its rampage. Held the breach at the fortress of Dantioch for six hours without reinforcements. Fought side to side with Chapter Master Caras aboard a Dark Eldar vessel against a score of Incubi.
Weapons: When ranged engagements are the only possibility, Skyrax prefers a bolt pistol loaded with Inferno rounds. More usually, he prefers to use a circular Storm Shield in his left hand and a Power Sword in his right. He fights like a knight of Old Terra, hacking down foes with his blades, parrying some attacks and absorbing others upon his shield. As Vanguard Captain, he is occasionally dispatched to destroy enemy objectives and carries a set of Melta Bombs for that purpose.
Gear: Skyrax uses the standard Frag and Krak grenades to flush opponents out onto his waiting blade. His left eye has been replaced with a cybernetic one, which grants him some enhanced viewing options similar to the function of an auspex. Finally, he has a voxx com link built into his helmet.
Valius' personality has gone through some... phases. In his time as part of the Raven Guard, he was quite heavily devoted to the Omnissiah and its teachings, and had a great obsession with the mechanical aspects of the chapter, moreso than many other Techmarines, albeit sometimes to the point of their morality being questionable. This was exarcerbated beyond reasonable levels when, as the newly-formed Warp Skulls continued to mutate, his brain was targeted by mutation as his only remaining organic component, rendering him ever more insane, and ever more willing to perform extreme modifications to weapons, armour, and people alike, given the opportunity. Eventually, this insanity was forcibly surpressed in him by the chapter Librarians, leaving him in his current state: he retains laser-like focus when it comes to both mechanical knowledge and skill and his newfound psyker abilities, but reverts to moderate confusion in just about any other situation, such that communicating with the other members of his chapter can sometimes be difficult. Unsurprisingly, he isn't overly bothered by this - he always preferred the company of machines anyway. However, the procedure has not been perfect, and without another psyker to keep repressing it, he'll revert to his psychotic and excessively-experimental mannerisms; worse still, it seems that every time his madness is undone, his personality becomes more and more distant, as though his brain is actively attempting to hinder itself for as long as it isn't in its maddened, psychotic state.
After extensive modification to himself, Valius' entire body other than his brain has been replaced with cybernetic machinery, itself modified over the years for ever-greater levels of effectiveness. Thus, he externally appears to be composed almost entirely of shining adamantium, though his outer shell is actually a combination of this, painted in the colours of the Warp Skulls and the Adeptus Mechanicus, and plasteel for joint flexibility, whilst his inner circuitry is laced with protective materials to ensure that nothing is damaged or dislodged by any sort of shock to his outer casing. The overall build he possesses is one akin to that of a fairly standard Space Marine, at around eight feet tall and several feet wide with an overall muscular appearance, yet this body is notably stronger and tougher than any normal Space Marine's for its build, albeit without quite as extensive a capacity to repair itself under duress. The exceptions to this otherwise pseudo-average appearance are the servo-harness attached to his back, from which spews a great array of servo-arms and mechadendrites with more functions than most people could even remember, ranging from standard manipulators to weapons to crafting tools to surgical instruments; and his face, which resembles nothing like a human face, instead being covered in optic and auric sensors, vocalisers, and other bits of technology for perceiving and communicating with the outside world, topped off by a crown of what appear to be metal-plated tentacles emerging from the crown of his head in a tangle of writhing mechanical manipulators, seemingly rather far removed from the appearance of any other mechadendrite in his body. As a matter of fact, these are tentacles that have actively grown out of his brain and promptly been incorporated into his skull structure, almost disguised so as to hide their true nature, though they remain highly noticable even then.
And none of this even begins to cover his artificier armour, built from scratch over his many centuries of service in a style that draws from the best elements of the mainline armour Marks plus some additional modifications to further improve the suit, then lovingly painted and adorned in the colours and symbols of the AdMech (with the Warp Skulls symbol and colours on one shoulder to avoid offense to its machine spirit, of course). Valius' artificier armour has been designed to accommodate his own artificial nature, and to improve upon it further than even what has already been achieved; thus, as with any suit of artificier armour, it represents the pinnacle of Imperium design, providing impeccable protection from external harm that is only surpassed by Terminator armour itself, and for Valius in particular, may represent a near-match to the same, whilst also allowing for as much additional technology as Valius has been able to cram into it (at least the tech he hasn't already installed into himself). Furthermore, it is, as might be expected, designed to accommodate both his servo-harness and the mechadendrites coming from his head, minimising the weak points those areas might otherwise represent whilst allowing both their full mobility. In short, it is an exceptionally-functional work of art, one that surpasses any lesser suit of powered armour, and which makes Valius a nigh-unstoppable force whilst he wears it.
Brain tentacles, insanity, psyker powers (no crystal coating, due to artificial exterior and lack of Mucranoid Glands).
Born on the planet of Deliverance at some time in the middle of the 35th millenium, Valius was raised as part of the higher classes of the planet, and in fact was trained almost from the day he could walk by the best tutors his parents could afford in anticipation of the upcoming Raven Guard recruitment drive, determined that their son should become one of the esteemed Space Marines to help defend the Imperium, and bring honour to their family for generations to come. As it happened, this left somewhat little time for his own hobbies, though he did discover his interest in electronics at some point, which would greatly shape his future path. By the time the Aspirant Trials rolled around, he had achieved as much training as he might need at the tender age of nine, and his interest in circuitry had started to evolve into an interest in machinery and the like in general, the majority of which wasn't particularly helpful as he progressed through the Trails until its final stage, a one-on-one battle against an unarmed Space Marine, something that was still more than able to kill a grown man with ease, let alone a young boy. Of course, this battle would merely be to inject a certain substance into the opponent without being caught, but it was nevertheless a nigh-impossible feat for a young boy under normal circumstances. Thus, whilst Valius could have tried to go for a quick and simple attack (one which, inevitably, would have led to his failure, and at the very least would not have achieved his acceptance into the Raven Guard), he instead took advantage of the quite large battlefield available to him, fleeing into the nearby streets to bait his opponent after him.
This was a risky strategy for one of his upbringing; it might have been less successful if, unbeknownst to his opponent, he had not already stashed away a map of the area in anticipation of the battle. It would also have been unsuccessful without certain helpful measures put in place beforehand, for instance a mediocre rope trap that the Marine avoided with ease, and a less mediocre wire trap that actually caught Valius' foe up for a second, before he freed himself and continued his pursuit. Eventually, after about an hour of repeated luring and hiding, the Raven Guard stopped playing with his food and snuck up on the child undetected, only narrowly failing to immediately inject Valius after an unexpected fall on the child's part. This, however, was a prelude to the child's final gambit: an autopistol he built himself in his free time, and stashed away for just such an occasion, though it was luck alone that allowed Valius to fall in the right place at the right time, and the Marine's own curiosity at what last resort was going to be used against him that allowed Valius to act as he did. The child shot the surprised Marine in the throat a couple of times, then stabbed his needle into the Marine and gloated for a moment at his apparent victory. Unwisely, as even a severely-wounded Marine is still a threat; he was snatched up by the leg, and himself injected by the Marine's needle, falling unconscious before he could properly process the sudden turnabout.
The next thing he knew, Valius was in a room somewhere in orbit, being told that despite, or possibly thanks to his underhanded tactics, he had been accepted as a Neophyte of the Raven Guard, given that it was no mean feat for him to have injured a far superior opponent the way he did (though he wondered for a while afterwards whether fate had smiled upon him in that moment, since he certainly hadn't been aiming the weapon with very much skill). Additionally, his obvious tech-savviness showed that he would have a bright future as a Techmarine, and would be seconded to Mars and the Adeptus Mechanicus as soon as it was reasonable. And so it was that, several years and many long, gruelling hours of training, surgery and hypnotherapy later, he found himself on Mars, learning the ways of the Omnissiah, and quickly developing a healthy respect for this similar-yet-separate being to the God-Emperor of Man, and a vicious, perhaps even obsessive desire to work with whatever technology he could get his hands on. The standard time spent training on Mars was around thirty years for most Techmarines, but Valius somehow managed to eke out another twenty, taking advantage of the extra time to begin replacing parts of his body with ever more machinery, and then, upon being returned to the Raven Guard as a full-blown Techmarine, continuing the process until, at around 115 years, his only biological component left was his brain. There were rituals available to replace even that (as least the more emotional half) with sacred techno-organic circuitry, thus ensuring that his mind would be purely and entirely logical for all time, but for some reason, he never found the time to have the servitors perform the operation, or so he claimed in spite of having his progenoids extracted as soon as was reasonably possible.
Certainly, the ferocity with which he put himself to work on the chapter's technology and his own physical form for the next couple of centuries might have precluded this operation, and it could not be said of him that he did not produce many marvels of engineering that, to some extent, continue to be utilised by the Raven Guard in some form or another. Of course, many of Rooke's tech-inclined brethren believed that his voracious appetite for improvement was counter to the Mechanicus Creed, sometimes even claiming that the rate of his work was heretekal in nature, to which he rarely responded with anything other than "look at my results and tell me that was a bad idea". At some point or another, however, the limited armoury and resources of the Raven Guard bored him, having done what it could to produce the incredible achievement that was his artificier armour (not, he believed, that this would be his ultimate achievement, as even the suit itself had yet to be perfected), and he began to wonder what else could be done...
And it was then that a vision came to him: the Omnissiah itself, telling him to ask for secondment to the Deathwatch, that he might help engage and destroy the xenos that threatened the Imperium more effectively, and acquire ever more technical knowledge. After going to the Chaplains of the chapter about the vision, and having the chapter Librarians confirm it as legitimate, his request was duly granted; he spent the next 120 years or so helping battle-brothers from chapters far-removed from his own to fight a wide variety of aliens in a wide variety of locations, at the same time benefiting greatly from the oftentimes far more esoteric technology available to the Deathwatch. One of the most infamous specific examples of his use of this technology involved his dismantling of an atomiser cannon to study its components, subsequently rebuilding it and several more, including one attached to his servo-harness, with this production process only halting after several of his squad mates, plus one or two higher-ups in the Watch, requested to varying degrees of politeness that he stop building more of them.
This was not, however, what eventually ended his mission in the Deathwatch. That came about forcibly in the days prior to the 21st Founding, when as many members of the Raven Guard as could be spared were recalled to the Raven-Spire on Deliverance in preparation for their division into a new chapter. Whilst he was not greatly pleased by this requisition of troops, Valius obliged to the call, and was ultimately chosen as one of the first members of the newly-founded Warp Skulls, for his extensive technical knowledge and experience in the field of battle. Though he was not judged as the most suitable candidate for Forge Master, it happened that the command structure of the new chapter demanded lieutenants for every company, to act as second-in-command should the first fall in battle; therefore, for his incredible talent, he was named Forge-Adept, lieutenant and second to one Constantine Drustos, and continued his work at a rate much bolstered from his time in the Raven Guard by the strangely solid link between the Warp Skulls and the Adeptus Mechanicus, who had sent some of their own number along to accompany the newly-forged chapter, at some point culminating in his upgrading of the chapter's plasma and melta weaponry to substantially reduce their tendency to overheat when used too frequently, something much appreciated by all who used them.
No amount of technological alliance, however, could prepare the chapter when its members began to mutate. At first, this did not affect Valius too greatly, and he foolishly believed that his advanced state of technological enhancement had effectively shielded him from its effects. This proved to be false at about the mid-stage of the chapter's alteration, when mutation began in the only place it could, the one biological component he had left: his brain. One day, he felt a bit of pressure against the inside of his skull, but thought nothing of it; the next, he awoke to find his entire skullcase had burst open despite its construction out of adamantium and plasteel, and was now writhing with tentacles that, after experimentation and a failed attempt at surgery, were discovered to have grown directly from the most precious component he had. They could be covered, but could only barely be hidden outright, and then not in a comfortable fashion; instead, he had them plated with metal as part of his replacement skull, in a sense disguising them as head-based mechadendrites, though even this marked him as an outlier even compared to some of his fellow mutants. But worse was yet to come, as, over the next several years, Valius' bearings began to tilt, leaning from fairly radical for a Techmarine, to ever-more-serious degrees of psychotic. He began experimenting in ways that even the more supportive of his brothers began to disapprove of, became ever more withdrawn to the point of utter obsession with his work, and though nobody said anything when tools, gadgets, weapons, servitors, and even chapter serfs began disappearing into his workplace- sometimes returning with strange mechanical additions of variable and usually inobvious purpose, sometimes never reappearing again- it was clear that he had gone quite mad, and would need to be dealt with in some form or another soon.
As it happened, the "soon" many believed would be appropriate was not soon enough. One day, out of nowhere, a massive burst of psychic energy was detected emanating from his quarters, and shortly afterward, some of the lesser brothers of the chapter would spy him being carried by Librarians through the halls of their abode to the Council Chamber, a psychic hood covering his head and sparks flying from his body. This would mark the abrupt awakening of something never seen before: a servant of the Omnissiah who had developed into a psyker, something that might have been thought impossible by many, near-heretical by plenty in the AdMech and Librarian communities, and a distinctly bad thing given Valius' ensuing madness, yet something that also represented a unique opportunity for the chapter if it could be harnessed correctly. In a debate between the command staff of the chapter regarding whether or not he should be executed immediately, sides were taken based on danger, potential usage, rehabilitation, and plain old emotional argument, but it was finally decided- against the wishes of a certain minority- that he would be effectively reprogrammed by the Chief Librarian himself, and subsequently trained to utilise what would eventually become relatively mid-level psychic abilities effectively.
With this decided, he was taken away and brainwashed, in an effort to surpress his insanity, and at the same time enhance his focus upon the two things that mattered, his tech skill and his psykerism. At first, this appeared to succeed with flying colours, leaving him surprisingly well-adjusted, and raring to continue his work in both of the relevant fields, ultimately developing psychic abilities that differed greatly from those of his chapter, mostly revolving around the manipulation of the machine spirits of technology and certain beyond-standard electrical abilities, something which assisted in the development of psychic technology that had been denied more intricate improvement until then. However, whilst at first he did just fine, it quickly became noticed that he had begun to slip back into madness, reverting to his obsessive ways, and he soon required a second session of brainwashing, then a third, then a fourth... eventually, reprogramming became a ritual for him that was performed regularly, so as to prevent his insanity from returning, yet it eventually became noticed that with each new layer of reprogramming, his personality was starting to fade, shrivelling ever-so-slowly in every aspect other than the ones that mattered to him most. For a Techmarine, this was hardly problematic, and so the sessions were allowed to continue unabated, right up until one of the largest battles the Warp Skulls faced to date: the battle of Chronon III, a world besieged by the Eldar for seemingly no purpose other than for conquest, and which many of the Imperium's chapters and forces other than the Warp Skulls fought upon.
Chronon III became a battleground unlike any which had been seen before. The Eldar present there seemed unending, fighting in far greater numbers than should be present in such a far-flung location, a fact not helped by the presence of a wraithknight of notable skill, slaughtering a great many of the Imperium's soldiers and often averting and avoiding situations that should have been disastrous for it. So vicious was this small war that the Collegia Titanica deigned to send one of their own Warlord titans to help even the field of battle in the Imperium's favour, and such a mighty and powerful machine certainly helped in this goal. Yet it seemed all but insufficient when pitted against the wraithknight itself: the wraithbone construct was as nimble as any Eldar, capable of dodging salvoes of plasma and missiles that would have struck less nimble entities, and once it reached melee range, it practically danced around the Warlord, wearing down its Void shield until, finally, a blow was struck that broke the shield and penetrated the titan's hull, destroying the cockpit and pilot, and toppling the machine in a state which was not, in theory, irreparable, but that was functionally unusable until the Collegia could reacquire it.
Valius, having been fighting in the front lines of this battle for a great length of time at this stage, found himself unreasonably distraught at the great machine's fall, in spite of the logical manner that followers of the Omnissiah were expected to act in. As it happened, his most recent reprogramming had been delayed by the Warp Skulls' secondment to Chronon III, and in a fit of madness, he rushed over to the Warlord, found a port to connect to, and unwisely tried to communicate with the almighty machine-spirit of such an entity through both physical and psychic means. One does not, however, simply interface with such a powerful machine, especially one in a broken state with a damaged spirit, and the connection began to fry much of Valius' circuitry, something that would take a great deal of time for him to rebuild from, and which resulted in his complete loss of any memory about the event. Yet, to the amazement of many onlookers, he somehow succeeded in moving (or convincing the machine-spirit to move) the god-machine's left arm to point toward the wraithknight, unaware that its foe had not been entirely disabled.
What is reported to have happened next is nothing short of awe-inspiring: a titanic, particularly over-strong blast of energy from the arm-mounted Volcano Cannon that struck the knight from behind, blasting a hole straight through its chassis, then tore it apart limb from limb from the excessive forces involved. Incidentally, the immense beam of plasma annihilated a massive line of both Imperial and Eldar troops afterwards when the cannon fell back to the earth whilst still firing, sending the xeno race into a panic over the combination of lost brethren and destroyed construct, and spurring Imperial forces to press the charge and finally gain the upper hand against their foes. The battle ended with the destruction and driving back of whatever Eldar remained on the planet's surface, and Valius was later found unconscious, having been flung about a hundred meters away from the titan by a combination of the shockwaves and what appeared to be psychic backlash from the machine-spirit itself.
He awoke in a state of insanity notably more advanced than anything seen before then, and the brainwashing utilised upon him to cure that left him in a notably more degraded state than before; where he had merely been inobservant outside of his technology and psychic powers before, now he was severely hampered, seeming moderately confused practically constantly, and occasionally barely paying attention to anything outside of his areas of expertise, and this only got worse over time. As of the present day, whilst generally respected by the lesser Marines of the chapter, he is seen by the majority of his equals and superiors as merely a useful tool, one which continues to have the potential to become dangerous at any moment, but which so far has proven to be exceptionally handy for various reasons. What will be done about him if and/or when he is required to take over as Master of the Forge has yet to be discussed, and though he is still part of the command staff, his future remains somewhat uncertain, especially given the newest information regarding the Inquisition's upcoming examination of the Warp Skulls chapter.
-Outmaneuvered and noticably injured a full-grown Space Marine at just nine years old; -Trained under the AdMech for 50 years, converted himself almost entirely to machinery in less than 100; -Countless feats of extreme engineering prowess, not least of which is much reducing the tendency of plasma and melta weapons in the Warp Skulls armoury to overheat or detonate under duress; -Seconded to the Deathwatch for many decades, acquiring more esoteric mechanical knowledge as a result; -Spontaneously developed psychic abilities, becoming (so far as he is aware) the sole tech-psyker in the entire Imperium; -Single-handedly manipulated a downed Warlord-class titan's machine-spirit to aim and fire one of its weapons to destroy an Eldar wraithknight.
Valius possesses a servo-harness which, since its creation, has been modified into a spidery mess of servo-arms and mechadendrite-mounted tools and weaponry, most of which has either been built or upgraded to a degree of craftsmanship that even most other Techmarines would consider exceptional. His weapons are no exception, and they include one of the rare and distressing weapons known as an atomizer cannon, with associated auto-loader in place to remove and replace batteries and the like as needed, as well as the servo-arms of the harness itself and the breaching augur fitted to the harness; however, the only weapon he ever wields in his hands is an Omnissian power axe, which has recently been modified in a manner many techpriests might call profane by adding a chainsword-like structure to its edge, creating something not unlike a (moderately) less unwieldy chainfist which benefits from both a power field and moving, rending adamantite teeth.
The degree of self-modification Valius has performed upon himself, along with the effort put into his artificier armour and number of servo-harness limbs he possesses, has allowed him to cram a truly absurd number of tools and devices into his repertoire of equipment. Aside from the standard Chapter handouts, including his servo-harness and a few frag and krak grenades, the vast majority of his body has been replaced with a superior cybernetic version of itself, frequently enhancing his strength and toughness or boosting and adding to his senses where appropriate, as well as implementing into himself an auger array in place of a hand-held auspex/scanner, and a mind-impulse unit to assist in machine communication; aside from these, he has implemented into himself or his armour or harness a signum, targeter, cartograph, elucidator, multikey, pict recorder, stummer, vox-caster, diagnosticator, and, most recently, a psychic hood to help control his new-found psychic abilities and, more importantly, resist incoming psychic threats. His most useful tools, however, are the combi-tool attached to his power axe, in fact upgraded to an omni-tool not unlike those used in the Deathwatch for even greater technological manipulation, and a dilation field installed into his armour capable of briefly accelerating his movement as though time itself has sped up for him, with his senses modified to account for and minimise the negative effects of such a sudden shift in perception, though this field unfortunately does not interact well with force fields, precluding their use in his arsenal of equipment.
