#Gandrus Caelen

[inquisitorradcliffe]

I Am The Hammer

Second Place reward for @therealvagabird from the Recruitment Drive contest

Colonel Dyer wiped his hand across his face, fingers leaving muddy streaks across his already soiled skin. His eyes hurt. His head hurt. The entirety of his physical being hurt. He checked his wrist-chron. Thirty seven hours without sleep. Borsca was keeping the recaf coming fast and hot but even his adjutant’s famous, or rather infamous, brew was beginning to lose its edge.

Dyer blinked as he tried to focus his vision on the map in front of him. Things had gone to shit since the reports of daemonic manifestations had started rolling in. Now the crisp blue line along the Fortis Ridge that had once marked the Imperial battle line was now marred with red crosses and adjustments. It was all Dyre could do to keep the map updated. Perhaps more concerning was the fact that the biggest enemy push was happening along the Salient 24-20 and aimed right at his command post.

“Emperor preserve me,” he mumbled.

“That is my job, Colonel. And it is an honor.”

Dyer looked up as a heavily armored figure opened the flap to his command tent and walked in. The Colonel could just make out Borsca mouthing the word sorry over the man’s shoulder. “And you are?”

“Lord Inquisitor Gandrus Caelen.” He produced his hololithic rosette as proof of his credentials. Dyer couldn’t help but notice how much the man’s armor wheezed as he moved. The sound of machinery came in time with Caelen’s breathing, hinting at the extensive augmentation necessary to keep a man of his age up and running.

“And what can I do for you, Inquisitor?” Dyer had worked with Inquisitors before. They were a secretive, edgy, often unpredictable lot. He despised them. But he had to work with them.

“The question is what will I do for you, Colonel.”

Pretentious as always, Dyer thought. “And what is the answer to that question, my Lord?”

Caelen tapped the map with a gauntleted finger, indicating Salient 24-20. “You have an issue that needs to be solved. I need two hundred of your best men, Colonel.”

Dyer cocked an eyebrow. “Only two hundred? Have you heard the reports flooding in? Daemons, Inquisitor.“

Caelen was unfazed, and regarded Dyer with a cold, icy stare. “Two hundred,” he repeated. “I will supplement the rest.”

They came over the ridge howling and spitting profanities to their depraved god. Most were on foot. Some rode mounts that boasted hides of iron and steel and spat fire. All were angry red and wielded swords of ire. Corporal Chatham looked upon them and wished dearly for a few more sandbags and rockcrete barriers between him and them.

“Open fire!”

The order came and the entire line obeyed without a second thought, filling the rapidly closing distance between their lines and the charging enemy with a flurry of lasfire. Chatham had enough time before they smashed into his line to note he had unseated one of the screaming monsters from its mount. It was the last thing he thought about before that mount bulldozed into him, trampling the colonel under its hooves.

Gandrus Caelen snapped off a few shots with his bolter, but his heart wasn’t in the fight, not yet. This was a diversionary ploy, something to bait the daemons in and grab their attention while the real trap sprang shut. The first beast reached him, sword raised, and Caelen swatted it aside without raising a hand. The second one met the same fate, as did the next. The daemons broke around him like waves against a rock. Try as they might, they could not touch him.

The air filled with a bloody haze, red mist from pulped bodies hanging like fog. It only served to make the distortion more noticeable when the air warped. The smell of O-zone assaulted his nostrils and Caelen smiled triumphantly as his backup arrived.

The daemons reeled as they struggled to account for the sudden appearance of Astartes in their midst. Blue flame crackled around holy weapons and righteous energies sparked from open palms to immolate the unclean as the Grey Knights laid into their foes with zealous fury. In a matter of minutes, what had once been an unstoppable charge had devolved into a panicked route.

Caelen stooped and picked up the leering skull of a beheaded daemon. It’s black tongue lolled lazily from its mouth, and one horn was severed clean off. He studied it briefly, before tossing it over his shoulder. A Rhino APC rolled up, geared tracks grinding in the dirty soil as it stopped and opened its rear hatch. Caelen boarded, taking his time. Now it would be his turn to lead the charge.

And this time there would be no route.

[inquisitorradcliffe]

Recruitment Drive Submission

Name: Gandrus Caelen

Rank/Occupation: Lord Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus, Scholar Empyrean

Age: Estimated ~345, possibly much older

Gender: Male

Height: 5’11” (6’1” w/ armor)

Weight: ~135lbs (w/o armor)

Build: Extremely skinny, just short of emaciated

Hair Color: Blonde (shaved)

Eye Color: Grey

Other Details: High-powered psyker, main abilities in divination, but has broad knowledge. In old age, body is now pale and heavily augmented, almost mummified. Rarely ever seen outside of armor—sanctic, artificer Ignatius power armor with Blood Angels-like face-helmet, all in gold. Wears dark red robes over. Often carries force-stave and clergy tomes.

Bio: Taken at a young age from a home he hardly remembers, Caelen was inducted into the Scholastia Psykana after testing positive for great psychic potential. For all his upbringing, the dangers of the psyker were hammered into his brain, and the adept became ever more fearful of his own abilities. His weedy form, coupled with a submissive and fearful personality, invited distain for his peers, who believed he would soon be overcome by his power and should be put to death. Things did not improve even after Caelen had amassed some skill—he was assigned as interrogator to an Ordo Hereticus team, where he experienced further abuse by many his allies.

Caelen’s first saving grace came from his sheer ability to survive. Those who were hostile to him were often also the most brash, and likely to be killed. The psyker’s fear for his own abilities meant he only ever used them in the direst of circumstances, and when his control was greatest. To help find the courage to persevere, Caelen sought even stronger faith in the Emperor. He poured over religious texts, meditated for long hours, and focused on self-mastery so that he might suffer less. His dedication was scholarly as well as pious, as he sought to truly understand the nature of the divine. As faith in the God Emperor was the only thing capable of giving him hope, he became the most pious member of his team.

Centuries and many adventures later, Caelen’s efforts at discipline have paid off. His devotion to lore, meditative practice, and psychic focus have made him a master psyker of prodigious power. Though he is not the most physically adept—relying on his Malleus armor to protect his ancient form, he is a force to be reckoned with. Fear and submission have been replaced by quiet determination and a reserved nature that belies a righteous fire within. Many potential enemies within the Inquisition tend to be suspicious of his mysterious figure coupled with such a gentle demeanor, but Caelen is confident enough in his own power to not enforce his will with intimidation—usually. His faith is unshakeable, and though he is subdued for an Inquisitor, he greatly distrusts radicals. Nowadays, the Lord Inquisitor works with the Ordo Malleus in purging worlds under siege by daemonic forces. The Inquisitor is noted as being fond of working with other Imperial forces, like the Sisters of Battle, and involves himself not just in the destruction of foes, but in the meticulous building and establishment of beautiful shrine-worlds on planets he has helped liberate. Politicking frustrates him, and war he views as a grim necessity to bring the light of the Emperor into the galaxy, and a forge for heroes. Though many do not trust him, he holds deep respect for the Emperor’s people, despises the cruel and selfish, and pities the faithless. It is human to be fearful, but in the Emperor lies courage, wisdom, and order.

SECOND PLACE

[inquisitorradcliffe]

New Recruits

The winners of the 400 Follower Recruitment Drive have been selected!

Third place goes to @vril-punk and Aruna!

Second place goes to @therealvagabird and Gandrus Caelen

and finally,

First place belongs to @jdlegacy and Taggert Danforth.

All winners will receive a drabble about their character. I will be in contact soon to discuss topics. On top of that, Taggert Danforth will become the newest member of Radcliffe’s retinue.

Their character entries will be published for all to see.