Antigonus Balorodin
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This article is about the Inquisitor; for the Magos, see Antigonus. |
Antigonus Balorodin is a Thorian Inquisitor Lord of the Ordo Malleus, who is also known as the Expulgator of Thoth Prime.[1]
Contents
Biography
Early life
Antigonus was the youngest son of the Imperial Commander of the Hive world Polyphemia II, located in the Segmentum Solar, and spent his life being groomed for a career within the military of his home world. Balorodin's father was a staunch traditionalist who insisted that all his children serve a term of at least five years within the Planetary Defence Force, the Polyphemian Guard. As Antigonus was the youngest of the Governor's five sons and the three daughters, there was little prospect of him replacing his father; instead, it was suspected that he would remain within the Polyphemian Guard, where he might rise to the position of Colonel or possibly General, depending on his abilities.[1]
Unlike many Imperial Commanders, the elder Balorodin had no place for toadying or favouritism when it came to the defence of his home planet. Antigonus's training, therefore, was as rigorous as any other officer candidate's.[1]
The Polyphemian Campaign
During Antigonus's second year as a Lieutenant in the Polyphemian First Division, a Departmento Munitorum tithing fleet arrived at Polyphemia, much to the surprise of the Governor and his aides. The Orks had invaded the agri-world of Dacemon, located only a hundred and twenty light years away, which meant that Polyphemia was now required to provide four hundred thousand soldiers for the army that was to be assembled for the re-conquest of that planet.[1]
The Governor stuck with his principles and dispatched his better equipped and trained troops, which included the First, Second and Third Divisions. Antigonus was given a brevet rank as a Lieutenant within the Imperial Guard and in three months time, he was aboard a ship that was heading towards the war zone.[1]
The Polyphemians were among the first Imperial reinforcements to arrive at Dacemon, dropped onto a world that was already three-quarters overrun by the Orks. Their mission was to establish a fortified landing zone from which further attacks would be launched against the Greenskins and allow a bridgehead through which other reinforcements could be landed.[1]
The initial assault, however, turned out to be a disaster due to poor intelligence, which led to the majority of the drop being made on unstable lava beds that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers; the drop ships simply crashed through the fragile surface or were destroyed by the eruptions created when hundreds of craft landed simultaneously. From that moment on, matters simply became worse as what was believed to have been an uninhabited wasteland was in fact a densely populated region full of numerous large creatures that inhabited the tunnels inside the vitrified lava flows. A majority of these beasts were highly predatory and many of the soldiers recovering from disastrous landings found themselves killed by the gigantic crab-like creatures and mutant hunting cats. This in turn led to the assault force being completely unprepared for the eventual Ork counterattack, which employed Gargants and similar war machines that assaulted the Imperial Guard positions. It became abundantly clear that the Guard forces were incapable of holding their positions.[1]
Recognising the predicament his forces were in, Balorodin requested permission from his superiors to lead a task force into the network of tunnels, which would serve as a rearguard for retreat. His request was denied, as the task force's commanders were adamant: there would be no retreat, and the landing site had to be held no matter the cost. Three more regiments were inbound and would reach the planet within three weeks' time; the commanders reasoned that they could hold out until then.[1]
At this point, Balorodin began making use of the guile and initiative for which he had become well known by those who had met him. After five days, he made a further request to his superiors to relocate his command post into the tunnels, in order to protect them from further Gargant bombardments as well as attack runs from Ork aircraft. He also reorganised the First Division into a bodyguard unit that broke out of the closing ring of Orks along with the command staff. Of the half-million guardsmen that landed, only sixty thousand remained and seven thousand of them formed the remainder of the First Division.[1]
Although Balorodin's second request was also denied, he had already sent two pioneer companies consisting of five hundred men that went into the tunnels located east from the landing site where they began setting up defensive works, communication arrays and a mapping mission of the surrounding area. With this foresight, Antigonus led the Polyphemian command staff into the nearly functional headquarters, which was secured from the subterranean hunting creatures as well as obscured from attacks from the surface. Though the remainder of the assault force now numbered a few hundred men that were using their dropships as bunkers, the First Division managed to launch counter attacks against the Orkish hordes. This continued for the next seventeen days, where the forces under Balorodin's command held out against the Greenskins as well as supported the troops that were holding the drop site. When the time came for the regiments to arrive from Argastas, the First Division broke out in force and secured the landings but lost half their numbers to the ensuing Ork attack. Despite the losses, the Argastans managed to land safely and a beachhead was finally established. The battle for the landing zone lasted for twenty-four days and the Polyphemians were withdrawn to orbit with only three thousand of them being left alive.[1]
The Inquisition
Unsurprisingly, the debacle at the drop site drew the attention of Inquisitor Brek, who arrived at Dacemon determined that those responsible for the disaster would not go unpunished. During his investigation, Brek became impressed with Balorodin, and instead of chastising him for his lax attitude towards authority as well as the deliberate misinterpretation of his orders, the inquisitor admired his foresight and planning. When the time came from Inquisitor Brek to leave Dacemon, Balorodin joined him as a member of his entourage and began his first steps to becoming an Inquisitor himself.[1]
For the next twenty-three years, he learned from Brek and took part in many dangerous missions with his master. At the time of the Benlarii Scouring in 936 to 938.M41, Balorodin met Inquisitor Lord Tawb-Shiba for the first time. With the Cult of the Reconciled revealed and crushed, Brek was ready to leave Benlarii, but Balorodin requested that he join Tawb-Shiba, as he was intrigued with the Inquisitor Lord's Thorian beliefs. Brek was more than happy for Balorodin to now strike out on his own and agreed to his request despite the fact that Brek would miss his abilities.[1]
Tawb-Shiba was a classic Thorian and a strong believer in Incarnationism in general. In their seven years together, Balorodin was also introduced by Tawb-Shiba to the Anomolian Beholders philosophy. As he was a man who believed in the direct rather than philosophical approach, Balorodin began to actively pursue the Anomolian agenda after parting from Tawb-Shiba in 945.M41.[1]
Whilst he performed his work diligently, his career was ultimately unremarkable for several decades. After uncovering and destroying a Genestealer cult working on Thrand's Landing, Balorodin encountered two members of the Ordo Malleus and spent the next seven years being initiated into the workings of the Ordo where his studies, along with investigations of the Divine Avatar, were suspended.[1]
It was after this period when Balorodin was drawn to the Mining World of Thoth Prime which was facing a growing threat from the Eldar. His actions to combat this threat led to him being given the title of Expulgator of Thoth Prime and brought about the creation of the Soulwatcher helm, a device made from Human and Eldar technology which was designed to allow Balorodin to see the psychic aura of any living being - or so he believed.[1]
With the aid of this device, he was able to move from success to success, as he was now able to see into the souls of those he spoke to and determine lies from half-truths with unerring accuracy, as well as determine both motive and emotion. As such, he became an expert in rooting out the truth, allowing him to identify cults and conspiracies long before they came to the notice of the Inquisition. In addition to this, he gained the ability to spot Psykers or even latent psykers with but a glance and as such had worked with the Black Ships of the Inquisition. In the mind of Balorodin, the Soulwatcher helm allowed him to see the purity of others. This has, however, come at a price as it has divorced Balorodin from Humanity. In his mind, men, women, and children are now little more than weak, flickering soul fires. and he views his people and events in the abstract, as intellectual problems, with little regard for suffering or consequences.[1]
Inquisitors that have known him for years have now begun to express growing doubts about his erratic behaviour. For instance, some claim that now he has an aversion to mirrors, as he is unable to look at himself. It has also been said he has become quick to judge, as he has become more reliant on the Soulwatcher helm rather than on the traditional methods of the Inquisition. This has raised doubts over the integrity of some of his investigations, although to date there has been no hard evidence that Balorodin has made any errors or proceeded with an action without cause.[1]
In addition to all of this, he has also earned the enmity of the Eldar, with several attempts being made by an Eldar Ranger to recover the Soulwatcher helm. This Ranger is believed to have met Inquisitor Balorodin on Thoth Prime and has been tracking him on and off ever since. These actions have become particularly problematic on certain occasions, such as the Inquisitor's explorations of the alien ruins on Pryzsbila Contempta. Whilst it was originally believed to be deserted, the megalithic ruins housed an unknown danger in the form of Eldar warriors who had somehow tracked Balorodin to the dead world. This in turn led to the Adeptus Mechanicus team accompanying him being attacked several times along with the Inquisitor himself; eventually they were forced to abandon the ruins. Balorodin has not yet returned to Pryzsbila Contempta, but has vowed to bring a Deathwatch kill-team with him should he again go to that world.[1]
See also
Sources
- 1: Inquisitor: The Thorians, pgs. 8-9
- 2: Fanatic Magazine Issue 10, cover
