Apollo Diomedes
Apollo Diomedes was once a Captain of the Blood Ravens Honour Guard during the Aurelian Crusades. After the Aurelian Crusades and slaying Azariah Kyras by his own hands[4a][5a] Diomedes stepped down as Captain of the Honour Guard and became a Chaplain.[5b] Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos has declared Diomedes as the Hero of the Chapter.[5b]
Biography
Before the Aurelian Crusades
Captain Apollo Diomedes commanded the Blood Ravens' First Company for almost two centuries. He lead the Chapter's elite with honour and Skill.[F1a]
Diomedes's most famous victory came on the ravaged penal world of Obscurus. On the same day, he and his brothers defeated the Ork Warboss Manstompa Megakilla and the Chaos Sorcerer Anupharis the Cruel. After that victory Diomedes was elevated to the command of the Chapter Master's own honour guard, becoming Azariah Kyras's most public agent among the Chapter's far-flung battle brothers.[1a]
Second Aurelian Crusade
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising |
The Rescue
Aramus and his Battle-Brothers from the Blood Ravens' Fourth Company were battling a unnamed Black Legion Sorcerer of Tzeentch when Apollo Diomedes used his jump pack to land near the Sorcerer and slay him personally. Diomedes asked for a report on what happened from Scout Sergeant Priam and Aramus and his men. Priam gave a detailed account about how the Black Legion used the Chapter's Locater Signal to ambush them. Thaddeus interjected when Diomedes dismissed Priam's report and talked about how the Black Legion had killed many scouts and abducted more. Before Thaddeus could reveal more information Cyrus told him to be quiet. Diomedes instead ordered Aramus and his brothers to return to their Strike Cruiser and await further orders. Meanwhile Sergeant Priam and his initiates were to be transported back to Firebase Argus. Diomedes's final order was to tell everyone involved to keep the mission a secret before he departed as well.[1b][1c]
Hours later Captain Diomedes would issue a planetwide stand down order on Calderis to stop hunting down the Black Legion. The majority of the Blood Ravens obeyed Diomedes's orders; the only exceptions were Aramus, members of the Fourth Company, and a number of First Company Veterans assigned to Aramus' strike force, who openly disobeyed Captain Diomedes and their Chapter at the behest of Captain Gabriel Angelos to continue hunting down the Black Legion.[1b][1d]
Sector wide stand down orders
Several days later into the Second Aurelian Crusade, Captain Diomedes transmitted priority orders to every Blood Raven in the entire sector to cease crusade, recruitment and other operations, telling them that they must return to their muster points and prepare for mobilisation for the Ferox Rift Crusade. Aramus and his brothers from the Fourth and First Company continued to disobey his orders and took the fight to the Black Legion. Gabriel Angelos and his brothers from the Third Company also chose to disobey Diomedes's order with Gabriel sending a message to Aramus telling him to continue fighting the Black Legion while he would confront Diomedes and tried to convince him to save the sector.[1b]
Declaring Gabriel and his followers as Traitors
Weeks after Aramus and his brothers killed Araghast the Pillager, they would receive another priority message from Captain Diomedes, with full authority from their Chapter Master, Azariah Kyras; Diomedes then declared Gabriel Angelos and his brothers who followed him Traitors to the Chapter, proclaiming that Gabriel was guilty of refusing Chapter Orders, spreading Heresy, raising arms against his one-time brothers, and stealing relics, arms and artefacts from the Chapter. Afterwards he ordered every Blood Raven within the sector to find and kill Gabriel as he escaped with his brothers on the Battle Barge Litany of Fury. Aramus and his brothers once again openly refused to hunt down Gabriel, as they knew the truth that Kyras and his Honour Guard had been corrupted by the influence of Chaos.[1b][1c]
Raid on Calderis
Days later, Aramus and his Battle-Brothers would conduct a full raid on Firebase Argus on the planet Calderis. Aramus personally slayed Apothecary Galan and freed him from Daemonic Possession; Galan revealed that the Honour Guard had been fully corrupted due to Kyras, but Diomedes remained pure, merely he was blinded by his own pride. Aramus then destroyed Firebase Argus and confronted Diomedes himself. Tarkus openly confronted and debated Diomedes's decisions such as leaving the sector to die to the Black Legion and surrounding himself with traitors of the chapter. Tarkus would present evidence to Diomedes that Apothecary Galan and Kyras were corrupted during the expedition onboard the Judgement of Carrion and how they were hunted down by the Greater Daemon of Nurgle named Ulkair. Upon hearing Ulkair's name and finding out that Galan himself told Aramus and his brothers, Diomedes let them go out of shame and continued fighting to save the sector.[1b][1c]
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution |
Third Aurelian Crusade
Diomedes returned, 10 years later, to discover the truth with Cyrus and Martellus.[4a]
Quotes
External Link: Captain Diomedes Voice Lines[4]
Images
Trivia
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- Chaplain Apollo Diomedes was the first depiction of a Firstborn Marine reimagined as a Primaris Marine via an in-game skin, before any major Space Marine characters in the tabletop and lore.[2] It didn't take long before Games Workshop would reveal the following year (November 24 2018) Marneus Augustus Calgar would be the first Firstborn Marine in-universe to receive the Rubicon Primaris surgery.[3]
Sources
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- 1: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising
Classics
- 2: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III - Endless War Update
- 3: Warhammer Community: Breaking news from the Vigilus Open Day! (posted 24/11/2018) (archived from the original 29 November 2018, last accessed 15 April 2026)
- 4: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution Classics
- 5: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
