Epimetheus
Epimetheus was one of the original founding members of the Grey Knights. He stood before the Emperor alongside the other seven recruits Malcador the Sigillite had selected in the hours before the Siege of Terra and was given command of one of the original brotherhoods.[1a]
Contents
Biography
Horus Heresy
Epimetheus was originally of the Dark Angels Legion.[1b] How he came to the Grey Knights is unclear. Upon his assuming the mantle of Epimetheus, the Marine stated that he never had a real name. However, he is likely to have been the Dark Angel known as the Nemean.[2] Upon founding the Grey Knights, Epimetheus' original geneseed organs from the Dark Angels were removed and replaced with geneseed organs made using the DNA of the Emperor himself, like all Grey Knights that came after him.[1f]
Early Grey Knights
At some point Epimetheus swapped places with someone else, someone who fought a Lord of Change that turned half a legion and watched a Primarch die.[1b]
During the centuries while Titan was hidden he studied rituals of banishment, rites of warding, as well as the true names of Daemons.[1b] When Titan returned to normal time and space one of the first missions the Grey Knights undertook was to seal the Damnation Cache on Pythos. Epimetheus was among the 3 brotherhoods that fought in the campaign to close it, and was one of the twenty surviving Grey Knights at the end of the campaign.[1e] He volunteered to stay behind on Pythos to watch over the final seal. There he spent ten thousand years in suspended animation.[1a]
Pandorax Campaign
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Pandorax (Novel) |
In 959.M41, Abaddon the Despoiler came to unlock the Damnation Cache. Brandd and several cultists went to the 7th seal of the cache that 13 psykers watched over. Epimetheus woke when they entered and immediately started killing the cultists. Tzula and several Catachans arrived at the seal and started engaging the enemy alongside Epimethus until only Brandd was alive. She threatened them both with a life eater virus; they were able to secure the vial but it was on a timer and released anyway. Epimetheus and Tzula were the only ones able to escape, and he had to amputate her arm to stop the virus spreading in her.[1a] The two of them then regrouped with friendly forces and Empimetheus battled a Lord of Change, one that claimed to have helped turn half a legion and watch a Primarch die. While talking with the Lord of Change Epimetheus revealed that he had swapped places with someone else, someone who fought the Lord of Change and that he knew its true name, this terrified the Lord of Change. He then used its true name and killed the Daemon before retreating with the other Imperial forces.[1b]
In the months after the survivors set up base on Thermenos, Epimetheus and Tzula left to go see the Atika Hive.[1d] On the way there they found Shira Hagen, an Imperial pilot who crash-landed on the planet after fighting in space.[1c] They then made their way into the hive, infiltrating it incredibly slowly as Epimetheus wanted to minimize their risk of detection. While in hiding he revealed that Atika Hive itself had been built on top of the Damnation Cache.[1d] After infiltrating the hive they overheard a discussion between Corpulax and Huron Blackheart concocting a plan to poison the imperial forces on Pythos, as well as the fact that they were trying to open the emerald cave. After this the three of them left the hive and Epimetheus told Tzula how the Cache had been sealed the first time. He then left with Shira to go to space and stop the poisoning plan, and ordered Tzula to make it back to friendly forces and tell them to bomb Atika Hive from orbit.[1e]
At the conclusion of the campaign, Epimetheus was taken prisoner by Abaddon and brought aboard the Vengeful Spirit. There, Epimetheus was mutilated: his black carapace was ripped from his body, his neck progenoid removed to be given to Fabius Bile, his tongue was cut out, his eyes and mouth were sewn shut with stitches made of daemonic sinew, and a blank was surgically grafted to his back to nullify his psychic abilities.[1g]
Gift to Fulgrim
Some time after his capture he was given to Fulgrim as a gift from Abaddon, to be used as a vessel to contain the avatar of Slaanesh. In exchange the Emperor's Children aligned themselves with the Black Legion[3]
Trivia
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- Epimetheus was a Greek Titan and brother of Prometheus.
See also
Sources
- 1: Pandorax (Novel):
- 2: The Buried Dagger (Novel), Chapters 6–7
- 3: Black Legion - A Codex: Chaos Space Marines Supplement (6th Edition), pg. 25
