Arcadian Leontus
"Ours is the moment! March forward!"[4]
 Arcadian Leontus[3] | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | Lord Solar |
| Homeworld | Terra, Sol System[3] |
| Born | c. M41[3] |
| Active Period | M41 - Present[3] |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Relatives | House of Leontus[5a] |
| Occupation(s) | Lord Commander of the Segmentum Solar[1] |
| Affiliation(s) | |
Arcadian Leontus is the current Lord Commander Solar of the Astra Militarum and sits among the highest echelons of the Imperium, boasting an unimaginable roll of titles, peerages and ranks.[1]
Contents
Overview
Armed with his pistol Sol's Righteous Gaze, his power sword Conquest, cybernetic hands[5b], and his Cyborg horse Konstantin, Leontus maintains a formidable prowess despite his age. However, while he is kept at his physical peak by a healthy diet, regular exercise, and staggeringly expensive Rejuvenat treatments, Leontus is wearied by the horrors of war and the Imperium's brutality. While privately distressed by the Imperium's brutal necessities, he has nonetheless overseen many such actions himself. The Lord Commander Solar knows that he may never see the fruits of his tireless efforts, but nevertheless, he continues to lead from the front against the Imperium's foes.[1]
With an army of logistical advisers, priests, tacticians, tarot readers, prophet and seers of the Collegiate Astrolex, confidants, and sub-commanders at his beck and call, Leontus has been personally responsible for hundreds of stunning Imperial victories. Though the Lord Commander Solar's remit is technically confined to the defense of the Segmentum Solar, Leontus has led campaigns far beyond its boundaries, arguing it the most effective way to defend Holy Terra from its foes. He sees precedence in this policy with Saint Solar Macharius, who led distant wars far from Terra's soil. This reflects one of his chief skills as Lord Commander Solar: his ability to navigate the complex and brutal political atmosphere of the Imperial warmachine. He has scored an array of victories upon not only the literal battlefield, but also the political one where he has faced down Imperial Navy Admirals, Governors, and Officio Logisticarum adepts. While never defying Lord Commander Roboute Guilliman's direct orders, he has nonetheless been able to strengthen his own ambitions and agendas within the Primarch's set parameters.[3]
History
Rise to Power
Hailing from one of Terra's oldest and noblest families, his political and martial skill is the product of opulent wealth and the greatest of the Imperium's military academies. Having served his position for at least a century, at the dawn of the Age of the Dark Imperium and Indomitus Crusade, Leontus was of the three of five Imperial Guard Lord Commanders in tentative contact with the wider Imperium. He was also arguably the most embattled, finding Segmentum Solar invaded by swathes of Chaos forces, insurgencies, and Xenos. He has refused to allow the enemy plans to come to fruition under his watch. To that end, he has overseen the loss of billions of soldiers but this has done nothing to stem his efforts.[2b] During the Battle of Lion's Gate Leontus was away on campaign as Terra burned under the forces of Chaos. This perceived failure has burdened his soul ever since, and he seeks to redeem himself in the eyes of the Emperor.[3]
Stranded
Sometime during the Indomitus Crusade, Leontus' ship was shot down by Orks over Fortuna Minor. Forced to crash-land on its surface, he immediately set about organising the surviving Imperial forces and sought to obtain the high ground of a nearby mountain.[5a] Taking command of a disparate group of Catachan Jungle Fighters, Death Korps of Krieg, and Attilan Rough Riders, the small band managed to discover a hidden cavern that offered food, water, and a defensible position. Here, he began to plan to retake the nearby spaceport from the Greenskins. Leontus quickly realized that the local Ork Warboss was dead and the remaining xenos were now fighting amongst themselves.[5b] He used this internal conflict to his advance, exploiting it by conducting ambushes against the Orks and exacerbating their own infighting by denying them resources.[5c] Leontus next led the group against a downed Ork ship to destroy its munitions stockpile and draw away the Greenskins from the spaceport. During the destruction of the vessel, he personally killed an Ork Nob that had become the local Greenskin commander.[5d]
Following this success, the Imperials were forced to abandon their cavern hideout after an Ork attack. Undeterred, Leontus gathered all the available survivors and revealed he planned to attack the spaceport at dawn.[5e] In the final battle, Leontus led the charge against the spaceport, which was defended by an Ork Gargant. Leontus was able to disable the Gargant with a near-suicidal charge by the Attilan Rough Riders before coming into combat with the "'Ead Nob'" of the Orks. In a brutal duel, Leontus was able to kill the creature just as Ork aircraft were engaged by returning Imperial Navy elements.[5f] Shortly thereafter the Spaceport was secured and Leontus was able to journey back to his flagship, Lux Vindicta.[5g]
Tyrannic Wars
During the Fourth Tyrannic War, Leontus was one of the major overall Imperial commanders alongside Captain-General Trajann Valoris. Together, the two created Solblades as well as the Sanctus Line. During the campaign Leontus made his headquarters the Phalanx, which anchored at Sanctum in the Bastior Sub-sector. In the subsequent Battle of Bastior, Leontus displayed superb tactical ability and was able to oversee a stubborn defense of Sanctum itself. Due to his importance, he was nearly slain by a Norn Emissary assassin but was saved by Captain-General Trajann Valoris.[3]
Wargear
Leontus wields the power sword Conquest and the archeotech pistol Sol's Righteous Gaze. For protection he wears the Radiant Helm, which features a built-in refractor field generator.[6]
Images
Arcadian Leontus and Konstantin[1]
Arcadian Leontus and Konstantin in Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge[4]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Community: Lead the Astra Militarum From the Front With the Legendary Lord Solar Leontus (posted 31/10/2022) (last accessed 31 October 2022)
- 2: Codex: Astra Militarum (9th Edition):
- 3: Leviathan (Box), 10th Edition Rulebook, Leviathan Edition, pgs. 247-253
- 4: Warpforge: The Astra Militarum join the game: command the hammer of the Emperor! (archived from the original October 2, 2024, last accessed 3 October 2024)
- 5: Leontus: Lord Solar (Novel):
- 6: Warhammer 40,000: Character Encyclopedia, pgs. 64-65
