Shabran Darr
 | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. M30 |
| Active Period | M30 - 005.M31 |
| Death | 005.M31, Battle of Isstvan III |
| Cause of Death | Killed by Traitor forces |
| Species | Human |
| Type | Astartes |
| Gender | Male |
| Relatives | Angron ("Father" via gene-seed) |
| Occupation(s) | Centurion of the World Eaters 11th Assault Company(Former) |
| Affiliation(s) |
|
Shabran Darr, 'White-Eyes', was a loyalist Centurion of the World Eaters active during the Horus Heresy.[1b]
Background
A relatively young officer who had quickly risen through his Legion's ranks due to his battle-prowess, Darr eventually earned himself a place in the 11th Assault Company and willingly accepted the aggression-enhancing psycho-surgery that was common in the World Eaters. Despite this, for unknown reasons he was among those chosen to die by Angron in the Battle of Isstvan III, though it is speculated that it may because of near-Abhuman Cuth'vasi origin (Cuth'vasi being a Death World whose inhabitants have sallow stone-grey skin and white eyes).[1b]
Nonetheless, when the betrayal of his brothers became evident of Isstvan III, Darr went almost insane with hatred and became a cold but calculating killer. Determined to live to fight another day as opposed to dying in a fit of violence like so many others in his Legion had, he collected the skulls of traitorous Battle-Brothers during the battle and became a key loyalist World Eater commander. Alongside his men he turned the Precentor's Palace into a kill zone and made a series of savage hit-and-run attacks against the enemy.[1b]
Later on, around 7 or 15 days after the Precentor's Palace had fallen, Shabran alongside six of his brothers joined Crysos Morturg and his 19 remaining Death Guard and Calleb Decima and his Thallax Cohorts. With only spite fuelling the loyalists and hungering for the traitor's lives the group vowed to make an end of it while they were strong enough to do some real damage, an Oath of Moment to die and in dying make the traitors bleed.[1a]
The group chose the outer concourse of the starport as the site for their stand, and to draw them in Decima had his last adepts crew a pair of armoured Proteus Land Raiders and a Grav-attack which were to attack a known staging point and feign flight. Though it was a suicide mission the adepts did not say a word. Moments later, one Proteus returned to the group aflame and in pursuit came a Fellblade at the head of four Rhino-mounted squads wearing the liveries of the Sons of Horus and the Death Guard. After the Fellblade destroyed the Land Raider and a Death Guard Land Raider had joined the rest of the armoured group, the traitors placed themselves where the Loyalists wanted them.[1a]
Although the position was far from perfect, Decima deemed it good enough and warned the group to deactivate their armour beforehand, then he triggered a weapon he had previously concealed in a pit and flew skyward. For a second there was a flash and later half of the Fellblade was missing and one of the Sons of Horus' Rhinos was completely vaporized, leaving nothing left but a shadow burned onto the concourse. The rest of the vehicles had a curious, bleached-out quality to them and had fallen still, save for the Land Raider. Further back and unscathed it was reversing in retreat as swiftly as it was able as traitors spilled from the dead Rhinos like puppets with tangled strings.[1a]
Morturg and his group rose from their concealed positions and cut down the ones in the open with bolter fire while Shabran and his World Eaters charged in to finish the rest. The Thallax smashed up from where they had been buried in the earth to block off the traitor’s retreat and caught the Land Raider in the converging arcs of their strange weapons, soot-black corposant dancing across its hull until its tracks disintegrated and cannon sponsons detonated. The machine-creatures left it for dead, flame spewing from its crew-ports.[1a]
Unfortunately, triumph lasted only a moment as the furthest group of Thallax was blown to pieces. Another Fellblade was smashing through the city towards the Loyalists group, flanked by Predator Tanks and Rhinos, kicking up great clouds of ash in their wake. The group scattered to cover again as a squadron of Storm Eagles came in low across the concourse, showering the area with missiles, not caring if any of their own were still alive at the ambush site.[1a]
Soon, they were surrounded, scattered, cut off, and their trap was turned against them. Sons of Horus and Death Guard closing in on all sides, shells hammering down on the loyalists. As the fight went on, Shabran Darr ran across the concourse, charging through the storm like some demon of ancient myth, his armour unravelling under countless hits. Darr lost his left arm in a spray of red mist and staggered, but still reached the traitors, throwing himself into the Sons of Horus with his Chainaxe.[1a]
