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|quote = '''''"To the darkness I bring fire. To the ignorant I bring faith. Those who welcome these gifts may live, but I will visit naught but death and eternal damnation on those who refuse them."'''''{{Cite this}}

|}}

[[Reclusiarch]] '''Merek Grimaldus''' is a veteran of a score of successful [[Black Templars]] Crusades.{{Fn|3a}}

Grimaldus was noted by [[High Marshal (Black Templars)|High Marshal]] [[Helbrecht]] to have been the youngest Marine in the Black Templars' history to be raised to the rank of [[Sword Brother]].{{Fn|3a}}

He took his vows before the broken [[Sword of Dorn]] aboard the [[Battle Barge]] ''[[Eternal Crusader]]'' and has since justified the Chaplains' faith, zealously leading the warriors of the Black Templars in battle.{{Fn|2}}

For his first command as Reclusiarch, [[High Marshal (Black Templars)|High Marshal]] [[Helbrecht]] charged Grimaldus to lead one of the three Black Templars Crusades that had been dispatched to [[Armageddon]], specifically the [[Helsreach Crusade]].{{Fn|3c}}{{Fn|3d}} Grimaldus led a hundred Black Templars in the defence of [[Hive Helsreach]]. They were besieged by millions of [[Ork]]s, who attacked from land-side but also from a vast fleet of submersibles launched from the icy [[Deadlands]] far to the south.{{Fn|3d}}{{Fn|3f}} Towards the end of the siege, a great horde of Orks attacked the [[Temple of the Emperor Ascendant]], a vast basilica that had stood since the earliest days of colonisation, and was held at bay for nearly two months before they finally penetrated the temple precincts, looting and destroying priceless holy relics as they went. The [[Imperial Guard]] units and the hive militia fled, but the Black Templars refused to yield. The battle degenerated into bloody melee combat in the heart of the temple, where Grimaldus bellowed his now famous cry: ''"I have dug my grave in this place and I will either triumph or I will die."'' The battle only ended when the entire Temple collapsed. All were thought lost, but a day later, Grimaldus crawled out from underneath the ruins, carrying the last relics of the Temple. [[Apothecary|Apothecaries]] who later treated Grimaldus' wounds claimed that it was a miracle that he still lived, let alone had the strength to crawl from the rubble of the destroyed Temple.{{Fn|2}}{{Fn|3i}}

Upon commencement of the [[Season of Fire]], Grimaldus was given the title "Hero of Helsreach", the greatest honour its inhabitants could grant.{{Fn|3i}} Grimaldus's next assignment was to have been to return to the ''Eternal Crusader'' and stand with High Marshal Helbrecht and [[Commissar]] [[Sebastian Yarrick|Yarrick]] in their pursuit of the [[Ork Warlord]] [[Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka|Ghazghkull]], who by this point had left the Armageddon Warzone.{{Fn|4b}} However, Grimaldus had uncovered evidence that a hidden enemy was attempting to systematically eliminate one of their brother Chapters, the [[Celestial Lions]].{{Fn|4a}}{{Fn|4b}} Helbrecht gave Grimaldus leave to remain on Armageddon to investigate these troubling findings.{{Fn|4b}}

Grimaldus travelled to the Lions' forward base near [[Hive Volcanus]], where he met with only 96 surviving Space Marines out of the 983 that arrived on Armageddon.{{Fn|4c}} After speaking with the highest-ranking surviving Celestial Lion, [[Space Marine Sergeant|Pride Leader]] [[Ekene Dubaku]], he learned of the Lions' plight - they had challenged the [[Inquisition]] over the conduct of [[Inquisitor]] [[Apollyon (Inquisitor)|Apollyon]] during the [[Khattar Massacre]] and the Inquisition had decided to make an example of the Chapter by grinding them down and letting others witness their shameful death. Dubaku and his remaining Brothers were determined to die in a final blaze of glory against the orks infesting the [[Mannheim Gap]] and avenge the deaths of those Lions that had perished in the Third War. Dubaku asked Grimaldus to perform a ceremony of last rites to bless them for the coming battle.{{Fn|4d}}

Grimaldus, however, refused. He believed that the Celestial Lions could and should rebuild themselves.{{Fn|4e}} To that end, he called upon Astra Militarum forces from Helsreach and joined the Lions when they [[Second Mannheim Siege|returned to Mannheim]].{{Fn|4f}} The Imperial forces were victorious and Grimaldus earned the gratitude of Ekene Dubaku - now [[Chapter Master]] of the Celestial Lions. Grimaldus would later depart from Armageddon alongside Helbrecht in their pursuit of Ghazghkull.{{Fn|4g}}

Grimaldus has since crossed the [[Rubicon Primaris]] and become a [[Primaris Space Marine]].{{Fn|6}}

Many of the Cult's members will also dig ceremonial graves and then cover them over with shrouds of industrial tarpaulin. They do so in the belief that - just as he reputedly dug his grave in the Temple's grounds once before - Grimaldus might rise from such a ritual pit, to defend the people of Helsreach as he did previously. A high ranking member of the Imperium has his servants watching these Cults, and the one that worships the Reclusiarch in particular. So far, however, it is unclear if there is anything excessively divergent in the Cult's beliefs. They do wonder, though, what the pious Grimaldus would make of the Cult, if he knew about it.{{Fn|7}}

Grimaldus often went to battle accompanied by his [[Reclusiam Command Squad]], known as [[Squad Grimaldus]].{{Fn|3b}} Over the course of the siege of [[Hive Helsreach|Helsreach]], the squadron suffered losses, with the remaining members being wiped out in the defence of the [[Temple of the Emperor Ascendant]].{{Fn|3f}}{{Fn|3i}}

In addition, Grimaldus is occasionally accompanied by a trio of [[Cenobyte Servitor]]s, each bearing one of the surviving relics from the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant - [[Remnant of the Fallen Temple|a broken aquila statue]], [[Banner of Fallen Crusaders|the remains of the founding charter of Helsreach]] and [[Sceptre of Anointing|an orb containing the last of the Temple's holy water]].{{Fn|4f}}{{Fn|6}}

As a [[Chaplain]], Grimaldus wields a [[crozius arcanum]] that was forged for him upon his induction into the Chaplancy.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|4}} He also possesses a [[plasma pistol]] recovered from the body of a [[Space Marine Sergeant|Sergeant]] of the [[Imperial Fists]] who saved his life in the [[Battle of Alfava Metraxis]].{{Fn|3g}}

He wears a relic helmet, worn by every Reclusiarch in the Chapter's history since their very founding.{{Fn|3g}}{{Fn|Conflicting sources}} He also has a Chaplain's [[rosarius]] made out of bronze and red iron and shaped like a heraldic cross.{{Fn|3h}}{{Fn|Conflicting sources}}

<gallery heights="300px" mode="packed" caption="">

grimaldus lg.jpg|Chaplain Grimaldus of the Black Templars with retinue (4th Edition)

</gallery>

{{Trivia}}

Multiple characters in the novel [[Helsreach (Novel)|Helsreach]] note that Grimaldus has very kind-looking eyes, notably [[Princeps]] [[Zarha Mancion|Zarha]] of the [[Legio Invigilata]]{{Fn|3e}} and [[Prioress]] [[Sindal]] of the [[Order of the Argent Shroud]].{{Fn|3h}}

*While the novel ''[[Helsreach (Novel)|Helsreach]]'' claims that Grimaldus wears a [[Skull Helm]]{{Fn|3g}} like those commonly seen on modern Astartes Chaplains, all artwork and other depictions of the helmet (such as in the cover art of ''[[Blood and Fire (Novella)|Blood and Fire]]'' and both of his official miniatures) show it to be closer in appearance to a [[MkV]] pattern helmet.

*Grimaldus states during the [[Helsreach Crusade]] (part of the [[Third War for Armageddon]]) that his [[Rosarius]] was destroyed in battle. He later says, ''"I am still alive three years after its destruction..."'' Since the Third War for Armageddon started in 998.[[M41]], this would mean the Rosarius was destroyed around 995.[[M41]].{{Fn|3h}} However, during the events of ''[[Blood and Fire (Novella)|Blood and Fire]]'', Grimaldus has his Rosarius.{{Fn|4a}}

*[[List of Chaplains]]

*{{Endn|1}}: [[Helsreach (Novel)]], ''Cover Illustration by [[Jon Sullivan]]''

*{{Endn|2}}: [[Codex: Black Templars (4th Edition)]], pgs. 46-47