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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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== History==
A native of [[Caliban]] in the period preceding the arrival of the [[Emperor]], Zahariel left his home at the age of seven to attempt to join [[The Order]], one of the bands of knights that acted to protect the population from the predations of the great [[Beasts]] indigenous to the [[Death World|world]]. The Order was a particularly prestigious knightly organisation, being led by two warriors oft often claimed to be the greatest of the age; [[Luther]] and [[Lion El'Jonson]]. Accompanied by his cousin, [[Nemiel]], Zahariel succeeded in becoming a supplicant to the Order, and began an intensive training programme that would occupy almost every moment of his waking life for the next two years. After being judged suitable by his Master, [[Remiel]] and by an initiation panel consisting of Lion El'Jonson, Luther and the [[Lord Cypher]], Zahariel became a full member of the Order.
Soon after his ascension to knighthood, the order declared war on the Knights of Lupus, a separate knightly order that had protested against Lion El'Jonson's genocidal campaign against the Beasts of Caliban. Zahariel fought in the short war as a member of a swordline, and came out of the campaign both blooded as a warrior and recognised as a rising star in the Order.
When the [[Adeptus Astartes]] First [[Space Marine Legion|Legion]] arrived on Caliban, Zahariel's destiny changed. Six months after his ascension to Knight of the Order, Zahariel once again faced the challenge of becoming something greater and achieving a more heroic purpose. Recognised now as the [[Primarch]] of the newly christened 'Dark Angels' Space Marines, Lion El'Jonson ordered that all members of the Order undergo selection tests to decide which of them could become Astartes. Zaharial and Nemiel both partook in these trials, and it was during one of the endurance tests that Zahariel's psychic powers again manifested, granting him a third power, that of renewed energy and stamina. This brought him to the attention of [[Librarian|Brother-Librarian]] [[Israfel]], who, after interrogating Zahariel, deduced that the young knight possessed a rare psychic ability known as ''Terrorsight''. This ability gave Zahariel several powers: his perception of time could slow, allowing him to move faster than others could detect. He could 'phase' his body through the warp itself, becoming intangible. He possessed an 'x-ray' vision ability that could be used when otherwise completely blinded. Lastly, he could boost his own reserves of stamina and energy. (As far as is presently known, Zahariel has received no explicit training in the use of these powers, and their potentially extreme benefits have not been unlocked. All known uses of them have been instinctual and unfocused.)
Zahariel next came to the attention of a figure even greater than that of a powerful Space Marine Librarian when he was able to disrupt an assassination attempt upon the [[Emperor]], intended to be carried out by rogue knights of the Inner Circle. In the aftermath of these events, Zahariel was personally examined by the Emperor himself, but had his memory of their meeting, and the treason within the Order, suppressed. He was ultimately successful in becoming a Dark Angel, and again with Nemiel beside him, took his place in their ranks early on in the Great Crusade.
===Crusade===
Asssigned to the 22nd [[Chapter]] of the Dark Angels, Zahariel proved instrumental in the defeat of a [[daemon|warp-entity]] on the world of [[Sarosh]]. The entity, threatening to overwhelm the Dark Angel force (including Lion El'Jonson) was defeated by psychic assault, a group of the Legion's psykers led by Israfel winning the day. Zahariel actually played a role in saving the Lion's life twice over, preventing a Saroshi attempted to detonate a powerful bomb on board the Dark Angel flagship. With the aid of Luther, Zahariel was able to eject the bomb from the ship before it exploded. During this incident, it became clear to Zahariel that Luther was an individual under significant psychological pressure. Despite his notable roles in the victory, immediately after the campaign was over, Zahariel (along with Luther, Israfel and many others, but not Nemiel) was reassigned to training and garrison duties back on Caliban.
== Source ==
