Tangata Manu
Tangata Manu is an aged Chaplain of the Carcharodons Chapter.[1a]
History
The younger twin brother of Chief Librarian Te Kahurangi, the duo grew up on an Ocean World and fought deep sea predators as youths. After Te was recruited by the Carcharodons, Tangata Manu was eager to follower in his older brothers footsteps and also was able to eventually join. This left the rest of their family defenseless, and they were eventually killed by the sea monsters of their native homeworld. Te blamed Tangata for their deaths.[1a] At some point he was entrusted with the Chapter artifact known as the Void Glass but lost it 1,400 before the present setting. Tangata felt immense guilt for this, and spent the subsequent centuries searching for the relic with a squad dubbed The Hunt.[1b]
Sometime in M41, Tangata seemed close to the Void Glass on Sagaraya while battling Chaos Space Marine forces, but at the last minute it was lost to Dark Eldar raiders.[1b] Afterwards, he meets a Chapter Council aboard the Nicor and expects execution for his failure. His life is only spared after his Chapter Serf Iraia's son Jona shouts the name "Utakk", which is the name of a Dracon in the Kabal of the Pierced Rose. Believing the boy significance to the Dark Eldar who stole the Void Glass, Tangata gets a second chance at redemption and seeks to use the boy as bait to lure the Xenos into the open. Te accompanies his brother on the mission to execute him if necessary.[1c]
The group then infiltrates the luxury Imperial voidliner At the Emperor's Pleasure, which is the next target of the Dark Eldar under Utakk. Using the blood of Iraia and Jona as a scent trail, Utakk discovers the two and is intrigued by the boy knowing his name. As Utakk prepares to torture Jona to discover the truth, the Dracon is ambushed by Tangata and Te and captured.[1d] Utakk is then tortured himself aboard the Carcharodons Frigate Mako, eventually breaking and agreeing to take them to Commorragh through a Webway portal to recover the Void Glass.[1e]
Journeying through the Webway and observing Jona's ability to access its hidden portals, the group is able to reach the burial grounds of the Valley of Hinnom on the outskirts of Commorragh. Tangata proposes trading Jona for the Void Glass to the Kabal's Archon, Ilu Limnu, but Te proposes an alternate plan. They instead kidnap the drug addict Drukhari Marek Krayt and tell them they have the last of the bloodline the Pierced Rose seeks to exterminate and will trade him for the Void Glass.[1f] The truth of the Carcharodons involvement is quickly revealed to the Dark Eldar by Krayt, and Archon Ilu leads a large strikeforce intending to capture the Imperials. However the Carcharodons anticipated this and set up an explosive trap, wiping out the first wave of attackers.[1g] As the remaining Dark Eldar pursue Te, Iraia, and Jona, Tangata and the rest of his squad use Utakk to infiltrate the Kabal's lair in search of the Void Glass.[1g]
Launching a full-scale assault on the vault at the center of the Kabal's lair, the Carcharodons discover tortured Human's and deliver them the mercy of death after killing Kabalite Warriors and Sslyth. Tangata and his squad are able to retrieve the Void Glass, but in their escape are guided into an ambush by Utakk and forced into a gladiatorial arena.[1h]
Promising both the Void Glass and freedom if they survive by Archon Ilu, the Carcharodons battle Wyches[1i] before Tangata is able to enrage the crowd and incite a riot through taunts and boasts. As chaos erupts, Te, Iraia, and Jona appear alongside Marek Krayt, and the new arrivals are able to turn the tide of the battle. They are then confronted by Lelith Hesperax, who easily takes down the remaining Carcharodons save Te and Tangata. As Lelith prepares to kill Jona, he touches the Void Glass which activates and projects the true horrifying nature of the evil crowd across the arena. The crowd descends into madness, allowing the Imperials to escape as Archon Ilu is killed and Lelith flees.[1j]
Afterwards, with the Void Glass in hand, Te and Tangata agree that the Void Glass is too dangerous for even the Chapter to possess. They feign failure in retriving the artifact and Tangata accepts a death sentence as Te hides the Void Glass. The Chief Librarian then arrives at the Chapter Council and seemingly executes Tangata. However in truth, the Chaplain now lives under the alias Tangaroa along with Iraia and Jona on Sagaraya, guarding the hidden Void Glass.[1k]
