Vathras Kell
Vathras Kell was a Night Lords Sorcerer, who took part in the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.[1]
Biography
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The following paragraphs contain spoilers for: | Eater of Dreams (Short Story) |
He was born on was born on Terra, in the prison sinks beneath Albia. During the Great Crusade, Kell was being mentored by the Night Lords' Legion's Chief Librarian Fel Zharost and was among his favored students. At that time, the Night Lords had found their Primarch Konrad Curze and recruits from his Homeworld, Nostramo, who began to change the Legion's culture. Zharost felt these new recruits were poisonous and was among the Terran born Night Lords, who railed against the corruption the Nostramos were inflecting upon their Legion. Kell, felt differently, however, and argued with the Chief Librarian on why he felt the culture and traditions of Albia's prison sinks, weren't superior to those of their Primarch's Homeworld. For Kell, though, it was their birthplace, Albia had no hold on him and he saw no reason not to embrace Nostramo. Zharost could see this and warned Kell against doing so or the Nostramos' culture would corrupt him as well. Kell refused to do so and this led to a falling out between them and the end of Zharost's mentorship of his fellow Terran.[1]
After the Edict of Nikaea was given, Zharost felt the Nostramos' rot had finally destroyed the Night Lords. This led him to get into a physical argument with Jago Sevatarion, who commanded the Legion in their Primarch Konrad Curze's absence. While Zharost was defeated, Sevatarion did not kill the former Chief Librarian and instead cast him out of the Night Lords. Zharost would leave then leave his Legion and return to the prison sinks of Albia on Terra.[2] To Kell, though, Zharost's abandonment of his fellow Librarians, was a personal betrayal. Without the former Chief Librarian's presence, they were now left to the mercy of their fellow Night Lords. Despite the Edict against the use of Psychic powers, Kell and the other former Librarians were still mistreated and became traded like cattle within their Legion. Kell blamed Zharost for the Librarians' fate and developed a deep hatred of the former Chief Librarian. When the Horus Heresy began, Kell and the Night Lords joined Warmaster Horus' forces and turned upon the Imperium. Kell and his fellow former Librarians then learned the art of Daemonology, under the forced tutelage of the Word Bearers.[1]
In the last years of the Horus Heresy, Horus ordered the Night Lords to invade the world Malec'Nar. It was home to large deposits of Blackstone, which the Warmaster wanted the Legion's Sorcerers to corrupt with the Warp. After Malec'Nar fell, Kell was charged with conducting a ritual that would call the Warp to the world. It would then in turn, be amplified in power by the Blackstone. Kell would be aided in this task, by his fellow Sorcerers Cyfan, Dimav and an unnamed Night Lord. They later succeeded in their task and Malec'Nar began to give off a singular song of agony, as the great Ruinstorm raged. Afterwards, they then began using the Warp energy to begin possessing the world's surviving population. Malec'Nar's fall became known to the Imperium and, sometime before the Siege of Terra began, Fel Zharost was called forth by Malcador the Sigillite. The former Chief Librarian was then given the choice of joining Malcador's Knights-Errant and fighting for the Imperium once more. If he did so, Zharost would be given the chance of ending the threat of Vathras Kell. Doing so, Malcador claimed, would give Zharost the needed closure on his painful past with the Night Lords. Zharost accepted and together with Macer Varren, he traveled to Malec'Nar. Once there they confronted the Night Lords and Kell raged at Zharost for abandoning him. The Sorcerer then claimed it was Zharost's fault, on what befell them after he left. The new Knight-Errant apologized in response, before suddenly attacking the Night Lords with Varren. The two Knights-Errant then killed the Sorcerers, with Kell dying at Zharost's hands. Before the Sorcerer died, though, Zharost told Kell that his death was not justice for his actions, but vindication for Zharost's warning to him. By embracing Nostramo, Kell had become corrupted and had lived a life without purpose or meaning. The Sorcerer then fell dead and without Kell to maintain the ritual, the Warp fled from Malec'Nar's Blackstone. With that, the world's agony ended and Malec'Nar's song was silenced.[1]
