Lorenzo Drasus

The young Thorian Inquisitor is regarded with a mix of respect and contempt amongst his contemporaries, largely due to the fact that his life has been very eventful from a young age. Unconventional to say the least, Drasus has a strong sense of morality and justice. However, due to an incident in his early life involving a Criminal, a Heretic and a Daemon he has also developed a strong lust for vengeance, after he witnessed the senseless destruction caused by the anathema spawned Syrath.
==History==
===Early Life===
Lorenzo was the first born of a very wealthy family of the ruling Drasus House, on the world of Galanax IV. As a result he had an extremely privileged upbringing; was well educated in the arts and sciences and had a pair of doting parents. His father was the Planetary Governor of Galanax IV and his mother held down an influential job in the Administratum. Despite their hectic schedules they always found time for their favourite son, heir to the Drasus dynasty, and they showered him with love and affection. From as soon as he could speak Lorenzo was groomed to fill his position as future Governor of Galanax IV by his family.
As a result, his view of the Universe was extremely rose tinted to say the least: oblivious to the horrors of Chaos; unaware of the existence of the Tyranids and barely knowledgeable of the threat posed by the countless Xenos which assaulted the Imperium. This would all quickly change not long after Lorenzo's fourteenth birthday. At an official Imperial Dinner, which his parents were hosting in honour of an Inquisitor (who had been responsible for the eradication of a Slaaneshi Cult on Galanax IV), Lorenzo began to act rather strangely. It did not help that the young man had been nervous about meeting an Inquisitor and his heightened state was beginning to take its toll on his body. As the hosts and guests rose to toast the Inquisitor for his bravery, Lorenzo's cup flew straight across the room, before he had even managed to grasp it. Although no one said anything at the time, the Inquisitor took a note of this.
After the dinner, Lorenzo was brought to an isolated room and just left there, while the Inquisitor spoke with his parents. He could hear the protests of his father and the wails of his mother as well as the gruff, reassuring, voice of the Inquisitor, from inside his room of confinement. After few hours of shouting and sobbing, the door ominously opened, and two Inquisitorial Acolytes entered the room along with their master. The Inquisitor explained to Lorenzo that he was to be taken to Terra for processing due to his apparent Psychic talents. His parents did not know what to do as they realised that their son could now never be the man they had hoped he would become. They looked on in abject horror as their son was marched to an Inquisitorial Shuttle that would take him to the ominous fleet that hung in the skies above Galanax.
===Baptism of Fire===
Inquisitor Harlannon took the young Drasus under his wing as was responsible for breaking the young man and being him to his will. As a Psyker, he was interrogated repeatedly and asked a series of questions about his perceptions of the universe. To the delight of the Inquisitor, the young man knew practically nothing of the threat of Chaos, and theoritically could easily be psycho-conditioned into abhoring it. However, as Harlannon began to delve deeper in his questioning and found that Lorenzo had a strong attachment to his parents, as well as his homeworld. Knowing that such a connection could be exploited by the Ruinous Powers, the Inquisitor brought it upon himself to severe all of these ties at all costs.
His original plan was to plainly kill Drasus' parents. Of course, after learning that they were of an incredibly high rank, as well as being rather important servants of the Imperium, Harlannon realised this was not viable. Instead he elected for what could be considered a far more cruel method of eliminating all of Lorenzo Drasus' emotional attachments. The frightened young man was blind folded then placed within a psi-shielded room which contained a picture of Drasus' parents. When the blindfold was removed, Lorenzo was electrocuted. This was repeated regularly, over the course of several months, while Harlannon rigidly taught Drasus of the many threats which lurked the cosmos, while refining him into an obedient Acolyte.
Over time Drasus came to instinctively loathe any memories of his parents and his childhood. Harlannon then began to administer mind altering drugs with the aim of forcing amnesia upon Drasus, so that he would forget his childhood. All that he would theoritically have any memory of would be his life after the journey to Terra. The procedures left Lorenzo as a completely different person, as he forgot everything of his past, while instinctively hating any memories which had not been fully expunged. However, the conditioning and forced amnesia had a side effect of making Drasus despise Harlannon. It was at this time that the Inquisitor deemed Lorenzo to be free of any compromising attachments and decided he was fit for duty. By this time Drasus had been completely broken and resembled nothing of his former self. He now knew the dangers the Imperium constantly faced. He knew it would be his responsibility to protect it. He knew would have to learn how to combat them.
Drasus scraped through the many trials he was forced to face as an Inquisitor's acolyte. However, as he approached his twenty-eighth birthday, Harlannon found that he had no use for Drasus any more and electively transfered him into the care of another Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor, Alicia Trallan as a member of her retinue. The young Acolyte was escorted by Aquilla Lander to Alicia Trallan's ship, the Deus Incendia and was received warmly by his new master.
===Initial Engagements===
Drasus' first real taste of the cosmos came when he accompanied his new mistress on an official visit to the Forge World of Ractra VII. The planet had recently shown a decline in communications with the Imperium as well a fall in production. Rumours from Rogue Traders and Pirates had began to circulate that the planet was producing weapons of an unknown design, the likes of which had never existed in any official Imperial records. Accusations had even been made that the Mechanicus agents based on the planet had become involved in the use of Xenos technology. This had spurred the Inquisition to send an official investigative delegation to the planet, spearheaded by Inquisitor Alicia Trallan.
In order to keep hostilities to a minimum, Alicia Trallan decided to solely bring her most essential personnel, while leaving a large contigent of battlecruisers in reserve, on the very outskirts Ractra System. However, she also deployed a team of Imperial Assassins to infiltrate the planet and take up strategic positions, ready to pounce if the situation turned for the worse. Lorenzo and his mistress were invited to the great Furnaces of Reth, the heart of the mighty Forge World to meet with the ruling Magos of the planet.
As they made planetfall things did not seem right, and Lorenzo noted that he could sense a peculiar psychic presence. This immediately set alarm bells ringing as they descended towards the designated capital, and Alicia sent a communication back to her fleet ordering them to send one quarter of the fleet into the system. The Aquila Lander arrived within the Furnaces of Reth, where they were greeted by a tremendous display of hospitality. Fabricator-Magos Natav Renoth greeted the Inquisitorial delegation with open arms, and was seemingly very glad that they had been deployed to investigate his world.
After the formalities had been rounded to a close, Renoth cut straight to the chase with Inquisitor Trallan and explained the dire situation his planet now faced. He reported that a group of Magos on the world had suddenly stopped reporting back to their superiors and that a large number of servitors had started disappearing. The Fabricator-Magos was clearly very rattled and offered his entire services to hunting down the suspected renegades. However, at the close of the meeting, Alicia noticed that one of her team of Assassins had failed to report back. It increasingly seemed that things were not as obvious as they had been presented.
The assassin was eventually found in the guise of a Tech-Priest, although the Callidus reported that her equipment had suddenly stopped working after a sweep of the Kilavian Forge, and she suspected that there was EMP activity originating from hit. An official investigation of the Forge, sanctioned by the Fabricator-Magos, proved useless as no suspicious devices were found, and there was a distinct lack of any electrical equipment. As this went on, Renoth seemed to become increasingly more edgy and distressed, as his own Forge World appeared to be working against him.
The mission continued for nine days (at the insistance of the Fabricator-Magos) before a lead was finally found, the dismembered and ransacked corpse of one of the missing Magi. He was found to be missing his head and had the word "TRAITORUS" carved into the little remaining flesh of his right arm. The damage to his body appeared to be the result of weaponry not native to the Imperium of Man, therefore confirming the suspicions of Alicia and her retinue that xenos technology was present on this planet.
Unfortunately, when Lorenzo was sent to inform Renoth of the discovery he discovered his mutilated corpse, completely devoid of the mechanical elements that formerly constituted his body. The news of his death put the Forge World into disarry and Alicia Trallan officially declared the planet under the marshal rule of the Inquisition, until the Fabricator-Magos' cause of death could be identified. As power was officially handed over to the Inquisition, renegade Tech-Priests began a full scale uprising on the planet.
This renegade faction was discovered to be led by a mysterious Magos who had installed himself into the workings of the Forge World decades prior to the rebellion. A Callidus informant that had infiltrated the rebel Mechanicus forces reported that the deceased Magos that had been found earlier was terminated because he had attempted a coup to stop the fighting from breaking out. Isgrada mercenaries were reported to be aiding the Heretek forces, and the situation appeared to be going from bad to worse as the small number of active loyalist forces became holed up in the Furnaces of Reth. Within days the majority of the planet had fallen to the rebels, as they utilised technology that far surpassed that of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Intel became fractured as all of the Inquisitorial agenst save for the Callidus Assassins were discovered and slaughtered by the fanatical renegades. As battles errupted all over the surface of the planet, it became apparent that the rebels had been gifted AIWs and RAWs by the Isgrada mercenaries, giving them a tremendous advantage over the loyalist mechanicus elements. However, the greatest boon in their arsenal was a colossal EMP device, which had been deployed in the southern continent of the Forge World to completely shut down the Loyalist forces that had opposed the rebellion there.
Trallan was stuck for ideas as there didn't appear to be an obvious exit strategy. However, Lorenzo had an idea. He figured that the Heretek forces would be determined to take the Furnaces of Reth intact, as they were a key installation upon the planet and home to Titan Works, that they would throw the majority of their forces at seizing it. Thus, he proposed that he could lead a small team of Inquisitorial Stormtroopers to take out the EMP device, while the renegade forces continued to attack the Furnaces. Trallan agreed to the plan after establishing contact with her comandeered fleet.
The route to the EMP device was scarcely guarded, as the generator scrambled electronics the only resistance the found were from heretical militia. These proved to be no match for the combined strikes of the Stormtroooper team and Lorenzo's psychic attacks, meaning that they were felled with relative ease. The journey took four days by foot before the encountered the warehouse that was being used to house the heretical machination. The EMP device itself was heavily guarded, with several Isgrada soldiers visible as well as sentry guns and yet more servitors. A curious individual seemed to be tending the device, resplendent in an ancient robe of crimson. A curious psychic presence seemed to be emanating from the body of the creature.
Things did not seem right at all, as the Tech-Priest was somehow able to operate within such close proximity to the device with no ill effect. As Lorenzo's team moved closer to the objective they were spotted by the sentries and a firefight ensued. Lorenzo utilised his formidable psychic talents to summon bolts of energy to hurl at the traitors, while sending up a defensive barrier around himself. However, his own team had suffered greatly from the effects of the Isgrada weapons, which not only seared the flesh but caused a limited EMP wave that caused the soldiers severe trouble with their weapons systems.
Only Lorenzo was able to return fire, but his stable control over the warp was gradually diminishing as his attacks became more devastating and less coherent. One by one the Stormtroopers fell as the Isgrada closed into fight in close combat, savagely tearing apart their disabled foes. Drasus took out his Force Blade and energised it, as he prepared to charge headlong into the enemy. However, it was all in vain as he was quickly disarmed and beaten down to the ground, seemingly on the verge of death.
Yet the Isgrada did not finish him, and instead brought him to the Magos. This was a great error as it allowed Drasus to confirm his suspicions, as he saw that the Magos possessed a Sarcosan Wave Generator. The heretek introduced himself to the Inquisitorial Acolyte as Delathon Yaluv, the Prophet of Malatron. The crazed Tech-Priest wished to interrogate the acolyte for information regarding the Inquisition's involvement in the purging of the Cerean Brotherhood, in particular the Galvatek Priests. Drasus, having only learnt of the engagement from historical archives, could only mention vague details that he remembered as he hoped to stall for time.
The mammalian Xenos guards started to become agitated as Yaluv maintained their order to keep Drasus alive, and they started to suggest he was merely extending his life by continuing to speak. Yaluv did not care, for he obsessively wished to discover the fate of his former colleagues as well as their work. As the conversation continued onward tensions rose, Drasus slowly began to focus his talents on the Sarcosan device. He realised that if he could disable it then the Heretek would quickly expire, allowing him an opportunity to escape.
He managed to subtly disable it while he was still held by the Isgrada guards, and the Tech-Priest began to stumble slightly. Moments later he suddenly collapsed as the generator failed and his flesh started to crumble. The guards rushed to his aid as they began to loudly exclaim worried sentiments about payment and fees. They suddenly turned this worry into anger as they focused their attentions on a smug looking Drasus. More than twenty Isgrada had now surrounded him, but he was pleased with the situation.
The psyker suddenly unleashed a barrage of raw warp energy that threw the Xenos scum against the walls of the Manufactorium that contained the EMP device. Drasus immediately ran towards the generator, grabbed his bolt pistol and fired repeatedly at the controls, disabling the archaic technology. With the EMP out of commission, communications were restored and he was able to report back to Trallan that the mission had been a success. With the renegades' greatest asset destroyed the tide began to turn just as Imperial reinforcements arrived overhead.
The Imperial Navy deployed their fighters directly to the surface of the planet and began a series of bombing raids on enemy positions, as troops started to be deployed to put down the rebellion as quickly as possible. Several divisions of Imperial Guard were sent to reinforce the Furnaces of Reth, where the fighting was fiercest, with the priority of rescuing the Inquisitorial agents stationed there. The strike force struck directly into the heart of the fighting and slowly started taking back parts of the planet from the rebels, as they joined up with the loyalist Mechanicus forces.
With their leader now dead, the rebel forces had become disjointed and lost all cohesion. This allowed the more professional fighting forces to take out the hereteks and after twenty one days of intense combat, the planet was officially brought into Imperial compliance once more. Some rebels still remained, but the Isgrada mercenaries had been completely purged and their technology seized for examination by the Ordo Xenos.
Lorenzo Drasus was retrieved soon after forces had been deployed to the surface, as he was found by a team of Veteran Soldiers in the remains of the Manufactorium building that housed the broken EMP device. At the time he was unconscious and bore several lashes across his body. Several dead Isgrada littered the area. The device was seized for examination by the Inquisition and Drasus taken for medical treatment. Lorenzo finally awoke aboard the Deus Incendia, within a medical room, to see his relieved mistress crouched beside him.
===Unexpected Diversion===
===Crossing Paths===
===Aftermath of a Battlefield Promotion===
===A Journey Started===
===Paved with Good Intentions===
===Greater Ordo of Magnitude===
===Baring Blades and Talons===
===Distorted Reflections===
===Just Like Old Times===
===Descent into the Hollow Vengeance===
===Legacy===
==Personality==
In his youth, Lorenzo was a rather carefree individual, with a rose tinted view of the universe. Charismatic and charming, he lived life to the full, enjoying a plentiful amount of life's luxuries within the stately Governor's Palace that his parents owned. Drasus was, on the whole, well liked although he had a rather supercillious manner about him.
After being broken by the conditioning methods employed by Inquisitor Harlannon, his outgoing nature was replaced by a far more introverted and obedient one. During his time as an Acolyte, Drasus had a limited set of morals and he held human life in contempt. He had been taught hate. And hate was all that fueled him. Lorenzo detested any vague memory of his parents or his homeworld. However, above all, he despised the Inquisitor responsible for his conditioning. As for his personality, it was practically blank, and he resembled a psychopath more than a righteous enforcer of the Inquisition.
It should be noted that it was Inquisitor Trallan who tamed this wild beast, as Drasus developed a strong emotional attachment to her. She filled the void which had been left in the absence of memories of his home. While this would be a comprimising trait, Alicia maintained it, as she had developed a tender bond with her apprentice. Drasus became a more lighthearted individual once more, as he realised that he had a meaningful purpose in life. During this time he came to meet the acquinatce of Ezekiel Cornatus, whom shaped the more playful aspects of his existence.
Throughout his years as a fully fledged Inquisitor, Drasus gradually rescinded into the tool that had been crafted by Inquisitor Harlaan's hand. He was increasingly paranoid and his mental stability slowly began to fracture as he became a more unreasonable man than before. Over time he found himself more accustomed to using the full power that he commanded in lieu of his old methods of subtlety. Many could argue that he was decending into madness in the prelude to his untimely demise.
==Beliefs==
While Lorenzo has taken a rather Puritan stance in his beliefs which regard the Emperor akin to Thorianism, he also maintains a rather Radical and personally prejudiced view which favours Psykers.
==Abilities and Attributes==
As a Gamma-Level Psyker, it is no surprise that the Inquisitor is adept in the use of his psychic abilities. Drasus frequently makes use of these powers in his line of work for a variety of different purposes. Lorenzo has demonstrated to be a proficient pyrokinetic and regularly uses the ability in both a combat role and to torture heretics. The Inquisitor also makes use of more invasive psychic powers during interrogations, and he has demostrated an aptitude for extracting information through mental manipulation of the captive.
Of course, Lorenzo's psychic talents are not the sole aspect of his being which defines him. Drasus has proven to be a skilled swordsman and has a relatively good aim with a pistol. On top of this, the Inquisitor is rather lithe and athletic, granting him an edge in combat as he can dodge hits quite readily. He is also relatively strong, although he usually makes use of his telekinetic powers while performing manual tasks. It should be noted that Lorenzo is a rather talented at most card games, particularly poker.
==Equipment==
===Illustrious Night===
A stylised force weapon that follows the shape of a rapier, the Illustrious Night is the primary weapon which the Lord Inquisitor utilises.
===Incendia Eterna===
After losing his standard issue bolt pistol during a battle with a Greater Daemon, Inquisitor Trallan gifted Drasus her own master crafted Infernus Pistol to her former acolyte as what was supposed to be a temporary replacement weapon.
===Theodore===
The creature was given a name that Drasus felt was familiar to him, although he could not remember from where it originated. Theodore is the Inquisitor's loyal Psyber-Eagle, and faithful companion. Curiously, after Lorenzo's dissapearence, the avian creation was delivered to the infamous Rogue Trader known as Ezekiel Cornatus who subsequently took an instant dislike to the creature.
==Relationships==
===Allies===
====Alicia Trallan====
Lorenzo had been very close to the Inquisitor since she delivered him into the service of the Inquisition. He had a very strong relationship with her, and she was the only person he could fully trust.
====Ezekiel Cornatus====
Despite their noticeable differences, the two shared a lot in common. They both lived lives of luxury before matters out with their control stripped them of their privileges. Initially neither of them trusted the other, as Ezekiel despised the Inquisition. However, the Rogue Trader won Lorenzo's undying loyalty after he saved the acolyte from a Greater Daemon. The two have shared a strong bond of friendship since the first time they crossed paths, despite their differences.
====Rosalie Drasus====
Drasus's only surviving blood relative was raised by the Officio Assassinorum, as it was improper of a man of his position to abandon his post. She developed an insanely devoted connection to her estranged father despite her abandonment.
====The Purgatory Program====
One of Lorenzo Drasus' first assignments, as an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, was to lead an investagitive study into a very radical Inquisitorial project known as the Purgatory Program. After uncovering the location of the planet known as "Epitaph" and discovering the heresies which beset it, the Inquisitor was set to report his unsettling findings to his superiors. However, an agent of the Purgatory Program prevented him from leaving the system which was home to the heretical program. He was captured and offered a simple choice: he could join the Purgatory Program and protect it's secrets or relinquish his life. Self presetvation proved to be more important to Drasus than ethics and he pledged his service to the Purgatory Program. Of course, swearing fealty to the project has brought about risks of it's own, as Drasus needs to make sure that any Inquisitorial agent sent to uncover the secrets of the Purgatory Program fails in their quest to do so. His mysterious disappearence at the end of the 41st Millenium has toubled them greatly.
===Enemies===
====Syrath the Immortal====
Due to his former master's legacy, Lorenzo Drasus has come to blows with the horrendous Daemon several times. His first meeting with the beast occurred on Ralun II, during the same series of events which led to Drasus meeting Ezekiel Cornatus for the first time. Lorenzo detests Syrath for several reasons. One of these is that the Daemon caused harm to a single individual whom he cared for. Secondly, Syrath has caused Drasus a great amount of trouble. And lastly, Lorenzo hates Syrath because he knows that it was the Daemon's fault that the loyal forebears of the Prophetic Forgiven, the Prophets of Redemption, fell to the sways of Chaos.
====Bevid the Skull====
Due to the role he played during the Ralun Incident and the fact that he is an ally of the Daemon known as Syrath, Lorenzo Drasus has marked the Skull as a sworn enemy.
==Quotes==
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Category:Characters
Category:Inquisition