Kaleb Daark

Kaleb Daark is the greatest servant of the renegade chaos god Malice and is foremost among his warriors, known as “The Doomed Ones” Whereas the souls of lesser servants shrivel long before they can gain real power, those whose service remains true may gain immeasurable benefit. Kaleb Daark enjoys the favor of his insane god, for his resolve is incredibly strong, perhaps deriving vigor from some dark aspect of his personality, some event hidden deep within his past or subconscious (though none would dare to enquire of the man himself). Of his origins and his initiation into the cult of Malice, no one can do more than guess. Of his might of arms, undoubted courage and potent unholy weaponry, however, all know at least the most horrific details.

Though the rumors and legends of Kaleb are conflicting, many suppose he is a chaos space marine originally from a feudal world. Others say he is not a Chaos Space Marine, though he is a warrior of such irresistible might and size, swollen by the powers of Chaos, that he is equal to one. Whatever the truth he is a Champion of Malice that none can overcome. For reasons known only to him Kaleb has a deep seated hatred of Malice and every elevation he receives is another indignity he must suffer. His faith and power are at odds with one another; his disgust with Malice and obsession with the destruction of Malice fuel his power. Kaleb himself is pale, a result of the constant strain of his relationship with Malice. His hair is very pale so it appears almost white. Kaleb Daark's laconic wit is often the last thing his victim's ever hear! His battle cry is 'Dreadaxe thirsts for you!'.

## Wargear

### The Dreadaxe

Dreadaxe is a deadly chaotic weapon gifted to Kaleb Daark by Malice. It is a living axe, a weapon bearing a part of the soul of some great cosmic being, a hellish demonic servant of Malice. As the weapon strikes home its jaw closes and its teeth bite deep into the soul-stuff of its victim. As the soul of the victim is sucked from his carcass, the body shrinks, rots and shrivels away to almost nothing. If Kaleb Daark injures a creature of Chaos with this unholy weapon, the Dreadaxe automatically drains the creature's soul; the soul’s power is split between empowering Malice, the Dreadaxe, and Kaleb himself.

### Power Armor of the Parasite God

Kaleb Daark's twisted power armor displays runes granted to him by his patron deity. Like how his patron sucks the life from his sibling gods, so too does Kaleb’s armor. When injured the runes on Kaleb’s armor suck life from chaos followers around him to restore his own vitality. This armor is black, bearing the motif of Malice as decoration.

### Shield of Self-Disgust

Daark wields a shield that looks like a skull, half black and half white. It renders him all but immune to the magics of Chaos followers, the more powerful they are the less effect they can have on him.

### Mutant Warsteed

Kaleb Daark's mutant warsteed is a further gift from his dark master. The creature fights with great ferocity, and is far faster than any normal horse.

## Malice

There is a name whispered quietly and with fear even by the most depraved, the most evil, the least sane of the worshippers of Chaos. That name is Malice the Renegade God of Chaos. Any man who dares look within the unholy black pages of The Great Book of Despair, that foul tome held sacred by worshippers of Chaos, would find the following words:

*“.... and he that went before now came last, and that which was white and black and all direction was thrown against itself. Grown mightily indignant at the words of the Gods, Malice did turn his heart against them and flee into the Warp... And no man looked to Malice then, save those that serve which they hate, who smile upon their misfortune, and who bear no love save for the damned. At such times as a warrior's heart turns to Malice all Gods of Chaos grow fearful, and the laughter of the Outcast God fills the tomb of space...."*

In eons past Malice was cast out from the bosom of Chaos by the other gods, or else abandoned them of his own volition, no one is sure which. In any case Malice's relationship to the other Gods of Chaos is a strange one. All Gods of Chaos pursue purposes that are wholly their own, yet only Malice occupies a position so resolutely parasitic upon his own unfathomable creed. To be a follower of Malice is to be a chaotic warrior bent upon shedding the blood of other chaotic creatures. As such, Malice is both feared and hated by the other gods. Malice's worshippers, too, are loathed by other chaos followers; they are outcasts beloved by neither the friends nor enemies of Chaos, dependent upon the least whim of their patron deity. Few men worship such a god; fewer still live long in his service. The bonds that tie master and servant ever drain upon the soul of the warrior, and it is a rare man that can loosen those bonds once forged.

## The Doomed Ones

The Doomed Ones are Chaos warband of Malice that are as paradoxical as Malice is. They are few in number (often only a dozen or two) but powerful beyond belief, they “worship” Malice but their “dedication” is a reflection of their hatred of him, they are “Chaos followers” who fight against chaos, etc. These tremendous and mysterious warriors each appear as a towering champion of chaos, no two the same.

None are known by name but all are feared. They are given sobriquets to identify them, each affiliated with one of the aspects of Malice:

* **The Parasite:** A warrior able to feed off the power of those around them, able to match any warrior who they face as they always equal
* **The Lost:** A being not able to be perceived, though they can only perceive those paradoxical followers of Malice themselves.
* **The Anarchist:** A tactician and terrorist known for their ability to ferment anarchy wherever they set foot. A world where the anarchist sets foot will naturally and inexorably fall to anarchy without intervention.
* **The Paradox:** Both alive and dead, tall and short, powerful and weak, male and female, wise and a fool the paradox is an ever-shifting daemonic hulk that is able to take the form opposite of whatever they face.
* **The Avenger:** A dead man who has risen to kill those who have slain him, though he knows who that is. Until he kills the one who killed him, he cannot die.
* **The Destroyer:** Lost in the aimless destruction of all, the Destroyer is a heavy artillery specialist that seeks no joy in combat, refines no great skill, has no honor, but simply wants to see everything destroyed for the sheer sake of destruction itself.
* **The Atheist:** A powerful null able to inhibit the magic from Chaos followers. Nothing fantastic can happen to them, though nothing fantastic may effect them.

These titles seem to transfer or shift as the ominous Doomed Ones appear radically different each time they are encountered.

Despite their small numbers the Doomed Ones have a unique power to instantly “convert” Chaos Followers they encounter to the service of Malice. This has no effect on those with a powerful will such as Chaos Space Marines (though they may feel the tug) but lesser demons have been known to spontaneously transform into paradoxical daemons of malice and normal chaos-worshipers often take up arms against their own fellow Chaos followers.

## Trivia

* Kaleb Daark is an infamous Chaos character from Warhammer Fantasy that, due to legal disputes, has been removed from canon. I wanted to revive him here as a 40k character because of how weird, edgy, and "Oldhammer" he was.