Kaddicus the Iron Fist

"I carry the rage of my predecessors, this is undeniable. But whereas the Red Angel and his sons let their hatred burn uncontrolled, I do not. Anger is a tool, properly harnessed it can bring down castles and worlds alike in a wave of cold fury. This is where I and the frothing berserkers of the World Eaters differ, for I control my rage, not the other way around. To my traitorous kin, I have only one demand: die in agony."

-8th Marshal Kaddicus the Iron Fist

Kaddicus is a member of the Knights Vigilant Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. He serves as Marshal of the 8th Company, the anvil upon which the Chapter's enemies are broken. As such, he is equipped in the rare and coveted Cataphractii armor that is ubiquitous to the Company, which is decorated according to his station. To witness a charge of Terminators led by Kaddicus is to see regality and brutality melded into a storm of death for the enemies of the Imperium. As the heavy-handed destroyer of the Chapter, he brings crushing doom to all enemies marked for death by the Grand Marshal.

## History

Origins

The birth of the Cold Glare is shrouded in Inquisitorial red tape, with information struck from records and official documents either destroyed or tucked away in highly classified Inquisition dossiers. Officially, this Marine's origins are entirely a mystery, appearing on a Space Hulk discovered by the Knights Vigilant Chapter of Astartes, into which he was recruited and now serves as Marshal of the 8th Company. However, the fact is that the Inquisition had everything to do Kaddicus' selection and modification into a Space Marine of the Emperor. Of course, no Inquisitor would admit to this, and any who would openly suggest the truth might find themselves on the receiving end of one of the many methods of death that the Officio Assasinorum offers.

In truth, the journey of Kaddicus began in the direct employ of the Inquisition. More specifically, his Chapter was formed by the Ordo Hereticus in secret as a parody of the Space Marine members of the Chambers Militant of the other Ordos Majoris. This Chapter, whose name has been lost to time and censorship, was formed out of the geneseed of a classified Legion. The identity of the Legion in question was kept a secret, even from the members of the Chapter, but one could assume that a highly psychically active Legion was out of the question due to the nature of their work. This Chapter would be sent to clear out large numbers of unsanctioned, heretical psykers that might overwhelm Inquisitors or Adepta Sororitas, but still needed to be dealt with unofficially. As such, they were often accompanied by Culexis Assassins on their missions in order to weaken or destroy their psychic targets. The Chapter was also very small, only 200 strong at its greatest. Whether this was out of a need for secrecy or a paranoia of betrayal is unknown.

In this unusual Chapter, Kaddicus was a Sergeant and led a squad of Terminators. By the time of his final mission with them, it was the only Terminator squad left in the entire Chapter. As a result, Kaddicus was relied upon heavily by his brothers as an obstacle upon which their faster units could hammer their opponents. The mission in question was the exploration of a Space Hulk discovered in the Acteron Sector, which was unusually high in psychic energy, even for a Space Hulk. Upon arrival on the Hulk, the Astartes were immediately beset upon by mutants inhabiting the derelict. While these were certainly Warp-caused, they did not explain the psychic presence aboard the ship. As the Marines continued toward the source of the energy, the mutants proved far more cunning and deadly than what would usually be expected. By the time the expedition force reached the psychic source, only the Terminator squad and around half of the other Marines sent aboard remained. Upon their arrival, it was discovered that the source of the psychic energy was actually an Ordo Hereticus ship that once transported many psychic Inquisitors and prisoners. Now seemingly abandoned and haunted, the ship also proved to contain classified information collected by the Ordo, including about the Chapter. It was here that Kaddicus learned of the true origin of his Chapter's geneseed: Angron, the Red Angel, and his traitorous, blood-mad sons, the World Eaters.

Still reeling from this knowledge, the Marines were attacked again, this time by psychic mutants who lived in the Warp-saturated ruins. Even as the mutants tore through his brothers, Kaddicus heard the distress call of the Chapter's battle-barge, followed by an explosion over the comms and static silence. The mutants had activated the guns on the outer shell of the Hulk and caught the Inquisitorial ships off-guard, destroying them and the entirety of the Chapter not on the derelict. Enraged, Kaddicus flew into a frenzy, slaying mutants with such incredible ferocity and efficiency that one might mistake him for the same blood-mad warriors his Chapter was spawned from. However, his rage was not enough, and in the end only Kaddicus stood among piles of his brothers, each killing a hundred mutants before his end, but each falling all the same. Suffering great wounds and in untold despair, Kaddicus entombed himself in a corner with a great piece of metal scrap, activated an Inquisitorial distress beacon, and allowed himself to fall into the stasis provided by his Sus-An Membrane. The mutants, all either dead or frightened off by the incredible display of violence, dared not even attempt to disturb the warrior's would-be tomb.

Induction into the Chapter

Roughly one Terran year after Kaddicus's last stand upon the Hulk, his signal was picked up by the Tempest, the flagship of the 3rd Company of the Knights Vigilant Chapter of Space Marines. It was fortunate that this particular Company was, by all accounts, an Inquisitorial plant within the Chapter, as the encryption of the lost Sergeant's beacon would have been indecipherable to any not privy to Inquisitorial knowledge and methods. The then-Marshal of 3rd Company, Royalus Gratus, took a personal interest in the warrior, and began to personally familiarize him with the Chapter. This inevitably led to Kaddicus's swift rise in the ranks of 3rd Company, which he had been inducted into by default. It was not long before he was named Captain of 3rd Company, serving as the right-hand and enforcer of the 3rd Marshal. All was well, as Kaddicus was well-suited to working with and around Inquisitorial business, but soon something felt amiss. Royalus seemed to be more loyal to a personal agenda than to the Inquisition or the Chapter, and often went behind the backs of the other Marshals and Lords to conduct his errands. Kaddicus generally disapproved of these actions, but did not allow his disapproval to boil over into outright anger. This is where he gained the moniker of the Cold Glare, often used by his then-Marshal as a way to explain away the growing rift between him and his Captain. As such, Kaddicus requested a transfer to another Company that was better suited to his skills. He was formally inducted as the Captain of 8th Company shortly after, causing a great degree of animosity between the two Companies for some time. This change was fortunate, however, as soon after, Royalus Gratus began to engage in traitorous and even heretical activity. Being his former Captain, Kaddicus was wise to see dissent and distance himself from the affair, as otherwise he may have been implicated in the later betrayal of 3rd Company.

During his time as the Captain of the 8th Company of Knights Vigilant, Kaddicus served his Marshal, Archimedes, with dignity and respect. While the emphasis on regality was not always to the approval of the Cold Glare, Kaddicus could understand the reasoning behind such a doctrine. He often conflicted with the other Marshals on tactics and Chapter discipline, as he was known for a moderate degree of insubordination, likely brought on from his time in 3rd Company. However, his loyalty to the Chapter won over in the end, and Kaddicus eventually earned a degree of respect from the leadership of the Chapter. When 8th Marshal Archimedes valiantly fell in a battle against unending tides of xenos, Kaddicus took up his position with honor, and swore to uphold the values of his predecessor. While he does this to the best of his ability, his inner anger often influences him to place more emphasis on total pulverization of the enemy and efficiency in the field rather than Chapter honors. This focus on the brutal destruction of enemies has earned him the name the Iron Fist, which is the title addressed to him by those who do not wish to be on the receiving end of his anger should they refer to him by his other moniker.

## Wargear

Kaddicus is clad in Cataphractii-pattern Terminator armor, a staple of the 8th Company of Knights Vigilant. Inside his helmet is an auspex array to better survey whatever battlefield he finds himself on, allowing him to deploy his Terminators where they will be most effective. However, he is not just a commander, but a master of hand-to-hand combat. His favored weapon is his power axe, aptly named Devastation, which he uses to incredibly deadly effect in close combat, his personally preferred method of warfare. However, he is not blind to the advantages of ranged combat. To this end, he carries a combi-bolter with an attached melta gun. He often uses this to cover his charge into enemy lines, followed by a quick succession of melta blasts to devastate front-line infantry once he arrives at his designated target. For large groups of distant enemies, or simply when he is sufficiently angered, Kaddicus keeps a Cyclone Missile Launcher mounted on the back of his Terminator armor. The sound of this device of pure destruction firing is enough to send dread through the ranks of any in the path of the Iron Fist.

Kaddicus also keeps a personal guard of two Cataphractii-clad Terminators. These specially selected warriors will charge into combat with their Marshal, aiding in his demolition of fortifications and entrenchments alike. They wield Power Lances and wrist-mounted Storm Bolters, allowing them to devastate armored opponents and large groups of infantry alike. These guards accompany the Marshal on the Sol Triumphant, lending a tone of regality that the 8th Company became known for under Archimedes. Their spears are meant to reflect royal protectors of ages past, and add to the feeling of authority that the 8th Marshal exudes.