Marcellus Tacitus

Official pict-file of Bronze Guardians Legatus Legionus, Marcellus Tacitus.

**Marcellus Tacitus** is currently the Chapter Master of the Bronze Guardians. A sanctioned psyker, he also is a Librarian. Prior to being Marcellus Tacitus, he was known as Alessander Vek. In his youth, Vek was hand picked by a Recruiter of the Verum Illuminate to become a member of the, so-called "elite Chapter" according to his profile. Prior to his position as Chapter Master of the Bronze Guardians, he was a Seeker for the Renegade Chapter, Verum Illuminate. He was considered one of the most gifted psykers of the Chapter, with his friend Nathaniel Roth and Roman Somek. Before his career could really take off, he noticed some inconsistencies with the teachings his parents had given him and those of the Chapter. This lead to him discovering, early on, that the Verum Illuminate had been corrupted by Chaos. Upon making this discovery, he started the delicate task of finding other loyalists, among the tainted Chapter, in order to form a rebellion. A planetary war on Stygian eventually ensued. He and a small number of loyalists, escaped and create a new Chapter named the Bronze Guardians.

## Biography

Marcellus Tacitus was born to a family of farmers on Stygian. He has a younger brother and an older sister. He was a hard worker and a strong young man, from all the work on the farm. He also had a good head on his shoulder. He was recruited under the name of Alessander Vek, by the Verum Illuminate. Alessander had been chosen to join another Space Marine Chapter on Stygian but the Recruiter for the Verum, named Gabriel Ziad, poached him from the line. The Verum Illuminate were believed to be a specialised Chapter that had this uncanny ability to uncover dangerous witches that have eluded other Space Marine Chapters and the Adepta Sororitas. Vek turned out to be a very gifted psyker and was chosen as an echo squad seeker. One day, on guard duty, he snuck into a chamber which held the scroll relic for the Verum Illuminate and found out that it and the Instructor, were compromised but Tzeentch. He and his two friend Roth and Somek, started to plan a rebellion, in hopes of eliminating the traitor Marines in their organisation. Eventually, Vek and Somek mounted the Resistance which lead to the Stygian Civil war. Aided by the Red Crusaders, Vek took the geneseed and escaped the planet with the loyalists. They started a new Chapter, the Bronze Guardians on Kevillon, this is when he changed his name to Marcellus Tacitus and was voted Chapter Master for the new Loyalist chapter.

## Personality

Marcellus Tacitus is a very loyal, intelligent and talented Astarte. He follows his instincts and is not necessarily interested in honour and recognition. He is interested in creating a better Imperium for everyone. He is very secretive and quiet and respects his Marines. He is a strong strategist and he is devoted to the Emperor and learns from past mistake. Although he has become a very strict Chapter Master, he still takes his Marines opinions into consideration. He is transparent, with Chapter members, about the past and founding of the Bronze Guardians. A good leader, he expects the best from his Marines and also, any transgression is dealt with swiftly.

## Notable Campaigns

* **Stygian Civil War**- After the arrival of a powerful Sorcerer named Pallas, on Stygian , the time had come for the secretly Renegade members of the Verum Illuminate to take the side of the Sorcerer and take over the planet in the name of the chaos god Tzeentch. The highest ranking officers were corrupted by the influence of Tzeentch and turned on the Imperial aligned members of the Verum Illuminate. The Chapter Master, Intelligence officers, Instructors and Commander were all under chaos influence. They order the take down of the other Space Marine Chapters on Stygian. Delta squad obeyed without questioning the order but they did come across some resistance from an echo squad seeker named Vek and his friend Somek. Vek had known about the corruption for some time, knowing he could not make a difference alone, he and his friends Somek and Roth, carefully share their discovery with as many marines as they could. On the day of the civil war, he tried to rally as many Marines as he could to the side of the Imperium. Instead of an immediate attack on the other Chapter, the Loyalists attacked the Renegades. The fighting was fierce and most of the Hive city was destroyed but back up was on the way. The other Chapters sent their Marines to destroy the threat which was the Verum Illuminate. The Loyalists in yellow were slowly being defeated. Vek could not hold this many enemy off for such a long period of time. Suddenly, the Red Crusaders arrived to help Vek and his small group with their endeavour against the Verum Illuminate. A plan formed between Vek and the Grail Knight Drakvard and his friend Librarian Verus. Vek ran to the Fortress Monastery, Dara Seans, and made out with the gene-seed. The Renegade Chapter had one, with the help of the sorcerer Pallas and her minions and the Red Crusaders and the newly Chapterless loyalists escaped Stygian.

## Specialization and Abilities

Marcellus Tacitus is a very talented psyker and Librarian. He is fully capable of hiding relatively large groups of Marines when it is required by tricking people into believing no one is there. He can manipulate thoughts, He has a sense of chaps, which is how he realised that his former chapter was, in fact aligned with chaos. He can implant information and thoughts into large numbers of people and communicate psychically. He is a strong fighter and very smart.

## Short Stories

* Chosen- This short story follows Marcellus Tacitus, before this was his new name. He was Alessander Vek. In this story, we follow him from the moment he was recruited, through training and the moment he realised that his Chapter, the Verum Illuminate were corrupted by chaos.

* Twisted, Haunted, Shattered- There are brief mentions in all three stories under the name of Vek, he plays a larger part in the first short story, Twisted, where he saves his 'fallen' brother from 'death'. He protects Roth's true identity throughout the next two stories of the Roth trilogy.

* Dedaleus’ Labyrinth- In this story, Marcellus Tacitus, chapter master of the Bronze Guardians, fights the Verum Illuminate in the hall of Statues in the Pantheon.

## Relations

### Allies

* **The Red Crusaders**- The Red Crusaders, having helped the loyalists of the Verum Illuminate escape their massacre during the Stygian War, are allies of the Bronze Guardians. Thankful for their opportunity for a new beginning, the Bronze Guardians will always respond to any call from the Red Crusaders.

### Enemies

* **Verum Illuminate**-Chapter Master Marcellus Tacitus has a particular hatred for the Verum Illuminate. Having been a part of the corrupted organisation and having fought for the Emperor during the Stygian Civil war, Marcellus Tacitus and the Bronze Guardians have a particular hatred toward the Verum Illuminate and wish to see them eliminated.

* **The Sisters of the Night**-In honour of his best friend, Nathaniel Roth, who had been tortured and ultimately caused the demise of his friend, Tacitus has a particular interest in the Slaaneshi warband and their end. He will go out of his way for vengeance and to accomplish his friend's mission of destroying the warband.