Giova Asbico

## Giova "Dio" Asbico

The Shadow Warden Giova while armed for combat

Giova Asbico is a Shadow of the Foretoken, a loyal yet ambitious man who aspires to great power through any means necessary. He is quiet yet manipulative, a trait nor often found in Sons of the Blood. Wielding knives to great proficiency, he often takes other fighters with surprise as they do not expect his speed and maneuverability.

## History

### Pre-Astartes life

He was born on Baal into a noble family, as they were a family that developed shadowy prospects against other families to keep themselves afloat in the political world. At a young age, Giova learnt how to steal, how to manipulate others, and how to stay 2 steps ahead of others by outwitting. He especially found his skills challenged by being attached to a family with a particularly clever son, however he eventually was able to rob their prestige with a fake scandal scheme. When he turned 13 years of age, he looked up to see the sky filled with ships as living angels of war came down following a god. He wanted to be one of these angels of war, and as soon as he could, he volunteered to join these Blood Angels.

### Great Crusade

Following his insanguination, he was placed into a reconnaissance squad due to his usual quiet and observing nature. They saw it as useful for a recon marine, and he was entrusted with the Nuncio-vox to call in orders and information. He showed high proficiency with commando operations, moving ahead of forces to take out key targets before the main force. He would first put this to test in the Burning of Anahktor, as his squad was tasked with pre-emptive strikes on the garrison, taking out main guns. This allowed the main force to push in and attack the garrison, switching Giova's squad orders to assist in attack. His squad moved silently into the labyrinth like tunnels and found themselves beset by Iron Bulls. Working quickly, he fought with twin knives gleaming as the Bulls came in to crush them. His sergeant wasn't as lucky and perished, along with a second battle brother. Thankfully, they held long enough for more attackers to come and pull them out of the carnage. Giova was too wounded to immediately return to service and was left unable to finish the fight on Anahktor. He would serve on many more campaigns, rising to sergeant and leading his squad well. Even during the Heresy, he showed true faith to Sanguinius, although his mind began to have slight visions. Visions of expected outcomes and of possible futures. He ignored these at he fought. it is not known what he fought in, although there are some records of his presence in the Signum cluster, as they witnessed a man with paired knives flaying daemons left and right across the roof tops.

### Siege of Terra

Angered by Horus' actions, his squad was stationed upon the walls of the palace to hold defensive positions until they can move and take out important figures like captains and devastators. He found himself instead locked in desperate endless combat with Night Lord marines assaulting the walls, knives against knives and desperation against ferocity. He and his squad maintained this endless combat with the Night Lords until the reinforcements from the other legions had finally arrived, which they then received word of their Primarch's arrival on the Vengeful Spirit. Fighting back with renewed vigor, and down to himself and one last brother held back the Night Lords that remained until a sudden pain filed his head. He dropped to his knees as he felt an immense psychic backlash slam into his mind, that could only mean one thing; the death of his father. But just as he has this revelation, his visions return and show him a pristine sky, free of clouds and strife. Birds chirp, and people speak and laugh... he was seeing something new. This... this couldn't be. Before his eyes... it is heaven. His visions, they had all been clues to heaven. He grins to himself, as he realizes the power behind this sight. he can control this power. Snapping out of this revelation, he feels that his world had been opened, however he comes too just in time to see his last brother butchered by an opportunist Night Lord. He stands and smiles, as he realized that there was one way to begin taking power. He rips off the Aquila he had as a necklace icon and declares his new faith and what he will do to achieve his ultimate desire. To fuel this declaration, he turns into a red blur and dispatches the remaining Night Lords. He is no duelist, this he knows. He is a butcher... no he is an assassin. An assassin that needs to ghost from Terra, and that is what he does. Confiscating a legion transport, he shadows the fleeing traitors into the Eye of Terror, ready to start his new journey.

### Deaths in the Eye

As he shadows the fleeing traitors, he begins to meticulously plan his new journey and goals for he wanted power. He had always wanted power, and continuing his service with the Emperor wouldn't allow him any power at all. So this was the only way, he reasoned as he sketched his next steps. First, he positioned himself as a mercenary type to conduct covert operations and assassinate high priority targets. This took a lot of time and doing, and this brought him into conflict with some legionaries that sought to monopolize off of him. He kindly made them rethink this action by negotiating the blood from their veins, and then doing business elsewhere. One particular incident bestowed his first of three gifts. As Giova was conducting business with a small group of Iron Warriors, a band of Emperor's Children smashed through and assaulted the two parties. Gripping his icon of chaos tightly, he drew one of his power knives and jabbed it into his chest, directly in his first heart. As the iron Warriors looked at him in disbelief, black lightning arced across his body and time seemed to briefly freeze for Giova. Smiling darkly, he pulled out the knife from his chest and tossed it with great accuracy towards the skull of the leading Emperor's Children marine. Time resumed, and the blade pierced the man's skull and dropped him instantly. The three parties froze in stunned silence as Giova drew his second knife and lunged forward, seemingly to be stepping off from time itself as he cut down the remaining enemies. Reveling in his new gift of Temporal Manipulation, he continued his meeting with the Iron Warriors.

The gifting of his second ability came when he was to infiltrate and assassinate a Word Bearer Apostle who had been preaching at odds with another. Silently moving in, he noticed that this particular Dark Apostle preached flame and fire, flaming daemons emerging from the air behind him as he drove his followers to zealous rage. Thinking quickly, he saw a pattern he could follow to win another gift from his dark patrons. Clutching hid dark icon in his left hand, he drew his power knife in his other hand and surged forward. He quickly cut the necks of two of them, before sliding under another and cutting through his gut. He did not get farther as a legionnaire slammed a foot in his chest and knocked him down. Holding him down, he began to beat Giova with a great armored fist, his strength increased from the preaching. He silently prays to his gods, asking them to aid their warrior and he would attain what they granted him to see. By some miracle, though he doesn't know which god answered, he suddenly felt the air grow cold. The lenses of the marines' helmets began to freeze and shatter save his own, and the flames spewing from the targets mouth sputtered out. With a grim realization, it seemed that his calls for aid were heard, and so he thanked the gods and set to work to not waste their gift. He rolls up and swipes his knife into the jugular of the marine stomping his chest, before slinking past the confused Word Bearers whose eyes were bleeding from shattered lenses and tossed his knife into the skull of the target Dark Apostle, before taking his other knife out and stabbing it up into the roof of his mouth. Smiling, he rips off the target's head and later presented it to the client Dark Apostle.

His last gift came about after a misinforming client informed him about the target's lord. He was unfortunately lax in his research and ended up being captured by a band of World Eaters. He awoke in their brass constructed arena, his weapons and armor still on his person. Almost immediately, they came for him and dragged him into the arena. Faced with the onslaught of Berserkers, he had to discretely utilize his gifts of chaos in order to survive the constant attacks. They were different from the onslaughts of Iron Bulls or Night Lords, for these men fought as if they were worth nothing, as if only death mattered. Angry at this lack of progress and the draining on his abilities, he decided to give in to his red thirst and fought like a starved animal, drinking in blood wherever possible. This so pleased Khorne that this mighty and cowardly Blood Angel was finally indulging that he blessed him with the strength of the berserker. Giova felt his muscles bulk and harden, becoming likened to steel. His fist alone crushed in the skull of a Berserker as he tried for the briefly confused and disoriented Giova. With a renewed vigor, he charged past the other warriors and slammed directly into the Lord. The two dueled fiercely, Giova at the disadvantage as he was never truly a duelist. He smiles to himself as he took in this fact, he was not a duelist... he was an opportunist. Sliding out of the way of an over extended attack, he drives a knife into his ribs before backing up and continuing this pattern of attacking only when the opportunity presented itself. He slowly drained the Lord of his energy before cutting his jugular and ripping the nails from his head. Just as the horde of furious Berserkers approached, he disappeared in smoke.

### Foretoken

As he continued his death dealing services, he had one day noticed a shadow in the horizon of his base of operations. He noted the shadow's presence and monitored it the day he saw it. He did not know how long it had been there, only that it was clearly observing him. One day, he returned from hunting for food to find that shadow sitting in his small shack, making tea. Drawing his knife, he drops the hunted meat and lunges forward, the knife grazing the armor of the shadow. The other also draws a knife, leading the two to be put in a knife fight, his longer master worked power knives against what appeared to be a stilleto. The shadow was quick and aimed for his exposed face, but he was able to dodge and stab for the chest of the new arrival who also dodged. This persisted until Giova landed a kick to its chest and sent it out of the house. As the dust cleared, the figure was gone. Snarling, Giova took all of his essentials and burned down the house, marking it a start of this drawn out battle. For two weeks, the two spies/assassins hunted each other. Each didn't eat nor sleep, only drank when time allowed. The hunt finally ended when Giova laid a trap for the other spy and captured him in a cage. He questioned the other operative, attempting to drill all information from him. All the operative let slip was a name, the Foretoken before he died from his wounds. Looting the body, he was able to track the power armor's tracking unit back to where it last was. So he followed this.

Arriving upon the Crimson Heart, after evading any more assassins, he came upon the entrance and called out, informing them that their assassin was of no use. He had failed, so Giova shall replace that assassin. After a few moments, we was informed of his task to join, kill a Chimera. He chuckled at the idea, but acquiesced and left to do just that. He spent a week searching and taking note of the Chimera he had set to be his target. After taking note of its habits, he planned its death with a simple plan. Working on this plan, he waited until the Chimera made to drink from water, and then he sprung to action. He let his icy aura loose, chilling the water and freezing some of it in the mouth of the beast. Next, he stepped across time and activated the power fields on his knives as he drove them straight down onto the beasts spine, hoping to paralyze it. Unfortunately, he had mistimes his jump, which gave the creature time to wiggle its body out of its kill zones, leaving it able to fight. He was suddenly flung from its back by the beast's tail and crashed into a cliff face. Standing back up, he regroups himself and rushes back to finish the Chimera. Letting some of the Red Thirst flow through him, he tore at the Chimera, ripping flesh from the bone as he moved up the body of the beast. More than once the beast crushed him into the ground, but his drive for his purpose kept him going. He finally finished the beast by freezing time and tossing both knifes at its eyes, before standing his ground in front of the Chimera, ready to fight it with fist and bolt pistol. As time resumed, the knives penetrated its eyes and brain, felling it in front of him. Ripping out its two canines, he proceeded back towards the Fortress, his goals of attaining power getting closer and closer.

## Appearance

When armored, Giova stands tall, wearing a grey camo cloak that was given to him upon being granted his rank of Shadow. He has plain looking Mk IV helmet with a wing and chalice stamped between his eyes. His chest has the tear drop aqualia, he chose to keep it as a mockery to the Imperium and the current Blood Angels. Upon his right pauldron is a small pair of canine teeth that he took from the Chimera, and that is where the extravagance of his armor ends. He keeps a chaos star on a chain attached tp his belt, as a mark of his worship and gratitude. His armor is MK IV, although it is artifice made as he was previously a sergeant. His armor is colored deep matte blue, as standard for a Shadow. Also standard for a Shadow is the power stilleto he keeps on his back right in a mag lock. His bolt pistol his mag locked to his left hip and he often hides his two signature master crafted power knives on arm sheaths.

When out of his armor, Giova stands as a tall pillar of a man, with sharp facial features and bright golden eyes. His long blonde hair falls to his eyes and to the side of his head, giving him a semi angelic look. His body is well built and tall, his muscles akin to steel. His skin is pale, as if he had not seen the sun much, although he doesn't seem to mind being without armor as he is always ready to defend himself. Upon the back of his left shoulder is an odd star shaped birthmark that he doesn't speak of often.

## Personality

Giova is a quiet man, often preferring to be on his own, although he is also an enlightened and religious man. Deeply devout to the Dark Gods, he speaks often about his philosophical ideas and how to expand Chaos' influence. He only talks of this to those he truly trusts, to others he only speaks of whatever the current topic is, if he so chooses to speak. In total, he prefers to be alone although sometimes he seeks company if not to just scratch that itch of company. Sometimes he indulges in wine, simply because he wishes to. it doesn't help to deal with his Red Thirst or anything of the sort, he just drinks it because it feels right according to him. Of course, this is to say nothing of his manipulative side. When he uses his charm and quick wit to say what people want to hear and move them to be on his side or owe him something. He gets a sick kind of satisfaction from this, sometimes this drives his interactions. This only serves to make him a better Shadow, as he would needd such connections should any member need to be killed by his hand.

## Abilities and Traits

Giova is blessed with three gifts of Chaos that he had earned to either prove himself or survive an impossible task. For one is his Temporal Manipulation gift, an ability that allows him to alter time around him, which he uses to freeze time around him to get the upper hand. He can only do this for a few seconds and it drains his energy quickly to do this in quick succession, so he is quite sparing with it. Next is his gifted Icy Aura, which allows his body to radiate an unbearable coldness to disorient and stun those he finds difficult to kill or those he cannot find an opening in. Sometimes this aura manifests itself subconsciously, so he doesn't realize that he had made those around him unbearably cold. Finally, his last gift from chaos had been an increase in his strength, although this gift is likely from Lord Khorne as the Blood God sees the souls of the Blood Angels as his. This gift doubles if he allows his Red Thirst to flow, and let him briefly become a blood sucking monster.

Aside from these gifts, Giova is a talented assassin and operative, due to his greater reconnaissance training and background in espionage. Fighting like a whirlwind, his knives rend flesh and armor just the same due to their power fields. In addition, he often only attacks when he knows he will win, although sometimes he does over measure his abilities. As an opportunist, he fights defensively if locked in a duel, swiftly taking stabs at the enemy whenever they overextend or fail to protect a part of themselves. Outside of combat, Giova can be quite the manipulator as he uses charm and wit to get what he wants or achieve what he desires.

## Mutations

While he carries no other physical mutations, he does carry a blessing from Lord Khorne within his physical strength. Although he himself is not a berserker, he has the sheer strength of one which allows him to utilize his weaponry with more effectivity. In addition to this, he has an Icy Aura about himself that causes those within it to face an unbearable coldness. Their blood begins to freeze, as their body undergoes fast hypothermia and freezing as they stay close to him. Finally, he has the gift of Temporal Manipulation that allows him to alter time around him, although he cannot do it often and only for a few seconds. In addition, he can freeze some things in the air such as rocks to use as stepping stones to a higher position. Although he doesn't have many gifts of chaos, he uses what he has to the most effectivity.

## Gifts of Chaos

It doesn't seem that he has many gifts of chaos outside of his chaos gifted mutations. As such, he simply uses his mutations to the fullest.

### Used Weapons

* **Paired artifice power knives "Thirst" and "Hunger"**
* **Power Stiletto**
* **Bolt Pistol**

### Chimera Trophy

Giova has stolen the teeth of the Chimera, taking a small amount so that their clattering doesn't give away his position on missions.

## Relations

### Rivals/Enemies

* **Xenos**
* **Imperium**

## Quotes

### By:

"*Ah, the beauty of the kill. You may have been fast... but I'm faster.*"
—Giova muttering to himself after slaying an Emperor's Children duelist
"*Do you see it? The force that draws people together to become great companions. I like to call it gravity between people.*"
—Giova idly speaking to his commanding officer of the Shadows
### About:

"*Quite an... enigmatic figure and for a son of the great Angel he is quite ruthless and strays from the Imperium's strain of sanity but frankly I cannot help but sympathise with this man, this astartes who seeks out a power beyond. I cannot help but seek to aid in his great journey and perhaps ascend myself*"
—Father Enrico Kaderon on the topic of this mysterious Shadow Warden.