Fedir Orlik

Fedir Orlik in his battle gear after being seconded to the Deathwatch.

**Fedir Orlik** is a Firstborn Space Marine of the Ashen Heralds Chapter, having served in an Independent Lance of the 1st Great Banner of the 3rd Host and later in the Host's honor guard prior to his secondment to the Deathwatch. Fedir is a broad built marine, specializing in the use of explosive ordnance, both in active combat and in demolition work.

## History

### Origins

Born over 250 years ago on a space station in orbit of the Imperial Hive world Alectus IV, Fedir was of the menial slave cast of the station. He was quickly pressed into service during his childhood, working in the cramped service tunnles of the station. An Ork WAAAGH! would invade Alectus IV when Fedir was 12, swarming over the planet and boarding the station Fedir called home in search of loot. A heavy lockdown kept portions of the station in Imperial hands during the weeks the battle raged, and Fedir survived the fighting by hiding in the same service tunnles he normally labored in, risking discovery and exposure to voided sections of the station while scavenging for food. Elements of the Ashen Heralds chapter of Space Marines would arrive in system to relive the planet and station, and a squad of these warriors would encounter Fedir while clensing the station, claiming him as a recruit as part of their Ashen Tithe.

### Chapter Service

After being taken by the Ashen Heralds, Fedir would pass genetic tets and be implanted with geen-seed. Fedir spent the first decades of his life during and after gene-seed implantation training and studying, due to the Ashen Herald’s not utilizing neophytes in main battle formations, and he quickly showed an aptitude for mathematics and design. While he lacked the technical skills to be selected for Techmarine training, Fedir’s skill for analyzing terrain and structures had him identified early as a possible candidate as a heavy weapons specialist. After his ascension to a full Astartes, Fedir was assigned to the 1st Banner of the 3rd Host, and was quickly made a part of the Devastators, where he was able to put his aptitude for demolition work into practice.

Fedir’s service was exemplary, and his skill with using grenades and rockets to crack weak points in enemy fortifications was unrivaled. These feats earned Fedir a small degree of recognition beyond his own Banner over the next century, but it was his actions fighting against the T'au that would earn him Host wide recognition. During brutal city fighting to reclaim a Hive city that had defected to the alien empire, the Ashen Heralds struggled against T’au and turncoat Imperial sharpshooters, firing from well-covered positions. Fedir, directing his squad after his Battlemaster’s death, showered T'au positions with well-timed frag grenades, creating improvised airburst munitions, and directed demolition actions that collapsed the spires containing T’au strongholds and sniper nests. Fedir’s initiative and skill saw him earn a promotion to the Vanguard Veterans of his Host, though a T’au railgun would take his legs before the fighting was done.

Fedir’s service with the Veterans lasted only two short decades, before he was selected for service in the Shield-Bearers, the Honor Guard of Hetman Janus Ostrov of the 3rd Host in recognition of his skill, and more importatnly his skill in analysis and observation. As an Honor guard, Fedir had the opportunity to experiemnt with more of the chapter's armory than ever before. He settled on a grenade launcher that could take an assortment of munition types to better support his unit, pairing it with an ancient boarding shield, the traditional wargear of Ashen Heralds Honor Guards. Fedir also carries a power axe for melee encounters, though he always prefers to rain explosives on his foes. With his skills and experience, Fedir was chosen by his Chapter’s command to serve with the Deathwatch after its most recent call for warriors, a great honor among the Ashen Heralds, and one that Fedir accepted with enthusiasm.

### Deathwatch Service

As is common among the Ashen Heralds, Fedir saw his nomination to serve in the Deathwatch as one of the greatest honors he has received, and the news was celebrated by his brothers and officers. After completeing his additional training for service, Fedir was assigned to Watch Fortress Black-Bastion in the Hyrulian Sector, and has recently begun his vigil. Upon his arrival at the Watch Fortress, Fedir took a liking to the frag cannon in the armory, and has since taken to wielding it during missions.

## Personality

While Fedir’s analytical nature and his chapter’s culture make him a more reserved, pragmatic character that prioritizes duty above all, he is also generally relaxed in his mannerisms. When off duty and not in the armory preparing various explosives for his missions, Fedir enjoys partaking in the casual comradery found in warrior fraternities, friendly duels and sharing tales of past exploits, even if he stays away from the center of such events. These relaxed mannerisns disguse an impatience to leave issues to others. Fedir will inject himself into any issue he is aware of, and is loath to leave problems to others.
While on missions, Fedir considers the success of the mission as paramount, but always retains an air of calm, even in degrading situations. Risk and sacrifice are both readily acceptable to him, if he considers it worth the potential reward.

## Appearence

Fedir Orlik is a broad astartes of particularly pale complexion from two lifetimes of service on voidships and a personal preference to remaining helmeted outside of bases, and is covered in ugly bruising and scars from his time in close proximity to heavy ordnance. Additionally, Fedir's right eye and both legs have been replaced with bioncs after battlefield injuries. His remaining eye is a dark brown, as is his hair, which while not shaved, is cut very close to his scalp.

## Abilities and Traits

Fedir Orlik is, above all, a demolitions expert, skilled at knowing exactly how much of an explosive charge he needs to create an opening in a wall, and how much to bring the whole structure down. In combat, he uses his heavy armor and boarding shield to protect himself while he arcs a variety of ordnance into enemy formations, always tailoring his ammunition to his foe.

## Equipment

### Standard Armament

* **Frag Cannon**

* **Gunlak pattern Power Axe** - A power axe pattern designed and produced by Forgeworld Gunlak, a close ally of the Ashen Heralds. This pattern of axe is of a smaller size both in haft and blade, serving as a tool as often as a weapon.

* **Power Maul** - A beutiful flanged power maul forged for Fedir by Ten-amen Ramses of Vulkan's Drakes

* **Bolt Pistol**

* **Assorted Grenade Types**

### Additional Armament

* **Breaching Charge**

* **Melta Bomb**

### Armour

* **Artificer Armor** - Fedir Orlik’s armor is a heavily modified custom suit, built off the frame of a suit of Mark III, but with more modern internal systems.

* **Boarding Shield**