Frederick Rotbart

**Frederick Rotbart "The Great"** is the first and current Governor of Avernus, of the Helheim System.

## Frederick Rotbart

### Relatives

Unknown relatives on Gallium III (presumed dead), Syr Rotbart (daughter, deceased), Tormod Rotbart (grandson, deceased)

## Biographical information

### Marital status

Widower (previously married to Freya Njorordatter)

## The Governor of Avernus

The protagonist of Embers in the Dusk. A character made by User Skewfiend, Rotbart was accidentally assigned to be the Governor of the most lethal Deathworld in the galaxy, a duty that he has excelled in. This has surprised many people, considering that Frederick was no more than an Administratum Adept before.

Frederick Rotbart is one of the Human race's greatest generals. He currently has a Martial skill of 60, allowing him to match or even surpass some of the Primarchs in war. His unique Paragon Trait, *N Steps Ahead,* lets him perfectly read the flow of war, allowing him to perfectly counter his enemy.

Frederick currently rules as the benevolent dictator of Avernus, assisted by his loyal council of advisors. He carries **five** of the eleven Black Crystal Artifacts.

## History

Little is known of Frederick's past prior to his appointment as Governor. He was born and raised on the Civilized World of Gallium III, and joined the ranks of the Adeptus Administratum, where he served for many decades. He distinguished himself through loyal and competent service, and the efficiency with which he accomplished several requests submitted by Inquisitorial elements. During this time of service, he also mentored Henry Volkiss, who would later serve as his Administratum advisor.

His competency and expertise would be recognized when in 962.M43, at the age of 77, he was appointed as the Governor of Abryke, an Agri-World crippled by debt. Due to clerical error, he was confused with Lord-General Frederick Rutbart of the Departmento Munitorum, and instead sent to Avernus, a phenomenally deadly warp-touched Deathworld colony intended to generate soldiers capable of operating on Daemonworlds.

Unfortunate as these circumstances were, Frederick rose to the challenge of colonization, demonstrating a heretofore undiscovered genius in martial command, a talent near-peerless among mortals in all of the Imperium's history. In conjunction with his mastery of public administration and considerable talent for subterfuge and spycraft he fabricated whole-cloth the nation of modern Avernus, a society capable of thriving within the constant devastation of Avernus.

Over the next several decades he improved the economic productivity of Avernus, and led several offensives against its native wildlife. During an invasion by the Sons of War, a Khornate Warband, Frederick personally slew the Chaos Lord who led the assault in exchange for losing his left arm and leg, which he replaced with bionic replicas.

## Personality and Relationships

Frederick's strategic decisions are decided by majority vote of SV users, and this also has an affect on his personality, leading to some accusations of "Avernite arrogance". In person, Frederick has a dry and understated sense of humor adapted to the everyday bizarre circumstances of Avernus. He is pragmatic, orderly and efficient, and a workaholic. He dislikes disorder and surprises, and is perpetually in a state of sleep debt. He has a personal grudge against the concept of clerical errors, owing to the error that sent him to Avernus in the first place. He can be petty.

The general citizenry of Avernus revere him as Rotbart "The Great," and he is incredibly popular due to PR efforts and historical lionization. Outside of Avernus, he is more commonly known for his peerless military command and his ruthlessness in achieving his objectives. His decision to bombard his own cities following the Pink Skies Daemonic Incursion, and his willingness to feed Avernite heretics to the Azure Island Sirens have contributed to the reputation.

Among the political landscape of the Imperial Trust, Rotbart is a **Progressive**, and supports technological innovation and diplomatic solutions. He values reason over tradition. He is relatively xenophilic.

* **Freya Njorordatter** - Frederick was wed to Freya in an arranged marriage. Although initially to build diplomatic ties with Vanaheim, over many years they grew to love each other deeply, and Freya bore one daughter to him. Freya served as the head of void infrastructure (Helheim Void Command) until her death to a Death's Head Blink Spider.
* **Syr Rotbart** - Syr was Frederick's firstborn and next-in-line to inherit the position of Governor of Avernus. She inherited Frederick's incredible martial talent. Frederick maintained a good relationship with his only child until her tragic death at the talons of Hive Fleet Grábakr, in the defense of the world of Tordenjern. Despite his loss and mourning, Fredrick continued to pour himself into his work to distract himself from grief.
* **Tormod Rotbart**- Syr's only child, Fredrick's only Grandchild, and once the only remaining member of his family. For a long part of Tormod's life, Rotbart interacted with him only distantly as he was commanding against Hive Fleet Grábakr, however he did watch his development intently and sent him strategic scenarios to help train him. Their relationship was positive, if slightly distant when he returned to Avernus, but following the death of Syr their relationship turned sour. Rotbart recommended that Tormod find a wife quickly in order to continue the Rotbart line, something which offended Tormod immensely, seeing it as emblematic of both the Imperial nobility's desire to ensure their dominance, which clashed with the meritocratic ideals of Avernus, and of Rotbart's reputation as a ruthless man who saw both himself and his mother as little more than baby-makers. This culminated in a vicious argument where eventually Rotbart lost his temper. Eventually, the fires of anger cooled, and the two have to an extent reconciled, with Rotbart considering Tormod's words on how he goes about continuing the leadership of Avernus.
* **Henry Volkiss** - Frederick mentored Henry during his career as an Administratum Adept, fostering skill and loyalty into his young protege. Henry followed Frederick to Avernus, serving as his Prefectus Secundus (Administratum Advisor), until his death in the Pink Skies Daemonic Incursion. Frederick regarded Henry as a surrogate son, and mourned his passing.
* **Jane Oakheart** - Jane was assigned to Avernus as a favour to Frederick by Inquisitor Lothar Cassian in exchange for his efforts to aid the Inquisition during his career as an Administratum Adept. Jane publicly serves as an Arbitrator, but is secretly the Head of Security (Intrigue Advisor), Avernus' complex internal judiciary and intelligence organisation. She trained Frederick in espionage, spycraft, and swordplay. Frederick regards Jane as something like a sister he never had.
* **Jacob Oakheart** - As the adopted son of Jane Oakheart, Jacob is something of a nephew to Frederick. Aside from sending him problems to hone his tactical skills, Frederick doesn't usually interact with him.
* **Seamus Lin** - Frederick and Lin are good friends, and Frederick often seeks Lin's advice. Like all of the Trust, Rotbart has mourned Lin's passing but also celebrated his life and sacrifice.
* **Gerald Xavier** - Frederick met Xavier in the Necron Invasion, and took him under his wing. Although Xavier initially idolized Frederick, time and familiarity have chipped away at the shine. Frederick regards Xavier as something of a son.
* **Mittens** - Frederick has no particular relationship with Mittens aside from a general baffled acknowledgement of a sapient tiger.
* **Tamia Jameson** - Frederick was only passingly familiarity with Tamia, but wagered on her relationship with Xavier.
* **Ophelia Jameson** - Frederick monitored Ophelia's development as an Alpha psyker, and regards her as something of a granddaughter.
* **Mark Sarnow** - Sarnow serves as the Commander of the Avernite Navy (Helheim Void Command). Frederick is professionally familiar with him, and admires both his gifted command of light fleet elements and his ability to perform ambushes with capital ships.
* **Markus Klovis-Ultan** - Frederick regards Klovis-Ultan as a reliable friend. As Klovis-Ultan has finally revealed his past to Rotbart, his respect for the him as both a fighter for humanities future and as a person has only increased.
* **Munstrum Ridcully** - Frederick relies heavily on Ridcully's precognitive abilities. As part of the Old Guard, they are strong friends.
* **Areatha, the Wanderer** - Frederick is almost diametrically opposed to Areatha on principle. This opinion is mutually reciprocated. Despite this they respect one another's skills and while very cool they do have a working relationship.
* **Vlad the Explorer** - Rotbart was eventually the member of Avernus's upper leadership who deduced the identity of the Explorer, and when confronted on it, Vlad was relieved to finally reveal himself. Rotbart looks on him with suspicion, but highly respects and to an extent admires the elder human.

## Character Sheet

**Fame**: 267 – *Your name is well-known throughout the Imperial Trust, and is not unknown in the wider galaxy. After your showing in the Grand Incursion the daemons of Chaos in particular are likely to know your name.*
**Prestige**: 117 – *You are respected as a highly-skilled governor but mostly as an incredible general who played a key part in the humiliation of the Daemon Primarch Perturabo and the capture of the **Phalanx**.*

**Standing (Avernus)**: 110 – *Your standing on Avernus is good enough that even without your titles you could rule Avernus by degree based on your reputation alone.* **Standing (Peoples of Avernus):** 70 - *The defence that you commanded during the Grand Incursion held against everything that the forces of Chaos sent at it, and despite being a secondary front has given you a strong reputation as a leader and general among the peoples of Avernus.*
**Standing (Imperial Trust)**: 69 – *You are a respected member of the Imperial Trust High Council and Executive Councils who despite a few issues knowns when to put the Trust first.*

**Martial**: 26 + 33 = **60**(61, 62, 68, 69, 70) (**+275**, +286, +297, +366, +378 +390 martial bonus) – *You combine a level of innate military genius bordering on the superhuman with over a century of experience commanding the forces of Avernus. This results in you being at least a master of every form of military command, with few equals in space and none on the ground.*

**Intrigue**: 20 + 10 = **30**(35) – *While you are no better at stealth then any other elite soldier you have always had a talent as a spymaster, and are one of the reasons that Avernus' counter-intelligence and anti-cult networks are some of the best in the Imperial Trust.*

**Administration**: 18 + 18 = **37**(48) – *While it is not longer your best skill you still remain an administrator at heart, and have found that even the special administrative difficulties that Avernus inflicts on its settlers to be no problem.*

**Learning**: 12 + 9 = **23**(28) – *While you have received a good education and are well read you are by no means a great scholar.*

**Will**: 15 + 26 = **43**(44) – *Your already strong faith has only been strengthened by the trials that you have faced during your time on Avernus, and your friendship with Saint Lin.*

**Diplomacy**: 14 + 15 = **29**(36) (-2 with non-Avernites, +2 with Xenos) – *Thanks to the efforts of Freya and experience you have reached the point where you can conduct even high level diplomacy with skill.*

**Combat**: 14 + 39 = **50** (+1,005 combat bonus) – *While you are not as gifted a warrior as you are a general you are still one of the greatest human warriors alive, being able to meet with Adeptus Astartes Heroes, Ork Warlords and other similar foes on equal footing.* (137/7+8.5=28.5) **Background: Administratum** (-4M, -1I, +6A, -2C)

#### Equipment

**Artefact: The Unbreakable Wall** (+100 to resist Warp effects, +7 Armour, double HP) – *This large shield has withstood forces of incredible power remained untouched, though its protection against the forces of the Warp are minor.*

**Artefact: Black Crystal Ring** (Grants large resistance to Warp based effects targetting your body) – *The Black Crystal Ring that you use as a signet has been found to provide a large amount of resistance against Warp based effects on your body.*

**Artefact: Black Crystal Crown** (Grants large resistance to Warp based effects targetting your your mind) – *The Black Crystal Crown that you wear has been found to provide a large amount of resistance against Warp based effects on your mind.*

#### Traits

***Martial Paragon Trait: n steps ahead** - (does not have to specify number or composition of forces until they either are identified or engage in combat, only works on a planetary level) – Governor Rotbart is a master reading the flow of a war and determining what will happen well in advance. As a result of this he is always able to position his forces to maximum effect, often taking advantage an an enemies actions before the opposing general knows what he will do.*

**Paragon Combat Trait: Small Unit Tactics** (Double the effect of command bonuses on Governor's Own, triple it on Rotbart) - *You have led the Governor's Own against overwhelming odds many times and come out with them mostly intact. This is in large part due to having learned to apply your understanding of war to smaller formations then the grand armies that you mostly command.*

**First Governor of Avernus** (+2M, +1I, +1A, +3D, +3W, +3C, +3 all morale, -25% cultist numbers, +20 morale when you are in command, -25% chance of being assassinated) – *As the First Governor of Avernus you are responsible for turning a doomed expedition to a lethal deathworld into one of the most powerful worlds in the Imperial Trust. As well as developing your skills and reputation you have earned the utter loyalty of the people of Avernus.*

**Legendary General of the Imperial Trust** (+27M, +2I, -1A, +11C,+1M against Space Marines, +3M when defending, +50 military morale for all forces under your overall command, +25 to all combat rolls against enemy heroes, +50 to rolls by forces under your overall command) – *Over the centuries since your arrival on Avernus you have developed your skill at war to a level that no human in history has ever approached. Your skills shine particularly brightly when on the defensive, as is shown by your countless victories.*

**"The Great”** (+5I, +9L, +10W, +7D, +3 to all other stats, +1 to all morales, -10% cult formation, +10 morale to all forces under his command) – *In recent years Governor Fredrick Rotbart ha been called Rotbart the Great by both his own people and by the rest of the Imperial Trust. This is in recognition of his management of Avernus, as it has grown from a small colony to one of the major powers in the Imperial Trust in a short time despite several major invasions. To make matters even more impressive it has managed to become one of the better places to live in, despite the ever present threat of the wildlife.*

**Avernite Bi-centenarian** (+6C, +2W, +1I, -2D when dealing with non-Avernites) – *Having survived two centuries of life on Avernus you have proven yourself to be an expert warrior, the bearer of a strong will and very alert to danger.*

**Hero's Luck** (+3C, more likely to get in dangerous situations, bonus to combat rolls in bad situations)

**Grandmaster Swordsman** (+3M, +2D, +1W, +8C, +80 to melee combat rolls) – *Between your training by Jane and your experience fighting against some of the most deadly foes that the galaxy can throw against you, you have have developed your skills with a blade beyond mere mastery.*

**Master Avernite Administrator** (+5A, +1C) – *In your time on Avernus you have developed both your administrative skills and combat capabilities to ever increasing levels. You have continued to developed your administrative skills ever higher even as your combat skills start to plateau.*

**Admiral and General** (can use personal attention for Void actions, can command naval battles with full Martial, gain half effects of ground command traits in the void (rounding up)) - *While you lack the sheer wealth of experience that you have on the ground, you are still a incredibly experienced admiral, and have learned how to apply much of what you learned as a general to the void.*

**A Ruthless Reputation** (+1I, -2D, -1 Civilian Morale, -1 to relations with all newly met worlds, -2 relations with all newly met human worlds) – *You have gained a reputation of being willing to do anything for victory, whether it is destroying your own cities or even feeding human souls to xenos for knowledge.*

**Skilled Duelist** (+1C, +15 to rolls in duels) – *You have developed into a skilled duellist over the centuries, able to cross blades with all manner of champion and come out alive.*

**Visionary Diplomat** (+4D) – *Governor Rotbart is in large part responsible for the Grand Conclave, which is almost certainly the most influential diplomatic meeting of the millennium for the galaxy.*

**General of the Ynnari** (+2M, +1D, +1W, +2D when dealing with Xenos) – *Governor Rotbart spent a decade working under the Empire of Ashes leading forces of a range of cultures and species against varied foes. This has helped develop his abilities as a general, and his diplomatic skills, especially with xenos.*

**Master Defender** (additional +5M when defending, +25 to the morale of force under her command when defending) – *Most of your greatest battles have been fought on the defensive, and over the centuries you have developed your skills in that field to among the galaxies best.*

**Munitions Specialist** (+2A, reduce the amount of munitions lost to anything but use by 50%) – *You are an expert at making use of special ammunition, and at making sure that each ship has just enough and no more.*

**An Eye for Trouble** (+1I, +2A) – *You have a talent for spotting where something is going wrong in an organisation, which is valuable both for dealing with administrative mess-ups and more hostile actions.*

***Further Studies*** (+1A, +2L) - *You have done various courses at Avernite educational institutes. Currently, these include Social Sciences and Warp for Cavers.*

**Survivor of the Gilded Skies** (+2W, +5 to all rolls against daemons)- *Having proved himself against the most dangerous foes in the galaxy during the Third Daemonic Incursion Governor Rotbart has had his faith and combat skills tested.*
**Survivor of the Green Skies** (+2W, +5 to all rolls against daemons, +2 Prestige)- *Having proved yourself against the most dangerous foes in the galaxy during the Fourth Daemonic Incursion you has had your faith and combat skills tested.*
**Foe of Chaos** (+1M, +1W, +1M while fighting Chaos)- *Many of Governor Rotbarts greatest campaigns have been fighting against the forces of Chaos, and he has grown skilled at combating the forces of the Dark Gods.*

- (+1M, +11W, +2C, +1M while fighting Chaos, +70 to all rolls against daemons, cause terror in daemons, +12 Prestige, +47 Fame)- *Governor Rotbart has commanded the forces of Avernus against no less than five incursions, including the Grand INcursion where his wall did not fall before the Incursion ended.*

You got the shock of your life several years ago when you arrived on Avernus. Instead of the debt-ridden agri-world you were told you were being sent to govern, you found yourself looking down on a sprawling diabolical deathworld. There must have been one hell of a misunderstanding somewhere in the upper levels of the Administratum to get you put in charge here. You were not a fighter, and had never even seen a feral world, let alone a deathworld. Who in their right mind would put you in charge here? Unfortunately, the paperwork was genuine. You were the official governor of Avernus, and the very serious-looking soldiers gave you the impression that they would brook no desertion.

One of the few things that got you through the initial stages of your governorship was your having served as an inquisitor's favorite go-to in the administratum, and having earned a number of favours. You can barely imagine the look on her face when she received your message. "I seem to have accidentally been appointed governor of a warp-touched deathworld. Any advice or assistance you could offer would be thoroughly appreciated." She ended up sending one of her better agents to serve as your assistant and advisor, under whose subtle influence the rates of chaos-related incidents waned sharply.

No-one - not even you - could have predicted how this place would change you, and just how well you would adapt to it. Setting your not-inconsiderable skills to the task of solving the myriad logistical problems that face a deathworld colony, you rapidly began to show a real talent for commanding soldiers. You are no inspiring leader, able to rouse the men into a fervour with a speech, or lead by shining example. Nonetheless, you are excellent at assessing the capabilities of your troops, strategic planning, and know how to make best use of your military commanders. You also found you had a surprising talent for tactics and could soon command a battle as well as those who had been learning their craft from birth. According to the captain of your personal guard, a Cadian Kasrkin by the name of Jarrod Kell, your are the most innately gifted commander and soldier that he has ever met and are more capable than most of the generals that he has served under.

You wonder, sometimes, whether there is a paranoid and perplexed Lord-General out there somewhere who had been led to believe that he was being sent to one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy, trying to balance the books on the agri-world you were meant to end up on. You also wonder whether he would be sent to replace you if and when the mistake is discovered, and one day you were shocked to discover that you didn't actually want that to happen. Yes, every day IS a struggle to stay afloat against infinitely varied malefic terrors, but for the first time in your life, your duty is pure and clear: survive, safeguard as many of the souls under your command as possible, and build them into the best damn fighting force the galaxy has ever seen. The Emperor has led you to your duty in mysterious ways, but you have never been more certain that this is your purpose in life.

The Emperor has set Avernus in YOUR hands, and you will not relinquish it to anyone, not even if the gods of the Warp themselves try to take it from you.

Your duty is clear, your will is firm.

You can not fail.

You WILL not fail!

## Trivia

* Frederick's initial Martial stat was 24, the highest possible Martial stat achievable on a 4d6 chargen roll. Untrained, he had a natural Martial stat of 30, equivalent to an Imperial Guard Lord General, and is more skilled than Lord Solar Macharius.
	+ *"The dice gods love you. I found stats by rolling 4d6 and choosing the highest 3 and my first roll, which was for martial was 4 sixes, I decided that the roll was so good I would give you 18 +d6 base martial and promptly rolled another 6."* - Durin, during chargen.
* Frederick is an excellent cook, but rarely practices. All of his meals are prepared by the Palace kitchens.
* Frederick wears a helmet as often as possible.
* Frederick's birthday is an Avernite holiday.
* Frederick is often sent gifts by the Avernite public, and marriage proposals by Avernite fanatics
* Frederick's public approval rating is **100%**,and even chaos cultists love him.
* Frederick is constantly inundated with proposals of marriage from infatuated Avernite citizens, although he has been uninterested in romance since the tragic death of his beloved wife several centuries ago.
* Although Frederick carries a grenade launcher as part of his Gubernatorial Regalia, he usually engages in melee with the Black Crystal Sword.
* Frederick doesn't like to think about the afterlife, especially considering the current Abomination situation.
* Frederick has a pet Aquila, a two-headed golden eagle, which alighted on his shoulder during a press conference. The left head is named Gloria, and the right head is named Alicia. The original unfortunately died many years ago, but every bird since then has been named the same.
* Rotbart is a very capable combatant even without the Black Crystal Sword. He carries a wide variety of gear and is proficient in all of it.
* Even his arm and leg are weapons due to bionic enhancements that have only become deadlier with time.