Bathory Sims

The 10th False Primarch

Bathory Sims was one of the ill-fated Primarch Secundus Project, designed to be a new generation of primarchs designed by the Mad Magos Clerval. Paranoid and secretive, Bathory secluded himself on a planet that he exerted absolute control over for much of his existence. He was one of the most brilliant minds the Imperium ever had but his paranoia was both rendered him almost totally impotent and was his ultimate downfall.

## Early Years

The child that would become Bathory Sims was secreted away on a failing Hive World known as Vekuznia. It was a cutthroat world with advanced technology, massively unequal wealth distribution, and complete dictatorial control exerted by a small oligarchy. Bathory was albino and gained a reputation as an uncompromising sociopath in the underhive. Frighteningly intelligent, cunning beyond words, and brutal to his opponents he quickly rose to a position in the Sims Yakuza. Challenging the current head of the clan to a duel at the age of just 16, he cemented his position in the upper crust of society with brutal efficiency. His favorite tools were misinformation, tampering with records, and propaganda campaigns.

## The Albino Emperor

Bathory rapidly advanced politically, often carrying out the executions of his greatest foes himself. He founded a core of ultra-loyal, hypno-indoctrinated, commandos known as his “Oprichnik” who spied for him and suppressed all descent. By the age of 20 Bathory Sims ruled Vekuznia in everything but title so he married Sophie Zerbst, the only daughter of the Planetary Governor of Vekuznia. He was declared the heir apparent and made the Governor his puppet. Sophie was his one weakness for the rest of his life and he could deny her nothing. Surprisingly to him she had political ambitions of her own and the two of them carried out brutal tortures of dissenters and rebels together. He ruled the planet, often as a shadow emperor for a hundred years and kept up the pretense of not assuming direct control.

## Lockdown

The greatest blow to Bathory came when his wife Sophie drank a glass of wine meant for him. It had been poisoned by his adversaries and, had he drank it he would have been unaffected due to his biology. The death of Sophie drove him to madness and reaches of paranoia not yet known to him. In his grief he murdered 12% of his planet’s population, anyone even hinted at being involved or who was related to someone who was potentially involved, and placed the entire planet on lockdown.

Vekuznia, while nominally still part of the Imperium, had cut off all trade, tithes, military support, and even communication with the outside universe. The ranks of Bathory’s Oprichnik swelled and political assassinations reached an all time high. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, the planet was thriving and those who were on Bathory’s good side enjoyed absolute splendor. The intelligent investments and planning of the False Primarch had made the dirty hive world into a utopia, through the ever-present threat of summary execution for even minor infractions loomed over the heads of every citizen.

## Clerval’s Initial Contact

Early in his campaign Dominus Clerval tried to reach Bathory but the Dominus was forbidden from approaching the planet. The two had a correspondence, back channel long distance communications. The two were kindred souls in a manner of speaking; both had massive intellects and were very obsessive people. Over time, while Bathory did not ever trust Clerval, he did contribute some technical and tactical innovations that lead to the creation of much of the gear and tactics the Secundus Astartes would use.

## Returning to the Imperium: The Golden Son

After a century of total isolationism Vekuznia returned to the Imperium and showed the regulators with gifts to show off the planet’s splendor. Overjoyed at the efficiency and productivity, able to meet even the higher tithe grade assigned to Vekuznia, they celebrated Bathory as the new planetary governor and respected his rather odd security requests. About this time he adopted a golden mask when he went into public. It is unclear why he wore this but it is speculated that he had plastic surgery to change his face to make it harder to identify him in a crowd and didn’t want to spoil the effect by showing his face in public. He was called the “Golden Son” at this point and his attendants and the nobility began to dress in gold to emulate his style.

Anyone who left the planet, such as soldiers in the Imperial Guard, had hypno-induced mind-blocks on certain topics and Bathory increasingly scrutinized anyone who came to his planet. He expanded his influence, taking over the entire system and then two of the nearest inhabited systems. He turned these too into paradise worlds with draconian laws and harsh punishment. The Imperium thought this was exceptional and bestowed upon him the title of “Dictator”.

## Role in Clerval’s Crusade

**Main Article:** Clerval's Crusade

When Clerval and some of his gene-brethren finally arrived in his system planet some time later, Bathory refused to meet with them on his planet. In one of his few off-planet trips he met with his brothers and Clerval. Bathory largely did this so he could receive a legion promised to him by Clerval in exchange for an audience and support. After a week long, secret, conference, he decided that the Primarch Secundus Project would end in disaster and that he needed to intervene to save his own life. He joined with his brothers and Clerval in their campaigns, serving as the tactician of the False Primarchs.

## Fate

Bathory Sims, anticipating what would happen to him and his gene-brothers once they were reintroduced to the Imperium at large and their nature known, retreated back to Vekuznia. He saw this as their “Horus Heresy” and sought to avoid death. Claiming to need to suppress an uprising on his home world, he missed the Siege of Nar’Whin.

It’s unclear what happened to him. An Imperial detachment was sent to eliminate him but the results are redacted (as is much about the false primarchs). What is clear is that he either killed himself or was killed by his own men. Some think this is clever misinformation, as he was apt to put out. They think he still lives on his paranoid little ball of iron on the fringe of space with his few dozen marines. He seems to have somehow erased his own records in many Imperial databases and, as such, information about him is incredibly hard to find.

## Bathory and Chaos

It has been suggested that Bathory was under the sway of one or more of the Ruinous Powers like Clerval but documents from the time show that while the agents of Tzeentch had approached him many times, Bathory Sims was too paranoid to accept an overlord like Tzeentch. The False Primarch never worshiped him and was particularly vigilant about their influence, as he thought it would cloud his mind. Bathory recognized that Clerval was compromised and wrote about this speculations.

## The Oprichnik

    Bathory’s secret police, and late his legion, was known as the Oprichnik. They wore hammers and preserved dogs heads attached to their belts. They were trained with a puppy which they raised into a dog and then had to kill upon the completion of their training. They were made to bond with the dog. If the dog died before that they were judged unable to be careful with sensitive information. They server as police, enforcers, secret police, and soldiers. They enjoyed lavish lifestyles and all came from lower classes. The highest level of his inner circle was known as “The Companions of Sophie” and had their tongues cut out so they could not speak of anything they knew.

A Secundus Astartes from Bathory’s Oprichnik.