Spire

Admiral **Spire** is the main protagonist of Battlefleet Gothic Armada and its sequel. He rose from the captain of a ship to an admiral commanding Battlefleet Gothic against the Abaddon's 12th Dark Crusade. He was promoted to Solar Admiral after the Gothic War.

He succeeded his superior Ravensburg as Lord Admiral and continued to manage his fleet in the Gothic Sector. He was lost in the Warp for 8 centuries of real time and emerged shortly after the 13th Black Crusade. He would soon combat the enemies of the Imperium, once more serving in defense of Mankind.

## Biography

### Early Life

Not much is known about Spire aside from the fact that his home planet in the Gothic Sector rebelled against the Imperium. This left his superiors skeptical about where his true loyalties lie. Despite this, he is made captain of a Dauntless-class Light Cruiser with the duty of patrolling the Gothic Sector. His time as Captain saw him fighting against both Ork and Eldar pirates, giving him experience with their tactics.

### Rise of Spire

One day in early M41, Spire was ordered to investigate Orbital Station Aleph in the Naxos System after the station went silent. Upon arrival, Spire sent a recon group forward only to find that the station was under attack. A short time later, the station's defense platform attacked Spire's ship with the aid of two Chaos escort vessels. The light cruiser managed to repel the initial attack, but spotted a large Chaos fleet approaching. To avoid total destruction, Spire commanded his vessel to enter the Warp and retreat to Imperial space with the intention of warning Imperial High Command about the situation.

Though he managed to deliver his warning to High Command, there were doubts as to whether Spire was a heretic. Inquisitor Horst decided to test his faith through a series of painful trials, but Spire passed the tests and was promoted to the rank of Admiral. The purpose for his new role was to help in fighting off the upcoming Chaos attack on the Gothic Sector. Admiral Spire answered to his superior, Lord Admiral Cornelius von Ravensburg, who delegated missions to combat various threats in the Gothic Sector. The first of these missions was to eliminate a seditious captain who commanded a Dominator-class Cruiser in the Acre system. The battle went well, and Ravensburg, impressed with Spire's skill, decided to have him play a key role in the Gothic Campaign.

Throughout the course of the Gothic War, Spire occasionally dealt with seditious Imperial forces, Ork Pirates, and Eldar Corsairs in the Gothic Sector while largely focusing on his primary mission of repelling the invading Chaos forces. The admiral managed to steal intelligence from a Chaos ship that revealed a plan to invade the planet Purgatory, which held relic called the Hand of Darkness. While the relic was initially stolen, Spire managed to retrieve it and returned it and Inquisitor Horst safely to Port Maw. Two years later, a planet called Ornsworld was invaded by Chaos forces who were intent on stealing another relic, the Eye of Night. Spire, assisted by Captain Abridal, took part in the battle over the planet. While the relic was taken by Chaos, it was quickly retrieved by Spire and brought to Port Maw for safekeeping.