Caherix Partinax

> ***“My father was a war hero! He brought terrorists and mass murderers like Kihilix Tanus to justice! He gave his life to buy time for military reinforcements to bolster Palaven's front lines when the Reapers attacked! Without him, Palaven would have fallen! So don’t you dare tell me he was anything lesser! You didn’t know him! You have no right to judge him!”*** *- Caherix Partinax speaking about his late father, Valerio Partinax, often called "The Butcher of Taetrus".*
>
>

Caherix Partinax Hierinus was the son of Valerio Partinax and his wife, Officia Hieraen. He has an older sister named Valeria, who is the wife of Regnaltus Fedorian II. Caherix was the last living blood member of House Partinax following his father's death during the Reaper War.

## Biography

### Birth and childhood

Caherix was born in Cipritine, Palaven, in the year 2171 CE. He was the second child of Valerio Partinax and his Taetrian wife, Officia Hieraen, and was the younger brother of Valeria Partinax. He was mostly raised by his mother as his father was often away on duty with the Imperial Army, although his father did oversee his martial training and made sure his son was educated about his Uchaldan heritage. Caherix was very close with his sister, despite being eight years her junior. Valeria would help him with his training, giving him valuable pointers on how to impress their father and looking out for her little brother at school.

As their mother was a member of the Taetrian Primatial Family, Caherix and his sister would often spend time on Taetrus with their maternal family, travelling with Officia to Vallum whenever their father was on a long tour of duty. Caherix graduated from Bootcamp at the age of sixteen with exemplary scores, earning the praise and respect of his esteemed father.

In 2185 CE Caherix was a guest at the wedding of his sister and Regnaltus, the son of the ruling Primarch of Palaven, Regnaltus Fedorian I. With the wedding of his sister and the marriage of his uncle, Antraxes Partinax, to Astraea Mehrkuri, the future of House Partinax was placed squarely upon Caherix's fourteen-year-old shoulders. His father promised to find him an appropriate match for his station once he came of age, telling his son that their family's newfound political power would ensure a plethora of suitable brides.

From that moment onwards, Caherix was painfully aware of his role in his father's political ambitions. His destiny was the sire Partinax children and create a dynasty that would elevate House Partinax to supreme status as a great house, rather than a mere minor one. With his father next-in-line to succeed Primarch Regnaltus Fedorian I, this was the closest House Partinax had ever been to the Aurelian Throne and Caherix was expected to do his duty in service to that goal.

But before his destiny could be realised the War on Taetrus erupted. The Vallum Blast took the lives of the entirety of Caherix's maternal family, erasing House Hieraen from the face of the galaxy. Caherix's mother was distraught at the loss of her family and inconsolable in her grief. Valerio vowed to his wife that he would avenge her family and bring justice to their killers. As per his request, Valerio was deployed to Taetrus by command of Regnaltus, who trusted that his friend would crush the Taetrian uprising within six months. Valerio promised to get the job done within three.

Valerio, Officia and their daughter Valeria were all deployed to the frontline. Caherix was sent to stay with his uncle's family on Digeris until his parents and sister returned from the war. There he spent time with his uncle's wife, Astraea Mehrkuri, and his paternal cousin, Erinia Mehrkuri. His uncle had also been deployed to Taetrus and thus was not on Digeris during Caherix's stay.

Caherix was divorced by his former wife after her family deemed the Partinax association politically unviable, following the anointing of Fidellion Victus as the new Primarch of Palaven. Caherix fell into obscurity, becoming a political pariah seemingly overnight. Where his name had once opened doors in the empire, now they were all slammed shut in his face.

Demoralised and socially destitute, Caherix went to Fidellion, his family's former enemy, and threw himself upon his mercy. Fidellion gave Caherix a position in Auxiliary Legions to shelter him from the political fallout and give him a chance to redeem his family's honour but even there, amongst aliens, he was shunned for his family's actions. Despite the fact he was an exceptionally gifted soldier, having been trained by his father in the art of war, no one wanted to be associated with the Partinax name anymore.

Wanting to help Caherix, Fidellion reached out to Caherix's paternal cousin, Astraeus Mehrkuri - a man who was also facing similar problems due to his Mehrkuri blood - and convinced him to take Caherix on. As Caherix was a relative, Astraeus felt compelled to help him. He employed Caherix as his family's retainer, giving him lodgings on the Mehrkuri estate in Apparatus, Digeris.

While Caherix was grateful for his cousin's charity he continued to struggle with his identity, unsure of whether or not to have pride in his family's history of heroic accomplishments. As time passed he grew increasingly resentful of how others treated him and his house. He once crossed swords with Sairus Arterius, who attempted to assassinate him for supporting his uncle's tyranny. Caherix fought in a desperate struggle for survival, managing to stab Sairus between the ribs with his Partinax knife while taunting him: *"You'll never admit it but you're just like me. Your family is gone. So is mine. And there's nothing either of us can do about it."* The fight was interrupted by Astraeus, who begged Sairus to stop, throwing himself between the two men. Out of love for his step-brother, Sairus begrudgingly fled the scene, nursing his wounds on his private shuttle back to Palaven. Astraeus then patched up his cousin with medigel and bandages while apologising for Sairus' behaviour.