Bartosz

> "*Those we encounter must be free to do what they believe. It is not our right to punish one for thinking what they do, no matter how much we disagree, for their views do not necessarily come from arrogance, but ignorance. If such differing views must lead to war then that is the way of things, but we must never allow ourselves to fire the first shot, to strike the first blow. Reason is our foremost weapon, compassion and knowledge the strongest artillery we possess. We must all be free to voice our beliefs, even if others find them to be wrong. Only through our words can we hope to truly change a man’s mind and teach them the errors they may have blindly followed and perpetrated. It must be knowledge that frees our kind from Old Night, not force*"
> ― Bartosz speaking in the wake of a protracted and bloodless compliance with a highly divergent human world when asked why he did not merely conquer its people. The world would go on to become a highly productive member of the Imperium.
>
>

Bartosz, also known as the “Imperial Sagittar”, the “Iterator Lord” and the “Shining Son”, was the Primarch of the XIVth Legions Astartes, known to the galaxy at large as the Palatine Wings. Small by the standards of his brothers and ill at ease as a warrior, a role some of his brothers took to with unrivalled fury and passion, Bartosz instead focused on the art of never needing to fight at all, training himself body, mind and soul in the oath of the diplomat and Iterator, bringing scores of worlds into the Imperium without a shot being fired.

Unlike his brothers, Bartosz was not raised by humans alone, instead landing in the empire known as the Interex, a conglomerate of humans and xenos of all stripes, a truly diverse and advanced empire, in both learning and technology. It was here Bartosz learnt about the ravages that Kaos threatened the galaxy with, and it was also this knowledge that would damn the empire forever.

Rising to prominence and eventual rulership of the Interex, Bartosz lead his empire into first contact with the Imperium of Man, first meeting his own sons and his brother, Khnum-Anhuret of the Watchers of Akhet, before meeting his creator, the Emperor of Mankind. It was here damnation was wrought upon everything Bartosz held dear, the Emperor dominating his mind and locking the knowledge of Kaos away, before implanting the suggestion to lead the purge of his own people, Bartosz not realising at the time that the willingness to follow the Emperor’s orders were not of his own making.

In the wake of the destruction, Bartosz was a broken man, made all the worse by his first meeting with Surmah of the XXth Legion. It was only in the wake of the Great Feast and travelling to Terra that Bartosz finally found purpose once more, training as an Iterator, and vowing that he would serve the people of the Imperium with everything he had, striving to atone for the failures of his past. Never once did he forgive the Emperor however, serving his empire, but never truly its ruler.

Over time, Bartosz came to lead the largest of the Emperor’s legions, and it was for this reason that Almire of the Warmasters Justicars identified him as an Alpha level threat to his machinations. There was no attempt to turn the Imperial Sagittar, Almire not wishing to risk Bartosz raising arms against him with his full legion, and instead moved to destroy the XIVth and their lord in a single strike, a strike that landed at Istvaan V, led by the Blight Wardens and Brothers Encarmine.

Struck down along with the majority of his legion on the black sands of Istvaan V, Bartosz at last made known an ability that until that point, he had never shared with another soul, returning from death unscathed, though now trapped aboard the flagship of the Blight Wardens. Captured and imprisoned by Lu Yueh, Bartosz was subject to innumerable torturous experiments designed by his brother to unlock the secrets of the Primarch’s themselves, and on a more personal note, Bartosz’s powers of immortality.

Bartosz lost all track of time in those years, dying and returning countless times, each time only to be put through yet more agnogy, his boon of immortality turned into a curse to ensure he could not escape the suffering wrought upon him. Eventually however, Lu Yueh was called away to continue the war against the Emperor himself, leaving Bartosz and a small force of his sons behind while he went to Terra. It was then that Bartosz’s allies struck, led by the Primarch Charon and his mighty legion, as well as a few survivors that had rallied to his side. Alongside the renegade Galvarian and the loyal Charon, Bartosz was freed and cured, returning to the galactic stage once more.

## History

### Youth

When Bartosz was cast from the Emperor he drifted in the warp for an eon and no time at all, before finally being detected and picked up by the empire known as The Interex. Recognising the advanced technology that had been poured into both the pod and the child it bore, the young Primarch was brought to the capital world of Xenobia and brought before the rulers of the Interex. After much deliberation it was decided the child showed unequivocally that there were still other bastions of humanity at a comparable level of development within the universe, and this child was a direct link to them. So chosen, the newly named Bartosz was taken in by the Interex, raised to be an envoy to a people he had never met for a foreign empire he now called his home.

Soon Bartosz was known across the empire, what he represented standing alongside his ever-growing skills. Soon he was no longer simply an envoy, but a respected member of the Interex’s government in his own right. Pushed closer towards the military, Bartosz was the first to encounter the scourge known as the Megarachnids, and soon found himself leading the campaign to drive them from the Interex’s borders. After years of brutal fighting, Bartosz and his forces finally broke the back of the swarm, poised to exterminate their race. Instead, Bartosz pushed for the world of Urisarach to be designated as their sanctuary, and after much deliberation, the council agreed, Bartosz travelling to the world to ensure the Megarachnids would survive on their new home, undisturbed by outsiders. Listening posts were established, a security net placed around the world, to warn off those who would unwittingly fall prey to the Megarachnids, or to warn of their kind attempting to escape into the galaxy once more.

Years past, and though he fought against it, Bartosz was soon thrust into a position of command over the Interex, a near unanimous vote seeing him rule over the empire as it’s new Prime Designate. Not long after a signal from Urisarach was detected, someone breaking through the quarantine and landing upon the home of the Interex’s old foe. Mustering a war fleet, Bartosz and the fleet set sail, prepared to combat the swarm once more if they had been the one to break the cordon, or to parley with another space faring civilisation if it was an unwitting mistake. As it happened it was the latter, a mighty warfleet hanging above Urisarach as they poured fire and troops onto its surface to combat the swarms. No mere humans commanded this fleet however, super-human warriors leading the charge, led by one who had almost no equals within the galaxy. Thus did the Imperium and the Interex make first contact, Bartosz reunited with his brother, Khnum and the Imperium at large. The coming of the Emperor however did not trigger peace, blood following swiftly in his wake.

### The Great Crusade

#### The Interexine War

The coming of the Imperium. For most, it was supposed to be glorious, those who were not brought in through bloodshed, and even those who were, quickly finding their new empire to be something to take pride in, to be part of the greatest endeavour humanity had ever undertaken.

For the Primarch’s, beings wrought by the Emperor’s own hand and scattered away from him, this day was supposed to be brighter still, purpose, prestige and position unmatched supposed to be theirs, their homeworlds elevated for all time to stand as paragons of what the Imperium stood for. From the technological powerhouse of the Ring, the beautiful landscapes of Bion, even the mechanical marvel of Kastar, all knew status above all save Mars and Terra themselves.

All, save one.

As the 30th Millenium drew near to its end, Bartosz, 14th son of the Emperor, scion of the Palatine Wings and now the 18th found son, was united with the Imperium through Khnum of the Ist legion. For a time, the two brothers remained together, Bartosz showing Khnum his homeworld as the pair discussed the changes that would soon face the newly found primarch, integration into the Imperium and command of a legion of warriors exceeding even those of the Interex Empire, warriors who were even now breaking from those conflicts they could and making full speed for the Interex Empire to be united with their sire.

This all came to an abrupt hold when the Emperor of Mankind, beloved by all, arrived in the Xenobia system, where Khnum and Bartosz had been spending their time, the outpost world regarded as one of the shining jewels within the five hundred worlds of the Interex empire. Within days, Khnum and the Watchers had been dismissed, sent to aid in the muster the Scorpion Guard had requested, joining the Star Guardians for the strike against the Colossalstructure. Now the talks between empires took a turn for the worse.

Within the Emperor’s personal Flagship, Bartosz met with his Father, kneeling before the golden giant with true tears in his eyes. The Emperor however had not come to greet his son alone. He bade Bartosz tell him all of what the Interex would offer, listening intently as Bartosz spoke of the merits of coexistence with xenos, and the dangers of Kaos, something he had kept from Khnum, but could not hold back from the most powerful psychic being in existence, any secret he may have kept spilling from his lips unbidden, Bartosz not even registering the powers commanding him to speak freely.

Throughout everything, the Emperor listened with a stoney face, the threat the Interex presented to his ultimate designs becoming clear as Bartosz continued to speak. Chaos could not become common knowledge in the Imperium, nor could coexistence with xenos, for that would lead to a return to the Age of Strife. For any other, Bartosz’s impassioned words would likely have swayed the listener, but the Emperor instead made his own decree.

With unmatched powers, the Emperor scoured Bartosz’s mind, locking all memory of Kaos away from his son, ensuring he could never recall what he had learnt and could never use it to threaten the stability of the Imperium, even unwittingly. Beyond this, the Emperor commanded Bartosz to take steps to ensure the rest of the Interex would not become a threat, speaking of the true, duplicitous nature of xenos and their fickle alliances or long term plans. Partly through a silver tongue, and partly through simply dominating the primarch, Bartosz was tasked with wiping out his own people.

Bartosz fought the order, even through the Emperor’s immense mental powers, but it was a fight he could never win. Soon, the Primarch had no choice but to agree, returning to his newly gathered Legion and giving the order. Using his position within the Interex, Bartosz ordered the Interexine fleet in its entirety to the Xenobia system, waiting for them to muster, before annihilating them wholesale before they could even raise their shields to react, an act that would one day be played out almost perfectly in reverse in a grand display of cosmic irony.

The Interex Empire reeled at this sudden turn of events, their fleet all but destroyed, and their warriors now cut off and struggling to stem the tide of the Palatine Wings. The war was hard fought on both sides, but there was never any real doubt about who the victor would be. For every move the Interex made, Bartosz already knew it, combining Interex and Imperial tactics to counter everything his own people could attempt. Though the records of those days are now sealed away from all, save the Emperor and Malcador, whispers state that for years as the compliance took place, Bartosz did not utter a single word, leading his Legion, but not truly speaking to them. Surag was the only one he seemed to form any bond to at first, but even that was cold and distant.

Finally, the last world fell silent, Niurus, outermost point of the Interex empire, falling before the XIVth. Here, upon its blasted surface, Bartosz knelt silently before the Emperor, his Father who extolled his victory, granting him the honour of continuing to utilise his Cen’arus warframe, soon to be known as the Sagittar, even as part of the Imperium. The compliance completed, the Emperor and the Ist Expeditionary Fleet left Interex space, Imperial colonists already beginning to settle the outermost worlds of the now dead empire.

#### A Broken Demi-God

The palatine Fleet did not leave the empire however, instead travelling to the world of Murder, its Interexine name now fallen from common tongue. From here, the Legion split and travelled out into the galaxy again, all save the chosen core of the Legion, Surag and his warband remaining, waiting for their lord to break his silence and give them a new cause to fight for. No orders came, and for months the warriors of the XIVth hung in the void over a world teeming with life that wished nothing more than to kill those above. Many within the force assumed Bartosz had brought them here to purge the last remnant of their foe, but Bartosz refused to even give voice on that, his sons going mad with inaction, wishing simply for guidance.

But what guidance could Bartosz give? He was a hollow man, he had nothing to build himself upon anew. The Emperor’s mental intrusion, unknown to Bartosz himself, had robbed him of his surety of purpose, and without guidance, he was lost as surely as a ship without a Navigator.

Then finally, aid arrived in the form of the Sunstone King. Fresh from the battle of the Colossalstructure, Khnum returned to the empire he had left, assuming he would merely continue the discussions with Bartosz, exploring more of his brothers people before continuing the Crusade once more. What he found were dead worlds, something had burnt the Empire, root and stem, and as more and more worlds were revealed to be dead, Khnum’s own fears rose, a feeling of dread overtaking the first Primarch. What could have destroyed such an Empire? What had become of their mighty fleet and armies? And most importantly, where was his brother and his Legion?

More and more worlds showed as dead, Khnum sure that some terrible scourge was burning through the Imperium, potentially remnants of the Rangdan hordes, their kind already almost claiming multiple Legions in the third xenocide. Then finally, Khnum arrived at Murder, and the truth began to shine through. Welcomed aboard by the Palatine Wings, Khnum was rushed to his brothers quarters, finding the Primarch unmoving as he merely listened to the last scraps of the Aria that had been saved. Now though, with a brother by his side pressing for answers, Bartosz could hold his composure no more, breaking down as the weight of his sins crashed down upon him, threatening to kill the Primarch as readily as any bullet.

For hours, Khnum listened as Bartosz wept, before finally coming to something of an arrangement. Bartosz needed aid, and his Legion needed to move forward. They would fight alongside the Ist Legion, while Khnum sought to give Bartosz a new foundation to build himself on. Though it took years, Khnum was eventually successful, Bartosz finding new purpose as his sons did, in full, unrestrained service to the Imperium, through diplomacy rather than strength of arms. In the months before Artellion, the Primarch of the XIVth would finally be left to stand alone once more, conducting his first compliance alone since the Interex Empire. So fresh from under his brothers wing however, Bartosz struggled with the realities of war and compliance he had once accepted, floundering as he attempted to solve the compliance bloodlessly, giving more and more concessions, until finally, the Hound of the Moors paid notice, turning his terrible gaze upon the world, and the Primarch who sought to bring it to compliance, with deadly results.

Soon, Artellion was found, a Great feast being organised to celebrate the gathering of all twenty Primarch’s. It was here that Bartosz was further galvanised in his purpose, and in the wake of the auspicious event, travelled to Terra for the first time, finally setting foot upon the world of his creation. Here, he trained under the greatest iterators of the day, learning how to advance humanity through words, not weapons. Finally, Bartosz set out once more, ready to serve the Imperium fully, his Legion unified behind him.

Throughout his time on Terra however, there was one person Bartosz pointedly avoided seeing anymore than absolutely required, that being The Emperor of Mankind, Bartosz still struggling with his feelings on his Father. The only time the pair laid eyes upon each other upon the world was when Bartosz climbed the tower of the Astartes, kneeling once more and pledging his loyalty to the Imperium, and to the Emperor himself. After this, the pair would only lay eyes upon each other two more times during the Great Crusade, once in the wake of Ullanor, and once more at the Council of Nikaea, and even then would barely pass words between them. That suited Bartosz just fine, as time went on his loyalty towards the Imperium became stronger, while his loyalty to the Emperor himself fell away, secondary as Bartosz continued to crusade, a champion of the common man where others of his kind strove to be akin to the gods of old, even if they would never admit such a thing.

## Personality

Content in his place within the universe, Bartosz is ever the diplomat, preferring to talk rather than fight, and always willing to follow rather than ruling. However, despite this, Bartosz has trouble connecting with many of his brothers, and even many of his sons, being distant from the majority of the pantheon, though for different reasons than the secretive Caladrial or Gaius, or the shunned Galvarian.

This stemmed from the very beginning of Bartosz's time within the Imperium, his introduction to his fathers great Empire not being one of glory, but one of blood. Forced to carry out the destruction of his own people, the Emperor's psychic manipulation of his mind unknown to him at that time, alongside his own legion broke the XIVth Primarch. Though he carried out the task, he never forgave his father, nor did he ever truely bond with those Primarch's he believed were too close to his fathers warlike tendancies; Shaaa Hydrades, Abner Cassian, Charon or the loathed Surmah.

This distance was even thrown up against Bartosz's own sons in the wake of the event, for though he loved each and every one of those who bore his genetic code, doing everything in his power to minimise their casualties even if that means throwing himself into far more deadly situations than was needed, he could not look upon the majority of them for long. When he did, all he saw was the destruction of his own people, their Bolters roaring death for those he had once led, their boots grinding their corpses into the mud. He did not blame them, they had followed orders as he had, but still the barrier was there, becoming a large factor in the fracturing of the legion, even beyond their status as the "Reinforcement Legion"

Only the Triglav managed to get close to their lord, and of those, only Surag Genden ever truly bonded with his lord, remaining close to him at all times, having seen the Imperial Sagittarius at both the heights of his glory and his lowest, most vulnerable moments.

Since the destruction of his people, and the farce that was 949-1, Bartosz has refused to be forced into confrontations until every avenue has been expended, even treating directly with xenos species if they were allied with humanity. He lamented often the destruction of xenos species, but as he had done within his own empire, his own desires were put aside in favour of the will of the Imperium.

Slow to anger, Bartosz made it a habit to never let hatred guide his actions, even when to do so would have been the logical choice. The 18th found Primarch was always a being of emotion, never solely of logic, and this gained him much praise with the common man of the Imperium, and much scorn from his more militaristic brothers.

## Physique

Small compared to many of his brothers, Bartosz was barely taller than the Astartes he commanded, some in the other legions matching his height, while members of the Legio Custodes could look him straight in the eye. Far from being put off by this or seeing it as an inferiority, Bartosz took it as a way to be closer to the common man he cared for so much.

Shaving his head completely, Bartosz was left with only a single top knot atop his head, the rest of the surface remaining smooth, making way for a large Aquila tattoo, reminiscent of the Silent Sisterhood of the Emperor. Due to the enhanced healing abilities of a Primarch, this tattoo faded quickly, Bartosz reapplying it personally every morning. Soon this became an omen amongst the XIVth, if the Primarch ever stood upon the field of battle, the Aquilla faded, the campaign would stretch on without rest, constant fighting until the bitter end.

## Battle Style

Capitalising on his natural speed, Bartosz’s combat style is unnaturally fast, though not to the level of Abner Cassian, whether that is upon a mount or upon foot. Much of his fighting style is characterised by acrobatics and blinding flurry’s, designed to overwhelm a foe through their sheer number. This fighting style has allowed him to hold his own against far superior fighters amongst the Primarch’s, few of whom could hope to match the pace he sets when he picks up his mighty spear.

To further augment this, Bartosz wears a suit of cut down artificer armour, forgoing some of the protection his brothers favour to instead stay ahead of his enemies, preferring to simply not be hit in the first place. Often the Primarch does not fight on foot, possessing numerous ground and jetbikes, but it is the Sagittar that he is most known for.

Learning the ways of combat from the Interex, Bartosz was inducted into the elite ranks of their military, the Sagitarr’s. The ways of the spear became second nature to him, as did the use of the centaur mounts, one being created to match his larger than human size. When he joined the Imperium, this mount came with him, the Emperor decreeing it’s use to be sanctioned even as the Mechanicum argued against it. While interfaced with his mount, the Primarch becomes an avenging Centaur, his chosen sons charging to battle alongside the Imperial Sagittarius, a moniker the Primarch grew to appreciate as the Great Crusade wore on.

## Wargear

### The Great Crusade and Early Almire Apostasy

**The Centauran Carapace**

Initially designed as a heavy-set suit of artificer armour, designed for use within a saddle to ensure the rider would be as secure upon their mount as possible, when Bartosz first received the Centauran Carapace, he was unimpressed. He was used to combat at speed, but the ways of the jetbike were foreign to him, and though the armour aided in his learning, he never took to it. It was not until he ordered the suit to be almost completely stripped bear and remade that he started to bond with it, lightening the protection, replacing the bulky power plant with a sleeker version and adding power fields to supplement its otherwise lighter protective capabilities. Above all however, the Centauran Carapace was now designed with a singular, overriding purpose, dozens of additional interface ports added to its spine, all to allow for a new seamless interface with the Sagittar, and though it was not to the same level as the connection offered by an Interexine Warsuit, Bartosz could once again gallop, taking to the battlefield as the Imperial Sagittarius.

**The Broken Promise**

The Broken Promise is said to have been forged by the Emperor’s own hand in the Age of Strife, the Emperor himself being believed to have wielded this weapon in ages past, before presenting it to the Primarch Bartosz in the wake of the Interex Extermination. Graciously, Bartosz accepted the weapon, but in truth it brought him only sorrow, a reminder of what he had done in the name of the Imperium. The Interex had been his people, their protection had been his responsibility, a promise he had made when they had elected him as the Prime Designate. When the Emperor had ordered the destruction of their empire and stated that the Palatine Wings would be the instrument of their annihilation, Bartosz had broken that promise, bringing ruin to those he sought to save, and named the weapon to reflect this Broken Promise. Now the spear never leaves Bartosz’s side, a constant reminder of the failure that led to the weapon coming into his possession.

The weapon is beautifully wrought, two blades adorning either end of the mighty weapon. On one end is an elegantly curved blade, optimised for use while in the saddle, or while mounted within the Sagittar, while the other is a short point, used when the Primarch is on foot, spun in wide arcs around his body, turning Bartosz into a whirlwind of death. While he is easily one of the lesser amongst the Primarch’s in terms of his blade skill, the Broken Promise is still deadly to any who would stand before Bartosz with violence in their hearts.

Beyond the sleek blades and hidden power field generators however is another trick, one near unique within the Imperium. Within the haft of the weapon is an incredibly complex and compact teleportation matrix, one that when synched to a similar matrix forged into Bartosz’s gauntlets, allows the Primarch to hurl the spear, only to have it recalled to his grasp in an instant in a flash of golden light. No one has been able to understand the technology hidden within the sleek weapon, those Magos’s who have been allowed to work on the weapon under Bartosz’s gaze insisting that no power supply leads to either the matrix in the weapon, or that within Bartosz’s gauntlets. Nevertheless, the function works, and is used to brutal effect by Bartosz in the heat of battle.

**The Sagittar**

While Bartosz would become known for his spear and his aquila adorned armour, none would deny that these were mere accompaniments to a singular piece of wargear that the XIVth Primarch was known for above all else, where he gained his title from, the Sagittar war-frame.

In truth, the Sagittar is little different from the warframe that the Interex constructed for Bartosz when he strode within their empire, bringing him into the elite ranks of the  Sagit-tars. When Bartosz was found, this warframe was further augmented at the insistence of the Emperor, the Mechanicum and Bartosz’s own sons, examining the machine for heretech and improving the armour plating on every surface. The result was undoubtedly more durable than the one Bartosz had known, but it was also slower, Bartosz often describing it as sluggish, even as he tore across the battlefield.

Still, the suit was a fearsome weapon, and when Bartosz was mounted within he took on the guise of the ancient centaurs of old earth, appearing as half man, half equine, granting him speed that even Abner could not match, though to match the lord of the Xth for agility forced Bartosz to slow his gallop considerably.

### Post Imprisonment

**The Kladenet**

With the Centauran Carapace destroyed at Istvaan, and his replacement armour little more than a patchwork suit of legiones astartes armour, Bartosz soon did away with Imperial equipment altogether, instead donning the Interexine battlesuit that had been constructed for him in decades, known as the Kladenet. When compared to Power armour, or even carapace armour, the Kladenet was slight, sharing more in common with the armoured synthskin of the Eversor Assassins or the armour of the Aeldari and Drukhari. However, just as the Imperium had first believed the armour of the standard Interex warriors was slight and weak compared to their own, the Kladenet was far from substandard for a Primarch, and though it may not have been the equal of his old armour in pure protective plating, the armour was a fraction of the weight, and mounted interexine technology many within the Imperium would willingly declare Heretek, had the galaxy not been torn asunder already.

Besides armouring Bartosz once more, the suit boasted highly advanced energy field generators that made up for the far thinner armour plating, shrouding the Imperial Sagittarius in nigh impenetrable force fields that repelled not only energy and solid shots, but light itself, numerous integrated holographic disruption fields projected by nodes across the armour’s frame. When activated, the disruption fields distort bartosz’s outline, resolving itself into a nigh-perfect representation of the terrain that lies behind it; making the suit and its wearer all but transparent even to visual identification when still, or a blur when in motion, making targeting Bartosz difficult at best, and all but impossible at worst. With Bartosz always being a proponent of hit and run tactics, the new armour allows him to carry on down this path even more, appearing from nowhere to strike at the enemies of man, before fading once more, his sons thundering into the field of battle in the wake of the confusion their lord left behind.

**The Cen’arus**

Combining with the Kladenet, the warframe known simply as the Cen’arus is likewise shielded rather than armoured, and while it may bear many similarities to the old Sagittar that Bartosz became known for during the Great Crusade, the two are far apart in terms of purpose and technological levels, the Cen’arus being far superior to the Sagittar.

Faster, lighter, boasting improved connection ports that interface perfectly with the Kladenet and Bartosz’s own mind, when within the Cen’arus, Bartosz achieves a unity with the machine that even the greatest of the mechanicum’s princeps or the Knights of the Questor Imperialis could not hope to match, a perfect fusion of speed, mobility and deadly purpose.

**Veles**

Known as the Veles, the weapon that replaced Bartosz’s spear is akin to a mighty longbow of old, its limbs as long as an Astartes Torso, the weapon being almost the same height as Bartosz himself, a bowstring made of pure energy stretching between the two emitters on the limbs. Far from being an archaic weapon however, Veles is more akin to plasma weaponry perfected, able to accelerate the flightless darts the weapon uses as ammunition into a perfectly stable and contained plasma state, capable of piercing even the heaviest armour with pinpoint accuracy, even at great ranges.

The weapon is by no means useless at close range however, a pair of flexible power blades lining the leading edges of the limbs, the weapon used in a manner akin to an Interexine Gleve, Bartosz combining the combat prowess of both Interexine military arms into a single, deadly art form.

**The Anathame**

The Anathame was a sword impregnated with the power of the Chaos God Nurgle created by the mysterious Kinebrach, a species of simian-like humanoid aliens who co-existed with the humans of the Interex culture in the years before the start of the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium. If the name of a target was spoken to the blade, the weapon would become totally inimical to that being on an almost molecular level, producing poisons and toxins tailored specifically to them, while also guiding itself towards its target.

When the Imperium struck at the Interex Empire, the Anathame was sealed away about the flagship of the Interex fleet, the Phaeaco, the sole vessel to escape the destruction above Xenobia. Though Bartosz now fully remembered its dark providence, he also knew of its power, taking the weapon as his own, vowing that no other would be tainted by its touch. The weapon would remain sheathed throughout the frontier war, a rough leather scabbard keeping the sword on Bartosz’s back at all times, its use sanctioned by the Imperial Sagittarius but once, at the Second Solar War, against the beast known only as Legion...