Erias Zerakot

Erias during his time as Chapter Master

"*Do not fear, you have done well! You have faced the worst that the night has to bear, all it's darkness and terror. Through it all you have have survived, and in doing so you have done the emperor's duty. Come now, let me show you the dawn!* "
—Captain Erias Zerakot, 2nd company captain of the Optimus Legion
**Erias Zerakot** is a former Chapter Master of the Optimus Legion Space Marine Chapter, Who served during the 41st mellinium. Regarded as the greatest Chapter Master to ever lead the Optimus Legion, Erias bore a gilded reputation, and was considered by many to be among the greatest of the Imperium's heroes, at least among his generation. As are all who reach such a vaunted status, Erias was a master of the battlefield and a master of the sword, but this was far from his most significant contribution. A gifted diplomat, Erias participated in and was critical in dozens of political discourses, doing as much for the Imperium with kind words as he did with his sword. The Reconciling of the Prodigal Sons of Dorn, the Reintegration of Sector Silesia, the end of the Quantic Schism, time and again the Chapter Master would leave his mark on the history of Mankind through negotiation and the settling of disputes.

Leading his chapter for centuries, Erias would fall in battle on the veritable eve of the 13th Black Crusade, leaving his chapter, and the sector, without its greatest champion. Recovering from this loss would prove to be a challenge as daunting as the Despoilers own horde.

## Background

"*Why do you recoil from your own humble origins? I too was born low, and yet now I command the Emperor's Angels. Is it not better to have come far, and made of ourselves much from little?*"
— Erias Zerakot

### Of Lowly Birth

Erias was not born to wealth or influence, but a street urchin, an orphan child, possessing neither parent nor home; even among the gleaming spires of Alsatia Primus, there are still those who find themselves on the very bottom wrung of society. Small, weak, and scrounging for scraps, these children rarely last long, either unable to survive on the meagre resources they can scrounge, chewed up by the violence of the the capitol's underworld or, most dangerously, or found and "removed" by purity squads, who see to the world's sparkling demeanor through the elimination of those who fail to conform.

But Erias survived the biomutant rats and the fleshtraders and the Purity Directors, and found himself a most marginal of livings; acceptance into one of the waste treatment guilds, that manage themselves among the darkness beneath the great cities above. This may had been his life, and it is one in which he would have excelled, for the future Lord of the Optimus excels at all things. But it would be, quite ironically, chaos that would create one of its greatest foes.

Seeping in the grimy underworld beneath the gleaming surface, a cult of chaos, a festering cancer that would come to be known Redbound Reavers, would insight rebellion among the discontented and disadvantaged. A riot, armed with hidden weapons and fueled with strange warp powers, would surge from below...but all of it was a distraction for a vast ritual, intended to summon in a greater daemon of phenomenal power. But the intervention of the Optimus Legion would prevent the ritual's completion, and while the underworld of Alsatia Primus was painted crimson with the blood of heretics, preserving the world above. But it was a desperate, costly battle, and looking to replenish their numbers, made an open call for new recruits, expanding beyond the usual accountings, for they had need of new, and capable talent.

From the ashes of this destruction, young Erias would get a chance to participate in the trials to become an Astartes, an opportunity not often afforded one of his position, and for which would define his fate, and the fate of the entire sector.

### A Man of Promise

There are few environments that more totally extract the character of a man than that of the trials to become a space marine. A chapter can teach you how to fight and can wrap your body in steel, so all it requires is the indomitable heart of the man beneath. Erias was not, perhaps, what one might consider a typical candidate. He was small, shorter than his peers and slim and weak of frame. He was also lacking in an education that one might consider typical; even those recruits to the Astartes drawn from feral worlds would still expect their recruits to have some experience in fighting, or martial training in their own traditions, no matter how primitive. Erias possessed no such experience, having hardly fought a battle in his life, despite the struggle of his upbringing.

But perhaps most curiously was the character of this child. He was neither malicious nor conniving nor intense nor angry nor proud. He was kind. Perhaps even compassionate. He would look after the well being of his fellow initiates, observed going out of his way to help them overcome trials, and even offering a shoulder, for those who struggled to handle the mental load of the overwhelming tasks at hand. For most chapters, this would have been clear signs of an initiate wholly unprepared for the life of an Space Marine; to be an Astartes is to be of single mind, zealous, violent, unwavering, and dangerous; there is no room for compassion or kindness among the Emperor's Angels. Even for the Optimus, a chapter that is perhaps more willing than most to overlook such a thing in favor of the qualities they really desire, there were genuine concerns and considerations among the chaplains if young Erias was not suited for their ranks, even going so far as calling a vote. There was, however, one problem.

He kept winning.

To face the trials of the Optimus is to face a series of challenges, each intended to measure the instincts and ingenuity of the recipient, and weed out those who cannot adapt and thrive in the unexpected. These are no simple affairs, and of the many thousands of young applicants who are sent into them, a mere handful will make it out the other end. But no matter what he faced, Erias overcame. From survival to physical exertion to puzzles, the future Master of the Optimus moved through them all with an uncommon creativity. Soon enough he had began to gather a crowd of followers and friends, drawn to his magnetic personality and unusual concern for others. At first, there was concern his progress was at the hands of those willing to help him along, friends supporting friends. But it soon became clear the opposite was true; it was the genius of the young Zerakot that allowed so many to pass. In fact, this was becoming a problem; far too many recruits, even for a time in which many such recruits were expected, were passing further and further. The challenges were made deliberately more difficult, as the chaplains deliberated, some with amusement, about the "Erias Problem" of a single, exceptional initiate, as it became increasingly clear the student they had considered abandoning would be their star pupil.

In the end, Erias would make it to the final stage, where a young initiate must face a fully fledged Legionnaire in a challenge of his choosing. With utter and implacable confidence, the young Erias challenged his opponent, a chaplain of the Optimus Legion, a master of debate and the nuance of linguistics, to a contest of riddles. Given the extraordinary promise of this young student - an incredible genius, a natural leader, an imposing warrior - for the first time in Optimus Legion history the chaplain actually suggested the young initiate reconsider, but he was persistent.

The contest lasted for over an hour, until a flabbergasted chaplain admitted defeat, and a young Erias, a gutter rat, the waste and refuse of the sector, became a Space Marine.

### Rising the Ranks

Their faith in the young recruit was well founded, and as they expected, Erias excelled. His small frame and weak stature, once a weakness to be overcome, was gradually transformed into a transhuman terror, strength and power beyond what mortal men could dream of having. The intensive psycho-indoctrination smoothed out, perhaps, some of the defining features of his personality and character, shaping him into a legionnaire as they desire it. But other features - his ingenuity, his conviction - were only augmented by the procedure; the innocent child of the past was dead, and Erias Zerakot as born.

Talented though he may be, one must first serve their time, before taking on the mantle of leadership. First a scout, then time among the assault and devastator squads, then time as a tactical marine. It would be clear to those present, that Erias was destined to lead, destined for greatness; his tactical accumen was sharp, and his skills as a warrior extraordinary. Still, he remained humble, and exercised, perhaps, his greatest feat; his capacity to bring out the best in others, and his gift for diplomacy. His masters and commanders soon learned to take advantage of this gift, and on many an occasion it would be Erias, a bright-faced, friendly marine who would be there to speak to Imperial Guard commanders and civilian representatives and panicked, scared refugees and survivors. He was like a magic spell, a cheat code for his captains and chapter master to deal with the complexities and complications of negotiation and cooperation. It was, half in jest, and half legitimately, that his elevation to sergeant, and later captain had little at all to do with his actual talent for those positions - as considerable as they may be - but rather to further broaden the scope of what he could accomplish as a diplomat.

While overshadowed, perhaps, by his accomplishments as a Chapter Master, the era of Captain Erias Zerakot was no less glorious. The Seven World Purge, where Zerakot lead the combined forces of the 2nd company and 3rd company to destroy a widespread genestealer cult spread across seven worlds simultaneously, The Flawless Campaign, where the 2nd company obliterated the forces of Waaagh Grumtroll without a single casualty, the Humiliation of the Ancients, where a band of Word Bearers, supporting and unleashing a host of World Eaters, failed to kill a single civilian before being shoved off world, each a glorious victory lead by Erias and his 2nd Company.

Perhaps the cruelest part of life as an Astartes, is that advancement can only come at the death of one's brothers. It would be an inglorious death that would end Chapter Master Boreal, the very same chapter master who's ascension would open up space for Erias to become a captain. No amount of skill with a sword could save the Chapter Master from orbital bombardment, only the Everblade, the chapter's sacred relic, would survive the destruction. As was tradition, the chapter's leaders - its captains and heads of the various specialist institutions - would gather. Whoever could lift up the Everblade, and carry it to the throne of the chapter master, would take the mantle of Lord of the Optimus.

It was no surprise, perhaps it was even expected, and hoped for, that when Erias took up the sword, he was able to carry it without pain. Those gathered cheered, and Erias Zerakot took up his destiny, Master and Defender of Sector Alsatia.

### Lord of the Optimus

As is the nature of men of great ability, the higher the heights of which they rise, the more their talent can truly shine. Now the head of an entire chapter, and by extension one of the most powerful men in the sector, Zerakot soared, and during his long reign, the Optimus Legion would grown in strength and influence to heights it may never reach again.

As a champion, he would shine as an exemplar of warfare. Already a swordsman of some skill, with the Everblade in hand, he was all but unstoppable. Leading by example, he would fight from the front, a shining beacon of inspiration to his men, and to others.

As a commander, he would be a living example of the ingenuity and genius that so defines the Optimus. Known for his bold, imaginative strategies, he had a knack for knowing how to use his men, not just their talent and weapons, but their mindset and nature. He made his men better, and the chapter became unstoppable.

But what would set him apart would be his gift for people. "Erias the Silver Tongued" he came to be known, a term shared both with admiration, and a certain amount of derision; as popular and sociable as he was, there are always those who view a space marine that is anything other than a warrior as less than what they could be. Nonetheless, he would build bonds of friendship with governors, Lord-Generals, and Chapter Masters all over the Imperium, a reputation for honor, reasonableness, and character that opened doors above and beyond that which is available to even a Chapter Master of an ancient chapter such as the Optimus Legion.

It was his words that ended the Rebellion of Sector Onryo, its leaders executed but its armies returning to the fold without a shot fired. It was through his intervention that the conflict between the Crimson Snakes, successors of the White Scars, would end their conflict with the Black Talons, successors of the Raven Guard, ending a conflict three thousand years old. It was his agreement with the Craftworlds of Y'landralei and Hurn'ria that would end open war with the former, and send the latter to travel beyond the borders of the Imperium, to not disturb it again. More can be moved with a word, he would say, than a thousand swords.

It was this reputation for level-headedness and reason, and skill for diplomacy, that would put the Optimus Legion in the center of the events that would lead to the Laternax Councils. He would lead the proceedings, seeking to answer the question of the chimeric chapters. A challenging position, for Erias, who by now had many centuries at the helm of the Optimus; in that time, he had many many friends, brothers in arms from other chapters...brothers in arms who now stood on either side of the debate. But he would do his duty, impartial and diplomatic, to see the council to its conclusion. Had it resolved as expected, it may have been the greatest achievement of his legacy, setting the foundations for the treatment of chapters for millennia to come.

But it was not to be.

Circumstance would lead to the collapse of the Council, and with it transforming what was to be the great diplomatic accomplishment into his greatest failure, all he could do to prevent a civil war that emerged, and the damage to his reputation, and his Chapter's, that would follow. Perhaps, with time, he could repair this damage, and restore his chapter's dignity with it. But a plot that had been brewing for centuries would rise up, demanding all his skill and power to save the sector.

### The Red Beast Returns

Festering within the deepest bowels of Sector Alsatia was a cancer of their own doing, a death cult of khorne born from the fury of the disadvantaged and abused, the Redbound Reavers. Centuries prior they had enacted their plot, an attempt to unleash a daemon of such monstrous power it would drag the world of Alsatia Primus into a blood-soaked charnel pit. They had planned for decades, and when their vile plan was unleashed it had, almost barely, succeeded, before the intervention of nearly the entire Optimus Legion had slaughtered their cultist and destroyed their rituals; it certainly speaks to the power of what they were unleashing that the mere act of \*attempting\* such an atrocity would stretch a chapter to its breaking point, and force a world, well fortified and well equipped, to strain against a death knell of blood. But the cult was denied, its vile action halted, and the Reavers were forced into hiding.

There, they waited, they plotted. The first time, they had spent decades in preparation. This time, they would prepare for centuries.

Sector Alsatia had become fat, peaceful, decadent, the reign of their most recent Chapter Master having instilled a loathsome peace and acceptance of what is, and it had become time to change that. First began the rebellions, uprisings, A carefully planned series of chaos incursions, all shaped and designed to be a very clever means of destabilizing and taking control of Sub-Sector Aquitaine. A most ingenious plan, the thinkers and commanders of the forces of Sector Alsatia believed, and a crusade was formed to break the heretics hold.

But one commander saw it for what it was.

Zerakot was not the young man he once was. Shaped and forged with centuries of warfare and leadership, he had been refined to a vigorous edge, a sword of war for which few in the Imperium had obtained. What he saw was not the carefully planned uprising it was meant to be seen as, but something more subtle, something more dangerous; a profane act of worship spread out across multiple words, an 8 pointed star, a lens through which one world could be seen as it reached an astral syzygy; Alsatia Primus, and the sight of the Reavers first daemonic summoning.

But the Chapter Master's reputation as a diplomat had been damaged, as a result of the events of the Laternax Councils, and worried mutterings of a mysterious summoning were not enough to dissuade battle-hungry Lord-Generals and Chapter Masters who had a very real uprising on their hands. But while Zerakot's influence with others may have drifted, the control over his chapter remained absolute. He could no longer ignore what he saw very clearly; a visceral attempt to repeat the atrocities of his childhood, magnified eight-fold.

but perhaps he had begun to doubt his own intuition, and he waited, a moment too long, before finally committing his forces back to Alsatia Primus, a thousand marines committed on little more than a hunch.

He was right. But he was too late.

As The Optimus Fleet emerged into the realspace about the Sector's capital, they could already see the damage being done; The ritual had reached its zenith, and bloodletters, cultists, and chaos berserkers pouring from portals cut into reality. But the greatest threat was what came last; a greater daemon of khorne, an exalted bloodthirster, The Red Beast, Agg'rash the Unbroken.

Agg'rash was an ancient beast, a fell monster of great power. He possessed no ambition, no grand design, some say he did not possess even subserviance to Khorne. He carried only for slaughter, and in such a way, greatly pleased his sire. His summonings had killed whole worlds, and his axe was honed on the neckbones of Keepers of Secrets. There was no mortal he was afraid to fight, no living thing he could not slay. His roar of empyreal birth shook the world, and for a moment, perhaps however brief, even a space marine could feel fear. The Red Beast did as he always had done, first slaughtering the very cultists that had summoned him, then turning his wrath to the city, prepared to burn it to ashes.

To face such a being would be to court death, and so the reasoned approach was to not do so; lances of fire from the heavens may just slay the beast without risking the lives of him and his Space Marines. But the ritual had taken place beneath the most populous city on the planet, and to open fire in such a fashion would be to condemn a billion lives to death, an act that may only empower the beast further. He could not do it, and in perhaps a moment of weakness, he committed his chapter to save the city, and save the world. A thousand marines descended upon the city, with the Lord of the Optimus to lead them. There wasn't a moments hesitation, or a second thought; Erias would face the bloodthirster.

Daemons, heretics, and other monstrosities of the warp poured from the center of the ritual site, positioned as it were in the heart of the city, and they were met with the implcable resistance of the Optimus Legion. Never before, or perhaps never again, was their genius and skill more fully realized, as they met every attack with a counter, a sublime display of the artistry of war. But all they could do was contain; the anchor that held the portals open, that kept the hordes coming, was the Red Beast, and would not stop until he was slain.

An Astartes is a tremendous warrior. Superhuman in every meaning of the word, and wrapped in steel, refined across centuries of experience and trained to the pinnacle of the human experience. But all of this paled in comparison to the impossible might of a daemon of the warp. A beast who's very soul was shaped for violence, who's power was supernatural, a body massive in strength and terror. Zerakot vs Agg'rash, it was a contest that was, that should have been, pitifully one sided, were it not for one, singular factor.

The Optimus Everblade.

An extraordinary weapon possessing a strange power, it was a devastating tool of war under normal circumstances, but in this battle, its light shown with an uncommon might. So brilliant it shone that even the daemon-froged blade of Agg'rash chipped and warped under its heat and might. But a sword is a sword, and it of itself can do nothing, if it is not wielded appropriately. Perhaps never in his life had he fought so fiercely, fought so brilliantly, meeting the Beast's axe blade for blade, blow for blow. He would not yield, for if he were to die, so too would shatter the will of his marines, and with it, would come the death of his world.

Eight Hours. For eight hours Erias fought the Beast, a battle that moved across the city from one end of the other, a shining beacon of light and lightning against a mass of impossible red flesh. He chased the beast from the base of the pits to the top of the towers, a running battle of superhuman might, unyielding, unstopping, the world around breaking away between the legendary martial challenge.

There, before the eyes of the world, Erias fought the Beast, threw down his enemy, and smote his ruin upon the ground.

With the destruction of Agg'rash, the daemonic horde faded away, the anchor binding it in place disappearing. Erias was found, his body resting on the chest of the Red Beast, his sword plunged into the smoking hole of the creature's chest. His body was utterly destroyed; his right arm long severed, his chest crushed in, most of his armor peeled off, his face smashed, fingers severed, organs destroyed...the apothecaries examining his body determined he had been dead for two hours by the time he had slain the beast; what had driven him to fight those last hours is unknown, but he gave his last, and beyond, for the salvation of others.

### The End of the Era

Erias had created a period of peace in his sector, and so the chapter could take the moment to process the momentousness of their loss. The entire chapter was recalled, a funeral planned of rare and particular splendor, in order to see off their greatest champion. But it would not just be his brothers that would come to pay their respects, but guests from other chapters, a procession of the great minds and warriors of the Imperium, many of whom considered him a friend.

With the passing of Erias Zerakot, the leadership of the chapter would move on, to one Victoran Kyma, a young, untested captain, accepted by the Everblade, but not by his peers. It would not be soon after that the sector, and the galaxy at large, would be put under the knife of Abaddon the despoiler and his 13th black crusade. Many would wish that things could have been better, with their great leader at the helm...but perhaps, in a way, Erias represented the old order, the best of what the Optimus WAS, but perhaps it was time for the Optimus to become something else, his death the righteous end of the old chapter, ushering in the new.

## Personality

Erias is a kind, optimistic, and personable soul. Possessing a relatable and inviting demeanor, he is quick to make friends, and understands how to connect with others by treating them how they wish to be treated, while maintaining a strong sense of self. powerfully empathic, he has a gift for understanding people, their intentions, desires, and needs. In person, he is charming and often the center of attention, drawing people to him with a confident smile and a kind word, or a daring challenge and a bold claim, depending on the nature of those around him. In battle, he is a force of will and action, his commands resolute and certain as he leads from the front, rallying the defenders of the Imperium with skillful sweeps of the Everblade. Notably, he does not taunt or disparage his opponents, nor does he call out their heresy or demand their destruction. He simply meets them head on, rallying his forces as a wellspring of inspiration, an immovable wall of Imperial Certainty.

But for man who is everything to everyone, in private he takes on a morose, almost downtrodden demeanor, invisible to all but the rare few who have earned his most intimate trust. He carries a perpetual, unshakeable fear that he is failing to live up to what he needs to be, that what he is is dishonest, hidden behind a façade of confidence. Perhaps, in a way, he is jealous of those who can live themselves in full and vigorous honesty, indifferent of the feelings and needs of others, a burden he can never shake. But, the moment he is needed, the dark face disappears for a mask of confidence, surety, and geniality, as he returns to being the Master of the Optimus once more.

## Appearance

Like all Astartes, Erias is tall and powerfully built, wrapped in the thick musculature of the gene-warrior that he is. But with his helmet off, he cuts an attractive figure, his tanned skin, well trimmed beard and carefully maintained haircut give him a likeable, even desirable, appearance. Such self-pampering may be seen as a pointless, even self-flattering, indulgence, but it is purposeful; Erias understands that one's appearance shapes how we view others, and a grim, inhuman face covered in rough scars and snarls may struggle to connect with people as well as one soft and adorned with a smile. For those that may criticize this as foppish or effete, well, in those cases he instead simply leaves his helmet on.

As a chapter master, Erias' armor is adorned in gold and sigils of his chapter, a great cape billowing behind him as he bears his sword along with, Iron Halo riding proudly behind him. He leaves little to question his status, or the power that he wields.

## Wargear

* **Optimus Everblade**

The Optimus Everblade is the symbol of office and single most important relic of the Optimus Legion. Legend holds the sword was a gift to the Optimus Legion on their founding, a sword that was forged by the Emperor himself, and used by Him and the Primarchs in battle. There are no records of this occurring, and strangely the history of the Everblade seems to begin shortly after the founding of the chapter, leaving the truth of its genesis uncertain. More confounding are its design; the weapon is massive, requiring two hands for even the sizeable astartes to wield easily, and even then with some skill. As well, the technology that composes the weapon is strange, seemingly human in origin but distinct from Imperium designs. Of course, the Legion's refusal to let a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus deconstruct and dissect the weapon to determine its origins has prevented some of its truth from being revealed, and perhaps the answer is quite simple. Nonetheless, its make is a mystery, one shrouded in the chapters myth.

But what cannot be denied is its awesome power as a weapon. In battle, the blade ignites in flame, crackling lightning along its length as it is swung, obliterating and incinerating all but the most resilient of materials it contacts. More curiously, the weapon appears to have some sort of psychic field it emits. Not only does it appear to interact with warp phenomena - in a destructive fashion - but when wielded the weapon protects its user and those around it with a nullifying aura that shields their minds and bodies from psychic attack.

The answer to this strange phenomena may lay in the most secret of the Optimus traditions; when a chapter master dies with the blade in hand, their soul does not pass on to the Emperor's side, but is absorbed by the weapon itself. Perhaps the weapon is powered by the souls it collects, or perhaps they are stored there to give wisdom to the next generation of chapter masters...or perhaps, these souls are the price that is paid to some dark entity that resides within the weapon. Whatever the truth may be, it will remain unknown, for this secret is kept only to the highest echelons of the Optimus Legion itself, and they will permit no prying examination.

As chapter master of the Optimus Legion, Erias wields the Everblade, as each has before him. It is almost always by his side, and with centuries of practice he has become an artisan of destruction with its use.

* **Ailière**

Before he took the mantle of Chapter Master, Erias fought a different style, wielding a sword in one hand, a combi-bolter in the other. This powersword, Ailière, came with him to this highest office. Now secondary to the Everblade, he had it lightened by the techmarines, to make it easier and faster to draw from his scabbard, and used as a weapon of last resort; a quick flash of steel for when the Everblade was too slow.

* **Arx Invicta**

It is tradition in the Optimus Legion that when a chapter master takes the mantle for the first time, a suit of artificer armor is forged, customized to their needs, and fitted with the best materials and designs the chapter can produce. This impressive suit of artificer armor uses sophisticated power management systems and a complex, overpowered fusion reactor along with integrated projector systems to supercharge the Iron Halo and create a more powerful force field. So vigorous is this defense that, when activated, the air around him glows a soft, golden light, which some have claimed is the Emperor's providence, though it is little more than an artificer's genius.

## Friends & Allies

Sonia Allemand - Imperial Knight Sonia Allemand first encountered Chapter Master Zerakot after he personally intervened in a dispute between several noble houses and members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Chapter Master successfully argued that House Allemand should continue to receive honors and titles, even following the destruction of their homeworld, thus entitling her to continued use of her Knight Warmachine, as well as ample support from the Adeptus Mechanicus. In gratitude for this act, Sonia swore an Oath of Honor, to repay the Chapter Master's kindness. The two would fight on the same battlefields a half a dozen times, and after he died, the Knight stood guard over his tomb for three months.

Coragyn Atratus - While Coragyn Atratus, Chapter Master of the Aasvogels, only first met Erias during the Ontiac Campaign, their relationship would blossom from one of mutual respect to something akin to a friendship, at least as much as can be experienced between two Astartes. Long nights of discussion during the Laternax Councils forced the two to interact for long periods of time, during which Zerakot was one of Coragyn's staunchest defenders, particularly against those that sought blood on the hunter of mutants. At the Chapter Master's funeral, Coragyn would scatter a handful of dirt, recovered from the crater at Laternax, cryptically stating "whatever peace was found there, died with him."

Markus Koch - Chapter Master Markus Koch of the Knights Angelicus initially did not care for Erias, as the flightiness of the Optimus and the gregariousness of its commander did not mesh with the stern, silent Master of the Knights Angelicus. But when Markus and his Knights came to blows with elements of three other chapters during the Ontiac Campaign, It was Chapter Master Zerakot who stepped in to prevent further violence. Chapter Master Koch had intervened when a besieged city came under Imperial fire, personally ordering the destruction of artillery pieces that were killing innocents in an attempt to halt an orkish advance. Only the careful words of Erias, who argued for the Knights, prevented open war between chapters. Since that point, Markus was a firm defender of Erias's honor, and only tolerated the Laternax Councils out of respect for the man. It's rumored that Erias was one of the few men who could make Markus laugh...though this story may be apocryphal. Following the death of Zerakot, Markus famously removed his Chapter Master's garb, asking to serve as a lowly honor guard for the procession, in honor of a fallen friend.

Helix - Chapter Master Helix of the Iron Drakes first encountered Erias years prior to their mutual participation in the Laternax Councils, instead sharing a battlefield during the Cleansing of Sub-Sector Igrecius. The two had fought together in mutual actions to destroy elements of the traitorous Sons of Perdition, a renegade warband that had been raiding and pillaging the sub-sector, and the two established a sound, but distant, respect for one another. Helix, the Angel of Salvation, was well known for the fury by which he punished chaos warbands, particularly those that preyed on the innocent, but he found himself in an unwinnable position; He had the opportunity to chase down and destroy the lord of the warband personally, but to do so would be to leave millions of refugees unguarded, vulnerable to their oppressors. He could no sooner let such a monster escape, as much as he could leave innocents to die by his lack of duty. It was Zerakot who stepped in, arguing to allow his chapter to hold the rearguard position - as costly as it may be - permitting Helix and his drakes to find their fiery retribution, which he delivered personally with sword and powerfist to the warband's corrupt master. Helix never forgot this favor, and fully intended for to repay that debt, but sadly Zerakot would fall before he got the opportunity to do so. With regret, Helix personally volunteered to forge Zerakot's death mask, applying all the masterwork skill of the sons of Vulkan to one last gift. Despite its opulence - some claim it even included small fragments or Auramite - Helix continues to state that his debt remains unpaid.

Hauri Loc'rac - Whereas Erias Zerakot's ascension to Chapter Master came with the raising of a sword, the peer with whom he sparred most did the opposite; the Cinder-Crowned Master of The Saurians broke his boltgun in half over the dead bodies of his mutually-impaled elders, taking the mantle of leadership by tossing the fragments to their speechless lietenants and asking if they wished to make war with the two broken halves. The differences between Hauri and Erias did not end there: those who recall the fallen leader of the Optimus Legion fondly - as personable and omnipresent - sometimes refer to Loc'crac as his dark mirror, a distant silhoutte radiating callous ruthlessness. Several other opposing traits and inverted experiences would lead the casual Imperial Scribe to assume the two Commander-Astartes natural enemies, yet by the end of their time together the two superhumans privately shared a powerful comradery which had ultimately overcome their complex rivalry. What is more obvious to all is that relations between Hauri and Erias began indirectly (as Chapter Relations often do), when the leader of the Optimus Legion struggled to collaborate with the chief Saurian representative at the Laternax Councils - the outwardly mercurial Captain Adayon Moise, Master of Mists. Empowered as ambassador plenipotentiary, Captain Adayon oft confounded the mediating and opposing factions present with vetoes and postponements in equal proportion to calls for expedition and overullings - never once wavering from the Saurian agenda to ensure maximum opposition to the Puritans with meticulous politicking, Radical coalition-building, and even measured diplomatic obstructionism when the majority shifted to the side of the Aasvogels. This unabashed Saurian-first policy eventually led Erias to masterfully pursue avenues of personal and public redress to the notably absent Saurian Chapter Master, attempting to delicately bypass Adayon and break the cycles of factional gridlock by requesting more direct clarity of Saurian stancing on particular issues, additional and alternative ambassadors, and even the direct attendance of the high Lord Saurians at meetings of particular importance. Much to the relief of Erias, his careful and direct appeals to the Saurian Chapter Master bore occasional fruit; Hauri Loc'crac never left any of Zerakot's appeals unaddressed, would appear as requested if available or provide clear indication of absense well in advance with good reason, and assigned additional scribes and other Chapter Serfs as needed to the Laternax Cathedral to assist with bereaucratic function. The Saurian Chapter Master also began to collaborate extensively with the Optimus Legion in their attempts to police and protect the Hiklam Corridor, a vast region of space whose capital world of Neutrulold had been staunchly defended by the Silver Flames. However, much to the frustration of Erias, Hauri never recalled nor undermined Captain Adayon, often lagged in communication regarding non-military Council matters, and appeared altogether distracted by other events which he gave much higher priority. This measured and polite discourse between the two Chapter Masters evolved slowly - a patient dance which caused them to grow in mutual respect over their shared diplomatic sense and seemingly powerful control over their own Chapters. But that all came to a sudden halt in the wake of the Brawl (for which Hauri was, once again, absent). The Saurian and the Optimus leaders never spoke directly again, both personally ashamed at the failure the Councils resulted in, and Hauri never made appearance at the funeral of the Defender of Aslatia. It is notable that despite the apparent distancing of Erias and Hauri from each other at the turn of the millenium, certain records indicate that the connection between the Saurians and the Optimus Legion itself did not sever totally going into the Era Indomitus. Inquisitorial databanks instead log at least one pilgrimage by Dreamfather Aydos Lafont, young Chief Librarian of the Saurians, to the Fortress-Monastery of the Regis Optima after the ascension of Victoran Kyma. What exactly transpired between the two Chapters in those vaulted halls post-Rift is not known to distant Terra, other than a suspected meeting with Joachim the Elder and some sort of transfer of artifacts and knowledge from the Saurians Librarius as tribute.

## Quotes

### By

"*Time and again, my brothers, you have heard the words, our chapter's creed, shouted with pride or spoken with reverence. Though now, as we face the darkness that threatens to consume us and the Imperium beyond, a billion souls snuffed out by daemonic malice, I implore you, think now what those words mean. We were shaped with strength and cloaked in steel, taken from our families and taught to become masters of war. This was not done simply so that we could face the monsters that lurk in the night, but so that we might shelter the weak, the lost, the desperate. Tonight, my brothers, much will be asked of you. The forces arrayed against you have not been seen since the Arch-Traitor himself marched on Holy Terra. But I see with me warriors of the finest caliber, shaped as weapons of genius and refined in fire. We will stand this storm, and we will do so, because the Emperor wills it, because mankind needs it, because if we do not, our world will burn, and our children will perish. So think to those words once more, Legionnaires...This we do, so that man may live.*"
—Last speech of Erias Zerakot, before he would fall in battle, slain in single combat with Agg'rash, Bloodthirster of Khorne
### About

"*Ah, the silver-tongued orator, a true master of words. It's a shame their talents weren't channeled into the revered halls of the Reclusium. Such charisma and inspiration wasted, a potential left untapped.*"
—Aazir Cathaar the Purifier of the Aasvogels
"*In the annals of our brotherhood, there stood a noble soul, a warrior unmatched and a poet of valor. My dear friend Erias Zerakot, the Warrior-Poet, whose voice echoed with the cadence of truth and whose blade danced with artistry. As I mourn your passing, I cherish the memories we shared and the battles fought side by side. Rest now, my friend, in the halls of heroes, where your words and deeds shall forever be sung. A guiding star amidst the shifting sands of our eternal brotherhood.*"
—Coragyn Atratus upon discovering the news of Zerakot's death