Faramond XVI Chevalier du Feu

## Faramond XVI

**Faramond XVI Chevalier du Feu** is a Freeblade knight pilot who after the near total destruction of House Nîmes, decided to pledge his blade and cannon to the Pyre Guards in 793.M41. He only intended to fight for one campaign before meeting then First Officer of the Frigate Skyward Blaze Leona Kubah and going onto marry her in 796.M41. He pilots a Knight Errant decorated in holy seals and symbols called the Manus Ignis.

## History

### Childhood (770.M41)

Faramond XVI was born in 770.M41 the grandson of Faramond XV Le Grand Chevalier, head of House Nîmes. His childhood would be very standard for a member of a knight house. Serving as a page during royal feasts, learning what fork to use for what dish, and memorizing over then thousand years of lineage. At the age of 14, the training of the mind to pilot the knight would begin.

### Ritual of Becoming (791.M41)

At age 21, Faramond would undertake the Ritual of Becoming. He would be left upon the throne where he would speak to the ancestors of the house. After the success of his Ritual of Becoming, Faramond would be granted the name Faramond XVI, Chevalier du Feu. Afterwards he would be given the Manus Ignis upon the recommendations of the ancestors.

### Fall of House Nîmes (793.M41)

In 793.M41, the homeworld of House Nîmes would be invaded by a Nurgle army trying to claim the machines for themselves. House Nîmes, in there desperation, would make a call to the Pyre Guards to pay off an ancient debt. The Pyre Guards would be too late to save much of the world and house. The (then First Torch Master) Alexo would lead a strike force to try and save as many knights as possible but was only able to recover the Manus Ignis and the banner of House Nîmes. After this strike, the world would be condemned to exterminatus for the nature of Nurgle. Faramond XVI, Chevalier du Feu, the pilot of the Manus Ignis, would become a freeblade and eventually swear himself fully to serve the chapter.

### Service to the Pyre Guards (793.M41)

* **Preservation of Vetus Maria (809.M41):** The planet of Vetus Maria was (and still is) an isolated Imperial backwater world in the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy. T'au Water Caste diplomats made contact in 805.M41 to start subverting Imperial rule. After four years of trade with the xenos, a bloddy civil war erupted. The Loyalist forces were no match for the T'au and turncoat forces. In a desperate attempt too rid their world of xenos, the loyalist leadership sent a distress call. The Pyre Guards, through the inquisition, were notified and made haste to the world along side the Obsidian Fists and Ash Wyverns chapters. The remnants of the loyalist side in the civil war came out of hiding to sabotage the ground anti-ship batteries. The Imperial task force was able to break through the T'au fleet and land intact. The Pyre Guards made landfall in the capital city of Vetus Maria Prime to burn out the traitor governor. The knight, Manus Ignis, would destroy many battlesuits and hovertanks and let the Pyres advance without being attacked by the railguns of the tau. The Obsidian Fists and Ash Wyverns would make landfall at the starport to allow the Imperial Guard contingent to land unopposed. After the city and starport were secured, all three chapters and the Imperial Guard would attack the T'au compound. The sheer number of marines and guards would quickly overrun the T'au even with their techno-sorcery. The Ethereal, Aun'ui Fal'shia Ol'nan'var, was killed by the Obsidian Fists while the leader of the Fire Cast, Shas'o Vash'ya Y'eldiaan, was burned by the Pyre Guards after his battlesuit was destroyed by a guard Leman Russ.
* **Shield Action on Hespold (913.M41):** In the 910s, a raiding fleet of the Gore Sons Khorn warband would emerge into real space to pillage and spill blood. If 8 worlds would be drowned in blood, then Khorn would grant boons and gifts to the warband. 7 world would be drowned in blood before the Pyre Guards would be able to respond. The Pyres and Inquisition would fortify the frozen world of Hespold as much a possible but it was not enough. The Gore sons fleet would ram through the imperial defense fleet and make planetfall in a chaotic mix of dreadclaws, teleportation, and assault gunships. The main assault would hit the eight major cavern cities and would take four of them immediately. the rest of the campaign would devolve into fearsome attacks and counter attacks in the wide and high inter-city travel tunnels. An additional three cities would have the barriers broken down and be drowned in blood. Only the capital and largest city would remain where the Pyres would take the final stand. The north gate would be broken down and the Gore Sons would flood through the breach. In the middle of the battle, Khorn deemed enough blood spilled to grant the Gore Sons a Bloodthirster. As the Bloodthirster emerged from a great pool of blood, Gifted Lord Stavros recognized the threat and would rally the Chapter to. The entire Gifted Brotherhood, a constant stream of fire from the Flame Guard, a prayer of banishment from the Chaplins, the destructive abilities of the Manus Ignis, and a final strike by the Godblood wielded by Head Chaplin Alexio would banish the Bloodthirster. Seeing the avatar of the blood god banished, the Gore Sons would begin to break. They were scattered by a final counter attack.

## Wargear

### The Manus Ignis

The Manus Ignis is a Knight Errant with a Thermal Cannon, Melta Gun, Firestrike Gauntlet (Thunderstrike Gauntlet modified to have a heavy flamer), and a Stormspear Rocket Pod. It is primarily red with a green and gold trim. Decorated in the old banners, the Manus Ignis charges into the enemy ranks with fire billowing from it's weapons and exhaust ports. It will teleport into battle alongside the terminators or the chapter.

## Personality

Faramond XVI Chevalier du Feu is described by many who have met him as a joking, unserious man with a burning love for the Emperor and a burning hatred for the xeno, the heretic, and the renegade. In combat, he will prefer to rush close enough too use all of his weapons.

## Relationships

### Family

#### Wife

Faramond, after his rescue by the Pyre Guards, would meet First Officer of the Frigate Skyward Blaze Leona Kubah after his knight has being transported in a hanger cargo bay adjacent to where the Skyward Blaze was being repaired. They would quickly become more then friends and marry in 796.M41. Faramond would move his Knight to the Holy Torch after Leona Kubah was promoted to the First Officer of the strike cruiser. He would continue to relocate his Knight until she would become permanently stationed aboard the Grand Torch.

#### Children

* **Mairea:** Firstborn daughter and designated heir to the Manus Ignis
* **Elias:** Son, became a marine
* **Alphonse:** Son, Serf fleet officer aboard the Torch of Redemption
* **Béatrice:** Daughter, Armories serf
* **Gregor:** Son, became a marine
* **Veronique:** Daughter, Joined the Sisters of Battle
* **Annise:** Daughter, Priest Of the Ministorum
* **Dominiquie:** Son, Serf interceptor pilot
* **Pierreros:** Son, Died in attempt to become a marine
* **Alphonse:** Son, Armories serf
* **Katherina:** Daughter, Serf interceptor pilot
* **Jean-Paul:** Son, Serf fleet officer aboard a tug craft
* **Castinus:** Son, became a marine
* **Lilla:** Daughter, Armories serf

### Associates

* **Flame Lord Xavier:** Chapter Master of the Pyre Guards who lead the Strike force to save the Manus Ignis.
* **Forgelord Borin:** The lead armorer and the man responsible for the upkeep of the weapons of the chapter, including Manus Ignis and it's weapons.
* **Sacristan** **Arcelladon:** The only other survivor of House Nîmes. A master artificer who dedicates all of his skills to the upkeep of the over 10 thousand year old Manus Ignis.