Watch Fortress Erioch - Specialists: Attalus Fellhand, Deathwatch Champion - Attalus Fellhand is another recent arrival to Watch Fortress Erioch in the Jericho Reach. Attalus has won renown as a great slayer of Orks amongst his battle-brothers in the Space Wolves Chapter -- a tremendous accolade in a Chapter so well-known for its fierce love of hand-to-hand combat. He has been sent from the Space Wolves Great Company currently serving in the Orpheus Salient to learn the ways of Tyranid fighting at Watch Fortress Erioch so that he can return and teach them to his battle-brothers. In truth, Attalus makes a poor student and a worse teacher, a fact he is painfully aware of and deeply worried about. Attalus covers his fear of failure with brash antagonism, much preferring to work out his frustrations in duels or challenges. He has gained a reputation for impulsiveness and disorderly conduct that has strained the nerves of the Chamber of Vigilance more than once. Unsurprisingly, Deathwatch Forge Master Harl Greyweaver is vociferous in support of his Chapter brother. Greyweaver insists that the "young-pup," as he calls him, will shape up with time. Watch Commander Mordigael has struck a balance by assigning Attalus just about any Deathwatch mission involving even a scent of Tyranids. It is hoped that Attalus will be more successful at learning by doing in the company of Deathwatch Veteran battle-brothers knowledgeable in the ways of the Tyranid. As a side effect, the policy serves to keep the troublesome Attalus away from the fortress for lengthy periods of time.Goremann the Elder, Deathwatch Dreadnought - Goremann is a celebrated Veteran of the Crimson Fists Chapter who served honourably in the Deathwatch on fifteen occasions prior to his installation into a Dreadnought body. Goremann's craft and cunning as an Ork fighter were legendary and it is said that at the Battle of Urkano Rift even the Orks chanted Goremann's name to honour him after he slew their Warboss in single combat. During Goremann's last Vigil five standard centuries ago (ca. 300.M41), he suffered mortal wounds and at his request the Deathwatch petitioned the Crimson Fists for his remains to be kept at Watch Fortress Erioch in the Jericho Reach. Now he rests in the cyborganic web of an armoured sarcophagus so that in time of need he can fight alongside his battle-brothers once more. Goremann's favoured Dreadnought armour is the war machine called Furiuosa Rex which is outfitted with twin Power Fists and underslung Flamers. In battle, Goremann's devastating charge can level a horde of lesser foes, crushing them beneath a terrifying avalanche of adamantium fists and steel limbs. Thankfully, such heavyweight support is seldom required in the field and Goremann's experience more often serves the Deathwatch in tactical analyses and threat assessments. In truth, the old warrior chafes at such mundane work and will seize on any opportunity to see action one more time.Arius Hyzeron, Deathwatch Keeper - Arius Hyzeron, a Veteran of the Ultramarines, has been on Watch Station Erioch longer than any other battle-brother. He has served as one of the ten Guardians of the Chamber of Vigilance for over two Terran centuries. Although no one is left who can confirm or deny it, it is said that Sergeant Varthion himself recommended Arius to his current post for his role in the famous defence of the Jericho Reach Warp Gate. This places Arius in the Jericho Reach over four hundred standard years ago. He has seen the arrival of many new alien threats since that time. Arius is gifted with his Chapter's charisma, and has forged bonds with many people on Erioch over his years there -- even the stubborn Forge Master Greyweaver. He has an easy smile, although his face is marred by a triumvirate of parallel scars that cross over his augmetic left eye. He is also a repository of speculation and past tales of the Omega Vault. This makes him of great interest to Epistolary Axineton.Septimus, Deathwatch Apothecary - Septimus is an Apothecary of the Angels of Absolution Chapter who is currently seconded to the Deathwatch. He has sworn to travel the void on secret missions without hope of help or succour from his Chapter. He arrived at Watch Fortress Erioch in the Jericho Reach on the heels of the Achilus Crusade in the entourage of Rogue Trader Diaz Lian, although it is unclear whether he came aboard a starship that traversed the Warp Gate from the Calixis Sector or was already present in the Jericho Reach. Though Septimus originated with the Angels of Absolution, he has not stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his battle-brothers in many Terran years. He is a highly skilled Apothecary with experience with a wide variety of gene-seed through his duties within the Deathwatch. He is known to be unusual amongst his battle-brothers for he is carefree and charismatic, even partial to the occasional joke. He is always willing to don his battle-plate and enter battle to assist his brothers, although his seemingly-friendly offer may hide a secret agenda of its own. What mission brought Septimus across the stars to Watch Fortress Erioch remains unknown. Upon his arrival he expected to find Watch Captain Ramiel at Erioch and in his absence he has remained to investigate the Captain's disappearance at Watch Station Midael.Titus Strome, Deathwatch Chaplain - Titus Strome embodies everything Watch Fortress Erioch stands for: unrelenting duty, unshakeable faith and an abiding hatred of all things alien. Like the fortress itself, Strome also has many secrets. Strome first came to Erioch as a Black Shield, his past history and Chapter expunged. From the outset, he made his every moment serve his duty to the Deathwatch, throwing himself into a cycle of training, fasting and prayer that caused some battle-brothers to question his sanity. Strome's readiness was truly tested in his very first deployment when his kill-team was caught in a xenos Heretek ambush on Meniscus. Battle-Brother Zarkus, the team-leader, was killed outright and every other member seriously wounded in the opening salvoes of the engagement. Despite his injuries, Strome protected the survivors by making a ferocious single-handed counterattack that destroyed the Hereteks' weapon-nest and scattered its crew. After extraction, Strome's armour was found to have sustained over two hundred impact hits during the battle, fully a third of which had pierced the Ceramite and drawn blood. Even Space Marines are not immortal, and their gene-enhanced metabolisms can only survive so much harm. The Apothecaries did not expect Strome to live through such injuries and the Deathwatch Chaplain was called to give final unction. It was at this time, according to Strome, that his path became clear to him. The quiet strength and unwavering sense of righteousness of the Chaplain kindled within him a lust for life that returned him from the brink of death. Slowly, painfully, Strome recovered from his injuries and pushed against the limits of his endurance. As soon as he became fit for duty, Strome sought apprenticeship with the Chaplains and was accepted as an Acolyte. For many years Strome served under different Chaplains, being in effect reduced to a mere Novice learning catechisms and legends of the Long Vigil. He applied himself to every trial with fervour, winning the approval of every one of his masters before he was finally inducted into their ranks. When seen without the silvered death mask of a Chaplain, Strome's face is thin and aesthetic, his eyes lighting with fanatic fervour whenever talk turns to xenos. Despite his cadaverous appearance, Strome is a masterful close-combat fighter capable of trading blows with an Ork Warboss or overthrowing a Carnifex -- just two of the feats to be found in his long list of battle honours.Mac Zi Ven, Deathwatch Techmarine - Mac Zi Ven is a Techmarine of the Storm Wardens Space Marine Chapter and a devotee of the Cult Mechanicus who has shown the touch of a true master in the arts of technomancy. His humble beginnings amongst the warrior tribes of Sacris led him to view technology as truly touched with divinity. In the ranks of the Storm Wardens it soon became clear that Mac Zi was gifted and he was quickly raised to the rank of Techmarine. Some of his battle-brothers mutter that Mac Zi shows more respect to the Red Priests of Mars than to his own Chapter, but Mac Zi's contributions of finely-crafted weapons and armour win him many friends. Mac Zi volunteered for the Deathwatch to satisfy his growing hunger for knowledge. Now in the foundries and catacombs of Watch Fortress Erioch he has access to a vast repository of data about both Human and alien devices. He secretly views xeno-tech as only another tool for glorifying the Omnissiah, believing that any science can be turned to Mankind's service once it is properly understood. Mac Zi has come to despise Harl Greyweaver for the old Iron Priest's disrespect of the Machine God and narrow-mindedness. If Greyweaver should somehow lose his position as Forge Master of Erioch, Mac Zi would be ready and willing to take his place.Vigilant, Deathwatch Chaplain - The Deathwatch Black Shield known as Brother Vigilant arrived in the final hours of 812.M41 to Watch Fortress Erioch aboard a badly damaged Inquisitorial courier vessel belonging to an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor who had departed only a solar month before on some urgent, unknown mission. The Inquisitor was nowhere to be found and the crew had died from void exposure or radiation sickness within a solar week of departure, leaving only a single clue as to what had brought the vessel to Erioch. A stasis-crypt was found within the courier's hold, containing a single Space Marine in a Sus-an Membrane-induced coma, clad in battle-scarred black warplate and clutching a Crozius Arcanum that had seen much use. Upon the nameless battle-brother's awakening, Watch Commander Mordigael gathered the Chamber of Vigilance at the newcomer's urgent request, to hear his case. Three solar days passed, as he explained himself and put his fate at the mercy of the Master of the Vigil. Whatever was said is sealed by agreement of the Master of the Vigil and the Inquisitor of the Chamber, never to be spoken of again, and the bearer of this news was granted leave to swear the Apocryphon Oath and begin a Vigil without end, taking the name Brother Vigilant in place of his own. However, instead of taking to the field immediately, Brother Vigilant spent three standard years in intense study, learning the many rites and rituals of the Deathwatch, before he emerged to do battle with the Emperor's enemies, bearing once again the scarred and war-worn Crozius Arcanum he arrived with, having taken up the mantle of a Deathwatch Chaplain. At present, Brother Vigilant operates from Watch Station Andronicus, departing frequently with itinerant kill-teams venturing deeper into space contested by the T'au.Zadkiel, Deathwatch Epistolary - Epistolary Zadkiel is a powerful and honoured Librarian of the Dark Angels Chapter, seconded to the Deathwatch and a prominent leader in the Acheros Salient. His potent psychic abilities have banished daemons without number, and his Force Staff has reaped a bloody tally against the Heretic hordes of the Cellebos Warzone. Known to possess an aloof and proud mien, Zadkiel is rarely forthcoming about his past, but there are a few facts known to his battle-brothers in the Deathwatch. As a young Lexicanium, Zadkiel studied under the Dark Angels' Grand Master of Librarians, no less a personage than Ezekiel himself. Zadkiel proved himself under his tutor's strict training, and swiftly ascended the ranks of the Librarium. In time, Zadkiel earned the right to be examined by Ezekiel for induction into the mysterious Inner Circle of the Dark Angels. Ezekiel despatched his former student to fight alongside the elite 1st Company of the Dark Angels, the Deathwing, for a number of years. Zadkiel once more excelled, honing his own battle skills and developing a talent not unlike that of his teacher -- an ability to read the tides of war and predict the flow of strategy with uncanny precision. Once Zadkiel even crossed blades with the enigmatic Fallen Angel called Cypher during the Battle of Screams, an encounter that left the Librarian with a bionic eye and a bitter heart. Zadkiel's accomplishments during one notable campaign earned him a special honour, as the Grand Master of the Deathwing (1st) Company granted Zadkiel the right to bear Deathwing heraldry upon his armour from that moment forward. The Librarian regularly assists kill-teams with strategic and tactical planning for missions in the Acheros Salient of the Jericho Reach, and Zadkiel has led a number of assaults upon key Heretic Astartes warband leaders in the Blood Trinity region. Zadkiel regularly meets with Space Marines seconded to the Deathwatch from the Unforgiven Successor Chapters of the Dark Angels, and he has built a rapport with many of these Space Marines who are so far from their familiar surroundings.