Lucius (Emperor's Children)
Brothers! Welcome to the feast! Tell me, which among you will be the first course?"[4]
This article is about the Chaos Space Marine; for the Forge World, see Lucius (Forgeworld). |
Lucius the Eternal of the Emperor's Children is the Champion of Slaanesh. Lucius is also known as The Soulthief, Fulgrim's Champion, and the Scion of Chemos.[1]
Contents
Pre-Horus Heresy
During the Great Crusade, Lucius was the Captain of the 13th Company of the III Legion. His skill with a blade quickly became legendary among the Legion.[Needs Citation]
Other members of the Emperor's Children considered Lucius to be proud, foolhardy and sometimes a little childish. Even his closest friend in the Legion, Saul Tarvitz was wary of him.[Needs Citation]
He was never bested in swordplay; the only duel he is known to have lost was against Captain Garviel Loken of the Luna Wolves, who brought him down with a punch. In a later rematch, however, Lucius was victorious.[Needs Citation]
The Heresy
In the betrayal of Isstvan III Lucius found himself betrayed by the Legion he loved, and found himself fighting alongside Saul Tarvitz with the loyalist marines of the Emperor's Children. As it became apparent that it was Tarvitz who was the hero of the hour for the loyalists, Lucius grew jealous and betrayed his one time friend to the traitor legions as his hunger for glory overcame his already dwindled sense of honour. He did this by attacking a group of thirty loyal marines who were assigned to him. He however did not do this alone. While fighting his own men, Captain Solomon Demeter arrived at Lucius's position. Lucius cried out for help and thus duped Captain Demeter to think the marines Lucius was fighting were traitors. Unfortunately Demeter realized this after the last of the thirty marines were killed. Lucius and Demeter, who had a mutual dislike toward each other, became locked in combat during which Lucius killed the already wounded Demeter.
After his betrayal of the loyalists, his combat skills were recognized and he quickly became the leader of Fulgrim's bodyguard of Assault Marines, gaining the rank of Lord Commander.
Lucius followed his primarch on his quest for the "Angel Exterminatus." Lucius twice crossed swords with Nykona Sharrowkyn of the Raven Guard; the first time Lucius came away with a scar on one cheek, the second time, on Iydris, Sharrowkin gave him a matching scar and then killed him with two blades through his hearts. Lucius died on Iydris and awakened in Fabius's apothecarion, amazed to be alive.[5]
Post-Horus Heresy
Lucius continued to hone and better his combat skills after the Emperor's Children began to worship Slaanesh. Fulgrim organized gladiatorial games on their home planet whenever the Legion was unable to vent its need for the pleasure of the kill on other worlds, and Lucius was undefeated in these, an unstoppable force, until he fought Lord Commander Cyrius. Lucius died, and his death was an experience of such transcendent pleasure that Slaanesh himself took notice: he could not let such a promising marine slip away. In the following days, Cyrius began to change: lines began to appear over his skin and his hair started to fall out. Lucius was back in the world of the living, and all that remained of Cyrius was a screaming face in the warped artificer armour.[1]
Lucius would later appear at the head of an army of Emperor's Children during the 13th Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler, inflicting untold suffering on the Imperial world of Belisar.[3]
Appearance and Wargear
The scarring on his face is self-inflicted. At one point he was a truly handsome man, but he resented being called "too pretty" by some of his fellow marines. His "perfect" features were forever marred after the sparring match with Loken; the Luna Wolf's punch had broken Lucius's nose, and - much to his fury - it had refused to set properly, despite the attentions of the Legion's apothecaries. Some time before Isstvan III, Lucius received a pair of scars across his cheeks from remembrancer Serena D'Angelus, a painter in the 28th Expedition who had already been corrupted by Chaos, to remind him of Loken's insult to his perfection. He subsequently marked himself with more scars to commemorate his victories, eventually creating an intricate network of scars distorting and deforming his features.[Needs Citation]
Lucius is armed with the Lash of Torment, a daemon-infested whip, as well as an ornate power sabre. His Armour of Shrieking Souls, powered by the thousands of souls now trapped in it, offers him unnatural protection and allows him to discharge the cacophony generated by the tormented souls as a devastating sonic attack.[1]
This has happened many times since then: whenever his killer takes even the tiniest moment of enthusiasm, pleasure, or satisfaction from besting Lucius, they will begin to change into him and become just another swirling face, a memory in the armor in which Lucius is clad.[1]
Canon Conflict
Lucius's codex entries consistently describe his first death coming at the hands of Lord Commander Cyrius.[1] Angel Exterminatus has Lucius die at the hands of Nykona Sharrowkin and reawaken in Fabius's apothecarion.[5]
Images
Sources
- 1: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 54
- 2: Horus Heresy (Artbook Series), [Needs Citation]
- 3: Eye of Terror Newsletter 2
- 4: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pg. 62
- 5: Angel Exterminatus (Novel) by Graham McNeill, [Needs Citation]
Uncited
- Games Workshop - Lucius the Eternal
- English Wikipedia - Warhammer 40,000 articles
- Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- False Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeill
- Galaxy In Flames (Novel) by Ben Counter
- Fulgrim (Novel) by Graham McNeill