Ivar of the Wound
Ivar of the Wound was a semi-mythical figure on the planet Neva.
Biography
When the warp storms isolating Neva from the rest of the Imperium finally cleared, the first arrival was a warfleet commanded by Saint Celestine, reclaiming the planet as part of the Palatine Crusade. An ordinary soldier of the planetary militia, Ivar was so moved by the Saint's rescue of his world that he gathered a force of like-minded souls and followed her on her War of Faith.[1]
Ivar finally fell on a battlefield on Kodiak Prime, in combat with an Eldar conclave. Ivar attempted to prove his devotion to Celestine by seizing the xenos Exarch by the throat with his bare hands. The Eldar warlord overpowered Ivar and meant to use him as a human shield, but Ivar called for the Saint to ignore him and kill the Eldar. Celestine ran both of them through with her Ardent Blade. The Eldar died, but by some miracle Ivar survived.[1]
Ivar lived out the rest of his life on Neva, refusing to have the wound in his chest treated despite the constant agony it caused him. Drops of blood from the wound and bandages used to bind it became Neva's most holy relics. Eventually Ivar rose to the rank of Deacon and commenced the construction of the Lunar Cathedral in the capital city of Noroc.[1]
His selflessness and devotion to the Imperial Church were commemorated every year in the Blessing of the Wound.[1]
Sources
- 1: Faith & Fire (Novel), Chapter Five
