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Erasmus Crowl

Erasmus Crowl

Erasmus Crowl is a veteran Lord Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus.

History

The Carrion Throne

Based on Terra, Crowl along with his Interrogator Acolyte Luce Spinoza became entangled in a conspiracy involving the Emperor himself. While investigating a series of ritual murders linked to "The False Angel",[1a] Crowl discovered that a Radical faction of the Inquisition had brought Dark Eldar Haemonculi to Terra to repair the failing Golden Throne. The "False Angel" had in fact been a Imperial Guard veteran attempting to organize a militia to defend Terra's Underhives and was wrongly accused for the murders.[1b]

With the aid of the Custodes Navradaran Crowl was able to eventually confront the Dark Eldar, who had since escaped and begun committing ritual killings upon the Throneworld. Crowl was able to track down the Radicals led by Lord Inquisitor Adamara Rassilo and eventually the Xenos itself in the tunnels underneath the Sanctum Imperialis. Though he was initially overcome and tortured by the creature, Navradaran and his brethren were able to slay the xenos while Rassilo was brought to justice by the Custodes.[2a] Afterward Crowl continued to work to uncover the remaining heretics who would dare such an act.[1c]

The Hollow Mountain

Traumatized and ailing from his confrontation with the Xenos creature Crowl continued to investigate the heresy that had taken place. He eventually discovered that three members of the High Lords of Terra (Master of the Astronomican Leops Franck, Fabricator-General Oud Oudia Raskian, and Speaker for the Chartist Captains Kania Dhanda) had collaborated with Rassilo. Crowl confronted Franck inside the Hollow Mountain and condemned him a heretic. However the Master of the Astronomican used his formidable psychic powers to nearly kill the Inquisitor as the Hollow Mountain was damaged as Noctis Aeterna approached. Crowl was only saved thanks to the efforts of his assassin retinue member Niir Khazad. Crowl took from the Hollow Mountain a heretical text with Eldar Runes.[2b]

The Dark City

After the incident in the Astronomican, Crowl went missing despite attempts to find him by both Spinoza and Inquisitorial Representative Kleopatra Arx. Spinoza eventually recovers Crowl's Servo-Skull Gorgias, using it translate runes from the Eldar book recovered from the Astronomican to determine the Inquisitor's possible location.[3a] She and along with Revus and Khazad travel to Mars, where the Mechanicum had apparently constructed a secret Webway Portal due to its dealings with the Dark Eldar.[3b] However the gate is instead located on Luna, which itself is in the turmoil of the Thousand Sons invasion.[3c] When the group encounters Crowl, he is with Custodian Navradaran and has become infused with Dark Eldar DNA due to his earlier interactions with the Haemonculus. The group then decide to enter the Webway and prevent further dealings between the Mechanicum and Dark Eldar.[3d]

Within the Webway, the group is continually harried by Drukhari but upon discovering Crowl is transforming into one of them, let them pass. The group eventually arrives in Commorragh itself to the rendezvous point between Fabricator-General Oud Oudia Raskian and Archon Shae-Morvain of the Kabal of the Still-Living Knife.[3e] confesses the extent of his dealings with the Drukhari, and is pessimistic that the Golden Throne can last more than another century without their aid. For their part, the Dark Eldar know they will wither and die without Humanity to prey upon.[3f] However Crowl and their retinue remain secretly committed to stopping the deal despite their apparent cooperation with. As the deal is going under way, Cowl is able to utilize a Dark Eldar device to visually explore Commorragh and witnesses the damage the Great Rift has caused to it. However much to his horror he discovers that the Dark Eldar are constructing their own version of the Golden Throne dubbed the Black Throne. This solidifies his resolve to stop the deal between the Mechanicum and Xenos at all cost.[3g]

Just as the deal is about to be finished, Crowl intervenes and explains to all parties that their Throne won't operate without a powerful psyker like the Emperor, and this must mean the Xenos intend to create an abomination throne of the Master of Mankind. This supreme blasphemy immediately causes Navradaran to attack the Dark Eldar, and in the ensuing chaos the Custodes is seemingly lost. Crowl faces the Dark Eldar Haemonculus once more, stating that while the Xenos will do anything to survive Mankind will not. As the rest of Crowl's retinue are seemingly killed in sight of their escape from the Webway, the Inquisitor activates a Dark Eldar device he stole, which he can interface with due to his own transformation. Crowl along with the Haemonculus are teleported into a forbidden zone of the Webway, though the Inquisitor doubted he'd survive the process.[3g] Afterwards, Gorgias is seen on a distant Exodite World.[3h]

Retinue

Wargear

Crowl utilizes the long-barreled revolver Sanguine and wears Power Armour. He is accompanied by his Servo-Skull, Gorgias, which frequently mutters both nonsense and introspective truths.[1e]

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