Open main menu

Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum β

Titus Endor

Titus Endor was an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus and former associate of Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn.[1]

History

Titus started his career serving under Inquisitor Hapshant of the Ordo Xenos along with Eisenhorn, where they both rose to the rank of Interrogators. Though they were equal in rank, and friends, Titus saw himself as Hapshant's favored pupil and the one who had greater potential to become an Inquisitor. Despite his feelings of supremacy Titus and Eisenhorn worked well together and Hapshant sent them on many missions as a team. It was during one such mission that they were sent to the Feral World Brontotaph; where Titus was attacked and nearly killed by a Saurapt, the world's alpha predator. Titus drove the animal off, but not before it had sank its teeth into him and left him a large scar. Eisenhorn dug one of the Saurapt's teeth out of him and Titus later made a necklace out of it, which he wore for the rest of his life. The natives of Brontotaph later warned Titus that he was damned, since the Saurapt still lived and it would continue to stalk him, even as a spirit, until it had killed him. They explained that if he wanted to be free of the curse he would have to track and kill the animal, a notion that Titus dismissed as silly superstition and soon left Brontotaph. Some time after Titus' encounter with the Saurapt, Inquisitor Hapshant contracted deadly Cerebral Worms which began to devour his brain. Though he began to descend into lunacy, Titus and Eisenhorn served loyally under Hapshant until his death; when the damage caused by the worms became too much for his body to handle. As Hapshant collapsed both of his Interrogators were there, with Titus trying in vain to wipe away the worms emerging from his mentor's eyes as he died. After Hapshant's death Titus and Eisenhorn went on to became Inquisitors themselves and began their own careers.[1]

Sometime after becoming an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos, several of Titus' prior cases came under scrutiny by the Ordo. Details about his cases were reviewed and followed up on and accusations about his character were brought against him, despite his stellar reputation. Though Titus knew that it was all petty politics behind the charges, he could not prove his innocence. So when Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus suggested he transfer to their Ordo, in order to have the charges dropped, he took the offer. In return they had demanded that he spy on his friend Eisenhorn, who they accused of Radicalism, which Titus agreed to, wanting to help his friend. The fallout from this would destroy their friendship and see a sharp decline in Titus' career as an Inquisitor.[Needs Citation]

Spoiler!
This page contains spoilers for: The Strange Demise of Titus Endor (Short Story)

It was at the tail end of his career, that Titus found himself on the Mining World of Karoscura, hunting the criminal Gonrad Maliko, a former professor charged with crimes against children. He was unable to find Maliko himself, but did manage to track one his associates to a theater on the planet where they rented a private balcony to watch the performances. Titus constantly visited the theater in the hopes of catching Maliko, in the balcony to no avail. Adding to his misfortune, was his inability to find the entrance to the balcony itself and the disappearance of his erstwhile Interrogator Liebstrum; who failed to contact Titus after the Inquisitor had sent him to the Palace of Records on the planet Zsammstadd, to gather information on Maliko's associates.[1]

When Liebstrum finally met with Titus on Karoscura, it was with annoyance on both their parts. Titus accused his Interrogator of dereliction of his duty and Liebstrum exclaimed that he no longer served under him, having become an Inquisitor himself by Titus' own hand. While he was in shock, Liebsturm explained that they had captured Maliko five years ago and that Titus himself had been dismissed as an Inquisitor two years after his capture. In fact this wasn't the first time Liebstrum had told Titus this, who seemed to constantly forget their meetings. Titus denied this and insisted he was tracking Maliko with or without Liebtrum's help and his former Interrogator could only shake his head as he left Titus to his own devices. Undeterred, Titus followed up on a lead he had picked up while he waited for Liebstrum. After seeing a dancer perform at the theater, he had become convinced that she had a connection with Maliko and began to follow her. After talking and dancing with Mira Zaleed several times at various bars, she began to avoid Titus; who feeling that he was on the right trail, broke into her hab while she was gone. While searching in her room, he found a book written by Maliko pertaining to various human tribal rituals regarding warding off predators, including having surrogate victims. Titus also found several fetishes, including one that had a tooth similar to the one he wore around his own neck. Titus continued his search for Mira and went to her dressing room where he found a card for a funeral home with Mira's written note containing an order number and suggesting he visit them. Once there he discovered that Mira had paid for his own funeral having told the funeral home he had been killed by a Saurapt.[1]

Feeling terrified, but determined Titus once again visited the theater in hopes of catching Maliko when, during a performance, Liebstrum sat next to him with dire information. After Titus' constant messaging and forgetting of their meetings, Liebstrum had tests done on Titus' last routine clinical. They discovered that Titus had contracted Cerebral Worms from Hasphat years ago, and he had reached the end phase of the disease, which explained his deteriorating memory and odd behavior. Liebstrum had summoned doctors who would make his former mentor's last weeks comfortable, but Titus ignored all this and insisted about talking Mira, the dancer he had been following. When Titus had danced with her, he had noticed a scar, which he now knew came from a Saurapt, upon her body; and believed that Mira, had somehow transferred the curse of the Saurapt stalking her onto him. As he turned to explain this to Liebstrum, Titus found that everyone around him was gone and that he sat in the same balcony that Maliko's associates had rented. As the performance ended and the crowd broke into applause, Titus smiled as a Saurapt emerged from the darkness and finished its hunt.[1]

Related Articles

Sources