Arenos Karlaen
"It is a blessed thing, to bear the blood of the Great Angel within one's veins. And yet it is a burden, too. We fight not only against the Emperor's foes, but against the Flaw that seeks to claim our souls. The shadow of death looms over us, but we do not retreat from it. Instead we meet the darkness as did the Primarch, with all the righteous fury of avenging angels."[9b]
Arenos Karlaen[3] is the current Captain of the Blood Angels' 1st Company.[1]
History
As a young battle-brother, Karlaen first displayed his tactical acumen during the war for Barestyr XIX against the Speed Freeks of Waaagh! Kruggdak. When Karlaen’s Sergeant was decapitated by an Ork kannon, he assumed command of his squad. Using the world’s sky-bridge network as a battlefield, Karlaen trapped the xenos among the bridges complex cogwork gates. Robbed of their mobility, the Orks became easy prey for the Space Marines. This action would be first of many to draw the eye of Dante. When Arenos entered the ranks of the Archangels First Company, it was as a Veteran Sergeant of a Terminator Squad.[4]
The destruction of more than half a dozen Space Hulks can be laid at Arenos’ feet. Doom of Vorgoth, Divine Purgatory and Twilight Aegis are names now synonymous with Karlaen. It was on the Doom of Vorgoth that Arenos was almost killed by the Necrogolem, a Nurgle Daemon of meat and metal. The vile creature had turned the space hulk into a playground of pestilence and disease filled with myriad traps to snare the unwary. Karlaen would eventually destroy the creature by venting its sump-palace to the void and freezing Necrogolem in a tomb of its own filth.[4]
Another Space Hulk — the Doom of Perdita — was cleansed of Tyranids by Karlaen and his battle-brothers.[5]
Karlaen has worn his mantle of Captain of the 1st Company for two centuries now, and during his service have fought innumerable enemies. During the battle of Forlorn Falls he and his Terminator-brothers broke through the Iron Warriors' defences and destroyed filthy heretics. During the cleansing of Solace in Sorrow — another Space Hulk — Karlaen managed to coordinate battles across ten separated battle zones despite the failure of auspex equipment of the Blood Angels.[7a]
More recently Karlaen commanded Blood Angels forces during the Cryptus Campaign against Hive Fleet Leviathan[2] and during the Diamor Campaign against the forces of Chaos. For his valiant defence of the Blood Angels' systems he is known by many as the Shield of Baal.[7a]
Karlaen only was able to arrive to Baal in the final stages of its invasion by the Tyranids. He nonetheless was able to tend to a wounded Chapter Master Dante.[8] He survived the battle and subsequently took park in the Corinth Belt Campaign at Dante's orders.[9a]
Wargear
Karlaen is armed with the mighty Hammer of Baal.[6]
Images
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pg. 9
- 2: Shield of Baal: Leviathan[Needs Citation]
- 3: White Dwarf 44 (2014), Heroes of the Blood
- 4: Blood Angels Painting Guide – Sons of Sanguinius, pg. 8
- 5: White Dwarf 88 (2015), Battleground: Doom of Perdita
- 6: Shield of Baal: Deathstorm, Chapter 1, pg. 9
- 7: Black Crusade: Angel's Blade
- 8: The Devastation of Baal (Novel), Chapter 23
- 9: Codex Supplement: Blood Angels (10th Edition)
