Oltyx
Oltyx, the Twice-Dead King, is a Necron Lord originally of the Ithakas Dynasty.[1a]
History
Born to Phaeron Unnas and constantly overshadowed by his elder brother Djoseras, the Necrontyr Oltyx was originally a veteran of the Second War of Succession against the Ogdobekh Dynasty. Fortunately for Oltyx, biotransference into Necron bodies began just as he was breaking out in the cancerous tumors that were typical of his race. Reborn in a mechanical body, he fought in the War in Heaven and took part in the Great Sleep. However the Ithakas Dynasty had reawoken earlier to most others, and Oltyx used the opportunity to try and usurp both his father and brother. The plot was foiled by Djoseras, who promptly exiled the fallen lord for the attempted regicide. Unknown to Oltyx, the act served to save his life.[1a]
Years later, Oltyx was still in exile overseeing the crumbling Ithakas backwater of Sedh. The monotony of his existence soon changed however when a large Ork force arrived, and Oltyx personally slew the Warboss overseeing the invasion.[1b] It soon became apparent that the Greenskins had been fleeing from an enormous Imperial Crusade, and in order to survive Oltyx and his followers had to flee Sedh. They made for Antikef, the Crownworld of the Ithakas Dynasty, in order to seek aid against the Crusade.[1b]
When Oltyx arrived on Antikef, he found the Dynasty in madness and ruin. His father Unnas had succumb to the Flayer Curse and was being manipulated by the corrupt Vizier Hemiun. Seeking to restore sanity to his Dynasty, Oltyx attempted to usurp Unnas but was captured and tortured by Hemiun, who forced him to battle in gladiatorial arenas against Flayed Ones and captive Xenos.[1c] Oltyx escaped with the help of his Cryptek Mentep, but was ultimately saved thanks to the return of his brother Djoseras, who took his rightful place as the Dynasty's heir. Shortly after Djoseras's arrival came the Imperial Crusade, which began the process of laying waste to Antikef.[1d] Together, Djoseras and Oltyx organized the defense of Antikef as the Ithakas Dynasty began to evacuate the world. In the face of Angels Encarmine Space Marines and Imperial Titans, the ruined and vastly outnumbered Dynasty stood little hope of survival otherwise. In the final stages of the battle Djoseras volunteered himself to stay behind and was slain fighting Space Marines as the Ithakas fleet fled. Oltyx encountered the now completely feral Unnas and finally put his father out of his misery. Oltyx became the new master of the Ithakas Dynasty at last, but ironically he felt no satisfaction.[1e]
The Imperial Crusade continued to chase the now-refugee Ithakas fleet under Oltyx's command. Under Mentep's guidance, the group first fled to a weapon known as the Gravitic Trebuchet, but even this device proved unable to stop the endless Imperial tide.[2a] Now even more desperate, they arrived at the blighted realm of the insane Cryptek Am-Heht who had once been Mentep's former master. During the subsequent meeting with Am-Heht, Mentep was restored with his memory of the Ghostwind, which the Cryptek insisted was the key to the Dynasty's survival.[2b] Afterwards, Oltyx learned from Mentep and his Admiral Yenekh that vast numbers of Flayed Ones had been stored within the bowels of their fleet without his approval. Worse still, Mentep revealed that the intelligence of Oltyx's flagship Akrops was using the Ghostwind to journey to the mythical but cursed world of Drazak. The revelation drove Oltyx into a rage and he slew Mentep while banishing Yenekh, who himself was near to fully succumbing to the Flayer Curse. Oltyx then oversaw a vicious purge of the Flayed Ones within his fleet.[2c] In the midst of the chaotic purge, Angels Encarmine and their allies came upon the Ithakas refugee fleet once more.[2d]
In the subsequent fighting against Terminators and a Dreadnought aboard the bridge of his flagship Oltyx died for the second time, just as he had succeeded in activating the Ghostwind protocol out of desperation.[2d] Oltyx miraculously rose once more days later amidst the ruins of his fleet, now orbiting Drazak. Discovering he too had since succumbed to the Flayer Curse, Oltyx embraced his destiny and led the survivors of Ithakas to Drazak. On the world he took up the mantle of Valgûl, the Fallen Lord.[2e] It is unclear if Oltyx was always destined to become the mythical Flayer King and had traveled back in time via the Ghostwind, or he simply was a new bearer of the title.
Subordinate Minds
Thanks to his Cryptek Mentep, Oltyx was able to divide his consciousness into a number of specialist sub-minds that each performed a task. These sub-minds were capable of conversing with Oltyx as well as each other and even kept secrets from him. Oltyx was stripped of these minds while captive on Antikef, but they later lived on in the form of a Scarab.[1a][1d]
Oltyx's five subordinate minds were:[1f]
- Doctrinal: Derived from Oltyx's understanding of Necron/Necrontyr culture, history, and traditions.
- Strategic: Derived from Oltyx's understanding of military strategy.
- Combat: Derived from Oltyx's understanding of martial prowess and close-combat.
- Analytical: Derived from Oltyx's understanding of processing and analyzing information and data.
- Xenology: Derived from Oltyx's understanding of other alien species.
