SANCTUM OF HEROES |
GRANDMASTER HAEZIEL Dark Angels Chapter By Chris langland Shula |
In his nearly 400 years of service to the Emperor and the Lion, Grand Master Haeziel has served the Dark Angels in almost every way. He was born Tasarek, son of Lolrek on Piscina V in 597.M41. His father was the tribal chaplain, and he was raised on stories of the mighty warriors from beyond the cloud. When a gigantic metal bird came shrieking from the sky, his fellow tribesmen ran to hide. Tasarek jumped up and down for joy, as he knew these were the warriors his father had told him about, and he would have the chance to go with them. His fire and passion carried him through the trials, and he was chosen to join the Dark Angels at the age of 12. During his initiation as a scout, he was part of a squad that was dropped deep behind Ork lines on Garanden II and was cut off for over a year. He was one of the three survivors who linked back up with the main body of the company at the conclusion of the campaign and had been instrumental in disrupting Ork supply lines and providing intelligence on their movements. Shortly after his return to the Rock from Garanden, Tasarek received the Black Carapace and was re-christened Haeziel. He was assigned to the 7th Company and was soon sent into action. His squad was part of a two-company task force assigned to pursue an Eldar pirate who had been preying on Imperial shipping in the vicinity of Avignor. This mission led the task force through over twenty years of warfare and pursuit, ending with the Eldar vessel finally being cornered and boarded by the six Deathwing terminators who had been assigned to the task force and who had always kept to themselves. Haeziel was told the mission was successful, but never heard the details of the boarding action. When he asked his sergeant for details, all he got was a shrug. Further pursuit of the matter led his being called before the task force commander, a Master Achaiah, and being told in no uncertain terms that he was not to pursue the matter any farther. Haeziel obeyed, but his curiosity was piqued. Why had almost a fifth of the chapter's strength been sent to chase a mere pirate for nearly a quarter of a century? It clearly wasn't the threat posed by the foe. The incident planted a seed in his mind for years to come. Haeziel was reassigned to a Devastator squad of the 3rd Company, and acquitted himself well there. He was one of the first to recognize the tactic of engaging the skeletal raiders known as Necrons with krak missiles instead of the fragmentation missiles that doctrine had recommended to that point. He was later assigned to the position of lascannon gunner in a Land Raider, and while there struck up a friendship with a rising warrior named Sergeant Azrael. Azrael's squad would frequently ride as passengers in Haeziel's Land Raider, and Haeziel admired the sergeant's single-minded devotion to his chapter and the Emperor. They continued their friendship for several years until after one mission, Azrael abruptly stopped talking to him. Haeziel was hurt and more than a little confused. Azrael was inducted into the Deathwing shortly afterwards, and while Haeziel was glad for his friend, he missed his company all that much more. |
After about fifty years of service, Haeziel was assigned to the Ravenwing. During his time as a scout and his service with the 7th Company, Haeziel had frequently used the Space Marine bike, and when Astartes were sought to replace casualties in the Ravenwing, he jumped at the chance. Haeziel quickly developed into a master rider, and was promoted to sergeant after five years of service. As a sergeant, he worked much more closely with Interrogator-Chaplain Urpaniel, the Chaplain of the Ravenwing at the time. They would frequently ride together on missions against all manner of foes and came to greatly admire each other's devotion to duty and uncompromising attitudes. In 688.M41, the Ravenwing was supporting the entire chapter on an assault against the stronghold of a Chaos insurrection on the world of Calessar IV. The fortress had been surrounded from virtually every side, but one route had been left open to the defenders, a narrow, rocky valley on the north side of the stronghold. Chaplain Urpaniel handpicked Haeziel's squad and another bike squad to accompany him around the siege and into this valley. As Urpaniel had suspected, the leadership of the rebellion were attempting to flee through the valley. The chaplain, flanked by Haeziel and his fellow Ravenwing Astartes, cut through the lead elements of the heretics like a scythe. Haeziel's bolters cleared his path, and his sword struck down those who managed to evade the shells of his holy weapons. The vanguard of the heretics was utterly destroyed, and Urpaniel led the Ravenwing bikers further into the valley. Unfortunately, the vanguard was just a diversion. As Haeziel gunned his bike around a large rock, hot on the heels of Chaplain Urpaniel, he saw several puffs of smoke to his right. He called out a warning, but it was too late Urpaniel's bike was hit by one of the missiles, sending the Interrogator-Chaplain flying into a nest of rocks. Two other bikers were obliterated, and the survivors scattered for cover. |
