SANCTUM OF HEROES |
GRANDMASTER HAEZIEL Dark Angels Chapter By Chris langland Shula |
Haeziel found himself wedged between two boulders with two separate groups of ambushers raining missiles and lasgun fire on his position. He was gauging his options when he heard the distinctive hiss of a plasma discharge nearby. He risked a look, and saw a black armored Astartes holding a smoking plasma pistol. The Marine's armor covered in glyphs and obscene symbols and he standing over one of Haeziel's squad members, whose armor was marred by a sizzling hole in the chest. The Chaos Marine kicked his victim's body aside and righted the bike lying next to the body. Haeziel raised his bolt pistol and unleashed a torrent of fire at the traitor Marine. Explosions and sparks covered the wildly engraved armor, but the black figure leaped out of the way, returning plasma bolts which blasted pieces off of the boulder that sheltered Haeziel. Haeziel, pinned down by the fire from above and now threatened by the traitor Marine, readied his power sword and bolt pistol, and prepared to meet the Emperor. The lasgun fire shifted off of his position, but Haeziel heard the crunching approach of the traitor and knew a plasma bolt would blow off his head if he stuck it out. He readied himself to leap at his opponent as he came around the boulder. "Go no further, oathbreaker!" rang out across the valley floor, Urpaniel's strong voice carrying over the combat. A blast of plasma fire answered him, but it was quickly cut off and the sound of close combat replaced it. Haeziel emerged from cover to see Urpaniel, his left shoulder guard completely missing and his armor heavily scarred, in a vicious duel with the Chaos Marine. Haeziel dashed forward to lend his sword to the combat, but before he could reach them the traitor's plasma pistol got inside of Urpaniel's rosarius field and the chaplain's chestplate explode in blue flame. The faithful warrior dropped to the ground, and the traitor kicked him. |
"No oath to the Lion will ever bind me!" snarled the traitor, as he reached down to take the chaplain's rosarius. Haeziel launched himself at the back of the Marine and brought his sword down and into the back of the traitor. The blade cleaved through the backpack and into the traitor's chest, and he immediately went sprawling over the body of Urpaniel, blood flowing out of the black power armor. Haeziel quickly ordered the surviving bikers to lay down fire on the ambush points, but apparently the fall of their leader had taken the fight out of the heretics. As he gazed down at the body of his friend, he saw something terrible, something that confirmed a suspicion that the words of the traitor had already stirred within him. On the right shoulderpad of the fallen Chaos Marine, he saw a scarred pattern in the armor that could only have once been a winged sword. This traitor was one of his own chapter. Haeziel didn't know what to do. He immediately sent the rest of the bikers out to track down the last of the heretics, abruptly dismissing their concerned and curious questions. Without knowing what else to do, he opened a channel to his estranged friend, Azrael. As soon as Haeziel reported his situation, Azrael cut him off and instructed him to engage a teleport homer. Within a minute, Azrael was there with his squad of Deathwing terminator. As his squad secured the bodies of the chaplain and the traitor, Azrael walked up to Haeziel and put his bone gauntlet on Haeziel's shoulder. "I hope you now understand why I could not talk to you, my friend," he said. "You are now privy to our terrible secret, and it will separate you forever." Haeziel nodded numbly. Azrael smiled sadly. "Welcome to the Deathwing." For the next 150 years, Haeziel fought as a member of the Deathwing, first as an ordinary trooper and later as a sergeant. His tactical dreadnought armor became almost as familiar to him as his own skin, and he purged the enemies of the Imperium with bolter and power sword. He also sought out the Fallen, wherever they could be, to erase the stain upon the Chapter's honor. He was promoted to Master of the 5th Company in 896.M41, and he led them to victories against the Eldar on Erafus V, where his company was credited with destroying seven of the terrible constructs known as Wraithlords, as well as on Thranthal I against the Orks of Warlord Kathruk Rokkard's Waaagh! Haeziel was credited with singlehandedly slaying the mighty Ork, by first pumping plasma bolts into him and then lopping his arms off with a power sword. When Azrael was elevated to the position of Supreme Grand Master, he asked Haeziel to take his place as Master of the Deathwing. Haeziel led the mighty company of terminators for almost 50 years before stepping aside to take a greater role amongst the Inner Circle. As one of the Grand Masters, Haeziel focuses almost exclusively on tracking down the Fallen. When he needs them, he gathers Dark Angels from various companies into task forces to track down leads, such as the expedition he had participated in so long ago against the Eldar pirate. He prefers to use the tactical dreadnought armor of the Deathwing emblazoned with tokens of his devotion to his Emperor and his Chapter. He learned the value of the combi-plasma many times, and the weapon accompanies him whenever he goes into danger. He also carries one of the Swords of Secrets that Azrael entrusted to him upon his elevation to Grand Master. |
