Abraxas - The Ancient of Days

Following on from yesterdays post, I present my first completed Death Company Dreadnought Abraxas the Ancient of Days.

I've included a back-story for him, the first bit of narrative I've created in quite a while despite it being such an important part of my enjoyment of the Hobby. It took a little bit of effort to break the rust off the locks to my creative writing center, but once I got in and had cleared up several piles of half baked ideas, I had a lot of fun.

Next I'll post up some work in process pics of Abraxas, in particular his banner which included working with Green Stuff, including finally using the Press Moulds I made back in February; maybe now I can get part two of that tutorial written!

Abraxas – Ancient of Days

Fight with Valour

Formerly a Lieutenant of the 3rd Company of the Blood Drinkers, Petrus Abraxas was interred within the Immortal ‘Ancient of Days’ in 142M41 after he fell in the final hour of the Bradur IV Rebellion.

Abraxas had served the Chapter with valour and distinction for nigh on two centuries prior to his internment; a warrior of great cunning and tactical acumen, the Liber Potoris records that he bore such high honours as the Iron Halo, the Crux Terminatus and had been awarded the Angelus Alae on three separate occasions.

At Bradur IV, Abraxas led an attack on a Plasma Cannon battery during the assault on the high spires of the Governors Palace; he and his Squad quickly overwhelmed the position, despite it being defended by over two hundred Traitor Guardsmen.

However the victory would be short-lived, for as Imperial Guard units moved in to secure the captured position Abraxas discovered the Machine Spirit of one of the cannons had been enraged and was now only moments away from exploding. With no time to evacuate the Guardsmen, he a leapt into the gun pit and began dismantling the overheating plasma coils, the energy bleed from them so intense that the ceramite of his armour cracked almost instantly and his flesh began to burn.

In a feat of endurance incredible even for a superhuman Astarte, despite being almost charred to the bone the Lieutenant succeeded in dousing the angered Spirit and averting disaster, his sacrifice saving countless loyalist lives; for this act and many others he would be honoured with a place amongst the Immortals.

As the Ancient of Days, Abraxas continued his glorious service to the Chapter, being woken for several of its most important Undertakings and also to teach its Neophytes; many of his actions held as both inspirational examples and required tactical training.

Die with Honour

Abraxas succumbed to the Black Rage in 850M41 during the Purgation of the Nehmihan Sky Citadel, there he fought with the Psyker Tyrant Algoth. Shielding his battle brothers from the wild bursts of the Heretics Witchfire he pitched himself and his formidable foe from the Citadel and still exchanging blows, they plummeted to the planet below.

The shattered Immortal was recovered from the desert sands several days later, with the remains of Algoth still crushed in the grip of an upraised Blood Talon. It quickly became  clear to the attendant Artisans that the damage to Abraxas’s Sarcophagi had proved fatal; but that the Black Rage had brought him back from Deaths embrace.

Thus the Ancient of Days joined the ranks of the Evocati, haunted by the crazed phantom of noble Abraxas. Atop its banner pole stands the shackled skeleton of Algoth which, some amongst the Chapter whisper, still retains the trapped soul of the Tyrant; dragged back from the Shade by Abraxas to share in his suffering.

The whispered tales tell of agonised screams issuing forth from the skull whenever the Ancient of Days is unleashed from the vaults of the Folorn Hope to do battle; whether these are the anguished cries of the Heretic Psyker or just the mad outbursts of Abraxas as he relives the dark days of the Heresy, none can truly say.

What is for certain, the Ancient of Days is a chilling sight upon the galaxies battlefields; striking fear into the hardest of foes and slaying all those who try to stand before it.