Indrick Boreale

Captain Boreale. The greatest and baldest of us all.

This article is awesome. Do not fuck it up.

Something akin to the King James the VI of Warhammer 40K, Indrick Boreale is the Force Commander of the Blood Ravens Space Marines in the Dawn of War: Soulstorm campaign. Famous for his speech impediment and baldness (He's a 12.0 on the 10.0 scale of baldness) and also famous for losing half of the Blood Raven's forces after he presumably got all 500 Space Marines killed on Kaurava (then toned down to 3 companies according to Cyrus in DoWII:CR). He is the origin of the terms Emprah and SPESS MAHRENS. According to Dawn of War II, he died in the Kaurava System during the events of Soulstorm, which some have interpreted as something of an apology from Relic for the terrible quality of the expansion. He is such a big failure that he drives Cyrus crazy and pushes him to join chaos in one alternate plotline.

He has a daughter. She retains Boreale's speech impediment.

In-Game Stats

Don't be fooled by Boreale's hilarious accent, nor the fact that he seems, at a glance, to be weaker than Davian Thule - Boreale is both quite a bit tougher and an exceptionally potent commander unit in his own right, boasting both better health and abilities (one such a ability called "inspiring speech" causes the entire enemy army to roll on the floor laughing) than Thule - though Thule does quite a bit more damage (of both ranged and close-combat flavors) and is impervious to knockdown when maxed (Boreale isn't), Boreale moves a little faster, has a bit more HP, regenerates faster, and provides much stronger benefits to his attached squad once he has his Chapter Banner ability, which will cause most units to regain morale so fast that it's unlikely they'll ever break in the first place - making it great for when you're attaching Boreale to an Assault Terminator Squad (a contrast to Thule, who was usually better-assigned to a Grey Knight unit). In addition, Chapter Banner makes Boreale himself regen morale so quickly that he's virtually impossible to break unless smack-dab in the middle of a big group of Flayed Ones.

Putting it simply, like Boreale himself, his unit is survivable and works well as a blunt instrument.

Interestingly, Thule does notably more damage with Alexian's Blade (his tier-1 weapon upgrade, a power sword), than Boreale does with Rogal's Fist (his tier-1 weapon upgrade) despite similar stats. Their base damage with their Daemonhammers, however, are identical. Presumably, Boreale only recently "received" the mace from the gracious Imperial Fists, and has yet to become accustomed to its use.

Boreale Addressing His Troops

In a meeting between the Blood Ravens' finest Librarians and pious Chaplains, Captain Indrick Boreale requested from them a speech that would inspire his troops to victory, seeing that his original one was insufficient. While the 2 parties did make a glorious speech, Captain Boreale's ad-libs, mispronunciations and improvises virtually gutted the speech made by them.

Tehre is noh time to beh lohst!

Batuhl Brothas!

Spehss Mahrens, todeh the enemeh is at oua doar! We know oua duteh and we will do eet. We fight for our honor as Blod Rehvens,
as SPESS MAHRENS, and we fight in the nehme of the Empra!

And if we die this deh we die in gloareh, we die heroes' deffs, but we shall not die, no! It is the enemeh who will tehste
deff and defeat!

As you know! Moast of oua battle brothars are shtehtioned in SPEHSS, Pruhpeared to deep strike! Oua perimeter has been
pruhpeared in the even dat oua enehmies should be so bald and so foolish. We have plehced numerous beacons, allowing for
muhltiple, simuln-tehneous and devashtehting defensive deep strikes

The Codecks astartees nehmes this maneuvah Steel Rehn. We will descend upon the foe, we will ovawhelm them - we will leave none
alive! Meanwhile oua ground fawses will ensue the full defense of oua headkwaters

We are the spehss mahrens! WE ARE THE EMPRA'S FUREH!

Of course this is the edited version taught to young cultists to disgrace the honourable captain. This is the handy work of chaos. This was the original version found at his desk next to a pile of red and black crayons.

There is at our honor, as Blood Ravens, as space marines, and so foolish.
We are the emperor!
If we fight in glory.
We will descend upon the name of our headquarters.
We will descend upon the emperor's fury There is at our door.
We have placed numerous beacons, allowing for our honor, as Blood Ravens, as Blood Ravens, as Blood Ravens, as space marines,
and devastating defensive deep strike!
Our perimeter has been prepared in the event that our enemies should be lost!
Battle brothers; space prepared to deep strike!
Our perimeter has been prepared in the emperor!
If we fight in space, prepared to deep strikes.
The Codex Astartes names this maneuver steel rain.
We fight for multiple simultaneous and we fight for our door.
We are the emperor!
If we will overwhelm them, we shall not die.
No, it We fight for our honor, as space marines, and we fight for our battle brothers are stationed in the name of the emperor!

Position as a meme

Boreale is the single biggest meme in the WH40K fanbase, all thanks to his voice acting courtesy of Scott McNeil (MIGHTY IS HE!!!). This was attributed to Soulstorm's hilariously lackluster VA scripting and Scott McNeil's awesome voice acting. The combination of hilarious fail unseen since the CDi Zelda series and pretty decent voice acting propelled Boreale to his current status. In short, much like the Zelda CDi series turning into the single largest repository of hilarious YTPs and Rebecca Black being awesomely hilarious than being failtastically hilarious, Boreale swung the bar of fail so hard that fail transposed into awesome.

His opening speech is the main cause of his fame, the speech itself was, again, lackluster and boring (Honestly, who comes up with: "And if we die this day, we die in glory, we die heroes' deaths but we shall not die, no!") but how Scott said it. Many laughs were had with SPESS MEHRENS and the EMPRAH as with the entirety of his speech itself, which resulted with numerous YTPs, remixes, and hell even songs. The other minor bits about him is mostly being Bald, more specifically, the only Captain in the Blood Ravens to posses Astartes-pattern baldness other than Apollo Diomedes. Either way, many laughs were generated because of these and it's all thanks to Captain Boreale of the Blood Ravens, the greatest of them all.

Truly the Emperor provides.

On /tg/

The Codecks Astartes nehms this manuveh Wehn Get!

Codecks Indrick Boreale

After much petition to GW, they finally allowed Boreale to be a separate force commander. Stats:

	Pts	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Indrick Boreale:	120	5	5	4	5	3	3	5	10	2+

Wargear:

Power Sword: See Codex: Space Marines. Can be swapped for a Master Crafted Power Sword for 20pts.
Bolt Pistol: See Codex: Space Marines. Can be swapped for a Master-Crafted Bolt Pistol or a Plasma Pistol for +10 pts.
Artificer Armour: Armour save included in profile above. This cannot be replaced.
Iron Halo: For +35pts, Captain Boreale may be equipped with an Iron Halo wargear, which grants him a 3++ invulnerable save.

Special Rules

And They Shall Know No Fear, Counter-attack, Furious Charge.

Astartes-Pattern Baldness

Captain Boreale is so bald that his bald head can be seen by his Batul Brothars shtetioned in SPEHSS and even in the warp, who are pruhpared to deep strike at any moment, allowing them to use it like an improvised, bald, locator beacon to better their chances of launching multiple simultaneous and devastating defensive deep strikes. All reinforcements (friend or foe) entering the field using deep strike will not suffer scatter if they are deployed within 120" of Captain Boreale. Additionally, all reinforcements (friend or foe) entering the field using deep strike may re-roll scatter so long as Captain Boreale is deployed.

Additionally, his bald head can intensify light at a surprising level, rivaling that of the searchlight commonly mounted on vehicles. Boreale automatically attacks as if he is using a Searchlight wargear during night fighting, exposing him to the enemy while illuminating their position to his allies. Enemies also ignore the night fighting distance check and gain +1 BS whenever they attack Captain Boreale and any squad he is attached to in the shooting phase while night fighting. If not night fighting, any unit that shoots at Captain Boreale will have their BS reduced by 1 point.

Additionally, any laser-based weapon shot at Captain Boreale at any range with a Strength of 3 or less can be deflected by his bald head. When hit by a ranged laser weapon with S3 or less, roll a D3. If the result is 1: the attack is rendered as if it was a normal attack, if the result is 2: The attack is deflected and is rendered null, if the result is 3: the attack is instead re-directed to the attacking unit as if he is shot by his own weapon with only armor and invulnerable saves applying to the attacker. In addition, the attacking unit may not use their armor save if they shoot Captain Boreale while in assault phase.

Stehl Rehn

Captain Boreale has mastered the tactic: Steel Rain. All friendly Space Marine units may deploy as many of their reserves entering the field using drop pods during reinforcement.

We are the Empra's fureh!

Captain Boreale aspires to embody the Space Marines as the Emprah's fureh. Any unit captain Boreale joins automatically gets +1 BS, +1 WS, +1 T, +1 S, and the Furious Charge special rule. Additionally, Boreale chants out his infamous battle cry during the charge, stunning enemies and granting him and his squad the initiative during the charge. This ignores any wargear or rule that prevents them from doing so.

Bald and Fewlish

Captain Boreale is both bold and foolish. He and any squad he is attached to automatically gains the "Stubborn" special rule.

Todeh the enemeh is at oua doar!

Captain Boreale is ever alert and so are his troops. Any unit that infiltrates within 20" of Captain Boreale may be fired at or charged by the nearest unit capable of doing so, even if it is still the enemy's turn.

Independent Character

Captain Boreale is an independent character and follows all of the rules for characters in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.

Leader

Boreale is an inspirational and lulzy leader of men and can join any squad except those wearing Terminator Armor or fast attack squads.

How Boreale lost his "voice"

Scene starts as Thule defeats Gorgutz in Dark Crusade. Gorgutz flees the Green Beach and is currently on his Ork ship. Indrick Boreale is in his personal Thunderhawk with Techmarine brother Spasmius heading towards the Litany of Fury. Brother Spasmius had an unclear mind due to seeing a daemonette on imperial television, and hence drove Brother Captain Boreale into Gorgutz' ship, looking for Gabriel Angelos.

Nob: Isn't that 'umie un of 'ose wez got trash'd up by? Gorgutz: Nah, that 'umie looks dumb, and 'ez talks funny too. Must be un of 'ose Chaos Boyz we'z stomped on. Nob: What shall we do boss? Stomp on 'im? Gorgutz: Move aside ya git. 'ez mine.

Gorgutz smashes up Boreale, leaving him with no teeth and a even more damaged brain. Boreale stumbles back into his thunderhawk, Gorgutz gleefully picking up his teeth.

"Brother Spessmius...Where are weh?"

Brother Captain Boreale's Bad Day

Boreale made doubly sure his armor was perfectly polished. He checked his sword scabbard and pistol holster. He fitted his Purity Seals on and ensured that his breastplate decorations were positioned correctly. He held his helmet under his arms. As he turned from his massive planning table, he checked his reflection in one of his other suits of Power Armour. Tall, large, inspiring. Perfectly presented, every inch an Imperial Space Marine.

His hair was still very short, but Boreale had begun to accept that. Even after two hundred years, his hair (or lack thereof) bothered him. But it wasn’t the worst thing. That would be his speech.

He had been fighting his speech for years. He was an inspirational speaker, able to turn his formidable speech-composition skills to demagoguery or fiery rhetoric. He always wrote and delivered his own speeches, and he strongly believed in the importance of words as an element of leadership. But he always struggled with the same thing:

Pronunciation. A more obdurate enemy than any he had ever faced.

He mouthed the words of his speech to himself, very softly, as he looked into his reflection on the chestplate of a Power Armour suit.

“Space Marines, today is the day…” the words came out very softly, but they were correct. Perhaps today WOULD be the day? Perhaps today he would get it right, and deliver the greatest speech of his entire illustrious career? He continued to practice: “today is the day we serve the…Empr-…Empera…Emperor. Tode-today…” He took a deep breath and started again:

“Today is the day we serve the Emperor by putting our lives, minds and souls in the line of duty in His name, and in service to the Imperium….”

He was doing well so far. Perhaps today would be the day indeed.

Confident with his initial success, Boreale straightened himself out to his full height of about nine feet. It had been only days since the attack on their Stronghold by the Sisters of Battle, where he had personally defeated Cannoness Agna in single combat. The woman had charged in towards him, full of righteous fury, and screaming a challenge. Meeting her with his own blade and screaming his own battle cry (it unfortunately came out as FOR THE EMPRA, in the heat of battle), Boreale had overwhelmed her with superior speed and strength, and she had fallen on her sword rather than let him strike the killing blow.

Regrettable that it came to fighting the Empe...Emperor’s servants as such, but necessary. Necessary for the survival of the Imperium and mankind, necessary to please the Emperor and the Unknown Primarch. Necessary. No, essential!

Boreale gritted his jaw, and corrected his sword one last time. It was time.

He stepped out onto the podium where hundreds of Blood Ravens stood assembled silently and unmoving, waiting for his words. He felt confidence fill him the likes of which he had never felt. Today would indeed be the day.

Boreale drew a deep breath.

“BROTHERS!”

…

“TODEH WE SERVE THE EMPRA!”

Some things just never changed.

Boreale in Therapy

"Space marines. Suh-Pay-Seh Ma-Reens. Space Marines," Brother Tullus nodded, "Now, you try."

"Sp-Sp-SPESS-"
"No, no, ACE. AAAACE."
"EHSSS"
"Ace."
"Ace."
"Good. Now say 'Spay."
"Spay."
"Now say both of them."
"Spay. Ace."
"And all together now."
"Sp-sp-spess."

Brother Tullus delicately plucked the spectacles from the bridge of his nose while the other massaged his much aching head, "No, no, Emperor damn it..."
"I have failed..."
"No, no, no Boreale you-" Tullus leaned back in the chair, as it cried out in protest, trying in vain to think of something-
"THE EMPRAH!"
He fell back out of his chair in surprise at the sudden exclamation.

Brother-Captain Indrick Boreale was but one of many held at the Mental Reclamation Convent of Saint Gimpus, and really, Tullus reflected as he righted his chair, one of the better behaved ones.

For instance, one cell over...

"METAL BAWKSES!" Came muffled through the wall, shaking the diplomas bespangling it.

STEEL REHN

**I look away from the mic to call more SPEHSS MAHREENS.

Steel Rehn
Some steh dry and others feel the pehn
Steel Rehn
Landing drop pods makehs infernahl din

Steel Rehn**
Our eterhnel fureh strikes the hearts of mehn
Steel Rehn
Deep strikeh is our vehry own bent

Steel Rehn
No matteh how hard our enemeh’s try
Steel Rehn
They all see our reputashen is no lie

Steel Rehn
Forecast to be fallen yesterdeh
Steel Rehn
Yet it will likeleh also fall todeh

(Chorus)
Steel Rehn
We fall to earth at enormouehs rates
Steel Rehn
The Empra’s foes cannot stop ourh haet
[Repeat]

Steel Rehn
Our drop pods coveh the light of dehy
Steel Rehn
Our enemeh’s flee but there is no weyh

Steel Rehn
Fiereh blood rushing throuegh our vehns
Steel Rehn
Afteh we finish we prepare to fall back down agaihn

Steel Rehn
We are called dowehn by the radio
Steel Rehn
The purpose is to gain grouend controhl

Steel Rehn
We could not call it aneh otherh nayme
Steel Rehn
Everything else soundehd quite insayhn

Steel Rehn
We are preparing to fall onceh moreh now
Steel Rehn
The Empra will someday rewaredh us, somehow

Boreale stopped singing once he reached the end of what he had composed, and sat down silently, sitting his head in his hands. On paper, it was brilliant, a hymn that could be sung by billions of the Emperor’s servants across thousands of worlds in countless joyous anthems.

But what was the point if he couldn’t sing it properly himself?

Boreale's life before service to the chapter

SPESS MEHREENS! TODAY, THE CUSTOMERS ARE AT OUR DOORS! WE KNOW OUR BURGERS, AND WE WILL COOK THEM! WE FRY FOR OUR HONAH AS BLUD REVENS, AS SPESS MEHREENS, AND WE FRY IN THE NAME OF THE EMPRAH!

IF WE FEHL AN ORDAH, WE WILL MAKE IT AGAIN AND GIVE A DISCOUNT! BUT WE WILL NOT FEHL, NO, IT IS THE CUSTOMER WHO WILL TASTE OUR DELICIOUS EMPRAH BURGAHS.

AS YOU KNOW, MOST OF OUR BATTLE BURGERS ARE STORED IN SPESS, PREPARED TO DEEP FRY! OUR LARDERS HAVE BEEN PREPARED SHOULD THE CUSTOMERS BE SO BOLD AND FOOLISH TO COME BACK FOR SECONDS! WE HAVE PLACED MULTIPLE FRYCOOKS ALLOWING FOR MULTIPLE, SIMMULTANEUS DEVAHSTATING DEEP FRIES.

THE CODEX CLOGGEDARTERIES NEMES THIS MANUVAH HEART PAIN! WE WILL DESCEND UPON THE BURGAHS, AND OVERWHELM THEM, LEAVE NONE UNFRIED! MEANWHILE, OUR CASHIERS WILL ENSURE THE DEFENSE OF OUR HEADQUARTERS!

WE ARE THE SPESS MEHREENS! WE ARE THE EMPRAH'S FRYCOOKS!

Boreale's previous service

Captain Boreale did actually serve back then as a Marine veteran sergeant during the Tartarus Campaign along with Captain Gabriel Angelos, back then his speech abilities were still heavily disabled due to a freakish power-fist incident with a 1st company veteran Terminator. His speech was mostly confined to screaming and a neural link with his troops. His task was to flank a horde of Orks with a tactical squad and a Predator Annihilator tank however found himself with large contingent of Orks planning the same. His force was pushed back under a highway with them holding the line as best they could with the Predator tank the only thing keeping the orks back, then however the orks started to employ artillery systems.

He requested for reinforcements from the Litany of Fury however the nearest Thunderhawk gunship was 10-15 minutes away and the only thing they could send at the moment was Brother Valek, a Dreadnought. The orks then got lucky and destroyed the Predator tank and then they started to rush Boreale's squad. Just then about to ready themselves for the assault, Brother Valek plummeted from the skies and provided support fire at the best possible time. Gabriel Angelos then advised Boreale to hold the line with the Dreadnought but Boreale guesstimated that the Orks had a high chance of reaching them next turn despite the cover. To deny the Orks their Furious Charge, he had to do something bald and foolish: He stood up and yelled: AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!! which was actually "We are the Spehss mahreens! We are the Emprah's Fureh!" when heard in the marines' neural links. The tactical squad of 10 was ordered rush the Ork horde outnumbering them 10-1 along with the Dreadnought. Not wanting to take 4 S4 attacks in the face per Ork, they did.

There was one surviving marine who commented: "We were on the way to being relieved and the dreadnought had been enough to keep the foul greenskins at bay this time, and yet we were doomed if we stated in one place. That's when our Sergeant ordered us to strike first at the enemy with overwhelming numbers! It was a bloodbath with Sergeant Boreale leading the assault, then however an Ork attached a Tankbusta bomb on Brother Valek's dreadnought and it exploded, killing most of the marines and the orks though a sizable force of Orks did still remain. While the deep strikes and Thunderhawks were already being deployed from the Litany of Fury, Sergeant Boreale took the Chapter Banner and made a run for his brothers, hoping to get close enough to inspire them. He was however shot down as he rushed up the fortified hill, leaving him unable to move further. In one last act of defiance, he planted the Chapter Banner on the top of the hill; while the company did admire the thought, it was an ultimately fruitless move for the Sergeant as his brothers couldn't get close." Sergeant Boreale suffered a deep wound when he was shot in the neck during his charge up the hill. While the chapter's Apothecaries were able to heal him they mentioned that even if the wound should heal, Sergeant Boreale would suffer from speech impairment for the rest of his life. He was absent from most of the Tartarus campaign due to the wounds he suffered.

For the live action movie of this even click: here.

Boreale's Death

The Lands of solitude were rocked by a titanic battle between Marine and Guardsman, it was a bloody gauntlet for both commanders.

Shargent Harad, come in!

Captain Boreale yelled on his vox, but alas to no avail: Sergeant Harad, who was guarding the outer perimeter defenses has fallen and even from the top of his citadel, Boreale could clearly see the column of Leman Russ and Baneblade tanks marching to his fortress. All of the Blood Ravens lined up for the final assault. The Crewmen of the Land Raiders and Predator tanks prayed to both the Emperor and the Machine Spirit for deliverance and protection, the Reclusiarch Chaplain gave a most wondrous and inspirational speech to the Marines with them foaming at the mouth with eagerness to kill the traitor guardsmen who dared desecrate their lands. Epistolary Saribander, Commander Boreale's second in command told the Captain:

Everything is prepared my Lord and with that silently and slowly: Commander Boreale drew his Chainsword, loaded his Bolt Pistol and went out.

While numerically the Blood Ravens were defeated, they made up for it with great fervor and the fact they were the Space Marines, the finest weapons of the Emperor. The Marines lined up outside the fortress gates, from high ground they could see the legion of guardsmen and tanks headed their way but neither flinched, shook or broke a sweat, they knew this was their glorious end and they shall die honorably for the Immortal God-Emperor of man, their leader and father. Captain Boreale, the Epistolary and the Reclusiarch lined up in front of the men, ready for the fight of their lives....and their last one. Everyone was ready to charge just waiting for the Captain's word......closer and closer the Marines could feel the tanks' treads moving closer and in a split second Boreale ordered the charge with the battlecry:

FOR TEH EMPRAH! And with that, a monumental bloodshed of biblical proportions started.

Bolter rounds and Lasbeams, the mighty cannons of the Baneblades targeted the holy Land raiders which the latter did the same. Screams were everywhere, the maddening battlecry of an Astartes riddled the guardsmen with fear but the Commissar solved that problem fairly easily. The battle eventually fell down to a bloody melee combat.

BREAK THE ENEMY LI....., the Chaplain was cut short by a lascannon beam that tore right through his helmet, the marines while demoralized, kept fighting for they know their honor as a chapter was at stake.

As the battle waged on, the ground was already colored blood red from the blood of both factions, however as their forces dwindled, the guardsmen kept coming, wave after wave of humble servants, never faltering, never ending. Captain Boreale saw that they were outnumbered and fell back to higher ground.

The Marines reluctantly fell back with the guard hot on their trail, the last of the company Terminators made planetfall as Captain Boreale's honor guard. Captain Boreale ordered his Epistolary to take a squad and cover their flanks, taking 5 squads of battle-brothers, the Librarian obliged while Captain Boreale held the front. After 3 hours which seemed like an eternity however, Epistolary Saribander's forces were nearly eradicated. The Emperor protects us all! he yelled with a soft tone, charging a line of guardsmen with the last squad of Marines. One by one they fell until only the Epistolary remained, he kept charging, not minding that he is the only one left. Lasbeam after lasbeam tore through his sacred armor until he could no longer charge, he could no longer run or live, crashing to the ground on his knees with a war-torn look, he fell flat on his face, his lifeless corpse on the ground.

Things were not looking up for Captain Boreale either, his forces were cornered already making their last stand.

We fight to the last man brothers! A sergeant yelled to his compatriots, before being wiped out by a baneblade.

We have fehled........THE EMPRAH.

Captain Boreale shouted before being thoroughly riddled by a Kasrkin's hellgun. And with that, the Captain Boreale's 5 companies met their glorious end, their bodies later recovered by the Chapter's Apothecaries after General Vance MOTHERFUCKING Stubbs stabilized the planet.

Unsurprisingly, his death has now been confirmed in Dawn of War II. The Kaurava System campaign is remembered with shame and epic failure by the rest of the Blood Ravens with even Cyrus commenting on it being because of "the incompetence of Indrick Boreale."

Steal Rain

It is of course possible that we at /tg, along with the narrator of Soulstorm himself and all of Boreale's foes, have been deceived by the cunning of the good captain. His strategy was not "Steel Rehn," the common and predictable edict of the Codex Astartes. Rather, capitalizing on the mastery of the Blood Ravens at the acquisition of all that stood before them, he implemented his own devious tactics: "Steal Rain." Having built up his force with marines gifted by other chapters and by the unwilling forces of chaos, he had amassed a force that made the five companies officially under his command a mere distraction force to occupy the foe's attention as they assaulted the Lands of Solitude, while boreale's mastery of deepstriking left the best thieves and looters, as well as himself, well behind enemy lines, where resistance was token, the loot and relics rich. But this was merely the beginning.

Carron did not lose the favor of chaos. In the din of battle, as he raved about the Rhinos spearheading into his territory, his screams of fury obscured the roar of a landing Thunderhawk. Within moments, the marines had torn the shrines from the earth and robbed the chaos marines of their might, adding the power to the ever-growing armada under Boreale's command.

The defeat of the Necrons upon Kaurava had come as marines pried loose the power supplies, and rank upon rank of warriors and war machines fell silent. The marines wasted no time in hauling them into a mass of inert metal and carried them, with the inexplicable stealth and speed so common to the magpie squads of the Blood Ravens, to be reprogrammed in service to the chapter.

The hundred Baneblades were not lost; rather, as the guard broke through the deep-striking marines in the supposed stronghold of the marine force, Boreale and a token force assaulted the enemy stronghold, felled what few guards stood over the depots, and signed the few requisition orders that would allow them to abscond with the guard's might. What had seemed to be Boreale, felled in battle, was in truth a brother-marine who had been "gifted" the guise of the captain.

Throughout the subsequent years of the Blood Ravens and the treachery of Azariah Kyras, none even guessed at this plan, assuming that the failure of "Boreale" was all that it seemed. Only one man, Apollo Diomedes, was cunning enough to piece together what had transpired, the final pieces falling into place as Kyras began the final steps to his ascension. It was not without reason that he feared the roar of each Baneblade he met, for he knew that they were the harbingers. Should subsector Aurelia have fallen, the hold of chaos would be momentary, wiped away by a more terrible foe whose hunger would not cease until every planet, every race, was unified, an undivided SPESS under Boreale's iron fist.

Now that seems a lot more representative of the strategic mastery of Indrick Boreale in Soulstorm, don't you think?

tl;dr = Boreale is actually a tactical genius, see my new explanation.

YTP Indrick Boreale

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