Julius Hector Grant IV
Lord General Julius Hector Grant IV is the current leader of the Imperial forces of the Osetalan Crusade.
History[edit]
Born on Holy Terra to a wealthy Noble family which has served the Imperium faithfully for untold centuries, Julius’s life-path was chosen for him at birth. His father was a successful Admiral in the Imperial Navy, while his mother was the daughter of a relatively minor Noble family on Terra. Since he was old enough to talk, Julius had been groomed for a commission in the Imperial Navy, following in the foot-steps of his male ancestors.
Being raised on Holy Terra itself had a profound influence on the development of Julius’s personality, the result of which can distinctly be seen in two areas, the first of which is his faith. Julius possesses an unshakable belief in the divinity of the Emperor and the superiority of Mankind. As a consequence of this, Julius adopted a spartan-lifestyle from a young age as he felt that material possessions only served to distract him from his faith. Aside from matters relating to faith, being raised on Holy Terra imparted on the young Julius a serious appreciation for the history of the Imperium, and in particular the period of the Great Crusade. This attraction stemmed from the fact that Julius was constantly surrounded by monuments dedicated to the herculean tasks accomplished during the Crusade.
Thus as Julius grew older, despite the strong focus on this Naval tradition in both his family and schooling life, he found himself attracted to a life as an officer in the Imperial Guard. Julius wished to follow directly in the Emperor’s footsteps and command his very own armed pilgrimage to reclaim long-lost human worlds; yet he reasoned that he could not do this stuck aboard a starship. Therefore, when he eventually came of age, he rebelled against the wishes of his family for the first time and joined the prestigious Macharian Officers Academy on Terra. This action came as a complete shock to his family and he both unofficially and officially cast out. Lacking the family connections which many of his fellow students possessed, Julius had to rely on his zealous beliefs and skill with military planning.
Over the course of the next thirty years Julius steadily rose through the ranks of the Imperial Guard as an Infantry Officer due to a combination of his zealous faith in the Imperial Creed, and his skill at tactics, planning and logistics, inherited from his Naval-oriented upbringing.
Osetalan Crusade[edit]
With the resurfacing of the long-lost Oestalan Sector in [ADD DATE], the High Lords of Terra decided to commission a Crusade to reclaim the system for the Imperium, yet they were unable to agree on who should command this grand endeavor. Julius was eventually chosen as a consensus candidate as he had a proven military record and was popular among the Ecclesiarchy. While the Lord General himself claims that he was completely surprised by the decision, persistent rumors exist that he personally brokered several deals, with the Adeptus Mechanicus in particular.
His command of the Crusade thus far has been fairly successful, having secured much of the Medigeminus System in a mere five years. He is currently preoccupied with securing the gains he has already made by settling words, ensuring that the Imperial Creed is being spread, and meticulously planning the second stage of the Crusade. However, his slow pace of advance has frustrated some of the men and women under his command, yet these grumblings fail to reach his ears.
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Crusade[edit]
Lord-General Grant was taking the air that morning out on the balcony, enjoying the view of the long forested rivers of Lhimeraia. It was some three years into his crusade and he felt things were going well. That was, until that morning's interruption
"I bring news sire," one of his aides, the Scriviner Jocasta, said, "It would seem sire, that one of our scribes has made an error."
"Hmm, how so?" Grant asked over a steaming cup of caff, setting aside his morning ritual of reading the latest vid-news of the ongoing crusade.
"Well you see sire, the sector is clearly labelled Oestalan, but the individual in charge of writing up the mass issued brief has misspelled it as Osetalan! How amusing!" the half-machine tittered.
"Yes," he said while rolling his morning cigarette, expression blank, "Yes, we must have this man shot."