Constantin Valdor

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The Emperor's favorite automaton.

"What is left for you, Constantin? What more can He take from you that He hasn’t already?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."

– Last conversation between Ushotan and Valdor.

Constantin Valdor was the original Captain-General of the Legio Custodes. Well known as one of the greatest warriors in the Imperium, to the point where "can he take a Primarch in a fight" is a question taken seriously both in and out of universe. If Malcador was the Emperor's right-hand man, Valdor was his left hand.

History

Unification Wars

Not much is known about Valdor's origins. It is stated that the Emperor spent a lot of time and effort searching for him, suggesting he was somehow special even before his transformation into a Custodes. Although widely believed to be the first of his kind, Valdor himself isn't sure if he was the Emperor's first creation, or merely the first one that actually survived.

One of the first major conflicts that Valdor would take part in was the infamous Battle of Maulland Sen. One of the first major pushes by the budding Imperial forces, it would see the deployment of an entire legion of the newly created Thunder Warriors, alongside the Emperor, Constantin, and thirty of the Custodian Guard.

The Emperor would eventually give Constantin the Apollonian Spear. Although it is one of the deadliest melee weapons in the Imperium, this was meant to serve as a check on his power. The Spear would give him glimpses of the "truth" of the enemies he slew with it, and it was the Emperor's hope that this would prevent Constantin from becoming too callous in regards to killing.

He would also oversee the eventual death of the Thunder Warriors at battle of Mount Ararat. One last, final stand of Thunder Warriors in defiance against their enemy and certainly not a friendly fire massacre in the name of cold ethics of practicality.

To underscore just how fucking important this guy is - during an attempted Coup d'état he would also command battle ready First Legion Astartes, so there at their birth too. Oh, just as a side he was also there to oversee the creation of their fucking Primarchs and present when they were eventually taken from the facility and scattered.

Guy has been fucking BUSY.

Of note is the fact that since its inception Valdor was incredibly skeptical of the Primarch project. This is quite telling as he himself thinks his greatest weakness was being unable to question the Emperor, so when the Emperor makes a decision he's unsure about that's a big deal. This got worse when the Primarchs were scattered by Chaos, with Valdor thinking that they must've been tainted and that they should just scrap the whole thing right there, suggesting that instead of Legiones Astartes the Emperor should've gone with Custodes generals leading unaugmented human armies. Thus started the long historical trend of the Custodes mistrusting the Adeptus Astartes.

Great Crusade

Valdor at Terra

Not much is known about the shit he would get up to at this point other that he was probably present at the ulanor crusade. Presumably he then made a B-line back to terra with the Emps to help oversee the webway project.

Horus Heresy

Valdor is busy overseeing the webway project when a giant red faggot called Magnus broke through multiple dimensional wards to warn his father of his brother's imminent betayal - in doing so he broke a hole in the webway that can never (read fucking never) be fixed and is filled by an infnite amount of demons. They even manifest on Terra itself and a battle ensues. Needless to say the big E and Valdor were mighty pissed. Valdor and a cadre of fellow Custodians were subsequently dispatched to Prospero to drag that silly asshole back to Terra for sanction (and to ascendthe golden throne) while his father went in to figure out how to get a handle on it.

Valdor was summoned, and with a contingent of Custodes and Sisters of Silence was he sent to accompany Leman Russ to Prospero. They were to prosecute the Thosuand Sons for their crimes, and bring Magnus back to Terra in chains.

Chaos had already struck however, and Horus turned Russ against his brother. No longer was his task to arrest the Sorcerer-King, claimed the Warmaster, but to execute the warlock. Though Valdor argued with the Space Wolf as to his task as he was already far too sceptical of the Primarchs at this point, his force was small to really object. He possessed no authority to overrule the Wolf-Prince once his mind had been determined due to the bature of his role and the Primarchs. Ths didnt go incredibly well as you will see and I'm sure he would agree if he was able to.

The Thousand Sons were not willing to roll over and fucking die however, and in response to orbital bombardment and artillery strikes they fully break the Edict of Nikea and the city became a battlefield of the worst kind, as the true power of the Sorcerer's Apprenti were unleashed.

Against the Space Wolves full legion and aided by the elite guard of the Emperor, the Thousand Sons stood little chance. Some of the greatest psykers in the Legion were hunted down by the Custodes, executed carefully as the Sisters smothered their psyker talents with their null veil.

Valdor himself was said to have fought against the elite Khenetai "Blademasters" whose powers allowed them to predict each blow before they landed. None of them survived, and Valdor walked away from the conflict sporting a single wound, as he tried to regain control of the annihilation unleashed around him.

It was too little and too late however, Magnus had to flee with his sons, leaving the Space Wolves greivously injured, and a possible ally now forced into the traitor side without choice.

With disaster as their only reward, Valdor returned immediately back to Terra. His next war would be the Webway wars. This would Effectively spell the end of the custodians as a viable fighting force (as well as the Sisters of Silence) and he would remain an armchair General for the remainder of the Heresy.

Post-Heresy

Valdor along with Roboute Guilliman enacted the Edict of Restraint, the law limiting the Custodes only to the protection of the Imperial Palace. Realistically considering that the Custodes are above any authority but their own he would be the main reason it actually matters to them. So if you were wondering why the greatest warriors in the galaxy were doing jack shit until the Indomitus Crusade you have him to blame.

Eventually Valdor disappeared, leaving behind only his Apollonian Spear. Perhaps he saw how all the Primarchs were doing the "disappear mysteriously so people can spread legends about you returning for the final battle" shtick, and didn't want to be left out.

King in Yellow?

In the most recent Eisenhorn book, the good inquisitor and his allies had managed to track down a book that purported to contain the truth about the King in Yellow, the mastermind of the long-running background hook spanning both Eisenhorn and Ravenor's novels.

It turns out that the book was no mere book, but a book of the King of Yellow's true identity. The book included a countdown too.

No guesses as whose name it was listed in it.

Currently last heard of with an army of "custodians", the blanks that pilot their ships, and thousands of "winged" Astartes...In a stable part of Extimate Space that may or may not be Human Webway. Oh. Five craftworlds converging on the sector too. Watch this skub.

On Tabletop

Valdor's overdesigned model.

Points	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
275	7	5	5	5	5	6	5	10	2+/4++