Rogerius Merrill

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

Rogerius Merrill
Title/Honours	The Hunter
Discovered (world)	Profi Tiroedd
Discovered (period)	870.M30
Legion	XX
Heraldry/Sigil
Unique Weapon	The Imperial Talon
Distinguishing Traits	austere, quiet, alert
Flaws	psychopathic, anti-social
Fate	Daemon Prince
Dominion	Yr Helfa Annherfynol

"The best a man could expect from Rogerius Merrill was a polite smile - and a knife in the back."

- Gaspard Lumey, private correspondence.

Personality

Merrill is a clinical psychopath. He is ruthless, cunning, and does not waste anything. He views much around him as tools to be used, and uses them until they no longer serve a purpose. Though he does not view the world with such labels as "good," and "evil," he understands that some actions will result in the greater benefit, whereas others will be a detriment to all. That being said, he does actively work towards the benefit of all, but it is definitely HIS version of that idea, which can put him at odds with other Primarchs and other members of the Imperium.

While not a braggart, he was extremely arrogant. Though he would never discuss such things out loud, he had a vast superiority complex. He believed himself to be the smartest, fastest, or best fighter in the room. If not all three. He did know his limitations, but he overestimated his strengths constantly, which led to a borderline narcissistic sense of self worth.

Conversationally, he does not add much. Though he has been known to make the occasional empassioned speech or long discussion, those are few and far between, and only when necessary. He says what needs to be said, usually being as sparse and direct with words as possible. He does not bandy with useless information, he simply cuts to the heart of the matter and is done with it.

Overall, he is unpopular with most of the other primarchs. Due to his anti-social and quiet ways, people aren't really aware of his psychopathic nature as few outside the legion are close enough to notice. He doesn't count many friends, mostly Uriel (as two sneaky bastards tend to get it off, even if it is an arm's length friendship)and Hektor. Arelex and Merrill would often join each other's company in large gatherings, largely because neither truly enjoyed fraternization, and both respected each other's outlooks. Tiran Osoris and Tolland Ötztal were known to occasionally strike up conversation, however it was mostly brief, and centered on hunting and remembering tribal life. He was actively antagonistic with Inferox, Kranios, Nathanog, and Sebastian Rex, due to their stubborn adherance to single-minded frontal assaults and waste. To most of the other Primarchs, he was just kind of there, in the back of the room. They paid little attention to him (and he to them), generally feeling uneasy around him, but for no reason they could quite put their fingers on. Though they might occasionally engage him in idle discussion (hunting, tactics, exploits), they shared comparatively little love for their brother, and few were surprised to find his name amongst the list of traitors.

His personal favorite pastime while on the crusade was dominoes. He took great joy in creating ever more elaborate patterns and watching them collapse with the first flick of his finger.

Appearance

Merrill is smaller than almost all of the other Primarchs, yet still stands head and shoulders above your average Space Marine, with dark, reddish skin, and long, black hair, shaved along the sides. He is also considered softer of features, and, in comparison, seems one of the most unassuming. In stark contrast to this are his eyes. While soft brown in color, they are eyes that have clearly seen hardship, giving a bitter, resentful look to what would otherwise be a rather bland and unassuming face. He wears a lighter version of his brothers' armor, leaving more soft armor, his neck, and arms exposed for greater flexibility. When not in a combat zone, he is often seen wearing softer leather and fur clothing, in the style of his homeworld.

He is among the physically weakest of the Primarchs, but what he lacks in brute strength, he makes up for in speed and cunning.

After his ascent to daemon prince, he became much taller, and gaunt. His skin is mottled, and constantly shifting colours, which always seem to blend with his surroundings. Though still bipedal, he bears the legs of a great predator, with abnormally long, clawed hands and arms. Soot-black feathered wings sprout from his back, and his bestial head bears antlers, forming almost a ring as a mockery of a crown or halo. His hair, oddly, still remains, but hangs low and limp on his stooped form, braids and locks held in place with leather, stone, and brass clasps and ties inscribed with blasphemous symbols and rites. He has a voice which simultaneously sounds like the rustling of leaves on the wind and the roar of a great predator.

Equipment and Weapons

Before the Heresy, he bore a lighter, slimmer variant of Artificer Armor, designed for speed and mobility. As a weapon, he carried only his Power Spear, made to his specifications by the Mechanicum, and endowed with archeotech, titled The Imperial Talon.

His spear was destroyed during his battle with Tiran Osoris, and so he needed new weapons. As reward for his efforts against the Scale Bearers, Hektor granted him two weapons of terrible daemonic power. A tomahawk and dagger, respectively named Hollti O Penglogau and Bywyd-Yfwr.

Youth

Upon his landing on Profi Tiroedd, he was found by one of the local tribes, who raised him as their own, and gave him his name. They taught him the necessities of living in the forest. How to hunt, track, gather food, build tools and weapons, and how to fight. However, his tribe was one of the smallest and weakest, and so had to stay constantly on the run, else be targeted for raids and attacks by other, larger tribes. However, Merrill grew rapidly and learned even faster, adapting to the harsh environment with a speed even his adoptive family did not understand. His growth marked him as gifted by the tribal elders, but the majority of the village did not understand it, and avoided him, leaving him mostly alone.

In a bid to gain the favor of the tribe, Merrill himself raided an enemy camp, stealing enough food to keep the tribe going for another day. One raid led to another, with more members joining each one. Though the people still held him at arm's length, they followed his directions at every raid, allowing them to survive better as time went on. Eventually, though too young to be considered for the position, he was unofficially made chieftain. Though he had no say in the matter, he accepted his new responsibilities with solemnity. It was at this point he made a decision: no more running. The tribe would never again have to flee for its own safety. With that in mind, he began a number of small raids against the more warlike neighbors, burning longhouses, stealing, and destroying supplies under cover of darkness before returning to their own tribe. Eventually, this led to assassinating the leaders of the tribes that would oppose them. As he slowly destroyed the larger tribes, others came to join him. Slowly, either by diplomacy, surrender, or annihilation, he united all of the tribes under his own rule, and created a council of elders to act as leaders. Though he also did not want the position of chieftain now, as it was when he was a child, he acted as such. Necessity, rather than hubris, determined his fate. Though the position was largely as a figurehead, he understood that the tribes followed and feared him, not the council he placed into power, and would not stay united long unless he was in charge.

The Coming of The Emperor

The Coming of the Emperor was marked by tribesmen noticing "Great Birds" in the sky. Many became worried, and reported their sightings to the Great Council. Merrill decided that he should lead the hunt to find out what these were and where they went, as he was the best hunter and warrior of the tribes. So, with a select handful of his best, he set out to find them.

Several days into the hunt, they did discover the "Beast," surrounded by Custodes. Merrill attempted diplomacy, but that failed, and was forced to fight, killing three Custodes before being rendered unconscious. He awoke to the Emperor, who told him of his birth and design. Merrill reluctantly agreed to take control of the legion, while learning everything he could of life in the 31st Millennium. Oddly enough, he requested that Profi Tiroedd be kept at its current technological state, only asking for Medicae facilities. If Profi Tiroedd were to be his recruiting world, he needed the difficulties of life and the hunt to be ingrained in his future soldiers. Men pampered with technology that made all aspects of life easy made poor warriors, and poorer hunters.

The Great Crusade

Merrill decided to keep the original title of the chapter, as he believed anything else would be insulting to the men that had served in the Legion before his discovery. He disliked having his forces in direct confrontation with the enemy, and was best suited for long range asymmetrical warfare. With that in mind, he requested for, and was approved of, a fleet of Imperial Army soldiers. He would use his regular soldiers to bolster their fighting capabilities and dispense advice to their command structure, relieving him of having to plan and read large-scale engagements, so he could move his men around the planet like a Regicide board, to strike their most valuable assets.

Throughout the Crusade, he led the 732nd Expeditionary Fleet (The 733rd through 738th were also Iron Rangers), and conquered numerous planets and systems in the name of the Emperor. While his methods were considered slow by some, they were efficient, and effective, bringing more worlds into full compliance, and utilizing less resources than some other fleets. However, he had his misgivings, and issues with some of the methods the crusades carried out. This would start his fall to Chaos.

The Heresy

During the Heresy, Iron Rangers forces were deployed under Hektor, to disrupt and destroy loyalist assaults and defenses across the galaxy. Most famous were his actions in the space and on land crippling the Scale Bearers, and, eventually, killing Tiran Osorus himself.

Post-Heresy

After the Heresy, Merrill and the Iron Rangers took up residence on the Warp Planet, Yr Helfa Annherfynol. It is a world entirely covered in forest and enshrouded in mists. Strange beasts lurk through the growth, and everything on the surface is either the hunter or hunted. Merrill spends most of his time there, only occasionally leaving to destroy a world in realspace, or to assist in another black crusade, endlessly hunting and killing, with a chosen few by his side. Those few (un)fortunate souls who have managed to see him and live say he has changed since his early days. His psychological issues have taken full control, and he believes civilization to be the downfall of mankind. His only goals in life are now to destroy social order and organization and to hunt.

Ascension to Daemon Prince

He was nice enough to let the artist sketch him before death.

After long deliberation and a far fall from sanity, Merrill decided to descend on the Hive World Greyshroud. In the first Legion-wide planetfall since the Heresy, the entire chain of command within the local PDF, Governance, and Communications fell to one swift assassination maneuver. Chaos spread as the Legion set fire to entire hab-blocks, riots erupted across the planet, and the streets ran red with the blood of the innocent and guilty alike as the Rangers ran through the sewers, across the spires, and through the alleys hunting man, woman, and child alike in one profane ritual. Cut off from the Imperium, some fought back, others joined in a desperate attempt to survive, and brother killed brother just to flee the wrath of a full Astartes Legion. All the violence only stoked the fires of the Rangers and added fuel to the ritual, as Merrill himself sacrificed civilian after civilian in his bid for Princedom. After a long silence, the Imperium finally sent aid to investigate the planet, only to find it completely devoid of human life. Eerily, the streets were as clean as though none had ever lived there, and, as the investigative team proceeded to the top of the hive, the only evidence they found of any activity was the occasional destroyed building, or burned-out husk. Upon finally opening the door to the governor's office at the peak of the spire, they found a scene of such horror and vileness that several members of the team lost their sanity upon just viewing it. The walls dripped red with blood, unidentifiable pieces of gore and bodies littered the surface, and pools of blood moving into constantly changing blasphemous symbols. A former altar hungered for yet more blood and bodies in the centre of it all. Finding no alternative, the spire was destroyed, and the ruins purified with the most potent of the Emperor's blessings. Centuries after the planet was re-inhabited and a new governance enacted, rumors still abound of dark rituals and darker things moving through the rubble of the spire that was.

The Books and Cult of Merrill

The Books of Merrill

Merrill was responsible for two books written in his lifetime. The first, On Humanity, was a philosophical discussion on Humanity's right to the stars. Written during the Great Crusade, it was widely well-received. Many aspirants of various Legions were required to learn its lessons, and it was published in Low and High Gothic throughout the Imperium. It was divided into three parts: Suffering, Mastering, and Absolution.

Suffering dealt with the various setbacks, trials, tribulations, and disasters humanity had faced through the eons. More of an embellished tale of the horrors than a historical account, it was meant to put the reader in a frame of mind for the rest of the book.

Mastering covered how humanity overcame those obstacles, and each time forged itself anew.

Absolution was the truly philosophical part, discussing how necessary the past was in order to create a stronger mankind. "Suffering and Mastering," it states, "Are required for mankind to move forward. Only through evolving beyond our preconceived limitations can we truly come into the state we are now: conquerors of the Galaxy."

When Merrill declared himself for the traitors, many remembrancers toiled to keep the book in circulation, omitting the name of the original author and any references to the fallen angel and his comrades. The effort was dropped, and ultimately banned, when the second book was discovered. Titled On Society, it was far from the philosophical masterpiece of the original. Filled with inane and nonsensical rants, it discussed the need for humanity to tear down society and civilization in order to properly evolve. It argued that civilization was what held humanity back. The chains of oppression should be cast off, and replaced with anarchy and disorder.

Under Lumey's watch, possessing a copy of either book was tantamount to Treason. When the Ecclesiarchy came into power, they were declared Heretical. However, many Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus consider them vital materials to understand the cult.

The Cult of Merrill

The Cult of Merrill is a specialized cult dedicated to Chaos Undivided. Despite the name, members do not actually worship the Daemon Prince Merrill. Instead, they follow the tenets set forth in his books. It is largely believed to be supported and trained by the Iron Rangers as a small preliminary force to gain a foothold on a new planet. The individual cultists are mostly radical naturalists, anarchists, and psychotic individuals who reflect Merrill's ideals of destroying society and civilization. They ultimately believe that society and civilisation are hollow concepts. That power and authority are given by the masses, and seek to reclaim them, replacing all law and order with pure chaos.