Arelex Orannis

Arelex Orannis
Title/Honours	Supreme Lord of Atalantos, High Commander of the Galactic Core March
Discovered (world)	Space Hulk Palaestram Matyas
Discovered (period)	c.806.M30
Legion	Second
Great Crusade Command	4th Expedition Fleet
Heraldry/Sigil
Unique Weapon	Lux Universalis
Distinguishing Traits	Innate technological skills, calculated aggression
Flaws	Clannish attitude
Dominion	The Atalantos Worlds

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.

By way of conclusion, I should note that writing this text has been tremendously more difficult than the previous "Lives". In each case prior to this, I had the benefit of Arelex's brilliant recall, insightful criticism and careful editing. The loss has been far more devastating than I could have anticipated.

While I am not privy to the full workings of our administration, I have little doubt that Arelex's passing has been just as troubling to their work as it has been to mine.

(Excerpt from Arelex Orannis: as he was, by Gaspard Lumey)

Arelex Orannis was one of the godlike Primarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind and scattered throughout the Galaxy by the Ruinous Powers. After he was rediscovered, he led the War Scribes and played an important role in directing the campaigns of the Legiones Astartes as a whole. Though he had a few close friends and was cool to mere acquaintances, the Primarch's example is held up to the soldiers and citizens of the Imperium as a model of diligent service. Along with his military victories, Arelex Orannis is particularly well-remembered for his work in reforming the Imperium after the Hektor Heresy.

Personality

The Primarch of the Second Legion was known to outsiders as stern, aloof and secretive. His men and few friends outside the Legion knew a warmer figure, patient, generous, and highly-protective of his loved ones. Whether due to his innate temperament, or the brutal conditions of life aboard the Space Hulk Palaestram Matyas, Arelex Orannis was slow to trust, even slower to form friendships, but extraordinarily loyal to those whom he named "friend". Those few who he called "brother" knew that there was almost anything they could ask of the Primarch - though Hektor Cincinnatus would discover to his cost that Arelex held his father in even higher esteem.

Indeed, none of the other Primarchs felt such a close attachment to the Emperor of Mankind. Arelex's speeches to his Legion are replete with heartfelt appeals to the War Scribes to make every sacrifice possible for their master. The loss of his gene-sons for the Emperor's Great Crusade chafed, no doubt, at the Primarch's conscience, and he ordered the construction of many monuments to the fallen on the legendary planets of the Atalantos Worlds. First among these, of course, is the spectacular Gift of the Emperor on Keilos. This magnificent Hive City stands as a tribute to the Emperor's sacrifice at the Siege of Terra. For a hundred centuries its teeming millions have dedicated themselves to the praise of humanity's fallen lord.

Those outside the Primarch's close circles of loyalty received little regard. A few fragmentary records from the Great Crusade point to Arelex Orannis ordering his men to preempt the actions of other Legions for the sake of acquiring a piece of ancient technology or lost data. Such finds were only released to the Mechanicum when absolutely necessary, and Arelex was not above using his position as the "son of the Omnissiah" to get his way with Fabricator-General Kalkas Tygian. Such high-handedness, and the War Scribes' bitter break with the Mechanicum after the battle of Dieseleum, would not be without its cost.

Appearance

Arelex is a bald, hulking mass of scar tissue, shallow gouges from long-healed projectile wounds, and burn marks from both Warp energies and sparking electricity and plasma. Growing up inside the nightmarish tangle of metal and energy that is a Space Hulk left indelible marks even on the body of a Primarch. They are signs of a lifetime spent delving into dangerous places in search of relics and lore with which to protect his tribe, and the price that must be paid when attempting to reverse the decay of millennia. They are also the unmistakable marks of a man who has struggled with nameless mutant horrors with nothing more than fist, foot, and fury.

The right side of his jaw and cheek has much of the flesh replaced with bionics, a grim but treasured reminder of his second year spent among his Legion, hunting and being hunted, challenging them to reach new heights, and their final achievement in bringing their Gene-sire down at last.

Shorter in stature than most Primarchs, he stands only a few inches taller than the average Space Marine, though quite a bit broader at the shoulder and extremely muscular. His compact frame served him well crawling through the maze in which he grew to manhood, and his endurance is truly inhuman. Large hands and a short, thick neck give him something of a wrestler's look, and to fall into a grapple with Arelex is to court death.

Though his body is scarred, ravaged, and frightening, the Primarch's pale green eyes are oddly kind, a reminder of the gentler man he might have been had his pod not been spirited away.

Wargear

Arelex's armor is well equipped for almost any need. Crafted by the finest Martian savants, it is a masterpiece of form and function. A multitude of useful tools are cleverly miniaturized and concealed beneath thick armor plates. Inside the expanded power pack lurks a powerful force-field of arcane design liberated from the Space Hulk where Arelex grew up. Enormous thrusters jut from the armor's shoulders, capable of lifting even a Primarch aloft. If needed, Arelex can remain airborne for considerable time, useful for both land and space operations. Finally, a complex array of sensors and communications arrays fill the helmet and run underneath each armor plate, using the entire suit as a resonator antenna to speak with troops on the ground and in orbit. With the advanced HUD systems, Arelex can maintain near-total battlefield awareness at all times.

Upon the helmet is a small silver plate reading Dominus Legio, "Master of the Legion".

Arelex's preferred weaponry is at first glance unassuming, appearing little more than a fancy las-rifle. It is obviously well constructed, and designed with a nearly imperviously rugged, utilitarian outer casing. Many firearms are larger, and many are more potent. This particular rifle is a tricky piece of equipment, however. With a simple mental signal from the wielder, the gun alters the energy it emits. At need, Arelex's rifle can produce energies analogous to Melta, Las, Plasma, Volkite, Gauss, and other, still more esoteric wavelengths. Though no more potent than a well-crafted version of each individual firearm, combining all of them into one tool is marvelously useful.

Arelex made the simple addition of a Power Bayonet for close quarters combat himself, and named the gun Lux Universalis, "Universal Light".

A fan's attempt at rules

	PTS	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Arelex Oranis:	390	6	8	6	6	6	6	5	10	2+/4++

Unit type: Independent Character, Jump Infantry, Flying Monstrous Creature*.

Wargear: Archeotech Pistol, Lux Universalis, Utilitae Plate, Neural Data Suite.

Special Rules: Acute Senses, Adamantium Will, Bulky, Crusader, Deep Strike, Enhanced Awareness, Eternal Warrior, Fear, Fearless, Fleet, Hit and Run, Independent Character, It Will Not Die, Night Vision, Master of the Legion, Perfect Coordination.

Lux Universalis- The famous rifle of the second Primarch. Lux universalis is one of the most complex weapons ever created, an archeotech rifle that fires a wide array of different energies. When shooting, choose one of the profiles listed below. In assault, use the melee profile.

	S	AP	Range
Melee	U	2	-	Shred, Specialist Weapon
Las	3	-	24'	Assault 15, Shred
Gauss	S4	AP5	30'	Assault 6, Gauss
Volkite	S5	AP4	36'	Assault 5, Deflagrate
Plasma	7	2	30'	Assault 4, Blast
Melta	8	1	24'	Assault 3, Melta
Mass Driver	10	1	72'	Heavy 1, Lance, Large Blast, One Use

Utilitae Plate- Mastercrafted armor from the forges of Mars, with a few extras added at the Primarch's request. In addition to adding a 2+ 4++, it counts as having a Nuncio Vox, Arelex inflicts D3 hammer of wrath instead of 1, and he and his unit do not scatter when deepstriking. Additionally, the thrusters in his backpack allow him to function as Jump Infantry or if he chooses, to fly as a flying monstrous creature, with all the movement rules that implies.

Neural Data Suite- Arelex's custom made sensory data suite and HUD, constantly streams battlefield data and tactical information. It counts as a Cognis Signum, and provides the following benefits: A rerollable 5+ to seize the initiative, you may begin rolling reserves on turn 1, and all deep striking units in his army halve their scatter distance.

Enhanced Awareness- Arelex's many years in the space hulk trained his awareness and instincts to an incredible level, even beyond that of his brothers. Any ranged attack made by Arelex has the Ignores Cover special rule. Arelex is also immune to Blind and Concussive, and gains the Acute Senses and Night Vision special rules.

Perfect Coordination- Arelex grants any elite slot unit with Legiones Astartes: War Scribes Outflank and Deep Strike, so long as they are infantry and have no dedicated transport.

Arelex is... Weird. There's really no comparison for him in any other character in the game, though he kind of plays like a mix of Asurmen and Bharroth. Kind of. He's obviously intended to jump or fly around the battlefield, using his insane firepower to blast the crap out of anything that gets in front of him. He'll be a pain to fliers, what with taking his Melta and Gauss into the air, he can mulch Guardsmen and minor demons with his Volkite and Las functions, and Tanks and Lords of War with his Melta and S10 AP1 Lance, Large Blast, "Fuck your general area" single-shot mass driver. He can threaten literally anything, is hard to catch and almost impossible to pin down, and offers some fun army bonuses. On the other hand, he's not great at fighting any one thing. In melee, he's the weakest Primarch in the game, /tg/ or canon, and he's unlikely to earn back his point cost across the game purely on damage like other Primarchs will (unless you get lucky and pop a Spartan or a group of Snowflake Terminators with his mass driver), but with his insane mobility and his respectable versatility and his army buffs he's still quite useful. Add to that his very low point cost (for a Primarch), and he's actually one of the more practical choices for a Primarch, especially in a 2000 point game or smaller.