Sisyk Alovar
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.
The oldest member of the harakien empire by two centuries, Sisyk Alovar is a decrepit, hunched Eldar with a hooked nose and beady black eyes. In the realm of stellar warfare, he is matched only barely by the genius of the Void King himself. He is unambitious when compared to his peers, long ago learning the virtue of being able to outlast one's problems rather than rising over them. Like his old friend Ralis Sinderion, the old Vulture appreciates subtlety and focuses on the broad stokes of combat and the long game.
At the time of the fall, Alovar served as a commander under Ku'Motsk in the imperial fleet. He had been with the admiral for many years, taking an interest in tutoring him in the art of war, and had seen the boy rise to his position above his own with a quiet pride. Ku'Motsk was grateful to his teacher, and was always sure to give the old man preferential treatment and due deference. Respect was far more important than simple status to Alovar, it lasted far longer and was more substantial. He would rather hold a lesser position for a thousand years than rise to the highest and be cut down by others' ambitions.
After the fall Alovar's skill kept the fleet alive when they were in at their most vulnerable, in the void. With so few ships, the loss of one would cripple Ku'Motsk's forces. He took to a reliance on void-trickery and conservative tactics, and in their decade adrift Alovar had not lost a single ship. The stress of his command was wearing on him and, when the admiral spoke of his plans to move forward, the Vulture nearly collapsed. He went ahead without dissent, he outlasted his entire race and he would survive this foolishness as well.
When the fleet arrived in Uris, Alovar was relieved to find that their new patrons had a sizable armada of their own. He swiftly got to work organizing the numerous inefficiencies that the admiral Otelhar had missed, turning the fleet of Uris into a force to be reckoned with. He was satisfied to work in this capacity, freed from the constraints of survival he could experiment with riskier tactics. The unbound Alovar was inspired, and worked tirelessly at his art.
Content to his role and loyal to his former student, the events that led to Ku'Motsk's rise passed quickly and Alovar barely noticed. When the fleet expanded out into the void, he was thrilled to try out his new tactics against a new foe. His initial strike against the fleet of Waken was exciting to the old Vulture. Utilizing rapid motions in three dimensions to confound his foes, Alovar was successful in drawing their fire upward. As the enemy slowly turned up, they were caught from below and gutted by swift eldar cruisers that ripped into realspace from the webway. Their forces decimated by Alovar's advanced strike, the Wakenians had no recourse against the main force and Ku'Motsk did not lose a single ship.
Following the rise of the empire and the Void King's ascension, Alovar took the Anuk Harai against Sinderion. He was reluctant, but both his prospective opponent and Ku'Motsk convinced him that he deserved to be made captain. Alovar was no combatant, so he challenged Sinderion to stellar war games. The mock-battle went on for weeks, each ploy by one side was met by a plot by the other. Eventually Alovar maneuvered Sinderion's ships into a poor position, there was no retreat but into a massive star. Sinderion conceded, and none has matched the Vulture in his chosen challenge since. The 4th fleet, much like the third, holds an important specialist role within the Empire as masters of the void. Whenever a space campaign is launched, the Vulture is put in command, even the sovereign's fleet follows his orders. Alovar himself rarely leaves his ship, and when he is forced to fight, he does so from a razorwing jetfighter.