His blood-stained bare chest still heaving, Maelderon stood victorious over the piled bodies of friend and foe alike. His great broad sword, Deathbringer, still dark with gore, reflected the many fires of battle. A giant of a man, Maelderon surveyed the scene, the place where he had led his tribe to victory and avenged the death of his people at the hands of a rival tribe. The corpses were too many to count. He felt himself flushed with power, oblivious to his own wounds. His heart pounded in his chest and his soul burned with great intensity. The visions he had been having had all come true; even now, he was almost in a dreamlike state. The strength within him was heightened by these waking dreams – of an all-powerful Blood God upon his throne of skulls; of immortal warriors who crushed all in their path in the Blood God’s name. It was this vision which inspired him – no, drove him. With every fiber of his being he strove to better himself, to seek glory – to bring death. When the rival tribe attacked Maelderon’s village and killed his women and children, the barbarian leader’s single ambition was to destroy every last man, woman, and child in the enemy encampment. As Deathbringer claimed skull after skull for the Blood God, Maelderon could hear the howls of satisfaction in his mind…his eyes burned with wicked fury, and he became a force no man could stop. That is, until none were left living.
With no tribesmen or enemies left, Maelderon sat upon a pile of bodies to contemplate his next move, but he did not have to wait long. From the fire and smoke of the battle, a vision emerged. Three great warriors, clad in blued steel, their armour hung with skulls and blades, emerged from the darkness, eyes glowing in the night. These were the warriors from Maelderon’s visions, the ones who had been watching him from afar. Their leader removed his great horned helmet and looked upon Maelderon, his own face scarred and burned from a thousand battles. When the strange warrior’s lips finally parted, an unearthly voice emanated from within. Maelderon was granted a one-time offer to accompany these death knights; promised a chance for power and glory beyond all comprehension – even a chance at immortality. Without Pause, Maelderon stood, bringing only Deathbringer with him as he left to begin the trials on the Chaos Battlecruiser Bringer of Pain.
Already a great warrior on his home planet, after he had completed the trials, Maelderon became a god among men. He endured countless procedures to enhance his abilities, slowly destroying his humanity and replacing it with something altogether different. His eyes and several organs were removed, replaced with superior, genetically and bionically enhanced devices. His blood was transfused with an artificial, high oxygen mix with microscopic organisms designed to enhance regenerative properties. His immune system was enhanced, as well as all of his senses. Maelderon could now see as well as a bird of prey, even at night, and had hearing and olfactory senses superior to any mortal man. His muscular and skeletal system was enhanced as well; another bio-genetic marvel which laced his bones with molybedenium and gave him superhuman strength. And finally, in a procedure that would kill nearly any man, he was bonded to the black carapace, a microscopically thin full body suit that attaches permanently to the skin and allows for seamless integration to space marine power armour. When this happened, Maelderon the man died and Maelderon Bloodspiller, Chaos Space Marine was born. A perfect warrior. A bringer of death.
For six months, Maelderon endured a punishing cycle of enhancements and training, learning the ways of the Chaos Marines; their structure and weapons; their strategy and tactics. Finally, the day came when Maelderon was summoned before the Lord of the Chaos Marines, and commander of Bringer of Pain – Ferrus Khane. Even seated upon his great throne, it was clear that Khane was some 12 feet tall and something more than man and machine. His great two-handed blade writhed with the silent, tormented faces of the thousands of souls Khane had slain over the millennia. It was not clear where the great Lord’s Terminator armour ended and where he began, as the two seemed fused in some twisted way, tendrils of energy crackling from every rivet, chain, and spike. Khane did not speak, for he no longer had a mouth. His twisted, misshapen face was devoid of emotion, but his eyes…those eyes stared deeply in Maelderon’s…into what remained of his soul. The aspiring Chaos Champion could hear his Lord’s words in his mind…the feeling as if a thousand burning blades had been thrust into his skull. Maelderon fell to his knees, hearing his master’s orders. Finally released to carry out his mission, Maelderon left the Lord’s chambers, his eyes, ears and nose bleeding as his head throbbed. But mighty Maelderon grinned widely, his blood-stained teeth glimmering as he strode with confidence into the battle hall. He had gained Khane’s favor, and was giving his first chance at command. Bringer of Pain was headed to a nearby planet, and Maelderon was being sent to investigate. The time for glory was finally upon him.
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