Archived: Lotan

Lotan Pyndreic, also known in the time before the Great Sundering as The Leviathan, is the Primarch of the Knight's Azure Traitor Legion. He possessed dark blonde hair and was quite vainglorious, as his entire life was dedicated to the pursuit of martial honour and glory. Today, Lotan, is a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh who is believed to reside on Carlion somewhere within the Eye of Terror.

Unknown to almost everyone, including his own remaining Chaos Space Marines, Lotan never willingly followed the Ruinous Powers, resenting his bodily corruption by Slaanesh. Since the betrayal of Molos at the Battle of Valinkesh his psyche has remained shattered in three. All that is left in his mind is feelings of betrayal, regret for the path he has taken, and was forced to take, and a newfound devotion to Slaanesh, known to him and his forces as their "Lady", for saving him from the daemons gnawing away at his mind and granting him back his home of Carlion.

The arrival of the Emperor to the planet he had become the ruler of, Carlion, saw him pledge fealty to the Master of Mankind after losing to him in an duel of honour. He reformed the X Legion, naming them after the legendary warriors of Carlion, knights who hunted the greatest and most dangerous of prey: leviathans. Where other primarchs saw their legions, even with affection, as instruments of war, Lotan saw them as the next step of humanity; noble warriors to set an example for the rest to follow. The other primarchs often complained of the Knight's inflexibility in battle, and their dogmatic and often dangerous pursuit of honour, but always they begrudgingly respected the efficiency and skill of his warriors.

After the Siege of Terra he was rewarded for his involuntary devotion, from the sacrifice of thousands of space marines, with ascension to become a Daemon Prince of the God of Pleasure. His current location is known both to the Imperiums and the majority of the Heretic Astartes of the Knights Azure Traitor Legion who organise themselves with their master on Carlion and in the Twelve Realms which now dwell within the Warp.

Early Life
During the event that isolated the infant Primarchs from the rest of the Imperium, Lotan was cast to a hospitable, semi-feudal archipelagic World, named Carlion, filled with knightly warriors who hunted the great beasts of both land and sea, of which the mightiest were the Leviathans. Though politically Carlion had regressed to a feudalistic state, technologically it remained advanced enough to hold sway over eleven other planets, which formed the Twelve Realms. Knightly Orders protected the planets from threats both inside and out, and served the will of the monarchy and regional governors.

The Leviathan was discovered in his pod by the Royal Guard of the reigning monarch, Utyr Pyndreic, and adopted by the ageing and childless monarch. Utyr then named the boy Lotan (meaning "Leviathan" in the Carlionic dialect of Low Gothic), as his court mage, Emhreis, has seen visions of a great future for the boy. In a very short time after this, thanks to his rapid ageing, Lotan joined the Knights Azure, the greatest knightly order in the Twelve Realms, and rose to become their Grandmaster. He killed a great many of the world's Great Beasts, including the greatest and oldest Leviathan, Caradbolg, from who he took it's venomous teeth to create his infamous lightning claw, Caladbolg's Ruin, and earned his nickname.

Despite his protests, and Emhreis' advice that Lotan's destiny placed him above such things, Utyr had him married to Gwenhwyvar, a noble lady descended from a cadet branch of the royal line, to establish legitimacy for his right to rule. Utyr passed away not long after, and Lotan ascended to the throne. After crushing several rebellions, and foiling more than a dozen plots, he began preparations to build a mighty fleet and army. As he was about to discover, his instincts and desire to conquer and rule had been planted on purpose.

Arrival of the Emperor


Eventually a unit of the Emperor of Mankind's forwards scouts from the Xth Legion of Space Marines arrived at Carlion and identified the Leviathan as one of the Emperor's missing sons, the Primarchs. Pyndreic was immediately given command of the X Space Marine Legion when the Emperor realised he had not only found one of his lost sons, but the genetic father of the Astartes who had landed on Carlion. He initially refused outright, before being advised by Emhreis that this had all been foreseen. Still holding some misgivings about the stranger he challenged him to a duel. He proved no match for the Emperor, and realised that years of having been unmatched had make him soft. His anger at the shattering of his beloved sword Caliburnus, the heirloom of the Pyndreic line, was overcome by awe at the majesty and power of the stranger. Sensing his vulnerability, the Emperor later presented Dusk and Dawn to the hurt Primarch and humbled by the gift Lotan accepted his responsibility as Commander of the Xthand accepted the lesser title of comes palatinus of his Twelve Realms.

Emhreis and the other members of the Knightly Orders who passed the Legiones Astartes' trials were transformed into Xth Legion warriors, either as fully-fledged Astartes if they were young enough to undergo the implantation of the gene-seed organs, or through genetic manipulation to increase their physical abilities if they were too old for the process, like Emhreis. After the new Astartes were ready, Lotan publicly re-named the Tenth Legion the Knights Azure. Emhreis, too old to be a Space Marine, was the first to be genetically modified and for a time became Lotan's second in command and principal adviser, as he had been during Utyr's and Lotan's reigns. Though he lacked the humanity needed for love, Lotan felt a duty to Gwenhwyvar and asked the Emperor for a final favour. His wife was genetically modified to become one of the immortals, and Lotan gave her the responsibility of governing his Twelve Realms. Lotan then left with the Emperor and the newly re-named Knights Azure to join the fledgling Great Crusade, being only the 4thPrimarch found.

Great Crusade
Lotan was granted command of the 18th Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Crusade, and docked for a time in orbit of Carlion as he steadily recruited members of that world into the ranks of his legion to help mould it into something more fitting his vision. Despite initially coming into conflict with the old Terran captains, Lotan soon saw in them the chivalric nature of his own people, and his new friendship with Molosan Trein, the Terran-born Captain of the First Company helped him mend relations within the legion.

The Knights and their master entered the Great Crusade jubilantly, taking with them a few other Legions who were as of yet not reunited with their primarchs, putting their newfound oaths of brotherhood and chivalric nature to the test in many theatres of war across the galaxy. It was only a few years after his own induction into the Imperium that he came across the planet of Ghór, a planet filled to the brim with psykers delving into forgotten and forbidden arts. Lotan prepared an exterminatus of the world, fearful that those who dwelt upon it might have corrupted the entire planet beyond repair, but was stopped by Emhreis, his Chief Librarius, who warned him that he would be a kinslayer if he did so. Not long after he received a psychic message from the ruler of the world, a man named Belarion, and knew that Emhreis had told the truth.

Belarion felt great joy at meeting Lotan, soon melting away his earlier distrust of him and the planet's occupants, and agreed to cede the planet to the Imperium and take control of the XIIIthLegion. The primarchs remained together for several years as Lotan introduced him to a new scale of combat and diplomacy, before parting ways on friendly terms. For the next century Lotan's Knights would largely undertake a solitary crusade, only occasionally joining other legions upon the Emperor's commands.

The Leviathan and the Herculean
It was not until the Cadian Campaign that Lotan became truly acquainted with Cleophus Crios and his Brave Companions. Before they had only fought together briefly, and in the presence of other legions. Lotan had initially taken a disliking to his brother, finding him too demanding when it came to obedience and because he found some of what his brothers had said of the Herculean to be true.

These feelings dissipated within the first few weeks of their joint campaign. Lotan came to admire Cleophus' passion for the Imperium they were building and noted that though he demanded obedience from his brother, it was not a blind dogmatic slavery he had once thought it was, but a sign of equality, that they would serve each other as best they could; the height of chivalry.

The Companions and Knights began bonding as their primarchs spent more and more time together, discussing war, philosophy, and the merits of the Imperium. It was only on Cadia that they had their first disagreement, with Lotan wishing to exterminate the planet's populace, believing their violet eyes to be the first sign of rampant mutancy, while Cleophus urged restrain and argued that the people were welcoming of the Imperium and should be granted a chance at compliance. Despite bickering for many hours they were unable to come to an agreement until Cleophus suggested that the Knights garrison the world and if compliance proved incorrect then they could exterminate the people of it. Lotan accepted and placed his trusted First Captain, despite his protests, in charge of the garrison for the first five years.

Cleophus and Lotan continued fighting together for two years until near-all of the Cadian Sector had fallen under sway of the Imperium. They planned next to move further through the Segmentum Obscurus together until Cleophus was ordered by the Emperor to aid one of his brothers in Ultima Segmentum. The Legions held one last great feast together, toasting their victories and newfound friendships, before the Companions and their Primarch departed.

Medusan Campaign


It was many years later while campaigning in the Medusan Sector, resting on the newly compliant world of Medusa, that his returning First Captain brought with him dire news. While upon Ullanor the Emperor, who to the keenest eyes seemed wearier than usual, was attacked by an assassin of unknown origin as the parading legions were assailed by the sudden appearance of an Ork armada. The battle raged for only several days, the orks not having realised the futility of attacking so many legions, including whole companies sent by those legions which could not make it, and whole regiments of the Imperial Guard, Knightly Houses and Titan Legions, but by the end of it the Emperor lay grievously wounded and the assassin gone. Unable to speak to any of his sons, only to Malcador, he was taken with haste to Terra and interned within the Golden Throne.

All of the Primarchs gathered had been shaken to their core, as had those in the further reaches of the galaxy when the news hit them. The Emperor had left no successor, though it had been known that he planned to name one of their number Warmaster so that he could retire to Terra and pursue unknown projects. Some of the primarchs rallied around Uriel and Cleophus while others remained hesitant to side with either, desired it for themselves, or preferred that they all stay equals. They all departed Ullanor without agreement, to continue the Great Crusade until perhaps the Emperor recovered enough to decide the issue.

Lotan was relieved by this state of inaction, as it meant that they could continue the Emperor's work unhindered by politics and squabbling. He was horrified to learn that the High Lords of Terra, convened into an official council by Malacador the Sigillite, had named Uriel the Warmaster. Doubt ate away at him as he became conflicted as to whether the Emperor had given his consent via Malcador, or whether the mortals on the council had overstepped their boundaries in interfering in affairs best left to the primarchs. He kept his campaign halted for several more weeks until a message arrived from Cleophus, inviting him to a council at Liakoura. Believing all the primarchs to have been invited, Lotan moved quickly to Cleophus' homeworld with only his 1stcompany, leaving Emhreis to direct -hears news about Ullanor and the Emperor

Great Sundering
It had been commonly joked among the primarchs that the Emperor had been the only thing holding them and the Great Crusade together, so great were their differences in personality and opinion. Yet the internment of the Emperor into the Golden Throne turned what had once been a playful jest into a harsh reality as the superhuman sons of the Emperor began to bicker amongst themselves, forming very real and dangerous camps around two figures: Uriel Februa and Cleophus Crios.

Council of Liakoura
Lotan attended the Council of Liakoura in high expectations, though when he learned of its true intent he sent word for his legion, stationed at Draconith, to assemble at Liakoura. Eight other primarchs were present at the meeting, though Morvin Gallaeia would soon exit after Cleophus revealed his intentions: to imprison Uriel and end his short-lived regency.

Doubt ate away at Lotan as he realised the gravity of the situation, and part of him wished to leave the council as Morvin had. Though he had no love for Uriel or those who stood by him, he had a serious dilemma over the thought of becoming a rebel and traitor to the Imperium. It was only after talking with his Knights Exemplar that he became convinced that it was a necessary evil.

He swore his fealty to Cleophus for the future campaign, reading every point of Cleophus' Theses. Privately he pulled Cleophus aside to relay his fears, though later wished he hadn't as he could barely recognise his brother in light of his zeal and new role. Reluctantly he put his name to the Theses, and prepared his legion for the coming storm.

Necromunda
The Knights Azure played only a background role in the taking of Necromunda. They had only recently arrived from Draconith and as such were not as prepared as the other legions. Lotan also knew that Cleophus did not trust him as much as he once used to, his visible unhappiness with the state of affairs creating tension between the two. In contrast his First Captain had been very eager to pursue war, and Lotan could not help but notice the growing influence the man had over Cleophus as he urged the Herculean not to head straight for Terra but instead to use Uriel's nature to draw him and his forces out into an open war. Cleophus listened to him, and Lotan volunteered to take the Uhulis Sector, containing Krieg and many forge worlds, in part to separate him from the other rebels but also because he distrusted leaving his First Captain with Cleophus.

Uhulis Campaign
The battle for Uhulis began well, the Knights Azure were able to take most of the sector in a lightning campaign. Lotan was eager to secure a base for himself to expand from, into the nearby sectors, in secret to establish himself as a power-broker and hopefully end the civil war.

After half a year Uriel's response arrived, the Furies led by Pluton Dirae arrived in the system and announced themselves by crushing several garrisons in the west caught unaware. Lotan abandoned his siege of Krieg in order to combat Pluton, and for the next half-year they would wage an all out war for the Uhulis Sector.

Upon hearing that another legion planned to reinforce Pluton, and being informed that no help was available, Lotan gambled and decided to break Krieg to secure his flank, a vulnerability the Hound of Hades had been keenly taking advantage of. The world's governor was stubborn and refused to give in, allowing Pluton to arrive with his forces. Lotan battled him but was unable to match his brother's speed or ferocity, being badly wounded and forced to retreat from the battlefield. The Uhulis Sector was soon lost as the Knights Azure were forced to retreat, leaving Necroumunda open and vulnerable.

Legion of Serpents
The Leviathan had been badly mauled by his brother, with many of his Knight-Commanders fearing that he would never recover. The First Captain convened them in secret and informed them that he had discovered a ritual in which the Lady of the Stars, the old Goddess once worshipped upon Carlion before the Imperial Truth descended, could heal their fallen Primarch. Some, such as Cai Medraut and Emhreis, were wary of such a ritual and warned against it, though most of the commanders had either secretly fallen to Chaos through Molosan Trein's secretive lodge, or were desperate to see Lotan healed.

Stopping those few commanders who he felt lacked resolve from attending the meeting, Molosan and the others began the dark seance which saw strange creatures emerge into the ship and attack at random. One of the knight-commanders, Gauvain, was himself possessed though for a time he did not know it. As Lotan had resisted Molosan's invitations to join the lodge, and had reacted poorly to any talk of the Lady or any sort of superstitions, he had judged it necessary to betray his once closest friend and have him possessed by not just one, but five Daemons.

Yet the ritual did not go as planned, for Emhreis, a potent psyker though non-practicing after the Edict of Nikaea, had gathered other loyalist former librarians and attempted to stop it. He unknowingly did have two effects, first he weakened the Daemons greatly and forced them to bury themselves deep, but secondly he also fractured Lotan's mind, his subconscious anger at such a betrayal finding its way into his sword Dawn, and his will finding its way to Cai Medraut.

Lotan awakened, though he was not the same man he had been on Krieg. His eyes shone an eerie blue, his smile lacked the warmth it was known for and he had trouble remembering the names of even those closest to him. He was still in control, but he felt a presence battling him, whispering to him, and sometimes it made him act on impulses which led to great regret later. Yet he was well enough to mend the disputes between his commanders, and admonished those who took part in the ritual for such superstitious nonsense, for his healing was to do with being of the Emperor's design, not some discarded goddess of old.

Battle of Paragon
After several years of fighting to keep the Necromunda Sector safe, having been relegated to defence after his and his Legion's failure in Uhulis, word came that Uriel had planned a great attack on Paragon with the intent of taking and destroying Liakoura next; revenge for Aria.

Lotan, who by this point was having trouble telling the various voices apart from his own, almost felt tempted to allow Uriel the satisfaction of destroying Cleophus' home. He could not explain why he relished the thought of the Herculean's pain at hearing the news, but he overcame it and decided upon a full defence at Paragon.

He committed his entire Legion against two of Uriel's, though he had the advantage of several months preparations and fortifications. Even still the fight did not prove to be to his advantage until Cleophus and several other legions suddenly appeared to reinforce him. The battle was won, but Lotan could only see his own failure and grew angry at the praise Cleophus was getting, which he felt should have been his and his legion's. The voices in his head grew restless as well, urging on such thoughts and warning him that there were those in his midst who would betray him.

Hurt and betrayed he talked to no-one but his First Captain, confiding in him how weary and angry he felt. Molosan told him what he wanted to hear: that the victory should have been his, that they had been mistaken in joining Cleophus, that Lotan would make a better Imperial Regent than either him or Uriel. Molosan informed him that he had a plan, one which would require a great deal of sacrifice but would strengthen the Imperium.

Battle of Valinkesh
Lotan had agreed to Molosan's plan, one which would cripple Uriel and Cleophus' legions and force them to come to terms and end the war. Molos, as he now preferred to be known, had told him that they had wide support throughout the legions, and that five of his other primarchs would join them in setting it up. Cleophus had already been convinced that Valinkesh was where Uriel would meet his doom, and Uriel had been told the same of his rival.

The Steel Men, who had remained neutral throughout, had unexpectedly declared for Cleophus and had constructed great fortifications across the planet, while the Emperor's Choir had also unexpectedly declared for Uriel. The planet was close to Terra, Cleophus had been told that Uriel would break his forces there, while Uriel had been warned that it was a staging for a final all-out assault on Terra and that he should break Cleophus there.

The rebels arrived a week ahead, manning every fortification and arranging their fleet as designed jointly by Cleophus and Molos. The plan was sound, and though Cleophus was wary of just why Molos was so confident, his fears were abated when Molos informed him that some of Uriel's primarchs were to become turncoat, having become fearful and angered at his misrule. Uriel of course was informed of the same.

Their forces arrived, nearly every legion bar the Furies left on Terra and the Hospitallers left on Necromunda. On Cleophus' side the Knights Azure, Steel Men and Serpents of Ghor, along with certain units of each legion, remained in orbit, ready to deep strike, and on the Urielan side the Star Jackals, the Emperor's Choir and the Nova Legion, along with certain units of each legion, were to form the second wave. Battle raged on the planet below as the full might of the Imperium clashed in a titanic struggle.

Betrayal


It did not take long for Uriel and Cleophus to realise that they had been betrayed. The battle had seemingly been designed for maximum casualties and all communication with the fleet above had been disabled. What little came through were warnings, and both primarchs took them seriously. Both sides took cover where they could as the planet was savagely bombed by everything the fleets had at their disposal, including the dreaded life-eater virus, and when the firestorm ended and the armies began emerging it became apparent that entire legions had been crippled, Titans demolished, army regiments wiped from the galaxy forever. Many of the fortifications built to protect them had fallen apart during the bombing, or been rigged with explosives.

Communication was finally established with the remnants of the fleet, their suspicions were confirmed when they learned that most of those legions and units held in reserve had betrayed them. Thankfully the traitors had misjudged the loyalty of some, which allowed for the messages warning those below to seek shelter. One of those had been Lotan, who upon seeing the life-eater bombs being loaded realised the full extent of Molos' plans and convinced Emhreis and the other loyalists to take control of part of the fleet and stop the traitors. His ploy hadn't fully worked, and he was now trapped upon the Glory of Carlion as it, and the other traitorous forces, hurtled towards Terra.

Having watched such horrors while locked in his sanctum, Lotan gradually lost the will to battle the voices which now clawed at his sanity. Realising that he was a traitor twice-through, he penned his remaining thoughts, a quick memoir detailing events as he had seen them, and left the pad in the personal quarters of his ship. Resigning himself to his new fate, he surrendered to the Daemons and his darkest thoughts and emotions.

Siege of Terra


He faced Pluton Dirae in combat again, this time succeeding in wounding his nemesis thanks to his Chaos-enhanced powers, though he was unable to return every wound he had gained on Krieg. The arrival of the Loyalists saw him battle with the fearsome Primarch of the Marauders Legion, though neither of them were able to overcome the other.

Bulvath had almost breached the palace when the call to retreat came, for Molos had been badly wounded and his fail-safe had been activated. A mighty rift opened above Terra and threatened to consume it. Lotan and Bulvath and their daemons remained behind as their warriors fled, continuing to kill and rampage, until the Loyalist forces descended fully. Cleophus and Uriel were forced to gaze upon the despicable forms of their former brothers as they were swept into the safety of the Warp by their new masters.

The Twelve Realms
Time in the Warp is a strange thing, and Lotan noticed that several months had passed since the moment he was pulled to his master's side. Seeing the perilous beauty of Slaanesh and her world only further weakened his resolve: truly this was the Lady Molos had spoken about. She then took him to a place he thought he would never see again: Carlion. His home planet was even more beautiful than he remembered, and the remaining people rejoiced as they saw their Palatine return. His Legion saluted him, and his Countess embraced him, having had her own spirit broken by Molos and accepting their Lady into her heart.

Broken by the betrayal, and his mind divided into three, Lotan found that he had no will or wish to resist. He had made a mistake, but this was his path now and the Imperium was his enemy. In return for Slaanesh expelling the daemons from his mind and ascending him to Daemonhood, he damned himself to her service. He did not truly wish to surrender, but he was broken and weary, all his will and anger had been dispersed, working to influence Medraut and those who wield the sword Dawn, to destroy his traitorous sons and set him free.

His form is reminiscent of his forgotten splendour, though twice as large as his mortal self, the words of his new and sickening Code of Our Lady flitting around his armour, chased by animated serpents coiling around. When taking to battle he uses a weapon granted to him by Slaanesh herself, a vile Daemon sword the mockery of his once grand Caliburnus, named Excalibur.

Dawn
The blade once wielded by Lotan was forged from the shards of Caliburnus by the Emperor himself, and was the sister blade of Dusk. It featured the same serpentine design that came to characterise the XthPrimarch, and was varying shades of silver. While it's sister was shattered during the Siege of Terra, Dawn was lost far before that during the Uhulis Campaign, having become imbued with part of Lotan's mind and cast into the warp. The blade now appears to those it deems worthy, though few wielders can survive the burning intensity of the blade's hatred for too long and always cast it back into the warp once their need for it is gone.

Caladbolg's Ruin
A strange fusion of alien technology, the teeth of a long-dead Leviathan and a lightning claw. Caladbolg's Ruin was the favoured weapon of the Palatine, for the teeth, sharp as the day they were plucked from the corpse of Caladbolg, possess a venom deadly enough to kill a man outright and paralyse even the hardiest of Space Marines. Stolen from him during the Battle of Valinkesh by his former friend and First Captain Molos, Lotan has been unable to reclaim it since.

Excalibur
The blade now wielded by Lotan is a foul Daemon Sword, the five Daemons which once plagued his mind placed by Slaanesh into the blade to empower it. It greatly resembles Caliburnus, but is only a dark mockery of the splendour of that blade. Those who face the blade feel great fear, as the red eyes upon the serpentine hilt seemingly watch their every move with anticipation.

Armour
As with most primarchs, Lotan wore artificer armour, crafted for him on Mars by some of the greatest smiths in the Imperium. He does not wear the colours of his legion, instead preferring a scheme of white and gold, which was soon extended to the 1st Commandery for their excellence in battle, and an azure hood and cape. His first armour, seen on the right, was later replaced during the last years of the Great Crusade, replaced by a newer serpentine pattern which he still wears to this day.