Who Is ollanius pius

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**Singularity678**

Who is ollanius pius to you in the warhammer 40k universe,To me he was an imperial guardsmen,but to others he was not due to game workshops

-ry

**Nevelon**

Part of his core identity was being just an average guy, standing up to a god. I’ve only read a few of the HH books, but am not happy with what I’ve seen in regards to him.

**Roadkill Zombie**

He was a good man, working for an evil tyrant, that believed the evil tyrant was a good guy, and sacrificed his life fighting a daemon possessed man because he thought it was the right thing to do.

**Sire122**

To me, he was what I envisioned the IG represent. An average human, in a world of horrors we can only imagine (and move around on a table) He put himself in front of a demi-god. He knew he wouldn't survive. He was scared. But he fought on anyway. He held the line. #grimdark

**Otto Weston**

Sire122 wrote:
To me, he was what I envisioned the IG represent. An average human, facing up to a demi-god. He knew he wouldn't survive. He was scared. But he fought on anyway. He held the line. #grimdark

Seconded.

In my head canon, he was a normal man.
I believe this sums up Ollanius Pius perfectly -

He's spent months fighting a grueling war in which his enemies are demigods allied with daemons, and now he's found himself in the closest thing to Hell he's ever known. He probably wasn't even supposed to get teleported up to the arch-traitor's battle barge in the first place, and just ended up in the wrong place at the worst possible time.

Somehow he's survived horrors beyond comprehension to make his way to the very bridge of Horus' flagship. He saw a veritable angel call upon Horus to answer for his crimes, and he saw that angel die as messily as any guardsman. His Emperor - who he fervently believes is a god incarnate, even if he's not supposed to - lies mortally wounded, and Horus, perhaps, has taken a moment to gloat before he strikes the killing blow.

His armor is slightly more effective than tissue paper, his weapon slightly more powerful than a flashlight. A single electrified claw from Horus' weapon is bigger than his entire body. He stands before a being infused by the dark gods' with incalculable power, that can and will obliterate his soul with no more effort than it would take him to swat a gnat. Nothing he can do could possibly make a difference.

He could run. He could turn his weapon on himself. He could give in to the insidious whispers that echo from the ship's corridors into his mind.

Ollanius Pius does the duty his Emperor requires of him. He dies standing and holds the fething line.

Spoiler:

Imagine standing up to Horus.

**Kanluwen**

Singularity678 wrote:
Who is ollanius pius to you in the warhammer 40k universe,To me he was an imperial guardsmen,but to others he was not due to game workshops -ry

That's part of the issue with exploring a time of "myth and legends" like the Horus Heresy.

Him being an Immortal doesn't change what he did, in terms of the symbolism involved.
To most everyone who knew him? He was just a soldier, a mortal man thrown into an impossible situation.

**NoiseMarine with Tinnitus**

Even a perpetual would have brown pants facing Horus at the zenith of his power. Ollanius possessed balls made of adamantium.

**Engine of War**

He was the most badass guardsmen to ever live. He is what every guardsmen aspires to be.

He stood before a raging 12 foot tall, armored, Chaos Powered Demi-God that could (and did) kill him with nothing but a single thought.

He showed no fear, he did his duty, he died standing.

His sheer awesomeness was so envied by those around him that a custodies and a terminator tried to do what he did (and attempt to rewrite the history books).

But we know what he did, what he was. He was a Guardsmen. A Soldier.

**Col. Dash**

If I remember right, he was a guardsman who was part of the rushed group(Emp grabbed pretty much anyone who could carry a gun inside of close proximity) that teleported up to Horus's barge to fight. He jumped in the way when Horus tried a lethal blow on the Emperor and gave the Emperor a few seconds to gather himself to do a counter lethal blow to Horus.

The Guard revere him as one of their greatest heroes and there is a picture somewhere of the 8th Necromundan Spiders marching into battle carrying a flag depicting Ollanius's head and face.

**Cptskillet**

To me he is the greatest a human being can be in a grimdark setting. He did everything that was expected of a soldier.

**Nevelon**

Col. Dash wrote:
If I remember right, he was a guardsman who was part of the rushed group(Emp grabbed pretty much anyone who could carry a gun inside of close proximity) that teleported up to Horus's barge to fight. He jumped in the way when Horus tried a lethal blow on the Emperor and gave the Emperor a few seconds to gather himself to do a counter lethal blow to Horus.

The Guard revere him as one of their greatest heroes and there is a picture somewhere of the 8th Necromundan Spiders marching into battle carrying a flag depicting Ollanius's head and face.

There are photocopy and use banners featuring him in the old RT compendium. My poor rendition.

(don’t laugh, that paintjob is probably older then you are)

**Zewrath**

Didn't he get retconned though? I'm pretty sure I remember someone telling me that and even got quite upset as he talked about the subject.

**the_Armyman**

Otto Weston wrote:

I believe this sums up Ollanius Pius perfectly -

He's spent months fighting a grueling war in which his enemies are demigods allied with daemons, and now he's found himself in the closest thing to Hell he's ever known. He probably wasn't even supposed to get teleported up to the arch-traitor's battle barge in the first place, and just ended up in the wrong place at the worst possible time.

Somehow he's survived horrors beyond comprehension to make his way to the very bridge of Horus' flagship. He saw a veritable angel call upon Horus to answer for his crimes, and he saw that angel die as messily as any guardsman. His Emperor - who he fervently believes is a god incarnate, even if he's not supposed to - lies mortally wounded, and Horus, perhaps, has taken a moment to gloat before he strikes the killing blow.

His armor is slightly more effective than tissue paper, his weapon slightly more powerful than a flashlight. A single electrified claw from Horus' weapon is bigger than his entire body. He stands before a being infused by the dark gods' with incalculable power, that can and will obliterate his soul with no more effort than it would take him to swat a gnat. Nothing he can do could possibly make a difference.

He could run. He could turn his weapon on himself. He could give in to the insidious whispers that echo from the ship's corridors into his mind.

Ollanius Pius does the duty his Emperor requires of him. He dies standing and holds the fething line.

This is why I play Imperial Guard. Hold the fething line.

**Engine of War**

Too each of us falls a task. All that the Emperor asks of us is that we hold the line and die fighting.

It is what we do best. We Die standing....

And he did....

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Zewrath wrote:
Didn't he get retconned though? I'm pretty sure I remember someone telling me that and even got quite upset as he talked about the subject.

No what occurred according to the Emperor himself is that Ollanius stood up to Horus like the absolute badass he was and when he died holding the line, a Custodes and a Terminator both got really jealous so they jumped in the way of Horus to prevent being shown up by a regular Badass (guardsmen). Some stories tell of the Custodes, others of the Terminator. But the Emperor himself witnessed the badassery of Ollanius and knows the truth. Like we all do.

**Col. Dash**

Its not older than I am Nevelon, I remember when the artwork was new

**Ashiraya**

He is the one IG character I really really like. (HH Pius doesn't exist)

**CalgarsPimpHand**

Ashiraya wrote:
(HH Pius doesn't exist)

To be totally frank, the whole HH series shouldn't exist. Everything about it was cooler when it was told through scattered snippets of half-forgotten and sometimes conflicting myths. Now we have an endless churn of poorly written sci fi dreck, where the closer you look, the stupider everything becomes and the less sense it makes.

**Ashiraya**

CalgarsPimpHand wrote:
Ashiraya wrote:
(HH Pius doesn't exist)

To be totally frank, the whole HH series shouldn't exist. Everything about it was cooler when it was told through scattered snippets of half-forgotten and sometimes conflicting myths. Now we have an endless churn of poorly written sci fi dreck, where the closer you look, the stupider everything becomes and the less sense it makes.

I don't think that's entirely fair. I've liked some of the HH books, and without them we would not have the 30k game, the Primarch models, and many other things I'd really rather keep, thank you.

That said, it has plenty of flaws as a series.

**Kanluwen**

CalgarsPimpHand wrote:
Ashiraya wrote:
(HH Pius doesn't exist)

To be totally frank, the whole HH series shouldn't exist. Everything about it was cooler when it was told through scattered snippets of half-forgotten and sometimes conflicting myths. Now we have an endless churn of poorly written sci fi dreck, where the closer you look, the stupider everything becomes and the less sense it makes.

Which goes again to what I said:

Myths and legends, when one starts searching for the "truth", tend to be pretty disappointing when you get there.

**Ashiraya**

In the same way, scary things are always scarier when you don't know anything about them.

**jhe90**

In a war of Demi gods, Gods, Legions, Warships capable to leveling entire planets, one baseline regular joe human was a pivotal;l moment that changed everything

its kinda cool.

**Ascalam**

To me, he was a goddamned badass with brass balls that drug on the ground.

I'm not even an imperial player, barring a few skitarrii, and hate most of the imperial fluff. The moment it too damned EPIC to not love though, and is far more so when he's just a guardsman rather than the various retcons GW has tried.