Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

In Valedor, Biel-Tan's Avatar of Khaine gets left behind while the rest of the eldar retreat. The autarch is beating himself up about letting the avatar get wrecked like that.

They come back a week later and find that the Avatar has just spent the entire week continuing to wander around kicking every butt he can find.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
There’s an old, old bit of fluff I think can be found in the old Epic Space Marine Battles Compendium book, about an embittered Thousand Son reminiscing about his life during and before the Heresy, during a battle report.

It’s one I’ll need to dig out.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Karlsen was his name, and apparently it’s in, or also in, the 2nd Ed Wargear book.

The story itself isn’t especially action packed, but it was probably the first bit of fluff I read where the nominal baddie was the narrator. And it’s kind of bittersweet, hints of regret amongst the self justification.

That is a very old story, from back when the Thousand Sons were still heavily mutated but otherwise "normal" Chaos Space Marines. It was from before the 2nd Edition Chaos Codex and the invention of the Rubric Marines IRL.

A little girl manages to outsmart a Lord of Change, confounding both the daemon and Tzeentch himself.

Brother Ranulf holds a pass against an Ork Waagh in a last stand and wreaks such havoc that the Orks build him a shrine and start to worship him as a an avatar of Gork (or possibly Mork).

Also Wulfrik the Slayer kicking so much Khorne Berzerker ass that they retreat and salute him while leaving.

Nork Deddog killing a Warboss with a single headbutt.

Just about anything with Commissar Yarrick.

And he was only human.

Emperor's Gift: The Ragged Brotherhood (108 Grey Knight Terminators) barely defeating Daemon Primarch Angron and his 12 Bloodthirster lieutenants; along with Hyperion breaking Angron's blade in that same fight.

Mortal Guardsman Ollianus Pius confronting and renouncing Hours to protect the Emperor.

Sanguinus Defending the Eternity gate.

Whilst Imperial forces retreat Sanguinus holds the gate against uncountable foes.
He takes on Kabanda, greater Bloodthirster of khorne and smites him down.
Injured and Bloody he is assaulted by his mad Daemon brother Angron, after a knock down slug fest he is impaled on Angrons black blade but still manages to rip the nails out of his brothers head and banish him.
Bleeding out he then has to take down two warhound titans that are holding open the gates so the fortress can finally be secured.

Machs wrote:
Mortal Guardsman Ollianus Pius confronting and renouncing Hours to protect the Emperor.

Unfortunately the Horus Heresy book series cheapened this moment by making him immortal Ollanius Pius who had lived for thousands of years. I think Horus juiced up on Warp energy is one of the few things that could kill Pius.

Ciaphus Cain's duel with a Warboss whereby he somehow jams his pistol into the boss' lone eye and empties the clip into his brain.

 Haighus wrote:

Machs wrote:
Mortal Guardsman Ollianus Pius confronting and renouncing Hours to protect the Emperor.

Unfortunately the Horus Heresy book series cheapened this moment by making him immortal Ollanius Pius who had lived for thousands of years. I think Horus juiced up on Warp energy is one of the few things that could kill Pius.

What do you mean cheapen this? It's equally cheesy if they justify putting an average Joe there because of the warp transportation shenanigans going on. Narrative wise, it's good that Ollanius Pius's story is concluded with that rather than putting a random person up there because of the previous plot device.

bibotot wrote:

 Haighus wrote:

Machs wrote:
Mortal Guardsman Ollianus Pius confronting and renouncing Hours to protect the Emperor.

Unfortunately the Horus Heresy book series cheapened this moment by making him immortal Ollanius Pius who had lived for thousands of years. I think Horus juiced up on Warp energy is one of the few things that could kill Pius.

What do you mean cheapen this? It's equally cheesy if they justify putting an average Joe there because of the warp transportation shenanigans going on. Narrative wise, it's good that Ollanius Pius's story is concluded with that rather than putting a random person up there because of the previous plot device.

Well, the original point was that an ordinary trooper who had absolutely zero chance of actually surviving attacking Horus willingly sacrificed themselves to buy the Emperor a moment of reprieve. The story is meant to be one of duty and bravery in the face of impossible odds (which is why they are revered by the Imperial Guard). Ollanius Pius could easily have been an ordinary human who fought through the Heresy.

Instead, they are now an immortal being with millenia of experience who has met the Emperor multiple times over the eons, who sacrifices themselves with a decent chance they'd just come back from the experience (being a perpetual) and at the very least is tired from a long, long life. It doesn't have the same beats.

Not every character needs to be special before their big moment.

 WisdomLS wrote:
Sanguinus Defending the Eternity gate.

Whilst Imperial forces retreat Sanguinus holds the gate against uncountable foes.
He takes on Kabanda, greater Bloodthirster of khorne and smites him down.
Injured and Bloody he is assaulted by his mad Daemon brother Angron, after a knock down slug fest he is impaled on Angrons black blade but still manages to rip the nails out of his brothers head and banish him.
Bleeding out he then has to take down two warhound titans that are holding open the gates so the fortress can finally be secured.

the blood angels have SO many badass moments. Like Calistarius breaking out of that collapsed building and ripping out an ork's organs and being reborn as Mephiston. There's a reason they're my fave chapter, and I can see why they got such a big spotlight in 2nd ed. Awesome.