Name: Gangra Bor’Bely
Legion: Death Guard
Rank: Sergeant, 7th Company, 7th Tactical
Age: 114
Appearance, Armour, & Wargear: Gangra is lean in build with gnarled muscles that cling to his long bones. His skin complexion is an alarming shade of grey, and the dark freckles and blemishes that cover his face and torso only make him look more alien. His lips are a contrasting pinkish, and his eyes are dark and almond shaped. He has medium length bluish black hair that tufts out from his scalp like ruffled crow feathers. Gangra has a raptor-like strut to his walk, which is extra emphasized during combat. Outside of battle the bobbing movement is mistaken as being clumsy, but that assumption disappears when one witnesses Gangra unleash on his enemies.
His green and slate grey warplate is a complete set of Maximus Mark IV power armour. On his left shoulder pad is his Legions insignia and his right pad bears his squad’s tactical arrow; and scribbled outside the arrow are the name of every planet Gangra has warred across. The eye lenses inside his grey helmet are emerald green and they shine like new, having just been replaced.
Gangra’s last line of defense is his standard issue Legionnaire combat knife. It’s a simple weapon that’s spilled impressive amounts of blood during its service. On the opposite hip of where his knife hangs rests the Death Guard’s Umbra Pattern Bolt Pistol. But the primary weapon of the Sergeant, passed down to him from his fallen predecessor, is the chain scythe. This oversized and heavily modified chain axe variant has been reshaped to honor the signature weapon of his Primarch. It’s nearly as tall as Gangra stands in full warplate, and its jagged edge from heel to toe is just short of his arm’s length. The enormous chain weapon demands the use of both hands at all times.
Personality: He’s a problem solver, an optimist, and he never yields to challenges. He’s focused, but not to a fault, he often stops and appreciates the results of his Legion’s efforts. His weakness is one he freely admits- he’s an idealist. He looks for the best in action and in others, and he will put his life on the line if he believes in either. He enjoys exercising his superhuman endurance, both in body and in mind. An adopted phrase that he often recites to himself is the following, “ If a man truly commits to a goal then he can achieve remarkable feats: If an Astartes commits to a goal then the achievement is limitless.”
Background: Each day, on Gangra’s homeworld, the warm light of a pitiful sun is choked to death by poisonous clouds. High in the mountains above the valley where he was born, to both the east and the west, are the crumbling ruins of strongholds. Strongholds that long ago were under the command of murderous, slave gathering warlords. But those black castles, along with every wicked creature that dwelled within their walls, were eventually brought to justice. Mortarian, Primarch of the XIV Legion, during his rise to power on Barbarus, defeated both warlords and set fire to their domains. The Emperor’s son delivered peace to a valley town who had forgotten what the word meant. That was over a century ago.
And so the valley changed. Mortarian’s influence was greater than direct relief, he also passed down his knowledge of warfare. The locals were trained, tested, and the best of them were brought into the fold of the Primarch’s Death Guard. The valley town that had been preyed upon so frequently in the past was fortified with seasoned warriors inside its new defensive walls. Gangra was raised in this reformed martial community. They groomed him to be a soldier as soon as he was strong enough to walk. He was destined to defend the valley as an adult, or if he was truly exceptional, join Mortarian’s star soaring Legion. Either way, Gangra would live and die by the sword.
By the time he was fourteen it was clear that he would be the most promising candidate to come out of the valley. By the time he was sixteen he started the punishing trials of the Death Guard’s recruitment. Incredibly difficult but incredibly rewarding, Gangra endured the XIVth Legion’s selection process and was elevated into the army that Mortarian had called his “Unbroken Blades”. And so a boy was raised in a toxic valley, a man overcame the trails of a Legion, and an Astartes joined the Great Crusades; metamorphosis complete.
Sergeant Edero, ranking Legionnaire of Seventh Company’s, Seventh Tactical squad, was not born on Barbarus. He hailed from Terra, famed homeworld of the Emperor of Mankind, and Edero predated the green and grey Death Guard. The Legion that he helped found was once the “Right Hand” of the demigod that was Mortarian’s father. And so the Terran had witnessed firsthand the divine perfection of the being who was to unite the galaxy. Edero was looked on by most as noble, faithful, courageous, and like all great Death Guard, humble. He was also a mentor, especially to a certain young Legionnaire within his squad, Gangra. The two become “Brothers” in the truest spirit of the word. Each fought harder to earn the respect of the other, and each shared the glory of his victories so that the other would be honored. Edero believed in the Crusades, believed in the Emperor, and believed in every brother within the ranks of his Legion. Gangra could not help but do the same.
When Edero, the ancient Terran, finally fell in battle, it was Gangra who mourned the most. The fearsome weapon of the late Sergeant, a towering chain scythe, would not be dismissed into retirement. It was taken with reverence into the gauntlets of his successor, to continue the Crusade when Edero could not. Not long after Gangra became Sergeant changes began to take place within the Death Guard. A new direction, with new morality, and all of it appeared to trace back to Mortarian. Gangra witnessed a Legion who had always marched ahead for the Emperor, even when others would or could not, begin to divide. The Legionnaire felt as if his soul were tearing, but ultimately he was cut from the same cloth as Edero; he was a warrior of first principle. He was a Crusader, and as a consequence, he lost much support among his brothers. But during the drums of war the Death Guard’s march was still united, and so Gangra prayed for his battles to never cease. His prayers were answered, 7th Tactical had been assigned to the Istavaan III rebellion.