Dramatis Personae I

Godryk Aventine

"Oh Ilina. You were my greatest triumph." He released his grip and she tumbled into the darkness. 

Official records pertaining to Godryk Aventine only begin after his elevation to full Inquisitor and even those documents are incomplete. Nothing is known of his place of birth or his early life and only very limited and often conflicting information regarding his training and tutelage have been found in the libraries of Nela Cephas. It has been suggested by some that he may even have been trained in secret, outside of the official structures of the Sector Conclave.

Aventine styled himself as a new breed of Inquisitor, ultimately dedicated to the service of the Imperium and above the childish bickering of his colleagues and in a manner this was true. Godryk Aventine was counted amongst the ranks of a new and extreme school of thought known as the Solarians. A dangerous offshoot of the radical Istvaanians, the Solarians not only encourage strife within the Imperium but outright war, believing that it not only strengthens the Emperor's armies but also creates a unique dynamism in His subjects that simply does not exist in peace time.

Aventine and his cohorts secretly sowed discord across the length and breadth of the Ares sector, establishing cults, stirring up anti-imperial sentiment and supporting seditious activity on dozens of planets with the intent of inciting full blown rebellion against the Imperium. On those occasions that his schemes were successful, Aventine would swoop in as the instrument of the Emperor's justice, ending the threat, often deposing senior planetary officials in the process and having more like-minded individuals installed in their place. In this manner he was able to further the Solarians' true mission – to place mankind on the front foot, bringing battle to its enemies; the alien and the forces of Chaos.

It is believed that the Solarians, perhaps lead by Aventine, were responsible for the wave of righteous fervour that lead to the Second March, a huge and bloody crusade into the Ork Empire of Vachrana, which is still very much active today, some eighty years later. They are even rumoured to have ventured to the dead worlds of the Perdita Zone in the east of Ares, in an attempt to awaken the ancient alien tombs which lie buried there.

When the High Protector of the Ares Sector passed away, Godryk Aventine was elected in his place by almost unanimous decision, appearing as he did to be an exemplar of Imperial justice; wise and decisive and seemingly one step ahead of His enemies at all times. Aventine was granted almost limitless power, and access to many of the Imperium's most important secrets. It was at this point that his plans grew increasingly extreme. As with many radical Inquisitors he became obsessed with the power of Chaos and its potential applications, and through his mind bogglingly vast network of spies, agents and informants, began to reach out to those members of the Ordos who shared his views. He found succour in the writings of Xanthus and even in the teachings of the Horusians. After many years of study and research he delved into the twisting catacombs of Nela Cephas and a score of other ancient places across the sector to gather the relics of St. Sevastus. Once he had them in his possession he embarked on a mission that if successful, would see the entire sector militarised and propelled into a state of constant war and aggression.

Aventine was ultimately hunted down, with the assistance of his Chief Acolyte Ilina Soryn, and slain by a cell of puritan Inquisitors, his heretical leanings and erratic behaviour having become clear in the closing weeks of his life. Aventine's final project was left unfinished and the relics of St. Sevastus were scattered and lost amongst the sprawling mass of Heidrun's Primaris Hive. The events which unfolded deep in the bowels of the city along with Aventine's plans, were suppressed by the surviving members of the purge, the details being deemed too dangerous for the eyes of those outside of the upper echelons of the Conclave.

With the passing of the those involved information has slowly started to trickle from the archives of Nela Cephas. There are rumours that Aventine aimed to use the psychically resonant relics to attempt some kind of summoning, others claim that he had seen the error of his ways and stolen them in order to prevent his new allies from attempting such a thing themselves. Regardless of their potential danger, the relics of St. Sevastus are of great historical importance to the Imperium and possess astronomical value to the collector. They must be returned to the proper authorities.

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So there we have it! My first "Dramatis Personae" post. Godryk Aventine was one of the first proper Inq28 models I made, coming just after Ilina Soryn and her crew. He was due to be the main antagonist in the Heidrun Incident campaign and as such was very powerful (I might actually start posting stats for my characters in the future if anyone's interested) but had no warband to accompany him. I have noticed that he's quite shiny so I may have to bust out the airbrush and give him a matt varnish at some stage.