Eliphas the Inheritor

Eliphas the Inheritor was a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Legion of Chaos Space Marines, who later became an Aspiring Champion and eventually Chaos Lord of the Black Legion.

Background
Eliphas the Inheritor's history traces as far back to the days of the Horus Heresy and Great Crusade tens of thousands of years ago. A champion of the Word Bearers Legion, at the outbreak of the Heresy he led his forces against the Ultramarines. Despite the terrible bloodshed, the Ultramarines emerged victorious and for his failure, Eliphas was damned to the "Basilica of Torment"; a prison for those who have failed the Dark Gods.

Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
Thousands of years hence, Eliphas had rose in the ranks of Chaos and gained favor with the Ruinous Powers, becoming a terrible and mighty Chaos Lord and Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Legion. He and his Warband were summoned by a cabal of heretical cultists to the world upon which Eliphas had once failed the Dark Gods. Leading his warriors, Eliphas slaughtered the other powers who sought control over Kronus until he was ultimately defeated by the Blood Ravens 4th Company, led by Captain Davian Thule. For his second failure, he was judged by a Daemon Prince to death and damnation, apparently having been sacrificed to Khorne.

Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising
Several years then passed and Eliphas' soul drifted in the Warp. Eventually, the powerful Chaos Lord made a pact with Abaddon the Despoiler himself, to restore his body in exchange for his service in the Black Legion. Eliphas then joined forces with the Chaos Lord Araghast the Pillager. Together, they were set to strike at the very heart of the Blood Ravens. The Chapter had recently fought back a massive Tyranid incursion into their home sector of Aurelia, only a year had passed. Eliphas and Araghast then went about corrupting the Imperial Guardsmen of House Vandis and the deposed Governor of the sector to the service of Chaos. As well as spreading the taint of heresy amongst the Blood Ravens themselves. The Blood Ravens then mounted a counter offensive against the Black Legion, beginning a costly war effort. The Blood Ravens confronted the Chaos Lord Araghast and defeated him in a difficult battle, Eliphas had thus eliminated his partner and went about achieving his true agenda in Aurelia; the release of the greater daemon of Nurgle known as Ulkair. The Blood Ravens however, faced another obstacle. A traitor in their ranks who had defected to Eliphas' service before the beginning of the conflict. Defeating him, they also found out that their very Chapter Master, Azariah Kyras, had also been corrupted by Chaos.

The Blood Ravens then met the vile Chaos Lord and his minions upon the world of Aurelia at the ruins of Keep Selenon, there, the Blood Ravens fought the Inheritor in combat, Eliphas exhibited his tremendous power and unmatched savagery against them. His favor so great, that he could even call upon the blessings of all the Gods to aid him in battle. Despite his might, the Blood Ravens overcame the Chaos Lord, but before he could be slain he escaped. The Blood Ravens then continued on to vanquish the Great Unlcean One and ended the threat of the Dark Gods. Despite this, Eliphas was taken to the space hulk known as the Judgment of Carrion, wherein Abaddon physically awaited him. Seeking to punish him further for his failure. And also to extract further service from him.

Dawn of War II: Retribution
Despite his failure in Aurelia, Abaddon remained convinced that Eliphas was capable of carrying out his will in the sector. As such, Abaddon fully restored Eliphas' powers and granted him an ancient and unholy suit of Chaos Terminator Armor. Eliphas also apparently pledged himself to the worship of Khorne during this time. (He exclaims the Khornate warcry of 'Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!' often in the campaign and also uses Khornate abilities when one faces him in the Space Marine campaign such as Let the Galaxy Burn!. He also exhibits Khornate virtues such as a massive lust for combat and killing, a disdain for cowardice and extreme anger in many places.) However, in order to keep tabs on Eliphas, Abaddon also sends the Chaos Sorceror Neroth to accompany him. The two made their way to Typhon Primaris, where they hunted the last loyalist remnants of the fourth company led by Captain Davian Thule, who have been branded as renegades by the heretical Azariah Kyras. Rather than simply setting the jungle ablaze, Eliphas insteads elects to hunt down and kill the so called Heroes of Aurelia personally in glorification of the Gods. Much to the chagrin of Neroth.

Eventually, the Black Legionaires cut through the followers of Davian Thule and Eliphas cornered his long time adversary Davian Thule (who had been interred into a Dreadnought during the Tyranid War). Eliphas' might proved far too much for the Venerable Dreadnought to stand against, and he fell to Eliphas' Daemon Blade. After avenging his prior defeats at the hands of the Blood Ravens, Abaddon commanded Eliphas to seek out and destroy Azariah Kyras himself. Who had now fully pledged himself to Chaos and sought to offer his Chapter in sacrifice to Khorne. Abaddon instead sought the souls of the Blood Ravens for himself and would not suffer such a prize to elude him. Furthermore, Eliphas had also pledged the souls of the Blood Ravens to Abaddon as payment for his resurrection. Leading his warband, Eliphas slaughtered his way through the sector, seeking the redemption of the Chaos Gods and the whereabouts of Kyras. Finally intercepting a transmission from the 'Lord Ascendant' as he now proclaimed himself which was sent from Typhon, where Eliphas began his crusade.

There, Eliphas met with a band of Biel-Tan Craftworld Eldar, with their Seer Council enacting an arcane ritual. Seeing an opportunity for sport and to further damage Kyras' operations, Eliphas fell upon the Eldar as a hurricane of bloodlusting fury. Slaughtering them to the last and brutally murdering their Council. Shortly after, Eliphas met with Azariah Kyras, who taunted him that he had served him unwittingly in slaying the Council. For in doing so, he cleared the warpstorms they had conjured which prevented the Ordo Malleus fleet from entering the Sector to perform an Exterminatus which had been mandated in response to the war waged in Aurelia. Eliphas, enraged bellowed that no coward had ever escaped the wrath of the Black Legion and that he would relish in Kyras' eternal suffering. The Black Legion then escaped to a massive arena wherein the Blood Ravens once held trials for their prospective recruits, it had now become a colliseum wherein all the races of Typhon had found themselves trapped in during their frantic escape, in which they could do nothing but slaughter each other for amusement of Khorne. Barriers had emerged, blocking any exit. The only way out was to enter and emerge victorious in Khorne's eyes. Eliphas entered the arena and slaughtered all within in the Blood God's Name. Victorious atop a mountain of corpses, the Chaos Champion who led Kyras' armies emerged and challenged Eliphas to see who was truly the Blood God's favored. Eliphas roared out; "The eternal war ends for you this day!!". Proving himself as Khorne's Champion in Aurelia, Eliphas and his ilk were allowed passage from Typhon. Wherein they found themselves in the Judgement of Carrion.

Abaddon, furious over Eliphas' failure to dispatch Kyras, reprimanded him and warned him that his patience wore thin. Eliphas successfully bargained with the Despoiler to grant him three final days to relieve the Blood Ravens of their enslavement to the Corpse Emperor, and was allowed. He then escaped the derelict craft and began to muster his forces for the final confrontation with Kyras. On Cyrene, Kyras merged with the Daemon of the Maledictum and became a Prince of Khorne. Unbeknownst to both, however, the Third Company under Gabriel Angelos had also reached Cyrene. Determined to shatter the powers of Chaos in Aurelia. Gabriel confronted Kyras, but was easily dispatched by the Daemon. Eliphas looked on in laughter, his only lament was that he would never face the Captain of the Third Company in battle personally. He however stated that he would now just have to take even greater pleasure in slaughtering Kyras.

Fighting through the veritable hordes of the Alpha Legion who had gathered to support Kyras, Eliphas eventually met the Daemon in battle. Kyras however, was highly impressed by Eliphas' fighting prowess, saying that he had earned an audience with him by "battling valiantly and slaying many'. Kyras extended an alliance between the two, stating that thousands of world would fall to their combined fury. Eliphas arrogantly rejected the Daemon's offer, and cited his betrayal of Araghast as a testament to how he was not to be bargained foolishly with. The two then crossed blades with one another, in a battle to determine the fate of Aurelia. Though Kyras had grown mighty indeed by the merger with the Daemon of the Maledictum, Eliphas was mightier still. Overpowering the Daemon Prince, he then opened a Warp Rift that banished him to the Realm of Chaos. Eliphas stood triumphant, Abaddon himself congratulating him for his victory. Neroth however stated that the Exterminatus was still underway, and that unless action was taken, their victory may be shot lived. Eliphas said simply that he would do nothing and allow the Exterminatus to run it's couse. He rendered unto Abaddon the souls of the Blood Ravens and then took over the sacrifice of the sector by Azariah Kyras, pledging the blood spilled and the billions of skulls to Khorne. And as such, Khorne elevated Eliphas to Daemon Princehood. Thus, the Inheritor ascended as an avatar of the Blood God's rage. He then conspired to lure the Ordo Malleus into a trap using Gabriel Angelos' distress codes, likely slaying them as well.

Personality
Eliphas, as a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers Legions, exhibited a devotion to the Dark Gods that was fanatical even by the standards of other Chaos Space Marines. He was portrayed as a sinister, powerful and utterly committed to his cause on Kronus, seeing it as a holy war. A chance to further glorify the Gods and to avenge the defeat of his legion long ago. Additionally, he was portrayed as incredibly violent and sadistic and would not shy away from anger when the situation called for it, and he certainly reveled in the act of battle. When he faced enemies, he was merciless and little about him was subtle while in combat. He raged through battle and his martial skills left all in awe and fear of him. This was in contrast to his behaviour off the battlefield, where he was incredibly skilled with words. The Chaos Lord was often calm, collected and arrogant when he spoke with and taunted the leaders of the other armies. In almost every conversation, Eliphas elicited the fear of those with whom he conversed with. Even Taldeer, the Eldar Farseer feared him. Her contempt for him went as far as to label him a 'monster'.

Another extremely interesting dynamic was he his relationship with the Loyalist marines. Whereas other Chaos Lords would go into a frothing rage at the mention of them, Eliphas regarded the Loyalist chapters as children and pups. His brothers, who were left unenlightened in their veneration of the Corpse Emperor. Eliphas believed that brotherhood was not lessened when one brother was foolish, and offered the Blood Ravens many chances to 'repent' and share in the glory of Chaos. He also apparently knew a great deal about the Blood Ravens in particular, and showed a distinct interest in their 'liberation' from the Emperor.

Like all Word Bearers Apostles, he was equally committed to the spread of Chaos as a religion as he was to the destruction of its enemies for its glorification. He often spent time consolidating his gained lands and the prisoners he had taken, building massive temples to Chaos from the skulls of the slain and warp forged steel and indoctrinated many to the teachings of the Book of Lorgar. He also referred to his warband as 'crusaders', much in the same way Loyalist marines do. The campaign of Lord Eliphas the Inheritor was in both parts a campaign of terror and a campaign of conversion.

Despite being a servant of Chaos as a pantheon and therefore, he saw the gods as beings to be worshiped equally, Lord Eliphas seemed to invoke Khorne, the God of War far more readily than any God. This may be due to the fact that every time we see Eliphas, he is in combat, and thus it would be little wonder why he serves Khorne. Not only for the Blessings of the Blood God, but also due to battlefield being the place of worship to Khorne and the clanging of steel and roar of battle being the hymns and litanies that do him praise. Despite this, Eliphas also exhibited Khornate virtues. Such as a lust for combat, a love for bloodshed, a disdain of cowardice and weakness and a volatile temper. In Dawn of War II - Retribution, he is shown as denying Neroth's suggestion of burning Typhon to ash in favour of seeking out and killing the loyalists of Davian Thule in combat. He also expresses disgust when one of the Chaos Space Marines known as Kain falls in battle, claiming his failure does not speak well of his abilities. He also decries cultists as 'weak and pathetic' due to the deplorable fighting ability. He also expresses a fixation of bleeding his enemies out. For example, when faced with Orks, he admits their pitiful souls will not sate the Gods, but he also states that the act of killing them will be more than satisfactory. ('Their pitiful souls will do little to sate the Chaos Gods, but oh how they bleed.') Eliphas also decries the escape of the Eldar Seer Council as a cowardly act, saying that they are right to flee his wrath. Additionally, when Kyras escapes him on Typhon and refuses to show himself, he disdainfully names him a coward. In combat, Eliphas often roars out 'BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!' and 'SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!' while killing his enemies. His love for combat is quite evident; his ingame quotes have consistently revelling in battle and killing. Among his many quotes is; 'CAN YOU WEAKLINGS NOT FIGHT ANY BETTER?!’ When Neroth attests that the only way for him to divine Kyras' position involved tremendous slaughter, Eliphas states 'Ah, Neroth, you need but to ask", when slaying loyalist marines, he also bellows out that 'Khorne awaits, brother!'. When Gabriel Angelos is apparently killed, Eliphas' only lament is that he will not be able to fight him personally, but he states he will take greater pleasure in killing Kyras himself. He also is quick to state in battle with the Orks, that slaying them is an unchanging pleasure.

All in all, Eliphas' personality can be described by the words, 'brutal, bloodthirsty and tactically brilliant.'

Role in Ultima
For some time, the Org has been planning an expedition to the 40,000 Galaxy. And it seems it has not gone unnoticed by the Ruinous Powers. Seeing the interdimensional war as a chance for new wars, and slaughter, and power, Abaddon the Despoiler has sent Eliphas to spread Chaos influence, and corrupt the various worlds. Who knows, there maybe a power he for Eliphas to corrupt, which Abaddon may use to finish his 13th Black Crusade, ending with the destruction of the Imperium of Man.