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Lord Lucius, also known as Lucius the Eternal, the Soulthief, and the Eternal Blademaster, is a major antagonist in the grimdark science fantasy franchise Warhammer 40,000.
Lucius the Eternal was a mortal Champion of Slaanesh, the Chaos God of Excess and Pleasure.
History[]
Pre-Horus Heresy[]
At first, Lucius was the Captain of the 13th Company in the Emperor's Children Legion. His skill with a blade quickly became legendary among the Legion, and throughout the Great Crusade. He was never bested in swordplay; the only duel he is known to have lost was against Captain Garviel Loken of the Luna Wolves, who brought him down with a punch. In a later rematch, Lucius was victorious.
Other members of the Emperor's Children considered Lucius to be proud, foolhardy and sometimes a little childish. Even his closest friend in the Legion, Saul Tarvitz, who he served alongside during the purging of the Megarachnids, was wary of him. In the betrayal of Isstvan III Lucius found himself betrayed by the Legion he loved, and found himself fighting alongside Saul Tarvitz with the loyalist marines of the Emperor's Children. As it became apparent that it was Tarvitz who was the hero of the hour for the loyalists, Lucius grew jealous and betrayed his one time friend to the traitor legions as his hunger for glory overcame his already dwindled sense of honour. He did this by attacking a group of thirty loyal marines who were assigned to him. He however did not do this alone. While fighting his own men, Captain Solomon Demeter arrived at Lucius' position. Lucius cried out for help and thus duped Captain Demeter to think the marines Lucius was fighting were traitors. Unfortunately Demeter realized this after the last of the thirty marines were killed. Lucius and Demeter, who had a mutual dislike toward each other, became locked in combat during which Lucius killed the already wounded Demeter.
The scaring on his face is self inflicted. At one point he was a truly handsome man, but he resented being called "too pretty" by some of his fellow marines. His "perfect" features were forever marred after the sparring match with Loken; the Luna Wolf's punch had broken Lucius' nose, and - much to his fury - it had refused to set properly, despite the attentions of the Legion's Apothecaries. During the corruption of the Emperor's Children, Lucius was cut in the face for the first time by remembrancer Serena D'Angelus, a painter in the 28th Expedition, who had already been corrupted by Chaos. Two parallel scars were placed on either cheek, so that Lucius would remember what Loken had done to him. He then began to scar himself after battles and before fights he was sure he would win to mark his victories. This resulted in him being covered in an intricate network of scars (both from his exploits in battle and his celebration afterwards), distorting and deforming his features.
After his betrayal of the loyalists, his combat skills were soon recognized, and he quickly became leader of Fulgrim's bodyguard of Assault Marines, gaining the rank of Lord Commander.
Post-Horus Heresy[]
Lucius continued to hone and better his combat skills after the Emperor's Children began to worship Slaanesh. Fulgrim organized gladiatorial games on their home planet whenever the Legion was unable to vent its need for the pleasure of the kill on other worlds, and Lucius was undefeated in these, an unstoppable force, until he fought Lord Commander Cyrius. Lucius died, and his death was an experience of such transcendent pleasure that Slaanesh himself took notice: she could not let such a promising marine slip away. In the following days, Cyrius began to change: lines began to appear over his skin and his hair started to fall out. Lucius was back in the world of the living, and all that remained of Cyrius was a screaming face in the warped artificer power armor of Lucius. Since then, this has happened many times: whenever his killer takes even the tiniest moment of enthusiasm, pride, pleasure or satisfaction from besting Lucius, they will begin to change into him, and become just another swirling face, a memory in the armor that Lucius is clad in.
Weapons and Abilities[]
Lucius the Eternal is one of the best (if not the best) duelists in 40,000, having only been beaten once by an unexpected backhand punch from Garviel Loken. He is exceptionally strong and agile, even for a space marine. Not only because of his extreme skills, but also because he possesses the mark of Slaanesh, having been blessed by his patron God. The mark of Slaanesh that he bears not only increases his senses and reflexes to inhuman heights, but also infuses his already impressive superhuman strength and durability with daemonic power, making him a truly fearsome foe to face on the battlefield. He can also react in the span of microseconds like all space marines, but to a degree higher than most. When he fights and moves it is said to look like a blur.
Wargear[]
- Lash of Torment: In his right hand, Lucius is armed with his personal daemon weapon, a gift from Slaanesh known as a Lash of Torment. This weapon takes the form of either a whip, or multiple lengthy tendrils, that twists and coils with a mind of its own. Cruelly barbed hooks run along its length and its sinuous coils are warm yet unsettling to the touch. Within this physical vessel is bound the essence of a lesser daemon of Slaanesh known as a Daemonette, and the whip is in turn bound to its bearer. The Lash of Torment is, like all Daemon Weapons, sentient and has a will of its own. In battle it will move independently from its bearer, attempting to coil around any living being foolish enough to get close. Once it has trapped a victim, the Lash will writhe and constrict around the hapless being, slowly suffocating it and cutting it to pieces with its multiple barbs. The most disturbing power of the Lash is that it does not only thrive on the pain and fear of its victims, it also psychically projects these feelings to all those in the vicinity of its actions.
- Blade of the Laer: In Lucius' left hand, he wields a relic power sabre originating from the Great Crusade. Millennia ago, following the Infamous Drop Site Massacre on the planet of Isstvan V, the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh who possessed the body of the Primarch Fulgrim presented the Daemon sword Fulgrim had recovered from the homeworld of the Xenos/Aliens known as the Laer to Lucius as a sign of Slaanesh's favor. This alien, single-edged blade once contained the captured essence of the daemon that possessed Fulgrim, but lost much of its power once the daemon was freed from imprisonment within the sword to inhabit the unfortunate Primarch's body for a time. Now the blade is an ordinary Power Sword of an exquisitely curved, single-edged design, but in Lucius' hands it remains as lethal as any blade that has ever been forged. Like all power weapons the blade of the weapon is sheathed in the lethal haze of a disruptive energy field which disrupts solid matter and molecular bonds, allowing it to cut through most things (including flesh, bone and armor) with ease. This energy field can easily be switched on and off with the touch of a button hidden in the hilt of the weapon.
- Armour of Shrieking Souls: Lucius is able to constantly reincarnate within the body of any being that manages to kill him, effectively making him immortal. So long as the killer takes some tiny measure of satisfaction or pleasure from the victory over Lucius, this will result in the victor's body transforming and their soul inevitably becoming trapped in Lucius' suit of power armor, a daemonic artifact known as the Armor of Shrieking Souls. This unique armor draws its hellish strength from the thousands of souls trapped within it, providing Lucius with unnaturally enhanced protection from any onslaught he encounters. Lucius is also able to focus the residual energies of the imprisoned souls' torment into a lethal sonic crescendo on an opponent's mind at will, causing the foe immense pain.
- Commorite Stimm-Rack: Lucius further bolsters his already superhuman speed and strength with exotic combat stimulants, a prize wrested from the gladiatorial arenas of the Dark Eldar, also known as the Drukhari. The stimm-rack that dumps these combat drugs into his system before each duel was implanted within his flesh by the infamous renegade Chirurgeon and Scientist Fabius Bile, a fellow student of the black arts. Over the millennia Lucius is said to have sampled almost every stimulant and combat-drug the galaxy has to offer.
- Doom Siren: A doom siren is a back-mounted auditory device which is made up of a complex arrangement of pipes and tubes which amplifies the war cries and screams of the bearer into a devastating and disorienting short-ranged sonic attack which spreads out in front of the charging marine, allowing Lucius to more easily finish off his stunned "victims". It also has the added effect of demoralizing enemies, at least those who still feel fear.
- Mark of Slaanesh: Lucius also bears the Mark of Slaanesh upon the Armour of Shrieking Souls and is equipped with special Slaaneshi combat drugs intended to heighten the sensations of battle. He is empowered with the powers wrought by Slaanesh's favor and given daemonic physical strength and durability, as well as enhanced senses and reaction times. Lucius has also mutated considerably in the Terran millennia since his fall to Chaos and the most visually noticeable of the physical "gifts" he has received from the Prince of Pleasure are a pair of goat-like cloven hooves.