ID: Sword of Retribution

[Knurd]

Daemon Name:                     Setiphor

Warp Breed:                         God

Aliases:                                Binder of Souls

                                           Sword of Retribution

True Name:                          Unknown

       

 

Setiphor is the God of Justice and Martyrdom or at least that is what his followers believe him to be. I, on the other hand, believe him to be an artificial light within the Warp. He breeds the urge for retribution of vilest sort. His daemons, or angels as he calls them, approach mortals on the guise of saviors and seed their hearts with the lust for vengeance. His mortal followers bind their souls to him and their souls feed his strength upon death. Many Excommunicated Astartes who still feel that they are still loyal to the Imperium have bent the knee to Setiphor for they see him as the manifestation of the Emperor in the Warp.

 

For millennia Setiphor had been bound to Khorne by an oath of blood. He was defeated by one of Slaneesh’s Greater Daemons and wanted vengeance against the Keeper of Secrets. Khorne agreed to lend him his forces to exact his revenge in exchange for a number of skulls. When Setiphor was finally close to paying the cost Khorne increased the debt. This continued for millennia until Setiphor was finally able to attack multiple worlds simultaneously. With his debt finally repaid he was free to go but the forces he had were taken from his command and he was left to a meek existence in the Formless Wastes.

 

Slowly he was able to feed on the daemons in the Formless Wastes to regain strength to be able to reach out to real space. He began to garner souls by promising redemption to those who were suffering under the Imperial chokehold, whispering how the Imperium had deviated from its original course. Many Imperial citizens have flocked to Setiphor, they profoundly believe that the corrupt and stagnant Imperium needs to be set back on course.

 

Setiphor does not elevate any mortal to daemonhood; instead he reincarnates them once their souls have become a part of him. The majority of his host were once mortal souls.

 

Those mortals who lived a martial life are turned into his greater angels, Brightblades. Brightblades are giant creatures clad in golden armor save for their head, which shows their gaunt face with no eyes. Any battlefield that the Brightblades are present is a loud and raucous place for the Angels of Redemption revel in harassing their opponents. They wield the Animus Blades with unimaginable skill that very few creatures can hope to match, much less survive against. They also wield the Chains of the Martyr to bind their opponents or to close the distance.

 

Those who were psykers\intellectuals in their mortal existence are reborn as Smite Priests. These hooded creatures draw upon the power of the warp as Setiphor’s sorcerers to deliver a vendetta to those who evade justice. Unlike the Brightblades, the Smite Priests rarely ever speak and if something needs to be communicated it is done so telepathically. Their true form is not seen since they are always cloaked in hooded robes and rarely can someone get close enough to even engage in melee but it is told that the Smite Priests resemble Setiphor the most under the robes and show his true nature.

 

The harbingers of his arrival are the Vengeance Wyrms. These serpents are always the first to be seen when Setiphor’s forces arrive. They dance in the sky aloft their plumed wings before they dive to pursue their prey. The Wyrms have no eyes but are able to locate targets with their warp sight, using their psychic imprint to track their victim. It is said that in the past Setiphor spoke to the denizens of Terra in its past and that his Wyrms were worshipped as an extension of him.

 

It seems to me that Setiphor and his growing army are positioning themselves to take advantage of the distraught Imperium. He wants to warp the weak-minded faithfuls to become what they seek… the Emperor.