Knight of Ashes



The "Knight of Ashes", formerly Luk Tan Chimaeros, is a Freeblade of the Imperial Knights who has been been active across the galaxy in the wake of the Donatos War. Luk Tan Chimaeros was the last son of a disgraced Knight House that had turned Renegade and entered into the service of Chaos. After swearing the Freeblade oath he embarked on a personal quest for vengeance and forgiveness, trying to atone for the betrayal of the other Knight Houses of Adrastapol by his own House Chimaeros.

In hunting the witch -- his own mother -- who had corrupted his House, the Knight of Ashes hoped to earn his redemption and one day return to his homeworld. Whereas most Freeblades seek solitude, the passion of the Knight of Ashes is such that other Freeblades are drawn to him. Together they have formed "the Exiles," a band of misfit Knights hunting for their illusive prey.

History
The tale of the Knight of Ashes begins in the distant Majestis System, and more specifically on the Knight World of Adrastapol. What began almost as a fairytale however soon turned out as a tale of misery and woe.

Luk Tan Chimaeros as he was then known, was born in an era of relative peace. His father, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros was not only the ruler of House Chimaeros, but also the High King of Adrastapol, a semi-hereditary title in which he had been confirmed through his great victory against the Orks of WAAAGH! Skarjaw.

It was during this conflict -- locally known as the Ork Wars -- that High King Gerraint would encounter his later consort and Luk's mother, Alicia Tan Manticos. She was a scion of House Manticos, a Knight House of noble provenance which had terribly suffered under the Orks' rampage and whose ancestral home had been destroyed. It was in the ruins of her former home that seemingly guided by fate, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros encountered the wounded Alicia Tan Manticos, then barely more than a girl.

As staunch traditionalists, House Manticos' strict laws of succession did not allow for Alicia Tan Manticos to claim leadership over House Manticos. The leaderless House was therefor placed under the tutelage of the High King. As by that time, Gerraint and Alicia had fallen in love, none of the other Houses objected as over the following years House Manticos was assimilated by House Chimaeros. Unable to marry her officially, Gerraint nevertheless openly showed his affection for her and created the position of Royal Consort for her, a position he invested with much authority. Due to her intelligence, Alicia quickly became the High King's chief-advisor and a well-liked figure both within and outside House Chimaeros.

With the birth of their son, Luk, both Gerraint and Alicia celebrated their newfound joy as a family. Although technically a bastard, High King Gerraint ensured that Luk would be able to carry the Tan Chimaeros name and one day become House Chimaeros' ruler. Even Luk's half-brother, Gerraint's legitimate son with his Queen, Gedric Tan Chimaeros, rejoiced at his father's new-found joy.

Since the days of the Ork Wars, the rulers of House Chimaeros and House Draconis had always been firm friends. To further the friendship between the two Houses and upon Alicia's advice, Luk spend much time with Danial Tan Draconis, the son of Baron Tolwyn Tan Draconis. Being of similar age, the two boys became nigh on inseparable friends, marveling at the adventures of Sir Adrastapol, a fictional Knight that serves as an epitome of all the values inherent to the Chivalric Code and preparing for the day they too would start their training as Squires.

Luk's friendship with Danial was so pure that it easily handled their change of status. With the untimely death of Gedric Tan Chimaeros, Luk's father lost the crown of the High Kings to his friend Tolwyn Tan Draconis. With their position suddenly reversed, the two boys entered adolescence and began their training under the austere gaze and rigorous regime of High King Tolwyn's best knight, Herald Markos Dar Draconis, a hero of the Ork Wars.

Throughout their training, Luk distinguished himself as a capable if hot-headed fighter. His eagerness and recklessness in a fight were easily distinguishable, a feature that would need to be tempered by restraint and focus, a task at which Markos Dar Draconis' failed him in a spectacular fashion. With his own tutors of House Chimaeros, Luk rapidly mastered the art of the swordfight and became quite adept at wielding House Chimaeros' exotic signature weapon, the chimersword.

As Luk and Danial grew older, the time came for them to choose an Imperial Knight in their respective Houses' armouries. As a renewed mark of friendship, both of them were drawn to the Knight Errant and the destructive power of its Thermal Cannon and a secondary focus on hand-to-hand combat. Thus did Luk bond with the Knight Armour known as Sword of Heroes which still loyally serves him to this day.

As news reached Adrastapol of conflict arising on the Industrial World of Donatos Primus, the training of the two young men was hastened untill they were deemed ready to pass their Ritual of Becoming which would certify their new rank as fully fledged Knights.