Astorath the Grim

Astorath the Grim is the Blood Angels' High Chaplain and Redeemer of the Lost. There is no rank within the Chapter more greatly honoured, or more deeply loathed. Honoured, for the burden the Redeemer of the Lost bears, and for the essential duty he performs; loathed because that duty is stained forever with the blood of his Battle-Brothers.

Origin
Astorath has the sacred calling to seek out those amongst the Scions of Sanguinius whose souls have been claimed by the Black Rage, and whose mental degeneration has become so severe that even death in battle is no longer possible. His quarry found, Astorath ends his Lost Brother's life with a single mighty blow to the neck, severing his head to thwart the fiendish endurance granted by the Black Rage. This is without doubt an act of mercy, a gift to the accursed. Nonetheless, no Battle-Brother can ever feel entirely comfortable in Astorath's presence, for they know that the bite of his forbidding axe might one day be the last thing that they feel.

Whilst officially bound to the Blood Angels, Astorath's duties carry him far and wide amongst the Chapter's successors. It was long ago considered that these terrible duties were best borne by a single brother and, thus far at least, a single brother has been equal to the task at hand. So does Astorath tread the stars, seeking those who require his blessing of oblivion.

To an observer, it might perhaps seem that Astorath's presence fans the destructive fires of the Black Rage. Certainly it is more prevalent wherever he treads, and even those Blood Angels who are yet sane are unmistakably wilder in the Redeemer's presence. However, the truth is entirely opposite.

Astorath can sense the Black Rage's degenerative onset before it becomes apparent to any other soul - including its victim. Individual afflictions echo through his mind in the form of doom-laden chords, and grow ever stronger as other Battle-Brothers fall into the Black Rage's clutches. No separation of distance can serve to mute this dolorous symphony. Be the victims fighting on Armageddon or in Ultramar, Astorath can sense their plight - and he must go to them as his duty requires.

So it is that the Redeemer of the Lost has become a true Angel of Death, a legend of destruction amongst the Blood Angels' successors and their foes alike. Wherever Astorath the Grim treads, the enemy face not only his fury, but the onslaught of Space Marines caught in the twilight shadows of the Black Rage. Astorath's sorrow for his doomed Battle-Brothers serves only to fuel a determination that they shall pass into death having known one last great victory. In this cause he fights like a man possessed, resolute that his twin gifts of death and redemption shall not be denied.

Appearances
Astorath is clad in crimson-coloured Artificer Power Armour that has the appearance of exposed, striated muscles and is equipped with an ebony-winged Jump Pack. As a Chaplain he is also equipped with a Chaplain's Rosarius as well as frag and krak grenades. As Redeemer of the Lost, Astorath is armed with the Executioner's Axe, a mighty two-handed Power-Axe so keen it can slice through power fields.