Maledictum

The former Alpha Legion sorcerer Syndri Myr after ascending to become a Daemon Prince, holding the Maledictum.

The Maledictum was an ancient Chaos artefact that the Aeldari of Craftworld Biel-Tan had used to imprison a mighty daemon of Khorne.

The relic was then hidden by them on the world of Tartarus, where it became caught up in a conflict between Blood Ravens Chapter forces commanded by Gabriel Angelos and an Alpha Legion warband led by the Chaos Lord Bale and the Chaos Sorcerer Sindri Myr.

History

The Maledictum was an extremely potent Chaos artefact and the daemon within was able to influence the Humans who had settled Tartarus. It drove them to hide the artefact to ensure that agents of the Imperium could not find it.

If enough sacrifices were performed during a Chaos ritual the artefact's wielder could harness the Warp energy of the artefact to ascend to become a Daemon Prince. But under the right circumstances and with the right sacrifice, the daemon within could be released from its imprisonment.

A Heretic Astartes warband of the Alpha Legion commanded by the Chaos Lord Bale learned of the existence and location of the Maledictum. A warband of Alpha Legion Heretic Astartes journeyed to Tartarus in their search for the artefact in the hope of releasing the daemon. The Aeldari, under the command of Farseer Macha, after foreseeing what the Alpha Legion were trying to do, also infiltrated Tartarus in an attempt to stop the forces of Chaos from succeeding.

The Blood Ravens Chapter's 3rd Company under the command of Captain Gabriel Angelos were originally ordered to Tartarus to quell an Ork invasion, but after gaining knowledge of Chaos' presence on the planet made it their priority to remove that threat as well.

During the hunt for the Chaos forces, the Blood Ravens discovered the unwelcome presence of the Aeldari, who were trying to protect the location of the Maledictum on Tartarus from the forces of Chaos by killing all who might discover its secret.

Farseer Macha warned Captain Angelos about the presence of the Maledictum and the daemon within it on the world, but the Blood Ravens refused to trust the Aeldari, and remained focussed on defeating the Alpha Legion without realising their true purpose for having come to Tartarus.

The artefact was ultimately located and claimed by the heretical Blood Ravens Librarian Isador Akios, who had fallen to the temptations of Chaos. But before he could wield its power, he was slain by the Alpha Legion sorcerer Sindri Myr, who stole the Maledictum from him.

The sorcerer unleashed its power to become a Daemon Prince, but was ultimately killed in battle during his ascension ritual by the temporary alliance of the Blood Ravens and the shattered remains of Farseer Macha's Aeldari. But this last death of such a powerful foe triggered the release of the powerful daemonic entity trapped within the artefact.

In the wake of the battle, Farseer Macha warned Angelos not to destroy the Maledictum. But Angelos, in his ignorance and lack of trust ignored her and shattered the artefact, hoping to rid the galaxy of its taint. Unfortunately this released the daemon within once more into the Warp, which mockingly thanked the Space Marine captain and promised him they would one day meet again.

Purpose

Though a powerful Chaos artefact, the Maledictum required a key and the appropriate number and type of sacrifices to unlock its power, and the daemon imprisoned within.

The key was also found on Tartarus during the fighting and the necessary sacrifices were gained from the deaths of the Astra Militarum forces defending the planet from the attack of the Orks, the deaths of the Blood Ravens, the civilian deaths of the population of Tartarus, and powerful individuals like the Blood Ravens Librarian Isador Akios, the Alpha Legion Chaos Lord Bale, and finally Sindri Myr himself.

As powerful of a tool as it seemed to those who served Chaos, the Maledictum was ultimately as self-serving as the daemon captured within, and it only sought to manipulate events to create the bloodshed required to free the entity it held.

Sources

• Dawn of War (PC Game)