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This article, Xavier Androsian, is currently under active construction. The author, bcw13, apologizes for the inconvenience. |
The Piano Man[]
- "The Emperor is dead and the sooner that truth is accepted, the sooner he will die."
- — Attr. Xavier Androsian
Xavier Androsian is a Chaos heretic, fanatically loyal to Tzeentch. He is the leader and founder of the Piano Men on the Imperium hive world of Columbia 1350. He is also the architect behind behind the Sisters of Hope, the Tzeentch allegiant heretical break ways from the Adepta Sororitas (destroyed by the Masque of the Last Laugh). That which has provoked the most ire from the Imperium and the Ecclesiarchy is his open proclamation that, "the Emperor is dead". Which is a deliciously ironic statement given his philosophical evolution over the centuries.
As a gifted psyker with sorcerous powers awakened by Tzeentch and advanced teleportational abilities, he has thus far proven elusive to the Ordo Hereticus and the Imperial Inquisition in their efforts to capture/silence him. Though seen more as a nuisance than a genuine threat, his sharp tongue and quick wit often provoke a disproportionate anger from his pursuers. Little do they know his machinations have infiltrated the Ordo Xenos as part of his ongoing rivalry with the Harlequin Odyn Maitar, Master of the Masque of the Last Laugh.
History[]
Early life on Jupitris IX[]
The world of Jupitris IX had had a turbulent history within recent centuries. For most of it's history, the world operated as democratic republic, independent of the Imperium. Its proximity to Tau space saw a number of influences from the Tau on their culture. Though a human world, they were mostly welcoming of xenos and practiced some form of "freedom of religion". The world was left almost entirely unmolested by the forces of Chaos. For a relatively brief time, they lived under the protective yoke of the Tau Empire as a Gua've planet. This would not last as the implementation of the Tau caste system on a majority human world did not last. The greater effect it had on society manifested in the softening of their democratic-republican virtues, which in turn opened the door to economic stratification of classes. In time this paved the way for the Imperium nobility to gain a foothold on the planet. Imperium influence pushed the Tau out with an increasing risk of military conflict over a world the Ethereals deemed, "unworthy of such risk." Thus began the Imperium's colonizing of Jupitris IX and the adoption of the Imperial Cult.
The new ruling planetary nobility strove to turn the world into a "pleasure world" due to it's picturesque oceans and the high level of technology enjoyed by the population (relative to that of the average Imperial citizen) but the population centers proved too industrious for such ends. Though their efforts had effectively siphoned a majority of the wealth away from their citizens, resulting in the degradation of the working class that was slowly decaying into serfdom. As austerity measures were implemented and labor protections eliminated to facilitate their shift to a service economy, successive generations of Jupitris IX's population fell into poverty, depression, and anger. This in turn opened up the world to the perils of the warp for the first time in its history. As heretical factions grew in number, the Ecclesiarchy and Inquisition cracked down with increasing severity, which in turn saw a growing demonic presence on the world, that only validated Imperial repression. Ultimately, the Imperial Guard led by the Adepta Sororitas became fixtures of life on Jupitris IX.
It was to this "final generation" that a planetary native woman named Elana bore a son to her Astra Militarum husband, Lt. William Adrossian. Young Xavier did not grow up in a life luxury but he did live as an accessory to it through his father's working relationship with the T'soi noble family. His mother taught him piano, which the boy showed a tremendous talent for. In his teenage years, Xavier began a secretive affair with the T'soi family's daughter, Virginia. Being very cognizant of the forces aggressively coercing his compliance on top of his culture's lingering aversion to theocratic and authoritarian governance, bred a deep resentment of the God Emperor. In his private moments alone with Virginia, Xavier would openly refer to him as, "the Corpse God." Virginia pleaded with him to hold his tongue. In a few short years they would be of age and they could flee out of Imperium space to live their lives free of the Ecclesiarchy's repression. Begrudgingly, Xavier acquiesced to her wishes.
The Old Man on the Mountain[]
As new broke of a strange, deadly disease spreading across the world, Xavier hiked up a mountain. At the summit he met a peculiar old man who was seemingly blind, as his eyes were covered with a blindfold. He cackled underneath his breath inconstantly while his gangly frame teetered in the wind. The two of them began a conversation about "the end of the world."
"It all seems so hopeless," the old man knowingly asked.
"There's always hope," Xavier replied.
The old man's smile grew wide, "Indeed! As long as we remain faithful, the Emperor will protect us."
"The Corpse?" Xavier sneered, "The universe existed before him and it'll live on long after him. In truth, I think it already has."
"That is the way it always has been," the old man replied.
"I don't fear change," Xavier answered.
The old man proudly nodded his head as he approached the young man, "Indeed you don't. That's why you are chosen."
Before Xavier could react, the bony finger of the man had slammed into the center of his forehead. Xavier gazed in horror as the flesh of the old man fell away to a shifting mass of muscle an sinew and the wind blew away the blindfold to reveal the fact that the old man had no eyes at all. Xavier fell into darkness and the caws of crows echoed in the void. Then he awoke in his home and it was as if he had never gone to the mountain top.
"Was it all a dream?" he asked himself. For some reason he couldn't comprehend, his mind was filled with thoughts, many of which he could have sworn were those of the people around him. There were also moments when he seemingly manifested himself to his destination with no memory of his travels there. In many ways it was a gift, for now he could got to and from Virginia's chambers with minimal concern of getting caught. Over the next several weeks, warp storms rippled over the planet. More and more men were sent to the front to combat the enemy. The Imperial Cult's repression and tyranny only worsened but the specter of the deamon only seemed to grow with their efforts. Xavier's mother, Elana, died of the mysterious plague. The young man could scarcely fathom the horror that awaited him and his world.
The Plague Storm[]
The mysterious disease only grew more lethal and communicable, as if it had a mind of its own actively thwarting the best efforts to combat it. Half of the population had contracted buboes legions that signaled a slow and excruciating death as internal organ failure led to catastrophic internal bleeding. Additional orders of the Adepta Sororitas, specifically the Hospitallers, were brought and a proper Inquisitor arrived to assess the situation. Everyday, hundreds of sick and healthy alike were detained, never to be seen again. Despite the Imperium's best efforts, the feeling of despair only tightened its grip on the world as the tendrils of the Warp reached out from the Immaterium. Daemon sightings multiplied by orders of magnitude with each passing day. Virginia was sequestered within the T'sui family palace but this did little to separate the lovers. By this point in time, Xavier had become an adept enough psyker that he could shield his thoughts from observation, cast minor illusions to disguise his appearance, subtly influence the thoughts & feelings of others, and even teleport himself through a warp cloud over short distances. Every time he did so, he heard the cawing of birds. Given the circumstances, he knew it was best that no soul beyond Virginia should know of his growing powers.
Then terrible news came. Xavier's father had been killed by the plague as he recovered in the hospital from wounds he received on the battlefield. A fearful Virginia clung tightly to Xavier as they hid out on her chambers. He then was struck with a thought a teleported them away. Unfortunately, just as they apparated away, the family's attending Sister Famulus walked in to witness her charge vanishing into a warp cloud. They manifested at the space port and Xavier proposed that now was their chance to leave. Virginia hesitated. Before she could reply, a rift in space manifested and bolter shots rained down upon them. From out of a noxious green mist marched the traitorous XIV Legion, Death Guard. The Adepta Sororitas returned fire as vicious, terrible battle broke out but as more and more daemons appeared as more and more Sisters of Battle fell ill, the Death Guard advanced forward. Xavier and Virginia were all alone as the legions of Nurgle advanced towards them. Xavier stood defiantly between them and his lover.
"Where is your Emperor, human?" a revolting pile of flesh and filth called a daemon chuckled as he approached.
"Never needed him," Xavier snapped back. In his mind he heard the cawing of a crow. He closed his eyes and saw the image of a staff pulsating with a strange blue light. Then it manifested from his mind to his hands and his eyes snapped open, glowing with power, "I have hope."
Blue, white, green, and purple waves of power radiated from Xavier, but then flickered out like a dying flame. The daemon laughed heartily at the foolish human. Xavier's heart thundered in his chest so loud he could scarcely hear anything...expect a sinister whisper, "Give me your eye!" Xavier hesitated...but given his circumstance he had little choice. so the fledgling sorcerer did as Tzeentch commanded and ripped his right eye out of his skull. The Changer of Ways cackled in mad delight and Xavier was filled with the power of the warp.
Exterminatus of Jupitris IX
Then in a blinding flash of light, the daemon and the traitor legion were banished from the Materium, and the two lovers were teleported on to the Inquisitor's ship in low orbit. Xavier dissipated the staff as the warp cloud vanished. They were detained, Virginia's identity was ascertained, and the Emperor was praised for "his miracle". Xavier sneered at the words but before he could thoughtlessly commit aggressive heresy straight to an Inquisitor's face, Virginia stomped on his foot to silence him. The ploy somewhat worked. The Inquisitor did successfully deduce that Xavier was in fact a psyker but concluded that it was a by product of the Emperor working His will through him.
On board that ship, Xavier and Virginia witnessed Exterminatus being carried out on their homeworld.
Schola Progenum[]
It was at this point the two lovers were separated as they were placed into the Schola Progenum. William Androssian was an officer of the Astra Militarum who died defending humanity from the horrors of Chaos. His son would not be left forsaken on a world overrun by the Daemon. Virginia on the other hand, was so moved by the valor of the Adepta Sororitas she broke with her father's wishes and joined their ranks. Though it displeased him immensely, Xavier concluded it was best to let his powers be "the Emperor's miracle" in his teachers' eyes. Primarily he utilized them for obscuring his heretical thoughts and shielding his "corruption" by Chaos. He endured the corporal punishment but actively thwarted all efforts to mold his mind.
Desertion & Escape[]
Tzeentch whispered the secrets of sorcerous power and Xavier's disdain for the Imperium, and the Emperor in particular, grew with each passing day. His talent at teleportation was of the highest priority to the Weaver of Fate. With the encouragement of his daemonic benefactor, Xavier prepared to attempt something unthinkable to him: warp travel across the galaxy via spell. With an unwavering faith in "hope" and a laser focus on his mind's deepest desire, Xavier hurtled through time and space and he passed through the Warp. He apparated on Ophelia VII, the Sanctorum of the Adepta Sororitas. The place where his heart was bound, where Virginia was training to join the Sisters Famulus...but he was immediately detected and captured.
Black Ship
The sorcerer was forced unto a Black Ship, ferrying hundreds of psykers to be offered up as part of the daily sacrifice to the God Emperor. Anti-psyker weaponry was used to torture the prisoners into submission. Xavier was confined to an isolation cell where his torment was given special attention. The wretched ship of horrors passed through the Immaterium on its way to Holy Terra, where all of these people and more would be slaughtered for the glory the corpse he had grown to utterly despise.
"Accept your fate," his captors taunted him, "all is as the Emperor wills it. Believe in his power and you may yet be graced by His miraculous grace."
"I will never be broken," Xavier replied, "Hope is all the miracle I need."
Then the ship's Gellar fields abruptly failed as Xavier's patron had heard his plea and was pleased by it. Daemons erupted into existence and laid waste to the crew. by the time they had finished only a dozen or so of the sacrificial psykers remained alive. They swore their allegiance to Tzeentch and vowed vengeance against the Imperium and the God Emperor. Their ship exited warp in the low atmosphere of the Imperium hive world, Columbiana VI. Xavier teleported himself and his first eight members of what would become Chaos cult, The Piano Men, down to the surface as the deteriorating ship was obliterated by the planetary defense systems of the world.
Becoming the Piano Man[]
Columbiana VI
Singing the Songs of Madness[]
The nine of them melded into the chaos of the underhive. The resentment toward Imperium rule, desperation, and potent need for "hope" of any sort made easy sympathizers to their cause. The as of yet unnamed cult struggled to find a stable space to operate out of. One day, Xavier spotted a blue crow and followed it. It lead him to this abandoned chamber. Inside he found a sealed container buried beneath the rubble. Inside it were relics from ancient Terra. A small, thin, rectangular electronic box contained the music of those ancient times. Xavier played the first hymn of the person they would come to call, "The Piano Man", and it struck him to his core. It was a song about a heretic of some sort trying to persuade a woman named Virginia to leave her holy order. That is when inspiration struck Xavier. He knew what Tzeentch expected of him and assumed the moniker of The Piano Man for himself. Through the instrument...and the memories it provoked of his mother...Xavier was greatly able to emperor his gifts of sorcerous persuasion.
The purpose of their cult wasn't to take over this world for themselves. No, their purpose was create new heresies to lead people away from "the Imperial lies" and towards "the truth of Chaos". The hymns of ancient Terra would aid them to that end.
"It is said that thoughts are like viruses. Some are more like cures for a ten millennia old sickness."
Tutelage of Bella Hex[]
On the world Zauntrix V, there lived a little girl with a tremendous gift that the world hated her for. So she hid it away but the world never grew any kinder. Pain, humiliation, and suffering was her only reward for trying to be a good and faithful servant. One day, one tragedy too many, the full measures of her powers erupted forth incinerating her abusers and all that remained of her family. A wanted monstrosity, she fled into the underhive and became the most formidable murderer the world asked her to be. All throughout her life she was watched over by a blue hawk who whispered the ways of magic to her. She was a joyful student of Tzeentch and formed her own cult. Yet she always remained mired in the unending gang/cult warfare of the underhive, unable to enact any grand scheme beyond the ludicrous necessity of the moment.
Then the powers that be fell sway to songs laced with a spell. Bella recognized the magic at play and became incensed that someone had trespassed on her turf, but the blue hawk Tzeentch counseled her to watch and learn. Soon the powers that be were blatant with their corruption, which provoked a response from the Inquisition. The Adepta Sororitas descended upon the world to purge it with holy fire. There was little the gangs/cults of the underhive could do as they were driven back to the sea of toxic wastes beneath the hive...
But then a child's rhyme sung sinister voices on the air. Daemons rose from the industrial sludge with wicked grins and a joyful song on their lips. Then the Sororitas' hymns stopped and begun to play the song as well and tide of battle turned. The Sisters of Battle were overrun and admist the Chaos, Bella saw him and Xavier saw her. From the moment they first met, they knew Tzeentch had weaved destiny for their meeting. In him she found a man who would accept her for all that she was, and in her he found somebody to share in the true magic of his world.
The War for Hope[]
Xavier has found himself in a most unexpected struggle. The Aeldari craftworld Attika is sermonizing the notion of "usurping the Chaos gods". They do so at the behest of their Harlequin masters. He admires the clowns for their daring ploy...but is revolted by their impudence. The thought of Cegorach usurping Tzeentch in the warp is a crazy idea..."just crazy enough to work". As he prepares the path for "The Real War", Xavier cannot afford to have Tzeentch's power siphoned away from him by "an up-jump knife eared fool". All his efforts and energies have turned away from undermining the Imperium to, in a perverse turn of "fate", to defending it from xenos lurking in the shadows.
Alliance with Queen Vera Barro[]
Xavier knows that Tzeentch cannot win "the Real War" by himself. It'll take a unified front of him and Slaanesh to overcome Khorne and Nurgle. It is for this reason that he has actively sought to forge alliances with cults of Slaanesh. His most prominent ally is Queen Vera Barro. She was a human who fell to chaos after being subjected to the depravities of the Dark Eldar...and her forces had run afoul of the same Harlequin menace that afflicted him and his efforts. They vowed to "have the last laugh" together or die in the effort. It has been a fraught endeavor.
However their ploys against the Imperium have been far more successful. Dozens of worlds across multiple sectors have been quietly corrupted by the subtle influence and primal temptations of Tzeentch and Slaanesh. Vera holds them entranced in the throes of carnal euphoria, and with their wits and good sense lost in the moment Xavier poisons their minds with a song. Ambition and excess make most excellent bedfellows. His piano bar lures them in and her girls ensnare them. Her body brings the powerful groveling and his words make them slaves of Chaos without every knowing it.
Faithful Servant of the Ordo Xenos[]
His ongoing war with the Harlequins has forced Xavier into peculiar positions that were not part of his plan.
Originally Xavier infiltrated the Imperial Inquisition and rose to the rank of Throne Agent for the purposes of wielding the power of Imperium against Tzeentch's rivals. As such he aligned himself within the Ordo Maleus. Then in the clamoring of the short-lived Ardenite-Recongregationist alliance he sensed the machinations of his old nemesis, Odyn Maitar and his Harlequin band. They had infiltrated the Inquisition for their own grand tricks, just as he had, and Xavier saw a chance to avenge his losses (the Sisters of Hope). It seemed that the Harlequins had intentions on the world of Oceanus on behalf of their Asuryani clients. This ordeal would evolve into a full Chaos incursion of the planet by his ally Queen Vera and the subsequent founding of a new Astartes Chapter and Order of the Adepta Sororitas. Little did Xavier know that his schemes played right into the Harlequin's hands.
Utterly enraged by this humiliation, Xavier has redirected all his efforts to killing Odyn Maitar and destroying the Masque of the Last Laugh. As such he has repurposed his subterfuge as a sanctioned psyker Throne Agent within the Ordo Xenos to better guide their efforts against these meddlesome Harlequins. Xavier has proven invaluable informant for the Imperatores Vindictam Custodes in their ongoing hunt for the meddlesome Harlequins that had offended them in some way. He operates under his true name, since Imperial record keeping is famously atrocious and is only associated with Chaos by his moniker, "the Piano Man". Now Xavier, in practice at least, spends a majority of his time as an earnest agent of the very organization he most despises most, all the while neglecting his duties to "the plan". The joke is not lost him. He is haunted by the clowns' laughter at him. His rage and pride demands that he silence them, and that too is also another joke at his expense...for pride is the realm of Slaanesh and rage the domain of Khorne. Yet the one he'll never abet is despair, for that is the palace of he "true enemy", Nurgle.
Heresies, Beliefs, and Practices[]
The Emperor is Dead[]
This was Xavier's foundational belief by which he structured all his early actions and plots. To kill the God Emperor of Mankind by convincing people that he has been dead for millennia and thus the daily sacrifices to keep him alive are entirely pointless. This would also have the benefit of disabling the Astranomican and opening Terra up to Warp invasion. How that would change...
Tzeentch is the True God[]
...and the Emperor is a pretender. Tzeentch had his true power lost when his siblings betrayed him and if we help him recover it he'll have the power to set things right, with or without humanity's survival...or so Xavier thought...
Moral Forfeiture of the Human Race[]
By following the Emperor's example, humanity's fearful attempts to preserve themselves have forfeited all that made them human in the first place. "Humanity" cannot exist so long as the Imperium stands. If ending the human species is what it takes to allow it to be reborn into a new universe, then so be it. Let them be cleansed by Chaos...how foolish he was...
Revelation[]
Somewhere along his journey Xavier came to a revelation that made him howl with laughter at his own stupidity. He didn't want the Emperor to die. No...he needed to keep the Emperor alive and trapped his own corpse for all time and eternity. There was no greater engine for Chaos than the Imperium itself. Though he maintained his outward position of "killing the Emperor", Xavier bent his true intentions to serve Tzeentch's true genius. He needed to keep the Emperor exactly as he was, thus Xavier set to eliminating all who had been of his past mind. Consequently he knew exactly how they would think and where to find them.
This is what ultimately brought him into his ongoing clash with Odyn Maitar. The Harlequins are plotting to kill the Emperor through their Attikan allies to release his spirit so that he may join the Aeldari gods Cegorach and Ynnead in the final battle, Rhana Dandra and rule with them as a joint pantheon of gods in a "cleansed Chaos". They believe that the ultimate fate of the universe lies in a "denouement" between Tzeentch and Cegorach...and Tzeentch doesn't fully disagree with the outcome of that future. Thus Xavier learned his great irony: to save his god from that fate he must now do all in his power to protect the Emperor of Mankind as husk of his former self inert upon the Golden Throne.
The Future is Bright[]
...and not a grim, dark place devoid of hope. Hope springs eternal. It is the true essence of humanity that has been willfully suppressed in service to a heinous stagnation. The current order must fall. The universe must change. It is time to start believing in the good again. This philosophy is as much about recruitment as it empowering Tzeentch. Xavier firmly believes that one of the things limiting Tzeentch's power is the widespread hopelessness across the stars. Getting people to accept that hope is madness, that things can change is the most effective way to elevate his patron to a height power that will him to win "the Real War" against Nurgle. It is also his assessment that more people are willing to join you the kinder you are to them. Being seen in a positive light by the population also increases the likelihood they'll shield you from Inquisitors.
Though he is greatly offended at the efforts of others to take this power for their own gods. Stealing what rightfully belongs to Tzeentch.
The True Enemy[]
While Xavier acknowledges his primary function is to be an enemy of the Imperium, he recognizes that this conflict pales in comparison to the true challenge: defeating Nurgle. Nurgle is despair incarnate and is the corrupting force behind the miserable status quo of the universe. The battle against the Emperor and his Imperium is but the prologue of the wars that shall follow it. Chaos' victory is inevitable. What matters is the manner in which that victory is achieved so that it can be of maximum benefit in the real struggle. Among the other Chaos gods, Nurgle is by far the greatest threat.
The Redemption of Slaanesh[]
This idea is born out of necessity, strategy, and longing. Xavier does not believe Tzeentch can defeat the other three Chaos gods if they united against him...again. While it is true that all the Chaos gods hate one another; they hate each other to varying degrees. Tzeentch and Nurgle hate one another the most and Khorne will ally with Nurgle to defeat Tzeentch long before he sits on the sidelines. Maybe the Weaver of Fate could defeat their combined might but Xavier would be considerably more confident in his patron's prospects if a proper alliance of sorts was forged with Slaanesh. He also recognizes the inherit value she brings. In some sense, Slaanesh is also joy in addition to being pleasure and pain. Without hope, pleasure descends into nihilism and sadism but without joy, hope turns cruel and arbitrary. His working theory is that the gods are influenced by their followers. Slaanesh has become twisted by the actions of her followers, more specifically the Dark Eldar. In order for Slaanesh to abandon that nihilism and become the necessary balancing agent to Tzeentch, the Dark Eldar way of life must be eradicated so that they can no longer poison her.
This would also serve to "abort the birth" of Ynnead, thus saving Tzeentch from the machinations of Cegorach and his Rhana Dandra. With Slaanesh at his side and the Imperium endlessly feeding Chaos, Tzeentch could have unrivaled power and utter dominion over all creation again once Nurgle and Khorne are slain. So long as the Emperor remains trapped in his corpse and Slaanesh alive, the Prime Clown will fail.
Fear the Clown[]
Xavier is terrified of Cegorach. Though he may lack the raw power of other gods, Xavier knows a formidable schemer and fears that the title of "Great Schemer" may belong to some one other than Tzeentch; for these very fears are but his mind dancing to Cegorach's tune. He knows this and he still cannot stop thinking it. He always thought himself the impeccable plotter but he has witnessed his best laid plans come to ruin by the seemingly devil-may-care audacity of a hopeful fool. The Clown's laugh fills him with dread which he knows empowers Nurgle. If the "War for Hope" is lost, then all he has done will have been nothing more than a cruel joke.
The Doctrine of Useful Foes[]
Xavier's strategy is largely guided by the principle of "maximum benefit". Certain enemies that create havoc for you shall also do the same to your other enemies. Use your enemies' strengths against one another to your maximum benefit. It is always best to get somebody else to fight your wars for you.
Notable Grand Schemes[]
The Quiet Corruption of Desire[]
Xavier's most notable successes come not from smiting foes with his awesome power on some historic battlefield, but on words in time with a tune. Countless officials have been subtly corrupted by him and his allies in ways that set up trajectories that would bring utter ruin to all.
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Infiltrating the Inquisition[]
The most powerful servants of the Imperium are from being beyond the allures of ambition and power. With dedication, discipline, and patience this made it almost laughably easy for him to subvert their ranks. Through his subtle influence and clever words he has led countless investigation into Tzeentchian cults astray while masterfully uprooting those heretics loyal to Nurgle and Khorne. He has had the Inquisition do much of Tzeentch's work.
Daemonic Conquest of Zauntrix V[]
After years of planning and all going "according to plan", Xavier delivered a crushing defeat upon the forces of the Order of the Ebon Chalice of the Adepta Sororitas. In the process of which he managed to "gift" a novitiate to an unwitting Lau-Fey, Archon of the Kabal of the Savage Hunt and ignite a desire that Xavier could weaponize at a later date. In his dramatic, perfectly staged sabotage of the Sororitas he took on a new student/lover of tremendous power, Bella Hex.
The Sisters of Hope[]
To date this remains his greatest failure. Long had Xavier dreamed of harnessing the power of Sisters of Battle for Tzeentch...and he nearly had it.
Through guile and deceit he managed to fool a growing host of Battle Sisters into believing that the Emperor was "an Administratum puppet to obscure the real god." As part of his effort he took the name of a Goddess of ancient Terra and gave her name to the Greater Demon he sought to impregnate the soul of one of "Sisters of Hope" with, "Minerva". So the demon took the name and possession of the Sororitas. Now had been set in motion that which would allow Xavier to avenge himself upon Nurgle's Deathguard.
Yet all did not go to "plan".
In their first clash, the Harlequins of the Last Laugh fell upon the Chaos Sisters. In toe with them walked the "true spirit of the goddess" housed with an Aeldari statue. Ataeana slew her daemonic imposter with her spear as the Harlequins slaughtered his Sisters of Hope. Xavier found himself dueling their leader, Odyn Maitar. He sung a spell but it had no effect upon the Master of the Masque. The Aeldari clown simply danced along and started singing his own tune in mockery of Xavier's magics. The Chaos sorcerer managed to escape by the skin of his teeth. Thus began the long rivalry of Xavier Androssian and Odyn Maitar.
Assault on Attika & Duel on Vaxanide[]
Xavier committed to a solo infiltration and attack on the Masque of the Last Laugh's home base, Attika. He engaged Odyn Maitar in open battle, using his sorcerous power to turn a half dozen Asuryani into "living" warp gates for daemons to crawl out of as a Chaos corrupted brachiosaur rampaged through the city. Odyn managed to slay the daemons and put the poor people used as portals out of their misery while his troupe and their carnosaur, Ace, eliminated the chaos brachiosaur. Odyn managed to subdue Xavier...but this had been the trap all along.
Xavier threw them into the warp and the two fought relentlessly as thy blinked in and out of the warp and the webway, till they crash landed on the Vaxanide on the opposite side of the galaxy. Menawhile, Xavier's lover Bella Hex trapped Odyn's lover Meili in a constantly shifting prison of reflection that ensnared the mind in their past lives. Odyn and Xavier got a drink at the local saloon and engaged in a musical duel until their lovers managed to escape Bella's trap and arrive on the planet. Once there the Harlequin troupe did battle with the horde of Chaos daemons and proved victorious. With the assistance of Ace, Meili managed to slay the Great Parrot Demon of Tzeentch. Though defeated, Xavier and Bella managed to elude capture or death.
The Lan Austere Affair[]
Xavier had learned through his own connections within the Inquisition that his Harlequin nemesis had also infiltrated the Inquisition. They were making some sort of play for the world of Oceanus for the seeming benefit of their puppets in the craftworld Attika. So Xavier set in motion events he was certain would lead to the Exterminatus of the planet so very similar to his own homeworld. He had his Slaaneshi ally Queen Vera Barro seize upon the perversions of Imperium nobility and the incestuous desires of the Lan twins. They founded a depraved, hedonistic, incest cult that began summoning daemons by offering infants as sacrifice.
From within his position in the Inquisition as a highly regarded acolyte, he had hoped that such an incursion would empower the Amalathian rivals of the Ardenite-Recongregationist alliance being unknowingly puppeted by the Harlequins. Unfortunately the local warrior Natsilane and the Palatine Nerissa Amphitrite of the Adepta Sororitas managed to rally the Imperial forces and triumph against the forces of Chaos. This strengthened the Arden-Recong's standing, thereby enabling them to found both the Orcinus Astra and the Order Dolphinus. Which was salt in the wound because Xavier's and Odyn's entire rivalry had been sparked by the latter's annihilating the former's scheme to create Sisters of Battle loyal to their cause. Now Xavier had been directly responsible in the creation of not only an Order of Sororitas but also an Adeptus Astartes chapter unwittingly serving the interest of his xenos nemesis.
Daemonic Incursion of Ordion VII[]
After a string of humiliating defeats, Xavier returned to what he was good at: corrupting Imperium officials with clever words and sweet music. All seemed going "according to plan". His cult had even managed to summon a Lord of Change greater demon...until the Masque of the Last Laugh popped out of the webway with the Blackfish chief librarian, Yaah'l with the relic "All the Light" in hand and managed to banish the greater daemon from the materium.
The White Falcon[]
Angry, bitter, and his wits end; Xavier Androssian has one last trick up his sleeve for the hated Asuryani of Attika and their detestable Harlequin puppet masters. This plan has been centuries in the making. Xavier has corrupted the man who would become the craftworld's ascendant Autarch. The one man destined to destroy all they stand for and cherish. The man destined to seize the power of Khaine for Tzeentch. Xavier has assembled his pieces and set them in motion and so has Odyn. All that is left is to see how it all plays out and who will have the "last laugh".
Appearance and Personality[]
- an otherwise non-descript human male of average height, missing his right eye. Often wears flowing blue cloaks.
- Xavier could best be described as passionate, inquisitive, intelligent, and fiercely averse to authority. He takes tremendous pleasure in taunting his enemies and provoking them. This "smart mouth" often gets him into trouble. He prefers to "win" a battle before it even begins. He is patient, disciplined, and thoughtful with the actions he takes. That said, he also possess a flair for the dramatic that sometimes wins out over his cold reason.
- His regular defeats at the hands of Odyn Maitar have exposed his own petty vindictiveness and own need to control the world around him. Though loathe to admit, deep in his bones Xavier knows exactly how much of a hypocrite he is.