Constantin Valdor
What can be said of those who stood by the make of monster,
and said nothing.
Agents of the Apocalypse, servants to a mind of madness...
Are they victims, or malice by their choice?
A Friend of Fear
I watched and I listened, silent in my guard. I was a killer without equal, a prodigy in a thousand arts and yet with such tools I was granted, my task remained ever elusive. Not a warrior nor sage, not an assassin nor leader of men... I was a companion, to one who could never truly love.
Constantin Valdor, the Emperor's Spear, First of the 10,000... Friend. As Captain-General of the Custodian Guard during the events of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, his role was one of crushing responsibility and brutal sorrow.
Few would ever claim to know this lonely soul, even those amongst the legendary Custodes. Grim and determined, wise and cunning, Valdor was truly inhuman, separated as he was from the ranks of humanity through genetic artifice and endless duty.
Not even the Primarchs would be so far different as he, for they were blessed with brothers and children aplenty. Valdor, instead, would stand with only two others in his life, Malcador the Sigillite, and the Emperor of Mankind.
In this role would he serve loyally, a bodyguard
matched only by the mightiest beings in existence, an advisor of tactical ingenuity and administrative genius, and as a confidant to one so far ascended as to recognise no equal, not even with his favoured son.
Thus then does the legend fade into history, a thousand names, each one a tale of heroism in its own right, vanished with the light of the Emperor. To serve in the shadow of one so great is to be consumed by it,
A fate only a friend could take.
In Shadow, From Shadow
Perhaps unsurprising, Valdor's origin is one of mystery and dark secret. Only his importance to the Emperor can be certainly defined, for though his part had yet to be played, the Emperor moved armies and searched whole continents for the young child that would become the First Custodes.
Why, is a question that would perhaps reveal much, of fell portents and ancient pact made beneath the auspice of broken prophecy. To those unaware of the efforts made by the Emperor long ago however, the answer was obvious. The man that child would soon become was worth a thousand, nay a million others, for rare is it to find such a sublime blend of loyalty and genius combined.
To Valdor however, it would be a question without much reason. His memory of such innocence was long forgotten once the Emperor acquired him, his fate sealed as he underwent the arcane surgeries required to elevate one to the ranks of the Custodian Guard.
As such, here begins his story, the First of the Custodes, though Valdor was never certain if this were true, or if he was merely the first to survive the process. His place in history assured, he would join the Emperor in his grand conquests across Terra, focussed entirely upon the unification of the now shattered world of yore.
Unifying the Flame
One of the first major conflicts that Valdor would take part in was the infamous Battle of Maulland Sen. One of the first major pushes by the budding Imperial forces, it would see the deployment of an entire legion of the newly created Thunder Warriors, alongside the Emperor, Constantin, and thirty of the Custodian Guard.
Accompanied by several specialist regiments of the Imperial Army, the Emperor's forces would prove formidable. The Maulland Sen Confederacy was a prime example of the darkness the Emperor wished to dispel from Terra, for their forces were comprised of rampant genetic engineering and foul magick borrowed at great cost from the fell powers of the Warp.
Though they would suffer heavy casualties, the Thunder Warriors and the Custodes would eventually shatter a force several times larger than theirs, slaying the Priest-King of their foe in the process. It would be here however, that Valdor would note the feral nature of his comrades, and grow concerned at the Thunder Warrior's reckless bloodlust that seemed beyond control.
Still, momentum had been gathered, and so would Valdor lead his elite forces in countless strikes across the world, sealing fast Terra's destiny as the heart of Imperial dominion. During one such excursion would he be tasked with the assassination of Koja Zu, Minister of the Anuatan Steppes, who had used ancient technology to steal the last drops of water from the oceans. Her crimes knew no mercy, but for reasons unknown, Valdor would claim her son for the Custodes, to join their ranks as Ra Endymion.
Nation after nation fell, the complexities not lost, but irrelevant to the Master of the Custodes. All were enemies of the Emperor, all were foes against progress, and the specifics of their crimes paled in comparison to the defiance showed by any who doubted the Master whose shadow he followed.
Thus then did Terra emerge from the Age of Strife, ruled now by three. The Emperor of Mankind, Malcador the Sigillite, and Constantin Valdor, the First Companion.
Vigil
Such an
emergence
from anarchy was not painless
however, and though the losses
of those who stood against the
Emperor were well-documented, the plight of
those first loyal to him was not. On the fields of
Mount Ararat would the Thunder Warriors, already heathen in their fury, reveal their knowledge of the curse built into their very DNA by the Emperor of Mankind.
Cursed to short lives, little more than tools to a heartless lord, the Thunder Warriors sought vengeance for their suffering. They would not go quietly into that long good night, and upon the steep slopes they had once fought for, they made their stand against a tyrant no different than those of old.
Legend states that Valdor himself, now a hero to the nascent Imperium, would take the field at the head of his Custodian force and fresh founded Legiones Astartes. Here in the mire and muck, as cold winds blew like revenant memory through the corpses, would the Thunder Warriors face their last, a final stand of defiance against the cold ethics of practicality.
With their death however, would Terra be secured. The forces of the Imperium now turned their gaze outward upon the galaxy, hungry to reclaim what was once theirs. The engines of industry churned into action, the gene-labs delved into forgotten arts, and mankind once more readied itself for a Crusade as yet unmatched.
None would ever accuse the Custodes of idleness however, and though many were certain in the might of the Imperium, ever would Valdor's eyes be watching the shadows, hunting out those whose bitterness was hidden carefully from sight.
Paranoia perhaps, but justified in this war of shadows, for the Grand Provost of the Adeptus Arbites, Uwoma Kandawire, had discovered the truth of the Thunder Warriors, and of their unsanctioned execution under the orders of Valdor himself.
A plan was put in motion, Valdor calm as he watched.
Rebellion
As the plot to bring Valdor to justice grew in scope,
the First Companion dispatched an agent, Samonas, to uncover what he could and to counter Uwoma's operation. Unfortunately, even Valdor had not foreseen how powerful the alliance created by the Grand Provost would be.
Aided by the Primarch of the Thunder Warriors, Ushotan, and the head of the Emperor's own Biotechnical Division, Amar Astarte, the Palace Coup erupted into motion before it could be silenced. Though the arrest and punishment of Valdor was the stated goal, Amar Astarte carried her own agenda into the fray.
The principal architect of the Primarch Project and Legiones Astartes, she had grown disillusioned after the loss of the former, convinced that the Space Marines would be doomed to a fate no different than the Thunder Warriors without access to their genetic founders.
With the Imperial Palace still under construction, and the Emperor absent upon other duties, the rebels struck fast. Their forces were comprised mainly of Thunder Warriors who had escaped the execution on Mount Ararat, and the Castellan Exemplars, a secret cabal of warriors engineered to be loyal to Astarte above even the Emperor.
Initially, their attack proved highly successful, the mortal guards swept away like chaff before the wind. Step by step did the passages of the Emperor's Palace run with blood, until finally they met their match...
As was Intended
In the Great Chamber of the Senatorum Imperialis, a lone Custodes waited to greet the invaders. Constantin Valdor himself, adorned fully in the panoply of war, stood lonely against the host of rebellion and vengeance flame.
Here did he urge them to surrender, but the rage of the Thunder Warriors, and the desperation of Astarte could know no quenching by simple words. With a roar was battle met, Valdor stepping forth as from the shadows emerged the might of the First Legion Astartes.
The battle quickly turned into a massacre, the 10,000 Astartes summoned forth into the vast hall superior in technology and teamwork to their predecessors. Valdor himself was a blur of motion, caught haywire within the conflict and unmatched by any who crossed blades with his dreaded spear.
Eventually were the rebels crushed, Ushotan dying at the hands of Valdor as he expressed his sorrow and pity towards the Favoured Son. Valdor could not understand, for he had long respected the Primarch, but that was perhaps the point.
Empty of feeling and hollow of light, Valdor was the Emperor's Shadow in every way, mimicking actions without passion nor intent.
The Crusade Continues
Fortunately, with the Palace Coup ended, Terra returned to a modicum of stability. Astartes plans were halted both by the bravery of Samonas and the Emperor's own suspicions, and the Grand Provost was allowed to retire in peace, for Valdor could not fault one truly loyal to the Imperium, no matter how misguided their attempts.
Instead, efforts turned to the expansion of the
Imperium. The Legiones Astartes were finally unleashed, and the Emperor took to the helm to guide his armies in their conquest. In response would Valdor join him, side by side with three hundred Custodians, known then after as the Emperor's Companions.
This unique force would fight across a thousand worlds against the most terrible odds. Even by the elite standards of the Adeptus Custodes would these individuals become legends each, masters without peer and friends
personally with the Emperor himself.
Valdor would be chief amongst them, and his
prowess would be unmatched by any but the
Primarchs later found, one by one, as the
Imperium grew endlessly in every direction. The
discovery of these lost sons did not fill Valdor
with joy however, for once already had he seen
loyalty shattered by those with powers too dangerous
to unleash without concern.
He knew the Dark Gods had taken them, and his surprise at their survival was obvious. Even more so when he learned of the Emperor's intent to find them once again, for he could not imagine that the powers in the Warp had left them unsullied and pure.
Instead he argued that vast armies of mortals should be raised, their own frailty counter to the threat of rebellion, and above each force should a member of the Custodes be placed, for their faith was inviable, their loyalty beyond doubt.
Such plans were cast aside however, and so Valdor watched as always he did, confident that he would be proven right.
The Arm of the Emperor
Eventually were all the Primarchs found, and the Imperium grew rapidly in size. The Emperor, happy now with his chosen generals, elected to retire from the field of battle. Naming Horus as Warmaster, he returned back to the Palace in order to continue his work upon the secretive Webway Project.
Alas, the Primarchs were errant children at best, egotistical, self-obsessed and plagued with a host of maledictions that slowly grew to a head as the Crusade continued. Perhaps deserving more than any other such condemnation however, was Magnus the Red.
A peerless psyker, an open-minded student of philosophy and innovation, he was perhaps in his own most curious fashion the closest to the Custodes, for he shared more than blood in his kinship with the Emperor.
Alas, he was reckless, and his search for novelty and power had forced the Imperium to issue a damning condemnation upon the arts of sorcery and witchcraft, and forbid further practice of the psychic arts amongst the Astartes.
When he then broke this ruling, given without subtlety or doubt, the consequences and the response were drastic. He had sought to alert the Emperor to Horus' betrayal, but in doing so had shattered the wards protecting Terra from the umbral hate, and ruined a plan destined to save mankind from itself.
Valdor was summoned, and with a contingent of Custodes and Sisters of Silence was he sent to accompany Leman Russ to Prospero. They were to prosecute the Thosuand Sons for their crimes, and bring Magnus back to Terra in chains.
Chaos had already struck however, and Horus turned Russ against his brother. No longer was his task to arrest the Sorcerer-King, claimed the Warmaster, but to execute the warlock. Though Valdor argued with the Space Wolf as to his task, his force was small, and he possessed no authority to overrule the Wolf-Prince once his
mind had been determined.
So then did Prospero burn, the once
beautiful city of Tizca lain to
ruin and ash as the full might
of Imperial retribution was
deployed
against
them.
The Heresy
had begun...
Beyond Arcana
The Thousand Sons were not willing to roll over and die however, and in response to orbital flame and artillery rage did they return witchcraft and sundered sorcery. The city became a battlefield of the worst kind, as the true power of the Sorcerer's Apprenti were unleashed.
Against the might of a Primarch however, aided as he was by the elite guard of the Emperor, the Thousand Sons stood little chance. Some of the greatest psykers in the Legion were hunted down by the Custodes, executed carefully as the Sisters smothered the dark power with their null veil.
Valdor himself was said to have fought against the elite Khenetai "Blademasters" whose powers allowed them to predict each blow before they landed. None of them survived, and Valdor walked away from the conflict sporting a single wound, as he tried to regain control of the annihilation unleashed around him.
It was too little and too late however, for in a fated duel did Magnus flee with his sons, leaving the Space Wolves greivously injured, and a possible ally now forced into the darkness without choice.
With disaster as their only reward, Valdor returned immediately back to Terra. The Warmaster had raised his banner in full rebellion, and the conflict to come would not be solved by the simple application of violence and faith.
Plans were put in motion, threats negated. Custodes would be deployed to investigate those loyal to Horus upon Terra, and with Malcador would a team of assassins be sent to slay the serpent before it could bite.
The war was certain,
now only the cost would
be decided.
Last Ditch Measures
Unfortunately, all attempts to end the Heresy early fail. The Kill-Team, decried by Rogal Dorn, would miss their target, even as they foiled a plot on the Emperor's life. The Shadow War appeared lost before the Imperium had even entered the fray, and the debates between Valdor and the Imperial Fist grew further heated.
Dorn argued that the Imperium must stand for some code of morality, Valdor rejected the premise, stating that survival must come before philosophical grandstanding. The matter would eventually be decided by the Emperor however, who passed his judgement...
No more shadows. No more veils
So then decided, Valdor turned his attentions to the war effort at large. The Custodes themselves were mainly preoccupied, staving off invasion from the ruptured Webway left by Magnus, forced to fight off endless hordes of Daemons and shattered Gods.
So trapped between anvil and hammer, Valdor and the Primarchs turned every effort to the material war. Armies were deployed, supplies and alliances were secured, but step by step did the Imperium find itself pushed back.
Eventually would Russ arrive, only to leave shortly after. His plan, like many attempts before, was to slay Horus and free the forces of Chaos from insidious control. No assassination was this, no subtle blade in the dark, but a challenge issued and proclaimed. One champion against another.
Though Valdor would eventually relent to this attempt, providing to Russ a spear once held by the Emperor himself and twin to his own, he would also provide his disdain. The Rune Priests of the Space Wolves were no different than the Sorcerers of Prospero in Valdor's eyes, and this seeming hypocrisy and careless acceptance of fell powers did little to warm relations between the two.
Despite this, the operation was sanctioned, and when it failed, Valdor prepared to defend Terra itself from the Warmaster.
Only in Death...
Sanguinius would eventually arrive before the end, his Blood Angels in tow. Further reinforcements in Jaghatai Khan and his White Scars would continue to bolster the defences of Terra, but Valdor held little hope.
Even with such might as this, their attempts had failed. The Webway Rift remained open, the forces of the Warmaster united and unleashed. Here and now would be a last stand against darkness, nothing more.
When the battle came, Valdor strode into the midst of hell. A dervish of slaughter, a whirling master of blade and rage, he cut through the fallen Angels like once they cut through men. Dozens into hundreds fell before his might, and where the lines near broke would the Golden Son emerge to push back the night.
One man cannot win a war however, and the blood echoed with the laughter of thirsting gods. Though none could halt Valdor in his pursuit of violence and revenge, the battle pushed deeper into the Emperor's Palace.
A final gambit was yet to be played however. The Emperor left his Throne, trusting Malcador to contain the Rift as he took with him Valdor, Dorn and Sanguinius in a desperate strike against Horus.
Teleporting onto the Vengeful Spirit however, Valdor's hope was undone. Scattered throughout this tortured vessel, he was not there to see the Angel break, not there to see his brothers slain. He was not there to see the Emperor fall, even as the Warmaster fell beside.
What then befell the Favoured Son is unknown. He stayed for a while, never knowing if this was the Emperor's plan, never knowing if he had failed in his only task. He would stay... And then he would not, disappearing into the galaxy to lands unknown.
Most suspect he has perished, for 10,000 years is long even for one such as Valdor. There are whispers however, prophecies not yet proven true. A master of the ancient days awoken, a warrior peerless and unmatched again seen... A new day comes,
A King in Yellow to take his Crown.
The Apollonian Spear
One of a pair personally made by the Emperor's own hand during the Age of Strife, it is a Guardian Spear of unique quality. Once wielded by the Emperor himself, its edge can cut through vehicle plate with ease, and the in-built bolter is capable of a staggering degree of firepower, each round beautifully designed for maximum lethality.
Art
1: Valdor: Birth of the Imperium Cover
2: The Imperial Truth Cover
3: Thunder Guy by Dima Sokolov
4: Custodes by Hammk
5: Unknown
6: Prospero Burning by Albek42
7: Unknown
8: Unknown
Afterword
I hope you all enjoyed this installment of the 40K Lore by Jackeyblob. If you have any feedback or criticism, please don't hesitate to let me know. The next chapter will be taken from the suggestion most interesting to me, so I look forward to hearing from you then.
This work is not an official production by Games Workshop, and is free to use however you see fit.