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Arcadian Leontus is the Lord Commander Solar, supreme commander of the Astra Militarum in the Segmentum Solar. He rides his cybernetic steed Konstantin, and his tally of noble titles is as long as his record of victories.
He fights from the saddle of Konstantin with the power sword Conquest and the pistol Sol's Righteous Gaze. Though his remit is the Segmentum Solar, he has led campaigns far beyond it, arguing that Terra must be defended from distant foes. A huge staff of tacticians, priests and seers, the Collegiate Astrolex, supports his planning. Arcadian Leontus is Lord Commander Solar of the Astra Militarum and a celebrated cavalry commander who has fought beside the Attilan Rough Riders. He leads from the front, and his cavalry charges are legendary. He is a leader who prefers boldness to caution.
The Leviathan rulebook (10th edition) explains his approach. His remit officially covers the defence of the Segmentum Solar, yet he has fought campaigns far beyond it, arguing that is the best way to protect Holy Terra. He cites Saint Solar Macharius as his precedent. He is just as skilled in the Imperium's political battles, outmanoeuvring Navy admirals, governors and adepts of the Officio Logisticarum. Although he never defies a direct order from Guilliman, he advances his own aims within the limits the Primarch sets. He was campaigning far away when Terra burned at the Battle of Lion's Gate, and that perceived failure has weighed on him ever since.
Origins
He comes from one of Terra's noblest families, raised in the spires and educated at the greatest military academies.
His family's lineage of service to the Emperor stretches back countless generations, and he was steeped from youth in both politics and war. Rejuvenat treatments have kept him fit through more than a century of command. In the Era Indomitus he has had to win political battles with governors, admirals and logisticians as often as wars.
Key events
- Was appointed Lord Commander Solar, placing the Astra Militarum of the entire Segmentum Solar under his command.
- Was shot down over Fortuna Minor during the Indomitus Crusade, where he rallied survivors from several regiments to retake the spaceport from the Orks.
- Was away on campaign when Khornate daemons attacked Terra at the Battle of Lion's Gate, a lapse he felt keenly.
- Took a leading role in the Fourth Tyrannic War, seeking atonement.
- Laboured to muster the ponderous might of the Segmentum Solar's Astra Militarum against Leviathan, bargaining, threatening and on one occasion even duelling to speed the mobilisation.
Warhammer Community's 2022 reveal presents him privately troubled by the Imperium's brutality, though he has ordered such acts himself, and by the knowledge that he may never see the results of his work. Rejuvenat treatments keep his body at its peak. Codex: Astra Militarum (9th edition, p. 15) adds that he was one of only three of the five Lord Commanders in contact with the wider Imperium when the Rift opened, and probably the hardest pressed. The novel Leontus: Lord Solar strands him on Fortuna Minor after Orks shoot down his ship. He gathered Catachans, Kriegsmen and Attilan Rough Riders, set up in a hidden cavern, ambushed the Orks and turned their infighting against them, then took the spaceport in a dawn assault.
During the Fourth Tyrannic War he and Captain-General Trajann Valoris created the Solblades and the Sanctus Line. He made his headquarters aboard the Phalanx above Sanctum in the Bastior Sub-sector and led a stubborn defence during the Battle of Bastior. A Norn Emissary nearly killed him there, but Valoris saved him. The Character Encyclopedia says his Radiant Helm contains a refractor field generator.
Battles & campaigns
- The spaceport counter-attack: He led survivors in a dawn assault on an Ork-held spaceport.
- Gargant charge: He and the Attilan Rough Riders disabled a Gargant with a near-suicidal charge.
- Era Indomitus: He commands forces against the Imperium's many enemies.
Personality
Proud, charismatic and devout; a nobleman who still leads from the front.
He is proud of his lineage and his titles, but he earns them through genuine competence and courage. He is devout and weary, knowing he may never see the fruits of his labours. He never openly gainsays Guilliman, but works hard within the Primarch's directives.
Weapons & Vehicles
A master-crafted blade sheathed in a crackling molecular disruption field that parts ceramite, bone and steel with effortless lethality…
The signature .75-calibre rocket-propelled mass-reactive firearm of the Adeptus Astartes, firing self-propelled explosive bolts that de…
The rugged, ubiquitous directed-energy laser rifle of the Astra Militarum—modest on its own, but capable of felling any foe in the gala…
Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.
Connections
Characters (2)
Trajann Valoris ally · Adeptus CustodesTrajann's Solblades fought alongside Leontus's armies in the Fourth Tyrannic War.
Roboute Guilliman commander · UltramarinesLeontus is Lord Commander Solar under Guilliman's regency.
Factions
- Astra Militarum primary faction
Also in this faction
Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.
Legacy
Leontus is the Lord Solar, the supreme commander of the Imperium's armies under Guilliman. He represents the old aristocratic officer class, and his determination to atone for his absence from Terra's defence drives him forward. His charisma has held together armies of countless regiments. Privately he is appalled at what the Imperium does to its own people, yet he accepts such costs as necessary, knowing he will not live to see the end of the road he paves. Leontus is the archetype of the heroic Imperial Guard commander.
Appearances & sources
- Codex: Astra Militarum background
- Era Indomitus campaign books
- Astra Militarum short fiction