Azrael

Overview

Azrael leads the Dark Angels. Some call him the greatest Supreme Grand Master in the Chapter's history. He commands the Unforgiven Chapters, keeps the secret of Caliban, and directs the hidden hunt for the Fallen. The Lion's return in the Era Indomitus has upended much of what he guarded.

He wears the Lion Helm and wields the Sword of Secrets, the most potent relics of the Dark Angels. He leads his Chapter against all enemies of the Imperium, but his true focus is the hunt for the Fallen. His bodyguard includes a Watcher in the Dark, one of the mysterious beings that serve the Chapter. Azrael is Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels and Keeper of the Truth. He is the only one to wear the Lion Helm and is the heir to Lion El'Jonson's secret: the hunt for the Fallen. He leads the whole Unforgiven brotherhood while concealing the Chapter's shame. In the Era Indomitus he faces Luther's escape and the return of the Lion himself.

Origins

Like all Dark Angels he forswore his former life. He proved himself in the battle companies and was noticed for his quick decisions during the Truan IX incident. The previous Supreme Grand Master secretly chose him as successor from within the Inner Circle.

Codex: Dark Angels (6th edition, p. 52) says he was recruited from the savages of the feral world Kimmeria but shows none of their roughness. He first became known for guarding the Chapter banner, scouring Truan IX and crushing a techno-revivalist cult during the Faze V Uprising. Then he vanished from the records for decades, presumably serving the Inner Circle. He reappeared in the Deathwing, became Master of the 3rd Company, and in 917.M41 became Master of the Deathwing. In that role he led the assault that killed the daemon-possessed Governor of Sephlagm before the world was destroyed by Exterminatus. When Naberius died in the Rhamiel Betrayal of 939.M41, Azrael and Ezekiel recovered the body and the banner and killed the Night Lords Daemon Prince Gendor Skraivok. Azrael was then quickly made Supreme Grand Master.

Key events

1. Rose through the Chapter's elite before becoming Supreme Grand Master, bearer of the Lion Helm and the Sword of Secrets.
2. Took custody of Cypher when the Fallen surrendered himself. He learned that the Rock held the time-altering Tuchulcha engine, and that the Fallen Astelan and Typhus sought similar devices.
3. Worked with Cypher to gather three such engines, opening a Warp rift over Caliban's remains in a bid to change the past.
4. Defended the Rock when daemons led by the Fallen daemon prince Marbas invaded it after the Great Rift opened.
5. Called an emergency council of the Unforgiven's Supreme Grand Masters and reluctantly accepted Primaris Marines, whom the Inner Circle distrusts.

Black Library adds several episodes. In C. Z. Dunn's Pandorax, Draigo invoked an ancient oath, and Azrael committed the entire Chapter only after Draigo shared a secret taken from a traitor prisoner. In Gav Thorpe's The Purging of Kadillus, he turned the fleet around to relieve Piscina IV and praised Belial for having the strength to call for help. In Thorpe's Unforgiven, Cypher surrendered to him and the two collected three time engines over Caliban. When Azrael ordered Tuchulcha to scatter the Fallen, he never specified when. The Fallen of ten thousand years earlier were scattered too, raising the possibility that Azrael caused the original disaster. Imperial Armour Volume Five: The Siege of Vraks notes that an earlier Supreme Grand Master also named Azrael led the Chapter at Vraks.

Codex: Dark Angels (8th edition) describes a summit of Unforgiven Chapter Masters on the Rock after the disaster at Darkmor. Guilliman arrived with Primaris reinforcements, and Azrael was relieved to find that the Primarch either did not know about the Fallen or did not care. White Dwarf records that he staked his career on the Primaris Deathwing warrior Apharan passing the Inner Circle's trials, and Apharan did. Azrael later crossed the Rubicon himself. Arks of Omen: Vashtorr has him meet the Arkifane at the Nameless Gate and land a savage blow before withdrawing. In Arks of Omen: The Lion he discovered that Caliban's remains had become Wyrmwood. He survived Angron there only because Dante arrived and then the Lion returned.

Battles & campaigns

• The siren-beast: As a young Space Marine he defied orders to destroy a Warp entity that had driven his company to the edge of mutiny.
• Supreme Grand Master: He led the Deathwing to recover his predecessor's body and was named his successor.
• Era Indomitus: He faces the escape of Luther from the Rock.

Personality

Charismatic, secretive and unbending. He carries the weight of ten thousand years of shame and is willing to sacrifice nearly anything to keep the Chapter's secret.

He is charismatic and decisive, able to inspire his warriors and lead them through difficult battles. He is also secretive and pragmatic, willing to deceive allies to keep the Chapter's secret. His burden of shame drives him to seek redemption for the Unforgiven.

Weapons & Vehicles

Power SwordMelee Weapon

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Plasma Gun & Plasma IncineratorRanged Weapon

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Bolter & Bolt RifleRanged Weapon

The signature .75-calibre rocket-propelled mass-reactive firearm of the Adeptus Astartes, firing self-propelled explosive bolts that de…

Storm BolterRanged Weapon

A twin-barrelled, double-chambered automatic bolter wielded one-handed by Space Marine Terminators, Grey Knights and battle tank pintle…

Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.

Connections

Characters (2)

• 
  Cypher hunter · The Fallen

  Azrael pursues Cypher and the Fallen.

• 
  Lion El'Jonson gene-father · Dark Angels

  Azrael is Supreme Grand Master of the Dark Angels, the Lion's sons.

Factions

• Dark Angels primary faction

Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.

Legacy

As Supreme Grand Master, Azrael carries the full burden of the Dark Angels' secrets. His decisions balance loyalty to the Imperium with the Inner Circle's obsession with the Fallen. The Lion's return has tested that balance more than at any time in ten thousand years. His loyalty and his willingness to defy orders for the right reason marked him for leadership of the Unforgiven.

Appearances & sources

• Codex: Dark Angels background
• The Legacy of Caliban trilogy (Gav Thorpe)
• Era Indomitus campaign books