Be'lakor

Overview

Be'lakor is the first Daemon Prince, raised up by the combined will of the gods of Chaos. He is a bitter, jealous shadow lord who seeks to rule but whose plots often serve the gods' own schemes.

He commands armies of daemons and mortal followers, and he can shroud whole worlds in darkness. He serves the Pantheon as a whole rather than one god. He has repeatedly tried to set himself above other champions of Chaos, often to his own cost, since the gods rarely tolerate such ambition for long. Be'lakor, the Dark Master, is said to be the first Daemon Prince. He once stood above all others, but the Chaos Gods spread their favour among other servants and his power waned. He is a master of shadows, carrying the Blade of Shadows and ruling for a time over empires of alien worlds. He has been seen with the forces of each Chaos God since the opening of the Great Rift and leads his own Disciples of Be'lakor.

Origins

His origins are lost in legend. His past survives only in fragments of forbidden lore, and even the Grey Knights know little of it.

Legend says he was once a mortal warlord in an age before the Imperium, the first to rise to daemonhood with the blessing of all four Chaos Gods. Because he was the first, he resents every daemon prince who came after him. His long history is largely recorded only in fragments, so much of his past remains uncertain.

Codex: Chaos Daemons (8th edition, p. 71) says his origins survive only as legends, scraps taken from captive daemons or forbidden writings in ancient crypts. Those tales say he has ruled mortal empires since the dawn of time. He conquers a world, forces its people to worship him, and abandons them once his greed and cruelty have ruined them. Several times he has supposedly ruled empires spanning entire sectors, a thousand worlds and billions of worshippers. The codex warns that these stories contradict one another and may be lies. The Gods' attempts to control him failed, and as they invested in other champions his power waned, leaving him bitterly jealous. His defiance may itself be part of their rivalry.

Key events

1. Undermined many of Chaos's servants over millennia, often unknowingly as a pawn of the gods.
2. Allied with the Iron Warriors' Warsmith Shon'tu to attack Terra and the Imperial Fists flagship Phalanx during the 13th Black Crusade.
3. Led the Disciples of Be'lakor in the Era Indomitus.
4. Invaded the Charadon System alongside Word Bearers allies.
5. Corrupted House Raven Knights on Kolossi.

Dataslate: Be'lakor tells the strange story of Tech-Magos Kyber. Kyber spent his life following a trail of relics across the galactic wilderness: winged statues carved from fossilised psyker bone, crumbling scrolls of human skin showing countless figures bowing to a dark winged shape, and horn fragments sealed in sacred caskets. He decided they were all connected to a single ancient xenos overlord. He never realised that Be'lakor had placed the first clue in his path. By gathering the scattered relics, the Magos returned the daemon's lost sources of power while erasing his true story from history. The same dataslate says that during the Third Black Crusade he pushed the Daemon Prince Tallomin to help Abaddon, and during the Sixth he revealed Drecarth the Sightless's treachery, destroying the Sons of the Eye. By the Thirteenth, he was part of the Warmaster's inner circle.

The audio drama Ahriman: The First Prince shows one mortal who escaped him. Ahriman let Be'lakor believe he had trapped him, then bound the daemon and freed him only in exchange for the sorcerer Ctesias's soul. Arks of Omen: Vashtorr records his intervention on the Rock. Hating the Arkifane's pride, Be'lakor attacked Vashtorr's invasion and delayed it long enough for Imperial reinforcements to arrive. Then Vashtorr turned the fortress's own cannons on him with scrapcode, and he vanished howling, his goal achieved. His Crown of Shadows, from War Zone Charadon, lets its wearer speak with him directly.

Battles & campaigns

• The Battle of the Phalanx: With Warsmith Shon'tu, he tried to seize the Imperial Fists' fortress-ship.
• Era Indomitus: He leads the Disciples of Be'lakor.
• Eternal schemes: Many dynasties and empires have fallen to his manipulations.

Personality

Jealous, proud and patient, a master of shadows.

He is bitter and jealous, particularly towards Abaddon and other champions whom the gods favour. His schemes are elaborate and long-term, but his pride often blinds him to how much he himself is being used. He commands his followers through fear and the promise of power.

Weapons & Vehicles

Drach'nyenRelic Weapon

The Echo of the First Murder—an ancient, bound Daemon greatsword wielded by Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler that rends reality and woun…

The Black SwordRelic Weapon

The sacred two-handed obsidian greatsword of Sigismund and the Black Templars' Emperor's Champions, forged to slay the greatest champio…

Power SwordMelee Weapon

A master-crafted blade sheathed in a crackling molecular disruption field that parts ceramite, bone and steel with effortless lethality…

Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.

Connections

Characters (2)

• 
  Abaddon the Despoiler shadow · Black Legion

  Be'lakor is said to have watched over Abaddon for centuries, as he did earlier would-be champions.

• 
  Typhus rival · Death Guard

  Be'lakor invaded the Charadon System when Typhus attacked it during the Indomitus Crusade.

Factions

• Chaos Daemons primary faction

Also in this faction

Grandfather NurgleKairos FateweaverKhorneKu'gath PlaguefatherSkarbrandSlaaneshTzeentch

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

Legacy

Be'lakor is the first daemon prince, an ancient being who serves the Pantheon as a whole rather than any single god. His long-term schemes, including his attempts to supplant Abaddon as master of the traitor hosts, make him one of the most dangerous wildcards in the Era Indomitus. His shadow has darkened worlds across the galaxy. Be'lakor schemes from the shadows, and the Imperium rarely sees him until it is too late.

Appearances & sources

• Codex: Chaos Daemons / Chaos Space Marines background
• The Gathering Storm background
• The Lord of Shadows and others