Gavarus, Aspiring Champion of the Word Bearers

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ASPIRING CHAMPION GAVARUS
Traitor Legio Astartes
Word Bearers Legion
Birthyear: 835.M30
Status: Unknown
Strategic importance: Moderate

--General information--
Infamous slaughterer of Imperial Guard forces, Adeptus Astartes, Adepta Sororitas, other traitor legions, various xenos.
Creative strategist and cunning warrior.
Commonly present in vanguard of Word Bearers invasion forces, likely due to being adept at spreading terror and operating in secret.
Extremely long-lived and highly experienced.
Last seen in 977.M41, where he intervened in battle on [RECORDS PURGED] between Planetary Defence Forces and a warband of the Emperor's Children. Emperor's Children were forced to retreat, only for planet to nearly fall to daemonic forces emerging from the Warp two days later. Intervention by [RECORDS PURGED] saved planet from heresy and madness; Gavarus escaped.

--Accounts by witnesses--
Brother Arias, of the Ultramarines, reported this while recovering from grievous wounds:
"Chaos incursions are fortunately rare, and most often culled before they turn to widespread heresy and uproar. Alas, such was not the case on Thesselax III. As a backwater moon in an oft-forgotten system in the Charadon sector, Imperial presence on the moon was low, and what few planetary defence forces there were, were poorly equipped and disciplined. Hither came the Word Bearers, and among their number was the traitor Gavarus. With a tactical intelligence rarely seen among the Traitor Legions, he led a very few Traitor Marines against the planetary defence forces, but to devastating effect. Morale was crushed, gun batteries silenced, and guardsmen and civilians alike turned in the hundreds wherever he and his men went; amongst his weaponry were such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devotion to the dark gods of Chaos.

Soon the Chaos incursion became a threat that could not be ignored, as the outbreak of heresy could not be easily contained. The Ultramarines were called to respond to this threat, and even a few mere squads of us should be sufficient to defeat the Word Bearers, so few were their numbers. Such was not the case. Where we went, loyal citizens and guardsmen alike were inspired and motivated to stand against Chaos, and we rallied many. Soon, we began a great purge against the traitors and heretics. But time after time, Gavarus was able to predict our movements and attempts to strike at his position; our scouts were often found decapitated, their bloody skulls flayed and assembled in small piles where they fell. When we thought we knew his position, our strike teams were instead surprised by explosive traps, while he would launch strikes behind our lines and cripple our supplies. The Codex Astartes offered little to no aid at all; it was as though he knew what tactical advice the Codex offered, and acted in entirely different manners, often without any sort of forewarning. His unorthodox, often erratic strategies left us dumbfounded, and shamed us greatly. We were unable to put an end to the incursion until a week after he had left the moon, no doubt called to some other heretical mission."

The events described by Arias serve as a typical example of how Gavarus operates. He is a shrewd tactician, with no discernable pattern to his actions, and countering his misdeeds is a challenge fit for experienced commanders across the Imperium. If his strategies have one weakness, it is to be found in one of his strengths; he rarely commits to victory, rather seeming content to disrupt enemy defences and mock commanders, and thus, he is considered only a moderate threat, as no full-blown heresies have occurred in his wake.

--Points of advice--
Gavarus is a deadly foe in melee combat. While he exudes none of the daemonic energies often seen in his ilk, his skill and experience make up for it. Furthermore, he has a sense of foresight few others can match; where the followers of the Chaos god Tzeentch often attempt to predict their enemies' movement by laying out all possible options the enemy can take, and then choosing to counter the most likely ones, Gavarus seems to act purely on instinct, as if he just knows what his foes are going to do.

As if that is not enough, he often chooses unconventional approaches to warfare. Where others would sneak through a jungle to ambush their foe, Gavarus sets the jungle on fire. When fighting Orks, Gavarus always allows the spores to spread - in prolonged campaigns, sudden Ork uprisings can help wreak the chaos he seeks to spread. The only way to counter his strategies is to think as he does - retaliate against his cunning plans in ways he possibly cannot foresee. As these plans are incredibly difficult to come up with, much thanks to his aforementioned foresight, the better option is to seek to minimise the damage he causes by rallying the citizens, strengthen their resolve against the whispers of Chaos, and constantly hunt those who have turned away from the Emperor's light.

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