Ferdiad profile

Ferdiad mac Aran the "Thousand Handed": Equerry of the Thunder Kings, and Traitor to the High King Ferdiad mac Aran was a direct descendant of the ancient High King Conar the Thousand-Slayer, who had briefly united the 12 Tribes before his death. He was the son of the chief of the Hundred Swords of Conar, a clan then considered subordinate to Brennus' Lords of Thunder. Ferdiad had been born shortly after the Primarch's discovery, and in a long running tradition, his father fostered the child with the Lords of Thunder. As Brennus' adopted father had no sons of his own line, the two boys became fast friends, and remained so even as Brennus grew into a superhuman. Unlike many of the rest of Alessia's inhabitants, Ferdiad never looked at his king with worshipful awe, but rather as a brother; likewise Brennus felt a strong affection for Ferdiad, more than any other human. The Primarch liked to say that while Ferdiad kept his feet anchored to the earth, Brennus helped his friend touch the skies.

By the time Brennus began his campaign to unite the 12 Tribes, the King's Hand had returned to rule the Hundred Swords. He pledged their strength to the campaign immediately, and quickly made a name for himself in the battles that followed. Where the High King was patient and considered, looking at a problem from all angles before choosing a solution, Ferdiad was bold and impulsive. He favored a quick strike with overwhelming power. The young Primarch knew exactly how to use a warrior of this nature: he sent Ferdiad and his troops to overcome those among the Tribes who would not bend to diplomacy. Though the High King participated in many of these battles himself, he often gave Ferdiad operational command. Some said that were it not for Brennus, Ferdiad would have united the lands himself. But he scoffed at this notion. He was the High King's right hand, and needed no higher honor. When The Emperor came to claim his lost son, Ferdiad was against the entire idea. In his mind, this Imperium that had come to claim them went against the natural way of things. He suggested that the Alessian people resist. After all, this Imperium might have many soldiers, but Alessia was a world or
heroes; Ferdiad felt no number of expendable men could match the Skyborn King. In a rare moment, Brennus disagreed with his foster brother. He had felt the glow of his father's spirit, and knew that the Emperor was the rightful king of Alessia. Indeed, he was the rightful king of the entire human race. The Primarch assured Ferdiad that all would be well, that he had judged these strangers and found them deserving. He made sure that Ferdiad was uplifted along with him; though Ferdiad was too old to become an Astartes, he was a vigorous man in the prime of life. Brennus also appointed Ferdiad as the Cath Rig, or Battle King, a position second only to the Primarch's. In addition to serving as the High King's equerry He took easily to the cybernetic and chemical enhancements provided to him, but never truly lost his doubts. He felt that a rift had formed between himself and Brennus, and he grew disillusioned with what he saw as an
increasingly tyrannical and brutal realm.

Ferdiad was a tall man, with raven black hair and a haunted look even in the feast hall. With the enhancements and power armor granted to him by the Imperium, he was nearly the height of a true Space Marine. The Thunder Kings had no disdain for what some might label a “false Astartes”, as they remembered their own shaming as similar to the Thunder Warriors. Ferdiad bore a great chain spear that he named “The Gnawer”, alongside a small round storm shield and a volkite rifle. Towards the end of the Great Crusade, and during the Heresy, he bore a four-tined silver daemon spear. The malevolent spirit within helped to push him towards Chaos and rebellion against the Imperium. After his death at Brennus' hands, his name was struck from all records of the Thunder Kings. Where it could not be left without a replacement, it was substituted with the epithet Dubh Tír, or "Black Wolf."