Ezekiel Cornatus



Ezekiel Cornatus is a very peculiar individual. He is a bisexual muscian that has had his life turned on it's head. Due to a series of unfortunate events and a streak of incredible bad luck he has gone from a care free musician to a revolutionary, a criminal and finally to a Rogue Trader.

Early Life
Ezekiel Cornatus was born to the priviledged Cornatus family on the Imperial planet of Sanctimony. His family were minor nobility but still well off enough to give their son an ideal childhood, free of worry or care. As a young boy he quickly became popular with his peers due to his quick wit, natural athletisism and his outgoing personality. Despite being born of a family of little importance, he quickly became the ringleader of his own little posse.

As a teenager Ezekiel was already a well known and popular youth. He spent much of his time fraternizing with his peers and had remarkable success with the opposite sex. He was also very good at sports, generally excelling at any game he took an interest in and quickly becoming unopposed in said game. He became particularly adept in a sport called Knicking. It was a sport in which to combatants used specially modified sword that caused pain but not bodily injury in a kind of safe duel. It was in playing this game that he would meet Macadeus Enoulis, who would become his best friend.

Macadeus was a respectable young man from a very powerful and influential noble family on Sanctimony. He was very much the opposite of Ezekiel. Where Ezekiel was easygoing and open minded, Macadeus was serious hardworking and pious. One would never think that these two could become friends but they did. They met at a Knicking tournament. The two of them faced of in the deciding match of the Tournament, in which Macadeus handed Ezekiel his first defeat since learning the sport.

After this Ezekiel would come to acknowledge Macadeus as his rival. However, as time went by their rivalry blossomed into friendship. They were now as close as brothers and as thick as thieves. It was rare to see Ezekiel without Macadeus at his side and vice versa. They even found a secret hideout that only the two of them knew about. The two swore to be friends forever.

When he was 18 Ezekiel's unusual sexual tastes were exposed. He was attending a ball and having fun like he usually would. He noticed I young man that was not dancing and having fun like everybody else. That young man was Richard Mennis, a young noble that was largly treated as an outcast by the rest of the young nobles. Feeling sympathetic, Ezekiel asked Richard to dance when a slow dance started. Richard and most of the other party goers thought that Ezekiel was playing a joke. Ezekiel quickly proved them all wrong when he ended the dance with a kiss.

Afterward Richard would be the first of Ezekiel's man-to-man relationships. This caused a bit of an uproar amongst his peers and an even bigger one with his parents. Ezekiel may have very well have become a pariah had it not been for his natural charm and a loyal group of friends that defended him, including Macadeus. Eventually Ezekiel's relationship with Richard ended as most do. Despite having taken a male partner for a while, Ezekiel quickly jumped back in the game, showing no aversion to dating girls. However, while Macadeus remained Ezekiels loyal friend, the incident caused him to begin to question Ezekiel's moral fiber.

Ezekiel continued with his lifestyle for a few years. His tutors noted that Ezekiel was smart, genius in fact but had poor grades due to lack of effort and interest. His reputation amongst his peers was that of a lover and a party person. While it was true that he was more of a lover than a fighter, he was more than capable of handling himself in a fight and his cocky attitude often got him into quarrels which he would almost certainly win. He became increasingly distant with his parents who disapproved of both his sexual preferences and his decision to disregard his family's position and take up music instead. He would shortly form a band and become popular.

The Star of Sanctimony
Ezekiel's career became more and more successful, becoming widly popular to the point where Ezekiel Cornatus became a household name on Sanctimony. His band, Ezekiel and the Limit Pushers, was asked to perform in Hive Cities all over Sanctimony. His success was so great in fact that he began to become well known within the rest of the sector.

Seeing a chance to increase his planet's standing in the sector and the rest of the Imperium at large, the Planetary Governor of Sanctimony decided to make Ezekiel the poster boy for the planet. He began to develope a close personal relationship with Ezekiel and made sure that Ezekiel got whatever he desired.

In short order, Ezekiel wasw becoming a big star and began touring nearby systems. He had truly surpassed the position he had held at birth and was living the high life. He played for nobles, Planetary Governors and many other important Imperial officials.

As his fame grew Ezekiel began to live an increasingly extravagant lifestyle. He could have any sexual partner that he took a fancy to. He also began to use drugs recreationally. This lead to him developing an addiction to some of them, particularly a drug called Caress, which increases the sensitivity of all five of the users senses, allowing them to experiance sensations to a heightened degree.

While Macadeus remained loyal to his best friend, he was beginning to have doubts that Ezekiel's lifestyle was healthy and was starting to think it might be best for Ezekiel to take a break from his career. Ezekiel on the other hand would hear none of it and continued on has he was. This advice would later prove to be correct.

A Star Falls
As with any famous figure, Ezekiel's life was often put under a microscope. One particular individual that was quick to critisize Ezekiel was an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus named Harlannon. Harlannon followed Ezekiel's life closely and did not approve of how Ezekiel conducted himself. He was always quick to point out that Ezekiel's lack of piety and this thrill seeking bordered on heresy.

Despite his clear dislike for Ezekiel, Harlannon could not find anything that could be used to put him on trial. Then he struck paydirt. Harlannon discovered that a sizable cult of Slaanesh had formed within Ezekiel's fanbase. Looking at how Ezekiel conducted himself, one could easily be persuaded that he was the center of this cult. Harlannon immediately assumed Ezekiel's guilt.

Harlannon attempted to make an arrest during one of Ezekiel's concerts. Ezekiel naturally did not uderstand what was going on and pleaded his innocence. Harlannon would not hear any of it and attempted to pass judgement right then and there. Realizing that he was about to be killed for a crime he did not commit, Ezekiel attempted to escape. He would have been captured and executed that day had luck not been on his side. Many of Ezekiel's avid fans came in to try and stop the Inquisitor. This allowed Ezekiel to escape. However this pretty much proved his guilt in Harlannon's eyes and everyone that attended that concert was tried as a heretic and executed as a result.

Searching for any safe haven he could find, Ezekiel soon found that those he had formerly depended on had turned on him. His parents had effectivly disowned him, the Planetary Governor was openly condemning him, clearly trying to save face and eliminate any chance of being implicated himself. In the end Ezekiel found himself hiding out in the hideout that only he and Macadeus knew about.

Sadly even this would not spare him. At first Macadeus could not belive that his best friend had become a heretic. He desperatly testified to Ezekiel's innocence. Unfortunately faced with evidence and with persuasion by Harlannon, Macadeus came to believe that Ezekiel had become a heretic as well. He told the Inquisitor where their hideout was, knowing that it was the only place that Ezekiel had left to hide.

Ezekiel had luck on his side and managed to make a narrow escape. He now had absolutly no one he could trust, no resources he could use and the whole planet was now calling for his execution. Ezekiel fled to one of the smaller Hive Cities on the Planet and sank into the shadows of the Underhive.

Rock Bottom
Thus began the darkest period in Ezekiel's life. In the Underhive Ezekiel was a nobody with nothing to his name. He lived in squalor. Furthermore he was suffering considerably from withdrawl. He had been addicted to numerous drugs back when he was a star. Now that he was poor he no longer had the ability to get the drugs he had used before. In order to ease the suffering of the withdrawl, Ezekiel began doing cheaper, low quality drugs that were sold by the gangs down in the Underhive. He spent any money that he came by on these drugs and was both sick and starving for a while. Then he overdosed.

Noone had any time for some faceless loser dying in the gutter. Ezekiel's life would have ended there had he not recieved aid. It just so happened Rowlorn Sagilet, a mutant that would become a life-long friend and comrade had been passing by and noticed him. Rowlorn knew all to well what it meant to need help and have people turn their backs. He took pity on Ezekiel and brought him to his home to nurse him back to health. Despite having little to spare, Rowlorn and his unmutated sister Clarana would save Ezekiel's life and help him kick his addictions.

A New Start
Ezekiel now had a second chance at life. He had become close to Rowlorn and Clarana. He was determined to pay them back for what they had done for him. He began working as a musician again, getting any money he could. He also got a job in a factory.

As time went by he became closer and closer to the Sagilet siblings. Regardless of what trouble they got into, Ezekiel and Rowlorn had each others back. Ezekiel and Clarana began to have a romantic relationship. Wanting to be honest with Rowlorn, Ezekiel confessed about their relationship. Rowlorn then cracked Ezekiel upside the head before giving them his blessings.

Things were looking up for Ezekiel. However, everything was not perfect. Ezekiel began to notice how oppressed and mistreated many of the citezens were. Before he had lived a privledged lifestyle, and in the gutter he had rarly been sober enough to really pay attention to what was going on. Ezekiel's sense of moral outrage began to build.

Ezekiel Cornatus, Artist, Lover, REBEL!!
While he did not like what he was seeing, Ezekiel did not feel the need to break the status quo. He was enjoying his life with Clarana and Rowlorn too much to risk it, and besides the world would always have unfortunate no matter how good things got. However he would soon recieve a rude wake up call. One night, Sanctimony's PDF entered into the Underhive. They used flamers and explosives and attacked the people of the Underhiv without distinction. Within the coarse of one night, the Underhive was set ablaze. Rowlorn explained to Ezekiel that This happened every few years. The Planetary Governor sent the PDF down to purge any mutants within the Underhives of Sanctimony. In order to save time and perform a clean sweep, the PDF troops would simply attack everybody, justifying their actions by saying that the people were most likely criminals anyway. Naturally the Planetary Governor was aware of this and allowed it because it cleaned his planet of undesirables.

What had happened that night had shook Ezekiel's prior beliefs to their very core. While he had always been fairly unconventional, Ezekiel had truly believed in the values and righteousness of the Imperium before this. Inquisitors that sentenced innocents to death, Genocide of guiltless mutants and peasants and Planetary Governors that sponsored it. This was not he Imperium he had been sold. It was true that there were less than savory elements within the Underhive, but many of the peole were just poor families that were trying to survive in the face of despair. Not to mention that the goal of the attack had been to massacre the mutants who were mostly trying to get by, and many of whom had become Ezekiel's friends. This was the straw that broke the camels back.

Ezekiel Learned of a small rebel faction that had been in operation for some time. Ezekiel became determined to join this rebellion and remove the corrupt Imperial official s from power. He asked Rowlorn and Clarana to come with his and help him liberate the planet. At first they did not want to be invovled. As long as they had remembered the best way to survive had been to offer no resistance to the authorities. However, Ezekiel made a passionate argument that convinced not only the Sagilet siblings, but a few others that it was time to draw the line in the sand.

Having joined the rebels, the trio instantly got to work. Ezekiel and Clarana quickly proved themselves quite adept as agents, and Rowlorn quickly became known as the most fearsome warrior in their branch. However, despite the good work that the rebels were doing, Ezekiel was having some doubts about their ability to reach their goals. The rebels were dedicated and passionate, but they were also disorganized, undisciplined and lacked good leadership. Ezekiel began to try and make reforms to his banch of the rebellion. Almost immdiately the organizations lack of good leadership got in the way. The Branch Head, a man named Emile Sorvot, lectured Ezekiel for trying to change things, believing Ezekiel to be an arrogant young wise-ass who was trying to look good. Ezekiel did his best to work within Emile's rules but soon found the Branch head to be unreasonable and inflexible.

However, Ezekiel's talents were soon recognized. During an inspection by the head of the Rebellion, the branch was attacked by PDF troops. Emile was quickly killed and it looked certain that the day was lost. In the midst of the chaos Ezekiel rose up and rallied the forces together. Ezekiel not only managed to avoid annihilation, but actually won the battle, killing one of the PDF's leaders to boot. The head of the rebellion, a former PDF Colonel named Mrodint, clearly saw that Ezekiel could be a serious asset. He made Ezekiel one of his lieutenents, and Ezekiel asked that Rowlorn and Clarana be put under his command.

Ezekiel now had new Comrades. He became close to a few of the other rebel leaders, such as Ramirez, a yong man whos family had been unjustly killed during one of the purges and Jorvek, a Psyker who was tired of being hunted like an animal. Furhtermore Ezekiel became very close with Mrodint. Mrodint had lived a priveledged life as a Colonel in the PDF. When he spoke out about the mistreatment of the people, he was unceremoniously stripped of his position. Do to slightly similar backgrounds, Ezekiel and Mrodint saw each other a kindred spirits.

With Ezekiel's help the rebellion was soon on the fast track. It slowly became more organized and their tactics became far more sophisticated. They even began to advertise, putting out recruitment posters and using pirate radio frequencies to communicate to the people. Ezekiel's work was essential in all of this, and he took part many of the rebellion's most important operations. He soon became the Face of the rebellion.

The Governer was facing serious pressure. He was on the verge of facing a full scale uprising. To make the situation worse, the Imperial reinforcments that he had requested had not arriveds and he was not recieving any communication. Faced with these conditions, the Governor was forced to throw up a white flag. He announced over the Vox Network that he was stepping down and that the next Planetary Governor would be chosen democratically.

Back with the rebellion a party was being held. all over the planet in numerous hives the rebels were celebrating their victory. At headquarters Rebel Command was having a feast in honor of their victory. Mrodint then proposed a toast. As everybody drank to liberty, a tragedy occured. Everybody at the celebration started collapsing and vomiting blood. It turned up that the Governor's surrender had been a ruse. He had known that the rebels would have to celebrate his defeat and had prepared. He had sent several shipments of alchoholic beverages laced with poison to the Underhives that were known for high rebel activity just prior to his announcment. This tactic worked well. Mrodint, along with the majority of rebel leadership died due to the poison. A few of the leaders did not die due to having been out on operations, such as Ramirez and Jorvek. Ezekiel had been at the party and had been poisoned as well. However his body had developed a resistence to foreign substances due to his heavy drug abuse, and he just barely survived.

Ezekiel as in a coma for two weeks. When he woke up he saw the damage that the Governor's ploy had done. The rebellion had taken a serious blow. With most of the leadership dead, the organization fell apart and became disorganized. Those that had tried to reastablish leadership were rounded up by the Governor's forces. However, it was not just he rebels that had suffered. The Governor could not have known which drinks would have gone to the rebels. Much of the poisoned alchohol had spread throughout much of the Underhives, and as a result countless uninvovled civilians had died.

The Governnor had dishonorably killed countless innocents, the rebel leadership and the man who had been more of a father to Ezekiel han his own had been. Ezekiel was furious, having had more than enough of this crook in nice clothing hurting the people he cared about. With new drive, Ezekiel set about the task of reorganizing the rebellion. The Rebellion was back under Ezekiel's leadership and was now stronger than ever before. The people as a whole had now had enough of the Governor and his blatant corruption and rose up to join the rebellion with vengeance burning in their eyes. This time there would be no quarter. Ezekiel and the rebels would not stop until they saw the Governor's head on a pike.

What began as a guerilla war soon became a fullfledges uprising, with rebels and PDF troops having firefights in the streets. The Governor was now in a cold sweat. The rebel movement was gaining momentum. On top of this many of his supporters had abandoned him when they realized that he had crossed the line. Finally the war came to the capitol city. Ezekiel, along with Rowlorn, Clarana, Ramirez and Jorvec were leading rebel troops, constantly trying to make a push for the Governor's palace.

Left with no choice, the Governor tried to make a run for the space port, hoping to get off world. Ezekiel recieved word of this from one of his spies and took Ramirez and Rowlorn to intercept him, leaving Clarana and Jorvec in charge of the battle in the capitol. They managed to catch up with the Governor just before he reached the space port. A fight ensued between Ezekiel's men and the Governor's personal guard. In the end Ezekiel's group won. The Governor pleaded for mercy, but Ezekiel reponded saying that he would not give mercy to one who lacked any, and executed him on the spot.

"Sorry, but in life you get what you give. You live by the sword, you die by the sword, and someone without mercy recieves none in return."

- Ezekiel before executing the Planetary Governor of Sanctimony.

Just then Ezekiel got a transmission on the Vox-Castor from Clarana. She told them that all of the sudden a large army of raving madmen had shown up and started attacking both sides, shouting the praises of some god she had never heard of. They had captured Jorvec and were killing off everyone. Ezekiel, Rowlorn and Ramirez got in the nearest vehicle and sped toward the capitol, all the while listening to the fighting over the Vox network. Ezekiel kept talking to make sure Clarana was okay. after a while he did not here anything from her. He hailed her to make sure. He was answered with silence.

When he finally got to the capital city Ezekiel was greeted by mayhem and discord. The Slaaneshi cult that had suddenly sprung up were visciously attacking everyone. The Rebels and the remnants of the PDF were furiously fighting back. Not long ago these two forces were fighting against each other in a bitter death match. Now they fought alongside each other in a desperate struggle for survival. Ezekiel quickly reorganized his troops and got a handle on the situation. The cultists had sprung up from amongst the rebels, PDF and even civilians. They had apparently taken the late Governor's palace as their base of operations. He also learned to his dismay the the position that Clarana had been holding had been overrun not long ago. With a heavy heart Ezekiel chose to take decisive action. He quickly organized an attack on the Governor's palace.

At the Governor's palace Ezekiel encountered heavy resistence. He and his men, along with Rowlorn fought doggedly to reach the Governor's office, where Ezekiel figured the "Big Bad Guy" would be. He had left Ramirez in charge of supervsing the rest of the battle. When Ezekiel finally got to the door of the Goveror's office, he could not help but notice the eerie glow that was coming from underneath the door. With a chill running up his spine, Ezekiel kicked down the door and sallied forth to face whatever was inside.

To his surprize he found Jorvec sitting at the Governor's desk, glowing faintly. Confused, Ezekiel asked Jorvec what was going on. It was then that Jorvec revealed himself to be the head of the Cult of Slaanesh on Sanctimony. For years he had been having his followers enter all levels of society, spreading corruption. He also revealed that this was the same cult that Ezekiel had been accused of leading. He had been waiting for a chance to take over the world for a long time now. He had made each of the cult's members psychically bind themselves to him. He was transmitting the combined hedonism of his followers as an offering to Slaanesh, hoping that it would result in him ascending to Daemonhood. After which he intended to turn Sanctimony into his own personal Daemon World. He then offered Ezekiel a place as his lieutenant, claiming that they would rule the world together. Ezekiel refused and the battle began.

"Sorry, but I am not the kind of guy to take orders. Besides, you said your god wants me to seek satifaction, and nothing would satisfy me more than taking your head off!"

- Ezekiel before engaging Jorvec.

From the very start the fight was not going in Ezekiel's favor. While they was armed and they outnumbered Jorvec, their opponent had the advantage of his Psychic powers. Furthermore, the hedonism of Jorvec's followers were further strengthening his powers. Ezekiel and his men were quickly put on the defensive. The longer they fought, the more jorvec mutated. Finally with help from his men, while taking advantage of the fact that Jorvec was being distracted by his ascension, Ezekiel managed to get close enough to strike a ddecisive blow. Within an instant Ezekiel beheaded his one-time ally and secret long-time enemy with a swing of his Chainsword.

The effect of Jorvec's death was quite dramatic. At the moment of his death a mental shockwave was released. This Psychic backlash outright killed the cultists in and around the Governor's palace, and stunned nd disoriented the rest. Leaderless and truamatized, the cultists were soon eliminated by the rebels and PDF troops.Realizing that Ezekiel must have accomplished his mission, Ramirez made his way to the governor's palace.

The days after this were relatively peaceful. The PDF and those who had supported the Governor unanamously surrendered, having had enough of the constant fighting. The rebels for their part chose not to abuse their victory, and treated their beaten foes humanely. The forces were now working together to take care of what was left of the cultists. Ezekiel and Rowlorn searched desperately for Clarana, but no sign of her was found and the two gave up hope.

Suddenly The planet recieved transmissions from the Imperial reinforcements that the Governor had previously requested. Their arrival had been delayed by a Warp Storm. After getting an estimate of the military power that was to be arriving soon, and having faced the forces of Chaos, Ezekiel made to conclusions. First, no man, even one a great as himself, could hope to defeat the might of the Imperium, and second, the Imperium was for all of it's flaws were perhaps preferable to the alternatives. Faced with these epiphanies, Ezekiel decided to hang up the mantle of rebel leader. He made Ramirez the leader and instructed him to pledge himself to the Imperium the moment the Imperial forces touched down. To further justify the new management, Ezekiel made up a story that indicated that the late Planetary Governor was part of the cult. He took a ship and a few men including Rowlorn and left for parts unknown.

Bad Company
For a long time, Ezekiel went from planet to planet. Back on Sanctimony he had been safe, as the officials after him thought he was dead or had left the planet. Now that he had kicked up another fuss, the Imperium's eyes were on him again. Ezekiel need a safe place to hang his hat. He finally found the perfect sanctuary in the Aledra Station.

Aledra Station used to be a large trading station. It orbited the small moon of an uninhabitable planet. However, over the years conflict in the area caused the station to be more or less abandoned by authorities. Since then the station had become a breeding ground for undesirables. Numerous criminals had taken up residence in the station. Mutants and Xeno scum could also be found. It was the perfect place for Ezekiel and Rowlorn to hide.

Ezekiel and Rowlorn decided to settle in Aledra Station. They quickly made a living doing various odd jobs. They did not have much difficulty finding work, as there was always someone that needed something done. Rowlorn was worried that they would start doing things that were evil. Ezekiel consoled him by assuring Rowlorn that while they might make a living on the wrong side of the law, there were lines that he did not intend to cross.

However, Ezekiel quickly found out that while the station lacked authorities, it was far from unsupervised. The station was run by a gang lead by a criminal named Irkhart. The gang was completely unopposed, and everyone on the station paid tribute to them in some form or another. The gang made it hard for some to live on the station. Ezekiel was no fool. He knew that in a lawless place like this that rule by strength was not only common, but expected. However, he did not intend to go back to a life of having someone push him around. He began to lay plans to remove Irkhart and take over the station himself.

During the planning stages of his take over Ezekiel was playing cards with a few men in his favorite bar. Half way throught the game everybody realized that they had been pickpocketed. After the others had left, Ezekiel approached a man at the bar. Ezekiel asked the man to buy him a drink. When the man asked why he should do that, Ezekiel told him it was because the man had his wallet.

This surprized the man. However, what perplexed him more was that Ezekiel did not seem bothered by the fact that he had taken his wallet. Ezekiel explained that he had spent plenty of time in places where pickpockets were common. He usually saw them coming before they even made their attempt, but he had not cuaght on to the man until he had already lost his walllet. Ezekiel asked the man his name. The man told Ezekiel that he did not give out his name, but those that knew him refered to him as Shifty.

At this point Ezekiel made Shifty a proposal. Ezekiel knew an asset when he saw it. Shifty could keep his wallet provided he worked for Ezekiel. He also promised that he would go places under Ezekiel's leadership. Shifty reponded by throwing Ezekiel's wwallet in his face. He then stated that he worked for noone and that everybody made such promises. He then left the bar. Ezekiel woudl spend much of his time after this attempting to win Shifty over.

Still, Ezekiel went through with his plans. He began recruiting followers, acting as a middle man for an imaginary criminal mastermind called the Shadow Dweller. His initial success was soon met with continuous defeat. It seemed as though every move he made was countered by Irkhart. Ezekiel began to think that Irkhart had a mole in his group. However when Ezekiel investigated for a mole nothing turned up, and Irkhart still outwitted him at every turn.

However his luck soon changed. One night he was at his favorite bar when he noticed that he was being shadowed by somebody. He casually walked out of the bar and into an isolated alley. When he turned around to face his stalker he found a knife against his throat. The stranger told Ezekiel that no harm was intended. Ezekiel could not help but notice that the stranger had a lovely female voice.

The stranger lowered her hood revealing the most striking woman that Ezekiel had ever seen, a Woman with long pointy ears. She explained that she was an Eldar and that her name was Alereina. She was an Eldar Ranger. Ezekiel then asked her why she had been stalking him, to which she replied that she had wanted to get him alone to talk. She had a favor to ask.

Alereina's Craftworld had sent her a request. A powerful Eldar artifact had been stolen, and she was to retrieve it and return it to the Craftworld. Alereina told Ezekiel that this artifact was in Irkhart's hands and was the very reason why he had been so outmatched. The artifact was an amulet. On her Craftworld there had once been a Farseer whos precognitive skills were so great that they could not be controlled and had been slowly wearing away at his sanity. In order to save himself from madness he sealed this power within the amulet. Whoever wore the amulet was given perfect foresight of the near future within a set area. This is why Ezekiel's plans had continually been foiled.

Now Ezekiel fully understood why none of his plans worked. However this knowledge did not solve the problem. He still had no way to outmaneuver Irkhart. It was then that Alereina gave Ezekiel an amulet. She explained that this Amulet allowed it's wearer to be invisible to the Artifact's powers, essentialy becoming a small point of unpredictableness in otherwise perfect foresight. She asked Ezekiel to help her retrieve the artifact in return for helping hm overthrow Irkhart. Ezekiel then asked why she needed him. If she had a countermeasure to Irkharts amulet then she could retrieve it herself. She told him that while she could bypass the artifact's powers, she had been unable to get close to Irkhart on her own. Ezekiel then agreed.

With the protective amulet and Alereina on his side Ezekiel now had a small advantage. Ezekiel capitalized that advantage as much as he could. Slowly Ezekiel and his men began to gain ground. Ezekiel was often forced to make small gains, being unable to score substantial victories on Irkhart. It finally got to the point where Ezekiel's group had as much power and influence as Irkhart's. It was then that Ezekiel gained information that would turn the tide. He managed to find out about a meeting between Irkhart and his major officers. Ezekiel made plans to settle this fight once and for all.

The night before the assualt on Irkhart, Ezekiel went to speak to Shifty one last time. Over time Shifty had become less hostile towards Ezekiel. However, he still did not want to work for Ezekiel. He asked why he should work for Ezekiel when there were plenty of ambitious men in the galaxy who made big offers. Ezekiel then told him that he was not really offering anything. Shifty would have the right to live as he pleased under Ezekiel, and if he did not find things to his liking then Shifty could just leave. He then gave Shifty something wrapped in a piece of cloth and left to make his final preparations.

Ezekiel and his forces then attacked the meeting place. However, when they arrived they found that Irkhart was well prepared for the assualt. He told Ezekiel that he had seen the whole ambush before they came down to the smallest detail. Alereina asked Ezekiel what had gone wrong when he had the Amulet. Ezekiel then responded that he did not have it. The fight was taking a turn for the worst. It looked like the ultimate victory would belong to Irkhart, when suddenly Shifty snuck up behind Irkhart and Garotted him with a steel wire.

Without their leader Irkhart's men suffered from a devastating loss of morale and instantly gave up. Confused as to what had happened, Alereina and Rowlorn questioned Ezekiel. Ezekiel explained that he did not have the amulet because he had given it to Shifty. Shifty then asked Ezekiel how he knew that he would help him. Ezekiel told them that he did not know for sure, but had a feeling that Shifty would and was willing to gamble. Rowlorn then cracked him over the head for being reckless.

Ezekiel then gave Irkhart's amulet to Alereina. This surprized her. She had been prepared for Ezekiel to betray her from the very beginning. She asked why Ezekiel would give up something that would give him an unprecedented advantage over his rivals. He responded by saying that there were three reasons. First he was good enough without it. Second if he were to use it he would be unstoppable and thus become very bored. Finally he stated that the Warp and everything related to it creeped him out. He said that not only did he not intend to keep it, but also advised Alereina to get it as far away as possible.

Ale reina left to give the amulet to her people, and then came back. She stated that she was intrigued by Ezekiel and figured that at his side was the best place to experience the galaxy during her time as a Ranger. Ezekiel then made her, Rowlorn and Shifty into the lieutenents of the Shadow Dweller. Ezekiel began building his base of power on Aledra Station.

In no time he was completely in control of the station. While the gang that Ezekiel ran were still criminals, they were at least honorable. Living conditions began to improve on the station as a whole. Meanwhile people had began to talk about the Shadow Dweller. The mysterious crime boss who had swooped in and taken over the station but had never been seen by anyone. The persona gained a kind of legendary status among the inhabitants at the station. Ezekiel found it rather amusing to sit at the bar and listen as his men would tell inflated rumor about the Shadow Dweller, not realizing that the man they were speaking of was sitting right across the bar from them. For a while Ezekiel settled in and everything was fine.

The Aledra Station Incident
While it had seemed that everything was fine, Ezekiel was unaware that he was still being hunted. Since his reappearance on sanctimony as leader of the rebels, Inquisitor Harlannon had renewed his hunt for Ezekiel. It had taken him a while to catch Ezekiel's trail, but eventually he found out about Aledra Station. Harlannon sent in covert Inquisitorial forces to bring back Ezekiel for long awaited judgement.

The Inquisitorial Storm Troopers and Adeptus Arbites entered the station with stealth and quickly took control of the docks. They then began to search for Ezekiel. It might have been the end for Ezekiel had he not taken the time to establish an effective information network on the station. The moment he heard wispers of heavily armed humans moving on the station and searching for something, a chill went up his spine. He immediately began to take countermeasures.

Ezekiel told his men to stall and hinder the Imperial forces as much as they could. The Imperials had believed that their operation was going to be a simple snatch and grab, but soon found that practically the entire station was getting in their way. It soon turned into a fight between the denizens of Aledra station and the imperial forces. Ezekiel's men had the advantage of numbers and home turf, but the Imperial forces had the advantage of superior training and equipment, which turned the tide of battle in their favor.

The fighting became intense and the infrastructure of the station was damaged. Ezekiel realized that it was not only time for him to evacuate the station, but for everyone to because the station was likely going to be destroyed. However, despite the best efforts of Ezekiel and his men, the Imperials still held the docks. In order to retake the docks and make an escape Ezekiel decided to make a risky move.

Ezekiel revealed himself to the forces at the docks and then fled, leading them away. He told Rowlorn and Shifty to secure a ship and supervise the evacuation. He told Alereina to support him, trusting his back to her sniper scope. Ezekiel led the Imperials all over the station, only barely managing to outmaneuver his pursuers. He managed to lose them and doubloe back towards the docks. He told Alereina to go ahead of him.

As he was nearing the docks, Ezekiel's path was suddenly obstructed by a stranger. The man introduced himself as Harlannon's Acolyte. He gave Ezekiel a chance to give himself up peacefully. Ezekiel responded with a refusal in his typical wisecracking fashion. The Acolyte commented that Ezekiel was just how he remembered him and removed his helmet, revealing himself to be none other than Macadeus Enoulis.

"Hello my old friend. I have some to do what I should have done a while ago. Cut ties with you properly and permenently."

- Macadeus Enoulis

Personality
Ezekiel is a man with a true devil may care personality. He has been decribed on numerous occasions to be very charming. He easily manages become friendly with strangers and is usually the most looked at person in a room unless he chooses not to be. He is also known for his wit, and is a natural joker. Often he will make a joke during a very dire situation. He is well aware of his charisma and relies on it heavily. He prefers to talk his way out of or in to situations rather than using force.

Ezekiel often lives in the moment seeking to enjoy his life to the fullest. He makes sure not to take thias too far as he has had bad experiences with the followers of Slaanesh. He is quick to form a relationship with others, having had numerous romantic and sexual relationships with numerous people over his lifetime, both male and female. He has often joked that he must have over a hundred illegitimate children scattered across the stars. Despite this he only rarly opens up to his partners, only confiding in those he has developed a special connection with. He is also known to have a gamblers streak in him. Often he will pick risky choices, and it seems he gets a kick out of avoiding the potential consequences.

Ezekiel tends to be very open-minded, making friends with criminals, Abhumans, mutants and even Xenos. He has no problem with those that have beliefs that are not his own. This means he is usually very tolerant of other religions. Of coarse there are exceptions to his open-minded views. Chaos being chief among them. He also has a slight phobia in regards to Psykers. He is well aware that Psykers are people just like anybody else. However he is leery of their abilities and particularly hates fighting them. When it is known that he will have to face a Psyker, Ezekiel will often complain adamantly, which usually makes his comrades chastise him.

While he is very mush an easygoing and free spirit, he does have certain traits that are more rigid. He has strong senses of honor and loyalty. Someone that has earned Ezekiel's loyalty will find themselves with an ally that will never abandon them even if it puts him at risk. He also has a deep sense of right and wrong. This has caused him to develope and antiauthoritarian attitude that often puts him at odds with tyrants and bureaucrats. It has been noted that he does not like being told what to do.

Abilities and Traits
Ezekiel Cornatus is a man of many talents. Considered something of a prodigy, his talents were squandered in his youth. When he began his career as a rebel and a criminal his talents truly came to light. Ezekiel is a skilled fighter. He has good aim with a gun, and has mastered a variety of weapons throughout his career. He is comfortable with just about any role in combat. However, Ezekiel's true skill and martial passion comes out when weilding a sword. Before his life became more violent, Ezekiel had been very skilled at a game called Knicking that simulated a sword duel. That skill caried over when he began using the genuine article. Ezekiel has found very few opponents that have been able to match his skill with a blade. His favourite weapon is a Power Saber.

For all of his skill in combat, Ezekiel would much rather use his charm or cunning to win the day. Ezekiel has been gifted with a true silver tongue, easily able to persuade others. This combined with his guile makes him quite formidable. Ezekiel has a flare for grand schemes. His plans are usually creative and unorthodox. They are also often quite risky, taylor made to fit Ezekiel's gambler side. It should be noted however, that Ezekiel has a keen eye for spotting odds that he can't beat. If he believes that there is a good chance that he will get taken down, he will cut his losses and make a run for it.

One of Ezekiel's most unusual traits comes from his habits earlier in life. Back when he was a star musician and when he was stuch in the gutter, Ezekiel used countless drugs. needless to say that the withdrawl he suffered while kicking his addictions was severe. However, exposing himself to all of those drugs and becoming sober actually changed his body chemistry slightly. Due to what he went through Ezekiel's body has developed an acute resistance to foreign substances. This has been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Ezekiel is highly resistant to toxins and poisons. This has saved his life on more than one occasion. The flipside of this advantage is that his body is also resistant to many medicines, causing Ezekiel to require alternative treatment or incredibly high concentrations to be effective.

Ezekiel's final useful trait is not truly something that he has control of. That being his luck. While Ezekiel has suffered much throughout his life and had many misfortunes befall him, it has been noted that he has the devils luck. Often he escapes dangerous situations by the skin of his teeth, with only a slight twist of fate keeping him from the grave. At other times his outrageous plans work by sheer fluke. Regardless, his friends and comrades have made a policy of never playing him in a game of cards.

Rowlorn Sagilet
A mutant who saved his life after he was declared a heretic, Rowlorn is Ezekiel's closest and most trusted friend. Where Ezekiel is an outlandish individual, Rowlorn is more grounded. He is often the one to keep Ezekiel in check when he feels that his friend is being too reckless. Despite this Rowlorn is unquestionably loyal to Ezekiel, Supporting him through thick and thin.

Shifty
"Alright, so here is what we are going to do. Shifty I am going to need you to pick that guard's pocket. After which you need to sneak into the place and open the gate so we can..... When was someone going to tell me that I have been talking to myself?"

- Ezekiel giving orders to Shifty, not realizing that he had already slipped away.

A quite and reserved pickpocket that Ezekiel met at Aledra Station. Shifty did not trust Ezekiel at first but eventually came to be firends with him. Shifty has a knack for stealth and so often does "subtle" work for Ezekiel. He was not always a pickpocket and has dark secrets from his past that he would rather forget.

Alereina
An Eldar Ranger. She hails from the Craftworld of Ulturahsen. She is also the duaghter of Vroginian, Ulturahsen's Autarch. She met with Ezekiel while on a mission and while their initial relationship was shaky due to lack of trust, the two have become very close.

Storm Trooper Sergeant Johansen Connery
"What I mean when I say Deep Strike, is that we are going straight up their asses soldier!!"

- Sergeant Connery

Snikrom Trote Cutta
"Dere ain't nobody whuts sneekier and cuttier den ME!!"

- Snikrom Trote Cutta

An Ork Kommando Nob of the Blood Axes clan. Snikrom met up with Ezekiel after his former Goff Warboss kicked him out of the Warband for being UnOrky. Ezekiel assisted him in getting revenge on his Warboss, thus earning the Ork's loyalty. Snikrom has taken a liking to Ezekiel an has told him that he could be one of Snikrom's Boyz when he becomes a Warlord.

Tarkor Evangelus
Ezekiel met Chapter Master Tarkor Evangelus when on a travel to the Segmentum Obscurus. Ezekiel needed fuel and landed on a planet, which the Red Crusaders fought immensly to keep. He was "escorted" to the main Red Crusaders HQ, where Evangelus had trouble on how to find a manouvre that he could use in the Codex he had written. Ezekiel then helped Evangelus, even though the Marines didn't trust him at all. It turned out that the battles were won, because of Ezekiel, and then Ezekiel and Tarkor met some more times during Ezekiels travel to the Segmentum Obscurus. Tarkor and Ezekiel got along pretty well, and when Ezekiel has gotten into serious trouble with the Inquisition, Tarkor would try to help out.

The Mortalis Brothers
Saleck and Vordrum Mortalis are two of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy. As well as leading several criminal syndicates, the Mortalis brothers are also followers of Chaos, with Vordrum, the elder brother being a devotee of Slaanesh and his younger brother Saleck being a follower of Tzeentch. Ezekiel has had many run-ins with this formidable duo, and they have sworn to kill him and take his heart as a trophy.

Farseer Givaldris
The mad Farseer of Craftworld Feyrahntal. He is an individual whos hatred for the races that have usurped the galaxy has become an all consuming obsession. His ultimate goal is to uttely destroy all the other races. Ezekiel has gotten in his way on numerous occasions and thus earned the ancient madman's ire.

Maxim Devers
An assasin of the Vanus Temple, Maxim is a brilliant operative spoken of in hushed tones as the "Mastermind". Brought in by Harlannon to kill Ezekiel, the Assasin has been highly unsuccesful to date. However, this has not drowned out his determination to finish the job. He was a originally assigned to kill Ezekiel when he became a wanted criminal. Despite Ezekiel's current status as a Rogue Trader, Maxim is determined to kill him as a matter of pride.

By
"I bet 1000 crdits that I can talk the armor off a Sister within half an hour. Any takers?"

- Ezekiel Cornatus just before losing 1000 credits.

"As people, I am okay with Psykers. If I meet one in a personal setting, I will try to ignore the itching feeling that they are rifling through my mind and be cordial. I have been friends with criminals, mutants, Xenos and even a Psyker or two in my day. So you see I really don't hate Psykers. However, say I am casually walking across a battlefield, minding my own business and enjoying my bloody day, and i nearly get blown to hell. I, disoriented, will get up thinking I had a near miss with an artillery shell, but I find myself looking at a bloke with fire coming out of his every bleeding orifice. Now that is not an acceptable situation."

- Ezekiel Cornatus on his "Personal Issues" with Psykers.

"Good evening soldeirs. It is your esteemded priviledge to have had me assigned to you as your Commisar. I felt that it is important that I explain some ground rules. Failure to salute will result in execution. Failure to rush headlong into certain death at my command will result in execution. Breathing in my general viscinity without my permission will result in execution. Not praying to me before you go to bed will result in execution. Making any noise in my presence whatsoever will result in execution. Not magically appearing in front of me when I call your name will result in execution. Having any opinions whatsoever will result in execution. Any challenge to me will result in execution, and like all Commisars and dogs I consider eye contact a challenge, so lets chalk that up to execution as well. Is there anything that I am missing? Oh yes! Touching the Commisar's reserves will result in execution. I am serious. If I catch any of you grubby fisted thieves trying to take my liquor, then may the Emperor have mercy on you because I won't!"

- Ezekiel Cornatus during his time impersonating a Commisar.

"I feel that I should make myself very clear. I HATE Chaos. I hate the hordes of crazy, and for that matter ugly cultists. I hate those big spiky armoured fellows that seem to make it their business to ruin everyone else's day. I hate the otherworldly abominations that rudely pop into our reality unannounced for tea and bloodshed. Most of all I hate those smartass Sorcerors who are always making annoying schemes and trying to blow my head up with their minds. So no. I would never consider converting to the damn religion."

- Ezekiel's views on Chaos.

About
"Sometimes it is good for Zeke's schemes to backfire. Otherwise that idiot gets way too cocky."

- Rowlorn Sagilet

Cornatus Trivia

 * Ezekiel's close friends and comrades often refer to him as Zeke.
 * Ezekiel has a fondness for audacious clothing, particularly hats. The only time he has outright rejected a hat was when he was shown a picture of a hat belonging to Inquisitor Lurk.
 * Ezekiel has a deep love for spicy food. His tolerance for such foods has sometimes been described as superhuman.
 * Ezekiel currently holds the galactic record for most encounters that began with a slap to the face, and ended in bed.
 * Ezekiel's three favourite movies of all time are "Search Through the Darkness", a movie about an Inquisitor uncovering a Xeno plot, "Judge Vredd" about an Adeptus Arbites judge who is framed for a crime and "Defending the Aquila" about a Commissar who dies defending a world from traitors. This is ironic considering Ezekiel's stance on Inquisitors, Adeptus Arbites and Commissars being uptight, mostly corrupt and morally bankrupt bastards.
 * Ezekiel's resistance to foreign substances makes it nearly impossible to get drunk, much to his dismay.
 * Ezekiel's theme song is Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi.