Lorenzo Drasus



The young Thorian Inquisitor is a legend amongst his contemporaries, mostly due to the fact that his life has been very eventful from a young age. Lorenzo Drasus has served as the overseer of the Prophetic Forgiven for more than two decades in his field of work as an Inquisitor. Unconventional to say the least, Drasus has a strong sense of morality and justice. However, due to an incident in his early life involving a Criminal, a Heretic and a Daemon he has also developed a strong lust for vengeance after he witnessed the senseless destruction caused by the anathema spawned Syrath. Of course, he still has a strong bond of friendship with the criminal, which is unusual for any Inquisitor, particularly a Psyker.

Early Life
"I present to you his most fine excellency, Lorenzo Ronaldus Drasus, heir to our fortune and my title."

- Theodore Drasus, Planetary Governor of Galanax IV

Lorenzo was the first born of a very wealthy family of the ruling Drasus House, on the world of Galanax IV. As a result he had an extremely privileged upbringing; was well educated in the arts and sciences and had a pair of doting parents. His father was the Planetary Governor of Galanax IV and his mother held down an influential job in the Administratum. Despite their hectic schedules they always found time for their favourite son, heir to the Drasus dynasty, and they showered him with love and affection. From as soon as he could speak Lorenzo was groomed to fill his position as future Governor of Galanax IV by his family, although he was never spoiled, as to prevent him being easily swayed by wealth (since a corrupt leader would be no good).

As a result, his view of the Universe was extremely rose tinted to say the least: oblivious to the horrors of Chaos; unaware of the existence of the Tyranids and barely knowledgeable of the threat posed by the countless Xenos which assaulted the Imperium. This would all quickly change not long after Lorenzo's fourteenth birthday. At an official Imperial Dinner, which his parents were hosting in honour of an Inquisitor (who had been responsible for the eradication of a Slaaneshi Cult on Galanax IV), Lorenzo began to act rather strangely. It did not help that the young man had been nervous about meeting an Inquisitor and his heightened state was beginning to take its toll on his body. As the hosts and guests rose to toast the Inquisitor for his bravery, Lorenzo's cup flew straight across the room, before he had even managed to grasp it. Although no one said anything at the time, the Inquisitor took a note of this.

After the dinner, Lorenzo was brought to an isolated room and just left there, while the Inquisitor spoke with his parents. He could hear the protests of his father and the wails of his mother as well as the gruff, reassuring, voice of the Inquisitor, from inside his room of confinement. After few hours of shouting and sobbing, the door ominously opened, and two Inquisitorial Acolytes entered the room along with their master. The Inquisitor explained to Lorenzo that he was to be taken to Terra for processing due to his apparent Psychic talents. His parents did not know what to do as they realised that their son could now never be the man they had hoped he would become. They looked on in abject horror as their son was marched to an Inquisitorial Shuttle that would take him to the ominous Black Ship which hung in the sky. This would be the last time Lorenzo would ever set eyes upon his family.

Selection
"I must be the bearer of unfortunate news. Instead of being sacrificed to power Our Divine God-Emperor's Golden Throne, thy God-Emperor's Holy Inquisition has selected you for training as an Inquisitor."

- An Inquisitor to a young Lorenzo Drasus

The journey to Terra was by no means a pleasant one. Lorenzo had been thrown into the Blackship's psi-shielded containment hold, along with all of the other mournful captured Psykers (which the Inquisitor and his retinue had gathered during their time in the Galanax System). An unmistakable air of dread hung in the room in which the Psykers were kept, as the heightened emotions of the prisoners had created a unanimous feeling of fear. Lorenzo was no exception to this and as a result he was silent for the entire duration of the trip, wallowing in his own despair. He was far from his comfort zone, in the Blackship, and he could see no hope of returning to his former life.

Some of the older prisoners seemed to have a rough idea of what was going to happen to them while the others were completely in the dark, Lorenzo among them, about their fate. He listened to the various stories of the captives, while contemplating his own future. Some of the detainees believed that they were being taken to be executed; others thought they were destined to become slaves and a single woman, who was formerly a freighter captain, theorised that the Psykers would be used to power the Astronomicion. To Lorenzo, all of these fates seemed horrific, particularly the last one, which the woman had described in agonising detail.

As the Inquisitor's ship entered the Solar System, and moved closer to Terra, Lorenzo began to feel increasingly uneasy. He started to think that the older woman was right, and that their fate would not be a pleasant one. The Blackship arrived in Terra's orbit only a month after it had set out from the Galanax System. After the ship had been piloted into a steady position, the captives were herded onto shuttles, in preparation for processing. Lorenzo was unfortunate enough to have been selected to board the first shuttle, and so he would have to meet his fate before the others did.

After being cajoled out of the Inquisitorial Shuttle, he was brought (at gunpoint), to a long line of people (who were presumably all Psykers) and was ordered to march forwards, unless another person countermanded the order, in which case he was to stop. To the young man's luck (and surprise) he was then forcefully taken out of the line, a mere couple of seconds after being left there, by a giant grey armoured man. The giant picked him up by the scruff of his neck, carried him a fair distance away from the line of Psykers, before placing him in front of a rather magnificently dressed individual.

The woman introduced herself as Inquisitor Trallan, before explaining to Lorenzo, that due to his young age, he had been selected to be trained as an Inquisitorial Acolyte. The female Inquisitor then lead Lorenzo, followed by two Grey Knights, to meet with another power armoured individual. However, unlike the others which had borne pure grey armour, this person had been adorned with odd markings, which complimented the golden colouring of his armour. The gruff man told the Inquisitor that she could go before explaining to the very confused (and frightened) Lorenzo Drasus, that he was Regulus an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus..

"I'm glad I was able to poach you for the Ordo Hereticus, before any of the other organisations could."

- Inquisitor Regulus Alran, after witnessing Lorenzo's Psychic potential first hand.

The Inquisitor commanded the now isolated Lorenzo to demonstrate his power. As Drasus had never used his abilities before the fateful dinner which ruined his future, he had no idea what to do. Regulus tried to explain it in the best way he could but Lorenzo still didn't understand. The Inquisitor then had an idea. He shot a bolter round directly at the petrified young man. To his surprise, the insane gambit paid off, and Lorenzo caused the shot to stop in mid air, only a couple of inches away from his head. It was at that very moment Regulus realised he had found a very powerful Psyker.

Baptism of Fire
"And if you are lying... I will not hesitate to execute you myself..."

- Inquisitor Harlannon, during Drasus' Interrogations.

Before the Ordo Hereticus would allow Lorenzo Drasus to receive any training, he had to undergo a series of trials that would test his corruptibility. The first tests which he had to undergo, were a series of interrogations. The infamous Inquisitor Harlannon was responsible for conducting the first of these interrogations in order to determine the young Lorenzo's mentality as well as his resolve. During this interrogation Lorenzo was asked a series of questions about his perceptions of the universe. To the delight of the Inquisitor, the young man knew practically nothing of the threat of Chaos, and theoritically could easily be psycho-conditioned into abhoring it. However, as Harlannon began to delve deeper in his questioning and found that Lorenzo had a strong attachment to his parents, as well as his homeworld. Knowing that such a connection could be exploited by the Ruinous Powers, the Inquisitor brought it upon himself to severe all of these ties at all costs.

His original plan was to plainly kill Drasus' parents. Of course, after learning that they were of an incredibly high rank, as well as being rather important servants of the Imperium, Harlannon realised this was not viable. Instead he elected for what could be considered a far more cruel method of eliminating all of Lorenzo Drasus' emotional attachments. The frightened young man was blind folded then placed within a psi-shielded room which contained a picture of Drasus' parents. When the blindfold was removed, Lorenzo was electrocuted. This was repeated regularly, over the course of several months, while Harlannon rigidly taught Drasus of the many threats which lurked the cosmos, while refining him into an obedient Acolyte.

Over time Drasus came to instinctively loathe any memories of his parents and his childhood. Harlannon then began to administer mind altering drugs with the aim of forcing amnesia upon Drasus, so that he would forget his childhood. All that he would theoritically have any memory of would be his life after the journey to Terra. The procedures left Lorenzo as a completely different person, as he forgot everything of his past, while instinctively hating any memories which had not been fully expunged. However, the conditioning and forced amnesia had a side effect of making Drasus despise Harlannon. It was at this time that the Inquisitor deemed Lorenzo to be free of any compromising attachments and authorised his transfer to the Scholastica Psykana. Harlannon deposited him to a tutor without any regards for his former student, and simply left, to pursue a more important cause. By this time Drasus had been completely broken and resembled nothing of his former self. He now knew the dangers the Imperium constantly faced. He knew it would be his responsibility to protect it. He knew would have to learn how to combat them.

Drasus excelled in his lessons, although it took years for him to refine his powers to a safe level. As he reached his fourth year of intensive training, he was fully aware that he was not even close to mastering his art. However, while Lorenzo was pushed to the limits, he relished his training and he took every opertunity to practise using his abilities. Unfortunately, one memory still plagued him during that time. It was a name. One he simply could not expunge from his mind. Harlannon. As a release, Drasus took to conjuring flames whenever he remembered the name and he would remind himself of it during shooting drills to improve his own focus. Lorenzo ended up demonstrating a rather disturbingly good control over pyrokinesis to his tutors.

As he approached his twenty-second birthday, the Scholastica Psykana deemed Drasus to be ready for carrying out his duties as a member of the Ordo Hereticus and he was assigned to accompany Inquisitor Alicia Trallan as a member of her retinue. The young Acolyte was escorted by Aquilla Lander to Alicia Trallan's ship, the Deus Incendia and was received warmly by his new master. Trallan was delighted to see that the child she had once met had grown into refined gentleman and she instantly took a shine to her latest crew member.

Experiencing the Galaxy
"It's not what you expected. Is it Lorenzo?"

- High Inquisitor Alicia on her second meeting with Drasus.

Drasus' first real taste of the cosmos came when he accompanied his new mistress on an official visit to the Forge World of Ractra VII. The planet had recently shown a decline in communications with the Imperium as well a fall in production. Rumours from Rogue Traders and Pirates had began to circulate that the planet was producing weapons of an unknown design, the likes of which had never existed in any official Imperial records. Accusations had even been made that the Mechanicus agents based on the planet had become involved in the use of Xenos technology. This had spurred the Inquisition to send an official investigative delegation to the planet, spearheaded by Inquisitor Alicia Trallan.

In order to keep hostilities to a minimum, Alicia Trallan decided to solely bring her most essential personnel, while leaving a large contigent of battlecruisers in reserve, on the very outskirts Ractra System. However, she also deployed a team of Imperial Assassins to infiltrate the planet and take up strategic positions, ready to pounce if the situation turned for the worse.

Crossing Paths
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing..."

- The immortal first words spoken to Lorenzo Drasus, by Ezekiel Cornatus

Ordination as an Inquisitor
"With thy Holy Seal, I decree that you are a full member of His Divine God-Emperor's Inquisition."

- Lord Inquisitor Regulus Arlan

Beginning of an Illustrious Career
"I guess it's time to get the ball rolling..."

- An excited Drasus, after he received his first assignment

Paved with Good Intentions
"Greetings Inquisitor. You have entered our restricted sector. Prepare to be reprimanded... or eliminated..."

- An Inquisitor of the Purgatory Program, addressing Inquisitor Drasus

Greater Ordo of Magnitude
"You are responsible for the imprisonment of your fellow Psykers Inquisitor, and you have the gall to call us traitors... my, my aren't you aiding the wrong side."

- A member of the Ordo Seruitia, after capturing Drasus at gun point

Baring Blades and Talons
"Who in the God-Emperor's name are you!?"

- Inquisitor Jericho Terrius after encountering Lorenzo Drasus.

Fall of the Destined
"The great are those most likely to fall..."

- Unknown, during the fabled Battle of the Destined

Personality
In his youth, Lorenzo was a rather carefree individual, with a rose tinted view of the universe. Charismatic and charming, he lived life to the full, enjoying a plentiful amount of life's luxuries within the stately Governor's Palace that his parents owned. Drasus was, on the whole, well liked although he had a rather supercillious manner about him.

After being broken by the conditioning methods employed by Inquisitor Harlannon, his outgoing nature was replaced by a very introverted and much darker one. During his time as an Acolyte, Drasus was completely amoral and he had no regard for human life. He had been taught hate. And hate was all that fueled him. Lorenzo detested any vague memory of his parents or his homeworld. However, above all, despised the Inquisitor responsible for his condition. As for his personality, it was practically blank, and he resembled a psychopath more than a righteous enforcer of the Inquisition.

It should be noted that it was Inquisitor Trallan tamed this wild beast as Drasus developed a strong emotional attachment to her. She filled the void which had been left in the absence of memories of his home. While this would be a comprimising trait, Alicia maintained it, as she had developed a tender love for her apprentice. Drasus became a more lighthearted individual once more, as he realised that he had a meaningful purpose in life. During this time he came to meet the acquinatce of Ezekiel Cornatus, whom shaped the more playful aspects of his character.

Throughout his years as an Inquisitor, Drasus' personality gradually changed. He became increasingly paranoid and his mental stability slowly began to fracture. Lorenzo became a more unreasonable man than before, becoming more accustomed to using the full power he commanded. Many could argue that he was decending into madness in the prelude to his untimely demise.

Beliefs
While Lorenzo has taken a rather Puritan stance in his beliefs which regard the Emperor akin to Thorianism, he also maintains a rather Radical and personally prejudiced view which favours Psykers. This means that, while he is a stalwart Thorian, he maintains a rather obsessive Polypskana set of values as he also believes that the Emperor's rebirth will only occur once humanity has evolved into a fully psychic race.

Abilities and Attributes
As a Beta-Level Psyker, it is no surprise that the Inquisitor is adept in the use of his psychic abilities. Drasus frequently makes use of these powers in his line of work for a variety of different purposes. Lorenzo has demonstrated to be a proficient pyrokinetic and regularly uses the ability in both a combat role and to torture heretics. The Inquisitor also makes use of more invasive psychic powers during interrogations, and he has demostrated an aptitude for extracting information through mental manipulation of the captive.

Of course, Lorenzo's psychic talents are not the sole aspect of his being which defines him. Drasus has proven to be a skilled swordsman and has a relatively good aim with a pistol. On top of this, the Inquisitor is rather lithe and athletic, granting him an edge in combat as he can dodge hits quite readily. He is also relatively strong, although he usually makes use of his telekinetic powers while performing manual tasks. It should be noted that Lorenzo is a rather talented at most card games, particularly poker.

Illustrious Night
A stylised forceweapon, in the shape of a rapier, the Illustrious Night is the primary weapon which the Lord Inquisitor utilises.

Incendia Eterna
After losing his standard issue bolt pistol during a battle with a Greater Daemon, Inquisitor Trallan gifted Drasus a master crafter Infernus Pistol to her former acolyte as a replacement weapon.

Theodore
Named after a kind father who Drasus can barely remember, Theodore is the Inquisitor's loyal Psyber-Eagle, and faithful companion. Curiously, after Lorenzo's dissapearence, the familar found its way to the Rogue Trader known as Ezekiel Cornatus.

Alicia Trallan
Lorenzo has been very close to the Inquisitor since she delivered him into the service of the Inquisition. He has a very strong relationship with her, and is the only person he trusts fully. She has likewise shown an admiring interest in her former acolyte and has worked along side him on countless occasions.

Ezekiel Cornatus
Despite their noticeable differences, the two share a lot in common. They both lived lives of luxury before matters out with their control stripped them of their privileges, which means that Drasus can fully understand how Ezekiel feels in his current position, and Zeke is one of the few people who Lorenzo can actually relate to. Initially neither of them trusted the other, as Ezekiel was clearly a criminal who disliked both Psykers, and the Inquisition. However, the Rogue Trader won Lorenzo's undying loyalty after he saved the acolyte from the horrendous Daemon known as Syrath the Immortal. The two have shared a strong bond of friendship since the first time they crossed paths, despite their differences.

Rosalie Drasus
Drasus's only daughter, who was raised by the Officio Assassinorum, as he could not afford to look after her. She has developed an insanely devoted connection to her estranged father despite the fact he abandoned her and she has a very unhealthy fascination with him. As Drasus' emotional ties lie solely with Alicia Trallan, he does not actually feel anything untowards Rosalie, although he does feign affection in order to appease his child. She has proved to be of use to him on a couple of occassions

Brotherhood of the Watchful Eye
Since Alicia Trallan was a prominent member of the organisation, Drasus was indoctrinated into the Brotherhood of the Watchful Eye when he was still an Acolyte. He has been specifically tasked to hunt down and eradicate the Greater Daemon known as Syrath the Immortal and has been heavily involved in the eradication of cults loyal to the Chaotic Entity, with a particular focus on the force of Syrath's Warriors. He has also recently become aware of the Minor God known as Arzal'uth, and has began to investigate the extent of the deity's power.

Prophetic Forgiven
As the current advisor and overseer of the Inquisitorial Chapter, Lorenzo Drasus is bound to them. Likewise, they must respect his authority, although it has been noted that Drasus has become more relaxed in his control of the chapter over the years and has given them some more autonomy. Since his mysterious disappearence, the Chapter have been doing all within their power to retrieve him.

The Purgatory Program
One of Lorenzo Drasus' first assignments, as an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, was to lead an investagitive study into a very radical Inquisitorial project known as the Purgatory Program. After uncovering the location of the planet known as "Epitaph" and discovering the heresies which beset it, the Inquisitor was set to report his unsettling findings to his superiors. However, an agent of the Purgatory Program prevented him from leaving the system which contained the heretical research system. He was captured and offered a simple choice: he could join the Purgatory Program and protect it's secrets or relinquish his life. Self presetvation proved to be more important to Drasus than ethics and he pledged his service to the Purgatory Program. Of course, swearing fealty to the project has brought about risks of it's own, as Drasus needs to make sure that any Inquisitorial agent sent to uncover the secrets of the Purgatory Program fails in their quest to do so. His mysterious disappearence at the end of the 41st Millenium has toubled them greatly.

Syrath the Immortal
Due to his former master's legacy, Lorenzo Drasus has come to blows with the horrendous Daemon several times. His first meeting with the beast occurred on Ralun II, during the same series of events which led to Drasus meeting Ezekiel Cornatus for the first time. Lorenzo detests Syrath for several reasons. One of these is that the Daemon caused harm to a single individual whom he cared for. Secondly, Syrath has caused Drasus a great amount of trouble. And lastly, Lorenzo hates Syrath because he knows that it was the Daemon's fault that the loyal forebears of the Prophetic Forgiven, the Prophets of Redemption, fell to the sways of Chaos.

Bevid the Skull
Due to the role he played during the Ralun Incident and the fact that he is an ally of the Daemon known as Syrath, Lorenzo Drasus has marked the Skull as a sworn enemy.

Of
"You tread where my shining master has held court in years long past and with each step the short thread of your life is laid bare to Him. His long fingers stretch across the void and rake my mind, revealing truth: you fought to become a slave. Your satire of a life alone would justify what is to come; but you are but a speck in the sea of banal static. In less than the span it took to say these words, He has shed any thought of you."

- A cornered slave of Ashur-El Artashumara, just prior to his grisly suicide by chemically induced exsanguination.

By
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. By all means, omniscience is lethal..."

- Lorenzo, highlighting the dangers of knowing too much

"I wear a Stetson now..."

- Drasus, after being questioned about his headwear

Trivia

 * I'm not sure what possessed me to invent this character. It may have had something to do with Crossing Paths originally.
 * Drasus is a gifted poker player, and is one of the few people willing to play a serious game against Ezekiel Cornatus. However, he is notorious for cheating when things don't go his way, blatantly abusing his Psychic talents to read people's minds or to manipulate them to fold. Zeke views this as being "Not very sporting."
 * After spending a long time embroiled in a debate with Ezekiel Cornatus over the subject of "the correct head attire for an Inquisitor", Drasus was persuaded to wear a stetson while preforming his duties.