Characters / Dawn of War

This character sheet includes the major characters in the Dawn of War franchise.

Notice: Being one of the series in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, some of the tropes related to their own races will also apply to them. Also, this sheet will contain some unmarked spoilers for earlier installments.

• Characters of the Blood Ravens chapter.
• Characters who appear exclusively in ''Retribution''.
• Characters as they appear in the multiplayer mode of ''Dawn of War II''.
• Characters appearing in Dawn of War III

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The Imperium of Man

Inquisitor Mordecai Toth

"On Tartarus, there are no coincidences. There is only the storm that winnows the faithful from the heretic."
Voiced by: Michael Dobson

Inquisitor Toth is a member of the Ordo Malleus and the original bearer of Captain Angelos' Daemonhammer, God-Splitter. He attempts to convince the Captain to leave Tartarus, as he suspects that Angelos is vulnerable to the taint of Chaos, due to the Exterminatus of Cyrene. When he is proven wrong, he grants his Daemonhammer to Captain Angelos, and assists the 3rd Company.

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• Because I Said So: He tries playing this on the Blood Ravens 3rd Company, Gabriel ignores him.
• The Cameo: His model can be seen for a few seconds in the Space Marine victory cinematic in Dark Crusade, although it's not specified whether it's actually him or if they just didn't see the point of creating a new Inquisitor model for the four seconds one appears on screen.
• Convenient Replacement Character: Toth replaces Isador when he betrays the Blood Ravens. Toth functions as a spellcaster, like Isador, with two of his abilities, Smite and Weaken Resolve, originally belonging to a Librarian.
• Cool Sword: Wields a Power Sword after he gives God-Splitter to Captain Angelos.
• Good Is Not Nice: At least as far as anyone in the setting is "good." Toth is a massive jerk but he is steadfast in his devotion to the Imperium and is willing to hand over a priceless relic to Gabriel.
• Jerkass Has a Point: He was right about one of the Blood Ravens being corrupted by Chaos; he just had the wrong guy — it wasn't Gabriel being corrupted, it was Isador.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: When Gabriel refuses to step down from his mission to stop the Forces of Chaos in Tartarus against his orders, Toth uses his Inquisitional authority to take control of the planet, preventing the Blood Ravens from utilizing the Imperial Guards in their battle against the Eldar and the Alpha Legion.
• Orbital Bombardment: He shares the Orbital Bombardment ability with Gabriel Angelos.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: He was right to be suspicious that someone in Gabriel's Company was corrupted of Chaos, it's just that he picked the wrong marine to scrutinize and that marine only, when he could just take a look at the other marines as well. By the time that it's too late to stop Isador, he begrudgingly apologizes to Gabriel.
• Sword and Gun: God-Splitter (later a Power Sword) and a Plasma Pistol.

Colonel Carus Brom

"Hold the line! In the name of the Emperor you will not falter!"
Voiced by: Mark Oliver

Commander of Tartarus' Imperial Guard garrison, Colonel Brom assists the Blood Raven's 3rd Company in the defense of that world. Only appears in Dawn of War.

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• Badass Cape: As part of his character outfit.
• Badass Normal: No visible enhancements, but he fights pretty damn well.
• BFS: He owns a pretty large claymore-like Power Sword^* (seriously the damn thing looks like it should belong to a Space Marine), it's very impressive he's even able to use the weapon with one hand.
• The Cameo: His model is used for the new, unnamed Governor-General in the Eldar ending of Soulstorm.
• Colonel Badass: For the Imperial Guard on Tartarus.
• Face–Heel Turn: He turns to Chaos in the novel and promptly dies for it; this isn't necessarily canon in the games.
• Hand Cannon: Carries a standard-issue (although lower caliber) Bolt Pistol and is more than willing to use it both on his enemies and his own cowardly men.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: To his men. He's no stranger to field executions, but he's smart enough to work with Angelos and is generally quite competent.
• Sword and Gun: He wields a large Power Sword and a Bolt Pistol.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • In game his authority is superseded by Inquisitor Toth and he stick around for a few missions. Then he just disappears and his fate is never stated. It's very likely that he dies when the Orks over-run his forces and slaughter them.
  • In the books, he ends up turning to Chaos offscreen, alongside several of his men, before returning and leading a counterattack against the Blood Ravens. He ends up running into Gabriel Angelos and dies not too long afterwards.
• You Have Failed Me: A variation in which he guns down a pair of fleeing Guardsmen for cowardice. His "Rally" ability involves him shooting one of the men under his command in the back of the head. It restores the squad's morale but costs you a unit, hurting the squad as a whole.

General Sturnn

"To each of us falls a task, and all the Emperor requires of us guardsmen is that we stand the line and die fighting. It is what we do best; we die standing."
Voiced by: Paul Dobson

General Sturnn leads the Cadian 412th regiment of the Imperial Guard on their latest assignment, to recover an Imperator-class Titan that fell in the defense of Lorn V, as chronicled in Winter Assault. A grizzled veteran, he does not give up easily.

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• Ambiguous Situation: In the Hammer of the Emperor sourcebook it was stated he was killed by the Eldar after the Necrons were driven off. Yet in Dawn of War II, the "Shield of Sturnn" wargear contradicts that by stating that he was successful in retrieving the Titan. This leaves his actual and eventual fate up in the air.
• Arm Cannon: His right gauntlet has a specialized arm-mounted Storm Bolter.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's the Frontline General who leads the 412th Cadian regiment and by all accounts is an ordinary human, yet he can tear Chaos Space Marines apart in close combat!
• Badass Normal: He doesn't have any special powers or augmentations, he's just an old man who has seen decades of the worst fighting in the galaxy, and survived. It becomes more notable considering the fact that, unlike the other two Generals, he doesn't feel the need to wear a golden breastplate, have a Plasma Pistol, super-duper Power Claws or Power Fists, optical bionics, over-sized Pauldrons, fancy golden boots or a shiny new cape. He only wears his gritted face, Power Claws, a forearm-mounted Storm Bolter and his Medal-covered Imperial Guard uniform.
• Determinator: This man will get the job done. Sod the Khornate Space Marines, the Ork WAAAGH!!, the Eldar witches and even the Necron Warriors. Another world, another glorious victory in remembrance of the Immortal God-Emperor of Man.
• Enemy Mine: With the Eldar, though eventually he either turns on them or is turned on.
• A Father to His Men: Sturnn genuinely and dearly cares for the men under his command and avoids sending them on suicide missions if it can be helped. He also tells them that he is honored to have led them to battle.
• Four-Star Badass: General Sturnn kills the enemies of the Emperor with naught but his grit filled stare.
• Frontline General: He is more than willing to fight with his men with nothing other than his own personal wargear.
• Killed Off for Real: By the Eldar after the Necrons are driven off, according to the Hammer of the Emperor sourcebook for Only War. This contradicts a piece of wargear in the Imperial Guard campaign of Retribution, which states that he succeeded in capturing the Titan.
• Large Ham: He can out ham an Eldar, which is saying something.
• Rousing Speech: He gives more than a few.
  Sturnn: Although the Golden Throne of Terra orbits a distant star, far from here, the Emperor's Hand is on your shoulder, always. You have fought and displayed loyalty and bravery far and above your calling as Guardsmen. You have faced the full brunt of an Ork WAAAAGH! as well stared down the horrors of the Warp in the fallen Space Marines. And in that, I am honored to have led you. Our task remains, however. There is still work to be done. The Titan is ours, but its Machine Spirit is injured. The Titan Crew is in place, leaving us to defend the Titan while the crew brings its armaments online. For that, we need energy to power the weapons systems. Now, go... THE FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER!
• Wolverine Claws: He wears a pair of special gauntlets with retractable power claws and a bolter attached to his right hand. What makes this incredibly notable is that General Sturnn is practically the first ordinary human to use power claws in the setting. Most of the time, power fists see more use for the Imperial Guard and other Non-Astartes Imperial factions.

Chaplain Varnus of the Ultramarines

We have weathered fiercer storms than this! Hold the Line, damn you. You will not embarrass the Emperor today by dying!"
Voiced by: Scott McNeil

A Chaplain of the Ultramarines, he was aboard the Thunderhawk that was carrying the crew for an Imperator-class Titan that fell in the defense of Lorn V. He assists General Sturnn in recovering said Titan, as chronicled in Winter Assault.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: At least as far as the Ultramarines go.
• Carry a Big Stick: Like most Chaplains in the original Dawn of War and its expansion, his Crozius Arcanum looks more like a big mace than anything.
• Damned by Faint Praise: When Sturnn declares on what amounts to a hunch that someone is helping the Imperials in secret and he hates secrets because "they wilt under the Emperor's light," Varnus simply replies that he respects that Sturnn is a pious man in a tone that strongly suggests he's trying not to outright disagree with the man that just pulled him and his marines out of the fire.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He kills a Bloodthirster by himself. An impressive feat, as they're capable of devastating star systems single-handed.
• It Has Been an Honor: To Sturnn after successfully defending the Titan.
• Religious Bruiser: While Space Marines are devoted to the Emperor by default, Varnus is much more zealous and pious due to being a Chaplain.
• Sword and Gun: Enters battle with his Crozius Arcanum and a Bolt Pistol.
• Skull for a Head: As a Chaplain, his helmet is in a shape of a skull.
• Staff of Authority: His Crozius Arcanum is much as a badge of office as much as it can force xenos, heretics, and daemons' heads in with brutal force.
• You Shall Not Pass!: His defense of the Titan crew while awaiting Sturnn's arrival. He and his men actually survive, unlike many examples of this trope.

Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander

"Enemies of the Imperium, hear me: you have come here to die. The Immortal Emperor is with us, and we are invincible."
Voiced by: Brian Dobson

Commander of the 1st Kronus Liberators regiment, Imperial Governor of Kronus, and was embroiled in the Dark Crusade. He was tasked by Segmentum Command with hunting down Farseer Taldeer of Craftworld Ulthwe for her actions on Lorn V, and securing the planet as well. Is canonically defeated by the Blood Ravens.

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• Arm Cannon: He first starts off with a normal wrist-mounted bolter, with a storm bolter being his penultimate upgrade, before eventually getting a much more powerful wrist-mounted plasma pistol.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's governor of the parts of Kronus under Imperial command, and the leader of the Liberators. Not quite enough to save him, but give him credit for not backing down even in the face of certain death.
• Bad Boss: During the attack on his Stronghold, he roasts several of his own men with his Hellstorm cannon to shoot ONE of your units, and keeps firing it periodically until you take the power for it away from him... on the off-chance he'll hit you again regardless of how many of his own men might be down there. If you build Thermo Plasma Generators in the right places, you can fire the Titan gun on his men any time they're in its firing line at your leisure. And since the Blood Ravens were the canon winners of Dark Crusade, this really did happen.
• BFG: His stronghold includes a Hellstorm cannon, the arm weapon for an Imperator Titan, which his men uncovered while building their fortifications in Victory Bay. They used large generators to get it up and running, and it becomes a major obstacle during the assault on his Stronghold.
• Bling of War: A good amount of his carapace armor, and other Wargear is decked out in gold.
• Broken Pedestal: He respects the Space Marines, like most Imperial subjects. However, when the Blood Ravens marches toward his headquarters at Victory Bay, he grows disillusioned by the fact that these "holy" warriors would fight against their own loyal servants.
• Didn't Think This Through: He makes two fatal blunders during his final battle with the Blood Ravens.
  • His Fifth Company are having morale problems, and his solution... is to force them to screen attacks directed at his central base with only token defenses and a single Regimental Commissar to keep them in the fight. He apparently saw no issue with assigning the weakest link of his forces to the Hellstorm Cannon's defence. The Blood Ravens kill the Commissar and the entire company promptly turns on him.
    Fifth Company Guardsman: Time for payback!
  • The other is building the Thermo Plasma Generators used to power the Titan cannon in a fairly easy-to-access location that the Space Marines could get to easily once they overcame the Fifth Company's defences. He doesn't defend them very well, either, with only a token defense of mine fields, turrets, some infantry and a pair of Leman Russ tanks. The result is that the Generators are all destroyed and replaced with Space Marine equivalents that allow the Blood Ravens to take it for themselves.
• Four-Star Badass: He's the general of the Liberators, it's to be expected.
• Honor Before Reason: He'll keep fighting even when it becomes apparent he'll lose, because he figures it's better to die fighting. Even if he's fighting against the Blood Ravens, who are nominally on the same side.
• Just Following Orders: The reason he came into conflict with the Blood Ravens (even though both are part of the Imperium). He had orders to liberate and defend the planet from all threats, while the Blood Ravens had orders to PURGE everyone from the planet. Both groups' higher-ups could not clear up the orders before each side came to blows. Even when fighting each other, Alexander and Captain Thule exchange words of respect for each following their orders to the letter.
• Killed Off for Real: Canonically killed by the Blood Ravens. Though an Imperial Commander with his same model is killed in Soulstorm's introduction cinematic, instead by a Tau army.
• Power Fist: His final upgrade replacing his power claws are a pair of power fists.
• Rousing Speech: Gives a good one when Victory Bay is invaded. It certainly makes one hell of an impression for him.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Even after being made Governor of Kronus (aka king of the planet), Alexander personally lead his troops into battle during every conflict of the war.
• Vindicated by History: An in-universe example, given in an item description in the Retribution IG campaign. Given the elements of treachery and heresy within the Blood Ravens as of Chaos Rising and Retribution, many within the Imperium have re-evaluated his decision to oppose them, and he's retroactively in-universe seen a lot more positively now.
• Wolverine Claws: His starting weapon, though he will eventually replace it with a pair of Power Fists.
• Worthy Opponent: Thule saw him as such, despite having to unfortunately kill him and his Guardsmen. He in turn saw Thule as this.

Governor-General Vance Stubbs

"Commissar, I would like to see this city built up again. I would like to see towers and spires of gleaming white, I would like to see our men on parade routes, not tours of duty!"
Voiced by: Scott McNeil (campaign quotes), Brian Dobson (gameplay quotes recycled from Alexander)

General Stubbs is the newly appointed Governor of the Kaurava system, and commander of the 252nd Kauravan Conservator regiment. Having just taken command of the system before the Warp Storm arrived, Stubbs hopes to reconquer the Kaurava system for the Imperium.

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• Arm Cannon: Just like Sturn and Alexander before him, he starts off with a normal wrist-mounted bolter and can upgrade to double-barreled storm bolter.
• Badass Cape: Can be given Ibram's Vestment, a trademark cloak of the Governor-Generals.
• Bling of War: For the Emperor's sake, even his Bionics are gilded in gold!
• Earn Your Happy Ending: In his non-canon victory ending, Stubbs rebuilds the system and constructs several military academies, he and his soldiers are seen as heroes, and Kaurava produces soldiers second in quality only to Cadia's Kasrkins.
• A Father to His Men: A tough but fair commander who would rather his men be on parade tours than tours of duty.
• Four-Star Badass: He whips into shape a historically terrible military unit and commands their respect.
• Frontline General: He fights alongside his men with the help of his Command Squadron.
• Gangsta Style: Does this when you give him the plasma pistol... for some frakkin' reason^note most likely because the developers didn't think bother to adjust his firing stance when he acquires the weapon.
• General Failure: The meme of him "losing 100 Baneblades" has made some people jokingly claim he was this^note the "loss" of the Baneblades wasn't his fault in the slightest; they weren't destroyed or misplaced, just reassigned to a different battlezone just before the conflict of Soulstorm begins. Still awesome though.
• Heroic BSoD: In his defeat scene, he gives a pretty impressive breakdown speech, despite the bad voice acting:
  Stubbs: All I've fought for... all my work. Crushed, crushed! All the good men who gave their lives for this cursed, this blasted system...
• Hollywood Cyborg: One of the Wargear upgrades you can get for him is for him to be Augmented with Bionics to increase his melee prowess.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: He retreats from Kaurava after his defeat with the intent to fight his enemies another day.
• Only Sane Man: One of the few leaders in Soulstorm who doesn't have his head stuck all the way up his arse.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Upon seeing the Cold-Blooded Torture the Dark Eldar subjected their prisoners to, General Stubbs and his men fight extra fiercely to drive the Dark Eldar from the system and to punish them.
• We Will Meet Again: In his defeat scene:
  Stubbs: Though my army lies in ruins today... I have not done fighting. And I will remember who my enemies are...
• Wolverine Claws: One of his default weapons, you can get progressively get better ones if you choose to do so.

Canoness Selena Agna

"Then we shall purge it with fire. I have yet to find a cinder that was not faithful in its praise of the Emperor."
Voiced by: Ellen Kennedy

Canoness Agna leads the Order of the Sacred Rose forces that have come to Kaurava to cleanse it of heretics and xenos by burning everything, just to be sure. Proud and fanatical, she is an exemplary member of the Sisters of Battle.

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• Action Girl: As the leader of the Amazon Brigade faction, she's naturally one herself.
• Badass Cape: She starts off with a cool-looking one, but you can upgrade her with the much better "Cloak of St. Aspira" which increases her health and increases resistance to melee attacks.
• Battle Aura: Her final upgrade has her surrounded in Aura of Holy fire called "The Emperor's Blessing".
• Better to Die than Be Killed: When defeated, she chooses to die a martyr's death by immolating herself and her fellow Sisters, along with their enemies.
• Church Militant : A given considering she's a member of the Adeptas Sororitas, which is an entire Church Militant faction in the already religious and fanatical Imperium.
• Cool Sword: She starts off with the standard-issue Chainsword, but you can upgrade to the much better Power Sword.
• The Extremist Was Right: She's technically not wrong about the Blood Ravens being tainted, with Kyras being in league with Chaos before any of them knew of the truth.
• Even Evil Has Standards: After capturing the Dark Eldar base, Canoness Agna is deeply disgusted and disturbed by the Cold-Blooded Torture that the Dark Eldar subjected their prisoners to. It takes all her faith to avoid going insane.
• Improbable Weapon User: Her final melee weapon upgrade, the "Brazier of Holy Fire" has her beat her foes to death with what is essentially an over-glorified torch.
• It Is Beyond Saving: She was convinced that the Kaurava system is irredeemable and corrupted with aliens all over the system and having to battle against the system's Guards and the Blood Ravens, whom she already suspected of taint.
• Knight Templar: Convinced that the presence of Chaos in the Kaurava system must mean that both the Imperial Guard and the Blood Ravens have also fallen to corruption and need to be purged.
• Kill It with Fire: You can get her a Torch for a melee weapon, what is essentially a flamethrower pistol and set herself on holy fire. But seriously she's from the Sisters of Battle, what did you expect? This goes to the point that, during her defeat cutscene, she immolates herself along with her soldiers and any enemy soldiers nearby.
• Sword and Gun: Like many Imperial Commanders.

Confessor Treganum March

"Full of faith, we march! From Convent to Convent, our numbers grow, and so our might!"
Voiced by: Michael Kopsa

A Confessor assigned to the Kaurava system, serving as an adviser to Canoness Selena Agna of the Order of the Sacred Rose.

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• Badass Preacher: He is a Confessor fighting against the heresy of the system just as well as the Sister sent to purge the system.
• Hanging Judge: He is a Confessor, who judges any root of heresy indiscriminately (and perhaps, discriminately).
  "A plea of innocence is guilty of wasting my time."
• It Is Beyond Saving: He agrees with Selena Agna of the corruption of the system and that to restore it to the light of the Emperor, it must be purged.

Living Saint Anais

"Together we will fight and by the Emperor's will, we will triumph!"
Voiced by: Ellen Kennedy

The Scourge of Heretics. She is a Living Saint placed upon the Sama Discrict, the primary base of the Sister of Battle.

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• Back from the Dead: One of her abilities is "Miraculous Intervention," which lets her resurrect to fight again.
• Despair Event Horizon: The destruction of her shrines causes her to outburst a shout of despair, realizing that the battle is lost.
• Nigh-Invulnerable: Imbued with the "Inviolable Aura," she and her sisters in battle are completely immune to bolter fire. However, it is only possible through various shrines outside of the home base. Destroy them, and her aura is made impotent.

Governor Gregor Vandis

Governor of the Hive World and sub-sector capital, Meridian, Vandis is the primary obstacle to the Blood Ravens for gaining access to Angel's Forge. He's secretly a worshipper of Chaos, and rebels against the Imperium in Chaos Rising.

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• Aristocrats Are Evil: Vandis is part of House Vandis, one of the noble houses which rule Meridian and which Thaddeus claims is only interested in it's own self-preservation. Fully becomes this when he and House Vandis ally with Chaos to reclaim control of the planet.
• Dirty Coward: Flees the sub-sector once it becomes apparent that the Tyranids are there in force.
• Face–Heel Turn: He joins the Black Legion in Chaos Rising.
• The Ghost: He is never seen or heard in either campaign, only alluded to.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: He not only laughed off the possibility of a Tyranid invasion until it was too late, he also hoarded Blood Raven relics.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Disappears completely during Chaos Rising.

Administrator/Governor Elena Derosa

"The Blood Ravens are here! The Emperor's Angels of Death fight with us!"
Voiced by: Christine Dunford

Administrator Derosa is Governor Vandis' liaison with the Blood Raven strike force. She appears obstructive, but she is merely following orders, and when the need was apparent, she took action. She is appointed Governor of Meridian in Chaos Rising to take Vandis' place after he abandoned the sub-sector.

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• Badass Normal: She can tell a Space Marine to be quiet and listen, that takes ovaries of adamantium. Avitus even states that she'd make a good Sister of Battle.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: She's just following orders though. She gets better and becomes...
• Reasonable Authority Figure: She takes control of Meridian once Vandis runs away, and does a much better job preparing for the Tyranids than he did. Even Avitus compliments her. She gets promoted to governor In Chaos Rising.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Is never even mentioned in Retribution. It's very likely she was killed when the Traitor Guardsmen overran Meridian during Retribution's story. Since it was revealed the Capitol Spire's defenders had all fallen due to not expecting an attack from within and the fact she was never heard from again sometime after, it's heavily implied she was slaughtered along with the other forces defending the planet.

Orks

Warboss Orkamungus

"Bah! We'll keep 'em more than busy. We'll keep dem dead."
Voiced by: Paul Dobson

Warboss Orkamungus led the Orks ravaging the planet Tartarus. It is eventually revealed that he had made a deal with the Alpha Legion to serve as a distraction for the Blood Ravens in exchange for weapons and the chance to fight the Imperium's finest. He is eventually killed by the Blood Ravens, ending the Ork threat on Tartarus.

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• BFG: Carries a massive gun on one arm.
• Everyone Has Standards: He refused to let Sindri boss him around, and made it clear that he was only in on their bargain because he wanted to fight the Space Marines.
• Large and in Charge: Standard for a warboss.
• Not Worth Killing: His opinion of the Alpha Legion, asserting that they weren't worth the hassle because if they were, they wouldn't need him and his boyz to do their fighting for them.
• Power Fist: The giant Power Klaw on his free hand.
• Starter Villain: He only appears in a single mission, his WAAAGH! is only your primary concern for four total and the Orks become a disorganized mess without him (albeit one still able to massacre the civilian populace).
• Unwitting Pawn: Of Sindri, as was everyone else.
• Villain Respect: He considered the Space Marines Worthy Opponents and struck a deal with Sindri purely for the chance to fight them.

Warboss Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter, Lord All Koroova

"Da greatest war machine iz da Ork WAAAGH! We don't need no damn tinker'traption to be strong, we iz strong! Listen to 'em! Screamin' with one voice across da whole planet! WAAAAGH!"
Voiced by: Brian Drummond (Dawn of War) / Brian Dobson (Soulstorm) / Nathan Constance (Dawn of War III)

Warboss Gorgutz is one of the most popular characters in the series, and has appeared in all the expansions for the original Dawn of War. Gorgutz's first appearance has him attempting to start a WAAAGH! on Lorn V, when that fails, he flees to Kronus, and tries again. When thwarted this time, he flees once more to Kaurava, where he finally caught a break and managed to make himself warlord of the entire star system. Not content to rest on his laurels, Gorgutz now rides out from Kaurava at the head of his massive WAAAGH! on a quest to loot that pointiest of pointy sticks, the fabled Spear of Khaine.

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• Arch-Enemy: To Crull, in Winter Assault. He ultimately kills the Chaos Lord.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Like any good Warboss, he's strong enough to assert his authority and keep his Boyz in line.
• Ax-Crazy: Although he's not quite as crazy as others, make no mistake, Gorgutz is still as savage and barbaric as any other Ork.
• Badass Boast: Just look at the quote above. Gorgutz is loaded with these.
  Gorgutz: Listen up ya grots an' squigs! Dey'z comin' for us like we some kind a humie gitz. But we ain't. We'ze da orks and dis here is gonna be one great fight! So get your choppas and shootas ready boyz, cos dere's some killin' to do!

  Gorgutz: Come on then, humie! Let's see what you got!
  Alexander: What I have is your death, alien!
  Gorgutz: Yer not the first to think dey got me, humie. Let's see if you can live up to yer yammering.

  Gorgutz: Oi humies, yer in Ork lands now! Hope you ain't too attached to yer heads.
  Thule: Yell and gnash all you want, alien. The Blood Ravens are here to finish your off.
  Gorgutz: A humie with some spirit! Yer head's gonna be mine!
  Thule: You'll meet my bolter first, filth.
  Gorgutz: I like da way you think, humie. Dis is gonna be fun!

  Aun'El: You are an affront to the Greater Good, Ork.
  Gorgutz: You callin' me names, Grey Skin? Me Boyz're gonna hav' to teach you some manners.

  Gorgutz: You didn't think you could stop Gorgutz, did ye, ye metal gitz?

  Gorgutz: I'z still bigger den youz! Now, who else been doing the dinkin', eh? Youz think you can take me? I da biggest Ork 'ere! Show me what ya got!
• Bad Boss: The first thing we see him do is kill a Meganob not just for not being part of Gorgutz's warband, but also for suggesting they run. Later, he kills a random Ork just because he's angry that Crull's forces shot down their plane. The after action report for him defeating the Tau in Dark Crusade states that he killed a bunch of his subordinates for failing to retrieve Au'nel's skull. In fact, this is pretty much a recurring theme with him.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Dawn of War III confirms that Gorgutz is the canonical winner of the Kaurava conflict (Soulstorm).
• Bald of Evil: Like most Orks, he lacks any hair.
• Battle Trophy: Skulls are his preferential trophy. What, did you think he'd be using someone's foot as a trophy?
• BFG: Any gun he uses.
• The Berserker: Being the Warboss, he can inspire other Orks around him by initiating a WAAAGH! frenzy.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: His first appearance in Winter Assault has him making a very shaky alliance with the World Eaters Chaos Lord Crull.
• Big Bad Ensemble: He's one of the primary antagonists in all of the original Dawn of War expansions.
  • Dark Crusade: Gorgutz is one of the major antagonists, this time competing with Eliphas the Inheritor and the Necron Lord of Kronus.
  • Soulstorm: Gorgutz, along with the Necron Lord of All Kaurava, Firaeveus Carron, and Archon Tahril.
  • Dawn of War III: For most of the game, Gorgutz and Kyre are the main threats, until they're revealed to have been playing into the hand of the true Big Bad, the Storm Prince.
• Blood Knight: As befitting an ork, he lives and thrives off of battle.
• The Bus Came Back: After being absent throughout Dawn of War II, he returns in Dawn of War III.
• Combat Pragmatist: He'll happily use whatever means possible to get one over his opponent. If his base is overrun, he'll just detonate it and take as many of the enemy with him as possible... unless he's slipping out the back.
• Deadpan Snarker: He's the biggest source of Dawn of War's humor.
  Macabee: Death has come for you.
  Gorgutz: Deff? You looks like a 'oomie dats needs some feedin', metal boy.
  Macabee: We exterminated all life on this planet before, and we shall do so again.
  Gorgutz: Dat woz before me WAAAGH! got 'ere. Now, we is da wuns doin' da 'sterminating!

  Gorgutz: Metal Boyz! That'll go all nice on me pointy stik. Kill 'em, lads!
  Macabee: We are your end, alien.
  Gorgutz: If ya mean the end of me pointy stik, I'm right dere with ya!

  O'Kais: Ork, you don't have a chance. Surrender for the Greater Good!
  Gorgutz: You don't know much about Orks, do ya, Grey Skin?
  O'Kais: I have given you your chance. The time for talk is over."
  Gorgutz: Now yer seeing things my way, Grey Skin. Shut yer yap and get to fighting.

  Gorgutz: Come on, Grey Skin! I need yer skull for me pointy stik.
  O'Kais: Don't you see that your defeat is inevitable, Ork? You cannot hope to win.
  Gorgutz: How 'bout shutting yer yap and getting over here so I can chop ya. Can I hope for dat?

  Gorgutz: You Eldar are starting to be a real pain, you know, dat?
  Taldeer: Our task here is too important to let one such as you derail it.
  Gorgutz: Hmm? Did you say something, Eldar? I couldn't hear for all dat hot air you's blowing.
  Taldeer: Your infantilism is boundless, Ork.
  Gorgutz: And she still won't shut it.

  Gorgutz: Do ye alwayz yap so much, humie?
  Alexander: You've come here to die, alien!
  Gorgutz: Guess so.

  Gorgutz: Took ya long enuff to get to me, didn't it?
  Eliphas: Chaos moves at its own pace, alien, not yours.
  Gorgutz: How 'bout dyin'? Ya do dat any fasta'? I gotz to plan the rest of me day.
  Eliphas: Ah, I shall miss this banter once you are dead, Ork.
• Demoted to Dragon: After conquering the Kaurava System, Gorgutz sets out for Cyprus and pledges his allegiance to a local Warboss, Gitstompa. For a while at least...
• Dragon-in-Chief: For the abovementioned Gitstompa. He proves to be an inept Warboss whose only 'strategy' involved throwing more Orks at the enemy and just hoping that's enough. Gorgutz, on the other hand, does all the actual thinking and had to salvage Gitstompa's botched assaults, which he often fails to recognize.
• Dragon with an Agenda: He only pretended to be loyal to Gitstompa and fully intended on stompin' the git and taking control of his armies for himself.
• Deuteragonist: He is one of the central protagonists of Dawn of War III.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He, Gabriel Angelos, and Farseer Macha work together to defeat the Daemon of Acheron. And they win.
  • In Winter Assault, Gorgutz believes the fallen Titan is junk and intends to pound it into scrap. When the Necrons show up, Gorgutz and his Orks make no use of it. They trash the Necrons anyway.
• Dirty Coward: Averted. Although running may seem cowardly for an Ork (especially a Warboss), Gorgutz only flees when he knows he's lost. Retreat is more Pragmatic Villainy than an act of cowardice, since he's angling to get another army of Orkz for another war later.
• The Dreaded: Given how he was the head of at least three WAAAGH!s, the Imperium is wary when he's at the helm of a new horde.
• Enemy Mine:
  • He forges an alliance with Lord Crull of the World Eaters Legion. It doesn't last long and ends with Gorgutz killing Crull.
  • He forms another with Gabriel Angelos and Farseer Macha in Dawn of War III, to defeat the Daemon of Acheron. This time he doesn't turn on either of them, and they allow one another to go their separate ways.
• Everyone Has Standards: About as egotistical as they come, but even he corrects an underling that declares him bigger than Ghazghkull.^note Who is widely agreed to be the greatest Ork Warboss alive. Though he then goes on to imply he intends to become bigger than Ghazghkull...
• Frontline General: Like any self-respecting Warboss, he'll happily rush in with his Boyz and get right into the thick of a fight.
• Genius Bruiser: He's pretty smart as far as Orks go. He understands that retreat is an option, prepares for that possibility every time, and that he can always find another warband to take over.
• The Ghost: He never appears in the Order campaign of Winter Assault, even though both Sturnn and Taldeer makes an appearance in his own campaign.
• Green and Mean: Of course! He wouldn't be Orky if he wasn't green and mean enough to be Warboss.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: The guy is pretty quick to anger, especially in regards to his own boyz, given how frequently he kills them.
• Ham-to-Ham Combat: In Winter Assault, he engages in a truly epic war of ham with Lord Crull. Try not to laugh at how over the top they are.
  Gorgutz: I am da biggest, baddest warboss dere iz!
  Crull: Gorgutz! The Titan is mine! Do you hear?! MINE!
  Gorgutz: You'z a gretchin' git! Da Titan is mine! I get 'ere first! I control da gate!
  Crull: Don't be a fool, Gorgutz. Even if you have the Titan, you don't know how to operate it.
  Gorgutz: Da Titan iz worthless to me! That's why I'm gunna pound it into scrap.
  Crull: You can't! The Titan Dominatus is one of the greatest war machines ever constructed!
  Gorgutz: Wrong, ya git! Da greatest war machine iz da Ork WAAAGH! We don't need no damn tinker'traption to be strong, we iz strong! Listen to 'em! Screamin' with one voice across da whole planet! WAAAAGH!
• Horns of Villainy: He has a large pair of horns protruding from his skull.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: For Gitstompa at the start of III. Gorgutz has an actual grasp of strategy and tactics, while Gitstompa prefers to just Attack! Attack! Attack! and hope there's enough Orks to overwhelm the enemy. Naturally, Gorgutz decides to take power for himself once he has the opportunity to do so.
• I Have Many Names: With the exception of 'Ead 'Unter, Gorgutz can acquire many names over the course of Dark Crusade: Rage Screama (Tau), Blood Spilla (Blood Ravens), Death Killa (Necrons), Daemon Killa (Chaos), Gun Smasha (Imperial Guard), and Ghost Killa (Eldar).
• Joker Immunity: Survives his every appearance, mainly by sneaking out when his horde's been crushed. This persists in Dawn of War III, where he survives yet again. Had he successfully acquired the Spear of Khaine and tried using it, he'd have been devoured as the final sacrifice needed to free the Daemon of Acheron. Luckily for him, Kyre sprung the trap first.
• Karma Houdini: He's escaped death three times over the course of the series and is even the canonical conqueror of the Kaurava systems.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: His base is overrun, and given Orks' Blood Knight tendencies you'd expect him to keep fighting on and go down in a blaze of glory befitting of a Warboss. Sucker. He'll retreat and blast his base, and anyone in it, to bits as he goes.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: One of his killing blow animations is this, where he slams his victim to the ground before pounding them to mush and slapping them away.
• Lack of Empathy: He feels nothing for the lives he takes and ruins. Quite the contrary, he's ecstatic and gets quite a kick out of it, like a true Ork.
• Large and in Charge: Even outright invokes this.
  Gorgutz: I'z too big to be beat!
• Large Ham: Oh, YES. Just look at all of his quotes.
• Laughably Evil: A chunk of his appeal is because of this. He's very quick on the witty repartees whenever another army is attacking his strongholds.
• Let's You and Him Fight: He lets the Eldar kill Gitstompa for him, so he can take over his warband.
• Made of Iron: Is by far the most durable commander in the campaigns he appears in.
• Meaningful Name: He's known as 'Ead 'Unter because of his tendency to collect the heads of his enemies and mount them on his pointy stikk.
• Near-Villain Victory: Ironically, this is what saved his life in III. Although he reaches the Spear of Khaine first, Kyre defeats him in a battle and attempts to kill him with the spear. However, the Spear shatters and devours Kyre as a sacrifice for the Daemon of Acheron. Had Gorgutz used it, he'd have suffered that very fate.
• One-Man Army: All of his upgrades and wargear give him an insane amount of DPS and health, allowing him to take on entire armies. Pit him up with a squad of Nobs and he's gonna cruise through enemy forces like a knife through butter. The only commanders that can beat him are the Necron Lords in both campaigns, the Chaos Lords and Caerys due to a bug in the game letting her kill him in one shot with her gun. Then comes the ending of Dawn of War 3, where he, Macha, and Gabriel slaughter their way through hundreds of enemies and a Greater Daemon on their own.
• Powered Armor: He's coated in cybernetics and armor that make him into a hulking tank.
• Power Fist: The Power Klaw he uses for his main weapon. In III, he's had it tricked out by his Meks: he can extend it out on a cable, like a flail that he can swing to deflect projectiles as well as use as a grappling hook.
• Power Up Let Down: The final ranged wargear upgrade he gets in Dark Crusade actually does LESS damage than the one he gets before it.
• Pragmatic Villainy: If he knows he's lost, he'll pull out and fight another day. This tactic is one of the main reasons he's survived three major conflicts. If he wins, he methodically rebuilds his conquests into an industrial powerhouse, giving him everything he needs to fuel an even grander campaign of conquest.
• The Right Hand of Doom: His Klaw in III is so huge that he uses it to move.
• Rocket Punch: His powa klaw in Dawn of War III can now be launched from his arm on a cable. Not only can he use this to grapple over to places, but it also rends and damages anything he manages to hit with it.
• Screaming Warrior: He's got quite a thunderous voice when he gets going and inspires his fellow Orks.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • Winter Assault: When Crull proposes he and Gorgutz charge the Imperial Guard's line together, he more of less tells the Chaos Lord to sod off as he walks away, leaving Crull to do it himself.
  • Dark Crusade: Upon realizing he's been beat, he bombs his base and escapes out the backdoor.
    Gorgutz: Always 'ave yer tunnels dug an' ready!
  • Soulstorm: Should his stronghold be overrun, he kills the incompetent Nob in charge of the place, then leaves with whatever boyz he has left.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Not for his entire career mind you, but when he first started out in Winter Assault, one of his men bragged that he was bigger than Nazdreg and Ghazghkull, two infamous warbosses. Gorgutz corrects him saying no one is bigger than Ghazghkull "at least not yet" showing his arrogance. At the time, it was unlikely he was bigger than even Nazdreg. By III, he's probably reached that size. As for Ghazghkull, he's got a long way to go more than likely.
• Spin to Deflect Stuff: In Dawn of War III, he can spin his klaw-flail overhead. This not only shreds nearby enemies, it also deflects incoming projectiles and allows him to tank up ranged fire.
• The Starscream:
  • When the campaign on Lorn V is lost, he turns on Crull and kills him.
  • He swears his allegiance to a local Warboss named Gitstompa in Dawn of War III. He quickly disposes of said patsy by letting the Eldar krump him, so that he can take over his WAAAGH!.
• Super-Strength: And how! You've gotta be able to back up your bark with some bite. Luckily, Gorgutz bites hard.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Really, the best argument one can make that he doesn't have this with Crull during Winter Assault is that their alliance is so dysfunctional that you couldn't even call what they have "teamwork."
• Took a Level in Badass: Canonically, he loses in both Winter Assault and Dark Crusade, but Dawn of War III confirms that he conquered the Kaurava system. An entire freaking star system.
• Unskilled, but Strong: He doesn't have any particularly flashy or impressive moves when it comes to fighting, but once he gets his klaw on you, you're going to be reduced into a fine red paste.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: At the end of his Stronghold in Dark Crusade, and if he hadn't won in Kaurava, he would done it in Soulstorm too.
• Villain Protagonist: He's a playable villain in every game he's appeared in.
• We ARE Struggling Together:
  • With Lord Crull on Winter Assault. Although they have an alliance, it's extremely antagonistic and neither mince words that they'll get right back to trying to kill one another as soon as the Imperials and Eldar are dealt with. This all comes to a head when Gorgutz and Crull racing for the Titan. Ultimately, Gorgutz kills Crull and takes his skull, effectively ending the alliance.
  • The main mechanic of his Dark Crusade stronghold mission is destroying Ork banners so the various clans under his control will rebel and fight against him, often at the same time as the player's forces are attacking them.
• We Have Reserves: Gorgutz tends to have millions upon millions of Orks following his lead, and he'll happily throw them away if he gets a good fight out of it.
• You've Gotta Be Kidding Me!: His overall reaction when he crashes near Lord Crull's base with just a few boyz by his side.
  Gorgutz: And right near a humie base? Dis just grand!

Stupid

Ye're gonna call'im a grot?

Gorgutz' Number Two, a not-overly-bright Mega-Armored Nob. The fans gave him the name due to Gorgutz naming Plan: Stupid after him.

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• Ask a Stupid Question...:
  Stupid: Wot's so special about [Sturnn's] head?
  Gorgutz: Dat's where 'iz skull is, stupid! An' I'd look foolish with 'is foot on me pointy stikk!
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Dim he may be, he's still a capable fighter in his own right.
• The Ditz: He's not very bright, even by Ork standards. Gorgutz even names a plan after him and he takes it as a compliment.
• The Dog Bites Back: If Crull wins the gate mission, he turns on Gorgutz for failing the WAAAGH! Of course, Gorgutz pummels him to a pulp for it.
• The Dragon: He's the closest thing Gorgutz has to a lieutenant in Winter Assault and remains hy his side for the entire campaign.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Makes a grand total of one suggestion that isn't moronic.
  Gorgutz: Da Waaagh! is gon' good, but dere's something missin...
  Stupid: More skullz?
  Gorgutz: Dat's it!
• Helping Would Be Kill Stealing: Gorgutz impresses this point on him after Stupid asks to kill Sturn to prove he's a good Ork.
• I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Like all Orks, he only follows leaders that prove themselves worthy of being followed by being victorious all the time.
• Lame Comeback: His idea of insulting a Chaos warlord is... underwhelming. Although it would probably work on some of them.
• Made of Iron: Always seems to recover when getting beaten up by Gorgutz or chewed up by a squiggoth.
• No Name Given: The closest he gets to a name is this exchange:
  Gorgutz: We'll call dat Plan: Stupid. I named it after ya! [...] Hey! Why'z you grinnin'?
  Stupid: Because ya named a plan after me!
• Power Fist: Has a great big Power Klaw on one hand.

Warboss Bonesmasha

Voiced by: Robin Atkin Downes

Warboss Bonesmasha is the supreme leader of the Ork WAAAGH! in subsector Aurelia, and is certainly tough enough for the job, being capable of fighting off even the elite veterans and Terminators of the Force Commander's strike force. He is one of 2 bonus bosses in Dawn of War II.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: This guy is easily the strongest boss in the vanilla Dawn of War II campaign besides the Avatar.
• Degraded Boss: If you didn't take him down in Dawn of War II, you can encounter him in Chaos Rising. He's not a boss though; he's a simple enemy whom you, by this point, can take down in one hit.
• Graceful Loser: He takes dying pretty well, saying "So much for me boss pole" (he stated at the start of the fight that he intended to put your helmets on it).
• Large and in Charge: As a Warboss, this is a given.
• Superboss: You don't need to kill him to complete the campaign, though you get an achievement for it. He's also far from a pushover.
• Villain Forgot to Level Grind: In the vanilla game, Bonesmasha is one of the main antagonists and a challenging Superboss. If he survives to Chaos Rising through your Old Save Bonus, however, then by the time he shows up he'll be completely outmatched by your marines.

Forces of Chaos

Lord Bale (Alpha Legion)

"SIIINDRIIII!!!"
Voiced by: Scott McNeil

Bale is the official leader of the Alpha Legion forces on Tartarus. He prefers more direct methods to Sindri's webs of deceit, but the promise of power is enough to overcome his bloodlust. Is killed in single combat with Captain Angelos. SIIINDRRRIIII!

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• Bad Boss: Orders a random cultist killed for delivering him bad news. Sindri explains it's because the cultist was dumb enough to personally deliver Bale bad news and they can't tolerate stupidity.
• Big Bad Wannabe: He sure thinks he's the Big Bad, but Sindri soon proves him wrong.
• Cutscene Boss: Is killed fairly easily by Gabriel Angelos in a scripted fight.
• Decoy Leader: It's clear from the moment we see him that Sindri is the real brains.
• General Failure: Lets Sindri do all the thinking. Being a part of the Alpha Legion, one of the most mysterious and least trustworthy of all Marines Legions, he really should have seen this coming.
• Genre Blindness: Is part of an Always Chaotic Evil faction where lets his Hyper-Competent Sidekick do all the thinking to the point he's the de facto leader of his warband, and he doesn't expect this to turn out badly for him.
• Killed Off for Real: Towards the end of the campaign.
• Say My Name: "Sindri! SINDRI!"
• Shoot the Messenger: He apparently dislikes being brought bad news.
• Sinister Scythe: He wields a Nurglite Manreaper scythe.
• Unwitting Pawn: Of Sindri, right up to his death.

Sorcerer Sindri Myr (Alpha Legion)

"All power demands sacrifice."
Voiced by': Scott McNeil

The real leader of the Alpha Legion forces on Tartarus, Sindri is manipulative, cunning, and deceitful. He orchestrated the events of Dawn of War in order to elevate himself to Daemon Princehood. It looks like he succeeds, but is defeated by Captain Angelos. He is one of the most popular characters in the series.

---

• Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: Used the Maledictum to ascend to a Daemon Prince. Subverted, since the Daemon in the Maledictum essentially claimed that he simply ate Sindri's soul.
• Badass Boast: In a roundabout way.
  Sindri: (to the traitorous Isador, who wanted to take the Maledictum from him.) "And, had you a century to prepare, you would still be too late to stop me from achieving my glory."
• Batman Gambit: His method for dealing with Ork allies.
  "Lord Bale, Orks are not unpredictable. Quite the contrary; you can rely on them to turn against you."
• Big Bad: Of the original Dawn of War campaign. He's the true mastermind of the Alpha Legion, manipulating the Orks, Bale, Eldar and even the Blood Ravens into helping him ascend to Daemonhood.
• BFS: As Daemon Prince. The sword he caries is around as long as he is tall.
• Black Magic: The Powers of Chaos are exceptionally corruptive.
• The Chessmaster: Best. Example. In. The. Series. All of his plans work the way he intended them, except for the part where he died. He knew the Maledictum was on Tartarus and had one of Khorne's Bloodthirster in it. So he used the Orks as a cover for the War Band as well as a means to give enough blood and sacrifices to Khorne and ascend to Princehood. Lord Bale was just a figurehead to keep the War Band in line.
• Cold Ham: Most of his lines fall into this, given that he's a sneering Soft-Spoken Sadist.
• The Corrupter: To Isador.
• Deadpan Snarker: His faux-subordinate attitude occasionally cracks in moments like this.
  Lord Bale: "If you fail me in this, Sindri-"
  Sindri: "Yes, yes, 'then my suffering will be great'. Just be ready to move when I instruct!"
• The Dragon: Acts as this to Bale, but...
• Dragon-in-Chief: He was far more dangerous an opponent than Bale.
• Dragon with an Agenda: It's clear from the start he's just using Bale for his own ends.
• Faux Affably Evil: He's chillingly polite, all while planning and carrying out monstrous sacrifices to achieve his goals.
• Final Boss: Of the original campaign.
• Killed Off for Real: It's left ambiguous as to whether Sindri will stay dead, due to supposedly being an immortal daemon prince at the time. However, the daemon inside the Maledictum implied that instead of uplifting Sindri, it simply ate his soul and possessed his body as a daemonhost.
• Large Ham: Most of his lines as a Chaos Sorceror are Cold Ham, but he has his moments.
  • BEAR WITNESS... TO HIS AAAAAASSSSEEEENSSSCCCCIIIIOOOONNN!!!! AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!
  • Constantly hams up the scenery as a Daemon Prince.
• Last Villain Stand: Not brought up as a plot point, but from a gameplay perspective, the fight with him is this, since he waits at the end of his base.
• The Man in Front of the Man: He acts as Bale's servant but is clearly using him and predictably leaves Bale to his fate when he's served his purpose.
• Manipulative Bastard: To everyone, the Orks, Bale, and Isador.
• Mind Rape: Does this to Isador to take the Maledictum from him
• One-Winged Angel: In the finale of Dawn of War, he becomes an enormous daemon prince.
• Softspoken Sadist: Scott McNeil plays him speaking with a polite, almost whisper like voice, suggesting a certain calm composure over a barely veiled sense of arrogance.
• The Starscream: Such a good example of it that in some fan circles this trope would be called "The Sindri", or the action it implies is described as "Sindri'd".
• Transformation Exhilaration: Prior to the final mission of the game Sindri manages to unlock the power of the Maledictum and become a Daemon Prince... and as the transformation begins, he sounds distinctly enraptured, voice rising to an intoxicated scream as he slowly rises into the air.
• Villain Ball: His plan was actually perfect, except he forgot one CRUCIAL detail: Namely, how to get away from the heroes after ascending to become a Daemon Prince.
• You Have Out Lived Your Usefulness: He leaves Bale to be killed after he's served his purpose, and, after deceiving Isador with stealing the Maledictum, easily subdues the Librarian and takes the daemon artifact for himself, then leaves him to the vengeful Gabriel.

Lord Crull (World Eaters)

"Behold your new God!! Is he not terrible to behold?!"
Voiced by: Michael Dobson

Leader of the World Eater forces on Lorn V, Crull is a champion of the Blood God. Previously assigned on guard duty. Learning of the Imperator-class Titan that fell in the defense of the planet he aims to to corrupt it. He is canonically killed by Gorgutz.

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• Arch-Enemy: To Gorgutz, during Winter Assault.
• Artistic Licence – Religion: This guy is probably the single worst Khorne worshipper ever. Wasting time building monuments instead of collecting skulls, putting off combat or outright fleeing, his use of psykers and underhanded tactics...it's like Crull's going down a list of things Khorne doesn't like his worshippers doing.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Like all Chaos Lords, Crull earned his title through many feats of dark bravery and sacrifices, and as such, is amongst some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy.
• Ax-Crazy: Nearly every line he says has to do with murder.
• Bad Boss: He's a Chaos Lord who worships Khorne, so it's no surprise. When one of his men is pushed over by Gorgutz walking by him, he orders the killed for "embarassing me!" When planning to get the blood to appease Khorne and summon daemons to possess the Titan he threatens to wring out what he needs from his men if they fail.
• Bald of Evil: As a Palette Swap of Bale.
• The Berserker: As a World Eaters Chaos Lord? Natch.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: He forms a very shaky alliance with Warboss Gorgutz in Winter Assault, which falls apart as they draw closer to the Imperial Titan.
• Blood Knight: He only fought Gorgutz for sport, and won. He was about to kill him off until the Imperial Guard came along.
• Carry a Big Stick: He bears a Daemon Maul to battle.
• Cutscene Boss: He is anticlimactically killed by Gorgutz in the Ork ending (which is canonical, even though the Orks didn't win the Lorn V Campaign). It's arguably justified, given that you have to kill a Bloodthirster in order to get to him, and any battle after that would be anticlimactic.
• Dirty Coward: Zig-zagged. On one hand, he's certainly a vicious fighter when he actually nuts up and charges in. On the other hand, he'd rather employ Psykers to trick Guardsmen into sacrificing themselves to Khorne than claim their skulls himself and when the Necrons show up in the Ork campaign, his first instinct is to flee. He doesn't even bother to face Gorgutz until literally his entire army is wiped out.
• The Ghost: He never appears in the Order campaign of Winter Assault, even though both Sturnn and Taldeer makes an appearance in his own campaign.
• Ham-to-Ham Combat: His exchanges with Gorgutz are... impressive.
• Humanoid Abomination: As is standard for Chaos Marines.
• Killed Off for Real: His skull is in the possession of Gorgutz during Dark Crusade. Eliphas claims it from him as a trophy, should you play through his campaign in Dark Crusade.
• Large Ham: One of the hammiest characters in the series. Which is an achievement considering that his competition comes almost entirely from the other Chaos Lords.
• More Teeth than the Osmond Family: Chaos has bad dental. Some think that this has effected his throat.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Coming into possession of an Imperial Titan would certainly grant Crull immense power, but claiming it would make him a god is where his ego really starts pushing it.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: When the Necrons suddenly show up, just as he's about to capture the titan wreckage.
  Crull: Necrons!? Here!? It seems the universe itself conspires to rob me of my prize!

Lord Eliphas the Inheritor (Word Bearers->Black Legion)

"Come forth to bear the Word of Chaos!"
Voiced by: Paul Dobson (Dark Crusade)/Steve Blum (Chaos Rising and Retribution)

Ancient and incredibly powerful, Eliphas the Inheritor is amongst the greatest enemies of the Imperium of Man. His history stretches far, far enough back to the days of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. As a fledgling Chaos Champion, he led the heretical Word Bearer forces against the loyalist Ultramarines on the world of Kronus. Despite the terrible bloodshed, the Word Bearers were routed and for his failure Eliphas was damned to the Basilica of Torments; a horrific punishment for those who have failed the Dark Gods.

Eliphas suffered the daemonic torments of the Basilica for a millennium. After his atonement, he was released to the land of the living, and had grown stronger from his punishment. The Inheritor then spent his time redeeming himself in the Eyes of the Chaos Gods, ascending to the station of a mighty Chaos Lord. His growing standing among the Word Bearers also granted him the title of Dark Apostle. With his new powers, he forged a new warband to follow him in the reaving and slaughter of the Imperium and their false god.

Eventually, he returned to Kronus, having been summoned there by heretical cultists and set about slaughtering the planet in glorification of the Chaos Gods in what was his 'Dark Crusade'. He would have succeeded had it not been for the opposition of Captain Davian Thule and the Blood Ravens 4th Company. Eliphas was once again defeated at the Demos Peninsula, and was judged by a Daemon Prince of the Word Bearers to oblivion and was sacrificed.

Yet, the Chaos Lord's vengeful spirit drifted in the Warp, eventually Eliphas struck a bargain with The Great Unclean One, Ulkair, who restored his body to the living world. He then joined forces with Araghast the Pillager, a Chaos Lord of the Black Legion and became his second-in-command. Eliphas and Araghast then attacked the Blood Ravens recruiting worlds in subsector Aurelia. They were eventually beaten back once more by the Chapter's finest, though at a great cost.

However, Eliphas had made another bargain, this one with Abaddon the Despoiler himself, who restored his tremendous power and gifted him with an ancient suit of Chaos Terminator Armor. Eliphas was now granted his newest mission: the destruction of Azariah Kyras.

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• Arch-Enemy: For Davian Thule, and the Blood Ravens in general.
• Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: Becoming a Daemon Prince in the non-canonical Dark Crusade and in the ending of Retribution's Chaos Campaign is a twisted example of this.
• Appropriated Appellation: Inheritor was originally a derogatory nickname given to him by Lorgar as a way of saying he didn’t actually earn his position, merely inherited it. But damn, it he doesn’t make it sound cool…
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: As both a Chaos Lord and Dark Apostle, Eliphas earned his title through many feats of dark bravery and heroism as well as thousands of sacrifices and as such, is amongst the most powerful beings in the galaxy.
• Ax-Crazy: Like all Chaos Marines, really starts showing it in Retribution.
  *on Orks* Their pitiful souls will do little to sate the Chaos Gods. But oh, how they bleed.
• Back from the Dead: In Chaos Rising, much to the shock of Davian Thule. Cyrus postulates that Eliphas' death was a deception, Davian is quick to shoot that theory down, he saw Eliphas torn to ribbons by a Daemon Prince, after all. Jonah finishes the conversation by saying that his ability to escape the clutches of daemons and the Warp speaks of Eliphas' tremendous power.
• Badass Cape: Made of human skin.
• Bad Boss: He never misses an opportunity to tell Neroth and Kain how pathetic they are.
• Bald of Evil: Covered up by a helmet for most of Dark Crusade, but on full display afterwords.
• The Berserker: Has a skill in Retribution called Berzerk. Also his fighting style in general, he tends to forgo all manner of subtlety in favor of making massive, frenzied, devastating strikes while hamming it up as much as possible.
  • The developers themselves remarked that there isn't much subtle about Eliphas when he gets into combat, except perhaps the biting jibes he uses against loyalists.
• BFS: The Daemon Sword, his most powerful weapon, is about as long as he is tall, and he's 10ft tall while in Terminator Armor.
• Big Bad Ensemble: One of main candidates for Dark Crusade, the others being the Necron Lord of Kronus and Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter. In fact, the name of the expansion comes from the name of his campaign to take back Kronus.
• Big Bad Wannabe: In the Space Marine campaign of Retribution. He shows up as the boss of the opening level and is killed off to clear the stage for Kyras.
• Big Red Devil: His final upgrade in the Chaos campaign in Dark Crusade turns him into a Daemon Prince. It's also what he ends up as in the Chaos ending of Retribution, after Khorne elevates him to daemonhood.
• Blood Lust: Given that he worships and highly honours Khorne, Eliphas exhibits a fixation on bleeding his enemies out in Retribution.
• Black Knight: From Chaos Rising onwards, he wears the colors of the Black Legion. All he's missing is a black daemon steed.
• Blood Knight: OH KHORNE YES. He becomes this in Retribution, having fully turned to worship of Khorne, the God of Blood Knights. Note, he always had these tendencies and did seem to invoke Khorne often, but Retribution turns it up to eleven. He tends to have a great deal of fun in battle now, often screams the infamous Khornate battlecry and decries his opponents as weaklings for not coming in close.
  Davian Thule: We don't fear you, heretic.
  Eliphas the Inheritor: I should hope not, Captain. Fearless foes are much more satisfying.
• Blood-Splattered Warrior: Lord Eliphas' Terminator armour is covered from head to toe in the blood of his enemies.
• Breakout Character: Eliphas was one of the most popular characters in Dark Crusade, with his dark charisma, an excellent voice, and having some of the best writing of the game including some of the best one-liners. He was brought back by popular demand in time for the expansions of the second game. While there was a mixed reaction to his changed voice actor, most fans eventually warmed up to it and he still retains the other qualities that made him popular.
• Carry a Big Stick: Daemon Mauls. He can demolish almost anything with them, though his Cool Swords are nicer. The Skull Breaker, the weapon you get from the Chaos Collector's Edition, is also the best weapon out of all the collector's edition weapons and is very nice to use until you get something better.
• Clipped-Wing Angel: Turning him into a daemon prince in "Dark Crusade", which gives him the same stats as a multiplayer daemon prince and causes him to lose all his wargear upgrades. He gets more health and does deal more damage against vehicles, but much lower damage against everything else, lowers his health regeneration and takes away his really useful banner of chaos ability. Just to note how much weaker he is, if they both have all their wargear and are fully upgraded, Eliphas is the only of two commander in "Dark Crusade" that can take Gorgutz, the other being the Necron Lord (assuming he has his lightning field upgrade), but Gorgutz will beat him if he's a daemon prince.
• Cool Helmet: He had one in Dark Crusade (which actually serves a weapon in melee), love and respect for it was so great that there exist multiple mods to give him a helmet in Retribution. And it makes him look even more awesome.
• Cool Sword: He can equip the best weapon in the expansion, known as the Daemon Sword. It deals the highest damage out of all the melee weapons in the game and grants vampiric regeneration.
• Covered with Scars: His face is, anyway. We can only wonder what the rest of his body looks like ever since the Basilica of Torments.
• Dark Is Evil: First he was a Dark Apostle of the Word Bearers, then he became a Chaos Lord of the Black Legion.
• Deadpan Snarker: A true master, probably the most shining example in Dark Crusade. Best shown when he attacks the Blood Ravens stronghold in ''Dark Crusade'' where he verbally roasts Davian Thule at every turn.
  Eliphas the Inheritor: Such inspiring courage! Perhaps we'll mount your corpse on a golden chair and make an idol out of you as well.
• Death Glare: His standard expression, just look at that picture.
• Degraded Boss: In Retribution, he's fought at the end of the first level of the Blood Ravens' campaign and he's nowhere nearly as strong as he was in Chaos Rising, despite now wearing a suit of terminator armor.
• Determinator
• Demon Lords and Archdevils: As an Exalted Chaos Lord, he's sorta the human looking version of one of these. He ends up as one proper in the Chaos Endings for Dark Crusade and Retribution.
• Demoted to Dragon: Was The Dragon to Araghast and is now this to Abaddon, at least where the Blood Ravens were concerned.
• Dragon with an Agenda: Was this to Araghast.
• Dragon Ascendant: In a sense, while he does take Araghast's place and his forces, carrying out his agenda isn't quite his main objective. That said, he is still utterly committed to slaughtering everything in Aurelia.
• Dragon-in-Chief: He's a far more powerful warrior than Araghast, despite being weakened as he is. And he is the one who seems to handle the Black Legion's operations against the Aurelian sector during Chaos Rising.
• The Dreaded: Amongst the Blood Ravens, he is feared for his cunning and power. All the other commanders in Dark Crusade other than the Necron Lord of Kronus were also somewhat scared of him, even the normally haughty and arrogant Farseer Taldeer of the Eldar.
• Eldritch Abomination: He was summoned to Kronus after 8 sworn cultists of Chaos ritualistically murdered each other in such horrific manners that the temple in which they did so was described as an 'abattoir of blood'. Eliphas emerged from a warp portal shortly after with his daemonic army at his back, signaling the beginning of the Ninth Inheritance.
• Empathic Weapon: The Daemon Sword he gains in Retribution has a daemon within it that hungers after blood and killing almost as much as he does. Hm, must be a daemon of Khorne.
• Evil Is Hammy: Was relatively subdued compared to the other Chaos Lords but was capable of being hammy when called to do so. In Retribution, he growls and roars out every word.
• Evil Laugh: He likes doing these occasionally. None more glorious than in the Chaos ending of Retribution.
• Establishing Character Moment: In Chaos Rising, that would be appearing behind an Imperial Guardsman line from a warp rift and killing them all with a single sweep of his Power Sword.
• Evil Overlord: In Dark Crusade, Chaos Rising and Retribution.
• Evil Weapon: Every weapon he can equip is this in spades.
• Eviler than Thou: To Kyras, which doesn't stop the latter from getting the upper hand on him.
• Face Death with Dignity: When killed in the Blood Raven's campaign Retribution, he mocks Apollo for still being blind to the truth about Kyras.
• Facial Horror: In Dawn of War II.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: He loves this trope, as do most Chaos Marines. Bloodthirster faces carved on one shoulderplate, another daemon's head on one greave, he wears this trope very well.
• Faux Affably Evil: To his loyalist 'brothers' anyway. To everyone else he's a terrifying, bloodthirsty psychopath.
  • Exemplified by the new voice acting by Steve Blum. Where Eliphas can almost seamlessly go from genteel and aristocratic to raging and bloodthirsty. Oftentimes in the same sentence.
• Flaming Sword: The second most powerful weapon he can equip, the Bloodletter Hellblade.
• Flanderization: There were always some hints of him leaning toward Khorne more than the other gods, but his Khorne worship has been increasingly centralised with each subsequent appearance, such that by Retribution he's yelling "Blood for the Blood God!" this and "Skulls for the Skull Throne!" that, even showing disdain for Traitor Guardsman who worship Nurgle.
• Foe-Tossing Charge: He can get one of these as an ability. Fittingly enough, it's called 'Out of My Way!'. It even tosses his own men around if they're in his path.
• Genius Bruiser: He's a worshipper of Chaos Undivided who worships Khorne above all the other Gods, so he's a nigh unstoppable warrior and a hurricane of bloodthirsty rage. He is also a master manipulator and tactical genius, all of which he uses only to help him kill.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: His face is positively mutilated!, likely as a result of the 1000 years of torture he suffered in the Basilica of Torments. Who knows what the rest of him looks like. See Nightmare Face belows.
• Hellfire: His Khornate abilities invoke this trope. Let the Galaxy Burn, indeed.
• Heroic Willpower: Eliphas has this in spades, certainly more so than most Chaos Lords, since he endured a thousand years of torment and emerged more powerful for it, and then rose in the esteem of beings as terrible, demanding and capricious as the Chaos Gods.
• Hero Killer: In the first mission of the Retribution Chaos Campaign, where he kills Davian Thule. In gameplay, he's also very good at eliminating powerful individual units due to his ridiculously high melee damage and attack rate.
• Humanoid Abomination: As all Chaos Marines.
• Incendiary Exponent: Fully upgrading Eliphas down the Khorne track during his appearance in Retribution will surround him with a perpetual nimbus of Hellfire, that all who see him may know the wrath he will bring.
• Infinity +1 Sword: The Daemon Sword. It's pretty much the best melee weapon in the game.
• Infinity -1 Sword: The Bloodletter Hellblade.
• Killed Off for Real: Given that the Space Marine campaign in Retribution appears to be the canon one it's implied that Eliphas was killed off for good in the opening level.
• Large and in Charge: While clad in Chaos Terminator armor. Outside of it, he's the same size other space marines.
• Large Ham: Verging on Cold Ham during Chaos Rising, but he really hams it up in Retribution.
• Lightning Bruiser: Of the large, fast, hard hitting variety. While not particularly "lightning" due to the Terminator armour, he still hits extremely fast and extremely hard. He can also move about the battlefield quickly when he receives his charge ability. It also helps that his charges also deal a ton of damage to whatever is unfortunate enough to get in his way. Spending points in Kain's energy tree until you get warp tainted allows turns him, and the entire Chaos army, into lightning bruisers. Combine this with Khornate Chaos Worship and Eliphas (and his army) with move like lightning and hit even more ridiculously hard.
• Made of Iron: In Retribution, he can easily take more punishment than any other playable character due to his suppression immunity, high armor rating and health draining abilities. It compliments his staggering damage dealing capacity well.
• The Magnificent: The Inheritor.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Named after a notable French occultist known as Eliphas Levi, or possibly Eliphas Dow, the first man to be executed for murder in the state of New Hampshire. Fitting in both cases, Eliphas originally came from a Legion of proficient daemon summoners and worships Khorne, the God of Murder (among other violent things).
  • The short story Inheritor revealed the reason of his title. He slew the previous leader the Ark of Testimony chapter, but Lorgar never actually elevated him into command. Thus Eliphas simply inherited the position, and everyone won't let him forget about it.
• Monochromatic Eyes: His ingame model and 'talking head portrait'. His portrait shows him with Glowing Eyes of Doom, though.
• Multi-Melee Master: Eliphas can wield Daemon Swords, Power Swords, Daemon Mauls, and Lightning Claws. And he is incredibly proficient with each one of them.
• Mark of the Beast: He can equip the Mark of Khorne, which allows his cultists' worship to massively increase his damage and speed. The Mark of Nurgle which allows for healing. The Mark of Tzeentch which allows for stealth. And also the Mark of Chaos Favour (if you have the DLC), which gives him the full favour of all the Gods and all the advantages that implies. Hilariously, it also means he almost as favoured by Chaos as Abaddon is.
• Named After Somebody Famous: Two people, technically — one a French occultist, the other an infamous murderer. Both are appropriate. His Sorcerer Co-Dragons in Dark Crusade, Amphion and Zathus, are named after legendary twins from Greek mythology.
• Never My Fault:
  • He blames his troops for his defeat on Kronus. The Daemon Prince doesn't believe a word of it.
    Eliphas: They reject the word of Chaos, my lord. The faithful here are not strong enough...
    Daemon Prince: It is a poor shepherd who blames his flock, Apostle. This failure is yours and yours alone!
  • Later, after the Exterminatus of Typhon, he points the finger at Neroth for Kyras outwitting them, even though killing all the Eldar was his idea.
• Non-Entity General: "Stay my hand again, and you may lose yours." Eliphas will not take shit from you, even if you are the player.
• Oh, Crap!: When you beat him during Chaos Stronghold assault, he's NOT happy at the prospect of going to The Basilica of Torments again. Thankfully, his superior assured him that he won't... Because the Basilica is reserved for those who may redeem themselves. He also messes his drawers when Abbadon the Despoiler calls him up halfway through Retribution.
• Old Soldier: He's been around since before the Horus Heresy. Which makes him at least 10,000 years old. Arguably, he's the oldest member of the regular cast.
• Omnicidal Maniac: One of the things on his agenda is just killing everything he sees. He does so by the end of the Chaos campaign in Retribution.
• Outside-Context Problem: In Retribution; the intro basically states that with Eliphas coming back from nowhere right in the midst of a Chapter-wide civil war, the loyalist Blood Ravens are pretty fucked.
• One-Hit Kill: Unsurprisingly, the Khornate ability aptly named Favor of Khorne gives him a chance to do this. However, by mid and late game his auto attacks are so fucking powerful he can already one shot most races heavy melee units so this seems a bit redundant. However, Favor of Khorne works against bosses and buildings, so it's useful in taking out high priority enemies like the Deranged Chaos Champion who are tougher than usual. Favor of Khorne also summons forth a Bloodletter unit for a short period to fuck things up. So not only do you kill a high priority unit, but you also gain one of your races most powerful heavy infantry. Enjoy.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: He wields the magnificently large Daemon Sword, Bloodletter Hellblade, and Power Swords in one mighty hand while in the other he wields a very large Hand Cannon. It is possibly unwise to engage in a arm wrestling match with a Chaos Lord.
• One-Man Army: BY THE SKULL THRONE OF KHORNE, YES!!!. Highest damage out of all the melee heroes totaling at 223 - 300? Hell yeah. Self healing that renders all damage dealt to him meaningless, YES. An Area of Effect ability that one shots an entire army around him and heals him to near full? He can one shot entire squads, even Terminators, AND can solo BOSSES and MISSIONS.
• One-Winged Angel: Twice. The first time was in Dark Crusade, where turning into a Daemon Prince was the final upgrade; though in that case, he was a humanoid warmachine with numerous, hard-earned upgrades and replaced with PVP-balanced unit which was a frankly inferior unit. The second time was when he turned into a Daemon Prince at the end of the Retribution campaign, though we sandly didn't get to play with that version of him. Unfortunately, neither instance was canon.
• Over Shadowed By Awesome: Not Eliphas himself, but his Tzeentch tree of abilities in Retribution, while not terrible, only makes him more mobile, so it's typically ignored in favor Khorne for the melee damage and Nurgle for the durability.
• Perpetual Frowner: He has two facial expressions, bloodthirsty rage or horrific sadism.
• Power Echoes: As a 10,000 year old Chaos Lord in great favor with the Dark Gods, Eliphas' voice has an incredibly audible echo.
• Power-Up Letdown: Never get the upgrade that turns him into a Daemon Prince in Dark Crusade, as it makes him identical to a regular daemon prince, which decreases his overall melee damage, health regeneration, and loses of all his wargear abilities, while only giving him some extra health in return.
• Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: He has a lot of them. Particularly the one he gives to the Deranged Chaos Champion while Typhon is getting the shit blown out of it by the Inquisition.
  Eliphas: "THE ETERNAL WAR ENDS FOR YOU THIS DAY!!!"
  *upon seeing enemies* Ready to make offerings to Khorne.
• Psycho for Hire: To Abaddon, basically.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: He indulges in this from time to time.
  "I! AM! YOUR! DOOM!"
  "MEET! YOUR! DEATH!"
• Real Men Love Jesus: One of the most noteworthy features of Eliphas' character is his fanatical devotion to the Chaos Gods and his enormous (though dark) piety. Unsurprising considering he was a Dark Apostle; but that he retains all of it after switching legions is very telling of his faith. Which is owed to, in no small part, by the fact that he has Lorgar's geneseed. Even Ulkair, a Greater Daemon, is impressed with Eliphas' faithfulness.
  Lord Eliphas: Your failure does not speak well of your abilities, Kain. Offer a prayer to the Ruinous Powers. Perhaps they will take pity on you.
• Really 700 Years Old: Per standard for Space Marines and particularly Chaos marines. The Time Dilation of the Warp means we can't be sure how old he is from his subjective viewpoint, but from the outside universe's perspective he's a good 10,000 years old.
• Religion of Evil: Was a Cleric in said religion.
• Resurrected for a Job: Why Abaddon restores him.
• Shoulders of Doom: Space Marines have them by default, but his stand out for being decorated with huge metal skulls and spikes. It's downplayed in Chaos Rising, but in Retribution he puts on a suit of Terminator armor, which has pauldrons larger than his head.
• Skeletons in the Coat Closet: Eliphas is rather fond of putting the skulls of his kills on his armor.
• Spikes of Villainy: He is a Chaos Lord. Oddly enough, however, subverted in his highest level amour which, while ornate, lacks the many large spikes of his lower level gear.
• The Starscream: Was this to Araghast, and oh how the fanbase wishes he'd do this to Abaddon. Fitting, as he is now voiced by Steve Blum, who also does the very similar voice of a certain Starscream.
• Stereotype Flip: Eliphas is an anomaly among the Chaos Lords in the first Dawn of War. Before Dawn of War II was released, any Chaos Lord introduced in the games were screaming warriors filled with rage and somewhat incompetent ^note Bale is a General Failure and Carron is a very bad Khorne worshipper. Crull can be seen as a middle ground between Eliphas on one side and Bale and Carron on the other. However, Eliphas from Dark Crusade is none of this. He is always calm and collected ^note minus his Oh, Crap! moment above but even this was very subdued compared to the others Lords' breakdowns, he never enters into an incoherent rage, at worst he enters into Tranquil Fury ^note see his interaction with the Rogue Sorcerer in the Eldar stronghold, he is darkly charismatic unlike the others Lords and he always has a very burning verbal comeback to his opponents. This is the biggest reason why he is so popular.
• Tin Tyrant: He nails the aesthetic. Not quite as much in DoW2, since he's helmetless, but there were mods to complete the image.
• Unstoppable Rage: In combat, he shows us his Khornate virtue and gets very, very, very angry while he rampages throughout the battlefield.
  Eliphas: ANOINT ME IN BLOOOOD!!!
• Villainous Breakdown: Visibly starts losing his cool in Retribution when he starts taking damage. Also happened in Dark Crusade, when you assault the Chaos Stronghold.
  Eliphas: NO! I will NOT go to the Basilica of Torments again!
• Villainous Valour: The two instances where the Blood Ravens have faced Eliphas have both been incredibly difficult and brutal battles. They rightfully regard him as a powerful and dangerous foe because of that. It is also helped by Eliphas being the second most difficult boss in Chaos Rising besides Ulkair, even to Terminator geared players.
  • In Retribution, even Kyras is impressed with Eliphas' strength.
• Villain Protagonist: Of the Dark Crusade and Retribution Chaos campaigns.
• Villains Never Lie: Aside from the Blood Ravens claims to the contrary, Eliphas never actually says anything to them that could be construed as a falsehood. In fact, he's one of the few characters who plays this utterly straight in the series. And this is only further substantiated by Davian Thule destroying whatever records he found after pacifying Kronus; hinting at the very least that he was somewhat truthful in his hinting that the Blood Ravens had darker origins than anyone had ever realized.
• Voice of the Legion: Alongside Power Echoes, it sounds like there are a thousand mouths screaming in the background when he talks.
• Warrior Monk: A very, very, very evil one.
• Who Dares?: He plays this on Kyras when he contacts him via telepathy on Typhon, shortly before it blows up.
  Eliphas:Who is this fool WHO DARES INTERRUPT MY CAMPAIGN OF TERROR?!
• Wolverine Claws: He gets to use Terminator Lightning Claws in Retribution.
• With All Due Respect: Uses this in conversation with Abaddon, when he points out that if Kyras is turning to Chaos and sacrificing the Blood Ravens, the intelligent thing to do would be to let him do that and then kill him. Abaddon remarks that it would give Kyras too much power.
• Wreathed in Flames: One of the many, many, many nasty things he gets when he is fully leveled up as a Khornate Chaos Lord. It'll destroy most infantry that gathers around him without you having to lift a finger. It manifests as a battle aura, around him. This in addition to his actual battle aura, which is a dark red glow around him.

Lord Firaeveus Carron (Alpha Legion)

"Look! Rhinos! RHINOS! Our enemies hide in metal boxes, THE COWARDS! THE FOOLS! WE... we should take away their metal boxes."
Voiced by: Scott McNeil

Carron leads the Alpha Legion forces in Kaurava, hoping to conquer all 4 worlds for Chaos. Infamous for his hatred of Rhinos, a.k.a. METAL BOXES, (which his army also fields).

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• Artistic License – Religion: In-Universe, Carron is hideously inept at worshipping Khorne. He spends his time constructing temples, while Khorne favors bloodshed and killing as forms of worship. Said temples create an aura of poison, which, on top of neither drawing blood (hemorrhagic toxins nonwithstanding) or removing heads, is Nurgle's hat, which means that those sacrifices would be empowering him instead of Khorne. He also at one point refers to being a hand which will strangle the enemy, strangulation being a rather bloodless form of killing. Add on his Dirty Coward nature while Khorne is a god of battle and slaughter, and you have perhaps the worst Khornate Chaos Lord in all of 40k.
• Berserk Button: METAWL BAWKSES!
• Big Bad Ensemble: With Archon Tahril, Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter, and the Necron Lord of Kaurava.
• Big Bad Wannabe: Outside of gameplay, he's one of the most pathetic displays of a Chaos Lord ever. After his base is in ruins, he runs while bawling his eyes out, only to be caught by the enemy commander and slaughtered in a final duel.
• Cool Helmet: The Helm of Alpharius, said once to have been worn by said Primarch. It has the ability to reveal infiltrated enemies.
• Cool Sword: Starts of with A Power Sword.
• Dirty Coward: Despite being a champion of Khorne, in the (canon) Chaos Defeat ending, he basically bursts into tears as his fortress is blown apart and flees...while the notoriously cowardly and weak cultists stay and fight to the bitter end.
• Kill It with Fire: Can be "blessed" with Daemonic Warp Fire which is good against Morale & Infantry.
• Large Ham: Like the best of them, and only exaggerated by Soulstorm's notoriously hammy dialogue.
• Sinister Scythe: Can wield a Nurglite Manreaper.

Lord Araghast the Pillager (Black Legion)

"Blood Ravens, hear me! I am Araghast the Pillager! Master of hounds, the lash of the Black Legion!!!"
Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

The mighty and terrible leader of the Black Legion warband in Aurelia; Araghast the Pillager is an exalted champion of Chaos and Lord of the Black Legion. Feared far and wide for his terrible savagery, he has conquered and slaughtered a thousand worlds in glorification of the Dark Gods, a claim which is no idle boast. He led the Black Legion warband against the Blood Ravens during the events of Chaos Rising and reveled in the ruination of their recruiting worlds.

Eventually, he challenged the Chapter's finest heroes to face him in combat. The Heroes of Typhon met him on planet Aurelia, and though he fought with great strength and skill once they caught up to him, the Chaos Lord was defeated by the Blood Ravens and [betrayed by his second, Eliphas. With his last breath he struck out against the Loyalists and fell, after which, Eliphas took command of his warband.

He's remembered fondly amongst the fanbase and cries have risen for his return.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Thousand acts of dark bravery and he slaughtered a thousand worlds. Yup.
• Axe-Crazy: Much like any Chaos Space Marine worth his salt.
• Badass Boast:
  • Araghast claims to have destroyed a thousand worlds and it's no idle boast. Let that set the tone for your interactions with him.
  • Among the most badass ones ever given.
• Badass Cape: Much like Eliphas', it is made of human skin.
• BFS: His power sword.
• Black Knight: As a member of the Black Legion, he's covered head-to-toe in black armor with gold trimming.
• Blood Knight: Standard among Khornates.
• Cool Helmet: While it may not be the most flamboyant helmet out there, it's notable for being very Warriors-of-Chaos-esque.
• Death Glare: His standard expression, just look at that picture.
• Demon Lords and Archdevils: Powerful Chaos Lords are more or less daemons wrought in the shape of men and are on their way to true daemonhood. As such, Araghast fits this trope.....
• Evil Overlord: Of the Black Legion warband up until Eliphas decides to take command.
• The Faceless: We never see what is under his helmet.

&&* Fashionable Asymmetry

• Genius Bruiser: A bloodthirsty Chaos Lord who serves a God who personifies violence, he's destroyed a thousand worlds and can slaughter a dozen Terminators — and yet, he knows when to stay his hand from killing his foes and fights with an eye on the long run.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: On his unit portrait.
• Horns of Villainy: On his helmet. A common feature on Chaos Marines.
• Humanoid Abomination: As all Chaos Space Marines.
• I Shall Taunt You: Yeah, he pretty much calls the Blood Ravens and the Emperor cowards and weaklings to challenge them to a fight. He doesn't even stop doing it in the run-up to his fight with you.
  Araghast: You Blood Ravens are clearly fearless in your hurry to leave the sector! The courage with which you show us your hindquarters does your Emperor proud!
  Araghast: Observe, Blood Ravens! Khorne thanks you for your offerings!
• Kill It with Fire: He uses a Bolter with a Flamer attached for a side arm.
• Large and in Charge: Terminator armour tends to make you this.
• Large Ham: /tg/ says it best: "He cannot say anything without a MASSIVE amount of ham and makes up for the lack of hammy lines in Dawn of War 2 on his own."
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Lord Araghast the Pillager, 'ghast' means 'ghastly' and 'pillager' means 'pillager' so- Wait! Where are you off to?!
• One-Handed Zweihänder: Wields a huge power sword in one hand.
• One-Man Army: He can put up quite a fight even against Terminator squads. Unless you have Davian Thule with you, the fight could be... difficult, to say the least.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Why he lets you get away during your first encounter with him, rather than simply killing you when he has the chance. More specifically:
  Eliphas: You allow them to escape, Lord Araghast?
  Araghast: Because it serves me, Eliphas! If we kill them now, we waste the value of the traitor in their ranks. Your vengeance can wait.
• Power Echoes: His voice carries with a noticeable reverb.
• Shoulders of Doom: Terminator shoulders are significantly larger than those of regular power armor.
• Spikes of Villainy: He's a Chaos Lord.
• Tin Tyrant: Wears a suit of terminator armor, making him this in an entire faction of Tin Tyrants.
• Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Lord Araghast, Pillager of a Thousand Worlds, Master of Hounds, Lash of the Black Legion, and Champion of the Chaos Gods.
• Villainous Breakdown: After Eliphas betrays him. He recovers from it rather well, comes to terms with the fact that he's about to die, and tries to take as many of your men with him as he can.
• Villainous Valour: He is without doubt one of the most difficult fights in Chaos Rising. After his Villainous Breakdown, Araghast gears himself and starts wiping the floor (moreso, if you aren't careful) with your squads. Bear in mind, he does this while he is at death's door. You bet this guy's a badass villain.
• Voice of the Legion: Like Eliphas, it sounds like there's a thousand mouths screaming in the background when he talks.
• Wolverine Claws: He gets a pair of Lightning Claws in the final part of his boss battle.
• Worthy Opponent: He sees your squads and Commander in this light during his battle with them.
  Araghast: Very impressive. You have more steel than the rest of your mewling chapter.
  Araghast: Marvelous! I will remember you fondly when I burn your worlds to ash!

Ulkair

"Death comes to all flesh, even that containing an essence as glorious as my own. Such is the way of Nurgle."
Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore

Ulkair is a Great Unclean One, Greater Daemon of the Chaos God Nurgle. Bound and shackled within Planet Aurelia, he is central to the plot of Chaos Rising and makes a return in Retribution.

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• Affably Evil: He acts like that cool grandpa that you never get to spend much time with. Of course, you've probably seen the picture, but the thing is... it's not an act. He is completely sincere in his affability. Made even more frightening in that his gifts are plague and disease and he's ever so cheerful when you receive them. Bear in mind that he's a Daemon of Nurgle, who is also like this — Ulkair himself refers to his master as "Grandfather Nurgle".
• BFS: He carries a gigantic blade that is almost as long as he is tall.
• Big Bad: In Chaos Rising. Eliphas' goal is to free him.
• Big Fun: Considers himself this. He's also greatly affectionate to Eliphas, giving him the Affectionate Nickname of "little Eliphas" and all despite the latter being Khornate.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Considers giving everyone in the sector gangrene "magnaminous". This is part of Nurgle's personality (of which he is a reflection of), he thinks horrific illnesses make neato presents.
• The Cameo: Is briefly mentioned in the penultimate novel of the Horus Heresy series, revealing that he took part in the Siege of Terra.
• Degraded Boss: If you release him as the Chaos Space Marines in Retribution, you can use him in the later levels, but since he's controllable he's obviously nowhere nearly as strong as he was before.
• Eldritch Abomination: He's a greater daemon of Chaos.
• Fat Bastard: Extremely. He is a Great Unclean One and is naturally very, very fat.
• Fighting a Shadow: He's more than happy to point out that destroying his physical body will not actually kill him, and that he will eventually return to get revenge - and indeed, in Retribution, he does return.
• Final Boss: Of Chaos Rising.
• Flies Equals Evil: Has a Goomba Stomp ability that summons a cloud of flies, fitting for a Daemon of Nurgle.
• Large Ham: Laughs constantly, and his rather flowery dialogue is specked with disgusting gurgles.
• Mighty Glacier: He's slow as molases, but he has more than double the HP of any boss fought before him and hits like a meteor.

The Maledictum Daemon

"Yes.... flee and know I will soon come to claim you all!"
Voiced by: Tim Lewinson

The Daemon bound in the Maledictum, which was what the plot of Dawn of War revolved around. He is released unintentionally by Captain Angelos. After his release, he was never seen or mentioned again until Retribution.

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• Affably Evil: Shades of it. He acts polite to Gabriel; thanking him for indirectly free him. Since that's his only speaking role, we never learn if that's an act or not.
• Ancient Evil: Inquisitor Toth states that the Eldar sealed it away on Tartarus thousands of years ago, in an age when many Space Marine chapters were still young.
• Big Red Devil: While we never see his physical form, his spectral avatar is red and has some large horns.
• Demon Lords And Arch Devils: Implied to be extremely powerful, though we never learn if his a greater daemon or a daemon prince.
• Eldritch Abomination: A daemon of such great power that just tapping the power of his prison is enough for Sindri to become a Daemon Prince.
• Evil Sounds Deep: To the point of nearly being unintelligible.
• Generic Doomsday Villain: It only has one speaking role, and it's more to provide exposition than establish any characterization.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Pretty much THE source of troubles for Blood Ravens from the first game to Retribution.
• I Let You Win: To Angelos. It lets him walk away for the time being.
• No Name Given: We never learn his name, though Kyras calls it the 'Herald of Khorne'.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Spends the entire first game trapped inside the Maledictum, until Gabriel inadvertently frees it.
• We Will Meet Again: As Gabriel leaves, he vows to return to destroy him in the future.

Eldar

Farseer Macha (Biel-Tan)

"Now we play our parts and pray that we are the better actors."
Voiced by: Nicole Oliver (Dawn of War) / Alexis Traverse Healy (Dawn of War III)

Macha leads the Biel-Tan forces guarding the Maledictum on Tartarus. After the Maledictum is stolen, she assists the Blood Ravens 3rd Company in stopping the Alpha Legion.

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• The Bus Came Back: Having only made appearances in the original campaign and the novel series, Macha returns in Dawn of War III.
• Cassandra Truth: Had Gabriel heeded her when she pleaded with him not to destroy the Maledictum, the Blood Ravens would probably have had less trouble to deal with. In the final mission of III, Gabriel acknowledges that listening to her in the past would have saved them a lot of trouble.
• Deuteragonist: She is one of the three central protagonists of Dawn of War III.
• Enemy Mine: She temporarily allies with Gabriel Angelos in the final level of the first Dawn of War, helping to hold back the soldiers of Chaos.
  • The ending of III has her fighting alongside Gabriel and Gorgutz to take down a Daemon.
• Hero Antagonist: For certain definitions of 'hero'. She is out to stop the forces of Chaos, but ends up fighting the Blood Ravens anyway.
• My God, What Have I Done?: In traditional Eldar fashion, Macha sought to use Gorgutz's lust for battle to her own advantage and distract Kyre. Not only did Gorgutz defeat the army he was set up against, his forces also infiltrated Eldar territory, resulting in the deaths of many of her kin.
• One-Woman Army: At multiple points in Dawn of War III, she cleaves through entire armies of Orks and Space Marines more or less on her own. Taken to the next level in the final mission where it's just her, Gabriel, and Gorbutz versus hundreds of Chaos-infested Space Marines, Ork Boyz, and daemons, followed by a Greater Daemon, and they come out on top without a scratch to show for it.
• Poor Communication Kills: Angelos would have probably been more likely to listen to her if she had given more information than "no, don't do what I knew all along you were here to do!"
• Psychic Powers: Comes with being an Eldar Farseer.
• Redhead In Green: Due to Biel-Tan's green heraldry.
• The Smurfette Principle: The only major female character in Dawn of War. She proudly began the tradition of only having ONE major female character in the series until Dawn of War II, apart from Soulstorm.

Farseer Taldeer (Ulthwe)

"My fate is here and I shall not flee from it."
Voiced by: Laura Sadiq (Winter Assault)/ Nicole Oliver (Dark Crusade)/ Lizzy Mc Innerny (Dawn of War III)

Taldeer leads the forces of Ulthwe on both Lorn V and Kronus, to halt the awakened Necron threat. She also plays an important role in the Eldar campaign of Retribution.

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• Back from the Dead: She returns in Dawn of War III as a Wraithknight.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Eliphas, of all people.
• The Chessmaster: She stacks the odds for the Imperial Guard in Winter Assault, and tricks some Orks and Chaos forces into being meatshields in Dark Crusade.
• Cool Sword: Wields a Witchblade in Winter Assault and the beginning of Dark Crusade.
• Deadpan Snarker: Most notably in Dark Crusade.
• Due to the Dead: Her Soulstone is retrieved from Kyras' remains in the Eldar ending of Retribution.
• Enemy Mine: With General Sturnn.
• Face–Heel Revolving Door: What her actions in Winter Assault look like to the Imperials.
• Fantastic Racism: Towards humans, a lot.
• Last Stand: When her stronghold is destroyed in Dark Crusade. It didn't end well for her. See Never Found The Soulstone below.
• Heroic BSoD: When she is defeated in Dark Crusade, she renounces the title of Farseer and makes a suicidal charge to cover the escape of her remaining forces.
• Never Found the Body: After she's captured, interrogated, and executed by the Blood Ravens in Dark Crusade, her soulstone is worn by Kyras as a trophy. Until Ronahn retrieves it.
• Oh, Crap!: When the Necron second wave arrives in the last mission of Winter Assault.
• Pet the Dog: She's oddly polite to Aun'el in comparison to her interactions with other characters, always reffering to him by his full name.
• Psychic Powers: In addtion to her combat abilities, her prophecies were powerful enough to be a major plot point in Retribution.
• The Smurfette Principle: The only major female character in Winter Assault and Dark Crusade.
• Surrounded by Idiots:
  • In Winter Assault she loses patience with the Imperial Guard's "incompetence".
  • In Dark Crusade she attacks everyone because she doesn't think the other powers on Kronus have what it takes to defeat the Necrons.
• Sword and Gun: Her starting weapon of choice in Dark Crusade.

Farseer Caerys (Ulthwe)

"Meanwhile, we will appear unseen from 10 directions, and from every one, strike a fatal blow."
Voiced by: Cathy Weseluck

Caerys leads the Ulthwe forces in the Kaurava campaign, to stop the Necron threat from spreading further, and to prevent any from awakening them again.

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• Graceful Loser: Instead of despairing like the other commanders, she essentially goes "Meh, we lost today. Someone else is going to have to deal with the Necrons now. Let's head back home."
• Lighter and Softer: In comparison to Taldeer. If Caerys wins her campaign, she allows the Imperium to reestablish control over the Kaurava system unmolested (except for the Tomb World of Kaurava III, of course).
• Psychic Powers: Standard issue.
• Smug Snake: Unfortunately for her, she's not really as good as she thinks she is.
• Sword and Gun: Starts with a Witchblade and Shuriken Pistol.

Farseer Idranel (Ulthwe)

"It is time you learned what it is to face a Seer of Ulthwé the Damned!"
Voiced by: Christine Dunford

Idranel leads the Ulthwe; forces that have infiltrated subsector Aurelia, intending to halt a Tyranid Hive Fleet from consuming Craftworld Ulthwé itself. Is killed by Tarkus at Angel Forge. The survivors of her warhost continue to play a role in Chaos Rising and Retribution.

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• Complexity Addiction: Her plan to stop the Tyranids was to incinerate the worlds in the sector by blowing up Angel Forge. The Blood Ravens accomplished the same plan with a lot less hassel.
• Didn't See That Coming: "I had thought surprise lost to me."
• Fantastic Racism: Exceptionally so, even by Eldar standards. She planned on blowing up the Angel Forge on planet Meridian and killing off the billions of humans on the planet and two other worlds in the sector just to protect one Craftworld from being eaten by the Tyranids.
• Moral Myopia: Her myopia is why Dawn of War II happened in the first place. Fucking Eldar.
• Near-Villain Victory: Very nearly succeeds in destroying Angel Forge and the planet as well.
• Psychic Powers: She's capable of one shotting your squad members if you're not careful.
• Shock and Awe: Her warp powers are mostly electrical in nature.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: She's out to save her people. Unfortunately, she doesn't care how many of your people get in the way.

Tau Empire

Shas'O Kais

"Do the deaths of your soldiers mean so little to you? Are you that mad?"
Voiced by: Lee Tocker

Military leader of the Tau forces sent to secure Kronus, he is merciful, yet deadly. A student of Commander Puretide, he is an excellent commander.

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• Alpha Strike: With all his upgrades, he becomes a Walking Armory. He can fire all of it at the same time... all the time.
• BFG: Starting with a Burst Cannon, and ending with a Plasma Rifle.
• Call-Back: He shares his name with the protagonist of Fire Warrior. Developer interviews heavily imply that its really the same person.
• Canon Immigrant: Mention in the 6th edition Tau codex as a classmate of Farsight and Shadowsun. And of course, see the Call-Back above.
• The Comically Serious: When assaulting Eliphas' fortress, Eliphas will use his physic powers to taunt the enemy commander. Kais, however, only hears Eliphas as "a buzzing in [his] comms" due to Tau souls having a weak resonance in the warp, and later orders his Fire Warriors to "cut out that comm-chatter".
• Gatling Good: The Burst Cannon he starts off with. Can be upgraded into a Fusion Blaster and eventually a plasma rifle.
• Invisibility Cloak: One of the few commanders that has one.
• Meaningful Name: It's Tau for skillful, which Kais certainly is if he was taught by Puretide. In a meta way, it's also the same name as La'Kais.
• Mini-Mecha: The XV22 Battlesuit he makes use of. Can be upgraded with better armor and sighting upgrades as well as enough weapons to make him a Walking Armory.
• More Dakka: Can have three individually-firinf weapon systems and a pair of gun drones.
• No-Sell: Noted in the The Comically Serious, Eliphas trying to taunt him mentally doesn't work.
• One-Man Army:
  • While Farsight mastered Mont'ka and Shadowsun excelled in Kau'yon, Kais instead focused on the Monat fighting style, which emphasized a lone wolf contribution to the battle as a whole. If fully upgraded in the Dark Crusade campaign, he is essentially an invisible One-Tau weapons platform.
  • In the novel War of Secrets, after suffering Cryonics Failure where his body was frozen but not his mind, he spent those few hundred intervening years coming up with all plans imaginable in combating Tau foes, which he puts to good use when he attacked Dark Angels fortress monastery by himself and caused heavy damages to the Marines there and even fighting the Chapter Master and the Honour Guards to a standstill, only stopped by the Chapter Master ordering an orbital strike on the monastery itself. Even then, he managed to escape, albeit without his suit.
  • If one believes, as the devs have hinted, that he's the same Kais from Fire Warrior, then he's this to an absurd degree as he fought through the Imperium and Chaos' forces and killed a Lord of Change. The fans have referred to him as "Tau Doomguy".
• Only Sane Man: He's only commander who exhibits any form of mercy or extends any sort of dignity to his enemies, as well as the only commander who isn't Lawful Stupid, a Knight Templar, murderously insane or too alien to understand others.
• Walking Armory: With all his wargear upgrades, he has a Plasma Rifle, a Flamer, a Missile Launcher and a Gun Drone or two, and he can fire all of them at the same time.
• Warrior Poet: Very in tune with Tau philosophy, and like any proper Tau commander, applies this to his strategy.
• What the Hell, Hero?: As shown by the quote, he is horrified at Davian Thule's disregard for casualties. In response, Thule considers Kais weak for caring that much.

Aun'el Shi'ores

"Soldiers of the Fire Caste! Kroot and Vespid allies! Today, we stand as a bulwark against the selfish, the soulless, and the mad!"
Voiced by: Brian Drummond

The overall leader of the Tau forces on Kronus, he was sent to bring the world back into the Tau Empire's fold.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Downplayed. He's no Redshirt, but his "lieutenant" O'Kais is much stronger than he is. Fitting, as he's a civilian leader rather than a military general.
• Big Good: Seen as this by the Tau and those loyal to them on Kronus.
• Flunky Boss: He can summon his Shas'vre bodyguards at any time.
• Frontline General: Sort of. While Ethereals aren't meant to be risking their lives on the battlefield or being in charge of the actual battle, Shi'ores is present on some stronghold levels. In his own stronghold level, he's at the very back of his base, but has greatly boosted HP.
• Mission Control: Serves as this somewhat during the Eldar and Necron Stronghold missions.
• The Paragon: Said to be among the most lauded of a new generation of Ethereals.
• Worthy Opponent: According to O'Kais, he respects the wisdom of Eldar farseers.

Shas'O Or'es'Ka

Voiced by: Brian Drummond

Military leader of the Tau forces in the Kaurava campaign, he is considered less merciful than his fellow commanders. He uses the unique strategy of Great Strength, Great Strike, which involves hitting the enemy as hard as possible.

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• Alpha Strike: His entire strategy revolves around this.
• BFG: The Ar'ka cannon, a gun so huge it can hit a different planet, is his fortress' special bonus. In-game, it softens up enemy provinces by nuking it just before you get there.
• Despair Speech: Should he fail at defending Aun'Ro'Yr, he has a rather surprising outburst about how his forces have lost all.
• Gatling Good: His primary weapon.
• Invisibility Cloak: Or'es'Ka gets an upgrade that turns him invisible to most enemy units.
• It's the Only Way to Be Sure: After destroying the Chaos stronghold, the Tau retreat so that they can pound the province repeatedly with the Ar'ka cannon. He applies a similar strategy to the Necron stronghold.
• Leave No Survivors: He knew better not to try bargaining with the Forces of Chaos. Upon destroying their stronghold, he and his forces left the province so that they can shell it with their Ar'ka cannon until nothing remains.
• Magic from Technology: Subverted. He thinks this is in effect with the Sisters of Battle, due to their use of 'miracles'. When he defeats the Sisters' Stronghold, he is disappointed when his forces can't find the technology the Sisters used to become invulnerable. Tau don't really understand that it's the Sister's faith that made that occur.
• Mini-Mecha: The stealth suit he pilots isn't large, but it has a massive amount of firepower.
• More Dakka: Undoubtedly the best commander in terms of pure ranged damage.
• Red Is Heroic: He is of the Fal'shia Sept, known for their technological innovation that the Fire Caste will use to test prototype weapons and armaments, who wears red battlesuits.
• Worthy Opponent: Considers the Space Marines as such, and declares that if it weren't for the Greater Good, the Tau would have lost the Space Marine Stronghold mission.

Aun'Ro'Yr

Voiced by: Brian Drummond

The leader of the Tau campaign to bring the Kaurava system into the Tau Empire.

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• Flunky Boss: Three beacons are helping a Tau relief fleet make their way to Kaurava through the Warp storm. If left untouched, the fleet sends a long stream of Tau units at you.
• Keystone Army: Like all Ethereals, killing him causes a massive morale loss to the entire Tau army. So massive that they abandon their colonization efforts.
• The Unfought: Where Shi'ores needed to be killed after fighting through an entire Tau base, here you just have to destroy the Coalition Center he's in (which is within artillery range) to kill him.

Necrons

Necron Lord of Kronus

The leader of the Necrons on Kronus. He doesn't speak at all, so he has Macabee speak for him. He was a servant of the C'tan known as the Nightbringer.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He can take on small armies of enemy units and win with the right upgrades.
• Badass Cape: A black one naturally.
• Big Bad Ensemble: One of the three main antagonists in Dark Crusade, the others being Eliphas and Gorgutz.
• Bling of War: Becomes increasingly bedecked with golden plate as he gains upgrades.
• The Dreaded: He is the only thing besides Abbadon and the Word Bearer Daemon Prince that Eliphas ever displays any fear of.
• Magic Staff: Like all Necron Lords, he wields a Staff of Light, which has blades on the end of it and doubles as a ranged weapon by shooting Gauss flares.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Canonically killed or badly wounded Reclusiarch Mikelus of the Blood Ravens and injured Captain Thule before going down.
• One-Winged Angel: His "Essence of the Nightbringer" ability makes him invincible and skyrockets his damage.
• One-Man Army: once he gets his wargear upgrades, combined with his in level upgrades, he's almost unstoppable.
• The Soulless: It scares Eliphas with that trait.
• The Voiceless: His only line of dialogue is one unintelligible whisper.

Tomas Macabee

"So come, poor victims of life. We shall grant you tranquility in these crypts."
Voiced by: John Novak

A former archaeology professor at the Aceria Xenology Institute on Kronus, and part of the expedition that awakened the Necrons, he somehow retained his personality after his conversion into a Pariah, and acts as a spokesman for the Necron Lord of Kronus.

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• Blue-and-Orange Morality: He sees the Necrons' massacre as a big Mercy Kill to grant the living on Kronus the "tranquility of death".
• The Dragon: He acts as the Necron Lord's lieutenant for Dark Crusade.
• Dug Too Deep: And unleashed the Necrons upon Kronus once more. This isn't even the first time something like this has happened in this universe.
• Face–Heel Turn: He serves the Necron Lord following his capture and transformation into a Pariah.
• Machine Monotone: Slightly less pronounced than the Necron Lord of All Kaurava, probably because of his biological parts. He sounds more ominous because of that.
• Meaningful Name: It's probably no coincidence that one of the few 40k characters with a Jewish name is enslaved by the Egyptian-inspired Necrons. Also doubles as an Ironic Name, as Judas Maccabee fought for his people's independence while Tomas Macabee appears to be pretty content with his current condition.
• Mission Control: He speaks for his lord, as the latter is mute.
• Mouth of Sauron: Since the Necron Lord cannot speak, Macabee speaks in his place.
• Oh, Crap!: The one time he displays any emotion beyond a dread-inducing monotone is when he discovers the other factions have planted a bomb in the heart of their catacombs.
• Sinister Scythe: Wields a Warscythe like the other Pariahs.
• Was Once a Man: He was an ordinary (although likely cyborg) human before the Necrons found him and turned him into one of their own.

Necron Lord of All Kaurava

"They shall meet their ends. They shall join the army of death."
Voiced by: John Novak

The leader of the Necrons in the Kaurava campaign. Unlike the Lord of Kronus, he can talk, and serves the Deceiver rather than the Nightbringer.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Like the Necron Lord of Kronus.
• Badass Bookworm: He seems to be more intelligent than the Necron Lord of Kronus, if only because he talks.
• Big Bad Ensemble: Alongside Firaeveus Carron, Archon Tahril, and Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter.
• Machine Monotone: As Soulstorm predated the retcons that gave the Necrons more personality, he lacks the arrogant, aristocratic tone of voice characteristic of his race in newer adaptations. He's just a machine, and it shows.
• One-Man Army: Such that he can be upgraded to take on almost any foe.
• One-Winged Angel: His 'Essence of the Nightbringer' ability. He can also turn into the Deceiver, which isn't as powerful for fighting but still can't be damaged and packs some nasty abilities.
• Suddenly Voiced: Compared to the previous Necron Lord, who was completely mute and relied on a proxy to speak.
• Unwilling Robotization: It's implied that when he defeats an Imperial faction, he turns the survivors into Necrons.
• Vader Breath: It's not exactly clear why he pauses for breath, being a robot and all, but he does so frequently, to an ominous effect.

Dark Eldar

Archon Tahril (Kabal of the Black Heart)

"I am the deadly shadow and the bird of prey. I am the poisoned dagger that brings swift death!"
Voiced by: Mackenzie Gray

Leader of the Dark Eldar raiders in the Kaurava campaign, he is arrogant even by Eldar standards, and considers all the other commanders in the campaign to be fools (excepting Farseer Caerys and Lord Carron).

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• Big Bad Ensemble: With Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter, Firaeveus Carron, and the Necron Lord of Kaurava.
• The Minion Master: Since he's quite squishy by himself, he comes with a retinue of four Incubus bodyguards that have wargear upgrades of their own.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Flees back to Commorragh once the stronghold is overrun.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He's a Dark Eldar, but he seems to get ideas of replacing Vect, and thinks that his base won't be noticed. Not helped that one of the only characters he doesn't think is a fool is widely seen as an idiot.
• The Starscream: He may aspire to be one, but nobody even considers crossing Asdrubael Vect and lives.
• Wicked Cultured: Genteel and aristocratic, despite being very evil.

Haemonculus Gruemenael (Kabal of the Black Heart)

"We win, we lose, win and lose - but always richer, richer with slaves and spoils."
Voiced by: Samuel Vincent

A Dark Eldar Haemonculus.

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• Torture Technician: He is a Haemonculus, master torturers and flesh-sculpters.

Asdrubael Vect (Kabal overlord)

"BEG FOR MERCY! Not that it'll help you."
Voiced by: Michael Kopsa

The leader of the Kabal of the Black Heart and the de facto leader of the Dark Eldar as a whole. As Tahril's master, he attends the battle for the Kaurava system on his Dais of Destruction. He is a special character, being taken from W40K canon rather than being invented for the game.

This page will only document tropes he displays in the Dawn of War games. For Vect's tropes in the rest of the 40k canon, see here.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Averted, as he doesn't leave his Dais, likely since rules for him on foot in the tabletop didn't exist when Soulstorm was made.
• Canon Immigrant: Inverted, he was taken from the tabletop game for Dawn of War.
• Cool Car: His Dais of Destruction, which doubles as the Dark Eldar's Relic Unit.
• Cowardly Boss: When assaulting the Dark Eldar's base, he'll personally attack your base before retreating for repairs after a certain amount of damage. Of course, this can work to the player's advantage.
• Glass Cannon: His Dais of Destruction is pretty fragile for a Relic Unit, but it's got the best firepower.
• Greater-Scope Villain: He can be considered this due to the fact that he leads one of the factions in the game.
• Joker Immunity: Regardless of whether or not the Dark Eldar lost in Soulstorm or not, he's still alive due to being a character in the tabletop game. Even when you successfuly destroy his Dais (which is a requirement for winning the mission) Tahril will offhandedly comment how Vect somehow survived even as you watch it explode.
• You Have Failed Me: Angrily promises retribution against Tahril when his Dais of Destruction is obliterated.
  Vect: Tahril, You Fool!! I will have your head for this!

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