"If a man dedicates his life to good deeds and the welfare of others, he will die unthanked and unremembered. If he exercises his genius bringing misery and death to billions, his name will echo down through the millennia for a hundred lifetimes. Infamy is always more preferable to ignominy." - Codex: Chaos Space Marines 4th Edition
Hello wargamers and welcome to The Gentleman's Reserve. My name is Vito and I wish to discuss with you today a figure within the 40k universe that deserves the attention of all. Additionally, with the upcoming book Psychic Awakening: War of the Spider, if the Imperium fails to act against a character of pure evil, an individual without pity, or restraint then he could potentially bring the Imperium of Man to its knees. Enter Fabius Bile!
In order to understand why I believe so much action needs to be taken against Fabius, we must first understand where he comes from. Fabius Bile, the Primogenitor, the Clonelord or, The Spider was Chief Apothecary and Lieutenant Commander of the Emperor's Children prior to and during the Horus Heresy.
Good ol' Bill took to his craft like a fish to water at a very young age where his appetite for flesh crafting took root. This drew the attention of the III Legion and he was recruited into their ranks.
During the Great Crusade, Fabius plunged himself into his work, making himself somewhat of a recluse. However, due to his inquisitive nature, he was able to reverse diseases that affected his legion. Now whether you are a veteran to the hobby or just dabbling into the vastness of the 40k lore, it should be noted the Emperor's Children were always on the quest for perfection.
Fabius Bile, ever the tinkerer, convinced his lord Primarch Fulgrim that he could step up to the proverbial bat as it were and improve the legion's gene-seed. It was here my dear reader that I believe the apothecary of atrocities began to sow his seeds of evil. If we are able to trace a timeline it would be here where his experiments became more extreme. Where he began his descent into madness and the macabre.
If you would like to see the full might of the Emperor's Children unleashed upon the battlefield then may I recommend this battle report with MiniWarGamer Luka. 3500 points of glorious Horus Heresy can be found in the Miniwargaming Vault. Watch the Battle Report Here.
"The world was to me a secret which I desired to discover." - Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
As we have come to know there are four chaos Gods that inhabit the 40k universe. Khorne: the god of blood, lord of skulls, murder and violence. Nurgle: god of disease, lord of pestilence and plague. Tzeentch: god of change, lord of intrigue, evolution and sorcery.
Last but certainly not least comes Slaanesh: god of excess, lord of lust, decadence and self-indulgence. Many of the forces of the Chaos Space Marines worship these gods as they strive to gain glory for their deities. For them, each sword stroke, each bolter discharge, each act of horror is a declaration of defiance to the false emperor for their dark masters. But not for Fabius.
It is my belief and so too for many, that we see another pathway to evil. His actions are not for the glory of some dark divine entity but rather for the simplistic reasoning to perform whatever he wants. Fabius does not worship any god. Not Slaanesh as one might think even though his Emperor's Children brothers have bent the knee.
It is for this interpretation that Fabius reminds me of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, the fear of the good doctor gone mad. The story of Frankenstein is a tale of a man who challenges the work of god and presumes to do better. A scientist whose unorthodox methods rivals that of the 'creator'. For Fabius, the devil's hands are always busy.
The Clonelord has traversed through the war-torn galaxy like a piece of jagged glass travelling through webbed fingers. With the technology and skills at his availability, he has unlocked the secrets of the Emperor's work by cloning the Primarchs Ferrus Manus and Horus multiple times and even made an absolute perfect clone of Fulgrim, which he sold to the Necron Overlord Trazyn the Infinite.
He sells his services for ancient tech and prisoners of war. The latter to experiment on. Most of his research subjects end up on cold metal slabs but for those who make it out alive, dear reader, I shudder at the vile abominations that touch his laboratory floor. This is the epitome of his foul art.
One area I believe is often overlooked when discussing Fabius is The Traitor Legions. Like Liam Neeson, they desperately require his particular set of skills. His augmented warriors, biomagics and cloning capabilities can give a warband a vital edge in any conflict. Without such skills, the raging Long War would grind to a halt and the fires that Horus had lit thousands of years ago would be extinguished.
With so much demand and influence, Fabius Bile negotiated with Daemon Primarchs and Daemon Princes to bolster their ranks. By doing so he navigates his position almost at the head of the table, securing himself from potential enemies as chaos can always turn on each other.
But for the Primogenitor the forces of chaos are not enough. He has used all his influence to a singular end: the capture of a Primaris Space Marine. For if he does and unlocks the keys to their gene-seed, then the forces of Chaos will cross their own Rubicon and be a blight upon the Imperium.
We can even see here in this photo that Fabius is taking genetic material from a Custodian Guard. If he were to manipulate and twist that genetic code, then perhaps that would be his great work that he seeks; his so-called 'New Men'.
If you have been following along thus far dear reader, then I thank you for your patience, as Fabius has been patient as well. In summation, we have learned a little of Fabius Bile's background, resume and modus operandi. However, what threat is truly one man?
His goals are everything and his limits are nothing. Imagine legions of his augmented and mutated Noise Marines. Thousands of Chaos Space Marines who have crossed their Rubicon and are now Primaris. Malevolent and malicious versions of the Emperor's own Custodian Guard who have been mutilated and mangled to serve Bile's own ends.
Lastly, should he wish it, should he bend his entire mind to the pursuit, he could create armies of clones of Primarchs that could rival entire Chapters. The utter devastation that he could unleash on the galaxy is terrifying.
It is for these reasons, in my opinion, Fabius Bile should be public enemy number one. Persona non grata. The Imperium should dedicate if not all then a large portion of the Officio Assassinorum, the furious zeal of the Inquisition, and their bravest Astartes to hunt down Fabius and end the life that he has been borrowing. For if he continues, he will plunge the galaxy into flames and confusion. Something we haven't seen since Horus still drew breath.
I hope that you have enjoyed this article on Fabius Bile. He is such an interesting character and deserves a spot in the 40k pantheon of dramatis personae. If you are not a Vault Member, you can still click here to get a free 7-day trial. Vault members are what drive MiniWarGaming, so consider joining to support us in making even more wargaming content for you. Till next time dear readers. Happy wargaming!
- MWG Vito
