The Lore of Fabius Bile is treachery to behold! The most deranged of human fleshcrafters has been turning marines into monstrosities for ages.
He’s no Haemonculus but he’s an intellectual powerhouse to behold. His skills in fusing body parts and genes together are something his victims have been raving about for decades. Get out your ballpoint pens and take some notes on the Fabius Bile.
Fabius Bile Beginnings- The Only Ten-Year-old to Make Genetically Enhanced Mice
Back as a wee lad, he was simply known as Fabius, his grand nicknames wouldn’t find him till later in life. He was born into money and power on good old Terra. As a privileged child in Europa he was given everything a child could want, but his mind was always searching for something better (or more deranged).
Whether he wanted it or not, destiny would find him at a young age. On a day that would change the universe forever, a faithful family servant exposed him to the exquisite science of fleshcrafting. The speed with which he mastered the craft scared even those who showed it to him. His first masterpieces were genetically enhanced mice. He would alter the mice until they were almost as smart as small children and force them to duel one another. His flair for exaggeration was on full display in those bouts, he would dress the mice up in exquisite garb before pitting them against one another.
Fabius wasn’t unnecessarily cruel at that time of his life. He would get furious when the mice would take things too far and kill one another. He simply wanted a fair match to test their skills. In his cold heart, he felt some kind of love for those creatures, he wanted all of his charges to live to see another day. He would berate the mice who were too aggressive and put them on half rations for weeks to come. They lamented the day they drew their master’s ire. Other than genetically enhancing creatures who dressed like they were at a fashion show… he lived a fairly normal childhood. Girl problems, gossip, and loving his mother, you know, that whole schtick.
Joining the Pleasure boys of the Emperor’s Children
His life started the slow descent into madness when he joined the ranks of the Emperor’s Children. That began his obsession with the gene-seed and the idea of making people into something altogether better. Not much is known about his early career, other than that he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. The Great Crusade was the coming-out party of his genius, as it was for so many of his loyal brothers.
Great Crusade – How a Hardy Stomach Saved the Spider
Things started out about as bad as possible for the III legion, a dirty Selentine plot nearly decimated the entirety of the III Legion’s leaders. Fabius must have been brought up on a strict diet of poison and dirt because he was the sole survivor of the entire command structure. The blight caused rapid organ degeneration among the legion. Despite being the only one in a command position left alive he did not seek promotion or glory. All he needed were his experiments, and the blight gave him so much to research. His mind went into overdrive as he dedicated himself to reversing the disease. Not sure why… but this act of genetic superiority garnered him the nickname ‘The Spider’ by his comrades.
Once that little problem of nearly everyone dying was solved, the legion flew into action. All accounts show he fought with bravery and was the best apothecary money could buy. By the end of the bloody crusade, he had risen to Chief Apothecary despite being the most reclusive of his brothers. Fulgrim took notice of the mad scientist during the wars and recognized the asset he had in Fabius. With the Crusades over, only one thing was on the docket, Heresy.
The Experiments begin in Earnest
With the treachery looming Fabius convinced Fulgrim that he could make vast improvements on the legion’s gene-seed. His only goal was perfection. Fulgrim trusted in him and allowed his mad experiments to be conducted with impunity. Needless to say, it was not a good time to be injured if you were in the Emperor’s Children. He would craft those injured warriors into something neither human nor beast. It was even worse to be an injured Blood Angel, they received the worst of the treatments, he turned them into creatures not even the Emperor would recognize. Their gene-seed was extracted and turned into something that would break a magnifying glass. This is where he turned into the Fabius Bile we all know and love.
Horus Heresy
Fabius proved vital throughout the Heresy. There he revived both Eidolon and Lucius at the behest of their Primarch. For obvious reasons, Horus and Erebus held his skills in genetic research in high regard.
As the years of the Heresy ground on his experiments became all the more depraved. He tortured captive space marines of both allied and enemy legions to birth his first generation of Terata. The Spider was given a pass to do whatever he wanted by the leaders of the revolt.
His next experiment was a stroke of genius although wildly unsuccessful in the end. His most disappointing experiment may also have been his most interesting. At the command of his Primarch, Fabius produced his first cloned Primarch. He created a replica of Ferrus Manus, Fulgrim once again tried to convert him to his cause against the Emperor. Even as a clone his brother’s resolve was too strong for Fulgrim to break. He had no choice but to kill the captured clone after he refused him once again.
Fabius was not dismayed by the first attempt, he went on to create multiple clones of Ferrus. Despite his great efforts though, each one refused Fulgrim’s plans before being killed. This was more a stain on Fulgrim’s reputation than Fabius’. Maybe if Fulgrim took some online courses about persuasion he would have been successful.
Fabius Bile’s Return To His Homeland
Fabius finally made his glorious return to Terra among the heresy, this time as an enemy. Neither he nor his legion was involved in the siege of the Imperial Palace, they went after the people instead. They took their fury out on the poor general populace in pleasure ridden destruction. In the unrestrained bloodshed, they slaughtered millions of the world’s populace. Bile does not miss an opportunity and used it to further his experiments.
The glands of the captives were rendered into vials of drugs to increase the ecstasy for his fellow legionaries. Terra was the springboard and testing ground for the countless worlds he would eventually conduct research on.
As the battle raged on he came to a realization. The realization that this was all futile. He left the Terra before the death of Horus, followed by a retinue of altered followers. Fulgrim was so infuriated by this that he put a bounty on Bile’s head. They weren’t the only ones hunting min though.
The Salamanders hated everything about the man. They caught wind of his escape and took flight after him. His smell alone was enough to whip them into a fury. Through wit alone, he escaped their wrath and jetted off into the wider universe.
After The Heresy
He continued his experiments despite the price on his head. Years and years of salad days followed, he worked on his experiments without interruption, but he could not stem the tide of loyalist backlash forever. Time caught up with him in the Arden System. There he was supporting the more unique tastes of the renegade Tyrell in exchange for Foetal material. The Space Marines caught his position and fell in a rage upon the corrupt world of Arden IX, Bile’s main research base. In a single night of destruction, the Salamanders burned all of his precious experiments.
Bile fought bravely to save his flesh vats from destruction. He exterminated dozens of old comrades in exciting and inventive ways. Despite his efforts, he was forced to retreat. He had no choice but to flee into the warp as a Gothic Class Cruiser crippled his ship. While licking his wounds in the warp his vessel was slowly but surely forced towards the eye of terror. He used the time drifting through the warp to conduct endless experiments. His few remaining acolytes his only test subjects. A dark hand eventually drifted his ship to a daemon world. The planet was once a beautiful jewel world of the Eldar, long ago before their own civilization cracked into shards. Now it was a world of seething madness that echoed with the souls of long-dead Eldar. On that insane planet, Fabius Bile made his home.
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
