The Deathwing are some of the best warriors in the galaxy and Belial stands above them all with his amazing martial skill. Check it out!
With the Dark Angels getting a release next, we wanted to check out the history of one of their most fearsome warriors! Get out your favorite suit of armor and let’s learn about some Belial Lore!
Belial: Grandmaster of the Deathwing
Like most famous Space Marines, Belial got his start on a semi-feudal world. Barbarians from the future really do make some great defenders of the Imperium, don’t they? But Belial was born into a leadership role, he was no lowly barbarian. He was the son of nobility in the world and from his birth, people had big plans for the young man. Much like the Spartans, he was taught to wield weapons from the second he could lift a sword. The ideas of future chivalry and leadership were poured into his impressionable mind and soon, he was a formidable warrior.
As a recruiting world for the Dark Angels, they were visited by Chaplains every couple of decades. For the normal human that isn’t very often, but when you basically live forever, it’s pretty regular. They handpicked the most promising warriors and boosted them into the ranks. Such an event happened while Belial was only seventeen. Too young for the tournament, but he knew the next time they came back, he could be dead or too entrenched in the leadership of the world to join the Astartes. His father forbade him from entering the tournament. And he didn’t enter, story over… Obviously not! Of course, he would disobey orders!
Entering the Tournament
He stole the armor of a lowlier knight, or beat him until he gave it to him. The story is a bit unclear there. He entered the tournament under a false name and kept his visor closed at all times, so none could recognize him. No one on the planet could beat him, for such was his skill at a young age. But then came time to give him his honors, but for that, he had to take his helm off. Of course, the petulant youth refused even the order of the visiting Chaplain.
Belial then claimed he would rather face the Chaplain in combat than remove his helmet. The Chaplain could not refuse the challenge. He strode into the arena like a god among men. To the surprise of everyone in attendance, the contest took a full seven minutes to finish. A final massive blow laid Belial low and forced his helmet flying, that’s when things got interesting.
Once his father saw it was him he begged the Marine to choose another aspirant, but he was the best the chaplain had ever seen. He overruled him and took the young boy to join the ranks of his battle brothers. On that day the world lost its most promising leader and warrior but the Emperor gained a loyal servant who would play a large part in the unfolding decades.
Learn More About Belial & the Dark Angels Here!
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!
