On Holy Terra, at the very top of the Tower of Heroes, sits the Bell of Lost Souls. This colossal bell tolls every time a legendary hero of the Imperium breathes their last, its mournful peal reaching and deafening the ears of millions across the Throneworld.
And the new Codex: Astra Militarum suggests that the Bell has tolled for the Hero of Armageddon, as Commissar Sebastian Yarrick goes to join the Emperor in glory.
Possibly.
Maybe?
This wouldn’t be the first time Commissar Yarrick has been reported dead. The Divisio Mortis has a lot of deaths to keep track of, and details in the official dispatch are
– so we’re investigating the matter ourselves. What might have happened to the Hero of Hades Hive?
Perhaps this ancient warrior fell to mankind’s oldest enemy – the passage of time. The people of Armageddon knew Yarrick as ‘the Old Man’ early on, and the pressures of two apocalyptic wars can’t have helped.
However, rejuvenat treatments are available, and important figures like Lord Solar Leontus can keep going just about indefinitely. Time might want to catch Yarrick, but if it did, there’d probably be a fight.
Which begs the question – who, if anyone, could kill him? His nemesis Ghazghkull Thraka may have a shiny new body, but he’d surely be reluctant to put an end to his favourite pastime – Yarrick-fighting.* For all we know, it might be the Orks’ collective belief in Yarrick’s invincibility that kept the old commissar trucking.
With the opening of the Great Rift, the Blood Crusade has smashed into Armageddon. Perhaps Yarrick returned to his old stomping ground and died at Angron’s hand? There’s a certain skull with a bionic eye strung around the Red Angel’s neck – he’d only keep his most memorable foes’ bounties away from the Skull Throne, and Sebastian Yarrick definitely qualifies.
Falling in battle against a Daemon Primarch would be a worthy death – but surely we’d have heard about such an epic showdown? Yarrick is not one to go quietly…
Could it be that he isn’t dead at all? The Imperium has a proud history of factual creativity,** and after the supposed-but-not-actual death of Marneus Calgar on Vigilus boosted morale, it’s entirely possible they’re trying it on again. Another heroic martyrdom to put the fire of vengeance into the hearts of mankind – if only a powerful organisation with hilariously flexible morals could arrange such a thing…
Or perhaps the galaxy’s most enthusiastic history buff has given Yarrick new purpose… as a museum exhibit.*** He’d be the perfect capstone to any display of classic Steel Legion models, after all.
One thing’s for sure – with the Old Man of Armageddon absent from the new Codex: Astra Militarum, the truth will elude us for now. We’ll be following the exploits of a new crop of heroes – such as the Lord Castellan of Cadia, Ursula J. Creed – as they navigate a future more dangerous than ever… with the ominous shadows of the Arks of Omen fast approaching.
The Cadia Stands Army set is available to pre-order right now, and will be released on Black Friday. Join the Astra Militarum and carry the legacy of Commissar Yarrick into many battles to come!
* Check out the Hammer and Bolter episode Old Bale Eye to discover their turbulent history.
** Also, they’re often just… wrong. Just ask Commissar Cain, who was falsely listed as ‘killed in action’ so many times that the Munitorum keeps him on the duty roster even after his burial.*** Rumours persist that another legendary Astra Militarum commander already sits in the halls of Solemnace.