Samson was a powerful warrior whose deceptively ponderous movements often caught enemies off-guard, advancing far enough to become decorated a Terminator Sergeant, even commanding small strike forces of Deathwing in Belial's absence. Curiosity clawed at the minds of his Chapter's Apothecaries when the mutation in both his Biscopea and Ossmodula occurred, which caused the Marine's overgrowth during his time as a Neophyte. At an above-average height of nine feet and two inches, and possessed of an enormous strength by the end of his initiation. While impairing his agility further than most Astartes, gifted him a number of advantages - this allowed him to wield certain weapons with relative ease, taking a liking to heavier weapons. While his large stature and proficiency might leave one assuming his sole area of skill is martial prowess, amongst his brothers he is surprisingly flexible, serving in the Battle Companies sometimes side-by-side of the respective Company Masters, before becoming Sergeant of Ravenwing then ascending to Deathwing Sergeant. In the closing years of the 41st Millennium, Samson failed to stop one of his trusted friends, the Interrogator-Chaplain Delan Araqiel, from falling to the grip of Chaos, and slew him in the process - but not without letting the Fallen Angel, Nefar Valac, escape. As if needing to repent for his failure, in both preventing the fall of his close brother and failing to capture the Fallen, Samson sought to correct his actions. Submitting himself to the Solitarum deep within The Rock, Samson emerged as an Interrogator-Chaplain, and within a year, he returned with Sorceror Valac firmly chained within a sensory deprivation tank of vigoriously blessed ceramite, sanctified to prevent his foul magics. Nefar's last wish was the sweet pain of death after he finally repented - the Dark Angel earned the solitary black pearl now hanging around his neck.
Biography[]Early Life and Initiation[]
Initially, a few of his fellow Aspirants looked down on him, save for the two other Sirians - Parmaen Remiel, who would later become a Techmarine, and Zethuvan Beleth, who would join the Chaplaincy. One of the Aspirants who singled out Alasdair as weak and unfit were put together to fight. However, what the opposing Aspirant did not expect was that Samson did not back down from the fight, but fought with his wits rather than brute strength as his foe did. Breaking both kneecaps, bending limbs in ways they were not suppose to, and at last breaking his windpipe with a powerful kick, Samson was at first shocked that he had killed him, before Cassiel explained the Neophytes were expected to do this, as it was survival of the fittest. The Neophyte understood, as he slowly arose through the augmentation process. An intriguing piece of data revealed Samson's geneseed had a rare mutation, an unexpected development given the purity of Dark Angel geneseed - his Biscopea and Ossmodula released excess amounts of growth hormones, causing Samson to spurt to a height of nine feet and eight inches, as well as possessing prodigious strength that greatly surpassed that of his brethren. His last test was that of an Exposure Trial - Aladair laid still for an entire day and night in the icy wastes of Frigus IV, also in the Sirian system. Recovering from the chilly weather within a week, Samson later found himself donning his Scout Armour, and going to the fight for the first time. History[]Early Life[]Trial by Fire[]
  Alasdair (far left) after receiving his Black Carapace and serving as a Devastator. Spotting several Cultists striding for their ritual site, they hastily made themselves ready for the coming of their Chaos Lord. They struck by brilliant pylons of Warp energy and lifted into the air, as a corrupted eight-pointed star was burnt into the soil itself. The Scout spotted this commotion and called over vox ranges, alerting the Tacticals that the ritual was about to take place. Unfortunately, the Marines were besieged by a wild commotion of Khorne Berserkers. These blood red and gleaming silver Berserkers were barely contained catalysts of their God's rage, brimming with unstable fury and their screaming chants drowned out by the blood-curdling chainaxes they carried to match their anger. Several Dark Angels were lost in the assault, but these Berserkers were slain soon enough. While the Scout marines fended off anyone attempting to sneak up on the rest of the Tacticals, the portal gate for the Chaos Lord's coming was beginning to open. Refusing to waste any more time and advancing at the behest of his Scout Sergeant, the young Scout Marine hoisted his Heavy Bolter from his braced position and made for the Cultists, sliding down a nearby dune itself and into the ritual being held at the dig site. With a plume of well-placed, furious bolt fire, the distracted Cultists dropped dead to the ground. The Warp energy began to cease, and so did the gate. With further assaults from the enraged Berserkers, entrenched Chaos Marines, and Chaos Havocs, the battle was won. By the end of further skirmishes, repeated summons of the Chaos Lord and blood spilt upon the desert sands, Scout Samson earned the respect of his brothers for his initiative and marksmanship, believing him to be ready for the Chapter. The rest did not agree - however, within the next few battles, Samson received his Black Carapace and his forest green suit of Power Armour. He rose through the ranks quickly, becoming Devastator, Assault and Tactical within years of each other. Mastering the art of war so very hastily, he made the decision to return to a Tactical squad inside Fourth Company after years of fighting, in 730.M41. Samson, in the wake of this, would accompany the Dark Angels and the most venerated of their companies to many battles and campaigns, rising him through the ranks and earning him the further merit of his brothers. While his trusting nature caused some of his fellow Angels to be inherently suspicious of him, his skill as a warrior could not be disputed. Distinguishing himself against the fortress of the Fallen Angel Kaligar during the Fourth Quadrant Rebellion while the entire Chapter was focused there. These merits acquitted the arrival of Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Ulixis Iratus. Iratus' attention was caught firmly by Samson, who, while having not faced xenos threats before, Ulixis considered him as a new recruit. Believing the young Marine to have potential, Iratus left with him and brought him to Watch Fortress Erioch itself, to take him through a valuable part of his career, learning to slay the foremost enemies of man; the alien. A Warrior Well-Proven[]
  Samson during his first Vigil in service to Deathwatch, wielding a Plasma Cannon. His most notable achievement upon the surface of Gustatius was when a major city upon the surface of the besieged Agri-world was home to a infestation of Gaunts and Warrior Broods, but also to a pair of Carnifexes. A Tyrant Guard was also in the process of creation, intended for use by the Hive Tyrant as a body guard, but the Kill-team managed to discover this. Brother Nero and Brother Exitio made their way upon the stone walls to provide covering fire upon the Tyranid forces while Brother Alaran and Brother Midas distracted much of the swarm by performing erratic, unpredictable movements thanks to the use of their Jump Packs. Sergeant Victorio and Samson discovered the Tyrant Guard had already woken. Two more Kill-teams were deployed to the area upon this news, as was a Watch Captain, as this meant the Hive Tyrant was already in the city. The battle lasted a full day and night, and culminated in both the slaying of the Carnifex pair, but that of the Hive Tyrant and its Tyrant Guard. This would prove to be the last conflict of Gustatius when the Watch Captain died slaying the Hive Tyrant, dying to the Tyrant Guard's berserk blows. A death-defying feat by Alasdair to avenge his death when the Dark Angel leapt upon the carapace of the Tyrant Guard and on to its back, killing it with repeated plasma cannon blasts to the back of its head. The reinforced plating on its head gave way to sustained fire from the weapon, tearing its carapace apart and killing it. This feat of near-suicidal bravery was at first dismissed grudgingly by Brother Nero as blatant disregard for protocol and the marine's own life, but Sergeant Victorio intervened yet again, and Nero came to grudgingly respect Samson for avenging the Watch Captain. Seventy-five percent of Gustatius was consumed by the Tyranids, but it was not beyond repair. The battle had been won for Samson, and in the following year, he departed from Deathwatch having earned his first Vigil, just in time for the explosive campaign against Chaos known as the Siege of Vraks. By this time, Alasdair had moved up in the world, now serving Third Company. While his battles against the Tyranids would prove to come in handy later, he was to return to his roots in a battle against Chaos. Now donning his familiar green armour again, he set off with his company alongside Supreme Grand Master Naberius himself. The Siege of Vraks was a most interesting campaign. The rogue Cardinal known as Xaphan had gained a considerable following on Vraks, attempting to kickstart a War of Faith against the heretics and planters of the seed of doubt that he delusionally believed resided on the planet. As Xaphan continued to preach, he became the idol of the downtrodden of Vraks, the Ordo Hereticus believing that he might initiate classist warfare amongst the planet. Soon, the real trouble would begin. The Dark Angels - five companies worth, half the entire Chapter - was deployed in 821.M41, when Naberius heeded the call from Lord Commander Zuehkle, who had requested reinforcements. The Dark Angels were thus led by their Supreme Grand Master to the Vraks star-port, preventing any enemy reinforcements from arriving. However, Naberius was confident in knowing his own chapter could take on the star port easily by itself, so he had ceased communications with any of the Guard regiments. Naberius chose the Srna Flats as a primary landing zone, and the Thunderhawks embarked. Samson soon found home with a Devastator Squad, while Samson hefted his signature Heavy Bolter, as did one of his other brothers, and the fourth with a Missile Launcher. The Sergeant hefted a Lascannon. Indeed, the reason for the Angels' landing was perhaps their most secretive - suspicions of the Fallen Angels being present had struck them, and there were now Traitor Legionnaires on Vraks Prime. Led by Arkos the Faithless, Chaos Lord of the Alpha Legion, a reviled renegade whose name was not uncommon upon the lips of the Inner Circle. Interrogator-Chaplain Belphegor was brought to the scene to expunge any and all information from any traitors he could uncover.   A Dark Angels squad disembarks from a Rhino during the assault on the Vraks space port. However, the Dark Angels' presence had seeded paranoia in Arkos' mind, and he withdrew most of his garrison to the citadel at the star port, as the Ravenwing's Land Speeders could simply fly over the defenses and strike at the heart of the star port. So did the Angels of Death make their attack not much time soon after, spearheading their assault with Land Speeders and their mighty armoured columns, consisting of Predators, Land Raiders, Vindicators, Rhinos and Whirlwinds. However, Samson and his fellow Devastators did not join the main attack force. Instead, they joined with Orias, Master of Third Company, against the Balan trench. This causeway found itself host to several demolition charges planted by Orias and his Assault Marines. Alasdair's Devastator squad dug in at the eastern end, preventing a Traitor Militia column advance from the west, by virtue of a thousand bolter shells removing them from existence. Within time, the charges exploded and the 3rd Company completed their objective. By the next eight days, the starport itself was reduced to a similar fate the Devastators had bestowed upon the armoured column a week earlier. With the assistance of five-hundred Marines and one memorable encounter where Alasdair had taken hold of a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter onboard a Rhino, Naberius, disgruntled that Arkos had escaped, soon left with his companies, and while there were no Legionnaires they had captured, they had captured many traitor guardsmen. Vraks had dealt a serious blow to the companies, with the loss of a little over two-hundred Marines in the taking of the starport. They soon fled the Vraks system aboard The Rock. Whispers of Chaos[]
  Dark Angels Veteran Battle-Brothers continue the hunt for Chaos Lord Concordius. The first objective was to land upon the orbital tower anchored over the ice planet. Traces of a battle long past were visible everywhere - destroyed technology, both xenos and Imperial, were visible everywhere. As the Dark Angels descended upon the planet, companies both Third and Forth descended upon the planet. Most strange of them all was there being almost no presence of any life upon the planet. The Dark Angels realized they had just strode into a trap, out of mere curiosity. Upon arriving at the platform they came under immediate attack by entrenched Chaos Marines and by deafening Noise Marines, one a Champion wielding a terrifying Blastmaster. Many Dark Angels were cut down until it was but Sergeant Cassiel, a Tactical Squad and an Assault Squad, plus Samson himself. Landing the final hit upon the Champion with a well-aimed plasma bolt, the companies realised that the Marines here were certainly not to be trifled with. Within a full day, after receiving reinforcements, thorough cleansing and searching, the tower was cleared and turned into a base of operations for the Astartes. Thunderhawks and Ravenwing Land Speeders immediately began searching for their vehicle stockpiles and eventually found them at an old rundown Manufactorum, which became quite clear when two of the Land Speeders were immediately shot out of the sky. With this further revelation, the Dark Angels called for extra support and Predators, plus a Land Raider Ares, made landfall. Traveling to the manufactorum, the Land Raider blew down the doors and defended the entrance from the flanking Havocs, along with several Defilers crawling in from the back. With the Chapter banner bearer, Cassiel, Company Master Orias, and the remaining Marines, Orias led the charge. They assaulted the remnants of the Emperor's Children relentlessly, pushing them back to an assembly line where a terrifying contraption laid; a Decimator daemon engine. The hellish machine was adorned with fearsome appendages and flesh draped over the metal, likely from previous victims. When the engine had cut down the Marines all to Sergeant Cassiel, Master Orias and Sergeant Alasdair, plus two squads left, the Land Raider Ares, having expended almost all of its ammunition and lacking any more siege cannon shells, smashed through the deserted halls of the Manufactorum and to their aid, though ultimately sacrificing the lives of its crew to destroy it by plunging it a crevasse which led to the frozen caverns deep beneath the facility, to the freezing waters and to the Marines' deaths. Orias gave a prayer to honour their sacrifice, though expressed remorse when the Apothecary who collected the geneseed from their already-fallen brothers could not recover the Land Raider's occupants. Returning to The Rock with severe losses, over the course of several years, Samson would fight against the forces of Concordius' warband until the Chaos Lord was finally found on the opposite side of the planet, upon the ruins of an ice cavern. When the Dark Angels discovered him inside, they almost celebrated, for they were about to receive their revenge. While Samson, Reuben and their fellow Astartes fended off his last defenses, Orias crippled the Chaos Lord, severed his right leg, and caused his helmet to fall off. Unfortunately for him, however, this was not in fact Krax Concordius. It was instead his Sorcerer, Nefar Valac, the Unfettered, a Fallen Angel from the Heresy times. When discovered to be one of The Fallen, Krax Concordius revealed himself in an opening in the cavern, before falling off the edge to a Chaos Thunderhawk and returning to his corrupted Battle-Barge. Concordius lost much, but understanding his losses, he and his warband left the system after revelling in the suffering they had wrought to the Dark Angels. Orias left the Fallen Angel, unbeknownst to his fellow brothers due to the nature of The Fallen, to The Rock's torture chambers, and they departed the Sirius system. Bane of Xenos[]
  The Dark Angels in the defense of Forge World Eneldor, Assault Marines in front and Devastators providing support. Of note, Interrogator-Chaplain Araqiel, Samson, and Veteran Sergeants Halius Aetherius, Egon Talorus, and Captain Corradino Breda became brothers in arms. The Orks of Waaagh! Roktoof began their planetfall, chiefly towards the capital spire of Eneldor and towards the civillians. The forces of the Doom Eagles evacuated the civilians, while the Aetherian Warriors and the Dark Angels held off the assault. With time, the Ork tide was weathered. However, things were slowly escalating. The Orks had already reached the Manufactorum, and little more than a sea of green was surrounding it. With the help of several Land Raiders, including Crusader-patterns, Redeemer-patterns, and Ares-patterns, the Marines breached the Ork lines and infiltrated the Manufactorum. With the help of two Dreadnoughts, the Space Marine force, combined with elements of surviving Eneldor Guard and Planetary Defense Force Troopers breached the inner walls of the Manufactorum and searched for any signs of Orks. However, it seems Roktoof had pulled the rest of his greenskin horde from the factory as soon as the Guardsmen and the Astartes came to an ominous, and rather terrifying, conclusion. It turns out that the Orks were not after just weapons, but valuable Imperial Guard vehicles, including Baneblade variants. Of particular note, a Shadowsword Titan-killer was missing. Guardians of Lost Caliban[]
In 921.M41, Samson departed from Watch Fortress Erioch a second time to return to his Chapter. Having been a decorated Deathwatch Champion, Samson returned to his post of Sergeant, two-hundred-and-thirty-two years of age, an impressive specimen of a Marine indeed. As Sergeant, the next ten years - 931.M41 - would see Samson fight alongside the infamous Space Wolves, which the rivalry between both Chapters is widely known, and almost legendary. Specifically, Third Company would find itself fighting alongside the Great Company belonging to one Engir Krakendoom, a no-nonsense Wolf Lord known for tearing the throats of those foolish enough to question his decisions. These two worlds was the swamplike world of Atradus, and the desert world of Denope. Both planets played host to the Kabal of the Black Heart, a host of Dark Eldar hiding on the planet, waiting to strike any Imperial forces which would dare venture on either world. Absolution or Damnation[]War Record[]
Personality & Traits[]
 Alasdair, some time after the New Sirius campaign. Samson changed much over the course of his life - initially austere and grim, as he viewed the galaxy around him, pulling up an icy barrier between himself and his own Dark Angels brethren. This explains where he is now - he was considered a perfect candidate for the Inner Circle, despite problems with his temper and his reckless attitude. But, however, something triggered in Samson's mind while he fought on Eneldor. Stuck behind enemy lines and away from his own Chapter, Samson, along with his fellow brothers, worked with their Doom Eagles and Aetherian Warriors allies to remove the Ork threat. A valuable lesson in humility and kindness was learned as he forged friendships, and he began to pull himself from his reclusive shell, realising he should consider the consequences of every action and not hold even his own Dark Angel brethren at bay. Alasdair grew into a man with careful consideration for others instead of a narrow, single-minded goal, which was to execute his duty regardless of what happened. Because of the fact he grew out of this mindset, a brighter view of the terrible galaxy began to fill his mind. It is interesting to note how Alasdair's attitude and behaviour evolved. At first, as a simple child, his curiosity was very hard to sate, and he wanted to know much about the world that surrounded him. These traits survived well into his induction into the Dark Angels, however, as the truth began to unfold, he found himself distant and icy, deeply cynical of the truth, of the galaxy's impending, and inevitable, doom. Eneldor changed all of that, and a sense of compassion followed. Given the fact the Dark Angels reveal the truth only to those who would be fit to be privy to the Chapter's secrets, Samson's newfound outwardness and amiability seem like an ill fit, but the Inner Circle's biggest mistake was confusing Samson's kindness for weakness, which he quickly averted during the New Sirius Campaign. An interesting facet of his personality, which was put in place to trigger his change from his icy demeanor - was his desire to understand. Chiefly, his desire to understand the enemy is a key trait of his. As he spent much of his time by himself and only appeared amongst his brothers for routine, Samson spent plenty of time analysing his enemies and their tactics. Studying and planning counters for many enemies, Samson frequently looked to the Codex Astartes for guidance, citing it as a useful rulebook, but no supplement for a Marine's own intelligence. Wargear[]Over centuries of endless carnage, war and battle, Samson has come into the possession of several weapons of personal significance to him. From top-to-bottom this is some of the most important wargear he has wielded throughout his eternal crusade against the enemies of man. Note that Samson did not carry every weapon on him at once, this is simply a list of different weapons and armour that he has worn so far that has some sort of personal history with him. Weaponry[]
Armour[]
Tropes[]
Gallery[] Alasdair's earlier life - from child to Devastator Marine.  Samson, mid-career - from Deathwatch to Company Veteran.  At his prime - Samson in service of Deathwing.  Just before the New Sirius Campaign, Samson was elevated to Deathwing Sergeant.  Samson, lacking his helmet.  Samson as a Veteran Sergeant. Trivia[]
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Alasdair Samson
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