Whilst pursuing my current steam punk warband, I accidentally produced a very Nazi looking character and so decided to make him a commissar and given the rather dark and evil look I have planned for him (beyond even the normal loveable affable cheery commissar look), I was wondering if anyone had objections to a chaos worshipping commissar but one that still held his rank?
My thinking was much in the same way of inquisitors that had gone so far along the path to chaos they had overstepped the mark, and the commissar had eventually reeled at the magnitude of war and chaos had whispered to him and seduced him.
Plans are to have him accompanied by two junior commissars that follow him unflinchingly but not necessarily with knowledge of his inclinations, I haven't really given that area much thought though to be honest.
Any ideas would be great :)
Rob
Ps: though the model is many weeks from completion (damn you university re-start and dissertation!). I shall warn you now that he bears a somewhat similar appearance to Kroenen from hellboy.....
Having not seen Hellboy for quite a while, this isn't biasing me.
And as long as he kept his chaos-worship secret (no marks of slaanesh painted on the barrack's walls, thankyou very much), and pretended to worship the Emperor and didn't cry out "For Khorne!" when forcing a squad to charge, there is no reason why anyone should suspect him. Grimness and distancing yourself from the grunts comes with the job when you're a comissar.
It is possible, I know that the Word Bearer's legion have a number of militaristic human demagogues within its ranks.
If he looks like a Hellboy-type Nazi, that is all for the good...
I am totally behind this idea. Do it!
Perchance he could think that he is not under the sway of chaos and thinks himself to be 100% loyal and dutiful in his actions. With the long years of service and the horrors he has seen, he believes himself to be suffering from psychological trauma of some sort. But he daren't tell anyone less he loose his rank and end up an invalid in permanent care like so many soldiers he has seen reach breaking point.
Thus he has convinced himself that the occasional voice(s) in his head are just his own mind analysing everything he does and making helpful suggestions. Talking to them sometimes in private, as they subtly alter his convictions, beliefs and personality bit by bit.
@ Heroka - I did think of that, but I decided against it as I thought that the unbeknownst chaos minion has been a little over used as of late, and so I'm going to go for a straight evil bastard.
Though I was thinking that he would have worked by moving between regiments and subtly planting seeds of dissent and even using regiments effectively against chaos in order to test the strength of his masters minions and gauge if they were ready for full war.
How he comes to be in the world of inquisitor I have not quite decided, but will muse appropriately.
Thanks for all the replies and any suggestions for how he moved from regiments to alleyways (clean suggestions please :P!) would be appreciated.
Rob
On the battlefield it would probably be very easy for a Commissar to vanish for a while to pursue some nefarious business, maybe he even leads his men into ambushes on purpose. Naturally as the only survivor this hero of the Imperium gets by with a wink and a nod, able to move from regiment to regiment. Of course he could outwardly portray the guise of a very devout Imperial soldier and as far as anyone knows a little bit of devine intervention by the Emperor on behalf of his devout and loyal servant is exactly what's happening.
When not active the Commissar could well be sabotaging the regiment. Sending men off for a good time only to use that as an excuse to firstly leave the regiment's camp in order to meet up with fellow Chaos worshippers and then secondly to find the 'lucky' guardsmen and execute them on sight; good old Commissar Bob lets the men enjoy themselves whenever they can and the scum betray that trust by committing some heinous crime amongst the civilian populataion, maybe the Commissar even kills a few citizens himself, framing the guarsmen. Over a period of time he could paint the regiment as rotten to the core so that later, when they all end up dead or MIA no-one is surprised.
The two Commissar Cadets or whatever they might be would simply be part of his cover, a pair of naive gung-ho idiots that believe everythign he says, ignoring the please of hapless Guardsmen and backing up all his stories.
I see no reason why a Commissar could not have a roving commission. Surely the shadow of that looming cap is spread across the entire structure of the Imperial Guard, never mind areas where they might decide they also have an interest?
As part of rooting out heresey in the rear echelons, maintaining the morale and discipline of garrison zones and ensuring logistical chains are proper and correct, a Commissar (with a couple of rookies in tow learning the ropes) could have a remit to go pretty much anywhere.
As for being turned - I could see an individual loosing the plot when the Schola indoctrination is finally erased by reality, but outright heresy would surely have to be reserved for Traitor Leigons/revolts/mutinies ect. Otherwise, I would imagine that it would have to be very covert and subtle - after all his/her fellow Commissars will be watching thier own...
I wasn't thinking outright heresy as such, more that same insidious path many inquisitors take, edging slowly closer to darkness with every concession they make to the ruinous powers.
@ Kallidor - that was the main idea that crossed my mind but I am still trying to brew something special up for him, though don't think my less than imaginative brain is up to it, so will probably end up settling on that I think.
Thanks again and keep 'em coming :D
Rob
It would be tricky to describe how such a person would have ended up a Commissar other than to say that he had been a very gung-ho, string up type, ideally suited to the role, but the reality of war and death proved his rhetoric was actually too much for him. So much so that this Commissar can't wrap his head around the idea of what he sees as innocent civilians are actually Chaos worshipping heretics that need to be executed.
It would be interesting to see a less black and white portrayal of Imperium = righteous but brutal Vs Chaos = unholy and destructive. What if these people just have a difference of opinion, thus heretics, what if the whole reason for an Imperial invasion is just some nonsense cooked up by the Administratum to increase tithes. The Guard are told that world X is populated by traitors, heretics and secessionists when the reality is quite the opposite, the Governor just didn't want his world and his people to get ripped off by their Imperial masters.
And in the middle of all that you have your Commissar trying to strike a balance between duty and justice and ultimately such behaviour is heresy. Consider this line from The Name of The Rose, 'I also know that anyone who disputes the verdict of an Inquisitor is guilty of heresy.' You could apply that logic to the Commissar, he disputes, even if only in the privacy of his own mind, the mandate of the Imperium to have invaded world X and is thus a heretic. Maybe he even finds guardsmen killing/torturing/raping some innocent civilian/s and executes them and on the face of it you'd think good for him but he has just murdered his own men to protect traitors and heretics.
Then again perhaps a more traditional story is more suitable. Perhaps the Commissar sees the power of Chaos troops or some unholy weapon and wishes that if only a handful of his men were like that, if only he had that weapon. Maybe he ends up fighting alongside an Inquisitor who 'corrupts' the Commissar by opening his eyes to shades of grey that Inquisitors see the world in.
I really like that anti-hero themed heretic idea you've outlined to be honest it also gives a good dynamic for him entering the world of inquisitor, if he is not disgraced yet but is being secretly investigated by one inquisitor and being supported by another?
Might not use it this time, but great idea in general.
Rob
Oooh, perhaps a Xanthite trying to prove that a Chaos-tainted Commissar can still complete his duties?