The Ancient One (Boemund Jormungandr)

The Ancient One is the single most powerful squat to have ever lived. His heroic legacy spans the stars and stands up to the likes of Malcador the Sigillite, Solar Macharius, Ursarkar Creed, and even heroes like the Primarchs.

Early Life
The Ancient One is a squat perpetual born with the name “Boemund Jormungandr” sometime around the start of the Great Crusade on the distant high-gravity planet of Okolnir (Lit. “Never Cold”). Legend puts his date of birth at 798.M30, making him approximately 12,000 years old at the time of his “death”, though this date is debated by scholars. Okolnir was a volcanic mining world rich in exotic minerals and ores that made the planet relatively wealthy as it traded these goods with their two nearest neighboring planets (Maurr and Oda). Boemund grew up with prodigious skills that mystified his family and friends. Never was there a test he failed, a challenge he could not win, a problem he could not solve, or a goal he could not obtain. Boemund’s physique, despite being an abhuman, was worthy of a sculpture and was the admiration of many of his peers. It is said he was all-but perfect, something that many were jealous of, and that all these gifts were said to have been bestowed upon him by the gods (as The Emperor was not yet known to them); knowing this to be true he resolved not to squander them.

The First Battle of Okolnir
Boemund matured quickly and became an apprentice engineer. He was quick to master his craft and in a decade he was the master of his own guild. His creations were the wonder of Okolnir and his people became wealthy as a result. Not long after that though the other worlds in the system became jealous of Okolnir’s materials and both sought to conquer the planet, enslave their population to mine, and extract the wealth in its soil for themselves. Boemund’s guild produced warmachines and weapons for Okolnir’s military but his true calling revealed itself; he was made for battle.

When the protracted war against two foes wore Okolnir so thin that every shopkeep, elder, and child old enough to hold a rifle was pressed into service Boemund was conscripted to fight for the defense of his home planet. He quickly distinguished himself as not only a ferocious warrior but also as a masterful and inspiring commander. Nothing was beyond his grasp- his cunning plans and prodigious skill helped turn the tide first against one invader and then against the next. By the end of the war he had been promoted to the commander of about 1/10th of the planet’s forces- equivalent in modern Imperial ranks to that of a Colonel.

The League of Kapellar
After the The First Battle of Okolnir Boemund’s star continued to rise. As Okolnir was turned into a Stronghold and the two other planets in their systems were made into vassal-worlds, Boemund gained prestige as both a military commander and an engineer. For his service he was given permission to found his own clan, which he did sometime before M31. Now the head of Clan Jormungandr he recruited legions of soldiers and became one of the most dominant forces in politics on the planet thanks to his clan’s stranglehold on the planet’s engineering guild.

In time Okolnir was invited into the The League of Kapellar, the largest alliance of squat strongholds. This offered new trading partners for Okolnir’s exports but also exposed it to political strife and influence by other Strongholds. Around this time something peculiar was noticed; though Boemund grew older he did not age. While properly wisened and sufficiently ancient looking he was well beyond a hundred years old by this point but didn’t quite look his age. He retained his youthful vitality and it had even grown over time rather than diminished.

This eternal vitality, combined with his incredible natural gifts, propelled him to the forefront of the League of Kapellar and he became one of its most powerful people individually. So it was that when the Emperor and his fleet contacted the League of Kapellar it was Boemund who was among the first to greet him.

The Emperor and the Squat
Though awed by the Emperor, Boemund was none the less unwilling to bow to his might at first. He saw the Emperor and his forces as outsiders trying to subjugate them as Maurr and Oda did during the First Battle of Okolnir. Boemund was opposed to joining the Emperor and his Great Crusade and at first did battle with them. Myth and legend surrounds this time and some say that the Emperor did one-on-one combat with Boemund and Boemund failed only because his hammer broke, though his spirit did not. Others say The Emperor and Boemund had a battle of the minds, perhaps dueling with psychic powers, and Boemund was overwhelmed by his majesty when the Emperor let him glimpse part of his true form. Still others tales say Boemund challenged him to a contest of skill where both forged a weapon and the Emperor bested him when his sword (possibly the weapon known as “The Emperor's Sword”) split the mighty hammer that Boemund’s forged in twain. (It is possible all three or even some mix of these occurred.)

Regardless of the specifics, from that day forward Boemund took the name “Boemund Brokenhammer'' to signify his defeat at the hands of the Emperor and swore his loyalty to his service. His banner changes to that of a cracked hammer and his clan and all that were loyal to him were sworn to the aid of humanity. The Emperor, for his part, was impressed with Boemund and named him commander of the squat forces of the Great Crusade.

Sidebar: Fatherhood
Often the Emperor would consult the Ancient One on matters of engineering, technology, material logistics, and matters of warfare. As he found his sons though, the squat took a back seat to them though he did not begrudge the Emperor the love of his sons. The Ancient One is said to have sired over 500 children with various women (and not all of them squats). Because of this he is sometimes called the “All-Father” as most squats alive today count him as an ancestor, though the term is also the term used by the Space Wolves for the Emperor so its use

The Ancient One of the Great Crusade
During the Great Crusade the Ancient One and his squat legions are said to have been gallant soldiers with a steely resolve that were matched only by the space marines. The Ancient One was a terrifying force to behold when he unleashed his full might on the foes of humanity. His tremendous psychic might, brilliant tactical mind, and ingenious inventions were the subject of many poems and epics during the time of the Great Crusade (though few of these survive in current Imperial records as they have been expunged).

It was not until the Horus Heresy that.. (To Be Continued.)

Theories & Heresy

 * The Ancient One was some kind of “Alternate Emperor” or is a being that was spawned by the strong family bonds of the squats in their early years. He may have been empowered by them in the same way the Emperor is, in some ways, a manifestation of humanity’s desires. It may be that any civilization that becomes isolated will create such a being.
 * The Ancient One may have been an agent of chaos, perhaps a plant by Tzeentch or even Khorne to create descent among the squats and rob the Emperor of their faith in him. This would explain his “amazing natural gifts”.
 * The most simple answer is that he is, as most Imperial scholars suspect, a perpetual. Due to squats gaining increased psychic power with age, and him having an unlimited lifespan, meant that his powers simply built to alarming levels over time. This could have been a genetic quirk that caused him to become a perpetual, it could have been some secret invention he made for himself with his amazing engineering skill, or it could have been a gift from The Emperor given to him before they even met though some unknown means.
 * His current location remains unknown and it is not even known if he still lives. Despite the appearance of his death, he seemed to be a perpetual and they are obnoxiously hard to kill. The few remaining squat Ancestor Lords say they can still feel his presence in the warp. They may be lying, the Ancient One may have transcended to live in the warp in some form, or he may still actually be alive somewhere.