I wanted to add Lucius The Eternal to my restarted Chaos Space Marine warband but I’m conscious that it can only be a matter of time before he finally gets a new mini in plastic so I needed something to play the role. I was re-reading the excellent Fabius Bile trilogy by Reynolds and this little exchange between Fabius and Oleander discussing Gulos Palatides struck me with an idea..

I didn’t want to make Lucius at all (he’ll join when he gets a new mini) but a warrior consumed by Hubris and Envy in equal measure and trying to live up to the paragon of swordsmanship within his former legion. That could be an interesting character. So, Blade-Prince Nicepherous Grycas was reborn into a new role. Mockingly called Little Lucius by those who see him as a preening imitation of The Eternal, although none have survived using that name within earshot… He’s a duellist always desperate to prove his superiority, driven by the ever-present doubt that if the one he aspires to match ever faced him he’d be shown to be inferior. 

There’s a beautiful irony in that if he and Lucius ever faced off and Grycas was proven to be justified in his own self-importance, he’d revel in the victory and very soon become Lucius anyway… Hubris and Envy indeed.