Karl Hoche

"I bear the mark of Damnation. Chaos flows in my blood, put there by a cultist's cursed blade. I am a mutant like the ones I killed on the road. My body is changing, and though so far my mind remains clear, one day it too will succumb to this curse. Until then, I shall fight against the power and influence of Chaos wherever I find it, with every shred of my strength."

- Karl Hoche, Hunter of Chaos

Karl Hoche, known as the Mutant-Slayer, is an eternal crusader against all those of Chaos. His name is both fearfully whispered in gatherings of the twisted and corrupted, and angrily shouted in the meetings of Witch Hunters and servants of light. Master of mimicry and a man of many faces, Hoche is renown for his disguises and his duplicity; there has been numerous cults Hoche has brought down from within, and many times has he rooted out and slayed those hidden within the ranks of the Empire who were secretly swayed by the Ruinous Powers. His strives to eliminate all things Chaos will not end until either all of Chaos is destroyed, or he is; from the corruption within.

To call Karl Hoche a "hero" would be highly inappropriate, for the world is too bleak and too cruel to be blessed with a being who contains a pure soul who seeks justice with a holy heart and a righteous desire to save others. In reality, Karl Hoche is a vigilante who is more than willing to sacrifice anything, including the lives of innocents, in his quest for the destruction of chaos. His soul is far from pure, for he bears the very corruption that he seeks to destroy.

Karl Hoche is a mutant, and upon the right side of his neck is a second mouth that he keeps gagged and hidden, which emerged from a cut by the dagger of a dark cultist. Hoche's body will continue to change and warp, for once the seed of chaos is planted, there is no way to weed what sprouts from its infernal roots. Hoche has many times been pushed to the brink of insanity and madness, and even now struggles to keep himself from succumbing to the dark whispers in his mind. But he holds an aspect that is the hallmark of the race of Man: an incorruptible will to drive his own fate. Karl Hoche will sooner die than serve the Ruinous Powers, and the path that he has taken will see to the eradication of many of Chaos' pawns and servants as well as any Hoche deems corrupted and unfit to live; even though no matter what path he takes, all roads will lead to his eventual damnation.

Lieutenant
"Karl - I may call you Karl? - I apologise. You are a soldier of rare ability, but your ways are too blunt. An enquiry of this kind needs people who are diplomats as well as soldiers, familiar with military and Imperial protocol, who can ask questions so sharp that the answerer doesn't realise how far under his skin they are, and who can persuade someone to give up a secret or break an oath without thinking about it. With all respect, you don't have those skills."

- Johannes Bhor, smug aide-de-camp.

Karl Hoche was born in Grünburg, southeast of Altdorf in the Reikland, where he spent most of his childhood. When he came of age, he eagerly joined the army and did his part warring and protecting the Reikland from Greenskin raids. His natural leadership and heroics eventually led to him rising very well in the ranks, and he eventually became a Lieutenant and a full army officer in which commanded his own regiment of pike-men.

During a particularly successful campaign, the army, led by Duke Heller, the hero of Carroburg, was scouring the countryside searching for a hidden greenskin warband that was rumored to have encamped and were attacking the locals. However, after the Reikland army had set up its own camp for several weeks, Hoche noticed that every night of a full moon he heard people and horses move about and eventually leave camp. After becoming more increasingly suspicious, on the third night it occurred, he decided to investigate with his trusted friend and orderly, Rudolf Schulze. After walking to the stables and having a brief talk with a horse groom whom had no business being up at such a late hour, the groom told the pair that officers of the Knights Panther had taken the horses out for a "midnight hunt". Not believing the stable boy's story, Hoche and Schulze decided to follow the horse's tracks on foot to discover why the Knights Panther had been sneaking away.

After walking for quite some time, tracking the horses' hoof-prints, the pair was eventually led to some burned down rubble that may have once been a village house. However, the pair was quickly beset by a pack of wolves that were scavenging around the rubble. They managed to fight off the wolves, but before the beasts fled into the night, one of them managed to slightly injure Schulze with their claws. Karl Hoche then made a discovery that would forever alter his life. It became apparent that the reason why the wolves were prowling the area was due to two bodies that laid bare in the moonlight. There were dark holes in each of their chest, and Hoche was shocked when Schulze recognized them as young soldiers whom he thought deserted the army last week. Questions soon turned to fear when it was discovered that one of the bodies, one that could only have died and been placed there hours earlier, carved into his flesh was the rectangular-horned symbol of being some called Khorne, the God of Blood. Sweat prickled Hoche's skin when he glanced around, only to realize that a stone block that he dismissed earlier as just some rubble, had a dark red cloth spread over it. This was most likely used as an altar. The cloth, he realized, was a banner of the Empire, and the reason why it was red, was because it was drenched in the blood of the Empire's soldiers. And there, in the center of the banner, were two still-dripping hearts.

Karl Hoche immediately knew he had to expose this corruption within the Knights Panthers and have it rooted out from the army that he so dearly served. Dawn was quickly approaching, and Schulze was too injured to make it back quickly to camp, and after some time deliberating what to do, Hoche ordered his orderly to remain at the site while he goes back to the camp to inform the Duke and send help for Schulze. Schulze grumbled something about sleep but reluctantly agreed and obeyed his superior and trusted friend as Hoche ran back to the camp.

When Hoche made it back to the camp, he immediately made his way to the Duke's tent, but was momentarily stopped by the general's aide-de-camp: Johannes Bohr. But after Hoche was insistent that his message was of the upmost importance, he was led through to the Duke Heller's quarters and told him the whole story. However, only ten minutes later, the men heard the crack of a pistol, followed by shouts and screams and steel clashing against steel, and a faint vibration coming from outside the tent. The camp was in an uproar; the Knights Panther on their armoured horses had gone berserk and attacked everything and everyone; most likely killing any witness and destroying all evidence. However, they were quickly apprehended and the Duke had them arrested and bound in chains. Some escaped however, and Hoche was horrified to see smoke in the not-so-distant horizon; he had inadvertently sentenced Rudolf Schulze to his doom.

Hours later, the Duke held an impromptu council with the other leaders and officers of the army to decide what was the next best course of actions. However, what was suggested to do flabbergasted Hoche, who's heart was still ridden with guilt: that there be nothing done in the wake of the Knights Panther treachery. Duke Heller reasoned that to let loose rumors of Chaos infiltrating the Empire's army would only wreck havoc on the morale on the men, and was satisfied instead with rumors that army cooks had accidentally put "Mad Cap Mushrooms" in the recent stew fed to the Knights Panther regiment, being the cause of their sudden attack. Karl Hoche was shocked and flustered that no action would be taken upon this evil that plagued the army, and refused to sit idle while Chaos potentially spread. Johannes Bohr then suggested that there be an investigation, at least to uncover the source of this corruption, and Karl Hoche be the head of this investigation since he was so eager. Hoche's first set of actions would be to send word to the Knights Panther Chapter House, in Altdorf, and bring its leaders news of the corruption and help coordinate its removal. And when Bhor and Hoche were alone at the meeting table, Bhor instructed Hoche to make contact with a secretive group known as the Untersuchung. They are a conspiracy-group that investigates cults and subversive activities and specialized in dealings with Chaos and Magic. Hoche was reluctant at first, but after Johannes Bhor swore on his honor and life that this would not be some form of cover-up, Hoche agreed. It was this agreement that would forever change the fate of Karl Hoche.

Source

 * Mark Of Damnation (Novel) by James Wallis
 * Chapter One
 * Chapter Two
 * Chapter Three
 * Chapter Four
 * Chapter Five
 * Chapter Six
 * Chapter Seven
 * Chapter Eight
 * Chapter Nine
 * Chapter Ten
 * Chapter Eleven
 * Chapter Twelve
 * Chapter Thirteen
 * Chapter Fourteen
 * Chapter Fifteen
 * Chapter Sixteen
 * Chapter Seventeen
 * Chapter Eighteen
 * Mark Of Heresy (Novel) by James Wallis
 * Chapter One
 * Chapter Two
 * Chapter Three
 * Chapter Four
 * Chapter Five
 * Chapter Six
 * Chapter Seven
 * Chapter Eight
 * Chapter Nine
 * Chapter Ten
 * Chapter Eleven
 * Chapter Twelve
 * Chapter Thirteen
 * Chapter Fourteen
 * Chapter Fifteen

[[Category:H]] [[Category:K]]