Maxim Zakharov, the Gryphon Slayer, is a young man but already his career as a Winged Lancer has been distinguished.[1a]s
History[]
When it was his time to slay the eagle, he brought back a dead griffon instead, towing it behind a wild horse he had tamed. As a result, his back banner is particularly impressive. Since then he has risen quickly within his rota, proving his valour again and again. He has an instinctive mastery of his horse and a fearless nature. He and his men are the bane of Kurgan raiding parties from the Chaos Wastes, and he has personally slain a menacing Ice Troll that was terrorising isolated villages. He has become a true hero of the people and his reputation is spreading quickly.[1a]
However, there is a dark side to Maxim. He is troubled by strange dreams, and has a fiery temper which sometimes gets the better of him. He has gained a new friend lately, a grizzled, hobbled mentor scarred from countless battles and missing his entire left arm. This friend, the mysterious Gregori, is actually a minor daemon sent by the Ruinous Power, Khorne, to win the young Maxim over to his service. The daemon knows that if somehow Maxim could be seduced by the joys of carnage and slaughter, he will rise to become a great champion for the Blood God.[1a]