John French’s Horus Heresy short story Champion of Oaths is a characterful little vignette portraying two key moments in the life of Sigismund, who would become First Captain of the Imperial Fists. In the drift camps of the Ionus Plateau, a scared boy stands against a vicious gang of youths preying upon terrified orphans, defending his fellows. In the Temple of Oaths, a warrior faces two hundred of his brothers in a trial of combat, one after the other – should he defeat every one of them, he will be proved worthy to lead his brotherhood as the First of Templars.
It’s a classic John French story, rich in atmosphere and symbolism, digging into what drives its protagonist – in this case what drives Sigismund to always be pushing forward, always advancing. Despite its brevity there’s a lot to process, as the multiple timelines intersect and offer tantalising glimpses of a character who’s familiar yet hasn’t really been explored that much in the Heresy so far. It doesn’t try to offer much in the way of obvious explanations, but in flashes of combat, conversation and introspection it touches upon Sigismund’s ironclad will, utter determination and interesting absence of ambition. For such a concise character study it’s remarkably satisfying, and highly recommended.
For the time being Champion of Oaths is only available in the Black Library Events Anthology 2018/19.
Check out the main Horus Heresy reviews page on Track of Words.