Editing Enginseer-Prime Quintus Aureleus (section)

== Description ==
While well-versed in the ways of Machine Spirits, he is somewhat of an oddity among his fellows in his sense of... aesthetics. A strong belief in the holy perfection of the human form, he feels that form does not always follow function, but that function may be improved by form. Disdaining the sometimes ostentatious displays of machinery sticking out of flesh, his implants, while just as capable as those of other tech-priests, tend towards smooth and shiny over loud and crude (in his opinion).

He gets along remarkably well with normal citizens of the Imperium, considering his station in the Priesthood of Mars. Always looking for new things to learn (particularly any new incidents of lost human technology), he was attracted to the ship-yard of Exaviar's World from rumors of ancient blueprints hidden in the depths of the cogitators. His placement there put him in an excellent position when the long-lost Viaticus flagship reappeared - first to lead the repair efforts and to certify the ship as ready for use and then to get himself placed in charged of the company of Tech-Priests charged with its upkeep.

Now, he is sure, he will find plentiful examples of lost Imperial technology, and have many opportunities to demonstrate the value of his aesthetics and his abilities to those that scoffed at him many years before.

=== Appearance ===
Reaching a mere 1.6 meters in height, Quintus makes up in bulk what he lacks in height.  High-density muscle and even higher-density cybernetic augmentations give the explorator the mass of a much larger man.  While his shape is unmistakably human (in spite of the two extra tentacle-like limbs that hang down his back (inactive) or hover over his shoulder (active), a jaw replaced by an approximately jaw-shaped blank expanse of electrum and a fine speaker-grille out of which he speaks, the gold and crystal cogwheel monocle over the left eye and the spots of metal showing through skin on his head, neck and face give away his allegiance to the Omnissiah.

If he were to strip down to bare skin, the outline of ribs done in electrum and the glowing purple crystals of his potential coil and the similar plated backbone that supports his augmented systems would no doubt draw attention.  Tracings, like circuits made out of electrum, streak down his limbs, and subdermal electoos flash symbols that mean something to those initiated in the mysteries of the machine-god.
Much of his more arcane augmentations are nearly completely concealed underneath tanned skin (or a reasonable facsimile, in some places) - the augur array where his tongue once lay, the leads from the MIU processors in his neck that trail down beside his arm bones to contact points in his palms, the baleful right eye matching the crystal lens covering the left in hue, and the cortex implant that fills the nasal and sinus cavities.

He usually does not bother to take off his dragon scale power armour, which is plugged into and powered by his potentia coil.  Resembling nothing more than fine snake scales of iridescent green-blue hues, this finely crafted example of the tech-priest's art enhances his already formidable strength to levels usually not seen outside of heavy-duty manipulator mechadendrites.
Considering mechadendrites, he currently has two attached to his shoulders.  On the left, a thin flexible tendril supports a set of small high-gain optical sensors that hooks into his visual cortex through his implants, and on the right a much thicker tentacle that ends in a sheathed chainblade and an injector system (among other unidentified medical apparatae).  When not active, these extra limbs contract and hang down Quintus' back, out of the way of other tasks he may be performing - when active, they rear up over his shoulders like serpents.

=== History ===
Quintus does not know his parents, and doesn't really mind that state of affairs.  Named because he was the fifth child of his creche at the orphanage, Quintus was scouted as a promising boy into the cult of the Omnissiah by an older tech-priest looking for young assistants.
* '''Circumstances of Birth:'''
* '''A Lonely Youth:'''
* '''Mad Scientist's Assistant:'''
* '''Making a Name for Himself:'''
* '''In Service to Viaticus:'''

=== Personality ===
* '''Social Lubrication:''' Quintus is usually quite polite - viewing the organic component of vessels and organizations as something like biological machines, he equates courtesy to sacred machine oil and acts accordingly.  
* '''The Steel Beneath:''' His amiable personality masks a ruthless streak that is uncompromising on the basic principles of the priesthood of mars (at least as he sees them) - he is unwilling to even condone research into using the Immaterium as a technological aide, and the combination of xenos flesh with human is equally abominable to him.  While he feels that cogitators can edge into forbidden patterns without the problems of the ancient Iron Men, he is nevertheless wary of machine-only intelligence, preferring to research improvements in servitors (particular servo-skulls).
* '''The Doctor Approaches:''' While his forte is chemical interactions and chymistry in general, he has a broad base of knowledge of technology and mechanics that he utilizes to keep the ''Aetherius Aeternus'' operating smoothly.  His recent delvings into the realm of flesh and the medicae have suggested some interesting avenues for greater benefit... but most definitely not upon humans.
* '''The Appeal of the Exotic:''' Privately he has a fascination with xeno technology - such devices work, so clearly their machine spirits are not completely twisted... and there is, no doubt, a proper Imperial technological equivalent, if it can be rediscovered or deduced through logical progression.  At least, that's how he justifies his interest...
* '''The Hidden Peacock:''' Publicly Quintus does not seek flash and fortune, but the consistent aesthetics of his implants and the style of his constructions reveal a certain vanity - sleek designs, hiding function within ornamental form and quiet speed are among his values.

=== Goals ===
* '''Fame and Recognition:''' Like many another ambitious soul in the Adeptus Mechanicus (many of whom become Explorators like he has), Quintus desires to make big (re)discoveries of ancient human technology.  While he's practical enough to realize that a fully functional STC is extremely unlikely, he would do much to find a new template or any useful information about or from a Standard Template Constructor.
* '''The Dynasty that Thrives:''' Quintus has not been involved in the affairs of the Viaticus Dynasty, but he finds it refreshingly brisk and lacking in the corruption that infests many another powerful family.  While its fortunes are weak, he sees this as just another opportunity to insert himself in the highest of councils and guide it to proper management of the subsector in regards to technology and the Priesthood of Mars.  In addition, he finds himself liking his new comrades quite a lot better than many of his cybernetic colleagues.
* '''Founder of a New Order:''' Quintus has problems with the current Mechanicus of the Koronus Expanse (and indeed in general).  He considers many Magos to be secretive to the point of paranoia, preferring that a particular technology that they hold power over be lost forever to humanity rather than give it up to the broader Priesthood of Mars.  Many also are short-sighted and unimaginative - they mouth the words of the Restrictions without understanding the reasons behind them, they speak the words of rituals of maintenance without meaning, and they blindly follow in their forebears footsteps without showing proper respect to the Omnissiah and to machinery.  Understanding is the greatest form of worship, and knowledge once achieved or rediscovered should be shared amongst the entirety of the Adeptus Mechanicus.  His ambition here is to create a 'purer' sect of the Priesthood of Mars, and towards that end he inculcates his underpriests aboard the Aetherium Aeternus; when they have been sufficiently tested and trained he'll leave them on stations and planets and acquire new apprentices.  Heretical freethinkers are much desired - those with inquisitive leanings might be easily poached from other subsectors...
* '''The House Shall Be Pure:''' After recent exposure to the tech-heresy on Drustilla, Quintus is adamant that any such cults be ripped out root and branch.  Not only do they insult the sacred implants with their mockery, but the forbiddance of warp-imbued technology is both sound and well-reasoned.  While some of the other strictures may have some leeway to them (servitors and cogitators that approach the boundary of Machine Intelligence), this one, Quintus feels, is nigh-absolute, with the only exceptions perhaps being technology to prevent the impact of the Immaterium upon an object or person or to detect its presence.
* (pending) '''The Need for Speed:''' Quintus wants to go fast; towards that end he has recently trained himself in personal piloting and is looking at proper personal vehicles that are both fast and are suitable for a techpriest's dignity (and need for technological bling).  He has found one - a power board - and is currently training himself in its usage.

=== Views ===
* '''On Perfect Forms:''' (Human form, mutation)<br>
<blockquote>Quintus believes that form influences function - that is, that there are preferred shapes for particular functions.  A shovel, for example, does not work if it is shaped like a rake.  Similarly, there is a 'perfect form' for intelligence, and that form is that of a human being.  This can be shown in the departures from the human form, in fact, and is why he has a strong preference for augmentations that do not significantly distort the human body.  Mutation is, of course, known to twist the mind as well as the body - in fact, as Quintus sees it, the latter leads to the former, and the stronger the departure from the human shape the greater the mental contamination.  It is no coincidence, he might say, that warp corruption affects the body as much as it does the mind.  Finally, intelligent xenos are often of a non-human shape, and are often easily twisted by Chaos or ravenously insane.  The Eldar are one of the most human-like, and while some of the products of their minds (their laser technology) is quite proper, they also dabble in warp-craft and, inevitably, will fall as they already did once.<br>
The Men of Iron might well have rebelled because they were minds inside machines and did not possess the proper form - to put them in partial influence of Humanity was therefore sheerest folly.  Quintus is somewhat unsure on this point, however, not having any description of an Iron Man to go by.  Those who undergo the semi-heretical Rite of Satesh too often come through the experience insane; only a rare few souls are strong enough in will to withstand the alteration of the proper "sentient form".
As a side note, after having performed surgery upon Boris, Quintus is quite sure he is not a mutant - while his frame is large and bulky, his organs are in the right place and his form is human.</blockquote>
* '''The Face at the Window:''' (Imperium)
* '''Masters of Light:''' (Eldar)<br>
<blockquote>Eldar, Quintus admits, have achieved a mastery of light only equaled by (naturally) lost human achievements during the Dark Age of Technology (whether this is actually true is beside the point).  With that in mind, he's quite willing to acquire, disassemble and learn from their hololithic devices and laser weapons.  Seeking to reclaim human mastery of all technology, he believes that from such devices he can discover how ancient humanity achieved the same things.  Their wraithbone technology he disdains altogether - it smacks too much of warp-sorcery, and is thus too alien and dangerous to humanity to encourage.</blockquote>
* '''Corruptors of Form:''' (Genestealers)
* '''The Alien Without:''' (Xenos in general)
<blockquote>The prohibition against alien technology and biocrafting is, Quintus accepts, generally well-founded.  Just as the alien is a twisted reflection of humanity, often with motives equally foreign and dangerous, so too their technology is generally hazardous to use.  Study is acceptable, if done carefully, but one must always recall when studying an alien device that something inhuman designed it, for something inhuman to operate; better to build devices that are made by a human being and designed for the same.</blockquote>
* '''The Madness of Chaos:''' (Chaos)
* '''Who Watches the Watchers:''' (The Inquisition)