‘Toothpick’ Murke, Catachan Scout

Sergeant ‘Toothpick’ Murke of Catachan is a Pathfinder for use in your Inquisitor games. The rules for this new character concept can be found in the 2004 inquisitor annual. Sergeant Murke first appeared in the ‘Siren’s Song’ story back in White Dwarf 243. The pack contains one complete Pathfinder model.

'Toothpick' is right-handed

Equipment: Lasgun, Sniper Sight (Lasgun may be used at range H or Range C), Devil's Claw (Catachan Knife use as short sword), 5 Grenades. Bionics - Arm: Strength 68 and +1 armour.

Special Abilities: Detection, Booby Traps.

Sergeant 'Toothpick' Murke

'Toothpick' Murke hails from the Deathworld of Catachan. Like many sons of Catachan he was orphaned from an early age and so was recruited into the 24th Catachan Hellbringers of the Imperial Guard. The Hellbringers specialise in guerilla warfare and so are sent to many inhospitable areas many, mirroring that of Catachan, to do battle in the name of the Emperor.

Sergeant Murke gained the name 'Toothpick' soon after joining. While fighting a hoard of feral Orks on the world of Oiho. Even for greenskins they were particularly savage using low tech weapons such as spears bows and clubs made from wood and sharpened bone. Being a Catachan, Murke had their imfamous almost fatalist sense of humour and would brag to his companions how he would never be impaled by the 'Toothpicks' the Orcs carried into battle. As if the Emperor also had a sense of humour, even entombed in his Golden Throne, shortly after Murke and his patrol ran into the Orks and he gained a jagged scar just under his left pectoral by the Orks crude prodders. Ever since he has been know as 'Toothpick'.

It was on the Jungle world of Darwin, that Sergeant Murke first cam to the attention of the Inquisition. Murke's company led by Lieutenant Green was sent to retrieve two dignitaries from the crashed shuttle site near the alien hostiles.

After locating the wrecked shuttle, the company retreved the remaining survivors and headed into the jungle to the rescue site where another shuttle was on its way. The enemy dogged the company's trek through the jungle terrain at every step. Known as Sirens, they were nightmare creatures who used their psychic powers to control corpses to do their bidding, like the mindless zombies of children's stories.

Only the skill and the experience of the Catachans and more specifically the pathfinding ability of Murke's squad to stay ahead of the tireless enemy saved them. Even then the company took severe casualties.

The rescuing shuttle arrived just in time, 'Toothpick' being one of the last to board. When the shuttle touched down in the relative safety of Darwin's provincial city, a mammoth platform standing on large plinths above the jungle canopy, Inquisitor Taarn of the Ordo Xenos was waiting for them. Taarn had been on Darwin for a few Standard Imperial months investigating the Siren threat. On hearing of this encounter he was there to meet and interrogate the survivors. Taarn was particularly impressed with the softly spoken Sergeant Murke. His pathfinding skills were ideal for Taarn's own excursions into the Darwin jungle. 'Toothpick' became part of Taarn's warband and even when Taarn left Darwin he kept Murke with him as a trusted and useful member of his party.

Although wary of the Inquisitor at first Murke began to like and trust the Inquisitor. On the Deathworld of Villania, Murke lost his arm to Prowler Trap plant. Taarn arranged Murke to have a replacement augmatic arm and hand, which Murke is still getting used to. And even after all this time Sergeant Murke is still known by his nickname 'Toothpick'.