Do you have a moment to talk about our lords and saviours, the Chaos Gods? You see, an unquenchable faith in the Dark Powers trumps any mortal authority – even that of the glory-seeking Warmaster. If you want to understand the path to true greatness, why not invite the Word Bearers in for a cup of tea and a friendly chat?
The new edition of Warhammer: The Horus Heresy goes on pre-order this weekend, and we’re nearing the end of our Legion Day articles – but this one’s well worth the wait. If you like reading (unholy) tomes, chanting (diabolical) prayers, and purging (blasphemous) scum, the XVII Legion are just the convocation for you. Trust us – it’s the gospel truth.
Recruited from the sons of the Emperor’s exterminated foes, the first recruits of the XVII Legion were taught – at great length – how merciful the Master of Mankind was for only killing their entire families. These warriors fought with a zealous adoration, desperate to earn the Emperor’s forgiveness for… whatever their forebears had done to vex him. Named the Imperial Heralds, they were sent forth as the Emperor’s personal messengers, delivering his ultimatums across the galaxy.
The Great Crusade wasn’t just about winning wars – it was about winning hearts and minds. And in typical Imperial style, the Heralds did so by blowing up monuments, burning priests, and scouring libraries of any books that disagreed. The Imperial Truth dictated that there were no gods – that humanity lived in a rational cosmos, without room for superstition.
Except for the Tech-Priests of the Cult Mechanicum, of course. And the Rune Priests of the VI Legion, they got a pass. And Jaghatai's shamans, obviously. And, okay, one Legion might have been led by an actual angel, but that's not-
Eventually, the Imperial Heralds were taken under the wing of their Primarch Lorgar – a man who truly appreciated his flock. Soon enough, he convinced his Legion that while they were meant to end the worship of false gods, that meant real gods – like his dad – were fine! The renamed Word Bearers spread the light of faith throughout the galaxy, building great shrines and wondrous monuments where their brother Legions left nothing but ruin.
Unfortunately, after a century of shrugging off Lorgar's worship, the Emperor suddenly decided enough was enough – all those pamphlets were slowing down his Great Crusade, and the only reasonable compromise was to publicly humiliate the entire Legion. He sent the prim and proper Ultramarines to give Lorgar a helpful lesson in how to efficiently raze a city – using his “Perfect City” of Monarchia as an example.
After the Emperor cemented himself as the worst god in a galaxy with – as far as the Primarch was concerned – only one god, Lorgar was understandably depressed. Fortunately, his best friend Erebus suggested a fun road trip that would take his mind off things – all the way to a little world called Cadia. There, the truth of the Chaos Gods was revealed to the Word Bearers, and they traded up in favour of deities who weren’t better so much as… more consistent.
Their iron-clad faith gives the XVII Legion an unshakeable bravery in battle – faced with the most terrifying foes, these True Believers trust that a higher power will deliver them from doom. This infectious belief is hard to resist even for their opponents, who find themselves shouted down by Legionaries bellowing bellicose battle sermons. That’s diplomacy for you.
Faith is its own reward, of course… but the Ruinous Powers are generous masters.* The Word Bearers piled up heaps of confiscated occult lore over the Great Crusade, and not all of it was turned into kindling – while prosaic Legions waste time with technological trinkets, Lorgar’s most dedicated preachers study the Burning Lore of the empyrean, learning to command soul-scourging Hellfire. Well, mostly command it.
As the nascent Primarchs were scattered across the galaxy, Lorgar came to land on the desert planet Colchis, where he was found by a nomadic tribe who took the boy in… for all of about three weeks, until they were slaughtered by a disgraced priest named Kor Phaeron. The holy man had seen potential in Lorgar that all others had missed, and it would have been a shame to let it go to waste.**
The young Primarch was enraptured by the religion of Colchis, dedicating himself to the study of its four Great Powers.*** Soon, however, he began to prophecise the arrival of ‘The One’ – a deity that ruled over all others, who would take humanity to the stars. The Urizen’s sermons proved popular enough to cause a schism in the Colchisian Covenant– and after a brutal war, only his Godsworn were left standing.
True to Lorgar’s visions, the Emperor arrived one year after his son’s victory – accompanied by Magnus the Red, one of the few other Primarchs to really appreciate a good book – and the XVII Legion were reunited with their gene-father. Things went swimmingly, right up until the whole ‘burn your prized city to the ground’ situation. Who knew you could be too devoted? Dorn gets away with being unnervingly loyal.
As the first of the Primarchs to embrace the power of Chaos, Lorgar set in motion many of the events of the Horus Heresy. Through his forbidden knowledge, patient scheming, and arcane skills of “talking to people”, fully half of his brothers were granted the freedom to choose their own destinies. All in all, a stand-up guy.
The Word Bearers laid their groundwork for years, spreading secret clubs called Warrior Lodges through the other Legions and the Warmaster’s own inner circle. In some cases, they traded tips with those who were already eager to accept the loving embrace of Chaos. In others, they exploited existing tensions, whispering promises of power to those who resented their oh-so-perfect Primarch.Unfortunately for the XVII Legion, some of their fellow Legions weren’t so appreciative of the gifts on offer. Chief among these were the Ultramarines, who didn’t once think to say sorry for smashing their wonderful city. On the planet Calth, a joint muster of XVII and XIII Legions was the perfect opportunity to earn some payback – Lorgar’s decisive action ensured the Ultramarines would never assemble the strength to challenge Horus in time.
The war on Calth also introduced the hapless mortals of realspace to some friendly new neighbours – daemons! These new Traitor allies came in all shapes and sizes, and could even be stuffed inside a convenient Astartes-shaped package, giving the Loyalist Space Marines a whole new kind of enemy to fight. We’re sure they enjoyed the novelty.
Accompanied by the angriest of all his brothers, Lorgar launched a Shadow Crusade of slaughter, dismay, and other festivities that spawned the Ruinstorm. This colossal warp tempest paralysed the Loyalists’ ability to navigate the galaxy – delaying the return of four whole Legions to Terra. It was just about the single best thing any of the Traitor Primarchs did for Horus – perhaps if the others had pulled their weight, instead of throwing wild (and pre-emptive) victory parties, they might even have won…
Witness the Word Bearers’ rise to greatness in The First Heretic, a novel that pulls back the curtain on the Legion’s ascension from Imperial lapdogs to champions of religious freedom. Following their castigation at Monarchia, Lorgar and his sons vent their fury on dissident worlds – only to find the Primordial Truth was inside them all along. Heartwarming.
Then join Kor Phaeron and the Legion’s elite as they punish the Ultramarines for their misplaced loyalties in Know No Fear, amidst the burning wreckage of Calth. This one conflict spawns a grudge that echoes throughout millennia, and remains one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Heresy.
Fancy painting your own congregation of Word Bearers? Check out the handy painting guide below, and you’ll have a crimson tide of truth-seekers battle-ready in no time.
From one flame-festooned champion of the common man to another – even if they wouldn’t agree on the similarities – we return tomorrow with the Salamanders to find out how their indomitable will dragged them out of the Drop Site Massacre. And if you haven’t decided which Legion suits you yet, head over to the Horus Heresy website and Discover Your Legion today.
* A pity Lorgar can’t say the same about the Emperor.
** Hey, sacrifices must be made. Kor Phaeron said so.
*** A shiny gold star to anyone who can guess who they are.