Lorgar Aurelian - Architect of the Horus Heresy l Warhammer 40k Lore

even one who has only begun to grasp the basics of warfare knows that when forming a strategic plan of action there are no Trifles that can be neglected attention deserves everything that can have even a minimal influence on the outcome of events yet looking back at what transpired in the galaxy from the heights of centuries it can be boldly stated that even great generals could exhibit their shortsightedness not everything that became OB vious over time could have been anticipated before the tragic events began however some of the most Elementary consequences cannot be called unpredictable since the ancient epochs of human civilization a proverb warning against the frivolous underestimation of an enemy has emerged relying on this wisdom of the ancestors it seems logical to look with the same attention at the might of allies and their peculiarities yet many of those upon whom the fate of the Imp Imperium depended chose to neglect one of their own merely because he showed a slightly lesser interest in war the hero of today's story lar aelan the golden Primark always sought the truth and for it he set the Galaxy Ablaze it is known that the sons of the emperor in their incubation capsules were stolen from their father's laboratory and sent to separate planets like any other Journey Through The Warp transporting the primarch from terror is difficult to assess with the usual point of view on time and distance yet capsule number 17 took longer to reach the surface of its Planet than the others this was no accident the ruinous forces had already marked their chosen through whom they intended to realize their plan the capsule that fell on culus bore signs of numerous damages acquired along the way and the child inside was tormented by nightmares that had been plaguing him since the moment of abduction the world's landscape consisted of vast deserts with rare oases and cities far apart from each other the primark's capsule fell into a turbulent river near the walls of the city of vades which after being discovered and filled with water could have ended in death for the weakened child but this did not happen the boy was found by a group of locals exiled from society for their unusual beliefs the moment these people met the remarkable child it began to rain a rare blessing for the scorched desert then the Exiles leader Fen Mari gave the boy the name lar which can be translated as raincaller in those years culus was a feudal World governed by a Theocratic Union known as The Covenant the dominant religion on the planet was none other than the worship of the four gods of Chaos in a somewhat unusual understanding for the modern mind in the culus version the Proto Faith the quartet of dark God gods were revered as legendary and outstanding figures from the past prophets who had undertaken personal pilgrimages in search of Truth yet not all the local population agreed to live under the theocrats rule for which they were exiled from the thriving cities it remains unknown whether any of the individuals opposing the religion were subjected to immediate execution however banishment to an uninhabited desert could itself be seen as a death sentence the Assembly of the rejected which found the primar lived in harsh conditions but remained true to their principles meanwhile their fate troubled none of the other inhabitants of the world rendering the group of non-believers powerless and vulnerable the Covenant religion was considered a progressive phenomenon on culus a source of great wisdom and those who turned away from it were seen as marginal individuals opposing the light of Truth at the same time Believers in the quartet of prophets were divided into numerous competing religious branches often leading to excommunication Exile and even local Wars on the 17th day after discovering logar the group of rejects encountered a caravan led by the young preacher cor Faron who had been banished from vades by the Covenant the young man was accompanied by numerous personal slaves and a private Squad of military mercenaries so he effortlessly forced Fen margi to show the remarkable child then took him along hoping to use him as a a tool to fulfill his ambitious schemes when describing the primarch's appearance sources vary in some lar was born with golden skin and violet eyes while others say his eyes have the gray Hue of cis's winter Skies the numerous golden tattoos create the illusion that his entire body shines like precious metal despite these conflicting descriptions of appearance the primarch possessed an inner strength that reflected the Colossal energy of the warp flowing through him it was this that caused coron to faint upon his first encounter with lar then realized the need to claim the powerful child for himself the leader of the rejected Fen margi wept as he watched the young preacher take the boy away but could not oppose it primarily because lorgar left of his own will hoping to obtain the promised truth from karon however as soon as the child was on board the mobile Temple the entire assembly of the rejected including women and children was immediately robbed and killed by The Mercenaries fearing that unwanted Witnesses would tell someone about the unique boy coron ordered everyone to be killed what he saw did not Shock logar even then he was insightful enough to foresee the outcome of the meeting with the preacher from the start despite the child having high value cor Faron did not surround him with care or Comfort at first even basic necessities including water were withheld later logar was placed with the slaves from whom he was to learn compliance and obedience the preacher read excerpts from the book of the Covenant presenting it as Revelation and the child deprived of access to other knowledge accepted his words as truth the emotional state of ler like many other things was of no concern to coron the boy was haunted by anxious dreams in which a golden god appeared to him only at the age of eight did the child learn that not all people only saw nightmares at night thus the early years of lar were divided into times when he was tormented by terrible dreams reflecting the boy's inability to control his psychic powers and periods when core Fon subjected him to various forms of pressure the preacher was not sparing with insults and beatings which over time evolved into more cruel punishments noticing that lorgar's bodies were capable of Rapid regeneration Cor Heron replaced the torment of the whip with mass beatings with clubs The Mercenaries grew tired and dropped their weapons but logar never resisted believing that submission was an outstanding virtue as this was what the preacher had taught him from an early age the slaves and mercenaries surrounding the young primarch couldn't help but grow fond of him their affection was based not only on his innate Charisma but also on loar's kind character always seeking to help those weaker the youth wrote poems and songs translated them into different languages so that each slave could enjoy them participated in Collective work inspired and delighted the others cor Faron could not boast of similar achievements for the slaves only felt fear and contempt towards him and nothing held the mercenaries but money envious of his Ward and understanding that he could not make people love him the preacher decided to separate lar from the others by coron's order the mercenaries flogged every slave but this was a punishment not for The Mortals but for lar the Primark eased the people's labor by joining them and Performing actions that were trivial for him this contradicted the faith in which all people are born to their positions and interfering in someone else's fate was sinful a slave is created a slave by the will of the Gods and no one dares to disrupt the established order interaction with core Faron when the preacher alternated between harsh punishments and rare displays of something remotely resembling care had a detrimental effect on lorgar's character years later when he had fully matured and significantly surpassed the preacher in stature the primarch addressed coron as father this was perceived as cunning sparked a wave of insults and led to another summoning of mercenaries for a beating as in the past lar was prepared to submissively accept the punishment despite his obvious physical superiority but the mercenaries refused to carry out coron's order it wasn't out of fear the soldiers and slaves having seen lorgar's kindness and sincerely loving him conspired to free the youth from the preacher's toxic influence the mercenaries grasped coron planning to execute him and discard him in the desert they would have succeeded if not for lar for the first time in many years of humiliation and beatings the prime Mark decided to manifest the power hidden within him he killed part of those who rebelled in his defense and banished the rest for they wished to harm the one logar considered his father the saved Apprentice cor Faron realized it was time to change the tactics of interaction the beating stopped and the psychological impact took on a different form the preacher allowed lar to call him father and he began to address him as a son coron supposed that now when the physical pressure was impossible and the apprentice's attachment was undeniable the winning strategy would be to behave as a father occasionally showing warmth for even the most obedient son might someday run out of patience confirming logar's giftedness as a preacher cor Faron named him the bearer of the word and contrary to his inner beliefs outwardly expressed trust in the dreams of the imminent appearance of the one God after the Primark set about liberating the slaves his Fame quickly spread throughout culis many grateful slaves joyfully replenished lorgar's Army and adopted his religion reaching the planet's capital city of vades the Primark opened its Gates by merely delivering a sermon the residents themselves let the Army in and as a sign of sincerity presented lar with the bodies of the slain Ecclesia and several Covenant hierarchs after taking the capital the Army significantly strengthened and the conquest of the the remaining part of the planet progressed rapidly convinced of the Fidelity of lorgar's words soldiers quickly moved from City to City bringing them to their side peacefully or Exterminating all inhabitants for heresy and refusal to believe in the one God the last unconquered city of kulus was protected by by a Dark Age of Technology era Storm generator the device could create a devastating storm preventing the Army from approaching the city walls but lorgar entered the storm and started it creating a safe passage soldiers and locals were astounded witnessing with their own eyes a real miracle and the Primark received the last City finally uniting the world under his Dominion after ascending to the throne lar appointed core Faron as the high priest of the Covenant and then announced to the congregation that their main goal was yet to be realized the golden Primark received unprecedented support from the people inciting Envy among among other representatives of the ecclesiastical bureaucratic hierarchy logar's idea of the imminent arrival of the one God and His companion the cyclopian giant captivated the minds of people and turned them away from the customary faith in the four prophets the intensity of the Visions indicated that the arrival of the God was very near the primarch shared this news with the locals breaking the conventional rules for conducting sermons of the Theocratic Covenant some high Church hire AR s saw this as an opportunity to declare lar a heretic and arrest him but by that point the majority had already been imbued with the primarch's ideas and the Covenant split the confrontation erupted between those who believed in the prophets of antiquity thean slath khah and narag and those who believed in the singular golden god the wars of seccession lasted six standard years and ended with the victory of logar who captured the main Temple of the Covenant in the center of vades the adepts of the new Faith stormed into the Cathedral of Enlightenment where the primarch himself had once studied and killed all the monks inside thereby eliminating the foundation of conservative religious resistance moreover about a third of the entire population of kulus was annihilated during the conflict the most loyal followers personally selected by lar conducted the first Great Purge and freed the planet from those not sufficiently devout to all the rest the ruling high priest of the transformed Covenant declared that their new God would arrive on culus in less than a year and they would all know him by one name the emperor cor Faron who had accompanied and guided ler all this time confessed to him that he did not regard the old gods as non-existent as the Primark does but believed that the emperor was among them and was the most powerful the expeditionary Fleet of the great crusade reached kulus in the year 857 of the 30th Millennium further convincing the locals of the accuracy of lorgar's predictions as he had foreseen along with the emperor Magnus the red and two tactical squads of the Thousand Sons arrived on the planet lar knelt before the emperor and his example was followed by the entire world the Homeland of the golden Primark was prepared to accept the Accord even before the emperor's foot touched its surface after the conclusion of the Festive Celebrations the father ordered lorgar to take his best warriors and incorporate them into the 17th Legion which was named Imperial Heralds the primarch gratefully accepted the commission from the emperor and expressed his desire to bring Faith in the god Emperor to every planet in the galaxy religious Bel beliefs were too deeply rooted in lorgar's Soul and did not vanish from it contrary to the rational doctrines of the Imperial truth built on atheism the golden primarch appointed trustworthy Regents to govern Kus in his absence and embarked on the great crusade in full confidence as though he was meticulously observing what he called the holy Commandments of his father the words of the emperor denying his divinity paradoxically only strengthened ler in the opposite belief for in the opinion of the primarch no one but a true God would deny such a thing many aspects of cis's belief after the arrival of the emperor were transformed into new rituals of worship of the Divine savior of mankind the population of the world United as never before and organized planet-wide festivals of piety which lasted several months lorgar took command of the 17th Legion not forgetting to bring along his much AED men T due to his age cor Faron could not Ascend to a full-fledged aartis yet he underwent a complex process of augmentation after which he was clad in Terminator armor collectively making him almost the same height as a regular Space Marine the former preacher became the first captain of the Legion commanding the elite first company and serving as the chief advisor to the Primark even in those years belief in the Divinity of the emperor was not new from the time of his first triumphant victories voices whispered that he could not belong to the world of Mortals the first to call the emperor a god were the enemies he defeated who had faced his power the unimaginable powers of Destruction were staggering and people recalled the names of ancient gods trying to comprehend the wroth that had befallen them that logar considered the father a God and adhere to this idea for many years of the Great Crusade is beyond doubt neither acquaintance with progress and technology nor the study of the Imperial truth nor the words of the master of mankind himself affected the Superstition that had taken hold of the primarch's Soul Logan never openly declared his beliefs but did not renounce them either continuing to lead the Expedition and bring worlds to compliance in his own way in the legion's records from those years one can find endless Praises of the emperor and his course which he envisioned for Humanity lar wrote entire books dedicated to the utter condemnation of those who still engaged in the destructive worship of Idols yet belief in the emperor did not seem to the Primark something akin to the religious delusions of others the most famous work of logar became known as lectio divinitatus in this book The Primark expressed not only his belief in the Divinity of the father but also provided a rational justification for his beliefs in creating the lectitio divinitatus Lar utilized his talent as a word gifted Primark the book facilitated a more rapid spread of faith on the world's brought to compliance and ultimately laid the foundation for the Imperial cult within his closest Circle lorgar was not afraid to share his faith this group included core Faron first chaplain arabus halik gar who led the legion before the primarch was found as well as two former Heralds of midro vessa and usun Cho these warriors were the first to side with lorgar in the legion's gradual transformation the Primark did not delve into the nature of Space Marine combat Behavior nor did he change their customary methods of warfare the transformation sprouted at other levels touching on the deeper facets of the Legion an atmosphere was created within which it seemed that mere dedicated service and loyalty to the emperor's ideals were not enough the estares went into the fire fought perished knowing that their victory was inevitable but in this case as lar believed the measure of true Triumph should not be death and blood but what the warrior carried within his soul Faith seemed to the primarch to be a Paramount Advantage in battle this idea spread through the 17th Legion like wildfire as if the mere presence of lar inspired faith in his sons one of the tangible changes in the legion after finding the Primark was an increased significance of Ceremonies and rights against the backdrop of many Space Marines in Gray armor those wearing black vestments and helmets Heralds began to stand out more prominently in previous years these warriors were engaged in ideological education and maintaining the moral and psychological Readiness of the units according to the foundations of the Imperial truth lorgar transformed them into chaplains those who convinced the aares to adhere to the views of their genetic father they became the core of the 17th legion's Force indicating the true path to their brothers through their words the burning of cities and the killing of entire peoples were carried out with the solemnity of sacred rights warnings of Retribution for enemies were pronounced by the chaplain in the process of scattering the ash of dead cities over the bowed heads of Space Marines the Lexicon of the 17th Legion saw the introduction of words carrying the scent of culus church incense Apostle a Creed and some even began to call the dangerous mindset prevailing among the sons of lar a word that seemed to have forever sunk into the past heresy led by the primarch the Imperial Heralds sought to destroy all that they began to call blasphemy and heresy they destroyed not only the religious Idols of other civilizations but also ancient texts and cultural monuments regardless of the potential benefit from studying lost human societies the most talented chaplain of the Legion created immense Works explaining the Divinity of the emperor and delivered inspiring sermons to the conquered masses the progress in conquering the Galaxy by the Imperial Heralds was not as rapid as the rest yet no one else could boast such absolute and unwavering domination planets brought to compliance by the sons of lar became the most devoted and Happy Worlds of the Imperium deep changes in the legion took several decades lorgar acted slowly and cunningly using his gift of dealing with human hearts as carefully as other primarchs demonstrated talents as Warriors and strategists gradually faith in the Divinity of the emperor was passed on to every Space Marine of the 17th Legion chaplain the key vangard of the religion founded by the primarch began to subtly create parallel military structures called lodges which essentially served as a means of spreading lorgar's views it may seem strange that the Warriors most fervent in upholding the Imperial truth turned into religious Fanatics however the Space Marines created by lorgar's Gene seed needed a cause to fight for more than others and the Very Foundation of that cause held far less value to them than simply having some sense of purpose only flame which filled the hearts and faith which ignited it far more brightly than any exalted rationality held any value the nature of the great Crusade had a significant influence on the transformation of the Imperial Heralds the legion fought across numerous fronts suffered losses and recruited new members this mixed the Terran warriors with those from culus as well as dozens of inhabitants from other worlds reshaped according to lorgar's design gradually a large part of the estares was comprised of those who had never heard of the Imperial truth growing up with the only Doctrine available to them faith in the god emperor when the process was complete and the last Imperial Herald accepted the Divinity of the master of mankind lar added the final touch to the change to ensure its success the legion was renamed the word bearers elsewhere in the Imperium the name change was perceived as reflecting the significant role of the 17th Legion in delivering the truth as the master of mankind had intended but lar invested in the renaming evidence of the Loyalty of his intentions to give the people of the Galaxy happiness at the feet of the golden god there is an opinion that due to mistakes in design and congenital Gene seed defects the word bearers like some other Legions received a genetic flaw however if in the case of the Thousand Sons or the Space Wolves the sad consequences for the Space Marine are clear then with the word bearers it is less obvious it is supposed that lorgar's sons are so devoted to their primarch that they simply cannot act contrary to his orders nor disbelieve any of his words even upon recognizing logar's mistake or witnessing negative consequences in his actions the aartis could not resist nor disobey convincing themselves that the primarch is noble and pure of Soul since evil does not emanate from him but from his vile confidant from his sons lar received a second name embodying the space marinees attitude towards the Primark aelan the meaning of this ancient cusan word Teeters on the edge between Golden and solar speaking about the Primark behind his back or in his presence the word bearers used the name aelan as the primary however the reverence and love emanating from lorgar's sons did not extend to the other primar almost all of them considered their spiritual imbued brother to be a failure interpreting his aversion to violence as a weakness most Legions left bloody Trails of their Swift conquests on subdued worlds while lar occupied himself with unhurried persuasion of the populations like many others logar received the nickname uren from his brothers it's difficult to ascertain the primarch's thrill from this term as there are no testimonies on how he reacted to being compared with an ancient Terran deity hypocritically preaching humility in the earliest years of service to the Imperium lar tried to bond with his brothers hoping to finally find a family but all his Endeavors were met with mockery and Silent contempt it would be erroneous to assume that among the emperor's greatest Creations amid his mighty demigods there could emerge a pariah rejected by all yet if such a thing were possible it would certainly be lar the truth was that from birth aelan possessed the same remarkable abilities as a warrior as all the other primarchs nonetheless despite occasionally Awakening within him a thirst for battle logar did not only discourage such feelings but on the contrary learned to suppress them in situations where any other son of the emperor would rage and take up arms aelon could quench his Fury if he knew it was more advantageous not to start a battle contrary to this in episodes where another Primark would show courage and not display disheartening emotions lar did not shy away from demonstrating his feelings and reacting vividly to the events aelan could crush his enemies with his cus but as the great Crusade progressed lar favored the use of psychic abilities over physical weapons this to some extent brought him closer to the only brother who could establish a friendly relationship with the golden Primark Magnus the red who visited cus with the emperor became the first primarch to meet lar and the first after Horus who did not disdain him Magnus and aurelan were United by a passion for learning which had a special reason for each of the brothers they never reached a consensus about the nature of the emperor though the Crimson King had visited Kus multiple times and logar had lived on Prospero for no less than 10 years Magnus could not Overlook the Deviant worldview of the brother who communicated more openly with him than with the others yet he did not tell anyone about it or show any concern after a joint campaign with the iron hands Legion lar received from Ferris Manus the illuminum a power cus as tall as a Space Marine like other creations of the 10th Legions Primark the illumin arum was a unique weapon that combined power and beauty also perfectly suiting its future owner however the gift was not given in a spirit of friendship or gratitude for assistance in battle Ferris maners simply did not want to feel IND Ed to a brother he neither loved nor understood yet the illuminum was magnificent in its image many other croises were created serving as a distinctive symbol of the chaplain of the Legion the Primark fought with the same weapon as the spiritual mentors of the orders which drew a line between lar and the chaplain further emphasizing aelan special role for his sons numerous sources insist G's appearance strikingly resembled the emperor himself not not just in facial features but also in mimics gestures and a similar expression of emotions his soft and pleasant voice was crafted for persuasion not for command while his modest armor spoke of purity of thought and righteousness throughout his entire life the most Splendid possession aurelan ever had remained the illuminum gifted to him according to Robo Gillman lurar exhibited unusually rapid mood swings and a tendency to extremes upon meeting the golden Primark showed the highest level of friendliness but he would take offense at the slightest hint of insult as a child might perhaps alienating more indifferent Brothers by this Behavior bringing planet after planet to agreement the words Bearer faith in the ruler of humanity grew ever more unshakable in the Grim Galaxy occupied by zenos amidst cold and death only the golden cities blessed by the Divine Emperor could be the sole Bas from which salvation for all of Humanity might one day emerge as soon as the dust of battle settled on the conquered worlds shining temples in honor of the god Emperor sprang up amidst the ruins Legion chaplain and Mortal preachers came to the defeated to tell them of the true faith and the Divine ruler who now governed them all the primar himself gathered millions of people in City squares and converted them to his religion with just one incredibly inspiring speech the populations of Worlds were imbued with spirituality and continued to live in piety unaware that they were doomed from the moment the word bearers set foot on their soil the first disturbing rumors appeared among the soldiers of the Imperial Army who fought alongside the 17th Legion people whispered that the aartis engaged in mysterious ritual practices and showed a fervor in battle abnormal even for Space Marines some Mortals wondered whether the legion had succumbed to the superstitious Customs against which they had fought for many years rumors multiplied but if they reached the upper echelons of the Imperium they provoked no reaction the great Crusade was too vast filled with numerous fleets and the only means of communication with the distant Legions was unreliable astropath Transmission in such conditions precise news especially about something without direct evidence could not be treated as an incontrovertible fact the emperor and the ruling war council had neither the time nor the means to verif ify each disturbing report and all that remained was to trust those who led Expeditions in remote regions of the Galaxy yet punishment caught up with lorgar but it wasn't the rumors about faith that shed light on his errors rather it was the ineffective conquest of Worlds even the fastest most violent and cruel enforcement of compliance required significant expenditures from the Imperium but the manner of the word bearers in which a colossal amount of resources were spent on planet restoration the unhurried training of Mortals and the construction of temples could not fail to attract tera's attention with each year lorgar's Expedition moved slower and the gap between the number of conquered worlds and the victories of other Legions became even larger at the moment when this became impossible to ignore the military Council sent a group of emissaries who were to find out whether the word bearers had any difficulties preventing them from fighting as well as the other Legions the reason turned out to be simple and troubling the sons of lar did not encounter incredible obstacles their inefficiency was caused by the fact that for years the word bearers delayed on conquered planets engaging in the rebuilding of cities social structures the erection of temples and the installation of faith in the god Emperor the ABS absolute loyalty of the 17th Legion was not in doubt the conquered planets regularly paid tithe and followed all orders coming from Terror the word bearers participated in the great Crusade for about a standard Century during which the emperor never once reproached them for direct contradiction to his Doctrine nevertheless the behavior of the Legion could not but raise concerns the weak efficiency and extremely slow pace of conquests by lorgar's troops led to to the ultimate disappointment of the master of mankind the emperor fought against the implantation of organized religious delusions while his own son spread a false cult across the Galaxy through the hands of the word bearers whole planets were exterminated for the sole reason that their populations refused to accept the Divinity of the emperor and believe in him as the sole God such incidents could only be seen as poisoning Humanity with religious excesses there are testimonies in indicating that the emperor addressed lar with a demand to purge the Legion of erroneous superstitions and also sent special missions to the planets conquered by the word bearers in order to bring the worlds into compliance with Imperial dogmas perhaps the master of mankind hoped for the better qualities of his son and did not wish to ACT radically earlier than to verify the accuracy of the information about the cult other sources indicate that the emperor even met with lorgar and personally warned him of the terrible consequences in case of the continuation of religious practices Millennia later it is impossible to say whether such a meeting actually took place however the reaction of the word bearers to the punishment that befell them indicates that for both The Warriors and the primarch the tragic event was as unexpected as thunder in a clear sky it is known that to carry out the sentence the emperor called upon his son rut Gillan the choice of the primar of the ultramarines was not accidental the 13th Legion had a reputation for exemplary Space Marines who impeccably implemented the master of Mankind's intent the sons of Gillan were the epitome and the antithesis of the word bearers summoning the ultramarines the emperor intended to show logar and his Warriors the truer startis whom less successful Legions should emulate the master of mankind hoped that in the dire moment of the word bearer's rebuke the noble ultramarines standing before their gaze would serve as a magnificent example and a symbol of Hope demonstrating what could be achieved through diligent service to the Imperium it was assumed that the image of gilan and his sons would soften the pain of disgrace giving lar a dream of possible Glory but contrary to the emperor's solid plan the punishment led to an entirely different outcome the ultramarines legion arrived on the Planet K with the objective to destroy its capital monarchia considered logar's favorite city as well as seven other major settlements of the world the local inhabitants were given seven days for mandatory evacuation from the first moments of which murders ensued it's hard to say what future the Imperial forces envisioned for C but none of the scenarios promised even a sliver of Hope for Prosperity after the ultramarines reduced the monarchia and other cities to Ashen ruins the planet's leadership was given a chance to send a single message to the word bearer's legion the speech of K's terrified hierarch begging lar to arrive on the planet as soon as possible was the cause for the word bearers to fly through the Galaxy for 9 weeks demonstrating unprecedented speed the fleet lost ships and suffered unreasonable losses but the only thing aelon wanted was to look his brother in the eye and get an answer for for what he had done upon arriving in orbit of K the 17th region received orders from rabut gilan instructing All Space Marines to descend to the surface according to the specified coordinates 100,000 aartis landed on the ruins of the destroyed monarchia and saw for themselves the results of the ultramarines wroth along with primar giman lar and his sons were awaited by malador the sigite as it often happened the Regent was the one through whose lips the emperor conveyed the most unpleasant information to the primar however the words of the sigite explaining the reason for such severe punishment did not reach lorgar's ear like many other primarchs he did not perceive the high ranking man as his equal sorrow and anger clouded aelion's mind so much that he even struck the sigite the Regent survived this and was able to stand up but only then to summon and the Emperor who had been observing the meeting from orbit the master of mankind appeared on the surface in all his Divine Splendor and declared that loar's Faith was false and dangerous and all his achievements empty with a mental command the emperor brought the Space Marines and then lorgar to their knees the word bearers felt no humiliation in such a position before the one they worshiped after every battle the Warriors of the 17th Legion knelt in a solemn ritual to honor the memory of the Fallen this was not considered unworthy by the sons of lar but everything changed when the Warriors of Gillan Rose to their feet in front of a 100,000 estares bearing the word their beloved father aurelan knelt before the Space Marines as well as the sigite and Gillan while the emperor reprimanded them devaluing the entire existence of the 17th Legion but even in this moment Lord AR tried to argue with the father insisting on the Loyalty of his beliefs it seems obvious that the master of mankind did not wish to morally break aelan and his sons but only wanted to show them the way to the right path however regardless of the nuances of his message the consequences were catastrophic the most painful and final blow for those who bear the word was the squad of adeptus custodes assigned to the legion for control and transmission of information to Terror the emperor also conveyed this news not personally but through raboot Gillan before returning to the ship an enraged aelan struck the Primark of the ultramarines shattering his armor and only a miracle prevented the two Legions from shooting each other into the ashes of monarchia humiliated and lost devoid of the usual Beacon those who bear the word returned to their Fleet and then on board the flagship fidelitas Lex was born what would soon change the Imperium lar secluded himself in his quarters for several weeks during which he daily covered his face with ashes from the ruins of the monarchia and also inflicted ritual wounds on himself using a whip with seven tails the premark almost entirely removed the skin from his own back which given his enhanced physiology speaks of utmost perseverance it was hard for lorgar to accept that he was mistaken in considering the emperor a deity but this did not affect aelion's overall view of the universe the fact that his father was not a god did not negate the possibility of the existence of true Gods such Reflections settled in lorgar's mind not on their own the Primark was distraught depressed and once again rejected by his family however in a difficult moment there were those who could pick up comforting words and Inspire logar to embark on a different path call far on reminded that without faith humanity is incapable of existing and convinced the golden Primark to return to kulus to take a closer look at the ancient Faith against which he once fought it was hard for aurelan to accept that millions of lives were destroyed because of his misconceptions about the Divinity of the emperor to believe this would be to admit one's own foolishness but cor Faron assured logar that if the primarch did not reject the old faith of Kus before carefully studying it he could achieve Redemption according to a former preacher various iterations of religions which extremely resembled the faith of their home world were encountered on numerous planets suggesting there was something more significant underlying the beliefs than mere human fantasy this was also insisted upon by the first chaplain of the word bearer's legion who asked aelan to execute him if the genetic sire had lost his religious convictions throughout the weeks of isolation only these two cor Faron and arabus were allowed in the Solitude of the Primark and could observe how lar tortured himself deeming such a moment of trust appropriate for a confession the primarch's adoptive father revealed that all this time he had preserved minor Cults of faith in the four prophets on the conquered planets for this logar nearly strangled keron but he stopped as he realized that he himself could have done the same if he had had foresight and mercy it is unknown how history would have turned out had Nobles bearing the word wishing only well-being for their father being nearby aelon in his dire minutes but arabus and cor Faron persuaded logar not to renounce his religious worldview and to embark on the search for truth in the following week with the help of the first chaplain and his adoptive father the primar composed his new greatest work in which he justified his changed perspectives on the cosmos when aurelan finished his work he appeared to his sons in good spirits and with a clear plan however the close attention of the Imperial forces including the custodes present in the fleet did not allow lorgar to act as freely as he had in the past to implement the intended plan reliable cover was required which could not only mask the legion's sentiments but also showcase its triumphant transformation by the order of the primarch the word bearers began to act as ruthlessly and efficiently as all the other Legions did lar whom his brothers considered the weakest Warrior and strategist was always as talented as the other primarchs what distinguished him and created the illusion of weakness was his desire to war for his own purposes this very desire led to his War conduct which was condemned by the emperor and this became the reason for radical changes when lar needed to be useful for disguising his religious quests he transformed the word bearers into one of the most efficient fleets of the great Crusade yet all of this was merely a cover for the primary Mission the golden Primark planned to undertake a journey called in ancient terms a pilgrimage to validate his conjectures and discover the truth the first step on this path was a meeting with Magnus the red lorgar believed that his brother understood the nature of the war better than anyone else hence if the ancient beliefs of Kus suggesting there's a place where Gods and Men meet were true then the Crimson King could suggest where to start the search but Magnus did not support his brother's ideas which he could not empathize with he attempted to dissuade logar reminding him that next time the emperor might simply obliterate him erasing him from history along with his Legion however even the threat of annihilation couldn't cool aelan desire to uncover the truth the legion's main Fleet along with most of the custodians set off to continue the great Crusade under the leadership of core Faron and arabus while the primarch himself with a small number of ships ventured on a quest lorgar's Expedition traversed the most remote sectors of the Galaxy hoping to discover what could show them the way forward but their Journey wasn't without guidance aelan followed numerous voices which first addressed him in dreams and then in reality lar was convinced that the emperor was mistaken in condemning Humanity's natural instinct to seek out deities he wanted to find out if there were indeed great Powers worthy of adoration and love the emperor no longer inspired in aurelan the admiration he had felt before the incident with the monarchia the word Bearer Fleet successfully conquered world after World while the assigned custodians sent back to Terror in inform about the positive changes that occurred with the 17th Legion after the rebuked the custodians whom ler had been forced to take on the pilgrimage did not report their suspicions to the Emperor as they were unable to use the telepathic Services of astropaths due to being too far from the throne World The Guiding voices began to sound especially clear when the fleet reached the orbit of the planet Cadia near the eye of Terror then the unknown entities calling the Primark by name became audible not only to him but also to all the astropaths present in the Expedition the word bearers landed on the surface accompanied by a Detachment of the Imperial Army representatives of the legio cybernetica and several custodians The Landing party led by lorgar was met by rag clad Savages who showed no surprise at the arrival of the Warriors and exhibited no fear another peculiar trait of the local inhabit ANS were their purple eyes as if absorbing the Hue of kadar's Skies tainted by the proximity of the warp ignoring the persistent remarks of the adeptus custodes warrior the word bearers did not proceed with the immediate extermination of the locals and the Primark began a conversation with a young woman who was the leader of the Savages and identified herself as ingl the woman addressed lar by name further convincing him of his chosen path's correctness he was a priestess of the chaos cult existing on Cadia and promised the Primark answers to all his questions should he have the courage to accept the truth captivated by his ideas aelan agreed to partake in the cultist ritual during which human sacrifices were made the last death that concluded the ritual belonged to a custodian who attempted to accuse the primarch of betraying the emperor the Warriors fatally wounded him stripped him of his armor and ped him as they did with several previous victims the Monstrous ritual terrified the sons of lar but they were powerless to act against the will of their genetic father the girl leading the process transformed into a monster becoming the physical embodiment of a chaos demon who introduced itself as ingal the ascended among the first words of The Unborn was a demand to sacrifice The Souls of logar's sons in exchange for the truth the primarch without pondering the fate of the Space Marines immediately agreed to mask what had happened on the planet from the other custodes the inhabitants declared guilt for the deaths of The Emperor's Warriors and destroyed kadia which was listed for colonization at the same time the ship with the demon on board set off into the eye of Terror and the estares from the order of the serrated son became those sons of lar whose souls he sacrificed to chaos in exchange for the truth the ship returned from the warp in just a few moments but for those on board the journey stretched over many months most of the Space Marines perished but the survivors brought the Primark the coveted truth their words about the mysteries of the past that had been revealed were incredibly valuable but the most important thing was not this but the changed nature of the Warriors themselves those who subsequently became known as the first gal vorbach brought demons from the warp which settled in their bodies as firmly as their own Souls over time the Warriors learned to coexist harmoniously with The Unborn to use their instincts in battle and to significantly increase their physical strength this discovery was a revelation to the primarch he realized that the mysterious Gods whatever they were did not want to exterminate humanity and did not wish it to live as the emperor dictates the gods desired a joint existence for they needed humans after that logar sent all the ships except the one he was on to the main Fleet of the Legion and embarked on his own pilgrimage the truth discovered by aelon will never be fully clear as any knowledge will be distorted by the warp however all the time the Primark was in the eye of Terror his sons were tormented by nightmares in which they witnessed logar's Deeds ingal LED the golden Primark to the planet shria all the inhabitants of this Eldar world were destroyed the moment slanesh appeared by telling logar the story of the zenos Race's fall the demon led the Primark to the thought that humans would face the same disaster if they did not find faith in their hearts there aelan killed an avatar of the Elder war god Cain believing he was doing a service by freeing the dying Spirit from ignorance this event according to the unborns plan was supposed to teach lar that even a God can die after that ingl showed the primarch the Imperial Palace engulfed in battle it can be boldly said that not everything demonstrated and promised by the demon turned out to be true but the primar was convinced not so much by the facts of the possible future but rather by the preconditions to them lar could not stop wondering why the gods had chosen him over someone more powerful he listed the names of his brothers asking the yet to be born if it wouldn't have been more advantageous to choose sanguinius Horus gillim and Dawn or Magnus in his stad especially Magnus because in L's opinion he was the strongest of all the primarch but ingal replied that the Crimson King had already been serving the gods of chaos for a long time even if he did not realize it himself Magnus came to the ruinous powers unbidden and without even contemplating the concept of Faith he sought power the thing for which all fleshly beings turn to chaos to prove his point the demon transported lar five decades into the future and showed him the devastated Tisa the yet to be born told the primar about the reasons behind the burning of Prospero stating that it would become the key reason that drove Magnus to betray the emperor and Retreat into the eye of Terror lar who held dear his brother and his city of of light promised that he would prevent the catastrophe and warn Magnus but this amused the demon the burning of his home world was to be the final step in the enlightenment of the Crimson King and aelan would not only fail to prevent this from happening but would be the one to ignite the first Spark the demon narrated that in the infinite multitude of entangled Futures and pasts there are versions where logar never came to believe in the gods of Chaos in in one of them the Primark was killed by the Assassins before the emperor's arrival on the planet in another he was poisoned by coron immediately after completing the great crusade in a third he wounded sanguinius and was killed by Horus in a fourth he disobeyed the father and was executed by Conrad K and Layman Russ after which the 17th Legion plunged into madness and was destroyed at the hands of the ultramarines the demon also told that aelon would likely die if he intervened in the dispute between Magnus and lemon Russ and almost certainly would meet a fatal defeat in a duel with corus corx it's difficult to discern the truthfulness of the neverborn words but they still caused the primar Great emotional pain the demon claimed that the primarch of the word bearers like his Legion stood out from all the others as he was ready to fight for the truth the other primarchs even those who would eventually decide to rise up would fight for the chance to lead the Imperium only lar the most sincere and Pious could be called The Divine chosen however contrary to the Demon's words not all of the four ruinous Powers were ready to accept aelon without tests Korn sent his legendary champion angrath the Unbound the demon was tasked with slaying lar the winged spawn of chaos was of grand size and no less Fury while ingl whispered displeasing words to the pr Mark reminding him of how markedly aelan differed from his mighty and Noble Brothers yet in the Galaxy there was no Force capable of stopping lorgar when he was on the path of seeking truth the battle was hard fought the Primark sustained severe injuries and nearly lost a hand which angrath the Unbound tried to bite off it was uncertain if any other among the sons of the emperor considered Superior to lorgar could have ended this battle more more successfully but aelan became the first primarch to enter combat with a champion of chaos before delivering the final blow to the defeated enemy lorgar despite all his Grievous wounds found time to lecture the demon on the Folly of fighting with only rage and no purpose aelon might sometimes act not as a primarch but he never ceased to be a preacher and thus he also asked the champion of corn to convey the lesson learned to his God next to approach the wounded lar was the Emissary of tinch chyos fateweaver who brought him Trials of a different nature the two-headed demon spoke to the primarch about the intricate Paths of Fate the multitude of future and past variants and the importance of making the right choice in response to the primark's question about his fated Destiny chyos revealed that lar would be able to kill his most hated brother rabut gilan at Cal but in doing so he would lose the war victory over the father of the ultramarines would compel the other primarchs to respect aelan and finally acknowledge Him as an equal however after this the Rebellion would die as too many Defenders brought thereby Fates that otherwise would not have happened would stand with the Emperors chyos fateweaver cautioned lar to carefully consider the choice between a moment of personal glory and the creation of a future for all of humanity for victory the Primark would have to sacrifice his pride but all prophets make their sacrifices lar was wise enough to doubt some of the hard words however Upon returning to the material Universe he began transforming the legion according to inl's instructions the history of the word bearers split into two parts one in which they successfully brought worlds to compliance destroying xenos and subjugating humans and another that would forever remain hidden from Imperial resp Searchers over 50 years the legion changed and grew its ranks were replenished with new Warriors and the list of Victories left many others behind during the same period a wave of purges occurred freeing the word bearers from any signs of dissent but despite the silent executions when the day came and the uprising conceived by lar began to materialize his sons were among the most numerous Legions for 50 years of Glorious achievements the word bearers acquired three ships of a unique class deprofundis tragion and blessed lady named in honor of the saved from Kur sirene valon these ships had no parallels among the Imperial Fleet and could only be comparable in scale but not in components with rogal Dawn's falank there's a belief that the conquest of his home planet and many other successes of the golden Primark were conditioned by his unique gift received from his genetic father it's assumed that lar had access to a special power of persuasion far exceeding the ordinary Charisma typical to the emperor's Sons it's hard to say how much the power of the word aided lar in the early years of the Great Crusade however after the pilgrimage the golden Primark discovered many new talents including the ability to use words as a weapon of Destruction for aurelan like his sons accepting the bitter truth they so desperately s was not easy the gods existed and craved worship in return for unprecedented power yet the truth proved too terrible to joyfully embrace it's difficult to determine how independently arabus acted during that period who spread Warrior lodges across other Legions becoming the progenitors of the first seeds of betrayal nonetheless it was by the hands of the word bearers that Horus lupal was led to the service of the dark Gods the 17th lead Legion took part in one of the first large-scale battles of the heresy at istvan 5 there loga witnessed the tragic duel between two of his brothers Ferris and fulgrim aurelan was not as well acquainted with either as he would have liked the Phoenician rejected all his offers for meetings with diplomatic finesse even after 50 years of brilliant conquests lorgar remained in full Grim's eyes of failure better avoided Ferris on the contrary declared communication impossible immediately after presenting the golden Primark with acrus the brothers rejected him but lorgar still suffered watching them kill each other caught up in a war he had ignited but cor Faron did not allow aurelion to succumb to regrets he once again reminded the primarch that he was his true father and the truth no matter how repulsive was all that mattered that day lorgar's predicted fate nearly caught up with him the Primark fought with coris korax received a grievous wound and nearly died but was saved by Conrad K who however did not hide his disdain for his less powerful brother 4 days after the slaughter at istvan 5 Horus gathered all the traitor primarchs on his Flagship but the council was not to be as lorgar showed unexpected rage upon seeing ful Grim possessed by a demon Warriors of the gal vorac coexisted with The Unborn within their bodies harmoniously complimenting each other just as according to logar the gods had intended fulgrim however was expelled from his body and the demon that had seized him acted against the natural order recalling the Phoenician in his early years aelion could not help but mourn the loss of perfection and yet it was not the fate of his arrogant brother that concerned him but the fact that the demon had committed a crime against the divine plan defending his point of view l displayed anger impressing even Horus and the demon within fulgrim the primarch promised that he would find out the true name of the neverborn and then expel it back into the warp where the demon would have to learn the rules of behavior lar did not apply truly significant psychic efforts to the false fulgrim merely issuing a threat but that was enough to make the neverborn fall and blood appeared from its eyes after the pilgrimage the gods endowed lar with their blessing but he gradually acquired true power committing acts he had not dared before even before openly revealing his betrayal the war Master Horus tried to separate as many loyal Legions from Terror as possible as part of this plan the lupal ordered rabut gilan to go to the planet Cal in the realm of Ultramar in order to prepare the Eastern borders for an attack by Orcs a significant portion of the word bearers also headed there with whom Horus planned to weaken or destroy the 13th Legion lar remembered the choice proposed by chyos fate weav and did not take command of the attack on Cal delegating leadership to core Faron and arabus attacking the planet lorgar's Sons outnumbered the ultramarines and thanks to their surprise managed to destroy a large part of the fleet of their former allies the battle for Cal had a sacred significance for the word bearers while also yielding practical benefits first of all in selecting the aartis who would go to fight the ultramarines the legion's high command was Guided by reasons somewhat reminiscent of those According to which Horus selected Warriors for the battle on istvan 3 but for the word bearers it was not a question of loyalty to the Primark but reasons why logar's Sons wanted to fight the ultramarines aurelian planned to purify the Legion of those who harbored hatred towards the sons of gilan who had once witnessed condemnation at monarchia according to the golden primarch all who were Guided by their feelings rather than solely by a desire for the victory Of Truth were not righteous enough and deserve death the most important task of the battles on Cal was to inflict suffering on the Space Marines ultramarines and the civilian population the emotions of the agonizing people repeated later on several other planets of the realm caused the appearance of a deadly storm cutting off Ultramar from the Imperium following his monstrous plan lar with the support of the primarch of the world eers attacked the planet armatura the 12th Legion had always been renowned for its cruelty and bloodthirstiness but even the sons of angran were surprised by the behavior of the word bearers few World eaters gave thought to the tactics of battle but the sons of lar on armatur paid more attention to brutal tortures and ritual executions of the ultramarines than the capture of important positions as promised by the demon cinch due to the absence of ailan on the scene robut gilan remained alive and yet the battle between the brothers took place in total lar needed to drown 26 worlds in blood including the home world of angron nyria to cause the appearance of the ruin storm additionally the golden Primark initiated the transformation of angran into a demon Prince of Korn right in the midst of their joint battle with robut gilan aelan was Guided by fraternal feelings demanding to prolong the life of the dying from the butcher's Nails Primark and the desire to contribute to the Fulfillment of the Fate predestined by the gods shocked by the inexplicable changes in both brothers Gillman was forced to retreat this together with the successful creation of the storm LED lorgar to believe in himself as a gifted leader and to doubt horus's abilities avelan was devoid of ambition and aspiration this decision was driven by his sincere belief that Horus was too weak and could not accept the blessings of the Gods lar openly declared his unwillingness to act at the behest of the chaos powers and lorgar foresaw that his independence would ultimately lead to defeat to successfully complete the uprising it was NE Neary to overthrow the war master and take his place as the main defender of the dark Gods to implement the planned lar devised A Simple Plan find fulgrim pronounced the name of the demon that possessed his brother thereby bringing him under his control and set him against Horus aelan had to exert a lot of effort to find fulgrim and convince him to lead his Fleet and yet the plan was not as reliable as lar had hoped the Mortal Oracle assisting him informed Horus about the golden Primark schemes the uprising against the war Master ended with ailan being mercilessly beaten by his brother after that he had to hide leaving 5,000 word bearers at the service of Horus and yet the prophecy made by aelan that day was not mistaken he predicted the war Master's upcoming defeats and loss in the final battle after an undefined period of time thanks to the rituals and sacrifices of the word bearers logar ascended to a demon Prince of chaos undivided It is believed that aelan spent the last Millennium in solitude on the planet curus only breaking his isolation for a second battle with corus korax this battle like the previous meeting of the brothers ended with lorgar's Retreat ignored by their father but not fragmented into smaller groups like others the word bearers continued to spread the religion of aelan throughout the Galaxy all these years their loyalty eventually was rewarded According to some reports at the end of the 41st Millennium lar left curus and ventured into real space preaching the teachings of chaos at the head of a vast Army of the word bearers from the few Witnesses of the Horus heresy who lived until the 41st Millennium one can hear ironic assertions stating that lorgar for all his apparent flaws and defeats still achieved his desires the golden Primark can be called disgraced having lost everything but not defeated because his goals never aligned with common conceptions of Triumph and perhaps that is why those who for many years considered lorgar an unlucky weakling lost their vigilance and forgot that even a weak flame can ignite a forest

Channel: Imperial Iterator

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Id: L9KL2bCwyho

Length: 67min 11sec (4031 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 27 2024