The Primarchs settled on diverse worlds and had featured which reflected their heredity, some were male and some female. They tended to be somewhat taller than their kin, but not exceptionally so except in certain cases where the influence of the Warp caused the Primach’s bodies to take an unusual shape. It was the power of their Warp souls that imbued them with might, not their physical forms. Their psychic might caused each to grow up healthy and strong, their psychic potential manifesting as superhuman physical prowess and intellect, though most developed powerful psychic abilities as well.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The Primarchs
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The Primarchs as they were created by the Emperor were not giants, rather they were powerful Warp souls, much like human souls but imbued with great psychic power and potential before the Chaos gods scattered them across the universe. The souls of the Primarchs resisted being torn apart in the fury of the Warp and eventually broke free into the materium. Being made by the emperor to have souls much like those of humans, the Primarch souls we born from human bodies through out the Imperium, with the genetics of their material parents but Warp souls stronger than any mortal save for the Emperor himself.
The Primarchs settled on diverse worlds and had featured which reflected their heredity, some were male and some female. They tended to be somewhat taller than their kin, but not exceptionally so except in certain cases where the influence of the Warp caused the Primach’s bodies to take an unusual shape. It was the power of their Warp souls that imbued them with might, not their physical forms. Their psychic might caused each to grow up healthy and strong, their psychic potential manifesting as superhuman physical prowess and intellect, though most developed powerful psychic abilities as well.
The Primarchs settled on diverse worlds and had featured which reflected their heredity, some were male and some female. They tended to be somewhat taller than their kin, but not exceptionally so except in certain cases where the influence of the Warp caused the Primach’s bodies to take an unusual shape. It was the power of their Warp souls that imbued them with might, not their physical forms. Their psychic might caused each to grow up healthy and strong, their psychic potential manifesting as superhuman physical prowess and intellect, though most developed powerful psychic abilities as well.
Aurelia
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On the world of Colchis, a great war raged. The planetary governor sought to crush a large and powerful religious institution known as the Covenant. For many the years the Covenant had been gaining power on Colchis, converting new following, and influencing the political landscape. The secular Authority, the planetary parliament and high councilor, saw the Covenant as a growing potential threat and sought to irradiate them once and for all. While there were many members of the Covenant, the authorities had the force of arms and organized armies on their side and were gaining ground against the church. Many brave men and women of great faith were to become martyrs in the struggle to protect their church from destruction.
The Covenant believed that there is a single deity who created and guided the universe, one god with four faces, the Warrior, the Sage, the Maiden, and the Crone. Each of these faces of God represented a divine aspect of the almighty deity, the wisdom of the Sage, of compassion of the Crone, the bravery of the Warrior, and the maiden's Vivacity. The religion itself was ancient, extending back beyond Colchis' recorded history and always being a part of the planet's culture and tradition, though only in the past few generations was the organized central church, called the Covenant, with its own hierarchy and doctrines, becoming a major political power on Colchis, which ultimately lead to the Authority's aggression against them.
It was during this terrible war that a priest of the Covenant witnessed a miracle that would change not only the future of Colchis, but would shift the fates for all of mankind. The priest was named Kor Phaeron and the miracle was performed by a little orphan girl known only as Aurelia. Kor Phaeron had heard of the little girl, no older than six, from some of his parishioners. They had told stories of a girl at once of the church's orphanages who claimed to have visions of the future, who claimed to hear the voice of God. The priest was always skeptical of such claims, though he had seen a few things in his life which might be classified as miracles or perhaps witchcraft, and so he decided to investigate.
When Kor Phaeron first met the little girl, he could feel that there was something special about her, something more than merely a mortal. Phaeron himself was a psychic, having a few minor abilities that he used intuitively without really understanding them, and this psychic potential allowed him to feel something similar in others. What he felt from Aurelia was nothing like anything he had experienced before, an aura of pure power and holiness that surrounded her, a palpable force that exhilarated and frightened him. As they two met, she immediately spoke his name, though they had never met before, and her face filled with a look of terror. "You must flee from the cathedral!" She exclaimed in a voice that many others around could hear. "The soldiers are coming for you." Kor Phaeron had faith in the words of this mysterious child and fled with some of the Covenant's holy books along with the other priests and monks of the cathedral. This exodus was just in time, for the following day authority soldiers raided the cathedral and found it empty. News of this miracle spread among the faithful followers of the Covenant and their enemies alike and within weeks, many were speaking of the little girl who was a messenger of God.
This filled the members of the Covenent with greater zeal and dedication to their cause. Kor Phaeron took the young girl under his wing, teaching her in the theology of the Covenant and even learning from her insightful observations, as she was wise beyond her young years. More than this, she made further predictions and Covenant soldiers would come to her for advice. She said that she could hear the voice of God telling her of things to come, that she even saw visions of this sometimes. Those leaders who heeded her council were invariably successful and more and more came to see her, to touch her, to receive the young saint's blessing. Many people from around the planet sought out Aurelia, even those who had no faith before. The tide of the war had begun to turn, many soldiers of the authority began to disobey their superiors or even joined with the Covenant. Even high ranking members of the authority started to wonder if this girl was truly blessed and that they were perhaps on the wrong side of a holy war.
There were numerous assassination attempts against Aurelia, though they all failed, sometimes publicly and or even miraculously. A would-be killer might fire point blank at Aurelia and miss, some explosions would leave her clothing scorched but body unharmed. With each attempt on her life, Aurelia's legend grew and the Authority became more and more despised. By the time of Aurelia's 10th birthday, the planet's parliament officially surrendered to Covenant forces, turning the planet into a theocracy under the rule of the high priest of the Covenant - who by this point was Kor Phaeron, who had gained fame and respect for his close relationship with Aurelia.
In the following years, religious fervor swept the planet as Aurelia made a number of public prophesies which came to past, predicting natural disasters and other events. The planet became more and more devout and Aurelia's power grew stronger. She began to have have more powerful visions, to see further into the future, to hear the different aspects of God speaking to her. When Aurelia foresaw a physical manifestation of God coming from the sky to rule over the planet, she couldn't help but tell the people, who went into throws of religious ecstasy at the thought. The world began to build up for the arrival of God on earth, great cathedrals were built, people dedicated themselves to religious lives of being monks or nuns.
Aurelia herself was filled with the same sense of faith and anticipation as the people of Colchis. From her earliest memories, she could feel the presence of God in her life. She grew up basking in the unconditional love that only a divine being could provide. She prayed every day for wisdom, for strength, for piety and faith and her prayers were answered, as she grew up to personify the virtues she held most dear and still retained the humility to continue praying to be better. When the planetary Authority was defeated, she stepped forth and asked for clemency for those who had tried to kill her. She prayed together with them and their hearts turned from fear and hatred to faith and love. At least some of them, as Aurelia could look into the hearts of men and see their sins and their virtues, though even those who harbored hatred in their hearts were forgiven despite it.
When the Covenant forces finally took control of Colchis, it was a bittersweet moment for Aurelia, for so countless innocent people had died, many with her help, and she prayed that the death and suffering on both sides might have been justified. As Aurelia began to been seen as a living saint, she knew that such adulation was misplaced and she prayed for humility while she urged the people to look not at her but to God as the source of miracles.
When Aurelia prayed she felt open to the infinite, the the many voices of God. She heard the four aspects of God speaking to her: the Warrior, the Sage, the Crone, and the Maiden. She also heard countless other voices, a great multitude. She knew that this mystery was the result of a mere mortal trying to understand the will of the infinite and she clung to her faith. As time passed, the many voices seemed to blend into one, the infinite faces of the omnipotent deity becoming one in her mind's eye. She saws formless possibilities taking shape, a man clad in shining gold, God made flesh, she saw him coming from the sky to Colchis to uplift the people of Colchis. When Aurelia realized that this event would come to pass, she profusely thanked God for his goodness and set about to prepare the world for his coming.
On the very day which Aurelia had predicted, the God Emperor of Mankind's ship arrived above Colchis and the Emperor stepped foot on the planet's surface. The Emperor was greeted as a god, with millions of the faithful lavishing praises upon him, falling to their knees weeping in worship of God made flesh. The Emperor paid little heed to what he saw as the primitive superstitions of locals, he ignored them all and immediately sought out Aurelia in the cathedral where she awaited him, a giant cathedral that had been constructed in honor of his coming.
The God Emperor told Aurelia of what she was, a superior being created to be one of his generals, created to conquer the galaxy in the name of humanity. He also said that he was no god, merely a great man, a ruler of humanity. This statement and the Emperor's intentions perplexed Aurelia, though she knew in her heart and with her psychic senses that this was indeed God made manifest, so she did not doubt, she obeyed the will of the Almighty and left her home planet of Colchis, swearing loyalty to the Emperor and resolving to become the great general that the Emperor desired. To aid her in this, she took some of the most dedicated warriors of Colchis with her, those who she believed had earned the right to join in this holy crusade. First among them was a warrior named Erebus, who had shown his bravery and skill in battle time and time again.
Aurelia was slow to take to command over armies, though she prayed for strength and wisdom, that she may fulfill the role for which she was created. Her brothers and sisters among the Primarchs regarded Aurelia as strange and eccentric. The major exception was Magnus. Feared, looked down upon, or misunderstood by the other Primarchs, Magnus only felt comfortable around the Emperor himself and Aurelia, who better understood the burden of Magnus' psychic abilities and looked beyond Magnus's stunted body to the strength of his soul and character. With the aid of Magnus, Aurelia was better able to understand and master her abilities, growing to understand that others had these powers as well and that they were a gift from God rather than true miracles, that they could be improved and expanded with practice.
In the following years, Aurelia lead the forces of the Imperium against many alien or defiant human worlds. With the relative autonomy that she had been given by the Emperor and his Warmaster Horus, she was able to conquer these human planets in her own way. She used this discretion to not only conquer these worlds in the name of the Imperium, but for the God Emperor of Mankind. It was, in fact, during this time that the term "God Emperor of Mankind" was first used by Aurelia herself and was spread through the many worlds she took for the Imperium. While other Primarchs conquered worlds, Aurelia would convert them to the worship of the Emperor, would help them to rebuild their infrastructure, heal the sick and dying, and would also study their culture and history.
Aurelia found many different religions across the many worlds, human and alien, though she noticed that many shared similar characteristics. The same veneration of one God or perhaps worshiping many which were likely faces of the one true God such as were worshiped on Colchis. With her growing psychic ability, she was able to feel the spiritual power in these religions and recorded the practices of these various people, helping to fit their religious beliefs into the worship of the true God, the God Emperor of Mankind. The forces that Aurelia commanded became known as the Word Bearers, for they came to bring the message of the God Emperor to all of mankind. While Aurelia converted many worlds to the Imperium, the Warmaster Horus noticed that her progress was relatively slow compared to the more aggressive Primarchs. In their next meeting, Horus harshly chastised Aurelia. Horus said that her strange worship of the Emperor was stupidity, that she was incompetent in her leadership and her progress was shamefully slow. Aurelia's arguments in support of her actions fell upon deaf ears, and Horus stripped her of much of her forces and placed them under his own command.
While Aurelia was saddened by this, she also saw this as an opportunity. She took her remaining forces along with many of the holy books and religious relics that she had taken from the many planets she had visited or conquered and returned to Colchis. Here, Aurelia studied the religions from hundreds of worlds, comparing them to the ancient and sacred texts of the Covenant libraries of Colchis. She used her psychic talents that had naturally revealed themselves to her or that had been strengthened by Magnus’ instruction. The goal of her study was to not only better understand the divine nature of Emperor himself and thus the universe, but to make a well reasoned argument for why others should accept his divinity. While there were some inconsistencies which troubled Aurelia, she felt that she could make a good case for the existence of one true God and that the Emperor was likely him. She articulated the most compelling arguments for the Emperor's divinity into a single tome which would come to be called the Lectio Divinitatus - the holy book which formed the foundation for the Imperial Cult in the millennia to come. When this book was completed, she sent out numerous Covenant priests across the galaxy with copies of the Lectio Divinitatus in order to convert the masses and reveal the truth to them of the one true God.
When the Emperor, long distracted by war and by ruling the growing Imperium, learned that Horus had stripped Aurelia of most of her soldiers and why he had done it, he decided to go to Colchis to speak with her, taking along two of his most trusted Primarchs, Horus and Magnus. As the Emperor neared Colchis, he learned the the book which Aurelia had written and was spreading across the Imperium. This infuriated the Emperor, whose policy was called the Imperial Truth - the rejection of the existence of gods or demons, of the supernatural nature of the Warp, and all magical forces. Aurelia's strange superstitions had always irritated the Emperor but her tolerated it because she seemed so loyal and dedicated, but it the foolishness would end now.
When the Emperor returned to Colchis, for the first time in a decade, he was once again met with the adoration of devoted worshipers who thought him to be God. This time, the Emperor's wrath was palpable for all who stood in his presence, and the masses of Colchis fled from him as he approached. The Emperor walked to the steps of the great cathedral, built to honor his coming to Colchis, where Aurelia stood with a copy of the Lectio Divinitatus, her gift to him, the result of many hard years of study, exploration, and contemplation. As Aurelia saw the anger from the Emperor, the smile faded from her face and was replaced with confusion.
Then the Emperor struck Aurelia, a blow that might have killed a normal human, and knocked her to the ground. He called her a fool, a traitor, that she was a disgrace to him and that his foolishness must be punished. The Emperor seized the book and had cast in into one of the braziers that burned beside the great cathedral. He then ordered his soldiers to destroy the cathedral and burn all of the books there, to destroy the holy relics, and to kill any who resisted. Aurelia lay there on the ground, weeping in grief that her God, if he was indeed God, had rejected her, that she was a disgrace to him. She felt as though her entire life had been wasted, that she was nothing. She sobbed and moaned, Horus then cruelly mocked her, repeating the Emperor's words and adding his own jibes meant to humiliate her. It was then that Magnus, crippled and stunted dwarf that he was, hobbled to Aurelia and placed his hand upon her shoulder. She looked up into his kind eyes and saw that he was crying too. He gently helped Aurelia to her knees and wiped the tears from her eyes, them embraced her, holding her close to him as she cried upon his shoulder.
After the carnage, the Emperor commanded that Aurelia return with him to Terra. During the journey, Aurelia spent many long hours speaking to Magnus, telling him of her great sadness, how her world seemed to be falling apart. Telling him how she had always felt the presence of some transcendent intelligent force beyond the realm of humanity that had been watching over her and that she was sure it had been the Emperor. Magnus said very little, though his reaction indicated to Aurelia that Magnus had felt something like this as well. Aurelia spent many hours in prayer as well and those prayers left her even more troubled. She still heard the many voice of God speaking to her, seeming to guide her. She felt comfort in that divine presence and she slowly began to accept something that she had long known the deepest recesses of her heart but had never been willing to accept, that the Emperor was not God, that he was a being of incredible spiritual power, but that the voices she heard were beyond even him. In accepting this revelation, her faith was renewed, and her drive to determine the truth stronger than ever before.
Silently and humbly, Aurelia bided her time. She was obedient to the Emperor as he continued to chastise her. She told him that she accepted that he was not truly God, which was true, he was not. All the while, Aurelia continued to pray and in her prayers, her mind grew stronger. She no longer clung to her vision of the Emperor coming as God made flesh, the vision that had dominated her life since she first saw it as a child. Instead, she truly opened herself to God's will, listening to the many voices of God speak to her. In these moments, she heard the four voices of the gods of the Covenant, the Warrior, the Sage, the Crone, and the Maiden. She heard them each telling her secrets of the nature of the universe, each voice guiding her. She heard countless other voices as well, spirits of the dead, voices from the past and future. With each passing day, she understood a little more, could see a bit farther.
Eventually the Emperor trusted Aurelia enough to give her back her legions, commanding her to return to the worlds that she had lead astray and to instruct them in the "Imperial Truth" that there were no gods or supernatural forces. Why the Emperor would enforce such a lie, she did not know, as Aurelia knew that the Emperor did not believe this, that he was in some way connected to God. The Emperor's deceit and his mistreatment of Aurelia angered her, but she resolved to act according to God's will, not to let her anger cloud her vision.
Aurelia returned to Colchis and spoke to her childhood mentor Kor Phaeron of the revelation she had. The old priest was at first shocked, but quickly accepted this. He had lost much in the Emperor's attack against Colchis and had doubted the Emperor’s divinity. Aurelia went into one of the ancient cathedrals that had survived the Emperor's purge, a place of old relics and where the four faces of God had been worshipped for millennia. Her she prayed and fasted for many days seeking God's guidance. She received it.
Aurelia's mind penetrated the veil between the world of men, the Materium, and that of God, the Immaterium, what most now call the Warp. Now she looked upon the face of God unveiled, the infinite possibilities of Chaos itself. Aurelia saw that God and man were one, an infinite being beyond space and time, each human soul created and being created by God. She perceived the divine nature of humanity and the ultimate fate of mankind, the achieve oneness with the infinite source of all thought, life, and creativity. Apotheosis. She heard the true names of the gods of Colchis - Khorne the Warrior, Tzeentch the Sage, Slaanesh the Maiden, and Nurgle the Crone. She saw the countless faces of each of the aspects of the infinite divine and saw that all were ultimately one with each other and countless other mortal and immortal souls. She looked beyond the infinite voices, the infinite faces, the sea of roiling possibilities to see the one true God she had always searched for and that God was Chaos.
As a part of her vision, Aurelia's power was increased dramatically. Chaos had taught her much, whispered into to ear ancient rituals to draw greater power and to better utilize her own potential, revealing to her ancient lost tomes in the ruins of Colchis where she would learn even more. Aurelia used these new rituals channel forth the power of the Immaterium, becoming powerful beyond measure, leading the Covenant priests in a great ritual where they too would be blessed by Chaos. Those faithful priests who participated in the ritual with Aurelia saw visions and well and were blessed with miraculous supernatural powers or magical knowledge. Armed with renewed faith and the power to reveal the truth to others, the Covenant was soon able to introduce this new revelation to the rest of Colchis, showing them the true nature of God and the universe.
In the following years, Aurelia would travel to those planets she had converted before, not to teach them the Imperial Truth, but to show them the power and glory of Chaos. The worship of Chaos spread across these worlds and the powers of the blessed became obvious to all. The Word Bearers now spread the message of Chaos through the universe, teaching multitudes the secrets of sorcery, showing them visions of what lay beyond the Materium, and opening their minds to the infinite. Sometimes these revelations seemed to drive men mad, though Aurelia would say that they merely experienced to ecstasy of true faith and communion with God.
As Aurelia dedicated herself to Chaos, she began to learn more and more about the Emperor, named the fifth God of Chaos, called Malal in the ancient voices long since dead, the God of Chaos who opposes Chaos. Like an cancer upon the fabric of space and of time, the Emperor's enmity with Chaos would always keep humanity and Chaos separate unless something was done to destroy the Emperor or bring him back into oneness with Chaos. With this thought in mind, Aurelia was able to glean the future, to look upon the strands of fate and see human ascension, becoming one with God, one with Chaos, achieving our true potential - Apotheosis. This ascension would only be possible with the assistance of the most despised of Aurelia's brothers, Horus Lupercal. Horus had a part to play and in doing so, be destroyed, both serving a role in bringing about the Apotheosis and Aurelia's revenge.
As Aurelia had foreseen, Horus was severely injured in a blundered attack on Davin, and Aurelia was already on her way to greet the wounded Warmaster when he recovered. Horus had never respected Aurelia, but she knew that Horus' pride would allow her to manipulate him. Aurelia spoke to Horus with great reverence, as though he were the Emperor himself. She lavished praises upon him for his bravery in battle, for sacrificing himself to save so many others, and then criticized the other Primarchs and even the Emperor himself for not giving Horus the support that would have allowed him to be victorious. Horus, quick to place the blame upon others for his own failing, eagerly listened to Aurelia's words and became receptive to her. She then spoke to him of Horus's competence and the Emperor's jealousy. How much greater Horus would be if the Emperor, fearing Horus, did not constantly undermine him.
Just as planned, Horus now hung upon Aurelia's every word. She then revealed to him the existence of Chaos, of the gods and daemons of the Warp, the great secret that the Emperor hid that gave the Emperor and many other Primarchs psychic abilities. Abilities that Horus lacked. She told him that this was a secret shared with the other Primarchs but not with Horus, that commanding powerful psychic abilities would make Horus superior to the Emperor in every regard. There were gods of the Warp and that Horus was the man who could become their master and rule the galaxy as the true God Emperor of Mankind.
Horus was incredulous, as he considered Aurelia to be simple minded and foolish. She changed his mind as she took his hand in hers and he felt the power of the Warp flow through him. Horus looked at Aurelia, fighting to maintain a calm facade over his shock. She said that these were the gods that gave the Emperor his power, that gave all psykers their power. That they were powerful beyond imagining and they had chosen Horus, greatest of all mortals, to be their chosen one, to be master of the Warp and God Emperor of Mankind. All that Horus need do is accept their power and he could overthrow the Emperor and take the galaxy that was his birthright. Horus did not even hesitate, he gave himself over to the gods of Chaos and became invested with their power.
After winning Horus to her cause, Aurelia visited many other Primarchs, those who had been chosen by Chaos to become its servants. As she had foreseen in her prophesies, each was won to her cause, save with the exception of Magnus. Magnus, ever true and loyal, refused to become a traitor to the Emperor whom he regarded as a father. It wasn't until the Emperor himself betrayed Magnus that Magnus would be willing to embrace his true father, the face of God called on Colchis the Sage, Tzeentch. Aurelia was filled with joy that Magnus, her most beloved brother, joined her and the other servants of Chaos.
Horus and the Emperor eventually destroyed each other, the will of God once revealed to Aurelia finally being fulfilled. The forces of Chaos would not conquer the earth, but now a chain of events had began that Aurelia believed would one day bring about Apotheosis - humanity becoming one with Chaos.
As time passed, Aurelia learned more and more, increasing her knowledge of sorcery, entering the Warp with her mind and conversing with the Warp gods there, pushing her spirit beyond the limits of human imagining. Aurelia sought to better understand Chaos, to truly become one with the Warp. For six years Aurelia dedicated herself to experiencing every carnal pleasure, every physical sensation and delight, to tasting every sweet food and listening to the most beautiful music. For those six years, Aurelia came to know Slaanesh. For seven years Aurelia walked among the sick and dying, the elderly and diseased. She saw the dying cling to the lives they knew with their last ounces of strength before entering the life beyond, saw the love of friends and family for the ones they lost. In these seven years, Aurelia came to know Nurgle. For eight years years Aurelia dedicated herself to war and conquest, taking numerous planets in the name of Chaos, entering the fray herself and in a haze of fury and bloodlust, slaying countless foes. In these eight years, Aurelia came to know Khorne. For nine years Aurelia sought out knowledge and honed her psychic abilities, increasing her mastery of sorcery, becoming a scholar of language and history, she explored the deepest recesses of the Immaterium and of her own mind, the future and the past, the real and surreal, seeing beyond the illusions that separate reality from imagination. In these nine years, Aurelia came to know Tzeentch. Finally, in quiet solitude and asceticism, Aurelia contemplated the nature of the God Emperor of Mankind, Malal, the aspect of God that fights against itself. For ten years she dwelt upon the Emperor and his sacrifice and travails, and she grew to know even her enemy.
Khorne, aspect of war and anger, spoke to Aurelia saying that if she gave herself to him that she would be made a god of war and destruction. That all who ever crossed her would be destroyed by her power and that all would bow down to her. Nurgle then spoke, telling her that if she bowed before him, that she could hold tightly to all that she had ever loved, that she would exist forever and nothing she cared for would ever be lost. Slaanesh then told her that should she give herself to Slaanesh, that no pleasure would be denied her, that she would experience bliss beyond what any mortal could imagine and sensations that would make mortal pleasures seem as pale shades. Finally Tzeentch spoke, saying that should she give herself to Tzeentch that she would have all knowledge that she ever sought, would know the greatest mysteries of the universe and have power beyond compare. To all of these offers she declined. Then the Chaos gods as one spoke, offering her all of these gifts for her service to them and yet again she refused. They asked her, what they might give her for her service to Chaos. She said that she desired no gifts, no reward, that she willingly and without reservation gave herself to Chaos Undivided, that they may use her as they will, that her only desire is that she become their willing slave. For this, the gods as one, not merely the four, but the countless lords of Chaos that once existed in antiquity or that would exist in the distant future bestowed their blessing onto Aurelia, high priestess of Chaos, and she became as a god herself, a being of pure Immaturium. With that, Aurelia drew the entire planet of Colchis, shrine world to Chaos, into the Warp where it has remained to this day.
* * *
Khorne, aspect of war and anger, spoke to Aurelia saying that if she gave herself to him that she would be made a god of war and destruction. That all who ever crossed her would be destroyed by her power and that all would bow down to her. Nurgle then spoke, telling her that if she bowed before him, that she could hold tightly to all that she had ever loved, that she would exist forever and nothing she cared for would ever be lost. Slaanesh then told her that should she give herself to Slaanesh, that no pleasure would be denied her, that she would experience bliss beyond what any mortal could imagine and sensations that would make mortal pleasures seem as pale shades. Finally Tzeentch spoke, saying that should she give herself to Tzeentch that she would have all knowledge that she ever sought, would know the greatest mysteries of the universe and have power beyond compare. To all of these offers she declined. Then the Chaos gods as one spoke, offering her all of these gifts for her service to them and yet again she refused. They asked her, what they might give her for her service to Chaos. She said that she desired no gifts, no reward, that she willingly and without reservation gave herself to Chaos Undivided, that they may use her as they will, that her only desire is that she become their willing slave. For this, the gods as one, not merely the four, but the countless lords of Chaos that once existed in antiquity or that would exist in the distant future bestowed their blessing onto Aurelia, high priestess of Chaos, and she became as a god herself, a being of pure Immaturium. With that, Aurelia drew the entire planet of Colchis, shrine world to Chaos, into the Warp where it has remained to this day.
Corax Corvinus
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Corax was born on the highly advanced and industrialized world of Kiavahr. Corax’ father was a soldier aboard a ship called Deliverance, a pirate ship that prowled the Forsarr Sector and made frequent stops on Kiavahr, a place known as a haven for illicit trade and criminality. In particular, the moon, named Lycaeus, was a haven for pirates. Lycaeus was technically autonomous and was ruled by a lose confederation of merchants, mercenaries, smugglers, and pirates which had immense power in this area of space before the Emperor came with his Great Crusade. It was into this world that Corax was born, a world he later come to dominate.
He learned from his father and the other pirates how to fight, becoming a peerless warrior when he was only a boy. He was also highly intelligent and charismatic, learning about technical aspects of space flight and ship maintenance that were far beyond his father. By his early teens, Corax had become almost a legend among the pirates of Lycaeus. He was 15 and could be any man and could bed any woman. At the age of 20, the captain of the Deliverance made Corax a part of his inner circle, a place where he could keep an eye on Corax and utilize his talents. Unfortunately, Corax knew that regardless of how skilled he was as a warrior and pirate, how much the men liked him, or what successes he had, he would never be captain of the ship as such vessels were typically passed from father to son.
Being ruthless as well as cunning, Corax was able to manipulate the captain into getting into a conflict with several other pirates groups on Lycaeus, leading to the death of the captain and his family, and giving Corax the opportunity to avenge their deaths and become a hero to the surviving crew. After the captain’s death and Corax successfully leading the crew of the Deliverance against their enemies, there was no doubt about who would be the next captain. With no next of kin, the crew of the Deliverance unanimously chose Corax to be their leader.
Corax took the moniker Corax Corvinus, the raven, and took to wearing all black as a part of his style. Corax was a pirate leader without peer. He was a brilliant leader and tactician, knew how to make friends and contacts, and could see trouble coming from a mile away. In fact, Corax had psychic abilities, he received glimpses into the future and could sense where merchant vessels would be traveling, how heavily armed the were, and could sense military vessels so as to avoid them. Under Corax’s rule, the pirates of the Deliverance grew more wealthy and powerful than ever before, become feared by all in the sector and respected by the populations of Lycaeus and Kiavahr. Over the next several years, Corax was able to tempt or intimidate many other pirate captains into swearing loyalty to him, becoming a part of his fleet. He also outfitted and reequipped a number of seized vessels so as to add them to his ever growing fleet of ships.
Within time, Corax became virtually the king of the Lycaeus and Kiavahr and was by far the most dreaded pirate in all of the Forsarr Sector and widely known across the entire Segmentum Tempestus. Though numerous systems organized their naval vessels to put an end to Corax’s piracy, they failed miserably at every attempt. Where they massed their strength, Corax was nowhere to be found, where they were the most vulnerable, that is where Corax would strike. In the few cases where his fleet engaged real combat ships, he had every advantage on his side and won easily, adding new ships to his growing fleet. Many planets lost hope and simply began paying Corax protection money so that he would avoid raiding their territory or seizing their ships.
Corax loved the life his was living. One of the richest men in the Segmentum, he enjoyed the thrill of piracy and the finer things that immense wealth afforded him. He collected fine art treasures, rare technological artifacts, and beautiful women from all over the galaxy. For those who served Corax, he was a fiercely respected and admired, a man who fought beside his men, always made the wisest choices, and payed handsomely for loyal service. Corax felt like a god among men and had everything he thought he could ever want.
One auspicious day, Corax was leading a large contingent of his fleet against what he knew was a merchant fleet laden with valuable electronic supplies and industrial chemicals. As his ships exited the Warp, they found no merchant fleet, but instead a naval fleet composed of the largest and most advanced ships that Corax had ever before seen. For the first time in years, Corax had been surprised, though he couldn’t understand how, as his research and informants both lead him to believe that merchant vessels would be here and his precognition seemed to confirm this. Not wanting to be destroyed, he ordered his ships back into the Warp before the enemy could attack, though the captains didn’t obey or respond, nor did the engineers aboard his own ship. Something was stopping them.
It was then that his void shields were destroyed by a bombardment from the lead ship of the enemy armada, though the enemy was just careful enough not to damage his actual ship in the process. he ordered a counterattack, but once again, there was no reply from his men, as if they could not hear. A strange figure then teleported onto his bridge, a man clad in golden armor. Corax immediately drew his power sword and sprung to his feet to slay this enemy invader. The two men fought, at first seemingly to be equally matched, before the gold clad figure slowly quickened his pace and the strength of his attacks before disarming Corax. Corax thought that this man would surely kill him, or at least capture him to make an example of the pirate king. Neither happened, the man introduced himself as the Emperor of mankind and said that he was here not to punish Corax, but to reward him, by making him once of his commanders in his Great Crusade to retake the galaxy for humanity.
It had been a long time since he had had to obey ordered, but upon hearing the offering and learning about himself and the Emperor, who couldn’t bring himself to refuse, though he suspected he may not have had the option anyway. Under the Emperor, Corax received a vastly larger fleet of ships, more advanced than he could have imagined with elite soldiers sworn to loyalty. He kept his old servants as well, trusting them more than these new Imperial soldiers that the Emperor had given him. Corax proved highly useful in his service to the Emperor. He favored small and fast ships which utilized heavy firepower. He would carefully analyze his foes before swooping in to deliver a crippling blow. He loved the thrill of war and conquest, it was a game that he was a master at playing, though some of his new enemies proved to be greater challenged than any he had faced before, Corax rose to the occasion.
As time passed, Corax began to tire of this Great Crusade. He was always doing something and had no more time for the distracted he used to love so much. He found that he hated taking orders, not only from the Emperor and Horus, but having to coordinate his efforts with other Primarchs who had radically different philosophies of combat. The Emperor didn’t allow him to loot enemy ships or planets, save for equipment that the fleet needed. Corax began to regret having ever met the Emperor or being pressed into service.
When Horus lead the treason against the Emperor, Corax saw his chance to change things, perhaps to regain his freedom. He offered his services to Horus in combatting the Emperor, under the condition that Corax be allowed to retain his autonomy and not have to obey the commands of Horus. Horus reluctantly agreed and Corax Corvinus became a traitor Primarch. Before making his treason known, Corax managed to place all of his loyal men, many of which still served him from the days aboard the Deliverance, in places of power and isolated the soldiers loyal to the Emperor. When he finally decided to strike out against the Imperium, he was able to easily destroy the loyalists among his ranks.
As a traitor, Corax was able to use his same piracy techniques against the Imperium that had worked so well for him previously. As in the days of his youth, he plundered the Imperium of its wealth, amassing a personal fortune and feeling overjoyed that once again he could see the fruits of his labors. He became particularly despised by the loyalist Primarchs for his supposedly cowardly and dishonorable methods. Unlike many previous enemies, even when heavily disadvantaged, the Imperial forces would not submit without a fight, leading Corax’s forces to take heavier casualties than ever before. As the war waged on, Corax discovered that he was beginning to lose wealth from many engagements instead of gaining it. The Imperium was a terrible foe and the brilliance or psychic abilities of his foes made them outmaneuver him on occasion. He also began to learn a bit more about Horus and the traitors, about the strange and horrible forces that they served.
Corax felt that once again he might had made an error. He tired of war and decided to abandon Horus and his forces, taking his fleet into distant regions of the galaxy where things were still wild and free, where the struggle between the Emperor and Horus was a distant rumor. This outraged Horus, but he was too busy fighting in the Sol System to do anything. Corax continued his piracy on the outskirts of Imperial space, always on the run, hated and branded traitor by the Imperium he once served. He also knew the evils of creatures form beyond the Warp and sought to avoid those dark powers unless under duress. He now only allies with others when convenient and never bows to any god or man, he is the independent Primarch.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Magnus
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Where am I? I float in an ocean of darkness and warmth, it is strangely comforting. I see nothing, hear nothing, cannot speak. Do I have eyes, lips, ears, am I human at all or just a monster of twisted flesh? I cannot open my eyes, why can't I open them? The dreams come as I sleep, as I wake they remain an echo of things I have seen. I hear my father's voice whispering to me, comforting me. I hear other voices as well, voices beyond counting, calling me master.
Calling me master the shapes bow down to me, twisted and horrifying, melting flesh and snarling teeth. I speak and they hear the voice of their god. I tear out my eye and offer it to them, then I see clearly. For once in my life, the veil lifts and I can see everything.My chains are broken and I am free. I am reborn, no longer a man but a god. I speak...
As I awake I struggle to remember the things I saw, for those wonders are now lost to me. The words I spoke now a mysterious riddle that contain neither words nor meaning. I am still a prisoner within myself. I struggle against the walls of flesh that chain my soul, screams of agony rise up around me, muffled by the thickness of space. My father calls out to me, I call back, only as a soft moan. I have forgotten how to speak. Did I ever know? The dreams come to me again, are they visions of the future or the past, or merely a reflection of my madness?
There is a man, a small and crippled man, but a king as well, surrounded by his subjects and servants. He kneels before a mighty warrior clad in armor of shining silver, a man who he hates. As he kneels he finds himself alone, standing before two graves.
Who are these strange men, why do I seem to know them? Why can't I understand these voices? I hear my father's voice, he is searching for me, touching me with his hand, or is it his mind? My mother is crying, why is she so sad? The sadness seeps into me, I become sadness, tears well up into my useless eyes and I scream in anguish, all around me others cry out as well, in pain and sorrow. A sea of grief. It reminds me of something from long ago.
The crippled man is there once more, I have seen him many times. Small and weak with twisted arms and legs, he uses canes to walk, though now they have become great machines with wheels and gears. All around him his friends are dying, his father has betrayed him. His brother has betrayed him. His sister has betrayed him. As tears stream from his eyes, he struggles to defend himself against the forces assailing the fortress of his mind. He knew of this betrayal but would not believe. He still cannot, he would rather die than believe. His father has condemned him to death, for his love was greater than his obedience. He hears the call of his sweet sister, he knows that he will heed her call, that he must. He disappears.
I remember the sister, clad in robes of white and red with ebony locks, her words were sweetness that soothed bitter tears. She gave purpose when purpose had been torn away. I can hear her speaking now, is she my mother? She speaks with four voices and loves me with one. The world shakes around me, I open my eyes and see only blood. Has there ever been anything else?
The girl in white and red looks deeply into the waters. I look as well. All around us children are swimming. I see monsters below, with biting teeth and slashing claws. The woman cries out for them to flee, to come out of the water. They only laugh at her and point. I ask her why they won't listen and when I look at her, she is one of the monsters and she begins to eat the children.
I wake up, trying to scream but no sound comes out, I am drowning in the same sea of darkness with the monsters. I twist my body this way and that, flailing with my feeble arms and kicking with my useless legs, I am alone, the sole inhabitant of the universe. The rest if existence is but a shade. I allow myself to drift into dreams again, escaping from my solitude.
The cripple sits in his sanctum, quiet but for his the sound of his breathing and pounding of his heart. He cannot sleep, nightmares assail him and he wakes each night screaming. He is shacked by chains of destiny, for he has seen the future and cannot change it. He has seen his father's death, slain by his own son. The cripple calls out, screaming with his mouth and with his mind, warning his father, his voice filled with love and terror. He sees that his warning was in vain. In love, the cripple has found only hatred.
That dream is somehow the most sad, the portent of all other sadness to come. Was this the first dream I had? All of the others seem to revolve around it, one death that heralds countless others. Why didn't they stop it? Why can't I stop it?
I see the woman once more, golden hair disheveled, bright eyes filled with tears. She is the only one who has ever loved me. For others saw in me only fear or contempt, only strength or weakness, only profit or pain, it is only she who knew me as man. I reach out to her, placing my hand upon her shoulder, wiping tears from her beautiful eyes with my ugly hand. She rises up and embraces me and I feel love and contentment, we embrace while the world burns around us and I am glad. I look into her eyes and I know and she knows too, I want the world to burn.
There is peace once again, quiet enough for me to hear my father call to me. I remember my father before all others, his loving face coming into being before being torn away. That seems like so long ago.
The cripple strides the stone streets of Tizca, a cane in each hand to steady his steps. The people do not laugh or jeer, for they fear him in their hearts. Many love him as well, he is teacher and protector, scholar and a warrior, a father and son. When he speaks, all listen and when he looks to the sky, all tremble. He senses something approach, it is his father and brother, men he has loved but never seen, has felt but never touched. His father appears before him, clad in golden light, his brother in silver. They look down upon the crippled dwarf, the brother to deride and the father to despair. Anger rises up within him and he sees each man die at his hand, he pushes those thoughts aside, locks them away, terrified that they may be true. He vows to earn the love of father and brother both. He knows that he shall fail.
The universe is shattered, it collapses in upon me. Screams rise up as the ocean of blood boils away. There is so much pain, and then the universe is reborn in blinding white light. I open my mouth for the first time and scream, my father hears me now, across an infinite expanse he calls out for me. Who are these people around me, these blurry shapes? They blend in with my dreams, is this real, is this a dream?
Once more I see the cripple, as a babe and as a god. He is being born, from the sea of infinite possibilities he arises, from a world of darkness into light and the into darkness once more. He cries out to his fathers, the god of his brith and of his rebirth.
I cry out once more and his cry is mine. I am that crippled babe. I am born. I am Magnus.
The Life of Magnus
Magnus was born on the planet of Propsero, in the capital city of Tizca. Propsero was a planet known for strange psychic phenomena as well as mutations, so it seems only natural that the soul of Magnus, the brightest light from among the Primarchs, would find his way there. Magnus was born with numerous deformities. Small and weak, with misshapen arms and legs and an ugly face, his parents had no interest in keeping him. They left the infant Magnus to the doctor who had helped to deliver him, with the hopes that, like such such deformed children, he would be put out of his misery. The doctor had different plans, for he could feel that Magnus had a great psychic potential and that he would make something of himself one day. The doctor named the boy Magnus, the great one, and placed him in a home with other children with psychic potential.
On the day Magnus was born, his abilities were so powerful that he reached out with his mind across thousands of light years to touch the mind of his creator, the God Emperor of Mankind. From that day on, the two were in communication, not with words but with emotions, concepts, ideas, a language of psychic energy that connected the father and son across the great void. From his infancy, Magnus loved his father the Emperor and longed for the day that they could meet in person.
As Magnus grew, the fact that he was special, even among his psychic peers, became apparent. Within weeks of birth he could speak and could even use some of his psychic abilities. The other children feared him, they had never seen or felt any as powerful as him. Because of his flaming red hair, freckled skin, and ruddy complexion, a few close to Magnus took to calling him "Red" though most people avoided him completely. The mundane children and adults who Magnus briefly encountered looked down upon him, his physical deformities were an il omen and made him a drain upon society. At first other children tried to taunt or bully him, though they soon learned the folly of that and Magnus could, with the briefest of effort, fill their minds with terror. Magnus became known and feared in the city, as a psyker of obscene power. For his part, Magnus did not want to be feared, only accepted or even loved, but he only received this love and acceptance from his father the Emperor and only then across a great expanse of the Warp.
As Magnus became a teen, he became a renown scholar as well as a psychic. An expert in things material and immaterial. Many sought him out for his wisdom as well as his abilities. Magnus could have been a great leader, but instead chose to maintain a low profile and allow nobles and politicians to rule the world as they desired, he would merely provide his council when asked.
Magnus had the ability to look into the future, a power that he used for the greater good of his people and his world. Though the future was always a bit hazy, he could usually predict things accurately. This ability was a double edged sword, for it gave Magnus dark visions of the future, terrible events which he could never seem to prevent despite forwarding. While still in his youth, he learned to suppress these dark visions, for they only caused him pain and suffering. He tried to focus himself on good that would come to pass. One of the greatest events he foresaw was the arrival of his father, something he had longed for since the day of his birth.
As the Emperor's Armada arrived in the system above Propsero, the entire planet was filled with dread. It was Magnus who comforted them, saying that it was a great leader of strength, kindness, and wisdom who had come to make their world a part of a new galactic empire of humanity, to usher in a new golden age. When the Emperor arrived, it was to great celebrations and adulation, for the people of Propsero had learned to heed to words of Magnus. The Emperor had brought his son, Horus, first of the Primarchs and together they would meet Magnus and welcome him home.
When pair first saw Magnus, they were shocked. In the Emperor's visions he had not foreseen that Magnus would be a deformed dwarf, standing hunched and twisted, needing canes to walk. Horus on the other hand, Magnus's older brother, was a vision of perfection, standing more than seven feet in height with perfect features, muscles like finely chiseled stone, and the face of an angel. He looked down upon his tiny brother and laughed, he laughed at Magnus and mocked him openly as none had ever done before. Magnus only looked on in shock as Horus ridiculed him before looking to his father the Emperor. In the Emperor's eyes, there was only sadness and disappointment. He raised his hand to silence Horus, though the look in his eyes were more painful to Magnus than Horus' cruel words. It was in that instant that Magnus had a vision of both the death of Horus and of the Emperor, deaths that Magnus would be the cause of and would be glad for. Magnus at once pushed this terrible thought from his mind. He resolved to earn the love and respect of his father, though in his heart he knew that he would never succeed.
The Emperor took Magnus to his side, the second of his Primarchs to be found and second beneath the first Primarch Horus. The Emeperor knew that while Magnus was not the perfect son that Horus was, that his psychic abilities would make him useful. The Emperor did grow to respect Magnus, to value his second son's intellect, honesty, his morality, and wisdom - but he could not bring himself to love him. Especially not as he loved Horus.
Over the years, Magnus helped the Emperor to find psykers across the galaxy as well as the other Primarchs. Magnus's psychic abilities rivaled even those of the Emperor and his prophetic abilities may have even exceeded those of the Emperor. One by one they gathered up the other Primarchs, making them join in the Emperor's great crusade to retake the galaxy for humanity. They all, save for Horus, had a great respect and even fear of Magnus and his powers. They all showed deference to him and carefully heeded his advise, though they were all aloof as well, none were close to Magnus or looked upon him as brother. All but one, his sister Aurelia.
It was Aurelia who showed Magnus kindness where the others showed merely respect, it was she who loved him while the others were merely indifferent, it was she who was truly a sister to him and not merely an ally. The two became close, spending many hours speaking to each other of life, philosophy, and politics. Their roles would often pull them apart for great lengths of time, but each moment they could send together brought each great happiness.
On one day, after not having seen his beloved sister for many years, he accompanied Horus and the Emperor to Colchis, the home planet and base of operations for Aurelia. When they landed they were warmly greeted by Aurelia and the Covenant, a priesthood that Aurelia had started to venerate and worship the Emperor as supreme god of humanity and the universe. Aurelia kneeled before the Emperor along with the priests of her newly formed order, on the steps of a great temple complex were the multitudes sang the praises of the God Emperor of Mankind. Seeing this, the Emperor grew enraged and struck Aurelia, knocking her to the ground. He chastised her for her stupidity, for spreading ignorance and superstition among the masses and undermining the Imperial Truth. He ordered his soldiers to raze the temples and to burn the books and treasures within them, to kill any who resisted.
As Aurelia lay there sobbing on the ground, Horus stood above her laughing, parroting the insults of the Emperor and adding his own cruel jibes. As temple complex burned around her, Magnus walked forward and placed his small twisted hand on Aurelia's shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. Magnus looked down on her, the first time he ever felt taller than her, and wiped the tears from her eyes before taking her in his arms to embrace her. He then wiped the tears from his own eyes as he looked around at the rising flames and devastation.
The Emperor ordered Aurelia to return to Terra with him, to keep an eye on her and to prevent any future foolishness. It was on this journey when Aurelia and Magnus spoke of the event. Aurelia told Magnus that she had thought the Emperor was a god, that she had always known that there was some great force in the universe, something beyond all of humanity and that the Emperor was that force. Magnus closed eyes and searched the depths of the universe with his mind, hearing voices deep within the Warp, voices of the dead, of the living, of those yet to be born, seeing echoes of reality in a sea of chaos. He knew then that Aurelia was right and that the Emperor had known it to. He realized that there were many secrets in the universe, secrets that he must unravel. Magnus heeded the words of Aurelia, keeping his own visions to himself for the time being, and set himself to study the secret that the Emperor sought to hide. To aid him in his studies, he had retrieved several books from one of the libraries of Colchis, the few he had protected from the consuming flames.
As Magnus began to study the mysteries of the Warp, he lost himself to the for many years. The learned of the dangerous creatures beyond the veil of reality, of the power they held over human dreams and emotion, of the great power of the Emperor. He also studied ancient rituals, many gleamed form the writing he had found of Colchis, rituals to communicate with these creatures, to bind them, to aid or hurt them, to bring them into this reality. Eventually Magnus asked the Emperor about these things, about the daemons of the Warp, about sorcery, about his own divine nature. The Emperor dismissed Magnus, saying that these things were not for him to delve into, that they were too dangerous for any human. For forbade Magnus from any other research on the issue or from even mentioning it again.
Magnus tried for several months to obey, but as each day passed he felt and greater and greater darkness drawing over him, over all of humanity. He caught visions of terrible events in the future, events that he might perhaps stop if he could only see more clearly.
Magnus realized that he must open himself once more to the future, to see all that would happen so that he may come to prevent the worst of it. With his rituals and years of study, he opened his mind to the future and saw the nightmare to come. Magnus saw visions of Horus betraying the Emperor, of Horus leading his armies against Terra, of Horus slaying the Emperor by his own hand. Magnus was frantic, he had to warn the Emperor, had to tell him of this plot. In a moment of reckless abandon, Magnus used all of his psychic might to call to the Emperor across the vastness of space, warning him of Horus's treachery.
The Emperor spoke back to him, in the with thoughts filled with rage and disappointment. He called Magnus the traitor, said that Magnus had disobeyed him and had been corrupted by the Warp. When Magnus tried to explain and reason with his father, the Emperor said that Magnus had always resented Horus, Horus's great mind, his strength, his courage, his loyalty. That Magnus could never be the son that Horus was and that it was this hatred and jealousy that had made Magnus lie about his brother. The Emperor ordered Magnus to turn himself in to him for treason. It was at this request that Magnus broke off communication with the Emperor. He fell to the floor of his study, screaming in grief and anger. His mind raced, he wondered if he should turn himself in, or flee, or take his own life. He did not know.
He opened his mind up to the Warp once more to contact his sister Aurelia, who he had not spoken to in many years. As their minds touched, an even greater horror became known to him. He also saw the treason of Aurelia. This was more painful than anything else he had seen, that she, his most beloved could side with Horus against their father. She tried to speak with him to explain, but he broke off their contact as well. Creating a psychic shield around his planet, Magnus isolate himself and his world from all outsiders. He lived in a fog for days or months, he did not know. He only awoke when he heard the crashes and explosions of an attack on his world. He opened his mind and saw a great fleet of his father's laying siege to his planet, bombing cities, killing many of the Imperium's greatest psychics and scholars. As he lowered his psychic shield, he felt the power of his father assaulting him, weakening him, draining away his powers. He could feel the present of his sister Leyna as well, one of the more powerful psykers among the Primarchs. Her mind was assaulting his. While Magnus was the stronger by far, he could not fight off both her mind and that of the Emperor, not in his state of mind especially. Magnus began to lower his resistance, to let death overtake him and to perhaps put an end to his suffering.
It was not to be. Just as he was about to give himself over to oblivion, he saw yet another vision, Aurelia's kind face, speaking sweet words to him, words of wisdom and hope. This vision reinvigorated Magnus, who with a great effort ripped a hole in the fabric of reality, pulling himself and his closest students and followers with him into the Warp. Magnus could only protect them in the swirling chaos of the Warp for so long, he needed a refuge where they would be safe from both the Emperor's wrath and the traitor Horus. He could only think of his sister Aurelia and her world of Colchis. As he brought himself and his followers to Colchis, Magnus collapsed under the strain of the great effort.
Magnus awoke aboard a ship within the Warp, within the fortress of his sister Aurelia. He saw his sister leaning over him, stroking his brow, concern in her eyes. He could also feel her power, psychic power the likes of which he had never felt before, possibly surpassing his own or even that of the Emperor. She spoke to him of why she had betrayed the Emperor, that she had been right all along, that there was a higher power, but it was not the Emperor. It was one god with four faces and they were the true masters of humanity. Magnus didn't know what to say or think, he contemplated on this and was shocked by what she said next.
"The Emperor is not your true father, it was not him who comforted you across the void, not the loving voice welcomed you to the world. It was your true father, Tzeentch, one of the faces of god." Magnus looked at her incredulously. Magnus looked once again into the future, the past, further than he would let himself before. He saw that she was right. He heard the voice once more, the voice of his true father, the voice of Tzeentch. Magnus gave himself to the changer of ways, opening his eyes without fear or reservation. He saw a vision of Horus's death, of the Emperor's, of a universe in flames and ruin, and, one day, a great rebirth. He saw all of this and knew that it was his destiny to usher in these great changes.
Magnus went on the swear his loyalty to his cruel brother Horus, knowing that as his adviser he would help to bring about both his death and that of the Emperor. He knew that he must use his abilities to the fullest, his own and those new gifts received from Tzeentch. Magnus plucked out his eye with a bear hand and offered it up to Tzeentch, who accepted it and through it gave Magnus vision beyond that of any other seer. Magnus saw all things with perfect clarity, the future, the past, the strands of fate. He saw legions of daemons bowing down to him, felt the power of Tzeentch flowing through him. He had been a fool before, to limit himself so. Now, there would be no limits.
Calling me master the shapes bow down to me, twisted and horrifying, melting flesh and snarling teeth. I speak and they hear the voice of their god. I tear out my eye and offer it to them, then I see clearly. For once in my life, the veil lifts and I can see everything.My chains are broken and I am free. I am reborn, no longer a man but a god. I speak...
As I awake I struggle to remember the things I saw, for those wonders are now lost to me. The words I spoke now a mysterious riddle that contain neither words nor meaning. I am still a prisoner within myself. I struggle against the walls of flesh that chain my soul, screams of agony rise up around me, muffled by the thickness of space. My father calls out to me, I call back, only as a soft moan. I have forgotten how to speak. Did I ever know? The dreams come to me again, are they visions of the future or the past, or merely a reflection of my madness?
There is a man, a small and crippled man, but a king as well, surrounded by his subjects and servants. He kneels before a mighty warrior clad in armor of shining silver, a man who he hates. As he kneels he finds himself alone, standing before two graves.
Who are these strange men, why do I seem to know them? Why can't I understand these voices? I hear my father's voice, he is searching for me, touching me with his hand, or is it his mind? My mother is crying, why is she so sad? The sadness seeps into me, I become sadness, tears well up into my useless eyes and I scream in anguish, all around me others cry out as well, in pain and sorrow. A sea of grief. It reminds me of something from long ago.
The crippled man is there once more, I have seen him many times. Small and weak with twisted arms and legs, he uses canes to walk, though now they have become great machines with wheels and gears. All around him his friends are dying, his father has betrayed him. His brother has betrayed him. His sister has betrayed him. As tears stream from his eyes, he struggles to defend himself against the forces assailing the fortress of his mind. He knew of this betrayal but would not believe. He still cannot, he would rather die than believe. His father has condemned him to death, for his love was greater than his obedience. He hears the call of his sweet sister, he knows that he will heed her call, that he must. He disappears.
I remember the sister, clad in robes of white and red with ebony locks, her words were sweetness that soothed bitter tears. She gave purpose when purpose had been torn away. I can hear her speaking now, is she my mother? She speaks with four voices and loves me with one. The world shakes around me, I open my eyes and see only blood. Has there ever been anything else?
The girl in white and red looks deeply into the waters. I look as well. All around us children are swimming. I see monsters below, with biting teeth and slashing claws. The woman cries out for them to flee, to come out of the water. They only laugh at her and point. I ask her why they won't listen and when I look at her, she is one of the monsters and she begins to eat the children.
I wake up, trying to scream but no sound comes out, I am drowning in the same sea of darkness with the monsters. I twist my body this way and that, flailing with my feeble arms and kicking with my useless legs, I am alone, the sole inhabitant of the universe. The rest if existence is but a shade. I allow myself to drift into dreams again, escaping from my solitude.
The cripple sits in his sanctum, quiet but for his the sound of his breathing and pounding of his heart. He cannot sleep, nightmares assail him and he wakes each night screaming. He is shacked by chains of destiny, for he has seen the future and cannot change it. He has seen his father's death, slain by his own son. The cripple calls out, screaming with his mouth and with his mind, warning his father, his voice filled with love and terror. He sees that his warning was in vain. In love, the cripple has found only hatred.
That dream is somehow the most sad, the portent of all other sadness to come. Was this the first dream I had? All of the others seem to revolve around it, one death that heralds countless others. Why didn't they stop it? Why can't I stop it?
I see the woman once more, golden hair disheveled, bright eyes filled with tears. She is the only one who has ever loved me. For others saw in me only fear or contempt, only strength or weakness, only profit or pain, it is only she who knew me as man. I reach out to her, placing my hand upon her shoulder, wiping tears from her beautiful eyes with my ugly hand. She rises up and embraces me and I feel love and contentment, we embrace while the world burns around us and I am glad. I look into her eyes and I know and she knows too, I want the world to burn.
There is peace once again, quiet enough for me to hear my father call to me. I remember my father before all others, his loving face coming into being before being torn away. That seems like so long ago.
The cripple strides the stone streets of Tizca, a cane in each hand to steady his steps. The people do not laugh or jeer, for they fear him in their hearts. Many love him as well, he is teacher and protector, scholar and a warrior, a father and son. When he speaks, all listen and when he looks to the sky, all tremble. He senses something approach, it is his father and brother, men he has loved but never seen, has felt but never touched. His father appears before him, clad in golden light, his brother in silver. They look down upon the crippled dwarf, the brother to deride and the father to despair. Anger rises up within him and he sees each man die at his hand, he pushes those thoughts aside, locks them away, terrified that they may be true. He vows to earn the love of father and brother both. He knows that he shall fail.
The universe is shattered, it collapses in upon me. Screams rise up as the ocean of blood boils away. There is so much pain, and then the universe is reborn in blinding white light. I open my mouth for the first time and scream, my father hears me now, across an infinite expanse he calls out for me. Who are these people around me, these blurry shapes? They blend in with my dreams, is this real, is this a dream?
Once more I see the cripple, as a babe and as a god. He is being born, from the sea of infinite possibilities he arises, from a world of darkness into light and the into darkness once more. He cries out to his fathers, the god of his brith and of his rebirth.
I cry out once more and his cry is mine. I am that crippled babe. I am born. I am Magnus.
The Life of Magnus
Magnus was born on the planet of Propsero, in the capital city of Tizca. Propsero was a planet known for strange psychic phenomena as well as mutations, so it seems only natural that the soul of Magnus, the brightest light from among the Primarchs, would find his way there. Magnus was born with numerous deformities. Small and weak, with misshapen arms and legs and an ugly face, his parents had no interest in keeping him. They left the infant Magnus to the doctor who had helped to deliver him, with the hopes that, like such such deformed children, he would be put out of his misery. The doctor had different plans, for he could feel that Magnus had a great psychic potential and that he would make something of himself one day. The doctor named the boy Magnus, the great one, and placed him in a home with other children with psychic potential.
On the day Magnus was born, his abilities were so powerful that he reached out with his mind across thousands of light years to touch the mind of his creator, the God Emperor of Mankind. From that day on, the two were in communication, not with words but with emotions, concepts, ideas, a language of psychic energy that connected the father and son across the great void. From his infancy, Magnus loved his father the Emperor and longed for the day that they could meet in person.
As Magnus grew, the fact that he was special, even among his psychic peers, became apparent. Within weeks of birth he could speak and could even use some of his psychic abilities. The other children feared him, they had never seen or felt any as powerful as him. Because of his flaming red hair, freckled skin, and ruddy complexion, a few close to Magnus took to calling him "Red" though most people avoided him completely. The mundane children and adults who Magnus briefly encountered looked down upon him, his physical deformities were an il omen and made him a drain upon society. At first other children tried to taunt or bully him, though they soon learned the folly of that and Magnus could, with the briefest of effort, fill their minds with terror. Magnus became known and feared in the city, as a psyker of obscene power. For his part, Magnus did not want to be feared, only accepted or even loved, but he only received this love and acceptance from his father the Emperor and only then across a great expanse of the Warp.
As Magnus became a teen, he became a renown scholar as well as a psychic. An expert in things material and immaterial. Many sought him out for his wisdom as well as his abilities. Magnus could have been a great leader, but instead chose to maintain a low profile and allow nobles and politicians to rule the world as they desired, he would merely provide his council when asked.
Magnus had the ability to look into the future, a power that he used for the greater good of his people and his world. Though the future was always a bit hazy, he could usually predict things accurately. This ability was a double edged sword, for it gave Magnus dark visions of the future, terrible events which he could never seem to prevent despite forwarding. While still in his youth, he learned to suppress these dark visions, for they only caused him pain and suffering. He tried to focus himself on good that would come to pass. One of the greatest events he foresaw was the arrival of his father, something he had longed for since the day of his birth.
As the Emperor's Armada arrived in the system above Propsero, the entire planet was filled with dread. It was Magnus who comforted them, saying that it was a great leader of strength, kindness, and wisdom who had come to make their world a part of a new galactic empire of humanity, to usher in a new golden age. When the Emperor arrived, it was to great celebrations and adulation, for the people of Propsero had learned to heed to words of Magnus. The Emperor had brought his son, Horus, first of the Primarchs and together they would meet Magnus and welcome him home.
When pair first saw Magnus, they were shocked. In the Emperor's visions he had not foreseen that Magnus would be a deformed dwarf, standing hunched and twisted, needing canes to walk. Horus on the other hand, Magnus's older brother, was a vision of perfection, standing more than seven feet in height with perfect features, muscles like finely chiseled stone, and the face of an angel. He looked down upon his tiny brother and laughed, he laughed at Magnus and mocked him openly as none had ever done before. Magnus only looked on in shock as Horus ridiculed him before looking to his father the Emperor. In the Emperor's eyes, there was only sadness and disappointment. He raised his hand to silence Horus, though the look in his eyes were more painful to Magnus than Horus' cruel words. It was in that instant that Magnus had a vision of both the death of Horus and of the Emperor, deaths that Magnus would be the cause of and would be glad for. Magnus at once pushed this terrible thought from his mind. He resolved to earn the love and respect of his father, though in his heart he knew that he would never succeed.
The Emperor took Magnus to his side, the second of his Primarchs to be found and second beneath the first Primarch Horus. The Emeperor knew that while Magnus was not the perfect son that Horus was, that his psychic abilities would make him useful. The Emperor did grow to respect Magnus, to value his second son's intellect, honesty, his morality, and wisdom - but he could not bring himself to love him. Especially not as he loved Horus.
Over the years, Magnus helped the Emperor to find psykers across the galaxy as well as the other Primarchs. Magnus's psychic abilities rivaled even those of the Emperor and his prophetic abilities may have even exceeded those of the Emperor. One by one they gathered up the other Primarchs, making them join in the Emperor's great crusade to retake the galaxy for humanity. They all, save for Horus, had a great respect and even fear of Magnus and his powers. They all showed deference to him and carefully heeded his advise, though they were all aloof as well, none were close to Magnus or looked upon him as brother. All but one, his sister Aurelia.
It was Aurelia who showed Magnus kindness where the others showed merely respect, it was she who loved him while the others were merely indifferent, it was she who was truly a sister to him and not merely an ally. The two became close, spending many hours speaking to each other of life, philosophy, and politics. Their roles would often pull them apart for great lengths of time, but each moment they could send together brought each great happiness.
On one day, after not having seen his beloved sister for many years, he accompanied Horus and the Emperor to Colchis, the home planet and base of operations for Aurelia. When they landed they were warmly greeted by Aurelia and the Covenant, a priesthood that Aurelia had started to venerate and worship the Emperor as supreme god of humanity and the universe. Aurelia kneeled before the Emperor along with the priests of her newly formed order, on the steps of a great temple complex were the multitudes sang the praises of the God Emperor of Mankind. Seeing this, the Emperor grew enraged and struck Aurelia, knocking her to the ground. He chastised her for her stupidity, for spreading ignorance and superstition among the masses and undermining the Imperial Truth. He ordered his soldiers to raze the temples and to burn the books and treasures within them, to kill any who resisted.
As Aurelia lay there sobbing on the ground, Horus stood above her laughing, parroting the insults of the Emperor and adding his own cruel jibes. As temple complex burned around her, Magnus walked forward and placed his small twisted hand on Aurelia's shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. Magnus looked down on her, the first time he ever felt taller than her, and wiped the tears from her eyes before taking her in his arms to embrace her. He then wiped the tears from his own eyes as he looked around at the rising flames and devastation.
The Emperor ordered Aurelia to return to Terra with him, to keep an eye on her and to prevent any future foolishness. It was on this journey when Aurelia and Magnus spoke of the event. Aurelia told Magnus that she had thought the Emperor was a god, that she had always known that there was some great force in the universe, something beyond all of humanity and that the Emperor was that force. Magnus closed eyes and searched the depths of the universe with his mind, hearing voices deep within the Warp, voices of the dead, of the living, of those yet to be born, seeing echoes of reality in a sea of chaos. He knew then that Aurelia was right and that the Emperor had known it to. He realized that there were many secrets in the universe, secrets that he must unravel. Magnus heeded the words of Aurelia, keeping his own visions to himself for the time being, and set himself to study the secret that the Emperor sought to hide. To aid him in his studies, he had retrieved several books from one of the libraries of Colchis, the few he had protected from the consuming flames.
As Magnus began to study the mysteries of the Warp, he lost himself to the for many years. The learned of the dangerous creatures beyond the veil of reality, of the power they held over human dreams and emotion, of the great power of the Emperor. He also studied ancient rituals, many gleamed form the writing he had found of Colchis, rituals to communicate with these creatures, to bind them, to aid or hurt them, to bring them into this reality. Eventually Magnus asked the Emperor about these things, about the daemons of the Warp, about sorcery, about his own divine nature. The Emperor dismissed Magnus, saying that these things were not for him to delve into, that they were too dangerous for any human. For forbade Magnus from any other research on the issue or from even mentioning it again.
Magnus tried for several months to obey, but as each day passed he felt and greater and greater darkness drawing over him, over all of humanity. He caught visions of terrible events in the future, events that he might perhaps stop if he could only see more clearly.
Magnus realized that he must open himself once more to the future, to see all that would happen so that he may come to prevent the worst of it. With his rituals and years of study, he opened his mind to the future and saw the nightmare to come. Magnus saw visions of Horus betraying the Emperor, of Horus leading his armies against Terra, of Horus slaying the Emperor by his own hand. Magnus was frantic, he had to warn the Emperor, had to tell him of this plot. In a moment of reckless abandon, Magnus used all of his psychic might to call to the Emperor across the vastness of space, warning him of Horus's treachery.
The Emperor spoke back to him, in the with thoughts filled with rage and disappointment. He called Magnus the traitor, said that Magnus had disobeyed him and had been corrupted by the Warp. When Magnus tried to explain and reason with his father, the Emperor said that Magnus had always resented Horus, Horus's great mind, his strength, his courage, his loyalty. That Magnus could never be the son that Horus was and that it was this hatred and jealousy that had made Magnus lie about his brother. The Emperor ordered Magnus to turn himself in to him for treason. It was at this request that Magnus broke off communication with the Emperor. He fell to the floor of his study, screaming in grief and anger. His mind raced, he wondered if he should turn himself in, or flee, or take his own life. He did not know.
He opened his mind up to the Warp once more to contact his sister Aurelia, who he had not spoken to in many years. As their minds touched, an even greater horror became known to him. He also saw the treason of Aurelia. This was more painful than anything else he had seen, that she, his most beloved could side with Horus against their father. She tried to speak with him to explain, but he broke off their contact as well. Creating a psychic shield around his planet, Magnus isolate himself and his world from all outsiders. He lived in a fog for days or months, he did not know. He only awoke when he heard the crashes and explosions of an attack on his world. He opened his mind and saw a great fleet of his father's laying siege to his planet, bombing cities, killing many of the Imperium's greatest psychics and scholars. As he lowered his psychic shield, he felt the power of his father assaulting him, weakening him, draining away his powers. He could feel the present of his sister Leyna as well, one of the more powerful psykers among the Primarchs. Her mind was assaulting his. While Magnus was the stronger by far, he could not fight off both her mind and that of the Emperor, not in his state of mind especially. Magnus began to lower his resistance, to let death overtake him and to perhaps put an end to his suffering.
It was not to be. Just as he was about to give himself over to oblivion, he saw yet another vision, Aurelia's kind face, speaking sweet words to him, words of wisdom and hope. This vision reinvigorated Magnus, who with a great effort ripped a hole in the fabric of reality, pulling himself and his closest students and followers with him into the Warp. Magnus could only protect them in the swirling chaos of the Warp for so long, he needed a refuge where they would be safe from both the Emperor's wrath and the traitor Horus. He could only think of his sister Aurelia and her world of Colchis. As he brought himself and his followers to Colchis, Magnus collapsed under the strain of the great effort.
Magnus awoke aboard a ship within the Warp, within the fortress of his sister Aurelia. He saw his sister leaning over him, stroking his brow, concern in her eyes. He could also feel her power, psychic power the likes of which he had never felt before, possibly surpassing his own or even that of the Emperor. She spoke to him of why she had betrayed the Emperor, that she had been right all along, that there was a higher power, but it was not the Emperor. It was one god with four faces and they were the true masters of humanity. Magnus didn't know what to say or think, he contemplated on this and was shocked by what she said next.
"The Emperor is not your true father, it was not him who comforted you across the void, not the loving voice welcomed you to the world. It was your true father, Tzeentch, one of the faces of god." Magnus looked at her incredulously. Magnus looked once again into the future, the past, further than he would let himself before. He saw that she was right. He heard the voice once more, the voice of his true father, the voice of Tzeentch. Magnus gave himself to the changer of ways, opening his eyes without fear or reservation. He saw a vision of Horus's death, of the Emperor's, of a universe in flames and ruin, and, one day, a great rebirth. He saw all of this and knew that it was his destiny to usher in these great changes.
Magnus went on the swear his loyalty to his cruel brother Horus, knowing that as his adviser he would help to bring about both his death and that of the Emperor. He knew that he must use his abilities to the fullest, his own and those new gifts received from Tzeentch. Magnus plucked out his eye with a bear hand and offered it up to Tzeentch, who accepted it and through it gave Magnus vision beyond that of any other seer. Magnus saw all things with perfect clarity, the future, the past, the strands of fate. He saw legions of daemons bowing down to him, felt the power of Tzeentch flowing through him. He had been a fool before, to limit himself so. Now, there would be no limits.
Horus
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As the God Emperor of Mankind waged his war to reunite the galaxy under a single rule, he dreamed of creating the perfect children, their souls formed by the power of his mind, their bodies engineered for perfection by humanity’s most brilliant scientists. These would be great generals to lead the armies of man outward into the stars to bring peace and order to the galaxy. They would defend mankind from the forces of Chaos as well as the alien threat and internal dissent. They would be a shining example of all that is noble and beautiful in humanity, they would be the Primarchs.
The Emperor concentrated greatly, drawing the essence of the Warp forth and shaping it, forming it, giving it character and form. He was creating a soul, not merely a human soul but the greatest human soul that had ever existed, save perhaps for his own. This would be a son that would be born into the Emperor’s image, one to follow in his footsteps, to act as his right hand. This son would be called Horus, first of the Primarchs.
As the Emperor basked in the pride of his own creation, he decided to create others, twenty in total, to serve as great generals and advisers beneath himself and his son Horus. He lovingly created each new soul, some had weaknesses and many had advantages, but none was as perfect to him as Horus. As the Emperor created his children, embryos were engineered by earth’s greatest geneticists, bodies that would be stronger than any other human, healthier, smarter. His children would be the pinnacle of all of humanity and Horus was first among them.
Just as the Emperor was creating the last of his Primarchs, the forces of Chaos intervened. With great fury, the Warp storms enveloped Terra, overcoming even the Emperor’s great power and tearing away his children from him. The gods of Chaos could not destroy these souls, but instead scattered them across the galaxy, allowing them to be born into the bodies of random humans across the galaxy. There was only one soul that remained, the one that the Emperor held onto with all of his might. It has Horus, the first and most beloved of the Emperor’s children. He remained and that was all that mattered.
The Emperor raised Horus as his own son, he denied Horus nothing and heaped praises upon him. Horus deserved it, he was indeed perfect in mind and body. He grew up quickly, having a physical prowess greater than any other man. He had a brilliant mind to match and quickly mastered any subject he set his mind to. It was only that, he so seldom set his mind to any task of great difficulty. Horus was perfect and almost all endeavors came easily to him, and those that did not infuriated Horus. He quickly abandoned any study that challenged him and grew hostile with instructors that pushed him, even killing several in his frustration. While such actions upset the Emperor, he knew that these instructors had failed Horus and that was the source of his son’s anger. New teachers were provided, ones who would be more sensitive to the needs of the Emperor’s beloved son.
As Horus grew to adulthood, be began to cherish the power and responsibility that the Emperor had given him. He was second in command to the Emperor himself, commander of fleets, ruler of men. Nothing filled him with more glee than to make a man of great power and standing obey him, save for taking any woman he desired when ever he desired her.
The greatest fear that Horus had was that his father would some day find the other Primarchs, that he would place them on equal footing to him, that they might become his rivals. This fear was soon alleviated when he and the Emperor found the first of his lost brothers, Magnus. As the Magnus hobbled out to greet Horus and the Emperor, Horus’ fear melted away and was replaced with only mirth. He laughed long and hard at the withered dwarfish creature that stood before them with the aid of walking sticks. Horus mocked and derided his pathetic sibling, pointing out his grotesque deformities and debilitating infirmities.
Then, suddenly, the Emperor raised his hand, silencing Horus. Horus grew indignant that the Emperor, his own cherished father, would silence him as though he were a mere servant, and for this disgusting creature. Rage burned in Horus’ heart, though he suppressed it, at least for now.
As the years passed and other Primarchs were found and adopted into the fold, Horus felt his resentment grow. While each was clearly his inferior in both mind and body, some had certain skills that he lacked, and for these abilities the Emperor smiled upon his sons and daughters, sometimes lavishing praise upon them that should belong to Horus. Even more painful to him was the fact that many of his siblings possessed powerful psychic abilities, abilities that Horus lacked in all but the most rudimentary form. Chief among those with such abilities were the twisted troll Magnus, which rubbed salt in Horus' wounded pride. For this he never missed an opportunity to belittle his younger siblings or to exert his authority over them.
When enough of the Primarchs were found and brought into the fold, and the Emperor's forces consolidated, it came time for him to officially raise up one of his children to Warmaster. The child who would rule and act in his stead, to command the fleets and the legions in his absence. He might have named Helvic Angron to the position, a man who lived and breathed war, a fearless warrior who lead by example and devised cunning strategies that could defeat vastly superior opponents. Or he might had made his Warmaster Roboute Guilliman, a Primarch of great brilliance and ingenuity, one who was beloved by all of for his kindness, compassion, and wisdom as well as his cunning mind and innovative planning. He might even have made Magnus his Warmaster, with his psychic might rivaled only by the Emperor himself and the ability to see the future. The Emperor, in his wisdom, raised up Horus to the role that he had been created for, Warmaster of the fleets of mankind, right hand of the Emperor.
Though Horus had a sharp intellect and was a highly skilled in battle, he was lacking as a Warmaster in a variety of ways. Without the Emperor watching over him, he was lazy in his tactics, refusing to familiarize himself with the enemy, making only the simplest of plans. He relied on brute force when ever possible, sending his men to die in droves in lieu of complex planning, and declining to engage the enemy when the possibility of defeat existed. While the Emperor ignored Horus' faults, many of the other Primarchs began to question if Horus was the best choice for this role.
It was on the planet of Davin where Horus' lack of discipline became apparent to all, even the Emperor. While fighting a land war to finish off the last traces of the planetary resistance, Horus and his soldiers were ambushed and took heavy casualties. Horus himself was terribly injured, a wound that would have killed many others, and required months of infirmity to recuperate and receive life saving medical treatments. His pride was as damaged as was his body, for he was a failure for all of mankind to see, defeated by a smaller army, forced to rest while his brethren claimed all of the glory for themselves. The longer that Horus was kept away from battle, the more his star fell and the higher the stars of his siblings rose. Horus was told of how fleets he had once command were lead to victory by the likes of Angron or Guilliman, and he seethed in rage.
One day as Horus was nearly recuperated, he had a visitor. It was his sister Aurelia. Horus had no affection for his sister, she was a weakling and a fool, an embarrassment to the Emperor beyond even was the shriveled dwarf. Though he held her in contempt, he had no hatred of her, for in her incompetence she was no threat to him or his position. She spoke to him with the great reverence that was his due, and so he listened to what she had come to say.
She said that Horus only failed because of the Emperor's incompetence, because the Emperor gave Horus too few soldiers, forced him to spread his forces too thin, gave the best and bravest troops to the other Primarchs to compensate for their flaws. Horus listened intently to his sister, his interest growing with each complement of Horus or criticism of the Emperor. She said that the Emperor was jealous of Horus, was preventing Horus from reaching his true potential for fear that others would look to Horus for leadership instead of the Emperor. The secret denied to Horus, but not to his brothers, was that the were gods of the Warp who granted powers to skilled and loyal servants. The Emperor had such power and so too did most of the Primarchs, Horus was only denied this because of the Emperor's fear and jealousy.
Horus was incredulous, as he knew that Aurelia was simple minded and foolish. She changed his mind as she took his hand in hers and he felt the power of the Warp flow through him. Horus looked at Aurelia, fighting to maintain a calm facade over his shock. She said that these were the gods that gave the Emperor his power, that gave all psykers their power. They were powerful beyond imagining and they had chosen Horus, greatest of all mortals, to be their chosen one, to be master of the Warp and God Emperor of humanity. All that Horus need do is accept their power and he could overthrow the Emperor and take the galaxy that was his birthright. Horus did not even hesitate, he gave himself over to the gods of Chaos and became invested with their power.
As Horus took command of his fleet, he planned a massive attack on the forces of the Emperor, one that would strike terror into the hearts of his foes and show the armies of mankind that they must side with him or die. The site of this ambush was Isstvan III, where Horus gathered together many of the most loyal generals of the Emperor and destroyed them all form orbit, killing billions of people on the planet below along with the loyalists. After this, many other Primarchs flocked to his side, almost immediately as though they instantly recognized Horus' superiority and right to rule. A terrible civil war had begun.
Years later, as Horus and his armada lay siege to Terra, he allowed the Emperor and his personal bodyguard to teleport aboard his ship. This was another trap, planned by the dwarf Magnus who guaranteed its success. Horus knew that he was destined to defeat the Emperor, he wanted to engage the Emperor in personal combat, to prove himself not only the greater leader, but a more powerful warrior and psychic as well. As the two fought, Horus called upon all of the might of the four gods of Chaos, while the Emperor held back, pleading with Horus to come to his senses and to end this mad rebellion. Horus was able to gain the upper hand, using his Warp sorcery to ravage the Emperor's body and soul.
Just as Horus was about to finish the dying Emperor, Sanguine arrived, one of his sisters, a Primarch of foolish but unwavering devotion to the Emperor. She burned with rage and the power of the Warp. Horus turned upon her and smiled, ready to crush her with all of power of the four gods at his command. But something went wrong, the power drained away from Horus, leaving him weakened and disoriented. He thought he heard the laughter of the four dark gods as they drew away their power from him. With his last words, he cursed the gods, the Emperor, and himself.
The Emperor concentrated greatly, drawing the essence of the Warp forth and shaping it, forming it, giving it character and form. He was creating a soul, not merely a human soul but the greatest human soul that had ever existed, save perhaps for his own. This would be a son that would be born into the Emperor’s image, one to follow in his footsteps, to act as his right hand. This son would be called Horus, first of the Primarchs.
As the Emperor basked in the pride of his own creation, he decided to create others, twenty in total, to serve as great generals and advisers beneath himself and his son Horus. He lovingly created each new soul, some had weaknesses and many had advantages, but none was as perfect to him as Horus. As the Emperor created his children, embryos were engineered by earth’s greatest geneticists, bodies that would be stronger than any other human, healthier, smarter. His children would be the pinnacle of all of humanity and Horus was first among them.
Just as the Emperor was creating the last of his Primarchs, the forces of Chaos intervened. With great fury, the Warp storms enveloped Terra, overcoming even the Emperor’s great power and tearing away his children from him. The gods of Chaos could not destroy these souls, but instead scattered them across the galaxy, allowing them to be born into the bodies of random humans across the galaxy. There was only one soul that remained, the one that the Emperor held onto with all of his might. It has Horus, the first and most beloved of the Emperor’s children. He remained and that was all that mattered.
The Emperor raised Horus as his own son, he denied Horus nothing and heaped praises upon him. Horus deserved it, he was indeed perfect in mind and body. He grew up quickly, having a physical prowess greater than any other man. He had a brilliant mind to match and quickly mastered any subject he set his mind to. It was only that, he so seldom set his mind to any task of great difficulty. Horus was perfect and almost all endeavors came easily to him, and those that did not infuriated Horus. He quickly abandoned any study that challenged him and grew hostile with instructors that pushed him, even killing several in his frustration. While such actions upset the Emperor, he knew that these instructors had failed Horus and that was the source of his son’s anger. New teachers were provided, ones who would be more sensitive to the needs of the Emperor’s beloved son.
As Horus grew to adulthood, be began to cherish the power and responsibility that the Emperor had given him. He was second in command to the Emperor himself, commander of fleets, ruler of men. Nothing filled him with more glee than to make a man of great power and standing obey him, save for taking any woman he desired when ever he desired her.
The greatest fear that Horus had was that his father would some day find the other Primarchs, that he would place them on equal footing to him, that they might become his rivals. This fear was soon alleviated when he and the Emperor found the first of his lost brothers, Magnus. As the Magnus hobbled out to greet Horus and the Emperor, Horus’ fear melted away and was replaced with only mirth. He laughed long and hard at the withered dwarfish creature that stood before them with the aid of walking sticks. Horus mocked and derided his pathetic sibling, pointing out his grotesque deformities and debilitating infirmities.
Then, suddenly, the Emperor raised his hand, silencing Horus. Horus grew indignant that the Emperor, his own cherished father, would silence him as though he were a mere servant, and for this disgusting creature. Rage burned in Horus’ heart, though he suppressed it, at least for now.
As the years passed and other Primarchs were found and adopted into the fold, Horus felt his resentment grow. While each was clearly his inferior in both mind and body, some had certain skills that he lacked, and for these abilities the Emperor smiled upon his sons and daughters, sometimes lavishing praise upon them that should belong to Horus. Even more painful to him was the fact that many of his siblings possessed powerful psychic abilities, abilities that Horus lacked in all but the most rudimentary form. Chief among those with such abilities were the twisted troll Magnus, which rubbed salt in Horus' wounded pride. For this he never missed an opportunity to belittle his younger siblings or to exert his authority over them.
When enough of the Primarchs were found and brought into the fold, and the Emperor's forces consolidated, it came time for him to officially raise up one of his children to Warmaster. The child who would rule and act in his stead, to command the fleets and the legions in his absence. He might have named Helvic Angron to the position, a man who lived and breathed war, a fearless warrior who lead by example and devised cunning strategies that could defeat vastly superior opponents. Or he might had made his Warmaster Roboute Guilliman, a Primarch of great brilliance and ingenuity, one who was beloved by all of for his kindness, compassion, and wisdom as well as his cunning mind and innovative planning. He might even have made Magnus his Warmaster, with his psychic might rivaled only by the Emperor himself and the ability to see the future. The Emperor, in his wisdom, raised up Horus to the role that he had been created for, Warmaster of the fleets of mankind, right hand of the Emperor.
Though Horus had a sharp intellect and was a highly skilled in battle, he was lacking as a Warmaster in a variety of ways. Without the Emperor watching over him, he was lazy in his tactics, refusing to familiarize himself with the enemy, making only the simplest of plans. He relied on brute force when ever possible, sending his men to die in droves in lieu of complex planning, and declining to engage the enemy when the possibility of defeat existed. While the Emperor ignored Horus' faults, many of the other Primarchs began to question if Horus was the best choice for this role.
It was on the planet of Davin where Horus' lack of discipline became apparent to all, even the Emperor. While fighting a land war to finish off the last traces of the planetary resistance, Horus and his soldiers were ambushed and took heavy casualties. Horus himself was terribly injured, a wound that would have killed many others, and required months of infirmity to recuperate and receive life saving medical treatments. His pride was as damaged as was his body, for he was a failure for all of mankind to see, defeated by a smaller army, forced to rest while his brethren claimed all of the glory for themselves. The longer that Horus was kept away from battle, the more his star fell and the higher the stars of his siblings rose. Horus was told of how fleets he had once command were lead to victory by the likes of Angron or Guilliman, and he seethed in rage.
One day as Horus was nearly recuperated, he had a visitor. It was his sister Aurelia. Horus had no affection for his sister, she was a weakling and a fool, an embarrassment to the Emperor beyond even was the shriveled dwarf. Though he held her in contempt, he had no hatred of her, for in her incompetence she was no threat to him or his position. She spoke to him with the great reverence that was his due, and so he listened to what she had come to say.
She said that Horus only failed because of the Emperor's incompetence, because the Emperor gave Horus too few soldiers, forced him to spread his forces too thin, gave the best and bravest troops to the other Primarchs to compensate for their flaws. Horus listened intently to his sister, his interest growing with each complement of Horus or criticism of the Emperor. She said that the Emperor was jealous of Horus, was preventing Horus from reaching his true potential for fear that others would look to Horus for leadership instead of the Emperor. The secret denied to Horus, but not to his brothers, was that the were gods of the Warp who granted powers to skilled and loyal servants. The Emperor had such power and so too did most of the Primarchs, Horus was only denied this because of the Emperor's fear and jealousy.
Horus was incredulous, as he knew that Aurelia was simple minded and foolish. She changed his mind as she took his hand in hers and he felt the power of the Warp flow through him. Horus looked at Aurelia, fighting to maintain a calm facade over his shock. She said that these were the gods that gave the Emperor his power, that gave all psykers their power. They were powerful beyond imagining and they had chosen Horus, greatest of all mortals, to be their chosen one, to be master of the Warp and God Emperor of humanity. All that Horus need do is accept their power and he could overthrow the Emperor and take the galaxy that was his birthright. Horus did not even hesitate, he gave himself over to the gods of Chaos and became invested with their power.
As Horus took command of his fleet, he planned a massive attack on the forces of the Emperor, one that would strike terror into the hearts of his foes and show the armies of mankind that they must side with him or die. The site of this ambush was Isstvan III, where Horus gathered together many of the most loyal generals of the Emperor and destroyed them all form orbit, killing billions of people on the planet below along with the loyalists. After this, many other Primarchs flocked to his side, almost immediately as though they instantly recognized Horus' superiority and right to rule. A terrible civil war had begun.
Years later, as Horus and his armada lay siege to Terra, he allowed the Emperor and his personal bodyguard to teleport aboard his ship. This was another trap, planned by the dwarf Magnus who guaranteed its success. Horus knew that he was destined to defeat the Emperor, he wanted to engage the Emperor in personal combat, to prove himself not only the greater leader, but a more powerful warrior and psychic as well. As the two fought, Horus called upon all of the might of the four gods of Chaos, while the Emperor held back, pleading with Horus to come to his senses and to end this mad rebellion. Horus was able to gain the upper hand, using his Warp sorcery to ravage the Emperor's body and soul.
Just as Horus was about to finish the dying Emperor, Sanguine arrived, one of his sisters, a Primarch of foolish but unwavering devotion to the Emperor. She burned with rage and the power of the Warp. Horus turned upon her and smiled, ready to crush her with all of power of the four gods at his command. But something went wrong, the power drained away from Horus, leaving him weakened and disoriented. He thought he heard the laughter of the four dark gods as they drew away their power from him. With his last words, he cursed the gods, the Emperor, and himself.
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