Dark Apostles and their Host's

[Lord Kallozar]

Hey everyone, I dont know if this issue has been raised before but I have a question about a Host's faith in their Dark Apostle. (Just thought I would add that spoilers lie ahead!)

 

I have recently finished reading 2 novels from the Word Bearers series, Dark Apostle and Dark Disciple (I havnt yet read Dark Creed) and its got me confused about how the Host view their DA's.

All the fluff over recent years has indicated how of all the Chaos Legions the Word Bearers are still organized and that they follow the words of their Dark Apostles with total faith in battle!! Also its been documented that The Dark Apostles divine through many ways how a battle is to be fought and won, and the warriors of the Host obey unquestioningly!!

 

Well, all i seem to have read in the Word Bearers series is of how much hate there is for Jarulek and how his schemes seemed to be questioned by, of all people, his First Acolyte! Marduk has twisted feelings for his Dark Apostle and wants him gone, and eventually battles him to the death!! Even Marduk and Kol Badar resent each other. To me i find this VERY unlike what the WB should be and seems to completely contradict the fluff!!

 

What is everyone elses thoughts on this?

[Static Entropy]

I've read all three of the novels, and as a Word Bearer player, I've basically chosen to ignore Reynold's view of them. A few things were pretty cool--the Annointed, the Coryphus (sp?)--but I found that by the end of the third novel, Reynolds has pretty much stripped everything interesting about the legion.

 

By things that are interesting, I mean:

--Strong organization and discipline.

--Fanatical religious devotion.

--Worshipped Chaos Undivided.

--Rely heavily on daemons and cultists to fight their wars.

 

And by the end of the third book, we've learned that:

--They're rife with infighting and there is little respect for leadership.

--Religion is often just a tool for gaining power.

--And they don't seem to have any problem allowing warriors in their legion to become Khornate warriors.

--Increasingly the fighting is done by the Word Bearers alone.

 

At this point they don't seem much different from your average Renegade warband, so I've chosen to interpret them more in line with the old Index Astartes article.

[Gree]

All the fluff over recent years has indicated how of all the Chaos Legions the Word Bearers are still organized and that they follow the words of their Dark Apostles with total faith in battle!! Also its been documented that The Dark Apostles divine through many ways how a battle is to be fought and won, and the warriors of the Host obey unquestioningly!!

 

How those this contridict the novels at all? The rank and file are quite loyal, it's the higher-ups that have the power struggles.

 

Well, all i seem to have read in the Word Bearers series is of how much hate there is for Jarulek and how his schemes seemed to be questioned by, of all people, his First Acolyte! Marduk has twisted feelings for his Dark Apostle and wants him gone, and eventually battles him to the death!!

 

Again, only the higher ups and even then you are forgetting Jarulek betrayed Marduk, not the other way around.

 

--They're rife with infighting and there is little respect for leadership.

 

Only amoung the higher-ups. the rank and file warriors seem quite devout.

 

.

--Religion is often just a tool for gaining power.

 

I never saw this, Marduk himself sincerely believes in the Chaos gods.

 

--And they don't seem to have any problem allowing warriors in their legion to become Khornate warriors.

 

What are you talking about? Marduk himself sneers at the thought of worshiping a single god in Dark Disciple and is uneasy about Khalixis worshiping solely Khorne. They even sent Khorne-influanced warriros first into battle to die and rid the legion of them.

 

It's made quite clear that the WB only do Chaos Undivided when possible in the novels and punish those who don't.

 

--Increasingly the fighting is done by the Word Bearers alone.

 

What are you talking about? Cultists are mentioned and seen in both Dark Apostle and Dark Creed.