Word Bearer Horus Heresy-era musings

[Lucifer216]

Hi all,

 

As I'm currently putting together a Word Bearer force for the Tempus Fugitives Siege of Terra campaign event, I've been giving them quite a lot of thought and have started this thread to discuss how they may have operated during the Heresy.

 

I'll kick off with how I see them: in equal parts, giddy and frustrated.

 

For the first time, their worship is being rewarded, with clear and undeniable signs of the Gods' favor. Those blessed by the Gods are held in the highest esteem, be it in the form of possession or mutation. I think that this point doesn't get enough emphasis. Imagine what it would be like to have spent your whole life in worship and then know literally, that your God(s) have your back.

 

As as result, their faith runs hot with the zealotry of new converts to the cause, but in a way this pains them. They burn to spread the word across the galaxy, but have yet to develop the tools and the dark enlightenment required. The Discords and other subtle tools needed to quickly convert former imperial citizens to Chaos have yet to be invented and with Imperial truth still firmly entrenched among both the loyalist Astrates and recently compliant worlds, gaining converts to the cause is hard.

 

With this in mind, I see them as secretly arrogant and revelling in their role as the true instigators of the heresy, while maintaining the pretense of humility to the other Legions who have sworn loyalty to the Warmaster.

 

Given the fact that the Legion's most recognised method of war in the present day (typically advancing methodically behind a living tide of prisoners and psychotic cultists) is not yet viable, it's easy to see them following the lead of their brother legions.

 

As the battlezone I'm fighting on, has the Word Bearers fighting alongside the Night Lords, I'm visually tying my force in a bit with plenty of skulls, terror masks and brutal looking armour (courtesy of Chaos Warrior/Knight plastic components and the Legion of the Damned models).

 

As an aside, I would really recommend taking a look at the latest Tempus Fugitives Warmaster campaign pack, particularly if you're interested in featuring such characters as Lorgar, Kor Phaeron and Erebus in an Apocalypse game.

 

The pdf can be downloaded here:

 

http://www.tempusfugitives.co.uk/pdf/AotE/...r%20Edition.pdf

 

What are your thoughts?

[BlackRaptor93]

Hey,

 

I think this is actually a VERY good approach! The idea of Death masks is very unique and overall cool - i mean i'd be more scared of that than a clunky helmet (Think Michael myers style mask xD) And i think you'll have alot of oppertunities to tie them in visually in a way that is very unique yet fitting.

 

But no, i think the way you have described them are very fitting also. I like the idea they are using this role to 'spread' the word of Chaos as best they can behind the scenes while revelling, as you've said, in knowing the gods litrelly are with them when the Emperor is not!

 

I see the Nightlords and Word Bearers working together as such:

 

The Word Bearers spread word of the terror of the Night Lords while also instilling certain Chaos Propaganda into the citizens of the imperium. In Return, the Night Lords suply the word bearers with masks and more savage armour to better instill he cause (in the same way, in a sence, Corey Taylor from Slipknot has such a big impact because not only is he able to work crowds up but his look is visually different) :)

 

I hope this as helped!

 

Thanks,

BlackRaptor93

[Starblayde]

Hi all,

 

As I'm currently putting together a Word Bearer force for the Tempus Fugitives Siege of Terra campaign event, I've been giving them quite a lot of thought and have started this thread to discuss how they may have operated during the Heresy.

 

I'll kick off with how I see them: in equal parts, giddy and frustrated.

 

For the first time, their worship is being rewarded, with clear and undeniable signs of the Gods' favor. Those blessed by the Gods are held in the highest esteem, be it in the form of possession or mutation. I think that this point doesn't get enough emphasis. Imagine what it would be like to have spent your whole life in worship and then know literally, that your God(s) have your back.

 

As as result, their faith runs hot with the zealotry of new converts to the cause, but in a way this pains them. They burn to spread the word across the galaxy, but have yet to develop the tools and the dark enlightenment required. The Discords and other subtle tools needed to quickly convert former imperial citizens to Chaos have yet to be invented and with Imperial truth still firmly entrenched among both the loyalist Astrates and recently compliant worlds, gaining converts to the cause is hard.

 

With this in mind, I see them as secretly arrogant and revelling in their role as the true instigators of the heresy, while maintaining the pretense of humility to the other Legions who have sworn loyalty to the Warmaster...

I find this interpretation very appealing, and it gels nicely with reading Battle for the Abyss, too. I find the question of where did it start within the Word Bearers very interesting indeed - was it simply the Chaos Gods whispering to Lorgar, or was it more of a 'grass roots' movement starting with Chaplains like Erebus? We point to him as the great villain of the first three books, but his path to corrupting other Legions must have started long before.

 

Brutal-looking armour to oppose the fake golden frippery of the false Emperor (to paraphrase) would make a nice touch, and their inner belief from the Gods having their back, as opposed to some uber, golden, self-confessed non-deity dude would surely be unshakeable - noting someone like

Wsoric

, for instance.

[Lucifer216]

Thanks :angry:

 

Another thing I wonder about is how the Word Bearers came to worship Chaos Undivided. While I think it was Kor Phaeron who first wispered tales of the "Old Gods of Colchis" into Lorgar's ear, after the Emperor rejected his worship, I doubt that the Word Bearers had much knowledge about the Ruinous Powers immediately after adopting them as their chosen deities. It therefore makes sense to me if they were spending a great deal of effort in the run up to the Heresy, frantically trying to find out exactly what meets with the Gods' pleasure and so forth. That's why I'm modelling my Primarch Honour Guard so that each one with the exception of the Standard Bearer, is dedicated to a particular Chaos God and in the process, delivering the will of the Gods to Lorgar.

 

The worship of Chaos Undivided also requires a certain... balance. A balance that probably has been lost many times throughout the history of the Word Bearers (on a personal/squad/Grand Host level) and probably took a great deal of effort to achieve. I suspect it required a great deal of intervention from Lorgar, until the faith became fully ingrained, particularly given the blandishments that individual Gods may had offered for their exclusive devotion.

 

I can also see some real upsets occuring during this time of learning. For example, imagine a daemon trying to make a pact with the Word Bearers or individual marines, while trying to pass itself off as being vastly more powerful than it actually is? That wouldn't be a danger to the Word Bearers of the 41st millenium, but could well happen with those 10,000 years their junior.

 

The cooperation with the Night Lords also suggests another interesting narrative. Given the Night Lords' distain for Chaos (as beautifully portrayed in Soul Hunter), I can imagine that the Word Bearer's mask of civility and comradeship could well have slipped dramatically after the news that Horus has failed, potentially going as far as to betray their former allies and pay them back for the insults that the Night Lords had heaped upon their Gods.

[Wolfbiter]

@Lucifer216: Have you read "Scions of the Storm" in the "Tales of Heresy" Horus Heresy anthology? It's a brief tale, but it does paint a pretty good picture of the Word Bearers. It's set after Lorgar is censured by the Emperor and from the point of view of a captain who hasn't turned to Chaos yet.

 

The story implies implies that Lorgar and his officers turned to Chaos at least in part as revenge against the Emperor for rejecting their devotion and to expose him as a hypocrite (at least in their eyes.) Read the part during the briefing scene where one of the Word Bearers starts spitefully referring to "The Emperor's Will" and I think you'll see what I mean.

 

There's also a mention of "The old beliefs of Colchis" in the story.

[Lucifer216]

@Wolfbiter: Yes I have. It's very well done. I was really tickled by the fact that in the story, the native inhabitants were already worshipping the Emperor as a God before Imperial contact. It also leaves the exact nature of the "The old beliefs of Colchis" still very much up in the air, which I guess is no bad thing!

 

You might find this interesting. It's a post written by one Brother Lucian, of the old Black Library forums. It works well in eliminating the Emperor "as a stupid jerk in need of parenting lessons" element and portrays Lorgar as a self-appointed Satan figure. I like a look, but I admit that it robs the Warhammer 40,000 backstory of some of its pathos, especially if all is going to plan for the Emperor. I should add that it's quite incompatible with current cannon, particularly given the recent insights from A Thousand Sons and the recent Horus Heresy Artbooks, but it's still worth a read.

 

“We know that belief is power in the wh40k setting, and enough of it can coalescence into a warp entity. Like how it happened for the Eldar at the Fall of the Eldar that ended the Age of Strife

 

We know the Emperor was a die hard Atheist and had a very bleak view on religion as evidence in The Last Church. Yet there is a spirit of the god Emperor whom guides the first saint Euphrati Keeler. How can that be?

 

As I wrote in the other thread about Reflections on the Emperor, is that I believe that the initial worship from the Word Bearers, and what wich was seeded through the fledgling imperium through their work through the expedition fleets and spreading the Lectitio Divinatus, created a positive force in the warp. Which the Emperor himself had become the focal point of.

 

But as I see it, noone ever connected the dots to that the object of their prayers, and the manifestation of them wasn’t the same thing or being. That Lorgar’s absolute faith helped to fuel the manifestation of the God-Emperor in the warp, but his personal faith was shattered when the Emperor rejected his worship. Lorgar seeing the two beings as the same, and that made his mind snap and become easy prey for Erebus and Kor Phaeron.

 

But by then the God-Emperor entity was taking a life of it’s own, gathering faith and steering events in the warp to strenght itself. Perhaps to incubate. And we have seen how it has grown stronger in 40k, now fueled and strenghted by the absolute faith and devotion of the Word Bearer replacement, the Adepta Sororitas. And see what they have been rewarded with, living saints becomming the conduit of the God Emperor’s glory.

 

Once the Throne of Terra finally breaks and allows the tortured Emperor to die, that new entity will rise from his husk. And I foresee a quite startling change to come over the Sororitas. Warp Angels?

 

Though another thought is that the Emperor allowed it all to happen so that events would come in progress that he might ascend. Which would explain his mildly said erratic behavior with certain persons, like Kelbor-Hal and Angron, if he was trying to steer their resentment to cause certain actions to happen. After all he is a 40.000 year old ancient, mastermind. And I remember a scene where the Emperor spoke that Horus thought he was blocking him, but he was underestimating his sheer power.

 

And finally it is my belief that Horus never struck down the Emperor, he became so mortified to see the illusion stripped away that hid the 40.000 year old corpse, that it allowed the Emperor to blast him out of existence. Then he let Dorn install the ‘corpse’ on the throne to act as a focal point of worship and let him dream his dreams again. And in current day, that the cascade of failures is prepared to let the Emperor free again, fully charged.

 

I think people is not giving enough credit to the Big E, with his endless planning and scheming through the history of the human race. If it is just a grand and incomphrensible plan to lift himself to godhood, nurturing and guarding the fledgling human race to fuel and power his ascent in a distant future. His plans spanning aeons.

 

Just look at how he sowed the seed for the Mechanicum and their culture by sowing the dreaming dragon on Mars. If he defeated the dragon in the dark ages, it was a plan that wouldnt come to fruition for near thirty thousand years in the future.

 

So many have seen the perfect and cultured air and attitude he have cultivated to draw in and woo the masses, but some gifted people have looked behind the mask and seen the terrible being lurking there. Like John Grammaticus and the last Priest. Everyone and everything is just a tool to him, he is guarding the human race for one single reason, to use them as a reservoir of faith and devotion.

 

To that end he have to shatter all notions of individualistic freedom, his way will be the only one. He stirs and brews the Age of Stife, shattering humanity close to extinction in the Age of Strife. Making them call and plead for a Savior to come. And his legions does. But he craves more. To regain the glory and power of a distant past, so he have to temper and forge the human race even further. At the heights of glory, he cruelly sets in motion and orchestrates events that will cause the most bitter and absolute rift in human history. The Horus Heresy.

 

Turning half of his genesons against him to bring about that war that would sink the human race into utter despair, when the paradise had been so near and was lost. He predicted that about half of the space marine legions would turn their face from him. Though some legions that should have turned traitor stayed loyal (Dark Angels). Whereas expected loyals turned from him. (Alpha Legion)

 

Even his bid for the webway was halted as events unfolded too fast, but it was just something he could pick up another time, he knew he could seal the gate if need be.

 

Lorgar had proven quite efficient in spreading the tenets about the imperial creed among the expedition fleets and seeded the potential worship through the fledgling imperium. But he wanted to worship and too early, so he was expendable, and the perfect tool to start the war which would tailor the human psyche to his desires.

 

And the great Heresy tore newborn Imperium apart, but it wasnt enough yet. Paradise had to be beyond reach, hope had to die for mankind. So the Emperor faced Horus and showed him the truth of what he was, and that blew the Primarch’s mind apart, and the Emperor’s ‘corpse’ collapsed to the ground, his true form, an ancient forty thousand year corpse. Which his loyal son Rogal Dorn installed on the throne of Terra. Now he could dream his dreams again and plan and plot. His imperium had taken a life of its own, and would continue without his direct intervention.

 

And it was such a toll to the human psyche, from being within the glory of paradise to have it all snatched away. The official story being of the Emperor sacrificing himself to save the realm of man from his errant son, and living on, enduring a life in death for their sake. And so the psychic influence of the Emperor grew, all while the now discarded loyal primarchs grew disgusted with what the imperium was become. So far from the vision they had grown up with and dreamt about would come to pass.

 

Now the imperial creed spread, citizens praying to him to protect him. He was their only hope in a wartorn galaxy that only waited to pounce on a weakened human race. Now they had nothing else, but the faith in their emperor. Faith getting cultured to be so pure, Gorge Vandire coaxed into forming the new legion that would be his warriors of faith eventually. The Brides of the Emperor was tested and tried, and at the absolute moment, the Emperor called them to his side, Vandire had served his purpose and was no longer useful. Alicia Dominica was swayed with a potion of his might and thusly the seed was laid for his comming Warp angels. Their faith building into shining saints that would coalesence and direct the devotion of the endless hordes of man. A glimmer of hope.

 

Yet the saints would burn out fast, but there was always that hope that an Emperor touched invidual would arrive again to focus the masses. And the aeons passed, the imperium crumbling and eroding from the inside as the call for a savior grew stronger and stronger. Just as he had foreseen, and as he planned it a hundred centuries ago, faults would develop in the throne so his indomitable spirit could be released. He knew man would not willingly letting their savior die. Now, the final betrayal would be their undying emperor passing away. After a hundred centuries it would be a soul crushing blow to the human spirit……and the hope, insane pleas and prayers would catapult him into the heavens when everyone would be thinking of what would happen now and hoping, hoping so fervently for him. And he would answer…..and it would feed on itself when his will would touch the entire human race, he would be a true god and blowing away the four powers that dared to stand in his way and toy with his toys.

 

That is what I could believe could be the Emperor’s great and awful plan for the human race.

 

In continuation of my earlier post about the Emperor’s motives. I am wondering. Do we truly know what passed between him and Lorgar at their final meeting?

 

For a long time the Word Bearers had struggled to be acknowledged as the heralds of the imperial faith, the belief in the divine imperator repeatedly struck down by Him as it did not fit into his atheist belief and plans to sculp the human psyche.

 

Lorgar is at a loss of what to think and believe as it seems like his father is not wanting him. So at first Lorgar is feeling overjoyed when he hears the Emperor describe to him the tenets of his plan to ascend as a warp power. It was the vindication of all what he had believed in, but the Emperor silenced him and informed that there was more.

 

To ensure that the human psyche would be ultimately receptive for the idea of the savior god-emperor, two things would have to happen. One that he had to be removed from the direct goings and happenings of the human race, and two, that a dire betrayal would happen that would shatter hope forever in the race of man, where He alone was presented as saving the race of man through his own sacrifice. And only by tenously clinging to that they would hang onto existence.

 

Within reach and sight of paradise, Man would loose almost everything, hope would die. There would only be the path of the Emperor left as salvation for the human race. He would be the only hope for man in a grim and dark future with enemies pressing on all sides, hungry for the riches of the newborn, and highly vulnerable Imperium.

 

Without him, Mankind would be nothing, and only by tenously clinging to the memmory of paradise lost, would the cumulation of faith happen that would propel the Emperor into the heavens in a distant future when the accumulated faith had reached critical mass. And then, he would be able to cancel out the four powers when he became Supreme and would at lastgive man it’s rightful destiny. But until then, the race had to be tempered and shaped.

 

Lorgar was highly intrigued by this, the Primarch easilly seeing the teeming masses of humanity as tools used for the glory of his imperial father. But horror came on his face when his father told that he needed a Judas, and noone else was more suited than one whose’s faith and dedication was perverted and striving to undo everything he had been striving to make. Only by having a bitter enemy dedicated to undoing all what he represented, the race of man would have someone to hate, and unite against. Basically creating a foe to keep the race of man on their toes and ensuring his people didnt fall to complacency and mainaining that desperately focused faith and prayers he would require for his aposteosis.

 

Lorgar was even more shocked to be told that the four powers even then was controlling elements in the legions that was trying to steer them towards a conflict aimed to tear apart the newborn Imperium, and that he was allowing it. For what the powers didnt realize, what that it all fit into his aeons long plan, subtle nudges here and there among the primarchs would fuel hatred and dissent and letting them fall into the hands of the four powers and make them easilly manipulated and misdirected. It was better to prepare the battlefield himself and make the rules which the powers would play with, even as they thought they were getting the better of him. Instead of having the four powes shape it and maybe getting dangerously close to undermine all of the space marine legions.

 

But then Lorgar laughed, claiming that his father’s plan was worth that of a god’s design, and if the Word Bearers was to be sacrificed to ensure that this future would come to be, then so be it. He would willingly take the role as his father’s most ardent foe to bring this vision into reality. And thusly the primarch knelt before his father to have certain memmories erased and altered, and it was a crying and shocked primarch that stumbled out from the Emperor’s warded chambers. Fervently believing that he had been cast aside, that his absolute faith was worth nothing to his father. When it was his ultimate faith that had allowed all this to be set in motion.”

[Lexington]

I really like this idea of the "in-process" conversion of Heresy-era Word Bearers! Will you be able to get pictures up soon?

 

“We know that belief is power in the wh40k setting, and enough of it can coalescence into a warp entity. Like how it happened for the Eldar at the Fall of the Eldar that ended the Age of Strife

I think Brother Lucian's argument is fatally flawed because of the error in this premise. "Belief" isn't what powers or creates the Chaos Gods. Warp entities form out of emotional resonance that coalesces into something greater. The Chaos Gods are as powerful as they are because they represent such basic emotional states. It's only after a warp entity comes into being that it can grow its power, and that's done via gathering souls.

[A D-B]

*Lurks in the thread. Lurkingly.*

[Lucifer216]

:D

 

@Lexington: I take the point, but this is slightly an issue of semantics. To use the example of the existing Chaos Gods, a devotee to Khorne, worships on the battlefield. His belief in Khorne translates into an enhanced desire and capacity for violence. His hatred is amplified and as a result, Khorne is strengthened, particularly when the worshipper dies and part of his essence in the Warp is absorbed.

 

In the case of the Emperor/Star Child, the emotions we're dealing with are reverence, sacrifice and probably a healthy smattering of old testament style righteous fury. Someone who truly believes that the Emperor is a God, and has the capacity to intervene in their life and receives their soul after death, is more likely to manifest these emotions and to a stronger degree than someone with weak or little faith.

 

A bit of an issue with the whole approach is how the warp vortex formed by these related emotions could be anchored onto the physical body of the Emperor, but that's a general problem related to the whole concept of a soul both in the 40K universe and real-life. The fact that a great deal of the emotional charge is directed specifically at the occupant of the Golden Throne probably helps!

 

An interesting point is that the creation of a chaos god is essentially the result of a positive feed back loop and is accompanied by warp storms. For example, the gestation of Slaanesh in the Warp, created the Age of Strife, by making warp travel too dangerous and his/her/it's birth allowed the Great Crusade to take place.

 

I can't help but wonder if the warp storms experienced shortly before the tech-priests discover a flaw in the Golden Throne that is beyond their capacity to repair in the 5th edition timeline are therefore connected....

 

Anyway, I guess this is getting a bit off-topic!

 

To bring it back to Word Bearers, here's some of my models as requested. Apologies for the somewhat poor photography, but daylight is not something my house gets in abundance, particularly after work!

 

Erebus/Marduk

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_1782.jpg

 

One of my favourites

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_1877.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2046.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2075.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2076.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2080.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2103.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2084.jpg

 

 

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii216/Lucifer216/IMG_2090.jpg

[BlackRaptor93]

HOLY... :D

 

Those are brilliant models, and exactly what i imagined when you said Death-Masks, expecially the Skull heads :D And the Raptors are, again, very awesome :)

 

Thanks,

BlackRaptor93

[Lucifer216]

Thanks :tu:

 

Another general point I'd like to make about the Word Bearers is that until the events of Dark Creed, their fictional religion if it were to really exist would be unique in human history.

 

All human religions could be argued to undergo a slow drift away from the original intentions of their founders, with Christianity being a good example, in that thanks to the intervention of St Paul, Jesus's teachings were replaced by the crucifiction and resurrection as the centre of the Christian faith. There is also the interesting phenomenon of holy texts being used to determine whether a novel situation or invention is sinful or morally correct (witness the Holy Quarn being used to support the idea in Saudi Arabia that is wrong for women to drive cars).

 

In contrast, the Word Bearer's belief system as it evolves throughout the Horus Heresy, the Scourging and the Long War is molded by its original founders: Lorgar, Kor Phaeron and Erebus. In a strange way, this gives it a level of "purity" and lack of ambiguity that all real-life religions lack. Returning to Christianity as an example, it would be like a modern Christian being able to get answers about the finer points of the faith from one of the original 12 disciples.

[BlackRaptor93]

Thats cool when you think about it (which is why Word Bearers are my faviroute warband xD) is like... The Alpha Legion have acsess to THE origional teachers, as you've said. And said people are also now Deamons ( i believe) so... do you think they have the equivilant (not meaning to offend with this) of... a sort of Mass with one of them?

 

Sort of like a Word-Bearer pilgrimage, only you have a real founder talking to you :lol:

[Lexington]

Hot diggity daemons, Lucifer! Your Word Bearers models are inspiring and kind of frightening. The "death mask" effect on several of them is wickedly effective. Really, really fine job there. It's good to have you amongst we Word Bearing fans. :D

 

@Lexington: I take the point, but this is slightly an issue of semantics. To use the example of the existing Chaos Gods, a devotee to Khorne, worships on the battlefield. His belief in Khorne translates into an enhanced desire and capacity for violence. His hatred is amplified and as a result, Khorne is strengthened, particularly when the worshipper dies and part of his essence in the Warp is absorbed.

I'm not sure if this really is necessarily semantic, at least in the metaphysics of 40K. For example, your theoretical Khornate warrior believes in Slaanesh, in so much as he acknowledges the Pleasure God's existence. This belief isn't worship, however, and I doubt it much fuels Slaanesh's power. At the same time, all acts and pursuits of pleasure, whether in the name of Slaanesh or not, grow him by just a little bit.

 

It just seems to me that strong Warp entities like the Chaos Gods are formed from the most primal of emotions, while the concept of the Emperor exists on too much of an abstract, complicated level for it to coalesce into something similar. Sure, the Emperor's spirit is out there, and may well be bolstered by worship (though I think his 10,000 psyker-a-day dietary regime is more helpful in that regard ;)), I think the idea of a parallel "Warp Emperor" is an idea that's more akin to Orky "it works 'cause I believe it!" hijinks than the metaphysics that've been laid down regarding the Chaos Gods. All my interpretation, though. :)

 

Sorry for dragging things so off-topic.

 

Anyway, one thing I've always found interesting is Lorgar's obsession with the religious impulse. In fact, there's a single line in the old 2nd Edition Chaos Codex which got me playing the Sons of Lorgar in the first place: "[The Emperor] had failed to grasp that what humanity needed above anything else was religious guidance in order to make any sense of an otherwise pointless existence." There's a lot of potency in that line, and it's reflected (positively or negatively) in any number of real-world philosophies. So, assuming Lorgar shared the whole of this Legion (which the context of his quote suggests), the Word Bearers' religion operates on the idea of worship itself being a good, regardless of the object of that worship. There's a duality of thinking there that's kind of scary to me.

[A D-B]

Anyway, one thing I've always found interesting is Lorgar's obsession with the religious impulse. In fact, there's a single line in the old 2nd Edition Chaos Codex which got me playing the Sons of Lorgar in the first place: "[The Emperor] had failed to grasp that what humanity needed above anything else was religious guidance in order to make any sense of an otherwise pointless existence." There's a lot of potency in that line, and it's reflected (positively or negatively) in any number of real-world philosophies. So, assuming Lorgar shared the whole of this Legion (which the context of his quote suggests), the Word Bearers' religion operates on the idea of worship itself being a good, regardless of the object of that worship. There's a duality of thinking there that's kind of scary to me.

 

The First Heretic is pretty keen on focusing on that, too.

[Spaakl Daakli]

Brother A D-B, the wait to November is already going to seem like the longest period of endurable penance possible for we Sons of Lorgar.

 

Your heralding of the triumphant release from the dark that will come when we obtain your blessed tome is not helping us hold out here! :) :) :D

 

This darkness before the dawn is somewhat like headbanging music: it'll feel so good when it stops.

[Lucifer216]

That's a really good point Lexington. It reminds a great deal of Dune, particularly how religion is manipulated by the Bene Gesserit, Paul and his mother Jessica, both on Arrakis and across the Galaxy. In particular the creation of the concept that a crime against the government must be seen a sin against Muad'dib.

 

On a more general note, if you're going to look at religion from a purely utilitarian viewpoint, then it provides the following:

 

An enhanced sense of community, due in part to large rituals and festivals that gather people together and require them to act in a co-ordinated manner

Certainity, in terms of the rewards for ethical behaviour.

Reduced fear of death (as in the waking up in the middle of the night and thinking, ":tu:. One day I'm going to die" variety)

A strengthened status quo/hierarchy (as the leaders have religious sanction. Not necessarily a good thing.

A belief system that encouages people to make sacrifices for their cause that they wouldn't otherwise do (up to and including "martyrdom"

 

And in the 40k universe, protection against the warp (against immediate threats). It would be extremely ironic if part of Lorgar's obession with religion came from an early confrontation with daemons, who were wounded and banished, via the power of his faith in the Emperor.

 

The other points enhance the idea that Lorgar may have thought that only belief in a central god-like figure could have ensured the loyalty of so many disparate cultures and planets. There's a great deal of irony in that the Imperium of the 41st millenium is amazingly close to the initial goal of the Word Bearers and that faith in the Emperor is frequently put forward as one of the key foundations of the Imperium. I wonder if Lorgar might be secretly racked with guilt/rage/anger that his initial efforts such as the Lectico Divinicus has such a result.

 

BlackRaptor93: Certainly it's clear from the Dark series that the Word Bearers have large involved religious rituals before going into battle. As for a Mass similar to the Christian one, I doubt that this would take place, given that while they may actually be able to drink of Lorgar's blood (which would help to emphasise their genetic link to him), Lorgar has locked himself away to meditate and also the omaphagea (apologies for the mispelling) would make this potentially problematic. I might have been remiss in one of my earlier statements, as while in theory it is possible to talk to the inner circle on matters of faith, they deliberately keep at a distance in order to encourage religious awe (witness the relationship between a Dark Apostle and his Coryphaus).

 

Like Roman Catholics, I would have thought that the Word Bearers have a full and rich religious calendar, filled with various different events and occasions

 

I think the major events would commemorate the following:

 

Preheresy: The coming of Lorgar

Preheresy: arrival of the Emperor

Heresy: The day the Emperor rebuked Lorgar or the day the Word Bearers turned to the worship of Chaos - a rededication to the glory of Chaos

Post Heresy: The failure of Horus: Reaffirming individual Word Bearer's commitment to the Long War

Post Heresy: The day of Lorgar's Ascension

 

Another point I'd like to make is that I've always seen the Word Bearers as the most "satanic" of all the traitor legions, mainly due to their religious bent and their hatreed for the Ecclesiarchy. I would have thought that this vibe would be particularly strong during the Heresy, as their lack of a fully fleshed out religious framework would probably involve a great deal of profaning and descrating icons of the Emperor and so forth. The flaw here is that of course, during the Heresy, the Emperor was not officially being worshipped as a God.

 

However its still useful in terms of characterisation. For example, although being a lefty myself I'm a little leary of perpetuating stereotypes, the Devil and fallen priests were said to bless with the left hand.

[BlackRaptor93]

Hello Again,

 

I like the idea that while the Word Bearers are the most 'satanic' of the traitor Legions, but it many ways this only makes them stronger. They'll sacrifice themselves for their Dark Apostle if he so wished it. Thats the failing (in my opinion) of many real-world religions that they can be misconsterwed by those who worship it, but for the Word Bearers its just the oppiste - they'd do anything to appease those who lead them, which is a powerful tool in battle. You could send them into the sun and they'd probably do it if they thought it'd help the cause.

 

I'm sorry if i've missed this, but do the Word Bearers have Human Cultists, and what use do they have? Are they cannon fodder or used as tools to spread the word of chaos? As pointed out above, they could even be psyched to perform terror-actions such as bombings and such. Afterall, i do not believe the Word Bearers would straight up drop onto a planet and start demanding obedience, they'd probably start to cause fear first.

 

If anyones been watching Caprica, thats the idea i mean. The bombings on the train by the Infinity Cult where used to spread a message and i imagine the Word Bearers would use cultists in much the same way :tu:

 

Thanks,

RabidMaggot93

[TheDarkApostle]

Of course they use Cultists.

 

In all ways from human meat shields to suicide chock troops to destabilising and undermining society prior to an invasion etc.

 

All for the great war.

 

TDA

[Lexington]

The First Heretic is pretty keen on focusing on that, too.

Aaron, I love you in a fashion that is probably hetero, but still involves canola oil.

[A D-B]

The First Heretic is pretty keen on focusing on that, too.

Aaron, I love you in a fashion that is probably hetero, but still involves canola oil.

 

‘Humanity,’ Kor Phaeron pressed his palms together in prayer, ‘must have faith. Nothing unites mankind the way religion inspires unity. No conflict rages as fiercely as a holy war. No warrior kills with the conviction of a crusader. Nothing in life breeds bonds and ambitions greater than the ties and dreams forged by faith. Religion brings hope, unification, law and purpose. The foundations of civilisation itself. Faith is nothing less than the pillar of a sentient species, raising it above the beast, the automaton, and the alien.’

[Spaakl Daakli]

Love it. Nicked it.

 

(It's duly credited.)

 

Many thanks @A D-B.

[ashrog]

Call me crazy, but the #1 piece of info I'm hoping for in The First Heretic is a new battle cry. "Appropriate quotation from the book of Lorgar" just doesn't cut it.

 

"And Zaharial spake unto Zadkiel, who was begat by Matarial, who was begat by Yoriel, who was begat by Tereul!"

[BlackRaptor93]

What i find most captivating about The Word Bearers is that in a round-about way, they want to give the galaxy order and have the perfect means to do so. Unlike the Emperor, who is for the most part a phsychical vegetable, The Chaos gods are living things and can give instructions and set goals. The Imperium is, in this respect, highly flawed. They ironically have less order than the forces of Chaos, for the most part.

 

That to me, is quite a symbolic thing. The Word Bearers may want revenge but by doing so they are bringing balance and relative peace (as far as Chaos can be peace).

[Lucifer216]

@Ashrog: I agree. It would be nice to have a catchy new battlecry. Given that the Word Bearers are supposed to embody all that is worst about real-world religions, I think it would be cool if we borrowed from the Albigensian Crusade and adapted that most chilling of phrases: ""Kill them all. For the Lord knows them that are His."

 

Perhaps: "The Gods know their own!" ?

[Spaakl Daakli]

What i find most captivating about The Word Bearers is that in a round-about way, they want to give the galaxy order and have the perfect means to do so. Unlike the Emperor, who is for the most part a phsychical vegetable, The Chaos gods are living things and can give instructions and set goals. The Imperium is, in this respect, highly flawed. They ironically have less order than the forces of Chaos, for the most part.

 

That to me, is quite a symbolic thing. The Word Bearers may want revenge but by doing so they are bringing balance and relative peace (as far as Chaos can be peace).

 

For me, this perfectly encapsulates the whole appeal of the Legion.

 

They use Chaos as the means to achieve Order, and the rightful ascent of Mankind to total domination of the universe.

 

Thus, the Great Crusade lives on in the Templars of Lorgar!

 

How wonderfully perversely ironic is that!!!