Word Bearers; Puritans or Radicals?

[Skirax]

The way I see it, there are two 'factions' if you will, in the Word Bearers, similar to the Inquisition, and almost a mirror of it:

 

Puritan:

Puritans Word Bearers believe in the Pantheon of the Chaos Gods as a single entity that you must dedicate your whole soul to, and strive to greater the glory of the Pantheon at any cost. They view those who dedicate themselves to an individual God as debased and short-sighted. As a side note, they see the war between the Gods as a possible effect of their combining of all aspects of Chaos.

 

Radicals:

Again, Chaos is a Pantheon, but this time is seen as we, the audience, might see it; a conglomeration of Gods that will work togethor to bring about the ruin of Man. You may dedicate yourself to a single God, but as long as you do not lose sight of the True Way.

 

Now, I am at a loss as to which side my Host should be; Puritans seem the most fluffy, but Radicals allow you to utilise the powers of Chaos.

 

Advice?

 

PS I'm a fluff-nut, so can we please have a fluff-based point of view discussion?

[Lexington]

Um, I'm not sure where this idea is coming from. Not to say you're wrong, as I've never gotten through the latter two of Reynold's Word Bearers trilogy, but is this something that's actually been stated anywhere?

[minigun762]

Based on my knowledge, the Word Bearers as a whole try very hard to maintain a "puritan" approach throughout the Legion.

 

In the book Daemon World, Word Bearers express their disgust for the Slaaneshi cultists, explaining that they are basically missing the bigger picture.

 

In the Word Bearers novel series, those who lean towards single god worshipped are looked down upon but allowed to continue if they are useful. However I do believe there is significant difference between those that stray from Undivided towards a particular god and those that fully dedicate themselves to one.

 

A Word Bearer might seek the favor of a particular god at a particular moment. For example I remember a few Word Bearers uttering prayers to Tzeentch for good fortune during a landing but this is far from dedication.

 

Long story short, I'm in the camp that says Word Bearers = Chaos Undivided.

[Magnus Thane]

I'd have to agree with that. A true Wordbearer is undivided but can draw power from or ask the aid of a specific god at specific moments. Of course a WB may be 'lost' to say Khorne perhaps or delve too deep into a path. But overall they're undivided.