Inter-Legion Rivalries and Traditional Allies

[Shifte]

Who do you perceive to be the traditional friends and rivals of the different traitor-legions in modern 40k?

 

Obviously many of the Legions have been split into warbands and infighting is endemic within the Eye of Terror. Despite this, I think it is fun to speculate on this topic area because I enjoy attaching historic rivalries and match ups to a game's narrative. I'm not suggesting that there are hard and fast rules here, either. Allies and enemies within the Eye are often one and the same, with the personal interests of warbands usually trumping past grudges and 'old friendships'.

 

Here's my own take on the Iron Warriors (as an example);

 

Traditional Allies:

 

The Black Legion.

Walls.

 

Traditional Rivals:

 

The Emperor's Children.

The Imperial Fists.

The Iron Hands.

[Iron_Within]

I think it's quite difficult to truly say who each Legion is traditionally allied with; it's much easier to say who they 'hate' more. This doesn't mean they won't work together as often that hatred pales in comparison to the Imperium.

Iron Warriors are especially hard, the traditional adage of them is that 'they trust their weapons and their armour and little else'. This includes other Iron Warriors, they are paranoid to the point of delusion and many are filled with fatalism. That probably doesn't make them easy to get along with. I would personally say they would prefer the company of legions that have the pragmatic approach, so Night Lords and the Black Legion. But most of all they would be mercenary in their pursuits; making and breaking agreements that only forward their own ends. They are for Legionaries, Sociopaths, blinded by hatred yes, but anything done out of pure madness they wouldn't like, so the EC are right out because of the little fact Fulgrim tried to kill Perturabo (and IW aren't the forgiving type) but also they are just too dam unreliable. WE you can rely on to run head first into the enemy, DG you can rely to be implacable and spread disease, TS Sorcs you can rely on to be useful as long as you're useful to them. 

With their more secular, paranoid mindset I cannot imagine them getting on with the Word Bearers. One Legion is a technological almost secularist Legion that at best see's the gods as a pantheon that it gives a nod to and at worst a petrol station to fill up the daemon engines. The others... well they are WB, they bear the word.... Black Legion I can see them getting on well with. Both have similar goals (IW focussed on rampaging and tearing down everything that was built at the expense of IW blood) and the BL wanting to tear down the Imperium, which was built with IW blood. 

Also, do you mean who does the Legions get along with before the Heresy? Perturabo got along with Ferrus Manus, Vulkan, Magnus and Horus. Anyone with a brain in their skulls that shared his interests. He didn't like anyone with arrogance in them at all, so Gullieman, Johnson, Fulgrim and Dorn most of all. Neither did he like anyone he viewed as a savage, madman or just plain idiot IMO, e.g. Russ, Khan, Angron and possibly Night Haunter. On that scale Lorgar might have been in the same vein as Magnus, he's a scholar.

[Shifte]

Just to reiterate: This thread is all about generalising and speculating. Allies and enemies aren't as set in stone in the Eye of Terror. Also, I'm interested in post-Heresy. 40k specifically, after 10,000 years of the Long War.

 

I based the Iron Hands rivalry off of one of the Black Crusades. In Angel Exterminatus, they seemed to have no major grudge besides the obvious. However, Perturabo and the Legion want 'special revenge' on them for something. 

 

Personally, I think the Iron Warriors would have a special disrespect for 'aligned Legions', as they appear to have lost their willpower and have descended into small warbands. I'm unsure about the Night Lords. I think the 'god aligned legions' probably have more trouble finding regular allies, though.

[the jeske]

In general legion marines have problems with trusting their own brothers , not to mention dudes out of other legions. The cult dudes hate everyone even more , because others either follow the wrong god or follow no god . WB fiend the idea of one chaos god or no chaos god worship heretical.

[derpasaurus]

Cool idea, here's my stab.

Night Lords allies:
lol
But seriously, basically only anyone they can use for as long as they remain useful, and other members of their own warbands, and even then only tenuously.
Zho Sahaal, for example, views himself as the heir to Kurze, and the rightful leader of the NL. Enter ADB's characters, and Talos thinks Sahaal is a self absorbed coward. Ask Sahaal, though, and he'll tell you he was following his fathers orders, while Talos directly disobeyed them by killing M'Shen. With a divide like that, good luck liking more than a few of your own, let alone trusting them not to shiv you when you're not looking.
I could see them getting along well enough with the other undivided legions, if the situation called for it. 
Let's be honest, though. More than likely, when it comes to the Eye of Terror, nobody likes nobody until they HAVE to.

 

Night Lords enemies:
Traditionally definitely Dark Angels, and maybe Blood Angels. I recall at least a personal rivalry between the NL Dread and the BA one at the end of Soul Hunter...  As for chaos, more than likely the Red Corsairs aren't too happy with them. Talos & Co. stole one of their capital ships (and a medic) back from them in Blood Reaver, while the RC were "nice" enough to let them dock to repair and rearm.
As mentioned above, definitely other Night Lords, as well. Kurze was all that held those fellas together. While I could see them complimenting each-other greatly, I doubt they'd get along very well with Alpha Legion, the sneaky buggers. I would imagine they'd respect their handiwork at the very least.

[totgeboren]

The FW book Betrayal has got an allies chart for the Legions (+ AdMec and Imperial Army), but I do understand that that chart goes for the 30k era.

However, I still think it is possible to adapt it to 40k, if we take into account of what happened after the heresy.

For example, the EC and the Sons of Horus were really close, but after the incident with the EC attacking the SoH and stealing the corpse of Horus, they are probably not on good terms.

However, the SoH/LW are almost extinct, but even if Abbadon is in charge, I have a hard time imagining the SoH core of the BL feeling anything but bitter contempt for the EC to this day. I guess they would be tolerated if they wear the black, but only because of Abbadon.

For that matter, I don't think anyone trusts the EC, because of their role in the first inter-legionnaire wars in the Eye. The EC have sort of burned all bridges (they used to be tight with the IH, SoH and the Salamanders).

 

The IW and the WE used to be sworn brothers, and I see no reason why they would not be that to this day, (if we assume Khorne Berzerkers are sane enough to get from system to system without killing all the crews of the ships and then decapitating themselves).

 

NL and the DG used to be sworn brothers, but I have a hard time imagining the NL would accept what the DG have done to themselves. I could see the NL and IW finding common ground after the HH, as they both have a sort of disdainful view of those who turn wholeheartedly to the Gods, without there being anything in the background that would give them reasons to hate each other.

 

Funny thing, the TS had all their allies on the loyalist side, and I have no idea how the other legions views them today. The DG hates them of course, but they did that back in the days anyway. I think envoys from the TS would still be welcome in most legions, just because of the unique abilities they bring.

 

The BL seem to treat everyone more or less equally, but the WB and the SoH were sworn brothers, the only close allies the WB had for that matter. As I have heard nothing of the WB attacking the SoH, they are probably still pretty close, and game-wise they are more or less interchangeable (the BL use Cults, the WB generally do not, but that's it, and the most up to date fluff of the WB even makes that tiny distinction murky).

 

No one likes the AL except possibly the TS, and even background-wise, their role in the Long War seems unclear (go figure).

[RolandTHTG]

 

 

NL and the DG used to be sworn brothers, but I have a hard time

imagining the NL would accept what the DG have done to themselves. I

could see the NL and IW finding common ground after the HH, as they both

have a sort of disdainful view of those who turn wholeheartedly to the

Gods, without there being anything in the background that would give

them reasons to hate each other.

I think that depends on the warband. Talos and Sahaal both would despise them, but I could easily see things like Kreig Acerbus's warband allying with the DG. Think of the deal to which Fear, Terror, and Paranoia can sprout during a Plague or Zombie uprising.  While it might not be a 'pure' blend, being tainted by nurgle, I think that type of warband might feast on it all the same.

 

One of the things that complicates this picture is the amount to which the Legions have splintered. The EC and WE are the most famous, but in someways the most pure in their interactions with those outside the original legion. While NL, TS, and AL have all devolved into warbands following their own personal agendas, so any possible alliance could be seen as the next step to their goal. Even the 'intact' legions (DG, WB, IW) are riven by infighting and factionalism that I could easily see 'enemy of my enemy' support being given.

[Xenith]

Iron Warriors would (pre heresy) have been of like mind with the Iron hands and Salamanders, all of their primarchs create master works of weapons, all pragmatic. Pert would have also probably been friendly with Mortarion.

[the jeske]

While I like lord of the night a lot , I don't realy get the whole sahal thing . his "faction" numbers 1 one arm NL lord and 1 one arm ex inq psyker.

 

There are no long standing ally as far as legion goes . The closest thing would probably be ahriman working for Abadon in his free time pre 13th crusade.

[minigun762]

I imagine the EC being willing to work alongside almost anyone, because frankly the petty issues between legions aren't worth their attention as they are too focused on their own indulgence.

 

Berserkers would be similar but I see the need for them to respect the strength of whoever they were in league with. Anyone weak or cowardly would most likely be struck down, not bargained with.

[Dammeron]

The Black Legion has historical grievances with most of their allies, since initially the other Traitor Legions blamed them for the failure of the heresy. This seems to have been ameliorated somewhat by the policies and oratory of Abby-dabby-doo-dah-don.

 

The Word Bearers have a certain rivalry with the Alpha Legion, though precisely why has yet to be explained in any great detail.

 

The World Eaters and Emperor's Children have a fairly profound enmity owing to the antithetical nature of their beliefs and modus operandi, not to mention various incidents such as the Skalathrax debacle.

 

The Thousand Sons and Death Guard maintain enmities owing to their conflicting ideologies, philosophies and beliefs, not to mention the fact that Mortarion used to be quite vocal in protesting sorcery and psyker-hood amongst the legions (not that he has any problem with either any more).

 

The Iron Warriors may or may not maintain grudges against the Emperor's Children following the events recounted in Angel Exterminatus. It's somewhat difficult to tell without further exploration.

 

The Night Lords variously despise everyone and everything.