Horus the Warmaster

[Indefragable]

Listening to audiobook for Vengeful Spirit at the moment:

 

 

 

 

Horus <paraphrased from memory>: "I wanted to be there during the re-discovery of each of my brothers. I wanted to be the one to help them see who they were and what they could become."

 

That shows that Horus was pretty much the "big brother" to most of the primarchs and also helps explain why he was the one common denominator between all of them; the hub in the center of the wheel. 

 

 

 

[Arkangilos]

 

 

 

 

 

Horus was leading southern arms of the Great Crusade during 840s, not 860s.

 

Besides, during the Xenocides, Horus was 'occupied' in Galactic West. So we could deduct Horus already finished his Crusade duty before onset of the Rangdan.

 

And it seems Rangdan Xenocides occurred across entire Galactic East and North. I seriously doubt whether Ullanor/Gorro Crusade could boast comparable size or scope.

 

Oh yes, my bad. But the point remains, south or west. Horus was occupied with other wars, on the other side of the Imperium, and wasn't in overall command of the Crusade at that point, so it wasn't really his call. So using his absence from the Rangdan Wars to claim he wasn't 'worthy' of being Warmaster isn't really a valid criticism.

Conversely, since he is already discharged from Crusade duty, he could run to bolster beleaguered Imperial forces if he really desire so. And 'occupied', in other words, 'busy', reeks bad excuse to me - the same word could readily be used to avoid responsibility and rationalize his absence in crucial, focal point of history.

Are you serious? Do you understand how military campaigns work?

[DarKnight]

The quote from Conquest is pretty straightforward to me.

 

But even if I hadn't read that, I would have to say that Horus was the clear choice for Warmaster (there's a few other threads on here going into good detail, including the "who other than Horus?" one...I forget where exactly on these forums it is.

 

A couple reasons to me why Horus is made Warmaster:

 

1. He spent the most time with the Emperor of all the Primarchs. I think this can't really be overrated: he got to experience the Emperor's methods, arguments, conflict resolution (of both the nice and not-so-nice varieties), way of balancing the checkbook and what to set the thermostat at. Likewise, the Emperor would only come to rely on him more and more as a result.

 

2. The Emperor had not originally planned for him to be "first among equals." Horus had to earn it. He was not meant to be Warmaster. This is far more subjective and contentious, but to me, the fact that he is XVI gave him a chip on his shoulder that led him to strive that much harder. Yes his disproportional amount of time alongside Big Daddy E is important, but beyond that Horus had something to prove.

 

3. Cthonia: I know only basic details of his "birth" world, but it is clear that the worlds each Primarch got spirited off to had dramatic effect on them. [To my understanding] Cthonia was a former mining world overrun by gangs. I think the "gangland" aspect is important as well. Think of every stereotypical gang leader/crimeboss ever: they survive and excel by always watching their back and making brutal examples of those who cross them. Those gang-war tactics also play into Horus' "go for the throat" tactics: the best way to to cower a rival gang is to stride right into the their holdout and off their leader right in front of everyone. The brazenness is as effective as the deed itself.

So not only did the Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus have more victories than anyone else because of the length of time Horus was around, but I imagine Horus would make sure that their record was never surpassed.

 

4. Bringing out the "best" in those around him. By "best" I mean keeping people focused and empowered to do what they do best. He saw each of his brothers for who they were....and how to get the most out of them. Even Angron and Curze, "damaged" brothers that others balked at, Horus instead found a way to make use of them towards the bigger end goal.

So often we see primarchs bickering or distracted by each other when together.  As depthcharge13 points out, he knew when to take the lead and when to step back and let others do their thing. Knowing when to be hands-off is one of the hardest parts of leadership. This has a self-sustaining effect as well, as the more successful you become at orchestrating things, the more willingly and confidently people will follow your ideas.

In contrast, I think of the scene in Fulgrim where Ferrus Manus has Vulkan and Corax on his flagship to plan for Isstvaan and basically is like "I don't care about your ideas, this is what we're going to do!"

Love this post though the situation with Corax belies that 4th point

[bluntblade]

The Corvus stuff just seems to fly in the face of everything else.

[Indefragable]

 

Love this post though the situation with Corax belies that 4th point

 

 

The Corvus stuff just seems to fly in the face of everything else.

 

Hey, nobody's perfect! As Meatloaf sings, 17/18 brothers ain't bad! 

[Calas Typhon]

 

Love this post though the situation with Corax belies that 4th point

 

 

One event after he became Warmaster is still pretty good. And that battle we are not even fully detailed on as we only have one side, there could have been a number of factors that forced Horus' hands.