Your top 5 favorite Horus Heresy characters

[Manchu warlord]

I have not seen a thread like this one, so, here it is...

 

As the name implies, who are your top 5 characters in the Horus Heresy novel series?

 

 

 

Here is my top 5 (in no particular order):

 

- Remus Ventanus = The Savior of Calth.  When he appeared in Know No Fear (which remains as my favorite BL book to this day) he is to me, what it means to be a Space Marines; and a paragon of his kind.  An altruistic demigod that would put himself in harms way to help those who can't help themselves.  He is my definition of a hero. 

... We march for Calth...

 

- Aeonid Thiel = If Ventanus is the definition of a hero, Thiel is the definition of a badass.  This rule breaking bad boy has won a place in my heart the moment I first read of him.  An unorthodox Space Marine who was censured for conducting theoreticals and practicals on how best to kill a Space Marine, only to have his research come in and - sort of - save the day.  The irony never escapes.

... Every door a new horror, and every moment a moment lost...

 

- Garviel Loken = If the Horus Heresy is to have a star/main character (beside Horus [for the series is named after him]), it'll being Garvi for me.  Not only did he introduce us into the setting of 30k but he also showed us the lifestyle and traditions of what life was like as a legionnaire serving within the legion.  Too many things can be said about him, and I'm sure we all like him in our different ways.  Overall, he is just one awesome and very likable character.

... I was there... the day Horus slew the Emperor.....  And I'll be there... the day the Emperor slays Horus...

 

- Corswain = The Houndlord of Caliban.  Similar to Aeonid Thiel, he is also another incarnation of badassery.  Upon first reading him, I automatically fell in love with him, in the sense that I see myself as him.  Basically, if I had to be any Space Marine in the 30k, Corswain will be me.

... His sword is still buried in the spine of a god...

 

- Zahariel El'Zurias = The (maybe) Lord Cypher.  He is a very interesting character, one of the most interesting in the entire setting imo.  Descent of Angels (a book which I really liked) told us the amazing tale of his childhood, fighting monsters, joining the Knight's Order, and becoming an Adeptus Astartes.  Despite having 3 books dedicated to him, he still remains enigmatic and mysterious, but in a good way.  Also, I doubt anyone remembers, but he did prevent an assassination attempt on the Emperor during the Caliban compliance, in which the Emperor wiped his memory clean so he remembered naught of the deed.  If Zahariel truly is the Lord Cypher in 40k that we all know and love, then his badassery might just overtake Aeonid Thiel's.

 

 

 

So, Forumites and Forumetts, tell us your top 5 favorite characters, and if possible, explain why you like them.

[Roomsky]

Ooh, good idea. 5 only's going to be a struggle, and I'm not even going to try to put them in order. Off the top of my head:

 

Angron 

To some degree, this is by virtue of the fact that Angron of all people has no right being one of the best written characters in the series. Surprisingly self-aware and remarkably sympathetic, the series' chosen of Khorne has benefitted from one consistently strong portrayal after another. You can't help but root for him as he plays foil to a high-on-chaos Lorgar, constantly struggling with his own stubbornness, and the feelings of brotherhood he never knew existed. For all the preestablished lore, Angron as a character is firmly a creation of Farrer and ADB, and he's all the better for it.

 

Jago Sevatarion

I can't help but love seeing a guy who would be an entertaining but static supporting character in any other series get his own mini-arc which fairly immediately involves him getting his ass kicked and tossed in a jail cell. Aaron's mentioned a few times that Sevatar is a subversion of a character trope he dislikes, but Sev stands out even further in being presented as likeable and even-headed while another such subversion might have portrayed him as obnoxious as to contrast his eventual shift. Sev just feels real, he's not a parody of his legion, and he's exactly the kind of guy you'd expect to find in the XIII's first captaincy.

 

Torghun Khan

Man, what a great arc. From a memorable introduction in Brotherhood of the Storm all the way to Path of Heaven, Torghun acts nothing other than reasonably and still gets shafted repeatedly. He's a prime example of what I would have liked to see more of from the warrior lodges in-series: someone who genuinely thought what they were doing was right in a terrible situation, and who found the violent reaction of his fellows startling rather than expected. To top it off, he's never shown as cowardly or comfortably duplicitous, showing true astartes valor, even in the face of someone like Mortarion.

 

Garviel Loken

How could I not? Even if most of the good will comes from his appearance in Horus Rising, Loken's initial arc is still compelling and gut-wrenching by the end. He's a great microcosm of the opposite side of the Torghun-coin: he sees things turning sour, but he knows there's nothing he can do about it but hope things will somehow right themselves, his own brotherhood weighing him into inaction until it's too late. What's more, the guy's pretty funny, a factor I can't help but remember even if it was largely forgotten in books 2 and 3.

 

Lotara Sarrin

Standing out in a setting where the token woman is relegated to ship captaincy, Lotarra is everything you'd expect from the captain of Angron's flagship. Intelligent but vicariously bloodthirsty, she's a World Eater through-and-through, helped out by a healthy dose of situational comedy (why are we fighting Ultramarines?). Another great example of ADB's habit of making likeable bastards, I shudder to imagine her next appearence being handled by anyone but him.

[mc warhammer]

huh. this thread made me realise i don’t really have any favourites...i’m reading for plot

[DaanofWar]

Heavy army bias weighing in this list, but whatever.

 

1: Corax

How can I not have my favorite primarch at #1? But seriously: I like Corax for perhaps being one of the most reasonable and relatable primarchs in the series. I also really like his character arc how he deals with chaos and his own origins and how his regret for the raptor project is handled. Also, ma boi is no slouch when it comes to being a badass.

 

2: Branne Nev

Favorite and most sympathetic Captain level guy right here. His bet with Noriz about who is going to kill Horus is perhaps my fav Heresy moment.

 

3: Arkhan Land

I love this guy. It says a lot about a setting when one of the most brilliant minds of the age is wrong about the correct anatomy of a monkey. Throughout MoM I kept looking forward to his scenes.

 

4: Khârn

Betrayer sold me on this guy. Most sympathetic traitor award. He is a great way of showing a really reasonable and level headed dude who simply reaches his breaking point a couple of times too many. I probably would have fallen to Khorne a lot faster if I was in his situation. His relationships with Lotarra and Argel Tal are also some of the best things in the Heresy.

 

5: Lorgar.

Fav chaos primarch. I love how he stays so true to his character the whole time. A great depiction of a true believer. I like how he's always optimistic and so endearingly oblivious to his own hypocrisy. Also really liked his Primarch novel.

[Newtoncain]

The Spy from Legion that shows up once in a while in other books, can't remember his (gramatcus?).

Loken

Khârn

The Vindicator assassin that gets converted to chaos by horus, again can't remember his name.

Garro

[grand_master85]

I havn't got a specific order, but here's my Top 5:-

 

Perturabo

Angel Exterminatus was half a good book; specifically, The Iron Warriors side of things. It was great to get in the mind of Perty, and his Primarch novel expanded on this and blew away all my expectations. It's become one of my favourite books that I've read in a long time.

Targutai Yesugei

A wonderful, thoughtful character who broke my heart in Path of Heaven.

Lorgar
A big shoutout to ADB for creating an incredibly sympathetic portrayal of one of the architects of the HH. I never really gave him much thought before, but The First Heretic really drew me in to a guy who follows his heart, no matter the path. A truly magnificent book.

 

Garviel Loken

Like those above, it's hard not to put Loken in here. I hadn't read much in the way of BL stuff until I met Laurie Goulding way back when and he introduced me to Horus Rising. It's hard not to root for him; well-meaning, likeable, loyal, endearing and, as said above, a pretty darn funny guy who held onto his bonds of brotherhood until the very end. His death was later robbed somewhat of it's meaning, but even upon re-reading the series, he's a guy I would follow to the end no matter what.

Eidolon

Oooo, everyone loves a controversial choice, don't they? I've always been a sucker for a boo-hiss bad guy. And Lord Commander Eidolon really takes the cake. Whilst it was fun in the beginning to have a guy everyone hated, I'm also grateful to Chris Wraight for his portrayal of him in PoH; he became less an incompetent fool and more of an actual menace that still retained some of his defining traits. He's pretty much the reason I'm now finally plucking the courage up to tackle purple and start an Emperor's Children army (that and his stonkingly good mini).

[deathspectersgt7]

Loken - One of the few that made 30k interesting

 

The Kahn -  As above . And 2 other Scars their names are  known. too lazy to look up

 

4 is all I can come up with. Read most of the books but just could not get into the Heresy .

[Manchu warlord]

The Spy from Legion that shows up once in a while in other books, can't remember his (gramatcus?).

 

The Vindicator assassin that gets converted to chaos by horus, again can't remember his name.

 

1. John Grammaticus.

 

4. Eristede Kell.

[Orwell84]

Only five, from fifty-off novels? Off the top of my head, in no particular order:
 
Argal Tal
So far the only prominent Word Bearer character who I found both sympathetic and a genuine scion of Lorgar's ideals. Amongst the traitor astartes I consider him an epitome of the road to (literal) hell being paved with good intentions. Highlights include Argel Tal and Cyrene's relationship, his 'communion' with Raum, and his last meeting with Erebus in the shadow of great wings.

 

Perturabo

I liked John French's portrayal of him in Crimson Fist, and Graham McNeill's concept in Angel Exterminatus (even if I think his version of the Lord of Iron was a little too 'nice guy'), But Haley's novella really made him one of the most tragic Primarchs IMHO, one who began a constructive genius too good for the world, only to develop a martyr's complex and murderous perfectionism, and finally sulk his way into damnation.

 

Sevatar

A likeable rogue who comes out with genuinely funny dialogue at times. Flexible enough to play to his legion's strengths and retreat shamelessly, yet with a laudable sense of loyalty not only to his own brothers but also to various mortals like Trey and the girl-psyker.

 

Torghun Khan

An unwitting traitor who had the best of intentions, a reluctant member of a fringe legion who'd hoped for placement with the most prestigious and never quite got over it, a 'maverick among mavericks' who actually considered that sometimes holding one's ground was better than hit-and-run all the time. His character arc was one of the more unconventional, and it ended well with Torghun redeeming himself as he finally embraces the V Legion's free-spirited ways.

 

Rogal Dorn

The epitome of loyalty in the face of mounting hopelessness, and also a tragic figure in being forced to witness the slow irrevocable loss of the Imperium he had hoped to build. The short story with Solomon Voss highlights the latter, while that scene when he schools Alpharius on covert warfare also suggests that he could be a more devious and compromising personality had he allowed himself to be. The fact that he ends up beating Alpharius raises the question of whether honorable steadfastness really is a weaker mindset than byzantine manipulation.

 

Another scene that portrays a character strength of Dorn was when Sigismund confessed to his gene-sire why he had refused command of the retribution fleet in response to a prophetess' visions rather than rational Imperial Truth. Enraged, Dorn wants to execute his favoured son with Sigi's own blade, freely offered, but in contrast to Perturabo, the Lion, Fulgrim, and others, Dorn has enough self-control to realise that this would only weaken his legion and the Imperium, and instead orders Sigi to suffer a greater punishment: "Your shame will be yours to bear alone. You will remain in rank and position as you have, and speak of this to no one. Your duty will be to never let your weakness taint those with more strength and honour than you." 

[rookie40K]

Mortarion - my favorite primarch, I always look forward to his scenes, and enjoy the way his menace and foreboding is always portrayed

 

Magnus - such a tragic figure, and cared so much for his men. Very cool ark to read about across lots of books. He has a hand in so much and everything associated with his actions and scenes carry so much weight. Also a good guy (originally hehe)

 

Azkaellon - love the quiet, stoic, indefatigable loyalty to his primarch. The name is cool, his role as leader of the sanguinary guard is cooler, and his future at the siege and beyond is coolest

 

Constantin Valdor - one bad ; completely holds his own against primarchs in battle and in politicking. Again, I look forward to and enjoy all his scenes and mentions

 

Kroeger - such a minor character in the scheme of things, but him just saying “idiot” to the other Iron Warrior that got swallowed by the wall in Angel Exterminatus is a lasting memory of mine for this series, and always brings a dumb smile to my face when I think about it

[rookie40K]

Eikos Lamiad-Tetrarch Ultramarines fought back Word Bearers on Calth. Super badass who was almost entered into dreadnought but his body was salvageable enough to survive with a less drastic measures.

 

Telemechrus-Newly formed dreadnought that battled along with Eikos Lamiad on Calth. It would be great to have stories expanded on those two together.

 

Alexis Polux-Primarch size space marine. Great leader.

 

Corswain-Dark Angel badass.

 

Loken-obvious choice.

 

Garro-all round likeable.

 

Remus Vantanus-Calm, cool, collected leader Ultramarines.

 

Sigismund-best there is, was, and ever will be.

[JH79]

Great thread! In no particular order here's my top pics:

 

Kasper Ansback Hawser

Hands down the best and most interesting & memorable Human Character from the Heresy. Seeing his likes, fears and trials though the glory that is Prospero Burns truly is a journey into and of itself. His eventual adoption and full integration to the Vlka Fenryka is the closest any character in the Heresy has ever come to making me feel like I want to be there, living his experiences and seeing the world through his eyes.

 

Lotara Sarrin

It takes a certain kind of badass to Captain the flagship of an Astartes Fleet… it takes a whole other level of badass to Captain the Flagship of the World Eaters Fleet, stand face to face with Angron without flinching and shoot an insubordinate Astartes in the face for dereliction of duty. Lotara is on the wrong side of the fence but she is awesome and I hope we see more of her soon!

 

Jerune Kanshell

Another great human character and one that a younger version of me can identify with as regards to the admiration, loyalty and humility he bestows upon his “betters”. His worship of the Iron Hands and inner resolve to be strong and not fear the dark are so well portrayed, it feels real. His terror becomes almost palpable as his story progresses, and then there’s that moment… the storm has passed, silence falls and you realise that everyone is dead except for you, it’s just you and that hoard of Daemons staring in your direction.

 

Argel Tal

I hate traitor Astartes, even this complete and total tool bag, but I loved his journey and thank ADB for masterfully crafting such a douche of a religious nut job who actually earns your empathy as a reader. So likable in a head shaking, face-palming kind of way. His end still induces anger and frustration to this day!

 

Barabas Dantioch

The one and only reason I want to collect an Iron Warriors army one day. An amazing character who really got under my skin. Rob Sanders’ story The Iron Within is a fantastic self contained piece that leads wonderfully to the doorstep of Imperium Secundus.

 

-

 

! ! ! Runners up ! ! !

 

Targutai Yesugei

Garviel Loken

Alexis Polux

Tarik Torgaddon

Hurtado Bronzi

Little Horus

Nathaniel Garro

Zahariel El'Zurias

John Grammaticus

[Manchu warlord]

 

Kroeger - such a minor character in the scheme of things, but him just saying “idiot” to the other Iron Warrior that got swallowed by the wall in Angel Exterminatus is a lasting memory of mine for this series, and always brings a dumb smile to my face when I think about it

Mr. Brokejaw Gutripper...  You are an amazing human being- or Ork... whatever you are.  

[Newtoncain]

 

The Spy from Legion that shows up once in a while in other books, can't remember his (gramatcus?).

 

The Vindicator assassin that gets converted to chaos by horus, again can't remember his name.

1. John Grammaticus.

 

4. Eristede Kell.

 

THank you Sir

[Carach]

John Grammaticus

Argel Tal

Yasu Nagasena

Garro

 

 

just off the top of my head. theres a lot of decent characters knocking about but i defo loved JG and Argel a lot, and have followed Garro through everything also. Nagasena is another character i always looked for any more material on

[Brother Lunkhead]

I'm surprised no one came up with this topic before now. Good on you Manchu warlord Well..... here I goooo......

 

Horus:

Before the HH series Horus was just the arch-traitor and that was it. Horus Rising gave us our first view of him before the fall, and I found myself genuinely liking him A LOT. Dan Abnett did a great job of painting a picture of this magnificent warrior statesman. I would have walked into hell with this guy, and unfortunately his legion did, along with half the other legions

 

Erebus:

The true villain of this Shakespearian tragedy. Erebus is Iago to Horus' Othello and he played Horus masterfully. There is no hell hot enough for this guy

 

Garviel Loken:

If you had to choose one hero in this series, I choose Loken. He has been through hell and back, again and again. He witnessed the glory and downfall of Horus first hand. He died (in Galaxy In Flames) and was resurrected (in the audio drama Garro: Legion of One). Throughout all of his trials he has remained an unflinching Champion of the Emperor

 

Nathaniel Garro:

Like Loken, a true Champion of the Emperor and the ORIGINAL Grey Knight

 

Iacton Qruze:

That's right, the half heard is my hero  Being painted as a sychophant, he was underestimated by EVERYONE. In the end, when it really mattered he revealed his true colors and courage. He lived and died a true son of the Emperor. Iacton Qruze, I salute you.

[Manchu warlord]

 

Nathaniel Garro:

Like Loken, a true Champion of the Emperor and the ORIGINAL Grey Knight

I don't think Garro became a Grey Knight.  I mean, how could he?  He isn't a psyker.  

[JH79]

 

 

Nathaniel Garro:

Like Loken, a true Champion of the Emperor and the ORIGINAL Grey Knight

I don't think Garro became a Grey Knight.  I mean, how could he?  He isn't a psyker.  

There's nothing to say that Garro doesn't have latent psychic potential like the wayward Severian is there? It would go some way to explaining his exceptional strength and fighting ability, i.e: slaying Daemons like nobodies business, besting a Custodian Guard and holding off a group of Imperial Fists etc...

[Orwell84]

 

 

 

Nathaniel Garro:

Like Loken, a true Champion of the Emperor and the ORIGINAL Grey Knight

I don't think Garro became a Grey Knight.  I mean, how could he?  He isn't a psyker.  

There's nothing to say that Garro doesn't have latent psychic potential like the wayward Severian is there? It would go some way to explaining his exceptional strength and fighting ability, i.e: slaying Daemons like nobodies business, besting a Custodian Guard and holding off a group of Imperial Fists etc...

 

 

Not to mention that the Grey Knights' forerunners are an ad-hoc collection of veteran marines from other legions, not an established chapter with ongoing recruitment. An astartes like Garro with no psychic abilities but such great fighting prowess and proven loyalty could easily have been inducted post-Heresy as an honorary member.

[Manchu warlord]

 

 

 

Nathaniel Garro:

Like Loken, a true Champion of the Emperor and the ORIGINAL Grey Knight

I don't think Garro became a Grey Knight.  I mean, how could he?  He isn't a psyker.  

There's nothing to say that Garro doesn't have latent psychic potential like the wayward Severian is there? It would go some way to explaining his exceptional strength and fighting ability, i.e: slaying Daemons like nobodies business, besting a Custodian Guard and holding off a group of Imperial Fists etc...

 

If Garro is a psyker, I imagined he would've used some of his preternatural ability during the flight of the Eisenstein, or when he was alongside Rubio during Calth.  Also, he never expressed any sort of discomfort for being around the sisters of Silence.

 

But then, Mr. JH79, nothing is impossible, maybe he's just hiding it to surprise us readers all along.  

[Kelborn]

Only Read about a quarter of all the HH stuff. Do the Primarch novels count, as well?

 

No actual ranking but those are my top 5 (at phone so no big explanations here):

 

1) Jaghatai Khan, from rags to riches. Best development of a "one of many" Primarch and Legion. Imho, greatest and most decent addition / story arc of the HH.

2) Leman Russ, always my favorite. Read his Primarch novel and you know why. If there's one Primarch I'd willingly join, it'd be him (along the Khan of course:P)

3) Astartes: Khârn / Argel Tal / Torghun Khan, the former being a great example of true brotherhood, great characters, among the most recognizable; Torghun got a great development. From a Horus fan boy into a true son of the Khan.

4)mortals: Lotara Sarrin for obvious reasons, what a badass chick :O

5) will leave that one for future characters, I haven't read about as for now; have to read Lokens stuff, for example

 

Blame it on Chris and Aaron. Their stuff is just too good and outstanding. ;)

[Brother Lunkhead]

Orwell84: Thank you for clarifying the point 

 

I suspected this would happen after I posted. Nathaniel Garro is NOT a psycher, nor are the majority of his fellow "Grey Ghosts". As far as I know Tylos Rubio (late of the XIII Legion) is the only psycher in the group. For those who have not read the HH novel Garro: Weapon of Fate, or the Garro audio dramas it was adapted from, Malcador recruited Astares from across all legions (loyalist and traitor legions) as "knight errants" on missions "for the future" (as the Sigilite cryptically tells them). Garro is the first of these knight errants. Their armour bear no colors (grey) or heraldry, and they work in the shadows. They and other of Malcador's agents are the precursor of the Inquisition and the Grey Knights.

 

This might make an interesting new topic, but we should probably get back on track to our favorite HH characters before our own Inquisition takes notice 

[Manchu warlord]

Orwell84: Thank you for clarifying the point

 

I suspected this would happen after I posted. Nathaniel Garro is NOT a psycher, nor are the majority of his fellow "Grey Ghosts". As far as I know Tylos Rubio (late of the XIII Legion) is the only psycher in the group. For those who have not read the HH novel Garro: Weapon of Fate, or the Garro audio dramas it was adapted from, Malcador recruited Astares from across all legions (loyalist and traitor legions) as "knight errants" on missions "for the future" (as the Sigilite cryptically tells them). Garro is the first of these knight errants. Their armour bear no colors (grey) or heraldry, and they work in the shadows. They and other of Malcador's agents are the precursor of the Inquisition and the Grey Knights.

 

This might make an interesting new topic, but we should probably get back on track to our favorite HH characters before our own Inquisition takes notice

 

Well, brother... What are you waiting for ?

[The Nephilim]

Eidolon. Lord Commander Primus of the Emperor's Children. 

Path of Heaven took him from someone I would just frown at to a character that one can almost relate to. Like grand_master said, you begin to see Eidolon as a real threat and not just some preening, flamboyant, aristocrat which is of course he fully embodies. Between Eidolon and Fabius Bile, it's really hard not to find love for the Emperor's Children. Then again, I am most definitely a fanboy of this legion. 

 

Fulgrim. Primarch of the Emperor's Children. 

I got to admit, I really hated Fulgrim all the way up to Reflection Crack'd. From there with Angel Exterminatus and further developments of his character and ascension to daemonhood, I'm finding him to be not as much as a preening putz. I was really disappointed with him early on in the series. As he descends into depravity, I'm really hoping that the authors keep him not as... aloof.

 

Sevatar. First Captain of the Night Lords.

I mean, how can you not like him? A smiling rogue that coined, "Death to the False Emperor?" I very much imagine him as an evil Cary Elwes. I mean this guy has all the best lines, and he's a badass duelist to boot.

 

Argel Tal. Captain of the Word Bearers.

If you don't get your bromance on with Argel Tal, I challenge your humanity. Enough said.

 

Perturabo. Primarch of the Iron Warriors.

Honestly, his character portrayal is, at least thus far, the most relatable primarch to me. He's not a pushover, he complains a little, and has a deep, burning anger. If he just wasn't so damn boring, I'd probably be sporting dull metal and chevrons over my gorgeous purple armor. I kind I like the evil Da Vinci though. I just wish he was a little better written.

[b1soul]

Path of Heaven made Eidolon formidable and quite unnerving...it gave him much-needed flavour beyond extreme arrogance