Fall From Grace PART 1: What Chaos God Would Each Loyal Primarch Follow If They Turned Traitor?
“What is Chaos? Suffering, you might say. Oppression. Deceit. But could not all these things be said of your Imperium? You hunt down the talented and the strong-willed. You break them or sacrifice them. You lie to your citizens and wage war on those who dare speak out. The inquisitors you call masters assume guilt and execute millions on a whim. And why? Why do you do this? Because you know Chaos is there but you do not know how to fight it, so you crush your own citizens for fear that they might aid the Enemy. The Imperium suffers because of Chaos. No matter how hard you fight, that will never change. Chaos exists in a state of permanent victory over you - you dance to our tune, mortal one, you butcher and torture and repress one another because the gods of the warp require you to. The Imperium is founded on Chaos.” - Ghargatuloth, Daemon Prince of Tzeentch
Wargamers and dear readers! Welcome back to The Gentleman’s Reserve. As always I am Vito from Miniwargaming.com and today I would like to take you on a heretical, thought-provoking quest. As the majority of us may know the Horus Heresy was a monumental event that forever changed the course of Warhammer 40k universe.
It pitted brother against brother and tested the resolve and mind of near demigods. Some stayed loyal to their father-Emperor while others succumbed to the ruinous powers of the warp. These were the stories that we have been told for decades. We have taken sides on the matter, both on and off the tabletop and have often argued the full loyalty of our favourite primarch. But I propose a question: what chaos god would each loyal primarch follow if they turned traitor?
Ferrus Manus
We begin our descent into chaos with the Gorgon of Medesua, Ferrus Manus the primarch of the Iron Hands. Much like his brother primarch Vulkan, Ferrus was known as a master smith creating elegant and devastating weapons of war.
However, the Gorgon did not need smithing tools for his hands were covered in a living metal known as necrodermis, a Xenos material created millions of years ago by Necrontyr. With this in….hand….hehe….Ferrus was able to use metallurgy to mould and shape metal with his bare hands.
He even forged his brother Fulgrim’s sword Fireblade, which was later traded for the daemonically possessed Blade of the Laer. During the Horus Heresy, at the drop site massacre of Istvaan V Ferrus Manus traded blows with his brother primarch Fulgrim in an epic duel of strength, beauty and brutality. When the clash was done, Fulgrim stood over the corpse of his brother as Ferrus’ head was severed from his body.
As for the fate of Ferrus Manus, it is no question to me that should the primarch of the Iron Hands fall to the ruinous powers of chaos, he would most certainly hail for the lord of flies, Nurgle. I believe Ferrus would fall to Nurgle because of the ideals the Iron Hands uphold.
A hatred for weakness and incredible endurance. All of these are ‘blessings’ that have been bestowed upon the followers of grandfather Nurgle and I can certainly see these as temptations for the Iron Warriors. Additionally, we have seen how Nurgle corrupts the flesh into rotting quagmires of its former self. Imagine the effect it would have on Ferrus Manus?
His necrodermis hands begin to rust and crack. Disease ravages his actual skin while his armour withers and shows signs of weathering. Flesh is weak after all and once the rot gets in it is near impossible to get out.
If you would like to see The Gorgon of Medesua in our battle reports please check out the MiniWargaming Vault! Click here to watch the Iron Hands vs Raven Guard Battle Report
Sanguinius
Ah Sanguinius. The angel. The brightest and most noble of them all. The primarch of the Blood Angels was one of the most beloved figures in all the Imperium. His qualities as man and loyalty to the Emperor has earned him respect both amongst people in the 40k universe and fandom alike.
Sanguinius was unique compared to his brother primarchs in that white angel-like wings protruded from his back giving him the gift of flight. Some say that this might be by the Emperor’s design but others argue that it was a genetic mutation.
He also had psychic abilities to divine the future which aided his combat potential, and need I say, dear reader, that the angel was one of the mightest primarchs, if not the best in close combat, that the Emperor had ever produced.
During the Horus Heresy Sanguinius lead the forces of the Blood Angels to many victories and defeated great foes. On several occasions, he combated the greater daemon of Khorne Ka’Bandha, defeating him several times until finally slaying the beast during the siege of Terra where he held the Eternity gate single-handed. It wasn’t until Sanguinius fought Horus upon the Vengeful Spirit, Horus’ battle barge, did the Imperium’s beloved angel fall.
To the palm of which chaos god does Sanguinius fall? To that answer I say the lord of skulls and blood, Khorne. Sanguinius was always a mild-mannered individual disguised as flying demigod of war. Even when his brother Roboute Guilliman declared Imperium Secundus and herald Sanguinius to be its emperor, the angel did not want it.
But behind the modest veneer is a killing machine with the precision of a surgical knife, waiting to be unleashed. With the Blood Angels succumbing to the Black Rage and essentially becoming murderous space vampires, it is no doubt that Khorne would set its’ eyes on Sanguinius. Additionally, what a mockery it would be to fall finally fall to the enemy that you have fought for so long.
On the contrary dear reader, there is another contender for the control of the angel. He Who Thirsts, Slaanesh. Sanguinius was almost perfect in every way. Even when he entered a room you couldn't help but be swallowed by his magnificence. Sure, every primarch had this, but there was an aura around Sanguinius that elevated you.
Made you want to be a better person. While I argued for his combat prowess to lead him to Khorne, Sanguinius did not fight with the unfettered fury like his brother Angron. It was controlled, calculated and precise. Something the Dark Prince takes pleasure in.
For who can rival Khorne in combat than Slaanesh? Furthermore, Sanguinius has psychic abilities and the Blood Angels usage of the Librarius to which Khorne despises. Slaanesh would open up its’ arms in a loving embrace and accept the angel for who he is. Lastly, while the Red Thirst, a genetic flaw that makes the Blood Angels have an appetite for blood, may lend them to the blood god, I can see Slaanesh tip the scales and drive this thirst into the depraved and macabre.
If you would like to see Sons of Sanguinius in sore in our battle reports please check them out in the MiniWargaming Vault! Click here to watch the Blood Angels vs Word Bearers Battle Report
Vulkan
Vulkan was the primarch of the Salamanders legion during the times of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. He was known as the Perpetual as he had the ability to be resurrected from death no matter how much damage he sustained. Like all the primarchs, he grew very quickly on his home planet of Nocturne and showed considerable skills in metalworking.
Vulkan to me had always seemed to be the gentle giant, until of course he was unleashed on the battlefield and began flipping vehicles. He cared for his fellow brothers, always embracing them in awkward hugs and respected his legion.
When his legion was reforged from both Terran and non-Terran born marines they kneeled before their gene-father out of love and admiration. But the great drake Vulcan bid them rise and it was he who kneeled before them, to honour their courage and show they are all equals.
Unfortunately, Vulkan was and the Salamanders were part of the drop site massacre at Istvaan V. The fighting was brutal on that day for all that were betrayed. When the nuclear fire had subsided and the loyalists had been defeated, the perpetual Vulkan had remained.
The primarch of the Night Lords, Konrad Curze took advantage of the situation and took Vulkan captive. Over the span of several months Kurze subjected his brother to all manners of torture and torment, even killing him multiple times in all manners too grim to mention. Eventually, Vulkan was able to escape the ordeal but it took much for the primarch of the Salamanders to do so.
Vulkan has suffered much. During the times of Imperium Secundus Vulkan was stabbed through the heart with a fulgurite weapon. This presumed to finally end the life of the perpetual. With the weapon still entombed in his chest, he was lowered into a volcano, a fitting resting place for a master of the forge if you ask me, and his legion believed they would never see their gene father again.
But like a phoenix that rises from the ashes, so did Vulkan. As to what ended up happening to him after the Horus Heresy, none really can say for certain. Some would say that he disappeared into obscurity. But others have discovered a tomb that Vulkan had left behind stating that once 9 items artifacts were found, these 9 items were created by the primarch, then he would return to them to face the final enemies of humanity.
But the question remains, to whom does Vulkan serve if he turned traitor? This one is a difficult one for me to answer, dear reader, and I have been pondering it for some time as I did my research. To be perfectly honest there is no one chaos god that Vulkan fits into the perfect hole.
All 4 of the chaos gods have certain traits that define them. Each of the primarchs has some of those traits while some have more than others. But Vulkan is the wild card in my opinion. He has no blood lust but does have martial prowess, but so does every primarch. He crafts elegant weapons of war and if taken to the excess….maybe, but I fear that is a stretch.
If when he died a little bit of him changed I could understand how Tzeentch could want him. Perhaps even the fire motif but even then I feel as if I am grasping at straws. Nurgle? While the lord of flies does like corruption and decay, Nurgle is also about life and if Nurgle is a perpetual and cannot die, then does that not please Nurgle to some degree? I’m not entirely sure.
This is why I can see Vulkan leaning to the likes of Perturabo, Alpharius and Curze; Chaos Undivided. Perhaps Vulkan crafts daemon engines of war the likes we have never seen that spew warp fire on the forces of the Imperium? Great furnace worlds in the Eye of Terror manufacturing all sorts of weapons for the Long War. Who knows what would have happened to Vulkan. But my suspicion is that none of the chaos gods would have claimed him. His presence was too strong and will to grand but still he fell to chaos all the same.
If you would like to see Vulkan and his warriors burn traitors in our battle reports please Click here to watch the Salamanders vs Emperor's Children Battle Report
I hope that you have enjoyed part one of this thought-provoking experiment into if the loyalist primarchs fell to chaos, which chaos gods would each of them follow. We have covered three so far, the Gorgon Ferrus Manus. The Angel Sanguinius and the Perpetual Vulkan. What are your thoughts on my musings? Do you agree with my assertations or are you of a different opinion? I would love to hear from you. If you are not a Vault member you can click here to get a free 7-day trial. Vault members are what drive MiniWarGaming, so consider joining to support us in making even more miniature wargaming videos for you. Till next time dear reader and stay tuned for part 2. Happy Wargaming!
- MWG Vito
