#characterization notes tag

Chapter 1

Gulliman ordered that all mysterious phemomena are to be reported. Calls Euten mam. Can't speak of Calth

Temporarily overthrows Nikea edict for purposes of not all dying, temporarily becomes regent, to the great unease of all

wears a senator/consul's robes, dark and heavy

Konor read Hamlet to him as a child, so recommends it to one of his Ultramarines

Uses Konor's room wit all his old tech. Apparently Big E said that the primarchs were scattered by the ruinous powers (despite not having admitted demons existed at this point? Timeline BS). Gulliman thinks this suggests Big E is an idiot, and thus it couldn't have been the truth, and thinks he intentionally scattered them to test and temper them

Thinks Big E made them as his heirs

As tall as Konor at twelve years old, needed special accommodations by thirteen.

Didn't know about the Heresy until Lorgar backstabbed him at Calth

very sensible and mission-focused thru most of his conversations

Chapter 2

Amazed by the working Pharos technology (later revealed in Silent King to be Necron technology). Had set Dantioch the task of figuring it out to overcome the Ruinstorm. Even Dantioch is concerned that Gulliman's backup plan might be heresy

Gulliman took on the task of reuniting the Five Hundred Worlds from Konor, and was in the process of retaking them when Big E showed up and met him

Gulliman hadn't the foggiest what the Pharos was for before Dantioch figured it out. Doesn't like having to use alien tech but is pragmatic, needs to restore communication

Chapter 3

Once a day Gulliman greets representatives from the ships now making it to Macragge. Discovers Calth hasn't fried his emotional centers. He can still be further hurt, as he is by the horrible reports coming in. Carries no personal weapons to these, but does wear the ceremonial version of his armor and mantle on top of that

Fiddles with strategic plans almost like a fidget toy, it's busywork for the hands while his mind works on the emotional thing

Vents to Euten

Curses a little, but mildly--uses term 'bastard'

Chapter 4

Insists people don't bow or kneel in the audiences, to seem more welcoming

Honestly, defined by his pragmatism

Curses again, calls Perturabo a 'thrice-damned bastard' (emphasis not mine)

Recoils at the slightest suggestion of him usurping Big E

Moves beyond calling Horus's betrayal treachery to heresy because of the warped belief system aspect

Most intrigued by the Space Wolf pack that shows up. Not angered by the Wolves openly saying they're there to kill him if he steps out of line. Not worried either, because he says he hasx nothing to hide. Keeps them close. Euten calls him reckless.

Gulliman is trying to get rid of the regent title ASAP, doesn't want to look like Horus

Chapter 5

G wonders if Horus's downfall was that he loved war for war's sake. Also wonders about how previous consuls and Battle Kings managed things. Very tied into Macragge's legacy and culture

Sends Thiel in right away, doesn't immediately clock that something fishy is going on when they turn out to be Alpha Legion assassins. Shoves away emotions and goes into not getting shot mode

Chapter 6

Thinks so fast it's like time is slow. Time for extensive, coherent internal monologue. Can tell exactly where assassins are and where they're moving from the sounds

Manages to kill all five space marine assassins, but is tired and injured enough that he drops to his knees after. The guards have to saw their way into the room

Never respected Alpharius's tactics

Chapter 7

Ignored Euten's advice on who to appoint as Master of First Chapter. Comes to regret it, since he angrily selected a warrior to lead towards vengeance, and ended up needing a politician

Gets out of bed despite being heavily injured to yell at bickering subordinates in the other room

Always focused on the big picture, prepared for peace, raising up Ultramarines to be politicians. Wonders what brothers like Russ would think of peace, whether they're afraid of long-term sanction.

Chapter 8

Lion has spent sixteen weeks since Prince of Crows in the depths of his ship, hunting Konrad Curze. Thinks of Konrad not as a sentient person deserving of respect/mercy, but as a rabid animal to be euthanized, should've been killed ages ago. Beyond angry that he hasn't caught him yet.

Konrad caught, killed, and mutilated the DA sent after him

Lion: a noble soul, but looks like a monster. Never tells anyone shit. Is hunting Konrad so no one else had to die.

Lion has his hair tied back. Blonde

Hunts Konrad by smell

Manages to sneak up on Konrad, only to get a call and be discovered

Polux fully expects Dorn to have totally ruined Terra turning it into a fortress. Doesn't seem as bothered about this as Dorn is

Gulliman, when he leaves the hospital, is still bandaged, limping, and has a screwed up face. Slower healing capabilities than most primarchs, perhaps?

Is making slight, unfunny jests throughout the novel

G is sorta devastated going thru the ruins of Konor's office after the attack, almost cries in front of the space wolves

Doesn't want to declare Imperium Secundus because that'd mean accepting the rest of the Imperium might be gone

Says he would be happy to have literally any of his brothers there to hand over the regency to. Names Sang and Rogal, says he'd even take Dorn.

Vulkan, who has been quite dead up until now from burns, wakes up in his casket still banged up

Konrad is thrilled he might have new victims soon

Lion is very short with everyone, and sends Robu the briefest message ever

Chapter 9

G got tipsy with the wolves

Annoyed Lion is the one who showed up. Admires but doesn't trust him, thinks he's feral

Chapter 10

Gulliman gets in full wargear for Lion's arrival. So jealous of Lion, that his people are excited to see him. is showing off himself, but also super annoyed that Lion is showing off, makes a fair number of snide remarks. Euten is both surprised and amused. Lion is considered the 'big brother' here

Kisses his dataslates to authenticate ID

Lion hugs Gulliman, then immediately does the little duel thing with the Space Wolves. It's almost like a chore to him, just something he's got to do

Chapter 11

L + G agree something has turned their brothers

Chapter 12

Gulliman's assessment is that Lion's suspicious and paranoid and not quite friendly to him as usual. Worried Lion's already made up his mind

G can't initially recognize Vulkan, horrified by his state, demands to be let in. When Vulkan sees him, he launches himself at him, bashes himself bloody trying to hurt G. Considered insane

Konrad's been having visions constantly as long as he can remember. Has been driven mad by them. When he arrives, they're calmer, cleaner visions that he can actually use. Very clear sense of purpose to himself, to make everyone pay and scream. Calls Lion blood-brother, blood-enemy. Detests Gulliman the same way he detests Dorn and Vulkan: daddy's boys who think the world they're building will be good. Wants them to understand the 'truth'. Waiting for his end, wants to die, but doesn't seem to have as solid a vision of it yet or wants to subvert it in some fashion--welcomes the idea of getting one of his brothers to kill him rather than the Kallidus assassin

KC has false visions, apparently can usually tell when they're not true

Sneaky, then kill-em-all strategy

G doesn't tell L about Vulkan

G has built a family dinner table for Big E and the other primarchs. There are twenty-one seats. There are spots for the lost primarchs but not Malcador. Lion is moved by his optimism

Lion finds the Khan's loyalty suspect, calls him mercurial. Expresses his suspicion of G. G's like, why should I trust you?

Chapter 13

G says he trusts Lion, but won't make him regent yet because Lion doesn't trust him and G doesn't want to do something he can't fix. Gets a Librarian to go read Lion's mind

K has a 'dark' tongue, either a mutation or a serious infection and with his dental health you really can't tell, slowly licks to prove ID. Apparently primarchs are closely related enough that one of their genetic samples can be swapped in for another's when it comes to security, which holy cow what a hole in security systems

Lion had DA ready to launch and invade. When K launches them at the city, L swears he didn't do it and asks G to lower the shields so they're not fried. G lowers them

K has a weird, energetic, malicious feeling mind

Vulkan somehow senses KC, highly alarmed and tries to bash his way out

KC is implied to have wings? Could be metaphorical language, but its kind of confusing

Chapter 14

Lion calls both Horus and Gulliman honest. Their similarities unsettle him

L initially tries to lie about Konrad being there, but G calls him on it with proof of fishiness and threatens him into telling the truth

Konrad's living it up terrorizing the citizenry

G about throws Lion into the wall when L tells the truth

L didn't say anything initially because he was embarrassed he couldn't catch K (*insert gif of me smacking my forehead*)

Vulkan starts to chant Konrad's name then busts out of there like the Kool-Aid man

Chapter 15

Librarian glimpses Konrad's mind, calls it "inimical malice"

K is acting like a gosh-darn horror movie monster throughout this; jumpscares, knocking out the lights, booby-trapping bodies...

Bone white skin, black sun eyes, blackened teeth, blue gums, unnaturally wide smile, long ragged black hair (one wonders how much of his behavior is the result of a tooth abscess going septic and cooking his brain), also has claws!

Apparently slower than Gulliman; Dantioch is able to yell out his moves and this is enough for Polux to keep up

Pulls at his lip, teenage girl-eque

Chapter 16

KC jokes about 'Vulkan lives', doesn't know he's actually still kicking

Such a theatre kid. Dramatically promises to introduce his brothers to his good friend death, then claps his hands and blows the whole place up

Chapter 17

KC's main weapons: 'hatred and fear'

Styles himself a hunter, more of a spreader of terror to an outside eye. Distracts everyone then goes after the Residency, where Euten is. Scares the hell out of her with writing in blood, replacing her drink with blood, tells her Roboute is dead. Considers Euten a 'rare and obscene thing' by being mother to a primarch. Only person to explicitly call Euten such

Vulkan busts in like the Kool-Aid Man (ain't big on doors in this book), dressed in armor and weapons he grabbed from G's wall, and tackles K out the window

Chapter 18

KC genuinely thinks he's killed G and K. Infuriated V is alive. Vexed that V is immortal and the other primarchs aren't

V is furious, wants to kill KC in revenge for the torture

Decently even match, KC keeps killing V but V keeps bouncing back

L gets on G's case about the Pharos, even tho it just saved his life

Chapter 19

KC, despite theoretically winning, flees. Hadn't seen Vulkan in the visions

V still doesn't respond to people, goes right back to hunting down KC

Chapter 20

Curze repeatedly is described as being able to vanish his mind. Unbearable when you can read it, but you can't tell he's there a lot of the time. Madness makes V's mind hard to read

Chapter 21

G really enjoys the vacation he gets on Sotho, thinks he would be contented doing physical work but knows that's not his destiny. This seems to be partially warping from the Pharos, which amps up his wish to be done with duty. It's kind of like how some Roman generals would retire to countryside estates in between wars.

G's more easily able to teleport with Pharos than Lion, he says it's because he's more open about what he wants and thus easier to read. G physically yoinks him through.

Chapter 22

V: afraid of shadows, not making coherent words, crying, just generally not well. Goes and digs up Dawnbringer from his crash site. Immediately tries to off John Grammaticus (I get it, dude), able to use the teleport hammer

His resurrections are speeding up

KC shows up

Chapter 23

V tanked gunfire from an Eldar weapon, KC sidesteps them

KC gets yanked out of the story by teleporting demon

Chapter 24

Sanguinius shows up finally. Golden armor, spotted carnodon fur, noble features (IF ONE MORE AUTHOR USES THOSE WORDS WITHOUT ELABORATING I AM TURNING INTO POSSUM), big wings, tear marked beneath his eye

Sang hugs G and L. Evil blonde solidarity

V's corpse has been stuck in a preservation capsule by G in hopes that V will resurrect. Lion makes sure to point out G was also keeping secrets

Sang is said to have inherited some of Big E's 'looks different to everyone' vibes

Sang is troubled but open to being the regent

Clearly's been through something

Accepts regency

G's cleared out all the remembrancers in case they're screwing up by making Imperium Secundus

Chapter 25

The Reflection Crack'd

-after killing Ferrus, Fulgrim paid a last visit to La Fenice and then sealed it up

-once said he loved mirrors because they let you pass through the surface of stuff

-disobedience goes from stupid to suicidal after he falls

-gave the special silver sword (Laernan) to Lucius

-after the battle he'd changed. Not as witty or insightful, seems detached from his own stories. The EC keep their mouths shut about this. Lucius gradually becomes convinced Fulgrim's been replaced. Turns out later he was briefly possessed by a Slaaneshi demon, but chucked that puppy into a painting and reclaimed his mind. Seems so detached because in comparison to his new life everything else is so bland.

-demolished the arena seats so no one would sit higher than him. Built a plinth in the middle and a shiny black throne on top of that. Plays the screams of dying soldiers on Isstvan on speakers.

-Doesn't care much about Kaesoron now, not much regard for his attachments prior

-called an angel of extermination. Subtle. Anywho, drops from the ceiling with entrance music. Wears golden scale mantle, white hair, slender, aquiline features, elfin, haughty strength. Not currently wearing his makeup and perfumes, leaving him pallid. black pits for eyes. Silver mail, tyrian plate armor, scabbard of ebony, mother of pearl, smoked ivory bands hold the anatheme. Basks in attention.

-Conducts a raid on a forge world dedicated to crystals, to the confusion of his warriors. Pissed when they question him. Not much concerned with Horus's orders. Beheads Eidolon.

-Leads the main thrust into trhe defenders. Wearing terminator armor. Singing beautiful Chemosian song, of beauty's end and a lost love. Steps in to kill a titan, saving Lucius in the process. Uses warp lightning to crush it. Overly hot skin, cloying sweet breath; amused, says Lucius could learn to do the same warp stuff and be like him. This was a joke.

-Fulgrim delights in beauty of the cyrstals. Unahppy with how quick the battle was and how undespairing those people were. Enraptured by his own features, says only Sanguinius approaches him in prettiness, failing because of the wing mutation.

-enraged by the thought of Ferrus Manus, when his reflection refers to it

-thinks of himself as the only perfect primarch, "I alone have been tempered by loss and betrayal!"

-has a brief vision of Ferrus, chases after it, argues with his reflections in the glass (the demon that possessed him post-Isstvan). Is unmoved by the demon's pleas, ignores everything it tries to get ahold of his body again

-Fulgrim is viewed as being very wise, knowing much, having known the greatest pain in the galaxy by underlings...who still suspect something's off

-EC are appalled initially by the suggestion that Fulgrim could be a sorcerer, or that he could be corrupted by a demon, despite fully being followers of Slaanesh by this point. Mortarion, you were well-precedented.

-Fulgrim sweeps into the trap with a cream robe embroidered with silver stitching at the hem and collar, a sword belt of mirrored disc, the anatheme, his hair braided with mother of pearl and held in place with a circlet of golden laurels, chest is bare despite the robe and scarred with whatever Fabius has been doing to him. The fact that this would make him look like history's tackiest elf is never addressed.

-reminisces about an old ally from his Chemos days, undisturbed by the desecration of his statues, is glad that he's not there because if that ally were they'd be appalled and Fulgrim would have to kill them

-has a snit when Julius asks a question, borderline murderous, Julius has to suck up to his ego to get out of it

-intensely amused by the EC mistaking him for a demon, playacts (?) betrayal, not too self-absorbed to not notice Lucius's wanting to duel him, doesn't seem to think of himself as evil but rather becoming a thing of goodness, cheerfully enjoys all Fabius's torture methods. Non-conformity is king, fellowship in any sense is bad, for conformists.

-says that "perfect complexity" is the end stage of the universe, that anything that hinders that is evil. Basically everything should strive to get more confused and overcomplicated and that anyone interfering in any way with this is bad.

-EC realizes they're dealing with the real Fulgirm, let him go

-in his grand performance afterwards, says his life before Ferrus's death menas nothing to him. Managed to fight off the demon that overtook him and shove it in the painting it was planning to trap him in,

-Such a drama queen, really, and also just an insufferable person to try to hold a conversation with (imo)

Feat of Iron

-Ferrus is competitive when it comes to war. Has visions and prophetic warnings of his oncoming death on the campaign with Vulkan and Mortarion, including an oddly itchy neck, does nothing!

-called 'the Father' by the IH. Not a patient guy

-black chambers

-rugged, scarred face. Black close-cropped hair. Not paternal. Loves Vulkan but his somewhat gentler nature drives him nuts, thinks it makes those around him weaker

-flint eyes, huge, coal black armor, hewn from granite, general aura of ice cold anger. Metal stuff goes up to his biceps, which are apparently bare in his armor, which fits in with the grand warhammer tradition of space marines and primarchs looking like they're cruising for men

-not good at all to the ordinary soldiers under his command

-violent when annoyed, does not tolerate excuses or explanations for failure

-Gabriel Santar is the poor marine in charge of calming him down and getting him to reflect on his idea.

-this is all somewhat out of character for him; he's agitated by ominous dreams

-wants this war to end ASAP. Calls Mortarian an obstinate bastard and Vulkan soft-hearted. Wants Fulgrim there; he'd make him feel better.

-doesn't make his sons kneel except for forgiveness

-amused by his sons arguing and insulting each other about too much metal or not enough'

-leaves behind the army (now dying of heatstroke) in a reckless charge to kill the eldar node. Refused aid from Vulkan. Mortarion was ruder about offering help. Insulted by it, claims he needs no help. Blames the desert for his dwindling human reserves.

-makes references to banned Medusan spiritual concepts, like the Land of Shadow

-IH think he's unkillable

-Ferrus is upset that Big E hadn't told him about what his future is after the Great Crusade, or perhaps that he doesn't know in general, despite being a fav son

-Vulkan's lectured Ferrus extensively on the different kinds of stone. Ferrus ain't into it. Very utilitarian. Is still grieved by visions of dead brothers and dad. Violently angry when he catches on to the psykery manipulation. Gulliman and him are a good pair, and G says F has great mental strength. F pushes thru the psykery stuff, the visions of Isstvan. Pays zero attention to the foreshadowing surrounding him.

-Enters a hall of symbolic statues of he and his brothers. One has the medusa hair (Ferrus), another is the grim reaper (Morty probably), Janus (split in two faces, but Ferrus knows there are many more), stoic drake (Vulkan), two knights one with a shield the other a mace (??? Lion and someone else I guess), snarling dog (Angron. Ferrus is ticked just looking at it), two statues totally scratched out, a horse with a man, a bird of pray, a human wearing laurels, a lion under a monk's cowl (ok this one is lion idk what the first one was)

-Fulgrim's statue is the only one he recognizes

-followed the entire time by some kind of snakey hunter.

-keeps seeing the kind of vision that a roman legion would cancel a campaign for. Two starving eagles bound together, clearly the aquila and imperium. Trudges on anyways. NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WOULD SURVIVE A HORROR MOVIE--

-apparently often in gulliman's shadow. As good a tactician as G, but single-minded and doesn't have the patience for lots of scenarios

-walks into a room full of dangling severed heads, all his. Annoyed, but not spooked. Has already accepted he's going to die. Despises flesh and it's inevitable corruption in this one.

-killed that wyrm to prove he was stronger, wouldn't know who he is without it

-Vulkan gave Ferrus a sword at one point. Excellently made, Ferrus immediately decided to pick on the ornamentation as necessary. Feels bad about it in hindsight. V moved past it, wants his enemies to know it's a warrior-king killing them, wants to one day put down sword but till then stays sharp. This was the last time they saw each other before this compliance

-chip on his shoulder about not being equally acknowledged as his brothers. Unwanted son issue. Doesn't want to wait in shadows.

-believes it's better to act and screw up than do nothing

-dismisses all this ominousness as eldar tricks, even as he sees the Emperor on the throne. Even as they warn him it's the future. Detests the idea of a fixed future.

The Lion

-spends a lot of time sitting on his ivory + obsidian throne, elbows on armrests, steepling his fingers, staring at his screens and thinking about the campaign and Curze's hint that the DA might've fallen. It seems NH had no reason to lie, but might've also just been being petty.

-eyes green like Caliban's forests

-not trusting. Ashamed that Perturabo was able to trick him.

-as growly and scary as any of his line. Easily annoyed

-calls DA 'little brothers'

-DA navigators are increasingly worried that Big E is dead, but no one is bringing this up to Lion.

-Lion is irritated by having to repeatedly meet with the navigator. Hesitant when dealing with her, because she's a psyker, doesn't like folks knowing too much of him.

-pulls on his knowledge of calibanite beasts to theorize about what pysker nonsense his enemies are up to.

-when rolling up to Death Guard v Iron Hands battle, decides to treat everyone as an enemy. Intensely suspicious of his own men for even the slightest disagreement with him.

-shows no sign of discomfort during psychic shocks during the Navigator's desperate attempts to get rid of their tail, despite all his DA being rattled

-generally broody but got even broodier after his first brawl with KC

-never learned Nostraman, relies on Corswain for translation

-doesn't panic when they get engulfed in a warp breach

-contemplates killing a man for using psyker powers. When he decides to use one, Nemiel stands up to him for the Edict of Nikea (which is unforunately for Nemiel his literal job), punches Nemiel's head off for having objections. Satisified for a second, then grieved to know what he's done.

-has a whole collection of weapons covering the walls of his arming chamber. This is his only hobby. Takes five serfs to arm him.

-speaks very calmly and practically even when getting mobbed by enemies

-doesn't treat with xenos

-warp tries to tempt him with freedom, not having to deal with petty fighting. Totally unambitious for himself.

-primarch command aura comes across even radio

-brought back the librarians. basically announced to the IH and DG that this stops now.

-black armor polished, gold shining, scarlet cloak (five metres long and held up by floating devices shaped like blades nad etched with names of knightly orders), greatsword called Adamant (ruby encrusted ppmmel, gold hilt and crosspiece), belt has red leather cases bound with platinum containing Proclamations of Caliban--the laws he made upon getting control of the legion

-not so much concerned with the people aspect of hte conflict, more the weapon they're fighting over.

-wiped out the people of perditia. calls it ridding the device of slaves

-does have enough people skills to suck up to the Tuchulcha device once it starts yoinking him around in the warp

-does the parlay mostly to sus out who knows what about the tech

-doesn't trust Gully with the device, so decides to destroy it.

-can speak out loud so quietly that no one but a primarch would

-thinks Gulliman is an idiot at best and a triaotr at worst. Used to and unsurprised by the Watchers in the Dark

The Serpent Beneath

-Omegon makes sure to wring as much information as possible, including other alpha legion members

-called my lord by AL members

-shares his plans with nobody

-concerned the AL is taking a dark turn

-has an old pal, a terminator named Sheed Ranko, nearly as big as Omegon (who he sends to pretend to be him later on). Asks him for advice.

-Alpharius is very irritated and upset after info leaks from the AL and gets him nearly assassinated (assuming this incident actually happened and Omegon wasn’t lying about it)

-asks Ranko to go on a suicide mission in his place. Asks everything

-known to be primarch within AL ranks

-secretly sabotages one of Alpharius’s pro-Horus ops (it’s complicated and shan’t be summarized here. Read the book if you’re curious) then lies to him about it

-Alpharius says trust is strongest when it’s natural, like between brothers. Omegon points out that isn’t necessarily true.

-Alpharius acts as if he and Omegon are always in agreement. Omegon seems to agree but its ambiguous whether that’s true. Because Alpha Legion

-Alpharius and Omegon keep boring, unremarkable temporary rooms.  Notable only for the ceremonial plate and operational plate, and of course the blank armor

-opinions of Magnus’s calm warriors vary. Khan and Ferrus calls them robots (Ferrus maybe as a compliment), Russ thinks the spirit is off and they are worse for it

-Magnus calls the TS his sons

-immediately focused on undoing the flesh change upon meeting them

-all primarchs squabble like brothers; but only Horus is considered good enough to fight with Big E

-Magnus is ignoring Leman and Lorgar even as they’re fighting a war in favor of his fancy mountain planet

-Magnus did some work with architecture to make Tizca almost supernaturally beautiful

-wise face (which is very ironic considering the decisions he makes), scarlet hair, golden helmet, a golden eye, smooth unblemished spot where the other eye should be

-very upset to be bothered during his meditation on the mountain

-forever changing his inner circle, based partially on the warp power of a given sub-sect

-Magnus’s room is made of rippling glass walls, pale marble floors, black tiles veined with gold spiraling out. In the center is a golden sun symbol

-molten copper skin, golden and hard backed leather blares of armor, blackened adamant mesh, curling horns from armor, bright feathered cloak, thick tone bounds in a psychneuein

-color changing eye

-golden Khloe’s turns into a polearm

-calls them together to ask what they did. Believes humans have a birthright to psychic power to see the beauty of the world

-more a body of energy held together than proper flesh and blood

-super enthusiastic about figuring things out, even working with pre-colonization peoples

-wants to help bring greater understanding of psykers by making psykery more accessible

-Magnus is psychically speaking one of those people who achieves hard stuff thinking it’s easy

-not spooked by stories of demons, marches right into that haunted house (or mountain in this case)

-kinda wants power so he could see the great feats he could do with it

-relishes psykery

-remembers with perfect clarity his conception and growth, was talking with Big E before he was even born

-Explored the Earth with Big E, considered himself to be catching up to his dad

-considered some brothers but was kind of neutral or hostile to others

-bittersweet on the crusade: excited to go but sad to leave his dad

-only healed his sons when he returned to Prospero

-not surprised when Ahrimnan tells him about the wolf prophecy, totally flippant about not seeing the wolves coming

-dresses down to greet the space wolves, hides his magic book

-siphons off his sons’ power sometimes when they’re getting too feisty for his tastes (eg when the space wolves show up and demand they join the war effort)

-gets super angry at leman’s messenger for passing on Leman’s orders

-says he doesn’t really have an obligation to listen to Leman, or to fight when called

-doesn’t like having witnesses, either because psykery is often misunderstood or because he’s doing a lot of shit he’s not supposed to

-plays around with the titan (an eldar thing), not taking it super seriously at first? At least that’s the vibe I got

-gets blasted by the whatever he’s fighting, his sons freak out, turns out to be alive because one of his sons saved his ass but is kinda wiped out

-once the titan thing is dead, promptly grabs his sons and marches down into the heart of evil caves. Once again, NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WOULD SURVIVE A HORROR- *silenced by annoyed audience member*

-initially stuck to the warning and what was safe like Amon taught, but started breaking with that to save his legion and sacrificed his eye. Decided that meant he was strong enough and kept exploring

-takes an imprint of the Webway without knowing, trying to please his dad enough to overlook other bits of disobedience

-unconvinced and unimpressed by visions of hell

-arrogant. That’s his big thing. Super arrogant and thinks he’s the best to ever do it, totally ignores all the warning signs

-is assured demons have nothing he could want, totally ignores the taunt about him already having compromised his free will

-emerges and announces he’s saved the day, finally agrees to go help his brother now that there’s nothing interesting there anymore. Says Space Wolves are clear in purpose not simple

-Magnus sanctioned Ahriman working with Wyrdmake in the hope that if even their haters the Space Wolfes could be converted they could maybe get the rest of the legions too

-Lorgar led negotiations before Leman went in killing, said hi at the greeting ceremony for Magnus and tsons. Leman didn’t show up

-Leman wears a black wolf pelt, has broad shoulders, wears scratched gray armor. Stiff molten copper mane; cold gray eyes, has a sword with runes on its hilt

-reckless spirit

-also arrogant. Sort of a family trait.

-deliberately tries to sound feral and barbaric to hide his brains

-pets the wolf

-protective over secret Fenrisian knowledge

-kinda aggressive towards Ahriman, calms down when Magnus shows up

-they try to pretend they’re friends. Handshake

-like to play argue, but it ain’t really playing. Lot of emotions behind the jabs about animal motifs

-Magnus is a competent commander. Tries to restrain his brothers for the sake of knowledge, who both wanna annihilate it (Russ cuz it’s annoying and offended his ego, Lorgar cuz they refused to be knowing of Big E)

-Leman has a psychic howl attack

-Leman swore oath of doom upon this civilization, follows thru even as they beg for mercy. Tears thru city until he butts up against Magnus’s defense

-Magnus has this poor ancient scribe he brings everywhere even into battle. He majorly fucks him over, but we’ll circle back to that

-Magnus orders no killing as they fight the space wolves. Did not start this fight and is thus ticked when Ahriman says he should be the one to cool this down, wants his respect not forgiveness

-before Magnus and Leman come to blows Lorgar calms things down. Leman accuses Lorgar of siding with Magnus by calming things down. Leman’s more burn it all down and worry about consequences later. Massively hypocritical; despite casualties on both sides of the conflict swears revenge for his side getting hurt

-Sang, Khan, Fulgrim, Magnus, Angron, Lorgar, Mortarion, and Dorn all show up the warmaster crowning event

-Magnus dresses up in full glam for this; locs (I think? Don’t quite get the language here. Could also be braids), gold and emerald, two swords, totally in defiance of rest of the legions not looking at them right

-complicated feelings about crusade closing down

-Magnus and Valdor don’t get along

-Sang gussies ip his white wings with loops of silver and pearl like tears, Khan wears fur leather and a winged back banner a little like Lon’s, Lorgar is arguing with Dorn and Angron, and Fulgrim’s being pretty

-Magnus knows of Morty’s forty nine paces thing

-nine sons of big e being gathered together hasn’t happened since 2 and 11 disappeared. Were forbidden to talk of it

-Mortarion holds warp powers are bad for you as an individual; drawing on example of foster father. Magnus says power just is. Morty and Russ have been talking smack about Leman. Morty warns Magnus off playing with the warp too much, casually drops Leman tried to have Magnus censured

-this surprises Magnus but he tries to play it off

-silver thread and blood drop pendants hang from the feather cloak

-withdrew and was unhappy after family reunion

-says he will know everything one day

-favors the unpredictable

-Horus was upset that Big E wouldn’t explain what he was up to

-Many brothers were jealous of Horus and Big E’s bond, but not Magnus, since they kept in touch thru imperium. Big e already knew about a Magnus sniffing around in the webway, and M was really upset he wasn’t allowed to help him

-Magnus feels the need to show up and explain his story to this poor spooked remembrancer named Lemuel while Ahriman is explaining it

-wears a crimson robe edged with sable, leather belt with a jade scarab buckle, elaborate braids

-immediately nerds out about the card deck

-Magnus quickly learned Tizca’s ways, grated against the dogma and linear, was very arrogant and thought he was super superior to them

-decided to test himself by hiking out into the wilderness to either be the greatest or die

-vowed to master his psykery so he’d never be victim to circumstance the way the people of old night were

-found geometries and patterns in broken statue. Reworked Tizcan ideas to great acclaim, thinks they came from a Primordial Creator. The following geeking out results in the psychic monsters coming to snack, and then this leads to the Tizcan magic masters whipping out some powers and dealing with the threat, later leading to T sons cults

-Magnus became Magus, master of the cults, beneath only Ipsissimus (big E)

-shows up to Nicea in all his finery, red and gold tunic, golden mail, feathers and precious stone, eagle-stamped cameras, lightning bolt girdle

-apathetic to his poor scribe named Mahavastu Kallimakus’s wellbeing

-cheered up after being called to Nikea

-ignores Ahriman’s slowly growing dread

-Fulgrim shows ho in his purple and gold armor with the fancy shoulder guards, scarlet and gold cape, symmetrical face, white hair, silver hairband

-Sanguinius has deep blood red armor; dappled black and white wings hung with silver wire and mother of pearl, black hair

-Fulgrim and Magnus hug. His brothers are generally happy to see him. Sanguinius heard of Azhek, compliments him

-Fulgrim hides the nature of the gathering, things slowly grow awkward and stilted, until Magnus realizes what’s up

-Big E is almost obscured by his own brilliance, set up almost like the judgment tarot card. Valdor and Malcador are with him

-Malcador seems to barely notice the weight of his giant staff. Dark, deep-set eyes. Acts familiar with the primarchs

-Big e seems reluctant

-M orders A to chill

-Mortarion steps forward to accuse Magnus directly, dropping the disguise. Same outfit as always. Magnus flips out that everyone’s hiding, but Malcador promises he’ll get a fair shake

-Mortarion says psykery is a black and white issue. Blames Old Night on psykers. Hamming it up a little. Desert wheeze of a voice. Magnus gets so ticked off he starts melting parts of the building. Accidentally shoots his full essence into Ahriman’s mind (accidental innuendo but this is a blunt summary). Knocks him out. Apologizes for harming him. Generally ticked. Defending himself, by saying following and pursuing science demands the investigation of the warp

-retells Plato’s cave allegory, but swaps out the ending for one where the men in the cave follow their friend out and enjoy the light and praise him

-is quite confident after that. Not happy when Ahriman accidentally insults Big E. Immediately tells Ahriman not to say anything about him having seen the warp before Big E started teaching him, very upset when Ahriman starts asking about his twin brother. Promptly collapses into vision of the heresy

-believes in Horus too much to think he’d do something like that

-angry whenever someone says he is incapable of something

-charmed by the symbolism of 12 knights, 12 librarians

-Big E draws his sword for judgement. Says wisdom is necessary to gain true knowledge, and then that the warp shouldn’t be pried into too sleepy, says he never should’ve let his sons know of the warp to start with (interesting pitch considering what he built Magnus to be) and then dissolves the librarius, promises to annihilate anyone who disagrees, basically implies no one but him can be trusted with this because they’re lesser

-after his vision of the heresy M checks with ancient prophecies to make sure he’s right. Delivers the news to his inner circle in mortuary gear (simple crimson robe and a whife shroud). Very emotional goes from sadness to anger at the drop of a hat in this

-does a special rite oiled up in a loincloth. He’s ritually given a white robe and vervain leaf crown, because the writers are cowards. His circle worries this is a little too pagan

-Horus face Magnus an iron pendant called the moons old, which broke off Horus’s armor in a battle they were in at Bakheng. He gave it as a keepsake and joked it’d guide Magnus in dark times, M takes this as a sign of ego (fair but come on man)

-brutally injures himself in the ritual in a desperate attempt to stop Horus turning traitor. Killed 982 of his thousand thralls in the attempt. Wakes sickly and miserable from this failed attempt, immediately IDs the word bearers as having fallen

-calls T sons his sons

-lies about not having known about Chaos/the primordial annihilator, which he doesn’t manage to hide from Ahriman’s psyker powers. Maybe a result of exhumation?

-next tries to get ahold of dad, any means necessary

-summons up 900 thralls. Considers it bluntly as a necessary sacrafice; thinks of them almost like necessary parts. Claims they did it willingly. Considering how he treats his scribe this is highly suspect and might be imperial-family-typical douchebaggery

-when Ahriman asks if this is the only way, M takes this as doubt. Assures him condescendingly that he just doesn’t get it and that this is totally going to work. Don’t worry about the bargains or whether there’s actually a gate on Terra. Foreshadowing is a literary device—

-does a stupidly dangerous warp projection thing, takes offered power without thought and breaks the webway project

-Big E and Magnus do a psychic exchange. Somehow Magnus understood that he screwed up and somehow didn’t communicate that HORUS WAS GOING TO FRAKKING BETRAY THEM

-freaks outs destroys all his possessions except for the book of Magnus in the aftermath, guilty for destroying the webway but most of destroyed by the knowledge he’d been wrong

-mocked Angron for his rages

-somewhat regretful that his actions will get all the people of Prospero killed

-Tzeentch (I think) appears to Magnus, who finally realizes the deal he made. Tries to aacesfice himself to save the legion, doesn’t fly. Demon shows him what’ll happen but he refuses the offer of power to destroy the space wolves

-kills Uthizzer, one of his inner circle, for trying to mobilize Propsero against its doom (wording in this part was slightly confusing leading me to initially interpret this as Magnus committing suicide, little fun fact for you about why you should be careful with pronouns)

-considers Amon a friend and son not a father, but does show him what’s coming to explain why he killed Uthizzer. Actually blinds Prospero to the warp so no one can see the attack coming. Is determined to take the attack so that he may prove his loyalty, because he is still very loyal at this point, and not prove Leman and co.’s accusations against him, even as Amon demands he intervene

-watches Tizca get combed and cry, thinks this is what Father felt. Has secret enumerations just for him he recites here to keep calm

-as the wolves descend upon the city finally admits his great fuckups to all his sons, including murdering Uthizzar. Tries to get his sons to accept things. They do not

-Leman Russ shows up with two huge wolves, well-pleased by what’s going on. Wolves fight with him

-Magnus is deeply grieved by the loss of his sons but doesn’t help them even as they beg. It tears at him

-Leman slaughters T Sons without much effort

-one of the wolves dies?

-at the absolute last minute Magnus joins the battle, in a form that kills Space wolves just to look at. Leman and his wolves are unaffected

-apologizes (sorta) for getting his sons fucked over like this and then has Ahriman get them inside the pyramid so he can send them a way

-Magnus apparently prophesied that Ahriman would live to take the Book of Magnus as he was first dying from the flesh change

-passed on book of Magnus to Ahriman, so that he could entrust it. Had zero expectation of surviving fighting leman (first accurate assessment of his own capabilities in this book)

-Leman and Magnus brawl the way you do when you used to like this person, injure each other brutally. Magnus punches Leman’s breastplate so hard the shards puncture his heart, L breaks M’s arm, and so on. M kills the black wolf, maybe? Definitely shatters its skull. Leman wins when he injures M’s eye, then breaks his back. L is

-in his final moments, Magnus casts a spell to send away the T sons to the planet of sorcerers. Shows up to them with wings and glowy, super tired and miserable, has lost his flesh.

-broods in his tower, looking into the ocean for a sign whether he made the right call. Ahriman comes away with the impression that he’d never made any call at all because he was so hubristic he forgot he wasn’t the biggest fish in the sea

SURPRISE GUEST MAHAVASTU KALLIMAKUS, SCRIVENER EXTRAORDINARY TO MAGNUS THE RED

Look, I like him, alright

-Magnus’s personal scribe. Records things. Y whispering words into a slender wand, then transcribed by a quill unit (makes clattering noises, maybe like an automatic typewriter? Later called a scrivener, is specially attuned to his handwriting and thus hard to fake) attached to his belt

-Magnus brings him around almost everywhere. Like not onto a battlefield but to archeological sites and such

-barely noticed by Ahriman and Magnus much of the time. Almost like furniture

-considered one of the remembrancers, kept away from Space wolf and t sons reunion which is notable to Ahriman

-goes and visits the younger remembrancers. Has frizzy white hair in a ponytail, thin and stooped, carries a slim leather bound book and walnut colored skin is very wrinkled with age. Uncomfortable with Lemuel joking about him being too busy with the memoirs to come around. Is worried the primarch and legion are in danger

-hails from Indio, very observant and meticulous with details, one of the first remembrancers. Was assigned to Magnus. Was with him basically since the flesh change was reversed. Generally very energetic, around 130 years old. Has a key saying that “god is in the details”

-Lemuel is surprised to see that Kallimakus is an artist. Kalli is also surprised, on account of not remembering drawing a single freaking sketch in his book. Same for his writing. Got his head checked to make sure he wasn’t going nuts then grabbed the younger remembrancers to figure out what the fuck is going on and also interpret his prophetic drawing of demons attacking Magnus (actually more the latter, the first thing just naturally comes up when he shows them his drawings)

-Kalli’s mind is dull and smothered compared to the other remembrancers. Magnus is basically mind controlling him, and his scrivener is recording Magnus’s thoughts for his grimoire. Does at least have the sense to get him out of harms way. Turns out Kalli compiled the raw thoughts and then Magnus edits it later for the Book of Magnus

-Ahriman didn’t initially know M was mind controlling Kalli until Magnus flipped out and Kalli wasn’t afraid like everyone else. Moved on from it basically immediately

-Lemuel worries about him, but Ahriman doesn’t seem to get why he would be. Or at least pretends to

-Lemuel didn’t see Kalli at all after Ullanor for a long while

-many of Kalli’s books were lost

-Kalli’s heavy robes can’t mask the gauntbess of him, which results from Magnus’s control. Can’t even speak when he’s under his control, tho sometimes he has environmental reactions to desert heat or such. Doesn’t respond to even such events as the presence of other primarchs

-is there for council of nikea

-return to Prospero does allow him to recover a little. Turns out he’s not that great at sketching under his own power

-grieved by how much life and memory he has lost. Has filled a library of books but they’re not his words and he can’t read them. Lemuel wants to help translate them. Kalli is afraid to know because why would he be appointed as scribe and then not know what he’s writing. Thinks something creepy is going on with the legion and with propsero. Wants to go the fuck home to Terra and Uttarpatha, especially before the consequences for T Sons continuing to mess with the warp after nikea comes down on their head. Warns his friend to gtfo before that happens

-Camille and Kallista are sad to see him go, think he’s an interesting dude

-quite poetic. Wrote that upon the ninth day of Magnus’s psychic expedition to warn Horus that when the sun clears and lights up the city it was like the light of heaven returning to Prospero

-Kalli is irritated by the palanquin he’s made to take, is totally unsurprised by Ahriman having murdered one of his remembrancer friends, goes straight to how are we getting out of here

-disguises himself not very well as a Terran nobleman. Insists on preserving the stuff he wrote under mind control, because history is history and you shouldn’t decide what gets forgotten.

-amused by his friend having to disguise himself as a eunuch. Lemuel is not as amused

-curses for the first time to get his companions to stop at gi knf during the escape

-says he’s too old to keep working at cataloguing records and such. Says it’s time for memoirs

-identifies Leman’s flagship when it years thru reality just as they’re about to make their escape

-Konrad’s artifacts included a simple crown circlet, a silver blade he work on his back, and the iconic black feather cloak

-Konrad willingly let M’Shen kill him

-thought his life meant nothing, unless he died in the very specific way he did, because otherwise Big E wouldn’t learn anything-it’s about dying for his beliefs

-black eyed, slender

-sent his sons against the imperium to kill and whatnot to get revenge against the Imperium

-thought Nostramo’s destruction necessary because they were evil. Thought his own killing was necessary for the same reason, to prove that the brutal punishment is necessary

-by the end was in pretty rough shape, drooling involuntarily

-named Talos Soul Hunter because he was the one who broke with orders to not hunt down the assassin. Also, his last wishe was that no one hunt down M’Shen for killing him.

-absolutely hated his sons and did not care what happened to them after he kicked the bucket

-narrow eyes, fanged maw, hunched, jerk movement

-when the assassin showed up, he got up, said something (the death is nothing next to vindication or whatever he said), laughed, and raced forward, some point after which he was beheaded

-Talos wondered if maybe Curze’s genetic modifications didn’t take, causing a similar illness to Talos

-on Tsagualsa, had the screaming gallery constructed (constructed of screaming humans trapped in eternal agony maintained by medical equipment). Held his meetings there

-skin so pale you could see all the veins, filed teeth to look like shark, black haired lost its shine and started to go gray by the temples by the end, scars on the neck from fighting Lion

-sent out fleets to attack the imperium to piss them off enough to send the assassin

-considers human life inherently wicked, a corrupting influence

-considered himself naive for thinking killing nostramo would help fix the legion

-had lost grip on time and memory by the end, didn’t remember that Sevatar was dead

-Lucoryphus thought Curze killed cuz he wanted to, and the lesson of ‘destroy the evil’ kinda stupid and undermining the fact that he left such a nightmare of a legion loose after he died. Proud, blind, dumb, hateful

Melchior

Horus demanded nephilim leave and release their slaves, promising not to kill them (later reveals that Sang’s ships made no such promise). Dark shadow on his face when they describe communion between divine and mortal.

Into battle Sanguinius wears a silk tabard, platinum chain mail, extraordinarily ornate plate armored gold trinkets, jade and ruby teardrops. Lands hard enough to cause a crater.

Horus favors shock and awe attacks. Sang and him argue over this with. Causal air to their discussion. Horus moves on from human cost much easier.

No pity for willing nephilim converts from Sang. Does try to free the slaves

Sang misses spending more time with Horus, who’d like to play regicide with him till the next crusade

Baal has Low Mesa clans apparently

Kills a son who fell the red thirst (alotros) after trying to bring him back. Horus is appalled when he finds them, having followed out of concern when S rushed out. Sang. Ends up telling the truth. Russ would judge, Dorn wouldn’t listen, but Horus there is no pretense with. He is the only one sang tells, hiding it to avoid annihilation. Think the red thirst is his fault. Cites Alpharius and Lorgar as potential threats if the red thirst goes public.

Fulgrim has a perfection is not a state of being but of striving mindset

Chapter 1

Alpharius doesn’t say shit even when he’s running a campaign with someone, leading Sang to break with the plan

Chapter 2

Sang's duty armor is gold and white platinum with a bronze mail cloak over his folded wings

Some rumors about primarch powers include: Mortarion being unable to feel pain, that Corax can magically cloud minds, the Khan can talk to storms, that Sang has the sight. Raldaron hold this as true; Sang mentions his dreams, and occasionally does weird interventions as if he could see the future. Occasionally gives someone a glimpse of their future

Horus has a good sense of timing

Horus lures Sang into a trap with the potential of a red thirst cure

Chapter 4

Sang's armor has etching along brassarts, shoulder guards, breastplate. A heavy ornamental roundel, heart-shaped on a mount of gold flames, made of Megladari rubies, has four more ruby discs to represent the world the legion recruited form. Wears a pelt from a carnodon, like a snow leapard, was his first kill on Teghar Pentarus, his first fight after joining dad.

Good at inspiring speeches

Horus considers Sang both unimpeachably loyal and not stupid. One wonders what he thought of the Imperium Secundus fiasco.

Chapter 5

Sang's never fallen in all his centuries of life. Has this nightmare. Finds his wings suddenly ripped off. Has a vision of a version of himself fallen to Chaos/the Red Thirst (ironclad, covered in blood, gross light from the cracks, skeletal wings of a vulture from the back, blood dripping away, called the Red Angel... This is NOT Angron)

has a meditation and inner reflection regiment

Chapter 6

His command throne is in his private sanctum in the Red Tear's dorsal tower, but has no formal seat on the bridge of his flagship, doesn't want to usurp the captain

Blond. hair falls in his face

Ullanor

Morty: cowled, Fulgrim: in gold and platinum, Magnus: public doesn't know much of his personality, Lorgar: quiet brooding zealot says little stays watching, Angron is gladiator-lord, son o f grief, always fuirious, Dorn is stalwart always read and focused, Khan waers fur trimmed robes and armor detailed with his legion's narravives

Eye of Terra: platinum chain, sappphire cut into eye of terra

Angron was upset about Horus being picked, Lorgar, Fulgrim, and Sang cheered, Rogal was too stiff to do so but did shake Horus's hand. Horus is sort of down about the whole thing, Sang tries to cheer him up.

Sang is firmly against the idea of him being warmaster

H calls S his consciense

Never anticipated becoming warmaster

Chapter 7

Usually smiling

Chapter 9

Sang is known for checking for survivors on devastated planets, enough that enemies can build plans around it

Horus refers to Lorgar holding on to his secrets

Chapter 10

H has no issue changing Erebus's carefully laid plans at the last minute

Chapter 12

Sang's sword is two hnaded, long as an astartes is tall, red metal, golden ruby studded guard, is a power sword

Insists on going in after the demon even tho its to the enemy's plan, basically because we've come this far we cannot let it live

Chapter 13

Sang looks grieved discovering dead crew-serfs, to the surprise of his sons. He seems above such things

Interested in preservation of lives

Communes with the Red Tear as it crashes, asking it to hold itself together

Chapter 14

keeps Amit around because he's got no fliter

Khornate demon calls them brothers

Feels every death of his sons keenly. Wonders if the others feel it as strong. Can kinda feel the emotions coming off his impending sons

The psychic shock of their deaths puts him in a coma

Nikea

Sang rebukes Amit for his words, says Big E's Nikea decision isn't arbitrary, as he makes no arbitrary choices

Chapter 16

When a librarian goes into Sang's dream to resuscitate him, he finds Sang with red eyes, sharp fangs. S immediately drinks his blood

Chapter 17

Bloodthirster seems convinced that whilst Chaos wants Sang, Horus does not, doesn't want to stand in Sang's shadow again

Visions rush thru the librarian's mind, sees visions of the future including Big E and Horus fighitng, Sang killing Horus inside the palace, Blood Angels swearing loyallty to the dark gods, Horus killing Sang inside the VS, Sang as emperor of all mankind, Raldoron weeping over Sang's corpse

Chapter 18

immediately after waking up, Sang throws himself back into the battle

Absolutely furious while fighting the bloodthirster, possibly the psychic pull, possibly the idea of chaos claiming his legion pisses hiim off that much

Chapter 19

Sang is cursed with endless ragefire, menfestation of the darkness within, the gene flaw. Part of the Red Thirst and Black Rage maybe?

Wings came from the Ruinous Powers, according to Kyriss the demon. Says his core is wrath. Offers the deal--Sang goes traitor and embraces the ragefire, the legion will never know the flaw. Sang is quite sad about it, seems willing to do it, but an apothecary intervenes and takes the ragefire before he can. (RIP Meros, you were the MVP) . Sang is very upset that Meros wants to die in his stead.

Chapter 20

Able to hide pain very well

Swears to kill Horus for his treason after getting an answer

Got a black teardrop tattooed on his face

Swears the librarian from earlier to secrecy about the visions

Epilogue

Horus has Erebus's face peeled off after he has a control freak freakout, does not want Dark Gods getting the idea they're in charge and not him

The Wolf of Ash and Fire

Horus Aximand and Lupercal both have high aquiline features and a sardonic lip curl. Lupercal has ocean green eyes, white gold armors a staring eye on the breastplate (pre triumph of Ullanor). Engravings include armorer’s marks, eagle and lightning bolt, esoterica, and almost hidden Chthonian gang markings, hand-scratched

Keeps his Mournival very engaged, asks them lots of questions, lets them follow his logic to his conclusion

Big E: no helm, golden laurels, extremely strong psychic aura demanding fealty and love. Hours, meanwhile at least has the common sense to wear a helmet

Big E says Jagharai and Horus were always close, that Horus knows him better than even him. H says he barely knows him at all. E says it’s how he was made, at least one onlooker detects some regret

“Stars are our birthright”—Big E, when he found Horus on Chthonia. Seems to have forgotten saying that to Horus, but says he must build a galaxy good enough to make the human cost worth it

H always wants to be first, but Big e holds him back to teleport into the hulk with a lil joke

When Big E falls thru the floor Horus instinctually hurls himself after, alongside the Custodes, who are less durable and get pretty badly hurt on the way down. Sees dad, immediately goes to back him up, distracts the big one enough by shanking him, allowing Big E to get the lethal hit which is so psychically powerful for a moment Horus thinks he’s a foe

Aurelian

Corax heavily regrets not killing Lorgar, considers him the cancer at the heart of Horus

Lorgar; bass rumble, soft; voice made for reason

Wanted to help the people, stop the fires after finally conquering Colchis

Young, transcendentally beautiful but not attractc, tan skin, tiny gold script tattoos, warm dark eyes

Imagined the end of his crusade being greeted with cheers

Says to Kor Phaeron that he didn’t want to rule, only that he wanted people to see the truth

Foresaw the emperor coming

Magnus and Lorgar are the first to notice Fulgrim has been replaced, thru psychic power. Lorgar immediately freaks out and attacks Fulgrim

Magnus does not tell the others where they are

Night Haunter looks cadaverous, Mortarion emaciated, Alpharius’s helmet stays on as always. Mortarion’s surprisingly warm treating is lowering his scythe

Angron: bloodshot eyes, constantly twitching and spasming in pain, back of his skull malformed from the neural implants hammering in and then wired into his brain. Only Angron did not rule his world. Lorgar says he was on a backwater war with no name. L doesn’t like looking at him, for fear of provoking him—hates the guy. Handsome features beneath the pain

2 dozen cables into Perturabo’s bald head

Fulgrim is androgynous

Horus gives up on faking equality after Isstvan

Lorgar’s new colors are in honor of the treachery

Horus tries to keep the peace, knew ahead of time. Lorgar wants to destroy Fulgrim because he considers the puppeting situation absolute desecration compared to the balance of human and divine in the Gal Vorbak

Lorgar is notably angrier and more aggressive to his brothers

Lorgar told Magnus the full journey of what he was up to in his pilgramage

Magnus was more lenient on Eldar during crusades, Lorgar had them destroyed. Knew their language, hated their condescension, thought they had no write. No love for xenos in general. Says eldar failed to grasp the truth of reality, considers them ignorant

Can psychically probe now

Fights a dying shard of Khaine. Not terribly impressed

The demon from Cadia takes him through a variety of visions including Sanguinius killing Angel Tal at the eternity gate.

Lorgar has the impulse to reassert control violently when the demon sarcastically tells him to keep telling himself he can leave whenever he wants. Considers it easy. Considers himself unique in that he releases the weapon

In many futures he doesn’t survive long enough to fall: killed by assassins as a child, or by Kor Phaeron after taking over, stabbed Sanguinius in a fit of rage and Horus kills him after, defies his father and killed by Night Haunter and Russ

Notably throughout this the process the demon is kinda flattering toward him, saying he’s the master of his temper unlike his brothers, for example. Says later “Even when some of your brothers turn agains the Emperor, they will fight to command the Imperium. Only the Word Bearers will die fro the truth, and for humanity itself”

Lorgar calls Magnus the doubtless most powerful

Lorgar studied for a decade in Tizca

Stubbornly goes to speak with Magnus during the time travel section, despite being told not to

Even Lorgar is not big on the ugliness and physical transformation of chaos, at least not initially. Considers it an ugly truth that few will accept, so he’ll have to crusade and force them to. Thinks humanity could never reach its own enlightenment, thinks it’s the saddest part of the whole species. Thinks of himself a lil separate from humanity

In fifty years before the e Heresy, Magnus aged twice that. Apparently never had a handsome face, according to Lorgar: no armor, clad in light, no pearlescent gleam to the eyes.

The demon to Lorgar: “You are the chosen of the pantheon. You alone come to Chaos from idealism, for the betterment of the species. In this, as in all things, you are selfless.”

Apparently if he intervenes in the first Magnus Leman fight in Thousand Sonsc there’s a chance he will die, and he was almost certain to die in the fight with Corax

Angron’s wisdom : if you can bleed it’d you can kill it. Everything bleeds

Lorgar initially denies that he hates any of brothers, including Guilliman. Initially hesitant to kill him, but considers it a lesser evil, especially consider the genocidal loss of life required in such a war to start with

Thinks of Guilliman as a scolding blaming presence, condescending

Magnus is freaked out by how Lorgarms got the crazy eyes of prophets, fanatics and Big E

Lorgar has scars on his face and throat from Corax fight, no longer hesitated before taking

Horus is seething but barely putting up a front of friendliness, not as charismatic behind closed doors with Angron and Lorgar

Lorgar’s been collecting cargo holds full of faithful mortals from recent conquests, presumably for sacrifices

Angron is assigned to Lorgar possibly as punishment. Smiled when Lorgar finds this out. Lorgar finds this hideous

Lorgar goes out to hunt Fulgrim down, is quite pale by this point in the heresy

Fulgrim usually smiles familiarly around Lorgar, and Lorgar says there were subtle signs of fraternal condescension throughout their decades of brotherhood

Lorgar considers himself superior to Fulgrim because he’s an arch priest of all gods rather than a puppet of one

Lorgar’s sincere laughs and grins are rare, and are the only thing that ever breaks his resemblance to his daddy

Inheritor

Angron was very specific his sons had to cooperate fully with Lorgar and co

Strategem

Gulliman can’t mask that he admires Thiel’s temerity

Theatrically tears apart his own notes when Thiel sparks him to a revelation

The Long Night

Jago thinks Night Haunter killed Nostramo because he was embarrassed of it and how he failed

Sins of the Father

Sanguinius in his darker moments thinks of the future, and does not love his sonsc because he remembers they will not rise to his level. Is trying to raise up Amit and Azkaellon to his level of virtue

The Eagle’s Talon

Someone destroys evidence of an IF assassination thing over Tallarn, I think it’s Alpharius reviewing this info

The Herald of Sanguinius

Lion is quite furious to not immediately have access to Sanguinius

Azkaellon calls Gulliman cold, calculating, and functional just like his fortress

sang has told Azkaellon to stop bowing multiple times. He hasn’t stopped. Goes off to fight Lion about him treating his sons (implied) and won (also implied. Certainly scored a hit on Lion)

Sang has a couple blood angels be his herald and sub, calls them the Sanguinor

-Lorgar’s generally pretty affectionate with his sons, or at least they perceive affection in his voice. Very upset by Gulliman torching monarchia

-Gulliman is ice cold and professional

-Kor Phaeron-first captain, career asshole, wears terminator armor and uses power talons. Never wears a helmet. Not handsome, always sneering, hated by some of the Word Bearers for not being full Astartes and for being a nepo baby. Was old when big e came to Colchis. He and Lorgar worked together thru the civil wars to unify Colchis, was his foster father

-despite all this has a ton of victories and respect, a great preacher

-sends electricity thru the claws when he’s impatient

-Lorgar is called Aurelian mostly by his sons, also called Urizen as an informal title almost same as Fulgrim called Phoenician and Ferrus Manus called Gorgon. By others called the Abbointed, the Seventeenth Sob, Bearer of the Word. His brothers call him his first name only, which comes from Colchis

-snowy gray eyes like Colchis’s skies, wears kohl, skin seems gold without visors because he has gold glyphs tattooed all over (looks like cuneiform which must be a trip for his Hittite father) on white skin. Shaved bald. Writing is continued onto his armor

-immediately calls for vengeance and retributio upon finding monarchia, is very quiet in this moment. Uneasy. Has black stubble there because too stressed out to shave. Slender lips. Huge crozius size of an Astartes is his stunner, has adamantiym orb stained black with silver rubes, spiked, ivory handle with a black iron grip. Impressive looking but ugly

-assumes Gulliman did it for nuts reasons, braces for treachery, still calls him brother and considers him at least biological family.

-Gulliman shows up in armor that’s pearl, gold, and cerulean, Malcador shows up with him in plain robes with a dark metal staff topped by the two headed eagle, skinny and so pale he’s almost gray, half a primarch’s height. Lorgar is visibly ticked to see Malcador. Gully’s stone faced, has deep set eyes

-Gully starts off icy, Malcador vaguely diplomatic, and Lorgar pretty passive aggressive. He demands answers. Malcador’s surprised he doesn’t already know. Reads as insincere throughout the scene, or at least in the prose. Lorgar is angry and flips out, yelling but still smiling

-denies Monarchia being noncompliant. Doesn’t recognize even after being told the religion was the issue; or that his dad was the one who sent Gully. Assumes Malcador is lying

-slaps Malcador across a city square basically

-Big E shows up in blinding gold, Gully has to turn away to avoid injury. Face changes depending on where you’re looking. Young and old, warlord and elder. Emotions also change quickly. Lorgar sees love and trust and then disappointment and disgust. Voice is quiet, strong, and emotionally vague

-Big E immediately makes Lorgar kneel

-Big E holds that Lorgar was supposed to be a general not a priest. Considers the worship poisonous. Very specific that it is not his imperium, Lorgar refuses to admit even then that he’s not a god. Says the eighteenth is the only failed legion, because the conquests are slow and they spend too much time on world post conquest. Orders them to do things like the others

-promptly lashes out at Gully (still an ice queen) assumes that he must be proud daddy likes him better. When Gully informs him that the custodes are going to be watching him, Lorgar tries to refuse and implies he’s the real threat. G says he has an active imagination. Lorgar says his devotion is his strength and hopes G has his own Monarchia. Names Calth! Lorgar attacks him, interpreting his order to return to his fleet and start working as mockery. Cracks G’s Aquila. G refers to this as a tantrum

-KP has sharpened incisors. Erebus thinks he’s always hungering. L sees KP as a loving father

-L stated a six year war to establish Colchis for Big E, called it the last war

-loincloth of coats weave, androgynous slender torso, branded and burned himself with colchisian runes and self flagellated after Monarchia

-Erebus cites Lorgar’s own words to him, acting as if he is still a believer. Starts kinda steering him towards the four. KP acts as if he worshipped big e because he trusted Lorgar’s judgement over his own, then says Lorgar’s the only one who didn’t get his father’s smiling cruelty. Lorgar tries to defend Magnus (who was there when L was found and probably the brother he was closest to), but KP says he has cruelty born of impatience. Espouses the belief that each primarch is a facet of the emperor. Uses the opportunity to put down Lorgar’s brothers and uplift him. He catches on, but is amused

-they say he embodies hope but has the fault of believing too deeply in others (on this I agree but I imagine the specifics are rather different)

-Lorgar insists strongly he is not a general

-he gets upset but finally accepts it when they say Big E is not a god, because they wasted all that life. They immediately start steering him towards undoing all that proselytizing for Big E, saying it’s his responsibility to admit he’s wrong

-L believed in chaos before seeing Big E in visions. KP says he should go see if there are gods after all

-KP suggests Lorgar consult Magnus for help as L seems more open to the old gods, since they’re both smart and like debating each other

-KP admits to having not fully snuffed the old faith on some worlds, Lorgar almost snaps his neck for this disobedience

-KP defends himself by saying he’s not a killer like Lorgar is not a killer

-KP suggests that since so many share beliefs that suggests it is true

-Lotgar was absent for a while before returning to bus fleet. Was missed. Returns in merry spirits. Promptly has an entire world slaughtered for using AI

-afterwards, Lorgar presents himself in the cowled gray robes of a Colchisian archpriest. These are embroidered with glyphs and are layered

-speaks to his sons alone, tries to get Custodes to leave them alone on grounds of private rights, then threatens them into leaving. Then tells them of the Pilgramage and then their return to Colchis

-Colchis is a slow dry hellhole, had been mostly left alone because fleets tended to vanish around their and Lorgar didn’t make them supply the great crusade. Magnus is waiting when Lorgar returns

-Lorgar’s flagship is the Fidelitas Lex

-Magnus is taller than Lorgar and doesn’t look like Big E at all. Magnus compliments Lorgar’s city, Lorgar is very flattered because Tizca is so pretty

-Lorgar likes Horus; loves Magnus because they can talk but still feels inferior because of the magic. Magnus is concerned about Lorgar’s modesty and gnostic streak (too concerned with big purpose and not today)

-Magnus has warned Lorgar against Kor Phaeron, doesn’t like when the calculating streak he inherited shows up. Lorgar thinks KP worries he isn’t worthy

-has a very traumatic childhood of psychic visions, compares himself to the ease Leman and Magnus have with them. The visions led him to war. Is upset that his father didn’t make anything better, wasn’t god, didn’t bring truth or answers. Definitely upset that his father didn’t bring it up or settle the issue until a century of bloodshed in

-has doubts about being made to be a warrior. Magnus brushes it off, Big E wanted conquests and made the appropriate tools. Lorgar thinks it’s destructive that humanity’s golden age is led by killers and not visionaries. Magnus says the visionary enough. Lorgar is very tired of being told that he’s a soldier when he wants to be a maker, Magnus says then he needs to give up the Astartes and that his balance it ought by sufficient conquest

-Lorgar starts lashing out, feeling Magnus is patronizing him. Does calm down when M tells him to

-Magnus, Horus, and Leman convinced Big E not to wipe out the Word Bearers (among others)

-Lorgar wants to talk about his lost brothers. Magnus doesn’t. They swore an oath not to

-Lorgar begs Magnus to help. Magnus warns him not to go looking for a new god to worship just cuz the old one fell thru. L is upset. He believes faith is the thing that keeps things working

-Lorgar still believes Big e is a god just not one worth worshipping

-Magnus and Lorgar continue to argue. Magnus basically refuses to answer any questions but does give ominous warnings. Takes after daddy!

-calms down markedly after Magnus leaves. Thanks Argel Tal and Xaphen for helping him up at Monarchia

-speaks psychically to his sons when Cyrene visits

-asks Cyrene to be a confessor and granter of forgiveness to him and his sons

-uses a strange kind of tarot card where there’s a psychoreactive liquid inside that changes shape to the kind of card. Hopes they’re widely used. His brothers pick on him for it

-begins to see himself in the prophecy of a golden lord that would lead humanity to perfection where previously he saw his father (would be extremely funny if this was instead some random imperial fist)

-weeps after finding Argel Tal after his ordeal

-isolates Argel Tal and immediately figures out that there’s a second soul stuck in there

-then interrogates him as to how that happened

-feel that they are reaching the end of the pilgrimage finding cadia and the eye of terror. Instead of running away screaming in the opposite direction from the spooky world psychically screaming his name, he goes down (truly, the best thing Big E could’ve done to inoculate his sons against chaos was a horror movie marathon)

-takes some soldiers and goes down to meet the weird Cadian cult. Figures out that there’s violet eyes result from the storm

-isn’t immediately freaked out by the human skin cloak or skin painted in Colchisian glyphs-or at least hides his surprised like he does when they speak his language

-called the true son of the pantheon by Ingthel, an adopted one

-cautions Argel Tal to hide his two soul situation

-is unbothered by the human sacrifice, gets defensive when Argel Tal questions this saying all he wants is the truth. Truly has his fathers respect for human life

-extremely upset when a custodes kills his sons, offers truce beforehand when he is already set to kill him. Promptly has the custodes murdered and sacrificed. Is upset when he thinks Argel Tal hates him for the sacrifice situation

-thinks the ritual is incredible, recognizes it all. Promptly defends himself it against finding it beautiful just necessary

-says truth is ugly, and that’s why people believe lies

-initially refuses to sacrsfice his sons for answers, demon points out he’s destroyed everything else for answers, promptly acquiesces

-Lorgar knows Argel Tal’s backstory, uses this to pull him back when interrogating the demon about the eldar. Says all his sons are precious to him

-in the little chaos vision of the lab we see that Big E is powerful enough to see Argel Tal and co. if they were to muck about in the past

-inside the pods the primarchs are looking like regular babies. This contradicts the visions Horus gets in False Gods

-whatever 11 did was so bad AT wants to kill him in his crib before he soils his innocence and breaks Lorgar’s heart. Rumors say Gully adopted the 2 and 11 left over

-Chaos says Anathema and the gods entreated to make the primarchs. Gods wanted him to concert humanity to their worship, he refused, they took the kids. They call this divine justice-maybe to manipulate the Astartes listening

-Lorgar wants Kor Phaeron and Erebus after Horus’s future is hinted at. Kinda like a kid having a nightmare. Nearly kills Argel when he and the demon speak honestly about how they suck

-primarchs babies: black haired one with pale skin and fierce eyes will lead black armored warriors lands in forest, slender white haired child lands in tundra (Dorn), bronze skin one lands close to a snowy mountain with a fortress breaking into clouds, Konrad lands on nostramo driving deep into the land already pale as a ghost and unhealthily gaunt grabs a weapon from his drop pod immediately, brutal mountain range baby has extremely traumatic landing and screams in pain, in the sick fog Mortarion falls already pale, Magnus lands already floating in a city; gray eyes pale boy lands on a lifeless awful place like moon, Lorgar lands in a rushing water

-did not know what would happen to Argel Tal, or so he claims

-Lorgar travels into the Eye, ensure Erebus and Kor Phaeron will spread the old faith while he’s gone. Believes he and his sons are saviors. The horror show he sees is transmitted to his sons, sees lots of visions of the imperium dying by xenos hands

-Perturabo’s legion abandoned the great crusade and then massacred Olympia for rebellion. Lorgar’s legion orchestrated this rebellion. With the slaughter of their own people that will force them into standing with Horus. One can only imagine this is something Lorgar tries to keep quiet

-Argel Tal thinks so highly of Lorgar’s innocence that the sorta backstabbing conspiracy style reads as KP and Erebus stuff

-Lorgar shares a ton of knowledge and wards to the chaplains thru the Book of Lorgar

-Lorgar doesn’t demand the Gal Vorbak kneel for him. KP isn’t on board

-even other word bearers think Erebus is annoying as hell. For the legion that started the warrior lodges they don’t seem to have much of a culture of honesty and equality themselves

-Lorgar gives a big speech before Isstvan to assorted legions. Focuses on how the imperium has failed each individual legion, focusing on lax laws for night lords, no recognition for iron warriors, too friendly to xenos for the alpha legion, and being founded on lies for the word bearers. Excellent iterator to the point it kinda undermines his trustworthiness with some people because they know how good he is at telling them what they want to hear

-sevatar: first guy to say “death to the false emperor”

-Konrad Curze isn’t majestic anymore; in black armor with unpolished brozne in this one. Power claw. All business in this chapter

-Erebus and Kor Phaeron hold a secret convo over AT’s increasing possession. Erebus (who was once extremely pissed that AT refused to become a chaplain with him, and was the one who selected him) tells AT he’s proud of him (if ever there was a sign that you have made a really really bad decision…)

-Angron’s fucking shit up, Fulgrim is too but also having a ball, Horus is constantly giving orders

-Perturabo is proud but not particularly invested in his legion’s discipline. Tolerates his allies but doesn’t want them in the way

-KP’s teeth are yellow

-Erebus is generally dry and snarky

-Lorgar can’t look away from Fulgrim and Ferrus fighting. When he was younger he’d tried to reach out to Fulgrim but had been rebuffed because he was a failure. Never said this outright, could just be Lorgar seeing malice where there never was any. Ferrus had a lot of anger but didn’t hide it. Only strong memory was this one where Lorgar was summoned to his forge, asks if FM can make anything not destructive, FM asks if he can make anything not worthless, and then gives him the crozius as thanks for the reinforcement (rescue but IH have an ego). Then tells him to get lost. Watching this L is horrified because this is his family, ther had to have been another way. Fully sets the plan at KP’s feet. They try to convince him it’s not a big deal, not to grieve or that it was his idea

-Corax turns on the jet packs and starts tearing thru WBs

-Lorgar breaks from the plan to protect his sons, and both KP and E are really annoyed. Breaks from the gods’ plans. Thinks that tho he worships the four he’s not enslaved to them so can still make choices. KP is grieved to watch him go to his likely death fighting Corax

-Corax and Lorgar barely knew each other

-Lorgar had always bitten back his psychic potential

-Corax is pretty easily kicking Lorgar’s butt, still tries to figure out what they are doing. Does consider Lorgar blood, finds this aspect of the treason as well as destruction of the empire particularly appalling. Doesn’t like the overthrowing of order

-when he thinks he’s going to die, he says over and over that their father lied. Then goads Corax on to kill him-the only primarch who never wanted to be a soldier

-Curze saves Lorgar. Seems to do it more to piss off Corax, considers Lorgar a worthless coward. Is disgusted by the demon thing

-Erebus is curious about how it’s like ti be a demon. Forgave AT for trying to kill him. Claims that WB follow Lorgar because he is right not because of gene seed

-KP ran the show while Lorgar was grieving post-Eye

-he was horrified. Didn’t think humans would accept it. They had to purge the WB of the resistance

Chapter 3

As part of the Promethean Creed Vulkan brought in, fire is both baptism and funeral

Despite Salamanders refusing to put him to rest anywhere else, Gulliman won’t let them go out in the Ruinstorm

Chapter 5

‘Will is everything’—Big V (motivates self-sacrafice, endurance, etc)

Chapter 9

Guini, Robu, and Lion are all at least somewhat armored in the throne room. Lion wears an ivory cloak. None wear their helmets. Robu is irritated that the Salamanders seem to be blaming him and his staff for losing Vulkan’s corpse. Lion’s interested. Gini defuses it.

Chapter 11

V has this weird hammer sigil they’re carrying around, not to forge or kill with. Pretty sure it’s the teleport homer

Chapter 15

Lion has hooded eyes, long blond hair, in a gauntlet in the gardens, sneaks up on Numeon to speak with him. Questions Numeon, avoids revealing his own thoughts.

Twitches at the mention of Caliban, in the context of lost causes one refuses to give up on. One wonders what Numeon has heard and is referring to

“Lost causes are sometimes all we have to strive for”

Chapter 17

Robu is wearing ultramarine cobalt-blue armor, a crimson cloak trimmed with Konor-native fur, an ultima on his chest, a bolt pistol, a gladius, clearly not fully paying attention. Is saddned to destroy his beautiful city by turning it into a fortress. Swears to avenge Vulkan.

Chapter 20

Nocturnean sigil for courage is anvil

Chapter 21

Vulkan died not allow usage of dirty bombs. Disagreed with Ferrus on this matter. Ferrus figured it was about as torturous as burning people to death, Vulkan disagreed.

Chapter 33

Rumor is that Horus has Ferrus’s skull and praised Fulgrim for taking him out

Chapter 35

Magnus goes rifling thru their navigator’s thoughts, is called the One-Eyed King

Chapter 37

Chaplains are already beseeching their dads for guidance

Chapter 47

Mangus intervenes during a fight with a demon child. Bronze skin, oxidizing, baked cracked leather armor, brittle limps with sharp protusions, one eyes, the other a slit in scar tissue. Arrogant

Chapter 48

Salamanders compulsively kneel. Angry, condescendingly amused, rifling through everyone’s mind. Magnus is sad Vulkan’s dead, angry Numeon doesn’t accept it. Shapeshifts to look like Vulkan. Hints he’s been watching over them, does help them in a weird way. Seems to have gotten rid of the demon at least

Chapter 50

Salamanders can’t make sense of Magnus’s motives. Worry there’s a price

Chapter 67