Horus Heresy
Encyclopedia
In the fictional Warhammer 40,000
universe, the Horus Heresy was a galaxy-spanning civil war
that marked the end of the Great Crusade which took place in the 31st millennium. First described in the 1988 Games Workshop
book Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, it was used as the background for the original "Epic-scale" Space Marine
and Adeptus Titanicus games since. By providing a justification for intra-imperial warfare, it spared the effort to include different armies in the basic games boxes.
and executed by their allies and minions. It involved his near-fatal injury and supposed healing; both events were designed to make Horus susceptible to the influence of Chaos and lead to his eventual corruption. He turned traitor against the Emperor and the Imperium, ultimately leading eight other Primarchs, as well as their Legions
, in battle against the Emperor. Most of those who turned against the Emperor became, or already were, corrupted by Chaos
. Horus was finally killed in single combat with his creator and his forces fled to the Eye of Terror, where they created their own empires and have continued to harry the Imperium ever since. The Emperor himself was near fatally wounded and is kept in a moribund state by a technological marvel known as the Golden Throne, only able to express himself psychically.
, set in this time period (30,000 AD) as opposed to the circa 40,000 AD era of most Warhammer 40,000 literature. An initial scene-setting trilogy featured the Luna Wolves and portrayed the fall of their Primarch (the Warmaster Horus) and the beginning of the Heresy. The story was then expanded to include the actions of other Legions in the war and the role of various Imperial organisations. More material is being added to the overall Heresy story, and it has only covered up to the period where the Traitor forces are ready to start the journey to Terra in the timeline of the Heresy. However additions to the material are not done in linear fashion and the novels are not strictly sequential; later novels may concern earlier events in the Heresy story than their position in the series would suggest, or may include time periods already covered in other material.
The Horus Heresy literature includes print novels, ebooks, audio books, special editions, short stories, posters, and art books.
"A Thousand Sons" and "Prospero Burns" are part of the same story arc, from the viewpoints of two opposing Legions of Space Marines.
"Descent of Angels" and "Fallen Angels" are two parts of a trilogy that includes a third book not in the above list.
, a collectible card game
produced by Sabertooth Games
, and a wargame
released by Games Workshop in 1993 with the same name.
In 2010, Fantasy Flight Games
released a board game, also entitled Horus Heresy, which focuses on the battle of Terra.
with the older material. The information provided in the novel series is generally assumed to be canonical and superseding the older material.
Emperor's Children
Death Guard
Word Bearers
Imperial Fists
Ultramarines
Dark Angels
Thousand Sons
Space Wolves
World Eaters
Blood Angels
Iron Warriors
Night Lords
White Scars
Imperial Army
Martian Mechanicum
Remembrancers (Historians and war artists of the Crusade)
Saturnine Navy
Other
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
universe, the Horus Heresy was a galaxy-spanning civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
that marked the end of the Great Crusade which took place in the 31st millennium. First described in the 1988 Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
book Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, it was used as the background for the original "Epic-scale" Space Marine
Space marine
The space marine, an archetype of science fiction, is a soldier that operates in outer space or on alien worlds. Historical marines fulfill amphibious roles: ship defence, landing parties, and general high-mobility deployments...
and Adeptus Titanicus games since. By providing a justification for intra-imperial warfare, it spared the effort to include different armies in the basic games boxes.
Cause
More than two centuries into a campaign during the 31st millennium to reunite the planets inhabited by humans and create via genocide a human-only galactic empire, the Emperor of the new Imperium made Horus, the first and most trustworthy of the Primarchs, Warmaster (commander-in-chief) of his armed forces and overall leader of the Great Crusade. The Emperor leaves the crusade and returns to Terra (Earth) to continue his work to gain access to the Eldar webway. These actions exacerbated existing tensions among some of the other Primarchs, especially those who felt slighted by other decisions of the Emperor or had grievances against their brothers. However Horus became the target of a conspiracy planned by the Chaos godsChaos (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in a different timespace, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy...
and executed by their allies and minions. It involved his near-fatal injury and supposed healing; both events were designed to make Horus susceptible to the influence of Chaos and lead to his eventual corruption. He turned traitor against the Emperor and the Imperium, ultimately leading eight other Primarchs, as well as their Legions
Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 setting created by Games Workshop, Space Marines are genetically modified "super human" soldiers created by the Emperor to conquer the galaxy and defend mankind. According to Games Workshop, there are over a thousand recorded chapters of Space Marines,...
, in battle against the Emperor. Most of those who turned against the Emperor became, or already were, corrupted by Chaos
Chaos (Warhammer)
In Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes, Chaos refers to the often stereotypically malevolent entities which live in a different timespace, known as the Warp in Warhammer 40,000 and as the Realm of Chaos in Warhammer Fantasy...
. Horus was finally killed in single combat with his creator and his forces fled to the Eye of Terror, where they created their own empires and have continued to harry the Imperium ever since. The Emperor himself was near fatally wounded and is kept in a moribund state by a technological marvel known as the Golden Throne, only able to express himself psychically.
Literature
Around 2005 the background material had started to be expanded with a collection of art books and novels created by various authors from the Black LibraryBlack Library
The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes...
, set in this time period (30,000 AD) as opposed to the circa 40,000 AD era of most Warhammer 40,000 literature. An initial scene-setting trilogy featured the Luna Wolves and portrayed the fall of their Primarch (the Warmaster Horus) and the beginning of the Heresy. The story was then expanded to include the actions of other Legions in the war and the role of various Imperial organisations. More material is being added to the overall Heresy story, and it has only covered up to the period where the Traitor forces are ready to start the journey to Terra in the timeline of the Heresy. However additions to the material are not done in linear fashion and the novels are not strictly sequential; later novels may concern earlier events in the Heresy story than their position in the series would suggest, or may include time periods already covered in other material.
The Horus Heresy literature includes print novels, ebooks, audio books, special editions, short stories, posters, and art books.
Novelization
- Horus Rising - Dan AbnettDan AbnettDan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
- April 2006 - False Gods - Graham McNeillGraham McNeillGraham McNeill is a British novelist. He is best known for his Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 novels, and his previous role as games designer for Games Workshop.-Biography:...
- June 2006 - Galaxy in Flames - Ben Counter - October 2006
- The Flight of the Eisenstein - James SwallowJames SwallowJames Swallow is a British author and scriptwriter. He is the author of several original books and tie-in novels, as well as numerous audio dramas and videogames....
- March 2007 - Fulgrim - Graham McNeill - July 2007
- Descent of Angels - Mitchel Scanlon - October 2007
- Legion - Dan Abnett - March 2008
- Battle for the Abyss - Ben Counter - August 2008
- Mechanicum - Graham McNeill - December 2008
- Tales of Heresy - Compilation. Nick Kyme & Lindsey Priestley (editors) - April 2009
- Fallen Angels - Mike Lee - July 2009
- A Thousand Sons - Graham McNeill - March 2010
- Nemesis - James Swallow - August 2010
- The First Heretic - Aaron Dembski-Bowden - October 2010
- Prospero Burns - Dan Abnett - December 2010
- The Age of Darkness - Compilation. Christian Dunn (editor) - April 2011
- The Outcast Dead - Graham McNeill - October 2011
- Deliverance Lost - Gav Thorpe - December 2011
- Know No Fear - Dan Abnett - March 2012
- The Primarchs - Compilation. Christian Dunn (editor) - June 2012
- Fear to Tread - James Swallow - September 2012
"A Thousand Sons" and "Prospero Burns" are part of the same story arc, from the viewpoints of two opposing Legions of Space Marines.
"Descent of Angels" and "Fallen Angels" are two parts of a trilogy that includes a third book not in the above list.
Audio books
- The Dark King and The Lightning Tower - Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett - June 2008
- Raven’s Flight - Gav Thorpe - February 2010
- Garro: Oath of Moment - James Swallow - 2010
- Garro: Legion of One - James Swallow - 2011
- Butcher's Nails - Aaron Dembski-Bowden - 2012
Special editions
- Promethean Sun - Nick Kyme - May 2011
- Aurelian - Aaron Dembski-Bowden - October 2011
- Limited Edition Horus Heresy audio boxset – Audio compilation – November 2011
Short stories
- "Death of a Silversmith" – Graham McNeill. In compilation Games Day Anthology 2011, edited by Nick Kyme – September 2011
Art Books
- The Horus Heresy: Collected Visions – Sabertooth (images), Allan Merret (text) – June 2007
Gaming
The war is also the focus of Horus HeresyHorus Heresy (card game)
Horus Heresy is a collectible card game by Sabertooth Games set in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. The card game attempts to recreate the struggle between the Loyalist forces of the Emperor of Mankind and the Traitor forces of Warmaster Horus, during the time known as the Horus...
, a collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
produced by Sabertooth Games
Sabertooth Games
Sabertooth Games is a now defunct Memphis, Tennessee based game company, founded in 2001. The company primarily produced collectible card games as a subsidiary of Games Workshop, PLC...
, and a wargame
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
released by Games Workshop in 1993 with the same name.
In 2010, Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
released a board game, also entitled Horus Heresy, which focuses on the battle of Terra.
Continuity
In some cases the new material introduced in the card game, art books and novels has led to continuity conflictsContinuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
with the older material. The information provided in the novel series is generally assumed to be canonical and superseding the older material.
Horus Heresy characters
Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus/Black Legion- Horus- Warmaster, Primarch of Luna Wolves
- Ezekyle Abaddon- First captain
- Tarik Torgaddon- Second Company captain
- Maloghurst "The Twisted" - Equerry to the Warmaster
- Horus "Little Horus" Aximand - Fifth Company captain
- Garviel Loken - Tenth Company captain
- Iacton "The Half-Heard" Qruze - Third Company captain
Emperor's Children
- Fulgrim - Primarch
- Eidolon - Lord Commander
- Julius Kaesoron - First Captain
- Vespasian - Lord Commander
- Saul Tarvitz - Tenth Company captain
- Lucius - Thirteenth Company captain
Death Guard
- Mortarion - Primarch
- Nathaniel Garro - Seventh Company captain
- Ignatius Grulgor - Second Company commander
- Calas Typhon - First Captain
- Ullis Temetor - Fourth Company captain
Word Bearers
- Lorgar - Primarch
- Erebus - First Chaplain
- Kor Phaeron - First Captain
- Argel Tal - Captain and Lord of the Crimson Guard
- Zadkiel - Fleet Captain
- Baelanos -
Imperial Fists
- Rogal Dorn - Primarch
- Sigismund - First Captain
- Halbrecht - Captain aboard The Phalanx
Ultramarines
- Roboute Guilliman - Primarch
- Lysimachus Cestus - Captain and Fleet Commander of 7th Company
- Atiges - 7th Company Honor Guard
- Saphrax - 7th Company Honor Guard Standard Bearer
- Laeradis - 7th Company Honor Guard Apothecary
Dark Angels
- Lion El'Jonson - Primarch
- Luther - Dark Angels 2nd in Command
- Zahariel - Junior Librarian
- Israfael - Chapter Librarian
Thousand Sons
- Magnus the Red - Primarch
- Mhotep - Captain of the Waning Mooon
Space Wolves
- Brynngar Sturmdreng - Captain, Wolf Guard
World Eaters
- Angron - Primarch
- Skraal - Captain
Blood Angels
- Sanguinius - Primarch
Iron Warriors
- Perturabo - Primarch
Night Lords
- Night Haunter - Primarch
White Scars
- Jhagati Khan - Primarch
Imperial Army
- Hektor Varvarus - Lord Commander of the Army of the 63rd Expedition
Martian Mechanicum
- Regulus - Mechanicum representative of the 63rd Expedition
Remembrancers (Historians and war artists of the Crusade)
- Kyril Sindermann - Primary Iterator(spokesman)
- Mersadie Oliton - Documentarist
- Euphrati Keeler - Imagist
- Ignace Karkasy - Poet
- Petronella Vivar - Documentarist
Saturnine Navy
- Kaminska - Rear Admiral of the Saturnine Fleet (flagship Wrathful)
Other
- Cyrene - The Blessed Lady (The First Heretic) though it may be argued through interpretation that First Chaplain Erebus of the Word Bearers is the first heretic of the Horus Heresy, since it is written in 'Horus Rising'(Abnett, 2006) and 'False Gods' (McNeill,2006) that Erebus was the architect of Horus's conversion to Chaos.