Horus Lupercal

Overview

The first son to be found and the Emperor's favourite, named Warmaster at the triumph of Ullanor. He turned against his father, triggering the civil war that bears his name, the Horus Heresy, and very nearly took Terra.

He fought with the Worldbreaker maul and a lightning claw known as the Talon of Horus, and wore the Serpent's Scales armour. At the end of the Siege of Terra he lowered the Vengeful Spirit's shields to lure the Emperor aboard, killed Sanguinius and mortally wounded his father before being destroyed. His Legion broke apart after his death. Horus was the first primarch to be found and the Emperor's most beloved son, the conqueror of Cthonia's gangs and later the first Warmaster. Charismatic and brilliant, he became the axis on which the whole Imperium turned. The wound he took on Davin and the whispers of Erebus and the Chaos gods turned that brilliance toward rebellion. The galactic civil war that followed bears his name, and it ended aboard the Vengeful Spirit with his death at the Emperor's hand.

Origins

Raised on the mining world of Cthonia, he was discovered first by the Emperor and fought at his side for decades before the other Primarchs were found. He led the Luna Wolves, later renamed the Sons of Horus.

Cthonia was a gang-ruled, mined-out world, and Horus learned there how to fight and survive among killers. Found first, he spent decades as the Emperor's only son and companion in the early Great Crusade. That closeness made his elevation to Warmaster at Ullanor seem natural, and his fall all the more shocking.

Key events

1. Was the first Primarch to be found, on the hive world Cthonia, and fought beside the Emperor for decades as his favoured son.
2. Named Warmaster after the victory against the Orks at Ullanor.
3. Wounded on Davin by an anathame blade, he was healed in a Chaos-tainted lodge and shown visions that turned him against the Emperor.
4. Purged loyalists at Isstvan III and orchestrated the Dropsite Massacre at Isstvan V.
5. Besieged Terra and killed Sanguinius aboard the Vengeful Spirit before being destroyed by the Emperor.
6. His body was later destroyed by Abaddon, who rejected Fabius Bile's attempts to clone him and swore to finish Horus's war without him.

Battles & campaigns

• Ullanor: He led the great victory over the Ork empire of Urlakk Urg, which led the Emperor to name him Warmaster.
• Davin: Wounded by the Anathame, he was carried to the Serpent Lodge temple and there was seduced by the Chaos gods.
• Isstvan III and V: He purged the loyalist elements of his own allied Legions and then ambushed seven loyalist Legions at the Drop Site.
• Siege of Terra: He brought his army to the Emperor's Palace and lowered the Vengeful Spirit's shields to lure the Emperor aboard.

Personality

Charismatic, warm and supremely capable, but proud. His fall came from injured pride and jealousy that Chaos was able to exploit.

He was a natural leader whom his brothers loved and followed. Yet he was also proud and quick to take offence, and when the Emperor withdrew to Terra, he felt abandoned. Erebus and the Chaos Gods exploited his doubts during his wounding on Davin, showing him visions that turned him against his father.

Weapons & Vehicles

Power FistMelee Weapon

An oversized servo-assisted armoured gauntlet sheathed in a matter-shredding energy field, capable of tearing open tank hulls and crush…

Thunder HammerMelee Weapon

A massive warhammer whose head releases a deafening concussive shockwave and disruption blast on impact, shattering Terminator plate an…

Storm BolterRanged Weapon

A twin-barrelled, double-chambered automatic bolter wielded one-handed by Space Marine Terminators, Grey Knights and battle tank pintle…

Drach'nyenRelic Weapon

The Echo of the First Murder—an ancient, bound Daemon greatsword wielded by Warmaster Abaddon the Despoiler that rends reality and woun…

Chaos TerminatorsElites · Unit

Traitor veterans in ancient, warp-twisted Tactical Dreadnought Armour who serve as their lord's brutal enforcers and take first pick of…

Thunderhawk GunshipVehicles · Unit

The Space Marines' heavy gunship and dropship, able to fly from orbit to the ground and land a full assault force under fire.

Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.

Connections

Characters (9)

• 
  The Emperor of Mankind enemy · Imperium of Man

  Horus, once his favoured son and Warmaster, rebelled and mortally wounded him aboard the Vengeful Spirit.

• 
  Rogal Dorn enemy · Imperial Fists

  Dorn led the defence of the Imperial Palace against Horus's siege.

• 
  Sanguinius killed · Blood Angels

  Horus killed Sanguinius aboard the Vengeful Spirit during the Siege of Terra.

• 
  Abaddon the Despoiler commander · Black Legion

  Abaddon was Horus's First Captain, and later rejected his legacy to found the Black Legion.

• 
  Alpharius Omegon ally · Alpha Legion

  The Alpha Legion sided with Horus, though their true motives remain debated.

• 
  Erebus manipulated by · Word Bearers

  Erebus engineered Horus's fall to Chaos on Davin.

• 
  Fabius Bile cloned by · Emperor's Children

  Fabius Bile created a clone of Horus in the Eye of Terror, which Abaddon destroyed.

• 
  Lorgar Aurelian ally · Word Bearers

  Lorgar and his Word Bearers were among the architects of Horus's rebellion.

• 
  Perturabo ally · Iron Warriors

  Perturabo joined Horus and led siegecraft against Terra's walls.

Factions

• Black Legion primary faction
• Chaos Daemons also affiliated

Also in this faction

Be'lakorGrandfather NurgleHaarken WorldclaimerKairos FateweaverKhorneKu'gath PlaguefatherSkarbrandSlaaneshTzeentch

Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.

Legacy

Horus's betrayal shaped everything that followed: the broken Legions, the Codex, the crippled Emperor and the eternal Long War. His Legion, renamed the Black Legion under Abaddon, still carries his ambition, though the Despoiler insists Horus failed. To the Imperium his name is the ultimate curse. His name became a curse. The Sons of Horus were reborn as the Black Legion, and Abaddon's Long War is, in part, an attempt to finish what Horus started without repeating his mistake of bowing to the gods.

Appearances & sources

• Horus Rising, False Gods and Galaxy in Flames (Dan Abnett, Graham McNeill, Ben Counter)
• The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra (The End and the Death)
• Horus Heresy game books (Forge World)