On a topic a little different than what we normally cover, I wanted to discuss some of the recent mysteries revealed in the recent Black Library, Horus Heresy novels. I’m a big Black Library - Horus Heresy fan, and I wanted to get some input from our like-minded readers concerning a few questions that some of the most recent novels brought up. If you’ve been keeping up with the Horus Heresy series, you know that a number of “mysteries” have been hit upon already
While I don’t think that I’ll be discussing anything that will spoil any of the Horus Heresy books (ie, OMG, the Emperor is really a 3rd Alpharius!?!), I’ll keep my thoughts below the fold. So, there’s a number of mysteries to be solved, but let me know what you think about the following:
1) Does each Primarch have a ‘Super Power?’
2) Are the Space Wolves ignoring the Edict of Nikaea?
3) Why doesn’t the Emperor tell the primarchs about what he’s doing on Earth?
1) Does each Primarch have a ‘Super Power?’
We know that each of the primarchs have their own specialties, and some of them are overt special powers (ie. Magnus and his psy-powers), but in the recent Horus Heresy novels we’re starting to see previously unknown abilities pop up. If you’ve listened to Raven’s Flight or read Deliverance Lost, you know that Corax has a “Stealth” like power. Reading Fear to Tread, you see that Sanguinius can see the future to a limited extent and he has a psychic connection to each of his sons. In Know No Fear, we see that Gulliman can process incredible amounts of tactical data (and to a similar extent, Corax in Deliverance Lost).
While I think that we could cover each primarch and analyze what their power/potential power is, I want to narrow my question to a single figure. What power does Horus possess?
It’s not shown in the books, but I can believe that he’s a strategist in the league of Gulliman. I buy that Horus can probably do similar feats of information assessment that we see Gulliman perform in Know No Fear, but besides that what really sets Horus apart? Revealed in Fear to Tread, Horus (Pre-Heresy) somehow appears/teleports into the middle of a well guarded, fortified Blood Angel camp. The tell-tale signs of teleportation are not there, and none of the Blood Angels on duty saw him pass by. Is this a clue that there is more to Horus than what we’ve been shown?
2) Are the Space Wolves ignoring the Edict of Nikaea?
A smaller mystery, but one that I keep on wondering about, does it seem like the Space Wolves are ignoring Nikaea? In Prospero Burns, when the Wolves attack the Thousand Sons, the Space Wolves employ Rune Priests. I rationalized it, that they were given special permission my Malcador or the Emperor, but it’s never spelled out. “We’ve come to reprimand you, on your use of psykers. Please ignore that we’re using them against you as well.”
Later in Fear to Tread, the Rune Preist Stiel is in full Librarian gear and briefly defends their legion’s use of psykers when confronted about the issue. That said, we don’t see him using any powers. Is he just parading around in his Rune Priest Gear, while not using any powers.
3) Why doesn’t the Emperor tell the primarchs about what he’s doing on Earth?
To get it out of the way, I’m assuming that the reason why the Emperor went back to Earth was to work on an Imperial Webway. My question revolves around why he doesn’t tell anyone what he’s up to.
To me, this is one of those “What the hell is the Emperor thinking?” type of questions. For example, why not tell the primarchs about the nature of the Warp and Chaos, especially the one that has crazy psy-powers (Magnus). In the Heresy Era, no one wants to talk about the WebWay, but then 10K years later, you have everyone and his brother running around in the broken down Eldar WebWay.
Maybe there’s something I’m missing, and that’s where you come in. Let me know about what you think. Did I just miss an entire chapter explaining these questions? Also, if you have your own questions, post them up. Thanks for reading.
-Crispy
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ReplyDelete2. The Rune Priests and all the Space Wolves didn't consider their Powers to be of "Librarian" origin. Librarians were Magnus's invention and was considered foul witchcraft ("maleficarum" if I remember the word) by the SW who saw their Powers come from the Land of Fenris rather than from the Warp. Soooo the Space Wolves kept using their "clean" Powers.
ReplyDelete3. There's a belief that the Emperor had this MASTER-PLAN from the very beginning: The Heresy, the heretics all this betrayal and disbelief in order to bring forth the strict ruling over Mankind.
Yet I don't think that's the case. That might be somehow connected with the Mechanicum whom he didn't quite well trust and thus wanted to keep his research secret. Or he was aware of Xenos spies, who couls learn of the Emperors aqcuisition of the Web-way tech. As for Magnus, I don't think he'll appriciate the Emperor's plans for him: to be for ever and ever trapped on the Golden Throne ain't what a son wishes from his father...
Anyway this was all abut keeping it secret from EVERYONE, for He was building an army-sized wide entrance into the Warp and was builing it in the heart of his Empire. It was wise to secure it from any incoming threats first. And to keep that, the work was to be completed in secrecy. Even Magnus took some time to find, where exactly the Emperor and with him the building site were.
Well, there's plenty of "maybe" here... That might as well be "What the hell is the Emperor thinking?" but only for the auther's cause. We as the sci-fi devoties should keep the mystery alive, no matter what ;)
#2 - Yeah, I see what you're saying there, and I see how the SWs see themselves. I suppose I just surprised that they would be okay splitting hairs like that. Also, why aren't they called out on it? Maybe they are and it just doesn't make for good reading. A Rune Priest at the 40K equivalent of the DMV getting his psychic hood revoked may not be super compelling.
Delete#3 - I can see some of the security reasons, but why he kept it from all of the primarchs is still weird to me.
Thanks for the comments,
-Crispy
1. The SW had a major indulgence for their pagan beliefs that disagreed with the Emperial Truths. The Fenrisian Psychic practices were a part of those beliefs and as such were equally indulgenced. In fact, the Emperor's seeming approval of Fenrisian pagan worships confuses me. On the other hand, their way of life - the life on a deathworld and all those traditions did give him a sturdy legion. Pagan traditions were a part of that way of life. Various rituals (not without psychic presence, I guess) wrought brutality into the would-be vikings. So that might be the reasoning behind that.
DeleteOr there's a more believable reason: GW intended to create an orthodox Norse culture and thought it to be incomplete without rune-castint, bone-rattling and thunder-summonings XD
2. I believe there was no other way. His sons were generals with their own minds and wits. They all had opinions of their own. Someone - no matter how grave the secret was! - will deffinitely tell his council about the web-way, the council might pass that further, even unwillingly - there are Xenos and Warpal psychers for whom breaking into an Astartes memory is not a problem... And that's it! No more secret, all is lost, full-scale invasion, millions dead, the Earth shattered and so on.. :D
The more Heresy books I read the more it comes across like the fall of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. The Emperor's Sons are desparate for his approval and like Yoda he coes off being all cryptic and secretive so the Primarchs start listening to those that do offer advice/support/compassion - their 'trusted' advisors or those rather helpful beings in the warp.
ReplyDeleteYou just end up thinking if only the Emperor had Supernanny on board, showed them the naughty step, some tough love, none of the Heresy woudl have happened. Similarly if Yoda had have been a little more forthcoming the poor younglings wouldn't have had to suffer!
Sometimes it seems like all of it could have been easily avoided through some basic actions. The Emperor was crusading with his sons for years, you'd think that he'd be able to rationalize his decisions to them during that time. I'd also think that he should have done something to mitigate some of the crazy stuff, like Night Haunter's visions, and Angron in general.
DeleteParallel: Yoda and Palpatine/Sidious. Did something occlude the Emp's precognition?
ReplyDeleteThinking on those lines, in Fear to Tread, Both Sanginius and Horus talk about how no one saw the Emperor going back to Terra. It was a surprise to both Horus, the great stategist, and Sanguinius, the precog. It's another of those things where you ask, I wonder what kind of future import that will have.
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