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The devout Primarch whose faith in his father as a god was rejected. Searching for truth, he found Chaos and became the true author of the Heresy.
He wields the crozius Illuminarum and his words carry immense power. During the Heresy, he orchestrated the betrayal at Isstvan V and the Shadow Crusade against Ultramar. He has since become a daemon prince and is rarely seen, spending his time in meditation and prayer. Lorgar Aurelian, primarch of the Word Bearers, was the first and most devoted of the Emperor's worshippers. He grew up on Colchis among the Covenant priests. The Emperor humiliated him for that faith on Monarchia, and Lorgar turned to the gods of Chaos instead. He laid the groundwork for the Horus Heresy and later became a Daemon Prince of all four gods.
Origins
He was raised by priests on the theocratic world Colchis, whose faith he reformed and overthrew.
On Colchis, he was raised by the priest Kor Phaeron and led a holy war against the theocracy that ruled the planet. When the Emperor arrived, Lorgar saw him as a god and devoted his Legion to worshipping him. The Emperor's rebuke at Monarchia, where Lorgar's devotion was condemned, shattered his faith.
Key events
- Was found on Colchis, where he became the prophet of its religion.
- Led the Word Bearers in founding cathedrals and enforcing worship of the Emperor as a god.
- Censured by the Emperor, who ordered Monarchia razed in front of the kneeling Word Bearers.
- Embraced the Chaos Gods with Erebus and Kor Phaeron, and seeded Horus's corruption.
- Ordered the betrayal at Calth and the Shadow Crusade against Ultramar.
- Ascended as a daemon prince and withdrew to the daemon world Sicarus.
The search for the gods continued. The Word Bearers' Serrated Sun Chapter went into the Eye of Terror and saw Crone Worlds stripped of life. Their guide Ingethel told them a misleading story about Slaanesh's birth and the Aeldari Fall. Forty-three years before Isstvan V, Lorgar flew a Stormbird into the Eye and set foot on the Crone World of Shanriatha to meet the powers himself. Later, aboard his flagship Fidelitas Lex, he hosted Curze, Alpharius and Perturabo and their commanders. He described the new Imperium that would rise from the ashes, ruled by the chosen of the gods, and declared that the four Legions would no longer hide their allegiance. When Corax's Raven Guard struck at Isstvan V, Curze saved Lorgar's life and warned him that next time he would let him die. Lorgar then saw that the Gal Vorbak had transformed into crimson, bone-ridged, horned possessed.
During the Calth campaign the Word Bearers used the bloodshed to raise the Ruinstorm, a warp storm that cut Ultramar off from Terra. After Horus fell at Beta-Garmon, Lorgar boarded the comatose Warmaster's Vengeful Spirit with the Dark Apostle Zardu Layak and agreed to gather the traitors at Ullanor. Guided by Actaea, an oracle-disciple of Cyrene Valantion, he travelled through the Webway into the realm of Slaanesh, where he found the daemonic Fulgrim fighting N'Kari. Horus recovered thanks to the sacrifice of his equerry Maloghurst, and Lorgar revealed a plot to replace him. He planned to disorient Horus with a psychic scream fuelled by mass sacrifice, have Fulgrim strike and let the Word Bearers and Emperor's Children in orbit destroy the Sons of Horus. The plot came to nothing, and Horus remained Warmaster.
Battles & campaigns
- Monarchia: The Ultramarines razed the Word Bearers' perfect city to the ground on the Emperor's orders.
- Cadia and the Eye of Terror: He and Kor Phaeron travelled into the Warp and were shown the truth of the Chaos gods.
- Isstvan V: He fought Corax at the Drop Site Massacre.
- The Shadow Crusade: The Word Bearers and World Eaters ravaged Ultramar alongside the betrayal at Calth.
Personality
A scholar and orator seeking meaning, needy for approval and capable of righteous savagery.
He was a devoted scholar and orator who sought truth and meaning. He was needy for approval, and the Emperor's rejection hurt him deeply. His faith in Chaos is as fervent as his former devotion to the Emperor.
Weapons & Vehicles
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Explore all 48 entries in the Weapons & Vehicles armoury.
Connections
Characters (4)
The Emperor of Mankind enemy · Imperium of ManThe Emperor rebuked Lorgar's worship at Monarchia, setting him on the path to Chaos.
Angron brother · World EatersLorgar was one of the few brothers close to Angron and helped bring about his ascension to daemonhood.
Horus Lupercal ally · Black LegionLorgar and his Word Bearers were among the architects of Horus's rebellion.
Factions
- Word Bearers primary faction
- Chaos Daemons also affiliated
Also in this faction
Some links are thematic parallels (marked "parallel") rather than recorded meetings. See the connections web.
Legacy
Lorgar is often seen as the true architect of the Heresy. His search for faith led the Legions to the Chaos Gods, and the Word Bearers still spread his creed as zealous missionaries of the Pantheon. Calth and the Shadow Crusade made the Ultramarines and Word Bearers bitter enemies. He has withdrawn from the Long War into contemplation, leaving his sons to spread his faith. The Word Bearers became the evangelists of Chaos, and Lorgar's plans laid the foundations for Erebus, Kor Phaeron and the betrayal at Calth.
Appearances & sources
- The Horus Heresy novels The First Heretic and Betrayer (Aaron Dembski-Bowden)
- Lorgar: Bearer of the Word (Gav Thorpe)
- Codex: Chaos Space Marines (Word Bearers background)