Re: What If? Horus never betrayed the Emperor?

Posted by Legiocustodes on Feb 13, 2013; 1:48pm
URL: http://the-lost-and-the-damned.71.s1.nabble.com/What-If-Horus-never-betrayed-the-Emperor-tp7579628p7579630.html

Over at Bolter and Chainsword there is a whole document looking at an alternate timeline! It's called the Dornian Heresy and looks at what if Dorn had been corrupted instead. It's good reading, especially the Index Astartes articles covering alternate loyalist legions.

Personally I think Erebus, Kor Phaeron, Lorgar and the Word Bearers would still have incited a heresy though it may have been less successful. By the time the Heresy begins the Night Lords have already gone rogue as their ranks are now full of murders and scum from Nostramo. The Iron Warriors had already committed genocide on their home planet's native populace so they would have little choice but to break with the Imperium, and it was only a matter of time before the Butcher's Nails turned the World Eaters into loons. Magnus was still going to dabble with sorcery which would still lead to a spanking from the Emperor and his wolves. As previously stated Lorgar was still going to be brooding over his rebuke from the big lad!

The Emperor's Children may or may not have escaped the predations of Slaanesh, but arguably given their personality they may well have trod this route without too much guidance from Horus.

If Horus didn't turn then obviously neither would his legion which was one of the largest at the time, and it is unlikely that without Horus's influence the Death Guard would have become traitors (though Old Canon suggests first captain Typhon was already corrupted.)

Without Horus turning then history and any sunsequent potential futures may have been altered so that the council of Xenos would not have challenged Alpharius and encouraged him to side with the Heresy in order to allow Chaos to consume itself.

So:
Word Bearers - probably still traitor
Night Lords, World Eaters and Iron Warriors - renegades
Emperor's Children - Either Way
Thousand Sons - Still devastated , remnants go renegade
Sons of Horus - Imperial
Death Guard, Alpha Legion - Probably Imperial

Additionally Luther would still have been bitter about his banishment to Caliban so it remains likely that the Dark Angels would still have suffered a similar fate....

Well that's my opinion anyway!