Daemonology

The Horus Heresy #Short Story

by Chris Wraight

Chagrined by his defeat at the hands of Jaghatai Khan, Mortarion abandons the pursuit of the White Scars and instead leads the Death Guard in a spiteful, punitive rampage across the systems of the Prosperine empire. World after world has fallen to this horrific onslaught, and yet the insular and secretive primarch seems preoccupied by some other, unspoken goal. Finally, on Terathalion, the truth of Mortarion's sinister heritage will be exposed, and the future of the XIV Legion will be written...

Read it because
The Death Guard have already embraced treachery, but this story follows their Primarch as he continues upon the road that will eventually doom his Legion to a plague-wracked damnation.

Genres: Science Fiction, 40k, Short Stories, Audiobook

22 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2014

About the author

Chris Wraight is a British author of fantasy and science fiction.

His first novel was published in 2008; since then, he has published books set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Stargate:Atlantis universes, and has upcoming titles in the Warhammer 40K setting.

He is based in the south-west of England.

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

After his defeat by the Khan on the ruined soil of Prospero, Mortarion takes his anger out on the library-world of Terathalion, looking for someone or something.



At last the Death Lord starts his path into the mysteries of the Warp he always despised.

With Scars and this e-short Chis Wraight started developing the Master of Barbarus from a b-villain to a full fleshed character, like Aaron Dembski-Bowden made for good with Angron.

Such a shame Mortarion and Deathguard still not havin'a full lenght Horus Heresy novel about them :(

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

April 2024 Re-Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order Omnibus XIV Shadows of the Warmaster II Lords of Death (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus series and extras.

A month on and in a different context as we're in Lords of Death baybee! So this is more about Mortarion as the chosen Champion of Nurgle and his succumbing to using sorcery as a necessary tool, while reflecting on just how much he's always loathed, rather than this being where Mortarion was before his clash with the Khagan in Scars.

I really got into it last time, so I'll just say that it remains very good and appropriately epic and portentuous, and that coming to this right after the Shield of Lies arc in the Garro novel, only makes me feel more confident my current theory about whether the perceived number of uber psykers there are in the galaxy is technically accurate or not.

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 24.64 Horus Heresy novels, 14 novellas (including 1 repeat), 83 short stories/ audio dramas (including 6 repeats), as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 13 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels and a short story...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.

***

March 2024 Re-Read using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project Reading Order - Omnibus XI Ordu of the Khan (https://www.heresyomnibus.com/omnibus...) as part of my Oath of Moment to complete the Horus Heresy saga and extras.

I had an absolutely wonderful time returning to this with the context of reading through the whole saga and particularly with this following directly on from Scars.

In the past Mortarion is kept around and waiting on Terra before joining the Great Crusade, spending some 'quality time' with THE Sigillite, while waiting to speak to his father, while in the present the Death Lord tracks down a being of great psychic potential to gain profane knowledge as he vents his hatred of witches and magic, even as he begins to wield and succumb to it and the embrace of the Grandfather.

This is one of the stories that really raises some questions about how planned for and/ or orchestrated by the Emperor and Malcador. I don't know the exact time frame of Mortarion joining the Great Crusade, but the Librarius seems to very much already be in effect and I Nikaea already being prepared, at least before Mortarion's objections to psykers. We see the big Chaos doors, their wards, the smell of incense and magic, despite Malcador's pitiful lies. We know that once Magnus accidentally smashes the wards and secret project the Emperor uses those doors and his own abilities to hold back Daemonic legions... We also know the Primarchs and Astartes created from their genes were created through some kind of bargain with the Darker Powers, one the Emperor seems to have welched on, and that so often lies and rumours in the Imperium hold a certain level of truth, which makes me wonder if the Emperor sought to ascend to and/ or supplant the Pantheon or at the very least use those doors and his work with the ancient and unused aspects of the Webway, Magnus discovered and inadvertently destroyed access to, in order to have access to the Realms of Chaos, as in the Domains of the Gods within the Emperium.

Anyways, so many shady shenanigans from those two old, sketchy geezers.

Mortarion is such an interesting character to me in how uninteresting I find him. I adore Nurgle and the joyous pox, but Mortarion always seeks so dour. I love both gallant Garro and treacherous and pregnant with Nurglings since way back, Typhon/ Typhus, but the Death Guard have never done it for me. Angron is my precious apoplectic baby and my empathy for him knows no bounds, but Mortarion is also horrifically treated by multiple father figures, lied to, and had an awful life...but I haven't really had a chance to see it and feel that empathy. I really have to read his Primarchs book and I pray that makes me feel something. I feel awful, but it seems his shitty personality (and mot seeing the awfulness) and him being such a boring and awful bastard makes it so hard to connect with him.

I look forward to seeing the storyline between him and the Warhawk continue to play out.

Anyways, I talked about a lot of stuff inspired by, but not necessarily explicitly in this story, but this story is great and it got me thinking and excited, so that's marvellous!

Through using the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project (www.heresyomnibus.com) and my own choices, I have currently read 20.41 Horus Heresy novels, 12 novellas, 56 short stories/ audio dramas, as well as the Macragge's Honour graphic novel, 10 Primarchs novels, 4 Primarchs short stories/ audio dramas, and 2 Warhammer 40K further reading novels...this run. I can't say enough good about the way the Horus Heresy Omnibus Project suggestions. I'm loving it! Especially after originally reading to the releases and being so frustrated at having to wait so long for a narrative to continue.

***

Initial Review 4/5

We don't often get to see much of Morty, Malc, and chats with Daemons, so this was rather a treat. It might not be rip-roaring combat or earth shattering revelations, but give me a tense conversation between Mortarion and the Sigilite, and again, the Pale King, or any Primarch to be honest, jawing with a Daemon about their inevitable damnation and how one of the the Ruinous Powers has their initials in a heart with IDET scrawled beneath on their diary, and I have going to be hooked.

Watching libraries burn is always heartbreaking. Seeing Mortarion put on timeout on Terra with the Imperium's #2 Worst Dad Ever blatantly lying to his grill was interesting and I always love a good 'pay no attention to the big Chaos doors' conversation. I know there are actual reasons, but I swear that chamber was created purely for Magnus to plough into. I also really enjoy the random Daemons that show up throughout the Horus Heresy that don't necessarily fit a Warhammer 40K model mould.

If you're expecting action, you're not going to get any beyond orbital attack on a civilian planet with a naughty library. If you want more proof that the Emperor and Malcador fucking suck and are the Chuckle Brothers on a galactic scale who manage to actually be their own worst enemeries (and nooooo slacking!) you're in luck. If you have any interest in the grumpiest Primarch you're in luck. Unfortunately, Mortarion still has zero personality beyond being as friendly as a doctor's surgery admin assistant.

I'm a huge Toby Longworth fan girl and he does a decent job, but this is a long way from his best narration.

(4/5 might be generous, but I was genuinely engaged and interested and I'm marking on a Black Library curve)

[Dylan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I only got to read this in pieces, what with running through the beautiful down town Fermoy, I still loved it. We haven't seen too much of Mortarion, and it has been a huge shame, as I think it would be amazing to see his origin in the Imperium as well as how he made war in the Great Crusade, because The Flight of the Eisenstein just is not enough. He is an amazing character, with a huge amount of potential, and I think that Chris Wraight may just be the man for job! He wrote this short beautifully, and Mortarion was just fucking awesome. I really hope we get to see more of him soon!

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's maybe cheating to add these as full novels, because this one was what, maybe 15 pages long?

*cough* Games Workshop *selling these for quite a lot of money* *cough* *insert standard rant here*

But it was pretty good for what it was. And I need to keep track of which ones I've read.

[Daniel McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the excellent treatment Angron has received since early in the series converting him from cardboard cutout to actual character and the more recent but equally effective exploration of Perturabo's character and motivations Mortarion was left as the most two dimensional traitor primarch with the least understood motivation. Basically all we had was he likes killing stuff and felt the Emperor was holding him back from killing stuff efficiently, until Scars, and Daemonology. We get a bit of the typical jealousy and neglect angle but mostly he claims to hate and fear the warp as a deadly plague and jumps onto exactly the wrong side do to what little he knows of the Emperor's warp dabbling despite the show trial at Nikea being thrown largely for his benefit. Then in this story he almost gleefully jumps right into everything he claims to hate with both feet.

I think I liked he enjoys killing stuff and felt the Emperor was holding him back from killing stuff efficiently better.

[J.P. Harker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do rather enjoy these HH shorts. With the big books I'll often skip one of the series if it's about a legion or faction that doesn't interest me, but with the short stories I'll take a chance. I've never been a fan of Mortarion or the Death Guard, but this was a nice little insight into him, and anything that sheds light on the Sigilite always gets me interested. Worth a look.

[Luke Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Chris Wraight's Horus Heresy specialty was the White Scars, he was very good with the Space Wolves and here, the Death Guard...

A fascinating look at Mortarion's thought processes as he grapples with his prejudices against sorcery and takes the first step on the path that will damn him to the Grandfather, and becoming everything he once despised...

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a quick read than a short story but excellent none the less. Other BL authors have spent pages telling similar tales to lesser effect.

[Bookcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really need to read more about Mortarion and the Death Guard. This was interesting.

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two cool stories cut together, I don't think jumping between them helped the narrative though, they probably could've been separate.

[Maksim Prokhorov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun short story. I liked Mortation's characterization. Sometimes the language felt a bit too melodramatic, but that's expected of warhammer. Rich with unique prose.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically just follows a interaction between mortarion and malcador but was pretty interesting. Collected in
War Without End anthology.

[Matt Argueta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good preface to what will lead into more story for Mortarion

Short, but didn't feel superfluous like some of the other shorter stories have been

[Alfonso Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia corta entretenida y una más que bienvenida expansión en la personalidad y en la forma de pensar de Mortarion. 4/5.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All the gene-progeny of the Great Project had been damaged by the scattering, but Mortarion’s wounds ran deeper than most. Angron had been physically damaged, and Curze’s mind had sunk into darkness, but Mortarion seemed to have inherited something of both afflictions.”

Set after the events of "Scars" and before "Vengeful Spirit".

Mortarion’s hatred and distrust of “witch-kind” runs deep as a result of a brutal childhood on Barbarus. That hatred will see him raze a planet to the ground.

This story helps to illustrate Mortarion’s fall, his distrust of the Emperor and the Malcador makes his betrayal unsurprising, but tragic. If the circumstances had been different, if Barbarus had not been his adopted home, maybe he would have stood a chance. But instead, he is damned to become what he hates the most.

[Rakib Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest I was a bit reluctant to pick this up, as I have not previously read any Horus Heresy novels (which I have been meaning to start from the beginning for quite awhile now). My knowledge of the event is very minimal, specially from various sources (mostly reviews) from the internet. But somehow I decided to read this short, and I am quite glad I did.

It is quite an interesting read about the leader of Death Guard Mortarion, after his abandonment of the pursuit of the White Scars and his search while destroying the systems of the Prosperine empire. As readers we get into his psyche as we learn about his hatred for anything to do with sorcery and his reluctance to accept chaos entity's as allies. And then we get to his confrontation with a demon host which leads to interesting consequences and foreshadows the events of his future.

Chris Wright had a fine grasp of the plot and presented the characters enjoyably even in this small scope. His prose was quite intriguing and the presentation style was top notch too, which led to a quick read in one sitting for me.

Only complain I have is about the length, wish it was at least a novella.
This gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/

[Lee Rawnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little story with some nice insights into Mortarion's motives