Horus Lupercal

• Primarch Horus
• Warmaster of Chaos

“	You are like a son and together we have all but conquered the galaxy. Now the time has come for me to retire to Terra. My work as a soldier is done and now passes to you, for I have great tasks to perform in my earthly sanctum. I name you Warmaster and from this day forth all of my armies and generals shall take orders from you as if the words came from mine own mouth. But words of caution I have for you, for your brother Primarchs are strong of will, of thought and of action. Do not seek to change them, but use their particular strengths well. You have much work to do for there are still many worlds to liberate, many peoples to rescue. My trust is with you. Hail Horus! Hail the Warmaster!	„
	~ The Emperor of Mankind, giving Horus the title of Warmaster

• Classic
• Modern

“	Poor Sanguinius. I offered him a position of power in the new order. He could have sat at the right hand of a god. Alas, he chose to align himself with the losing side. He gave me little alternative but to kill him. With my bare hands I throttled the life from him... Why? You ask me why? Have all those millennia taught you nothing? Weak fool! Your timidity prevented you from binding the forces of Chaos. Rather than tame your enemy you merely antagonised them. I have done that which you would not do. You meekly shy away from the ultimate power, while I have bound the Ruinous Powers to my will! I shall lead humanity into a new age of galactic supremacy. I have done this, I, Horus, Master of Chaos, Lord of Mankind, true Emperor of Humanity!	„
	~ Horus, before his final battle with the Emperor

“	I never wanted this. I never wanted to unleash my legions. Together, we banished the ignorance of Old Night. But you betrayed me, you betrayed us all. You stole power from the Gods and lied to your sons. Mankind has only one chance to prosper; if you will not seize it, then I WILL. So let it be war: from the skies of Terra, to the galactic rim. Let the seas boil, let the stars fall. Though it takes the last drop of my blood, I will see the galaxy freed once more. And if I cannot save it from your failure, father, then let the galaxy burn.	„
	~ Horus Lupercal, Warmaster of Chaos

“	I am Horus, forged of the Oldest Gods, I am he who gave way to Khaos I am that great destroyer of all. I am he who did what seemed good to him, And set doom in the palace of my will. Mine is the fate of those who move along This serpentine path.	„
	~ Prophecy from the mythical Book of Atum, regarding the death of the universe.

Summary

"It is the folly of men to believe that they are great players on the stage of history, that their actions might affect the grand procession that is the passage of time. It is an insulating conceit a powerful man might clasp tight to his bosom that he might sleep away the night, safe in the knowledge that, but for his presence, the world would not turn, the mountains would crumble and the seas dry up. But if the remembrance of history has taught us anything, it is that, in time, all things will pass. Unnumbered civilisations before ours are naught but dust and bones, and the greatest heroes of their age are forgotten legends. No man lives forever and even as memory fades, so too will any remembrance of him.

It is a universal truth and an unavoidable law that cannot be denied, despite the protestations of the vain, the arrogant and the tyrannical.

Horus was the exception."

‐ Kyril Sindermann, Preface to the Remembrancers

“I hear you, and I defy you. This universe will burn as countless others have burned before it! There can be no victory against Chaos. If you cannot accept its power and its glory, then you shall die. The Emperor is doomed. I will kill Him myself.”

‐ Horus Lupercal, Warmaster of Chaos, to his brother Leman Russ

Horus Lupercal, also known more simply as the Lupercal during his lifetime by the Astartes of his Luna Wolves Legion, was one of the twenty genetically-engineered Primarchs created by the Emperor of Mankind from the foundation of his own DNA before the start of the Great Crusade to lead the armies of the newborn Imperium of Man. Horus was the Primarch of the Luna Wolves Legion of Space Marines (later renamed the Sons of Horus), the first Imperial Warmaster, the most favoured son of the Emperor of Mankind, and ultimately, the greatest traitor in the history of mankind.

Horus' homeworld was the hive world of Cthonia which lay only a few light years from Terra. Horus was thus the first Primarch to be rediscovered by the Emperor after the Great Crusade began in the late 30th millennium. Horus was responsible for unleashing the horrific seven-year-long civil war known as the Horus Heresy upon the Imperium of Man in the early 31st millennium which killed untold trillions of men, women, and children in pursuit of his mad ambition to overthrow the Emperor of Mankind and replace him as the ruler of the human race. While Horus ultimately lost his bid for power and was slain by the father he had once so loved during the Siege of Terra, his actions damaged the Imperium of Man beyond repair and inaugurated the current Age of the Imperium, when mankind is beset by countless horrific dangers to its existence and the Imperium itself has become a stagnant, repressive, intolerant and dehumanizing galactic presence.

Powers and Stats

Tier: At least 8-B | At least 8-B | 4-B, possibly High 3-A physically, Up to High 1-B with psychic powers

Key: Loyalist | Warmaster of Chaos | During the Siege of Terra

Name: Horus Lupercal, Nergüi, Horus the Warmaster, the Lupercal, Warmaster of the Imperium, the Breaker of Tyrants, the Favoured Son, the Emperor’s Vigilance, the Eye of Terra, Great Lupercal, First Son of the Emperor, ‘Finest of the Primarchs’, the ‘Beloved Scion’ | Horus Lupercal, Warmaster of Chaos, Chosen Champion of the Dark Gods, 'Lord of the Primordial Truth', 'Lord of the Space Marine Legions', ‘Lord of Chaos’, the 'Arch-traitor', the 'Great Betrayer', the 'Warmonger', 'Saviour and Master of Mankind' and ‘True Emperor of the Imperium’ by his servants, ‘Doomed Warmaster’, 'Sacrificed King' by Daemons, was going to ascend to become the 'Dark King', a fifth Chaos God, before death

Origin: Warhammer 40,000

Gender: Male

Age: At least several centuries by the time of his death

Classification: Primarch of the XVI Legion Space Marines, Warmaster of the Imperium | Chosen Champion of the Dark Gods, Warmaster and Ascendant Vessel of Chaos, Proto-Chaos God

• Loyalist
• Warmaster of Chaos

• Powers
• Resistances

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Enhanced Senses, Accelerated Development, Immortality (Types 1 and 3), Regeneration (Low-Mid; Quickly regenerated a punctured lung), Large Size (Type 0; Should be comparable to Primarchs like the Lion who's stated to be a little under 3 meters tall and Mortarion who's stated to be twice the height of a mortal man), Information Analysis (Can accurately analyze any chemical he eats/tastes and break them down if required), Limited Memory Manipulation (Can eat creatures/people and absorb part of their memories from their DNA/RNA), Technology Manipulation (His skin can directly connect and interface with his armor, among several other pieces of Astartes equipment), Weapon Mastery (Skilled in a wide variety of weaponry to an extent far greater than what could ever be achievable by a regular human), Martial Arts (As a Primarch, Horus is one of the best close-quarters fighters in the entire galaxy, and was noted as one of the greatest fighter among them), Vehicular Mastery, Genius Intelligence, Forcefield Creation (Via Iron Halo), Matter Manipulation and Durability Negation (Power weapons generate a field of energy around themselves that splits the bonds between matter, making it easier to break through targets), Teleportation via Dimensional Travel, Mind Manipulation and Soul Manipulation (Primarchs can fight on a physical, mental, and spiritual level) Aura (Primarchs are said to contain an overwhelming aura that completely baffles regular humans, as well as sometimes Astartes. Their presence in the Warp is so powerful and influencing that Magnus reduced several Remembrancers to tears over his seeming divinity, while Russ could make Ahzek Ahriman himself kneel before him with his sheer presence)

Resistance to Magic, Telepathy, Mind Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Reality Warping, Madness Manipulation, Aura (Resistant to all the myriad of different attacks that can be made on him by the powers of the Warp, as well as most of the powers of other Primarchs.), Disease Manipulation, Poison Manipulation (Astartes are practically immune to all diseases and poisons, and their Primarchs should logically be even tougher), Corruption, Radiation Manipulation (Should almost be entirely immune to the effects of radiation exposure, thanks both to his Power Armor and enhanced physiology), Heat Manipulation (Astartes are incredibly resistant towards extremes of hot and cold, and logically their Primarchs should be far superior), Pain Manipulation (Astartes possess the physiology and mental training to shrug off debilitating injuries, and their Primarchs should easily scale)

• Pre-Siege of Terra
• During the Siege of Terra
• Resistances

All previous abilities to a higher degree, along with Immortality (Type 4; it is implied that had it not been for the Emperor destroying his soul, Horus would've merely been brought by the Chaos Gods, albeit how and when is left unknown), Blessed (Has the favor of all four of the Chaos Gods empowering him), Telekinesis (Used against Lorgar), Regeneration (Low-Godly) and Immortality Negation (Types 3, 4 and 9. Capable of permanently killing the Emperor), Summoning (Can summon Daemons), Astral Projection, Corruption (Type 2; The forces under Horus’ control have degenerated from their pre-Heresy states due to proximity to Horus), possibly limited Probability Manipulation (After Horus’ ascension on Molech, his fate was inextricably linked to that of the Emperor, and he could not die before his destiny had been fulfilled), Psychic Powers (Given his eventual control and level of mastery over the Warp as well as the power granted to him by the Dark Gods, he should have access to the Common Powers, Minor Powers, Major Disciplines, Powers of Tzeentch, Powers of Nurgle, Powers of Slaanesh, and Powers of Chaos Undivided)

All previous abilities to a higher degree, along with Large Size (Type 0; Over six meters tall now), Improved Aura (Horus' aura of charisma is even greater than before), Telepathy and Extrasensory Perception (Can commune with Angron through his mind and the Emperor directly within the Warp. Horus' mere presence calls for others to kneel.. Searched Caecaltus Dusk's surface thoughts for his identity), Reality Warping and Corruption (As Horus' power had grown, his ship the Vengeful Spirit was corrrupted utterly and stopped abiding by the laws of physics.), Pocket Reality Manipulation (Horus' throneroom and temple no longer exist in physical reality, with Horus' newfound power likely being responsible for this.), Non-Physical Interaction (Psychic powers inherently affect the mind and soul as well as the physical body), Enhanced Mind Manipulation and Body Puppetry (Horus' mastery of Chaos is such that his presence was able to force members of the Adeptus Custodes to attack the Emperor), Illusion Creation and Perception Manipulation (Capable of making illusions powerful enough to beguile Custodes and even the Emperor), Spatial Manipulation and Dimensional Manipulation (Capable of commanding higher dimensional axes of space and reaching across them. Intervened with the Emperor's teleportation and separated the two Primarchs from him. Dueled the Emperor across the numberless dimensions of the immaterium), Time Manipulation (Twisted all of the pasts, presents, and every possible future into a single, simultaneous, solid ball. Capable of controlling all of time, holding it still if he wishes. Traveled back in time to confront the Emperor when he was named Warmaster), Resurrection (Brought Ferrus Manus back from the dead to greet Sanguinius and to flaunt his power), Memory Manipulation (Placed his own memories and consciousness into his own past memories to trick the Emperor into believing he was a shell of his former self), Existence Erasure (Intended to entirely erase Caecaltus Dusk from existence), Power Nullification (A second blast from the eye on his chestplate bypassed Malcador's sigil, allowing Horus to kill Caecaltus Dusk), Multilocation (Type 2; Horus and the Emperor were fighting in several different places and times simultaneously. The visible battle between the Emperor and Horus is but one variation of an infinite number, with both battling each other in every possible way simultaneously), Light Manipulation and Matter Manipulation (Horus created ribbons of black light which tore the Emperor apart atom by atom), Electricity Manipulation (Fired lightning from his claws), Enhanced Soul Manipulation and Age Manipulation (Horus punctured the Emperor's soul itself and caused him to literally bleed out his lifespan through his wounds. Obliterated Sanguinius' soul)

All previous resistances to a far higher degree (Horus now exists as a vessel for all four Chaos Gods, and therefore affecting him with any powers derived from the Warp would be nigh-impossible), plus Resistance to Fragrance Manipulation (Unaffected by Mortarion's Plague Aura which debilitates Astartes and can outright kill others.) and an extra layered Resistance to Soul Manipulation (No longer possess a soul, instead sustained by a permanent influx of Warp energy), Psychic Powers (Given his control and level of mastery over the Warp, he should, like most psykers, be resistant to the powers of other psykers)

Attack Potency: At least City Block level (One of, if not the, strongest fighters among all the Primarchs. Comparable to Sanguinius, and Leman Russ was wary of fighting him despite believing a win to be possible. Cut through a mob of Primarch-sized Orks.), ignores durability with power weapons | At least City Block level+ (Crippled Leman Russ with a single, casual punch, staggered him with little effort and broke his armor with ease, with Leman knowing that he could ‘not possibly’ beat Horus and doubting if he could even hurt him. Made a complete joke out of Lorgar Aurelian and disfigured him. Easily destroyed a Fire Raptor Gunship in a few strikes. Destroyed an Imperial Knight. Considered by Lorgar to have been bestowed with more power by the Chaos Gods than any other, which would include the Daemon Primarchs. After his communion with the Chaos Gods on Molech, he was stated to possess strength and resilience beyond anyone except possibly the Emperor, eclipsing all of his brethren in might and physically towering over them), ignores durability with power weapons and Warp-based powers | Solar System level (A single swing from Horus' maul is enough to create a supernova. Could consistently fight with the Emperor and eventually overwhelmed him. After Horus revealed his true power, he effortlessly slaughtered Sanguinius), possibly High Universe level physically (The clash between Horus and the Emperor potentially shattered the infinite realm of the Lupercal Court), Up to High Hyperverse level with psychic powers (Compressed all of time, space, and the infinite angles of material space into a single fractal point. Twisted all of the pasts, presents, and every possible future into a single, simultaneous, solid ball. Horus' power is stated to be infinite compared to the Emperor's finite power. Created the Lupercal Court which is consistently described to be infinite in scale)

Speed: Transonic movement speed (Should be comparable to Fulgrim who can move faster than sound can reach him. Should be far faster than regular Marines), with at least Hypersonic, likely far higher combat and reaction speed (Far superior to standard Marines who can intercept bolt rounds as well as his brothers who can perform similar feats. Dodged lightning strikes. An inferior clone dodged an attack from a Dark Eldar fast enough to weave through bolt rounds.) and Massively FTL+ perception speed (A Blood Angel who held a spear imbued with a portion of Sanguinius' power saw lasers and plasma bolts to be almost frozen relative to his own movement) | At least Transonic movement speed, with at least Hypersonic, likely far higher combat and reaction speed and Massively FTL+ perception speed (Far faster than before) | Immeasurable (Stepped across space and time to pursue the Emperor. Throughout their fight, Horus and the Emperor moved across time and space, travelling to different worlds at different points in history. Surpassed Sanguinius in speed, with Sanguinius at that point moving at the speed of light)

Lifting Strength: Class K (Can easily one-handed use weapons too heavy for any Astartes to lift, the weakest of which can lift 2,700kg. Horus' armor, the Serpent's Scales, weighs ‘many tonnes’. Should be comparable to Angron in this regard, who can crawl his way out from under a collapsed mountain and briefly hold up the leg of a Warhound Titan. Physically overpowered an Ork that dwarfed the Emperor.) | At least Class K | At least Class K

Striking Strength: At least City Block level | At least City Block level+ | Solar System level, possibly High Universe level

Durability: At least City Block level (Was only stunned by a plasma blast when unarmored. Barely pierced by arrows that cut clean through Astartes plate. Can easily survive hits that would kill a space marine.) | At least City Block level+ (Survived being stabbed with the anti-chaos Spear of the Emperor by Leman Russ) | Solar System level, possibly High Universe level

Stamina: Superhuman (Primarchs are capable of fighting with shattered ribs, caved in abdomens and even fractured skulls. Nothing short of a killing blow can stop them, and even their immensely lesser Space Marine sons can fight for weeks on end without stop. An inferior clone of Horus survived sustained heavy bolter fire, psychic fire and lightning and being impaled twice without much issue. Nothing short of a killing blow can stop them, and even their immensely lesser Space Marine sons can fight for weeks on end without stop) | Superhuman (Was relatively fine having damaged organs, severe burns, and being deprived of oxygen.) | Infinite (Horus' power is stated to be infinite and incapable of running out)

Range: Several Meters physically, Kilometers with ranged attacks, at least Thousands of Kilometers via teleporter | Several Meters physically, Kilometers with ranged attacks, at least Thousands of Kilometers via teleporter | Several Meters physically, Outerversal with psychic powers (Capable of parrying attacks directly into the Warp)

Standard Equipment:

• Worldbreaker: Horus wields a Power Maul larger than a human being, easily capable of smashing ceramite to pieces. It signifies his rank as Warmaster and was given to him as a gift by the Emperor upon achieving this rank.

• Warmaster's Talon: On his right hand, Horus wears a unique Lightning Claw with a built-in bolter similar to the Storm Bolters currently used by the Imperium. It was supposedly recovered from planet Cthonia and is a relic of the Dark Age of Technology. After Horus turned to Chaos, the Talon was stained with the blood of many, including Sanguinius and the Emperor himself. It is currently worn by Abaddon the Despoiler.

• Serpent's Scales: Over the years, Horus' unique suit of Terminator armor was improved upon by the forces of the Imperium and the traitorous Dark Mechanicus, alike. It proved to be effective at nullifying the damage from all types of attacks, be they esoteric in nature or simply pure brute force.

• Cognis-signum: The Cognis-signum is an advanced array of sensory devices, cogitator-assisted communications, and telemetry arrays built into purpose-modified suits of power armour, enabling the wearer to co-ordinate battlefield data with even more blinding speed than they would naturally be capable of. Giving the user an unparalleled level of battlefield awareness, the cognis-signum is also grants the user total night vision, and acts as an energy scanning device that alerts the user to the concealed presence or imminent arrival of enemy troops, even if concealed, and can even detect the tell-tale electro-gravitic disruption effect on local space that presages teleport transfers.

• Frag Grenades

Intelligence: Extraordinary Genius (One of the most brilliant military strategists in the history of the Imperium. The Emperor Himself stated Horus to be the greatest general the galaxy had ever known. Considered the prime candidate for taking his father's mantle in leading the Great Crusade, alongside Sanguinius. While his brothers all had their own areas of expertise, Horus was considered a "jack of all trades" in leading his Legion, albeit far from master of none. Furthermore, Horus was an extremely charismatic leader and among the few men capable of getting along with almost all of his brothers. The Primarchs were also all engineered from birth to be the greatest military minds in human history, with extremely few people existing that could match up to their individual intellect)

Weaknesses: None notable | By the time of the Siege of Terra, the Chaos Gods are pouring so much psychic energy into Horus that his body is beginning to break down, likened to a wildfire that will soon burn itself out. If the gods abandon Horus, he will instantly die.

Gallery

Ancient Remembrancers' sketch of Horus Lupercal.

A younger Horus Lupercal.

Horus Lupercal during the Great Crusade.

Horus after his fall to Chaos.

The Warmaster of Chaos leading an assault against the Loyalist forces.

The Chaos Warmaster in his fearsome panoply of war.

Notable Matchups

Victories:

Losses:

Inconclusive:

Discussions

Discussion threads involving Horus Lupercal