Horus Heresy · atlas

Legion XV · traitors

Thousand Sons

Primarch: Magnus the Red

Homeworld: Prospero · Segmentum Obscurus

The XV Legion — sorcerers and psykers from once-beautiful Prospero (capital Tizca), and their primarch Magnus the Red, “the Crimson King”, was the most powerful psyker among the primarchs. Their tragedy is that Magnus’s attempt to FAITHFULLY warn the Emperor of Horus’s treachery destroyed his Legion: the failed spell broke through the Palace’s shields and wrecked the Webway project. The Emperor sent Russ to punish them, and the Burning of Prospero (004.M31) cost the Legion nine tenths of its strength. Only after that, broken and betrayed, did Magnus and the Thousand Sons swear themselves to Tzeentch — turning as victims rather than conspirators.

Side in the Heresy: traitors A special case — “loyal but cursed”. Magnus was a loyalist; his failed psychic warning about Horus’s treachery broke through the Palace’s shields and wrecked the Webway project. The Legion swore itself to Tzeentch and Horus ONLY AFTER the rout on Prospero (004.M31) — the last of the nine, as victims rather than conspirators.

Number
XV (15)
Side
Traitors
Events in the chronicle
18 events
Strength
A small to medium-sized Legion, predominantly of psykers. On Prospero it lost nine tenths of its strength; there is no firm pre-Heresy figure. Disputed.

Fate

Magnus ascended to become the daemon primarch of Tzeentch. The survivors were teleported to the Planet of the Sorcerers in the Eye of Terror, where the “flesh change” began; the Rubric of Ahriman saved the Legion at the cost of turning most of it into soulless “Rubricae”. They are eternally at enmity with the Space Wolves.

Speciality

Psychic warfare and sorcery: a small elite Legion with the most powerful Librarians of the age. A structure of Fellowships by cult, led by the most gifted psykers.

Tactics

Combined-arms combat paired with battle psychic powers (a squad is led by its strongest psyker), supported by Mechanicum combat robots (the Castellax-Achea and Sekhetar). After Prospero — the Rubricae automata.

What the Legion is known for

Sorcery and Magnus; the condemnation at the Council of Nikaea; the Burning of Prospero and the “flesh change”; the Rubric of Ahriman; an eternal enmity with the Space Wolves.

Wargear

Heka amulets and power weapons, Achaean-pattern MkIV armour; cult sorcery (Corvidae, Pyrae, Pavoni, Raptora, Athanaean); Castellax-Achea combat robots, the Osiron Dreadnought.

Notable warriors

  • Ahzek AhrimanChief Librarian, master of the Corvidae

    Chief Librarian and captain of the 1st Fellowship, master of the Corvidae cult; at the Burning of Prospero he led the defence, and later wrought the infamous Rubric.

    Events: Council of Nikaea, Burning of Prospero
  • Hathor Maatcaptain of the 3rd Fellowship, master of the Pavoni

    Captain of the 3rd Fellowship and master of the Pavoni cult (biomancy); a vain but mighty sorcerer who held back the “flesh change” by force of will.

    Events: Council of Nikaea, Burning of Prospero
  • Phosis T’Karcaptain of the 2nd Fellowship, master of the Raptora

    Captain of the 2nd Fellowship and master of the Raptora cult (telekinesis); in the Burning of Prospero the “flesh change” bloated him to monstrous size in a clash with the Custodians.

    Events: Burning of Prospero
  • Menes Kallistoncaptain of the 4th Fellowship

    Captain of the 4th Fellowship of the Thousand Sons, who fought in the defence of Prospero.

    Events: Burning of Prospero

Events involving the Legion

Eve of the Storm

The Fall

Shadow of War

The Road to Terra

The Siege of Terra

Epilogue — The Great Scouring

Characters of the Legion

Sources

  1. FW Black Book VII: Inferno
  2. Lexicanum: Thousand Sons
  3. WH40k Fandom: Magnus the Red
  4. A Thousand Sons (G. McNeill)
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