Thousand Sons

Chaos Portal

The Thousand Sons were Legion XV of the original twenty Space Marine Legions. Their Primarch is Magnus, oft called Magnus the Red. The Legion turned traitor during the Horus Heresy, after which it relocated to the Planet of Sorcerors in the Eye of Terror and dedicated itself to the Chaos God of change, sorcery and magic, Tzeentch. For a time it appeared that Tzeentch protected the Thousand Sons from the corruption and fragmentation that most of the other Traitor Legions underwent, but eventually the Legion went through a crisis of mutation and de-evolution, seemingly at the wish of their patron-God. Aghast at this development, their chief sorceror, Ahriman, cast a powerful spell designed to render the Thousand Sons immune to the warping effects of Chaos. While the spell succeeded in this goal, it had an unforseen consequence of transforming the mutated Thousand Sons into little more than mystically animated suits of armour barely capable of being termed as anything more sentient than automata.^1a

With the only surviving cognisant members being those incredibly strong in heretical psychic powers, the Thousand Sons are now a legion of ghosts led by the damned.

Basic Information

	Chaos Portal
Thousand Sons
Legion Number	XV
Primarch	Magnus
Old Homeworld	Prospero
Current Homeworld	Planet of the Sorcerers in the Eye of Terror
Chaos Affiliation	Tzeentch
Colours	blue, yellow/gold
Specialty	Psychic powers
Battle Cry	"All is Dust!"

Homeworld

The homeworld of the Thousand Sons was Prospero, a world populated by a small commune of outcast psykers.^1a Once a world of great beauty, it was attacked by planet-busting class weapons during the Burning of Prospero^2a, with the result that it is now a blasted ruin, declared Purgatus by the Inquisition.^1a

History

The Great Crusade

Formation

Great Crusade era Thousand Sons Astartes

The Fifteenth Legion was formed on Terra, their gene-seed being created and implanted in the first legionaires during a brief resurgence of warp-storms within the boundaries of the Sol system itself. This brief warp-storm was said to have generated psychic flashpoints all across Terra's globe, resulting in outbreaks of madness, suicide and random violence. Whether it had any effect on the legion's gene-seed is doubtful, but upon learning of it years later Magnus himself considered it to be a poor omen.^3a

At least part of the initial crop of legionaires - termed student-aspirants - were found amongst the population of the once geo-political entity known as the Achaemenid Empire. This area of Terra had been under the rule of the Emperor for at least a century at this point, and as a result had suffered little during the just-completed Wars of Unification. The Emperor himself, accompanied by a retinue of scientists, visited the region and had each and every family tested for compatibility with the Legion XV gene-seed. Those that were found suitable were taken to the gene-laboratories underneath the Himalayas to begin their transformation into Astartes. Present as one of these first student-aspirants was Ahzek Ahriman and his twin brother, Ohrmuzd.^3a Upon completion of this process the Fifteenth Legion was used to quell what few pockets of isolated resistance to the Emperor's rule remained upon Terra, before being named the Thousand Sons by the Emperor himself and sent out into the galaxy as part of his Great Crusade.^3a

Combat Disposition and Record

The combat disposition of the Thousand Sons during the Great Crusade can be viewed in two distinct parts; before and after the discovery of Magnus.

The Early Crusade

The Thousand Sons on crusade

At the beginning of the Crusade, they fought as tenacious and energetic expanders of the Imperium, and were not considered particularly distinct from the main body of the Legiones Astartes. Five years into the Crusade however, the warriors of the legion - much to their delight - all began to spontaneously develop psychic abilities...which were followed by a wave of horrific, unwilling degenerative mutations. This mutant process became referred to as the flesh-change, and was much feared by the Thousand Sons. Most of those afflicted were secured in stasis chambers in the hope that some future cure would be found for them, and the numbers of active Thousand Sons began to dwindle as a result.^3a

Over the next several decades some of the then-discovered primarchs found the notion of psychic mutants being allowed to exist as part of the Emperor's Crusade distasteful at best and downright impossible at worst and began to variously move for their censure or spread rumours and condemnations about them. Chief amongst these detractors were Mortarion, Rogal Dorn and Corax. As the years passed, more and more of the Thousand Sons devolved into mutantcy, while those that survived grew stronger and stronger in the use of their powers. Meanwhile, the detractors had managed to raise enough voices to empower a proposal that the Fifteenth Legion be dispanded and expunged from Imperial records altogether.^3a

It was shortly after this that the Great Crusade arrived at Prospero and found Magnus, primarch of the Thousand Sons. The entire legion was transported to Prospero to meet their gene-sire, and there was much rejoicing even though the flesh-change had become a pandemic within their ranks. After the initial celebrations the Emperor and the main body of his fleet left Prospero, but the Thousand Sons remained behind, the numbers of them degenerating into mutantcy seeming to go completely out of control within a day of the Emperor's departure. Soon, the entire legion was afflicted. It was at this time that Magnus stepped in to save his gene-sons, enacting a mysterious procedure that was able to stabilise the genetic structure of the least-effected legionaires. At the end of the procedure, barely a thousand of the Thousand Sons lived.^3a

Prosperine

The Thousand Sons: Red Sorcerors of Prospero

With this stabilisation of the gene-seed, the Fifteenth Legion got its second chance. Recruiting from Prospero, they were able to rebuild their numbers - though would never become numerous - and return to the Great Crusade, this time led by their primarch.

While most details of how the Thousand Sons were organised before the coming of Magnus is not currently known, it is recorded that they were not considered particularly different from a typical Legiones Astartes apart from their psychic abilities (which resulted in the legion possessing the most powerful Librarians of the era^1a). When Magnus took over command, his directions (influenced by his development on Prospero, as well as Prosperine culture itself) would cause some organisational and hierarchial changes within the legion. Chapters were referred to as Fellowships within the Thousand Sons and the most of these the rebuilt legion was ever able to field numbered 10. However, at the conclusion of one particularly bloody campaign, the Thousand Sons had lost almost 900 Astartes, effectively wiping out an entire Fellowship. Rather than rebuild it, Magnus decided to reorganise and maintain the legion as one of 9 Fellowships, an organisation he referred to as the Pesedjet. Two special units were created within the legion; the elite Scarab Occult Terminators and the Hidden Ones of the Scout Auxillia. The legion's command structure was adapted to include Proserine philosphy in the form of the Rehati (or the coven of Magnus) a second command-track in which the legion's senior officers were ranked according to psychic ability and influence ^3b

The resurgent Thousand Sons brought their fair share of worlds into compliance with the Imperium of Man, and as such their main method of victory (diplomatic guile and trickery) was not questioned by the body Imperial. However, as the Crusade entered wilder regions of space, more and more hostile forces were encountered that deployed powers similar to those that the psychic warriors of the Thousand Sons wielded. This event, alongwith the ever-present rumours of 'withcraft' and 'sorcery' surroundng the legion, resulted in Mortarion once more raising his voice in condemnation of the Thousand Sons.^1a This time he was joined by Leman Russ, whose long-held distrust of the legion came to a head after he witnessed the return of the flesh-change in the Thousand Sons during a joint action on the world of Shrike.^3c It was decided that Magnus and his legion would be called to account, and the whole matter of Astartes employing psychic powers at all would be ruled upon. This event was known as the Council of Nikea, and at it - after much deliberation - the Emperor announced that no Astartes must ever again employ the use of psychic powers, upon pain of destruction visited upon them by the Emperor himself.^3d

Stunned, the Thousand Sons effectively withdrew from the Crusade, returning to Prospero. It was during the period that followed that Magnus discerned the approach of the Horus Heresy and employed both his own powers and that of his senior legionaires to try to save his brother's soul. Failing, he once again marshalled the powers available to him and attempted to psychically warn the Emperor of his favourite son's betrayal. This action, which went so catastrophically wrong, would doom the Thousand Sons as, in accord with the Judgement of Nikea, the Emperor visited destruction upon Magnus and the Thousand Sons in the form of Leman Russ and his Space Wolves.^1a

Magnus had realised his grave mistake in warning the Emperor in the method he chose, and had also been confronted with the stark reality that he was not as in control of the warp or his powers as he thought. Additionally, a power of the warp had spoken to him, revealing that that Magnus had been its pawn since the time it had helped him save his legion from the flesh-change...and perhaps even long before that.

The Burning of Prospero

Distraught, Magnus resolved to accept whatever punishment the Emperor saw fit. Thus, to prevent his legion from defending Prospero he dispersed the Thousand Sons fleet from orbit, shut down the orbital defences and wrapped his homeworld in a 'psychic cocoon' which prevented anyone from communicating or using their powers beyond its boundaries. Thus the Space Wolves managed to attack Prospero completely by suprise. The Thousand Sons legionaires themselves, however, did not share Magnus' acceptance of defeat and punishment, and so took up arms against the invaders. The Thousand Sons managed to hold Tizca (the only surviving city on the planet) for a period of time before they were eventually pushed back, the assault of the Space Wolves led by their primarch, as well as forces from the Sisters of Silence and the Adeptus Custodes proving too much. Magnus eventually joined the battle when it appeared that the final moment of extermination for his legion had arrived. Leman Russ engaged Magnus in a devastating duel in which the Russ was ultimately victorious. In response Magnus finally, consciously gave in to the daemonic voice that had been tempting him and invoked ancient sorceries in order to escape Prospero with the remnants of his legion. In the Eye of Terror, a Daemon World had been prepared for them by their new patron.^3e

The Horus Heresy

File:1ksons.jpg

The Thousand Sons: Cult Legion of Tzeentch

Having been thus deliberately removed from the board by the machinations of Chaos^2b, the Thousand Sons played no part in the birth of the Horus Heresy. In fact, exactly when and why they chose to ally themselves with Horus and his traitorous rebellion is not clear, although it is believed that their chief motivation was to gain sanctuary and protection from further Imperial attack.^6a Of course, considering how Tzeentch had orchestrated events so far, it is likely that they had little choice in the matter at all.^7a

After their escape from Prospero, the Thousand Sons discovered that - once again - they had been reduced to only around one thousand living members.² Their actions during the bulk of the Heresy are not currently known, but when Horus's forces fell on Terra itself some years later, Magnus and a portion of the Thousand Sons were with him. Noted to be a very small contingent of the Chaos forces, the Thousand Sons contented themselves with summoning daemonic reinforcements and casting supporting spells rather than engaging in pitched battle for most of the Siege of Terra. However, once the outer walls of the Imperial Palace had been breached, the Thousand Sons found themselves required to break down the final wards and fortifications of the inner palace itself. Advancing to the Ultimate Gate, part of the legion held off Imperial counter-attacks while the senior sorcerors attempted to destroy the defences with psychic power and sorcerous ritual. This assault came to naught however, as a contingent of Imperial Fists led by Rogal Dorn arrived in the combat zone and drove the Thousand Sons off at much the same time as the Emperor himself directed the surviving Librarians of the Blood Angels and Imperial Fists to block the attacks of the Thousand Sons sorcerors.¹¹

The Thousand Sons retreated from Terra after the death of Horus alongside the other Chaos forces.¹¹

Horus Heresy Aftermath

The dedication to the Chaos God Tzeentch resulted in several changes to the organisation of the legion, but had little direct effect on their combat doctrine. Previously known to avoid close combat in favour of psychic trickery and the use of ranged weaponry, their development into a legion of Chaos Sorcerors and the effect of the Rubric of Ahriman only increased reliance on this approach. Those marines affected by the Rubric are used to anchor an attack's firepower, while the sorcerors deploy their psychic powers, the whole event orchestrated in accordance with a previously constructed plan of deceit or guile.^1a

While they have avoided dissolution as a legion, the Thousand Sons, never numerous and oft-disinclined to take to the field in large numbers, now only seem to operate abroad as small warbands.^1a The most well-known of these is the Prodigal Sons warband led by Ahriman.^9a

The Rubric of Ahriman

Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marine, post-Rubric of Ahriman

With the embrace of Chaos, comes mutation. Despite avoiding such a fate for the duration of the Heresy itself, once the Thousand Sons had retreated back to the Planet of Sorcerors within the Eye of Terror members of the legion began to suffer the flesh-change; horrendous physical mutations, their bodies and minds twisted in ways only Chaos can achieve. Although some dedicated Tzeentch worshippers saw these changes as a sign of their god’s favour, those of higher understanding knew better, and decided that the Thousand Sons' search for enlightenment and knowledge could not end in the dreaded transformations they would inevitably suffer. Ahriman, once Chief Librarian of the Legion, and second only to Magnus in power, united a conclave of his most trusted sorcerers, and together they cast a spell, known as the Rubric of Ahriman, of tremendous magnitude that would save the legion from the fate of mutation. The results were not what Ahriman expected...but he was satisfied with them none the less. The Thousand Sons were now safe from the taint of chaos, but at a terrible price. Those untouched by the flesh change had their psychic powers greatly strengthened, but those who had already mutated had their physical bodies reduced to dust and their animate spirits damned to live inside their armour forever. Most of the legion were therfore changed into Rubric Marines; little more than mindless automatons. When Magnus heard about the terrible failure, he banished Ahriman and his group from the Planet of the Sorcerers, and now they wander through the Eye of Terror and beyond, still pursuing magical knowledge and seeking arcane artefacts. Ahriman’s current goal is to enter the Black Library of the Eldar, and rumour has it that if he succeeds in his quest, his power will grow beyond imagination.^1a

Vendetta

After the destruction of Prospero at their hands, the Thousand Sons have been long time arch-enemies with the Space Wolves chapter. They have tried several times to uproot and destroy the Wolves, ranging from a full-scale invasion of the Space Wolves' homeworld of Fenris to plots such as those spearheaded by the sorcerer Madox.⁴, ¹⁰

Known Engagements

The Great Crusade

• Terra - Pacification of the Boetian Lowlands.²
• The Kamenka Troika - Extermination of Greenskin infestation. Loss of 873 Astartes; Legion reorganised as a result. ³
• 28-16/Aghoru - Compliance Action. Compliance achieved by diplomacy; secondary combat against apparent warp corruption.³
• Ark Reach Cluster - Compliance Action. Compliance achieved in concert with forces of the Space Wolves and the Word Bearers. The return of the flesh-change occurred at the conclusion of this campaign.³
• Prospero - Defence of the legion homeworld against the Space Wolves; defeated.³

The Horus Heresy

• The Siege of the Emperor's Palace - Took part in the Chaos grand assault upon Terra; defeated.¹¹

Post Heresy

• Etiamnum III - The warband of Mordant Hex gain access to the Eldar webway.¹
• Fenris - Inspiration and support of a Tzeentchian cult; the cult is eventually detected and exterminated by the Space Wolves.⁴
• Garm - Attempted mass resurrection of deceased Thousand Sons; plan almost totally foiled by the actions of the Space Wolves.⁴
• Arcadia - Ahriman and the Prodigal Sons plunder a Harlequin-guarded library amidst Blood Raven interference.⁸

Geneseed

As befits the genic offspring of such a colossal psychic mutant as Magnus, the geneseed of the Thousand Sons appeared to ensure the development of psychic ability. It also appeared to bring with it an unavoidable fate of physical de-evolution, but it is unknown exactly what influence Tzeentch had on the development of the Thousand Sons and their geneseed and from what point this influence began. Regardless, when the Rubric of Ahriman took hold of the legion, most of their geneseed was destroyed. The only viable sources now known of are the surviving sorcerors of the Thousand Sons, powerful psykers who are so invested of the powers of the warp that the condition of their geneseed and the effects it would have upon someone implanted with it can only be guessed at.^1a

Culture

For the Thousand Sons, knowledge is power, and the most knowledgable the most powerful. Arising from the origins of their first recruits and being driven by the early legion's need to discover a cure for the flesh-change and gain deeper understanding and control of their psychic abilities, these linked beliefs resulted in two major cultural factors developing in the Thousand Sons; veneration of the text and veneration of their Primarch.^1a

As a result, the Thousand Sons, while sworn to the Emperor and the Imperium in word and duty, found that at the moment of testing, their loyalty to their primarch and their desire to preserve their acquired knowledge was enough to lead them down the path of damnation.³

The Pursuit of Knowledge

The legion's desire to learn how to control their powers developed into a hunger for any and all knowledge. Driven from an origin of self-interest, their desire to know as much as possible and master every discipline available to learn caused them to seek shortcuts or explore morally perilous paths, especially once Magnus and his own insatiable hunger for knowledge encouraged them to progress from simple scholarship into the practice of sorcerous techniques. As a result, they have long held every record of information as a valuable item in itself, as well as a resources to be drained. Ahriman in particular has, since the Heresy, dedicated himself to this desire seemingly above loyalty to his primarch and even to Chaos itself.^1a

While the Thousand Sons have an interest in all forms of knowledge, they particularly pursue items or places that may hold sorcerous power or reference arcane secrets. As a result, it is not unusual at all for a Thousand Sons warband to raid a museum, library or private art collection rather than a military target.^7a

The Cults of the Thousand Sons

Every legion venerated their primarch in some regard, but to the Thousand Sons Magnus was their literal saviour. With his arrival they were not only (apparently) saved from the horrors of physical degredation but also presented with the person who could teach them how to master their developing psychic abilities. Drawing from his experiences on Prospero, Magnus instituted his Cult system within his legion, five teaching institutions that would allow his warrior-scholars to expand their knowledge, principally from him, at his position as master of all the cults; the rank of Magus. From this position atop a pyramidal teaching structure Magnus was able to direct and control his legion's psychic and philosophical development; as the most knowledgable, powerful and as their genetic forefather and saviour, all Thousand Sons looked to him for example and guidance.^3f

All members of the legion were cult members and outside their military rankings, would most likely associate with their fellow cult members in their own headquarters pyramids in Tizca. These cults, in tandem with Magnus' more direct teachings, promulgated the methods of control the Thousand Sons developed over their powers and came to be an essential factor of the marines' existences. The status of the formalised cult system after the Burning of Prospero is unknown.³

Recruitment

Like all of the Legiones Astartes the Thousand Sons were initially made up of Terran marines. In the aftermath of Magnus' deal with Tzeentch to save their lives, only around a thousand of them were left. For the rest of the Crusade, the Thousand Sons recruited from Prospero, a planet of only limited population (although many of them were psychically active). As a result the Thousand Sons were never a large legion.³

How the Thousand Sons currently maintain their numbers is unknown, although they have been observed carrying out an apparent resurrection ritual at least once. On this occasion the spirits of deceased Thousand Sons were summoned from the warp into mortal bodies (whether living or dead making no particular difference), bodies which then transformed themselves into reborn Thousand Sons.^10a

Noted Elements of the Thousand Sons

Artifacts

• Book of Magnus

Vessels

• Battle Barge Photep - Flagship (pre-Heresy)³
• Battle Barge Ankhtowe (pre-Heresy)³
• Battle Barge Scion of Prospero (pre-Heresy)³
• Battle Barge Kymmeru (pre-Heresy)³
• Strike Cruiser Waning Moon (pre-Heresy)⁵
• The Silver Towers of Tzeentch (post-Heresy)^1a

Characters

Heresy Era

• Magnus - Primarch of the Thousand Sons¹
• Ahzek Ahriman - Chief Librarian, Captain of the 1st Fellowship and Magister Templi of the Corvidae³
• Phosis T'Kar - Captain of the 2nd Fellowship and Magister Templi of the Raptora³
• Amon - Captain of the 9th Fellowship and Equerry to Magnus³
• Mhotep - Fleet Captain, the Waning Moon³

Post-Heresy

• Magnus the Red - Daemon Primarch of the Thousand Sons¹
• Ahriman - Sorceror Lord, exile.¹
• Mordant Hex - Sorceror Lord^1a
• Karlsen - Sorceror⁸
• Madox - Sorceror⁴

Related Articles

• Cults of the Thousand Sons.
• Rubric Marines

Trivia

• The Achaemid Empire, the legion's first recruiting ground on Terra, is a corruption of the historical Achaemenid Empire, ie. the Persian Empire at the time of Classical Greece.

• Ahriman and Ormuzd are the names of the evil and good deities, respectively, of Zoroastrianism.

Sources

• ¹:Index Astartes III
  • ^1a:p40-47
• ²:Prospero Burns
  • ^2a:p.384, 404
  • ^2b:p.426-7
• ³:A Thousand Sons
  • ^3a:p.380-88
  • ^3b:p.28,42,53-55
  • ^3c:p.235-7
  • ^3d:p.355-6
  • ^3e:p.445-555
  • ^3f:p.300-1
• ⁴:Space Wolf
• ⁵:Battle for the Abyss
• ⁶:Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition)
  • ^6a:p.50
• ⁷:Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned
  • ^7a:p.267-8
• ⁸:Warhammer 40,000: Wargear (2nd Edition)
• ⁹:Dawn of War: Blood Ravens
  • ^9a:p.606
• ¹⁰:Grey Hunter
  • ^10a:ch.25
• ¹¹:White Dwarf #261, p.17