Characters / The Dornian Heresy

Organizations, individual characters, and their tropes as encountered in The Dornian Heresy are as follows.

Loyalists

The World Eaters

The Legion In General

A World Eater space Marine, as depicted in the e-zine

"For Angron and the Emperor!"

• Anti-Magical Faction: Downplayed to the point of possibly being averted. Horus!Angron was adamantly anti-psyker,the setting's equivalent to mages. Dornian!Angron is never listed in relation to the Council of Nikaea, with the sides being, essentially, on the pro-Psyker side, Magnus and Lorgar vs. the Anti-Psykers of Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn, Mortarion, and Corvus Corax. Angron is not listed on either side, and can, thus, be assumed either neutral or not particularly strongly committed one way or the other. The World Eaters don't particularly like relying on magic, but the communication between members of the Legion's leadership is largely psychic in nature and they do keep a Librarium in the post-Heresy days. That is, they do keep an organized section of the Legion dedicated to magic.
• Arch-Enemy: The Salamanders. This is because Vulkan killed their primarch. Probably.
• Close-Range Combatant: Downplayed, but present. The legionnaires do carry bolt pistols, and they do use ranged weaponry and even explosives against Xenos. Alien Life is worthless, after all, especially compared to that of man. For the most part, however, the legion does focus on melee. This comes, in part, from Angron's past as a gladiator who was forced to use melee. They also use it to be more precise. Bombs and artillery will kill many, many people. If you're only killing the people your sword hits, you're much less likely to inflict Collateral Damage.
• Doomed Hometown: Angron's Homeworld. It gets blown up, killing everyone on it except the World Eaters. They leave 100 days after, vowing to remember, but never return.
• Fire-Forged Friends: With the Emperor's Children. The two came together to repel a Salamander invasion of Skalathrax. The Salamanders meant to burn it and claim it as their new Chaotic homeworld. The sons of Fulgrim and Angron prevented that.
• Non-Indicative Name: During his days in the arena of his home planet, Angron and his fellow gladiatorial slaves were called "The World Eaters" to indicate to other cities their ferocity, combat prowess, and the level to which they were berserkers. Angron keeps the name, both because he does not want the history of him and his legion to be forgotten and to warn them of the potential evil they could unleash. During and after the Great Crusade, the legion tries not to eat worlds.
• Not Quite Dead: Kharn the Deathless. He comes back from either death or near death on Ishtavan to lead the World Eaters after Angron's death.
• Odd Friendship: Less than the friendship between Horus!Fulgrim and Horus!Ferrus, but the beautiful, aesthete Emperor's Children make for a somewhat odd pair with the humble soldier-warriors of the World Eaters.
• Soldier vs. Warrior: An interesting case. They really have claim to both, though the e-zine more often calls them Warriors. They focus a great deal on personal prowess, use very blunt means (their style is fundamentally similar to how it was in canon, focusing on melee and fierce offensives), and they count themselves as loyal to a Warrior Code. On the other hand, they focus a great deal on team-work, strict codes and protocols, and they are very lawful. They value self control above most other things, and they adamantly deny berserker Rage. They are also rivals to the Ultramarines for bureaucracy and hierarchy.

Angron

• Big Damn Heroes: See Last Stand
• Bread and Circuses: Not with Angron himself, and only played with. On Nuceria, the ruling class holds Gladiatorial Games. This is both to amuse the population, but it is also a threat of the violence that will come to any who go against the ruling class.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has a good scar created by the implementation and removal of the Butcher's Nails. His legion copies these with tattoos made to resemble the scar. Less universally, as a formal gladiator, he also has battle scars. These, the former especially, are contrasted with Vulkan's full-body burn scar of evil.
• Heroic Willpower: More than his canon self. Angron is actually stronger than the Butcher's Nails here; after their implementation, he doesn't escape them, but he deals with them long enough and decides to risk his life to get rid of them. The procedure is successful.
• Combat Pragmatist: In an intentional aversion of Honor Before Reason, upon Dorn's betrayal, Angron wants to punish Dorn and the Imperial Fists, but he recognizes that a glorious death for him and his legion would accomplish nothing. So, instead of launching a Last Stand as he did on his homeworld, he gathers up the loyalist legions and helps them evacuate. During this process, Vulkan and the Salamanders attack. At this point, Angron personally leaves the evacuation to fight Vulkan. What happens here is unclear. Loyalists tend to say that he died fighting, buying the others enough time to escape. The Salamanders tell a different story, but this is not elaborated upon.
• Ironic Name: He can be pushed, but Angron isn't a particularly wrathful entity.
• Last Stand: As in canon, Angron's gladiators make a last stand. They're losing, but the Emperor, on Horus's advice, intervenes. Instead of just teleporting Angron onto his ship, the Emperor, Horus, and the Luna Wolves teleport down to support Angron.
• Mind Rape: The Butcher's Nails - or the Aggression Chip, rather. They aren't actually called the Butcher's Nails in The Dornian Heresy - are this on a mechanical level. The implantation of these into him is what causes Angron to rebel.
• Slave Revolt: As in canon. Angron is forced into a life of gladiatorial slavery. He eventually leads a revolt. The big difference here is that he wins.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Angron and Horus are noted to have fit into this mold. Horus was rather pragmatic, at least strategically, in war against Xenos and non-Imperials. Angron was more of an idealist. See Horus's section, though. This is something of an Informed Attribute, so, YMMV.
• Undying Loyalty: Dorn doesn't even try to corrupt Angron or the World Eaters because of how famously loyal they are.

The Emperor's Children

The Legion In General

An Emperor's Children space marine, as depicted in the e-zine.

"Children of the Emperor! Death to His Foes!"

• Back from the Brink: When Fulgrim meets them, they are a Dying Legion, only 200 Astartes strong. They are never a large legion, but they get better.
• Combat Medic: All apothecaries are this, but the apothecaries of the Emperor's Children are especially impressive. They save more lives than most other legions' apothecaries and are able to retrieve and maintain more high quality gene-seed.
• Crippling Over Specialization: Completely averted. The Legion, overall, tries very hard to be good at everything on an individual level. Certain sub-divisions in the legion, though, do specialize. The Seventh Grand Company, for instance, is particularly skilled in aerial combat.
• Good Is Old-Fashioned: They're a loyal legion, and they absolutely refuse to use new technology, believing that they achieved perfection after exterminating the Laer.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Well, no, but Fulgrim thought that they were. This was his theory on why Dorn tried to kill, not convert them; they were too perfect and pure to ever be corrupted by Chaos. Fabius Bile,who, unlike in Canon, dies before the main events of the Heresy but who was well on his way into Slaneeshi worship and pleasure-seeking using Laer drugs disproves this.
• Ironic Name: Averted!
• I Work Alone: Downplayed. They prefer to work as a legion, but they are able to work with other legions or even the Imperial Guard. In such circumstances, drama is common due to their high self-perception.
  • Additionally, this is a description of how they work as a legion. The legion prefers to function as a unit, rather than with others. It is not a description of indivudal members of the legion prefering to fight as individuals as opposed to as members of the legion overall.
• Master of All: A requirement. Emperors Children legionnaires are generalists, meant to be masters of all forms of combat, as well as being well-versed in the arts.
• Perfection Is Impossible: The Emperor's Children explicitly do not believe this. The legion believes they've become as good as they will ever be. They refuse to change their means of operation or alter their technology, much like the Adeptus Mechanicus, and they keep very high standards, even amongst Space Marines. The only downside is that their numbers are, and have always been, low.
• Warrior Poet: See Master of All

Fulgrim

• Absolute Xenophobe: At least against The Laer. It actually turns out better than it would have if he were more tolerant.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Downplayed, but present. Fulgrim is not a particularly nice guy, but he is on the more heroic side when the choice is between chaos and the Imperium. Additionally, due to Sanguinius being both a traitor and not loyal, Fulgrim, as the Emperor's most beautiful son, is amongst the loyal. All truly beautiful primarchs in the Dornian Heresy, then, are loyal.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished
• The Dutiful Son: Called this verbatim. He was expecting to replace Rogal Dorn as The Praetorian. He was not given this job, but he did not complain when he was given a more standard command.
• Good Is Not Nice: His disrespect and cruelty are a factor, although not the sole factor, in the Salamanders and Vulkan going Traitor. Given Vulkan's nature, depending on one's perspective, this could be a lead-up to The Dog Bites Back.
• Hope Bringer: Repeatedly. He brings hope to Chemos, previously a failing world, when he lands on and begins to lead it. He brings hope to his Legion, promising to bring it back from its pitiful state of 200 Space Marines. He brings hope to Chemos again when he refuses to die.
• Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Fulgrim pointedly does not believe this. He not only isn't surprised by Guilliman's Secessionist, albeit non-chaotic, treachery. He looks forward to fighting against him, his own brother, and feels superior due to his greater loyalty.
• The Leader: He emerges as one at the Betrayal at Ishtavan. He is the first primarch to realize that more than just Guilliman had betrayed him and the Loyalists, and he organizes the response of the betrayed.
• Like Father, Like Son / Generation Xerox: Both he and The Emperor were men of, at the time, mysterious origins on planets whose glory days were seemingly behind them. Both very quickly united their respective home worlds and restored them as inter-planetary powers.
• Near-Death Experience: Fulgrim almost dies in one of his early expeditions. He survives and has an epiphany upon recovering; his legion must seek perfection and, upon attaining it, must hold onto it fiercely.
• Never Found the Body: To an even higher degree than is normal for primarchs. Fulgrim didn't even disappear in a fight; he just vanished from his ship one day.
• Parental Favoritism: He is not explicitly the Emperor's favorite son, but he did get special treatment in being the primarch of the only legion allowed to wear the Aquila on their breast plate. Fulgrim felt that he was, if not the favorite of, than at least highly regarded by, The Emperor.
• Revenge Before Reason: Fulgrim has the opportunity to kill Roboute Guilliman, but his temper is too in check to actually do it. This means that he had the opportunity, but passed it up, to be one of the only people, barring the Emperor himself, to kill a traitor Primarch. He passed this opportunity up, so that he could lock his brother in a stasis field, such that he could spend eternity in a near death state. Keep in mind, this is the single least immoral traitor primarch and legion, to the point that they still hold the Emperor in high regard, just not the Imperium.
• The Rival: To Rogal Dorn, as he wanted Dorn's position as the Emperor's Praetorian. He resents being under Dorn's command during the Ishtavan Campaign, even before things go wrong. He actually considered most other primarchs to be this, to varying degrees.
• Smug Super: Dornian!Fulgrim is really not a Nice Guy. He is so unkind and judgemental, even to his fellow primarchs, that it causes serious problems. He is, however, loyal to The Emperor and the Imperium.
• Tragic Friendship / Odd Friendship: It's less fleshed out than in Canon, but his friendship with Ferrus Manus remains.
• Values Dissonance: He's a hero of the Imperium, and a real Jerkass.

The Word Bearers

The Legion In General

A Word Bearers space Marine, as depicted in the e-zine

• Quality over Quantity: Like the Emperor's Children, though in a different way. The Word Bearers were slow to conquer worlds, but they left civilized, extremely loyal, faithful worlds in their wake. They insisted on religiously converting them. The Emperor eventually confronted Lorgar about this, and they changed tactics, instead conquering worlds and outsourcing their conversion to un-augmented human missionaries and priests.

Lorgar Aurelian

Lorgar Aurelain as depicted in the in-universe tapestry "Lorgar's Great Sacrifice"

• Badass Preacher: And a loyal one this time!

The Sons of Horus/The Luna Wolves/The Black Templars

The Legion In General

Horus Lupercarl

• Informed Attribute: Horus is described as more pragmatic than Angron. This may be true against non-Imperials, but once the Heresy gets started, his naivete gets him killed. He also believes with little evidence in his friend, Jaghatai Khan. This is yet another mistake borne of naivete.

Traitors

The Raven Guard

The Legion In General

A Raven Guard space Marine, as depicted in the e-zine

"Children of the Emperor! Death to His Foes!"

Their motto in High Gothic. Its translation, or at least the translation of the Latin, is "No one attacks me with impunity."

• Irony: Corvus was anti magic. His legion fell to Tzeentch, the god of sorcerers.

Corvus Corax

• Anti-Magical Faction: Not to the same level as Russ or Mortarion, but Corvus really didn't like magic much.
• Fighting Your Friend: Corax isn't noted to have been particularly fond of Guilliman, but unlike Fulgim, he wasn't happy to have to be fighting his own brother.
• Looks Like Cesare
• Meaningful Name: In-universe, Corax means "The Deliverer" in the language of the people who discovered them. He would free them from mistreatment and oppression. Out-of-Universe, Corvus Corax is the Latin name for the common raven. This is fitting for the leader of the Raven Guard.
• Pride Before a Fall: When The Imperial Fists make clear on Ishtavan that they are betraying the loyalists, The Emperor's Children and World Eaters retreat. Corax and his Raven Guard try desperately to fight the Imperial Fists and kill Dorn, and Corax is furious for his fellow Loyalists' refusal to do the same. Most of the Raven Guard die for this decision.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Horus and the Luna Wolves. He wasn't willing to work with Magnus and the Thousand Sons or the Imperial Fists and Dorn at all.

The Salamanders

The Legion In General

Vulkan

• Alas, Poor Villain: Dornian!Vulkan never really gets a break. Rather than genetics, his skin-tone is caused by him being dumped into a live volcano. He recovers, but even a combination of his regenerative capabilities and primarch genes aren't enough to render him unscarred or outside of perpetual pain. He never gets love from his people, as he never learns their language. Instead, he is fascinated by them and tries to watch them from afar. He eventually gets kidnapped and chained down. He is afterwards recovered by two of his brothers: Fulgrim, who is cruel to him, and Dorn, who, at his best, is cold, and who at his worst, just uses him. He never gains much respect from his peers, and he and his legion are largely reviled by standard humans.

The Space Wolves

The Legion In General

• Noble Savage: Deconstructed. They start out this way, but the events of Prospero destroy any pretense of nobility they once had.

Leman Russ

"...to steal someone's mind with sorcery; to take from them the very thing that makes them human... that can never be forgiven."

• Extremely Protective Child: Part of Russ's backstory is that a tribal leader, using magic and so probably doing a great deal to create Russ's loathing of it, forms a trap to kill the wolves who raised him.

The Imperial Fists/The Black Legion

The Legion In General

Rogal Dorn

Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists and Arch Traitor

• Being Tortured Makes You Evil: He was corrupted by way of having his mind broken by excessive use of the Pain Glove.

The Iron Hands

The Legion In General

Ferrus Manus

The Blood Angels

The Legion In General

A post-heresy blood angel, as depicted in the e-zine

"For blood and for Sanguinius!"

Sanguinius

Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels

"Would you bleed for me, my son? Would you... die for me?"

The Ultramarines

The Ultramarines

The Legion in General

An Ultramarine space Marine, as depicted in the e-zine

"For Guilliman, and the greater glory of Ultramar!"

• Take a Third Option: The only options for a space marine legion are to remain a part of the Imperium or willingly join up with chaos, right? Wrong! The Ultramarines took a third way, instead seceding from the Imperium, rejecting chaos and the stagnancy imposed by the Mechanicus. They are, in spirit, an entire legion of Renegade or Traitor Marines without being Chaos Marines.

Roboute Guilliman

• Adaptational Wimp: By the time the Emperor meets Guilliman in canon, he has already conquered numerous planets in the Ultramar system. Dornian!Guilliman had not even conquered Macragge, serving as co-consul but clearly the more competent, with a mortal named Gallan.
• Combat by Champion: One of Guilliman's first conquests is of a particularly savage, never before pacified area of Macragge. His method is to defeat each tribal leader in single combat, not just to out-logistics them.
• Late to the Realization: Dornian!Guilliman realizes only long after the fact that Gallan killed his adoptive father, Konor Guilliman. It is, in fact, only realized in the sense that Guilliman realizes what Dorn had done and then realizes that Gallan had behaved similarly. It is unclear if Gallan is even alive to punish at this point; it is merely said that "the name of Gallan and his line were cursed across the whole of Ultramar" afterwards. He may, therefore, be a Karma Houdini, albeit one whose name is damned.