Warhammer 40K: Dread Weapons of the Traitor Primarchs
Come Loremasters and learn of the dread instruments of annihilation wielded by the Traitor Primarchs.
Silver Blade of Laer – Fulgrim
The Silver Blade of Laer was a weapon recovered by Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor’s Children in the aftermath of the Cleansing of Laeran. Unbeknownst to the Primarch however, it held the essence of a powerful Daemon of Slaanesh which would eventually overpower and possess Fulgrim during the Drop Site Massacre. After taking control of Fulgrim’s body, the Daemon later gave the Silver Blade to Lucius, sensing great potential in the Captain.
Forgebreaker – Perturabo
Forgebreaker began as a project by Fulgrim to build the perfect weapon for his brother while the Gorgon did the same. In the end, when Fulgrim and Manus had finished their respective weapons, neither could agree on which was the best with the Phoenix claiming that Ferrus’ Fireblade was the best and the Gorgon claiming that Fulgrim’s Forgebreaker was, in fact, the greatest. In the end, they each gifted their weapon to each other with Fulgrim receiving Fireblade and Ferrus receiving Forgebreaker; The start of a bond of brotherhood closer than any other two primarchs that lasted until the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.
When the Heresy began, Fulgrim was sent by Horus to use his renowned oratory skills to sway his brother to their cause. However, Ferrus remained loyal to the Emperor and denounced Fulgrim and Horus as traitors. The two brothers dueled and Fireblade was broken by Ferrus and Fulgrim stole Forgebreaker and with it, rendered his brother unconscious. The two primarchs would later meet again on Istvaan V where they once again dueled, but this was to be the last time; with Ferrus wielding the reforged Fireblade and Fulgrim wielding Forgebreaker. In the end, Fulgrim was disarmed and in his panic drew the daemonic Blade of Laeran, which provided him with the strength to strike down his beloved brother, Ferrus. Fulgrim was hesitant to deliver the killing blow until the Daemon within the blade twisted his mind into finishing the duel. Ferrus was beheaded and Fulgrim became fully possessed by the daemon within the Blade of Laeran.
The Fulgrim-Daemon later presented Horus with the head of Ferrus Manus and Forgebreaker as a sign of his loyalty. The hammer was then given to Perturabo of the Iron Warriors, who adapted it for his own use.
It is thought that the weapon, possessed at some point by four different Primarchs, was in the hands of Perturabo until it was taken from him, during an assault on a world around the Eye of Terror, by the Morlock captain of the Clan Avernii, thus returning one of the most prized artifacts of the Horus Heresy back to the Iron Hands Chapter.
Mercy & Forgiveness – Konrad Curze
Mercy & Forgiveness were a pair of murderous artificer Lightning Claws of unknown origin, which were wielded by the Primarch Konrad Curze. Their names were given by members of the Night Lords Legion, though what Curze called them, if anything, remains unknown.
The Black Blade – Angron
The Black Blade was an enormous and powerful Daemon Sword wielded by the Primarch Angron after his ascension to Daemon Prince. The weapon was forged by the Dark Mechanicum shortly after Angron’s ascension in the Shadow Crusade. Wielded by Angron in the First War for Armageddon, the weapon was powerful enough to annihilate five Grey Knights Terminators in a single stroke instantly. However, the Black Blade was stopped in mid-swing by the psychic might of the young Grey Knights recruit Hyperion. Hyperion managed first to snap, then finally shatter the blade by exerting an enormous amount of psychic force that nearly killed the Grey Knight.
Silence – Mortarion
Silence was a massive two-handed battle scythe, which was the personal weapon of the Primarch Mortarion. It was noted as being one of the most fearsome blades wielded by any of the Primarchs – though there were dark whispers that the weapon had a Xeno-tainted origin. Some familiar with the legend of the Death Guard Primarch’s early life, believe that Silence was once the weapon of the terrible creature that named himself Mortarion’s Father.
Millennia later, during the Thirteenth Black Crusade, Mortarion still used Silence as his personal weapon while he invaded Ultramar in the Plague Wars. Despite being constantly surrounded by the filth of Nurgle‘s followers, the weapon always remains surprisingly clean and is still as sharp as ever.
Blade of Magnus – Magnus the Red
The Blade of Magnus is a Chaos weapon, that is wielded by the Daemon Prince Magnus and his will can change its shape. This same mutagenic power can also be extended to those struck by the weapon.
Worldbreaker – Horus
Worldbreaker is the great power mace used by Horus Lupercal, the Primarch of the Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus. Said to be crafted by the Emperor’s own hands, it was given to him as a gift when Horus was named Warmaster of the Great Crusade.
Following the death of Horus and the stealing of his body by Fabius Bile on Maleum, Worldbreaker was wielded by Bile’s clone of the Warmaster. During the Battle of Harmony when Abaddon battled the clone, he smashed Worldbreaker with the Talon of Horus before killing the false primarch.
Illuminarium – Lorgar
Illuminarum was an ornate sceptre-Power Maul fashioned for Lorgar by his fellow Primarch, the master weaponsmith, Ferrus Manus in a rare display of filial support due to Word Bearer aid on Galadon Secondus. As long as an Astartes warrior, it was a formidable weapon that was perfectly balanced for Lorgar’s strength and size. Apocryphally, Illuminarum was seen as the pattern on which the Chaplains‘ Crozius Arcanum were later based on.
Lorgar states when in a conference with his First Captain and First Chaplain that Illuminarum is more of a symbol of office than an actual weapon.
The Pale Spear – Alpharius
Sarrisanata or The Pale Spear was one of a number of strange and esoteric weapons associated with the Primarch Alpharius. It can be broken down into many pieces, symbolically representing the philosophy of the Alpha Legion.
Rumored to be a strange Xeno artifact, whose forging predated even the rise of the Eldar, the double-bladed spear seemingly flickered out of phase with the material universe and emitted an eerie and otherworldly howl, when wielded. It was capable of piercing and ripping apart any physical defense it encountered; while against living matter, The Pale Spear inflicted hideously bloodless gaping wounds on its targets, as the flesh where it struck dissolved into oily smoke.
Alpharius wielded the spear when he confronted Rogal Dorn at the Hydra Moon Fortress around Pluto after having rebuilt the spear during his rampage through the Solar System. In battle, Alpharius killed Dorn’s Huscarls and was able to stab Dorn multiple times. When one blow stabbed into Dorn’s chest, Dorn grabbed the spear and cut Alpharius’s hands-off with his massive chainsword Storm’s Teeth before stabbing Alpharius with his own spear then executing him with a slice of his chainsword to Alpharius’s head. There is no mention of what happened to the spear following the battle.
~Which one’s your favorite, and who drew the short straw?
