Tomes of the Librarius – Mysteries of the Missing

Chris Morgan

5 years ago

Hello again 40k fans! Chris Morgan, Chief Librarian of the Forge the Narrative Podcast, is here again with the next weekly segment of Tomes of the Librarius. Also, check the Tactics Corner for more great articles!

Just as a reminder, in this series we will explore facets of the history and legends of the Grimdark. This is meant to be an easy summary and introduction geared towards new players or people unfamiliar with the setting, but should still be an interesting read or fun refresher for those already familiar. There’s so much detail in this lore that a bare summary seems so inadequate, but for new people this should be the right portion to get a feel for the history of the universe we enjoy our games in.

For this week’s lore segment, I was thinking about all the people who are missing from the 41st millennium. As a lore junkie, particularly of the Horus Heresy stories, there are so many great characters developed over a long string of novels. If you shift to modern-era 40k, most of these supposedly immortal warriors are just gone. Where did they go? Who can say. We can at least talk about them, and where they were last seen, and give it our best guess.

Constantin Valdor

Valdor was the Captain-General of the Emperor’s Custodian Guard. An elite warrior capable of challenging the primarchs themselves, Valdor was a peerless soldier with a single-minded devotion to his lord and master. Then, suddenly and without warning, Valdor left and disappeared shortly after the Siege of Terra.

Where did he go? Nobody knows for sure, but recent lore from the story Two Metaphysical Blades has given us the hint that it might have something to do with prophecies made clear by his spear, which is the twin of Leman Russ’ own Emperor-made polearm. Is he gone forever? I think he’ll be back for the end times, but I can only hope it is sooner than that.

Leman Russ

Leman Russ’ actions before, during, and after the Siege of Terra have left many of us confused. It all ties into his spear, which revealed some terrible truth to Leman about his and his brothers’ origins. Using the spear to wound Horus, Russ was deeply wounded and his sons had to retreat. In a state of near madness, Russ was watched over by his sons until Corvus Corax showed up to rescue the beleaguered legion.

Russ was present during the scouring, and led his troops in their hunt for the retreating traitors. At some point, taking one of the great companies with him, Russ charged into the Eye of Terror, saying he would return at the Wolftime (presumably the end times), and took his spear with him. Where is he now, and when will he return? It’s impossible to know for certain, for he is chased by a fell wyrd and his coming would surely be a sign of great calamity for the galaxy.

Corvus Corax

Corax is as enigmatic as they come. After the decimation of his legion at Isstvan V, and the subsequent sabotage of his reinforcements by the Alpha Legion, Corax was locked into a pattern of subterfuge, stealth, and guerilla warfare for most of the Horus Heresy. Continuing his hunt for the traitors, the darkness in his spirit grew and grew, and he withdrew more and more from the counsel of his sons and advisers.

After the Horus Heresy, Corax fell further and further into a deep melancholy. To him, one thing was clear: the Warp and all of its spawn in the universe must be hunted to extinction. With a cryptic (and rather cheesy) ‘Nevermore!’, he left his legion behind and disappeared. Only recently did a short story bring some indication of what he has been doing these last ten thousand years. Having embraced the powers within him, he has undergone some kind of transformation into a murderous shadow that hunts down minions of the ruinious powers. Where he is now and what his plans are remains a mystery, but the traitors (and especially his brothers) have much to fear from the shadows.

Vulkan

A man who could be described as a living incarnation of that one Chumbawumba song, Vulkan is a perpetual – meaning that he just won’t die. Rather, he just won’t stay dead. After the decimation of his legion and his capture by Curze, he was tortured unto madness in a never-ending cycle of death, pain, and rebirth. After a very quixotic journey back to his home planet, Vulkan was reborn and managed to find his way back to Terra for the siege.

Vulkan’s kind and generous nature is sorely missed in the 41st millennium. But where did he go? His last sighting was upon the world of Ullanor fighting against the great warboss known as ‘The Beast.’ After fighting the creature and seeing a massive ork structure rain upon them both, the Beast was seen again but Vulkan was not. It’s unlikely that he stayed dead, even if he was killed, so where did he go? Is he somewhere on the world (moved and now named Armageddon) trapped, or did he use the opportunity to seek his own peace?

Azkaellon

Much like Valdor, Azkaellon was also a golden-armored captain of a bodyguard. In command of the Sanguinary Guard, it was his doom to stay on Terra when his father Sanguinius made his fateful clash with the traitor, Horus. After organizing the chapter after their father’s death, Azkellon disappeared and has not been seen since, though rumors abound that he is still alive and active in the universe. Nothing more substantial than these rumors remains, but could he perhaps come back? I’d like to think so! And, because I can, I am including this image of Sanguinius.

Questions Abound!

This was a fun little tally to keep. Who else do you know of who is missing and may make an appearance in modern 40k, and when do you think these missing warriors will make another appearance? Let me know in the comments, and have a great week!

Cheers,

Captain Morgan

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