Primarch Magnus the Red
Magnus the Red, once known as the "Crimson King" and the "Red Cyclops," stands as the primarch of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion and a mighty Daemon Prince of Tzeentch. Towering both in stature and intellect, his copper-hued form held immense psychic power. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, he sought to master the Warp, delving into its mysteries and rising as a sorcerer of unparalleled strength.
Opening
Believing he could tame the vast psychic expanse known as the "Great Ocean," Magnus pushed the limits of his abilities. Yet, his reckless use of these gifts led to a rift with the Emperor and his primarch brothers. Arrogance and unchecked ambition ultimately sealed his fate, binding him forever to the Dark God of Change.
Welcome back, lore-lovers, to another deep dive into the rich and twisted history of Warhammer 40k. Today, we unravel the epic tale of Magnus the Red, the Crimson King--Primarch of the Thousand Sons. From his tragic fall to his relentless pursuit of power, this is a story of betrayal, ambition, and the struggle for the soul of the Imperium. Settle in, because we're about to journey through the Warp together. I'm Liandrug, and this is where the lore comes to life.
The Chronicle
Magnus the Red, known by many titles such as the "Sorcerer of Prospero," "The Logos Maxima," "The Cyclopean Giant," and "The Crimson King," was distinct among the Primarchs. All sons of the Emperor were beings of psychic and physical strength, though in some, the psychic element manifested as foresight, stealth, or unmatched charisma. Magnus, however, stood above his brothers in psychic power, and it is said that he encountered the Emperor within the Warp long before they met in person.
Magnus' essence brimmed with psychic energy, so potent that his form seemed more a projection of will than flesh. Under his gaze, secrets were laid bare, as if thoughts were as transparent as glass. In battle, he fought like a god of myth, fire trailing him as solid matter dissolved at his command. His enemies crumbled before his psychic might, their minds overwhelmed by visions of nightmares. Such power, though, bred fear and mistrust, even among those who called him brother.
War was not Magnus' goal; he sought knowledge above all. He believed the Great Crusade was more than a quest for unity--it was a journey from ignorance to enlightenment. Magnus envisioned humanity's evolution into a psychic race, a belief that consumed him and ultimately led to his downfall.
Magnus retained memories of his creation and maintained psychic communication with the Emperor even during his gestation. After the Primarchs were scattered by the Ruinous Powers, Magnus landed on Prospero, a remote colony inhabited by human psykers. These psykers had isolated themselves, persecuted by the rest of humanity for their abilities. Magnus' arrival was seen as an omen, his capsule descending like a comet into the heart of Tizca, Prospero's only notable city.
Raised by the psychic scholars of Prospero, Magnus quickly surpassed his teachers, mastering the arcane arts and psychic powers of the Warp. He eventually led the campaign to exterminate the Psychneuein, predatory creatures that had ravaged the planet. Magnus unified Prospero's psychic cults and rebuilt its civilization, transforming Tizca into a city of unmatched beauty. Under his rule, the Prosperans deepened their knowledge of the Warp, which they called the "Great Ocean," and sought to understand the Primordial Creator, or Chaos.
Magnus established a Great Library at the heart of Tizca, storing all their knowledge of sorcery and the Warp. Ignoring warnings from his master Amon and later the Emperor, Magnus undertook deep psychic journeys into the Immaterium. His powerful presence soon drew the attention of the Emperor, who sent His expeditionary fleets to Prospero. When the Emperor arrived, Magnus greeted Him as if they had known each other for years.
For decades, Magnus and the Emperor studied the Warp together. The Emperor warned Magnus of its dangers, but Magnus' psychic talents were already entwined with his fate. The Thousand Sons, Magnus' legion, had inherited his psychic power, though their gene-seed was unstable, leading to the "Flesh Change," which caused mutations and madness. The legion's numbers dwindled, and its future was uncertain. Many within the Imperium called for its dissolution, but Magnus pleaded with the Emperor for a chance to save them.
Magnus' efforts paid off--he stopped the mutations, though it cost him his right eye. However, the cure came at a hidden price. Unbeknownst to Magnus, his pact with the entities of the Warp was a manipulation by Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Change. Believing he had outwitted the Warp's forces, Magnus had in fact sealed his and his legion's fate. With the Thousand Sons restored, they were finally allowed to join the Great Crusade as the 28th Expeditionary Fleet, though suspicion and fear still lingered around them.
When the XVth Legion was first created, its Astartes were tasked with ending the last resistance on Terra after the Wars of Unification. Their final campaign was against the Yeselti ruling family in Boetia, who resisted incorporation into the Imperium. The XVth Legion crushed their resistance in a six-week campaign, earning the name "Thousand Sons" from the Emperor.
Five years into the Great Crusade, the Thousand Sons began to manifest psychic abilities, which they viewed as a way to emulate the Emperor. While wary of psykers, the Emperor tolerated this development because their powers were effective in combat. The Thousand Sons' Sorcerers could subdue populations with psychic force, a tactic that other Primarchs, particularly Leman Russ of the Space Wolves, viewed as dishonorable. Despite their early success, the Thousand Sons soon faced the horrific "Flesh-Change," a mutagenic condition that turned Astartes into monstrous abominations. Many afflicted were put into stasis, and the Legion's numbers dwindled.
When the Great Crusade reached Prospero, the Thousand Sons were reunited with their Primarch, Magnus the Red. By then, the Flesh-Change had ravaged the Legion, and Magnus intervened using sorcerous means to save what remained of his Astartes, stabilizing only a thousand of them. Over the next century, Magnus rebuilt the Legion, and they eventually formed the 28th Expeditionary Fleet.
Magnus excelled in battle during the Crusade but remained deeply drawn to the Warp's mysteries. Despite the Emperor's warnings, Magnus pursued forbidden knowledge, compiling the Book of Magnus, a tome of sorcery. His dangerous thirst for knowledge and mastery of the Warp caused distrust among other Primarchs, especially Leman Russ and Mortarion. Magnus' psychic practices made the Thousand Sons appear dangerously similar to the Warp creatures the Crusade fought against. His Legion's obsession with preserving knowledge further alienated them, with many Primarchs criticizing Magnus for placing too much value on arcane lore.
Tensions culminated in the Council of Nikaea, where the Imperium debated the use of psykers. Magnus passionately defended their role, but the Space Wolves and Death Guard opposed him, warning of the dangers of sorcery. Ultimately, the Emperor decreed a ban on the use of psychic powers by Astartes, disbanding all Legion Librariums and banning sorcery. Despite his disappointment, Magnus accepted the ruling but soon sought ways to circumvent it, believing the path to greater knowledge was too vital to abandon.
Following the Ullanor Crusade, the Emperor named Horus as Warmaster, placing him in command of the Great Crusade and all Imperial armies. The Emperor returned to Terra to focus on expanding the Eldar Webway for human use beneath the Imperial Palace. While meditating on Prospero, Magnus foresaw Horus' corruption and the coming civil war--the Horus Heresy. Desperate, Magnus tried to warn the Emperor through sorcery, using an astral projection. However, this act breached the Emperor's psychic wards, inadvertently allowing Warp entities to assault Terra, sabotaging the Emperor's secret Webway Project.
Horrified, Magnus returned to his body on Prospero, only to realize that Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Change, had manipulated him. Despite his good intentions, Magnus had played into the hands of Chaos. The Emperor, furious at Magnus for violating the Council of Nikaea's ban on sorcery and causing irreparable damage to the Webway Project, ordered Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, to bring Magnus to Terra. However, Horus, already corrupted, deceived Russ into launching a full-scale assault on Prospero.
Magnus, realizing he had been a pawn of Chaos, chose not to warn his Legion of the impending attack. He cloaked Prospero in a psychic veil, leaving his people and the Thousand Sons unprepared. The invasion, known as the Fall of Prospero, began with an orbital bombardment, reducing the planet to ruins. The psychic shield of Tizca, the capital city, protected it briefly, but soon, Imperial forces overwhelmed the defenders. Libraries were destroyed, and countless lives lost, plunging Magnus into despair.
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Magnus eventually entered the battle, using his immense psychic power to hold off the Space Wolves. He clashed with Leman Russ, and during their brutal fight, Magnus wounded Russ, but Russ blinded Magnus and broke his back. At this moment, Tzeentch offered Magnus salvation in exchange for eternal servitude. With no other choice, Magnus accepted, and Tzeentch transported the remnants of Prospero into the Eye of Terror. Magnus and his Legion survived, becoming Chaos-aligned, and Magnus ascended as a Daemon Primarch, now fully aligned with Tzeentch.
After Horus' defeat at the Battle of Terra, the Thousand Sons retreated to the Daemon World within the Eye of Terror, known as the Planet of the Sorcerers. Tzeentch, their Chaos patron, "gifted" them by accelerating their genetic mutations. Azhek Ahriman, Magnus' trusted advisor, led a council of sorcerers to prevent the mutations. They cast the Rubric of Ahriman, a spell that backfired--turning non-psychic Thousand Sons into mindless, soul-trapped automata, while amplifying the psychic powers of the sorcerers. Enraged by the spell's outcome, Magnus fought Ahriman but spared him when Tzeentch intervened. Magnus exiled Ahriman and his followers to wander the galaxy in search of Chaos' true meaning.
Magnus settled in the Tower of the Cyclops on the Planet of the Sorcerers, brooding on his hatred for the Imperium. In the 32nd Millennium, he sought revenge on Leman Russ and the Space Wolves for Prospero's destruction. His chance came during the Battle of The Fang, where he tricked the Space Wolves into attacking Gangava while the Thousand Sons launched a surprise assault on Fenris. Magnus' real aim was not just vengeance, but to prevent the Space Wolves from creating successor chapters.
The Thousand Sons besieged The Fang, defended by only a small force. For forty days, they attacked, with Bjorn the Fell-Handed awakening to lead the defense. As the Space Wolves fell back deeper into the fortress, a scout force brought word of the siege to Great Wolf Harek Ironhelm. Overcome with fury, Harek returned to Fenris and faced Magnus in single combat. Despite initially overwhelming Magnus, Harek was slain. However, Magnus was also gravely wounded, and the Space Wolves ultimately repelled the invasion.
Yet, Magnus found some satisfaction in his defeat. During his rampage, he destroyed the Space Wolves' gene-laboratories, eliminating their ability to create successor chapters. By wrecking irreplaceable gene-seed and equipment, he ensured that the Space Wolves would forever be the sole inheritors of Leman Russ' legacy. Though Magnus' Legion was driven off, his revenge was complete.
The Siege of the Fenris System saw Magnus the Red return to realspace in 999.M41, targeting Fenris, home of the Space Wolves. Magnus had sown chaos centuries before, corrupting the Space Wolves' gene-seed and manipulating the Imperium into weakening them before his invasion. Though Magnus was eventually banished by Logan Grimnar, he succeeded in teleporting the Planet of the Sorcerers to Prospero's ruins, creating a new Warp rift that unleashed Daemons and strengthened his forces.
In 999.M41, during Roboute Guilliman's resurrection, Magnus learned of his brother's return and saw new opportunities. As Guilliman prepared for his Terran Crusade, Magnus ambushed the fleet near the Maelstrom with his Thousand Sons fleet. In a devastating assault, Magnus battered the Loyalist forces and cast a powerful spell that dragged Guilliman's fleet into the heart of the Maelstrom. Trapped for an indeterminate time, they were eventually freed with Eldar aid, but soon faced another ambush by Kairos Fateweaver and the Red Corsairs. Guilliman's forces were captured but later rescued by Harlequin Shadowseer Sylandri Veilwalker and Cypher, who led them to a Webway Gate aboard a Blackstone Fortress.
Inside the Webway, Guilliman realized Magnus' plan: to follow the Imperials to Terra and assault the Golden Throne. With the help of Harlequins, Guilliman's forces evaded Thousand Sons ambushes, breaking through to reach a hidden Webway exit on Luna, narrowly escaping Magnus' trap.
Emerging into a vast lunar crater, the Terran Crusade survivors found themselves surrounded by inky darkness, with beams of sunlight from Sol barely penetrating its depths. Quickly ascending the crater walls, the Loyalists were conscious of their enemies close behind. Space Marines surged upward, aided by the moon's low gravity, while tanks kicked up moon dust and Skitarii relentlessly climbed, their freezing, decaying bodies pressing onward in service to the Omnissiah.
Above them, Celestine flew into the void without the need for any protection, as her Geminae Superia donned their helms. Veilwalker and her Harlequins lingered near the Webway gate, but before Veilwalker could complete her ritual to secure the gate, dark energies erupted. Blue fire engulfed several Harlequins, their bodies melting or freezing as the Webway portal released the first wave of Rubric Marines. These cursed warriors advanced, their bolters roaring, sending souls of the Loyalists tumbling in slow motion amidst clouds of moon dust.
Guilliman, witnessing the battle unfold from the crater's edge, knew he had little time. The Imperial forces would soon arrive, but Magnus, leading the Thousand Sons, could cause irreversible damage before reinforcements came. Rubric Marines and Scarab Occult Terminators surged forward, bolstered by Chaos Sorcerers on Daemonic Discs, pushing up the crater walls with terrifying resolve. Guilliman quickly ordered his forces to form a defensive line at the crater's edge, raining down fire upon the advancing forces. Tanks and Space Marines made use of their elevated position, unleashing devastating explosions that tore through the advancing enemy ranks.
For a moment, it seemed the Thousand Sons were contained. But then, a pulse of dark energy surged from the Webway, and Magnus the Red, wings wide and eyes ablaze, stepped through. With a mockery on his lips, the Daemon Primarch's psychic wards protected his forces, allowing them to advance unharmed. Rubricae crested the crater, and the Loyalists were forced to retreat to the cover of voidship wrecks and lunar craters. Magnus' reality-warping powers tore the fabric of space, unleashing a horde of cackling Daemons upon the battlefield.
Recognizing that he had no choice, Guilliman charged directly at Magnus. His burning blade cut through Rubricae as he launched himself toward his brother. Their clash sent shockwaves through the moon's surface, throwing them both into the wreckage of an ancient Imperial frigate. Guilliman struggled free, his armor compromised, but his indomitable will kept him moving. He challenged Magnus to face him, and the Daemon Primarch obliged, rising ethereal from the wreckage.
The brothers exchanged taunts as they circled each other. Guilliman's contempt for his brother's corruption was met with Magnus' sneering pride in his newfound power. Their battle was brutal and swift. Magnus, moving with unnatural speed, launched deadly psychic attacks while Guilliman, his ammunition spent, relied on sheer strength and skill. A thunderous uppercut from Guilliman sent Magnus spiraling into the void, his blood birthing kaleidoscopic fungi on the lunar surface.
Though momentarily stunned, Magnus quickly recovered, his form once again solidifying as he hovered above Guilliman. Rage filled the Daemon Primarch, but Guilliman pressed on, questioning Magnus' arrogance and mocking the false promises of the Chaos gods. Magnus, unshaken, scornfully laughed, dismissing his brother's faith and loyalty, but the battle was far from over. The fate of the Crusade and perhaps the Imperium hung in the balance as the two Primarchs prepared for their final clash.
Magnus the Red's glaive descended, erupting in a blast of multicolored flames, engulfing Guilliman and the surrounding terrain. Amidst clouds of dust and fire, Guilliman cried out in pain, his armor straining under the psychic assault. As Magnus descended, pouring even more warp fire, Guilliman collapsed to one knee, his power armor faltering under the overload, the scent of burning flesh in his nostrils. Desperately, he propelled himself backward into the wreckage of a starship.
Magnus landed, chuckling, while Guilliman, buried beneath machinery, struggled to rise. The psychic Daemon Primarch tore apart nearby wreckage and hurled it upon his brother, burying him under its immense weight. For a moment, Guilliman considered giving up, his body battered and his bones shattered. But thoughts of his loyal sons fighting for a truth they didn't know kept him going. With a roar, he emerged from the wreckage, defying Magnus once more.
The sky above lit with fire. Imperial reinforcements had arrived, led by the Adeptus Custodes. Bolt fire erupted as the elite warriors tore into the Thousand Sons with unmatched skill. Imperial Fists, Sisters of Silence, and even Harlequins joined the fray. Guilliman, now shielded by the psychic-nullifying aura of the Sisters of Silence, charged at Magnus.
The battle between the two brothers raged on. The ground quaked with their titanic strikes. The Sisters of Silence, though effective at nullifying Magnus' warp powers, were falling one by one. Guilliman, pouring everything into his attacks, finally drove Magnus toward a corrupted Webway gate. As the brothers neared the gate, Guilliman landed a devastating blow with the Emperor's sword, engulfing Magnus in golden flames.
Magnus, in his fury, unleashed a massive blast of psychic energy, flinging both himself and Guilliman across the battlefield. Severing the Webway gate with a final incantation, Shadowseer Veilwalker sealed Magnus within, banishing him to the depths of the Warp once again.
Though Magnus had failed at Luna, he had other plans. Soon, with his planet Sortiarius restored, he would strike again, aiming to corrupt the Imperium's Stygius Sector, ripe for conquest under the shadow of the Great Rift.
Closing Words
That's it for today's lore-filled adventure, but the story doesn't end here. If you enjoyed the video, make sure to like, share, and subscribe! And if you're craving even more lore discussions, join our Discord. Together, we're building a cozy community of lore-lovers who live and breathe these stories. See you in the next video, where we'll dive even deeper into the mysteries of the 40k universe. Until next time, this is Liandrug, signing off.
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