When Mortarion, Daemon Primarch of the Death Guard, awakens in a decaying garden with no memory of his identity, he is unaware of the strange horrors and twisted serenity that lie ahead. In this place of rot and rebirth, the air itself hums with the unsettling benevolence of its creator. Above all, Nurgle is a god of grotesque generosity, eager to share his gifts with his chosen champion.
Mortarion, the Daemon Primarch of the Death Guard, is one of the most tragic and fearsome figures in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Born on the toxic death world of Barbarus, Mortarion grew up amidst perpetual suffering, his formative years spent in an environment shrouded by poisonous mists and ruled by cruel xenos warlords. Mortarion’s resilience and unmatched endurance allowed him to survive in conditions that would have killed most humans. He grew to hate the warlords who enslaved the planet’s population, particularly the alien tyrant who adopted him as a child. Mortarion vowed to liberate Barbarus, leading its oppressed people in rebellion, but he was ultimately denied his final victory by the Emperor, who intervened to defeat the warlord Mortarion could not. This moment, and the perceived humiliation that came with it, planted the seeds of resentment in Mortarion’s heart.
As a Primarch of the Death Guard Legion, Mortarion was a towering figure of grim determination and unyielding resolve. His stoic leadership made the Death Guard a relentless and disciplined force, embodying their Primarch’s endurance and resistance to hardship. Mortarion’s disdain for weakness extended to an obsession with self-reliance, which would later play a pivotal role in his downfall. During the Horus Heresy, Mortarion’s simmering resentment toward the Emperor and his ideals was exploited by Warmaster Horus. Lured by the promises of power and freedom from the constraints of the Imperium, Mortarion led his Death Guard into rebellion, aligning himself with the Chaos God Nurgle.
Mortarion’s fall was sealed during the Death Guard’s journey through the Warp, where they became stranded and beset by a plague that ravaged their fleet. Despite his disdain for accepting aid, Mortarion eventually succumbed to desperation and made a bargain with Nurgle, the Chaos God of decay and disease. This pact saved his Legion but came at a terrible cost: the Death Guard and Mortarion were forever transformed into grotesque, plague-ridden warriors. Mortarion himself was elevated to Daemonhood, becoming a Daemon Primarch and one of Nurgle’s most favored champions. His once-imposing figure was corrupted into a horrifying, bloated form, his very presence radiating disease and despair.
Now, as a Daemon Primarch, Mortarion is the supreme commander of the Death Guard and one of the Imperium’s most implacable foes. His wargear, including the scythe Silence and the lantern-like pistol Lantern, is as much a manifestation of Nurgle’s will as his own martial skill. On the battlefield, Mortarion is a towering avatar of death and decay, spreading Nurgle’s pestilence with every swing of his scythe and every breath of his fetid aura. His very existence is a blight upon the galaxy, and his invasions are apocalyptic events, leaving worlds crippled by plague and despair in his wake. Despite his transformation, Mortarion remains a bitter and tormented figure, his hatred for the Emperor now fueled by his own self-loathing and the corruption that defines his existence.
Mortarion’s story is one of tragedy, bitterness, and grim inevitability. Though his fall to Chaos has made him an instrument of Nurgle, it has also stripped him of much of his humanity and autonomy, binding him to a master he once sought to escape. His enduring hatred for the Emperor and his loyalist brothers drives his every action, yet it also serves as a constant reminder of what he has lost. Mortarion is not merely a villain but a tragic figure, a grim testament to the corruption and despair that define the dark universe of Warhammer 40,000. His existence serves as a chilling reminder of the price of pride and the dangers of despair, even in a galaxy already steeped in suffering.