Warmaster Horus at the Eternity Gate Artwork
The Triumph of the Warmaster: Horus’ Dark Victory
The Triumph of the Warmaster
This stunning artwork depicts a grim vision of what might have been if Horus had triumphed at the Siege of Terra, standing victorious at the Eternity Gate, the final threshold before the Emperor’s throne room. Clad in gleaming, corrupted golden armor, Horus looms as a god-like figure, his body wreathed in malevolent energy, radiating both divine power and terrible darkness. His legion insignias and wolf-headed pauldron are reminiscent of his once-loyal sons, the Luna Wolves, now transformed into the Sons of Horus. Before him stands Ollanius Pius, the lone mortal, bathed in a halo of pure light, the last defiant soul willing to stand against the newly crowned master of mankind. Around Horus, his traitor brothers gather, each embodying the foul powers that have led them to this final moment.
The Corrupt Primarchs and Their Dark Ascent
On Horus’ right, Fulgrim, fully ascended to daemonhood, perches like a decadent vulture, his four-armed serpentine form draped in excessive finery, his once-proud beauty now grotesquely exaggerated. Next to him, Mortarion, cloaked in rot and pestilence, exudes a palpable aura of decay, his scythe raised like the shadow of death itself. Konrad Curze, the Night Haunter, stands in the gloom, his presence that of a silent executioner, his piercing gaze promising endless terror. Beside him, Omegon, possibly the last remnant of Alpharius, lurks in the shadows, his allegiance ever uncertain, yet clearly standing with the victors in this twisted fate.
The Siege Breakers and Their Bitter Reward
To Horus’ left, Perturabo, clad in siege-worn, brutal armor, stands as the mastermind of the victory, his iron will having torn down the walls of Terra. Behind him, Lorgar, the architect of this grand heresy, raises his staff in triumph, his eyes filled with the fire of prophecy, knowing that the Gods of Chaos now truly rule the galaxy. Angron, a figure of raw, unfettered rage, stands like a blood-drenched titan, his chainaxes thirsty for more slaughter, though the battle is already won. These Primarchs, once brothers united under the Emperor, now bask in the ruin of their father’s empire, their choices leading them here, where Chaos reigns supreme.
The Silence of the Loyalist Legions
Conspicuously absent are the Loyalist Primarchs, their fates sealed in fire, death, or enslavement. No Guilliman to rebuild, no Dorn to fortify, no Sanguinius to inspire. The Emperor himself is nowhere to be seen, his throne overshadowed by the Warmaster’s might. The Imperium, once an empire of order, has fallen into the twisting madness of the Warp, its greatest hope now nothing more than a fading legend. The Imperial Fists, Blood Angels, and Ultramarines, once Terra’s mightiest defenders, are nowhere to be found, their banners either burned or trampled beneath the boots of traitors.
The Future of a Galaxy in Chains
This vision of a victorious Horus Heresy presents a grim, nightmarish alternative to the Warhammer 40,000 universe as it exists. Instead of the Corpse-Emperor, there would be a Warmaster-God, his dominion absolute, his rule dictated by the whims of Chaos. The Legions would descend into even greater infighting, their greed and hatred consuming them until the galaxy was nothing but a shattered wasteland of eternal war. Even the Chaos Gods themselves might tire of their champions, setting the stage for a fate even worse than the one the Imperium faces now. This artwork is a haunting depiction of what could have been, a reminder that even in a galaxy of unending war, things could always be far, far worse.