# Daemonology by Chris Wraight



## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

http://www.blacklibrary.com/horus-heresy/daemonology-ebook.html

A new release and one that I think will finally explain a mystery that a lot of people did not care for. What happened after Scars and before Vengeful Spirit to change Mortarion from a witch-hating fanatic to an aspiring warlock himself. I'll be reading this soon myself.


LotN


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Most exciting part is finally learning about his 'other' father if that's what Wraight infers by his _sinister heritage_.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Darn it, you beat me to it! Well I'll wait with this e-book then if it takes place after _Scars_.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

I've just bought and read this - what a gem it turned out to be! Probably the most enjoyable of all the £1.99 shorts (that I can think of anyway).

It does, quite satisfactorily, justify Mortarion's actions in Vengeful Spirit. It also further opens up Mortarion's character - something Wraight began in Scars. It also includes a fair few little thought-provoking tidbits regarding numerous things - such as the Emperor (and Malcador's) intentions & how Mortarion is so fucked up.

For £1.99 I would recommend this, especially if you, like me, enjoyed Scars.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Damn CoTe approved.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

There are certainly a lot of talking points - lots of fascinating titbits for us:



Mortarion's clash with Jaghatai Khan led the Death Lord to vent his frustrations on the loosely collated 'Prosperine Empire' (the various fiefs of Prospero and the Thousand Sons). The story opens as the Death Guard move to attack the world of Terathalion (a library-world utilised by the Thousand Sons), obliterating everything in their path. It turns out that the Death Guard have a more specific purpose in mind than simple slaughter though - they are seeking a daemon. This daemon has been successfully hiding amongst the people of Terathalion for 25 years (and may or may not be The Changeling) for unknown purposes (presumably something to do with the Thousand Sons, implying that their pre-Heresy corruption and the warp's influence on them stretched further than we already knew). Mortarion seeks this daemon out to begin learning warpcraft in an attempt to eventually overcome it. 

It seems that his duel with Jaghatai back on Prospero (in _Scars_), the Khan's refusal to side with Mortarion, and the Khan's words were the final straw that led to Mortarion to seek to utilise the warp himself: 'Jaghatai was right - I am on my own with them [the damned]. The aether stains everything. But I _will_ understand it. And I will _overcome_ it'.

This wasn't just a snap decision though, this decision had been brewing for many years, if not decades. The remainder of the story (other than the destruction of Terathalion, capture of the daemon and it's subsequent interrogation) is a flashback - 70 years before the Heresy, before Mortarion had taken over full command of the XIV Legion and when he was on Terra after being returned from Barbarus. It seems that the Emperor and Malcador were reluctant to give Mortarion command of the XIV Legion because of the physical and psychological damage Barbarus had wrought on him. They were trying to cure him of his poisons and afflictions before releasing him into the galaxy with a Legion at his back. In response Mortarion declared that the Emperor and Malcador were dabbling in sorcery (we see the Imperial Webway portal being constructed in one scene, which Mortarion uses to reinforce his accusations) and in his words: 'I will never serve in your Crusade while there are witches among us.'

Poor Malcador is throttled again(!) ('all of the Primarchs had exerted their strength in his presence. They seemed to enjoy demonstrating their physical prowess over him, as if perpetually resentful of his privileged place at their father's side. He had gotten used to letting the slights pass') and Mortarion foretells that one day a Primarch will leave him choking in the dirt - *cough* Lorgar *cough* Monarchia *cough*. But Malcador is able to persuade Mortarion to change his mind and join the Crusade by revealing the plans being put in place for the Council of Nikaea (almost 70 years before it happened!) and that the Emperor was well aware of the danger of psykers and ideally would want to 'remove the warp from the arteries of the Imperium' - including navigators and Legion psykers and that Nikaea was going to be a significant step towards that goal. Malcador acknowledged that the Imperium was being built with 'forbidden tools', but that it was necessary at that point - and that plans were in place to eventually remove the threat of the warp. Mortarion seems satisfied that he has been promised a significant role (Malcador even going as far as to call him 'a pillar of your Father's vision') in removing 'witches' from the Imperium and subsequently agrees to join the Crusade. 

This does all suggest that the 'Trial of Magnus the Red' / Council of Nikaea generally was all just a façade and the Emperor was *never* going to be persuaded to side with Magnus. 

All of this then links back to the present and further justifies Mortarion's decision to dabble in sorcery himself. Nikaea had come and gone, and if anything, had only made things worse. He had joined Horus in rebellion, but was (as Jaghatai said) surrounded by the damned - those saturated by the warp. His desperate gambit to lure Jaghatai to his side had failed and he was truly alone. The only perceivable way he believed he could continue his opposition against the witches, the psykers and the warp was to learn the lore himself in order to _overcome_ it. Of course, this only then furthered his corruption and we all know what happened after.





Malus Darkblade said:


> Damn CoTe approved.


Doesn't happen very often these days. :laugh:


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

That is very interesting, and if anything it damns the emperor even more in my eyes.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Reaper45 said:


> That is very interesting, and if anything it damns the emperor even more in my eyes.


How so? Because he had planned Nikaea at least 70 years before? We already knew he was hypocritical and intended to remove the threat of the warp. Whilst it does add clarification I don't think it should alter our opinion of the Emperor given what we already knew. Just my thoughts.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Child-of-the-Emperor said:


> How so? Because he had planned Nikaea at least 70 years before? We already knew he was hypocritical and intended to remove the threat of the warp. Whilst it does add clarification I don't think it should alter our opinion of the Emperor given what we already knew. Just my thoughts.


I dunno, according the the official BL Primarch discovery order magnus was found way before mortarion.

Wouldn't it make sense to advise the primarch whose in the top three most powerful psykers that you plan on banning the use of psykers?


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## Scrad (Apr 4, 2014)

The strange question is, why not release this before, or at the same time as Vengeful Spirit? I haven't read Daemonology yet and will hopefully get it tonight, but it just seems like the release schedule wound some people up/made them dislike VS at first read k:


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

The High Lords of Nottingham deemed damage control necessary and off Wraight went.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Malus Darkblade said:


> The High Lords of Nottingham deemed damage control necessary and off Wraight went.


And you think it's possible to write a good short story in that amount of time?


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## ckcrawford (Feb 4, 2009)

Reaper45 said:


> I dunno, according the the official BL Primarch discovery order magnus was found way before mortarion.
> 
> Wouldn't it make sense to advise the primarch whose in the top three most powerful psykers that you plan on banning the use of psykers?


It makes sense, however its best he probably didn't. The Thousands Sons seem to have dwelled as deep as they could into the forbidden sphere of things, and I feel this may have caused a premature damage to the Imperium even before the Great Crusade was over.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

Scrad said:


> The strange question is, why not release this before, or at the same time as Vengeful Spirit? I haven't read Daemonology yet and will hopefully get it tonight, but it just seems like the release schedule wound some people up/made them dislike VS at first read k:


Sales manipulation.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

ckcrawford said:


> It makes sense, however its best he probably didn't. The Thousands Sons seem to have dwelled as deep as they could into the forbidden sphere of things, and I feel this may have caused a premature damage to the Imperium even before the Great Crusade was over.


I dunno magnus's entire point was that psykers was something that should be used. Everything he did was to prove that psykers are good.

If the emperor told magnus about the true natures would he have continued to do so?


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

Just read it.

Wraight needs to stick with the Death Guard/Mortarion.

He writes better from their/his perspective than he did with the Scars/Jahagtai.


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Malus Darkblade said:


> Just read it.
> 
> Wraight needs to stick with the Death Guard/Mortarion.
> 
> He writes better from their/his perspective than he did with the Scars/Jahagtai.


I think you're completely wrong. He writes well from both. His White Scars have been a joy to read, especially after Andy Hoare's work


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

To each his own Monty. Then again you think a Predator stands a chance with an Astartes ^_^



one thing that confused me was the daemon in the story. L something. It possessed a human for 25 years (CoTe assumes its the Changeling though I saw nothing to indicate that). It had a very human response to the planet invasion and to Mortarion's presence, noting his massive psychic essence and cluttered chambers. 


Perhaps Wraight wanted to simply keep the reader blind to its true nature until Mortarian makes it known to us?


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Reaper45 said:


> I dunno, according the the official BL Primarch discovery order magnus was found way before mortarion.
> 
> Wouldn't it make sense to advise the primarch whose in the top three most powerful psykers that you plan on banning the use of psykers?


The Emperor was a hypocrite. I believe Malcador was being genuine when he told Mortarion that the Emperor intended to 'remove the warp from the arteries of the Imperium'. However, it was also acknowledged that it was necessary to build the Imperium with 'forbidden tools'. I believe one of those 'forbidden tools' was Magnus the Red - who was needed to sit the Golden Throne to guide the armies of humanity through the webway. 

The Emperor needed Magnus and his Legion. I don't think making an enemy out of the Crimson King from the beginning would have been wise. Given all of the tutoring and warnings the Emperor gave Magnus over the years, perhaps it was assumed he could be brought onside in the long term. 



Malus Darkblade said:


> one thing that confused me was the daemon in the story. L something. It possessed a human for 25 years (CoTe assumes its the Changeling though I saw nothing to indicate that). It had a very human response to the planet invasion and to Mortarion's presence, noting his massive psychic essence and cluttered chambers.




I wasn't assuming it was The Changeling - the thought crossed my mind when I was reading it, but as you said, there isn't particularly anything which indicates that it was.


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Malus Darkblade said:


> To each his own Monty. Then again you think a Predator stands a chance with an Astartes ^_^


LOL don't even get me started. Depends on which sources you cite for either side. For instance, I'd pick Wolf to hang Proteus' skinless body upside-down ^_^


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

I had to google who Proteus was. The ultramarine from the movie Abnett 'wrote'?

That's not even fair.


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

Malus Darkblade said:


> I had to google who Proteus was. The ultramarine from the movie Abnett 'wrote'?
> 
> That's not even fair.


Point is...there's been weak potrayals of both sides. Characters are often weaker on-screen (especially speed-wise) because viewers must be able to follow the action. Movie Jedi are relatively slow for this reason

Thus for fair matches...movie SM vs. movie Preds, wanky BL marines vs. wanky EU Preds


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

I have to echo previous posters: holding off on releasing this story until after _Vengeful Spirit_ went on sale undermined that novel.

It's not clever to play with the timeline/releases in such a manner when the novel doesn't even allude to Mortarion's glaringly out-of-character behavior. It reads more like damage control, much like the subsequent "explanations" of the bizarre timeline of _The Outcast Dead._


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Phoebus said:


> I have to echo previous posters: holding off on releasing this story until after _Vengeful Spirit_ went on sale undermined that novel.
> 
> It's not clever to play with the timeline/releases in such a manner when the novel doesn't even allude to Mortarion's glaringly out-of-character behavior. It reads more like damage control, much like the subsequent "explanations" of the bizarre timeline of _The Outcast Dead._


But it did get people talking about the book. So either way they get free advertising.


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

The problem is that the story was preceded by *negative* talk about Mortarion's out-of-character behavior and actions. How much better would said "advertising" have been had "Daemonology" preceded _Vengeful Spirit?_

Or, gain, if McNeil had simply _alluded_ to Mortarion acting out-of-character in a way that pointed to some serious event that precedes this story? You know, leaving a hook open for "Daemonology"?


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Phoebus said:


> The problem is that the story was preceded by *negative* talk about Mortarion's out-of-character behavior and actions. How much better would said "advertising" have been had "Daemonology" preceded _Vengeful Spirit?_
> 
> Or, gain, if McNeil had simply _alluded_ to Mortarion acting out-of-character in a way that pointed to some serious event that precedes this story? You know, leaving a hook open for "Daemonology"?


Suppose someone likes mortarion and wants to read books that feature him. So they come online and do a search. They see people bashing a book called vengeful spirit saying that mortarion is acting against everything he is.

Their curiosity is now peaked they want to know first hand what's going on so they're going to get the book and find out for themselves. If they hate it they're going to come online and do the same thing.

Generating more discussion and topics about it.

For those who are going to disagree I have three words.

Rebecca Black's Friday.


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

I'm not familiar with Rebecca Black's Friday.

Bottom line, and meaning no offense, I just don't see how your proposal makes good business sense: it requires _Vengeful Spirit_ to have a built-in plothole, which would upset people who _did_ purchase the novel, so as to leave something open for people who didn't it and somehow entice them to buy it well after its initial release.

We may have to agree to disagree on this topic.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Phoebus said:


> I'm not familiar with Rebecca Black's Friday.
> 
> Bottom line, and meaning no offense, I just don't see how your proposal makes good business sense: it requires _Vengeful Spirit_ to have a built-in plothole, which would upset people who _did_ purchase the novel, so as to leave something open for people who didn't it and somehow entice them to buy it well after its initial release.
> 
> We may have to agree to disagree on this topic.


Have I really found the one person on the internet who doesn't know what it is?

Short version, it's a song so terrible people go to the video just to bash it. Driving viewer counts up and making it more popular.

It's the exact same thing as leaving a gaping plot hole, it generates discussion either complaints or people theorizing about it. Either way it makes it more popular than what it normally would be if it was perfect.


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

Or... you could just not have a glaring plot hole, release relevant short stories in a way that actually supports the novel, and succeed on the merit of a _well-written book._

Because, however you might like to spin it, the song you referenced sucking that bad in no way equated to the artist earning either accolades or revenue they would have received _had it been really good._ :wink:

But this is all hypothetical from my perspective, because I sincerely doubt that Black Library is deliberately putting out inferior products in the hopes of somehow generating negative reactions for the sake of also generating interest.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Phoebus said:


> Or... you could just not have a glaring plot hole, release relevant short stories in a way that actually supports the novel, and succeed on the merit of a _well-written book._
> 
> Because, however you might like to spin it, the song you referenced sucking that bad in no way equated to the artist earning either accolades or revenue they would have received _had it been really good._ :wink:
> 
> But this is all hypothetical from my perspective, because I sincerely doubt that Black Library is deliberately putting out inferior products in the hopes of somehow generating negative reactions for the sake of also generating interest.


Would you honestly be happy to get maybe two pages just saying, Oh mortarion is now studying the very thing he hates to find out why his brothers are so into it? 

IMO it's better to leave a mystery and get a story later on explaining it.


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

No, I would rather get an allusion to the fact that Mortarion changed his ways AND get a short story that fleshes that out. Something like Mortarion pausing for a second after butchering his bodyguards and then squashing a momentary feeling of regret. Then, saying something like how only [however much time passes between _Scars_ and _Vengeful Spirit_] ago he would not even have considered what he had just done, but that he had come a long way since Terathalion, where his eyes had been opened.

Or something to that effect.

Instead, I got a novel that went about as if there was nothing unusual about Mortarion pulling a 180 with his most fervently expressed moral stand. Then, almost seven months later, I got a story that purported to explain this.

No thanks!


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Phoebus said:


> No, I would rather get an allusion to the fact that Mortarion changed his ways AND get a short story that fleshes that out. Something like Mortarion pausing for a second after butchering his bodyguards and then squashing a momentary feeling of regret. Then, saying something like how only [however much time passes between _Scars_ and _Vengeful Spirit_] ago he would not even have considered what he had just done, but that he had come a long way since Terathalion, where his eyes had been opened.
> 
> Or something to that effect.
> 
> ...


No matter what they put in someone would have complained about not having a good enough explanation. It's not a first time writers pulled something out of their ass and never explained it until much later on.


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

Dude, I'm honestly at a loss as to why you would be so ardent in defending a bad writing decision. Just because something bad happens doesn't mean the paying customer shouldn't expect a higher standard. I assure you, it is not even remotely a standard to write characters acting uncharacteristically without so much as an allusion to that fact.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Phoebus said:


> Dude, I'm honestly at a loss as to why you would be so ardent in defending a bad writing decision. Just because something bad happens doesn't mean the paying customer shouldn't expect a higher standard. I assure you, it is not even remotely a standard to write characters acting uncharacteristically without so much as an allusion to that fact.


It is a legit marketing strategy. That's all I am saying.


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## Phoebus (Apr 17, 2010)

No offense intended, but it really isn't. But by all means: e-mail Graham McNeill and ask him if he deliberately wrote Mortarion out-of-character for the purposes of generating negative publicity as a means of driving interest for his novel and any follow-on material tied to it.


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

I'm with Phoebus here. Whilst I get what you're saying, generating negative reviews and attracting criticism is not a smart marketing move in the slightest. You never want to deliberatly generate bad publicity and perception of a product, especially a book, simply to get people to buy the next one, even more so if the next one is a tiny short.


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## Child-of-the-Emperor (Feb 22, 2009)

Agreed. Also, as an artist/author I'm sure you would take issue with your publisher asking you to write one of your characters not only slightly out of character, but completely the opposite of how he is supposed to be for a marketing strategy (and a terrible marketing strategy at that). 

Also, how much money does BL realistically make from sales of £1.99 ebook short stories? I don't imagine that much. So demanding an author completely change the character of one of the Primarchs in order to make a negligible profit on a few short story ebooks would be absurd. Also, that is assuming sales of _Daemonology_ have been greater than they would have been if McNeill did allude to the character alteration in _Vengeful Spirit_. 

As _P_ said earlier, it wouldn't really be an issue if McNeill had alluded to it in _Vengeful Spirit_ - but he didn't, not one iota.


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

McNeill...I've given up one him. A Thousand Sons was good (not great mind you, but quite good). Everything else by him before and after ATS has been really bad in my opinion. I haven't read Storm of Iron, perhaps that is another exception?


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## Angel of Blood (Aug 18, 2010)

Storm of Iron isn't bad, not great either. It does make Angel Exterminatus even worse though, as you see how much of a shameless set up for Storm of Iron it is.


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## Vaz (Mar 19, 2008)

And to look forward to, we now have a McNeil fuck up of the Alpha Legion, and a McNeil fuck up of the Ultramarines once again, this time in 1st edition and Space Marine battle level fuck ups in regards to his Battle for Macragge.

YAY.


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## Lord of the Night (Nov 18, 2009)

Vaz said:


> YAY.


As someone who doesn't hate McNeill, my response to him writing the Battle of Macragge is this, without sarcasm.


LotN


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## mal310 (May 28, 2010)

So much for the Primarch discovery list. Unless Mortarion was kept locked up in the palace for about 60 - 80 years this story is yet again a continuity mess. 

Story was ok, but it's just there to try and tidy up some of the mess from Vengful Spirit while creating more mess of its own.


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## Karthak (Jul 25, 2010)

I agree with the others who have raised this point; this really should have come out before Vengeful Spirit.

Also, this lays the seeds for a blood-feud between the Death Guard and the Thousand Sons. Fitting, as their patrons are already opposed to each other.


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## mal310 (May 28, 2010)

And Chris is at it again. Just read Brotherhood of the Moon and the Luna Wolves are fighting in copper green. Great.


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