Jump to content

Origins of Typhus


Leif Bearclaw

Recommended Posts

It has previously been my understanding that Typhon/Typhus was Barbaruian (Barbarusian, what is the term for coming from Barbarus?)

 

However I noticed a potential strange little discrepancy when I (finally) finished Blood of Asaheim a few days ago. When Gunnlaugr is telling the Cannoness  about Typhus he says something like "Once he was Calas Typhon of the Dusk Raiders". That would suggest Typhus is Terran (as he would've had to serve pre-Mortarion, when the XIV were still Dusk Raiders), but that doesn't really gel with Mortarion's attitude towards the Terran Death Guard. I doubt a Terran would've ended up as 1st Captain of the Legion.

 

So, am I incorrect and Typhus has always been Terran? Or is the error legitimate? If so, it then presents two options, Wraight got it wrong, or it's intentional and the Wolves don't have an accurate record of the events of 10,000 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

iirc (and my memory may be hazy) he's always been a Terran, merely that he excelled in the areas his father expected and in some he did not (his knowledge and useage of alchem weaponry was second only to his dad...) - I'm not at home so I can't check Extermination or Massacre for his set details though.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe that the newer books have him terran born.  He was part of the librarius program before Mortarion joined his legion, then after the program was scraped he worked his way up to first captain.  I don't believe that Mortarion ever had a problem with terran born marines, he doted on Garro before the Heresy began.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure Massacre gels with the original Index Astartes stating that Typhon / Typhus hailed from Barbarus, shared lineage with the creatures that formerly ruled the planet (making him a human / xenos hybrid?), and was a latent pysker that had hidden his powers from all except Erebus. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The newer Black Library suggests (or even states that he's from Terra). It was the Dark Angel one with the Death Guard, can't remember the name, saying he was a librarian before Mortarion was found. The Forge World books suggest he's from Barbarus.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently reread Flight, and I can swear Grulgor was complaining about Garro being Terran instead of a true (or whatever he said) son of Barbarus. The implication here being he (Grulgor) and Typhon were both true sons of Morty, and Garro was a relic of a former age.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Warsmith Erasmus Golg of the Iron Warriors. 

 

The Flight of the Eisenstein described Typhon as Barbaran. However the FW material offer a conflicting account of Typhon being with the XIV Legion before the coming of Mortarion (he once was in training to become an Epistolary of the Legion Librarius, however the coming of Mortarion, with his hatred of witchery, put an end to that). 

 

Personally, I would just chalk it up to history getting hazy in the 10,000 years following the Horus Heresy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grulgor does say that. However, it can be taken as maybe Garro's way of thinking remains firmly non Barbarus. Typhon perhaps became a true son of Barbarus? Typhon does say "But Temeter..... are not from Barbarus and you don't have a problem with them."

 

I also have a feeling that Typhon may have deleted some records/took someone else's identity within the legion to hide is psykerness.

 

##edit: not a direct quote

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The disparity (or confusion) is delicious. The implication that he may have used his latent abilities to manipulate others (e.g. so that even his closest brothers knew him as a "son of Barbarus") is really interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They state that he shares the blood of the Lords of Barbarus... he wouldn't have that if he were from Terra. I think it's mainly just oversight from other authors when they claim he's from Terra.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pg. 229 of Massacre under the Witchblood rule -

 

"Thought by some to have been 'tainted' by the blood of the nightmarish alien warlords who once held sway on ill-fated Barbarus, Calas Typhon was a Psyker".

 

Looks like a retcon to me. Which is a shame, because I'd prefer he was a Terran. We need more key traitors to be Terran... I can't think of any with rules at this point.

 

I suppose the implication would be that the Death Guard had a Librarius under Mortarion for at least a while, in order for new recruits from Barbarus to pursue their gifts/talents. My guess is that as he found out how widespread psykers were (particularly the 1K Sons), his ire and mistrust grew to the point where his own Librarius was disbanded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like a retcon to me. Which is a shame, because I'd prefer he was a Terran. We need more key traitors to be Terran... I can't think of any with rules at this point.

 

Um, Khârn, Ahriman (as said already) and Sevatar. That's at least a third of the Traitors with Terrans in their 'Primarch's number two' slot. As far as I'm aware the origin of the IV and XX senior captains isn't known. Plus given the way the III recruited, the likes of Lucius and Eidolon (who was the pre-eminent Lord Commander iirc) could also be of Terran stock. Which pretty much only leaves the Word Bearers and Sons of Horus with definitively non-Terran number twos.

 

Edit: Got Sevatar wrong, but I'd still say there isn't exactly a shortage of Terran 'key traitors.'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the early BL novels (I'm actually re-reading FotE right now), he's most definitely a son of Barbarus. I don't think you should take it as an implication he was Jedi mindtricking his bros to think he was from the right-wrong side of the tracks like they were. What you have to realize is that any novel published before FW's Horus Heresy books will most likely not match up to them perfectly. Especially when, from novel to novel, there are already a ton of inconsistencies.

 

Chalk it up to the vagaries of the warp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Sevatar was from Nostramo. In Prince of Crows it flashes back to his childhood. Also he asks a Terran Night Lord how he felt when Curze blew up Nostramo.

Yeah I'm a numpty there, got my first captains crossed, because Sahaal was Terran.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At this point, all of the Night Lords are number two.

 

Sevatar was from Nostramo and saw a(optimum preposition) truth no one else witnessed.

 

Talos was the loyal confidante who was told he would become a traitor out of loyalty to his father's memory.

 

Zso Sahaal was "the chosen heir".

 

Krieg Acerbus was the "true heir".

 

Needless to say, the Night Haunter delusions were obviously something else he shared with his sons.

 

EDIT: On topic, Typhus is still a son of Barbarus. He was actually one of the first to be inducted into the Death Guard. Naturally, his psychic potentially saw him selected for entry into the Librarius. When Mortarion was able to disband the Librarius, Mortarion was trained enough to have a rank, but was still low enough on the ladder he was able to slip into the normal line soldiers and then rise through the ranks to First Captain, his past as a former Librarian being such a minor footnote that only he would remember it happened.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Following my edit, it is possible that Typhus could have been in the Death Guard while they were still known as the Dusk Raiders. In other words, before Mortarion assumed command of his Legion.

 

One thing to note, it is becoming more common that many of the Primarchs spent a period of time from being found to when they took command either in the company of their fellow Primarchs(Curze stayed with Fulgrim for a bit, Alpharius traveled with Horus[or rather the Imperium's history as written in the IA articles records it that way]) while some spent quality bonding time with the Emperor on Terra(Fulgrim, Ferrus, Horus). It seems rare was the Primarch who was immediately given command of his Legion(Angron, the Lion).

 

So this leaves a transitional gap that provides a window for sons of Barbarus to have actually been Dusk Raiders, even if only for a while.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.