Cor Phaeron is the Master of Faith of the Word Bearers Legion, known as Lorgar's adoptive father. He had a significant impact on the formation of character and religious beliefs, and also played a key role in changing the path of development of the legion. It will be discussed in the article.
Word Carrier
The story originates on the distant planet Colchis, where the capsule with Lorgar fell. The place was under the influence of destructive forces, because society was tormented by numerous cults and sects, each sought to appease the essence of Warp.
The young man became an acolyte of a society led by Cor Faeron: a pragmatic, cruel, purposeful fanatic whose life was faith. Lorgar, tormented by visions of the coming of the Emperor, became not only a son, but also a puppet of a spiritual mentor.
He absorbed teachings like a sponge in water, and the skillful manipulations of his adoptive parent pushed for the first time to bloodshed for religious purposes. Over the years, their activities led to the fact that Colchis became the kingdom of peace and prosperity. However, the new faith was based on the visions of Lorgar, who proclaimed the deity of the Emperor.
And when the real father found the lost son, young Aurelian received the idol with great enthusiasm, because the essence of faith appeared. Examples were followed by Erebus and Cor Phaeron.
After arrival
Physically strong youths capable of undergoing initiation and genetic improvements were recruited into the legions of space paratroopers. Alas, for the elderly, honor could not be prepared. It was this fate that awaited Cor Phaeron.
The Warhammer 40,000 is rich in all kinds of deviations from the norms, shocking the minds of uninitiated readers: Lorgar Aurelian could not leave his adoptive father and spiritual mentor to die, because the old man underwent rejuvenating surgery and implantation of many bioimplants. He wore the terminator armor "Cataphract" and fought in battle on an equal footing with others. Because it did not pass the initiation, it was considered unclean and earned the contemptuous nickname "semi-astartes."
Reprimanding the "Word Bearers"
I need warriors, not priests,
I don't need preachers.
Deny your path and wage war
For which you were born
Aaron Dembsky-Bowden's book The First Heretic describes a turning point that has changed fate, goals, and worldview. The Lord of Mankind, saddened by the slow advance of the legion, decided to teach Lorgar a lesson.
By sending spies, the truth was revealed: the "Bearers of the Word" instilled in the worlds brought to agreement, faith in the divine emperor. Kara followed immediately.
A world called Khur became the place where a legion knelt in the midst of the ruins of the temple city of the Monarchy. The whole father reproached the legion for imposing misconceptions on reconciled worlds and for shamefully slow progress. And the Ultramarines silently watched the shame of the brothers.
Heartbroken, Lorgar sprinkled ash on his head for a long time. Here the role was played by the Master of the Faith Cor Phaeron and the First Chaplain Erebus. They were teachers and spiritual mentors of the primarch. Together they meditated and sought a way out, deciding the fate of the legion.
The foundation of the personality of the primarch of the "Bearers of the Word" has always been faith. He believed that she extolled man over animals; without her, no thinking creature could survive. Long thought with Cor Phaeron and Erebus (miniature below) was alarmed by the memories of Colchis' religious past, the echoes of which were found on many conquered worlds.
After long weeks of inaction, the fleet of the Word Bearers finally moved off and set off to conquer the worlds in the name of the Emperor at an unimaginable speed. Seeing this, the All-Father sighed with relief, not realizing that he had already been betrayed.
Eye of Horror and Cadia
Studies of handwritten parchments of many conquered planets made it clear that all religious views have a common beginning. It was this starting point that the Word Bearers decided to find. She became a world called Cadia, whose orbit hit the largest warp storm in the Universe - the Eye of Terror - the place where the intangible world seeped into the material universe, the birthplace of the goddess Slaanesh and the death of the Eldar empire.
Here Lorgar’s rebirth happened, and the military doctrine changed. The symbol of the legion was an open golden book, from the pages of which a spark of flame erupted. Now the sparkling horned head of a demon was depicted in a spark. The interpretation of heraldry sounded like "enlightenment through the Word." The meaning remained the same, but the truth has changed.
Istvan V
And Lorgar, despising all the dangers of battle,
He came to the aid of his warriors.
To help, he called for himself the whirlwinds of the warp,
Compared with the gods in danger moment
The Word Bearers took part in the Istanbul massacre, where eight legions fell upon three, clutching loyal forces between a rock and a hard place. In the book of Aaron Dembsky-Bowden, “The First Heretic,” the moment is indicated where Lorgar gradually grows into a lack of independence and rejects the instructions and warnings of teachers.
According to the prophecy, the primarch will fall from the claws of Corax, respectively, Erebus and Cor Phaeron tried their best to protect Urizen from the battle. But seeing the warriors in gray fall dead from the claws of the primarch of the "Raven Guard", Aurelian spat on everything and rushed to the attack. Crozius met with power claws.
At that moment, fate was changed, the prophecy was broken. This impressed the gods and the desert of Urgala was swept by the whirlwinds of the warp. The otherworldly cry awakened the Unborn in souls of Gal Vorbak.
Kalt Mark
Thanks to the skillful manipulations of the warrior Horus, the Legion of the Ultramarines was removed from the theater of operations in the Isstvan system. Warp storms minimized the possibility of informational interaction of legions at a distance, because Robout Gilliman was not aware of the rebellion of the Master of War.
This was the finest hour for the Word Bearers, who had been harboring thoughts of revenge for decades. Lorgar, along with Angron, the primarch of the World Eaters, attacked the heart of Gilliman's empire - Armature. At this time, Captain Zadkiel launched an attack on Macragg on the ship "Vicious Abyss", and Erebus and Cor Phaeron went to besiege Kalt. Warhammer 40,000 is rich in epic battles, such was the Battle of Calt, described by Dan Abnett in the novel “Unaware of Fear”.
The Master of Faith got into a fight with Robout Gilliman and was defeated. The Ultramarines won, but the Word Bearers did tremendous damage and spread fear in five hundred worlds. The fury of the primarch was so strong that Gilliman pursued Aurelian right up to Nuceria.
Malstream
After the defeat on Kalta, Cor Phaeron fled to the borders of the system and hid in the very heart of a spatial vortex called Malstrom. According to the reports of the Legion of the Ultramarines, the units of the Master of Faith “Bearers of the Word” were defeated at the border of the anomaly.
Information can not be confirmed or refuted. But the anomaly has become a refuge for many pirates, marauders, thugs, heretics and other rebel associations that arise as a result of the propaganda machine "Word Bearers". At the heart of the storm is the forge world of Ghalmek, from where Kor Phaeron rules the wicked empire, whose official status, according to the setting, is alive!
Other references
It is known that Lorgar was dissatisfied with the failure of his adoptive father. His body was saturated enough with the energy of Chaos to withstand the battle against Gilliman. However, vanity played a role.
The current situation is unknown, may have returned to Malstream. Gav Thorpe’s story, Shadow of the Past, mentions the presence of the Master of Faith on Sicarius after the skirmish of Lorgar and Corax.
The character is mentioned in the Anthony Reynolds trilogy, consisting of the books The Dark Apostle, The Dark Credo, and The Dark Apprentice.
According to the back, after the rout of the heretics on Terra was defeated, Faeron headed for Sicarius, where he fought Erebus for power over the legion, but was betrayed by Marduk.
Computer games
The Warhammer 40,000 is so old a media universe that it's hard to tell where it ends. Disappointing lack of sound game projects where you can meet characters from the back.
For example, the confrontation between the Word Bearers and the Ultramarines is presented in the game Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate, but the character Kor Phaeron is not there (like Roboute Guilliman).
The Dawn of War series remotely resembles Starcraft (only instead of the zerg of tyranid), therefore it is not very popular.
There is an opportunity to play for the forces of Chaos in Warhammer 40,000: Soulstorm, but the side is represented only by the Alpha Legion. Since the release, the brainchild has acquired numerous mods. Through the efforts of the fans, many legions of Chaos and even demons were added. Lovers of nostalgia for the "restraint" will like the news.
"Treachery on Calt"
Warhammer 40,000 fans have hoped for The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth, a turn-based strategy game for PC and VR. The developers promise not only cross-platform battles, but also multiplayer as well as single player campaigns.
Judging by the name, the story will be about the attack of the "Word Bearers". Perhaps in some cut-scene appears Cor Phaeron or Lorgar. According to the screenshot below XVII Legion is present in the game.
Verdict
Kor Phaeron is one of the secret architects of the events called Horus Heresy. It is difficult to say when and where its seeds originated: on Khur or Colchis. There are many supporters of these options, probably even the Games Workshop do not know the right answer.
Seeds sprouted when Lorgar became disillusioned with his father. Having lost faith, the primarch searched for a way to fill his soul and proceeded to the edge of the universe, where he found Chaos.
If someone had been loyal to Aurelian at that moment, everything would have turned out differently. But he believed only Erebus and Faeron. In the book of Chris Wright, “Garro VI: Sigillite”, there are the words of the first regent Terra that if there was a chance to save one, Malkador chose Lorgar. Perhaps the keeper of the seal began to doubt the justification of the censure of the "Word Bearers" on the ruins of the Monarchy. Surely there was a different way.
These words hint that the Emperor’s act triggered the mechanism of the fall of the Space Marine legions into chaos, which emerged from the secret laboratories of Terra. Another irony of fate is the unexpected caustic grin of rock, which is filled with the universe of Warhammer 40,000.
Another controversial point is Urizen's awareness of the essence of the Emperor. Proponents of the opinion that the Golden Son did not know the rules of the game, no less than those who adhere to the opposite judgment. Nowhere is it said that at the time of arrival at Colchis, the Emperor told everything to Aurelian. It is known that the All-Father refers to children as an instrument, but the true motives are unknown. Consequently, the primarch did not know the rules.
Too many questions, the answers to which will not be soon (if any). One thing is known: the Emperor and his primarchs were honored by the gods, only human souls remained. Therefore, people are mistaken, and every mistake has consequences.
It remains to wait for the completion of the book cycle "Heresy of Horus", the last book of which is promised for 2019. By the time the Siege of Terra novel is released, there should be answers to most of the airborne questions.