The winged expression “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” comes to mind after reading the story of the fall of the Scarlet King, the lord of Prospero. The burning of Tizka, as well as the exterminatus of the planet, was the result of the actions of the indictment army, having deleted the Legion of the Thousand Sons from the list of loyal troops to the Emperor.
Background
The story tells of Flesh Changes, mutations that hit astartes, at the beginning of the Great Campaign. The reason was the instability of the legion's seed. Warriors were placed in stasis capsules while searching for a medicine. The fifteenth primarch Magnus found by the Emperor was able to cure the disease.
The inhabitants of the planet Prospero summoned the forces of Warp into the real world in the form of familiars transferring knowledge to the owners. Magnus was the first to look into the non-material world instead of the usual recruitment practices and find answers. The applied procedure stabilized the genetic seed of the legion, of which a thousand space marines remained. The Legion was replenished with recruits from Prospero and joined the Campaign.
The “Space Wolves” led by Lehman Russ witnessed the use of the “Thousand Sons” psyker forces, which led to a change in the flesh of one paratrooper and a clash of two primarchs. “Sorcerer”, “sorcerer” and “warlock” are the nasty nicknames Magnus has acquired.
Nicene Edict
“If I’m to blame for something, it’s only in the pursuit of knowledge”
- Magnus (Graham McNill, The Thousand Sons).
Space Marines using psychic powers in battle were found in other legions in the form of Librarians. The emperor approved the first experiments, but over time the situation was not the best: the craving for knowledge and the notoriety of the “thousand-strong people” left a negative imprint.
The decision is voiced by the Emperor on the Nicene Edict. Despite the preponderance of votes in support of Magnus, the result is disappointing: a ban on the use of psyker abilities, the disbandment of the orders of librarians and retraining into astartes.
A telepathic contact took place between the Lord of Humanity and the primarch, in which the Scarlet King assured his father that he controls the power with which he is in contact and will not allow failure. In response, the Emperor threatened reprisal for disobedience. The burning of Prospero could have been avoided, but the thirst for knowledge led to failure.
Despair and Madness of Magnus
Grieved by the decision, the legion left the Great Campaign and returned to Prospero. Even during the Ullanor Campaign, Magnus saw images in the warp talking about the impending war, where the Astartes were fighting each other, and Brother Horus was in the center of events.
The destructive Forces conceived something insidious and chose the Warrior as a key figure. Since then, Magnus has been unraveling the plan of the Gods, but an unknown veil has blocked the path to visions of the future.
According to the announcement of the Nicene Edict, the sorcerer penetrated the veil, but not all showed the essence of the warp, because there were no visions of the burning of Prospero. Then he ventured into a ritual transferring the astral body into the visions of Horus. At that time, Magnus did not know about the reincarnation of Lorgar and the key role of the "Word Bearers."
Grieved by the failure, the primarch decided to warn the Emperor of the betrayal of the Master of War. This could be done through another ritual - the message could not be trusted with the usual methods of transmitting information.
Magnus' astral body penetrated the Ancient Web not without the help of warp entities, who appeared as angels and lulled vigilance. The Scarlet King broke into the secret laboratory of the Emperor, destroying the great work.
The appearance of the demon led to the death of scientists and technoadepts and destroyed artifacts from the Dark Era of Technology. The only emperor saw the essence of Magnus, and he saw the Lord’s plan: the Scarlet King on the throne guides the ships in the warp with the thought.
Realizing how stupid, the guest retired along the astral corridor, where hordes of demons were already waiting for the punched hole. The emperor ordered to bring his son to Terra. Guards from the Legio Custodes and Space Wolves advanced to Prospero, led by the accusatory army Leman Russ.
Magnus realized that he had become a puppet of the Gods when he saw in the mirror a demon offering strength and knowledge in exchange for the Emperor's betrayal. The Lord of Changes was denied and returned the Change of the Flesh to the Thousand Sons.
Battle for Prospero
In desperation, Magnus locked himself in a tower, and with the appearance of the flagship of the VI Legion, the Hrafnkel ordered to turn off the protective tools and hollow shields. But the librarian captains refused to surrender to Tizka without a fight.
Dan Abnett's book Burning Prospero says the Thousand Sons used magic, but the Wolves adapted: The Sisters of Silence as part of the indictment army deprived psykers of their abilities. The chances of victory were reduced due to the Flesh Changes that began in the ranks of the "thousand-strong".
At the Fotep pyramid, where Isaac Ahriman held the defenses to the last, two primarchs came together in battle. Magnus lost and accepted the Change Way offer, casting a spell that carried the Legion into a warp.
After burning
Prospero ceased to be considered the planet of science and turned into the asylum-covered shelter of bandits and marauders, giving rise to the battle cry for the reborn legion: "Everything is dust!". The Legion settled on the Planet of the Sorcerers on the other side of the Galaxy, on the top of the tower the Scarlet King was trying to understand why his father passed the death sentence.
Magnus shouted into the warp waves, summoning the Emperor, but received no answer and uttered the fateful words: “Let the Galaxy burn!” Only a thousand warriors could survive the Changes in the Flesh and the Ahriman Rubric.
Conclusion
The burning of Prospero in Warhammer 40,000 is a tragedy that sparked controversy among fans about whether Magnus had betrayed or not. The emperor demanded that Russ bring his son alive, but Horus made adjustments to the message, which led to the elimination of Cyclops. Magnus was hooked by Tzincha when he appeared as the demon Horazon and allowed the primarch to defeat the cure for the Change of Flesh.
So the Scarlet King made sure that the warp can be subdued, but the God of Changes said the phrase: "One is, there are nine hundred and ninety-nine left." It is with these words that the book The Thousand Sons begins.