Luther's Dark Host

       The background for the Word Bearers/ Daemon army I am working on

Rise

After Horus' demise, the lowly battle-brother known as Luther began his rise to power. Luther felt the pantheon of Chaos within himself, and it was his duty to spread the word of his new Dark Masters across the galaxy. Luther slayed Isaac's current acolyte and seized the newly opened spot. Isaac was not zealous enough for Luther. He felt contempt for his weak leader and was eagerly awaiting the Dark Council to make their decision to give Luther his very own host. Knowing it would be a long time coming, Luther pleaded with Isaac to begin his quest to seek favors from each of the Gods. Isaac thought this would kill Luther, so he let him begin his Dark Pilgrimage.


With the help of the Sorcerer Jacob, Luther began to wander the depths of the warp. He first arrived at the Palace of Pleasure. To please the Dark Prince, he indulged in every depravity that was presented to him. At the same time, he slew any lesser daemons that attempted to offer up his soul to their master. The Dark Prince was pleased. Next, Jacob guided Luther to Khorne's domain. There, he fought his way to the gates of the Brass Palace. He waded his way through blood and gore to the very steps of Khorne's throne. He offered a challenge to anyone. Angron in his Daemon Prince form answered. They battled for 888 years. It still ended in a stalemate. Khorne struck them both down. Luther returned to issue another challenge the next morning. Khorne granted Luther his mark for his tenacity and desire for murder. Then he visited Nurgle's garden. He waded through the rotted marshes and was greeted by Grandfather Nurgle with a boisterous laugh. Luther watched the Dark God create diseases and volunteered himself as a body to experiment upon. Luther endured the concoctions for an untold amount of time. Nurgle blessed him with his mark. The final leg of his journey was about to begin. He arrived at the door of Tzeentch's Crystal Palace. He walked the halls of the palace for 999 years. He followed the fate lines of all his battle brothers. He followed his. Tzeentch tempted Luther with the fate lines of Isaac. He studied each one. He clipped every line except one. This line led to the encounter between him and his master. Tzeentch was pleased.

To complete his pilgrimage, Luther searched for years for the black mace. It took another 1000 years, but it was worth it. With his newly acquired dark truths, he was ready to destroy his master. He singled him out upon his return in front of the Dark Council. He toyed with him, dodging his blows with ease. Luther became bored. With the snap of his fingers, a Herald of each Dark God encircled the duel. Isaac was shocked by the way Luther commanded the servants of the Dark Gods. In this moment of hesitation, Luther struck one fatal blow. The council granted Luther command of his own host.

Dark Host's Composition

Luther's Dark Host is truly a gruesome sight to behold. It is here that a cultist gets to see the fruit of their labors and march alongside the minions of the Dark Gods. Luther has communed with each Dark God and earned their marks. He knows he has no real command of the Daemon hordes that march alongside his host, but they are an invaluable ally. When first laying out a plan for attack, he asks the Dark Gods for advice. With his Chosen, Luther devises a plan of action using the "advice" of each God.

Under the watchful eye of the Sorcerer Jacob, psykers of all kinds are sacrificed to make sure the warp rifts stay accessible. Warp storms rage around him as he struggles to maintain to keep the thin veil open. The Dark Host's goal is to rip apart a target world with an unimaginable amount of heresies. They convert each conquered world into Daemon Worlds. The Dark Host does not claim any planet for any particular god. It is not their business to meddle in the affairs of their masters. 

Luther is the supreme commander of the Dark Host. Next in command is the Sorcerer Jacob. They do not try to command the daemon hordes; how can one control chaos itself? The third in command is usually Luther's acolyte, which seem to meet an unfortunate end when they become too powerful.

The abundant presence of cultist serve as a perfect meatshield and sacrifice to the Dark Host. The brothers of the Word Bearers fight were the fighting is the thickest. They chant heresies to their enemies to make them feel the presence of Chaos. Only when it is too late, the enemies of the Dark Host realize their folly. Daemons appear out of nowhere and rip men and xenos apart.