Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-112.207.229.75-20160517103444/@comment-5832352-20160919040652

Too many question marks to answer. Russ didn't have much love for psykers. And the Lord of Change had his eyes set on the Thousand Sons for a long time. So the number of ways that this could have played out and still end up having the 2 legions fight, would be massive. All it would take is for 1 legionnaire from the Thousand Sons to receive a mysterious call to say that the Space Wolves turned traitor, and turn the planetary defenses on the Wolves. Who knows, perhaps Russ would have become tainted by Chaos and been the one to turn traitor, while the Thousand Sons stayed loyal. Leaving the fight 9-9.

But you're basically assuming that Magnus, instead of using psychic sorcery, used the Astropaths to send the signal? Astropathy isn't known for being the most reliable way to get a message thru. But since Magnus didn't break the seals on the Human Webway project, he isn't assumed to have gone traitor himself by the Emperor, so the Space Wolves aren't deployed to Prospero. Thus at least for the start of the Heresy, the Space Wolves are in a position to respond Horus's forces and do not take casualties fighting the Thousand Sons. In addition, the Thousand Sons, and entire legion of psykers, are the most effective weapon to use against the Chaos Marines and their daemonic allies.

The bad news, is that because they are psykers, they are still vulnerable to the chaos entities. Does knowing what now lies out there tempt them to Chaos regardless? Do the Thousand Sons fall into the same inter-Legion fighting that other legions suffered? (The traitor legions purged a 1/3 of their ranks in the Instavaan system. The Raven Guard killed off their Terran born troops and probably saved themselves possible internal conflict.  Even the White Scars had internal conflict.  And remember, the Dark Angels kept secret the fact that some of their own turned traitor for fear of what would happen.  How do you think the other legions would take it if they found out that a number of Thousand Sons had turned?) Do they still suffer now as the forces of Chaos try to take them over and stress their psyches so that even if the Thousand Sons took to the field of battle against Daemons, the other loyalist legions would still distrust them? Even though Magnus himself doesn't become corrupted, what if Ahriman became the new Daemon Prince, leader of the Thousand Sons, defeated Magnus, and led the Thousand Sons against the Imperium?

But, lets go with the theory, that yes, Magnus did nothing. The Thousand Sons were still considered loyalist. And did not succumb to internal division or to Chaos. Then yes, the start of the conflict would be 9-8. It would become 10-8 later with the addition of the White Scars ... assuming of course that because the Thousand Sons did not turn, the gods of Chaos take the opportunity to empower one of the rebellious Khans and slay Jaghatai Khan (thus still making it 9-9).

Perhaps seeing the numbers turn, does the Alpha Legion abandon Horus? Does Kurze see that his visions were false and begin to take action, even if his own legion is lost, the Primarch stays loyal to the emperor, with elements following him?

But the Horus Heresy would still press on, even though with fewer numbers on their side.

You could have a final scenario where yes, Horus and the traitors still make it to Earth. Magnus had managed to make it in time to aid his father. But since the seals around the Webway were never broken, the Emperor might still be on the Golden Throne trying to rush completion of the Human Webway, instead of trying to hold back a Chaos Incursion. Maybe Malcador could sustain the Webway section rather than trying to hold back the whole wait of Chaos? Maybe Magnus takes his father's place on the Golden Throne to keep Chaos out? Either way, the emperor would have the backing of either of the most powerful psykers in the Imperium to join him along with Dorn and Sanguinus. Maybe the final battle against Horus would have gone differently.