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I remember a long long time ago, a scene from Ciaphas Cain story where some servitors of Slaanesh ended up crashing against the wrath of the followers of Khorne.

I took note of it because I believe it was the first time I ever saw fiction that mirrored the Fluffs lore about the competitive issues between the Ruinous Powers and their servants.

Does anyone else remember an Fluff or Fiction where Chaos took arms against....well... Chaos?

It was the opposite, actually. Slaaneshi cultists being attacked by World Eater Marines.


It was a regular part of the game back in the day. Fiction emphasized how frequently that sort of thing happened (particularly between Slaanesh and Khorne, and between Nurgal and Tzeentch). And the list rules used to include things like "animosity", which made it more difficult to run lists using demons from multiple Chaos powers.

Khorne hates Slaneesh
Slaneesh hates Khorne
Nurgle hates Tzeentch
Tzeentch hates Nurgle.

This whole interaction between the forces of Chaos was a big thing in early Warhammer Fantasy and 40k.

For fantasy you weren't able to field units of specific Marks near each other or something happened. Squabble like orcs maybe? Its been so long ago..... it might have been 5th ed fantasy.

For 40k, through Codex 3.5 Chaos armies were very restricting about what units could be fielded together especially if you fielded an army of a specific god. I played Worldeaters and had restrictions about fielding psychers and even ranged combat units (no havocs). I believe when you took a warlord of a specific mark the specialist units became core. I didn't field any other Marks so I believe there was some restriction on that.


The Codex after 3.5 scrapped a huge amount of this background and basically made them pointy space marines sadly.. Even today when I see Chaos Armies fielding units from opposing gods it makes me grumble about how Chaos was stripped down after 3.5.

A Ciaphas Cain short story called The Beguiling had Nurgle vs. Slaanesh. This story was also the introduction of a lovely lady who reappeared in the novel you're referring to, by the way. I'm sure you know who I mean.

Also, the entire Daemon World novel is about rival warring Chaos factions.

Two pretty famous examples in the background fluff are the Black Legion led by Abaddon attacking Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children, killing the Horus clone Fulgrim had made and destroying his genetic material so it could never be done again; and Kharn snapping, burning everyone on both sides and being a fun guy in a planet wide feud between the World Eaters and the Emperor's Children. That second story is why Kharn is called "The Betrayer". He actually made such a mess that both legions, which had previously remained largely intact, splintered into disorganized warbands afterwards.

There is only war in realspace, the warp is just a projection of that so don't expect it to be peaceful.

 Phydox wrote:
Khorne hates Slaneesh
Slaneesh hates Khorne
Nurgle hates Tzeentch
Tzeentch hates Nurgle.
For 40k, through Codex 3.5 Chaos armies were very restricting about what units could be fielded together especially if you fielded an army of a specific god. I played Worldeaters and had restrictions about fielding psychers and even ranged combat units (no havocs). I believe when you took a warlord of a specific mark the specialist units became core. I didn't field any other Marks so I believe there was some restriction on that.

The Codex after 3.5 scrapped a huge amount of this background and basically made them pointy space marines sadly.. Even today when I see Chaos Armies fielding units from opposing gods it makes me grumble about how Chaos was stripped down after 3.5.

These rules are still there - at least in the Chaos Daemons Codex. There seems to be more hate between the opposing gods than towards anything else, since every "Daemon of..." rule gives you hatred against a god. CSM however are more focused on destroying the imperium. Right after the Horus Heresy there was "the Legion war" between the chaos factions, which destroyed everything that was left of the larger legions that survived the heresy.

There's a lot. Three books I would absolutely recommend:

Kharn: Eater of Worlds covers Skalathrax. It's not pretty.

Abbadon: Talon of Horus covers the birth of the Black Legion, and consists largely of a war between the Emperor's Children and the smashed remains of the Sons of Horus

Ahriman: Exile/Sorceror/Unchanged (it's a trilogy) covers the civil war amongst the Thousand Sons which happens after Ahriman's Rubric and subsequent exile by Magnus.

The Word Bearers Trilogy hints at but does not directly show endless scheming between the two main factions of the Word Bearers (those led by Kor Phaeron and those led by Erebus).

Ah I was thinking less of 30K and more of 40K for this question.

The HH just happens to have a lot more of....well....everything really since its BL's attempt to create a grand epic......and keep the story going as long as possible to drain folks bank accounts.

I mean when you really think about, Primarchs have just about done everything in the 40K universe....except procreate.

To me at least, its much more interesting to pick up on the little more unheard of tidbits strewn across the 40K timeline.

None of the above are Horus Heresy novels.

locarno24 wrote:
None of the above are Horus Heresy novels.

Erp.. my mistake.

 Phydox wrote:
Khorne hates Slaneesh
Slaneesh hates Khorne

Soo tsundere.

it chaos they probably all fight with eachother all the time for the gaks and giggles.

There's lots of infighting for UNLIMITED POWER!!! much like the orks. You don't like who's in charge? Murder him and take his stuff. Its kinda like Necromongers in Riddick.

The goal is power. Chaos doesn't care how its acquired.

locarno24 wrote:
None of the above are Horus Heresy novels.

Many of them do take place shortly after it though. Actually, I believe Kharn's rampage WAS covered in the Horus Heresy series- in one of the short stories.