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I am not well versed in the Horus Heresy series and was wondering why there was such trouble between the Ultramarines and the Word Bearers? Was it the destruction of Monarchia by the Ultramarines on the orders of the Emperor? Was it the Betrayal at Calth? Was it something else? Are these Legions/former Legions polar opposites of one another? One being focused on spirituality/religion/faith based and the other focused on logic and reason? Thoughts, comments, concerns?

Yes, Monarchia was the root of it. The Word Bearers viewed Calth as revenge which made the UMs hate them back.

They are very much opposites in being religous fanatics vs secular rationalists.

Did GW ever give a reason for the UM being at Monarchia? It doesn't really seem to fit with their 'Legion Job' of being administrators and setting up efficient worlds. I'd have thought that a better Legion for wrecking a planet would be the Wolves or World Eaters.

The Emperor used Guilliman and the Ultramarines as an example of what the Word Bearers should be.

Well that makes sense. I'm not sure they're the best ones to hold up as the standard but I can see why they were picked.

the UMs go in conquer a world, build it up while not losing steam/progress and create fantastic well governered secular worlds

Yeah, the Ultramarines built the worlds they took into functional, producing members of the Imperium, rather than leaving them as shattered wrecks like the other Legions did.

Ironically, so did the Word Bearers; the worlds they left behind tended to be fanatically loyal and covered in cathedrals and monuments to the Emperor and the Imperium. Many of what are now the Ecclesiarchy's major worlds were Word Bearer compliances.

They were just, in the Emperor's eyes, too bloody slow about it.

I also think the Emperor wanted to warn Gulliman in a sense, to show him what would happen if Gulliman disobeyed the Emperor. After all, Gulliman's big "flaw" is that he is concerned with the well-being of Macragge and will betray the Imperium to ensure his domain is safe. The Lion commented that he wasn't afraid Gulliman would fall to chaos as much as he was afraid Gulliman would do "something much worse" and it looked like he had already done it. That something would be succeeding from the Imperium and founding his own empire. I think it was Unremembered Empire where this exchange took place. This is something Gulliman struggles with in 42k as well.

locarno24 wrote:
Ironically, so did the Word Bearers; the worlds they left behind tended to be fanatically loyal and covered in cathedrals and monuments to the Emperor and the Imperium. Many of what are now the Ecclesiarchy's major worlds were Word Bearer compliances.

They were just, in the Emperor's eyes, too bloody slow about it.

Well that and the whole "religion of the emperor" thing. I think the Emperor choose the Ultramarines as a "look, building up is fine, but you have to do it right, the Ultramarines are doing it right, learn from their example!"