We’ve all seen the awesome new Cinematic trailer for the forthcoming new edition of the Horus Heresy, and we’re breaking it down over a series of articles.
Today we’re going to focus on the first of three legends we witness in the cinematic: Constantin Valdor, Jenetia Krole and Malcador the Sigillite. Let’s start with the Emperor’s golden armoured champion, Valdor.
The whole Imperium knows who Valdor is. He is the Shield of the Emperor, the First of Ten-thousand, the Captain-General of the Legio Custodes.* He’s a paragon of warfare, charged with serving as the Emperor’s lifeward.
Of course, Valdor didn’t get to just loaf around hoping to catch a bullet on behalf of the Emperor. He was far more proactive than that: during the Unification Wars, he commanded armies, spearheading assaults against the worst of the tyrannical warlords on Old Earth. He fought alongside the Thunder Warriors at Maulland Sen, and delivered the Priest-King to the Emperor’s justice. He cast down the rebellion of the once-honoured Provost Kandawire… and more besides.
Despite his fame, we know little of his early history. Valdor’s infancy and youth is a closely guarded secret, although rumours abound. What is undeniable is that, once within the Emperor’s clutches, Valdor was fashioned into a physically perfect specimen, imbued with supernatural strength and grace. Notice how the skin around his implants is neither livid nor necrotic? He stood eye-to-eye with the Primarchs, their match in strength of arms. Valdor never swaggered or boasted, for he had no wish to be the centre of attention, even if that burden was often placed upon him.
As the Emperor’s Spear, Valdor was seldom far from the Master of Mankind, except when on some special duty – and as such served as counsellor and confidant. He was unburdened by greed or ambition. Whether it was a quality of his own, or something instilled within him, Valdor lived for his duty alone – for the Emperor and the fulfilment of his dream.
When the Warmaster betrayed the Emperor, Valdor’s role irrevocably changed. There now was a foe who knew some part of the Emperor’s mind, and possessed power enough to threaten the Imperium, Terra, and the Emperor himself.
What becomes of Valdor after the fall of the Emperor at the culmination of the Horus Heresy is the subject of much conjecture and debate – and the annals of the Imperium are strangely silent. Legends tells that he stole away from the Imperial Palace, offering no explanation, never to be seen again.
Come back next week, when we’ll turn our gaze upon the second of these iconic figures, Knight-Commander Jenetia Krole.
* The Emperor’s bodyguard, a 10,000-strong army of super-warriors who have undergone complex genetic manipulation and intense training to become the most elite warriors in the Imperium. Only the Primarchs are more dangerous.
