Maloghurst, also known as The Twisted, was a Veteran Astartes of the XVI Space Marine Legion, the Luna Wolves, later renamed the Sons of Horus in honour of its Primarch Horus' elevation to the esteemed rank of Imperial Warmaster. Maloghurst was known for his shrewdness and his talent for intrigue and intelligence-gathering, which were unusual amongst the Astartes, who tended to be forthright in battle and to disdain such shadowy activities. During the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium, Maloghurst served as the Equerry to Horus. He acted as the public voice for the XVI Legion and carried out the Warmaster's will in his capacity as the Sons of Horus Legion's chief enforcer. He was essentially Horus' spymaster and secret police chief after the Heresy began, the traitorous counterpart to Malcador the Sigillite. Maloghurst's ultimate fate after the death of Horus at the Battle of Terra remains unknown. Maloghurst's nickname came not only from his personality but also the physical damage to his body. Maloghurst had been badly wounded on the world of Sixty-Three-Nineteen during the final days of the Great Crusade, and his spine had been deformed and twisted, making him unfit for active combat duty but still quite effective at the tasks of propaganda, spying and assassination which Horus set him to accomplish.
History
Great Crusade
Born on the Mining World of Cthonia, Maloghurst was inducted into the Luna Wolves Legion and took part in numerous campaigns during the Great Crusade. A Veteran warrior amongst the ranks of the XVI Legion, he served as a company captain, and might have even risen to the First Captaincy of the Legion had he not been promoted to the office of Equerry. As a shrewd and experienced individual, it was his job to protect the Warmaster politically, guiding and advising, blocking and out-playing all opponents. He made it his business to be aware of, and perfectly sensitive to, every political nuance and current that ran through the military and civilian ranks of the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet.
Maloghurst was not a well-liked Astartes, and was a difficult man to get close to, even by the intimidating standards of the Astartes. Most of his fellow Battle-Brothers thought of the Equerry as a facilitator, loyal only to Horus himself, though no one was ever foolish enough to underestimate him. During the Imperial Compliance of the world designated as Sixty-Three-Nineteen, Maloghurst was despatched by the Warmaster to the planet's surface to parlay with the false leader of this world who called himself the "Emperor of Mankind." Unfortunately, Maloghurst's Stormbird was shot down and he was horribly wounded after it crash-landed on the planet's surface. His body was mangled and his spine horribly twisted, making his physical appearance as twisted as his foul mind.
Though no longer able to serve the Legion on active combat duty after his injuries, when selected by his Primarch to serve as his trusted advisor, Maloghurst proved more than willing to follow the Warmaster in anything -- including treachery against the Master of Mankind and corruption by the Dark Gods of Chaos. He also once boldly stated to his fellow Astartes that he was aware of his nickname amongst the rest of the Legion and had no wish to abandon it: his mind was as agile as ever, and if his body was now twisted to fit it, then so be it.
Horus Heresy
After Horus' corruption by the Chaos Gods, following his miraculous healing in the Temple of the Serpent Lodge on Davin, he conspired to overthrow the Emperor and install himself as the new Emperor of Mankind. It was Maloghurst's job to ensure that the Warmaster's orders were carried out in his capacity as the chief enforcer of Horus' will. During the campaign to exterminate the remaining Loyalists of the first four Traitor Legions on Istvaan III, the Loyalist Death Guard Battle-Captain Nathaniel Garro seized control of the frigate Eisenstein to bring a dire warning to the Emperor of the Warmaster's treachery. It was Maloghurst who directed the Death Guard's First-Captain Calas Typhon aboard his ship, the Terminus Est, to intercept and prevent the Eisenstein from escaping before it could warn the Emperor of Horus' treachery. Maloghurst's ultimate fate following the Horus Heresy is currently unknown in Imperial records.
Wargear
- Power Armour
- Power Sword
- Bolter armed with Banestrike Shells
- Bolt Pistol
- Frag Grenades
- Krak Grenades
- Refractor Field
- Legion Standard
Sources
- The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre by Alan Bligh, pg. 212
- Horus Rising (Novel) by Dan Abnett
- Flight of the Eisenstein (Novel) by James Swallow
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