Speak the words of Lorgar and you shall live forever in the glory of Chaos.

The Word Bearers are one of the nine First Founding Space Marine Legions that betrayed the Emperor of Mankind during the Horus Heresy. They became Chaos Space Marines, their allegiance pledged to their Daemon Primarch Lorgar and to Chaos Undivided. The Word Bearers were also the first Space Marine Legion to be corrupted by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos many decades before their counterparts turned to the Dark Gods and through their actions they corrupted the Warmaster Horus and brought on the terrible civil war of the Horus Heresy in all its savagery. Today they bend all their considerable efforts towards the overthrow of the "Corpse Emperor" and spreading the "truth" of Chaos to all Mankind. The Word Bearers Legion was originally known as the Imperial Heralds Legion when it was first raised on Terra and took part in the Great Crusade; after the Legion was reunited with its lost Primarch Lorgar on his homeworld of Colchis he renamed the XVII Legion the Word Bearers, which was in line with his belief that the Emperor of Mankind was the divine saviour of humanity.