The World Bearers were the 17th Chapter created in the First Founding. Their armour is red with silver trim. Their homeworld was Colchis before it was destroyed.
Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion of Space Marines, was always one of the most scrupulous and dedicated followers of the Imperial Cult. He was sure that his steady, methodical progress during the Great Crusade, as he converted planets to the Imperial Cult with dedicated zeal, would earn him the Emperor's undying gratitude. and elevate him to a pre-eminent position amongst the Primarchs. It was thus a shattering blow when the Emperor instead reprimanded him for his tardiness in carrying ot the primary objective of the Great Crusade. The task of the Space Marines was to fight, not to waste time in pointless ritual and monument building.
Later Lorgar was to say that this action lifted a veil from his eyes, and he was able to see the Emperor for what he was: not a God at all, but an irreverent man who had failed to grasp that what humanity needed above anything else was religious guidance in order to make any sense of an otherwise pointless existence. Lorgar's faith in the Imperial Cult was destroyed, but he quickly found a substitute in the terrifying form of the gods of Chaos. Here were truly god-like beings that expected to he worshipped, indeed that yearned for displays of devotion and dedication.
So it was that even before Horus had been corrupted, Lorgar began to worship the gods of Chaos. He revelled in the different aspects of each of the Dark Powers, but worshipped no one in preference to another. He dedicated himself to Chaos in its purest form, as Chaos Undivided, and he quickly led the Word Bearers along the same path. The fanatical zeal the Word Bearers had shown in their worship of the Emperor was quickly and easily subverted into equally fanatical devotion to Chaos.
By necessity the Word Bearers had to keep their activities secret at first. Secret covens were set up on the planets that the Word Bearers controlled or conquered, who worked insidiously to create cult followings for the Chaos Gods. When the Horus Heresy began the Word Bearers immediately revealed their true nature, and on a thousand worlds the Chaos Cults they had founded erupted into open rebellion. Lorgar and the Word Beaters, freed from the need to keep their worship of Chaos secret, dedicated themselves to worshipping the gods of Chaos.
Following the defeat of Horus the Word Bearers retreated to the Eye of terror. From there they continue to spread the word of Chaos. On the worlds they attack the Word Bearers build huge monuments dedicated to their dark gods. and vast cathedrals are erected where the chants and prayers of the faithful mingle with the screams and groans of those being sacrificed on bloody altars dedicated to the Cltaos Powers.
The Word Bearers are the only Chaos Space Marine Legion to still have Chaplains, who enforce a strict regime of religious observance upon their brethren. All Word Bearers are expected to spend a considerable period of each day in acts or ritual sacrifice, occult study, or decadent worship. in battle the Word Bearers are zealous in the extreme, marching forward tinder huge banners dedicated to Chaos in its myriad forms, reciting catechisms as they fight. and slaying the enemy for their failure to follow the one true path to righteousness!
Taken from Codex: Chaos v2