Chapter Summaries

Nimrod traveled to the Temple, a supposedly safe way station, to investigate its mysterious stone spheres. After examining one sphere, his spiritual intuition suddenly stirred and his Spirit Sight shut off, leaving him wary of what he had found.

• Nimrod ordered the Fourth Legion to build a Warp Gate in the Sonnem System and sent a company fleet from the 5th Legion to the Temple region.
• Arsena Dunn and Nimrod concluded that the spheres could not have formed naturally or been shaped by Warp Storms.
• Nimrod stowed the Hand of Order and other items, then took the Spear of Dionysus and Pegasus Ring as possible resources if he encountered danger.
• Nimrod flew alone to a stone sphere, landed on it, and examined its surface with his senses, Telekinesis, and Spirit Sight.
• After the sphere completed four rotations, Nimrod's spiritual intuition stirred and his Spirit Sight shut off, so he gripped the Spear of Dionysus and scanned his surroundings.

Nimrod took the Winner potion ingredients from the golden stones and awakened an ancient deity’s fury, then traded the Spear of Dionysus for a chance to escape. After returning to safety, he went to the Kingdom of Disorder to examine a God-Blessed Stone and its spiritual imprint.

• Nimrod recognized the golden stones and their crystal powder as ingredients for the Winner potion and considered the danger surrounding them.
• Nimrod used Telekinesis to seize the ingredients, awakening an ancient will and triggering a Warp Storm and a barrage of burning rocks.
• Nimrod invoked a Black Box operation and exchanged the Spear of Dionysus for peace, calming the stone spheres and the Warp Storm.
• Nimrod concluded that the Spear of Dionysus had made the exchange possible and decided to return for more ingredients only after growing stronger.
• Nimrod returned to the Shadow of the Throne, ordered the fleet to sail back to Vostonia, and went to the Seventh Layer Space to study the God-Blessed Stone's spiritual imprint.

Nimrod tore a fragment of Ouroboros’s imprint from the God-Gifted Stone, collected the deity’s mercury-colored blood, and had Tierney use theft to turn the fragment into a charm. The Spear of Dionysus did not return the next day, leaving Nimrod to accept its possible loss and plan to reclaim it later.

• Nimrod used the Kingdom of Disorder to weaken Ouroboros’s connection to the God-Gifted Stone and tear away a fragment without destroying the stone.
• Ten drops of mercury-colored blood spilled from the severed serpent body, and Nimrod stored them in crystal bottles.
• Nimrod separated the God-Blessed Crystal Powder from the God-Blessed Stone and examined the Ouroboros fragment inside it.
• Nimrod bound the God-Blessed Stone with a Silence Amulet and Double-Number Black Gold, then directed Tierney to steal the fragment and make it into a charm.
• The next day, Nimrod found that the Spear of Dionysus had not returned and decided he could retrieve it after advancing to Sequence 4.

Tierney completed the Great Serpent Sigil by stealing a silver-white spiritual imprint and offered it and the golden sphere to the Black Emperor. Nimrod then made John endure a month of misfortune so he could advance to Winner, leaving John newly transformed after receiving a golden potion.

• Tierney used Nimrod's aid to separate the silver-white imprint from the golden sphere and bind it into the Great Serpent Sigil.
• Tierney offered the sigil and sphere to the Black Emperor, who praised him and ordered him to continue stealing.
• Nimrod transferred the Great Serpent Sigil and decided to advance John before Flamini by making him remain unlucky for a month.
• John began suffering misfortune, first tumbling down the stairs as Freddy watched and mocked him.
• During the month, John endured failed divinations, explosions, a near miss from a Bolter, and the destruction of his bedroom by an exploding Psyker Crystal.
• On the final day, Nimrod gave John a golden potion, and John advanced to Winner.

A wave of assassinations and seizures devastated Terra’s nobility, as Nimrod’s faction and Malcador competed to take control of the affected families’ industries. Nimrod learned that Malcador had seized many businesses for his own purposes, just as the Emperor returned to Terra and called a War Council about the western galaxy.

• Count Ballard was killed at his banquet, and Malcador ordered an end to the investigation while directing agents to take over the victimized families’ industries.
• The Shadow Guard offered Skanda a share of House Brobey’s transport industry, and she accepted the deal.
• Flamini survived a hazardous month overseeing Numino’s port construction, received the Black Emperor’s gift, and advanced as the Winner.
• Pat reported that hundreds of nobles had been assassinated and that Nimrod’s allies had taken over many of their industries, while Malcador had seized others.
• Arsena told Nimrod that Malcador’s agents had destroyed wealthy families that resisted his demands, potentially leaving Nimrod to bear the blame.
• Arsena reported that the Emperor had returned to Terra after recovering Konrad Curze and had convened a War Council on the western xenos threat.

Nimrod attended the Primarch gathering by psychic projection as The Emperor assigned Perturabo to the western frontier and ordered Nimrod to govern from Vostonia. Realizing The Emperor might need his location to reclaim the Spear of Dionysus—and could use his true name to control him—Nimrod obeyed outwardly while resolving to resist.

• Horus introduced Konrad Curze, who mocked Nimrod as the Blood King, while the Primarchs considered Nimrod’s violent reputation.
• The Emperor entered with the Fabricator-General of Mars, Malcador, and Constantin Valdor, then announced Ork and Aeldari attacks on the galaxy’s western edge.
• The Emperor sent Perturabo to meet the xenos threat and ordered Nimrod to remain on Vostonia to govern his worlds.
• Nimrod suspected The Emperor had specified Vostonia to pinpoint his location and help the Spear of Dionysus escape Ouroboros’s control.
• Nimrod feared The Emperor could control him through his true name, agreed to the order, and privately resolved to make things harder for him.

Nimrod arranged visits to Vostonia with Ferrus Manus and Perturabo, then chose a likely site of Be'lakor's destruction for his next expedition. He left the Shadow Keep bound for star system 11-12-35.

• The Emperor rebuked Lorgar for falling behind, while Malcador explained that he wanted Lorgar to produce results; Curze then left in silence.
• Ferrus Manus arranged to duel Nimrod in Vostonia next May, and Perturabo agreed to visit the grand theater next April before continuing to the frontier.
• Nimrod ordered Arsena Dunn to prepare a memorable performance for Perturabo and asked him to assess two star systems for signs of a civilization destroyed by Be'lakor.
• Arsena judged 11-12-35 more likely than 11-7-49 to have been destroyed by Be'lakor, and Nimrod ordered the fleet to set sail for 11-12-35.

William Wood and the 12th Chapter fought Harvest Giants, and William learned enough about them to imitate one. He prepared an ambush and disguised himself before heading toward the Harvest Giants' gathering place.

• William and the Clowns used their speed and weapons to kill the charging Harvest Giants.
• William studied a corpse and absorbed information about the Harvest Giants, then shapeshifted into one and copied its creaking speech.
• William used a Monarch Coin to confirm his plan to lure the Harvest Giants into an ambush.
• William ordered the Apothecary and Tech Sergeant to prepare a paralytic trap in a soft-soil basin.
• William donned Shadow Tarot cards and other prepared tools, disguised himself as a Harvest Giant, and walked toward their gathering place.

William Wood infiltrated the Harvest Giants as Roevs and lured their forces into a trap at Shattered Canyon, where he defeated them and sacrificed the survivors to the Black Emperor. Nimrod obtained the materials needed for the Druid potion and flew toward the Brown Mountains.

• William Wood impersonated Roevs, fooled Talebi, and reported the Harvest Giants' supposed victory to Lord Regis.
• Regis sent twenty-five temple guardians and nearly three thousand Harvest Giants with Roevs to Shattered Canyon.
• After the Harvest Giants passed deep into the canyon, William revealed himself and triggered a trap that turned the ground into a chemical mire.
• William attacked the trapped Harvest Giants with Shadow Tarot cards, Air Bullet, and Flame Jump, driving many of them into the sludge.
• Five days later, William sacrificed the trapped Harvest Giants to the Black Emperor, and Nimrod identified the guards as Druid potion materials.
• Nimrod took the Harvest Giant guards into the Kingdom of Disorder and flew toward the Brown Mountains.

Malena Scala and the Biologist attacked a Harvest Giant settlement, while Nimrod fought the tree god in the Brown Mountains. Nimrod uprooted the giant tree and its twelve Harvest Giant priests, then landed amid the landslide and found a white building exposed beneath the collapse.

• Malena Scala sent the Biologist and her venomous-snake Constructs against the Harvest Giants, but the Kin of the Tree empowered the giants and resisted her bio-lightning.
• Malena released her accumulated toxins, incapacitating the Harvest Giants and causing the Kin of the Tree to lose the power granted by the God of Oak.
• Nimrod faced twelve Harvest Giant priests fused with the branches of a vast red-and-white oak, and shattered their leaf attacks with his Multiversal Prism and Shockwave.
• Nimrod used telekinesis to uproot the giant tree, then silenced the mountain range with green charms as the tree and priests vanished into black fog.
• Nimrod flew down and shielded himself from the resulting landslide, which revealed a white building beneath the collapsed ground.

Nimrod moved the red-and-white oak to the Kingdom of Disorder’s Second Layer Space and used its branches and leaves as materials. He advanced Malena Scala to Sequence 5 “Druid,” then returned to Vostonia as Perturabo’s Iron Blood arrived.

• Nimrod found no connection between Be'lakor and the ruins in the Brown Mountains, then considered investigating the Abyss of Zaku-Trada.
• Nimrod moved the red-and-white oak into the Second Layer Space and gave branches and leaves to Mikel and Malena Scala for research.
• Nimrod questioned Malena about the bodily structures and habits of the Slaugth, Hrud, Nephilim, and other creatures.
• Nimrod gave Malena the Sequence 5 “Druid” potion, and she advanced after following his instruction to gather the power spilling outward.
• Nimrod returned to Vostonia on the final day of March, 897, and Perturabo’s gray-iron warship emerged from the Warp the next day.

Perturabo arrived at Vostonia to see Nimrod's realization of his grand theater design and watched its opening performance of Hamlet. He named the theater Thaliakron, a name that reminded Nimrod of the future event where Fulgrim would use the theater to draw Perturabo toward the Eye of Terror.

• Perturabo studied the stars and defenses around the Shadow of Order's territory, then prepared his Stasis Device as a gift for Nimrod.
• Arsena Dunn welcomed Perturabo to Vostonia and escorted him to Paragon City, where Perturabo examined the theater built from his design.
• Nimrod credited Wojciech Belik with coordinating the theater's construction, and Perturabo praised Wojciech's engineering skill.
• The Vostonian Opera Troupe performed Hamlet for Perturabo, Nimrod, and the assembled nobles, and Perturabo applauded and thanked the actors.
• Perturabo named the grand theater Thaliakron, and Nimrod recalled that Fulgrim would later perform there and lure Perturabo toward the Eye of Terror.

Perturabo visited Nimrod and learned of Ferrus Manus's approaching fleet, then stayed to watch their coming battle. Ferrus arrived in Vostonia's orbit, where Gabriel Santor declared that the Gorgon would win.

• At dinner, Perturabo told Nimrod that the redesigned Stasis Device had been delivered to help counter the Hrud's Entropy Field.
• Arsena Dunn reported that Ferrus Manus's fleet would arrive in orbit in three days, and Nimrod realized Ferrus was eager to suffer his first defeat.
• Perturabo postponed his journey to the western galaxy so he could watch Nimrod battle Ferrus, and he spent the next days attending performances at the Grand Theater.
• Three days later, Ferrus Manus arrived in Vostonia's orbit and inspected its expanded shipyard from the Iron Fist.
• Gabriel Santor reported that Nimrod's and Perturabo's fleets were present, and he declared that the Gorgon would win.

Ferrus Manus traveled to the industrial wasteland to duel Nimrod, where he spotted Malena Scala planting an oak in the poisonous desert and recognized her ability to restore the land. Ferrus arrived at the battlefield, where Perturabo and Khan Hasik joined the spectators, and the duel was about to begin.

• Ferrus Manus flew from the Iron Fist to Vostonia to meet Nimrod for their long-awaited duel.
• On the way, Ferrus saw Malena Scala tending a red-and-white oak in the toxic wasteland and wondered how it could survive there.
• Malena used her Druid abilities and the special oak’s vitality to make its roots reach underground water, believing it would eventually transform the wasteland into a forest.
• Ferrus passed Szczecin Hive City and saw another oak before Gabriel Santor told him the target was six kilometers away.
• Ferrus reached Nimrod’s battlefield, where Perturabo and Khan Hasik asked to watch the duel.
• The spectators withdrew to the chemical-waste mountains as Ferrus told Nimrod to begin.

Nimrod fought Ferrus Manus in a duel and overcame the Gorgon's strength and defenses, finally wounding him. Ferrus accepted the defeat as a valuable lesson and said it brought him closer to perfection.

• Nimrod and Ferrus clashed with their weapons, and their combined strength shook the battlefield as the Iron Hands watched.
• Nimrod used Expansion and Contraction and Power Burst to overpower Ferrus, driving him into the sand and forcing him onto the defensive.
• Ferrus's Void Dragon shard resisted Nimrod's sword, but Nimrod continued attacking with his physical abilities while Ferrus countered with Skull-Crusher.
• Perturabo told Frix that the outcome had already been decided, as Ferrus's armor and silver metal neared their limits while Nimrod remained undamaged.
• Nimrod smashed Ferrus's leg armor, brought him to one knee, and cut through his armor to draw blood.
• Ferrus stopped Santor and the Morlocks from intervening, then thanked Nimrod for the duel and called his first defeat a step closer to perfection.

After defeating Ferrus Manus, Nimrod arranged for Malena Scala to plant an oak using Ferrus’s blood and discussed new armor with Ferrus. He watched the Attilans perform in Paragon City, said farewell to Ferrus and Perturabo, then returned to Shadow Keep to retrieve the charged Dice of Prophecy.

• Nimrod sensed Malena Scala underground and instructed her to plant an oak tree where Ferrus Manus’s blood had fallen.
• Ferrus offered to forge Nimrod armor and asked what Nimrod wanted; Nimrod requested armor that could expand and contract like Necrodermis.
• Perturabo decided to forge armor for Nimrod as well, while Nimrod invited Ferrus to see Paragon City’s opening performances.
• Perturabo watched the Attilans’ cavalry display, and Ferrus studied their horses and weapons before both Primarchs departed.
• Nimrod returned to Shadow Keep and picked up the fully charged Dice of Prophecy in the Third Layer Space of the Kingdom of Disorder.

Nimrod divined a star chart leading to Laern, hoping to develop the world into a model agri-world and secure its Jade Mold. After rewarding Keri with a Biologist potion, he sent her to learn from Malena and arranged for senior legion members to gather at the Carium Gate for immortal transformation.

• Nimrod used the Dice of Prophecy to divine a star chart from the Carium Gate to Laern and recorded it on a Data Crystal.
• Nimrod summoned Keri, praised her work establishing a new agricultural standard, and gave her the Sequence 6 Biologist potion.
• Keri drank the potion, endured its transformation, and pledged to continue serving Nimrod.
• Nimrod ordered Keri to find Malena in the desert and receive her teachings before going to Laern.
• Nimrod summoned Arsena and ordered senior legion members who had not become immortals to arrive at the Carium Gate in batches, while excluding most nobles and dignitaries.

The 11th Chapter landed on Blackwater Planet, where Kirkland’s force encountered unusually powerful black giants and learned the world’s radioactive environment had made its life grow abnormal. Nimrod designated the planet as the first penal world and received word that The Emperor had found Angron on Nuceria.

• Keri examined Blackwater Planet’s soil and trees and found that the planet’s black water and vegetation contained radioactive heavy-metal compounds.
• Kirkland and the Honor Guard fought the black giants, and Kirkland knocked one down and bound it with ropes formed from its shattered club.
• Per reported Blackwater Planet’s radioactive conditions to Nimrod, who declared it a penal world where serious criminals would be exiled and Chapters could recruit soldiers.
• Nimrod ordered Per to capture and sacrifice a black giant, then instructed Thierry Vieira to carry out a year-and-a-half guardianship duty and sacrifice a weapon he had long used.
• Galan Surak prayed to Nimrod and reported that The Emperor had found Angron on Nuceria and that the War Hounds fleet had arrived there.

Nimrod ordered Galan Surak to seek Nuceria’s anesthetic and study the War Hounds for potential followers, while preparing him to develop a covert version of the Butcher’s Nails. He advanced Galan to Vampire and sent him toward the Hall of Triumph as the Primarch’s return approached.

• Nimrod told Galan Surak to obtain the method for making Nuceria’s anesthetic and search the planet for technology.
• Galan reported that he had cultivated 1,684 people, including Apothecaries and Librarians, and Nimrod clarified that he meant existing legionaries who might pledge loyalty to him.
• Nimrod explained that Angron would demand a World Eaters version of the Butcher’s Nails, but ordered Galan to develop a different version with a hidden back door, with Arkan Land’s help.
• Nimrod gave Galan a Sequence 7 Vampire potion, and Galan drank it, transformed, and learned to restrain his hunger for blood.
• Nimrod instructed Galan to use diluted Omega blood and Angron’s future genetic material as nourishment, and Galan hurried to the Hall of Triumph.

Galan led a mission to Nuceria to uncover what had shaped Angron, while secretly securing technology for the Black Emperor. After Kharn persuaded Angron to lead the Legion, the Emperor summoned them back to Terra for a welcoming ceremony, leaving Nimrod to wonder how Angron would react.

• Galan proposed taking Dreager and Varis to Nuceria to learn why Angron refused to lead the Legion, and Holtz urged them to prepare for the worst.
• Dreager told Nuceria’s warriors that the War Hounds only wanted to learn about Angron’s past, while Varis and the Librarians uncovered the horrors Angron and the slaves had suffered.
• Galan reported to the Black Emperor that he had obtained Nucerian anesthetic methods, electroshock drones, and other creations, and that Kharn had persuaded Angron to take command.
• The Emperor ordered Kharn to return with him to Terra for Angron’s welcoming ceremony, while Nimrod suspected the ceremony would deepen Angron’s hatred and noted that Arkan Land might study the Butcher’s Nails.