Chapter Summaries

The Emperor ordered Hannibal punished for keeping xenos and allowing them to kill members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but Nimrod refused to act as executioner. The Emperor assigned Nimrod to take in and reform the Faceless Ones, then sent Leman Russ to punish Hannibal, and Nimrod called Russ to wait.

• Constantin reported that Hannibal and the Faceless Ones had kept xenos and allowed attacks that killed a Magos, fifteen Tech-Priests, and more than a hundred Apprentices.
• The Emperor declared that Hannibal and his legion would face judgment, prompting the primarchs to consider the consequences of his decision.
• The Emperor asked Nimrod to slay Hannibal, but Nimrod refused and offered to reform the Faceless Ones instead.
• The Emperor ordered Nimrod to examine the Faceless Ones, erase their memories, and make them part of the Shadow of Order, with the Adeptus Custodes assisting him.
• The Emperor ordered Leman Russ to punish Hannibal, and Nimrod called Russ to wait after the War Council ended.

Nimrod used Russ’s old promise to claim Hannibal’s corpse, and Russ launched an assault on the Faceless Ones in the Lecter System. As the Legion’s recruits prepared to surrender and seek Nimrod’s judgment, Hannibal sat on his wraithbone Throne.

• Nimrod asked Russ to give him Hannibal’s corpse, and Russ agreed to try to leave it intact.
• Russ and the Custodes ordered the Faceless Ones to surrender, and the Wolves’ fleet clashed with the Legion’s warships across the Lecter System.
• Melon and Sasebo Tezuka divined that Lord Nimrod represented hope for the recruits and decided to lead them to surrender.
• Melon and Sasebo Tezuka gathered the recruits while Hannibal sat in the Eucharist Hall on his Aeldari wraithbone Throne.

Hannibal recalled the Emperor’s warning to restrain his appetite and chose to surrender his gene-sons to Nimrod rather than let them become Faceless Ones. He joined the battle against Leman Russ, whose Fenrisian Lifeline awakened a new strength as the two Primarchs fought.

• A Eucharist Master told Hannibal that the forgotten recruits had gathered around Melon and Sasebo Tezuka and were preparing to surrender to the wolves.
• Hannibal remembered the Emperor giving him a whale ring and warning him to restrain his appetite, then decided Nimrod could guide his gene-sons to a better fate.
• Hannibal took up his greatsword and led the Eucharist Masters into battle, where Russ killed Erlin after overpowering him.
• Hannibal confronted Russ and fought him with speed and strength drawn from the xenos he had devoured.
• Russ recalled how his hunting experiences and bond with Freki and Geri had revealed the power of the Fenrisian Lifeline.

Russ killed Hannibal and surrendered his body to Nimrod, who accepted Russ’s challenge to a duel. The chapter ended with Russ confident he would win after grasping the lifeline.

• Nimrod learned that sixty-three Faceless Ones warships had surrendered and that the Orca had been destroyed, then ordered the Reaper Lord to take possession of them.
• Ogvi learned Nimrod had arrived on Lecter and prepared to descend to the surface.
• Skarsen and Wodmek recalled their humiliating failures against Nimrod as the battle on Lecter continued.
• Russ killed Hannibal while preserving his body, and Nimrod compelled the surviving Faceless Ones to surrender their weapons.
• Russ gave Hannibal’s corpse to Nimrod and challenged him to a duel, which Nimrod accepted.

Nimrod stopped the fighting, recognized the Faceless Ones as recruits with a place in the Penitents’ history, and offered them pardon and a new life. Russ wagered his damaged Frost-Wrought Armor on a fight between Jorin and Sanchez, while Nimrod planned to use his victory to win the Faceless Ones’ loyalty.

• The Shadow of Order and Thibault stopped the battle and sedated the Faceless Ones who kept attacking.
• Melon and Sasebo Tezuka greeted Nimrod, who recognized the Faceless Ones’ connection to the future Penitents Chapter and considered how to gain their loyalty.
• Russ encouraged Jorin to challenge Sanchez and offered his two bolters as stakes before Nimrod claimed Russ’s Frost-Wrought Armor as another wager.
• Nimrod said he would first identify the Faceless Ones and planned to let them witness his fight with Russ before reinforcing their loyalty.
• Nimrod announced that the Faceless Ones would be pardoned if they had committed no crimes, and they laid down their weapons.

At the Florens Gorge, Sanchez defeated Jorin in a duel staged before the Space Wolves and the Shadow of Order. Leman Russ accepted Jorin’s loss and offered to fight next, while Nimrod let him keep his armor for the moment.

• Nimrod gathered the Space Wolves, the Shadow of Order, the Faceless Ones, and the Adeptus Custodes at the gorge to witness the duel.
• The Wolves and the Shadow of Order shouted support for their champions as Russ encouraged Jorin to teach Sanchez a lesson.
• Sanchez and Jorin clashed, and Sanchez knocked aside Jorin’s Frost Axe before cutting through his armor and shattering the All-Seeing Eye.
• Jorin fell defeated, and Russ told Nimrod he would take off his armor after fighting to win back the loss.
• Nimrod allowed Russ to keep wearing his armor for now while thinking about taking it later.

Nimrod fought Leman Russ in the canyon and overcame his attempt to exploit a perceived weakness in Nimrod’s armor. The battle ended with Nimrod crushing Russ’s nose and sending him into a rock wall as the Faceless Ones and Shadows of Order celebrated.

• Ogvi Heimschrut rallied the Space Wolves after Nimrod’s presence unsettled them, while Melon declared that Nimrod would win and Othere Wodmek accused him of sorcery.
• Martin raised the Scepter of Truth and dispelled Othere’s storm before Nimrod and Russ prepared to fight.
• Russ charged Nimrod with Frostblade, but Nimrod deflected the axe and drove him back through a series of powerful blows.
• Russ predicted Nimrod would strike his unarmored left ribs and swung Frostblade at Nimrod’s sword arm, but Nimrod shifted his muscles to evade the axe.
• Nimrod struck Russ in the face with his Power Fist, breaking his nose and hurling him into the rock wall.
• The Faceless Ones and Shadows of Order cheered Nimrod’s victory, while Thibault led the Provocateurs in taunting the Space Wolves.

Nimrod defeated Leman Russ, leaving the Wolf Lord unconscious and the Space Wolves furious but bound by their word. He then examined three hundred Faceless Ones recruits under the Emperor’s command and discovered something notable in Melon’s memories.

• Nimrod defeated Leman Russ, who crashed into a cliff and lost consciousness beneath falling rocks.
• Ogvi Ogvi Heimschrut, Amrodi Skarsen Skarsen, Chaplain Othere Wodmek, and Jorin watched the Wolf pack react to Russ’s defeat.
• Nimrod took the Axe of Winter and told the Wolves to return Russ’s armor to him after they brought Russ back to the Wolf's Den.
• Nimrod met three hundred Faceless Ones recruits, including Melon and Sasebo Tezuka, and explained that he would examine each one by the Emperor’s command.
• Nimrod used his telepathic powers to inspect all three hundred recruits’ memories and focused especially on Melon’s, whereupon his eyes lit up.

Nimrod altered the memories of the Shadow of Order recruits and discovered the strength of Sasebo Tezuka’s faith before breaking it. Meanwhile, Jorin lamented that he had betrayed Russ’s trust, and Russ woke at Krakagard as Fenris’s sun drew near.

• Nimrod entered Melon’s mind and saw memories of the Dusky Hunter, then realized the Faceless Ones recruits had not undergone their xenos-hunting ritual.
• Nimrod used the Osiris Mind-Control Staff to erase the recruits’ memories of their former lives and implant memories of his teachings.
• Nimrod found and shattered one of Sasebo Tezuka’s golden spheres of faith, then examined another sphere containing his vision of a battle involving the Emperor and The Executioner.
• After three hours, Melon and the other recruits awoke, and Melon thanked Nimrod for teaching him the first layer of Thelema’s Mindset.
• Jorin learned from Ulbander that Russ was injured but recovering, then recalled Russ’s trust in him and admitted that he had betrayed it.
• Russ woke at Krakagard, recognized that he was on Fenris, and saw the sun approaching as the glaciers began to melt.

After waking, Leman Russ sought a way into the Lower Realm to learn how to defeat Nimrod, refusing to sacrifice the Rune Priests for the ritual. Meanwhile, Stevens led a hunt for Dusky Hunters and battled them with the Shadow of Order.

• Leman Russ woke after five days and reassured Jorin that he would win back the armor and find a way to defeat Nimrod.
• Othere Wodmek explained that the Gate of Siltir opened only when Fenris reached perihelion and warned that every gift from the Lower Realm demanded a sacrifice.
• Valdemar offered to die to open the road, but Leman Russ refused to sacrifice him and said Nimrod remained loyal to the Allfather.
• Stevens led three hunting squads through Lecter's gray forest, determined to defeat Amrodi Skarsen Skarsenson after gaining strength as a Pyromancer.
• Stevens and the Shadow of Order used Fire Ravens and anesthetic needles to bring down several Dusky Hunters, and Stevens killed one that attacked a black-armored Warrior.

Nimrod planned to equip the Shadow of Order with Ring Weapons and ordered Sanchez to prepare a conspiracy for capturing Hraf, whose strength could enable difficult Reaper advancement rituals. He also tasked Santiago with preparing for a dangerous Warp expedition one year later to mark coordinates for Nimrod’s advancement as a Traveler.

• Arsena Dunn reported that the foundries were replenishing weapons, the Faceless Ones’ fleet was being refitted, and the Space Apes had completed Simian Field modifications as Nimrod ordered Ring Weapons for the Shadow of Order.
• Sanchez brought Nimrod two captured Dusky Hunters, and Nimrod ordered him to continue hunting while considering the difficulties of the Reaper advancement ritual.
• Nimrod decided to use specially designed Ring Weapons in a plan to capture Hraf and ordered Sanchez to study Hraf records and devise the conspiracy.
• Nimrod explained that Elawerald’s armor would hinder fire abilities and considered giving Sanchez the Ring of Fire for protection.
• Nimrod summoned Santiago Bergkamp and ordered him to prepare the 5th Legion’s affairs so that, in one year, he could travel to a dangerous Warp region and mark Teleport coordinates.
• Nimrod promised Santiago a Ring of Flame and other equipment, and Santiago agreed to undertake the journey.

Nimrod divined coordinates to a stable region of the Abyssal Void and summoned Santiago to prepare him for an expedition. After Nimrod equipped Santiago with powerful artifacts and charms, Santiago returned to his starship ready to mark the location and explore.

• Nimrod used the Dice of Prophecy and the Shadow Blade to divine coordinates to a stable region of the Abyssal Void.
• Nimrod summoned Santiago and gave him the Ring of Flame, Bishop Nephilim's black blade, fifty-two Silence Amulets, one hundred and six Worm Charms, and ten Ring Weapons.
• Nimrod gave Santiago a Data Crystal with the Abyssal Void coordinates and instructed him to mark the location as one of four Warp places required for a future gift.
• Santiago returned to the starship, reviewed the coordinates and Ring Weapons, and prepared to enter the Abyssal Void.

Santiago Bergkamp entered the Abyssal Void and recorded its dreams, nightmares, and illusions to establish a special coordinate. After identifying the place as a land of illusion, he heard a roar and saw an enormous figure appear atop a bone tower.

• Santiago used the Data Crystal's coordinates to cross a star bridge into the Abyssal Void with six Mind Servitors.
• Santiago sensed that dreams, nightmares, and illusions formed the Abyssal Void, then recorded its many visions in a Spiritual Scroll.
• Two Mind Servitors shot and destroyed a bird-headed, snake-bodied lesser daemon that attacked Santiago.
• Santiago identified the coordinate as a land of illusion and formed a mystical association with it.
• An enormous figure appeared atop the spire of a giant bone tower as Santiago heard an earth-shaking roar.

Santiago Bergkamp fought Unai, the Lord of Illusions, in the Abyssal Void and killed him with the black blade bestowed by his lord. When Samus appeared, Santiago escaped back to the Starship, though he lost four Mind Servitors.

• Unai conjured illusions and attacked Santiago with lightning and brambles, but Santiago evaded them with his Warp Circuit and Dimensional Jump Device.
• Santiago used holy light, a Silence Amulet, and the Worm Charm against Unai, destroying part of his living whip and dispelling the daemon's illusions.
• Unai attacked with his axe, but Santiago's black blade struck his abdomen and caused his body to wither and explode.
• As Santiago considered entering Unai's white-bone spire, Samus's whisper sounded, and a claw reached out from the volcano.
• Santiago activated his final Warp Circuit and escaped to the Starship, where he found that only two Mind Servitors remained.

Nimrod considered expanding the Lucifer Blacks and integrated thousands of recruits into the 10th Battalion, making it the largest battalion in the Shadow of Order. He then summoned Santiago Bergkamp, who reported completing a trial in the Abyssal Void, leaving Nimrod to seek a safer way to advance his future plans.

• Nimrod decided to use his next divination in 915 to find Zos and support the Lucifer Blacks' expansion.
• Arsena Dunn reported that Legion recruits were heading to Arjia, and Nimrod's assignment of former Faceless Ones and new recruits brought the 10th Battalion's strength above sixty thousand.
• Nimrod planned to use future campaigns to integrate the 10th Battalion more fully into the Shadow of Order.
• Nimrod learned that The Emperor had convened a War Council for the following day.
• Nimrod entered the Kingdom of Disorder and summoned Santiago Bergkamp, who reported establishing coordinates in the Abyssal Void and escaping Samus after killing a powerful Daemon.
• Nimrod judged the Traveler's advancement ritual too dangerous and considered how to make his plan possible.

Nimrod planned to establish a domain in the Abyssal Void and tested how to build his forces for the conquest. He used the shadow side to bind a Hrud named Damian to a hidden, time-stopping contract, then considered finding a more powerful target.

• Nimrod decided to expand his influence into the Abyssal Void and Shadow Land, reasoning that his will could establish territory in the Warp.
• Nimrod considered using Soul-Eater Bees, undead, and Shadow Contract creatures instead of relying mainly on the Shadow of Order to withstand the Abyssal Void.
• Nimrod praised Santiago for completing the journey, promised that he had arranged the next three, and sent him back to the Starship.
• Nimrod summoned a Hrud into the Second Layer Space and offered him a contract promising freedom after three hundred and thirty years of service.
• The Hrud, Damian, signed the contract without noticing Nimrod's added clause that stopped time from counting in places without a time dimension.
• Nimrod recognized the contract's binding power and considered using Damian for excavation before seeking a more formidable Warp-capable contract target.

Nimrod watched the Emperor erase Hannibal and the Second Legion from Imperial records, then helped Alkahas Phall secure the Kraken as his flagship. He advanced Alkahas to Sequence 6 and sent him back to the ship.

• The Emperor ordered all records of Hannibal and the Second Legion deleted and made the Primarchs swear never to speak of them again.
• Horus reported that the XIX Legion had recovered an ancient cruiser called Kraken and offered it to the Emperor.
• The Emperor accepted the Kraken and bestowed it on Alkahas Phall as his flagship.
• Nimrod summoned Alkahas, confirmed he had digested the Navigator potion, and had the Space Ape prepare a Sequence 6 Wind-Blessed potion.
• Alkahas advanced to Sequence 6 Wind-Blessed, and Nimrod returned him to the Kraken.

The 36th Company of the Shadow of Order landed on Zos to bring the war-torn planet into compliance, using a show of force rather than standard propaganda. After Melon’s speech persuaded women and child soldiers to surrender, the company advanced toward the city and saw the Lucifer Blacks charging its walls.

• Melon reported that Zos had no anti-aircraft defenses and recommended overwhelming the population with force.
• The Hermit recalled Lord Ramsey’s orders to integrate outsiders into the 10th Battalion and resolved to fulfill his mission.
• The Hermit told the company to uphold their father’s ideals and bring an end to Zos’s eighty-five-year civil war without acting like the Space Wolves or World Eaters.
• Sasebo Tezuka’s squad fired on child soldiers hiding behind a wall, and Melon’s amplified address persuaded the women and children to drop their weapons.
• The Hermit led his company toward the city, where the Lucifer Blacks charged through artillery fire and one of them was killed before another scaled the wall.

Theo’s Lucifer Blacks breached Zos’s city wall, and the defeated Chayne surrendered before being appointed commander of the Zos Defense Forces. Weeks later, Theo wrote to Barton about the Lucifer Blacks’ new recruiting world and Barton’s lost chance to become Warmaster; Barton read the letter and reaffirmed his loyalty to Lord Nimrod.

• Theo fought through Zos’s defenders on the city wall while Sasebo destroyed a cannon, and Chayne’s blade shattered when he attacked Theo.
• Chayne surrendered after seeing the wall breached and the black-armored warriors pouring in.
• Four weeks later, Theo oversaw construction of a Lucifer Blacks training fortress and wrote Barton a letter thanking him for bringing Theo to Lord Nimrod.
• Theo described Zos as the Lucifer Blacks’ new recruiting world and noted that Chayne’s eight-year-old son, Dynas Chayne, had exceptional potential.
• In 917.M30, Barton read Theo’s letter, accepted his loss of the Warmaster position, and praised his decision to follow Lord Nimrod.
• Barton said that a criminal he had helped should also follow Lord Nimrod rather than remain in the Auxilia.

Nimrod recruited Ivos Jovan as a medical officer and planned to cultivate him as a Beyonder. He then divined a Laiko Fishmen invasion of Pladis Zeta and ordered Ramsey to send the 10th Battalion there, making the world its exclusive recruitment ground.

• Nimrod assigned Ivos Jovan to improve the automated operating table for the Shadow of Order and considered cultivating him as a Physician.
• Nimrod used the Dice of Prophecy to obtain a star chart to Pladis Zeta and learned that Laiko Fishmen would invade its Hive City.
• Nimrod sent information about the invasion to Brainy Cat John, who used divination to reveal the Fishmen's attack reaching the Hive Spire.
• Nimrod sent a Data Crystal to Ramsey and ordered him to lead his battalion to Pladis Zeta as its exclusive recruitment world.
• Ramsey accepted Nimrod's command.