Chapter Summaries

After completing the succession ceremony, Alvin led the Sword of Redemption through the Warp toward Alert Star. The ship arrived safely, and Alvin recognized a vast sandstorm vortex as the hiding place of the Void Claw and a secret tied to the Dark Angels.

• Alvin returned to Elsa and ordered Carroll to gather the crew and set course for Alert Star.
• Alvin gave the launch orders, and the Sword of Redemption entered the Warp with the Star Whisperer guiding its course.
• Alvin experienced seasickness during the voyage, while Elsa reassured him that the ship’s shaking was normal.
• The Sword of Redemption emerged safely near Alert Star, where Elsa advised Alvin to avoid landing and contact the local leaders.
• Elsa showed Alvin the orbital elevator built by Styx Eight, and Alvin focused on the Valian Sandstorm Vortex, recognizing that it concealed the Void Claw and a secret about the Dark Angels.

Alvin arrived at Alert Star, where Imperial and Ork fleets were fighting in a suspiciously restrained battle, and learned that the planet’s conflicts extended beyond the reported Genestealer uprising. He planned to visit the factions under the pretext of helping defend the world, while asking Carroll to find a way into the Volian Sandstorm Vortex; meanwhile, Rosales received Alvin’s message and feared he wanted something.

• Alvin and Carroll learned that the Agamemnon Family had reported suppressing a Genestealer uprising on Alert Star, though Alvin knew the cult remained entrenched.
• Alvin chose to present his arrival as an effort to help defend Alert Star from the Orks, and Elsa sent the Imperial Navy and local factions their message and authentication codes.
• Alvin asked Carroll to remain aboard the ship and keep his distance from local affairs, then asked him to find a way into the heart of the Volian Sandstorm Vortex.
• Alvin planned to secure the Blackstone resources and Void Claw, and set out with Elsa to visit Alert Star’s factions.
• Rosales received Alvin’s friendly message announcing that he had arrived at Alert Star, and suspected Alvin was after something.

Alvin arrived on Alert Star and was coldly snubbed by the Agamemnon Family, but he stayed to pursue his plans. He intended to find the Samhan Ark Eldar and prevent a chain of events that could turn them against humanity and affect Horn’s life.

• Alvin arrived at Alert Star with Elsa and an elite Kill Team, where an Astra Militarum commander welcomed them in place of the absent Agamemnon nobles.
• Elsa urged Alvin to leave for the Hongbei Jiqu Continent, but Alvin dismissed the insult and insisted they stay.
• Alvin revealed that his real purpose on Alert Star included meeting the Samhan Ark Eldar and extending Horn’s life.
• Alvin recalled that Anvil Kaitok had sent an Eldar strike team to stop the Children of Vardan, but Stormtroopers killed most of the team and War-seer Rorol.
• Spirit Seer Kailanaris escaped with a few survivors and vowed to return, while Alvin suspected Tzeentch had engineered the clash to set the Eldar against humanity.

Alvin arrived on Alert Star, where he recognized that the Greenskin Orcs and Genestealers posed greater threats than the Astra Militarum commander realized. After seeing the Mid-hive’s desperate conditions, he contacted Rosales to propose a deal involving ancient technology.

• Alvin learned that the Astra Militarum believed the Genestealer Cult had been wiped out, though he knew the Commoner Prince Cult had spread across Alert Star and would soon begin its Day of Ascension.
• The commander warned Alvin and the Kill Team not to look directly at the Great Rift at night, and Alvin repeated the warning to his team.
• Alvin saw the Mid-hive’s starving, thirsty commoners and blamed the planet’s factions and Styx Eight’s Tech-Priests for their suffering.
• Alvin told the Kill Team to gather information about the Children of Vardan while he and Elsa went to their Upper-hive residence.
• Alvin answered Rosales’s call and asked whether he was interested in ancient technological artifacts from the Dark Age of Technology.

Alvin told Rosales that he knew of a human creation from the Dark Age of Technology and used Rosales’s belief that he had received an imperial revelation to negotiate for a powerful Diet Guard force. He proposed a wager based on two prophecies, leaving Rosales alarmed by the threats looming over Alert Star.

• Rosales suspected Alvin’s knowledge of the Necron Dynasty came from a revelation by the Emperor, and Alvin let him believe it.
• Alvin demanded a Diet Guard force capable of wiping out at least a full company of Space Marines, while Elsa feared the Inquisition would condemn them.
• Alvin offered Rosales a wager: if Alvin lost, he would give Rosales fifty kilograms of Black Goo; if Rosales lost, he would accept Alvin’s terms and grant him a favor.
• Alvin prophesied that the Samhan Ark Eldar would publicly assassinate the Vannadan Son Cult’s leader and that the Commoner Prince Cult would join Kroldaka to capture a hive district.
• Rosales was shocked by the predicted attacks and wondered whether he should abandon the Blackstone mission and flee Alert Star.

Alvin warned Rosales that Celerus Nest faced danger from Genestealers, prompting Rosales to flee to East Tolia Nest. Alvin then realized Rosales had chosen another doomed refuge, where a plague ship carrying zombies and Death Guard was about to crash.

• Alvin warned Rosales to leave Celerus Nest immediately because Genestealers had infiltrated its defenses.
• Rosales agreed to flee, promised to relay Alvin’s goodwill to Lord Grand Sage Amos, and reported that Amos had granted Alvin fifty extra Gene Seeds.
• Rosales chose East Tolia Nest as his refuge and planned to use its starport to pass messages and arrange transport.
• Rosales left Celerus Nest overnight and traveled to East Tolia Nest aboard a small airship.
• Alvin read Rosales’s message the next morning and realized East Tolia Nest would soon face the Plague Legion and a crashing ship carrying plague zombies and Death Guard.

Alvin tried to secure Vennidar’s support by offering the Astra Militarum clean water, supplies, and ammunition, then left the decision with Governor Lucien. He expected the Agamemnon Family to respond once they realized how profitable the offer was.

• Nelgas told Alvin that his team had uncovered information about the Children of Vardan, and Alvin instructed them to identify the cult leader and report the planned speech.
• Alvin and Elsa visited Vennidar, commander-in-chief of the Astra Militarum in the Hyperia Sector, who welcomed Alvin and praised his deeds in Losel Nest City.
• After the banquet, Vennidar warned Alvin that Governor Asienne held more influence, but Alvin said he had come to offer a gift rather than ask a favor.
• Alvin offered Vennidar cleaner water and free basic supplies and ammunition for his troops, and Vennidar agreed to present the proposal to Governor Lucien.
• Elsa asked why Vennidar had not accepted immediately, and Alvin said there was no rush and that they should let the bullets fly for a while.

Alvin used the Agamemnon Family’s need for his pure water supplies to press Lucien Agamemnon over the insult of leaving him waiting at the starport. He demanded that the family identify and hand over whoever concealed his arrival, leaving cooperation with the Governor unresolved.

• Elsa told Alvin that Lucien Agamemnon had sent an invitation, and Alvin made the Agamemnon stewards wait outside while he ate breakfast and handled business.
• Alvin confronted the stewards at noon, demanded the name of the person who concealed his arrival, and insisted he would pursue the matter.
• Alvin and Elsa traveled with the Agamemnon motorcade to meet Lucien Agamemnon in the central district.
• Alvin rejected Lucien’s apology and demanded that she bring him the person responsible so he could deal with them himself.
• Lucien swallowed her anger because the Agamemnon Family needed Alvin’s water supplies, but she had not yet agreed to his demand.

Alvin forced Lucien to restore Valshius's dignity, then traded the promise of abundant pure water for high-grade life extension surgery and temporary command of the Stormtroopers. He secured Lucien's agreement and revealed that his real target was the Ark Eldar.

• Lucien offered up a fat Agamemnon family member as a scapegoat, but Alvin demanded the death penalty for insulting Valshius.
• When Lucien hesitated, Alvin pretended to leave, prompting her to shoot the scapegoat and invite him to discuss business.
• Alvin presented Lucien with pure water from the Bio-world and promised to supply as much as Alert Star needed.
• Alvin demanded high-grade life extension surgery and supreme command of the Stormtroopers of the 47th Antrel Lion Regiment.
• Lucien agreed to transfer temporary command, provided she approved every mobilization, and Alvin accepted.

Alvin secured command of the 47th Antrel Lion Regiment and planned to use his influence over the Scion Stormtroopers to arrange a meeting with the Samhan Ark Eldar. After Rosales reported that the Gene Seeds had arrived at Dongtoria Starport, Alvin warned him that the starport faced a plague outbreak and began planning to retrieve the Gene Seeds.

• Alvin left the estate after finalizing cooperation terms and resolved to use his control of the Scion Stormtroopers to help the Eldar retreat and seek negotiations with them.
• Elsa massaged Alvin's head and told him she trusted his judgment, while Alvin expressed how glad he was to have her.
• Rosales contacted Alvin, reported that an unidentified spacecraft had nearly destroyed Dongtoria Starport, and revealed that Forge Grand Sage Amos had delivered Alvin's requested goods there.
• Alvin warned Rosales to flee Dongtoria because the spacecraft carried Gellar Iron Plague, and Rosales agreed to leave for the Hongbei Sector.
• Alvin began considering how to retrieve the Gene Seeds and build a force of his own.

Viscount Scott delivered Alvin a letter from the Vardan Son Cult, which invited him to witness a conspiracy on Helian Street. Alvin warned Governor Lucien about the Coleman Family and learned the invitation was signed by Vardan Fire-mark.

• Alvin reflected on his plans to build a power base and regretted not asking Rosales where the Gene Seed came from.
• Elsa told Alvin that Viscount Scott of the Coleman Family had come to visit, and Alvin agreed to receive him.
• Scott claimed he had brought a gift from his master and left a letter before departing.
• Alvin ordered Elsa to have a Servitor inspect the letter and warned Governor Lucien that there were eyes in the council and to watch the Coleman Family.
• A Servitor read the letter, which invited Alvin to witness a conspiracy at six the next evening on Helian Street in Middle Hive, signed by Vardan Fire-mark.

After learning that the Children of Vardan had invited him into a likely Tzeentchian trap, Alvin chose to accept and prepared troops for the next day. The chapter ends with Lucien discovering that the Coleman Family had been sacrificed and Scott Coleman was missing, prompting her to warn Alvin and promise to stand with him.

• Alvin and Elsa recognized the Children of Vardan as the cult Nelgas had been investigating, and Alvin suspected its invitation was a trap set by Tzeentch.
• Alvin decided to accept the invitation and ordered Vennidar to mobilize a regiment of Astra Militarum, then arranged for the 47th Antrel Lion Regiment to deploy above Middle Hive.
• Lucien learned that Alvin had stationed the 47th Antrel Lion Regiment above Middle Hive and Vennidar's 35th Regiment on Helian Street, though she did not know his plan.
• Lucien received word that the entire Coleman Family had been sacrificed and that Scott Coleman was missing.
• Lucien ordered a search for Scott Coleman and told her butler to warn Alvin that she would be there whatever happened the next day.

Alvin let Vardan Fire-mark’s protest rally continue and ordered the Astra Militarum to withdraw, anticipating the arrival of the Samhan Ark Eldar. Three Eldar warriors attacked the cult gathering as Vardan summoned Warp forces and prepared to make a spectacle for Tzeentch.

• Vardan Fire-mark’s speech turned thousands of civilians against the nobles and the Imperium, while Vennidar urged Alvin to stop the crowd.
• Alvin refused to intervene, citing Governor Lucien’s orders, and ordered Vennidar to pull the 35th Regiment back from the Helian District.
• Three crimson craft arrived, and three Eldar warriors leapt down and attacked Vardan Fire-mark with beams of light.
• Vardan Fire-mark deflected the attack with a psychic field, unleashed signs of the Warp, and welcomed the Eldar warriors as the performance began.

Alvin faced a Tzeentchian ritual that bound tens of thousands of civilians to a cult leader and ordered the Astra Militarum to suppress them, accepting responsibility for the deaths to protect Alert Star. The Aeldari remained locked in battle with Vardan Fire-mark as Vennidar carried out Alvin’s command.

• Vardan Fire-mark rallied the crowd against the Imperium and repelled repeated attacks by the Aeldari, including War-seer Reroll.
• Alvin learned that warped runes linked civilians across Helian District and nearby districts to Vardan Fire-mark’s psychic ritual.
• Spirit Seer Kailanaris watched Alvin as he realized the civilians had to be struck to weaken the cult leader.
• Alvin ordered the 47th Antrel Lion Regiment to suppress the rioting civilians at any cost and told Vennidar to make clear that he had given the order.
• Vennidar accepted Alvin’s command and was struck by the conviction that Alvin was someone worth following.

Alvin coordinated the Imperial crackdown and the Aeldari assault that killed Vardan Fire-mark, then arranged for Colonel Vennidar to let the Aeldari escape. Vardan’s final words showed Alvin that Tzeentch’s scheme was still underway, while Vennidar mistook Alvin’s actions for proof that the Aeldari were his private forces.

• Colonel Vennidar relayed Alvin’s orders, and the 35th Regiment and 47th Antrel Lion Regiment brutally suppressed the riots and hunted the Cultists.
• Alvin ordered the Stormtroopers to stop so they would not attack the Aeldari, then signaled Spirit Seer Kailanaris to begin the assault.
• War-seer Reroll led the Aeldari in killing Vardan Fire-mark, whose severed head silently told Alvin, “As you... wish...”
• Alvin realized the Children of Vardan had been sacrificed as part of Tzeentch’s continuing plan, then warned Vennidar not to reveal what he suspected.
• Alvin and Vennidar agreed to blame the Aeldari’s escape on Warp-disrupted communications, and Vennidar came to believe they were Alvin’s private forces.

After the assassination, the Aeldari and the Imperials avoided a new clash, and Alvin used Arno to approach the Samhan Ark Eldar with an offer of friendship. A secret message left Kailanaris alarmed and eager to report to Seer Anvil Kaitok, leaving a possible alliance awaiting the Seer’s decision.

• War-seer Rorol ordered the Aeldari to withdraw, and the Tempestus Scions let them leave because their commander had received no authorization to attack.
• Kailanaris welcomed Rorol’s strike team at the extraction point, sent the other warriors through the Webway, and revealed that Arno had been waiting nearby.
• Arno thanked Kailanaris on Alvin Valshius’s behalf and proposed an equal friendship between the Valshius Merchant Dynasty and the Samhan Ark Eldar.
• Arno gave Kailanaris a parchment intended for Seer Anvil Kaitok, and Kailanaris was horrified by its contents.
• Kailanaris promised to report the matter to Anvil Kaitok and hurriedly took Rorol through the Webway.

Kailanaris returned to the Craftworld and delivered a human’s parchment to Seer Anvil Kaitok, whose contents left him wondering whether its claims were true. Anvil revealed that Eldrad Ulthuran had foreseen the Aeldari and humanity becoming bound together through one person, with their choices shaping the galaxy’s future.

• The Aeldari warriors returned through the Webway, and the bishop learned that the Spirit Seer and War-seer were still missing.
• Kailanaris rushed to the Soul Circuit with Reroll after receiving a parchment from a human, then asked the bishop where the Seer was.
• Kailanaris found Anvil Kaitok and handed him the parchment, which Anvil read and put away without showing surprise.
• Kailanaris admitted he doubted the parchment but hoped its contents were true, and Anvil said he had already known before Kailanaris arrived.
• Anvil explained that Eldrad Ulthuran had foreseen that one person would bind the fates of the Aeldari and humanity, and their choices would affect the galaxy’s future.

Kailanaris learned that High Seer Eldrad Ulthuran’s prophecy linked Alvin to the Eldar’s fate, prompting Anvil to send Hilda to serve Alvin. Hilda arrived at Alvin’s estate, where he welcomed her with surprise.

• Kailanaris asked Anvil whether Ulthuran’s prophecy confirmed the truth of Alvin’s parchment, and Anvil warned that Alvin could be either a blessing or a disaster for the Eldar.
• Anvil decided to send Hilda, Samhan’s strongest candidate to inherit the title of Seer, to Alvin despite the risks.
• Lucien faced a flood of complaints after Alvin released a Xenos, while Alvin returned to his estate and dismissed Elsa’s warnings about Inquisitors.
• When a figure appeared in Alvin’s room, Alvin moved Elsa behind him, donned the Silent Plate, and drew the Executioner Greatsword.
• Hilda Kaitok introduced herself as a Samhan Eldar Battle Witch sent by the seer to serve Alvin.

Alvin met Hilda, an Aeldari sent from Samhan, and struggled through her blunt questions and criticism while trying to arrange a polite welcome. After he told her she was easy to get along with, Hilda decided they should work together, leaving Alvin unable to ask for her replacement without risking her anger.

• Alvin stopped Elsa from alerting the Kill Team after realizing the intruder was Hilda, an Aeldari Battle Witch from Samhan.
• Hilda questioned Alvin about his women's armor, criticized its fit, and promised to protect him.
• Alvin offered Hilda a welcome ceremony the next day, but she took his words as a dinner invitation and ate the feast he arranged.
• Hilda offered to steal Alvin better armor, and Alvin told her he found her sincere and easy to get along with.
• Hilda warned Alvin she would beat him if he lied to her, so he raised a toast to their cooperation and resigned himself to keeping her.

After Hilda’s exhausting first evening with Alvin, she insisted on protecting him but agreed to stay behind when he went to visit Lucien at the Governor’s Mansion. Before he left, she gave him a powerful Aeldari weapon and revealed she had taken several treasures from her father’s collection.

• Alvin persuaded Hilda to sleep in a separate room, and Elsa quietly put him to bed after he fell asleep.
• The next morning, Alvin tried to convince Hilda not to accompany him to the Governor’s Mansion because her appearance could attract the Inquisition.
• Hilda offered to kill an Inquisitor and disguise herself as a Dark Eldar, but Alvin refused her help and told her to stay behind.
• Hilda gave Alvin a Spear of Song, which the Navigator System identified as a valuable weapon with a Warp Rift detonation function.
• Hilda revealed that she had taken useful weapons from her father’s collection room, including an Eldar Warrior Blade, and said she would inherit his position as Farseer after he died.