C'tan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	C'tan (星神)
Species/Race	Ancient beings formed from physical laws themselves 4
Affiliation	The material universe; formerly the masters of the Necrons 4 514
Occupation/Role	Apex entities of realspace and wielders of physical laws 4
Status	Most C'tan were shattered into fragments and imprisoned in Dimensional Cubes; the Outsider is stated to be the only complete C'tan remaining in the Milky Way 514 278
First Appearance	Chapter 3, as the source of the Art Student's newly awakened power 3

History

War in Heaven

The C'tan fought the Old Ones in the War in Heaven, a conflict that devastated or destroyed countless star systems and destabilized the balance between the material universe and the Warp. The mass death and resentment produced by the war also transformed the Warp from a comparatively harmonious realm into one filled with negative energy. 513

The Void Dragon developed Blackstone Obelisks during this era. These structures severed the connection between realspace and the Warp, suppressing the Old Ones' psychic power and restricting even the Webway. 510 516

Civil War and Necron Rebellion

After the war, the Deceiver fomented conflict among the C'tan, driving them into a destructive civil war. The weakened C'tan could no longer maintain their former dominance over the Necrons. 514

The Necrons—formerly servants transformed into mechanical puppets by the C'tan—rebelled against their masters. Using C'tan-derived technology, they shattered the weakened C'tan into smaller fragments and sealed those fragments inside Dimensional Cubes. 4 514

The Necrons suffered devastating losses in the rebellion and later entered deep slumber rather than confront the Aeldari at their peak. With the C'tan removed from realspace, the Warp expanded and increasingly overwhelmed the material universe. 4 514

Fragmented Era

C'tan fragments retain immense destructive power but may suffer memory loss, confusion, and wildly divergent personalities. A fragment of the Void Dragon can mistake enemies for Necrons and attack indiscriminately, even after the destruction of an entire planet. 4 270

Fragments of the same C'tan can sense one another and are drawn toward merging into a complete being. This attraction enabled the Art Student to locate an escaped Void Dragon fragment. 267

Known C'tan and Fragments

C'tan	Authority / Condition	Known information
Void Dragon / Mag'ladroth	Technology and creation; described as the strongest C'tan 4 539	Developed Blackstone Obelisks and possessed an exclusive dimension governed by the laws of mechanical creation. Its fragments were pursued by both the Necrons and the Art Student. 267 510
Void Dragon fragments	Fragmented, unstable portions of the Void Dragon 4 270	One fragment containing 5% of the Void Dragon's peak authority was accidentally devoured by the Art Student; later fragments raised him to 12% of the Void Dragon's peak power. 4 277
The Burning One	C'tan associated with burning and stellar flame; ranked among the top ten C'tan 277	Its flames can melt adamantium and destroy heavy tanks. Its fragments could not be devoured by the Art Student, but were instead used in Flame Swords. 277 279
The Outsider	Complete C'tan; driven mad after devouring weaker C'tan 278	Stated to be the only complete C'tan still present in the Milky Way. 278
The Deceiver	Instigator of the C'tan civil war 514	Its schemes turned the C'tan against one another and created the opening for the Necron rebellion. 514

Abilities & Traits

Physical-Law Authority

Every C'tan commands a physical law, while the strongest may command two. Their power allows them to alter matter and the functioning of the material universe. 4

• A C'tan can manipulate matter, create or modify objects, and alter local physical laws. 3 4
• The Void Dragon's authority encompasses technology and creation. 4
• At full strength, a C'tan can crush planets, create vast celestial phenomena, or alter the operation of an entire star system. 4
• C'tan-derived physical distortion was used to analyze ancient construction material and replace crude prosthetics with nanomechanical limbs. 7 9

Dimensional Dominion

Each C'tan possesses an exclusive dimension governed by its own authority. Within that dimension, its owner is effectively invincible against other C'tan. 267

• A C'tan can use dimensional traversal for long-distance travel through the galaxy. 268
• Exclusive dimensions are dangerous even to other C'tan; entering another C'tan's domain risks permanent imprisonment. 267
• Dimensional Cubes contain independent dimensions that can seal C'tan fragments and prevent their escape without outside intervention. 514
• The Art Student replicated this principle with a Dimensional Prison capable of sealing an entire galaxy to trap a Void Dragon fragment. 269

Energy Manipulation

C'tan can unleash immense energy attacks, including waves of destructive green energy and Dimensional Lightning. 4 268 271

• C'tan fragments can destroy planets through combat despite possessing only a fraction of a complete C'tan's power. 270
• Their power is sustained by stellar energy; greater stored energy raises their combat strength, while depletion weakens them relative to rival C'tan. 274
• The Star God Annihilation Cannon was developed as a weapon capable of shattering even a complete C'tan into fragments. 271

Warp Suppression and Soul Devouring

The presence of C'tan strengthens the barrier between realspace and the Warp, making Warp incursion difficult. 278 514

• C'tan can devour souls, including daemon souls, preventing daemons from being resurrected in the Warp. 278 539
• Daemons historically feared manifesting in realspace while C'tan roamed freely, since even the Chaos Gods could not restore a daemon consumed by a C'tan. 539
• C'tan are opposed to the Chaos Gods: Chaos Gods cannot defeat C'tan in realspace, while C'tan cannot defeat them within the Warp. 4
• A fragment of the Burning One was engineered into a Flame Sword that consumes a daemon's soul when the weapon kills it. 279

Notable Creations

• Blackstone Obelisks — Void Dragon-developed structures that sever realspace's connection to the Warp, suppress psychic power, and restrict Warp-based travel. 510 516
• Dimensional Cubes — Necron prison devices that confine C'tan fragments in independent dimensional spaces. 514
• Flame Swords — Weapons containing fragments of the Burning One; they produce intense flames and can permanently kill daemons by devouring their souls. 279 476

Relationships

• Old Ones — Ancient enemies defeated through the War in Heaven; the C'tan used Blackstone Obelisks to cripple their Warp-based power. 510 513
• Necrons — Former servants of the C'tan who rebelled after the C'tan civil war, shattered their masters, and sealed the fragments in Dimensional Cubes. 4 514
• Chaos Gods and daemons — Opposing powers of the Warp; C'tan are especially feared because they can permanently consume daemon souls. 4 539
• Art Student / Lord of the Stars — Devoured Void Dragon fragments, gained 12% of the Void Dragon's peak power, and used a Burning One fragment to create daemon-killing weapons. 277 279
• Aeldari and Orks — Creations of the Old Ones whom the weakened Necrons could not confront after their war against the C'tan. 4