Recaps

Nathaniel Garro received Calas Typhon’s remains from Khârn, who testified that Typhon had died fighting bravely. After Mortarion presided over Typhon’s cremation and memorial, he vowed to make the enemy grieve too.

• Nathaniel Garro received Calas Typhon’s coffin from Khârn and the Word Bearers aboard a Death Guard ship.
• Khârn told Garro that Typhon had slain his attackers, including an Archon, before dying of his wounds.
• Mortarion and the Death Guard held a brief funeral rite, cremated Typhon’s remains, and sealed his ashes in a memorial niche.
• Mortarion broke his silence and declared, “Make the enemy... grieve too.”

Rockefeller remembered his brutal youth in Jermand, his departure from the Hohenstein family, and his rise through the Imperial Army to become Chapter Master of the Word Bearers' First Chapter. He woke from the memories surrounded by paperwork, reaffirming that he belonged to Lorgar while lamenting his workload.

• Rockefeller grew up as the second son of Hohenstein and earned his family's recognition by killing a rebel officer at fifteen.
• At seventeen, Rockefeller raised the Emperor's banner over Hohenstein Castle but left his family after clashing with his father's cautious ambitions.
• Rockefeller joined the Imperial Army, endured its selection, and became an aspirant of the Word Bearers.
• Rockefeller emerged from the Great Crusade as Chapter Master of the Word Bearers' First Chapter.
• Rockefeller woke among piles of documents, remembered his loyalty to Lorgar, and complained that he could not revise another document.

Lorgar spoke with Mortarion about Calas Typhon's death, then heard Archmagos Valkyrie's proposal to develop a recovered Dark Age STC into an infantry combat mech. The chapter left Lorgar considering a prototype program that could strengthen the Word Bearers' assault troops.

• Lorgar told Mortarion that the Word Bearers would honor Calas Typhon's sacrifice, while Mortarion blamed the Emperor's order for sending Kallus to his death.
• Mortarion absolved Lorgar of responsibility and offered his condolences, and Lorgar promised to help him when possible.
• Lorgar noticed the Emperor's online avatar abruptly go offline after Mortarion blamed him.
• Archmagos Valkyrie explained that he used multiple specialized chassis to manage the Legion's projects and fleet duties.
• Valkyrie reported that the Word Bearers had recovered incomplete STC data for an Individual Combat Exoskeleton from an Ork wreck.
• Valkyrie recommended reverse-engineering the exoskeleton, building prototypes, and assigning a Holy Word Army assault company to test them.

At the 48th Colchis Auxiliary Army recruit base, Sergeant Dragovich berated Johnny and Royce before ordering the recruits on a forty-kilometer march in full combat gear. As Johnny struggled to keep pace, he regretted joining the army and envied Carmen, who had entered Imperial Navy aviation training.

• Sergeant Dragovich scolded Johnny for losing formation and mishandling his Laser gun.
• Dragovich reprimanded Royce for sleeping on sentry duty during Major General Leki’s surprise inspection, which had sent the regiment’s officers to extra training.
• Dragovich ordered the recruits to complete a forty-kilometer circuit in seven hours or face extra night training.
• Johnny ran with the recruits, remembering the army’s harsh daily training and wishing he had joined Carmen in naval aviation.

Johnny and the other recruits were pulled from a grueling training run when the Holy Word Army arrived at the 48th Army camp to select personnel for a test. Johnny was chosen for the first combat evaluation of a newly restored Individual Combat Exoskeleton System and was ordered to prepare for transport to the testing grounds.

• An emergency call ended Johnny's loaded cross-country run, and recruits returned to camp in Chimeras.
• Sergeant Bertrand de Blancfort of the Holy Word Army's First Knight Order arrived and ordered the 48th Army recruit regiment to assemble.
• Major Jacques gathered the recruits, and Bertrand read out more than a hundred names, including Johnny Rigg's.
• Bertrand announced that the selected recruits would join the First Knight Order to test the Individual Combat Exoskeleton System under live combat conditions.
• Bertrand gave the recruits three minutes to hand over their duties, collect their belongings, and board the vehicles for the testing grounds.

Johnny Rigg tested a new Cissel-pattern Power Armour, discovering its weapons and strength as he destroyed targets and two Grox. He ended the test eager for the Holy Word Army to equip everyone with the armour.

• Johnny Rigg stepped forward and entered the silver-white Power Armour as the Tech-Priest began the test.
• The armour’s systems synchronized with Johnny and supplied him with its operating protocols and specifications.
• Johnny fired the triple-barrel cannon, shredding the simulated cover and targets.
• Johnny dodged a charging Grox and killed it with a hydraulically enhanced punch.
• Johnny seized the second Grox by its tail and smashed it into the reinforced concrete, killing it.
• Johnny asked when everyone would receive a suit and declared that he loved being in the infantry.

Lorgar reviewed the Cissel Power Armour demonstration and ordered the Forge Worlds to prioritize production, with full deployment expected to take three to five years. Anastasia dismissed the armour as an outdated antique and asked Lorgar to accompany her on an inspection of the Forge Worlds, leaving him to agree once urgent matters were handled.

• Lorgar asked Valkyrie how quickly the Holy Word Army could equip every infantry squad with Cissel Power Armour, and she estimated three months under impossible conditions or three to five years in practice.
• Lorgar ordered Forge Worlds to prioritize Cissel production and tasked Valkyrie with overseeing manufacturing standards, efficiency, and quality control.
• Anastasia entered the intelligence room, called the Cissel an obsolete museum relic, and criticized its design and systems.
• Anastasia asked Lorgar to visit the Forge Worlds with her so she could inspect their industry and offer suggestions on the Cissel.
• Lorgar agreed to schedule the visit after urgent matters were dealt with.

Lorgar brought Anna to Hephaestus to inspect the Cissel-pattern Power Armour production site. After Anna bluntly criticized the Forge World's Furnace of the Fire God, Archmagos Etna showed them misunderstood ancient vehicle and aircraft records, leaving Anna barely able to contain her laughter.

• Lorgar diverted his returning expeditionary Fleet to Hephaestus, where Archmagos Etna welcomed him, Anna, and Hercules.
• Anna perched on Lorgar's shoulder as the party headed to the Furnace of the Fire God and Lorgar asked for her assessment.
• Anna called the furnace primitive and pointed out its inefficient layout, energy losses, and crude cooling system.
• Etna eagerly accepted Anna's criticism and showed her ancient records, misidentifying the Merkava as named for an Archmagos, the Leopard 2 as inspired by an insect, and the F-35 as a submarine.
• Anna snickered at Etna's explanations while Lorgar struggled to keep a straight face.

Lorgar discussed the limited Cissel armor production capacity on Hephaestus and offered Archmagos Etna access to captured Drukhari wreckage and Anna’s expertise. As Etna presented ideas for two armor variants, Lorgar resolved to keep the Imperium from falling into the technological stagnation he remembered.

• Archmagos Etna told Lorgar that only eight workshops could produce Cissel armor without harming other Forge World commitments.
• Lorgar offered Etna the captured Drukhari wreckage for study and promised to have Anna answer technical questions.
• Anna objected to Lorgar assigning her work without asking, then requested a tour of the Titan foundries and capital ship construction docks.
• Anna left with Tech-Priests while Lorgar and Etna continued through the factories.
• Etna told Lorgar that priests had drafted two Cissel variants and prepared designs and simulation data for review.
• Lorgar reflected on the Imperium’s drive to advance and vowed not to let it suffer the stagnation of his ominous memories.

Lorgar ended Archmagos Etna’s detailed report and was caught off guard when Anna asked whether he liked Perturabo’s Iron Circle Automata. Anna left with a secret cargo and announced she was starting a private project as a surprise for Lorgar, leaving him suspicious and confused.

• Lorgar told Etna to follow the established production plan and report only problems he could not resolve.
• Anna teased Lorgar into admitting that he liked the Iron Circle Automata for their firepower and autonomous targeting.
• Anna had Tech-Priests bring more than a dozen sealed cargo crates to her personal Transport Craft.
• Anna said she would shut herself away to work on a secret side project and told Lorgar not to disturb her unless it was urgent.
• Anna departed for the Law of Faith with the crates, leaving Lorgar, Hercules, and Etna behind as Lorgar wondered what she was planning.

Lorgar finished a training simulation dissatisfied with its lack of real combat and considered visiting the brothers he had not met. Meanwhile, an eerie purple presence infiltrated the Law of Faith and appeared to affect Anastasia as she approached Lorgar, who remained focused on paperwork as she began to unbutton her clothes.

• Lorgar destroyed his training sword after defeating a simulated enemy cluster and reflected that the experience could not match his real duel with Starbreaker Amg.
• Lorgar wondered how Horus would react to him and considered visiting Dorn, Alpha, Ferrus Manus, and the Khan.
• A faint purple light evaded the Law of Faith's defenses and moved toward Lorgar's personal quarters.
• Anastasia entered Lorgar's cabin with a faint lavender glow in her eyes and tried to draw his attention, but he told her not to interrupt his work and moved a document from beneath her foot.
• Anastasia stayed by the desk and slowly began undoing her clothing while Lorgar continued reading reports.

Lorgar confronted Valeria Messalina, a Slaaneshi Daemon who had disguised herself as Anna and offered him a place in Slaanesh’s court. Enraged that Valeria had defiled a member of the Word Bearers by wearing her form, Lorgar seized and overpowered her.

• Lorgar saw through Anna’s disguise and demanded that the intruder explain why her master had sent her.
• Valeria Messalina revealed herself as a Slaaneshi Daemon and offered Lorgar eternal pleasure if he joined Slaanesh.
• Lorgar cut off Valeria’s invitation and erupted with golden psychic power.
• Lorgar grabbed Valeria by the throat, slammed her into the deck, and condemned her for defiling Anna, a member of the Word Bearers.
• Lorgar lifted the struggling Valeria to eye level and demanded to know who had given her permission to defile Anna.

Lorgar resisted Valeria Messalina’s attempt to corrupt him, destroyed her daemonic projection, and recognized the encounter as an illusion during Warp travel. In the Court of Pleasure, Slaanesh watched the confrontation and grew even more possessive of Lorgar.

• Lorgar seized Valeria Messalina and declared that he would fight fate and protect what he valued, whatever the cost.
• Lorgar formed a sword from Divine Psychic Energy and pierced Valeria, burning her daemonic shell to ash.
• The apparent battle dissolved, revealing Lorgar seated at his desk with his report; he identified the encounter as a Micro-World illusion layered with mental suggestion.
• Lorgar returned to his documents and considered guarding against similar attacks, possibly by traveling aboard the Blackstone Fortress.
• Slaanesh watched the confrontation from the Court of Pleasure and said that he wanted Lorgar more and more.

Ferrus Manus reflected on the Iron Hands’ victory over the Hrud and the catastrophic losses the campaign had inflicted on his Legion. Overwhelmed by guilt and doubt in his command, he struck the wall of his meditation chamber just as someone entered.

• Ferrus Manus killed the last Hrud xenos with his warhammer, which had been aged and cracked by an entropy field.
• Ferrus Manus recalled how the Hrud’s ambushes and time-altering weapons forced him to seek help from Fulgrim’s Emperor’s Children, and how the allied Legions eventually crushed the Hrud at immense cost.
• Ferrus Manus mourned the twenty thousand Iron Hands killed and the destruction of the Legion’s equipment, while questioning his tactics and leadership.
• Ferrus Manus tore away his ruined armor and stared at his reflection, blaming himself for leading his brothers into disaster.
• Ferrus Manus punched the metal wall, then a figure opened the chamber door and walked in.

After Gabriel Santar and thousands of Iron Hands died in the Hrud Campaign, Ferrus Manus grieved and considered whether turning his sons into living steel could spare him further losses. He appointed Aerion to command the guard and rebuild the First Company, but his dangerous fixation on steel and eternity remained unresolved.

• Ferrus Manus mourned Gabriel Santar and the twenty thousand Iron Hands who had died on the cold planet.
• Ferrus Manus wondered whether making every Legion warrior resilient and immortal like steel could prevent future deaths.
• Aerion brought Ferrus Manus the preliminary casualty assessment and campaign summary.
• Ferrus Manus reviewed the losses, issued directives, and appointed Aerion acting commander of the guard and overseer of the First Company's rebuilding.
• Aerion accepted the command and left, while Ferrus Manus's thoughts of steel and eternity remained beneath his composed exterior.

Akurduana defeated Lucius and Chelast in a training bout, then critiqued their swordsmanship and coordination. After training, he brought them his dangerously unappetizing stew, and Lucius hurriedly dragged Chelast away to escape tasting it.

• Akurduana disarmed Lucius and Chelast during their sparring match with his twin Bone Carvers.
• Akurduana criticized Lucius for predictable technique and Chelast for relying on strength, then assigned Chelast to practice fundamentals with Lucius.
• Lucius took Chelast to the officers' lounge for wine and continued trying to refine his friend's manners.
• Akurduana entered with a pot of black, foul-smelling stew and urged Lucius and Chelast to eat it.
• Lucius invented an urgent tactical review and rushed Chelast toward the exit.

Lucius and Chelast fled Company Captain Akurduana’s disastrous cooking and warned other Emperor’s Children, but Fulgrim returned with them and sampled it himself. He gently acknowledged Akurduana’s effort while telling him to report before pursuing any more culinary experiments.

• Lucius and Chelast escaped Akurduana’s cooking, and Lucius warned nearby warriors to flee from the kitchen.
• A dozen Emperor’s Children joined Lucius’s panicked group and ran into an observation lounge where Fulgrim was enjoying wine.
• Fulgrim heard Lucius’s account and insisted on returning to personally taste Akurduana’s dish.
• Fulgrim sampled a small piece of the black stew, then praised Akurduana’s goodwill and told him to seek permission before cooking again.
• Akurduana obediently replied, and Fulgrim left the training ground.

Lorgar spoke with Malcador, who briefly revealed his youthful true appearance before returning to his aged guise. Malcador also told him that the Emperor had located the XIX Legion Primarch and was leading an expedition to retrieve him, while leaving Lorgar’s question about his usual appearance unanswered.

• Lorgar teased Malcador during their call and asked what he truly looked like and how he had met the Emperor.
• Malcador transformed into a youthful, silver-haired figure, then changed back after Lorgar asked whether his hair was dyed.
• Malcador told Lorgar that the Emperor’s fleet had found the XIX Legion Primarch, Corax, and that the Emperor was leading the expedition to retrieve him.
• Lorgar welcomed the news and said he was ready to welcome his brother back into the Imperium.
• Lorgar asked why Malcador kept his weather-beaten appearance, and Malcador replied, “You guess” before ending the call.

After the Emperor urgently summoned Lorgar, Angron, and Curze to Lycaeus, Lorgar set course for the planet, suspecting the mission might involve Corax. Curze’s cryptic vision left Lorgar expecting an unknown danger when they arrived.

• Lorgar spoke with Fulgrim, who revealed that he thought he might be bisexual and hinted that Ferrus Manus did not know.
• The Emperor interrupted their call and ordered Lorgar to bring Angron and Curze to Lycaeus in the Kiavahr system.
• Lorgar sent Angron and Curze an assembly order bearing the Emperor’s command and prepared his fleet for the journey.
• Lorgar asked Curze to foresee what awaited them, and Curze described feathers, blood-red eyes, and a vast figure plunging the world into darkness.
• Lorgar connected Curze’s vision to Corax and the planet’s former name, Deliverance, then took the Law of Faith into Warp transit toward Lycaeus.

Lorgar, Angron, and Curze arrived aboard the Emperor's Golden Dream and found Corax in a volatile state, kneeling beside a badly injured girl. When Lorgar approached, Corax attacked, and the chapter ended with him charging Lorgar again after Lorgar warned him not to hurt his brothers.

• Lorgar, Angron, and Curze joined the Emperor's Golden Dream in orbit above Lycaeus and found its docking deck sealed by Adeptus Custodes.
• Valdor told Lorgar that the emergency concerned a Primarch, while Angron sensed powerful and chaotic emotions deeper inside the ship.
• The three Primarchs entered the Bridge and found the Emperor standing over Corax, who cradled a barely living human girl.
• Corax suddenly attacked Lorgar, but Angron knocked Lorgar clear and was hurled into a wall by the dark Primarch.
• Lorgar, Angron, and Curze prepared to fight as Corax re-formed, and Lorgar warned him not to hurt his brothers.
• Corax charged Lorgar again, faster and more violently than before.

Lorgar, Angron, and Curze subdued Corax after he displayed astonishing strength and resilience, but Lorgar then confronted the Emperor over the dead girl and Corax's fury. The chapter ended with Lorgar demanding to know what the Emperor had done to provoke such hatred.

• Lorgar and Corax fought at extreme speed across the docking deck until Lorgar's shoulder charge briefly stopped Corax.
• Angron grabbed Corax from behind, but Corax twisted free, broke Angron's hold, and hurled him into deck equipment.
• Curze attacked Corax from the shadows while Lorgar seized an opening and struck Corax's neck with his Greatsword pommel, knocking him unconscious.
• Lorgar and Angron surveyed the unconscious Corax and the dead girl as the Emperor and the Adeptus Custodes watched in silence.
• Lorgar called the Emperor an old bastard and demanded to know what he had done to make people curse the world and want to attack him.

Lorgar learned that Corax had been imprisoned and tortured by rogue Adeptus Mechanicus researchers, while a human servant had been his only source of comfort. After the servant’s death and Corax’s desperate defense of her, Lorgar executed the researchers and set out with Angron and Curze to hunt down the rest.

• Corax briefly broke free and lunged at Lorgar, but Angron and Curze restrained him before he collapsed unconscious.
• The Emperor ordered Corax taken to the stasis chamber aboard the Emperor's Golden Dream and explained that rogue researchers had imprisoned and experimented on him, while a human servant had secretly comforted him.
• Lorgar stopped the Emperor’s explanation and killed the more than a dozen captured breakaway Adeptus Mechanicus members with his Greatsword.
• Lorgar ordered Angron and Curze to join him and declared that they would leave no survivors among the remaining rogue researchers.

Lorgar rejected Kiavahr’s surrender and ordered the Word Bearers, Angron, and Curze to attack the Forge World and its installations. After Lorgar departed, the Emperor ordered Valdor to join him and ensure the assault finished the job completely.

• Valdor tried to stop Lorgar from attacking Kiavahr, citing its surrender and valuable industrial resources and STC Templates.
• Lorgar condemned Kiavahr’s rulers for imprisoning and torturing his brother, then ordered his forces to prepare for a full assault on the Forge World and its auxiliary facilities.
• Angron pledged his support to Lorgar, and Curze committed the Night Lords Legion to the campaign.
• Lorgar told Valdor to inform Mars that he would answer for razing Kiavahr from Colchis, then left for a waiting Stormbird with Angron and Curze.
• Valdor asked the Emperor whether he always had to play the unreasonable villain, and the Emperor told him to take Custodes to Kiavahr and assist Lorgar in finishing the job completely.

Lorgar rejected Kiavahr’s rulers’ unconditional surrender and ordered the purge to continue as the three Legions invaded the planet. He landed at the rulers’ Palace with Angron, Hercules, and Cassios, then entered alone to pursue his revenge.

• The Word Bearers, War Hounds, and Night Lords shattered Kiavahr’s planetary defenses and bombarded its military installations.
• Thousands of War Hounds Drop Pods landed across Kiavahr, and their Terminators attacked defenders while the Word Bearers and Night Lords entered the battle.
• Kiavahr’s ruling council begged Lorgar to accept surrender and offered its STCs, but Lorgar cut off the transmission and ordered his forces to accept no surrender from those implicated in Corax’s atrocities.
• Lorgar traveled to the Palace with Angron, Hercules, and Cassios, and Hercules smashed through the automated sentries guarding its platform.
• Lorgar entered the Palace alone, walking toward the culmination of his revenge.

Lorgar and Angron overwhelmed the defenders in Kiavahr's Palace, and Lorgar destroyed the Core Archives. Meanwhile, Curze infiltrated a secret laboratory and prison where Corax had been held, killed its guards, and prepared to unleash judgment on the facility.

• Lorgar incinerated a thousand Kiavahr defenders with psychic fire while leaving their barricades intact.
• Angron tore a metal pillar from the Palace and used it to crush more than a hundred guards and their weapons.
• Lorgar destroyed the Core Archives and ordered every record inside erased.
• Curze infiltrated Kiavahr's secret laboratory and concentration camp alone while Lorgar and Angron attacked the Palace.
• Curze silently killed the guards along the route to the facility's core and arranged their corpses to spread terror.
• Curze reached the isolation door leading toward the cells where Corax had been imprisoned and vowed to make the place suffer for its crimes.