Recaps

Vulkan encountered an ancient plague-seeking healer who treated a dying Salamander and offered to train the Legion’s doctors. The healer revealed that his name was Festus.

• Vulkan warned the old man to stay away from the plague-stricken camp, but the man said he had come seeking the plague and entered the quarantine wards.
• The old man examined a dying Salamander and applied a living herbal ointment made with a strange medicine.
• The Salamander’s bleeding and swelling subsided, his breathing steadied, and his condition began to improve.
• The old man asked Vulkan to gather the Legion’s doctors so he could teach them to recognize and treat the plague.
• Vulkan thanked the old man and asked his name, and the man identified himself as Festus.

Vulkan watched Festus leave Hope Star for Altdorf, then oversaw the Salamanders’ recovery as the warp storm dissipated. Mourning 777 Legion warriors lost to the plague, Vulkan ordered Festus’s medicine formulas preserved and promised to share them with other Legions.

• Vulkan asked Festus to remain with the Salamanders, but Festus declined and said he was going to Altdorf to treat more patients.
• Festus left behind medicine formulas and told Vulkan they would meet again before fading from sight.
• Several days later, the warp storm around Hope Star weakened, and Vulkan restored contact with the orbital fleet.
• Vulkan learned that 777 Salamanders had died in the plague and that their gene-seed had also been destroyed.
• Vulkan designated Festus’s formulas and production methods as top-priority secrets and ordered the Legion to make the medicine standard equipment.
• Vulkan resolved to share the medicine with the other Legions if they could gather again.

Will Victor, a Colchis-born technician aboard the Shadow of the Emperor, carried out his first covert intelligence handoff for Lorgar’s operation against the Raven Guard. After retrieving a chip of collected information, he headed toward Chapel 12 to leave it for the Messenger.

• Lorgar’s covert operation recruited Will and other Colchis-born Mortals aboard the Shadow of the Emperor to gather information about Corax, fleet movements, and the Nemesis Blade.
• Will followed a carefully planned route through the lower decks, checking for surveillance before reaching cargo section seven.
• Will retrieved a data chip hidden beneath a crate and replaced it with a blank chip.
• Will left the hold carrying a box of filters and set out for Chapel 12 to hide the intelligence beneath a seat after the prayer service.

Will learned that Raines was dead and was told to cut all ties with Raines's network. He remained committed to serving Lorgar and returned to his ordinary post aboard the Shadow of the Emperor.

• Will attended a sermon about the Imperial Truth in Chapel No. 12 while keeping watch on the entrance.
• A disguised man sat beside Will and quietly told him that Raines was dead.
• The man ordered Will to sever all contact with Raines's network and treat it as destroyed.
• Will recalled how Lorgar's rule and education had transformed Colchis and resolved to continue serving his cause.
• After the man left, Will waited, then departed with the crowd and returned to his post.

A Raven Guard interrogation specialist confirmed that Colchis spies had infiltrated the Shadow of the Emperor, prompting a sweeping internal investigation. Will passed the new security checks and suspected the Legion feared a deeper infiltrator watching something important.

• A Raven Guard interrogation specialist devoured a Colchis spy’s brain and discovered evidence of an infiltrator network aboard the Shadow of the Emperor.
• The specialist reported the confirmed infiltration to the Primarch and recommended scrutinizing Mortals recently transferred from Colchis.
• Raven Guard security increased patrols and checkpoints throughout the ship, subjecting workers to searches and questioning.
• Will passed through the new checkpoint without drawing attention and continued to his post.
• Will reasoned that the Legion’s severe response suggested it feared a more deeply placed spy than the uncovered Mortals engineers.

Will was captured after finishing work aboard the Shadow of the Emperor and endured a brutal interrogation by Raven Guard soldiers, who demanded to know why he had come aboard. Two unidentified Raven Guard Space Marines halted the questioning and stood over him, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Will sensed he was being followed as he returned to his dormitory, then someone knocked him unconscious at the door.
• Will woke bound to a chair in an interrogation room surrounded by Raven Guard soldiers.
• An officer repeatedly punched Will and demanded to know why he had come aboard the Shadow of the Emperor.
• The soldiers forced Will to drink industrial waste, but he defied them and spat blood and phlegm onto one soldier.
• Two unmarked Raven Guard Space Marines entered, stopped the soldiers, and silently faced Will.

Will endured interrogation by Kroge, who identified him as an agent sent by Lorgar and tried to make him pass false intelligence to the Word Bearers. Zorge claimed Will as his prisoner and took over the interrogation, leaving them alone in the room.

• Will stayed composed under interrogation and denied knowing what Kroge meant when he accused Lorgar of sending him aboard the Shadow of the Emperor.
• Kroge threatened Will with a Boning Knife and offered to supply the intelligence Will would relay to the Word Bearers.
• Will mocked Kroge for disguising his attempt to win him over with pleasantries.
• Zorge stopped Kroge and asserted that Will was his captured prey.
• Kroge left the interrogation room, leaving Will alone with Zorge.

Zorge revealed to Will that he was an Alpha Legion infiltrator who had manipulated Will’s spy channel and posed as his contact. Will agreed to help the Alpha Legion by dying, then broke his own neck to make his death look like an act of resistance.

• Will accused Zorge and the Raven Guard of treason, but Zorge praised his instincts and asked him to join them.
• Zorge revealed his Alpha Legion armor and transformed his face into Will’s former contact’s, exposing how he had controlled Will’s intelligence channel.
• Will asked what Zorge needed him to do, and Zorge answered, “Suicide.”
• Will agreed and asked whether his actions had mattered; Zorge confirmed they had.
• When Kroge entered and began to introduce Will to the Primarch, Will lunged into Zorge’s armor and broke his own neck.

Corax ordered a conversation with Horus after praising Zorge for his work, while Lorgar struggled to interpret reports about the Nemesis Blade, Corax’s gifts, and a dispatched squad. Lorgar set the reports aside and joined Curze and Angron, who were discussing heroic epics and the defense of Thermopylae.

• Corax examined the dead mortal Kroge had brought and told Zorge he had done well.
• Corax ordered a conversation with Horus.
• Lorgar reviewed reports that the Raven Guard possessed the Nemesis Blade, that Corax had sent unknown gifts to other Legions, and that a squad had vanished into the Warp.
• Lorgar put the reports away and went to the lounge, where Curze and Angron were reading.
• Angron said he would attack the enemy while defending Thermopylae, and Lorgar and Curze explained that mortals had to account for practical limits.

Lorgar confronted Corax over accusations that he had planted spies in the Raven Guard, while Horus watched over the call. The exchange ended with Lorgar accusing Corax and his Legion of hiding something, and Corax remained silent.

• Seras told Lorgar that Horus wanted to speak with him, and Angron and Curze accompanied him to the Communications Room.
• Horus explained that Corax wanted an explanation for the spies Lorgar had planted in his Legion.
• Corax accused Lorgar of distrusting his brothers and challenged him over the spies.
• Angron defended Lorgar and reminded Corax that Lorgar had saved him on Deliverance.
• Lorgar urged Corax to turn back, then argued that an innocent Legion had nothing to fear from mortal spies.
• Lorgar concluded that Corax's extreme reaction suggested that he and his Legion were not clean, while Corax stayed silent.

Horus ended the confrontation between Corax and Lorgar and urged them not to let it divide the brothers. After Corax cut the connection and Lorgar refused Horus’s invitation, Lorgar left with Angron and Curze to make a preparation.

• Horus declared that the dispute between Corax and Lorgar had to end and reminded Corax of the massacre on Intres.
• Corax rejected Horus’s appeal, addressed him by name, and disconnected from the call.
• Angron condemned Corax and threatened to kill him, while Horus reprimanded Angron for speaking against a brother.
• Horus invited Lorgar to join him aboard the Vengeful Spirit, but Lorgar refused and disconnected the call.
• Lorgar told Angron and Curze that they were going to make a preparation.

The Emperor and Malcador discussed the Webway as they walked through the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor paused outside Lorgar’s empty room. Malcador revealed that Erda had joined the Cabal and might approach Lorgar, and the Emperor let her go with a cold warning.

• The Emperor told Malcador that work on the Webway was going well.
• The Emperor stopped outside room seventeen and silently reflected on Lorgar, while Malcador asked whether he was still thinking about him.
• Malcador reported that the Cabal had become restless and that Erda had joined them.
• Malcador said Erda might approach Lorgar again, and the Emperor allowed her to go if she lived long enough.

Erda arrived at the Cabal’s hidden base and agreed to join them after learning that their leader descended from the galaxy’s first spacefaring race. The ancient being revealed a familiar figure from Erda’s past and told her to take him with her, leaving Erda shaken but accepting.

• Erda entered the Cabal’s gathering and declared that she had lost faith in the Imperium.
• The lizard-like leader claimed that its ancestors were the Milky Way’s first starfaring race and that many of the galaxy’s threats were remnants of their creations.
• Erda demanded to know who the leader was and prepared to use Enuncia if its answer threatened her.
• The leader pointed out a familiar figure standing in the hall and told Erda to let him go with her.
• Erda recognized the figure, composed herself, and replied, “All right...”

Seras regretted volunteering to replace Rockefeller as Lorgar’s adjutant after discovering the crushing volume of paperwork. As Lorgar waited for Corax to reveal his plans, an assassin disguised as an attendant attacked him, but Lorgar stopped the spear and prepared to retaliate.

• Seras struggled to process the tens of thousands of documents Rockefeller had handled each day and regretted taking his place.
• Lorgar studied intelligence about Corax and the Raven Guard but could find no response beyond waiting and watching.
• An attendant approached Lorgar with fresh coffee while Lorgar examined a star chart.
• The attendant revealed a dark spear and thrust it at Lorgar’s throat.
• Lorgar overturned his desk to block the spear, drew his greatsword, and stopped the attack.
• Lorgar asked who had sent the assassin and welcomed the chance to use him as a punching bag.

An assassin isolated Lorgar and his companions in folded space and used Enuncia to overpower Angron. Before Lorgar could confront him, Erda appeared, and Lorgar reacted with furious recognition.

• Angron and Curze burst into Lorgar's study and confronted the disguised assassin.
• The assassin folded the study into a gray void, and Lorgar identified him as a member of the Cabal.
• Angron charged the assassin but was struck by an invisible force and hurled into a wall.
• Lorgar recognized the force as Enuncia and prepared to attack the assassin.
• Erda appeared between Lorgar and the assassin, and Lorgar angrily demanded to know how she dared return.

Lorgar confronted Erda in the gray void, rejected her claim that he served his father, and attacked her with a psychic Gun. Erda stopped the shot with Enuncia, and Lorgar drew a second Gun as they prepared to fight.

• Lorgar mocked Erda and told her he acted for humanity's future, not to serve or please his father.
• Lorgar fired a psychic bullet at Erda, but she used Enuncia to scatter it into golden motes.
• Erda said Lorgar could not defeat her, and Lorgar drew a second Gun and challenged her to repent.
• Erda raised her hands and gathered Enuncia as Lorgar eagerly prepared to see its power.

Lorgar and Erda fought to a standstill as Angron and Curze battled a mysterious assassin who used smoke to escape and create a double of Curze. Angron identified the real Curze by asking what Sevatar liked, and Curze learned that Lorgar had spread the claim that the Night Lords were lolicons.

• Erda attacked Lorgar with Enuncia, but he countered her assaults with psychic rounds and black hole bullets until neither gained an advantage.
• Erda dismissed Lorgar's taunt and gathered denser Enuncia power as she dove toward him again.
• Angron pressured the spear-wielding assassin while Curze attacked from behind, but the assassin threw a device that filled the area with perception-blocking smoke and vanished.
• Angron found two indistinguishable Curzes fighting in the mist and asked what Sevatar liked.
• The real Curze answered that Sevatar liked girls, while the false one answered human skin, so Angron struck the false Curze and then stood back-to-back with Curze.
• Curze asked how Angron knew, and Angron said Lorgar had told him that the whole Night Lords Legion were lolicons.

Angron and Curze fought a stealthy spear-wielder who used the fog and an Angron illusion to attack them. Curze identified the real Angron by predicting his reckless behavior, and together they wounded their opponent, who escaped into the fog.

• Curze foresaw the spear-wielder's attack, shoved Angron clear, and evaded the thrust as Angron threw his axe at the figure's fading shadow.
• Two identical Angrons appeared, and Curze watched them to determine which one was real.
• One Angron attacked the other, allowing Curze to identify the attacker as the impostor and slash the real Angron's opponent.
• Angron and Curze pressed the impostor with axes and Arm Blades, and Angron's heavy blow wounded him.
• The spear-wielder vanished into the fog, and Angron and Curze resumed their back-to-back stance while waiting for his next attack.

Lorgar fought Erda as she unleashed her full power by merging with three aspects of her essence, but his golden wings shielded him from her devastating attack. When Erda asked who he really was, Lorgar answered with a litany of his titles and named himself Lorgar Aurelian.

• Lorgar taunted Erda while testing her defenses, and she gathered the power of Enuncia around herself.
• Three figures appeared behind Erda and merged with her, revealing the aspects of her essence as her power reached its peak.
• Erda unleashed a tornado of Enuncia, ice, and soul-cutting blades that shook the battlefield and forced Angron and Curze to take cover.
• Lorgar withstood Erda's attack behind six golden, burning wings and emerged unharmed.
• Erda asked who Lorgar really was, and he recited his titles before declaring himself Lorgar Aurelian.

Lorgar rejected the Emperor’s offer to help and faced Erda with his own power. He overwhelmed her with a surprise attack and left her broken and bloodied against the void’s wall.

• The Emperor contacted Lorgar and offered to help him defeat Erda, but Lorgar cut off the mental connection.
• Erda noticed Lorgar’s exchange with the Emperor, and Lorgar promised to fight her without the Emperor’s power.
• Erda unleashed her full Enuncia attack, but Lorgar vanished and struck her in the midsection from behind.
• Lorgar’s blow sent Erda crashing into the boundary wall, where she was left badly injured.
• Erda tried to block Lorgar’s kick with Enuncia, but he broke her nose and mocked her as she screamed.

Erda unleashed Enuncia in a furious surge, but Lorgar overwhelmed her and pinned her beneath his foot. Angron and Curze stayed back as Lorgar intensified the psychic pressure on Erda.

• Erda roared and released a powerful Enuncia vortex that forced Lorgar to retreat into the air.
• Angron and Curze charged toward Erda, but Curze foresaw an Enuncia wave and pulled Angron clear of its path.
• Lorgar ordered Angron and Curze to stay out of the fight and dived at Erda with his flaming Greatsword.
• Erda raised an Enuncia barrier, but Lorgar's Greatsword shattered it and struck her down.
• Lorgar crushed Erda's head into the ground and pinned her with his foot as she struggled to break free.
• Lorgar unleashed even more psychic energy through his foot, increasing the pressure on Erda and the surrounding space.

Lorgar killed Erda after revealing that she had scattered the Primarchs across the galaxy, and Curze and Angron joined in her brutal execution. With Erda dead, Lorgar declared the victory flawless.

• Lorgar confirmed the assassin had vanished, then impaled Erda with his Greatsword.
• Angron asked why Lorgar hated Erda, and Lorgar said she had scattered the Primarchs across the galaxy.
• Angron moved to attack Erda, but Curze reached her first and tore away her lower face.
• Erda slid down Lorgar's blade until her body split in two and she died.
• Lorgar looked at Erda's corpse and called it a flawless victory.

After Lorgar killed Erda, an unknown power in the Warp swallowed her soul and ended her resurrection. Lorgar’s rescue force arrived, and with the Emperor’s confirmation that Erda was dead, he let Anna take her body for her laboratory.

• Erda’s soul drifted through the Warp until an unfamiliar power immobilized and consumed her.
• Erda’s death caused the pocket dimension to collapse, returning Lorgar to his ruined study aboard the Law of Faith.
• Hercules, Anna, Grom, Cassios, Rockefeller, Seras, and the Word Bearers arrived after detecting unstable spatial fluctuations.
• Lorgar warned Anna that Erda’s corpse might resurrect, but the Emperor told him that Erda should be dead.
• Lorgar agreed to let Anna take Erda’s corpse, then lamented the damage to his room.

The Emperor told Malcador that Erda was trapped in the Warp and that the unknown being who captured her would not threaten them for at least ten thousand years. He then planned to send an old acquaintance familiar with the Cabal to assist Lorgar, and Malcador went to find him.

• The Emperor watched Lorgar from the Throne before telling Malcador that Erda’s body was destroyed and her soul imprisoned in the Warp.
• The Emperor assured Malcador that Erda’s captor posed no threat for at least ten thousand years, and said they would deal with any later danger when it came.
• The Emperor asked whether Lorgar was preparing to make trouble for the Cabal and proposed sending him a former Cabal member who knew its operations and hidden bases.
• Malcador warned that the acquaintance might fight Lorgar, but the Emperor said Lorgar could beat him into submission.
• Malcador agreed to find the former Cabal member and left to do so.

Malcador visited Nibelung in his ruined castle and asked him to help oppose the Cabal. Nibelung agreed to come out of retirement only if someone strong enough could defeat him, while Malcador left confident that the condition would be met.

• Malcador entered the abandoned castle and greeted Nibelung, whom he had not seen for a long time.
• Nibelung recalled serving the Emperor under different names and mocked the Cabal for wanting to kill humanity to stop the Warp.
• Malcador asked whether Nibelung wanted to make trouble for the Cabal, and Nibelung inferred that they had been causing trouble for the Emperor.
• Nibelung agreed to come out of retirement if Malcador found someone who could beat him into submission.
• Malcador accepted Nibelung's condition and left the castle as Nibelung lay back with a faint smile.