Somewhere in a forgotten land...
While half of Imperium Nihilus descended into chaos amid the war between the T'au Empire and the Thunderhawk Empire, the instigator of that war remained on a forgotten planet.
An enormous blasphemous symbol was clearly visible even from space: Nurgle's "Three Rings of Rebirth."
Death-decay-rebirth.
All things moved through this cycle, unable to escape the laws of life.
The God of Life could not bear to see living beings endure the misery of death and the agony of rebirth, so he kept his followers within the ring of "decay," granting them true "eternal life" so that none would ever again suffer the pain of parting in life or death.
Now, that blasphemous symbol of Nurgle was carved deep into the planet. Vast rotting rainforests covered its surface, muddy swamps threaded between them, and countless merry Nurglings bounced about everywhere.
Seven blasphemous altars formed the "Three Rings of Rebirth." Each altar was made from seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven T'au Fire Warriors. They had now fused into one, forever embraced by Grandfather, never again to suffer the torment of pain or disease.
A Nurgle Plague Sorcerer was bound atop each altar.
After falling into Grandfather's embrace, these traitorous, demigod-like superhumans had used their psyker power to spread countless plagues across innumerable Imperial Worlds, becoming great enemies of the Imperium, targets hunted by the Inquisition, and objects of the Loyalists' hatred.
Yet now, like lambs awaiting slaughter, they were bound to the altars by vines, staring in terror at the figure in the distance.
They would become the sparks that ignited the ritual.
At the center of the Three Rings of Rebirth stood an enormous cauldron.
Bona stood on a ladder, adding ingredients to the cauldron with an expressionless face.
Seven Great Unclean Ones stood beside