In the shadowy depths of the Imperium, a power shift began that would forever transform the cosmos. The Emperor, enigmatic and inscrutable, had much work to do; work he chose not to share with Horus, the primarch, or any of his generals. Instead, he summoned his close advisors, among them Malcador the Sigite and the Fabricator General of Mars, and issued them new directives.
A new era was ushered in as the Emperor convened the First Council of Terra. Unlike the war council that controlled the Great Crusade, now under Horus’ command, the Council of Terra was tasked with the lofty responsibility of state governance. Their mandate included establishing and maintaining Imperial law across the Imperium’s countless worlds and overseeing the Imperial tithe.
With a wave of his hand, all civilian governance of the Imperium was placed under the Emperor’s rule, and the First Council of Terra was born. At its helm, Malcador, the Emperor’s most trusted advisor, was heralded as the first Lord of the Council and the Regent of Terra in the Emperor’s absence. Other significant appointments to the Council included the Fabricator General, Chief Custodian of the Legio Custodis Constantine Valdor, the overseers of the astropaths, and the administrative divisions of the Imperium.
With the formation of this new governing body, the Emperor withdrew to the secluded sanctuary beneath the palace to commence a new, clandestine endeavour. Yet, as he buried himself within his underground forges, the seeds of political discord began to sprout.
The warrior Horus, eager to embrace his newly ordained duties, was nonetheless troubled by the realization that the Emperor would no longer stand beside his Astartes in battle. The primarchs too were shaken by the news of the Council of Terra. Feeling betrayed by their progenitor, they were insulted by their exclusion from the formation of this new governing body and that they were not offered positions within it. This perceived abandonment by the Emperor, coupled with the transfer of power to what they deemed unworthy bureaucrats and tech adepts of Mars, ignited the spark that would become the Horus Heresy, a conflict whose repercussions continue reshaping the galaxy to this day.
Istvan 3 marked the first battle in the history of the Imperium where Space Marines clashed in such a vast conflict. The lethal assault unleashed by the traitors upon the loyalist Space Marines saw Death Guard Captain Nathaniel Garro seize the frigate Eisenstein and flee to Terra to warn of Horus’s treachery. Stranded light years from civilized worlds, the loyalists were eventually discovered by Primarch Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists Legion and taken to the Sol system.
Upon their arrival, Garro and his Astartes brethren of the Death Guard, along with Chronicler Euphrati Keeler and former Luna Wolves captain Iacton Qruze, were confined within a fortress on Luna, domain of the Sisters of Silence. Garro’s subsequent role in presenting before Malcador would define the fate of the Imperium for years to come.
As political unrest and discord spread, the Emperor continued his labors on his secret project within the vast dungeons of the palace. It seemed as if he paid no heed to the unfolding events of the Heresy on Istvan 3, Calth, Signus Prime, and Prospero. He appointed Malcador as the first Lord and Regent of the Imperium, tasking him to govern while he pursued his arcane work.
Yet, despite his new title, Malcador found no peace in his duty as Regent. Each day birthed fresh tribulations. The Primarch of the Space Marines openly questioned his authority, refusing to maintain communion with him. The Mechanicum of Mars demanded personal audience with the Emperor, and even the humble clerks of Terra seemed resistant to his commands.
In the midst of this, a true crisis was brewing. Warp storms disrupted stellar communications, severing whole regions of the Imperium from Terra. Horus had not made contact for weeks, and Malcador found it impossible to ascertain the whereabouts of the majority of the Space Marine Legions. It seemed to Malcador that the Imperium was on the brink of an existential crisis, a storm of discord and rebellion brewing in the heart of the universe.
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