C'tan
From Lexicanum
The C'tan (Eldar Yngir) are said to be the oldest beings in existence. It is said that they were created at the very beginning of the universe, spawned from swirling gases and enormous amounts of energy, and as such are etheric creatures by nature1. In their natural form they are vast beings and spread themselves over the surface of a star, sucking at its energy to feed itself1. After a time, they learned to use diaphanous wings to travel to other stars to continue their consumption. The matter around them was so insignificant that it didn't even register on their voracious appetite1.
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The Ancient Times
After several million years, the race known as the Necrontyr discovered a being feeding from their very sun. The Necrontyr managed to communicate with this being, and eventually built the bodies they now inhabit. They are made of the same material as their ships, Necrodermis or living metal. They were named C'tan, which in native Necrontyr means "star gods," or "star vampires1." They were transferred, supposedly, across an 'incorporeal starlight bridge' into their new bodies, thousands of miles of energy creature compressed into tiny bodies.
The C'tan made use of the Necrontyr's hatred of the Old Ones to wage war and collect bodies to consume, which they enjoyed far more than their old diet of star energy1. They also found a love of worship, or more accurately, of others worshipping them. They were revered by the Necrontyr as gods and forced them into complete slavery1. The C'tan eventually tricked or convinced the Necrontyr into leaving their bodies and entering shells of living metal, becoming the Necrons.
In the war between the C'tan and their slaves the Necrons, against the Old Ones and the younger races, their red harvests slaughtered millions upon millions1. Gradually, they ran dry, and eventually, the C'tan consumed each other until only 4 remained1. Not long after that a plague of Enslavers emerged, which apart from finally destroying the Old Ones, also depleted the red harvests further. Thus the C'tan decided to enter stasis until life repopulated the galaxy and their harvests could begin again1.
Recent History
After millennia spent in their stasis tombs, the four remaining C'tan are:
- The Night Bringer: Powerful enough to impress its image as that of death itself on the psyche of the younger races, upon entering stasis it was almost destroyed by starvation but was released accidentally by the Dark Eldar, in conjunction with Uriel Ventris, an Ultramarines Captain of the 4th Company.
- The Deceiver: Came out of stasis an unknown time ago and has been weaving plots ever since, including the destruction of the ancient Eldar weapons, the Talismans of Vaul.
- The Void Dragon: Supposedly one of the most powerful C'tan. Was imprisoned by the Emperor under the Noctis Labyrinth, and directly created the Mechanicum of Mars.3
- The Outsider: A C'tan that went insane due to its consumption of other C'tan or possibly an Eldar deity.
Other instances of the C'tan
The Inquisition often employ elite assassins to remove unfavourable enemies. Members of the Callidus Temple use a weapon called the C'tan Phase Sword1. It is unknown what specific relation the weapon has with the C'tan themselves, but when it comes into contact with a C'tan's body it is absorbed as if it is a piece of its body returning home. This is shown in an article about the attempted assassination of a Planetary Governor which turned out to be the Deceiver.
The major weakness of the C'tan is their inability to comprehend the warp. It is speculated that they find it impossible to survive in it and are particularly susceptible to warp spawned magics and psykers. They had a plan to block off the warp forever in an attempt to remove their single greatest threat1. It is also speculated that they have set up a series of 'pylons' on Cadia, possibly for this purpose. Whether these pylons have anything to do with the Eye of Terror is unknown, but it is unlikely, as the Eye was not opened until after the C'tan were in their stasis tombs. There is also a Necron object on Armageddon in the central region of the planet2.
