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Xaphan

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Xaphan was a Cardinal of the Imperial world of Vraks and instigator of the infamous Chaos rebellion there in M41.[1a]

Turn to Chaos

Originally a servant of Cardinal-Astral Borja, when the aging Cardinal finally perished Xaphan found himself next in line to succeed him as a member of the Ecclesiarchy's Holy Synod, the Imperial Church's ruling body. Going on long pilgrimages to many worlds, his passionate sermons and charisma made him a popular figure throughout the Scarus Sector. Believing himself an instrument of the Emperor's will and urged on by his chief adviser, Deacon Mamon, Xaphan wished to launch a War of Faith in the name of the Emperor. On Mamon's advise and fearful of raising the suspicions of the Inquisition, Xaphan decided to organize this war on the secluded world of Vraks.[1a]

Greeted by fanatical mobs on Vraks, Xaphan retired to his palace with his closest advisers and his public appearances became increasingly rare. Aided by Deacon Mamon, the Cardinal started to plan the first steps in his war of faith and realized he needed far more men for this holy mission. Mamon's preachers recruited more to their cause by spreading rumors of attacks by heretics on nearby worlds, and the Vraks must be ready to defend himself. The mood on Vraks became one of religious zealotry, and any who spoke against the Cardinal was quickly branded a traitor and dragged to Vraks' dungeons. However Xaphan's increasing hold on Vraks and his secretive planning soon attracted the gaze of the Ordo Hereticus, which deployed a Vindicare Assassin to dispatch the Cardinal.[1b]

Surviving the sniper's bullet thanks to the energy field of his rosarius and faithful guards which acted as human shields, Xaphan's preachers spread the word that heretics and traitors had been behind the assassination attempt. Rioting soon erupted on Vraks as Frateris Militia and Planetary Defense Forces loyal to the Cardinal overran the Administratum's, Adepta Sororitas, and Adeptus Arbites compounds on Vraks. Xaphan had become the supreme ruler of Vraks and commander of the Vraksian Renegade Militia.[1c]

The Vraks Rebellion

Forces from the Death Korps of Krieg of the Imperial Guard were dispatched to wrench the world from the now-renegade Cardinal. Meanwhile, the Cardinal and his armies began to fall under the influence of Chaos at the urging of Deacon Mamon and the newly arrived Chaos Space Marine warlord, Arkos the Faithless. As the uprising on Vraks increasingly became a war for the Gods of Chaos, Xaphan's influence over his forces diminished in the face of increasing numbers of Chaos Space Marines who assumed direct command over the Vraksian renegades. Soon Xaphan had become but a figurehead and the Traitor Astartes were overseeing the Vraks war.[2a]

After he lost control of his forces, Xaphan appeared in public less and less until he finally stopped appearing altogether. When the eighteen year-old Siege of Vraks finally came to an end with a victory for the Imperium, the fate of the Cardinal was revealed. He had become a Chaos Spawn, mutated and twisted into a gibbering beast by the Dark Gods.[2b]

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