C'tan Shards | Warhammer 40K Lore episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 1, 2026 · 1H 21M

C'tan Shards | Warhammer 40K Lore

from Laying Down The Lore: 40K · host Laying Down The Lore

In our Warhammer 40K lore dive episode 68, we explore the ancient horror of the C’tan Shards—the broken remnants of the Necrons’ former gods, beings of living cosmic energy born alongside the universe itself. Once star-devouring entities drifting between suns, the C’tan were given physical form by the desperate Necrontyr and manipulated them into the catastrophic process of biotransference, creating the Necrons and unleashing the apocalyptic War in Heaven. We follow the Necrons’ eventual rebellion against these godlike masters, examining the impossible technologies used to shatter the Star Gods into thousands of imprisoned fragments contained within Tesseract Labyrinths and Vaults. The episode then dives into the most infamous C’tan: the Nightbringer, whose slaughter shaped the universal fear of death itself; the Deceiver, architect of betrayal and manipulation; the machine-linked Void Dragon beneath Mars; the maddened Outsider lurking beyond the galaxy; and the Flayer, whose death curse created the horrifying Flayed Ones. Note: Please see episodes 28 & 29 for an introduction to the Necrons ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quartermaster ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen Ad-Free⁠Show ImagesTheme Music

In our Warhammer 40K lore dive episode 68, we explore the ancient horror of the C’tan Shards—the broken remnants of the Necrons’ former gods, beings of living cosmic energy born alongside the universe itself. Once star-devouring entities drifting between suns, the C’tan were given physical form by the desperate Necrontyr and manipulated them into the catastrophic process of biotransference, creating the Necrons and unleashing the apocalyptic War in Heaven. We follow the Necrons’ eventual rebellion against these godlike masters, examining the impossible technologies used to shatter the Star Gods into thousands of imprisoned fragments contained within Tesseract Labyrinths and Vaults. The episode then dives into the most infamous C’tan: the Nightbringer, whose slaughter shaped the universal fear of death itself; the Deceiver, architect of betrayal and manipulation; the machine-linked Void Dragon beneath Mars; the maddened Outsider lurking beyond the galaxy; and the Flayer, whose death curse created the horrifying Flayed Ones. Note: Please see episodes 28 & 29 for an introduction to the Necrons ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merchandise⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quartermaster ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen Ad-Free⁠Show ImagesTheme Music

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C'tan Shards | Warhammer 40K Lore

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This episode was published on July 1, 2026.

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In our Warhammer 40K lore dive episode 68, we explore the ancient horror of the C’tan Shards—the broken remnants of the Necrons’ former gods, beings of living cosmic energy born alongside the universe itself. Once star-devouring entities drifting...

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