Workshop Wednesday: C’tan Shard Nightbringer And Shard Deceiver

Welcome to the table,

Workshop Wednesday is my little slice of the day where I can dive into all sorts of things Games Workshop-related. With new models heading to the table, I wanted to take some time to talk about the cosmic vampires, the ancient gods of old, the star-wandering horror shattered, broken, but still beyond us all — entities known as C’tan shard of the Nightbringer, and C’tan shard of the Deceiver.

A brief history of the C’tan.

The C’tan were — and probably still are — immortal “Star Gods” who are believed to be the oldest intelligent entities in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Their origins are tied to the very creation of all things, as they are believed to have spawned from the energy that happened at the proverbial “big bang.”

In their natural form, they are beings of energy so vast and powerful that they can wrap around stars, feeding on the roiling waves of plasma and energy until the twinkling motes of light die out. However, these cosmic horrors do not need to remain in these formless shrouds of energy. These ancient intelligences can take on humanoid form and influence the younger species who inhabit the universe.

They did just that and tricked a mortal species known as the Necrontyr to swap their flesh-and-bone life for that of the cold-and-mechanical state of the Necron, space skeletons powered by hate and conquest.

The C’tan did this to the Necrontyr so they could puppet the civilization into helping fight the fabled Old Ones, whom they had a grudge with for one existential reason or another. I’m not being intentionally vague here; it’s one of those bits of history that has been debated, but ultimately comes down to “space gods like to fight and will use other species to fight for them.”

However, the C’tan being drained after clashing with other space gods allowed a Necron king (more on him in a future installment) to turn their weapons on them, shattering the C’tan into bits scattered across the galaxy. These shards would go on to be a kind of fragment of the C’tan — still possessing god like powers and, in some cases, the personality of the C’tan that they were shattered from.

The Necrons realized these shards could be put into their service, but it came with a terrible risk. If they lost control of the shard, the C’tan could ultimately turn on them and crush whole worlds in heartbeats.

Two of these known shards that can manifest in physical form and be put to use by the Necrons are the shard Nightbringer and the shard Decever.

The Nightbringer — who is known as “the Grim Reaper” by most humans aware of it — is a corrupt entity who feeds upon the energy of living things through a body crafted for it by the Necron. Even though this is just a shard of the Nightbringer, it can decimate entire armies.

Games Workshop have a new model out for Nighbringer that looks absolutely stellar. It’s a multipart plastic kit that not only serves as an absolute dominating force at the gaming table, but also works as a dazzling centerpiece in anyone’s collection.

This kit comprises 31 plastic components and 1x Citadel 90mm Round Base. This miniature requires assembly and is supplied unpainted, with rules for play available for free at the Warhammer Community Website.

The classic model for the C’tan shard Deceiver is also available over at the Warhammer Store.

The Deceiver (also known as Mephet’ran) is the C’tan or Necron Star God of trickery who, granted, was instrumental in tricking the Necrotyr into their downfall and conversion to the unfeeling Necron they are known as today.

While quite the wise one, the Deceiver was himself double-crossed and shattered into fragments like the other C’tan, causing him to be diminished in power. Although, even in his current state within the various shards that can be activated by the Necron or other sentient species who find one and can activate it, he is still actively attempting to escape the hold the shards have over him so he can continue his various foul plots.

The Games Workshop model is smaller than the new Nightbringer, but still comes in the playable form of a detailed resin cast kit that comes with nine unpainted components and a 40mm Round Base.

The lore of the Necrons and the C’tan is vast, and this is but a taste of the larger, expansive universe. I have a Nightbringer on my “to be painted” table, so I can assure you you will be hearing more about them in the near future, as Necrons seem to be featured heavily in the upcoming releases from Games Workshop as we move towards 11th edition and, possibly, more shows and games.

Until next time, thank you for hanging out with me, and I look forward to telling you more about Games Workshop stuff in the near future.