Games Workshop has released some new rules and content for Warhammer 40,000, including: a brand new codex for the Grey Knights. A brief passage mentions a secret order that few know about and has long been considered one of the greatest mysteries of the world.
Over the past few weeks, there have been various announcements and content related to the different worlds of the Warhammer universe. Although most of it falls on Age of Sigmar, The Old World, and the Horus Heresy, Warhammer 40,000 has also received new content.
The Grey Knights are a secret Order of Space Marines, of which hardly anyone knows about its existence within the world. Other Space Marines have their memories wiped when they learn about them, and ‘normal’ humans are simply executed.
This new codex is now available for these elite fighters, meaning: rules of play along with new lore, which is considered officially confirmed because it comes directly from Games Workshop. A small part of it has since been circulating in the community, as it has significant implications for the story.
In a tiny section, the “Terminus Decree” is discussed, the last command of the Emperor of Mankind to the Grey Knights and something that has never been precisely described before. Now the content is known exactly – and it is disturbing.
In Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters, you play a division of the Grey Knights in the fight against Chaos:
“The Grey Knights must lead him back to his cruel duty”
The decree is contained in a simple wooden box that only the Supreme Grand Master may ever open. On X, a user has posted the section about the Terminus Decree in English. It states, translated and summarized: The “Master of Mankind”, meaning the Emperor, must never leave his Golden Throne.
If he ever returns to life, is reborn in another body, or ascends to godhood, the Grey Knights must lead him back to his “cruel duty”.
How they are supposed to do this is not exactly specified, but they are to use all power to carry out the command and even kill the Emperor’s personal guard, the Adeptus Custodes, if necessary.
According to the section, the Grey Knights were even created for this one purpose. The Emperor is trapped on his Golden Throne and fights from there against Chaos. Without him, the Warp would supposedly invade reality and devour everything.
Is this all just a “5D chess move”?
In the community, fans have been puzzling over what this means for the story since the release of the codex. On Reddit, however, a user complains that the decree is completely useless.
The Grey Knights are instructed to only open the box when the Imperium is on the brink of collapse. But then it would be too late, and they would not be able to stop the Emperor anymore – nor anything else that unfolds.
Another user suggests: Perhaps that is the plan. The Grey Knights are not supposed to succeed but to die in the attempt. All Grey Knights are psykers and among the most powerful in the universe.
The simultaneous death of hundreds of psykers would shake the Warp and could potentially lead to the creation of a new Warp entity or something similar. That is almost exactly how the Emperor came into being.
In another thread, many people agree: Games Workshop is working towards something big. Just what it is, nobody knows for sure.
The timing suggests that something big is developing soon
Although the Terminus Decree was regarded as a mystery for many years, its secret has now been unveiled and presumably for good reason. Games Workshop continues to weave the story of Warhammer 40,000.
Most recently, Roboute Guilliman has returned and now leads the Imperium, essentially as the Emperor’s regent. The Emperor himself, however, is more active than ever, as he has apparently appeared to save Guilliman, intervening directly.
For many within the world – and for some fans – this is a sign that the Emperor is becoming the god that the Ecclesiarchy has seen in him for a long time. Even his sons are filled with doubt: The new head of the Imperium in Warhammer 40,000 asks if the Emperor is a god, although he should know better
