40K: What’s In Cawl’s Box?
Belisarius Cawl has discovered something that Abaddon thought was destroyed – But what is it?!
If you’ve been keeping up with the Gathering Storm story, then you know Adeptus Mechanicus Archmagos Belisarius Cawl has found a relic that could be the MacGuffin to save the 40k Universe. This is referenced a few times in the Gathering Storm Books so far (Fall of Cadia pg. 83, Fracture of Biel-Tan pg. 92) and we’re sure that this will all be revealed when Rise of the Primarch hit shelves. But for now, we’ve come up with a list of possible things that could answer the question: What’s in the Box!?
I love this Game!
What we do know about the relic that Cawl has is where it was found. But to talk about that we have to take a deep dive into a bit of the lore surrounding Abaddon. That’s because it’s a Relic that has something to do with the 4th Black Crusade and Citadel of Kromarch.
A lot of folks like to discount the previous Black Crusades as failures. However, I don’t think that is the case. Abaddon’s Black Crusades were all part of a sinister plot that has been unfolding for 10,000 years. Each crusade has a secret purpose – in the case of the 4th Black Crusade part of the reason was to destroy pylons like the ones located on Cadia. Another event that happened was the sacking of the Grand Citadel of Kromarch. Abaddon unleashed his forces on El’Phanor and utterly destroyed the Citadel. Or so he thought…
Cawl is in the very same system at the start of Gathering Storm (Fall of Cadia pg. 16) and it specifically calls out that this was where Abaddon’s 4th Black Crusade hit. Whatever this relic is it was spared complete destruction from Abaddon and hidden from him. However, he thought the location was in the Grand Citadel of Kromarch. I think that it was smuggled to the planet that Cawl was excavating on – and he some how tracked it down.
Now, what relic could he have left behind that he thought was destroyed or lost? Well, he used his Daemon Weapon Drach’nyen to split the citadel’s gate apart which let his forces invade the Grand Citadel. Perhaps it’s a shard of Drach’nyen that broke off – or maybe it’s just a bit of himself he left behind. What if it’s some STC file on how to repair the Golden Throne? Whatever it is Abaddon wants it! Here’s some of our top suspects:
Anathame
An anathame was a unique sword-like weapon produced by a xenos race called the Kinebrach. Several came into the possession of the Interex, where they were encountered by the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet of the Imperium during the Great Crusade.
It is possible that a shard of the Anathame or even another one exists. Abaddon would have known about it and the damage one of them can do. It would make sense that he would want to either capture it or destroy it – he wouldn’t want the Imperium to get their hands on one of these weapons!
A Reliquary of the Emperor’s Soul
One theory of the Emperor is that his soul has been dispersed in the warp. Perhaps whatever Cawl found has a way to “fix” the Emperor’s shattered soul. It would make sense as to why Abaddon would want to destroy it so desperately. And it would make sense why so many other forces are out to protect it. The Eldar did say that “The Lord it belongs to” will bring hope…No one brings hope like the Emperor, right?
Armor of the Emperor
What if the relic/artifact is something more tangible? Like the Armor that the Emperor wore? Now, theoretically it should have been on Terra after his “death” but maybe it found it’s way to the Grand Citadel of Kromarch. Holy relics get passed around and sent on tours today – why would it be any different in the 41st Millennium? Maybe the armor of the Emperor has something to do with how Guilliman can suddenly survive his affliction. We saw hints of that in the teaser trailer – it’s something Cawl has been working on for a long time:
Weapon(s) of the Emperor
Okay – what if it’s not armor? What if it’s something more offensive in nature? The Sword that Guilliman is wielding is actually my top candidate for what is actually in the box. It’s the Emperor’s flaming sword! It’s got to be, right? It fits the bill and seems like something that could have been lost to time but Cawl could conceivably find.
But what about the other weapon Guilliman is wielding? I think when we first all saw the model everyone just assumed it was one of the Gauntlets of Ultramar. But the Gauntlets are typically used as a pair and Marneus Calgar currently wields them. No, that’s most likely the Hand of Dominion. That was one of his pieces of wargear that he wielded post-heresy. (So no, I don’t think his Power Fist is in the relic Cawl Found – it’s got to be the Sword of the Emperor.)
Bonus: The Head of Ferrus Manus
Like we would pass-up the opportunity to make a decapitation joke 40,000 years in the making.
What’s in the Box? Let us know in the comments below!
