Who was the mysterious and powerful Malcador? Come see the man that was the right hand of the Emperor of Mankind.
Lore via our friends at Lexicanum
Malcador the Sigillite, also known as Malcador the Hero by decree of the Emperor was the First Lord of Terra as well as the Grand Master of Assassins during the Horus Heresy. He was a powerful psyker who could communicate over long distances. He was a close advisor to the Emperor during the Unification Wars, and the man credited with founding the Administratum of Terra.
Biography
As the Emperor’s primary representative, Malcador often acted in his stead, or preceded him, the intent being for the Emperor to make his presence known only in the event of Malcador’s failure. One such event was the humbling of the Word Bearers in the ruins of Monarchia.
Malcador the Sigillite, First Lord of Terra.
Very soon after the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, the Emperor told Malcador to summon “men of character, skill and determination” who would be tested and trained to become an elite group of investigators with the task of rooting out treachery and Heresy. This marked the founding of the Imperial Inquisition. Among the first Malcador approached for this duty were Death Guard hero Nathaniel Garro and former Sons of Horus Captain Iacton Qruze. Malcador would subsequently task Garro with recruiting a select group of individuals for him in aid of this endeavour; these individuals would be termed (at least for a time) Malcador’s Knights-Errant, and later formed the root of the Grey Knights Space Marinechapter. Qruze was retained closer to home, acting as Malcador’s “hand” in investigative matters such as the case of Solomon Voss. Malcador is noted for having given the Chaplain Edict at (presumably) Nikaea: a group of Marines that would maintain the order and discipline of their fellow Marines, and to keep watch for heresy and psychic powers, the former to be dealt with summarily, the latter to be referred to the Legion Librarium.
Malcador was active in many ways during the Heresy. As well as orchestrating the above inquisitive endeavour and aiding Rogal Dorn in organising the defence of Terra, he would use his secret position as Master of Assassins to attempt to have Horus assassinated several times. Whilst several of his despatched Assassins – including the first ever Execution Force – came close to their target, none connected, and the attempt was eventually permanently given up, on the orders of the Emperor himself.
During the final chapter of the Heresy, the Emperor told Malcador that he had to take his place on the Golden Throne – providing the psychic sheath to protect the human-built sections of the Webway. His original choice of replacement on the throne had been the Primarch Magnus but since he had sided with Horus, Malcador was now his chosen successor. Though he was a powerful psyker in his own right, Malcador’s mental powers were nothing compared to that of the Emperor, and so when Rogal Dorn brought the severely injured ruler of mankind back to the Golden Throne, he found Malcador sitting wasted, energy lashing across his shrivelled body, tortured by the psychic bombardments of the Webway. He was almost dead. Tech-priests then made the exchange – disengaging Malcador from the machine. As he was removed, the last flicker of life left him and the dust of his corpse blew across the stone floor.
At the instant of Malcador’s death, the Emperor awoke from his coma – Malcador had saved a last kernel of strength and passed it on to the Emperor so he could give his servants their final orders.
Appearance and Abilities
The Sigil of Malcador
A slender and unassuming figure dressed in pale robes, at first glance Malcador appeared no different from a thousand other Administratum functionaries, except for his staff of office and the force of his psychic presence.
Malcador was the most powerful human psyker in the galaxy after the Emperor himself, and demonstrated this psychic ability on several occasions. During the aforementioned confrontation at Monarchia, he showed physical resilience unnatural for a man of his apparent age and frailty; when smashed from his feet by the primarch Lorgar, he landed on broken ground after a distance of some twenty metres, and survived with but a few broken bones. He also demonstrated telekinetic ability, retrieving his fallen staff and bringing it sharply into his hand.
Learn More of Malcador’s Knights-Errant
Honest 40k Solutions – Episode 22
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
