Astra Militarum · 40k · Active
Ciaphas Cain
Commissar, Hero of the Imperium
Also known as Hero of the Imperium
Ciaphas Cain is an Astra Militarum commissar who holds the status of Hero of the Imperium, though he attributes it to accident and self-preservation. He also credits the steadfast assistance of his aide, Jurgen, and maintains that each of his decorations rests on a misunderstanding.
Cain served with the Valhallan 597th in wars against the tyranids, the necrons, and the forces of Chaos. By his own account, he consistently sought the safest posting available and instead arrived at the point of crisis. His memoirs were edited by Amberley Vail, and her revisions are among the reasons the accounts are generally believed.
The records disagree on whether Cain is still alive, and the answer depends on which archive is consulted. His reputation nonetheless operates independently of that question. The Departmento Munitorum has not rescinded any of his medals, so his standing as a hero of the Imperium remains official.
Track Ciaphas Cain's known locations across the galaxy in the 41st Millennium.
Key engagements
- Battle for Periremunda (suppressed an uprising, uncovered genestealers, and was drawn into the case of the Shadowlight)
- Drechia mine war (led the Valhallan 597th against Chaos on Drechia and reunited with Vail in the Webway-linked mine galleries)
- Eucopia investigation (investigated stalled munitions production and destroyed a Necron tomb, killing Overlord Aznibal)
- First Siege of Perlia (cut off from his regiment, rallied Perlian irregulars, and killed the Ork Warlord Gargash Korbul)
- Gravalax Incident (halted a T’au annexation engineered by a genestealer cult and first met Inquisitor Amberley Vail)
- Ironfound underhive investigation (later drawn into the Ironfound Chaos and Eldar war that continued threads opened by Vail’s underhive investigation)
- Lentonia outbreak (sent to mop up an insurrection, and faced a warp-tainted infection that raised the dead)
- Ork invasion and Tyranid reawakening (survived a transport crash and destroyed a woken Tyranid bioship at Primadelving)
- Ork raid and Necron awakening (held a promethium refinery against Orks, then flooded and detonated a Necron tomb beneath it)
- Quadravidia truce (accepted a T’au truce against a hive fleet, then exposed a genestealer-controlled magos on Fecundia)
- Ravagers invasion and Slaanesh ritual (broke a Slaaneshi ritual and halted the Ravagers’ bid to turn Adumbria into a daemon world)
- Second Siege of Perlia (came out of retirement to lead the Perlian militia and kill the Chaos Warmaster Varan)