Calas Typhon is the Death Guard’s First Captain who became Typhus the Traveller, Herald of Nurgle. He’s one of the setting’s oldest traitors, and his corruption started long before the Horus Heresy.
From Barbarus to the Death Guard
Typhon was born on Barbarus as a half-breed, the son of a human mother and an Overlord father. His mother was drowned by her own villagers for it. As a child he showed psychic gifts, moving objects and withering plants when frightened or angry, and he learned to control them through sheer will.
He was the first person Mortarion met after the Primarch turned on the Overlords, and the boy led him to safety. That bond lasted. Typhon became a champion of Mortarion’s early forces, then joined the Death Guard when the Emperor reunited the legion with its Primarch.
Mortarion hated psykers, so Typhon’s abilities were suppressed through training. He still became a legend for shrugging off wounds that would kill anyone else. On Rothric IX, a blow to the head that should’ve killed him only sent him into a cold rage, and he killed every tribal warrior around him with a short iron bar.
The fall at Zaramund
The Zaramund Campaign in 970.M30 was a Great Crusade action against human rebels, with Luna Wolves, Death Guard, and Dark Angels forces under Horus, Typhon, and Luther. Luther didn’t trust the Death Guard and sent the warrior Vastobal to watch Typhon.
Typhon was already suffering from ailments, and Chaos cultists empowered him through a ritual. He fell to Nurgle on Zaramund, and Vastobal saw it happen. Vastobal tried to stop him and was killed by the corrupted First Captain. Typhon ordered his forces to withdraw to hide what happened.
The fallout hit Luther hard. Lion El’Jonson arrived, scolded him for deploying from Caliban without permission, stripped him of his fleet, and sent him home. That humiliation became one of the catalysts for the Fallen.
Typhus in the 41st millennium
After the Heresy, Typhon took the name Typhus the Traveller and fully embraced his role as Herald of Nurgle. He commands the 1st Plague Company and leads a Plague Fleet of his own, separate from the rest of the Death Guard.
He’s a host of the Destroyer Hive, a swarm of insects living inside his body that he can unleash on a battlefield. He carries a manreaper called the Reaper of Men, and his psychic powers have only grown since his mortal days.
Sources differ on some details of his early life and exactly when his corruption took hold, so treat the specifics with a little caution.
Key facts
- Born Calas Typhon on Barbarus, the son of a human mother and an Overlord father.
- First Captain of the Death Guard and a close comrade of Mortarion.
- Fell to Nurgle during the Zaramund Campaign in 970.M30.
- Later known as Typhus the Traveller, Herald of Nurgle.
- Commands the 1st Plague Company and his own Plague Fleet.
- Host of the Destroyer Hive and wielder of the Reaper of Men.
FAQ
Who is Calas Typhon?
He’s the First Captain of the Death Guard who fell to Nurgle and became Typhus the Traveller, Herald of Nurgle. He’s one of the legion’s oldest and most powerful traitors.
When did Typhon fall to Chaos?
He fell during the Zaramund Campaign in 970.M30, long before the Horus Heresy. Chaos cultists empowered him through a ritual, and he killed the warrior Vastobal to keep it secret.
What is the Destroyer Hive?
It’s a swarm of insects that lives inside Typhus and can be released to devastate everything around him. It’s one of his signature weapons alongside the Reaper of Men.