The Months of Shame was a bitter, months-long conflict between the Space Wolves and the Inquisition after the First War for Armageddon. It’s not an official name, but one used by some Grey Knights who felt the bloodshed and destruction brought shame on their chapter.
Aftermath of Armageddon
Angron and his World Eaters invaded Armageddon in 444.M41. The Space Wolves, led by Logan Grimnar, and a scratch force of Grey Knights banished the daemon primarch and broke his horde. Angron was sent back to the Warp for a hundred years by an ad-hoc Grey Knight force dubbed the Ragged Brotherhood of Armageddon.
But the war left Chaos taint across the hive world. The Inquisition feared the corruption couldn’t be fully purged and that knowledge of Chaos would spread if survivors talked. The issue got worse when reinforcements arrived late: additional Grey Knights and dozens of Astra Militarum regiments, up to a million soldiers, had seen the Grey Knights in the field or in orbit. The Grey Knights’ very existence was protected knowledge, and now hundreds of Astartes and millions of humans had seen them.
The Plan
Senior figures of the Ordo Malleus, led by Lord Inquisitor Ghesmei Kysnaros and Grand Master Joros of the 8th Brotherhood, met and voted on a solution. Exterminatus was considered and rejected because Armageddon’s centuries-built industrial capacity was too valuable to destroy.
Instead, they agreed on an unprecedented plan to silence, remove, and replace the population. Natives, including citizens and PDF soldiers, were to be interned in labour camps in the uninhabited south of the continent of Secundus, sterilised to prevent reproduction, and forced to work for life under Inquisitorial supervision. This was to be initiated under the pretence of a temporary relocation programme for individual settlements while Imperial forces enacted a “deep cleanse” of the urban area. The mandatory injections were presented as vaccinations for protection in the camps.
Some parts of the population were spared: selected PDF elements were subjected to dangerous mind-wipe therapies (though some were simply executed), and the most influential and wealthy noble families were kept in power in exchange for their secrecy and to enforce future censorship of these events.
The purge, the shadow war, and the siege of Fenris
Inquisitor Lord Kysnaros of the Ordo Malleus ordered the systematic purge of Armageddon’s veterans and civilians. Millions were rounded up and killed to keep the truth of Chaos secret. The Space Wolves, who’d fought and bled alongside those soldiers, saw this as a betrayal. They refused to let it happen and moved to protect the survivors.
What followed was a running shadow war across several sectors. The Space Wolves clashed with Inquisitorial forces, the Grey Knights, and the Red Hunters chapter. It ended above Fenris itself, where the Space Wolves fought a full battle against the Inquisition fleet. Both sides took heavy losses, including the deaths of Inquisitor Lord Kysnaros and Grand Master Joros.
Order of battle
The conflict pitted the Space Wolves against a broad Inquisitorial coalition. Commanders on the Inquisitorial side included Inquisitor Lord Ghesmei Kysnaros (KIA), Grand Master Joros (KIA), and Chapter Master Daemar. The Space Wolves were led by Great Wolf Logan Grimnar.
The outcome is recorded as Status Quo Ante Bellum, meaning the situation returned to how it was before the war.
| Faction | Forces | Commanders |
|---|---|---|
| Ordo Malleus | Various Inquisitors, Inquisitorial Storm Troopers | Inquisitor Lord Ghesmei Kysnaros (KIA) |
| Grey Knights | Most of the chapter | Grand Master Joros (KIA) |
| Red Hunters | Entire chapter | Chapter Master Daemar |
| Space Wolves | Entire chapter | Great Wolf Logan Grimnar |
| Astra Militarum | Multiple regiments, several million soldiers, 20 troop transport void ships | Various |
Aftermath
For the Space Wolves, the war was a costly moral victory. They’d protected some survivors and forced the Inquisition to back off, but they couldn’t undo the purges already carried out. The chapter’s relationship with the Inquisition remained poisoned for centuries.
The Ordo Malleus lost key leaders and suffered heavy casualties. The plan to silence Armageddon was partially carried out, but the open conflict with a First Founding chapter brought scrutiny and embarrassment. The existence of the Grey Knights was now known to many outside the Inquisition, though the chapter continued its secretive work.
Armageddon itself was left scarred. Civilian casualties are estimated in the billions. The world’s industrial capacity survived, but the population had been decimated and the truth buried under layers of censorship. Few outside the involved factions know the events happened at all.
Key facts
- The Months of Shame was a conflict between the Space Wolves and the Inquisition after the First War for Armageddon in 444.M41.
- It began as a purge of Armageddon’s survivors by the Ordo Malleus to suppress knowledge of Chaos.
- The Space Wolves, led by Logan Grimnar, intervened to protect the survivors.
- The fighting spread across several sectors and ended in a battle above Fenris.
- Inquisitor Lord Kysnaros and Grand Master Joros were both killed.
- Civilian casualties are estimated in the billions; the name comes from the Grey Knights.
FAQ
What caused the Months of Shame?
The Inquisition’s decision to purge Armageddon’s survivors to hide the truth of Chaos. The Space Wolves refused to stand by and let it happen.
Who fought in the Months of Shame?
The Space Wolves chapter against the Ordo Malleus, Grey Knights, Red Hunters, and Inquisitorial Storm Troopers, with Astra Militarum regiments caught in between.
How did the Months of Shame end?
In a bloody stalemate above Fenris. The Inquisition withdrew, but the purges had already killed billions.
Why didn’t the Inquisition just use Exterminatus?
Armageddon’s industrial capacity was too valuable. It had been built up over centuries and couldn’t be easily replaced, so the Ordo Malleus chose a more targeted plan.