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{{Planets

|Map=galaxy_map_NIKAEA.jpg

|Name=Nikaea

|Segmentum=[[Segmentum Solar]]{{Fn|1}}

|Population=None

}}

'''Nikaea''' is a planet widely known for the '''[[Council of Nikaea]]''' on which the [[Emperor]] and the [[Primarch]]s met during the [[Great Crusade]] to decide the fate of [[Psyker]]s and Sorcery within the [[Imperium]].

==History==

The planet was in its infancy at the time of the Council and was terraformed by the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] at the Emperor's request. Ultimately the use of psykers was allowed but restricted, while sorcery was officially banned. [[Magnus the Red]] and his legion The [[Thousand Sons]] would continue to study such powers in secret.

There was an increasing concern as the Great Crusade progressed forth considering the use of Sorcery. More and more often the [[Imperial Army]] and [[Space Marines]] would make planet fall only to find the populace thralls to [[Ruinous Powers|mysterious powers]]. These people were essentially slave cults who would resist the forces of the Emperor with sorcerous powers granted them by [[daemonic]] beings from across the [[Warp]]. Powers that were very akin to those used by the Thousand Sons of Magnus.

[[Mortarion]] who knew by his own personal experience the dangers of the warp, and [[Leman Russ (Primarch)|Leman Russ]] for whom any battle fought through sleight of hand and clever deceit was by definition dishonourable, highly criticized the Thousand Sons. The schism grew so great that it threatened the very stability of the fledgling Empire and so the [[Emperor]] himself decreed a council to resolve the issue once and for all.

Both sides of the debate were gathered to the planet Nikaea to give their views, with the Emperor as an arbiter, enthroned above the dais in an ancient amphitheater that seated tens of thousands.

On the other: Magnus himself. His very presence frightened many, but he began to speak with great charisma. His argument was that no knowledge was tainted of itself, and no pursuit of knowledge was ever wrong so long as the seeker of that truth was master of what he learned. He spoke with finality that the Thousand Sons had mastered their knowledge and that there was no ways too labyrinthine for them to know. {{Fn|2}}

Magnus had spoken passionately with great power and the Council became even more divided. While effective the Witch Hunters could not match Magnus' persuasiveness. The tension could easily have been cut with a knife when a group of Space Marine [[Librarians]] approached the Dais. The Emperor acknowledged them with a nod, and all fell silent. Among the group were some of the greatest Librarians of the [[Space Marine Legion]]s. They formed a semi-circle around the Dais to indicate that they spoke as one voice, but it was a young [[Epistolary]] who spoke.

===Post-Council===

Following the [[Burning of Prospero]], a shard of Magnus representing his feelings of betrayal came to rest on Nikaea. During the hunts for the [[Shards of Magnus]], the Imperial party led by [[Dio Promus]], [[Yasu Nagasena]], and [[Bodvar Bjarki]] confronted [[Ahriman]] and his [[Thousand Sons]] on the world. A furious battle erupted, and the shard-possessed body of [[Lemuel Gaumon]] summoned a miniaturized [[Crystal Labyrinth]]. Ultimately thanks to the efforts of Ahriman, the Shards of Magnus were able to reunify and returned to the [[Planet of the Sorcerers]] with the [[Thousand Sons]].{{Fn|5}}

==Trivia==

There are several strong parallels between this real-life event and the Council of Nikaea; in particular, there is a rumour that [[Wikipedia:Saint Nicholas|Saint Nicholas]] (who is tied to the myth of Santa Claus) slapped Arius about the face. Saint Nicholas is prominently tied to Norse mythology, which may account for Leman Russ playing an analogous role to Nicholas at the Council.

==See also==

*[[Planets (List)]]