For faith!

Religions Warhammer 40,000

Civilization can only flourish when the last stone of the last temple falls on the head of the last priest.

Attributed to the Emperor

Warhammer 40,000 has a special place among fantasy worlds. Few fictional universes are so eclectic, few have such abundant borrowing from so many different sources and such a pervasive mixture of eras. And, perhaps, nowhere else is it possible to imagine global battles engulfing entire systems in fire, and thousands of years of sacred campaigns. And, despite the fact that the action takes place in the 41st century, one of the pillars of the universe of the "Hammer of War" is religion, which plays here an unprecedentedly important role for the fantasy world. And it's not just about the exotic cults of alien races - an intricate system of beliefs covers almost every intelligent being in the known universe. Let's understand the religious intricacies of Warhammer 40,000.

God Emperor

The history of the divine patron of mankind begins in the eighth millennium BC. In those primitive times, when our ancestors only learned to cultivate the land and build houses, shamans were already on guard of their spiritual interests. They were aware of the existence of the Warp, or the Immaterium, a subspace where the forces of Chaos reigned supreme. Concerned about the increase in this destructive element, the shamans performed a suicidal ritual, fusing together all the power available to them. A year later, this power was embodied in the future Emperor - a boy who was born in the most ordinary Anatolian family.

For long millennia, the Emperor, remaining behind the scenes, with light movements directed the history of mankind in the right direction. Epochs were replaced by epochs, people mastered new technologies and settled across the cosmos - until two events, a rebellion of machines and a strong storm in the warp, brought the human race to the brink of extinction. The Age of Strife has come: many colonized planets have become depopulated, Terra has slipped into the abyss of techno-barbarism, the remnants of the former civilization remained only on Mars. Around the 30th millennium, the Emperor emerged from the shadows, united Terra with an iron fist, and launched the Great Crusade to bring all human colonies under his rule. To this end, he created genetically enhanced Space Marines, and put powerful primarchs at their head.

It must be said that the Emperor was a convinced atheist and had an extremely negative attitude towards manifestations of religiosity. Instead of sacred texts, he gave humanity the Imperial Truths, which were based on scientific knowledge and logic - a sort of enlightened absolutism. Moreover, the Emperor generally denied the existence of gods, despite the fact that he knew exactly about the patrons of Chaos and other space races. The one exception he made was for the Martian cult of the Machine-God, and in response, the tech-priests proclaimed the Emperor as the avatar of their supreme deity.

The Emperor's blind faith in the triumph of reason played a bad joke on the Long March. Knowing firsthand the Immaterium and the demons that inhabited it, the leader of humanity made no effort to protect his followers from the evil influence of Chaos. Faced with the manifestation of frankly supernatural entities, the Marines tried to explain them from a materialistic point of view, according to which there were only three forces in the universe - light, gravity and human thought. It did not turn out very well, as evidenced by the sharply increased losses of personnel. The subsequent history was tragic: the first deputy of the Emperor, Primarch Horus (actually Horus, named after the Egyptian god) went over to the side of Chaos, turned his bayonets against yesterday's comrades-in-arms and, as a result, almost captured Holy Terra. The emperor crushed the rebellion and killed Horus, but at the same time he received injuries incompatible with life, after which he fell into a coma and was placed in a special sarcophagus - the Golden Throne. From this moment the history of the Emperor ends - and the history of God begins.

Light from Terra

The first cults deifying the Emperor appeared during his lifetime. Impressed by the unstoppable war machine of the Great Crusade, people on the newly annexed planets came up with all sorts of ways to worship the new messiah. Approximately two thousand years after the imprisonment of the Emperor in the Golden Throne, many such sects existed, but in the end, the Church of the Savior-Emperor gathered most of the followers. Called the Adeptus Ministorum, or Ecclesiarchy, it became the official religion of the Imperium of Man. At first, the importance of the Adeptus Ministorum was so high that its head, the Ecclesiarch, actually played the role of the supreme ruler of mankind, occupying a special place among the High Lords of Terra. In the 36th Millennium, this culminated in the Age of Apostasy, when Ecclesiarch Goj Vandire usurped all power in the Imperium. Tyrant was defeated, but after that the church was significantly reformed.

To imagine the Ecclesiarchy, multiply any modern worldwide church by tens of thousands of planets occupied by humanity. Like any organization of the Imperium, it is a huge, clumsy structure with a clear and at the same time intricate hierarchy. In addition, the church here is closely fused with the state: "on the ground" the Adeptus Ministorum performs both religious and administrative functions. The Ecclesiarchy builds huge cathedrals, has a pantheon of saints, and encourages and organizes pilgrimages. The governing bodies of the church are located on Holy Terra (Holy Synod) and the planet Ophelia VII (Synod of the Minister). In addition, the so-called Church worlds are subordinate to it, where especially significant relics are located, and the number of temples and priests per unit area goes beyond all reasonable limits.

Of course, the trillions of followers of the cult of the God Emperor cannot believe in him equally. Understanding this, the Ecclesiarchy turns a blind eye to the numerous sects that have bred across the galaxy - until they begin to fall out too decisively from the bosom of the church. Each such sect has its own “fads”: the Lucides revere asceticism, the Kalendites believe that the Emperor has always had a divine status, the imperialists are particularly xenophobic, the Thorians believe in the coming resurrection of the Emperor, etc.

The secret society of the Illuminati also expects a "second coming", but adheres to a slightly different ideology. This sect includes strong-willed individuals who were once possessed by the demons of Chaos, but managed to free themselves from their power. The Illuminati believe that the soul of the Emperor is gradually flowing out of our world into the warp, and when this process is over, it will be possible to repeat what the shamans did in the 8th millennium BC. To do this, the Illuminati are going to sacrifice the so-called sensei, in which particles of the Emperor's power are embodied. The Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition consider the Illuminati to be apostates, but this secret society has supporters in all state structures of the Imperium.

As for the actual foundations of faith in the God-Emperor, we know much less about them than about the external manifestations of this religion. It is believed that after self-sacrifice in the battle with Horus, the Emperor not only remained alive (albeit only thanks to the support of the Golden Throne), but also acquired the qualities of a god of a monotheistic religion - such as omnipresence or omniscience. Not only does he continue to rule the Imperium through his loyal servants, but he also maintains the Astronomican, a subspace beacon that gives people the ability to travel in the warp. True, this consumes the vitality of thousands of psychic psykers, who are regularly brought from all planets of the Imperium by the black ships of the Inquisition.

In the theology of the cult of the God-Emperor, Christian motives can be traced to the naked eye. The emperor and his self-sacrifice is a reference to Jesus Christ. The primarchs are seen as apostles, and in their damage by Chaos - original sin. Horus can be considered both Lucifer and Judas. The ritual component of the Adeptus Ministorum is copied from the Catholic Church: masses, litanies, confessions, saints and martyrs, titles of officials, Latin as a sacred language... At the same time, the Imperium itself is more similar to Orthodox Byzantium - both in structure and in symbolism (two-headed eagle -aquile).

Chain Fists of Good

The Inquisition is an organization even more respectable than the Adeptus Ministorum. It was founded either by the last will of the Emperor before his imprisonment in the Golden Throne, or even during the Great Campaign. The Inquisitors are not subordinate to the Ecclesiarchy: their representative is among the High Lords of Terra along with the head of the church. Unlike its historical namesake, the Inquisition of the 41st Millennium is the real secret police of the Imperium: in addition to protecting the faith, it is engaged in intelligence and counterintelligence, scientific research, the fight against corruption and especially dangerous criminal groups. Inquisitors have superior physical and mental fitness, almost unlimited powers, and the power to condemn entire planets to destruction. In case of need, they can demand the help of almost any citizen of the Imperium, including freedom-loving Space Marines.

Organizationally, the Inquisition is divided into orders, and ideologically - into two main schools, Puritans and Radicals. The former adhere to traditional and straightforward methods, any deviation from the imperial doctrine is unthinkable for them. The latter believe that the end always justifies the means, and it is permissible to fight the creatures of Chaos with their own weapons. Some radicals have even been caught practicing witchcraft. Within both schools there are smaller factions, relations between which can also be, to put it mildly, strained.

Even further away from the historical prototype - female monastic orders - were the divisions of the Adepta Sororitas, otherwise called the Sisters of Battle. After the Age of Apostasy, the church was forbidden to maintain an army - but the corresponding decree spoke of "armed men" and did not mention anything about women. Taking advantage of this loophole, the Ecclesiarch transformed the order of the Emperor's Daughters into a kind of "women's battalions". Their ranks were filled with orphans whose parents had died in the service of the Imperium. Despite the fact that the Battle Sisters of the military Chapters are not inferior in combat effectiveness to the Space Marines, they have to fight much less often. Their main purpose is to guard the distant missions of the Ecclesiarchy and protect the Church worlds. The Space Amazons are simultaneously subordinate to both the Adeptus Ministorum and the Ordo Hereticus.

The Adeptus Astartes, or Space Marine Chapters, are "states within a state". Marines obey no one but their commanders (although they can cooperate with other organizations), they have their own fleets, their own military bases and their own beliefs. Space Marine cults vary from Chapter to Chapter. Some revere the Emperor as a god, others as an ideal superman. Often the characteristics of a religion depend on the conditions in which a landing unit was born: for example, the beliefs of the Space Wolves, whose history began on a cold snowy planet, have much in common with Scandinavian religions. Paratrooper chaplains are a cross between a regimental priest and a political officer - in battle they give the soldiers a living example of courage, and between battles they hold services and make sure that none of the wards deviate from the true path.

In early editions of Warhammer 40,000, there was a splinter race of squats, dwarfs who inhabited planets with high gravity. Recognizing the Emperor's preeminent place among men, these space gnomes practiced ancestor worship. In order to join the prosperous spirits of the ancestors after death, the squat had to lead an honest life, avoiding serious sins like murder. The Squats were almost completely wiped out by the Tyranid invasion.

The Adeptus Mechanicus, the techno-civilization of Mars, enjoys wide autonomy within the Imperium. The Martians and the inhabitants of the forge worlds subordinate to them revere the God-Machine - not a person, but a force spread throughout the universe and controlling technology and knowledge. It is believed that in every mechanical device there is a piece of the God-Machine, therefore, for the smooth operation of technology, it is necessary to pay due honors to it. The Mechanicus scrutinize devices left over from before the Age of Strife, thus accumulating knowledge that brings them closer to the Machine God. The value of a person is determined by the amount of knowledge accumulated by him, the physical body is considered a biomachine, which it is useful to improve with cyber implants. At the head of the multi-tiered hierarchy of the Mechanicus is the Fabricator General of Mars, who also holds a seat on the high council of the Imperium. The most honorable obedience for the followers of the Machine God is to control the giant battle robots the Titans. Among the Adeptus Mechanicus, there are also sects that differ, for example, in their attitude towards alien technologies.

The human religions of the 41st Millennium have at least two things in common. First, every cult of the Imperium puts the personality of the Emperor in a special place. Secondly, all these religions are totalitarian: they demand absolute obedience, rigidly determine the position of each "cog" and provide minimal space for free thought. Only such a humanity can withstand the endless blows from outside. Let's see what the aliens can oppose to him.

Religare Xenos

The primordial enemy of humanity is Chaos, represented primarily by the inhabitants of the Immaterium. The most powerful of the entities living here are considered the gods of Chaos. Chief among them are four: Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh. According to one theory, Chaos serves as a kind of reflection of the real world, and the moods prevailing in the galaxy materialize in the form of its gods. For example, the reason for the birth of Slaanesh was the decline of the civilization of the Eldar, mired in hedonism and perverted pleasures. It is possible that someday the galaxy will change, and the gods of Chaos will be associated with such qualities as honor, sacrifice or justice. In the meantime, Khorne is responsible for war and hatred, Tzeentch patronizes deceit and change, Nurgle deals with disease and decay, and Slaanesh - excesses and perversions. Some followers of Chaos choose one of these gods, others revere Chaos Indivisible.

There are other Gods of Chaos, such as the patron of destruction, the outcast Malal or the lord of shadows Sarr'Kell. Three other minor gods - En'sl, Mu'rkk and Fraz-Ethar - are named after Warhammer 40,000 co-creator Brian Ansell, science fiction writer Michael Moorcock, and artist Frank Frazetta.

The ideology of Chaos is simple - do what you want, not constraining yourself by any laws, but at the same time not forgetting about your duties to your demonic patrons. Almost anyone can fall under the influence of the dark forces of the warp, but people (including Chaos Space Marines) and the Eldar have most succeeded in this field. The Chaosites do not have any clear system of worship of their deities, and the descriptions of their rituals known to us are clearly based on satanic "black masses". A kind of hierarchy within the followers of Chaos can serve as mutations to which the gods subject their favorites. And the most devoted become demon-princes - practically immortal, incredibly powerful and completely inhuman creatures.

Chaos not only penetrates the Imperium from the outside, but also corrodes it from the inside. It is the corrupting influence of Chaos that explains the emergence of numerous heretical sects - and, despite the efforts of the Ordo Hereticus, they do not cease to multiply throughout the galaxy. Indeed, in order to succumb to temptation, you do not need to fly to the ends of the world - it is enough to give free rein to your base desires. It is worth taking a tiny step along the road of Chaos - and it will become almost impossible to get off it.

As a result of the fall of the "space elves" of the Eldar, not only did the new god of Chaos Slaanesh appear, but almost all the deities of the considerable pantheon of this race were destroyed. The only survivors were the Laughing God Cegorach, who had hidden in subspace, and the patron of war, Khaine Bloody-handed, whose essence was enclosed in statues-avatars. Among the dead Eldar celestials are the head of the pantheon Azurian, the goddess of fertility Isha, the blacksmith god Vaul, the patron of hunting Kuronus, the ruler of dreams Lileat, the goddess of fate Morai-Heg. Modern Eldar partly went over to the side of Chaos, partly remained faithful to Cegorakh (Harlequins), partly adopted a new religious and philosophical doctrine of life Paths (such as the Way of the Warrior, the Way of the Seer, etc.). If the original religion of the "space elves" was clearly based on earthly polytheistic cults, primarily ancient Greek, then the concept of the Ways is closer to the Far Eastern teachings, for example, Taoism or Bushido.

The orcs, according to the latest data, have two deities: Gork and Mork (a third, Bork, was also mentioned in early editions). The differences between them are minimal: one is the patron of cruel deceit, the other is the patron of insidious cruelty. Orcs are constantly arguing about which of the gods is responsible for what. Since the natural state of the greenskins is war, it can be assumed that their deities are in charge of various aspects of the battle, such as attack and defense, or strength and speed. Orc priests can worship one of the gods, or they can receive visions from both at once. In practice, allegiance to Gork or Mork only matters to Orcs if it is necessary to find a reason to give a comrade in the face. A much greater role is played by belonging to a particular clan, each of which has its own philosophy of life. In general, the religious way of the orcs can be compared with primitive totemism.

The young Tau civilization professes the ideas of the Great Good, which they spread throughout the galaxy both with weapons and with words, taking representatives of other races into their ranks. At the head of the Tau social structure are representatives of the ether caste, combining the roles of political and spiritual leaders. If the Tau ideology can be attributed to religion, then only with a very big stretch. Even less religious are the Necrons and Tyranids. They have no beliefs, and therefore no beliefs; they blindly follow orders: the first - the Ancients, the second - the Hive Mind.

* * *

Space is a black abyss in which the lights of the mind flicker dimly. Keeping them together is a daunting task that cannot be solved either by force of arms or by the speed of starships. An ideological doctrine, a collective mind - or a totalitarian religion are capable of soldering a space civilization together. Faith, which really became the key to the survival of the united humanity in the 41st millennium.

Emperor of Humanity. These two words contain the epic and pathos of Warhammer. So let's see who he is and what he is.
+++Biography+++
According to an overdue fluff, the Emperor was born into a simple family somewhere in Anatolia (Turkey), and the souls of the strongest shamans of their time, who committed suicide, smelled the appearance of demons in the warp, which was so pure and maintains the conditions for reincarnation, moved into his body. "The Rise of Horus" partly confirms the age of the Emperor, as well as the version with raging demons: the ring is mentioned, created in the 8th millennium BC, a year before the birth of Himself. Why are demons here? Khorne was born then.
The longevity of the Emperor is explained by his peculiarity - he is Eternal. Through the centuries, he passed with different guises - he was a prophet, a warrior, a scientist. It is impossible not to recall the moment from the Mechanicum, a vision in which the Hegemon is shown by George the Victorious, and then still a simple rider of Rome, who slew the Dragon. The same one that he later concluded on Mars. In the pre-space era.
This may seem strange, but in Warhammer it has an explanation: in "Unmarked" we meet Oll Persson, another Eternal who was born around 13 thousand years BC, using athame shards to cut space at certain points that are warp compass. All said that an old acquaintance (and the Emperor was just an old acquaintance of his) warned of the dangers of such travels. And this is a great explanation for the capture of the Dragon.
What happened to the Hegemon in the Middle Ages and after is unknown, his trail resurfaces only in the Dark Age of Technology, at its very beginning, in the Star Exodus. The Emperor and Alyvia Sureka, another Eternal, traveled to Molech in one of the first FTL ships. Be that as it may, but he crashed and was not restored, and this couple found the gates to the Wastes of Chaos, entering which, the Emperor signed a pact with the Ruinous Powers, so that they would grant him power to conquer the Galaxy. At least that's how the story is presented to Horus in The Vengeful Spirit. Perhaps the Master of Mankind had spent, like Lupercal, countless hours in the warp gaining powers. But he returned, and Alyvia remained on the planet to keep an eye on the gate. And, again, confirming the version of the warp compass, the future Emperor left Molekh.
By the way, the overdue fluff mentioned that the Hegemon was involved in the creation of the STC.
An interesting moment is presented in the "Derelict Dead": in the 20 thousandth, Psi-Wars swept the Old Earth, almost destroying the planet. But the psyker warlords were slain by a mysterious warrior with golden eyes. In Lost Liberation, the Emperor on the Golden Throne appears before Corvus with bright golden eyes sparkling with ethereal energies.
But the time when the Emperor was quietly hiding and pushing humanity to new achievements from the shadows has passed: the Age of Strife has come (hmm, maybe it was also part of his plans?). From that moment on, He appears before us as the ruler of Himalasia, the creator of the Thunder Warriors - a huge army of improved soldiers (however, not the only one of its kind: the troops of the Caucasian Ethnarchy were not inferior to them). Conquering state after state, the Master of Mankind uses forgotten developments and remnants of technology, gains allies in the person of the Terrawatt Clan of technocrats who huddled under the Urals (and put a lot into creating space marines). According to The Legion, during the takeover of the Achiemenid Empire, the Master of Mankind felt his mind being penetrated by the psyker John Grammaticus. He climbed too deep, found out the plans of the Emperor to capture the galaxy, for which he was killed. Earlier or at about this time, the xenos anti-chaosites of the Cabal notice the efforts of the Emperor and are even going to accept him into their ranks, according to the Legion. In parallel with the expansion of his Imperium, the Hegemon destroyed cults and religions: in turbulent times, when psykers can become puppets of the Ruinous Powers, creeds have every chance of becoming cells of Chaos, carefully hidden and corrupting. Well, in general, superstitions interfere with the flight of thought. Destroying the last temple of what was once Christianity, the priest catches the Emperor on the fact that in his aspirations he is no better than another techno-barbarian. In addition, Arik Taranis' thunder army had slaughtered Scandia cleanly.
Having acquired enough seemingly lost technologies, the Emperor sets about creating generals - genetic sons, primarchs. By the way, in the fluff of the time of the dinosaurs, the primarchs are creatures imbued with the energies of pure immaterium. However, Chaos does not sleep, and no matter how hard the Father tries to fence off his sons with Geller fields and inscriptions on enuncia (according to the "First Heretic"), the capsules are stolen by the currents of the warp. According to Lost Liberation, the Emperor initially motivated himself to create new primarchs, but ended up with a more ingenious idea: why bother with twenty demigods when, based on the biomass left from them, you can create organs for new super-soldiers to replace the Thunder Warriors? Thus began the First Founding. Meanwhile, the proto-legions participated in the capture of the remaining techno-barbarian possessions where the last Thunder Warriors (if the Hegemon, of course, had not slaughtered them by that time) and the armies of ordinary and not very mortals are ineffective.
Later (according to The Havoc), the Emperor realized that the Astartes were very cool, and created his own personal Legion, the Custodes, where each was unique, like the planned primarch generals.
And the day came when all the Old Earth, henceforth Terra, bowed before the Emperor. They say that the last battle of the Unification Wars was the battle for Ararat, in which the last Thunder Warrior fell (but we all know). And the Emperor's gaze rushed to the sky, embraced by toxic clouds of chemical weapons and industrial pipe waste. And, yes, one more thing: the Hegemon took care of the inhabitants of Terra, at least in the "Heresy of Horus, Book One" from FV it is written that he was conducting a health campaign in order to return to the terrans the proud appearance of their ancestors, distorted by alchemical weapons and radiation. True, the environment has not changed much. Around the same time (if not earlier) he acquired his "right hand", Malcador, about whom, if, again, to believe "book 1", they said that he was closely related to the Emperor (remember the old, ancient fluff about the sensei, who are the immortal children of Himself). But again, these are rumors.
In general, the Emperor gathered his armies and moved to conquer Sol. Why did the Astartes get the Model 2 armor for Void Wars? But on Mars, the Hegemon faced the Mechanicum. It seems that the guys are cool, they understand the gears, but they believe in all kinds of Gods-Made-Machines. Thanks to the Emperor's tech savvy, they quickly recognized him as the Prophet of the Machine God, the Omnissiah. Although the Father of Mankind was against religions, it was stupid to lose useful billions of techies, and progress is good, so he allowed himself to be called the herald of progress, the Omnissiah. And so the Raptor Imperialis (which is an eagle head with lightning, a sign of the early Imperium) acquired a second head, Mars, and became an aquila.
One way or another, a little later, under circumstances not fully clarified, Horus met his father, and together they set off on the Great Crusade. On the planet Gorro (or whatever it was called in Index Astartes 4), Lupercal saved the Emperor from a very powerful warboss, who had every chance to kill Himself (and let him be reborn, if he is Eternal). Later, the rest of the primarchs were found. And when Lorgar was found, the Emperor reacted sharply negatively to his religiosity, even wanted to cut him out (in "Aurelian" the demon showed an unfulfilled past with Curze the executioner), but everything worked out. But in vain. However, the fate of two was decided before the Heresy: Eleventh (because at the time of the "First Heretic", 966m30 he had already been guilty, in the order of finding the primarchs from Golding number 3 was deleted, and the 19th found was also deleted, but in 965m30 there is an event<отредактировано>, next, the second has not yet been found) was eliminated, and, according to Magnus, the Emperor himself participated in this (really, we did not meet the souls of the forgotten - the work of a mental spear?).
However, it is worth noting that sending TC with HF to one CP turned out to be a bad idea: Russ the rat told about witchcraft in the legion of Magnus, and the Nicene Edict began. The emperor, all in the light, said that it would be necessary to get rid of the Librarians, or rather, abolish them (but the primarchs decided this way and that).
And then the moment came when the galaxy was almost completely cleared, and the greatest xeno-threat - the Ullanor orc empire - was defeated, the Hegemon decided that the primarchs could handle the rest themselves, appointed Horus, the "oldest" of the brothers, as his deputy warrior, and set sail for Terra to pave the way for humanity and the Webway, thanks to the Himalayan gate right below the palace. Who went to help build the Imperial Fists.
This is where the real softness begins: suddenly, the defense against demons breaks in the palace due to the magical message of Magnus. The Scarlet King announces that the Warmaster has betrayed. My father reasoned sensibly: since Magnus broke it, Magnus must also atone for his guilt. To do this, the Emperor built an amazing device - the Golden Throne - and meditated on it, while Leman, who was instructed to bring the Cyclops to Terra, flew to Prospero. It never occurred to the emperor that his "first" son could betray the imperial truths. Meanwhile, the Warmaster, who still seemed loyal, distorted the order, and the Space Wolves flew off to burn the thousands with their home world. It was only later that the Hegemon realized how he had broken off. PN, ZhR, AL, SM, NS, GV and ZhV, led by the tactician Ferrus, were supposed to bring the presumptuous CI, GS and SH to their senses. However, they suffered a crushing defeat, losing a bunch of people on Isstvan and 2 (as it turned out, only one) primarch. At the same time, the fickleness of the Warp causes an echo of Magnus's message to ring out at the Himalayan gates, according to The Dead Cast Away.
So the Emperor sits on the Golden Throne for many years, concentrating his superhuman powers to keep the gates closed. At the same time, during the break, he gives Corax the go-ahead to use the original gene matrix with Astartes DNA. More will be in the "Master of Mankind", definitely not this year.
The apotheosis of the civil war is coming: the rebels storm Terra. For at least a hundred days, the planet has been engulfed in an apocalyptic war, and only after briefly driving back the Chaosites, who were driven into retreat by the death of Ka "Bandah", the Emperor, Dorn, Sanguinius and the Custodes teleport to the "Vengeful Spirit" that removed the shields. Malcador, who is still a psyker, remains to maintain the stability of the passage to the Web "According to the fluff, possibly outdated, the Hegemon battles Dumbrid on the ship and disembodies him by calling his true name. When the Father reaches the bridge, the dead Angel and Horus Lupercal, pumped with the energies of the Warp, appear before him. The Emperor hopes that the Warmaster will come to his senses, but he rips out the Lord's hand, rips out his eye and even breaks his spine.It would seem that everything, the Emperor lost because of giving in, but then suddenly Horus is distracted by the Imperial Fist / Custodes / Guardsman (depending on the edition) Oll Persson (according to the current canon - a guardsman) , from which the Warmaster flays his skin with just a glance. oh power "hangs fat." Deprived of nourishment from the Gods of Chaos, Horus realizes what he has done, sobs and asks for forgiveness. But the father feels that the Ruinous Powers are trying to subjugate the Warmaster again, and casts the Mental Spear, destroying the soul of the First of those found, which completes the Heresy.
A little later, Dorn finds him and takes him to the Palace. Malcador is disconnected from the Throne and crumbles to dust from the load (and is not reborn - therefore, life has been supported by technology for many centuries). The Master of Mankind says: "Malcador ... hero ..." and forever falls silent. He wouldn't have been able to say that if the Sigillite hadn't left his life energy in the machine. Or would be reborn, if, of course, Eternal. By the way, in the second edition, Russ was engaged in welding Him to a stool, while the rest of the primarchs were crying on the sidelines about the loss.
+++The Emperor after the Heresy+++
The Chaos consider him a corpse on a throne. This does not prevent him from talking with the founder of the Sisters of Battle during the reign of Vandire. As it does not interfere with talking with the inquisitor during the siege of Vraks.
The Cabal saw what would happen if the Emperor won: his soul would fight the Four forever and lose forever, and in 10-20K years the hunger of the Ruinous Powers would turn the galaxy into something so terrible that the previously loyal Alpharius and Omegon agreed to become traitors, so long as it doesn't happen.
The rancid fluff contains the Star Child, the fifth god of Chaos, who grows on people's faith in the divinity of the Emperor. If born, it will personify fanaticism and intolerance. Sensei will become its champions. And there is always the possibility that at least part of the Legion of the Damned are its proto-demons.
Abaddon, while collecting artifacts, discovered one that shows the future. And he saw Terra lying in ruins. The palace is full of Custodes bodies, and the burnt mummy of the Emperor sits on the Golden Throne. The Himalayan gates have been breached, and the Eye of Terror is seen in the sky as if from Cadia, and continues to grow (it seems from the Black Legion codex).
At the same time, one should not forget about the Time of the End, the last 2.5 centuries m41, when a malfunction unrecoverable by the Mechanicuses was found in the Golden Throne. At the same time, they made a pact with the homunculi so that, if anything, they would revive the Master of Mankind.
Let's not forget about Fabia: he stole some of Sanguinius' blood from the Blood Angels in order to use it to create a clone of the Emperor.
+++Personality+++
Even before the CPSU, he preferred to dress simply, but tastefully, in the business clothes of his time (remember "The Last Temple").
We don't know his name, but Magnus knows him. And it would surprise Khan ("Scars").

After the Fall of the Eldar, for nearly 5,000 years, the galaxy shook with mighty warp tides. Human colonies fought demons, eldar, orcs, genestealers and other evil spirits, defending their right to exist. The land isolated from the rest of space by warp storms existed on its own, having no influence on other human worlds. Technology was in decline, and the only custodians of the knowledge of the Golden Age were the tech-priests of Mars who worshiped the Machine God. It was at this time that a man was born on Earth who was to change the face of the galaxy for the next 10,000 years. No one now remembers his real name, everyone knows him under the name Emperor. His childhood, youth and even maturity are also shrouded in obscurity. For the first time, he became something more than just a man when he came with his supporters to the capital of one of the many states of the Earth and conquered the entire state in one night, crushing an army of many thousands with a force of just less than a hundred soldiers. Having become the ruler, he began to systematically conquer the land until he became the sole ruler of the cradle of mankind. The backbone of the Emperor and the main strength of his army were the first space marines, genetically enhanced human warriors. The Space Marines created by the Emperor were inhumanly strong, agile, tenacious and fast, by an order of magnitude, surpassing the capabilities of an ordinary person and even fighting demons on equal terms. But in addition to the talent of a scientist and geneticist, the Emperor was also a psyker, the strongest of those that ever gave birth to the human race. By the time the Emperor conquered Earth, the warp storms in the galaxy had begun to subside and eventually ceased altogether, making interstellar travel possible again. Who knows, maybe the will of the Emperor did it. Having conquered the Earth, the Emperor began to prepare for the Great Crusade into the galaxy in order to unite humanity again, and jointly confront the threat of chaos and aliens. For this, the Emperor created twenty superhumans, the Primarchs, who were destined for the role of leaders and commanders in the future crusade. The deeds of the Emperor could not fail to attract the attention of the most important enemy of mankind, Chaos. The Gods of Chaos sent their faithful servants, the warp winds, to the earth, and those, whirling the Earth in a wild storm, stole the incubators with the unborn Primarchs and scattered them across the galaxy. The touch of the will of the Chaos Gods poisoned the Primarchs and confused the Emperor's plans to create ideal people. Primarchs were born in different parts of the galaxy, and each of them had a flaw. One of them was born one-eyed like a cyclops, the other received the wings of an angel, and some, without physical defects, carried the poison of Chaos, which sharpened their will and strength from the inside. Nevertheless, the Emperor, having started the Great Crusade, eventually returned all the Primarchs to himself, and those, recognizing the Emperor as the creator and lord, faithfully served him in the field of the great war.

The greatest of the Primarchs was Horus. He was the very first creation of the Emperor and the most beloved. There was no equal to Horus on the battlefield and other Primarchs bowed before his strength and will. But the poison of Chaos was strong in Horus and thousands of voices in every way whispered to him about his strength, will and that he was more worthy than his creator to become the ruler of mankind. For a long time Horus resisted this whisper, but could not stand it, and his pride surpassed his loyalty to the Emperor. After the end of the crusade, Horus rebelled and went to war against his creator. The greatest of mankind's warriors, the Space Marines, are divided into two warring camps. Of the twenty Legions of the Emperor, only nine remained loyal to their master, nine more joined Horus, two Legions were lost in the fires of war. Like biblical wheels of fire, war rolled across the vastness of the newly created human empire. Not only were the Marines fighting each other, but the Imperial Guard units and the Titan Legions fought on both sides of the war. The war lasted a long time and with varying success, but in the end, Horus overcame the resistance of the loyal troops, and his ships rushed to Earth, the heart of the Imperium, the home of the Emperor. The most bloody and stubborn battle took place around the Imperial Palace. Radiating forces of loyal Space Marines protected it, and the most fanatical of Chaos' followers rushed to its walls. In the end, seeing that he was losing, the Emperor made the only possible decision. Together with two loyal Primarchs and a troop of heavily armored Terminators, he transported himself to the battle barge of Horus to crush the very heart of the rebellion. A titanic battle took place on the barge. In it fell the angel-winged Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels, fell at the hands of Horus, covering his lord, the Emperor, with himself. Another Primarch, the Primarch of the Imperial Fists Rogal Dorn, defeated two Chaos Princes of Horus' retinue in personal combat and thus covered himself with unfading glory. The duel between the Emperor and Horus ended tragically for both sides. Horus fell slain at the hand of the Emperor, and his last thought was the unbearable awareness of the depth and blackness of his fall. The Emperor was mortally wounded and would certainly have died if Rogal Dorn had not saved him. He carried his master's body back to the dilapidated Palace, where the other seven loyal Primarchs had gathered after driving the demoralized and scattered Chaos forces. They bitterly mourned the inevitable death of their master. Of all the Primarchs, only Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, did not cry. His blade-sharp thought pierced the darkness of despair and brought a solution. He turned to his followers, the Iron Priests of the Space Wolves, and they, calling on the help of the tech-priests of Mars, created the Golden Throne, a sarcophagus in which the stasis field supported the physical life in the body of the Emperor. As a powerful psyker, the Emperor, while in stasis, could mentally communicate with his followers. Thus was the light of the Imperium saved. From now on, the Golden Throne of Earth is the center of the Imperium of Man in every sense. The Emperor is the source of the power of the Astromicon, a warp beacon that allows one to travel the warp without fear of daemonic traps. The Emperor, by the power of his thought, communicates with the current rulers of the Earth, the High Lords, who rule in the name of the Emperor and at his word.

Imperial Cult

Thanks to the Imperial Cult, millions of people across the Imperium are familiar with the name Emperor. Children sing about him in their songs and listen to the legends about his life. This is the Emperor that mankind knows - the Emperor of the Imperial Cult. Such is the power of the Cult that no one even thinks of challenging the authority and power of the Emperor. The Ruler himself has not spoken or moved for ten thousand years. The truth about the life of the Emperor before he became a prisoner of the Golden Throne has already been completely redrawn by the Ecclesiarchy.

The emperor was born in Turkey in the eighth century BC. In a place surrounded by cold streams and mountains. With the awakening of the warp, humanity was completely defenseless against its energies. Warp is an alternative universe consisting of psi-energy created by the thoughts, emotions and mental activity of all living beings. The warp is sometimes referred to as the Sea of ​​Souls or the Realm of Chaos.

When the universe was young, the warp was filled with the energies of primitive animals, and this energy was harmless. However, evolution developed the brain of living beings, and new thoughts generated powerful and sometimes dangerous energies. The natural energy of the warp was harmonious, while human thoughts were sometimes envious, filled with hatred and meanness. Such negative energies accumulated together in the warp, attracting each other. Subsequently, these energies became the Forces of Chaos that the Imperium is facing today. They were created from the fears, hatred and malice of sentient beings.

When the Emperor was young, these forces were not yet as powerful as many thousands of years later. Ever since primitive humans appeared, humanity has made contact with the warp. In primitive tribes, shamans and sorcerers knew how to communicate with him.

As humanity evolved and expanded, the malevolent energies created by humans began to dominate the warp. If the forces of nature were harmonious and kind, then the human forces were unpredictable and dangerous. Power, ambition, greed, lust, and a thousand other human feelings have spread their roots in the warp and begun to bear terrible fruit. Thousands of people became stronger, and the warp was less and less subject to shamans.

The Emperor was born at a time when the warp still flowed through all living beings. The old shamans manipulated the warp and led their people. But the shamans knew that in a few millennia their knowledge would be lost and the warp would spiral out of control. In addition, shamans lost the ability to reincarnate. When the shaman died, his spirit was in the warp, looking for a suitable body for rebirth. However, now, the evil forces of the warp devoured the souls of the shamans and they could no longer be reborn.

Frightened by what threatens the human race, all the shamans of the world gathered in one place and killed themselves, releasing their energy, and then directing it into the body of an infant who became the New Human Emperor.

The emperor and the history of mankind

The Emperor had many gifts. He could read people's minds. He was immortal and could not die of old age. For thirty-five thousand years the Emperor wandered the Earth, appearing first in one country, then in another. At first, he only watched people, but then he began to use his power to help humanity. He always helped people carefully, without revealing the truth about himself.

The Emperor traveled the planet helping people. He became either a leader or an adviser, or a warrior or a messiah, and sometimes even a magician or a pioneering scientist. He always stood guard over mankind, constantly helping him to survive.

Emperor and the forces of Chaos

The forces of Chaos felt the presence of the New Man and his efforts to reduce their forces. Even before the gods of Chaos became conscious, they recognized the Emperor as their main enemy. Khorne became the first god of Chaos. His birth was marked by many wars and conflicts throughout the Earth. Tzeentch was next, and the politicians of various states began an era of deceit and duplicity. The third was born Nurgle, and many diseases and infections fell upon people, taking their lives and souls. By the end of the Middle Ages, the three gods of Chaos were fully born. The fourth power, Slaanesh, was still developing and came to life only during the Fall of the Eldar.

The New Man understood that as long as humanity is tied to the solar system, it is doomed. So the Emperor began his own research and development in the field of interstellar travel through the warp.

Several hundred years before the birth of Slaanesh, the Emperor decided to take control of humanity into his own hands. He begins to create his own powerful and loyal army in order to reclaim the galaxy after the cessation of psi-storms in the warp.

Primarchs

The Emperor never underestimated the power of Chaos, so the best scientists of the Earth began to work. The weapons and equipment produced in the Martian factories were supposed to help people in reclaiming their Imperium. However, the Emperor also decides to create the Primarchs: genetically engineered superhumans like gods. The emperor was going to create a whole race of superhumans, not subject to the influence of Chaos.

The Primarchs were to be a shining example of human perfection and invincibility to Chaos. The energy of uncorrupted Chaos was to flow through the Primarchs as through the Emperor himself. However, the gods of Chaos found out about the Primarchs and, despite all attempts to protect them, Chaos scattered the Primarchs throughout the galaxy.

Space Marine

The Emperor had lost the Primarchs and could not recreate them. The birth of Slaanesh was accompanied by powerful psi-screams, and it was drawing near. The emperor developed a different plan. Using the genetic material left over from the Primarchs, the Emperor creates many advanced organs. By implanting these organs into the young bodies of humans, it was possible to equip them with some of the abilities of the Primarchs. Thus the first Space Marine Legions were founded. Each Legion had genetic material inherited from their Primarch.

Great Crusade

By the time the warp storms around the solar system had ended, the Space Marines, in alliance with the rest of the human military, were ready to reclaim the galaxy. The forces of Chaos were also strong, and many human worlds were taken over by Chaos cults or aliens. It was a terrible war, but with each conquered world, the Imperium grew and received new warriors in its ranks.

During the Great Crusade, the Emperor found all his Primarchs and they joined him. The Imperium was stronger than ever, and the forces of Chaos retreated into the Eye of Terror.

The Horus Heresy

In this article, we will not delve into the details of the Horus Heresy. However, let's say that at the end of this betrayal, the Emperor was almost killed. It was Horus who met the Emperor in a hand-to-hand duel, after which he can no longer speak or move.

Golden Throne

The duel with Horus took place both in the physical and in the non-material world at the same time: the souls of those who fought fought among themselves in the warp. The Emperor's body was almost destroyed, but his soul was also damaged. The forces of Chaos retreated again. Many of those who had been at the mercy of the Dark Gods for a short time realized their mistake and quickly returned to the side of the Imperium. The Emperor's body was brought to Earth and placed in a giant life support machine. The car was named the Golden Throne. The body of the Emperor was destroyed, but the spirit survived, and for some time he still communicated with his subjects. However, he then fell silent forever.

The Soul of the Emperor went to the Sea of ​​Souls and to this day wanders there, waiting for the moment of rebirth. The forces of Chaos are unable to find His soul to destroy, as the warp is huge.

Child of the Stars

As long as the soul of the Emperor lives in the warp, all is not lost for humanity. Just as the New Man was born many tens of thousands of years ago by the efforts of shamans, the Emperor can be reborn again. But this will not happen soon, only when the cries of salvation reach the energy of the Savior. At the same time, the Emperor's soul awaits the birth of a child it could inhabit - the Star Child. Most people in the Imperium don't know the whole truth about what really happened to the Emperor. And the fact that he can be born again is unknown to most of humanity. To the rulers of the Imperium, the Emperor is alive, though not in our sense of the word.

Only a small secret sect of initiates knows the whole truth about the rebirth of the Emperor, they call themselves the Illuminati. The Illuminati await the birth of the Star Child and the second coming of the Emperor. They know that they are heretics throughout the Imperium and therefore hide their actions and beliefs. They remain a hidden force in the Imperium, which, bypassing the state machine and the Inquisition, are preparing the second coming of the New Man.

Thanks to the influence of the Imperial cult, the name of the Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 is well known to millions of people. He is sung in songs and is the main character of numerous legends. This God-Emperor is familiar to all Mankind, and yet for ten thousand years he has not uttered a single word and has never moved from his place. So who is he really?

From early history: a threat to humanity

There is no information about the exact origin of the Emperor either in the Warhammer 40,000 game, or in books, or in guides (this topic is a constant dispute among fans of the setting). According to the old version, which later editions do not mention, mankind has known about the warp for a very long time. Communication with this dimension fell to the lot of gifted individuals who were able not only to establish contact with the warp, but also to use its powers to achieve their own goals. We are talking about various healers, strong soothsayers, shamans and other spiritual leaders among the people of that time.

The more people gained knowledge, the stronger their desire for power and pleasure grew. Thus humanity began its path to decay. The canning of entire systems by vast Warp storms has left worlds easy prey for the xenos. They began to be subjected to frequent attacks from the enemy and to receive even more damage from within from the ongoing sectarian and civil wars. By the way, it is for these reasons that religion will be banned by the Emperor.

The representatives of the spiritual leaders began to notice the weakness of their psychic gifts, and were also no longer able to go through reincarnation with the same ease as before. They convened the Great Council, the idea of ​​which was to unite forces against a common evil. During the council, the spiritual leaders decided to sacrifice their lives in order to then be reincarnated as a god and receive unimaginable power.

Birth of the Emperor

A whole year has passed since the Great Council was held and the lives of a huge number of spiritual leaders were given. Finally, a child appeared in the world - the same Immortal God-Emperor of the Warhammer universe, for the sake of which sacrifices were made. Nothing is known about his real name. The Warhammer canon has information about the approximate dates and place of birth of the future Emperor: 8th millennium BC, Central Anatolia.

Years passed. The child grew, and with him grew his wisdom, strength and experience. Over time, the Emperor learned about the spiritual decay and inappropriate behavior of people, after which he decided to put an end to this destructive period. At the same time, he always tried to stay on the sidelines, from where he could direct and manage the largest and most significant changes in human history. With the advent of a new era, he was given new names. At one time, the Emperor preferred to act in the guise of a man and instructed people on the right path, being a great historical figure. In other segments of history, it was more convenient for him to continue his work on behalf of the "invisible".

Imperial Chronicles: first references

The Emperor was first spoken of in 40,000 after the unification of Holy Terra (Age of Strife, circa 29th millennium). Then, on the side of the Emperor were genetically modified soldiers - the first prototypes of the well-known Space Marines. With their help, the long-awaited unification of all the inhabitants of the Earth was achieved and the way was opened to further prospects on distant stars. Thanks to activities on Mars, the Emperor managed to create an army of unimaginable power, which was supposed to go to the far galactic outskirts to expand the Warhammer 40,000 Imperium.

At the same time, the Emperor used his own genetic patterns, which gave rise to the superhuman primarchs. It was their templates that later went on to create the Space Marine Legions.

More about the Primarchs

The Emperor has always soberly assessed the full power of Chaos and the danger that it can pose. That is why the duty to create the strongest weapons and equipment fell on the shoulders of the best scientists of the Earth. In the same period, the Emperor is visited by the idea of ​​​​creating another "weapon" - the Primarchs. In fact, they were genetically engineered superhumans who were similar to the gods themselves.

According to the plans of the Emperor, the Primarchs were destined for the role of a new superhuman race, not subject to the influence of Chaos. They were created to become a brilliant example of the human ideal and rebellious spirit, as well as to demonstrate the ability to pass the uncorrupted energy flows of Chaos through their own bodies.

Unfortunately, Chaos found out about the Primarchs, after which they scattered them throughout galactic space.

Period of the Great Crusade

Time passed, and the God-Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 developed a plan, the implementation of which could save all representatives of mankind. According to this plan, the unification of disparate planets, scattered across the galactic space and sunk into isolation at the end of the Age of Strife, should take place in the world.

During the first years that marked the beginning of the Great Crusade, squads made up of genetically altered soldiers boldly threw themselves into any battle. Twenty Legions of Space Marines were created especially for this event, among the late heirs of which are the well-known Gray Knights, the Scythes of the Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 and other Chapters of the second and third foundations. After the rediscovery of the worlds (and their subsequent incorporation into the ranks of the Imperium), the events of the Crusade led the Emperor to the lost Primarchs.

On Ullanor the Campaign was waiting for victory. The Emperor arrived back on Earth to go down to the underground laboratories - where all the unfinished secret projects were waiting for him. His faithful "sons", the Primarchs, were forced to continue the march of the Great Crusade. The best of them all, a Primarch named Horus, accepted the honorary title of Warrior from the Emperor.

Even before returning to the planet Terra, the Emperor decided not to share his future plans with his "sons". With this deliberate act of his, he sparked the first misunderstanding among the Primarchs, after which the story came to one of the most famous events in the game Warhammer 40,000.

About the Horus Heresy

The period of the Crusade ended with the Horus Heresy - it was then that the best of the ranks of the Primarchs, the Warmaster, decided to rebel against the Emperor himself. For this purpose, Horus managed to convert many allies to his side, among which were the Legions of Space Marines and regiments belonging to the Imperial Guard. Together they swore allegiance to Chaos, as a result of which a galactic civil war broke out.

Even during the siege of the planet Terra by Horus, the Emperor kept the hope that his best "son" would be able to come to his senses and rectify the situation. With this faith in his heart, he went to meet Horus. Despite the fact that he had to fight against the "son", the Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 still did not want to use his full strength - this was the reason for his defeat. Horus inflicted many horrifying wounds on him and brutally mutilated his body.

At the end of the battle, a Custodian appeared in the cabin, who immediately fell victim to the wrath and fury of Horus. This act of cruelty returned the Emperor to his sober mind - he realized that after all the killing and destruction, his beloved son no longer had a way back. The only way to stop Chaos is to destroy it with our own powers.

Having made this difficult decision, the Emperor threw a powerful psychic spear at his "son". At the moment of defeat, Chaos decided to leave the mind of the dying puppet, and Horus gained access to his mind. However, it was too late to retreat, and the Emperor no longer wanted to risk the return of the gods of Chaos - he cast aside feelings of compassion and put an end to the Warmaster.

History of our time

The body of the barely alive Emperor was found by Rogal Dorn. He had to do everything exactly as the Emperor himself ordered - he used a special technical device to connect the body of a dying person to it and support his spirit. This device turned out to be the Golden Throne.

From that moment on, the body of the Emperor became part of the Golden Throne; he doesn't live, but he doesn't die either. Initially, the device was to be used as a central hub for the Webway and its colonization, while also being capable of sustaining life. The Throne is backed by one of the strongest psychic warp beacons known as the Astronomican, and functions as a psychic beacon to attract Navigators and Astropaths. With it, the device is capable of generating signals for light travel. The main signal of the God Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 is referred to as the Beam of Hope and the Golden Path, but its main power comes from a choir of 10,000 human psykers. Their supply of vitality usually expires within a few months, so there is a need to look for constant sources of replacement. New psykers are usually brought to the capital of the Imperium by the Black Ships of the Inquisition.

The Golden Throne of the Warhammer 40,000 Emperor is located in the Sanctum Imperialis, guarded by the Custodian Guard.

About the religious aspect

The Horus Heresy novels set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe describe the atheistic period of the early Imperium. The Emperor personally banned any manifestation of religious worship of his own person and convinced mankind of the correctness of the Imperial Truth about the superiority of science and logic.

Many have not been able to share this opinion. According to the Emperor, the world never knew the gods, but he himself was well aware of the Gods of Chaos; thanks to him, people began to seek knowledge, but his Primarchs remained in ignorance for a long time. It is quite a popular opinion that by denying the idea of ​​the gods, the Emperor tried to strike at Chaos and loosen its grip on reality.

Today, the God-Emperor of Mankind is revered and worshiped by most of the inhabitants of the Imperium. This idea was imposed by the Church of the Ecclesiarchy, and acts of disobedience and manifestation of heresy were punishable by death. People accepted the belief that only the Emperor of Humanity could guide them on the right path. And only he is able to protect everyone from the horrors of the Imaterium.

The rules for The Inquisitor, in the introductory text, talk about the mixed reactions and feelings that accompanied the ascent of the Emperor of Warhammer 40,000 to the top of the Golden Throne. It was well known to everyone that after connecting, the God-Emperor risked losing the ability to move along with his subordinates, but at the same time, the flow of psychic forces should have returned to him. This event caused a lot of objections and fears from the ruling cells of that period. They feared not only the sudden return of the Emperor, but also his possible changes that could be caused by the connection with the Golden Throne.

About the Children of the Emperor and the Star Child

The "Kingdom of Chaos" stores information that during his earthly existence, the Emperor left behind many children. All of them were awarded eternal life and the mark of the Star Child. The children of the Emperor grew into Masters who were to fight against the forces of Chaos and become authorized representatives of the Imperium, fighting for justice.

Another interesting aspect described in "Kingdom" concerns the soul of the Emperor, whose half-dead body prevents her from reincarnating. Every year, living in the Warp, the soul of the Emperor loses a part of his personality, known as the Star Child. It is believed that for his rebirth it is necessary to destroy the Golden Throne, and then a new Emperor will appear who can provide humanity with control and protection.

About the Emperor and the Cabal

The Cabal is a council that was formed by the ancient xenos races and is known for its straight-forward (and fairly well-founded) opinions regarding the Emperor. The members of the council believed that the God-Emperor, being a biological being, had fallen at the hands of the Warmaster and that he had long since passed away from the living. His outstanding psionic abilities were the result of genetic modification, the Golden Throne is an ordinary astro beacon that is maintained by psykers, and the cult around the Emperor of Mankind appeared during the fake manipulations of Rogal Dorn and the support of the Administratum.

According to Cabal, through the flow of human feelings, a new god could appear, who is not yet destined to awaken. They fear this moment, because they believe that his character was reflected in those rigidity and intransigence that people experienced as a result of a collision with a terrible Cosmos. The changed nature of the awakened god should direct him along the path of Primal Extermination of all life forms, except for representatives of humanity. The Cabal believe that the destruction will not stop there - all the gods of the Warp will suffer from the destruction, and the Eldar will become mortal and lose the powers they draw from the Imaterium. This is how the awakening of the Emperor is seen by the council.

After the Fall of the Eldar, for nearly 5,000 years, the galaxy shook with mighty warp tides. Human colonies fought demons, eldar, orcs, genestealers and other evil spirits, defending their right to exist. The land isolated from the rest of space by warp storms existed on its own, having no influence on other human worlds. Technology was in decline, and the only custodians of the knowledge of the Golden Age were the tech-priests of Mars who worshiped the Machine God. It was at this time that a man was born on Earth who was to change the face of the galaxy for the next 10,000 years. No one now remembers his real name, everyone knows him under the name Emperor. His childhood, youth and even maturity are also shrouded in obscurity. For the first time, he became something more than just a man when he came with his supporters to the capital of one of the many states of the Earth and conquered the entire state in one night, crushing an army of many thousands with a force of just less than a hundred soldiers. Having become the ruler, he began to systematically conquer the land until he became the sole ruler of the cradle of mankind. The backbone of the Emperor and the main strength of his army were the first space marines, genetically enhanced human warriors. The Space Marines created by the Emperor were inhumanly strong, agile, tenacious and fast, by an order of magnitude, surpassing the capabilities of an ordinary person and even fighting demons on equal terms. But in addition to the talent of a scientist and geneticist, the Emperor was also a psyker, the strongest of those that ever gave birth to the human race. By the time the Emperor conquered Earth, the warp storms in the galaxy had begun to subside and eventually ceased altogether, making interstellar travel possible again. Who knows, maybe the will of the Emperor did it. Having conquered the Earth, the Emperor began to prepare for the Great Crusade into the galaxy in order to unite humanity again, and jointly confront the threat of chaos and aliens. For this, the Emperor created twenty superhumans, the Primarchs, who were destined for the role of leaders and commanders in the future crusade. The deeds of the Emperor could not fail to attract the attention of the most important enemy of mankind, Chaos. The Gods of Chaos sent their faithful servants, the warp winds, to the earth, and those, whirling the Earth in a wild storm, stole the incubators with the unborn Primarchs and scattered them across the galaxy. The touch of the will of the Chaos Gods poisoned the Primarchs and confused the Emperor's plans to create ideal people. Primarchs were born in different parts of the galaxy, and each of them had a flaw. One of them was born one-eyed like a cyclops, the other received the wings of an angel, and some, without physical defects, carried the poison of Chaos, which sharpened their will and strength from the inside. Nevertheless, the Emperor, having started the Great Crusade, eventually returned all the Primarchs to himself, and those, recognizing the Emperor as the creator and lord, faithfully served him in the field of the great war.

The greatest of the Primarchs was Horus. He was the very first creation of the Emperor and the most beloved. There was no equal to Horus on the battlefield and other Primarchs bowed before his strength and will. But the poison of Chaos was strong in Horus and thousands of voices in every way whispered to him about his strength, will and that he was more worthy than his creator to become the ruler of mankind. For a long time Horus resisted this whisper, but could not stand it, and his pride surpassed his loyalty to the Emperor. After the end of the crusade, Horus rebelled and went to war against his creator. The greatest of mankind's warriors, the Space Marines, are divided into two warring camps. Of the twenty Legions of the Emperor, only nine remained loyal to their master, nine more joined Horus, two Legions were lost in the fires of war. Like biblical wheels of fire, war rolled across the vastness of the newly created human empire. Not only were the Marines fighting each other, but the Imperial Guard units and the Titan Legions fought on both sides of the war. The war lasted a long time and with varying success, but in the end, Horus overcame the resistance of the loyal troops, and his ships rushed to Earth, the heart of the Imperium, the home of the Emperor. The most bloody and stubborn battle took place around the Imperial Palace. Radiating forces of loyal Space Marines protected it, and the most fanatical of Chaos' followers rushed to its walls. In the end, seeing that he was losing, the Emperor made the only possible decision. Together with two loyal Primarchs and a troop of heavily armored Terminators, he transported himself to the battle barge of Horus to crush the very heart of the rebellion. A titanic battle took place on the barge. In it fell the angel-winged Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels, fell at the hands of Horus, covering his lord, the Emperor, with himself. Another Primarch, the Primarch of the Imperial Fists Rogal Dorn, defeated two Chaos Princes of Horus' retinue in personal combat and thus covered himself with unfading glory. The duel between the Emperor and Horus ended tragically for both sides. Horus fell slain at the hand of the Emperor, and his last thought was the unbearable awareness of the depth and blackness of his fall. The Emperor was mortally wounded and would certainly have died if Rogal Dorn had not saved him. He carried his master's body back to the dilapidated Palace, where the other seven loyal Primarchs had gathered after driving the demoralized and scattered Chaos forces. They bitterly mourned the inevitable death of their master. Of all the Primarchs, only Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, did not cry. His blade-sharp thought pierced the darkness of despair and brought a solution. He turned to his followers, the Iron Priests of the Space Wolves, and they, calling on the help of the tech-priests of Mars, created the Golden Throne, a sarcophagus in which the stasis field supported the physical life in the body of the Emperor. As a powerful psyker, the Emperor, while in stasis, could mentally communicate with his followers. Thus was the light of the Imperium saved. From now on, the Golden Throne of Earth is the center of the Imperium of Man in every sense. The Emperor is the source of the power of the Astromicon, a warp beacon that allows one to travel the warp without fear of daemonic traps. The Emperor, by the power of his thought, communicates with the current rulers of the Earth, the High Lords, who rule in the name of the Emperor and at his word.

Imperial Cult

Thanks to the Imperial Cult, millions of people across the Imperium are familiar with the name Emperor. Children sing about him in their songs and listen to the legends about his life. This is the Emperor that mankind knows - the Emperor of the Imperial Cult. Such is the power of the Cult that no one even thinks of challenging the authority and power of the Emperor. The Ruler himself has not spoken or moved for ten thousand years. The truth about the life of the Emperor before he became a prisoner of the Golden Throne has already been completely redrawn by the Ecclesiarchy.

The emperor was born in Turkey in the eighth century BC. In a place surrounded by cold streams and mountains. With the awakening of the warp, humanity was completely defenseless against its energies. Warp is an alternative universe consisting of psi-energy created by the thoughts, emotions and mental activity of all living beings. The warp is sometimes referred to as the Sea of ​​Souls or the Realm of Chaos.

When the universe was young, the warp was filled with the energies of primitive animals, and this energy was harmless. However, evolution developed the brain of living beings, and new thoughts generated powerful and sometimes dangerous energies. The natural energy of the warp was harmonious, while human thoughts were sometimes envious, filled with hatred and meanness. Such negative energies accumulated together in the warp, attracting each other. Subsequently, these energies became the Forces of Chaos that the Imperium is facing today. They were created from the fears, hatred and malice of sentient beings.

When the Emperor was young, these forces were not yet as powerful as many thousands of years later. Ever since primitive humans appeared, humanity has made contact with the warp. In primitive tribes, shamans and sorcerers knew how to communicate with him.

As humanity evolved and expanded, the malevolent energies created by humans began to dominate the warp. If the forces of nature were harmonious and kind, then the human forces were unpredictable and dangerous. Power, ambition, greed, lust, and a thousand other human feelings have spread their roots in the warp and begun to bear terrible fruit. Thousands of people became stronger, and the warp was less and less subject to shamans.

The Emperor was born at a time when the warp still flowed through all living beings. The old shamans manipulated the warp and led their people. But the shamans knew that in a few millennia their knowledge would be lost and the warp would spiral out of control. In addition, shamans lost the ability to reincarnate. When the shaman died, his spirit was in the warp, looking for a suitable body for rebirth. However, now, the evil forces of the warp devoured the souls of the shamans and they could no longer be reborn.

Frightened by what threatens the human race, all the shamans of the world gathered in one place and killed themselves, releasing their energy, and then directing it into the body of an infant who became the New Human Emperor.

The emperor and the history of mankind

The Emperor had many gifts. He could read people's minds. He was immortal and could not die of old age. For thirty-five thousand years the Emperor wandered the Earth, appearing first in one country, then in another. At first, he only watched people, but then he began to use his power to help humanity. He always helped people carefully, without revealing the truth about himself.

The Emperor traveled the planet helping people. He became either a leader or an adviser, or a warrior or a messiah, and sometimes even a magician or a pioneering scientist. He always stood guard over mankind, constantly helping him to survive.

Emperor and the forces of Chaos

The forces of Chaos felt the presence of the New Man and his efforts to reduce their forces. Even before the gods of Chaos became conscious, they recognized the Emperor as their main enemy. Khorne became the first god of Chaos. His birth was marked by many wars and conflicts throughout the Earth. Tzeentch was next, and the politicians of various states began an era of deceit and duplicity. The third was born Nurgle, and many diseases and infections fell upon people, taking their lives and souls. By the end of the Middle Ages, the three gods of Chaos were fully born. The fourth power, Slaanesh, was still developing and came to life only during the Fall of the Eldar.

The New Man understood that as long as humanity is tied to the solar system, it is doomed. So the Emperor began his own research and development in the field of interstellar travel through the warp.

Several hundred years before the birth of Slaanesh, the Emperor decided to take control of humanity into his own hands. He begins to create his own powerful and loyal army in order to reclaim the galaxy after the cessation of psi-storms in the warp.

Primarchs

The Emperor never underestimated the power of Chaos, so the best scientists of the Earth began to work. The weapons and equipment produced in the Martian factories were supposed to help people in reclaiming their Imperium. However, the Emperor also decides to create the Primarchs: genetically engineered superhumans like gods. The emperor was going to create a whole race of superhumans, not subject to the influence of Chaos.

The Primarchs were to be a shining example of human perfection and invincibility to Chaos. The energy of uncorrupted Chaos was to flow through the Primarchs as through the Emperor himself. However, the gods of Chaos found out about the Primarchs and, despite all attempts to protect them, Chaos scattered the Primarchs throughout the galaxy.

Space Marine

The Emperor had lost the Primarchs and could not recreate them. The birth of Slaanesh was accompanied by powerful psi-screams, and it was drawing near. The emperor developed a different plan. Using the genetic material left over from the Primarchs, the Emperor creates many advanced organs. By implanting these organs into the young bodies of humans, it was possible to equip them with some of the abilities of the Primarchs. Thus the first Space Marine Legions were founded. Each Legion had genetic material inherited from their Primarch.

Great Crusade

By the time the warp storms around the solar system had ended, the Space Marines, in alliance with the rest of the human military, were ready to reclaim the galaxy. The forces of Chaos were also strong, and many human worlds were taken over by Chaos cults or aliens. It was a terrible war, but with each conquered world, the Imperium grew and received new warriors in its ranks.

During the Great Crusade, the Emperor found all his Primarchs and they joined him. The Imperium was stronger than ever, and the forces of Chaos retreated into the Eye of Terror.

The Horus Heresy

In this article, we will not delve into the details of the Horus Heresy. However, let's say that at the end of this betrayal, the Emperor was almost killed. It was Horus who met the Emperor in a hand-to-hand duel, after which he can no longer speak or move.

Golden Throne

The duel with Horus took place both in the physical and in the non-material world at the same time: the souls of those who fought fought among themselves in the warp. The Emperor's body was almost destroyed, but his soul was also damaged. The forces of Chaos retreated again. Many of those who had been at the mercy of the Dark Gods for a short time realized their mistake and quickly returned to the side of the Imperium. The Emperor's body was brought to Earth and placed in a giant life support machine. The car was named the Golden Throne. The body of the Emperor was destroyed, but the spirit survived, and for some time he still communicated with his subjects. However, he then fell silent forever.

The Soul of the Emperor went to the Sea of ​​Souls and to this day wanders there, waiting for the moment of rebirth. The forces of Chaos are unable to find His soul to destroy, as the warp is huge.

Child of the Stars

As long as the soul of the Emperor lives in the warp, all is not lost for humanity. Just as the New Man was born many tens of thousands of years ago by the efforts of shamans, the Emperor can be reborn again. But this will not happen soon, only when the cries of salvation reach the energy of the Savior. At the same time, the Emperor's soul awaits the birth of a child it could inhabit - the Star Child. Most people in the Imperium don't know the whole truth about what really happened to the Emperor. And the fact that he can be born again is unknown to most of humanity. To the rulers of the Imperium, the Emperor is alive, though not in our sense of the word.

Only a small secret sect of initiates knows the whole truth about the rebirth of the Emperor, they call themselves the Illuminati. The Illuminati await the birth of the Star Child and the second coming of the Emperor. They know that they are heretics throughout the Imperium and therefore hide their actions and beliefs. They remain a hidden force in the Imperium, which, bypassing the state machine and the Inquisition, are preparing the second coming of the New Man.