How the Emperor Rose to Power and it's Early Life
Welcome, lore-lovers, to a journey through the annals of history in the grim darkness of the far future. Today, we delve into the origins of the Emperor of Mankind, from his mysterious beginnings to the pivotal moments that set the stage for his rise to power. Join us as we uncover the untold story of humanity's greatest leader.
The Chronicle
The Emperor of Mankind, revered as the "God-Emperor" by His followers, is an immortal psyker and ruler of the Imperium of Man. Described as the pinnacle of universal order, He is the most formidable adversary of Chaos. For over 10,000 years, He has resided within the decaying Golden Throne on Terra, sustained by the sacrifices of thousands. His sacrifice at the end of the Horus Heresy solidified His status as a deity to trillions within the Imperium, which remains the dominant force in the galaxy, protecting Humanity from various threats like aliens, Chaos, and internal adversaries.
The Imperium, governed in the Emperor's stead by the High Lords of Terra and various Imperial bodies since the Horus Heresy, has endured through oppressive rule necessary for survival. This governance, however, has led to technological and cultural stagnation, descending into tyranny, superstition, and religious intolerance that would have dismayed the Emperor.
Despite His unresponsiveness, the Emperor remains the core of the Imperium's existence. His presence on the Golden Throne sustains the Imperium by directing the Astronomican, crucial for faster-than-light Warp travel and essential to Imperial operations. Yet, the beacon's maintenance demands the sacrifice of one thousand psykers daily, drained to fuel the Emperor's psychic strength.
The Emperor's Tarot is believed to offer His guidance through select psykers, glimpsing the future and His will. His constant struggle against Chaos in the Warp shields Humanity from further intrusion. His vigilance spans the entire Imperium, protecting and guiding the faithful. The collective belief in His divinity serves as the greatest defense against the galaxy's myriad threats, echoing the tenets of the Imperial Creed for millennia: "The Emperor protects..."
The Emperor is believed to be the amalgamation of all ancient Human shamans, the first psykers of Neolithic civilizations. Born in ancient central Anatolia around the 8th Millennium B.C., before the Age of Terra, He emerged when the Warp was less tainted by Chaos entities.
As Humanity evolved, the collective psychic disturbance attracted Warp entities that devoured dying shamans' souls, preventing their reincarnation. Faced with extinction, the shamans convened and decided to combine their psychic energies into one being, the "New Man."
In a grand conclave, thousands of shamans ingested poison, collectively transferring their souls into a singular Human vessel. This event unleashed a surge of psychic power, purging Warp predators and forming the Emperor's singular soul from the collective essence of many.
Born into a Neolithic Anatolian community, the child who would become the Emperor displayed immense psychic potential, altering His own genetics to render Himself immortal and immune to daemonic threats. Over the next thirty-eight thousand Terran years, He traversed the globe, observing and occasionally intervening in Human affairs.
Initially discreet about His true nature, the Emperor guided Humanity by promoting governance, agriculture, technology, and peace under various guises--sometimes as a leader, advisor, or influencer. He assumed roles ranging from humble figures to monumental historical or religious icons, intervening during crises to steer Humanity towards survival.
Despite His efforts to foster peace, Human nature's extremes fueled Chaos. The Emperor recognized how martial honor, ambition, defiance, and self-satisfaction fed nascent Chaos Powers despite His endeavors to promote harmony and progress.
The Emperor's plans, while often wise, sometimes led to unintended consequences--sparking eras of persecution and war. The Chaos Gods, sensing His threat to their power, named Him the "Anathema" and recognized Him as their greatest adversary even before fully awakening in the Immaterium.
Khorne, followed by Tzeentch and Nurgle, emerged as conscious entities, each heralding eras of conflict, intrigue, and disease on Old Earth. Slaanesh's awakening after the Fall of the Aeldari marked a critical point, prompting the Emperor to take a more direct role in Humanity's fate.
Amidst the Dark Age of Technology's end and the Age of Strife's turmoil fueled by uncontrolled psykers, the Emperor saw the urgent need to guide and defend Humanity from galactic threats. With the birth of Slaanesh and the return of interstellar travel, He resolved to steer Humanity's course directly or risk its extinction in the turmoil of that era.
The true origin and early history of the Emperor before His attempt to unify Terra during the Unification Wars remain shrouded in mystery. His immortality as a Perpetual and extraordinary psychic abilities define Him, with His first mention in Imperial records occurring during the late 29th Millennium.
Believed to be the "New Man," the Emperor is the pinnacle of a new mutant subspecies of Human psykers and the collective reincarnation of ancient shamans and wise-men. As He aged, His powers grew, and He gradually recollected the knowledge and experiences of His past lives.
One account suggests He was born in a Neolithic Anatolian village and witnessed His father's murder, responding with a telekinetic act that halted His uncle's heart. However, the exact details of His early life remain uncertain and subject to speculation.
The Emperor's awakening to the need for law and order came after witnessing His father's murder, prompting His departure for the "first city of Humanity," likely a Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia.
For millennia before His rise to power, He observed Human history in various guises, aiming to promote peace and curb the Chaos Gods' influence by fostering harmony on Old Earth.
The Emperor, the most powerful Human psyker, was also a Perpetual--a member of a mutant branch of Humanity with rapid cellular regeneration, granting effective immortality. He existed during the Age of Technology and associated with other Perpetuals like Alivia Sureka.
Together with other Perpetuals, they journeyed to the Knight World of Molech and discovered a Warp Gate. The Emperor entered the Warp, striking a mysterious bargain with the Chaos Gods, gaining new powers and knowledge to create the primarchs--superhuman beings blending genetic science with Warp energies. He left Sureka to safeguard Molech until the rise of the Imperium of Man.
Despite initially striking a bargain with the Chaos Gods, the Emperor later became their greatest enemy, known as "the Anathema." He emerged from obscurity at the end of the Age of Strife to unify Terra during the Unification Wars, accepting the sacrifices necessary to protect Humanity from the Warp's dangers.
Formally establishing the Imperium of Man with the Mechanicum through the Treaty of Mars, the Emperor initiated the creation of Space Marines and interstellar fleets for a Great Crusade. This campaign aimed to unify Humanity's colonized planets and eradicate or subjugate alien races across the Milky Way, realizing Humanity's manifest destiny.
During the Unification Wars, the Emperor used knowledge gained from Molech to create twenty primarchs as military leaders. However, Chaos intervened, scattering the primarchs across the galaxy before their birth and tainting them with Chaos' influence. This early interference by the Chaos Gods posed a significant challenge to the Emperor's grand plan.
During the Great Crusade, all but two of the twenty primarchs were reunited with their Space Marine Legions after their scattered gestation. As the Emperor led Humanity across the stars, He rejected attempts to deify Him, emphasizing His desire to free Humanity from ignorance and superstition.
However, Primarch Lorgar of the Word Bearers Legion, driven by his belief in the necessity of a divine figure for Humanity's fulfillment, succumbed to Chaos' whispers. Corrupting his Legion, Lorgar initiated the Horus Heresy by turning Primarch Horus and others against the Emperor.
The Horus Heresy marked the peak of the Imperium's power, with Horus leading a rebellion that nearly destroyed Humanity's empire. Though the Emperor defeated Horus at Terra, He was left mortally wounded, sustained only by the life-supporting Golden Throne, which keeps His mind active in the Immaterium.
Trapped in a failing body, the Emperor's consciousness remains focused on protecting and guiding Humanity, despite being physically immobile and effectively entombed.
The man who would later become the Emperor of Mankind first emerges in Imperial records as one of the many warlords vying for control of Terra during the latter part of the Age of Strife in the early 29th Millennium.
With the aid of his close friend and collaborator Malcador the Sigillite, the Emperor embarked on military campaigns against rival techno-barbarian warlords, known as the "Unification Wars." These conflicts utilized genetically-enhanced warriors, including the unit Geno 5-2 Chiliad, which later served in the Imperial Army. The most formidable of these soldiers were the Thunder Warriors.
Although exceptionally powerful in combat--surpassing even the Space Marines--the Thunder Warriors suffered significant flaws. Created from adult troops subjected to rapid genetic and bionic enhancement, many Thunder Warriors experienced metabolic failures leading to rapid death. Additionally, mental instability and psychosis often afflicted aging Thunder Warriors, highlighting the imperfections of this early genetic warfare program.
The Thunder Warriors played a crucial role in the Emperor's victory during the Unification Wars on Terra, leading Him to envision a more formidable force for uniting Humanity across the galaxy.
After the Battle of Mount Ararat marked the end of the Unification Wars, the Emperor achieved unity on Terra. However, realizing the need for a new, more stable warrior class, He ordered the liquidation of all remaining Thunder Warriors due to their flaws and potential for mental decay.
Some Thunder Warriors, perceiving their shortened lifespans as a betrayal, rebelled against the Emperor. A cadre of Custodians, led by Constantin Valdor, and prototype Space Marines from the I Legion executed a ruthless purge to eliminate these rebellious gene-soldiers.
Despite a few Thunder Warriors escaping, the majority perished at the hands of their own comrades after the Unification Wars, clearing the path for the rise of the primarchs and Space Marines in the Emperor's grand plan.
Despite the official proclamation that all Thunder Warriors perished heroically at the Battle of Mount Ararat, some survivors, like the self-styled "Dait'Tar" Thunder Warriors during the Cerberus Insurrection, managed to evade detection, living in anonymity and fear on Terra.
Believing the Thunder Warriors extinct, the Imperium focused on advancing the Great Crusade, the Emperor's grand plan to reunite scattered Human colonies across the galaxy under the Imperium's banner.
Among the survivors was Arik Taranis, who escaped "the Culling" and would play a significant role in the unfolding events of the Emperor's realm.
With Terra unified, the Emperor launched the Great Crusade, aiming to safeguard and elevate Humanity by uniting its distant colonies--a monumental endeavor that would shape the future of the Imperium.
Closing Words
And there you have it, lore-lovers! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the Emperor's early days, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more Warhammer 40,000 lore. Join our Discord community to discuss all things grimdark. Until next time, may the Emperor protect you.
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