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Main => Background => Topic started by: Kage2020 on October 10, 2021, 02:16:51 AM

Title: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Kage2020 on October 10, 2021, 02:16:51 AM
After being away for so long, and spending some time looking through mini painting channels, I'm interested in understanding where the Emperor of Mankind is now.

Back in my day he was basically a living corpse on the Golden Throne that was fed thousands of psykers. He had this "overwatch" thing going on, so he could communicate with people but this was sketchy.

There were some fan theories (I had one), but I would be interested in hearing where the background is at the moment. Heck, especially given the materials on Ynnead.

Help me 40k background gods. You're my only help. :D
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Lord of Winter and War on October 10, 2021, 06:45:12 AM
He's in exactly the same place. Nothing has changed.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Sir_Godspeed on October 10, 2021, 01:22:22 PM
Yeah, nothing's changed there, lol.

I mean, we did learn through the HH books that his "Great Work" was to build a new Webway for humanity, but Magnus broke it when he used sorcery to communicate with the Emperor, and daemons invaded the Imperial Palace, so now the Golden Throne, in addition to powering the Astronomican, also apparently functions like a plug on the unfinished Webway.

Also we have definite confirmation that the Imperial Palace lies in the Himalayas, and not in the UK like the old lore.

No idea if any of this is new to you, just throwing it out there due to the lack of any development in the 41st millennium.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Kage2020 on October 14, 2021, 10:08:41 PM
Well, that was an easy answer. So, no more conspiracy theories?

Also we have definite confirmation that the Imperial Palace lies in the Himalayas, and not in the UK like the old lore.
Oh, this is new? That used to be the home of the... errr... Adeptus Astronomicon, right? I guess it would make sense for them--kinda, sorta--in the same location. (Though one has to wonder about the impact of the Sacrifice, but hey-ho. Their universe.)

No idea if any of this is new to you, just throwing it out there due to the lack of any development in the 41st millennium.
There are some new tidbits. Even reading that Gav Thorpe novel has provided some interesting tidbits where they seem like they're trying to fix some loopholes in the background.

It's all good for me. I must admit that with the whole Ynnead thing that they might have done something interesting with the Emperor, too. The Guilliman thing and Indomitas... Heh. I just need to take of my tinfoil hat! ;)
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Sir_Godspeed on October 15, 2021, 09:39:05 PM
Yeah, it used to be that the Astronomican was located in the Himalayas, but the earliest mentions of the Imperial Throne implied it lay where GW headquarters is (Nottingham? I forget). I think later the Astronomican and Imperial Throne were sorta conflated, just going off memory. But at least the the HH novels explicitly described the palace complex and it's in the Himalayas.

While I'm not a huge fan of the HH novels, there are some neat tidbits about pre-Unification Terra, with various dystopian, post-apocalyptic empires that the Emperor eventually conquered. Not much, but the kind of stuff I like to spin off from.

As for the newest lore, I'm overall pretty okay with it. Expanding the Eye of Terror was a ballsy move, and one that I think has been pretty fruitful. The rest is... fine, I think? I'm not crazy about them trying to justify the Primaris marines lore-wise, but hey, I can't really force myself to get too worked up about it either.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Wyddr on October 16, 2021, 09:37:37 AM
Yeah, the Primaris is pretty much the only thing I don't like, since it just seems so gratuitous and unnecessary. The rest of it is fine. 
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Kage2020 on October 17, 2021, 11:41:24 PM
But at least the the HH novels explicitly described the palace complex and it's in the Himalayas.
If they take the Inquisition out of the Arctic (or was it Antarctic?) then they're dead to me. j/k ;)

While I'm not a huge fan of the HH novels...
Remember in the other thread where I said that Gav Thorpe's novels were, despite my memory of them being better, were terrible? Well, I'm not saying that the novels are great, but the little tidbits they give are addictive. I'm going to stop at two, honest.

As for the newest lore, I'm overall pretty okay with it.
From what I'm seeing of it? It makes good wargame fodder.

Yeah, the Primaris is pretty much the only thing I don't like, since it just seems so gratuitous and unnecessary. The rest of it is fine. 
Yeah, I can definitely see that. It crosses the boundaries of the thematic limitations of the different armies without offering significant boosts in other areas (as far as I can tell).
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Lord of Winter and War on October 18, 2021, 09:04:25 AM
On that note, Some of the HH novels are hit or miss. But, I have gotta say, that the Siege of Terra series (which is happening now), is pretty damn amazing and the best Black Library series I've been reading/read.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Wyddr on October 18, 2021, 09:57:53 AM
Yeah, the Primaris is pretty much the only thing I don't like, since it just seems so gratuitous and unnecessary. The rest of it is fine. 
Yeah, I can definitely see that. It crosses the boundaries of the thematic limitations of the different armies without offering significant boosts in other areas (as far as I can tell).

They introduced the concept of codex creep into the Lore, which to me is unforgivable. The Astartes were already absurd superhuman Mary Sues and there was no cogent reason to make them Moar Swole at all, except that they wanted to sell more models...WHICH THEY COULD HAVE DONE ANYWAY WITHOUT INVENTING "PRIMARIS" MARINES.

I just hate it. I mean, I like the models quite a bit--they're cool--but I resent that they relegated the marines who fought and protected the Imperium for 10,000 years to the dustbin for no reason. I feel like we're watching Soldier and being asked to cheer against Kurt Russel. beslubber that.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Sir_Godspeed on October 18, 2021, 08:45:11 PM
It would have been so easy just to say that Belisarius Cawl had just finished mass-producing a new Mark of Power Armor instead, if they just wanted to redesign the marines. The size difference can just be handwaved away, the marine models have been growing since Rogue Trader anyway.

At least we got the "out" with old characters and marines able to be "upgraded", which is fine, but is probably going to get weird in like a decade's IRL time when EVERY marine unit is a primaris because all the old ones were discontinued and new fans are confused.

If they take the Inquisition out of the Arctic (or was it Antarctic?) then they're dead to me. j/k ;)

Aren't they on the moon? Or is that just the Sisters of Silence?

I hope the Navigators are still in Australia, but it's not like we get a lot of lore for non-combat groups, sadly. Unless I've missed lore from the RPGs.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Grand Master Lomandalis on October 19, 2021, 10:35:57 PM
On that note, Some of the HH novels are hit or miss. But, I have gotta say, that the Siege of Terra series (which is happening now), is pretty damn amazing and the best Black Library series I've been reading/read.
It's the series I was looking forward to most.  So much so that I bought Solar War in hardback.  Then... I got half way through the book and haven't been able to get through the rest of it.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Kage2020 on October 23, 2021, 11:17:35 PM
Is there any chat about the Emperor and Ynnead?
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Sir_Godspeed on October 24, 2021, 10:57:12 AM
Not that I know of, personally. The Starchild thing has also pretty much been unmentioned, but that was true even before I join this site a decade ago, so nothing changed there.

Roboute Guilliman and Yvraine (Ynnead's champion) have briefly interacted though. There's this fandom meme going around of them being a couple, because that's the Internet for ya, lol, but I'm pretty sure they just helped each other out and decided not to fight each other afterwards.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Kage2020 on November 27, 2021, 11:53:45 PM
The Starchild thing has also pretty much been unmentioned, but that was true even before I join this site a decade ago, so nothing changed there.
That's one of the "cold, dead hands" for me, or something that I clutch to.

FWIW as a reminder and so that you know what I'm talking about (so that you can ignore me ;) ), I long-since viewed the Emperor as being a triumvirate of beings:


Of course, I believe this in the modern parlance is called fan tupenny shuffle, so please take with a pinch of salt. Just thought that I would give you something to run away from. ;)

Roboute Guilliman and Yvraine (Ynnead's champion) have briefly interacted though.
Yes, I was reading about that in the Ynnari novels. *deadpans* They were great! */deadpans*

You do not need to self-censor, as the autocensor will do that for you ;) - Iris.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Lord of Winter and War on November 29, 2021, 08:46:59 AM


  • The Corpse: The physical and mental remnants of the Emperor that was broken by his mortal wounding by Horus. This includes the broken "Shaman Synergy" that has fragmented into different sub-beings.
  • The Twin: After ten thousand years of worship of the Emperor as the head of the Imperium--an organisation of brutality and order-through-murder--what has formed in the Warp is "The (Dark) Twin," a god of murder and anti-Chaos. Basically, Malal.
  • The Child: As per the original 'fluff'. This is the soul of the original Emperor being.

I've never read about that, but certainly the modern game makes no mention to there being a twin, or child or whatever. If this was a thing in the past, it isn't now.

The Horus Heresy, and especially the Siege of Terra books do the most at detailing the Emperor's history, through the first hand accounts of perpetuals who worked with the Emperor at various times in the past. However, the origins of the Emperor, and exactly what he is is never specified. I think it's meant to be just on the perpetual unknowns about the setting, which will be never explained. Much like what happened to the two missing first founding legions.

But, I'm sure for a being as powerful as the Emperor, and with such mystery around him, there is certainly room for a variety of interpretations of who/what he is, how he came to be, and what the future of him will be.

For a summery, you can read everything there is to know about the Emperor here.

Emperor of Mankind - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum (https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Emperor_of_Mankind#fn_11)

Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Sir_Godspeed on November 29, 2021, 07:34:38 PM
Oh yeah, they turned Ollanius Pius into an immortal, lol. GW keeps making him into new things.
Title: Re: Let's talk about the Emperor...?
Post by: Kage2020 on November 30, 2021, 02:31:02 AM
I've never read about that, but certainly the modern game makes no mention to there being a twin, or child or whatever. If this was a thing in the past, it isn't now.
Ha ha. No, this was my own personal "heresy". The only canonical thing was "The Child" as in the "Star Child".


I think it's meant to be just on the perpetual unknowns about the setting, which will be never explained.
Except that everyone knows it. ;)

In my most positive moments, I like to see what GW is doing is creating a "living history" of their setting, which means that they also tinker with what the people in the setting know at any given moment.

Emperor of Mankind - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum (https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Emperor_of_Mankind#fn_11)
Oh, that's hilarious. Looking back on things now, I'm fairly sure that the "Perpetuals" are Sensei. :D

Oh yeah, they turned Ollanius Pius into an immortal, lol. GW keeps making him into new things.
Even looking at things after my large gap in the hobby, it's fairly easy to integrate these things into a (relatively) cohesive whole. Of course, GW isn't interested in such things. :D