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Rise of The Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40k

emperor Golden_Throne-Imperial_WebwayThe rise of The Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40k is not something to be taken lightly, but how did it happen?

This is basically what started all of Horus Heresy and eventually the setting of Warhammer 40k, as, without the Emperor, humans would never have had the power to expand so deep into the stars!

Big pappa might be sitting on the Golden Throne as of right now, but he was leading a vicious crusade and smashing the enemies of Mankind at once!

Rise of The Emperor of Mankind in Warhammer 40k

Emperor of MankindThere is very little information about the early life of the Emperor. Few remember what he did and who he was before he became the great Emperor. Although a few pieces of information were found from many different sources, however, they are not all the truth, and people often debate which origin is true. The Emperor’s story is changing with every retelling, so it isn’t easy to know if they are reliable.

The oldest information about the Emperor’s history states that he was born to mortal parents during the 8th Millennium BC and that he possessed his powers while still a child. This information details the time and whereabouts of his birthplace, eight thousand years before the first millennium.

The idea of mortal parents is sometimes debated, but many scholars believe it to be true. The location is in the region known as Central Anatolia. The conclave of Shamans claims that the Emperor’s natural birth was not a coincidence. These men, known as shamans, were powerful psykers and had vast experience with the Warp. These psykers, who saw their souls and that of humanity in danger from the rising perils of Warp Gods, decided to pool their power into one being, whom they called ‘the New Man.

These shamans were already able to reincarnate, and when they died, they would send their spirits into the warp and come out the other side reincarnated. They poisoned thousands of themselves and sped their souls to the warp at the same. Their soul energy was reportedly pooled, and they used their reincarnation capabilities to create the Emperor, a single immaculate being.

Once he was aware of his special abilities, the New Man went on to haunt history, acting as a ghost and waiting for people to react. He was acutely aware of the dangers facing humanity and resolved to help, and lead humanity pass all the dangers he knew were on the way. His struggle started almost ten thousand years before his current situation, but he eventually had to come into the open as more psykers were coming into existence.

He could no longer just try and lead humanity from the shadows, and now he had to take things into his own hands and lead mankind.

In one of his first truly, massive moves to greatness that occurred during the Dark Age of Technology. Alivia Yeska traveled with the man to become the Emperor to the planet of Molech where there was a gateway to the realm of Chaos. The Emperor entered Gateway, made a bargain, and came out with more power than ever and even the ability to create Primarchs. The Emperor failed to fulfill his agreement with the powers of Chaos after attaining that power (the reason is still debated today), and he was made the anathema by the Ruinous Powers.

The Emperor could then use the energies he had been imbued with to create clones and confer a portion of his power to his Primarchs.

Reunification Wars

horus heresy walpaperIndeed, the Emperor appeared first in Imperial records as one of the warlords fighting to take control of Terra in the Age of Strife. The Unification Wars saw the Emperor launch a series of campaigns against other warlords on Terra. The Emperor used many military elements in these wars, including the Thunder Warriors and the Gene Five-Two Chiliad.

These units comprised genetically modified/engineered soldiers who played a crucial role in his victory and formed the basis for Space Marines. After this victory, Terra’s population was united under one rule: that of the Emperor.

With this success, the Emperor began to plan his efforts to unify and guard humanity in the stars. This mission would eventually be known as the Great Crusade.

How Powerful is the Emperor of Mankind?

It is often asked, how strong is the Emperor? He is the greatest warrior, psychic, and the best leader humanity has ever seen. His powers are almost impossible to fathom at his peak for a human mind. After he conquered Terra, his very gene seed was used to create super-human warriors that were able to conquer countless worlds and defeat hordes of enemies.

But that is just a small taste of his true power.

His powers are near limitless, and even though he currently resides on the Golden Throne of just a shell of himself, his mind alone is enough to keep Chaos at bay. In battle, he seemed more God than human; without his interference in human history, they would have crumbled to Chaos and Xenos.

The Great Crusade

424px-EmperorwLegionsThe Emperor during the Great Crusade

The Emperor made extensive preparations for the Great Crusade. To increase his dominion, he created the Astrotelepath corps to help guide humanity through the stars. Also, he created the Solarian, an extraordinarily powerful signal device powered by the Emperor’s psychic power and further facilitated safer travel through the warp.

This was crucial to his success, but the creation of superhuman warriors was his main goal, and it was the logical extension of the gene troopers he already had under his command.

His next undertaking was the Primarch Program, which created twenty infants with his own genetic code to command the Legiones Astartes or Space Marines Legions. They would grow into powerful generals for his army. But, the Chaos powers intervened to stop this plan from coming to fruition. Although accounts differ as to what exactly happened, the conclusion of the story is the same. The Primarchs fell into the Warp, were scattered among the stars, and were thought lost.

The Emperor then led the Space Marines in the reconquest and liberation of the Sol System. They drove Xenos enslavers out of the moons Saturn and Jupiter. And most importantly, they achieved peace with the Mechanicum. This alliance provided the Emperor with many of the materials and means to further his mission into the stars.

The Great Crusade started with the last abatement from the Warpstorms. The Emperor’s forces recovered human worlds, expelled alien oppressors, and claimed new territory. They slew countless enemies and claimed near-endless worlds. The most important thing was that the Emperor, in his crusade, found his missing sons, the Primarchs.

They were scattered all over space and found one by one. They all were assigned to command the Astartes Legions based on their respective gene-seed and took part in the forging of their father’s Imperium.

Horus, first among the Primarchs, was first discovered and first honored. After much time in the Great Crusade, Emperor decided to return home to Terra and gave Horus the responsibility for the military campaigns of his Imperium.

The Emperor awarded him the title Warmaster. This was to demonstrate his great leadership skills. Turning his back on direct military interventions, he created the Council of Terra.  The Imperial Tithe was also expanded.

Finally, the Emperor retired under the Imperial Palace to begin work on the Golden Throne.

The Horus Heresy

Things took a dark turn when things were looking best for the Emperor. His first found son and Warmaster was about to betray him and divided the legions in two. This was the biggest split in human history; billions died in the civil war.

The Horus Heresy began when Warmaster Horus was seriously injured by Eugen Temba with the Anathame weapon, which was stolen from the moon of Davin. This moon was a cursed place by the foul Chaos God Nurgle. The wound caused by the blade failed to heal, despite Horus’s super-enhanced immunity system and the efforts of the Sons of Horus’s best Apothecaries.

In an attempt to heal his wounds, the Mornival took Horus with them to the Davinite Serpent Lodge. They were told that it could heal him. Unknown to everyone, Chaplain Erebus and the Word Bearers had actually orchestrated the attack on Davin and set the entire war in place.

Horus’s spirit was transported into the Warp during the rituals that were meant to heal him. Erebus disguised himself as Hastur Sejanus in Horus’ visions, and the Warmaster saw a horrible vision of the Imperium. The Imperium was a violent, oppressive, and superstitious system where the Emperor, and some Primarchs (except Horus), were worshiped and feared as divine beings.

Ruler front painter hor 3dart guyClick Here To Get The Emperor Alternative Miniature!

The Chaos Gods presented themselves as victims of the Emperor’s psychic might, who had no interest in controlling this material world. Horus was already jealous and bitter about his father’s poor treatment. He was afraid of the concept that all the battles they had won would be given to weak-willed men while his legions would remain as peacekeepers. Horus was all too ready to accept the Ruinous Powers’ false visions. His legions would be left as peacekeepers while his victories and worlds would be abandoned. Horus would not let this happen.

However, there was something no one could have foreseen: Horus’s brother Magnus, Primarch from the Thousand Sons had continued to study forbidden arts of magic and was not ready to allow his brother to fall to the power of the Warp. Horus was able to see the cyclopean great within his vision. It revealed the chaplain’s Erebus’ identity and begged Horus not to succumb to the temptations of chaos.

Horus, however, decided that the Emperor was not worthy of being worshipped as a God. The Chaos Gods offered him to join their cause, and in exchange, they healed his wounds and gave him the Warp. The agreement between Horus and the Chaos Gods was very simple: “Give me the Emperor, and we will give you all the galaxy.”

At the climax of the Horus Heresy, Sanguinius and The Emperor fought Horus on his Flagship, the Vengeful Spirit. The fight killed Horus and Sanguinius, leaving the Emperor a barely living corpse.

Thus, the Horus Heresy split the galaxy in half, nearly killed the Emperor, and cost billions of lives.

Is the Emperor of Mankind Still Alive?

Emperor_golden_thronePhysically, he lives in stasis on the Golden Throne, a ravaged corpse that is neither truly dead nor truly alive. After his battle with Horus, he suffered such mortal wounds the only thing that sustains him is the Golden Throne. Without it, he would have perished ages ago. While he does not react to the outside world, his mind is still at work. He now projects himself over all of humanity, keeping them safe from the ravages of Chaos and guiding the Astronomican through the warp.

However, this comes at a cost, as he cannot do this on his own. He has a cabal of psykers who help him project across the galaxy, and he slowly drains the life force of those psykers to keep his vigilance against the Chaos Gods and humanity safe. He must always stay vigilant; if he were to slip for even a moment, Chaos could rampage across all of mankind.

The Emperor protects, even in his near-death state.

Is the Emperor of Mankind a God?

People truly see him as a God; he protects humanity from chaos, guides them through the warp, and brings about a great resurgence. He is the sovereign of mankind, and for all intents and purposes, he is the God of the human race. The Emperor Protects, and people bow to him as the true savior of all humanity.

Is the Emperor of Mankind Good?

EyeofTerraThis can always be debated, but for mankind, he took them to a level they had never known; he protects them from the ravages of chaos and guides them through the stars.  However, he crushed Xenos races under his feet, conquered thousands of worlds, and led to the death of countless lives.

Many races, like the Tau, see him as a horrible figure, stopping their mission for a Greater Good, and even some races, like the Eldar, have had plenty of fights with his ideals. Even his own son, like Horus, disagreed with his vision for humanity, which created the largest civil war in history.

Either way, you’ll have to decide for yourself on this, as the Imperium thinks he is the greatest living being ever, but he has countless enemies.

Click Here To Find out More about the Emperor of Mankind

What are your thoughts on The Emperor of Mankind? Do you think he is right, or are his enemies correct? 

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About the Author: Rob Baer

Virginia Restless, Miniature Painter & Cat Dad. I blame LEGOs. There was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all... Twitter @catdaddymbg