The galaxy has seen many wars come and go over the millennium. This is the story of one man who achieved god-like status!
During the Age of Apostasy, Sebastian Thor was being hailed like a godlike figure and the Ecclesiarchy could do little or nothing to stop him! Let’s find out why.
Via our good friends at Lexicanum
For seventy years did the reign of Vandire mar the Imperium. The resources of the Ecclesiarchy were directed towards Vandire’s perverse orders and the construction of new, huge monuments to the Empire and Vandire himself. But, Vandire’s insanity was only ever directed outwards. Though other planets had spires reaching to the stars, the Palaces on Terra were falling into decay again.
Whole wings collapsed from the weight of centuries and the huge chandeliers and incense burners in the audience chambers were allowed to go out. Dust lay at knee depth in some places, and holy relics fell into disrepair. Tapestries were ripped and chewed by rats, who used the priceless carpets for nests. Occasionally a candle would be lit and footsteps could be heard, testifying to the vigilance of the Brides.
Even during the day, the rooms were dark due to the horrible amounts of dirt on the windows, blocking out the sun. When it rained and cleaned the windows, the light would pour in and Vandire would retreat to his chambers and sit in silence for days at a time. He would often fall into long, nightmare-ridden sleep and would cry out in hysterical screams. His body was ancient and was pumped full of drugs to keep the diseases away.
His scribes, in Vandire’s more lucid times, noted his ever-increasing fear of life.
It was now that a young agent arrived, with fear, on Terra, bringing a report from the distant world of Dimmamar. His report was merely disturbing, but Vandire burst into an apocalyptic rage. Dimmamar had denounced Vandire as a traitor to humanity, and one name was to be heard many times across the Segmentum Obscurus: Sebastian Thor.
No one knew where this man had come from but the High Lords raged in debate for over a month on what should be done. Vandire fell more into himself and was seen huddled on the velvet throne in the meeting chamber, flanked by his Bride bodyguards.
Within three months, eighty planets had fallen to the new Confederation of Light and only the power of the Frateris Templars held other populations in check. The most trusted of the Templar Frateris were dispatched to raze Dimmamar to the ground.
Soon after the war fleet jumped into the warp from the base on Clax, it was destroyed by a gigantic Warp Storm. The last astropath reported white arcs of light tearing the ships apart, literally, as well as the soldiers on board. The Clax system has been cut off since, by the Storm of the Emperor’s Wrath.
With the death of a vast fleet, the whole of Segmentum Obscurus burst into rebellion. The Cardinal Palaces were stormed and the beautiful hangings were destroyed. No one knew who Thor was, and many suspected him to be a daemonic entity, but he was just a man, born in a Dimmamar Schola Progenium habitat.
Thor claimed also to have had visions from the Emperor and warned that humanity was falling. He had an eloquence and charisma that none could match or understand and could reach into the hearts and minds of the people.
Quickly, thousands traveled to hear Thor speak and preach and went away again, spreading the message themselves. Governor Gaius Welkonnen of Dimmamar was so impressed that he placed the army of Dimmamar at Thor’s command. Anarchy followed. Most of the Segmentum Obscurus fell and many of Vandire’s spies were sought out and driven away, although he still knew that Thor’s army had grown to at least five million. He also knew it was slowly making its way to Terra.
There were many tales of his trip to Terra. Each planet he passed pledged their loyalty to him, mostly through his oratory skills. Though the rest of the galaxy was still covered by warp storms, Thor’s ships had no hindrance as they moved from planet to planet.
The Paternova of the Navigators dubbed him Abstracta Preomnis, Master of the Warp. Soon, in the far reaches of the galaxy, Thor was being hailed as a god-like figure. The Ecclesiarchy could do little to stop him after the destruction of the Frateris Templar, but the Cardinals and Confessors put up a resistance, though their populations were eventually converted to the Confederation of Light.
Now, the masses moved against Vandire, as he had pushed them too far, and this time, they had a leader to unite behind
