Next installment on the Thorian Sourcebook bandwagon...
Page 5
The Emperor really is a god, His ascension after the fight with
Horus is very real. Like the other gods He exists within the Warp
and in essence He is the god of Humanity. The one limitation to
any god is that to have power over the physical world, they must
rely upon mortals to do their work. The Emperor is in fact the
greatest example of this – the galaxy spanning Imperium is
merely the material instrument of the Emperor. In a similar
fashion, the Chaos gods must have Champions, possess
worshippers or temporarily create physical manifestations in the
form of Daemons. At the bottom line, the Warp is merely a
reflection of the material world, and without mortals, none of
the gods would exist. All of the existing background points
towards the gods, and other Warp entities, craving after the
physical universe.
Again, similarities between the GEoM and the Chaos gods
are made, and it makes a great deal of sense. I would argue,
though, that rather than simply being like the Chaos Gods, the GEoM
as "the God of Humanity", would be more akin to the Ork Gods, or the
Tyranid "Hive mind" or the Eldar Gods, since his power stems from a
specific racial group rather than a particular emotional/psychological aspect (EG war and violence, disease, pleasure, etc.)
This also means that like other Chaos Gods, the Emperor will have his Champions (Saints), worshippers (Imperial Cult and Ecclesiarchy), and create
physical manifestations ("Angels", the spirits of saints or Primarchs, etc.)
Page 5
However, what if a god could become a physical incarnation? As
a man (the Emperor) can become a god, it stands to reason that
a god could become a man. This is the idea of the God-
Incarnate, the physical vessel for a god in the material world.
The idea of the God-Incarnate is that there will be a certain
individual (or individuals) who will allow this to happen - a god
could invest their power into the mortal body and literally
become a living god (commonly known amongst Thorians as
Divine Avatars). Without being restricted to the Warp, and
therefore restricted to the manipulation of crass, mortal pawns,
what power would a god have?
This hints at something very important with regards to Warp gods/powers
and how they operate or interact with the mateiral world. At the most basic
level, they need some means to "access" the real world in some way, which is why
warp portals, possession, and having worshippers/vessels/avatars is important - it
gives a God an outlet through which he/she/it may influence the material world. The
number and quality of those things also influences the level of power the God would
have in the material world as well.
This also suggests that the GEoM's greatest threat to Chaos was that he had (At that point)
the strongest vessel existing in the material world, giving him the greatest access and power.
And when they crippled his body they hampered his efforts but did not (wholly) defeat him either.
They must be shitting themselves in concern at him gaining another one though.
Page 5
One can imagine that Humanity would be doomed if one of the
Divine Avatars were to become the incarnation of a Chaos god.
Similarly, the idea of the God-Incarnate is not restricted to
Humans - the Eldar are striving to create a new god to defeat
Slaanesh, while a God-Incarnate of Gork or Mork would be
terrible. However, possibly an even greater threat to the
Imperium, and the reason why the God-Incarnate is such a
secret that only the Inquisition know of it (not even the High
Lords of Terra know) is that it would be possible to reincarnate
the Emperor into a living being again.
Here more parallels are drawn similar to my conjecture above - the similarity
to the Eldar's plan is interesting in particular. And we see the term "Avatar" used in context
of the GEoM's old body.
One has to wonder now if the Eldar plots with the Star Child and the Sensei may have had parallels
in this talk of "Divine Avatars" - it was certainly true the Eldar's plots to create a new Eldar God had
similarities to what they were doing with the Illuminati and Sensei, at least.
Page 5
As far as the many of the Inquisition are concerned, the 'second
coming' of the Emperor would be a bad thing. This is quite an
understandable position really, and springs from uncertainty. If
the Emperor were to become a God-Incarnate, what would
happen to the Astronomican? What would be Humanity's
reaction to having their god walking among them? Would the
Imperium be torn apart by war, as believers and unbelievers in
the second coming clashed. If the Emperor were in physical
form, could He be killed again, and if so would He be destroyed
forever, exposing Humanity to the many perils that the Emperor
protects them from? Would the Emperor be destroyed if things went wrong,
if the Divine Avatar was unsuitable? All in all, many
of the Inquisition would rather see the status quo sustained.
Not everyone agrees that a newly incarnated God emperor would be good. Frankly, most of those
issues seem silly. They had an Astronomican before the GEoM "died", its likely he could be "killed" again
but not destroyed (if he is like a Chaos God his physical form is unrelated to his Warp form) even if the Avatar
were flawed in some way. In all likelihood the old body would remain as well as the new one - something
that would actually benefit the Imperium as they would now have someone to keep running the Astronomican and
see to things on Terra while also acting independently throughout the galaxy.
The real problem with the GEoM coming back would probably be with the Imperial Cult and the Ecclesaiarchy, if anything. From the HH novels
we know the GEoM was not particularily happy with the idea of religion. While religion might be a necessity for the GEoM without a healthy Avatar, I doubt
an incorporated GEoM would put up with the Ministorum. Likewise, its unlikely the Ministorum would willingly just give up its position and authority because
their God gained a form either. Its unlikely the whole of the AdMech would enjoy that either, since they seem to be in love with their Omnissiah BS (given the stuff from "Mechanicum" at least.) So the potential for civil war would be a tangible, difficult (but not insurmountable) threat.
Page 5
It is the real task of the Inquisition to seek out possible Divine
Avatars and either kill them, control them or study them
according to their personal philosophy. Over ten thousand years
they have gathered information about what to look for to
indicate a possible Divine Avatar (see Signs and Portents below).
Under the cover of rooting out heretics, witches and mutants,
some Inquisitors are searching for individuals that show signs of
Divine Avatar-like properties.
At least some elements of the Inquisition seek out Divine Avatars for different (and likely contradictory) reasons.
Again one is left to wonder if there might be parallels between the Divine Avatars here and the whole
"Sensei/Illuminati" thing from back in second edition, and perhaps the hunt for the Sensei was because they were
(or were believed to be) potential Avatars.
Likewise, a possible Avatar too may have been witnessed in the Ian Watson short story "Warped Stars".
Page 5
The Magi (the original philosophical descendants of Moriana)
are doing the same thing, only rather than wishing to suppress
the God-Incarnate they want to bring it about. Some of the Magi
may be trying to create a God-Incarnate of the Choas gods, out
of selfish hope to either be the Divine Avatar themselves, or by
earning eternal favour of their god for being the most loyal of
servants. Others may be trying to reincarnate the Emperor,
seeing this as the true way forward for Humanity.
Some of the renegade pseudo-Inquisitors on Moriana's faction
are trying to create a Chaos equivalent of the God Emperor.
A similar concept arises in the Blood angels novels, so the idea
seems to have merit.
Page 5
The myths and legends surrounding the God-Incarnate tell of
the coming of the new god amidst great upheaval, strife and war.
Just as Revelations lays down the horrors of the second coming,
or Ragnarok heralds the end of the world, so too will the God-
Incarnate's arrival be proceeded by momentous events. There
are many Inquisitors that believe the end of the 41st millennium
is just such as time with such tumultuous circumstances -
Ghazghkull's biggest Waaagh! the multiple hive fleets attacking
the Imperium, the reawakening of the Necrontyr, and a growing
Adeptus Mechanicus schism - all indications of growing turmoil
and strife.
Similarly, there are indicators that point towards who the Divine
Avatar's will be; shrouded in myths and legends as you'd expect,
some of them as simple as 'Ten ways to recognise the Divine
Avatar':
“He shall have a great doom upon his brow, he shall be a witch
of great power, he shall be altered in the physical form, he shall
be able to talk and walk with the animals”
Nobody knows all of the signs, and part of the reason for the
Inquisition hunting down all the psykers, aliens and mutants
they can is to study them, to find out what they can about these
individuals so that they might better understand the type of
person who would become a Divine Avatar.
Some Inquisitors believe that the "end of the Millenium" may
herald the coming of a new Emperor. Something tells me
probably not, given the notes and hints from the Cain novels (you'd think
Amberley would mention such a momentus thing, after all..)
Secondly, apparently all the aspects of the Inquisition (psykers, mutants, and xenos)
all hold the potential for "understanding" the GEoM's old body. Not sure how, but
this may explain why they use extracts from alien bodies to help sustain the bugger for
all we know.
Third, apparently Dr Dolittle is a potential Divine Avatar. ha ha.
Page 6
There are some amongst the Thorians that believe that a Divine
Avatar may never come about naturally, and that it is their duty to
devise a way to artificially create a host for the Emperor's soul.
One such man is Inquisitor Dahwrin. In the latter years of the
41st millennium he has gained something of a reputation for
being an expert on such matters, having widely examined all
manner of documentation regarding the Primarchs and Space
Marines. However, few know of his studies whilst operating as
part of the Ordo Sicarius, the group of Inquisitors that have spent
their efforts watching the Officio Assassinorum, established after
the perilous Wars of Vindication.
...
As well as his
usual duties of guarding against misuse of the Assassins and
watching their training, Dahwrin spent much time examining the
properties of the shape-altering drug polymorphine
Mention of the Ordo Sicarius, which governs the Assasins. apparently
the Assasins may have some connection ot the Emperor as well as the
Marines and Primarchs. Or that some (crazy?) Inquisitors may think
you could shape shift your way into a new Emperor.
Page 6
Their aim was to create a hyperpolymorphine that could, when
used on a psychically suitable subject, perhaps create a robust
enough vessel for the Emperor.
Apparently, the latter idea is the case. One wonders how they'd expect
such a thing to work, or such an entity to remain stable. Making your
vessel highly dependent upon a potentially scarce drug does not seem like
a good idea.
Page 6
Unbeknownst to Dahwrin, Magos Lurd had no intention of
simply handing over the results of the studies to the Inquisition.
An armed force loyal to the Adpetus Mechanicus broke through
the quarantine in an attempt to remove the successful subject to
the nearest forge world for closer examination by the
Techpriests.
As usual, the AdMech behave like dicks, even to the Inquisition.
Page 7
The Horusian ideal is quite simple, and yet also
unpalatable for many Inquisitors, even those with a
resurrectionist outlook. Their assumption is that somehow the
powers of Chaos that manifested themselves in Horus might be
harnessed for the creation of a Divine Avatar, or perhaps in the
process of transferring the Emperor's soul from its current form
into the body of a living god.
Horusian philosophy yet again. I won't bother reiterating already made points.
Page 7
The predominant activity of the Anomolian Beholders is locating
potential Divine Avatars and observing them. Only if they are
convinced that the vessel is tainted will they destroy it. Much like
the original Thorians they are content to examine and research
remarkable individuals for signs of potential or corruption. They
are more zealous than most to follow up any sign or omen of a
possible Divine Avatar, and are amongst some of the most
travelled Inquisitors in the galaxy.
A more conservative sort of Thorian, but not as fanatical as some.
Page 7
The Ardentities firmly believe in the basic principles of the
Emperor Incarnate, but their the similarity with the Thorians
end. Rather than a single Divine Avatar, the Ardentites feel it is
more likely that the power of the God-Emperor is likely to
manifest through a group of people, or more likely the entirety
of Mankind
Given Humanity's evolution towards being a psychic race,
evidenced by a gradual but perceptible increase in mutation and
psychic ability, it is the belief of the Ardentites that the ultimate
plan of the Emperor to protect Mankind during this vulnerable
stage was to disseminate his power throughout Humanity
This is an interesting, and plausible possiblity, and elements of this
may already occur. While lacking the power of a single, overriding Avatar,
multiple weaker ones would have advantages too (being able to be in more than one place
for example)
Again, referencing Warped Stars, the boy in that story could have been such an entity. Its also
possible the Sensei (as a whole) were possible groups of such beings.
Page 8
Though Casophili died at the hands of his tormentors,
something remarkable happened. Five days after his death, the
body of the missionary was to be burned upon a sacrificial pyre
to the Dark Gods. As the flames took hold of the tarred wood,
Casophili roused himself and jumped from the fires.
Miraculously brought back from the dead, Casophili confronted
his tormentors and the gathered crowd. The story of Saint
Casophili's return spread quickly and he led the people of Alena
Three against the priesthood.
..
In his later works, Casophili
writes of his experiences over the fives days between death and
resurrection. During this period, the saint tells of a bodiless
floating sensation in a gulf of sound and colour. He writes of a
clamour of myriad voices, some whispering and others
bellowing, swirling around him. He also speaks of a great light
that suffused everything, which he believed to be the Emperor.
..
The fact that Casophili's soul returned to his body is not so much
of a concern for the Casophilians, for the basic assumption of all
Thorian and related beliefs is that the psychic energy of an
individual can pass to the Warp and back. The fact that
Casophili's writings tell of a place within the Warp where these
souls reside is the province of the Casophilians.
Knowing that daemonic entities can broach the barriers between
Warp and real space, the Casophilians dedicate their study to the
transition of a human soul to their universe. They are profound
experts of daemonology with regard to ritual summoning, as
opposed to accidental or malicious possession. With this
knowledge they seek to devise a way to bring forth the soul of a
deceased man or woman, and if this proves successful, it will be
a major step towards creating the means by which the Emperor's
soul can be invested into a suitable mortal form.
A segment of hte Inquisition belives that similarities to the Emperor's behaviour and
nature can be found in the study of daemons.
The story itself is pretty interesting too... the "place where souls reside" may suggest
somethign about the nature of the Warp-based aspect of the GEoM's divinity (in the manner
he can "shield" or claim souls for himself and makes them part of him, the same way other Chaos Gods do)
PAge 8
Unusually for a resurrectionist cult, the Revivicators have few ties
with the Ministorum. Their focus is directed towards the
transition of the soul to the Warp at the point of death. In
particular, they study the means by which this can be slowed,
halted and, ultimately, returned.
...
..the Revivificators are also known to have learned much from the
capture of various Eldar over the centuries. In particular, they
find the principle of the Eldar spirit stone intriguing, and have on
numerous occasions attempted to replicate the practice of
capturing a departing soul. So far, such attempts have proved
wholly unsuccessful, for Mankind's psychic technology is far
inferior to the psychic-engineering properties of Eldar
wraithbone.
Here we learn that like the Eldar, humanity appears to have some measure of
psychic technology similar but vastly crudeer than the Eldar, but the exact nature
and extent of it is unknown. Its doubtful that they can create wriathbone though.
Again, some Inquisitors look to the Eldar for similiarities in explaining the GEoM.
Page 8
Few amongst the
Inquisition know of the grisly dungeons staffed by telepaths and
wired with arcane machinery for the detection and extraction of
psychic energy.
mention of devices that can both detect and harness psychic energy (for some purpose) but
which may hint at some sort of power generation process (like the Squats and Eldar could do)
Page 8
Ultimately, it is the goal of the Revivificators to study the Golden
Throne itself and perhaps alter its working so that the Emperor's
body might be restored. To this end, it is not only the passage of
the soul to the Warp that the Revivificators study, but also the
processes by which a corpse may be maintained in a state ready
for such a reinfusion of the soul. Access to this knowledge and
technologies means that Revivificators often live far longer than
even other Inquisitors, the oldest being Inquisitor Lord Verinath,
who was shot and killed whilst hale and hearty at the age of
seven hundred and sixty three.
mention of the limits of Imperial life extension technologies.
This does not include the Astartes, who are mentioned in the first HH novel to be
effectively immortal (barring being killed.)
