# History of the emperor



## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Recently I have been watching documentaries about ancient history. 

It got me to wondering what he was doing during all this time.

Aside from him being born 8000 years before the first century and him watching and waiting and intervening at times we know almost nothing.

To me I think this would be a good story, did travel to other places every 50 years or so or did he conceal himself using his power?

Any thoughts as to things he might have done?

Personally I like to think he was Nikolai tesla at one point, and that the Tungska event was a warp portal he sealed.


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

I think he was A or the prophets and he designed the pyramids or Stonehenge, tbh I've never really thought about it )

Maybe he was a Merlin type figure all of the time, an aide to Churchill etc


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## locustgate (Dec 6, 2009)

I always wondered was he born knowing what/who he was, if not then what was it like when he realized he wasn't a normal human.

EDIT: Also what was his childhood like.

EDIT2: We all know that is eldar girlfriend left him for a kroot. Which is why he hates xenos.


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## Lost&Damned (Mar 25, 2012)

I always just stuck him as either being, or manufacturing great leaders, generals and scientists, aswell as instigating various revolts and social upheavals.
When i think of the Emperor i think of alexander and the fall and rise of various empires, he probably just wandered around spreading ideas and nurturing people.


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## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

If you read the Last Church, its heavilly implied that He already tried the big religion way and found it to not work, hence his stance against it.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Brother Lucian said:


> If you read the Last Church, its heavilly implied that He already tried the big religion way and found it to not work, hence his stance against it.


Irony isn't it, he couldn't get a religion to work but yet in his current state he has a religion.


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## Deadeye776 (May 26, 2011)

Until the fluff changes again the Emperor is now a perpetual. A race of mysterious immortals dating back as far as Ancient Greece and further still (Ollie was an Argonaut). The Emperor was apparently a behind the scenes type of guy who influenced indirectly and only stepped in personally when something happened outside normal humans abilities (Void Dragon). When the Dark Age ended and the Age of Strife came, he waited until he could bring order to the planet in the Unification Wars. After he set about uniting humanity in a dominant empire after the Eldar effectively created their own doom. 

A lot has been speculated on who he could have been throughout history but without the consistency of fluff who knows. Originally he was the manifestation of 350k psyker shamans. He became aware of his purpose closer to puberty and then set out on his mission in Anatolia. Now with the perpetual story line who the fuck knows what his back story is. He's just ultra-powerful now but their's no true reason given as to why like the original story line did.


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## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

Tbh look the Emporer's history up on Lexicanum; it is all on his main page. He really is a boring fellow, not having done much until the Age of Strife; and the Unification Wars. I doubt the Emporer did much of what ancient lore claims him to be doing. These are more likely exagerrated tales of his past IOT fluff up his power.


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## theurge33 (Apr 4, 2012)

I believe he was many beings through human history...the most glaring one being Jesus Christ


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## MontytheMighty (Jul 21, 2009)

theurge33 said:


> I believe he was many beings through human history...the most glaring one being Jesus Christ


Somehow "turn the other cheek" and "the meek shall inherit the earth" don't really click with my idea of the Emperor

Perhaps he had some sort of personal epiphany and it caused him to go from humanitarian to ruthless survivalist. The Emperor seems to have more in common with the Old Testament Yahweh than with the New Testament Jesus


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## Over Two Meters Tall! (Nov 1, 2010)

MontytheMighty said:


> Somehow "turn the other cheek" and "the meek shall inherit the earth" don't really click with my idea of the Emperor
> 
> Perhaps he had some sort of personal epiphany and it caused him to go from humanitarian to ruthless survivalist. The Emperor seems to have more in common with the Old Testament Yahweh than with the New Testament Jesus


Going with the idea that Jesus was one of his historical manifestations, I think witnessing how common humanity could twist a pretty straightforward message of peace and love would do it. Heck, it didn't take more than the time to write the books in the New Testament, e.g. 100-300 years, before Christians had turned to bloodthirsty infighting over control of the church and literally flaying each other alive for minor differences in dogma or liturgical interpretation. That doesn't even get into the atrocities committed during the Crusades.

If mama wants pudding for Christmas, mama gets pudding for Christmas.


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## theurge33 (Apr 4, 2012)

MontytheMighty said:


> Somehow "turn the other cheek" and "the meek shall inherit the earth" don't really click with my idea of the Emperor
> 
> Perhaps he had some sort of personal epiphany and it caused him to go from humanitarian to ruthless survivalist. The Emperor seems to have more in common with the Old Testament Yahweh than with the New Testament Jesus


Well that's the perfect example of him changing approach like I am sure he has done countless times of the course 40 something thousand years. During his religious "tenure" as Jesus, maybe he shifted from Old Testament to New Testament. I thinking knowing that the religious route did not work, he switched to that of purely science. "Machine, Heal thyself" is pretty 40k Jesus to me..


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## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

Also not to forget the whole perpetual thing with ressurection. Something perfect to exploit in more superstitious times.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Over Two Meters Tall! said:


> Going with the idea that Jesus was one of his historical manifestations, I think witnessing how common humanity could twist a pretty straightforward message of peace and love would do it. Heck, it didn't take more than the time to write the books in the New Testament, e.g. 100-300 years, before Christians had turned to bloodthirsty infighting over control of the church and literally flaying each other alive for minor differences in dogma or liturgical interpretation. That doesn't even get into the atrocities committed during the Crusades.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

The more I learn about the Emperor, the more asinine of a character he becomes. Back in 1st edition the only thing you really knew about him was that he was the first and greatest psyker and that he confined HIMSELF to the golden throne to boost his awesome psychic power so that he could more effectively do battle with the horrors of the warp, act as the focal point of the astronomicon and extend his senses across countless worlds so he could more effective manage The Imperium.


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## Deadeye776 (May 26, 2011)

GabrialSagan said:


> The more I learn about the Emperor, the more asinine of a character he becomes. Back in 1st edition the only thing you really knew about him was that he was the first and greatest psyker and that he confined HIMSELF to the golden throne to boost his awesome psychic power so that he could more effectively do battle with the horrors of the warp, act as the focal point of the astronomicon and extend his senses across countless worlds so he could more effective manage The Imperium.



Those were the good old days. Now his characterization is so inconsistent it's bordering on lunacy. In one story he's a cold-hearted commander who can sacrifice his sons in an effort to get the traitors to reveal themselves. He's cloaked himself in lies and shadow, but won't tolerate Assassin's effots to avert massive blood shed by ending the heresy swiftly. One moment he's a cold hearted bastard who can destroy his own sons for some mysterious reason, but after his son sets the galaxy on fire and brings his empire to its knees he still can't bring himself to kill him? This series as it continues more and more looks like the writers are just pulling stories out of there asses and there's no consistent narrative. This guys is a daemon primarch, read his tragedy in Fulgrim. Oh you enjoyed that? Well he actually is responsible for everything and he defeated the daemon and just a d-bag. No author in the Black Library right now has any idea how this thing will end. That's what this all looks like.


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## GabrialSagan (Sep 20, 2009)

Deadeye776 said:


> Those were the good old days. Now his characterization is so inconsistent it's bordering on lunacy. In one story he's a cold-hearted commander who can sacrifice his sons in an effort to get the traitors to reveal themselves. He's cloaked himself in lies and shadow, but won't tolerate Assassin's effots to avert massive blood shed by ending the heresy swiftly. One moment he's a cold hearted bastard who can destroy his own sons for some mysterious reason, but after his son sets the galaxy on fire and brings his empire to its knees he still can't bring himself to kill him? This series as it continues more and more looks like the writers are just pulling stories out of there asses and there's no consistent narrative. This guys is a daemon primarch, read his tragedy in Fulgrim. Oh you enjoyed that? Well he actually is responsible for everything and he defeated the daemon and just a d-bag. No author in the Black Library right now has any idea how this thing will end. That's what this all looks like.


Wasn't it better when the Emperor gave orders to the Custodes, who relayed the orders to the Administratum instead of just sitting there like a vegetable? His backstory was not important because he was the one who was actually running the show, not a relic of a bygone age.


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## Lost&Damned (Mar 25, 2012)

When aaron writes his novel "Master of mankind" hopefully all this stuff is set straight, and we get something approaching consistency, and since it is aaron, its probably going to be quite amazing in and of itself.




Deadeye776 said:


> He's cloaked himself in lies and shadow, but won't tolerate Assassin's effots to avert massive blood shed by ending the heresy swiftly


Wasnt the whole point that an assassin wouldnt be able to do that?
That an assassin would simply exacerbate an already bad situation?Dragging in countless worlds and thereby reducing them to ruin.
I was under the impression that both Horus and the Emperor realised this, and hence decided against using assassins since they wanted something to rule over when the other was dead.


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## Deadeye776 (May 26, 2011)

Lost&Damned said:


> When aaron writes his novel "Master of mankind" hopefully all this stuff is set straight, and we get something approaching consistency, and since it is aaron, its probably going to be quite amazing in and of itself.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'm not saying it's not possible, but Eristede Kell would've blown Horus's head off. Ask Ferris Manus, that's not something even primarchs walk away from. Guys who were subject matter experts about murder thought that Spear was enough of a threat to the Emperor to risk their lives. Unlike the primarch murder, who knows if it would really work, but it was a legit concern. The assassins could have theoretically killed Horus. Also as for the collateral damage.......have you read what happened to the Imperium during the Heresy? I honestly don't think it would have made things any worse. The Galaxy is on fire, making the flames more upset doesn't matter.


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## Malus Darkblade (Jan 8, 2010)

@gabby: How is someone who has endured soul-wrenching agony for 10,000 years simply for mankind's sake asinine?


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## Deadeye776 (May 26, 2011)

Malus Darkblade said:


> @gabby: How is someone who has endured soul-wrenching agony for 10,000 years simply for mankind's sake asinine?




lol. So you know for a FACT that the Emperor is enduring this for humanity? Who knows what this man's motivation are. With the characterization that's happened this guy could literally be capable of some cold blooded machinations. Who knows. With the stories that have come out so far who knows where this is going.


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## Reaper45 (Jun 21, 2011)

Deadeye776 said:


> lol. So you know for a FACT that the Emperor is enduring this for humanity? Who knows what this man's motivation are. With the characterization that's happened this guy could literally be capable of some cold blooded machinations. Who knows. With the stories that have come out so far who knows where this is going.


What we know is that he wanted to rid humans of dependance on the warp. Thus starving chaos.

Now if he wants to do this for the good of humanity or for himself is up for debate.


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## emporershand89 (Jun 11, 2010)

I do love how, once you have read all there is to read on the Emporer's History prior to the Great Crusade, he balanced Ruthlessness with Compassion. One moment he is willing to be the witty philosopher and engage with the mind to bring people into the fold, and the next he brings his Warriors to annihilate those who stand in front of him.

Such an interesting personality. Dan Abnett should write a book on him; I think he'd do a good job.


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## Brother Lucian (Apr 22, 2011)

emporershand89 said:


> I do love how, once you have read all there is to read on the Emporer's History prior to the Great Crusade, he balanced Ruthlessness with Compassion. One moment he is willing to be the witty philosopher and engage with the mind to bring people into the fold, and the next he brings his Warriors to annihilate those who stand in front of him.
> 
> Such an interesting personality. Dan Abnett should write a book on him; I think he'd do a good job.


Perhaps youve not heard? ADB have Master of Mankind in the pipeline. Many is expecting it to be the definite book on the Emperor.


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## Romanov77 (Jan 27, 2013)

I think it's wrong to necessarily picture the Emperor always as some big shot dude. 

Even a humble beggar, with the right intellect and capabilities, can alter history more than Napoleon.


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## Tawa (Jan 10, 2010)

Romanov77 said:


> Even a humble beggar, with the right intellect and capabilities, can alter history more than Napoleon.


Every soldier carries a Marshal's baton in his knapsack


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