# The Horror- Horror Themes In 40k



## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

Having a think about the different factions in 40k and how each of them have some form of horriffic omg moment in them, even some of the 'nicer' races like IG and SM.

For example, the whole idea of Servitors. Rapists, murderers etc all lobotomised and condemed to a life of slave labour. Thats pretty messed up IMHO. 

So my question to you is, in your travels around the 40k universe, what rave you read or seen that has made you utter the phrase "Thats messed up" or make the face:


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## Coldshrike (Sep 9, 2011)

The culling on Istvaan. That's the point when I decided "Ok, no more sympathy for Horus."


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## Samules (Oct 13, 2010)

Space marines and IG? Nice? Pfffffff

Only tau qualify for that.

On topic, chaos in general.


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## High_Seraph (Aug 28, 2009)

The T'au sterilizing the human populations they conquer.


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## Lubacca (Sep 4, 2011)

...this is all shit I didn't know...that's all fucked up. 

I wondered about servitors... where do you guys READ this shit? OMG


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## Samules (Oct 13, 2010)

High_Seraph said:


> The T'au sterilizing the human populations they conquer.



THAT I haven't heard before, disregard last statement. But still by comparison they are angels.


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

The one that bothers me is the way the ranks of the guard are purged after they have come into contact with the chaos powers. Even if they have won they still get purged in some cases.


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

Servitors are the most screwed up thing in 40k. case in point the fact that in fact cherub servitors (Dead babies) exist is evidence enough at the fact the imperium is the evilest faction in 40k.

However I always like the HP lovecraft inspired elements found in describing the warp, necrons, and enslaver plague. Also the one catchian plant the spiker is also fairly chilling in that if it hits you it will turn you a sentient animal into a none thinking spiker plant in relatively short order.


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## MEQinc (Dec 12, 2010)

I think the moment that I first realized just how dark and messed up 40k was was reading about the first Armaggedon war. The section at the end, where it mentions that every single human that survived was put in camps and killed off. That in and of it's self is messed up but the way the story tells it, really casual and offhand, just drives home the fact that the slaughter of countless innocents isn't a big deal in the Imperium.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

LukeValantine said:


> Servitors are the most screwed up thing in 40k. case in point the fact that in fact cherub servitors (Dead babies) exist is evidence enough at the fact the imperium is the evilest faction in 40k.


Agreed.

In the grim dark future there is only dead mechanical flying babies.


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## spanner94ezekiel (Jan 6, 2011)

Watchers in the Dark. Wtf even are those things?


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## Haskanael (Jul 5, 2011)

slaneshi.. nothing gets more horror then that.


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## GrimzagGorwazza (Aug 5, 2010)

Eldar death spinners. Lets create a weapon that basically tangles your target in monofiliment cheesewire and then retracts that wire back, into the gun very quickly.

For one of the more civilised races that just strikes me as being horrifically vicious.


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## TheSpore (Oct 15, 2009)

Lets see what is messed up in 40k
most of a ships crew is made up of convicts and wackjobs being forced to run the ship's equipment, Having been a former sailor the last thing I want is to trust a murderous nutjob in the engineering department...

Every weapon and bullet used by GK is soaked in the blood of pure innocents, and they slaughtered battle sisters just to bannish a daemon.

Servitors and DE, need I say more

Eldar will kill and entire planet to save on measly lil warrior.

Star gods enslaving and enitre race of people, nids eating whole planets with absolutely no purpose but to devour fro the sake of devouring, daemons that just kill for fun., dogs and cats living together mass hysteria

Forcing new SM recruits to practically kill themselves just to become a SM.

Extermanatus - um think about it the name says it all.

Word Bearers - read the series and you will understand

Matt Ward

Tau - Communism in space

The Imperium - Nazis in space

The list can go on and on all day but I just don't have the time, I just know I was once a fan of the GK until I read that short story that was all about their weapons, I can forgive chaos killing innocent people, becasue its chaos and they are evil, but GK are fighting to keep humanity safe from chaos not kill people just to be able to kill chaos, where is the honor in that.

Anyway godd day evereyone  enjoy the big bucket of sunshine that WarHammer 40k


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## Lubacca (Sep 4, 2011)

So reading everyone's examples on here what I'm getting is that there isn't ONE faction in 40k that isn't warped in some sense and most of it deals with 'the ends justify the means'

Shit the dead babies thing is going to keep me up. 

I still wanna know where that stuff was learned lol


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## IadUmboros (Aug 9, 2010)

I always found the genestealer cults horrific in the extreme. The first two generations abduct and impregnate the native life on the planet, until hybrid offspring appear to be almost normal, like the lifeforms they impregnate. By the fourth generation, their offspring appear exactly like the host lifeform and mate with them freely. Their natural offspring are still evil aliens, but they develop psychic powers so they can act as a beacon and summon their dark masters (great grandfathers) to a suitable world for gene harvesting.

Be careful when you're next out on the pull.


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## Moonschwine (Jun 13, 2011)

Hmm, flying dead babies is messed up.

Turning dead skittarii / guardsmen into nutri-paste is pretty bad, because it made me wonder just what the hell people eat on forgeworlds.

Also the idea that people are literally born on the steps of the emperors palace, and the idea millions of them die of exhaustion / dehydration / malnutrition made me lose faith in the Emperor.

The idea Plague Marine ships are just filled with flies. Buzzing in your ears, and your face and your mouth urgh... God damn I hate flies.

The general idea of the multiple orifice ram-rodding that you get from falling to Slaneesh just conjures up terrifying images in my head. I'm thinking eye-sockets here, and now so are you....


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## Wolfbane (Oct 22, 2011)

Moonschwine said:


> The general idea of the multiple orifice ram-rodding that you get from falling to Slaneesh just conjures up terrifying images in my head. I'm thinking eye-sockets here, and now so are you....


:headbutt:What has been imagined, cannot be un-imagined!


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## Lubacca (Sep 4, 2011)

DUDE! Some of us think in images!!!!

BRAIN BLEACH!


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## Moonschwine (Jun 13, 2011)

Lubacca said:


> DUDE! Some of us think in images!!!!
> 
> BRAIN BLEACH!


It gets worse when your work out that from passages/sockets/holes alone you can technically get 7 Cucumber shaped objects rammed into your head/face at the same time.

So yeah. Now i'm going to have nightmares (again). Thanks OP


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## daxxglax (Apr 24, 2010)

The Obliterator Virus:


> [RECORD BEGINS]
> The process of absorption fascinates… [unclear] ones body
> might somehow swallow the item, like unto a serpent or the
> surface of some [viscous?] fluid. Yet it doth seem a mutual
> ...


Also the fact that the organization with a monopoly on all technology is a bunch of emotionless, sociopathic cyborgs who know almost nothing about these machines beyond how to build them and will gladly sacrifice trillions of people just to get their metal hands on a bolt from the Dark Age of Technology. Then consider that the entity they worship is quite possibly a trillions-of-years-old star god sleeping inside Mars, and when it wakes up it will literally eat the Sun.

If you ask me, the Emperor's Children are pretty bad. During the siege of Terra, when the other Legions were assaulting the Imperial Palace, they decided their time was best spent killing millions of the planet's inhabitants to convert them into the various drugs that composes about fifty percent of their bloodstream, thousands more slaughtered to provide more... direct pleasure. In the ten thousand years since then they have performed more successful raids than any other Legion, devoted not to revenge or conquest or conversion but to simple pleasure. And unlike the Dark Eldar, they don't do it to prevent their soul being eaten; they just love it.

I seem to recall a bit of fluff about things called halo devices — small trinkets of unknown origin, the halo devices are indistinguishable from normal jewelry but somehow make you immortal. Wearing one will slowly start to de-age you until you're once again in the prime of your life. It then starts to sink into your flesh, and at this point you start having nightmares of eating human flesh. Your body slowly becomes stronger and tougher, healing from any wound. The third and final stage continues the process, except now you need to feed on other people to survive and your body starts to twist into something that could almost be called insectine... almost. Not that you'll mind, because by the third stage it just won't be you in there anymore. You're also indestructible and a single atom of ash from your corpse can revive you if it touches blood and an electrical current.


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

Moonschwine said:


> It gets worse when your work out that from passages/sockets/holes alone you can technically get 7 Cucumber shaped objects rammed into your head/face at the same time.
> 
> So yeah. Now i'm going to have nightmares (again). Thanks OP












Oh dear god no!

I'd never thought about the Cherub Servitors before.

Here's another one; (surprised it hasnt been mentioned already): Sacraficing 1000 psykers per day to keep the old bag o' bones alive. Cheers Emperor. You seem like a cool guy.

Plus, reading the DE codex, that Tau exchange program story was absolutlely foul.


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## Imp Blackheart (Nov 29, 2010)

Amoeba Bait said:


> Oh dear god no!
> 
> I'd never thought about the Cherub Servitors before.
> 
> ...



bout time someone brought up the Black ship Harvest.
im surprised no one has mentioned the Inquisition and its many faces, all it takes is 1 man/woman to doom a world by exterminitas, let alone decide the fate to purging. they are also responsible for "pysker" collecting for the emporium.

or how about this one, Officio Assassinorum, the kind of horrors they "introduce" recruits to harden them for their particular order?

as far as the chaos gods go,
slaanash = eh, cult members thrive on pleasure/pain
nurgle = perpetual plague bearers, you die either way
korn = mindless blood and slaughter
tzeentch = OMG dont even have to worship let alone know of him, and before you know it his perverted your zealous nature or ideals and slapped you with a mark of chaos and doomed you to horrific death or bodily changes, he is after all the changer of ways 

my 2 cents, and most of this all comes from our fav demented/honorific writers of black library novels


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## High_Seraph (Aug 28, 2009)

The cherubim servitors are mostly vat-grown with very little organic components and what organic is from rats/pigeons or similar vermin hence they collect shiny things. So no dead baby.


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## Dicrel Seijin (Apr 2, 2011)

The first time I realized how messed up the 40K universe was during my introduction into the hobby. My friend had lent me a number of BL books as I was trying to figure out what army to play. He thought the fluff would be a quick way to decide on which ones appealed.

I had been thinking of the Tau up until I read one of the anthologies. In the story an IG and a wounded SM are running from the planet's militia which had converted to Tau. The end of the story is when the IG and SM are captured by kroot and the full horror of what is to come is revealed. The farm slaughterhouse filled with humans impaled on hooks was gruesome, but that paled to the kroot preparing to feast on the still living SM. The implication that the Tau turned a blind eye to this predation turned me off of them completely.

And soon after that, I learned about the phrase: "a grot's life". That's some bad times there.


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## Imp Blackheart (Nov 29, 2010)

funny you should mention the kroot, they arnt really affiliated the the tau, they just happened to share the same galaxy, and happen to be more mercenaries then anything, and yeah kroot has this thing where they like to eat their victims to gain knowledge and other attributes about their opponents. its mentioned in a Cypherious Cain novel ( i think i spelled his name right ) cant remember which book though


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## Samules (Oct 13, 2010)

High_Seraph said:


> The cherubim servitors are mostly vat-grown with very little organic components and what organic is from rats/pigeons or similar vermin hence they collect shiny things. So no dead baby.


Oh thank Asur, If it was babies then I couldn't look at another imperial army again without nightmares.


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## Rems (Jun 20, 2011)

Well some of them are actual dead babies. Usually only happens to highborn children though. I recall one story where a highborn woman had servitor cherubs who were dead relatives always around her. 

As for more horror, every sentient being's fate is pretty grim. Your soul is destined to fade into the warp and if it's strong enough; ie a psyker will be consumed by daemons. So there is no hope of an afterlife or anything like that, which is rather nihlistic.

Also the methology of deteriming if a living saint is real essnetialy involves years long interrogations and torture. Kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't.


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## the-ad-man (Jan 22, 2010)

40k is tame.

men behind the sun, august underground mordum, martyrs, a serbian film. i am pretty desensitised XD

altho the most messed up thing is probably the 'corpse rations'. dead people ground into a grey paste and fed back into hive cities. i think thats how mad cow desiese started


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## Grins1878 (May 10, 2010)

Isn't that like Soylent Green? Only SG was biscuits?


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## Weapon (Mar 5, 2009)

The sickest thing I've heard was probably how SPOILERS


Talos, from the Night Lords trilogy, captured an assassin.

He then proceeded to remove her eyes and limbs so that she could not escape, before killing her after she had told him everything.


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## C'Tan Chimera (Aug 16, 2008)

When it comes to horror from a moral perspective, The Imperium comes to mind with, well..._Everything._ They starve you to death if you're caught sympathizing or aiding the enemies wounded or dying. How fucked up is that?!

As for more outlandish horror...The Outsider. Think about it. This is a cosmic star god that has gone totally insane from eating other gods, and people of all races would choose to kill themselves rather than just _look_ at it. Don't forget how it feeds on you either- by throwing you in an eternal maze that would give M.C Escher nightmares.


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## Dies Irae (May 21, 2008)

All in all, the Orks look like the least messed up race in 40K!

Slaanesh and everything related to him (DE, Emperor's Children..) is probably the sickest thing in 40K. Come on, a god whose Greater Deamons make you dumb with admiration while they are tearing you appart limb by limb?


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## Coldshrike (Sep 9, 2011)

Yeah, almost forgot about Fulgrim and his dear children. I always hated all things Nurgle, but by the Emporer Slaanesh makes even him seem appealing. People sewing their eyes open, warriors withering in orgasmic pain from having their arms blown off, and dear god the artwork of Delafour. Just hearing about that made me nauseous.


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

Honestly not much of this disturbs me, just strikes me as odd. But then again I try to be open minded to other points of views.

Which means for me I'd end up branded a heretic, torn open as I become a gate for a daemonic invasion or some other horrible fate, which is pretty bad I guess.

There are a couple of things I find interesting that haven't been brought up yet though (though your level of how horrifying these are will vary I suppose):

Living Saints channel the holy power of the Emperor in battle and most end up dying rather quickly, drained of all life, burnt out like a candle lit from both ends. And becoming one of these Saints isn't something that is done willingly (from what I've been able to read). So you gain the power to turn back the enemy, or even destroy them, but usually end up dying in a way that I can't imagine would be pleasent (most likely akin to burning alive from the inside as the amount of power litterally begins to burst from your body?).

The other was an idea that came up in Ravenor. Un-words. Words that are made of symbols, strange letter combinations, and the like, and by speaking them you can alter the fabric of reality itself. 

Though it has a nasty tendency to leave you bleeding from the mouth, and choking on your blood to use them.


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

LukeValantine said:


> Servitors are the most screwed up thing in 40k. case in point the fact that in fact cherub servitors (Dead babies) exist is evidence enough at the fact the imperium is the evilest faction in 40k.


Ehhehhe no. The Cherubim are made primarily from the remains of stillborn children for one and for two, read about dark Eldar, you may change your tune.


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

Dark eldar don't count, as they are far to screwed up for ideas such as moral/reason to apply to half their shit. Also do you really think a bunch of still born fetuses flying around after being dissected is any better then simple taking any other form of dead baby? Really your argument is kinda weak for the alternative being any less creepy/amoral.


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

LukeValantine said:


> Dark eldar don't count, as they are far to screwed up for ideas such as moral/reason to apply to half their shit. Also do you really think a bunch of still born fetuses flying around after being dissected is any better then simple taking any other form of dead baby? Really your argument is kinda weak for the alternative being any less creepy/amoral.


Dark Eldar do not count?

An entire sect of a species that was capable of MAKING SLANESSH that still FOLLOWS the ways necessary to create a literal god of squick does not count.

Fascinating.

Even considering the fact that the Dark Eldar literally get off on torture, added in the fact that the vast majority of their species is now a group of vat grown, souless, blood crazed sadists who want nothing more than to inflict pain on every single living being is not disturbing? How about Wracks? Basically servitors that have been vivisected (dissected while living and conscious) and turned into living torture instruments, their blood constantly burning with poisons, psychoative drugs and god only knows what other chemicals.
Also, THEY VOLUNTEERED FOR THIS! THEY ARE STILL CONSCIOUS! Unlike brain-dead and sometimes physically dead servitors.

As for the Imperium, what is so terrible about using a corpse rather than letting it go to waste? Servitors are not disturbing for the simple reason that the idea was one conceived in desperation, like Soylens Viridians and servo skulls and such, the idea was "Why let perfectly good food go to waste when other people are starving?" or "Why let a perfectly good building material go to waste when I could create a labor saving device out of it and manage to provide a rememberance for this person at the same time?"

The Imperium does what it does out of desperation, for all that the beauracracy does not care, it's people let very little go to waste where they can help it, it's why Exterminatus is usually a last ditch effort.

The Imperium's veiw can be summed up easily as "People are unimportant. That Humanity survives is what matters." The Emperor was willing, for all his other faults, to let people die, but only if it means they save more.


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

Wow just wow talk about missing the forest for the trees. If you applied some common sense you would have seen that my statement meant DA would automatically win the amorality contest if we took them into account, hence they are almost exempt if you want to examine other races screwed up practices and beliefs.

Also I like how *"As for the Imperium, what is so terrible about using a corpse rather than letting it go to waste? Servitors are not disturbing for the simple reason that the idea was one conceived in desperation, like Soylens Viridians and servo skulls and such, the idea was "Why let perfectly good food go to waste when other people are starving?" or "Why let a perfectly good building material go to waste when I could create a labor saving device out of it and manage to provide a rememberance for this person at the same time?""* Shows your lack of knowledge on the various instances of the use of servitors in cannon fiction. Case in point in various books servitors are made out of living humans as punishment (Ravenor series)....you hear that living functioning humans! They most often do it for punishment of criminals and for inexcusable failure.

Also you defense of the imperium is feeble at best. In more then one instance they have done inexcusable acts of violence and evil simply out of ignorance and not out of necessity. The inquisition is the prime perpetrator of this, and so are the high lords of Terra, and noble families with their pointless internal jockeying for power and authority, using everything from assassination to black mail.


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

LukeValantine said:


> Wow just wow talk about missing the forest for the trees. If you applied some common sense you would have seen that my statement meant DA would automatically win the amorality contest if we took them into account, hence they are almost exempt if you want to examine other races screwed up practices and beliefs.
> 
> Also I like how *"As for the Imperium, what is so terrible about using a corpse rather than letting it go to waste? Servitors are not disturbing for the simple reason that the idea was one conceived in desperation, like Soylens Viridians and servo skulls and such, the idea was "Why let perfectly good food go to waste when other people are starving?" or "Why let a perfectly good building material go to waste when I could create a labor saving device out of it and manage to provide a rememberance for this person at the same time?""* Shows your lack of knowledge on the various instances of the use of servitors in cannon fiction. Case in point in various books servitors are made out of living humans as punishment (Ravenor series)....you hear that living functioning humans! They most often do it for punishment of criminals and for inexcusable failure.
> 
> Also you defense of the imperium is feeble at best. In more then one instance they have done inexcusable acts of violence and evil simply out of ignorance and not out of necessity. The inquisition is the prime perpetrator of this, and so are the high lords of Terra, and noble families with their pointless internal jockeying for power and authority, using everything from assassination to black mail.


Ok buddy, look, first off, former debate champion, claiming my argument is weak is a tactic, not much else and is only meant to make you look stronger.
This is not a debate, this is a discussion, so knock it the fuck off.

Second, no need to insult my intellegence or common sense, I merely disagreed with your opinion, I will admit I did say so in a way that was snappish and for that I apologize, but there is no need whatsoever to insult me.

Third off. I won't disagree that the Dark Eldar are amoral, thing is that doesn't make it any less disturbing the things they do, the fact that horrifying atrocities are boring and old hat to them says nothing of this to you?

And as a punishment, being killed and having your body put on display is a pretty weak one, and is already VERY VERY VERY old, because that is what a servitor amounts to, an ambulatory example, cruel, but in this case, also practical, and an intregral part of the religion of the cult Mechanicus (who see it as achiving greater union with the machine and is thus a blessing to them as well, and also a necessity in any event because their laws dictate that quote "Any Machine must maintain some aspect of Man to remain close to those it serves" I'm paraphrasing here, sue me.) You are also glossing over vat grown servitors for another count. In short, servitors, like everything else come from ALL SORTS of places, namely, wherever they can get them.

And finally, corruption in your government does not make you, your faction or your regime evil. The Administratum is merely wasteful in the extreme, trying to run a empire so big that entire planets can get lost in the paperwork, and sometimes has to make difficult choices. I'm not saying it's a GOOD way to run a government, but it's what they got, and the only way it coule be reformed would require bringing down the whole Imperium, which, when beset on all sides by voracious hordes, manical insurrectionists and tons of other shit, it NOT a feasable thing to do.

The Imperium ain't perfect, but it's what the people of the 41st Millenium got.


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

Nicholas Hadrian said:


> And as a punishment, being killed and having your body put on display is a pretty weak one, and is already VERY VERY VERY old


 You are aware that Servitors are living tissue right and that most sources talk about them having some very rudementary memeories and awarness right. So no its not a old practice to heavily labotmaise someone and have their still living corpse cart around doing manual labor till they fall apart. Nor would such a atrocity be possible in any society that values don't amount to survival at any cost. Also stop fooling yourself about the utility of servitors in the imperiun. 

Do you really think in a system were they literally can sacrifice millions to achieve virtually nothing that they are so desperate for dependable labor that they have to commit crimes against humanity? Or are you so set on your defense of the imperium/established fiction that you can't see that either some writer got over coleus with the grim dark vib, or alternatively that GW is deliberately trying to show the inherent evil necessitated by a corrupt ignorant society governed by extreme apathy. (Note virtually no servitors are made from high ranking members of the machine cult, so its no comfort that a bunch of hypocrites think the brain dead slave they have just made is now closer to perfection)

Also I was not debating you (Debate is the idiot relative of fact and philosophy anyways, just ask the sophists), I was simple pointing out some over simplifications and willing logical oversights you made when replying to my post. 

Also even though I love wasting my time arguing with someone that has clearly made up their mind I highly suggest not replying to this post as we will most likely be reprimanded by mods for getting off topic, and for just plain wasting everyone time. For everyone knows that god damn answer to this debate who has thought about 40k for more then 10 minutes critically and that is that every single faction in it is by design morally corrupt, willingly ignorant, or just plain evil. Hence the term grim dark!


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## Erik_Morkai (May 2, 2011)

The description of the Night Lords fortress...That was some ****ed up sh*t.

SPOILERS BELOW








The fortress walls are covered with living people nailed to the walls and intubed so they can be fed and drained. Some techs and servitors are assigned to maintaining the "walls". Living, squirming, screaming people all over the walls.


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

LukeValantine said:


> You are aware that Servitors are living tissue right and that most sources talk about them having some very rudementary memeories and awarness right. So no its not a old practice to heavily labotmaise someone and have their still living corpse cart around doing manual labor till they fall apart. Nor would such a atrocity be possible in any society that values don't amount to survival at any cost. Also stop fooling yourself about the utility of servitors in the imperiun.
> 
> Do you really think in a system were they literally can sacrifice millions to achieve virtually nothing that they are so desperate for dependable labor that they have to commit crimes against humanity? Or are you so set on your defense of the imperium/established fiction that you can't see that either some writer got over coleus with the grim dark vib, or alternatively that GW is deliberately trying to show the inherent evil necessitated by a corrupt ignorant society governed by extreme apathy. (Note virtually no servitors are made from high ranking members of the machine cult, so its no comfort that a bunch of hypocrites think the brain dead slave they have just made is now closer to perfection)
> 
> ...


Whatever, don't care, I simply called you out on your own oversimplification of calling the Imperium evil when the real matter is in fact far more multi-faceted and complex. No one is simple "Muhwahwa" evil in 40k, not even Chaos.

But beyond that I am not going to waste any more time arguing with another person who clearly has made up his mind.


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## Zion (May 31, 2011)

The true scariest thing in 40k?

The fanbase.


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## Coldshrike (Sep 9, 2011)

For the people who keep calling into account the number of people the imperium sacrifices, let’s not forget the scope of the imperium. They have millions of overpopulated worlds, so the idea of '1000 psykers' being sacrificed to keep the emperor alive, when he’s what’s holding the world together is, on scale of real world events, considerably less than those who sacrificed themselves to keep the Fukushima nuclear plant from going critical. Having millions of people die in a single battle would be a fraction of battles fought in WW1 and WW2 when you look at the size of the imperium.


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

Coldshrike said:


> For the people who keep calling into account the number of people the imperium sacrifices, let’s not forget the scope of the imperium. They have millions of overpopulated worlds, so the idea of '1000 psykers' being sacrificed to keep the emperor alive, when he’s what’s holding the world together is, on scale of real world events, considerably less than those who sacrificed themselves to keep the Fukushima nuclear plant from going critical. Having millions of people die in a single battle would be a fraction of battles fought in WW1 and WW2 when you look at the size of the imperium.


I understand your point; from a statistical standpoint, 1000 people dying is nothing. However, on a personal level, having a Black Ship land outside your home and a robed man walk up and say "Good morning ma'am. I'm here to take your only daughter away from you forever. By the way, she will probably be murdered. But its for the best. Have a nice day." Pretty damned wrong.

But then again, what is the alternative? Chaos everywhere!?!? No thanks.

Some intersting responses.

Also: Tyranids. I know that they are unfeeling 100% dedicated to the Hive Mind, but after a 'Nid has devoured a tonne of food, they just jump into digestion pools of FREAKIN STOMACH ACID AND DIE!!! How messed up!


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## Coldshrike (Sep 9, 2011)

Oh yes, that it has to happen is shit balls. But when people come out and say it's bad because ]-----this------[ many people are dying, a little perspective helps.


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## Vanchet (Feb 28, 2008)

The Imperium's Church (can't spell it lol) Takes criminals and turn them intoArco-Flaggellents (Super drug monsters)


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

Vanchet said:


> The Imperium's Church (can't spell it lol) Takes criminals and turn them intoArco-Flaggellents (Super drug monsters)


The church in question being the Ecclisiarchy, that's 2 "C"s
Also Arco-Flagellants are ALOT more than just drug crazed madmen, they are incredibly vicious and entirely insane rage filled creatures kept under control only by a constant unending slide show of holy icons and soothing hymnnals.

Though of course, really anything the Imperium does can be derided, or it can be defended, it really depends where you are in relation to the tragedy. Stalin said it best. "A single death is a tragedy. A million is a statistic."


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## Imp Blackheart (Nov 29, 2010)

Nicholas Hadrian
LukeValantine
(servitor problem solved :lol: ) 
and i thought this was suspose to be a friendly toss out possible horror ideals, not a huge political debate?
Servitors are mindless drones of flesh and metal used to carry out simple, manual tasks. While many are vat-grown, often a criminal, particularly one who has offended the Cult Mechanicus, will be sentenced to "Servitude Imperpituis" and will be handed over to the Tech-priests to be mind-wiped, reprogrammed, and cybernetically-enhanced to serve some specific, rudimentary function. Servitors are mindless, possessing only the most basic of instincts. Their brains are programmed to perform only the task they were designed for. The altered and fragmented brain of a Servitor functions poorly unless constantly supervised. Most will go into a state of mindlock, babbling incoherent nonsense as the Servitor tries to assert some form of awareness.5

Servitors are created by the Adeptus Mechanicus, and supplied to departments of the Adeptus Terra such as the Administratum, and to the Inquisition. Servitors make up the vast bulk of the population of Mars and other Forge Worlds, where they fulfill the role of workers.1

There are many types of Servitor, each designed for a certain task. Typical Servitors are "Technomats" which operate and service machines, "Holomats" which act as holographic recordists, "Lexomats" which are like human computers with tremendous calculating powers, and "Drones" which are living robots - stupid and essentially mindless slaves ideal for menial work and little else.2

Servitors are often used to carry out the more dangerous or labourous duties, such as heavy mining. They also accompany Tech-priest Enginseers on the battlefield with the Imperial Guard, as well as Space Marine Techmarines. These types aid in the repair of vehicles or sometimes carry large and dangerous weapons such as plasma cannons. For both forces, the Servitors are practically identical cybernetically, although Space Marine Servitors of some Chapters are created from failed Marine Initiates. Perhaps the most feared of all the Servitors are the Praetorian Servitors, a class of heavily armed and armoured Servitor deployed by the Adeptus Mechanicus to guard the Tech-priests and temples dedicated to the Machine God. 

-Lexicanum


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## MEQinc (Dec 12, 2010)

Coldshrike said:


> Oh yes, that it has to happen is shit balls. But when people come out and say it's bad because ]-----this------[ many people are dying, a little perspective helps.


But that's the thing about horror, it's always intimate. Nothing is really scary, until it's happening to you. Taken in general 40k isn't all that scary. Yes, you'll die; true, it might be bloody but it's necessary and for many people not all that bad. The true horror comes when you place yourself in the shoes of some unlucky victim of the system. Because statistically your not all that likely to meet a violent end but when you do, dear god is it horrifying.


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## Wolfbane (Oct 22, 2011)

“Some may question your right to destroy ten billion people. Those who understand realise that you have no right to let them live.” - Exterminatus Extremis


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## Coldshrike (Sep 9, 2011)

MEQinc said:


> But that's the thing about horror, it's always intimate. Nothing is really scary, until it's happening to you. Taken in general 40k isn't all that scary. Yes, you'll die; true, it might be bloody but it's necessary and for many people not all that bad. The true horror comes when you place yourself in the shoes of some unlucky victim of the system. Because statistically your not all that likely to meet a violent end but when you do, dear god is it horrifying.


That was for the benifit of the people who had turned this into a 'the imperium is evil!' debate. I'll not say there isn't something horrific about the servitors, or the gruisome mess that is chaos.


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

Coldshrike said:


> That was for the benifit of the people who had turned this into a 'the imperium is evil!' debate. I'll not say there isn't something horrific about the servitors, or the gruisome mess that is chaos.


Oh I never argued that servitors are horrific, but considering the fact that the person they were at one point is effectively dead, it's fairly low on the scale of horrible things. It is however fairly morbid.


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## the_man_with_plan (May 3, 2011)

I think we can safely say that everyone (including the imperium) in 40k is evil.

I think the most horrific thing is [everything], but in specific, aspiring to be a daemon prince, then ending up as a chaos spawn simply because your patron god doesn't give a shit is terrifying. At least, with some of the other things, you could take efforts to make them *less* bad for you(mostly along the line of jumping into the path of death so you die faster), but with the chaos spawn thing, you have absolutely no control, and you don't die for a while, so it isn't a quick death.
on another note, wracks aren't that terrifying to, because they wanted it to happen. it can't be too bad if you wan't it to happen, right?


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

the_man_with_plan said:


> on another note, wracks aren't that terrifying to, because they wanted it to happen. it can't be too bad if you wan't it to happen, right?


Sure it can. If you get off on pain.

You don't know many masochists do you?


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## MEQinc (Dec 12, 2010)

Nicholas Hadrian said:


> Oh I never argued that servitors are horrific, but considering the fact that the person they were at one point is effectively dead, it's fairly low on the scale of horrible things. It is however fairly morbid.


Pretty low if you're looking at it from an external perspective, much higher if it's you. Imagine: having just enough memory to know you used to be something more and just enough awareness to realize you can't do anything but that one task. It'd be like being stuck in someone else's body, completely unable to change your situation or even remember who you used to be. That sounds pretty horrifying to me. Like I said, it's all about putting yourself in the victims shoes.


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## 18827 (Oct 23, 2009)

ha ha ha.
parents worry about their kids watching Nightmare on Elm Street or Child's Play but are more than happy to dump them in gamesworkshop all day painting models of daemons and flying dead babies.:grin:


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## Machiavellismx (Sep 11, 2011)

What got me was the human crew in Blood Reaver, who would literally crap themselves just to get some warmth in the ship run by the Red Corsairs. While the murders of millions is horrible, its like that saying "the death of one is a tragedy, the death of a million is just a statistic" . I can't imagine how horrific it is for a whole world to be purged, but how effed-up does your life have to be, so that you walk around in your own faeces for warmth.


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## PhrycePhyre (Oct 31, 2011)

Harlequin Death Jesters are pretty nasty, first they make you blow chunks all over the surrounding walls(literally) and then they laugh.


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## Tropico (Feb 2, 2011)

............. 

I'm.... so glad that I didn't know alot of this stuff till now.

@TheSpore: hey now D: don't make me start hating my own homebrew Spehss Mahreens because of something stupid like Nazis, It's bad enough I have a long healthy loathing already invested into them for what they did to my family during WW2. 

But let's see... most horrifying...

The Entire Tyranid codex.... Every scene in that book makes me think "Oh god, they're raping everything. it's a friggin Tentacled hentai orgy..." 

Don't get me started on the figures, either. it's hard to miss the phallic symbols that permiate it like a bad dye-job. Shall I indicate to you fine gents the Pyrovore and Biovores?

The Best part? I got the codex for my birthday...


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## Nicholas Hadrian (Mar 20, 2011)

MEQinc said:


> Pretty low if you're looking at it from an external perspective, much higher if it's you. Imagine: having just enough memory to know you used to be something more and just enough awareness to realize you can't do anything but that one task. It'd be like being stuck in someone else's body, completely unable to change your situation or even remember who you used to be. That sounds pretty horrifying to me. Like I said, it's all about putting yourself in the victims shoes.


Hmm, this actually is kind of leading into a rather interesting discussion, exactly HOW MUCH sentience DOES a Servitor still have I wonder? In so far as I know Mindlock gies the indication that they are little more than animate, especially since they require observation and control of a techpriest to really do anything.


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## Amoeba Bait (May 31, 2010)

I've Seen Enough Hentai to Know Where This Is Going


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## RedHotMagma (Nov 8, 2011)

The most horrible thing for SM is that they have to eat the flesh of the victim to get part of their memory...
What is the difference of that and cannibalism?


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## the_man_with_plan (May 3, 2011)

Nicholas Hadrian said:


> Sure it can. If you get off on pain.
> 
> You don't know many masochists do you?


what i meant was that things are only scary if you dread them. you worry that they'll happen to you. i agree that wracks are pretty [email protected]^%ed up, but the're not as scary to me as some of the other things.


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## Overbeing (Oct 9, 2011)

Nothing but servitors (and clowns) are scary in 40k.

Though my mum doesn't like it much!!! :biggrin:


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## Harriticus (Nov 10, 2010)

What it must be like to be a regular human ignorant of the galaxy going about his business then have you and your family captured and brought to Commorragh. That has happened countless times and is probably the worst possible experience for someone to go through.

I'd much rather be a servitor then end up in a Haemonculi laboratory or DE slave labor camp. At least you're at peace in the former.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Chaos. Nailing babies to the walls of their habs and mocking some poor soldier's religion while killing him slowly with a pillar drill?

They're a horrific bunch of callous, hard-bitten bastards. Love 'em.

Midnight


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