Is the Emperor suffering from "The hunger"

[Poseidal]

If the Emperor was the combined souls of those Shamans in antiquity, and it is normal that when the body dies the souls are released to the Warp, would the Astronomicon be directing that 'release' in a direct way?

And the sacrifices, could they not be a 'top up'? And haven't the numbers of psykers increased in human population disproportionately since M30?

Wasn't there a picture of the golden throne at the start of one of the older rule books where the thing say in it is basicly a skeleton with some ragged bits of flesh hanging off of it?

The Rogue Trader picture had a bit of flesh on the bone, but he did look a lot more skeletal than a healthy person would. I don't remember if both arms were completely attached or not either.

[baphomael]

Well, I'm trusting Erebus from the 2nd Horus Heresy book and what he said on Davin to comatose Horus. Call me a heretic.
Imo Erebus was exactly right - The Emperor pretending that he didn't want to be portrayed as a god, but secretly wanting exactly that to happen. Erebus showed Horus exactly how the future was going to be.
So... yea, what the Emperor said and what he really wanted to me is a pair of two different shoes.
If I'm wrong, whats all that Star-Child-theory about? If the Emperor doesn't want to be worshipped as a god and doesn't want to become a god, then the Star-Child theory is a big joke, because the Emperor could decide to ascend to a Warp-God or not. If he wouldn't want, the whole theory is missing every base of discussion. You can't force someone to become a Warp-God, can you?

Anyway, it was more of a joke than anything seriously related to the initial question about soul-hunger. The Emperor was already multiple 10.000 years on earth before he started the psycher-killing. If it would be his age that requires him to do that, then he probably should have done it in his 30.000 years of living before already, not just in the last 10.000. The fact that it requires more and more offerings for me is just a sign that the Emperor (or whatever requires these souls) is losing strength (or getting greedy).


@Cthell: We don't know, but I think it's possible that Eldrad really is that old.
About the drain: Harlequin-souls are not known to wither within the Webway. We also know DE suffer from it harder if they are not within the Webway. So if anything, then the Webway works protective against the drain. Also since Exodiths and CWE do not have that drain, what else than the debauchery connection between the Dark Kin and Slaanesh shall cause it? It's not as if each Dark Eldar is far older than his Craftworld cousins either, so pure age can't be the reason.

I think the point of all that erebus/daemon stuff was to show the irony of Horus' betrayel. Horus was tricked into believing the emperor was planning to establish himself as a god. The irony being it was horus betrayed that would bring about that very future. So what he saw was a true vision of the future, only what horus didn't see was his own role in creating that future.

[The bearded one]

Wasn't there a picture of the golden throne at the start of one of the older rule books where the thing say in it is basicly a skeleton with some ragged bits of flesh hanging off of it?

This one?

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...gue_Trader.jpg

I personally prefer this one though:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...od-Emperor.jpg

[Hendarion]

The newer is soo... baa.. You would wonder how an Emperium around such a corpse can be real? Who of the many who believe that "the Emperor protects" would still believe that once they see this scary skeleton king?

[The bearded one]

The newer is soo... baa.. You would wonder how an Emperium around such a corpse can be real? Who of the many who believe that "the Emperor protects" would still believe that once they see this scary skeleton king?

well, few people of the untold billions and trillions ever get to see him, and most of the ones that do (astropaths for the soulbinding ritual) become blind anyway, but imbued with powers that make up for the loss. He's not ruling the imperium anymore anyway, the high lords of terra do it "in his name". So it's not like -in monty python fashion- they sit in front of the throne and ask questions, hoping he'll answer. It could easily be real, as he ruled physically, then had to go onto the throne and lost the ability to communicate, but he still looked like the emperor at that point (though heavily wounded) and they simply kept that going through the millenia while his body deteriorated. At no particular % of degration someone is going to think "this is ridiculous..".

And of course he's projecting the astronomican, which the navigators can sense to be real.

[Lupe]

The newer is soo... baa.. You would wonder how an Emperium around such a corpse can be real? Who of the many who believe that "the Emperor protects" would still believe that once they see this scary skeleton king?

Well, almost nobody, except the very elite of his elite Praetorian guard ever see the Emperor. And we can assume the Custodes really do believe that his current form serves a greater purpose.. What, with none of the original ones being around in M41, and all...

[Hendarion]

Yea, of course. That was more a rhetorical question.

[Prodigalson]

I always thought the demon incursion was dealt with by the time that the Emperor finally fought with Horus, i.e. it had been plugged.

Also, I'm not so sure that the Adeptus Custodes aren't the original guys. I mean, unless killed in battle, do marines die of old age? It has never been answered and even if it had, the Custodes are not space marines, but are a breed apart.

[The bearded one]

I always thought the demon incursion was dealt with by the time that the Emperor finally fought with Horus, i.e. it had been plugged.

The webway portal could be 'plugged' by a powerful psyker sitting on the golden throne. When the emperor had to go and fight horus on the battle barge, Malcador the sigillite, the most powerful human psyker after the emperor, took over for him.. and by the time the emperor returned from the vengeful spirit, Malcador was a scorched corpse, nearly dead. Malcador died as he transferred what power remained in him to the emperor, who then awoke and gave his final orders before being put on the throne.

[Poseidal]

This one?

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...gue_Trader.jpg

I personally prefer this one though:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...od-Emperor.jpg

I think there was yet another one, in black and white.

[The bearded one]

I also found this one, but I think it's fan art;

http://www.freewebs.com/pitofcarnag/..._DESTRAUDO.jpg

I believe there is actually precious little art of the golden throne. Anyone else have more?

[Jericho]

I always thought the demon incursion was dealt with by the time that the Emperor finally fought with Horus, i.e. it had been plugged.

Also, I'm not so sure that the Adeptus Custodes aren't the original guys. I mean, unless killed in battle, do marines die of old age? It has never been answered and even if it had, the Custodes are not space marines, but are a breed apart.

In the HH books, I think some of the Marines (possibly in Know No Fear) ponder their role after the crusade, and they stop to think about whether they will grow old and die eventually. So you're not the first one to ask

In the more recent fluff (as in 40k not 30k), I seem to remember reading that due to their wonky geenseed corruption/Red Thirst, the Blood Angels have (by a wide margin) the longest lifespan of the Space Marines. Dante is supposed to be like a thousand years old, while other Marines (even chapter masters) are rarely more than a couple hundred.

Chaos Marines don't count due to effects of the warp. Can't really count 10k warp years as 10k years in realspace, nor can you count out the effects of simply being powerful chaos worshippers.

[Harwammer]

I personally prefer this one though:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...od-Emperor.jpg

There is a VERY similar picture to this in the 6th edition book (p135).

[The bearded one]

There is a VERY similar picture to this in the 6th edition book (p135).

I noticed. Some minor changes to the skull and ribcage IIRC, and a couple of the wires and stuff in different spots, but it's almost the same.

[pointyteeth]

I believe there is actually precious little art of the golden throne. Anyone else have more?

There's this one which is supposedly the throne room. I know I've seen another sketch of it, but can't recall where now.

edit: also this one, but its not the other I was thinking of

[Hendarion]

Really, I like to what the topic as developed into. A gallery of Leoric, Emperor of Mankind (if you know who Leoric is). So morbid, so rotten, the base of the Imperium, the hope of Mankind, the Light in the Darkness. Can't really express it, it's almost like... well, its damn weird and morbid and weird.

[Anteloch]

...well, its damn weird and morbid and weird.

And it's precisely the thing that makes 40k so awesome

[aim]

This one?

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...gue_Trader.jpg

I personally prefer this one though:

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki...od-Emperor.jpg

Well found! Its the second one I was thinking of (the one you prefer)

[Poseidal]

This is the one I was talking about earlier:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wT_dsoa_R8...er+Emperor.jpg

IMO the most horrifying of all of the depictions. In comparison, the 'green' one looks like a victim and the 'gold' one looks rather regal.

[DYoung]

There's also the one at the beginning of the 3rd Ed Rulebook where he actually looks pretty good for his age...